Mercosur

• Monday, April 17th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  China, Brazil and Argentina seeking soy axis

  China, Brazil and Argentina are mulling the creation of a multinational market for soybeans as an alternative to the Chicago Board of Trade.

• Sunday, April 16th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile: Trade Agreements Increased Commerce

  Free trade agreements with the United States, Mexico and Canada boosted Chile's commerce and exports to North American markets last year, the Chilean government announced Saturday.

• Sunday, April 16th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Peru: Humala still waits for run-off opponent

  An already thin margin of votes narrowed further between a center-left former president and pro-business former congresswoman to fewer than 110,000 ballots yesterday, as Peruvians waited to see who will face nationalist Ollanta Humala in a presidential runoff.

• Sunday, April 16th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina: Record squid exports from Rio Gallegos

  The fishing town of Puerto Deseado, a fishing village located 790 kilometres north of Río Gallegos, this year exported 42,000 tons of squid, which officials qualified as a “historic record” for the area.

• Sunday, April 16th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  New US Navy ship being built with World Trade Center steel

  With a year to go before it even touches the water, the US Navy's amphibious assault ship USS New York has already made history ? twice. It was built with 24 tons of scrap steel from the World Trade Center, and it survived Hurricane Katrina.

• Sunday, April 16th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Oil law may hit Ecuador-US deal

  New legislation designed to increase the state's share of windfall oil revenues by some $600m a year is set to derail Ecuador's plans to negotiate a trade deal with the US, according to government officials.

• Saturday, April 15th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Former subsidiary offers $400 mil for Brazil's Varig

  Directors of Brazil's troubled flag carrier, Varig, must decide whether to ratify a deal to sell the airline to one of its former subsidiaries for $400 million.

• Saturday, April 15th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Gibraltar: referendum is an act of self determination.

  The Gibraltar Government expects the text of the proposed new Constitution to be published during the next fortnight. Speaking to the Chronicle Chief Minister Peter Caruana said he will be seeking Britain's agreement to the publication of any additional preamble before the referendum.

• Saturday, April 15th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile has one of the lowest infant mortality rates

  The U.S. based “Pediatrics” magazine reports that Chile has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, noting that between 1990 and 2000 the number of deaths among infants (between one to 27 days old) fell from 8.3 to 5.7 for every 1,000 births.

• Friday, April 14th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentine: Fisheries News

  Headlines:
  Argentine hake quota unchanged in 380.000 tons; Toothfish TAC. 1616 tons; Squid season in common Uruguay/Argentina zone; Squid research cruise delayed.