Mercosur

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Repsol-YPF: high profits, low reserves

  Spanish oil company Repsol-YPF revealed Thursday earnings of 1,65 billion Euros in the first half of 2005. Profits were in line with market expectations reported the company.

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  CAFTA approval rekindles free trade talks

  US Congressional approval of the free-trade treaty between United States and Central America is likely to help pave the way for similar regional accords and contribute to the success of WTO negotiations.

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Menezes burial Friday in his hometown

  Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian national gunned down by the London police in a subway when they mistook him for a terrorist had an expired two years before visa, said the British Home Office.

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chilean trawler forced back to port by mutineer

  A Chilean flagged trawler underwent 38 hours of fear and uncertainty when one of the crew locked himself in the bridge threatening the captain and chief officer with knives demanding the vessel returned him to Punta Arenas.

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  De Rato points to ?means and ways'

  The head of the International Monetary Fund said yesterday there were other ways to settle with Argentina's “holdout” creditors without reopening the debt exchange offer they rejected.

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Caribbean calls on US to restrict Helms-Burton Act

  The Association of Caribbean States ended its summit Friday in Panama calling on the United States to end the extraterritorial enforcement of domestic legislation, notably the Helms-Burton Act aimed at keeping corporations from investing in Cuba.

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Hard liner Noriega leaves post in September

  United States top diplomat for Latin America and Caribbean affairs, Roger Noriega, announced Friday his resignation saying he planned to return to the private sector next September. Under Secretary of State for Hemispheric Affairs Noriega has held the job for the past two years.

• Friday, July 29th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  BSE in humans: Spain reports first death

  Spain's Health Ministry confirmed Friday that it is “highly likely” the death earlier this month of a woman in Madrid was caused by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease variant, the human equivalent of what is popularly known as mad-cow disease.

• Thursday, July 28th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Cuba's regime tougher on dissidents

  Members of the Cuban opposition expressed concern Wednesday about the possible use of special repressive legislation known as the “Gag Law” - which establishes prison terms of up to 20 years - against at least three recently-arrested dissidents.

• Thursday, July 28th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  “Pisco” is Peruvian and calls for a celebration

  Peruvians celebrated Wednesday with a 2,000 litres binge the World's Trade Organization Intellectual Property decision stating that pisco is a Peruvian drink.