Mercosur

• Saturday, January 8th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Punta Arenas airport traffic record.

  Air traffic in Punta Arenas during 2004 increased 8% compared to the previous year, reaching 373,800 passengers.

• Saturday, January 8th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Venezuela seizes a Lord Vestey ranch.

  Venezuela confiscated Saturday the first private ranch following President Hugo Chavez's “war” on the oligarchic system of land tenure and to promote the country's agriculture production and food self dependency.

• Friday, January 7th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  US dollar regaining ground

  The Euro dropped Thursday below the 1,32 US dollars benchmark experiencing a 2,75% depreciation against the US currency in the six first days of 2005.

• Friday, January 7th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Oil prices shoot above US$ 45.

  Oil prices shot up five percent yesterday and closed above US$ 45 a barrel after an early spurt of buying created momentum that forced investors anticipating lower prices to cover their bets

• Friday, January 7th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentines Demand Justice After Deadly Club Fire

  A week after a fire killed nearly 200 people in a Buenos Aires rock club that had locked its emergency exits, mourners held their biggest protest yet as pressure mounted for the mayor to resign.

• Friday, January 7th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Tsunami fisheries update.

  More than two weeks have passed since huge tidal waves hit islands and countries in the Indian Ocean, taking thousands of human lives and devastating fishing communities throughout the region.

• Thursday, January 6th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Tsunami tidal effect recorded in Brazil

  The effects of the sea bed earthquake and following tsunami that devastated southeastern Asian countries and the east African coast were recorded in Brazilian coasts according to Brazilian scientists.

• Thursday, January 6th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  ANNAN launches nearly $1 billion appeal for aid to tsunami victims.

  Kofi Annan, United Nations secretary-general, on Thursday appealed for immediate aid of $977m to pay for humanitarian relief to around 5m people affected by tsunamis that swept acoss the Indian Ocean on December 26.

• Wednesday, January 5th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Pinochet closer to a human rights trial

  Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet moved closer to his first trial on human rights abuses following Tuesday's 3-2 decision by the Chilean Supreme Court's five judge criminal panel ratifying the indictment of the 89-year-old retired general on ten counts of murder or “disappearance”.

• Wednesday, January 5th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Canada confirms “mad cow” case

  Canadian veterinary officials confirmed a second case of mad cow disease among dairy cattle.