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[Argentina seeks a trade pact that would link it with the UK for the first time since 1982]]> “I handed over the formal letter of intent to join one of the broadest, most modern and dynamic trade agreements in the world,” Quirno said Argentina has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a step that, if completed, would place it for the first time since the 1982 Falklands War in a trade agreement that also includes the United Kingdom. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno announced the decision during a tour of Europe and handed the formal letter of intent to New Zealand, the treaty's depositary.

]]> Sun, 07 Jun 2026 07:52:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands’ public meeting Monday 8th June on the 2026/27 annual budget, with Secretary Clunie attending]]> The budget has been described by Government as a prudent and strategic package designed to support the community while maintaining financial stability The Falkland Islands Government will be holding a public meeting on Monday 8th June 2026 from 5-6pm in the Court & Assembly Chamber where the Financial Secretary, Pat Clunie will present the 2026-27 annual budget.

]]> Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:09:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula pushes back on US tariffs, says Brazil is the one running a trade deficit]]> “The US surplus over the past 15 years was 415 billion dollars. So we were the ones who should have raised taxes, not them,” Lula said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday rejected the US government's argument that Brazil engages in “unreasonable” practices in the bilateral relationship, arguing that it is Washington that runs a trade surplus with his country. If anyone should impose tariffs, he said, it would be Brazil.º

]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:55:00 GMT <![CDATA[US proposes forced-labor tariffs on 60 economies, with Brazil and China facing 12.5%]]> The initiative seeks to replace the tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February, when it found that President Donald Trump had exceeded his authority by using an economic emergency law The US government proposed tariffs of up to 12.5% on 60 economies —59 countries and the 27-nation European Union— for failing to ban or effectively enforce the prohibition on imports of goods made with forced labor. The measure, announced Tuesday night by Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, relies on Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act and is the White House's most ambitious step yet to rebuild its tariff policy.

]]> Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:40:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands pass £216m budget under 'live within our means' principle amid fiscal pressures]]> Among the principles set in January are a ban on borrowing for operating purposes and the requirement to keep uncommitted reserves equivalent to at least 1.5 times operating expenditure The Falkland Islands Government presented its 2026/27 budget to the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, the first of the Assembly elected in December, with an Appropriation Bill of 216.3 million pounds and under the guiding principle of “living within our means.” The plan seeks to balance the territory's finances amid pressure on revenue and an ambitious infrastructure investment program.

]]> Wed, 03 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Falklands Legislative Assembly addresses overseas expenses and budget bills drafts]]> The Islands’ elected autonomous government, Legislative Assembly this month has to address the budget bills for the coming financial year. Today, Wednesday 3 June at the Court and Assembly Chambers Town Hall, beginning at 09:00, the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly will be holding an assembly, open to the public.

]]> Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:22:00 GMT <![CDATA[EU-Mercosur trade deal takes effect provisionally as legal challenge awaits ruling]]> Practical implementation is already showing its first challenges A month after the provisional entry into force of the trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur, exchanges have been governed since May 1 by the terms agreed upon, while political and legal attention in Brussels centers on the EU Court of Justice, which must rule on the validity of the mechanism chosen to launch the treaty.

]]> Tue, 02 Jun 2026 23:06:00 GMT <![CDATA[President Kast denounces 3.6%-of-GDP structural fiscal deficit inherited from Boric administration]]> “We inherited a country with the accounts in disarray, and our obligation is not to complain, but to order them,” Kast said in the legislative chamber Chilean President José Antonio Kast on Monday delivered his first annual Cuenta Pública address before the National Congress, based in Valparaíso, in a speech of two hours and twenty-five minutes centred on the country's fiscal situation and on criticisms of the outgoing administration of leftist Gabriel Boric (2022-2026). The president denounced that the incoming executive received a preliminary structural fiscal deficit of 3.6% of Gross Domestic Product, more than double the 1.6% committed to by the previous government, and characterized the situation as an "economic emergency" requiring urgent measures.

]]> Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:59:00 GMT <![CDATA[Global carmakers struggle to maintain competitiveness against China's technological offensive]]> The Chinese consolidation has altered the nature of traditional alliances Major US, European, and Japanese automakers are undergoing a process of strategic repositioning in the face of the accelerated rise of Chinese manufacturers, which have consolidated their leadership in electric vehicles, batteries, industrial design, and software development, according to an investigation published this week by the BBC on the occasion of Auto China 2026, the world's largest motor show. The transformation is reflected in the public acknowledgment from executives themselves: the president of Honda, Toshihiro Mibe, said after visiting a highly automated plant in Shanghai that his company has "no chance against this," while Ford CEO Jim Farley warned that Western carmakers are "in a fight for our lives."

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:00 GMT <![CDATA[Capricorn Bioceanic Corridor advances to final stretch to connect Atlantic with Pacific]]> For Paraguay, the corridor carries a particular strategic dimension The Capricorn Bioceanic Corridor, one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects underway in South America, is moving through its final stretch on the border between Paraguay and Brazil, with just twenty-one metres remaining to complete the physical link of the so-called Bioceanic Bridge, according to Paraguayan government authorities cited in late May 2026. The structure, built over the Paraguay River, will connect the cities of Carmelo Peralta, in the department of Alto Paraguay, and Puerto Murtinho, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, and constitutes one of the central pieces of a logistics corridor that will link the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific across four South American countries.

]]> Fri, 29 May 2026 06:31:00 GMT