Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday slammed Donald Trump's threat to impose 50 percent tariffs on Latin America's largest economy as "unacceptable blackmail." In his speech, leftist leader Lula slammed Brazilian politicians who back Trump's policies as "traitors to the homeland.

Rice prices in Japan soared 99.2 percent in June year-on-year, official data showed Friday, piling further pressure on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of elections this weekend. The price of the grain already rocketed 101 percent year-on-year in May, and jumped 98.4 percent in April and more than 92.5 percent in March.