Amnesty International made an urgent appeal to Guatemalan authorities on International Women's Day. They called on the government to act to stop the high numbers of women being killed across the country and to find justice for the victims.

According to Amnesty, 685 women were killed in Guatemala in 2010 alone. Women there have become targets of brutal attacks such as murder, rape, mutilation and dismemberment.

Amnesty also reports that less than 4 percent of all homicide cases in Guatemala result in convictions. 

Norma Cruz, director of the foundation "Survivors," points to hundreds of unpunished cases involving female victims.

[Norma Cruz, Director, Survivors Foundation]:

"As we celebrate International Woman's Day's 100th anniversary, Guatemala has an average of between 600 and 800 murdered women per year with a very high percentage of impunity. We are talking about 98 percent of cases with impunity. We are talking about more than 46,000 reports about physical violence against women."

Maria Isabel Franco was raped and brutally murdered in December 2001 at the age of 15.

Her mother, Rosa Franco, has been fighting for justice for her daughter. 

But so far Guatemalan authorities have not punished those responsible for her death.

[Rosa Franco, Mother of Murder Victim]:

"I love my country but it's not possible women are still being murdered. My daughter was murdered in a vile way. She didn't have to be killed. Saying no to a man does not mean he can kill her." 

Franco has even been harrassed by unknown individuals as she struggles to find those responsible for her daughter's death.

[Alberto Herrera, Executive Director, Amnesty International Mexico]:

"What does a woman in Guatemala have to put up with when she approaches a prosecutor's office to report a crime, the disappearance of a daughter or any other relative? She is faced with a bureaucratic system, an enormous institution that is terribly inefficient. We are talking about a double process of victimization." 

On Tuesday, hundreds of women took to the streets of Guatemala City to demand justice for female victims.

The pattern of violence has continued in Guatemala after the 1960-96 civil war.

Guatemala's internal armed conflict left 200,000 people dead and led to hundreds of thousands of human rights violations.

Archeologists in northern Peru have discovered hidden frescoes in a 1,100-year-old temple.

The structure dates back to the ancient Lambayeque culture, and is believed to be the site of hundreds of human sacrifices.

[Carlos Wester La Torre, Director, National Museum]:

"We are talking about an area that is over 600 meters squared where rituals of human sacrifice or offering have been carried out that were very important in Lambayeque society. And what we believe we have found now is evidence of a reception area for the offerings of the ceremony. It is probable they were carrying out human sacrifices here because we are very close to a site where we found more than 30 sacrificed women, a very large ceremony for these past societies, and this seems to be the central atrium where these rituals were carried out."

Archeologists are working to preserve the friezes and protect them from the sun and rain.

It's hoped the site will be opened to the public in late March.

Former leaders of Argentina's 'Dirty War', the bloody military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, went on trial Monday.

They are being charged in 34 different cases with kidnapping the children of their victims during a roundup of suspected leftist insurgents. 

Former military leaders Jorge Rafael Videla and Reynaldo Bignone were among the accused.

In their systematized crackdown, the Dirty War dictatorship tortured and killed as many as 30,000 people, many of them young activists with infants. 

Soldiers scooped up children and army officials changed their identity, placing them in homes with military sympathizers.   

Human rights groups have worked for years trying to uncover the stolen children, recovering 100 of them. 

When democracy returned to Argentina in 1983, Videla was sentenced to life imprisonment for human rights crimes but was later acquitted. 

A recent trial jailed Videla for life on charges of murder, torture and kidnapping.  

Rosa Roisinblit is the vice president of the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo.

She explained that this is the first trial for kidnapping infants.

[Rosa Roisinblit, VP, Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo]:

"The oppressors have been tried for theft, rape, torture, and murder, but they've never been tried for stealing babies. At first we were bothered about it. We thought, 'what about our children?' But later we realized it gave us another advantage, the advantage of being able to try them again for the systematic kidnapping of children."

Victoria Donda, a government representative who was at Monday's trial, is among the recovered children. 

She was born in a secret prison and both of her parents were among the “disappeared.”

Donda discovered her true identity in 2003.

[Victoria Donda, Government Representative & Recovered Child]: 

"It's also a demonstration that justice can be carried out even though time has passed, and the only things that heal societies are justice and truth. I think it's an example for other countries who are on this road of looking for justice, Spain, Germany, countries where children have also been kidnapped."

Why did the zebra cross the road?

To promote road safety, of course.

In Bolivia, an army of zebras took to the streets in La Paz to teach pedestrians and drivers about road safety.

