Stories for February 2008

Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Argentine-Brazilian group after Esso assets in Mercosur

Argentine group Eurnekian and Brazilian investment fund GP Investimentos have tied up to launch an offer to buy the Latin American Esso downstream assets of Exxon Mobil Corp, said a spokesman for Eurnekian in Buenos Aires.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Mrs. Kirchner can't convince protestors to end pickets

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and Gualeguaychu pickets kept on Thursday to their positions in the controversy over the construction of a pulp mill in neighboring Uruguay which environmentalists and protestors claim is/will be highly contaminating.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Falkland Islands: Weekly 'Penguin News” update

Headlines: Dorada under new ownership; New Constitution by mid-2008?; Kirchner to London; ASSI inspectors reveal findings; MPs on week-long visit; Drugs man jailed; Coming up this week.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
US-Andean countries trade program extended ten months

A United States House of Representatives panel approved Thursday a ten month extension for a trade programme providing reduced tariffs for exports from the four Andean nations of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Forecasts of another boom year for soybean farmers

The German Hamburg based publication Oil World has cut its estimate of the Brazilian 2007/08 soy crop to 59.3 million tons, down from the previous 59.8 million tons.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Lack of Argentine gas forces red numbers on Magallanes region

Magallanes Region economic activity plummeted 22.7% during the last quarter of 2007 which meant the region ended the twelve month period with a surprising negative performance of 11.5%, according to the local chapter of Chile's National Statistics Institute, INE.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Regional presidential summit to address winter gas supply

A presidential summit of Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia leaders is scheduled for next February 23 in Buenos Aires to try and find a solution to the anticipated shortage of Bolivian natural gas supply next winter if as estimated Argentine and Brazilian demand increases over last year's volume.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
China's trade surplus in January jumps beyond all forecasts

China's trade surplus soared 22.7% in January as the economy continued to boom despite efforts to cool the rate of growth, official figures have shown. The gap between what China exports and what it imports grew to 22.7 billion US dollars last month, 15.9 billion a year earlier.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
Most vulnerable populations hit by soaring cereal prices

Soaring international cereal prices and freight rates are projected to increase import bills for the world's poorest countries 35% for the second year running affecting the most vulnerable populations, points out FAO in its latest Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
Friday, February 15th 2008 - 20:00 UTC
US 2007 trade deficit narrows for first time in six years

The US trade deficit narrowed in 2007 after five years of consecutive records, pushed by exports that helped offset the country's large growth in oil imports and trade gap with China. The deficit reached 711.6 billion US dollars in 2007, down from 758.5 billion in 2006, a 6.2% decline the Commerce Department said.