Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met Friday in Asunción to strengthen bilateral ties as well as to further discuss a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). Peña, who holds the group's rotating presidency, expressed in a statement his “fervent desire” to “move forward with a free trade agreement between Mercosur and Japan.”
The Government of Argentina was angered Friday after Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente said President Javier Milei was “ingesting substances.” Casa Rosada replied with a communiqué outlining the alleged involvement of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's wife in a case of corruption that nearly led to his resignation and insisted Madrid should remain focused on those affairs.
In a move to preserve the safety of workers and passengers alike, the Salgado Filho Airport serving the city of Porto Alegre, the capital of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul, has announced it would be suspending all operations until further notice, Agencia Brasil reported. The Gaúcho State is going through a heavy storm and subsequent floods that have already left nearly 40 people dead and the number is expected to grow given the number of persons still unaccounted for.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite that the federal administration would spare no effort assisting the southeastern State get through the current heavy storms that have left at least 32 casualties, Agencia Brasil reported. The number of confirmed fatalities is expected to be higher as dozens of people were still unaccounted for.