Chile became in 2007 Britain's sixth supplier of wines and ahead of Spain for the first time according to the market analysis agency AC Nielsen.
The International Monetary Fund sees the US economy avoiding recession, despite financial sector turmoil and a housing sector slump. IMF praises actions taken by the US Federal Reserve as supportive and timely.
Peru, Panama, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay are the Latinamerican countries expected to have the best economic performance in the region during 2008, according to the latest edition of World Economic Prospects from the World Bank.
The European Central Bank and Bank of England, despite growing unease about inflation and slowing economic indicators, on Thursday kept their benchmark interest rates unchanged at 4% and 5.5% respectively.
China's trade surplus soared 48% in 2007 to a record high 262.2 billion US dollars as its export-led economic boom continued government figures have shown.
The United States trade deficit widened a sharp 9.3% in November to a larger-than-expected 63.1 billion US dollars, the highest in 14 months, mainly on soaring crude oil costs, reported the US Department of Commerce.
An anonymous Northern Ireland farmer has sent an envelope containing £5,900 of cash to the Department of Agriculture (DARD). The money was returned in an envelope because he or she felt they were overpaid in their subsidies, reports the BBC
Following on a robust 2007, the United Nations Conference On Trade and Development says there is a clear danger of the world economy coming to a near standstill in 2008. The report says this will hit many poor nations hard, slow world trade and put an end to the boom in commodity prices.
The International Monetary Fund said this week it had lowered its 2007 global growth estimate by one-half percentage point after recent data showed economies of China and India were smaller than previously thought.
China will introduce partial price freezes on basic commodities such as gas and oil and crack down on profiteering, hoarding and other activities fuelling inflation, the government announced on Wednesday. Government officials are concerned about prices next month when the Lunar New Year celebrations.