BRUSSELS (AP) – European Union lawmakers on Wednesday voted to hold up ratification of a major free trade agreement with the Mercosur group of South American countries over concerns about the legality of the deal.
NEW YORK (AP) - The U.S. stock market's record-breaking rally slowed after uncertainty rose over the weekend about what will happen next in the Iran war. The S&P 500 edged up 0.1%. The Dow Jones dipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.2% to its own record. Crude prices climbed more than 2%.
ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (AP) – The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries formally signed a long-sought landmark free trade agreement on Saturday, capping more than a quarter-century of torturous negotiations to strengthen commercial ties in the face of rising protectionism and trade tensions around the world.
BEKASI, Indonesia (AP) – Rescuers finished removing victims from a damaged commuter train car Tuesday, confirming that the crash outside Indonesia’s capital killed 15 people, all of whom were women. The crash occurred Monday when a long-distance train crashed into the rear car of the stopped commuter train at Bekasi Timur Station outside Jakarta.
BRUSSELS (AP) – Italy on Friday gave crucial support to plans by the European Union to seal a huge free trade deal with five South American nations neighboring Venezuela that has been negotiated for over 25 years.
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) – Mali’s junta leader met with Russia’s ambassador to Bamako on Tuesday, authorities said, his first public appearance since the West African nation saw a massive, coordinated attack by Islamic militants and separatists over the weekend. Russia, the junta’s key ally, called the attack a coup attempt.
PARIS (AP) – Dozens of angry farmers demonstrated in France and Greece Thursday, halting traffic and blocking key roads with tractors to protest European Union plans to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations.
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:
SAO PAULO (AP) – Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Saturday he hopes the massive free-trade deal between South American bloc Mercosur and the European Union will be signed in January. Protests on Friday by European farmers and opposition from France and Italy threatened to quash an agreement that has been under negotiation for more than 26 years.
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