May 16 (Reuters) - Argentine championship results and
standings on Friday
Banfield 5 San Martin (San Juan) 1
Colon (Santa Fe) 1 Newell's Old Boys 1
Standings P W D L F A Pts
1 River Plate 14 9 3 2 21 9 30
2 Estudiantes 14 9 3 2 23 12 30
3 Velez Sarsfield 14 8 3 3 20 11 27
4 San Lorenzo 14 9 0 5 21 13 27
5 Independiente 14 8 2 4 23 13 26
6 Boca Juniors 14 7 5 2 18 9 26
7 Newell's Old Boys 15 6 4 5 17 16 22
8 Banfield 15 6 3 6 31 28 21
9 Arsenal 14 6 3 5 19 17 21
10 Huracan 14 5 5 4 13 12 20
11 Colon (Santa Fe) 15 5 4 6 22 23 19
12 Rosario Central 14 5 4 5 18 19 19
13 Argentinos Juniors 14 5 3 6 15 22 18
14 San Martin (San Juan) 15 5 1 9 18 24 16
15 Tigre 14 4 4 6 16 22 16
16 Gimnasia-La Plata 14 3 4 7 14 19 13
17 Lanus 14 3 2 9 19 31 11
18 Olimpo 14 3 2 9 13 26 11
19 Racing Club 14 1 7 6 11 18 10
20 Gimnasia (Jujuy) 14 1 6 7 12 20 9
(Compiled by Infostrada Sports; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
((greg stutchbury@thomsonreuters.com; + 61 3 9286-1435;
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Keywords: SOCCER LATAM/ARGENTINA RESULTS
(Updates with new quotes, details; changes byline)
By Terry Wade
LIMA, May 16 (Reuters) - European and Latin American leaders called for action to tackle surging food prices and global warming at a summit in Peru on Friday, despite differences over biofuels and free trade.
Leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales said he feared the poor could suffer as his regional counterparts rush to sign free-trade deals with Europe, and others warned of a looming world food emergency, which some attribute in part to greater use of biofuels.
"If the crisis deepens, hundreds of millions of people will be threatened by hunger," Peruvian President Alan Garcia told the fifth gathering of heads of state from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The European Union and Brazil, the world's top ethanol exporter, back biofuels, but many Latin American countries blame them for pushing up food prices and causing hunger in a region where a third of the population lives in poverty.
Critics say the EU should scrap its target of having renewable fuels make up 10 percent of road transport fuels by 2020, saying the goal will contribute to hunger and environmental damage around the word.
European leaders played down the risks.
"The impact of biofuels (on food prices) should not provoke such alarm, because from my point of view the relationship isn't that clear," Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told reporters.
Even as many poor nations in Latin America criticize the use of food crops such as corn and soybeans to make fuels, they are increasingly worried about climate change and say rich states must cut carbon emissions.
Peru created an environment ministry this week to help cope with the impact of rising global temperatures, which studies show could melt its Andean glaciers within 25 years.
While there was broad support for initiatives to combat global warming, including carbon trading programs and reforestation, leaders struggled to agree about trade.
DIVIDED ON TRADE
Proponents say opening up borders would lower food prices by removing tariffs, but skeptics say trade pacts could hurt food production by slashing subsidies.
The issue has exposed ideological disagreements between Peru and Colombia, both free-trade enthusiasts, and leftist leaders like Bolivia's Morales, a former coca grower who says trade deals could hurt peasant farmers.
Peru and Colombia called on Friday for their countries to be put on a "fast track" in trade talks between the EU and Andean countries.
Europe is keen to boost trade with resource-rich Latin America and pushed talks with three trade blocs in the region.
Michelle Bachelet, president of staunch free-trader Chile, called for a global trade agreement.
"I'm making an urgent plea for us to successfully wrap up the Doha round," she said. "If we have freer and fairer agricultural trade, we'll have more food."
