A cargo ship in the port of Arica in northern Chile in August 2021. John Moore (Getty Images)

Chile this Tuesday officially joined the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP), the ambitious free trade network linking 11 countries on both shores of the Pacific, also known as TPP11. After almost five years of deliberation, Gabriel Boric’s government has announced the entry into force of the controversial trade deal that his coalition, the Broad Front, rejected in Congress. With the announcement of the agreement, around 1,200 products will be tax-exempt. “In some cases it will benefit our exports to the contracting states, and in other cases we can import some products at a lower cost,” Economy Minister Mario Marcel said this afternoon.

The South American country is the tenth economy to become a full member of the 2018-sponsored accord under the second government of Michelle Bachelet. The other countries that are part of the fourth largest integration deal in the world are: Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam. All that remains for the latter is ratification. Together they represent 12.2% of the global economy. Other countries have expressed an interest in membership or have officially applied. The furthest along is the UK, which is working to become the first European member to join the bloc this year and, as the UK government reported, “negotiations are progressing well”.

Representatives of the CPTPP countries at a meeting in Tokyo in January 2019. Eugene Hoshiko (AP)

With the entry into force of the CPTPP, there will be reductions in around 3,000 tariff lines: 1,228 sub-headings or products, of which 48% are manufacturing, 33% agriculture and 15% fisheries and aquaculture. In 2022, 14% of Chilean exports went to the other signatory states. The 10 countries represent approximately 34% of foreign investment in Chile through 2021 and 31% of Chilean investment abroad.

This Monday evening, Chile participated for the first time as a full member in a virtual meeting of senior officials of the CPTPP, coordinated by New Zealand as the host country, according to the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, the strategic priorities of the contract for this year were discussed, such as green economy, electronic commerce and the integration of new members.

Undersecretary for International Economic Relations José Miguel Ahumada said Tuesday that the department he heads will assess the treaty’s impact on the export matrix, “emphasizing the analysis of products with greater technological content, environmental issues, gender and trade, as well as the Involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises”.

Ahumada has insisted the deal brings “marginal” trade gains and has worked with the other member countries to exclude Chile from the investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms included in the text. Last Friday, Chile and New Zealand signed a bilateral side letter canceling the mechanism. Mexico and Malaysia have also committed to this. “The Undersecretariat for International Economic Relations (Subrei) will continue to work with its trading partners within the CPTPP and in other bilateral and multilateral spaces to fundamentally reform investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms to advance the state’s autonomy strategy,” the Subrei said on Tuesday .

In 2019, the Chamber of Deputies approved Chile’s accession to the treaty by 77 votes in favor and 68 against. The right en bloc and some members of the Christian Democrats, the Radical Party and the Socialist Party gave the bill the green light for further processing in the Senate. The majority of left-wing parliamentarians, including then MP Gabriel Boric, opposed it, arguing that it could have a negative impact on Chilean interests on labour, environmental and agricultural issues.

The Senate approved the entry in October last year by 27 votes to 10. “Many at the time questioned the government’s obligation to formally ratify, deposit and enter into force,” Minister Marcel said this afternoon, alluding to criticism leveled at the slowness of ratification. “We already have the entry into force of this contract shortly after the start of the year, which is very important. Many of the fears, apprehensions and suspicions of the time are largely belied by reality,” he added.

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Strange vision in Venice, where the low tide of the last few days in the lagoon has dried up certain canals of the Serenissima, offering tourists the unusual spectacle of gondolas stranded on mud banks.

• Also read: How to prevent Venice from being engulfed in 2100?

However, this is an “absolutely normal” phenomenon, Alvise Papa, head of Venice’s tide forecasting center, told AFP on Tuesday. “Approximately 70% of low tide phenomena occur precisely during this period from January to February.”

Low tide is not enough to dry up the channels, but this year it is accompanied by high atmospheric pressure inside an anticyclone, which prevents disturbances from occurring. Winter disturbances, accompanied by wind and rain, usually increase tidal amplitude, which is not the case this year.

“Until 2007-2008 we experienced (this phenomenon, editor’s note) every year, then we didn’t have the ebb tide like the last few days,” he observed, while foundations along certain canals were being uncovered, sparking curiosity tourists woke him up.

A spectacle that is all the more paradoxical since the City of the Doges is usually threatened by the opposite phenomenon of the “acqua alta”, a particularly high tide that regularly floods the famous St. Mark’s Square. An invasion that entertains tourists but endangers the foundations of the ancient palaces of the Serenissima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Since October 2020, an artificial dike system called MOSE (Moses in Italian) is also triggered once the water rise in the Adriatic Sea reaches an alert level of 110 cm.

When asked about a possible connection between the spectacular low water of the last few days and the drought episode in parts of Europe or global warming, the expert said no.

