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'Response to airstrikes carried out by Pakistani forces' - Afghan military spox on latest escalation

'Response to airstrikes carried out by Pakistani forces' - Afghan military spox on latest escalation

"Afghan military spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced on Thursday that Afghan forces had launched attacks on Pakistani positions, during the latest escalation between the sides. “At this moment, it is eight o’clock, and in response to the airstrikes carried out by Pakistani forces in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces, the Khalid bin Walid 201st Corps in the eastern zone has launched attacks on Pakistani military posts in Nangarhar and Kunar provinces,” said the representative of the 201st Khalid ibn al-Walid Corps.  Earlier, Mujahid wrote on X that large-scale offensive operations had begun against Pakistani army positions and military installations along the Durand Line, the border separating the two countries. According to the statement, the operations were launched in response to what Kabul described as repeated attacks by Pakistani forces.   Pakistan reported that security forces had 'responded immediately and effectively' to what it described as a 'provocative action' by the Afghan Taliban along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border Afghanistan-Pakistan escalation ramped up on Thursday, following months of tensions, with both countries launching cross-border strikes and casualties reported. Afghanistan launched what it called a 'major offensive' on Pakistan military posts near the border on Thursday, which the Taliban government said was a response to deadly airstrikes earlier this month. Pakistan, which said those earlier attacks were on 'militants' who were being 'suicide attacks', carried out airstrikes on the capital Kabul and two other provinces over Thursday night and into Friday. Pakistan also claims that Kabul harbours Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, which the Taliban government strongly denies. "

Approved by Senate - Argentina's lawmakers ratify EU-Mercosur trade deal by huge majority

Approved by Senate - Argentina's lawmakers ratify EU-Mercosur trade deal by huge majority

"Argentina's Senate on Thursday approved by a huge majority the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU), making the country the second member of the South American bloc to ratify it, after Uruguay. The vote in the Upper House passed with 69 votes in favour and only 3 against, after having been previously approved by the Chamber of Deputies on February 12. "Having been approved in general and in particular, the order of the day number 703-25 on the Interim Trade Agreement between Mercosur and the European Union becomes law and will be communicated to the National Executive Branch," announced Bartolome Abdala, provisional president of the Senate during the session. For its part, the government of President Javier Milei welcomed the approval, describing the day as "a fundamental step for Argentina's integration (...) into one of the world's main economic blocs." The pact brings together a market of 700 million people and a GDP of around 22 trillion dollars, projecting Argentine export growth of up to 122 per cent over 10 years, as well as more investment and employment. Ratification is still pending in Brazil, Paraguay and the EU, where it faces legal challenges."

First among others - Uruguay approves Mercosur-EU agreement 'against unilateral decisions in geopolitics'

First among others - Uruguay approves Mercosur-EU agreement 'against unilateral decisions in geopolitics'

"Uruguay's Parliament ratified the trade agreement between Mercosur (Southern Common Market) and the European Union (EU), thus becoming the first member country of the South American bloc to complete this legislative process after more than 25 years of negotiations. Uruguay's Chamber of Deputies approved the bill with 91 votes in favour and only 2 against, after the Chamber of Senators gave its unanimous backing last Wednesday. During the debate in the Lower House on Thursday, lawmaker Sebastian Valdomir highlighted the importance of generating multilateral agreements in an individualistic political scenario when referring to the United States and its imposition of tariffs on the vast majority of the world's agricultural exporting countries. "Agreeing on rules, agreeing on parameters, quotas, and deadlines is the opposite of the unilateral decisions that seem to predominate today in geopolitics and especially in international trade," the legislator said. The parliamentary session began with a debate among lawmakers about the benefits and challenges of the proposed agreement. Representatives from various political parties joined together in support of the trade pact, with only a small group of legislators from the Identidad Soberana party voting against it. In his second intervention, Valdomir warned about the need to adapt regional trade strategies to the reality of current export flows, stating that Mercosur could increase its negotiating power vis-a-vis powers such as China. "Our main trading partner today, of Uruguay, of China, of Brazil, of Argentina, is China, and the only possibility of negotiating a free trade agreement, possibly between Mercosur and China, is as a bloc," he explained. Once the vote was completed, the Uruguayan legislative branch officially became the first Mercosur parliament to ratify this ambitious agreement with the EU. Although Uruguay's ratification is a milestone, the entry into force of the agreement now depends on the processes within the European Union. The treaty aims to create one of the largest free trade areas in the world, encompassing nearly 700 million people and a significant proportion of global trade. It envisions the gradual removal of tariffs on around 92 percent of bilateral trade between the participating countries."