Mercosur

• Wednesday, October 5th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Shinning Path collaborator sentenced 20 years

  The ballet dancer who hid Peru's notorious guerrilla leader Abimael Guzman above her dance studio in Lima was sentenced to 20 years in prison for terrorism.

• Wednesday, October 5th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Cuban officials boycott German unification reception

  Cuban officials boycotted a cocktail party at the German Embassy in Havana to protest a parallel reception where regime opponents were invited.

• Wednesday, October 5th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  US blasts “corrupt pact” in Nicaragua

  United States Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said that the “corrupt pact” between former Nicaraguan Presidents Arnoldo Aleman and Daniel Ortega is a relic of the past which is threatening Nicaragua's future.

• Wednesday, October 5th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Jump in Chile's consumer prices index

  Chile's Consumer Prices Index jumped 1% in September, the highest since March 2003 according to the latest release from the National Statistics Institute.

• Tuesday, October 4th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Copper factor boosts the Chilean peso

  The Chilean currency experienced Monday a new 0,6% appreciation in Santiago's money markets reaching 526 pesos to the US dollar, the strongest since June 2000.

• Tuesday, October 4th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  First round for President Kirchner

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner's “horizontal” strategy of knitting political alliances showing “new faces”, with the purpose of defeating the powerful structure of the traditional Peronist party under control of former caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde proved successful in one of the less populated provinces of the country.

• Tuesday, October 4th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Fisheries hot news

  Deep-sea fish markets shut down in Spain; Whale hunting and the Guatemala vote; The long files of Antonio Vidal and Fadilur; New Zealand lowers several TACs; Chile regulates brown algae extraction; Seafood market to focus on fewer species;

• Monday, October 3rd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian corruption: “all party leaders involved”

  Brazilian ruling Workers Party, PT, former secretary general Silvio Pereira confessed that all top party leaders were well aware of the illegal financial scheme to pay for campaigns and ensure political support in Congress which has turned into a gigantic corruption scandal threatening President Lula da Silva's political future.

• Monday, October 3rd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivian president will resign if elections are postponed

  Bolivian caretaker President Eduardo Rodriguez threatened to resign if the general elections scheduled for December 4 should be postponed because Congress cannot agree on the redrawing of the country's electoral district map.

• Monday, October 3rd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Soldier wounded in mine clearance operation

  A Chilean soldier was injured when a landmine exploded during a clearing operation in the Chungara base on the border with Bolivia, reported Santiago's La Tercera.