New Passport application fees for the U.S. Passport Book, the U.S. Passport Card, and other passport services went into effect today, Tuesday, July 13, 2010.
 

The first-time purchase of a passport book will cost $135, up from $100 for those 16 years old and up, and will cost $105, up from $85, for minors under 16 years old. The cost to renew passports and for passport cards - which can be used for travel to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean - have increased as well.
Click Here to visit Travel.State.Gov for more information.

According to Travel.State.Gov, a Service of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, the demand for passports has increased to an average of 15 million per year over the last few years.

Passport application fees are not only used to cover the costs of producing a U.S. Passport Book or Passport Card. Passport fees also cover the costs of providing emergency services for American citizens overseas in crisis situations, enable the Agency to keep up with technology and implement fraud prevention initiatives to protect the United States passport, and also fund the expansion of passport infrastructure and services.

Panama Outlook 2010 by Alternative Latin Investor

Panama is a country of 3.4 million people living on the land bridge that connects North and South America. In the opinion of Alternative Latin Investor, Panama is developing a credible reputation as an international centre for business in Central America.

Panama has a stable economy that has delivered strong and resilient growth over the recent period since 2001. Whilst the global financial crisis of 2007-2010 has undoubtedly left a profound and lasting impression on the economies of developed countries, Panama avoided slipping into recession and continues to be in the leading pack of LatAm countries; with Latin America a key emerging market.

The Latin America Offshore Banking report produced by Alternative Latin Investor in 2009, highlighted Panama’s emergence as a regional centre for business, particularly in the opinion of its range of contributors. In that report, Xavier Borja of Loyal Bank Ltd. explained that he believed Panama had developed a compelling proposition as a stable financial centre, with strategical access to Latin American markets. His assessment has recently been supported by a range of internationally recognised measures, with the country highlighted by the International Monetary Fund as being well positioned to outperform the LatAm region over the next five years.

With independent research sparse and often deal-driven in the region (notoriously within the real estate sector), Alternative Latin Investor provide insight from seasoned professionals in the sectors central to determining Panama’s successful reinvention as a strategic hub for international financial services and technology businesses.

By Colombia Reports > June 22, 2010. Medellin, Colombia.
Canada's Parliament approved last night in final debate the free trade agreement signed with Colombia in 2008. Colombia's pending free trade agreement (FTA) with Canada has been finalized after passing a vote Monday night in the Canadian Senate, according to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. "They have just successfully finished the approval of the free trade agreement (FTA) in the Canadian parliament," Uribe said.

Colombia began trade talks with Canada on an FTA in 2007, and signed the deal in 2008. Following speedy approval by the Colombian Congress, the FTA has been stalled in the Canadian parliament due to opposition from critics in Canada over Colombia's human rights record. Canadian investment in Colombia between 2002 and 2009 surpassed $1 billion, which accounts for 3.6% of the total foreign investment Colombia received during this period. Trade between the two countries has risen dramatically in recent years, from $490 million in 2003 to $1.08 billion in 2009.

Read full article at Colombia Reports