PARIS, May 15- A growing divide between rich and poor risks will yawn still wider if cash-strapped governments keep cutting back the welfare state, an industrialised nations' think-tank warned on Wednesday.
*Brazil, Chile, Colombia top 2012 Latam FDI recipients. SANTIAGO, May 14- Foreign direct investment in Latin America and the Caribbean this year could fall as much as 3 percent or jump by up to 7 percent after leaping to a record in 2012, the United Nations' body for the region said on Tuesday.
BRASILIA, May 10- Brazil campaigned hard to get the top job at the World Trade Organization this week but behind closed doors even it acknowledges that the WTO's main mission- pushing forward in global trade talks- looks for the moment like a lost cause.
SINGAPORE, May 10- London copper futures fell for a second straight session on Friday as a firmer U.S. dollar hurt commodities, taking the metal further away from near one-month highs touched earlier in the week.
LONDON, May 9- U.S. solar module maker and project developer First Solar illustrates wider industry efforts to secure new markets in a shift away from the United States and Europe.
SINGAPORE, May 9- London copper edged lower on Thursday, giving up gains from the previous session when it climbed to a more than three-week high on a string of promising data that revived hopes for global economic growth. Shanghai copper futures jumped 1 percent, tracking Wednesday's gains in the London market.
*China's April trade data beats expectations. *India's Sterlite smelter stays shut until at least May 14. LONDON, May 8- Copper prices rose on Wednesday towards three-week highs hit in the previous session, as strong trade data from top consumer China fuelled hopes of demand revival, although uncertainty about the pace of economic growth kept gains in check.
*India's top copper smelter to stay shut until May 14. SINGAPORE, May 8- London copper rose more than 1 percent on Wednesday to trade close to a three-week high as strong Chinese data fuelled hopes that an improvement in the world's second-biggest economy would spur demand.
SHANGHAI/ BEIJING, May 8- China's crude oil and iron ore imports rose for a second consecutive month in April as cheaper overseas prices encouraged stockpiling, and improving seasonal demand gave a slight boost to steel makers' appetite for ore.
SINGAPORE, May 8- London copper futures edged higher on Wednesday, trading close to a three-week high as strong Chinese data fuelled hopes that an improvement in the world's second biggest economy would spur demand.
LAUNCESTON, Australia, May 8- It's tempting to see the bounce back in China's imports of crude oil and iron ore in April as a sign that recent worries over the strength of the world's second-biggest economy have been misplaced. Spot iron ore in Singapore fell from $158.90 a tonne on Feb. 20, the highest this year, to $132.90 on March 14.
HONG KONG, May 8- China's copper arrivals fell 7.4 percent in April from a month ago to hit a 22- month low, hit by port strikes in Chile and delays to shipments after the closure of India's top smelter.
SINGAPORE, May 8- London copper futures edged higher on Wednesday, while the Shanghai market was little changed in cautious trade ahead of China's April trade data, which will give evidence about growth in the world's second largest economy.
SINGAPORE, May 8- London copper futures edged higher on Wednesday, while the Shanghai market was little changed in cautious trade ahead of China's April trade data, which will give evidence about growth in the world's second largest economy.
May 7- Satellite TV provider DirecTV easily beat estimates for the first quarter on Tuesday, as better-than-expected growth in Latin America helped offset the negative effects of a currency devaluation in Venezuela. Net income attributable to DirecTV was $690 million, or $1.20 per share, compared with $731 million, or $1.07 per share, a year ago.
May 7- Satellite TV provider DirecTV easily beat estimates for the first quarter on Tuesday, as better-than-expected growth in Latin America helped offset the negative effects of a currency devaluation in Venezuela, sending shares up 6.7 percent. In the United States, DirecTV added 21,000 net subscribers.
*Brent crude down to around $105 after nearing $106 earlier. *Gold down as Australia cuts rates, ECB open to more easing. Australia cut rates to record lows on Tuesday, shadowing last week's move by the European Central Bank, which said it could trim rates again.
MEXICO CITY, May 6- Latin American commodity exporters have largely failed to take full advantage of surging raw material prices to boost savings and a recent deterioration in external accounts bears watching, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.
MEXICO CITY, May 6- Mexico's new government has promised a comprehensive review of its tax system, to be announced in the second half of 2013 along with an overhaul of energy policy.
*LME's new Hong Kong owners need to justify $2.2 billion price. LONDON, May 3- Companies using the London Metal Exchange say new EU rules for financial markets after the 2008 crisis may prompt it to quit Britain's capital after nearly 150 years for Hong Kong, home of its new owner.