Mercosur

• Tuesday, January 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Colombia-Venezuela dispute spirals

  Far from apologizing as has been demanded by Venezuela, Colombia says it is the “offended one” in the case of a key Colombian insurgent captured by bounty-hunters in Caracas, and that it will provide proof that the Marxist guerrilla had received protection from Venezuelan authorities.

• Tuesday, January 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Record tourist numbers and income in Cuba

  A record two million foreign tourists visited Cuba last year (15% increase over 2003) confirming the leisure industry as the Communist nation's most important earner of hard currency according to official figures released Monday.

• Tuesday, January 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Toxic tide and dangerous vibrio in southern Chile.

  Magallanes Region Sanitary authorities have closed most of the region's coastal area for molluscs harvesting because of an extremely toxic red tide which forced the hospitalization of a woman in Punta Arenas last Saturday.

• Tuesday, January 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Pinochet's family and foundation bank accounts frozen.

  In light of court evidence showing that former Chilean General Augusto Pinochet possesses an unaccounted fortune, allegedly accumulated during his long years as dictator, Chile's biggest bank, Banco de Chile, froze the accounts of the Foundation named after him and those of his immediate family, including a savings account of a 7-year-old grandson.

• Tuesday, January 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Wind frustrates cruise visits in Punta Arenas

  Strong winds blowing in Chile's southern region of Magallanes since last Saturday frustrated the visit of two important cruise vessels scheduled to call in Punta Arenas.

• Tuesday, January 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  A lady president for Chile.

  Another woman has been nominated as pre-candidate for the Chilean presidential elections scheduled for next December.

• Tuesday, January 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Tsunami scare stampede in Chile kills one

  A false alarm about an imminent tsunami approaching the southern coast of Chile which developed into an early Monday morning panic causing the death of a woman and several injured was described by the country“ Interior Minister Jose Miguel Insulza as a ”macabre joke”.

• Monday, January 17th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Chavez wants Uribe to admit crime

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday invited his Colombian counterpart, Alvaro Uribe, to personally discuss the case of guerrilla leader Rodrigo Granda and try to end a diplomatic crisis.

• Monday, January 17th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Talks with EU trade commissioner Caribbean ministers meet in Guyana

  Facing the prospect of cuts in the price Europe pays for Caribbean sugar and bananas, Caribbean Community trade ministers met with the European Union trade commissioner in Guyana on Thursday.

• Sunday, January 16th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazilian inflation 7,6%

  Inflation in Brazil reached 7,6% last year compared to 9,3% in 2003 according to the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute, IBGE.