U.S. President Donald Trump meets eastern NATO allies in Warsaw on Thursday amid expectations he will reaffirm Washington’s commitment to counter threats from Russia after unnerving them in May by failing to endorse the principle of collective defense. En route to a potentially fractious G-20 summit in Germany, Trump will take part in a gathering […]
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Europe's markets watchdog wants narrower sovereign rating release time
Europe’s markets watchdog ESMA has told credit rating agencies to publish their European sovereign ratings reports in a tighter window, between 9 pm and 11 pm on Friday London time, sources have told Reuters. The idea, they said, is to create a “more level playing field”. Under European Union regulations, rating agencies including S&P Global, […]
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G-20 meeting could make a 'big difference' to Trump’s credibility: BlackStone vice chair
This week’s G-20 meeting in Germany offers the U.S. president an opportunity to meet with world leaders on a one-to-one basis, which will help his credibility, according to John Studzinski, vice-chairman of investment firm The BlackStone Group. President Donald Trump will arrive in Poland later today, before heading to Hamburg in Germany for the G-20 […]
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Shell director says refining business fundamental to paying off debt, maintaining dividends
Oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell has delivered far more cash from its downstream business than its upstream recently, Downstream Director John Abbott told CNBC on Wednesday, with the firm positioned to use the extra funds to pay off debt and maintain its dividends. “I have seen times in my 36 years in Shell […]
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German banks pose a threat that politicians want to hide, economist says
With the Italian banking system in the spotlight, analysts have highlighted that Germany’s lenders are still not out of the woods, saying shipping loans and too many bank branches are some of the very real problems they are currently facing. German officials repeatedly tell EU members from the south of Europe to restructure their banking […]
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Trials linked to downing of passenger flight MH17 to be held in Netherlands
Suspects in the 2014 downing of passenger flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine will be tried in Dutch court and under Dutch law, the Netherlands’ foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The decision follows attempts, blocked by Russia in 2015, to set up an international court over the incident, which killed all 298 people aboard the Malaysia […]
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Italy swoops in to save another bank leaving taxpayers on the hook for over $25 billion
The Italian state has stepped in with funding to save yet another failing bank, meaning taxpayers now stand responsible for over 22 billion euros ($25.4 billion) of bailout money recently extended to the sector. Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan announced late Tuesday that the government had received approval from the European Commission to pump 5.4 […]
Read moreGeely-owned Volvo Car Group said on Wednesday all new models launched from 2019 will be fully electric or hybrids, spelling the eventual end to nearly a century of Volvos powered solely by the internal combustion engine. The Gothenburg-based company will continue to produce pure combustion-engine Volvos from models launched before that date, but said it […]
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French prime minister taunts Trump as ‘scared of the future’ and compares him to an ostrich
France’s newly-installed Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has used his first address to Parliament to make a subtle rebuke at President Donald Trump, saying that anybody who refused to sign the Paris climate agreement was not only selfish but “scared of the future.” In outlining his government’s reform agenda Tuesday, the 46-year-old lawyer turned politician reiterated […]
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'Best time in history' for China-Russia relationship: Xi and Putin boost ties
Strategic ties between Russia and China were appraised in glowing terms as Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a two-day state visit to Russia, concluding with at least $10 billion in agreements. Xi, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the trip, told Russian media that relations between the two countries were currently at […]
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