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South America Breaking News

Argentine: 18 million below poverty line / Chile and Argentina open automobile market / “HMS Swift” exhibit in Buenos Aires / FAM advances in South Korea

Argentine: 18 million below poverty line
Half of the Argentine population of 36 million live below the poverty line according to the latest census figures, reported Juan Carlos Del Bello head of the National Census and Statistic Institute, INDEC. Mr. Del Bello said the number actually jumped from 14 to 18 million during the last six months as a direct consequence of the current situation with constant increase in food prices, unemployment and frozen salaries. During the current first quarter retail prices increased 21% reflecting the huge devaluation of the Argentine currency that sky rocketed from the pegged one dollar-one peso to three pesos to the US dollar in four months. "The dramatic increase of the last few months has been caused by the huge 35,2% increase in basic food prices, particularly last April when they actually jumped 17,7%", said Mr. Del Bello. According to Mr. Del Bello in lower income families 46% of income is invested in food, and therefore the dramatic impact of the last month when beef, flour, oil experienced unprecedented increases. A family, couple plus two children, is considered below the poverty line when their monthly income is below the equivalent of 186 US dollars, and indigence is defined when the group makes less than 79 US dollars per month. According to INDEC, 6,5 million Argentines are in the indigence category. Regarding unemployment the latest official report dates from October 2001, when it reached 18,3%. However officials in the Ministry of Economy admit that in May the figure could be closer to 25%. Five million Argentines under the poverty line live in Buenos Aires and its metropolitan influence area. "With frozen salaries, rocketing food prices, it's hard to see how the situation in the short term can be reverted", indicated Mr. Del Bello.

Chile and Argentina open automobile market
Chile and Argentina agreed to eliminate all tariffs in the bilateral automobile market beginning 2006. However from 2002 until then quota numbers of light vehicles, buses and trucks, free of tariffs, will increase accordingly. Argentine manufactured vehicles currently pay a 7% tariff in Chile. The agreement with Argentina means a considerable advance over the Chile-Mercosur 2011 deadline for the automobile industry. Quota numbers for light vehicles from Argentina to Chile will increase from 27,000 in 2002, to 30,000 in 2003, 33,000 in 2004 and 36,000 in 2005. From Chile to Argentina begin with 9,000 in 2002; 10.000 in 2003; 11,000 in 2004 and 12,000 in 2005. In 2006, Argentina and Chile will become in fact an only market for Chilean and Argentine manufactured vehicles. The agreement also is more flexible in so far it considers a vehicle locally built when it has 40% of auto parts local or regional (Mercosur), modifying the previous 60%. For Chile the agreement is a significant advance since it follows similar deals with Brazil and Mexico.

"HMS Swift" exhibit in Buenos Aires
Remains recovered from a British corvette sunk in Patagonia over two centuries ago are in exhibition in Buenos Aires. The corvette HMS Swift, that at the time 1770, apparently operated from Port Egmont, Falklands, was caught in the middle of a fierce storm in Puerto Deseado, province of Santa Cruz and rapidly sunk after hitting a rock. Of the 91 crewmembers under Captain George Farmer, 88 survived and several months later were rescued. The Buenos Aires exhibition includes 59 pieces of great historical value recovered by divers from the Argentine Sub-aquatic Archeological Program belonging to the National Anthropology Institute, who have been working in the underwater wreckage since 1997 when HMS Swift was discovered. Among the pieces are green bottles, glassware, china, porcelain, shoe buckles, cannon balls, other minor munitions, even a copper built open fire with some coal remains found in the captain's quarters. "This is a unique opportunity to study life aboard vessels at the time, food habits, sanitary conditions, hierarchy relations, plus naval construction and engineering", said Dolores Elkin, archeologist, diver and head of the program. Apparently organic remains have also been found in the wreckage which is quiet uncommon. "We found mustard seeds, pepper grains, penguin eggs, which means that besides the food the vessel brought from England they also consumed local supplies", added M, Elkin. The exhibition in the Centro Cultural Borges, ("Corvette Swift: two centuries under the sea") also includes historical documents, underwater pictures and a digital display of how the "Swift" lies in the sea bed and its original standing with sails, guns and crew when it sailed in the South Atlantic. However, when the Buenos Aires display is over next June 9th., all pieces and recovered material will be permanently exhibited in the Mario Brozoski Provincial Museum in Puerto Deseado.

FAM advances in South Korea
With just a few days before the beginning of the World Football Cup, there's growing concern in South Korea and neighbouring countries, particularly Japan, co host of the event, about the confirmed cases of foot and mouth disease in the South Korean hog industry. So far the Seoul government has slaughtered thousands of pigs because of several outbreaks of the disease, the latest of which have been reported in farms in an area 60 miles from Seoul. The area with the outbreak is 24 miles away form Suwon and 50 miles from Daejeon, where several matches will be played.Japan has raised concerns about the possible spread of the disease when tourists visit the two countries during the tournament. But South Korea has called the concerns "groundless" since the contaminated area is far from the World Cup matches."We need a fuller test to confirm effectively, but we have begun slaughtering livestock in the two areas to prevent the disease from spreading", said a spokesman for the South Korean Agriculture Ministry.So far 15,300 livestock have been slaughtered but with the new outbreaks another 23,000, mostly pigs in 16 farms have been targeted.The South Korean government policy is to slaughter all livestock in farms within 500 meters from where a case of FAM is confirmed to prevent the epidemic from spreading.