Mercosur

• Tuesday, January 14th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil's Lula wants to expand Mercosur membership

  Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to expand membership in Mercosur, the world's third-largest trade bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

• Tuesday, January 14th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Venezuelan Gov't: Oil Strike Costs $4B

  A strike that has almost paralyzed Venezuela's crucial oil industry is an act of “terrorism” that has cost the country $4 billion, the energy and mines minister said.

• Tuesday, January 14th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina's tourism boom

  With over three million tourists last year, a 15,4% jump over 2001, Argentina's tourism industry is undergoing a boom and this year expects to further increase the number of foreigners attracted by the country's multitude of possibilities and excellent prices since the peso was drastically devalued twelve months ago.

• Monday, January 13th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentines seek emigration to Europe

  Argentina's historic condition as a melting pot of immigrants from all over Europe is providing hundreds of thousands of children and grandchildren of those pioneers with the hope of escaping their nation's economic nosedive and returning across the Atlantic

• Monday, January 13th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Eight Chilean army officers indicted for role in 1973 slayings.

  A Chilean court on Monday ordered the arrest of eight former military officers allegedly linked to the abduction and summary execution of 12 people detained at the onset of Augusto Pinochet's coup d'etat.

• Friday, January 10th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Breaking News

  Headlines: IMF-Argentina talks begin; “Special envoy” for Latinamerica; EU and UK rates unchanged; “Everything possible to help Argentina”;

• Thursday, January 9th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  IMF announces dispatch of mission to Argentina

  An IMF mission will leave for Argentina Thursday to resume negotiations with the government on a transition accord, the fund announced.

• Thursday, January 9th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean Ex-Minister Jailed in Scandal

  A judge on Tuesday ordered the arrest of a former cabinet minister and two other former high-ranking officials in a growing corruption scandal affecting the center-left government of President Ricardo Lagos.

• Thursday, January 9th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  President Duhalde finds a candidate.

  Argentine caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde finally seems to have found the candidate for the coming April elections, Governor Néstor Kirchner, a man who should help renew faces in the ruling party and at the same time defeat his greatest opponent, former president Carlos Menem.

• Wednesday, January 8th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina complies with IMF by lifting currency restrictions

  Argentina's Central Bank on Tuesday night fully lifted all currency market controls with the dual goal of maintaining the current price of the dollar and complying with the demands of the International Monetary Fund.