Mercosur

• Saturday, November 19th 2016 - 21:38 UTC

  Ex Rio governor and evangelical pastor arrested on suspicion of vote-rigging

  

  Anthony Garotinho, a former governor of Rio de Janeiro state and presidential hopeful, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted vote-rigging in last month's municipal elections, Brazil's Federal Police said.

• Saturday, November 19th 2016 - 18:39 UTC

  Buenos Aires admits poor cruise season because of past mistakes

  

  Buenos Aires cruise season has taken off but it will be far from its peak in 2012/13 when over half a million visitors reached the Argentine capital. This season will only see 81 calls with 323.000 visitors of which 70% foreigners, according to local port authorities.

• Saturday, November 19th 2016 - 09:07 UTC

  Venezuela loses Mercosur voting rights in December, announces Uruguay

  

  Venezuela will continue as member of Mercosur but with no right to vote, since it has not fully incorporated all the group's rules and regulations as had been agreed, revealed Uruguay's foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa on Friday in Montevideo.

• Wednesday, November 16th 2016 - 08:47 UTC

  EU farmers on alert at the prospect of increased imports of beef from Mercosur

  

  Cheaper imports from Mercosur and the recovering dairy market will push down EU beef production and prices, states in a long-awaited impact study released by the European Union. Dairy and pigmeat exports will see steady gains, says the report, which looked at the cost of 12 pending trade deals on EU agri-food markets.

• Saturday, November 12th 2016 - 21:27 UTC

  Congress opens Brazil's huge “pre-salt” oil fields to the private sector

  

  Petrobras will begin selling off huge “pre-salt” oil fields to raise cash for the desperate Brazilian national oil company, according to new legislation passed by Congress. Politicians in the lower house had fought against the bill, but lawmakers succeeded in pushing the bill through during a late-night session, and the vote stood at 251-22 by the end of the night.

• Saturday, November 12th 2016 - 20:48 UTC

  Argentine bishops call for a “Christmas in Peace” and public and private responsibility

  

  The chair of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA) Monsignor Jose Maria Arancedo renewed his call to the leadership of the country, political, social, unions and business, to leave aside special interests and act responsibly for the good of the country, at “a very difficult moment” so that “we can all enjoy Christmas in Peace”

• Tuesday, November 8th 2016 - 09:23 UTC

  Argentina Mercosur parliament members left out in the cold

  

  Argentina's Lower House left its peers from the Mercosur Parliament, Parlasur, with no allowances, despite claims from most of its 43 members. Last week the Chamber of Deputies approved the Argentine budget which must now be considered by the Senate.

• Sunday, November 6th 2016 - 06:19 UTC

  Uruguayan ruling coalition and Vazquez host ex president Dilma Rousseff with deep solidarity

  

  Uruguay's president Tabare Vazquez met with the former president of Brazil Dilma Rousseff and “Illustrious visitor” of Montevideo at the official presidential residence in Suarez. Rousseff arrived in Montevideo on Thursday and displayed an intense political agenda on Friday which culminated on Saturday with her meeting with Vazquez.

• Thursday, November 3rd 2016 - 10:01 UTC

  Mercosur parliament critical of the current trade negotiations with the European Union

  

  The President of Mercosur’s parliament (Parlasur) thinks that the European Union’s current tabled offer is “unsatisfactory” and made it clear that it shouldn’t be signed in its current form. Jorge Taiana, head of the parliament, and former foreign minister with ex president Cristina Fernandez, complained that the negotiations, which resumed about seven years ago, are taking far too long, but added that in the absence of a “balanced agreement”, nothing should be signed.

• Thursday, November 3rd 2016 - 08:05 UTC

  European lawmakers in Argentina to boost EU/Mercosur trade talks

  

  A European Union parliament delegation of fourteen lawmakers is in Buenos Aires to prop Mercosur/EU trade talks, and even admitting there has been advances, and prospects are encouraging, they also acknowledged that many objections from both sides persist.