Two of the most powerful Brazilian Senators have opted to resign from Congress after it was proved both had forced staff to reveal information of a secret vote on the previous ousting of another Senator in 2000, responsible for a billion US dollars embezzlement.
In spite of Republicans having lost the majority in the Senate, the George W. Bush administration is confident it will have sufficient political support to negotiate the Americas Free Trade Association, AFTA, although Democrats are expected to include labor rights and environment protection clauses.
Chilean president Ricardo Lagos addressed this week Congress promising the creation of 150.000 new jobs and 3,5 billion US dollars in public investments in anticipation of a medium upturn of the economy.
Legal controversies about the implementation of energy rationing has convinced the Brazilian government to seriously consider a proposal by distributors to declare Mondays national holiday, thereby increasing electricity savings.
The Aerolineas strike, which began on the last Tuesday, grounding all of Aerolineas and AUSTRAL's flights, continue at press time with no immediate sign of a solution
The European Union will resume beef imports from Uruguay a month after the sanitary authorities of this country finish with the foot and mouth vaccination of the whole Uruguayan cattle stock.
Brazilian sanitary authorities have began vaccinating 4,2 million head of cattle along the Argentine and Uruguayan border in an attempt to prevent foot and mouth disease, FAM, from spreading into the country