Mercosur

• Wednesday, April 14th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur and EU try again.

  The European Union and Mercosur have postponed until next Friday the exchange of new negotiations proposals in the framework of the association, trade and cooperation agreement that has been under discussion by both blocks for over four years.

• Wednesday, April 14th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Guess who came for lunch?

  The United States Embassy in Uruguay strongly denied this Tuesday that a US official stated before Uruguayan union leaders that the left wing coalition, Frente Amplio, (Broad Front) would win the coming presidential elections of next October.

• Wednesday, April 14th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Magallanes received 100.000 tourists in 2004.

  Almost 100,000 tourists from all over the world visited Magallanes Region during the first quarter of 2004 according to reports from the Chilean Migration Police and Customs.

• Wednesday, April 14th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner out of hospital.

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner appeared in public this Tuesday for the first time in six days after having been hospitalized in Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz province, suffering from a gastric haemorrhage.

• Wednesday, April 14th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Rio Governor asks for 4.000 Special Forces.

  After five full days of bloody fighting between drug gangs and police forces the governor of the Brazilian state of Rio do Janeiro Rosinha Matheus officially requested 4.000 Special Forces from the federal government to help combat organized crime in the city's shanty towns, favelas.

• Wednesday, April 14th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivian president announces Cabinet reshuffle.

  Faced with resignations by several Cabinet ministers, Bolivian President Carlos Mesa reorganized his administration Tuesday night.

• Tuesday, April 13th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Crime record year for Chile.

  According to Chilean Ministry of Interior statistics, in 2003 the country experienced the highest expansion of crime activities in the country since 1997, when the annual official report was first published.

• Tuesday, April 13th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Patagonia summit next April 16.

  Mayors and governors of Chilean and Argentine Patagonia will be meeting next April 16 in Punta Arenas for the launching of the Patagonia Sur, a joint tourist trade mark promotion of the region.

• Tuesday, April 13th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner still popular despite Argentine crime wave.

  A crime wave has Argentines clamouring for relief, but does not appear to have eroded the popularity of President Nestor Kirchner, according to a poll whose release Monday coincided with news of another sensational murder.

• Monday, April 12th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner recovering but must remain in hospital.

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner who since last Friday remains in Rio Gallegos Hospital after suffering a gastric injury, continues “to improve satisfactorily” with all his “vital parameters completely normalized”, indicated this Sunday his personal doctor, Luis Buonomo.