Mercosur

• Monday, May 30th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine unemployment in first Q: 13%

  Argentina's unemployment index for the first quarter of 2005 reached 13%, which represents an increase over the 12,1% of the last quarter of 2004 but a considerable drop from the same period a year ago with 14,4%, according to the latest release from the Statistics Institute, Indec.

• Monday, May 30th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil's tight monetary policy questioned

  In May and in an effort to contain inflationary pressures for the ninth time running Brazil's Central Bank raised the minimum interest rate or Selic, which now stands at 19,75% and is described as a world record.

• Monday, May 30th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Violence and secession threaten Bolivia's unity

  Bolivian president Carlos Mesa warned of an impending coup by “minority groups” who want to oust him and prevent Congress from resuming work this Tuesday.

• Monday, May 30th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News from Pta. Arenas.

  Headlines:
  Antarctic season to begin from Puerto Williams; Unemployment in Punta Arenas drops to 5,9%; New Hereford Association president; Budget increase for Chilean Antarctic research; Large iceberg redrafts Antarctic charts.

• Monday, May 30th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Lan, best airline in South America and Caribbean

  For the fifth time Lan has been chosen as the top airline of South, Central America and the Caribbean according to the Official Airline Guide, OAG, the leading world guide regarding air passenger transport.

• Sunday, May 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur-EU resume trade talks next July

  Next July 4 Iberoamerican and Mercosur Foreign Affairs ministers will be meeting in Brussels with European Union Commissars, announced Saturday in Portugal Laila Rachid Cowles, Mercosur's pro tempore chair.

• Sunday, May 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  French NO sends shockwaves to EU project

  French voters overwhelmingly rejected this Sunday the European Union's proposed constitution in a key referendum that sent shockwaves to the whole continent, possibly dealing a fatal blow to the whole process.

• Saturday, May 28th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina says Brazil bid for UN seat Is 'Elitist'

  Argentina's Foreign Minister Rafael Bielsa said Brazil's request for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council is ''elitist and not very democratic.'

• Saturday, May 28th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay and Paraguay to fortify Mercosur.

  Montevideo: Presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay Tabare Vazquez and Nicanor Duarte, respectively, agreed to meet to strengthen the Southern Common Market.

• Saturday, May 28th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Bush to speak at OAS session June 6

  The White House confirmed that President Bush will speak at the Fort Lauderdale General Assembly of the Organization of American States next month.