Mercosur

• Monday, August 2nd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina worried with “insecurity and social perturbation”

  Insecurity is Argentina's main public opinion concern, followed closely by unemployment according to a TNS-Gallup poll published this Sunday in Buenos Aires.

• Monday, August 2nd 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  River Plate praised by European Sports journalists.

  River Plate gained the runners-up position behind local favourites Ajax, in the “2004 Sony Amsterdam Tournament”. Ajax drew 0-0 with English champions Arsenal late on Sunday night, before a sell-out crowd of 50,000, to clinch the trophy, following their impressive 3-2 win over Greek champions Panathinaikos on Friday.

• Sunday, August 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Record US budget deficit.

  The US budget deficit is forecasted to reach this year a record 445 billion US dollars compared to 375 billion in 2003, but considerably less that the 521 billion estimate of last February. (Fiscal 2004 ends next September 30)

• Sunday, August 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil overshoots target.

  Brazil managed a primary budget surplus during the first half of 2004 equivalent to 5,76% of GDP, clearly overshooting the target agreed with the IMF.

• Sunday, August 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Hundreds killed in mall blaze in Asuncion.

  At least 283 people have died and hundreds more are injured in a fire at a Sunday crowded shopping mall in Asuncion, Paraguay's capital according to the latest hospital reports.

• Saturday, July 31st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Warn Against Amazon Destruction.

  The millions of tons of greenhouse gases spewed into the atmosphere every year by burning in the Amazon are almost entirely absorbed by the rain forest, scientists said.

• Saturday, July 31st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Poll gives Chavez edge in referendum.

  In the coming August 15 referendum, some 45 percent of Venezuelans will vote in favor of president Hugo Chavez continuing as president, about 34 percent will vote for his recall, and a significant number remains undecided, according to a poll published Friday in the the daily El Nacional.

• Saturday, July 31st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine homes save on gas, electricity to meet energy crisis.

  The Argentine government on Friday said that in the first six months of the year a plan to reduce household energy consumption yielded savings of 8 percent on domestic gas and 3 percent on electricity, which were used to supply growing industrial demand.

• Friday, July 30th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine fisheries news.

  Headlines:
  
  Argentina cuts drastically toothfish catches; Argentine fish exports increase 18%. Good shrimp catches in South Atlantic.

• Friday, July 30th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Oil industry targets South Atlantic.

  Repsol-YPF Argentina's main hydrocarbons producer and other foreign companies will be investing over 300 million US dollars in oil and gas exploration in the South Atlantic and offshore Buenos Aires province during 2005.