Mercosur

• Wednesday, April 13th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Region's energy equation depends on Chile/Bolivia

  If Chilean-Bolivian litigation can be solved, the region could rapidly achieve an “energy equation” putting an end to all supply problems, said Argentine president Nestor Kirchner currently in a state visit to Germany.

• Wednesday, April 13th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  World expansion in 2005 estimated in 4,3%

  Surging oil prices plus the world economy's growing misbalances have put a break on growth expectations for many countries, indicates the IMF World Economic Outlook, although it insists in an overall 4,3% expansion forecast for 2005.

• Wednesday, April 13th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  IMF good marks for Mercosur members

  Economic prospects for several Mercosur country members, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay in 2005 and 2006 are the best of the Latinamerica and Caribbean region, according to the latest International Monetary Fund “World Economic Outlook”.

• Wednesday, April 13th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Romania and Bulgaria voted into the EU

  The European Parliament cleared the way for Romania and Bulgaria to join the European Union January 2007, although the debate was not extent of controversy.

• Wednesday, April 13th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina denies “unilateral rupture” with IMF

  Argentina's Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa denied Wednesday that his country was thinking in a “unilateral rupture” with the IMF if an agreement on the refinancing of sovereign debt is not reached and further ratified that there will no new offer to private creditors who didn't join the recent debt swap.

• Tuesday, April 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula da Silva becomes “more papist than the Pope”

  Majority and moderate groupings in Brazil's ruling Workers Party, PT, agreed on a radical platform turn that will give priority to “balanced budgets” and “sustainable economic growth” instead of the original “rupture with the current neo-liberal economic model” with which Lula da Silva, a former firebrand union leader, was elected president in 2002.

• Tuesday, April 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Move on to quash e-control law.

  A group of deputies will today present a bill to quash a law set to go into effect on July 31 forcing telecommunication carriers to log every activity, including Internet chats, website visits, e-mails and phone calls, made in Argentina.

• Tuesday, April 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  
  Major drought causes heavy losses in south Brazil.
  
  Argentina: Harvest will reach 80 million tons.

• Tuesday, April 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  US support embattled Ecuadorian president

  United States chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard B. Myers said Monday in Quito that Washington considers Ecuador to be an “important ally” in the fight against drug trafficking in the region.

• Tuesday, April 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Inflation fears become real in Argentina

  Argentine Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna admitted that inflation in 2005 could reach 11%, above the targeted band of 8 to 10,5%.