Mercosur

• Monday, October 11th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay reacts to “gorilla” comment

  Relations between Argentina and Uruguay, which have had their ups and downs over the past year, are once again troubled after an Argentine governor called Uruguayan President Jorge Battle a “gorilla,” a nickname for anti-Peronists.

• Monday, October 11th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Mercosur-EU: “final effort” October 20

  Mercosur Foreign Affairs ministers agreed last week in Rio do Janeiro to a “last political effort” next October 20 when they meet with European Trade Commissar Pascal Lamy to discuss about the signing of a elusive trade agreement with the EU which so far has proved elusive and controversial.

• Saturday, October 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  OAS Secretary General resigns

  Former Costa Rica president Miguel Angel Rodriguez submitted this Friday his resignation as Secretary General of the Organization of American States, OAS.

• Saturday, October 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  “Kirchner will not shake hands” with Walker

  Argentine Foreign Relations Minister Rafael Bielsa stated in an interview that “it won't be possible to work” with his recently named Chilean counterpart Ignacio Walker, following a controversial article where he candidly describes the Peronist party and President Nestor Kirchner in not too kind words.

• Saturday, October 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Roaring oil prices close above 53 US dollars

  Oil prices reached a new record high this Friday in New York with a closing price of 53,31 US dollars the barrel for light Texas crude, the highest ever since 1983. In London, Brent crude closed at 49,71 US dollars, also a record.

• Saturday, October 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  UK Party conferences finish

  For the 17th year the Falklands Islands Government had stands at both the Labour and Conservative Party Conferences that were held over the past two weeks in the United Kingdom.

• Friday, October 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Pinochet's son charged.

  Former dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet's older son was formally charged yesterday with fraud in an investigation linked to the illegal sale of vehicles, and prosecutors said they will seek a three-year prison sentence.

• Friday, October 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Poll: Kerry leads Bush.

  US Sen. John Kerry has taken a slim lead over President George W. Bush, according to an Associated Press poll that shows the president's support tumbling on personal qualities, the war in Iraq and the commander in chief's bedrock campaign issue ? US security.

• Friday, October 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina wins latest round in effort to restructure debt.

  Argentina won an important battle on Thursday in its attempts to restructure about $100bn (?81bn, £56bn) in defaulted debt after the country's private pension funds agreed to accept the government's forthcoming offer.

• Friday, October 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Kenyan Environmentalist Wins Peace Prize.

  Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her work as leader of the Green Belt Movement, which has sought to empower women, improve the environment and fight corruption in Africa for almost 30 years.