Mercosur

• Monday, January 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Anti establishment candidate leads in Peru

  Peruvian nationalist presidential candidate Ollanta Humala for the first time is leading public opinion polls, 28%, but conservative candidate Lourdes Flores would anyhow defeat him in the event of a run off, 46% to 39% according to the Lima Sunday press.

• Monday, January 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Bachelet first overseas visit to Argentina

  Chilean elected president Michelle Bachelet first overseas visit will be to Argentina, said Argentine Labour minister Carlos Tomada, head of the delegation which was present Sunday in Chile for the electoral run off.

• Monday, January 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Magallanes solid surge for Bachelet

  Magallanes was the region with the fourth highest support for Chilean elected president Ms Michelle Bachelet in last Sunday's run off. Actually Magallanes votes for Ms Bachelet surged almost seven points between the December and second round, from 51.2% to 57.9%.

• Monday, January 16th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine-Uruguayan pulp mills dispute spiraling

  Uruguay will officially express “concern” to Argentina over the recurrent blockading of border bridges by Argentine environmentalists which are causing “irreversible” damage to both countries economies, announced Uruguayan Foreign Affairs minister Reinaldo Gargano.

• Sunday, January 15th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile has her first elected woman president

  Socialist Michelle Bachelet was elected Chile's first woman president on Sunday's run off with a seven point difference over her Conservative rival.

• Sunday, January 15th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Morales-Kirchner meeting in Buenos Aires

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner will be receiving next Tuesday elected Bolivian president Evo Morales who this weekend returned to La Paz from a successful international trip of eleven days in four continents with promises of support for his administration.

• Friday, January 13th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina advances partial opening of squid season

  Argentina signalled the beginning of the Illex squid season as of January 16, effective in the South Atlantic between parallels 44o and 46o 30' and between provincial jurisdiction and meridian 62o West.

• Thursday, January 12th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Repsol YPF, Enarsa sign offshore exploration accords - Argentina

  Spanish oil major Repsol YPF has signed two agreements with Argentina's state energy firm Enarsa and other international partners to explore for hydrocarbons in offshore Argentina, Repsol YPF said in a statement.

• Thursday, January 12th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Euro zone interest rates unchanged at 2.25%

  The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged at 2.25% in its Thursday January 12 meeting. ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet said that on the basis of regular economic and monetary analyses, “we have decided to keep the key ECB interest rates unchanged following the increase of 25 basis points on 1 December 2005”

• Thursday, January 12th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina, spaghetti or beef country?

  The myth about Argentines feeding virtually only on beef was swept aside by economic difficulties and the more modest spaghetti figures as the staple dish, according to a poll released this week in Buenos Aires.