Mercosur

• Saturday, November 19th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina's unemployment drops to 11,1%

  The unemployment index in Argentina during the third quarter dropped to 11,1% from 13.2% in the same period a year ago according to the latest release from the Statistics and Census Office.

• Saturday, November 19th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean presidential candidate recovers comfortable lead

  Chile's ruling coalition presidential candidate for December 11 elections, Michelle Bachelet has managed to recover the advantage she had over her conservative rivals, according to the latest opinion poll released this week in Santiago.

• Friday, November 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Migrants' remittances to developing countries, 232 billion

  Migrants officially sent home more than 167 billion dollars to their families in developing countries this year ? a figure more than twice the level of international aid, according to the World Bank's annual Global Economic Prospects report for 2006, titled The Economic Implications of Remittances and Migration.

• Friday, November 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Mercosur: Uruguay wants Mexico to counterbalance Brazil

  Mexican president Vicente Fox has been invited to participate in the Montevideo December Mercosur summit but there's no official confirmation of his presence, revealed Mexican Ambassador in Uruguay, Perla Carvalho.

• Friday, November 18th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile and China sign historical agreement

  China and Chile on Friday signed a free trade agreement, the first between China and a Latin American country.

• Thursday, November 17th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Palocci fully ratifies Brazil's fiscal orthodoxy

  Brazilian Finance minister Antonio Palocci defended Wednesday before Congress, the government's orthodox economic policy, brushed aside claims of illegal acts or wrongdoings during his time as elected mayor and ignored rumours about his possible resignation.

• Thursday, November 17th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Air France begins direct flights Santiago-Paris

  Air France inaugurated Thursday direct flights between Paris and Santiago which represents a 70% route capacity expansion, reported the French carrier in Chile.

• Thursday, November 17th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Petrobras discovers excellent quality oil off Bahia

  Brazil's government owned oil company Petrobras announced Thursday it has discovered oil of ??excellent'' quality in the north-eastern state of Bahia.

• Thursday, November 17th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  In spite of FAM, Brazil targets new beef export record

  Abattoir activity in the Brazilian state of Matto Grosso do Sul, the country's second main beef exporter, dropped a dramatic 76% in October since the outbreak of foot and mouth disease was reported, said Jose Antonio Felicio from the Agriculture Ministry.

• Wednesday, November 16th 2005 - 20:00 UTC

  Copper “armored” Chilean peso sets new record

  Chile's peso climbed to its strongest against the US dollar in more than five years after the government reported that exports of copper, the country's biggest export, surged in October and prices for the metal kept breaking records.