Mercosur

• Wednesday, January 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Lula calls Brazil and IMF partners now that debt is paid

  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday that Brazil's early payment of its debt to the International Monetary Fund will not end its relationship with the IMF, but will make them partners.

• Wednesday, January 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Chavez accuses US of scuttling Brazil plane deal

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the U.S. is blocking his efforts to acquire Brazilian military training aircraft as part of an ongoing ''war'' between the two countries.

• Wednesday, January 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Peru bans ex-president's election bid

  Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori, fighting extradition from a Chilean jail on charges of graft and involvement in murder, is barred from running for president because congress banned him from holding office, election officials ruled.

• Wednesday, January 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  China rejects Chilean decision to slash permits for local port access

  Chinese fishing authorities consider that the Chilean government's unilateral decision to restrict the access of Chinese fishing vessels to the South American country's ports will damage the efforts taken by both parties and will hinder future cooperation, said a trading advisor in China's Embassy to Santiago, Chen Yuming

• Wednesday, January 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivian president-elect visits South Africa

  Bolivian President-elect Evo Morales arrived in South Africa on Tuesday on an international tour that already has taken him to Europe and China.

• Tuesday, January 10th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine squid fishery kicks off February 1

  Members of Argentina's Squid Monitoring Commission agreed on February first as the starting point for the next shortfin squid (Illex argentinus) season. The decision enforced in Argentina's EEZ had been notified to industry representatives.

• Tuesday, January 10th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Flight to check volcanic eruption in South Sandwich

  Mount Belinda on Montagu Island in the South Sandwich Islands is erupting, reports the South Georgia government.

• Tuesday, January 10th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Caruana to London for Trilateral and Defence talks

  Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana is scheduled to meet with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in London this week. This was confirmed to the Gibraltar Chronicle by the local government.

• Tuesday, January 10th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  “Minor seism” felt in Ushuaia and Rio Grande

  A slight seism, with a II to III Mercalli intensity was felt Monday night in two of Tierra del Fuego's main cities, the capital Ushuaia and Rio Grande.

• Tuesday, January 10th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Latinamerican countries condemn US migration proposal

  Foreign Affairs ministers from ten Central and South American countries met in Mexico Monday and condemned United States proposals to tighten border controls including the building of a wall along parts of the US-Mexico frontier.