Mercosur

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Panama Canal expansion begins second half 2007

  Work on an ambitious project to enlarge the canal of Panama including three new locks will begin next year making Panama the Americas' most important logistics hub, announced Tuesday the water way's General Manager Alberto Aleman Zubieta.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Fruit controversy: “Terminator” denies, Chile apologizes

  Chile's Ministry of Agriculture and Pro-Chile denied Tuesday that California's governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had called on consumers to abstain from buying Chilean produce and described reports in several Chilean media as “inadequate”.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Second pulp mill in Uruguay delayed until 2008

  Spain's forestry and pulp company ENCE announced Tuesday in Madrid that is was delaying construction of a pulp mill in Uruguay until 2008.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Petrobras closer to its two million barrels pd target

  Brazil's oil company Petrobras reached the record production of 1,912,733 barrels of oil in Brazil on Monday October 23rd. The record improved 30.000 barrels on its previous record of 1,882,000 barrels achieved last May.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean Navy establishes closer links with France

  Chile's Navy second Scorpene class submarine “SS Carrera” left Spain Tuesday after completing several months' navigation and equipment trials.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivia, Venezuela's candidate for the Security Council

  Bolivia will replace Venezuela as the candidate for the non permanent seat of the United Nations Security Council, announced late Tuesday Bolivian president Evo Morales.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Gibraltar's Constitution referendum November 30

  A referendum to decide whether Gibraltar accepts or rejects the new Constitution is to be held on November 30.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  UK to pioneer controversial full face transplant

  British surgeons could perform the world's first full face transplant within months after being given the go-ahead. Consultant surgeon Peter Butler was granted permission for the pioneering surgery by the ethics committee at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London.

• Wednesday, October 25th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Fed rates unchanged but inflation risks “remain”

  The Federal Open Market Committee decided Wednesday to keep interest rates unchanged at 5.25% for the third consecutive month but also expressed concerns about inflation risks.

• Tuesday, October 24th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  China's economic growth “softens” to 10.4%

  China's GDP expanded slightly slower in the third quarter, 10.4% as a direct consequence of measures to contain the overheating of the economy, reported the Chinese Statistics Office in Beijing.