Mercosur

• Wednesday, May 28th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Another scandal for President Lagos.

  Rough times for Chile's president Ricardo Lagos. After the imprisonment of several close aides working in his former Ministry of Public Works; the stripping of legislative privilege of five Deputies belonging to the ruling coalition and suspected of taking bribes, and a contrary court ruling regarding additional undercover payments, (perks), to political appointees in the civil service, Mr. Lagos now faces another scandal with claims of pressures on the press to prevent the publication of an article devastating for the junior partner of the coalition.

• Tuesday, May 27th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Castro tirade gets wild cheers from Argentinean crowd

  Thousands of Argentinean students and leftist sympathizers were enthralled by a harangue delivered by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who paraded his “pacifist” convictions, blasted the United States and reminisced about Che Guevara.

• Monday, May 26th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay free of FAM by vaccination.

  Uruguay was declared free of foot and mouth disease, FAM, by vaccination during the annual meeting of the International Office of Epizooties, OIE, held in Paris last week with participation of delegations from 164 countries, which also approved radical changes to the current procedures.

• Monday, May 26th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Interest rates controversy .

  The controversial decision last week by the Brazilian Central Bank to leave the basic interest rate Selic unchanged at 26,5%, and the strangely unanimous release supporting it by the bank's Monetary Committee, are still reverberating in Brazilian political and business circles.

• Monday, May 26th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil proposes new FTAA calendar.

  Brazil will be defining a “new calendar” for the Free Trade Association of the Americas, FTAA, talks, to replace the current timetable that anticipates the signing of an agreement by the end of 2005.

• Monday, May 26th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina Leader Talks of Regional Unity .

  Argentina's new president, Nestor Kirchner, greeted a host of Latin American leaders on Monday, outlining his plans to reshape a nation gripped by deep economic woes.

• Saturday, May 24th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina's strategist defies the odds

  Eduardo Duhalde says he is playing out the last moves of the most important chess game of his life. By the looks of things, Argentina's outgoing president is winning comfortably.

• Saturday, May 24th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Milk shortage in Argentina

  The significant drop in Argentine milk production has forced Buenos Aires dairy plants to import fresh milk from Uruguay at a daily rate of 25,000 liters. According to Argentine sources this is the first time in history that the country has been forced to buy milk overseas to honor export contracts of dairy produce

• Saturday, May 24th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner ponders shake-up of Argentine top brass

  President-elect Nestor Kirchner is considering changes to the leadership of the country's armed forces, the man who will be his Cabinet chief said Saturday.

• Saturday, May 24th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Latin American Leaders End Rio Group Summit

  Latin American leaders have closed the annual Rio Group summit in Cuzco, Peru, with the signing of a resolution promoting regional democracy and economic stability.