Mercosur

• 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.

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

  Ozone hole over South Pole breaks record

  US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report this year's ozone hole in the polar region of the Southern Hemisphere has broken records for area and depth.

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

  Argentina forecasted to expand for fifth year running

  The Argentine economy is forecasted to expand over 8% in 2006 for the fourth year running and with a comfortable carry on effect of 3% into 2007, reported Argentina's Central Bank, which originally was estimating a 7% growth.

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

  Who has a free press and who hasn't

  North Korea is the worst violator of press freedom in the world while journalists in Finland, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands enjoy the most liberty, according to a new index released this week by “Reporters Without Borders”.