Mercosur

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivian natural gas will have to wait .

  Bolivia has lost the opportunity, at least for a decade, of selling natural gas to United States and Mexico, following a similar 20 year agreement reached by Indonesian suppliers with North American buyers.

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  More wealth and poverty in Latinamerica.

  For the first time in decades Latinamerica will end 2003 with a trade surplus and next year all the economies of the region should expand. However income per capita remains below the 1997 level and 44% of the population live in poverty, according to the latest preliminary report from the Economic Commission for Latin America, CEPAL, a regional United Nations office.

• Monday, December 22nd 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  OAS decisive summit.

  The summit of the Americas that will be taking place next month in Mexico could turn into the appropriate scenario for a Latinamerican return to the United States agenda, according to analysts in Washington.

• Sunday, December 21st 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentine Breaking News.

  Headlines:
  Duhalde abandons politics or becomes arbitrator?; Kirchner's popularity remains strong. Argentine economy booming. Unemployment stands at 16,3%. Support for Patagonian coal mines. Patagonia Stock Exchange.

• Saturday, December 20th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Bolivia insists in access to the Pacific.

  Bolivia's caretaker president Carlos Mesa said in Montevideo that his landlocked nation will never give up its claim to at least a piece of the Pacific coastline lost to Chile following the Pacific war of 1879. Mr. Mesa also appealed to Brazil to use its diplomatic influence to help resolve the dispute.

• Saturday, December 20th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Another victory for Lula da Silva.

  The Brazilian Senate approved this week another crucial piece of legislation for the Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva administration, an overhaul of the taxing system in one the world's countries with most uneven wealth distribution.

• Saturday, December 20th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Record low inflation in the US.

  The United States consumer price index dropped 0,2% last November bringing the annual rate of underlying inflation to 1,1%, the lowest since 1966, according to the latest Commerce Department release.

• Saturday, December 20th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  US-Central America free trade treaty

  Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua reached this week a free trade agreement with the United States, reported the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington.

• Friday, December 19th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Lula defies economic critics with policy defence.

  Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a resounding defence on Thursday of orthodox economic policies during his first year as Brazil's president, in spite of the worst performance of the economy in at least five years.

• Friday, December 19th 2003 - 20:00 UTC

  Argentina attacks IMF loan delay

  Néstor Kirchner, Argentina's president, yesterday attacked the International Monetary Fund for the second time in a week after the IMF suggested it would postpone a $330m (?268m, £188m) disbursement that had been expected before Christmas.