Mercosur

• Thursday, March 30th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Bush to talk trade, immigration at Mexico summit

  President George W. Bush prepared Wednesday to embark on his fifth trip to Mexico since taking office, heading for a tripartite summit including Canada that will deal with immigration, trade and border control.

• Thursday, March 30th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Mandelson: trade a ?two-way' street

  Bs. Aires - European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson yesterday firmly ruled out any improved EU offer for the farm sector until it has received a counteroffer to open up industry and service sectors, arguing that trade was a “two-way street” and that all offers had to be on the table.

• Thursday, March 30th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazilian blasts off in Russian rocket

  Brazil's first astronaut blasted off from earth on a cloudless day today with a Russia-US crew bound for the orbiting International Space Station.

• Thursday, March 30th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile and Peru squabble over potatoes' heritage

  The historic rivalry between Chile and Peru has in the past seen them arguing over territory and maritime borders; rights to the alcoholic beverage Pisco and to a musical instrument the charango (similar to a small guitar), culinary tradition and now potatoes.

• Thursday, March 30th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Currency appreciation makes Brazil leading Latam economy

  Brazil became the leading Latinamerican economy in 2005, ahead of Mexico, and ranked eleventh in the world according to data released Thursday by the country's Geography and Statistics Institute.

• Thursday, March 30th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Migrant workers remittances reach 53.6 billion US dollars

  Migrant workers from Latin America and the Caribbean sent home 53.6 billion to their families last year, a 17% increase over 2004 according to a survey released Thursday by the Inter-American Development Bank.

• Wednesday, March 29th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina reiterates Falklands' claim to Kofi Annan

  During a meeting Monday with United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, Argentina reiterated its claim over the Falkland Islands and called for sovereignty negotiations with the United Kingdom.

• Wednesday, March 29th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay/Argentina pulp mill summit postponed

  The Uruguayan/Argentine presidential summit scheduled for Wednesday to address the pulp mills dispute was postponed according to official releases from both governments.

• Wednesday, March 29th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean unemployment drops to 7.3%

  Chilean unemployment in the December-February quarter dropped to 7.3%, which is 0.3% less than the same period a year ago, according to the latest release from the country's Statistics Institute.

• Wednesday, March 29th 2006 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil's new minister calls for “civilized interest rates”

  Brazil's new Economy minister Guido Mantega said Wednesday Brazil needs “civilized interest rates” signaling the first difference with his predecessor Antonio Palocci who was forced to resign on claims of corruption.