Mercosur

• Monday, May 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Peruvian president on the tight rope.

  Fist line opposition leaders, members of Congress and even presidents of the 25 regional councils of Peru are demanding elections be advanced since there's a general feeling that President Alejandro Toledo's administration is rapidly nearing its end.

• Monday, May 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine tourists returning to Chile

  Strong recovery with positive prospects is how the Chilean Tourism Council (dependent from the National Chamber of Commerce) describes the performance of the Chilean tourism industry in 2003/04.

• Monday, May 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  World's fourth exporter of turkey

  Chile is the world's fourth main exporter of turkey, behind United States, France and Brazil, according to the Poultry Farmers Association of Chile, APA, based on information from the US Department of Agriculture.

• Monday, May 10th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Euro zone rate unchanged at 2%

  The Governing Council of the European Central Bank decided last week to keep interest rates in the Euro zone unchanged at 2% as expected by markets. However, following ECB president Jean Claude Trichet comments analysts are convinced rates will be modestly increased in the coming months particularly towards the end of 2004.

• Sunday, May 9th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina establishes new hake fisheries quota.

  Argentina's Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Foods (SAGPyA) finally issued a Resolution 484/2004 regulating hake (Merluccius hubbsi) fishery between April 1 and July 31. The maximum catch authorised for this period has now been established at 159,554 tonnes to be distributed among all vessels operating north and south of parallel 41º S.

• Saturday, May 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile legalizes divorce after decades of debate

  Chilean President Ricardo Lagos on Friday signed the nation's first-ever divorce legislation, a bill that took nine years to get through Congress.

• Saturday, May 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chavez blames Bush's “imperialism” for soaring oil prices

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday blamed the recent spike in world oil prices on U.S. counterpart George W. Bush and his “imperialist policies.”

• Saturday, May 8th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  More than 100 Argentine Policemen ousted

  President Nestor Kirchner ousted more than federal 100 police officials and revamped key policing operations Friday, moving to improve the force to fight rising crime.

• Friday, May 7th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Encouraging Mercosur-EU talks in Brussels

  Mercosur reacted positively to the first details of the European Union opening market offer presented this week in Brussels in the framework of ongoing bilateral talks to reach a cooperation and free trade agreement by next October.

• Thursday, May 6th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  More Argentine naval presence in South Atlantic

  Argentina is planning to significantly increase its naval presence in the South Atlantic to consolidate “open spaces” and protect fisheries thus preparing for “problems in the future”, said Argentine Defence Minister José Pampuro.