Mercosur

• Monday, October 13th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Social unrest in Bolivia extends.

  A new day of violence in the outskirts of the capital of La Paz, the capital of landlocked Bolivia, left a toll of five people killed and at least fifteen wounded, totalling fourteen deaths since the current unrest erupted a month ago.

• Monday, October 13th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil's extreme inequalities.

  The results of the latest Brazilian Home Poll released this week indicate some spectacular advances in the greatest South American country and economy, but also persistent inequalities that undermine future prospects.

• Monday, October 13th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Good prospects for 2004.

  Latinamerica must insist with “more popular and less populist reforms” to fully recover economic expansion according to the International Monetary Fund, IMF.

• Monday, October 13th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay prepares to return to money market

  The Uruguayan government is optimistic about a first emission of bonds in international markets since the financial crisis of last year and the successful voluntary exchange of sovereign bonds last May.

• Monday, October 13th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  De-freezing of relations with Cuba.

  For the first time in fourteen years an Argentine Foreign Affairs minister visited Cuba for 48 hours to re-establish full diplomatic relations and as a clear sign of “political willingness from both governments to give a greater thrust to the bilateral relationship”.

• Sunday, October 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  “Fluctuating G” and Buenos Aires Consensus.

  Thirteen countries of the original group of 20 (21 or 22) that was formed in the recent failed World Trade Organization meeting in Cancun, Mexico to fight agriculture protectionism in developed countries, confirmed last Friday in Buenos Aires “the importance of the full standing of the multilateral trade system and the WTO”.

• Sunday, October 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  UNITAS naval exercise in South Atlantic.

  Beginning this week navies from several South American countries, Spain and United States will be participating in the annual Unitas exercise that deploys surface vessels, submarines and air support in the South Atlantic.

• Sunday, October 12th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Child prostitution scandal in Santiago.

  A Chilean politician who accused three fellow members of Congress of alleged links with a child prostitution ring currently under investigation, resigned from her party.

• Friday, October 10th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil: Oil new project in the Amazon jungle.

  Brazil's state oil industry is extracting more natural gas and crude in the country's jungled north as part of a development program that is bringing investment and jobs on pipelines and at refineries, in the remote and left-behind region.

• Friday, October 10th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Senate Suspends Court Justice.

  Argentina's Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to suspend a controversial Supreme Court justice, the second targeted in a high court purge led by President Nestor Kirchner.