Venezuela is preparing to take political control of private banks as part of a drive to spread revolutionary government control over the economy of the world's fifth largest oil exporter.
The United States government decided Wednesday to release oil from its strategic reserves in an attempt to offset production cuts caused by hurricane Katrina which has devastated several states in the Gulf of Mexico and panicked oil markets.
The US economy expanded 3,3% during the second quarter, a tenth less than expected reported Wednesday the US Commerce Department.
Chile is the South American country with the lowest unemployment rate while Colombia, Venezuela and Uruguay figure at the other end of the list according to a release from the United Nations Latinamerican Economic Commission, Cepal.
The Chilean government decided to increase the boarding tax by four US dollars from 26 to 30 dollars, which will become effective before the end of the year.
Latin American countries need to substantially boost their spending on infrastructure so the region does not lag behind China and other dynamic Asian economies. That's one of the central findings of a new World Bank report, titled Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Developments and Key Challenges.
US President George Bush has said that New Orleans suffered more damage than New York did in the September 11 attacks and promised a government recovery effort of unprecedented scale.
Chilean Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker on Thursday downplayed the possibility that the recent statements of a retired general over the aid Santiago lent Britain in the 1982 Falklands War might hurt relations with Argentina.