Mercosur

• Saturday, June 1st 2013 - 03:38 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez with her mind set on October elections launches the 500 frozen-prices list

  

  The Argentine government has made public the list of the 500 products with ‘frozen prices’, until next October when mid term elections are scheduled. Consumers can check the information online at the website of the state news agency Télam and with the sites of several of the main supermarkets of the country.

• Saturday, June 1st 2013 - 02:39 UTC

  OAS warns about ‘distinct categories of citizens’ in terms of access and quality to basic services

  

  The Organization of American States (OAS), Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, highlighted the “important progress” made in the region’s democratization in recent decades, but also warned about worrying “risks of deconstruction” which are creating ‘distinct categories of citizens’ particularly in terms of access and quality to basic services such as education, health and security.

• Saturday, June 1st 2013 - 02:33 UTC

  “All we want is for things to go well for Venezuela”, Santos replies to Maduro

  

  Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos on Friday dismissed as “preposterous” Venezuelan charges that his government is backing a conspiracy to destabilize the leftist-ruled neighbor.

• Tuesday, May 28th 2013 - 00:11 UTC

  Paraguay has received no invitation for the Mercosur June summit

  

  Paraguayan Foreign minister Jose Fernandez Estigarribia said on Monday that so far Asuncion has not received any invitation from Mercosur to attend the coming summit at the end of June, and there haven’t been any talks about the issue. Last week the Argentine ambassador in Uruguay Dante Dovena had anticipated that Paraguay would be attending the Mercosur summit.

• Monday, May 27th 2013 - 02:54 UTC

  Brazil warns Uruguay on Pacific Alliance plans: Mercosur can only act as ‘a block’

  

  Mercosur must negotiate any possible incorporation to the Alliance of the Pacific “as a block” since it is important that its member countries remain ‘united’ and respect the current charter, said the Mercosur High Representative, Ambassador Ivan Ramalho from Brazil.

• Monday, May 27th 2013 - 01:49 UTC

  Paraguay demands respect from Mercosur, “if not leave us as we are”

  

  The Argentine ambassador to Uruguay, Dante Dovena, assured that authorities are “working intensely” in preparations for the next Mercosur summit scheduled to take place on June 28th in Montevideo. However news form Paraguay doesn’t indicate the same optimism and are demanding respect for ‘the country’s dignity and rule of the law”.

• Saturday, May 25th 2013 - 04:29 UTC

  Paraguay becomes observer of the Alliance of the Pacific, despite Brazil and Mercosur

  

  The Alliance of the Pacific announced this week that Paraguay had been accepted as an observer of the regional group. Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos chair and host of the alliance summit in Cali made it official during the reading of the final declaration.

• Friday, May 24th 2013 - 07:45 UTC

  Toilet paper shortage is because ‘Venezuelans are eating more’ argues the government

  

  A few hours after the Venezuelan congress voted a 79 million dollars credit for the import of 39 million rolls of toilet paper and other personal hygiene items, the government of President Nicolas Maduro said this was because “Venezuelans are eating more”.

• Thursday, May 23rd 2013 - 07:01 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez administration limits overseas dollar extractions to a minimum

  

  Continuing with the so called ‘dollar clamp’ Argentine institutions issuing credit cards will further limit the extraction of dollars from automatic cashiers: travellers to neighbouring countries will only be allowed 100 dollars every three months and those visiting non neighbouring countries, 800 dollars per month.

• Wednesday, May 22nd 2013 - 05:56 UTC

  Uruguay joins the women’s presidential club: Mujica flies to China and Astori to Colombia

  

  For several days beginning Wednesday Uruguay, as its neighbours, Brazil and Argentina will be ruled by a woman. Lucia Topolansky, Fist Lady but also Senator and third in the succession line will become interim president since her husband is off on an official trip to China and Europe, and Vice-president Danilo Astori will be attending the Alliance of the Pacific summit in Colombia.