Mercosur

• Tuesday, December 23rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Foreign recipes? No way!

  The International Monetary Fund came in for further attack from President Néstor Kirchner yesterday, at an event in the Peronist stronghold of Mataderos.

• Tuesday, December 23rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay's Broad Front proclaims Vazquez as presidential candidate.

  The leader of Uruguay's leftist Broad Front (FA) coalition, oncologist Tabare Vazquez, was announced at the organization's political convention Sunday as its presidential candidate for the general elections in October 2004.

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Enriched uranium controversy in Brazil.

  Since Brazil recently announced it had developed its own technology to enrich uranium the United Nations Atomic Energy International Agency, AEIA, has been pushing for site inspections, apparently so far to no avail.

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  IMF aid for Paraguay

  The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a 15-month SDR 50 million (about US$73 million) Stand-By Arrangement for Paraguay to support the country's economic program.

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivian natural gas will have to wait .

  Bolivia has lost the opportunity, at least for a decade, of selling natural gas to United States and Mexico, following a similar 20 year agreement reached by Indonesian suppliers with North American buyers.

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  More wealth and poverty in Latinamerica.

  For the first time in decades Latinamerica will end 2003 with a trade surplus and next year all the economies of the region should expand. However income per capita remains below the 1997 level and 44% of the population live in poverty, according to the latest preliminary report from the Economic Commission for Latin America, CEPAL, a regional United Nations office.

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  OAS decisive summit.

  The summit of the Americas that will be taking place next month in Mexico could turn into the appropriate scenario for a Latinamerican return to the United States agenda, according to analysts in Washington.

• Sunday, December 21st 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  Duhalde abandons politics or becomes arbitrator?; Kirchner's popularity remains strong. Argentine economy booming. Unemployment stands at 16,3%. Support for Patagonian coal mines. Patagonia Stock Exchange.

• Saturday, December 20th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia insists in access to the Pacific.

  Bolivia's caretaker president Carlos Mesa said in Montevideo that his landlocked nation will never give up its claim to at least a piece of the Pacific coastline lost to Chile following the Pacific war of 1879. Mr. Mesa also appealed to Brazil to use its diplomatic influence to help resolve the dispute.

• Saturday, December 20th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Another victory for Lula da Silva.

  The Brazilian Senate approved this week another crucial piece of legislation for the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration, an overhaul of the taxing system in one the world's countries with most uneven wealth distribution.