Mercosur

• Tuesday, August 19th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina and IMF at loggerheads

  Argentina and the International Monetary Fund, IMF, this week were unable to reach a full mid term agreement as was expected. The IMF delegation left Buenos Aires Monday night with two main issues unsolved that are considered crucial for Argentina's route map and the outcome of negotiations with its (defaulted) creditors.

• Tuesday, August 19th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  British companies demand Argentina

  British Gas and National Grid, both UK companies with strong investments in Argentina are demanding compensations from the Argentine government for losses experienced during the application of the Economic Emergency Bill.

• Monday, August 18th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  President Chavez's agenda in Argentina

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez this weekend began a five-day visit to Argentina, where he plans to propose the creation of a regional Latin American oil company.

• Sunday, August 17th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile and Uruguay the most stable in the region

  Chile and Uruguay have the highest democratic development index of Latinamerica, while Paraguay and Venezuela stand at the extreme opposite according to the latest report from the German Foundation Konrad Adenauer simultaneously released last week in several continental capitals.

• Sunday, August 17th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Agriculture negotiations remain “unchanged”

  Mercosur officially expressed concern over the lack of progress in the agriculture trade talks with United States and the European Union given the coming World Trade Organization ministerial meeting scheduled for September 10/14 in Mexico.

• Friday, August 15th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  New opportunity for Paraguay?

  Lawyer and journalist Nicanor Duarte was sworn in this Friday as the new president of Paraguay, a country in the brink of bankruptcy undergoing a five years recession which has eroded living standards to half and plunged a fifth of the population to extreme poverty.

• Thursday, August 14th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  More than 200 arrested in Chilean general strike.

  The first general strike in Chile since the restoration of democracy was deemed a success Wednesday by labor unions, although the government labeled it a failure.

• Thursday, August 14th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Coalition calls for Uruguay to turn in suspected illegal toothfish boat

  The Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO) has asked the Uruguayan Government to assist Australian authorities in apprehending the Viarsa, after the vessel was spotted inside the Australian fishing zone earlier this week, allegedly poaching patagonian toothfish.

• Wednesday, August 13th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine lower house repeals impunity laws

  With marchers demanding justice outside, Argentina's Chamber of Deputies voted late Tuesday night to annul two laws providing immunity from prosecution on atrocities charges for former officials of the 1970s dictatorship.

• Wednesday, August 13th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Federal funds rate unchanged at 1%

  As was anticipated by Wall Street analysts the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee decided today to keep its target for the federal funds rate at 1 percent.