Mercosur

• Thursday, December 7th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  EU ratifies support for Botnia pulp mill in Uruguay

  The European Union praised the World Bank decision to extend a 170 million US dollars loan for the completion of the Botnia-Orion pulp mill in Fray Bentos, Uruguay, and which has become the core of a dispute with neighboring Argentina.

• Thursday, December 7th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Lamy optimistic about trade accord for 2007

  World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy said in Paris that a global trade deal was possible in 2007 but it would need bigger efforts from the world's main players.

• Thursday, December 7th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Mercosur/EU talks depend on the Doha Round

  As long as the Doha Round is pending, “significant advances” in negotiations with Mercosur for a free trade agreement will not be forthcoming anticipated on Friday the European Union External Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson.

• Thursday, December 7th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Almirante Irizar sets off for Antarctic 2006/07 season

  Argentina's Defense Minister Nilda Garré symbolically gave departure orders for the Navy's icebreaker “Almirante Irizar” which next week sails south to begin the 2006/07 summer Antarctic season.

• Thursday, December 7th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Chavez promotes Mercosur “regional integration axis”

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez arrived Thursday in Buenos Aires for talks with his counterpart Nestor Kirchner and is scheduled to hold a two hours meeting in Montevideo on Friday with President Tabare Vazquez before leaving for Bolivia.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina's official inflation in course to one digit target

  Argentina's Consumer Price Index increased 0.7% in November totaling 8.7% so far this year according to the latest release from the Statistics and Census Office in Buenos Aires.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  World household wealth concentrated in 2% richest

  The richest 2% of adults in the world own more than half of all household wealth, according to a new study by a United Nations research institute. The report, from the World Institute of Development Economics Research at the UN University, says that the poorer half of the world's population own barely 1% of global wealth.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Furious riots in Paraguay following court verdict

  Rioters set cars alight, looted and blocked streets in Paraguay's capital on Tuesday as anger flared over a court verdict relating to a fire in a supermarket that killed 400 people in 2004.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Pulp mills dispute: Argentina “reasonably optimistic”

  The Argentine government is “reasonably optimistic” about the resumption of some form of dialogue on the pulp mills dispute with Uruguay, following the Tuesday visit to Buenos Aires of a special envoy sent by the King of Spain to try and “facilitate” an understanding between both countries.

• Wednesday, December 6th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Chavez moves closer to “my good friend” Kirchner

  Re-elected Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez sent Tuesday two strong support messages to his Argentine counterpart Nestor Kirchner: he replaced an ambassador and announced the granting of a significant credit to an Argentine dairy cooperative.