Switzerland announced Wednesday it was ending talks with Brussels towards sealing a long-delayed cooperation agreement with the surrounding European Union. President Guy Parmelin told journalists in the capital Bern that Switzerland was ending the negotiations on a framework agreement — a move that could jeopardies the country’s relationship with its largest trading partner. Brussels had […]
Deal
With Iran deal teetering on brink, Europeans assess next steps
European foreign ministers will seek to flesh out how to convince Iran and the United States to reduce tensions and initiate a dialogue when they meet in Brussels on Monday amid fears that the 2015 nuclear deal is close to collapse. U.S.-Iranian tensions have worsened since U.S. President Donald Trump decided last year to abandon […]
Sudanese say US pressure was key to reaching transition deal
The power-sharing agreement reached between Sudan’s military and pro-democracy protesters last week came after the United States and its Arab allies applied intense pressure on both sides amid fears a prolonged crisis could tip the country into civil war, activists and officials said. The agreement, which raised hopes of a democratic transition following the military […]
US-Japan trade deal progress likely in ‘months’: US official
Tokyo understands Washington’s desire to negotiate greater access to the Japanese market and efforts to reach a new trade agreement should bear fruit soon, a top US trade official said Wednesday. The testimony by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer comes a week before US officials are due to meet Japanese counterparts on the sidelines of […]
Iran says it will not extend 60-day nuclear deal deadline: Tasnim
Iran will not extend a 60-day deadline for it to start pulling out of more commitments agreed under its nuclear deal, the spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said on Wednesday. Iran stopped complying in May with some commitments in the 2015 nuclear deal that was agreed with global powers, after the United […]
Asian stocks trail US rise on US-Mexico trade deal optimism
Asian shares were mostly higher Friday on investor optimism about a possible trade deal between the US and Mexico before tariffs take effect. Japan’s Nikkei 225 gained 0.5% to finish at 20,884.71, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose nearly 1.0% to 6,443.90. South Korea’s Kospi inched up less than 0.1% to 2,069.38. Chinese markets were closed […]
Bulgaria sees F-16 jet deal with US at $1.2 billion
Bulgaria expects the United States to make an offer soon to sell it eight new F-16 fighter jets for its army at $1.2 billion, the defence ministry said on Tuesday. The US State Department approved the possible sale of eight F-16 aircraft and related equipment at an estimated cost of $1.67 billion, a Pentagon agency […]
Turkey’s Erdogan says no backtracking on S-400 deal with Russia
‘We have made an agreement (with Russia). We are determined. There is nothing like backtracking from that’ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday Turkey would not withdraw from a deal made with Russia to buy an S-400 missile defense system despite pressure from the United States. “We have made an agreement (with Russia). We are […]
UK PM May will honour promise to quit if Brexit deal passes: Hammond
British Prime Minister Theresa May will honour her promise to step down as soon as lawmakers pass her Brexit deal, finance minister Philip Hammond said in an interview published on Thursday. Hammond told London’s Evening Standard newspaper that May was “as good as her word”. Lawmakers who would like to see May stand down quickly […]
Trump opens door to trade deal with China soon
President Donald Trump said Friday that China was ready to make a deal to defuse trade tensions, so he might not have to punish the country with more import tariffs. A deal to resolve the dispute would be a huge breakthrough on the issue that has dominated much of Trump’s two years in office, blowback […]