Mercosur

• Wednesday, June 4th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Interest rates and Lula's popularity remain high

  In spite of his praised performance in the Evian G8 summit in France before the leaders of the world's richest countries, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is still pressed by the ongoing interest rate controversy that divides his administration.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Greenspan anticipates modest growth.

  Federal Reserve president Alan Greenspan praised the extraordinary resilience of the United States economy and forecasted that the growth rate will quicken, although not as rapidly as anticipated by some analysts.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina returns to deflation.

  Following sixteen months of inflation triggered last January 2002, when the Argentine currency was freely floated mainly against the US dollar, retail prices in Argentina have returned to practically zero or even negative.

• Tuesday, June 3rd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  Hot line Buenos Aires-Brasilia; Trade surplus in Argentina; Controversy over exchange rate; Democrats warn about US deficit; Record crop in Brazil; “We're determined to kill and dismember inflation”; “We're determined to kill and dismember inflation”

• Monday, June 2nd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Protectionism, social exclusion and terrorism.

  Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva proposed this Sunday in his speech before the leaders of the G 8 (the seven richest countries plus Russia) meeting in Envian, France the creation of a global fund to combat hunger and poverty. Suggestions for the funding are taxing world arms trade and reinvesting part of the interests accruing from loans to developing countries.

• Monday, June 2nd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner-Powell meeting June 10

  United States Secretary of State Colin Powell will be meeting Argentine President Nestor Kirchner in Buenos Aires next June 10, following the top US official participation in a regional summit in Santiago de Chile.

• Monday, June 2nd 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Governance and stability.

  Democratic governance as essential for institutional stability will be the main point of the coming Organization of American States General Assembly agenda that is scheduled to take place in Santiago de Chile. Delegations representing 34 countries of the three Americas are expected including US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

• Saturday, May 31st 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil's Lula to propose G-8 nations help developing countries.

  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will ask the leaders of the world's richest nations to fund social programs in developing countries, government officials reported last night Friday 30th.

• Friday, May 30th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  Kirchner overhauls top brass.

  Argentina's new president Nestor Kirchner who shocked the Armed Forces by a drastic overhaul of the high command warned the military on Thursday to steer clear of politics. Speaking at an event to mark the 193rd anniversary of the creation of the country's army, President Kirchner - in his fifth day on the job - said it was not the military's duty to judge the actions of an elected government.

• Thursday, May 29th 2003 - 21:00 UTC

  EU proposes speedier tariff reduction.

  The European Union requested from Mercosur a speedier market opening for a list of European agricultural and industrial goods in the framework of the current trade liberalization discussions. Mercosur and the European Union exchanged this Wednesday in Brussels demands to improve the liberalization lists presented last March.