Mercosur

• Monday, May 24th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Active volcano in Antarctic waters

  A team of US and Canadian scientists discovered an active and previously unknown submarine volcano in the extreme north of the Antarctic Peninsula, very close to the Argentine Army base of Good Hope.

• Friday, May 21st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Ecuador's oil industry 3 billion US dollars short

  Petroecuador, Ecuador's government owned oil company needs 3 billion US dollars in investment if the Andean country is to reach overall average daily production of 670,000 barrels (bpd) by 2010 according to oil expert Ramon Espinasa.

• Friday, May 21st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Greenspan proposed for fifth term

  United States president George Bush officially re-nominated Alan Greenspan for another four years as chairman of the US Federal Reserve. Mr. Greenspan who is 78 has already been in the job for four terms.

• Friday, May 21st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Santiago in smog emergency.

  Santiago de Chile declared this Thursday an environmental pre-emergency limiting vehicle circulation to 40% of the city's transport fleet (both cars and buses) and temporary shutting down 500 to 900 factories in the metropolitan area.

• Friday, May 21st 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Punta Arenas Hot News.

  Headlines:
  Methanex cuts production and argues with Minister; Patagonia relations strained; Punta Arenas incorporates factory ship.

• Thursday, May 20th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Automatic forfeiture for “Maya V” in Australia

  Owners of the Uruguayan-flagged deep ocean fishing “Maya V” have not sued against the capture of their ship by Australian authorities, forfeiting the boat to the fisheries management authority without contest.

• Thursday, May 20th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Waiting for foreign investment

  Foreign investment in Latinamerica dropped 19% in 2003, the fourth year running, according to the latest report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Latinamerica and the Caribbean, Cepal.

• Thursday, May 20th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Elusive EU-Mercosur agreement

  The European Union and Mercosur meeting in Brussels did not exchange this Wednesday, --as was scheduled--, their long delayed new trade proposals which should lead to the conclusion of a free trade and association agreement before the end of 2004.

• Wednesday, May 19th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez steps up rhetoric against 'external enemy'

  Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president, has stepped up his nationalist rhetoric and urged supporters to defend his radical government against destabilisation efforts from abroad.

• Wednesday, May 19th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Defence ministers: poverty causes crime

  The defence ministers of Argentina, Brazil and Chile yesterday agreed that “poverty” and “social inequality” are the main causes of crime, violence and instability in the region.