
The long-delayed free-trade deal between Colombia and the United States came into force on Tuesday, a step that should boost the country’s exports and foreign investment, President Juan Manuel Santos said.

By Jorge Argüello (*) - What defines a protectionist country nowadays? Is it when a developing country takes precautions against a flood of products with plummeting prices due to an international crisis? Or, is it when an export powerhouse delivers large subsidies exclusively for domestic production? In a world economy like today’s can protectionism be measured solely by Customs measures or those targeting imports?

United States ambassador Julissa Reynoso said Uruguayan president Jose Mujica is welcome to the White House whenever he wishes, and revealed that Uruguay is in the short list of countries that soon could be exempted from requiring a visa to travel to the US.

The number of Americans submitting new applications for jobless benefits edged down last week, easing concerns the labour market was deteriorating after April's weak employment growth.

Residents of Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom are getting a taste of the United States' first-ever marketing campaign aimed at boosting tourism. The print, web and video ads released last week were created by Brand USA, a partnership of government agencies and private companies.

President Barack Obama plunged into his campaign for a new term and tore into rival Mitt Romney on Saturday for being willing and eager to “rubber stamp” a conservative Republican congressional agenda to cut taxes for the rich while slashing spending on programs that benefit an embattled middle class.

The International Olympic Committee, IOC, criticized on Friday an Argentine television spot that links the London Games to Argentina's sovereignty dispute with Britain over the Falkland Islands, calling it a blatant attempt to use the games for political purposes.

Remittances from Mexicans living abroad climbed 5.3% in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2011, Mexico’s central bank said on Wednesday.

Republican Mitt Romney's foreign policy spokesman, Richard Grenell, has resigned after only a brief stint on Romney's presidential campaign.

Occupy Wall Street protesters gathered outside banks, meditated in public parks and staged anti-corporate song-and-dance routines on Tuesday in a May Day bid around the United States to revive a movement that triggered nationwide protests last year against economic injustice.