Mercosur

• Thursday, May 20th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Elusive EU-Mercosur agreement

  The European Union and Mercosur meeting in Brussels did not exchange this Wednesday, --as was scheduled--, their long delayed new trade proposals which should lead to the conclusion of a free trade and association agreement before the end of 2004.

• Wednesday, May 19th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez steps up rhetoric against 'external enemy'

  Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president, has stepped up his nationalist rhetoric and urged supporters to defend his radical government against destabilisation efforts from abroad.

• Wednesday, May 19th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Defence ministers: poverty causes crime

  The defence ministers of Argentina, Brazil and Chile yesterday agreed that “poverty” and “social inequality” are the main causes of crime, violence and instability in the region.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  21 Koreans with mechanical respirators

  Fifteen crewmembers of the Korean jigger “Sung Kyung” that were intoxicated two weeks ago when an ammoniac gas tank exploded remain connected to mechanical respirators in several Montevideo hospitals.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine-Brazilian combined air exercises

  The Argentine and Brazilian air forces will be involved until next Friday in the combined exercise “Plata II” with the participation of fighter and transport planes, helicopters, ground radar systems and 360 servicemen.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  OPEC closer to increasing production

  The Organization of petroleum exporting countries, OPEC, could be holding a formal meeting next May 22/24 in Amsterdam to decide an oil production increase with the purpose of stopping the escalation of oil prices, the highest in decades.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil wants full access to EU farm markets

  The Brazilian Deputy Trade Representative before the World Trade Organization, WTO Pablo Estavillet de Mezquita argued in favour of Mercosur countries having “free of quotas access” to European Union agriculture markets.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Gas crisis: situation will stabilize in 2005/06

  “The only thing we can do is feeling ashamed, and apologize”, said Argentine Minister of Interior Anibal Fernandez who defended Argentina's decision to limit natural gas supply to Chile, simultaneously admitting that there's no close end to the energy crisis.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  New Brazilian ambassador in Argentina

  One of the most capable political operators from the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira, 53, is the new Brazilian ambassador in Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula confirms conservative economic policy

  Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appealed to the business community not to expect “magic plans” to help reactivate the stagnant Brazilian economy which in 2003 contracted 0,2% for the first time in eleven years.