Mercosur

• Tuesday, January 17th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil walking “on own two feet” after paying off IMF

  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told his compatriots Monday that Brazil “has begun to walk on its own two feet” after paying off in full its $15 billion debt to the International Monetary Fund.

• Tuesday, January 17th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina: 2005 fisheries landings total 843,357 tons

  Preliminary figures provided by the Argetnine National Fishing Coordination Directorate tally the January-December 2005 period fishing landings at 843,357 tonnes. Should final results confirm these figures, they would demonstrate slightly lower numbers than 2004, when total landings reached 873,100.2 tonnes, according to the statistics by the Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Secretariat (SAGPyA).

• Tuesday, January 17th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Bachelet: relation with Argentina is strategic

  “The relation with Argentina is strategic. The destinies of Chile are closely linked to those of Argentina”, said elected Chilean president Michelle Bachelet who emphasized her administration's foreign policy will privilege relations with neighbouring countries and regional economic integration.

• 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.