Mercosur

• Thursday, January 13th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  EU lifts north Argentina FAM ban

  Experts from the European Union supported ending bovine meat imports restrictions from four Argentine northern provinces which have been effective since early 2003 to avoid the spread of foot and mouth disease.

• Thursday, January 13th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina launches defaulted debt package.

  Argentina officially presented Wednesday in Buenos Aires its defaulted debt new package offer and stated that if it manages a 50% acceptance from creditors, “we will have restructured two thirds of the country's total debt” and the “default process will have concluded”.

• Thursday, January 13th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil promises to support US dollar and exporters.

  The Brazilian government worried with a weak dollar and its impact on exports announced its decision to counter the appreciation of the local currency.

• Thursday, January 13th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Fishermen suffered huge material toll from Tsunami.

  The Indian Ocean tsunami disaster that came from the sea exacted an inordinate toll from those that live from the sea beyond its deadly haul of 160,000 lives, destroying tens of thousands of fishing boats and other equipment that were the only source of income for many, according to United Nations figures released today.

• Thursday, January 13th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Euro Zone and UK rates unchanged

  The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England this Thursday left their key interest rates unchanged at 2% and 4.75%, respectively, deterred by weak economic growth and a strong euro.

• Wednesday, January 12th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil/Argentina axis “will not yield to US”

  Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Celso Amorim believes United States will not be signing a bilateral agreement with Mercosur because the Brazil/Argentina axis “won't accept just any offer”, contrary to what has happened with most other countries which have sat to the negotiating table with Washington.

• Wednesday, January 12th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  195,393 tourists visited Ushuaia in 2004

  Ushuaia in Argentine Tierra del Fuego attracted 195,303 tourists during 2004 (an 8% increase over 2003), and responding to a growing demand will have increased its hosting capacity by 65% at mid year, reports the Argentine press.

• Tuesday, January 11th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina: Fisheries News

  Headlines:
  Controversial hake quota allocation; Fishing exports generated USD 742 million up to December 2004.

• Tuesday, January 11th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Govt. ratifies gas exports thru end-2005, but price uncertain.

  Bolivian authorities have agreed to extend natural gas exports to Argentina until December this year, but left the price negotiation up to Bolivia's state oil company YPFB and private gas producers, newspapers reported.

• Tuesday, January 11th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Flag tramplers free on bail and without passports.

  A Briton, an Australian and a South African arrested and jailed for trampling and trashing an Argentine flag in a Ushuaia pub were released on bail but they had to hand in their passports and will have to remain in the city until February when the Judiciary resumes activities.