Mercosur

• Wednesday, November 2nd 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Bush admits FTAA “stalled”, but “priority” is Doha round

  United States president George W. Bush admitted that negotiations for a free trade zone embracing 34 countries of the hemisphere, Free Trade Area of the Americas, FTAA which was scheduled to begin functioning 2005/ 2006 are stalled.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Telesur new Latin American TV station goes on air.

  A map of South America flashed on the screen and theme music played as live news broadcasts began Monday on a new Latin American TV station backed by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as an alternative to large corporate media outlets.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Montevideo, Bs. Aires calm river waters

  Argentina and Uruguay sought yesterday to calm a row that escalated at the weekend over Uruguay's decision to build two paper pulp factories on its side of the river dividing the two countries.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile-Peru Relations Again Tense

  A growing dispute between Peru and Chile over maritime rights has raised the hackles of diplomats in both nations and stoked tensions simmering since a sea war more than a century ago.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil hopes to lift FAM bans on beef by end of year

  Brazil is hopeful the ban on Brazilian beef imposed by almost 50 countries following several outbreaks of foot and mouth disease will be lifted by the end of the year, said Agriculture Minister Rodrigo Rodrigues.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Majority of Argentines reject US policies

  Only two out of three Argentines are pleased their country will host this week's Summit of the Americas, with over half expressing fears of a terrorist attack, according to a public opinion survey published this week by the Buenos Aires daily Pagina/12.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil and Argentina with hefty trade surpluses

  Brazil's trade surplus during the first ten months of 2005 almost surpassed the 2004 record, announced Tuesday the Brazilian Central Bank. By the end of October, the surplus was 36,350 billion US dollars while in 2004 it had totalled 33,696 billion.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  HMS Cumberland seizes £ 200 million in drug bust

  The British frigate HMS Cumberland has seized a two-tonne haul of cocaine with a UK street value of some £200 Million in a Caribbean drug bust, reports the Royal Navy.

• Tuesday, November 1st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Fed raises rate to 4% and anticipates more

  Determined to keep inflationary pressures in check and in a move expected by market analysts the Federal Reserve decided Tuesday to raise interest rates for the twelfth consecutive time increasing the base rate by 25 points to 4%.

• Monday, October 31st 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Cuba denies money contribution to Lula's campaign

  Cuba categorically denied Sunday having contributed three million US dollars to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's electoral campaign in 2002 as was attributed by the latest edition of Veja magazine.