Mercosur

• Saturday, October 7th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil's nine month inflation 2%

  September's consumer prices index in Brazil crept 0.2%, above expectations and August's 0.05%, according to the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute

• Saturday, October 7th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  EU concerned with Latinamerican “democratic fragility”

  The European Union is increasingly concerned with signals of “democratic structural fragility” coming from Latinamerica, warned the EU commissioner for International Relations Benita Ferrero Wadner speaking in Biarritz, France.

• Saturday, October 7th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  “Fragile” truce between Bolivian miners factions

  A “fragile truce” was holding Saturday following a two days deadly dynamite battle between rival groups of Bolivian miners while President Evo Morales fired his Mines minister and the head of the country's Mining Company, Comibol.

• Saturday, October 7th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  TIME magazine says Castro has terminal cancer

  Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is believed to have terminal cancer and is unlikely to return to power, Time magazine reported Saturday, citing US government officials.

• Saturday, October 7th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina to appeal Chilean safeguard tariff on dairy exports

  Argentine dairy farmers will appeal the Chilean decision to impose a 23% safeguard tariff until next December on Argentine milk and cheese imports. Chilean farmers claim Argentina is involved in “disloyal competition” practices which have helped boost dairy exports several times.

• Saturday, October 7th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Final week for Ecuador's presidential race

  Former Economy minister Rafael Correa is the clear frontrunner in Ecuador's October 15 presidential race with 37% of respondents, --up 11 points since September--, supporting the Alliance Country (AP) candidate, according to a public opinion poll released by Cedatos/Gallup.

• Saturday, October 7th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil's Lula sprints for the run off with eight points lead

  Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva launched his run off presidential campaign leading his opponent Geraldo Alckmin by eight points according to the latest public opinion polls released Saturday

• Friday, October 6th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  China and Latinamerican growing links

  The accumulated investment of Latinamerican companies in China reached 56.9 billion US dollars at the end of last year according to data released by the official news agency Xinhua in Beijing.

• Friday, October 6th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Petrobras confirms light crude in Santos Basin

  Brazilian government owned oil giant Petrobras confirmed this week the existence of light crude and natural gas deposits in the Santos Basin, 280 kilometers offshore Rio do Janeiro, located under a thick layer of salt at a depth of 2.140 meters.

• Friday, October 6th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  I falsify, you falsify, we all falsify?

  European Union business organizations claimed Thursday Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Paraguay were among the countries most involved in falsifying trade marks and manufacturing falsified products.