Mercosur

• Monday, September 23rd 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Sheep farming lost 300 million US dollars

  Sheep farming that is gradually beginning to recover in Uruguay lost during the last decade approximately 300 million US dollars.

• Thursday, September 19th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina expects 3% growth in 2003

  Budget estimates for 2003 anticipate the Argentine economy will grow 3%, annual inflation should not surpass 45% while debt payments to multilateral financial organizations will be equivalent to 4 billion US dollars.

• Thursday, September 19th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Investment retraction

  Argentina and Brazil were the two countries most affected by the retraction of investments in Latinamerica which began in 2001 and extended into the first half of 2002.

• Thursday, September 19th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  “Protest vote” set to reap 27%

  According to an Argentine public opinion polling company, in the coming presidential elections a quarter of Argentine voters will reject all candidates to express their anger with a “protest vote”, either by voting blank or destroying the ballot.

• Wednesday, September 18th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina rather “disgusted” with IMF

  President Duhalde's administration reacted to the latest warning from the International Monetary Fund saying Argentina can work its way out of the current financial turmoil “with or without IMF's aid”, and expressed increasing “disgust” towards the multilateral institution attitude.

• Wednesday, September 18th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula in the first round?

  Former left wing union leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, comfortably leading in the polls, increased this week his advantage and now stands with 42% of vote intention, which could ensure him the Brazilian presidency in the first round.

• Tuesday, September 17th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  US industrial production drops

  US industrial production dropped during August, the first time this year according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  “Mercosur is over”

  French political scientist and renowned academic Alain Touraine stated that “Mercosur was over” and forecasted that the United States sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americas “is inevitable”.
  “To talk about Mercosur doesn't make much sense”, indicated Mr. Touraine in a long interview with the Brazilian newspaper O'Globo.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentines sceptical

  Argentine voters are sceptical about a possible reversal to the current situation even with a new president, according to the latest poll published this weekend in Buenos Aires daily La Nación.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Peruvian court rules against redundancy

  Peru's Supreme Tribunal ruled the reinstatement of hundreds of employees left redundant by the country's telecommunications company. The ruling shocked the business community that is now assessing the impact on future investments.