Mercosur

• Friday, February 17th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Venezuela puts pressure on Opec to cut its output

  The next meeting of oil ministers from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries may be more than two weeks away but Venezuela has fired the first salvo. It has stated that the oil cartel should cut its output by up to 1m barrels a day.

• Friday, February 17th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Greenland ice-loss doubles in past decade

  The loss of ice from Greenland doubled between 1996 and 2005, as its glaciers flowed faster into the ocean in response to a generally warmer climate, according to a NASA/University of Kansas study in the journal Science.

• Friday, February 17th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Malvinas veterans win compensations claim

  An Argentine court ruled that a group of Malvinas war veterans, all belonging to the conscripts class 1962 have the right to collect retroactively from April 2, 1982, pensions and compensations which had since been denied, reported the Buenos Aires press.

• Thursday, February 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Mercosur/EU anticipate results in Vienna summit

  Mercosur and European Union representatives meeting in Buenos Aires Wednesday agreed to relaunch bilateral negotiations for a cooperation and free trade treaty which has been bogged for months.

• Thursday, February 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Latinamerica lobbies against US migration bill

  The “March for Migrants” arrived Wednesday in Washington to lobby for the defeat of pending legislation that will allow the construction of a double fence along the US/Mexico border in an attempt to stem the flow of illegal Latinamerican immigration to the US.

• Thursday, February 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  HMS Southampton rendezvous with Roz Savage

  HMS Southampton made a brief rendezvous this week with solo British oarswoman, Roz Savage, the only solo female entrant in the Atlantic Rowing Race. Savage was in good spirits and accepting nothing but a Valentine card from the crew.

• Thursday, February 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Haiti: Preval declared President

  Haiti's interim government and the electoral council have declared René Préval the winner of the presidential election, ending frantic negotiations to stop violent street demonstrations in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

• Thursday, February 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  British Gas to provide Chile's energy alternative

  British Gas was the winner of the international bid to develop Chile's natural gas mega project, which has the purpose of ensuring the country's natural gas supply in the coming years plus gradually cutting back on the high dependency on Argentine sources.

• Thursday, February 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Lula da Silva requests support for bio-diesel project

  Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked Thursday the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to study the possibility of financing infrastructure projects and biodiesel production in Brazil.

• Thursday, February 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile conditions 1.5 billion US dollars mining project

  Chile's environmental authorities approved the controversial 1.5 billion US dollars mining project proposed by Canada's mining giant Barrick Gold on Wednesday but with several conditions placed on the development of the mine.