MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Lula aide insults Milei over plan to campaign for Bolsonaro's son in Brazil]]> “What does this imbecile think he has to teach the Brazilian people?” wrote Guilherme Boulos, chief minister of the Secretariat General of the Presidency and a figure close to Lula A senior Brazilian government official called Argentine President Javier Milei an "imbecile" after he announced he will travel to Brazil on July 25 to take part in the launch of the presidential candidacy of Flávio Bolsonaro, the main opposition figure to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:06:00 GMT <![CDATA[Milei plans regional tour seeking investment, with a Bolsonaro visit that irks Lula]]> Milei said he would travel on July 25 to São Paulo to take part in the event at which, he said, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro — son of former President Jair — will be proclaimed a presidential candidate Argentine President Javier Milei announced a busy international schedule for the coming weeks, with trips to Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, which he presented as part of an outward-looking strategy aimed at attracting trade and investment. The itinerary includes a gesture toward the Brazilian opposition that is likely to cause discomfort for the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

]]> Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:27:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentina's polar spell eases as Patagonia faces rain, snow and 90 km/h gusts]]> Between the start and middle of the week, the instability extends toward the Chubut mountain range and parts of Río Negro and Neuquén The intense polar air mass that affected much of Argentina during the first days of July has begun to ease, with a gradual rise in temperatures across the center and north of the country, while Patagonia now concentrates the most severe weather. The National Meteorological Service (SMN) has kept warnings in place for rain, snow and strong winds in the far south.

]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:03:00 GMT <![CDATA[LATAM resumes direct winter flights from Sao Paulo to Ushuaia, four weekly frequencies]]> LATAM operating from Ushuaia airport Aviation and Tourism publications are reporting that after several years without regular services. Latam has returned to the Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego airport to offer nonstop flights from its main hub Sao Paulo on the continent.

]]> Wed, 08 Jul 2026 19:14:00 GMT <![CDATA[Flávio Bolsonaro urges Washington to delay Brazil tariffs until after October vote]]> In his remarks, Bolsonaro argued that imposing the tariff now would hand a political victory to the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the leading right-wing presidential hopeful, asked Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday to postpone until after the October elections a 25% tariff that the United States is considering imposing on Brazilian goods. He made the request during a public hearing before the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington.

]]> Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:10:00 GMT <![CDATA[Repsol, Ecopetrol and 17 other oil firms cleared for Brazil's next pre-salt auction]]> The ANP clarified that inclusion on the list does not mean the companies will submit bids Nineteen oil companies, among them Spain's Repsol and Colombia's Ecopetrol, have been cleared to bid in the upcoming auction of licenses to partner with the Brazilian State in the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the pre-salt, the country's main crude reserve. The list was released on Friday by the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), following its publication in the Official Gazette.

]]> Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:43:00 GMT <![CDATA[The EU deal's quota split will dominate the Mercosur summit as Uruguay takes the helm]]> The agreement's commercial chapter entered provisionally into force on May 1, after more than 25 years of negotiations The internal distribution of export quotas under the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union will dominate much of the debate at the bloc's summit of heads of state, to be held on June 30 in Asunción, where Paraguay will hand over the six-month presidency to Uruguay. The meeting coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Treaty of Asunción, the bloc's founding charter.

]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 22:13:00 GMT <![CDATA[Offers of aid pour in for Venezuela from across the Americas and beyond after its earthquake]]> Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed his “concern and dismay” and instructed his Foreign Ministry and the embassy in Caracas to assess assistance measures Governments from across the Americas and other regions of the world expressed solidarity with Venezuela and offered assistance after the twin earthquake of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that struck the north-central part of the country on Wednesday and that, according to the first official toll, left at least 32 dead and more than 700 injured. Several countries announced the dispatch of rescue teams, while acting President Delcy Rodríguez thanked them for the shows of support.

]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2026 06:41:00 GMT <![CDATA[Brazil softens Selic rate but concerns grow about fiscal stimulus on election year and impact of El Niño]]> Inflation expectations have risen steadily as President Lula da Silva rolls out measures boosting household spending as he bids for re-election in October Brazil’s central bank interest rate-setting committee, Copom, ‌unanimously voted on Wednesday to lower its benchmark Selic rate by 25 basis points to 14.25%, a level last seen in May 2025, ‌but acknowledging a tougher inflation outlook given the risks from election-year fiscal stimulus and the impact of a likely El Nino weather pattern shock.

]]> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:53:00 GMT <![CDATA[Trump calls Brazil 'politically difficult'; Lula says he should learn about 'civilized elections']]> “I think Trump knows little about Brazil; if he knows it, it is through his relationship with the Bolsonaro family,” Lula said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday asked his US counterpart, Donald Trump, not to interfere in Brazil's elections, a matter he stressed is exclusive to Brazil, just as his country does not seek to meddle in the electoral processes of the United States. The demand was a response to remarks Trump had made about Brazil hours earlier.

]]> Wed, 17 Jun 2026 19:05:00 GMT