Mercosur

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian vice-president promises loyalty to Lula

  Brazilian vice-president Jose Alencar said he was ready to take office if president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was impeached on corruption charges and censored. In that case the first thing I would do “is change the current monetary policy”, said Mr. Alencar in an interview published Sunday in the influential Folha de Sao Paulo.

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez in Columbia University forum

  Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez will be one of the star participants of a forum of world leaders organized by Columbia University next September 19.

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean Army says 1973 coup is “a closed matter”

  Chilean Army Commander in chief General Juan Emilio Cheyre said that as far as the Army was concerned “the matter of September 11 is closed” referring to the September 11, 1973 bloody coup which installed the military regime of General Augusto Pinochet.

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Cruise season: Punta Arenas expects 20% more visitors

  Punta Arenas expects at least 123 cruise calls this coming 2005/06 season, including 75 foreign vessels according to the latest estimate released by the regional ports authority Empresa Portuaria Austral, EPA, which manages Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Majority of Mercosur have negative opinion of Bush

  In four of Mercosur country members' capitals over 50% have a “bad” or “very bad” opinion of President George Bush and only 12% support him according to an opinion poll done by the Latinamerican Social Sciences Faculty, Flacso.

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chinese president praises trade partner Mexico

  Chinese President Hu Jintao praised Mexico as an “important trade partner” upon arriving Sunday in Mexico City for an official three-day visit. In a short message Hu Jintao said that two countries “share the same task of strengthening economic and social development; Mexico has become a very important partner of China in Latin America”.

• Sunday, September 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  UK police mark 9/11 anniversary

  British police officers are to join millions of Americans to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile receives first Scorpone class submarine

  Chile officially received Friday in Cherbourg, France, the first of two Scorpane class submarines specially built for the Chilean Navy.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile raises basic interest rate to 4%

  Confirming market expectations the Chilean Central Bank Monetary Council during its September meeting agreed to raise the basic interest rate 25 points to 4%, the seventh increase in 2005.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Matthei reported to court

  Former Chilean air force commander-in-chief Fernando Matthei has been reported to an Argentine court on charges of homicide.