News stories by Marcela Valente, page 21

Judges and other judicial officers in Argentina have begun to receive training on gender equality and women's rights, as part of a broad programme that could serve as a model for similar initiatives in the rest of Latin America.

A small fishing community in the northern Argentine province of Chaco is pressing for a sustainable development programme to preserve their simple way of life and the natural habitat, rather than a mega-investment project that would draw upscale tourism instead of the people who now come to seek peace and quiet on the weekends.

Damián López, of Argentina, has been riding his bicycle the length of the Americas for the past three years. His mission? In addition to completing the long journey, he wants to shine the spotlight on children who are at risk due to violence or abandonment.

A system of mutual safeguards, created nearly two decades ago by Argentina and Brazil for in-situ verification of the peaceful use of nuclear power in both countries, serves as an international model of transparency and confidence building in this highly sensitive field.

South America's Mercosur trade bloc is becoming established as the top world producer of beef, with 40 percent of the international market. But while in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay production and exports are growing, Argentina, the home of the legendary 'asado' barbecue, is falling behind.

Men in Latin America are increasingly engaged in raising their children, a change that has been largely forced on them by women's self-development. However, men are still a long way from taking on a more equal role in housework, and they are still burdened with the obligation to be the main providers.

Environmental factors, lack of cooperation and overfishing have caused a sharp fall in catches of squid in the southwestern Atlantic ocean, the most important fishery in the world for this species.

Independent theatre productions are mushrooming in basements, small theatres, garages or private residences throughout the Argentine capital, and sometimes even making it big across borders.

The magazine El Teje, which is published in the Argentine capital and presents itself as 'the first transvestite publication in Latin America,' has been fighting the stigmatisation of the trans community for nearly three years.

The Argentine economy is making a rapid recovery after the impact of the global financial crisis last year, but experts warn about the limits to growth, which will reach a ceiling shortly unless investments increase.