Mercosur

• Thursday, September 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine Senate disavows Falklands' fishing licenses

  The Argentine Senate approved Wednesday a fisheries bill which imposes stronger sanctions to illegal fishing and basically forces vessels operating in the South Atlantic to opt between Argentine and Falklands issued licenses.

• Thursday, September 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine/Falklands legislative dialogue “reopened”

  Following a meeting in Buenos Aires with a Westminster delegation, Argentine members of Congress said that the “Falklands/Malvinas dialogue” at parliamentary level has been reopened.

• Thursday, September 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay opts for preferential trade agreement with US

  Uruguay discarded the option of a free trade agreement with United States and counter proposed negotiations on the basis of the Trade Investment Framework Agreement.

• Thursday, September 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Ecuadorian presidential candidate calls Bush “dimwitted”

  The leftist presidential front-runner in Ecuador said that the devil should be insulted by comparisons to US President George W. Bush, whom he called a ??dimwitted'' leader who has done ??great damage'' to the world.

• Thursday, September 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Mexico rejects Condoleezza Rice remarks

  Mexico said United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was out of line by suggesting that its democracy was just now maturing, saying it wasn't up to her to voice such opinions publicly.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Bulgaria and Romania join EU under strict conditions

  Romania and Bulgaria hailed Monday's announcement that they will be admitted to the European Union in January 2007, although under strict conditions that include curbing organized crime and corruption, ensuring food safety and proper use of EU funds.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  EU tightens beef rules

  EU agricultural officials have tightened up definitions of cuts of top-quality South American beef to reduce the chance of fraudulent imports under the bloc's reduced-duty quotas, officials said yesterday.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Poll: Brazil's president headed to win

  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is headed toward a first-round victory Sunday in Brazil's election, a new poll predicts.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean Universities rank high in Latin America

  Two Chilean universities, the University of Chile (Universidad de Chile) and the Catholic University of Chile (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile), ranked among the top universities in Ibero-America in a new study undertaken by SCImago Research Group.

• Wednesday, September 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Winter 2007 gas supply to Chile will be worse

  Just as most Chileans are beginning to forget this past winter's gas dispute with neighbouring Argentina, Chile's National Energy Commission (CNE) is warning that next year could be even worse.