Mercosur

• Wednesday, June 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile and Panama sign free trade pact

  Chile and Panama yesterday signed a free trade agreement that will eliminate 98 percent of tariffs on trade between the countries within 10 years.

• Wednesday, June 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile aquires four new F-16 fighter jets

  Four F-16 fighter jets purchased from the United States arrived Tuesday at the Los Cóndores Air Base in Iquique. Two jets arrived earlier this year and another four will join the fleet by the end of 2006 as part of a large-scale renovation of Chile's Air Force.

• Wednesday, June 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Peruvian Congress ratifies U.S. trade pact by 79 to 14

  The Peruvian Congress overwhelmingly voted early Wednesday morning to ratify a free trade pact with the United States brushing aside claims Peru's farmers would go broke under a flood of subsidized among others, cotton, rice, corn and potatoes.

• Wednesday, June 28th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Morales signs new gas agreement in Argentina

  Argentina will pay 5 US dollars for every million BTU of Bolivian natural gas, up from the current price of 3.20 US dollars, announced the Bolivian embassy in Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, June 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  More voters than people in Venezuelan Electoral Roll

  Venezuela has more above 45 registered voters in the Electoral Roll than population, claims one of Caracas leading newspapers, El Nacional.

• Tuesday, June 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina honors Malvinas' war dead

  Argentina's Defence minister Nilda Garré paid tribute on Monday to all military and civilian personnel who died during the Malvinas Islands war, and whose courage in combat she contrasted with the dictatorship's “irresponsible decision” to take Argentina to war in 1982.

• Tuesday, June 27th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina considers ignoring Falklands' oil agreement
  Malvinas claim DVD for all foreign tourist

  Hydrocarbons exploration in the Malvinas basin figures as the main agenda issue of the standing Parliamentary Observatory committee which will be officially inaugurated next Thursday in Argentina's Congress.

• Monday, June 26th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula da Silva's administration, the second most corrupt

  Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration is the second most corrupt in the country's recent history according to a survey from the Perseu Abramo Foundation belonging to the Workers Party which last Saturday confirmed Lula's re-election bid.

• Monday, June 26th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Cuba to sign economic treaty in Mercosur summit

  Cuba will sign a multilateral economic complementation agreement with Mercosur at the end of July when the group's presidential summit scheduled to be held in Cordoba, Argentina. However the participation of Fidel Castro has not been confirmed.

• Monday, June 26th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Good and bad news for Uruguay's pulp industry

  A Canadian forestry company has shown interest in establishing a pulp mill in Uruguay, which would be the fourth undertaking of this nature, reports the Montevideo press.