Mercosur

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Human Rights Watch blasts Colombia and US

  Colombia, the largest recipient of United States aid in the Western Hemisphere, “presents the most serious human rights and humanitarian situation” in Latin America, Human Rights Watch said in its World Report 2006.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  IMF praises Uruguay's “sound economic policies”

  The International Monetary Fund, IMF, praised Uruguay's “sound economic policies” which have contributed to a strong recovery and expressed support for the deep fiscal reforms the government is undertaking.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Spain denies it's the worst CFP offender

  Spain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food's (MAPA) Maritime Fisheries General Secretariat said that offences against the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) mentioned in a report released by the European Commission (EC) refer to data gathered in 2003.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Spain gets tough on illegal fishing

  Spain will tighten surveillance of its fishing fleet in an attempt to stop illegal fishery practices and overexploitation of the resources both in national and international fishing waters.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Gibraltar in Madrid Tourism Exhibition

  The Gibraltar Tourist Board is currently exhibiting at the 26th edition of FITUR (Feria Internacional de Turismo) in Madrid this week, reports the Gibraltar Chronicle.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Major Maersk investment in Algeciras port

  MAERSK España, the Spanish subsidiary of Danish shipping giant Maersk will invest Euro 48 million this year in new cranes and container handling equipment for its dedicated terminal in Algeciras, across from Gibraltar.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Pinochet's daughter on the run requests US asylum

  Lucia Pinochet, eldest daughter of former dictator Augusto Pinochet, has requested political asylum in the United States, the Chilean government said Wednesday.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina/Uruguay pulp mills dispute expected to cool

  The pulp mills conflict between Argentina and Uruguay will be aired in international courts announced Wednesday Entre Rios province governor Jorge Busti. But the whole bi-national dispute seems to be cooling off following the indirect involvement of Brazil and Chile.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Greenspan returns to consulting business

  The chairman of the United States Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan plans to open his own consulting business in Washington under the name of Greenspan Associates when he retires from the job next week, revealed the Wall Street Journal.

• Thursday, January 26th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Scepticism about EU-Mercosur agreement next May

  The European Union does not believe a free trade agreement with Mercosur can be reached during the coming EU-Latinamerica and Caribbean summit next May in Vienna.