Mercosur

• Monday, February 21st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Fisheries News.

  Headlines:
  Uruguayan Navy arrests Brazilian poacher;
  Salmon safeguards: EU accepts consultation process with Chile; European Fisheries Agency takes off in 2006; 199 Spanish vessels allowed to fish in Northeast Atlantic; New denomination for Chilean scallop exports to Italy.

• Monday, February 21st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian business and unions blast monetary policy.

  Brazilian business organizations and trade unions bitterly criticized the Central Bank's monetary policy which last week raised the basic interest rate, Selic, for the sixth consecutive time, to 18,75%, considered the highest in the world.

• Monday, February 21st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  OAS Secretary General still an open race.

  United States Under Secretary for Hemispheric Affairs Roger Noriega said that the coming election of the next Organization of American States, OAS, Secretary General should be decided before June when the region's Foreign Affairs ministers will be holding a regular meeting in Fort Lauderdale.

• Monday, February 21st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Massive shellfish intoxication in Chile.

  Chilean Deputy Public Health Minister Soledad Ubilla discarded decreeing a “sanitary emergency” since the medical centres capacity has not been overwhelmed by the extending sea food intoxication crisis which has reached 5,955 cases.

• Monday, February 21st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  Torres del Paine Park fire out of control; Project to grow fresh lettuce in Antarctica; Copper makes Chilean peso surge.

• Saturday, February 19th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Ezeiza drugs scandal sweeps with Air Force chief.

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner named this Friday a new Air Force Commander following a drug traffic scandal involving the airline Southern Winds and the Aeronautics police in the country's main air terminal Ezeiza in Buenos Aires.

• Saturday, February 19th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  DAP moves into the maritime business; Fire consumes 4,000 hectares in Torres del Paine; Magellan Strait waters highly contaminated; Magallanes Region expanded 4,5% in spite of methanol.

• Saturday, February 19th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Paraguay prepares to purge police cadres.

  In an atmosphere of growing political tension, Paraguayan president Nicanor Duarte Flores is considering a purge the country's police cadres following alleged “interferences” in efforts to find Cecilia Cubas, daughter of former president Raul Cubas, who had been kidnapped and her body was found this week.

• Saturday, February 19th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Andes tragedy objects found 32 years later.

  An American tourist found while climbing an Argentine mountain personal objects belonging to one of the Uruguayan survivors of the air tragedy which occurred 32 years ago in the Andes.

• Friday, February 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine growth prompts new creditor demands.

  Private creditors on Thursday seized on the latest growth figures from Argentina as proof that the country could improve its offer to restructure a record $100bn (£52.8bn) of defaulted debt.