Mercosur

• Saturday, December 11th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile “reasonably optimistic” about regional integration.

  Chile is “reasonably optimistic” about South American integration following this week's presidential meetings in Cuzco, Peru where the South American Community of Nations, SACN, was officially launched, said Chilean Foreign Affairs minister Ignacio Walker.

• Saturday, December 11th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  UK launches G8 website.

  The United Kingdom launched this Friday
  www.g8.gov.uk
  , the website for the UK presidency of the G8. The UK will assume the year-long presidency on 1 January 2005.

• Saturday, December 11th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Chilean High Court defends Pinochet time record.

  Chile's Supreme Court categorically denied Friday that it was an “accomplice” in the torture and murder of dissidents during the 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

• Friday, December 10th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Bank of England keeps interest rate at 4,75%

  The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee decided this Thursday to keep the basic rate unchanged at 4,75% amid signs of a slowing economy.

• Friday, December 10th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Political parties and corruption.

  In half of 64 countries polled public opinion believes that political parties are the institutions most affected by corruption, according to a report from Transparency International, TI, released this Thursday.

• Friday, December 10th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Mercosur/CAN fusion in “two years time”

  Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde one of the main driving forces behind the creation this week of the South American Community of Nations estimated that in two years time Mercosur and the Andean Community of Nations, CAN, will have integrated making unnecessary independent denominations.

• Friday, December 10th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  English, undisputed business language

  Half of the world population in 2015, an estimated three billion people will speak English according to a report from the “British Council”, which promotes British culture and language.

• Friday, December 10th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Repsol-YPF surveying Malvinas Basin.

  Repsol-YPF CEO Antonio Brufau revealed Thursday in Buenos Aires that the company is involved in seismic surveying in the Malvinas Basin, “a geological high risk operation”, but if successful will mean the incorporation of a new oil province for Argentina.

• Friday, December 10th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina: Mutton exports top entire 2003

  Fresh mutton exports between January and October 2004, totaled 5,642 tons for a value of 14.4 billion dollars, exceeding shipments for all of 2003, when 4,737 tons were shipped for a total value of 9.1 billion dollars.

• Thursday, December 9th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  South American Community promises integration and austerity

  A dozen of South American countries constituted Wednesday in the Peruvian Andes the South American Community of Nations in the framework of the III regional presidential summit.