Mercosur

• Wednesday, October 27th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Ready to take off, but no clearance yet.

  Aerolineas del Sur, the creation of the Spanish tourism group Marsans that successfully overhauled Aerolineas Argentinas launched this week an aggressive marketing campaign in Chile hoping to speed the authorization to operate domestic flights in the turf of all powerful Lan Chile.

• Wednesday, October 27th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Crude prices to ease towards end of 2005.

  The deceleration of the world economy in 2005 will cause a descent in oil prices forecasted this Tuesday the German Institute of Economic Studies in Munich, IFO.

• Wednesday, October 27th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Southern Cone cruise convention.

  The cruise industry and its future development was the main issue of the conference on “Patagonia sea travellers integral improvement of passengers catering”, held this week in Punta Arenas sponsored by Surcruise, Southern Cone Cruise Association.

• Tuesday, October 26th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile: Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  International tourism fair in Santiago; President Lagos in London's theatre; Metabolic residues lab for lamb exports; Minimum tariff level in Chile; Wildlife Conservation Society visit Tierra del Fuego; Solar awareness and solar energy traffic lights; Low levels of red tide; Incumbent optimism in Chilean municipal election.

• Tuesday, October 26th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  WTO forecasts world trade to grow 8,5%.

  Despite the sharp rise in oil prices the volume of world trade is likely to grow by 8.5% in real terms by the end of 2004, a significant improvement over 2003 according to World Trade Organization statistics

• Tuesday, October 26th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguayan flock forecasted to rebound in 2005.

  Uruguayan lamb production and wool clip is forecasted to rebound in 2005 after having reached its lowest in 2004 according to forecasts from the country's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and the Uruguayan Wool Secretariat.

• Tuesday, October 26th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Cuba bans US dollar transactions.

  Cuban President Fidel Castro announced Monday that he was stopping circulation of the dollar as legal tender as of Nov. 8 and will substitute it with a convertible Cuban peso valid only on the island.

• Tuesday, October 26th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Uruguay, U.S. sign trade and investment treaty.

  Representatives for Uruguay and the United States signed here Monday a bilateral treaty on safeguarding foreign investment and promoting two-way trade.

• Tuesday, October 26th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile honours EU Trade Commissioner.

  European Union Trade Commissar Pascal Lamy was bestowed in Brussels Chile's greatest honour for his contribution to the association agreement signed between Chile and the EU in 2002.

• Monday, October 25th 2004 - 21:00 UTC

  EU Proposes End to Trade Dispute With U.S.

  The European Union's top trade official said Monday he would move to lift millions of euros (dollars) in punitive tariffs on U.S. goods following the repeal in Washington of corporate tax breaks that were ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization.