Mercosur

• Monday, September 6th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Scab in Argentine Patagonia.

  A small farm in Santa Cruz province, Argentine Patagonia, where an only outbreak, so far, of scab was reported has Chilean sanitary officials and sheep farmers on full alert given the close links with Magallanes Region, reports La Prensa Austral from Punta Arenas.

• Saturday, September 4th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Opening of Antarctic Treaty Secretariat in Buenos Aires.

  The building that will host the permanent Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty in Buenos Aires will be officially inaugurated next Tuesday - Sept 07 - with the participation of Argentine Foreign Affairs Secretary Rafael Bielsa.

• Saturday, September 4th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Vidiela & 17 other indicted.

  Federal Judge Jorge Urso yesterday indicted former dictator Jorge Videla, his interior minister A. Harguindeguy and 16 other former members of the bloody 1976-1983 military régime on charges of participating in the Cóndor Plan, a scheme co-ordinating illegal repression by South American dictatorships.

• Friday, September 3rd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Eurozone interest rate remain unchanged.

  The European Central Bank, ECB, left Eurozone interest rates unchanged at a record low 2% and anticipated stronger economic growth in spite of oil prices.

• Friday, September 3rd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  IMF optimistic about world growth.

  The International Monetary Fund, IMF, raised world growth estimate above the original 4,6% forecast and asked country members of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) to advance in the implementation of “flexible exchange rate” systems.

• Thursday, September 2nd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's efforts to reduce Argentine gas dependence.

  ENAP, Chile's government owned oil company and which is leading a project to put an end to Chile's dependence on Argentine natural gas supplies, has already selected a location for constructing the plant that will re-gasify imported liquefied natural gas. The new plant will be located in Quintero, north of Valparaiso in central Chile's Region V.

• Thursday, September 2nd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Fisheries News

  Headlines:
  Argentina rejects softening toothfish restrictions; Patagonian ports landed 260,000 tons; Peru looks to Galicia for fisheries joint-ventures.

• Thursday, September 2nd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Supreme Court Justice Resigns in Argentina.

  A Supreme Court justice resigned on Wednesday rather than face Senate impeachment proceedings, the fourth judge targeted in a high court purge led by President Nestor Kirchner.

• Thursday, September 2nd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine bomb suspects acquitted.

  The five members of the so-called “local connection” implicated in the 1994 extremist bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people were acquitted here Thursday for lack of evidence. Relatives immediately reacted calling it the “end of Justice” in Argentina.

• Wednesday, September 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian economy picking up speed.

  Brazil's economy is recovering strongly after last year's contraction according to the latest release from the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute, IBGE.