Although the summit's final statement included few concrete measures, some leaders used the occasion to patch over differences.
Chavez, who often insults conservative leaders, apologized to German Chancellor Angela Merkel only days after calling her a political descendant of Adolf Hitler.
"I haven't come here to fight," Chavez said after they shook hands. "I told her that I was sorry if I'd been harsh."
Chavez irritated some leaders at a summit in Chile last year, prompting the king of Spain to tell him to "shut up."
(Additional reporting by Maria Luisa Palomino, Helen Popper, Marco Aquino, Dana Ford, Silene Ramirez and Ricardo Serra; Editing by Eric Walsh)
((terry.wade@reuters.com; +5411 4318-0655; Reuters Messaging: terry.wade.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: EU LATINAMERICA/
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Keywords: *TOP NEWS* Latin America
BUENOS AIRES, May 16 (Reuters) - Argentine stocks rose on Friday as rising global crude oil prices lifted energy-related shares, while bonds and the peso rose.
The benchmark MerVal index <.MERV> ended 0.7 percent higher at 2,137.01 points, finishing the week with a 1.07 percent gain.
"The MerVal got a lift from oil-related shares thanks to the rise in crude prices," said Guido Macchi, a trader at Julio Macchi brokerage.
Shares in index heavyweight and steelmaker Tenaris <TENA.BA> -- the world's leading producer of seamless steel tubes for the energy industry -- rose 2.05 percent to 96.95 pesos.
The local listing of Brazilian state-run energy Petrobras <APBR.BA> gained 2.05 percent to 115.5 pesos.
U.S. crude oil climbed to record peaks near $128 on Friday partially driven by news Goldman Sachs, the most active investment bank in energy markets, predicted oil prices will average $141 a barrel in the second half this year due to thin inventories.
Banking shares that had fallen on the MerVal in recent days continued to sag due to a continued farmers strike in Argentina that has fueled political uncertainty in recent weeks.
"Banking shares are reflecting they are the most affected by the tensions between the government and farmers, and until there is an agreement it will be difficult to clear away the uncertainty surrounding banks in the eyes of investors," Macchi said.
Farmers went on strike last week protesting a tax hike on grains exports, and extended the strike on Thursday.
The strike has caused market jitters in recent weeks, forcing the central bank to intervene heavily to prevent the peso currency from weakening amid increased dollar-buying by ordinary Argentines.
Volume on the broad market was relatively strong at $45.9 million. Among active shares, 32 rose, 32 declined and 21 were unchanged.
On the debt market <AR/BONOS>, bonds traded locally closed 0.5 percent higher on average as investors sought to take advantage of recent losses, also fueled by the farmers strike.
The central bank continued to sell dollars aggressively on the foreign exchange market, helping the peso to strengthen, traders said
In informal trade between foreign exchange houses, as measured by Reuters, the peso <ARSB=> closed at 3.235/3.2375 per dollar.
In formal interbank trade <ARS=RASL>, where the central bank intervenes to stabilize the currency, the peso gained 0.48 percent to 3.145/3.1475 per dollar. (Reporting by Walter Bianchi, Writing by Kevin Gray; Editing by Diane Craft) ((buenosaires.newsroom@reuters.com; +54 11 4510-2505; Reuters Messaging: kevin.gray.reuters.com@reuters.net))
Keywords: MARKETS ARGENTINA/
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> Dominicans vote in race tipped to favor incumbent [nN16384290]
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> Chile says Chavez wrong about police chief probe [nN16427672]
> Biofuels and trade divide EU, Latin American leaders[nN16399087]
> Mexican holds interest rate steady, risks balanced [nN16402526]
> Panama to deploy special force on Colombian border [nN16429170]
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> Development crucial to saving the Brazilian Amazon [nN16405901]
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Brazil's Bovespa stock index <.BVSP> Mexico's IPC index <.MXX>
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Keywords: *TOP NEWS* Latin America
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