Mercosur

• Thursday, November 6th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Repsol-YPF profits strong.

  The Spanish-Argentine oil company Repsol-YPF profits in the first nine months of 2003 dropped 8% reaching 1,6 billion Euros.

• Wednesday, November 5th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Lula seeks new agreement with IMF

  Brazil announced it will seek a new agreement with the IMF to replace the current one that expires in December, and revealed that First Managing Director Anne Krueger will be arriving this Wednesday to begin negotiations.

• Wednesday, November 5th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  US speeds the pace of FTAA.

  United States is speeding the pace of the Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA and anticipated that the mini-summit of this coming weekend in Washington will help define the final accord, expected to become effective January 2005. Just in case it promised bilateral trade agreements to all those countries of the region who contribute to liberalize trade.

• Wednesday, November 5th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Outrage in Argentina with spate of kidnapping.

  Argentine police were holding Tuesday night at least seven suspects they captured in a raid after 22-year-old kidnap victim Pablo Belluscio was returned to his family.

• Wednesday, November 5th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina determined to have Cuba in Mercosur

  Argentina will pressure Mercosur partner Uruguay to drop its “intransigent” opposition to the idea of offering Cuba membership in the regional trade block, according to Argentine ambassador in Havana Raul Taleb.

• Tuesday, November 4th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  COLTO offers assistance and information to Uruguayan Gov.

  The international industry group representing the world's legal toothfish operators COLTO has written to the Director of Uruguayan Fisheries ( DINARA) to raise its concern about statements he has been reported making about COLTO to a parliamentary inquiry investigating the Viarsa 1 incident.

• Tuesday, November 4th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Viarsa crew must stay in Australia, says magistrate

  Crew facing illegal fishing charges after being taken into custody when their boat was apprehended in the Southern Ocean, have been refused an application to return to their country.

• Tuesday, November 4th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina's Police Out Against Crime Wave

  The governor of Argentina's largest province on Monday ordered 3,300 more police officers into the streets to stem crime sweeping the suburbs of Buenos Aires.

• Monday, November 3rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  New “Scorpone” submarine for Chile.

  Chilean Defence Minister Michelle Bachelet and the Commander of the Navy Admiral Miguel Angel Vergara presided last Friday in the christening ceremony of the first of two French-Spanish “Scorpone” class submarines in Cherbourg, France.

• Monday, November 3rd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay vetoes Cuba's entry to Mercosur.

  Argentina and Brazil want Cuba to become an associate member of Mercosur, but have come across Uruguay's negative says the latest edition of the Brazilian magazine Epoca.