Mercosur

• Friday, May 2nd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Daughter of Argentine tycoon kidnapped

  Florencia Macri, 19, the youngest daughter of Argentine industrial magnate Franco Macri, was kidnapped here by abductors demanding $1.5 million in ransom, police officials said Thursday.

• Thursday, May 1st 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Orthodox Lula pushed reforms.

  After a stern warning to the most radical Congressional members of his own party, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva personally delivered in Congress two reform bills that are crucial for his administration and the long term financial stability of Brazil.

• Wednesday, April 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner: I'm my own man.

  Argentine presidential candidate Nestor Kirchner pointed out in interviews with the main newspapers of the country that support from the ruling President Eduardo Duhalde administration will not represent “any conditioning or pressure” if he's finally victorious in the May 18 run off.

• Wednesday, April 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  US-Chile trade agreement on hold.

  Chilean Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear said in Santiago on her return from Washington that the free trade agreement reached with the United States will be signed and approved, however she also admitted that US Secretary Colin Powell indicated there was no definitive date for the event.

• Wednesday, April 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Latinamerica expected to grow 2% in 2003.

  Latinamerica economy is forecasted to grow 2% in 2003 given the improvement in world trade conditions, easier access to credit and the significant improvement of the Argentine economy, according to the latest release from the United Nations Economic Commission on Latinamerica, Cepal.

• Wednesday, April 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine polls depict “Anybody but Menem” sentiment.

  Though he took a plurality in the first round of presidential elections, former leader Carlos Menem is rejected by a large majority of Argentines as undeserving of another term and stands little chance in the upcoming runoff, polls indicated Wednesday

• Tuesday, April 29th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Economic stability rather than political renewal.

  Argentines voted with their minds and hearts fixed in economic stability rather than political renewal and “the May 18 run-off is another election” with both hopefuls forced to convince the undecided segment. That seems to be the predominant opinion among analysts of the record Sunday voting in Argentina.

• Monday, April 28th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Paraguay has a new “tendota”

  Close to midnight Sunday the candidate of the ruling Colorado party, Mr. Nicanor Duarte Frutos was declared winner of the Paraguayan presidential election by the Electoral Tribunal with almost 38% of the vote.

• Monday, April 28th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine elections: first round

  Argentina's former president Carlos Menem and governor Nestor Kirchner will be disputing next May 18 the second round of presidential elections, the first time ever the ballotage system is applied in Argentina since established in the 1994 Constitution.
  With over 85% of the vote counted Mr. Menem won 24,1% of the vote and Mr. Kirchner 22%, with an unexpected showing of Mr. Ricardo López Murphy 18,5% who came in third..

• Sunday, April 27th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina the day after

  With over 82,000 security forces ensuring that today's presidential election in Argentina, the tightest in recent history, will develop normally and peacefully, caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde is preparing for the day after.