“Starting tomorrow (Wednesday, editor’s note) we will return to a normal situation,” he concluded in a reassuring tone.

Savannah Chrisley has claimed that service dogs are treated better than inmates at the “inhumane” prison where her mother is being held.

The 25-year-old took to her podcast Unlocked to blast the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, arguing that it has “no air” for those behind bars.

Her mother Julie, 50, has been jailed at the facility since mid-January after she was found guilty of participating in a $30 million tax fraud scheme and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Savannah’s father Todd, 53, is also now serving 12 years for his role in the company – but is being held in a different prison.

Savannah Chrisley has claimed that service dogs are treated better than inmates at the “inhumane” prison where her mother is being held

Her mother Julie, 50, (pictured with Savannah) has been jailed at the facility since mid-January after she was found guilty of participating in a $30million tax fraud scheme

The 25-year-old took to her podcast Unlocked to blast the Federal Medical Center Lexington (pictured), Kentucky, arguing that it has “no air” for those behind bars

In the final episode, which aired on February 14, Savannah told special guest Britney Ruby Miller, “My mom is in a facility that has no air, but yet there are service dogs for the prison that are in a heated and a refrigerated one Buildings are because it’s inhumane for them to have no air.

“I read an executive order signed by Biden that says all federal inmates must be housed in environmentally friendly facilities, and I’m like, ‘OK, well, that’s the complete opposite of that.

The former TV star also argued that people don’t know “how corrupt the system is” until it affects them.

But the Federal Bureau of Prisons has disputed their claims.

In a statement to FEMAIL, the organization said: “For privacy and security reasons, we do not release any information about the detention conditions for any inmate or group of inmates.

“However, we can report that the Bureau of Prisons facilities are accredited by the American Correctional Association.

‘ACA standards cover environmental conditions including temperature and air quality… [and] discusses suitable temperatures in living and working areas in summer and winter.’

Elsewhere in the podcast episode, Savannah spoke candidly about how “really weird” it was to see her gray-haired father in prison after he was forced to give up hair dye behind bars.

Elsewhere in the podcast episode, Savannah spoke candidly about how “really weird” it was to see her father in prison with gray hair.

Savannah’s father Todd, 53, (pictured with Julie in 2014) is now serving 12 years for his role in the fraudulent enterprise – but is being held in another prison

She said: “I’ll say it’s really weird to see him with gray hair. Like, really weird.’

Britney, who oversees luxury steakhouses in her role as CEO of Jeff Ruby Culinary Entertainment, asked, “Is it gray yet?”

To which Savannah replied, “He’s definitely used some color over the years, and now when I see him with gray hair, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that’s really weird.

His new look is a departure from his usual mop of blonde hair, which he wore on the family’s USA Network reality show Chrisley Knows Best.

Savannah delved further into her prison visit, adding, “Even when I visit my father, I know I have so much hope and so much restored strength that I’m like, ‘This isn’t the end.’

But this isn’t the first time Savannah has given fans a glimpse of the Chrisley family’s new dynamic.

In previous episodes of her podcast, Savannah spoke about the difficulties she has faced since being pushed into the role of parent.

Savannah said dad Todd was forced to go without hair dye behind bars – his new look is a marked departure from his usual mop of blonde hair

Earlier this month she admitted she was struggling to step in and take care of her younger siblings – brother Grayson, 16, and adoptive sister Chloe, 10 – leading to a “complete breakdown”.

“I’m not her mother. I’m not her father. I’m her sister,” she told guest Toni Collier, an author and founder of an international women’s ministry called Broken Crayons Still Color.

“I want to stay in that role as a sister, but it’s difficult when you’re in the role of parent and discipline.

“The other night I had a total breakdown. I was trying to find the right clothes for Chloe to visit my parents and find her hair stuff. I just sat on the floor and started crying.’

The former Chrisley Knows Best star added that she doesn’t feel “worthy or able” to fill in her mother’s footsteps.

“I’m not my mother,” she added. ,How am I supposed to do that? I don’t feel worthy or capable enough to do the job she’s done her whole life.’

Savannah (pictured with her adoptive sister Chloe, left, and her mother, right) previously admitted she’s struggling to step in and take care of her younger siblings

The former Chrisley Knows Best star added that she doesn’t feel “worthy or able” to fill in her mother’s footsteps

Savannah recalled a conversation she had with her father before he left, in which he warned her that this would be the “hardest” but “most rewarding” thing she’d ever had to do.

Despite the “breakdown,” Savannah said she’s “beginning to understand” her father’s advice and that while she was very “pissed” about what happened, she now has “peace” with it.

Todd (seen January 12) was sentenced to 12 years in prison

Todd has three other adult children, Lindsie, 33, Kyle, 31, and Chase, 26.

The family has raised Chloe since childhood due to Kyle’s drug problems and legally adopted her in 2016.

