Mercosur

• Thursday, September 15th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner in UN calls for Falklands' sovereignty talks

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, speaking before United Nations, called on the British government for a quick resumption of negotiations leading to a solution for the Malvinas Islands disputed sovereignty, which he described as “a central issue for the Argentine people”.

• Thursday, September 15th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Malvinas veterans protest in downtown Buenos Aires

  Demanding compensation for past military services a group of some 30 Malvinas war veterans took the main offices in downtown Buenos Aires of the Argentine government agency managing health-care programs for pensioners.

• Thursday, September 15th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil cuts basic interest rate after 17 months

  The Brazilian Central Bank cut the benchmark Selic lending rate 25 points to 19,5% from a two-year high, 19,75%. The rate reduction, the first in 17 months, follows nine rate increases since September 2004 that stemmed a surge in inflation.

• Thursday, September 15th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Japanese vessel will survey squid in Argentina's EEZ

  Japanese flagged research vessel Kiyo Maru will begin next Friday September 16 a research cruise in the South Atlantic to assess squid (Illex argentinus) juveniles from the summer spawning stock (SDV) and from the southern Patagonian stock (SSP).

• Thursday, September 15th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Colombia requests extradition of 3 Irish nationals

  Colombia formally requested the government of Ireland the extradition of three Irish nationals sentenced to 17 years for training Colombian FARC insurgents in terrorist tactics.

• Thursday, September 15th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Scandal rocked Brazilian Congress expels “whistleblower”

  The Brazilian deputy who triggered the worst crisis in the country's Congress in the last two decades was expelled Wednesday during a tumultuous session full of shouting, threats and recriminations.

• Wednesday, September 14th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Fujimori throws his hat into the Peruvian election ring

  Former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, currently exiled in Tokyo since 2000, collected Wednesday morning his new passport from the Peruvian consulate in the Japanese capital reported the Japanese news agency Kyodo.

• Wednesday, September 14th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian concern with Paraguay's Mercosur commitment

  Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Celso Amorim expressed concern over the possibility Paraguay and United States sign a free trade agreement and called for transparency in the military cooperation agreement between both countries.

• Wednesday, September 14th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Pre-Katrina US trade gap drops slightly

  United States trade deficit last August dropped 2,6% with exports reaching a new record while imports of consumer goods and capital equipment slowed according to the latest release from the US Department of Commerce.

• Wednesday, September 14th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuelan corporations protest rash of expropriations

  Venezuela's main business association called Tuesday on the National Assembly and the Supreme Court to “restore legal and constitutional order” which is being destroyed by the Executive's expropriation of supposedly “inactive” companies and idle farms.