
Italy and China need to forge closer ties, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Tuesday, potentially putting Rome at odds with Washington, which has raised alarm over Beijing's economic ambitions.
![We are skeptical [on the trade agreement]. The Amazon affects the whole world, said Merkel's spokesman.](/data/cache/noticias/77648/260x165/merkel.jpg)
After Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel stated on Friday “considerable doubts” over whether to keep backing the European Union’s (EU) trade deal with the Mercosur due to environmental threats that represent the deforestation in Brazil’s Amazonia, the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) responded defending the agreement that was reached last year.

Bloomberg’s Misery Index, which tallies inflation and unemployment outlooks for 60 economies shows that almost all of the economies surveyed are projected to be more miserable this year amid Covid-19, with analysts expecting increased joblessness and tepid growth.

Argentina is extending a price freeze for TV, Internet, and mobile service until the end of the year, deeming them “essential public services.”

Argentina's wheat crop continued to remain under pressure amid growing unfavorable weather conditions, which are casting doubts of further crop loss. Wheat planting in Argentina was 100% completed in the week to Aug. 19, but recent frost conditions, with variable intensity, have hit most parts of its key wheat regions, rendering current growth conditions unfavorable for the crop, the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange said in its report released on Aug. 20.

Argentine bonds extended a recent dip after the government formalized its US$ 65 billion debt restructuring offer, underscoring investor concern about the country’s shaky economy despite creditors’ rallying behind a deal.

Just two years after Apple became the first publicly listed US company with a US$1 trillion stock market value, the iPhone maker has now topped US$2 trillion. The Cupertino, California-based company's shares briefly rose to as high as US$468.65 on Wednesday, equivalent to a market capitalization of US$2.004 trillion.

LATAM Airlines, South America's largest carrier, on Tuesday said it had laid off 12,600 employees since March - or almost 30% of its pre-coronavirus workforce - due to the pandemic that has upended the global travel industry. The company also reported a net loss of US$ 890 million for the second quarter.

Chile's gross domestic product (GDP) plunged 14.1% in the second quarter, the Central Bank said on Tuesday, after the coronavirus pandemic mauled economic activity with the exception of the vital mining sector. Among the worst-hit sectors were manufacturing, construction and the hotel and restaurant sector. In the first quarter, the Chilean GDP had increased slightly by 0.2%.

Brazil’s Economy Minister Paulo Guedes has no intention of resigning according to reports in the Sao Paulo media, in an attempt to quash rising speculation that political pressure for more public spending could force him to quit.