Stories for May 16th 2009

Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:43 UTC
Mercosur junior members coordinate position for coming summit

Paraguay and Uruguay are committed to the consolidation of Mercosur, in spite of the ongoing trade differences among its members, said Uruguayan president Tabaré Vazquez.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:38 UTC
USDA estimates Argentine 2010 soy crop in 51 million tons, but…

United States Agriculture Department estimates Argentina’s soy bean production will reach a record 51 million tons in the 2010 crop. Such a volume would mark a complete turn around from this year’s crop which has been estimated anywhere between 34 and 31.7 million tons, or even less.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:27 UTC
Sustainability of soy supply chain conference in Brazil

The Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS) will present advances related to the global standard for responsible soy production, processing and marketing at its IV International Conference in the city of Campinas, Brazil, May 26 and 27.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:26 UTC
US consumer prices in April remained unchanged

US consumer prices were unchanged in April, but recorded their largest year-on-year drop for more than 50 years, official data showed. Meanwhile producer prices jumped more than expected pushed by the biggest rise in food costs in more than a year.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:19 UTC
Chilean Patagonia provides few bright spots of economic activity

The southern tip of the Chilean Patagonia provided most of the few bright spots in the Chilean government’s latest Index of Regional Economic Activity (INACER), published this week by the National Statistical Institute.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:15 UTC
Euro zone first quarter contraction of 2.5% surprises economists

The economies of the 16 countries of the Euro zone experienced its worst quarterly drop in GDP in the first three months of the year, shedding 2.5% according to a release from the EU statistics agency Eurostat.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:10 UTC
British voters want snap election; Labour support down to 22%

Almost two in three British voters believe a general election should be called as soon as possible amid mounting public anger about Member of Parliaments' taxpayer-funded expense claims, a poll has revealed.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 13:03 UTC
Lula da Silva promotes use of local currencies for trade

China and Brazil should conduct business with each other in their own currencies instead of the dollar, a publication quoted Brazil's president Lula da Silva as saying ahead of his trip to Beijing next week.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 12:56 UTC
Brazil/China to sign agreement to develop sub-salt oil deposits

Brazil's President Lula da Silva is to sign a “voluminous” financing agreement for government managed Petrobras on a visit to China next week said Energy Minister Edison Lobao.
Saturday, May 16th 2009 - 10:37 UTC
General Motors to close 1.100 dealerships

General Motors, the US auto giant, has told 1.100 dealerships that they will be closed down as the company struggles to survive amid an economic crisis. The shutdowns are just part of a larger plan to shut 2.600 of its 6.200 dealerships as the car manufacturer makes cuts in an attempt to become profitable again. The move is likely to cause the loss of thousands of jobs across the US.