BUENOS AIRES — From Venezuela to the Dominican Republic via Brazil, the Latin “love hotel” reigns supreme — bright lights, cupid arrows and faux-Roman columns leave the prospective punter in no doubt about the services on offer. In Argentina’s capital, however, things are a little different.

LIMA — Some of the wooden furniture that makes for chic centerpieces in American homes is being sourced in far less elegant ways in this South American country. Environmentalists have long sounded alarms about illegal logging, claiming that export companies profit from ransacking the jungle of rare hardwood species in poor countries with lax law enforcement. Now, the US government is taking a tougher stance.

LIMA — From Diego Maradona to Lionel Messi, Argentina’s assembly line of soccer talent is legendary. But now, Argentina’s taxman is taking aim at the seamier side of the industry — shadowy businessmen seeking to make a fast buck out of young players while dodging taxes in secretive deals.

Ever since the US Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, abortion has been legal in every state of the union. But that's to say nothing of the rest of the world. We asked GlobalPost correspondents from Cairo to Caracas to assess abortion rights where they are.