Mercosur

• Tuesday, June 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Decisive week for Kirchner and bondholders

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner returned this Monday to his office in Casa Rosada after suffering a strong strain of influenza that kept him away for several days including his participation in the European Union-Latinamerican summit in Mexico.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  And next December, “Samba 01”

  Brazil's presidential Air Force One to be delivered next December will be equipped with a sophisticated communications and security system and a presidential desk that will enable the Brazilian head of government to rule from the air.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil businessmen expect higher inflation

  Brazil's financial markets expect the annual inflation target to advance from 6,36% to 6,50% following the latest data about retail and wholesale price indexes, according to a poll among the country's main one hundred companies and published by Focus from the Central Bank.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Aerolineas Argentinas expansion program

  Aerolíneas Argentinas, now Spanish owned, will be investing 558 million US dollars in the next five years to renew its fleet, vice-president Jose Maria Llodrá announced in Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean meat sales will reach 350 million US dollars

  The Chilean meat industry will be exporting 350 million US dollars in 2004 announced Agriculture Minister Arturo Barrera Miranda during the recent Expo-Carne and the biennial meeting of the industry held in Santiago's Machopo Station.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  US-Central America free trade market

  United States and five Central American countries signed last Friday a free trade association, CAFTA, which once it becomes effective, following Congressional approvals, will liberate 80% of bilateral trade that in 2003 reached 23 billion US dollars.

• Tuesday, June 1st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil sends peace keeping contingent to Haiti

  Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva saw off this Monday 150 Brazilian servicemen who will be part of the new United Nations multilateral peacekeeping force in Haiti

• Monday, May 31st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean ruling revives possibility of Pinochet prosecution

  Chilean judges on Friday re-opened a door that could lead to prosecution on rights abuse charges of former dictator Augusto Pinochet even though he had been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial due to age-related “dementia.”

• Monday, May 31st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Latam/EU summit ends in diplomatic spat

  European Union, Latin American and Caribbean leaders for multilateralism and UN reform, as their summit in Guadalajara ended at the weekend.

• Friday, May 28th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Unemployment in Chile reached 8,7%

  Unemployment in Chile reached 8,7% during the February-April quarter after experiencing a 0,2% increase compared to the same period a year ago and 0,6% over the previous quarter.