
The United States have reached a phase one trade deal with China, unofficial White House sources leaked to the press Thursday, pending approval from President Donald Trump.

The next agriculture, livestock and fisheries minister of Argentina, as anticipated by MercoPress, will be Luis Basterra, president-elect Alberto Fernandez confirmed on Friday, an appointment met with some scepticism by farmers worried about a possible revival of interventionist policies.

Brazilian consumer price inflation bounced back to seven-month highs in November from ultra-low levels the month before, led by the rising cost of meat and regulated prices like electricity, official figures showed on Friday.

The Trump administration said on Wednesday it will make it harder for states to keep residents in the U.S. food stamp program in a move that is projected to end benefits for nearly 700,000 people.

Brazil's economy expanded in the third quarter at its fastest pace since early last year, official data showed on Tuesday, with 0.6% growth over the previous quarter driven by a strong performance in agriculture and a sharp rebound in the industry.

The U.S. government on Monday said it may slap punitive duties of up to 100% on US$2.4 billion in imports from France of Champagne, handbags, cheese and other products, after concluding that France’s new digital services tax would harm U.S. tech companies.

European Union lawmakers approved an increase in U.S. beef imports to the EU on Thursday, a move likely to ease transatlantic tensions. But they also criticized tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on metal imports and a threat he has made to target EU cars and car parts.

Chinese demand is increasingly swallowing up Brazil's beef supply, pushing the country's cattle prices to a record high. China’s hunger for foreign meat has shot up as an outbreak of African swine fever has reduced its domestic pig population and has sent it looking for substitutes.

Argentina has sent its first shipment of chilled pork to China, the government announced, as China's pork imports rise due to a devastating outbreak of African swine fever at home.

The French government has quietly abandoned a campaign urging people to refrain from drinking alcohol in January after winemakers pushed President Emmanuel Macron to drop a plan they say promotes total abstinence.