Mercosur

• Tuesday, September 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Red carpet for frigates buyer.

  Chilean Defence Minister Michele Bachelet received this week a privileged red carpet treatment in Holland where she was invited by her Dutch counterpart Henk Kamp and Secretary of State Cees van der Knaap.

• Tuesday, September 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  OPEC will keep reference prices unchanged.

  The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, will maintain the oil prices reference band unchanged in the coming meeting scheduled for September 15 in Vienna, said Purnomo Yusgiantoro, OPEC's president.

• Tuesday, September 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile anticipates interest rate increase.

  Consumer inflation in Chile last August reached 0,4% pushed by energy, housing and food prices, and above market analysts forecast of 0,3%, according to the latest report released last Friday.

• Tuesday, September 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine Deputies will hold session in Antarctica.

  The Argentine House of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee has unanimously decided to hold a session in Antarctica next November 12 to underline the country's long historical Antarctic tradition, reports the Argentine press.

• Tuesday, September 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  DAP ready for Antarctic air cruises.

  DAP Airways from Punta Arenas is planning fifteen air cruises to Antarctica this coming season between November and March 15 totaling 700 visitors. Last season the number of cruises was twelve and the visitors 400.

• Tuesday, September 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Buenos Aires feels strong seism in central Argentina

  A strong seism followed by replicas shook Tuesday morning great extensions of central and northern Argentina causing alarm in several cities and leaving at least one person killed and tens injured.

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

  UME aims for Arenal start-up in October.

  Canada's Uruguay Minerals Exploration plans to bring the Arenal deposit online at its San Gregorio gold mine in Uruguay in October, company CEO Chris Clark told to the press

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

  IMF recommends Brazil persistence in fiscal objectives.

  International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato praised the “impressive advances” made by the Brazilian government and forecasted that “looking ahead, there could be some further limited room for modifying the fiscal objectives to provide further space for public investment, provided that this is done in a manner that is fully consistent with debt sustainability”.

• 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.