Mercosur

• Sunday, January 9th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Canada searching for cattle with BSE

  Canada is “actively” trying to check 141 milk and beef cattle that are potentially contaminated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, BSE, commonly known as “mad cow” disease.

• Sunday, January 9th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Zoellick from Trade to Deputy Secretary of State

  US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick considered a supporter of strong and close transatlantic relations has been nominated by President George Bush as the number 2 person in the Department of State behind Condoleeza Rice.

• Sunday, January 9th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Lan Chile buys planes and targets Asia

  Lan Chile will be incorporating seven new aircrafts in 2005 partly to renew its fleet and partly to address the growing business expansion.

• Sunday, January 9th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  US supports Central American candidate for OAS

  United States reiterated that it prefers a former president from Central America as the next of Secretary General of the Organization of American States, a post for which Chile and Mexico have also presented candidates.

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

  Detained in Ushuaia for trashing Argentine flag

  Three foreigners remain detained and incommunicated in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego after having torn and trashed an Argentine flag from a local downtown pub, which happened to belong to a Malvinas war veteran.

• 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.