Politicians and television stars alike dressed up in the black and white costumes, to drive their message home.              

[Casimira Lema, TV Presenter]: 

"I say to the zebras that I have followed them for 10 years. I admire them and love them. For this reason, I am 'Zebra for a Day'.

Bolivia has a high mortality rate from road accidents, and community leaders are trying to address the problem.

For years, the local council has been sending these faux four-legged friends to help pedestrians cross the street, and direct city traffic.

[Kathia Salazar, Zebra program coordinator]: 

"For us, 2011 is important because the program of community values is being strengthened, and one of those is this 'zebra attitude', to look at the city as a space for us where we can contribute with responsibility and affection. We put ourselves in place of others to modify attitudes and bad habits. We want all the people to see themselves in the skin of the zebra, to add and not to take away."

For those who ignore the road rules, people dressed as donkeys take the offenders to task.              

[Luis Revilla, Mayor of La Paz]: 

"We are today supporting the work of the zebras, but beyond that, we are asking the city to put on the suit of a zebra and see how difficult it is to keep traffic organized in the city so that we are all more conscientious."

Becoming a zebra in La Paz isn't easy.

Participants have to take a month-long course on city traffic laws before they can earn their stripes.

Classical musicians from Buenos Aires’s Colon Theatre orchestrated their own presentation recently outside the main doors of this magnificent venue.

The reason for this impromptu concert was to protest for better working conditions.

Members of the theatre’s orchestra are demanding higher wages and more rights including the freedom to strike.

Ongoing internal disputes at the theatre between management and staff have resulted in an executive suing a group of technicians and artists for lost earnings.

Jorge Piazza, a representative of the theater, explains why the musicians feel so strongly about taking this action.

[Jorge Piazza, Representative of the Colon Theatre]: 

"If we go on strike - something that we don't want to do - it is because something is going wrong and what is going wrong is the mistreatment of staff, the low salaries and all that goes with a management that has nothing to do with a theater of social interest. They are implementing a theater of economic interest, they are outsourcing the theater, displacing 340 people that we recovered to replace them with private companies. It is to say that they have transformed the Colon Theater into a corporate society."

The concert attracted appreciative crowds but the musicians are hoping that their underlying tune will be heard by the decision makers.

The Colon Theatre only recently reopened its doors in 2010 after undergoing a lengthy restoration project

Another Colombian hostage tastes freedom.              

The rebel group FARC, which stands for Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, released police patroleman Carlos Ocampo on Sunday - the fourth hostage this week.              

Though some are speculating this could lead to talks with the government, FARC's failure to free two others could put a damper on possible negotiations.              

[Eduardo Pizzaro, Government Representative with Handover]:            

"The helicopters went to that area and it turns out today that supposedly the hostages aren't in Tolima state but in Cauca state. Supposedly they were moved further out from the mountain range. This behavior by the FARC puzzles us, bothers us and worries us a lot." 

But family members of the two men still in captivity say bad weather may have been a factor.              

The Marxist-inspired guerillas still have 16 police and military officers, some of whom have been held more than a decade in secret camps. 

FARC has said it would free all hostages only in exchange for jailed guerrilla fighters, including some imprisoned in the U.S.              

Valentine's Day is synonymous with roses – and it's the first big opportunity of the season for flower growers.

Three-quarters of the cut flowers imported by the U.S. come from Colombia and the Latin American country exports around 500 million stems.

Colombian flower farm worker Hernando Callejas hopes this Valentine's Day will herald the start of a profitable year.

[Hernando Callejas,  Flower Farm Worker]:
"It's a very, very important season to meet our economic goals during the rest of the year. So, if you have a good start with Valentine's, the possibility of having a good year is definitely better."

But times are tough for the world's second biggest flower exporter, due to an unusual rainy season and the sharp appreciation of the peso against the U.S. dollar.

February 14th falls on a Monday this year and Colombia's Association of Flower Growers says that's a good sign that flowers will be top sellers.

[Richard Franklin, Colombian Association of Flower Growers]:
"When Valentine's is on a weekend, people usually prefer to go out to a restaurant or prefer to do some other activity. When Valentine's is on a weekday, people send flowers. That's why we are optimistic that this Valentine's is going to be very positive."

And with 15 percent of Colombia's annual flower sales relying on Valentine's Day, these farmers hope there's a great deal of romance in the air this year.
 

Thick plumes of smoke rose over central Rio early Monday morning from the City of Samba complex - a grim reminder of how voracious a fire can be. 

