
China's number two leader Li Keqiang has warned the country faces a tough struggle, as he laid out plans to prop up the world's second-largest economy. Opening the annual session of China's parliament, he forecast a slower growth of 6% - 6.5% this year, down from a target of around 6.5% in 2018.

The UK government may cut trade tariffs on between 80% and 90% of goods in the event of a no-deal Brexit, reports say. Some tariffs would be scrapped completely, including those on car parts, and some agricultural produce. However, 10-20% of key products would continue to be protected by the current level of tariffs, including some textiles, cars, beef, lamb and dairy.

Asian shares stepped back on Tuesday after China cut its economic growth target and pledged measures to support the economy amid growing challenges from rising debt and a dispute over trade and technology with the United States. Australian shares dropped 0.6% while South Korea's Kospi lost 0.5%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipped 0.2% and Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.3%.

The Trump administration announced Monday that it is tightening the six-decade trade embargo on Cuba by allowing lawsuits against Cuban companies using properties confiscated after its 1959 revolution.

A study into the amount people pay for mobile data has found that the UK has some of the most expensive prices in Europe. Likewise the Falkland Islands and Saint Helena figure among the five worst cases in the site Cable.co.uk. The research found that one gigabyte (GB) of data cost $0.26 (£0.20) in India but $6.66 in the UK, and US$ 47.39 in the Falklands.

The 2019 squid season in Argentina took off with very good weekly yields, and average catches per vessel of 34.6 tons/day during the first seven weeks of operations south of the 44th parallel.

The head of Brazil's Vale mining giant has stepped down following the collapse of a dam which killed at least 186 people in the town of Brumadinho. Fabio Schvartsman and several other executives asked to be removed after prosecutors called for their dismissal.

Brazil’s soybean exports are expected to come in 14-18% down on the year in 2019 due to lower production and reduced buying by China, industry reports showed.

A Chinese flagged jigger, “Hua Xiang 801” has fled from the Argentine Coast Guard, ignoring calls to stop engines, and intimidating shots, after it was discovered red-handed operating in Argentine waters early Sunday dawn.

At a meeting on Friday in Papeete (Tahiti) in French Polynesia, the EU discussed its future partnership with the Overseas Countries and Territories and signed five cooperation programmes with them totalling €44 million.