Construction of a $1.4bn, 700-mile pipeline to carry natural gas from Peru's Camisea fields to its impoverished south will begin in 2010, according to Kuntur Transportadora de Gas, which will sign a contract with the country's government today.

Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela are closer to ensuring their citizens have the chance to break the cycle of poverty than many of their neighbours in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the World Bank