This blaze consumed thousands of costumes and floats in the cluster of samba groups or “schools” where the city's best Carnival groups spend months preparing their spectacular annual parades.  

At least three of the 12 top samba groups were badly hit by the fire, just weeks before their scheduled parades through Rio's Sambadrome, which get under way on March 6 and 7.

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes held an emergency meeting with Carnival officials and said he was confident that all of the top samba schools would parade.

But those most badly hit might not recoup in time to compete for the annual prizes.

[Eduardo Paes, Mayor, Rio de Janeiro]: 

"I've already been here twice this year, touring the warehouses. Uniao da Ilha samba school was fully ready (for the Carnival), Grande Rio was ready, Portela's preparations were very advanced. Unfortunately it's going to be difficult to restore the work of a whole year in 30 days. But these schools have the hallmark of Rio's Carnival - lots of passion and lots of people involved. Carnival will go on."

Samba school workers rushed to the complex in an attempt to salvage some of the elaborate floats as 80 firefighters battled the blaze.

The fire was brought under control by mid-morning but how the fire started was unclear.

More than 3,000 costumes were turned into ashes in the shed of Grande Rio, the worst-affected school.  

[Mestre Cica, Grande Rio’s Drum Cops Leader]:

"…not even with all the money in the world we will be able to rebuild what Grande Rio had made. Let's see what it's going to happen. We will parade with t-shirts, shorts. We can enter into the venue, but not with costumes, we lost everything."

No one was reported killed in the fire, although at least one person was treated for smoke inhalation. 

The sprawling City of Samba complex was completed in 2005 at a cost of millions of dollars.  

Ironically, one of the aims of the new structure was to avoid the fires that had hit Carnival preparations in the past.

Colombia identified on Monday the three airports where a humanitarian mission hopes to land later this week, carrying five hostages FARC guerrillas have agreed to release.  FARC is the acronym for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People's Army. 

The FARC rebels announced last Friday they plan to free three military officials and two politicians in three different jungle areas. 

Former senator Piedad Cordoba, who has been dismissed and banned from public office for collaborating with the FARC fighters, is the chief mediator for the operation. 

[Piedad Cordoba, Liberation Process Mediator]: 

"Last night we [the Colombian for Peace organization] received the coordinates of the places where the FARC, the people's army, will hand over the five hostages. Afterwards, I, Piedad Cordoba, informed the President, Juan Manuel Santos, about the news. This is another fact that paves the way so that the two lawmakers and the three law enforcement officials can be reunited with their families, friends and society.”

The rebel organization still holds about 18 members of security forces and Cordoba said she was hopeful that this operation would lead to more releases.     

The agreed deal says Brazil will supply two helicopters with crews, a few hours before the releases. FARC has released video footage of the captives at an unknown jungle location. 

One of the hostages set to be freed is Police Major Guillermo Solorzano, who was captured in 2003. Another is Army Corporal, Salin SanMiguel.        

Speaking in Bogota, government representative Adriana Vargas made an appeal for the release of all hostages still held by the FARC. 

[Adriana Vargas, Presidential Spokesperson]: 

"The Colombian government considers that it's giving all the necessary guarantees to release the five Colombians as soon as possible, and at the same time reiterates the call to the FARC that they immediately release all the hostages they have in captivity."         

The Red Cross will also be assisting in the handover, the logistics of which are still being worked out. 

Ecuador's Galapagos Islands - home to many unusual species.              

But none as rare as Lonesome George.  

This giant tortoise from the island of Pinta is the only known survivor of his species.              

And at 90-years-old, George is in his sexual prime.              

So conservationists at the Galapagos National Park are encouraging the reptile to mate.

They have identified two females for George, hoping that it will be love at first sight.

The females, from a different subspecies, were chosen according to their DNA, says Herpetologist Diego Cisneros.   

[Diego Cisneros, Herpetologist]:              

"That allowed us to determine females that had better capacity and better chance of mating with George. There are also other components; there are other things that we have not been able to ignore. Some people are suggesting that perhaps George is still very young."  

George tried once before to procreate, back in 2009.              

But the eggs laid by the female were infertile. 

If this attempt fails, Cisneros says there could be other options.  

[Diego Cisneros, Herpetologist]:              

"There are certain methodologies, hybridization, cloning, etc. but they are not so easy and we're talking about reptiles, the study of which is not as advanced as the studies of other animals."  

But here's hoping that George and his two new companions hit it off and the tortoise known as the world's "rarest living creature" will produce a long line of descendants.  

These look like ingredients for a cooking show, but they are the height of biochemistry innovation in Argentina.  

