Mercosur

• Friday, July 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Storms kill 15 and leave Chile short of energy

  The storm of rain and wind that is ravaging central and southern Chile has left 15 people dead, six missing and 30.000 homeless according to the latest reports Thursday from the National Emergencies Office in Santiago.

• Friday, July 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Bus burning rampage by criminal gangs in Sao Paulo

  Urban buses returned to the streets of Brazil's major city Sao Paulo late Thursday after having suffered violent attacks during three nights running and following guarantees of special protection from elected authorities and police forces.

• Friday, July 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Panda sanctuary and Tequila area in UN World Heritage sites

  Giant panda sanctuaries in China, a tequila-producing area in Mexico, a millennia-old irrigation system in Oman and renaissance palaces in Italy are among 18 new sites admitted to the World Heritage List of humanity's outstanding natural and cultural legacy, bringing to total to 830, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

• Friday, July 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  South Indian Ocean Fisheries Accord

  Faced with a marked increase in fishing on the high seas, six countries have signed an agreement covering a vast area of the South Indian Ocean in what a United Nations official has hailed as a major step forward in conservation and sustainable fishing.

• Friday, July 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  89% of Chileans feel they will be crime victims

  A National Urban Survey on Citizen Safety in Chile released this week in Santiago found that more than half the population fears going out at night because of crime.

• Friday, July 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Slow season for minke whales, admits Norway

  Norway's whaling fleet will catch only half of its quota this season. The government set a quota of 1052 minke whales, (up from 797) but so far only 444 have been landed, reports BBC.

• Friday, July 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  New limits on contaminants in fish, squid and mollusks

  Measures to keep cancer-causing and other toxic contaminants, such as lead and cadmium, out of the human food chain have advanced a step further with the adoption of new limits by a United Nations commission that is the world's highest body on food standards.

• Thursday, July 13th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil discovers light crude in Santos basin

  Petrobras and partners British Gas and Petrogal from Portugal have found light crude in the ultra-deepwater BM-S-11 block in the Santos basin, announced this week the Brazilian Energy company.

• Thursday, July 13th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Lopez Obrador working for massive rally on Sunday

  From different districts in Mexico peaceful marchers begun converging on Mexico City in support of presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and to protest what they say was a “vote fraud” in Sunday July 2 presidential election which has as undeclared winner by half a percentage point ,Conservative candidate Felipe Calderón.

• Thursday, July 13th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur to discuss regional integration challenges

  A Mercosur seminar on “Challenges to regional integration” will take place Thursday in Montevideo with the participation of representatives from the now five full members, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, plus associate member Chile.