
Inflation and production diversification must be the top priorities of emerging economies such as Argentina warned Nobel Prize Joseph Stiglitz during an IMF sponsored forum on “Macro and growth policies at the wake of the crisis” which took place in Washington and convened top line economists and decision makers.

Argentina’s Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo, called on all political parties that would like to support the Victory Front’s presidential candidate next October and be part of the so called “combined-list ballots” to do it without fears or restrictions.

The enrolment of foreign students in Chilean universities has grown by 700% this past decade, with North American students leading the pack. Many students are attracted by the opportunity to travel, to learn Spanish and to experience a different culture.

Mexico’s Carlos Slim remains the world’s richest person for a second year with estimated assets of 74 billion US dollars, according to Forbes magazine’s annual global ranking of billionaires.

“There is no evidence that Argentina has learnt the lesson from the 2001 crisis”, said Carmen Reinhart one of the most influential US economists and an expert in Latin America, who has worked for the IMF, in Wall Street and teaches at the University of Maryland.

The permanent headquarters of Unasur, (Union of South American Nations) in Quito, Ecuador will be named after its first Secretary General, deceased Argentine former president Nestor Kirchner, the government of Ecuador officially announced Wednesday.

The United States will step up efforts for free, open and transparent trade across the Asia Pacific region as it seeks to double US exports in five years, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

While offering a press conference in Washington DC, US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip Crowley refused to comment on the recently released Wikileaks cables that mention Argentina and said his government would refrain from doing so in the future.

Former Uruguayan Industry and Energy Minister, Jorge Lepra (*), described Néstor Kirchner’s government as ”fascist”, during a meeting with the US Embassy Chargé D'Affaires at Uruguay, James Nealon, in February 14, 2006, according to a cable revealed by Wikileaks in which Nealon reported to Washington the minister’s harsh words.

Oil dropped for a second day in New York as members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries considered talks about increasing production because violence is disrupting supplies from Libya.