Mercosur

• Saturday, October 30th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Repsol YPF seismic surveying next to Falklands.

  “Western Patriot” belonging to a US-Norwegian company and contracted by the Spanish-Argentine consortium Repsol-YPF is seismic surveying an area extending between Falkland Islands and Tierra del Fuego reports the Argentine press.

• Saturday, October 30th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner opens renewed Rio Gallegos airport.

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner officially inaugurated this week the renewed air terminal of Rio Gallegos which now also includes a 3,500 metres runway, one of the longest in the area.

• Saturday, October 30th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay: All set for vote.

  Despite an electoral curfew that started yesterday in Uruguay ? which silenced the public fervour sympathizers of all candidates had shown in the weeks leading to the country's election tomorrow ?the country continued to produce news.

• Saturday, October 30th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Glacier prepares new dramatic spectacle.

  The vast Perito Moreno glacier that lost an enormous wall of ice in a spectacular collapse in March is showing signs that another section could eventually break free, the La Nación newspaper reported yesterday.

• Friday, October 29th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Left wing coalition poised to win Uruguayan election.

  Tabaré Vázquez a 64-year-old doctor, former mayor of the capital Montevideo and leader of a left wing coalition with more than 50% of vote intention seems poised to become Uruguay's next president in Sunday's general election with out the need of a run-off at the end of November.

• Friday, October 29th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Majority of Hispanic voters support Kerry.

  Most Hispanic U.S. voters support Democrat John Kerry in next week's presidential election and think President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq was a mistake, according to a new poll by The Washington Post, Univision and a Latino affairs think tank.

• Thursday, October 28th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile: less poor people but the rich are richer.

  Poverty has dropped but the gap between rich and poor continues to widen according to Chilean public opinion perception indicates a poll released this Wednesday in Santiago by Fundación Chile 21.

• Thursday, October 28th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Soap opera and politics in Sao Paulo's Mayor race

  The race for mayor of South America's largest city Sao Paulo to be decided in a runoff Sunday, has taken on elements of a steamy Brazilian soap-opera, including complex romantic alliances, flowing tears and police raids on cockfights

• Thursday, October 28th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  EU Parliament forces names changes in Commission

  The incoming president of the European Commission admitted this Wednesday he will have to change his team of commissionaires following strong opposition in the 732 member European Parliament

• Thursday, October 28th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Lan Chile strong earnings in third quarter

  Lan Chile reported this week earnings totalling 36,4 million US dollars during the third quarter of this year which represents a 60% increase over the same period in 2003.