The National Institute for Industrial Technology is using naturally occurring waste products like onions, sunflower seed husks and peanuts to create natural alternatives to synthetic dyes   

Ricardo Domanico, a biochemist at the institute, says the dyes are proving remarkably durable. 

[Ricardo Domanico, Biochemist, Inti Chemistry Department]:              

"We are using the same primary materials that an artisan uses, and that could be the skin of an onion, to name one example. We have dyes that stay adhered to the fabric without the need to use a chemical mordant, and that also have a very important strength when washed. They resist washing in a way they don't resist with the artisan's methods. Why do we believe that happened? Because of the securing method that we used."  

Unlike traditional natural dyes, which are obtained by boiling vegetable products in water, these dyes are made by extracting and conserving pigments in powdered form. 

Water is added to ease the extraction, but then removed again, so the final product is dry.

Graduate chemist Cristina Zunino says not only does this technique increase the pigment's ultimate water-resistance, it also allows for the long-term preservation of the dyes. 

[Cristina Zunino, Graduate Student Specializing in Textiles]:          

"At the moment when we finish with the dying - which is most important - the bath of dye is clear, that is to say all the dye has been absorbed by the fabric."              

Currently, the institute is developing dyes for the textile market.  

But Domanico says future plans involve looking at how dyes can be applied to food, cosmetics, paper, paint and rubber - trying to color the world from a pallete that's environmentally green.                     

Last week devastating floods and landslides in Brazil’s key agricultural area, the southeastern Serrana region, has caused 700 fatalities and the destruction of thousands of acres of crops and farm land. 

In Nova Friburgo and neighboring towns, thousands of farmers are striving to salvage what little is left in their fields.

Idemir de Souza, a 53-year-old organic vegetable farmer says he has lost two-thirds of his crops.

[Idemir de Souza, Farmer]: 

"(I had) Fifteen thousand plants, but only four or five thousand will remain, because there's too much water here and when the sun heats up they die out and the mudslides also destroyed many of them. What is left are those tomatoes over there, where there are 5,000 plants and I hope to recover those."

Lauzira da Viga and her family on a nearby farm say they have never experienced floods of this magnitude during three decades of living off their vegetables and livestock.

They worry about not being able to repay their government loan in February.   

A major fruit and vegetable market whose stocks have fallen by more than 60 percent over the past few days has become the center for receiving donations for flood and mudslide victims.

Ronaldo Perez the market’s manager says that most farmers have had very little produce to deliver.

[Ronaldo Perez, Market Manager]:  

"Some (farmers) are still bringing in products, but with great difficulty because there were great losses and many roads are completely destroyed. The lack of supplies in big cities and other towns in the region has become evident. Prices also increased a lot because of this." 

Brazil's National Integration Minister Fernando Bezerra visited Nova Friburgo and other towns destroyed by floods on Tuesday. He pledged federal government aid to local farmers.              

He explained in a news conference that affected farmers would be granted cheap loans and would have ten years to pay their debts.

[Fernando Bezerra, National Integration Minister]: 

"We will make new loans available with grace periods that may last from two to four years, with low interest rates, and with a payment deadline of up to ten years. The interest rates will be capitalized during the grace period and will be used to increase trade volumes or to recover production capacity." 

The disruption of food supplies and rising prices has prompted the federal government to pledge around $463 million dollars in emergency aid. 

And World Bank officials are working on a $485 million dollar emergency relief loan for disaster hit areas. 

A leftist group attacked a police station in northern Paraguay with explosives late on Sunday, injuring four police officers and raising concerns over a new offensive by the insurgents.      

The Paraguayan People's Army (EPP) - a small group linked to Colombian rebels and active in marijuana-growing regions in the north - say it’s avenging the killing of rebel leaders under leftist President Fernando Lugo.              

The powerful blast damaged homes near the police station and occurred just days after two smaller explosions hit Paraguay's capital, Asuncion.    

[Rafael Filizzola, Paraguayan Interior Minister]:

"They are obviously seeking to terrorize the population. We still don't want to make unfounded accusations but the EPP has claimed responsibility through a document, as they did in the case of the explosions at Channel." 

And attacks are growing more violent since police shot dead two rebel leaders last September.

[Rafael Filizzola, Paraguayan Interior Minister]:         

"What the president and the government have made very clear is that these acts will not threaten us. We will not be daunted. On the contrary, they strengthen our conviction that this is a dangerous criminal organization." 

Congress was also granting the government special powers to fight the rebels but none of them were captured.