Mercosur

• Tuesday, August 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Pro-Chavez landslide forecasted municipal elections

  A hundred thousand troops will be deployed over the weekend in Venezuela to guarantee security during municipal elections announced military authorities in Caracas.

• Tuesday, August 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Jittery oil market hits a new record

  Oil prices surged Monday to a new record above 62 US dollars the barrel following the death of Saudi Arabia King Fahd and amid concerns about refineries and a new confrontation with Iran over nuclear energy development.

• Tuesday, August 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Scandal forces first resignation in Brazilian Congress

  The leader of a junior party of the Brazilian ruling coalition was forced to step down Monday when he publicly admitted having received money from President Lula da Silva's Workers Party, PT.

• Tuesday, August 2nd 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Fisheries: Breaking News

  Headlines:
  Japanese research vessel helps with squid survey; Argentina's half year fish exports reached 452 million; Federal Fisheries Council sets maximum allowable catches for 2005.

• Monday, August 1st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News from Pta. Arenas.

  Headlines:
  
  
  Cruise “Antarctic Dream”, ready to sail; Surge in Punta Arenas unemployment; Magallanes records major increase in “social” crime.

• Monday, August 1st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Venezuelan president needs to be “exorcised”

  Venezuelan Cardinal Rosalio Castillo said in an interview published Sunday in the Colombian press that his country's president, Hugo Chavez, was “a paranoid despot” who, instead of a blessing needed an “exorcism”.

• Monday, August 1st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Growing US public opinion against war in Iraq

  According to public opinion pollster Gallup, 32% of North Americans believe the war in Iraq is lost, while 21% feel President Bush could eventually win it, but don't see him determined.

• Monday, August 1st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  State of Sao Paulo, a country on its own

  The state of Sao Paulo in Brazil reached the 40 million inhabitants mark this weekend which makes it more populated than at least 178 countries, according to the Regional Data Analysis System.

• Monday, August 1st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's ruling coalition proclaims presidential candidate

  Chile's Christian Democratic Party (DC) proclaimed Saturday Socialist Michelle Bachelet as the only candidate of the ruling coalition (Concertacion for Democracy) for December's presidential election.

• Monday, August 1st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Latinamerica wins first round of “banana war”

  The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled Monday in favour of nine Latin American countries that had challenged an increase in the European Union's tariff on bananas scheduled to take effect next year.