Mercosur

• Thursday, March 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  De la Rua confirms testimony that journalists, judges were bribed.

  Former Argentine President Fernando De la Rua confirmed his testimony to a federal judge Wednesday that journalists and judges had received bribes during the government of Carlos Menem, judicial officials said.

• Wednesday, March 17th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Spanish company begins legal actions against Chile

  After ten years of differences with the Chilean government over allotment of Southern hake quotas a Spanish fishery group has requested arbitration hearings from an international body to begin legal actions against the Chilean State.

• Wednesday, March 17th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Aerolíneas interested in Pluna

  Aerolínas Argentinas and Varig airlines signed last week a letter of intent allowing the former Argentine airline, now under Spanish control, to audit Pluna's books the first step for the possible acquisition of the 49% share of the Uruguayan flag carrier which belongs to the Brazilian airline.

• Wednesday, March 17th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Ms. Krueger criticizes Argentina's strong rhetoric

  International Monetary Fund interim Managing Director Anne Krueger said that Argentina in the future will need a primary surplus above the 3% agreed for this year, with the purpose of increasing payments to the country's creditors.

• Wednesday, March 17th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Federal Reserve keeps rate unchanged at 1%

  With employment hiring lagging, inflation quiet low and resource use slack, the Federal Open Market Committee decided this Tuesday to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 1%, the lowest since 1958. In its official release the FOMC states:

• Wednesday, March 17th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  Strong recovery of Argentine industry; Argentina implements another IMF condition; IMF forecasts stronger world economy

• Wednesday, March 17th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil and Argentina sign Copacabana Declaration.

  Mercosur main partners Argentina and Brazil will work actively so that negotiations with multilateral organizations, particularly fiscal demands, don't imperil growth or condition infrastructure investments.

• Wednesday, March 17th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  “Maya V” Observer “dumped computer into the sea”

  Uruguayan Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Martín Aguirrezabala revealed to a Congressional Committee that the Fisheries Department observer aboard the longliner “Maya V” dumped his “technical reports and computer to the sea” before been arrested for allegedly fishing in Australian waters.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Ready for the (500 billion US dollars) Rio Declaration

  Argentina trusts that presidents Nestor Kirchner and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will agree on a strategy, “more or less homogeneous”, to discuss about their huge foreign debts with multilateral organisations, said Argentine Minister of Interior Aníbal Fernández in Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, March 16th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  US criticizes Aristide's presence in Jamaica

  The State Department said this Monday that the presence of former Haiti president Jean Bertrand Aristide in the Caribbean “serves no purpose”, and called for attention on what is happening in Haiti, and not in what happens with Aristide.