Mercosur

• Friday, March 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Flag incident: three foreigners indicted

  An Argentine Federal Judge indicted this week three foreign tourists who were arrested last January in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego for trampling and trashing an Argentine flag.

• Friday, March 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Natural gas supplies in Kirchner-Lagos agenda

  The natural gas crisis, following the latest supply cuts to Chile by Argentina, has irrupted into Monday's bilateral agenda when Argentine president Nestor Kirchner meets with his Chilean counterpart Ricardo Lagos in Santiago.

• Friday, March 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivia: Mesa and Morales at their necks

  Hopes for an understanding between Bolivian president Carlos Mesa with union and opposition leaders faded late Thursday evening when talks to reach a consensus on the hydrocarbons bill currently under consideration in Congress, broke down.

• Friday, March 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean sect leader arrested in Argentina

  Fugitive religious sect leader and German citizen Paul Schaefer, who has been convicted in absentia of sexually abusing 26 children in Chile, has been arrested 40 kilometres of Buenos Aires City, a Chilean government official said yesterday.

• Friday, March 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Lan Chile, Argentina agree to create new airline

  Chile's flagship LAN Airlines took the first steps on Friday to bolster its operations in the neigh boring Argentine market, a coveted hub in its Latin American expansion plan.

• Friday, March 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivia: new round of negotiations in the making

  The tension that prevailed all week in Bolivia slacked off Friday as protesters removed some highway blockades despite threats by unions to intensify their opposition to President Carlos Mesa administration.

• Thursday, March 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  EU calls for the release of Cuban political prisoners.

  Luxembourg, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union called Tuesday on Cuba to release dozens of political prisoners.

• Thursday, March 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Oil market remains extremely bullish

  Oil prices continued Wednesday their record breaking surge in spite of the United States government reporting the highest commercial inventories in eight months.

• Thursday, March 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Lavagna: IMF-Argentina relation has resumed

  Argentine Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna described as “positive” his meeting in Washington with IMF Managing Director Rodrigo Rato which helped resume Argentina's relation with the multilateral organization following the completion of the defaulted sovereign debt exchange.

• Thursday, March 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Natural gas shortage crisis brewing in Chile

  Current reductions of Argentine natural gas supply which are affecting Chile's industries will not have a negative overall impact on the economy, said Wednesday Francisco Vidal, Minister Secretary General of the Chilean Executive.