Mercosur

• Wednesday, January 28th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Record 2004 US budget deficit, 477 billion

  United States will have a new record budget deficit in 2004, estimated by the non partisan Congressional Budget Office, CBO, in 477 billion US dollars, equivalent to 4,2% of GDP, which could expand if greater health spending and tax cuts are approved.

• Wednesday, January 28th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  China steams ahead.

  China's GDP expanded an incredible 9,1% last year reaching 1,4 trillion US dollars according to the National Statistics Institute in Beijing.

• Wednesday, January 28th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  “A better relation with creditors is crucial”

  Argentina has a great chance to begin a path of solid growth, but a strong reduction in the country's debt is needed, “a three quarters cut” is essential, and a better relationship with creditors, according to Martin Wolf one of the “Financial Times” main columnist, former senior economist in the World Bank and Economics graduate from Oxford.

• Wednesday, January 28th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile honours Christopher Reeve, Superman

  Chilean Foreign Secretary María Soledad Alvear in a touching meeting today bestowed the former Superman actor Christopher Reeve with the Grand Cross of the Bernardo O'Higgins Order for his actions in favour of human rights.

• Wednesday, January 28th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina strips French company of licence

  Argentine president Nestor Kirchner stripped a French owned company of its operating licence in the radio spectrum, the most aggressive action against a foreign investor in Argentina. The decision was announced hours before Mr. Kirchner's official state visit to Spain where he expects to face claims from Spanish investors regarding privatized public utility companies.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Chile to build vessels for Maersk

  Chilean President currently in a state visit to Denmark announced that Maersk Sealand, on of the world's major maritime companies will be contracting the building of two vessels for Canada in Chile.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Ms. Krueger and Argentina in collision course

  International Monetary Fund First Deputy Managing Director Anne Krueger is defending the position of “speculating creditors” who are pressing Argentina for an improvement in the restructuring debt plan, claimed Argentine cabinet Chief Alberto Fernández.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  International observers in Venezuelan recall process

  After meeting with former US president Jimmy Carter, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez accepted the proposal to have international observers supervising the process leading to an eventual recall referendum on his term in office.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Duhalde stresses the “natural” Argentina-Brazil link.

  Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde said that Argentina must not share an “ideological axis” with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and underlined the ongoing “natural” link with Brazil. Relations with Venezuela must be in the framework of “growth and development”.

• Monday, January 26th 2004 - 20:00 UTC

  Three great democracies “strategic alliance”

  Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a four days state visit to India said he would like to forge a “strategic alliance” with India and other large developing democracies, such as South Africa, to help better living conditions of the world's poor.