Mercosur

• Tuesday, December 12th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Chávez: more bark than bite

  By Guillermo Hánskel
  
  
  
  Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is spearheading a Socialist revolution throughout Latin America with a wallet full of petrodollars, but his real influence has been overestimated, with key economies Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and others unimpressed by his fiery anti-US preaching.

• Tuesday, December 12th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Pulp mills controversy

  

  By Dr. Wayne Dwernychuk
  
  
  
  Much confusion exists regarding the proposed Uruguay pulp mills near Fray Bentos and, unfortunately, it would appear the public is continually being fed misleading and erroneous information regarding the environmental impacts of these mills. Regular press articles say the same thing ... “the mills will cause irreparable damage to the environment, fisheries and tourism”. This simply is not so. Such condemnations are not based on scientific fact, and should not form the basis for discord between two countries.

• Monday, December 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile's GDP figures revised down again

  Expectations for Chile's GDP growth in 2006 fell again for the fifth consecutive month this year, with the new projection set at 4.4% by the Central Bank (BC).

• Monday, December 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay posts record beef exports over a billion US dollars

  Uruguay meat exports marked a new record when they reached the billion US dollars totaling 476.448 tons on December 2nd. Uruguay's main clients this year have been United States and the Russian Federation.

• Monday, December 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Annan: great States must serve and not dominate

  The only way to achieve the key principles of international relations: collective responsibility, global solidarity, the rule of law, mutual accountability and multilateralism, is by “making the best possible use” of the United Nations, the departing Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday.

• Monday, December 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Pulp mills conflict: Uruguay will take the case to WTO

  Uruguay announced the filing of a complaint against Argentina before the World Tourism Organization for the continuous obstruction by Argentine pickets of the bridges linking with Uruguay which threaten to cause significant losses in the coming Southern hemisphere summer season.

• Monday, December 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia and Ecuador targeting Mercosur

  Bolivia is seriously considering becoming a full member of Mercosur and Ecuador's elected president said he favors building an only block with Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations.

• Monday, December 11th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Uruguay leads in support and trust for democracy

  Uruguay is the country in Latinamerica which most supports democracy and has most trust in democratic governance, according to the 2006 edition of the Latinbarometer which measures the region's democratic credentials.

• Sunday, December 10th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  General Pinochet dies aged 91

  Former dictator Augusto Pinochet, who polarised Chile during his violent 1973-1990 military rule and spent his old age fighting human rights, fraud and corruption charges, died on Sunday. He was 91.

• Sunday, December 10th 2006 - 20:00 UTC

  Air China direct flight Beijing/Sao Paulo

  The first direct flight Beijing/Sao Paulo in Brazil with a call in Madrid took off Sunday from China's capital and should cover the distance in just over twenty four hours.