Mercosur

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Mandela and indigenous leaders in Morales guest list

  Former South African president Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Argentine picketers and other social movement leaders from the continent figure in the guest list for the taking office ceremony of Bolivian elected president Evo Morales next January 22.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean Army purchases 100 Leopard 2 tanks

  Chilean Defence minister Jaime Ravinet confirmed Monday that Chile will purchase a hundred refurbished German manufactured Leopard 2 tanks. However the operation will be government to government.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva “guarantees” economic growth

  Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva “ensured” Monday that the Brazilian economy will grow even more in 2006, in spite of general and presidential elections. However, market forecasts are not so enthusiastic.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Chinese foreign investment totals 44.9 billion US dollars

  Chinese financial institutions invested overseas 5.65 billion US dollars during eleven months of 2005, which is above the 5.5 billion for the whole of 2004, reported Monday the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  OPEC tries to coordinate oil policy with Russia

  The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, (OPEC), president Ahmed al Fahd al Sabah, currently visiting Moscow tried Monday to convince Russia to a closer oil policy coordination.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Puerto Rico insists on having final say

  Puerto Rico Gov. Aníbal Acevedo Vila yesterday rejected a Bush administration report saying that Washington has the final word in defining the US territory's status.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean 2005 fisheries exports over 3 billion US dollars

  For the first time ever Chilean fisheries exports will surpass three billion US dollars, 400 million US dollars above the 2004 record, mainly because of the industry's success in adding value to production.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  UK and Sweden honouring Kyoto agreement

  Britain will meet its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto protocol on climate change but many other European countries will fail to do so, according to a report from the Institute of Public Policy Research published Tuesday.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia's Morales victory has “its positive side”

  Though he describes himself as Washington's “nightmare,” Evo Morales's victory in Bolivia's presidential election December 18 has its positive side.

• Tuesday, December 27th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine fish landings to November: 765.000 tons

  November fish and shellfish landings in Argentine ports reached 74.000 tonnes bringing the total Argentine catch to 765.473 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, according to figures released the Argentine Fisheries and Aquaculture Undersecretariat (SSP&A).