Savannah explained on the podcast that her focus now is on “finding a healthier way of going about things and dealing with it” as far as her siblings are concerned.

“When I look at her I’m like, ‘You know what, I know how I feel going through this trauma.

“I can’t imagine how two kids would feel about that,” she said.

“It’s like, you know what, there’s something bigger here than me – there’s a 10-year-old, there’s a 16-year-old and we’ve got to get through this in a healthy way.”

She also said she wants to start planning ahead to get more organized.

“Even if it’s just small things, I try to implement them [them]’ she tabled. “Every Sunday from now on we will plan our meals for the week.

‘[I’ll say]: “You tell me what you want for dinner and we’ll get the groceries for the week and you know what you’re going to eat every night.”

Savannah spoke about the difficulties she faced while taking care of her younger brother Grayson (pictured) and adoptive sister Chloe

The former Chrisley Knows Best star (pictured with Chloe) said she had a “complete breakdown” after being pushed into the role of parent

Finally, she encouraged her listeners to use her story as inspiration.

“It’s been a tough couple of days, but I’m showing up,” she said. “Just because hard things happen doesn’t make you give up.”

Todd and Julie spend their time at two different facilities, Todd’s is located in Pensacola, Florida and Julie’s is located in Lexington, Kentucky.

The stars became famous through their US reality show Chrisley Knows Best, which premiered in 2014 and documented their everyday life with their children.

It lasted nine seasons before being canceled amid the scandal.

On the show, Todd and Julie worked hard to portray the image of devoted parents and devout Christians.

The family has raised Chloe since childhood due to Kyle’s drug problems and legally adopted her in 2016

But their perfect on-screen images were torn apart when it was revealed they had cheated the bank by submitting fake documents when applying for loans.

Additionally, Todd’s former business partner Mark Braddock shocked the world when he claimed he had a gay love affair with the father-of-five during the trial – further shattering the reality star’s long-held reputation.

While on the witness stand, Mark, 57, told the court that he and Todd had a brief romance in the early 2000s while he spoke at length about Todd’s crimes.

In a previous episode of her podcast, Savannah reiterated her efforts to care for her siblings, saying, “I don’t feel up to the job for this job.

“My mom is the kindest, most loving, most amazing person I’ve ever met. I always said if I could be half of her I would be fine.

“I guess it’s in moments like these that I realize I’m more like my mother than I realize because I’m getting over it.

In a previous episode of her podcast, Savannah reiterated her efforts to care for her siblings (Chloe and Grayson pictured), saying, “I don’t feel up to the job for this job.”

“It was hard — it was hard to understand, to process, and also to help two children process what happened in our lives,” added Savannah (pictured with Grayson).

“It was hard — it was hard to understand, to process and also to help two children process what happened in our lives.”

She also shared a letter her father sent her from prison, which read: “I want you to give yourself some mercy.

“Fall in love with the real Savannah, the one I raised who radiates a space with her kindness and compassion. Not the one the world wants to see.

“Remember, gaining the world and losing your soul, what have you got? I have never been so proud of you and the woman you are becoming.

“You have been thrown into the fire and what God burns makes you shine brighter than gold.”

The owner of the private Russian military company Wagner on Tuesday accused Russia’s defense minister and chief of staff of starving his fighters in Ukraine of ammunition, which he says amounts to an attempt to “destroy” the force.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in an emotional audio statement released by his spokespersons that “direct resistance” by the Russian military “is nothing more than an attempt to destroy Wagner.”

Emotional expressions by Prigozhin and his fighters highlighted long-standing tensions between the Russian military and Wagner, who has unclear legal status as Russian law prohibits private military contractors.

Prigozhin said in a raised voice that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov “left and right” are giving orders not to supply Wagner with ammunition and not to support him with air transport. The company was actively involved in heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine.

This “can be likened to treason at the very moment when Wagner is fighting for Bakhmut and is losing hundreds of his fighters every day,” Prigozhin said.

His claims could not be independently verified and there was no direct comment from the Russian military.

The millionaire and his fighters have been claiming for weeks that the military is not providing them with enough ammunition. Wagner’s push to take over Bakhmut, a town in the partially occupied eastern region of Donetsk, has stalled and turned into a bitter struggle.

Prigozhin, too, has repeatedly criticized Russia’s top military in recent months, accusing them of incompetence. And he has raised his public profile by issuing daily statements boasting of Wagner’s supposed victories and mocking his opponents.

However, his criticism seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Last month, Putin reiterated his confidence in Gerasimov by putting him in direct command of Russia’s forces in Ukraine, a move some observers also interpreted as an attempt to downsize Prigozhin.

On Tuesday, in his long-awaited State of the Union address, Putin profusely thanked his military but made no mention of Wagner.