Mercosur

• Tuesday, September 17th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  US industrial production drops

  US industrial production dropped during August, the first time this year according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Bank.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  “Mercosur is over”

  French political scientist and renowned academic Alain Touraine stated that “Mercosur was over” and forecasted that the United States sponsored Free Trade Association of the Americas “is inevitable”.
  “To talk about Mercosur doesn't make much sense”, indicated Mr. Touraine in a long interview with the Brazilian newspaper O'Globo.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Argentines sceptical

  Argentine voters are sceptical about a possible reversal to the current situation even with a new president, according to the latest poll published this weekend in Buenos Aires daily La Nación.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Peruvian court rules against redundancy

  Peru's Supreme Tribunal ruled the reinstatement of hundreds of employees left redundant by the country's telecommunications company. The ruling shocked the business community that is now assessing the impact on future investments.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Privatization, “a wrong signal”

  Chile's Economy Minister Jorge Rodríguez said that privatizing public utilities in the current world business climate “could be sending the wrong signal”.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  IMF fears “Brazil effect”

  The International Monetary Fund, IMF, expressed concern that the international confidence crisis in Brazil could spread to the whole region given investors fear of growing risk.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile's growth forecast downed

  Chile's Central Bank downed to 2% the country's 2002 economic growth forecast and estimated that next year Chile will fluctuate between 3,5 and 4,5%, given adverse world conditions.

• Monday, September 16th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  European Union interest rates unchanged

  The ruling body of the European Union Central Bank left the basic interest rate unchanged at 3,25% as anticipated by financial markets.

• Tuesday, September 10th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Breaking News

  Headlines:
  Paraguay to Brazil: Shut Oviedo up; Chile sets up its first unemployment compensation program; Brazilian presidential candidate Lula climbs in polls;Brazil gets $30bn IMF loan

• Tuesday, September 10th 2002 - 21:00 UTC

  Chile marks its own Sept. 11

  Chile on Wednesday marks its own Sept.11, that of 1973, when the presidential palace La Moneda was bombed and the long Pinochet dictatorship, known worldwide mainly for wholesale abuse of human rights, began.