Mercosur

• Wednesday, December 1st 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Former Brazilian president back in the political ring

  Former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995/200) accused his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of having no proposals to end the problems and challenges facing the country.

• Wednesday, December 1st 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Unemployment in Chile stable at 9,4%

  Unemployment in Chile reached 9,4% in the August/October quarter according to the country's Statistics Institute. This represents a slight 0,6% increase over the same period a year ago and a 0,3% contraction compared to the previous quarter.

• Wednesday, December 1st 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  224 million described as poor in Latinamerica

  Poverty in Latinamerica and the Caribbean experienced a slight contraction, close to 1%, in 2003, although still far from reversing the general collapse of past years according to the United Nations Economic Committee for Latinamerica, Cepal.

• Tuesday, November 30th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  China leads regional trade giant.

  South East Asian countries and China signed this Monday in Laos a landmark trade agreement that could eventually become the greatest free trade area involving a quarter of the world's population.

• Tuesday, November 30th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Kirchner to visit Chile in “coming days”.

  Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Rafael Bielsa said this Monday in Santiago that President Nestor Kirchner will not be visiting Chile in the “coming days” as was earlier anticipated.

• Tuesday, November 30th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Country image and brand for Chile.

  Interbrand Chile won the 150,000 US dollars contract for designing a Country Image Strategy for Chile financed by the government and private companies.

• Tuesday, November 30th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil will not intervene to bolster the US dollar.

  Brazil will not intervene in the domestic money exchange market to prevent a further depreciation of the US dollar against the Real, said this Monday Henrique Meirelles, president of the Central Bank.

• Tuesday, November 30th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Intense cruise activity in Montevideo.

  Three cruise vessels called in Montevideo on Monday. They are: “Crystal Symphony” with 900 passengers on her way to Antarctica; “Saga Pearl” on her return trip from the Southern seas and the more modest “Andrea” which will be involved in brief Antarctic incursions.

• Monday, November 29th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Mercosur/India sign tariff reductions.

  Next December Mercosur and India will be signing a first tariff reduction agreement extensive to 900 products which will open the way to further advance in expanding bilateral trade.

• Monday, November 29th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine economy forecasted to keep expanding.

  The Argentine economy is forecasted to expand 5% in 2005 in a favourable international context, which could be even stronger if the pending defaulted debt negotiations with private creditors prove “successful”.