GENEVA — The Swiss government said Monday it has handed banking documents over to Argentina in a $25 million dollar corruption probe linked to former President Carlos Menem and French defense company Thales.

Argentine president decrees $2.6 billion in cash handouts for children of unemployed

Argentine leader decrees subsidies for poor kids

Argentine Congress considers legalizing same-sex marriage despite church opposition

Argentine Congress considers same-sex marriage

Argentine environmental secretary fined for failing to clean up river in Buenos Aires

Argentine enviro secretary fined for dirty river

Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil team up to protect Atlantic Forest, halt deforestation

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Three South American nations announced a joint plan Tuesday to establish protected zones in the vast Atlantic Forest as part of an effort to halt deforestation by 2020.

Uruguay Court rules amnesty unconstitional in dirty war murder; citizens to vote on law Sunday

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — Uruguay’s Supreme Court on Monday declared unconstitutional a law that has provided amnesty to military officials accused of murders, disappearances and other human rights violations during the country’s dictatorship.

Argentine Senate approves law dismantling media monopolies, president to sign

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s Senate overwhelmingly approved a law that will transform the nation’s media landscape on Saturday, and President Cristina Fernandez quickly signed it into law.

Argentine astronomer calculated orbits of Halley’s Comet and Saturn’s outermost moon

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pedro Elias Zadunaisky, an Argentine astronomer and mathematician whose calculations helped determine the orbit of Saturn’s outermost moon, Phoebe, as well as Halley’s Comet, died Wednesday. He was 91.

List of endangered monuments from World Monuments Funds

Afghanistan: Old City of Herat

Argentina: Buenos Aires Historic Center, Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires

Apache to supply 50 million cubic feet per day of gas through Argentina’s Gas Plus Program

HOUSTON — Oil and gas company Apache Corp. on Monday said it secured new contracts to supply 50 million cubic feet of natural gas per day through Argentina’s Gas Plus Program.

Buenos Aires zoo officials say 3 endangered eagles to be released in the wild following rehab

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine zoo plans to release three endangered crowned eagles back into the wild after several months of rehabilitation during captivity.

Argentine team rescues adventure couple from dangerous hike atop Patagonian glaciers

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A British-French couple trying one of the world’s most difficult hikes — more than 250 miles (400 kilometers) of Andean glaciers that straddle the border between Chile and Argentina — had to give up after terrifying wind and snow nearly buried them alive.

Tango dance and music granted protected cultural status, put on UNESCO world heritage list

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tango was declared part of the world’s cultural heritage by the United Nations on Wednesday and granted the international seal of approval Argentina and Uruguay have long sought for the dramatic dance and its sensual moves.

The race to host the 2016 Olympics to come down to close finish at IOC vote in Copenhagen

LONDON — Close your eyes and imagine the possible scenarios in 2016.

Argentine police try to dislodge laid-off workers from Kraft Foods plant

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine police have used force to remove laid-off workers occupying a Kraft Foods plant since last month.

Ahmadinejad slams Argentina for giving in to ‘Zionists’

NEW YORK - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blasted Argentina Friday for seeking the extradition of Iranian Defence Minister General Ahmad Vahidi.

Spanish police arrest former Argentine navy officer for alleged ‘dirty war’ crimes

MADRID — An Argentine-born pilot for a low-cost airline was arrested during a stopover in a Spanish airport on suspicion of piloting planes that carried hundreds of dissidents to their deaths during his country’s 1976-1983 “dirty war,” authorities said Wednesday.

Uruguay defends itself at World Court against allegation of polluting river with pulp mill

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Uruguay denied Argentina’s claims at the United Nations’ highest court that a pulp mill on a river separating the two countries is polluting the air and water, saying Monday it meets environmental protection standards.

Argentine leader, pursuing media law, drops plan for phone company-cable TV competition

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s president made a major concession Monday as she seeks votes for a proposed media law, saying telephone companies should not be allowed to compete for television customers after all.

At world court, Argentina says Uruguay broke international law by authorizing pulp mills

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Argentina argued Monday at the U.N.’s highest court that Uruguay “flagrantly breached” international law by authorizing the construction of two pulp mills on the river that separates the two countries.

Argentina leader urges US to do more to resolve Middle East conflict

SC panel says Gov. Sanford should face ethics accusations tied to probe into travel, finances

Colombia’s top cop: Escobar’s son directly involved in drug lord’s crimes

Israeli president predicts Chavez, Ahmadinejad will ‘disappear’ before long

Buenos Aires marriage license is a first for same-sex couples in Latin America

Pro-gov’t group defends Argentina media law, counters criticism from international editors

Press group: Latin American governments increasingly intervening in business of journalism

AP interview: 15 years after Pablo Escobar’s death, son comes forward, asks forgiveness

Latin America news editors: Region’s populist leaders restrict press freedom, silence critics

Trial begins for Argentina’s last dictator, ex-generals for kidnapping, torture and murder

Switzerland hands over banking documents in Argentina corruption case, official says