Mercosur

• Monday, April 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  OAS can't agree: new voting round May 2.

  The Organization of American States Secretary General election will resume next May 2 after five rounds of unsuccessful draws between the two competing candidates from Chile and Mexico.

• Monday, April 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  South Atlantic banned for Illex catching

  The Argentine government made the ban on Illex squid catching official Sunday at 24:00 according to Decree 132/2005 published in the Federal Gazette.

• Monday, April 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina admits reopening debt restructuring

  Argentine Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna admitted for the first time that those sovereign bond holders left out of the recent exchange will be considered but on Argentina's “time and terms”.

• Saturday, April 9th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Differences set aside.

  On a cloudy day in early spring, a rhythmic chant rose up in St Peter's Square from crowds of mourners at Pope John Paul II's funeral.

• Saturday, April 9th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Controversial regional elections in Bolivia

  Bolivia took another step towards a federal system government by calling the first election for governors of the Andean nation's nine provinces, which are scheduled for August 12.

• Saturday, April 9th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Political uncertainty looms over Mexico

  The attempt to rule out from next year' Mexican presidential race front-runner Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has created one of the most serious political storms in recent years.

• Saturday, April 9th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Castro doesn't “give a damn” about civil liberties

  Cuban President Fidel Castro says he does not “give a damn” about the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and whether it criticizes or not civil liberties in the island he has ruled since 1959.

• Friday, April 8th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  IMF warnings on oil prices and US dollar weakness

  Global economic growth could be affected if oil prices continue to surge, if United States trade deficit worsens and if US interest rates increase abruptly warned Thursday International Monetary Fund, IMF, Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato in a speech at the George Washington University.

• Friday, April 8th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay discussing three year program with IMF

  Uruguay will be concluding a three year agreement with the IMF April 14/17, in Washington announced this week Uruguayan Economy Minister Danilo Astori.

• Friday, April 8th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Pemex on the “verge of bankruptcy”

  Mexico's state-run oil monopoly, Pemex, is “on the verge of bankruptcy” with liabilities totalling 88.5 billion US dollars and pending annual investment requirements of 10 billion, the corporation's top executive said Thursday.