Mercosur

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Cruise season: Punta Arenas expects 20% more visitors

  Punta Arenas expects at least 123 cruise calls this coming 2005/06 season, including 75 foreign vessels according to the latest estimate released by the regional ports authority Empresa Portuaria Austral, EPA, which manages Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales.

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Majority of Mercosur have negative opinion of Bush

  In four of Mercosur country members' capitals over 50% have a “bad” or “very bad” opinion of President George Bush and only 12% support him according to an opinion poll done by the Latinamerican Social Sciences Faculty, Flacso.

• Monday, September 12th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chinese president praises trade partner Mexico

  Chinese President Hu Jintao praised Mexico as an “important trade partner” upon arriving Sunday in Mexico City for an official three-day visit. In a short message Hu Jintao said that two countries “share the same task of strengthening economic and social development; Mexico has become a very important partner of China in Latin America”.

• Sunday, September 11th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  UK police mark 9/11 anniversary

  British police officers are to join millions of Americans to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile receives first Scorpone class submarine

  Chile officially received Friday in Cherbourg, France, the first of two Scorpane class submarines specially built for the Chilean Navy.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile raises basic interest rate to 4%

  Confirming market expectations the Chilean Central Bank Monetary Council during its September meeting agreed to raise the basic interest rate 25 points to 4%, the seventh increase in 2005.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Matthei reported to court

  Former Chilean air force commander-in-chief Fernando Matthei has been reported to an Argentine court on charges of homicide.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Brazil - Peru transoceanic highway project begins

  The president of Peru; Bolivia and Brazil inaugurated a $ 810 million highway project to connect Brazil's Atlantic coast to Peru's Pacific port before the end of the decade.

• Saturday, September 10th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean President Urges People to Keep Calm in Coup Anniversary

  Sept 11 is a dark day in Chile the anniversary of Gen August Pinochet's bloody cup and as in the past, its finds Chileans not just sad, but angry.

• Friday, September 9th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  “Katrina” will cost 1% growth to the US economy

  Damage caused by hurricane Katrina could cost the United States a half to one full percentage point of economic growth in the second half of the year according to data from the Congressional Budget Office, CBO.