Mercosur

• Sunday, June 13th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine economy picks up speed: 10%.

  The Argentine economy during the first quarter of this year grew 10% compared to the same period in 2003, and is forecasted to reach an annual expansion of 8%, well above the IMF estimate of 5,5% and the government's 6,9%.

• Saturday, June 12th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News from Pta. Arenas.

  Headlines:
  Hefty “bail” for tanker involved in fuel spill; Over 30,000 Chileans in Argentine Patagonia; Punta Arenas confirms 30 hepatitis cases.

• Saturday, June 12th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile headed for record export year.

  Chile is headed for a record export year according to the latest release from the country's Central Bank indicating that overseas sales in the first five months of 2004 jumped 44% compared to a year ago, totalling 12,8 billion US dollars.

• Saturday, June 12th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina “rejected” Lan Chile's request for charter flights.

  The Argentine government recently rejected a Lan Chile three charter flights to the Falkland Islands request for the coming summer season 2004/05, claims Buenos Aires daily Clarín in this Friday' edition.

• Friday, June 11th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Presidents to discuss energy agreement.

  The respective presidents of Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil - Néstor Kirchner, Carlos Mesa and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - plan to meet in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz to discuss developing a regional energy bloc based in Bolivia, Bolivia's government news agency ABI reported.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Petrobras expands production and to east Africa.

  Brazil's federal energy company Petrobras added this week another 100,000 barrels of oil per day to its output capacity following the beginning of production of “FPSO Marlim Sul” (floating, production, storage and offloading) in the Marlim Sul site, belonging to the Campos Bay basin in the Rio de Janeiro coastal area.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  EU-Mercosur headed for “light” agreement

  European Union Trade Commissar Pascal Lamy said that the EU-Mercosur technical negotiations that began this Wednesday in Buenos Aires are crucial to determine if they will conclude by next October as was agreed in the recent presidential summit held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  IMF insists Argentina agrees with creditors.

  The International Monetary Fund new Managing Director Rodrigo Rato said that the accomplishment of an agreement with all creditors is one of the “very important” steps the Argentine authorities have to complete to leave behind the economic crisis and have Argentina completely integrated into international financial markets.

• Thursday, June 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Bomb explodes outside bank in Chilean capital.

  The group calling itself “Julio Guerra, Southern Operation” took responsibility for the blast in a phone call to Santiago's Bio Bio radio station.

• Wednesday, June 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Recall referendum in Venezuela August 15.

  The recall referendum to cut Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez constitutional mandate will take place next August 15, announced this Tuesday evening in Caracas Ezequiel Zamora, vice-president of the National Electoral Council, CNE.