Lowering the steaks: a Mercosur deal at last

<p>From Argentinian beef to German cars, a <a href="https://www.economist.com/europe/2026/01/11/europe-and-south-america-seal-a-trade-pact-for-the-trump-era?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">freshly inked deal</a> between the EU and a bloc of South American countries should ease trade barriers—and is a sign of global trade’s topsy-turvy time. Foreigner-bashing is politically fashionable in Japan, but focuses on <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2026/01/08/does-japan-have-a-foreigner-problem?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the wrong problems</a>. And a look at <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/10/24/parkrun-has-become-an-unwitting-british-public-health-success?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Parkrun</a>, a free weekly event that has unwittingly made many Britons healthier.</p><br /><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>