Mercosur

• 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.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  21 Koreans with mechanical respirators

  Fifteen crewmembers of the Korean jigger “Sung Kyung” that were intoxicated two weeks ago when an ammoniac gas tank exploded remain connected to mechanical respirators in several Montevideo hospitals.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine-Brazilian combined air exercises

  The Argentine and Brazilian air forces will be involved until next Friday in the combined exercise “Plata II” with the participation of fighter and transport planes, helicopters, ground radar systems and 360 servicemen.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  OPEC closer to increasing production

  The Organization of petroleum exporting countries, OPEC, could be holding a formal meeting next May 22/24 in Amsterdam to decide an oil production increase with the purpose of stopping the escalation of oil prices, the highest in decades.

• Tuesday, May 18th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil wants full access to EU farm markets

  The Brazilian Deputy Trade Representative before the World Trade Organization, WTO Pablo Estavillet de Mezquita argued in favour of Mercosur countries having “free of quotas access” to European Union agriculture markets.