Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis is under fire over a 1.8 million Swiss francs (£1.46 million) sponsoring deal his department struck with tobacco giant Philip Morris International to help fund Switzerland’s Expo 2020 pavilion in Dubai. The World Health Organization (WHO) is scrutinising the pact, while the Swiss School of Public Health, a group of […] Read more
Boris Johnson: Diplomatic disaster, EU basher or reincarnated olive – who is the new British leader?
Boris Johnson has been crowned the new leader of Britain’s Conservative Party, and will become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at its most critical moment of modern times. The 55-year-old beat Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the runoff to replace Theresa May. “My chances of being PM are about as good as the chances […] Read more
France’s central bank governor told CNBC Saturday that monetary policy cannot compensate for trade tensions, and political leaders need to act in order to fend off today’s economic threats. Speaking to CNBC’s Annette Weisbach at an economic conference in Aix-en-Provence in southern France, François Villeroy de Galhau underlined that the main threat to global growth […] Read more
President Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to restart discussions with the U.S. over arms control and denied that the collapse of a significant nuclear missile treaty between the two nations would prompt an arms race. Putin said Thursday there had “recently been signs that Washington is beginning to consider resuming bilateral dialogue on a […] Read more
A deal is now subject to approval from non-OPEC allies at a meeting on Tuesday, with Iraq’s oil minister saying he did not anticipate any complications. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh told reporters he had “no problem” with supporting oil supply cuts by nine months. OPEC is set to debate an extension of oil production […] Read more
President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday not to meddle in the U.S. elections, appearing to make light of a scandal that had led to a two-year investigation into his campaign’s contact with the Kremlin during the 2016 elections. Asked by a reporter whether he would raise the issue during a bilateral […] Read more
U.S. President Donald Trump’s fresh sanctions on Iran are a “symbolic act” and may leave Washington with no room to exert further pressure on the nuclear power, a former U.S. diplomat said Tuesday. “What else do you have to do that will actually have to affect the Iranians’ calculus?” said Amos Hochstein, who served as […] Read more
As tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalate, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on several Iranian targets — but abruptly pulled back from launching them on Thursday night, The New York Times reported. The Times report, published late Thursday, cited multiple senior administration officials involved in or briefed on the deliberations of the strikes. […] Read more
The trade war is “manageable”, Egyptian billionaire and CEO of OCI N.V, Nassef Sawiris, told CNBC on Monday. OCI N.V produces and exports natural gas-based fertilizers and industrial chemicals to customers across agriculture and industry sectors. President Donald Trump has now said he’s ready to hit the remaining $300 billion of Chinese imports with tariffs […] Read more
Israel officially names a new town in the Golan Heights after President Trump. “Trump Heights” sits within the Golan Heights, which had been occupied for decades by Israel but was not seen as Israeli territory by the U.S. until last March, when Trump officially recognized Israel’s annexation of the region. Trump’s full-throated endorsement of Israel’s […] Read more
