Mercosur

• Thursday, July 21st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chinese economy expands 9,5% in first half

  China's GDP expanded 9,5% in the first half of 2005, two tenths less than in the same period of 2004 but with no signs of overheating, according to the latest release from the National Bureau of Statistics.

• Thursday, July 21st 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  IDB president election far from consensus

  Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua and Venezuela candidates will be participating next week in the most disputed election ever to name the Inter American Development Bank, IDB, next president.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Maersk-Sealand extends operations to Ushuaia

  Maersk-Sealand announced this week that it had began operating its own depot in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego. Depot operations actually began on July 10th with the call of Maersk Ferroll.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Drought could cost Argentina $225 million

  Farm land planted with wheat in Argentina could fall by 10% compared to the previous season because of the severe drought, according to industry figures published Tuesday in Buenos Aires.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Bielsa blends politics and literature with K's blessing

  Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Rafael Bielsa made his official debut Tuesday evening as head of the list of candidates for the Lower House of the City of Buenos Aires in the coming October mid term elections.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  America's summit: “Jobs creation”, the heart of the matter

  Argentina admitted Tuesday having differences with the United States regarding the Americas Summit scheduled for next November in Mar del Plata but these are concentrated in “the drafting of the final document and security”.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Bolivian Indians feel they can win presidency

  Socialist Bolivian peasants' leader Evo Morales is confident he can build an alliance, based on support from the country's indigenous majority, that this time will ensure him victory in December's presidential election.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Lula admits PT mistakes, which must be corrected

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva ratified that if the Workers Party, --currently involved in a major corruption scandal--, committed mistakes it must open its books to the Brazilian public opinion and say how they will correct them.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's Mercosur deficit increased 469% in ten years

  Chile's trade deficit with Mercosur full members, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay has jumped 469% between 1995 and 2004, from 902 million US dollars to 5.1 billion US dollars by far the country's largest with any trade block.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2005 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentina, Peru and Chile navies powers, “balanced”

  Chile is not involved in an arms race, just replacing old units and by 2008 the navies of Argentina, Peru and Chile “will be quite evenly balanced”, stated Chilean Navy commander Admiral Rodolfo Codina Díaz.