Free Republic

WASHINGTON – Mexico's former President Vicente Fox is making no secret of his desire to promote a "North American Union" to compete economically with Europe and the Far East. In a promotional tour for his new book, "Revolution of Hope," Fox told NPR's "Talk of the Nation" audience: "That's part of my Americas dream, that we can build our future together. We are partners with United States and Canada through NAFTA. There are other blocs in Latin America, but at the very end a continental trade agreement and union on the long term would be a way to develop ourselves...

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AP) -- With talks stalled on forming a massive 34-nation free trade zone from Alaska to Argentina, Mexico's president on Friday floated a new proposal: Exclude dissenting countries like Venezuela and make a smaller alliance that would still rival the European Union. Trade experts say a watered-down version of the Free Trade Area of the Americas could be a solution to fruitless negotiations that have failed for years to overcome key sticking points and create the 34-nation bloc. Mexican President Vicente Fox, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the fourth Summit of the Americas in...

WASHINGTON - The leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States will discuss a plan to beef up continental security and speed up movement across their borders when they meet next week. A report calls for the creation of a common economic and security community by the end of the decade. The document's proposals would try to create a secure perimeter around the continent, while making it easier for people and goods to move across the shared borders. The proposals contained in the report are expected to be a part of the discussions when Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican...

Leaders from 34 American nations agreed Tuesday to support a hemisphere-wide trade area without setting a firm deadline, a concession to Brazil and Venezuela. The United States had sought a 2005 deadline for the Free Trade Area of the Americas in the summit's final declaration, but the document avoids laying out a specific date for an accord. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez instead pushed for a humanitarian fund that could be used to help countries during financial and natural disasters, but said he would sign the document, with reservations. The draft mentions that leaders will consider Chavez's proposal for an...

<p>The Internet is the nerve system of the economy of the 21st century. That's why the U.S. Congress should pass a stronger version of the 1998 Internet Tax Freedom Act, which expired Oct. 31.</p> <p>Rep. Chris Cox, R-Newport Beach, has co-sponsored HR 49, the Internet Tax Non-Discrimination Act of 2003, which would make permanent the ban on the taxation of Internet access. The bill passed the House on Sept. 17.</p>

China Jails Orchid King for 18 Years Mon Jul 14,12:23 AM ET Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo! By Jonathan Ansfield BEIJING (Reuters) - China has sentenced a fallen flower baron once listed as the country's second-richest man to 18 years in prison for commercial crimes in a case underscoring the precarious position of China's entrepreneurial elite. The guilty verdict brought to a close a dramatic reversal of fortune for Yang Bin, the orchid-growing Dutch national detained last year just days after North Korea (news - web sites) named him head of a free-trade enclave planned on the Chinese...