BRAZIL

Lula refuses to bow to tariff offensive

Brazil will stand firm and not bow to pressure from the latest US trade offensive, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday. At a cabinet meeting, Lula focused on the proposed 25 percent tariff on Brazilian goods announced by the Office of the United States Trade Representative two days ago. "We have decided that this country will no longer adopt a 'stray dog' policy toward the great powers," Lula said. "No one needs to be afraid of anything; we will not bow our heads. We are a democratic and sovereign country. We will not give in." Brazil will maintain its independent position and seek alternative partnerships, he said. "If (US President Donald Trump) doesn't want to buy, we'll sell to whoever does."

SPAIN

Record heat-related deaths seen in May

The deaths of 101 people in Spain in May were heat-related, the highest number for the month since such records began in 2015, the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. "This figure is 3.6 times higher than the average number of heat-related deaths recorded in May over the past decade," the ministry said, stressing "the significant health impact of heat episodes, even before the start of summer". Temperature records for the month were broken in several Spanish cities in late May, particularly in the north, according to the national meteorological agency Aemet, which said the figures marked "extraordinarily high temperatures for a month of May".

XINHUA-AGENCIES