Mercosur

• Thursday, July 28th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  US faces fresh challenge on farm subsidies

  Amid near deadlock in global talks over agricultural trade, the US on Wednesday faced a fresh challenge to its support for farmers as Uruguay promised to file a legal complaint against American rice subsidies at the World Trade Organisation.

• Wednesday, July 27th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Tour de force by jailed former Nicaraguan president

  A lower court judge in Nicaragua ruled that former President Arnoldo Aleman, currently under house arrest at his ranch, may serve the rest of his twenty year sentence under probation terms given his “invalidity” conditions.

• Wednesday, July 27th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile regrets Swiss decision regarding former terrorist

  Chilean Minister of Interior Francisco Vidal regretted the Swiss government's decision to grant political refuge status to a former Chilean terrorist who in 1996 fled from a high security jail. However he said Chile will respect the decision.

• Wednesday, July 27th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Duhalde and Menem challenge Kirchner “beyond differences”

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner campaigning for the coming October mid term elections attacked his predecessor Eduardo Duhalde and a possible electoral alliance with former president Carlos Menem in politically strategic province of Buenos Aires.

• Wednesday, July 27th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina: Trawlers landed more than 18,000 tonnes of squid so far this year

  According to the statistics provided by the National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DNPyA), Argentine shortfin squid (Illex argentinus) total landings so far are estimated at 136,874 tonnes.

• Wednesday, July 27th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Mexico City Mayor resigns to begin presidential bid

  The mayor of Mexico City who has a comfortable lead in early polls for next year's presidential election resigned from his job on Tuesday to seek his Democratic Revolution Party's, PRD, nomination.

• Wednesday, July 27th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Colombian ambassador next IDB president

  Colombian Ambassador in Washington Luis Alberto Moreno was elected Wednesday as the new Inter American Development Bank, (IDB) President. He takes office next October for a five year teems and will be replacing Enrique Iglesias who held the job for 17 years.

• Tuesday, July 26th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Crucial week in US Congress for CAFTA

  The White House urged the House of Representatives the approval this week of the Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Association, CAFTA, before the summer recess which will extend the whole of August.

• Tuesday, July 26th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Determined to loose weight? try Tokyo

  The gap in food prices between cities famous for their high cost of living such as New York and London, and Tokyo kept increasing according to a report from the Japanese government.

• Tuesday, July 26th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Yuan managed flotation will help “gain time”

  The revaluation of the Chinese currency and its managed flotation will help gain time but won't solve by themselves all the misbalances of the economy, according to Dr. Yu Yongding, member of China's Central Bank Monetary Policy Committee.