KEY POINTS President Donald Trump has a new label for Chinese President Xi Jinping: “Enemy.” In one of a series of tweets that hit the market like a torpedo Friday morning, the president posed a question to his more than 60 million followers comparing Xi to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. As recently as this […]
Trump threatens to hike tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% after Dow plunges over 600 points
President Donald Trump on Friday counterpunched against retaliatory tariffs announced by Beijing earlier in the day, pledging to hike the rates importers must pay on Chinese-made goods even higher. Trump said the US will raise tariffs from 25% to 30% on $250 billion in goods that are already being taxed starting October 1. He also […]
Trump: ‘We don’t need China’. Orders US companies to start looking for an alternative
The US-China trade war ratcheted up yet again on Friday, with Beijing unveiling a new round of retaliatory tariffs on about $75 billion worth of US goods. China will place tariffs of 5% or 10% on US imports starting on September 1st, according to a statement posted by China’s Finance Ministry. The Ministry also announced […]
Fitch decided to downgrade Lebanon’s credit rating
Fitch Ratings, one of the “Big Three” credit rating agencies in the world, has decided to downgrade Lebanon’s rating from B- to CCC, according to media reports “Lebanese sides have been informed that the Fitch agency has finalized its report and downgraded Lebanon’s rating to the level of CCC,” al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Friday. This […]
Turkey aims to invest in Lebanon, its FM says
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said here on Friday that Turkey is highly interested in investing in Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. “Turkish companies want to invest in the energy field in Lebanon,” Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference held in Beirut with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil. Cavusoglu arrived in Lebanon on […]
Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is in Lebanon for talks
foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu arrived in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday for an official visit. “In #Lebanon to hold bilateral meetings,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter. Following his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Cavusoglu will meet with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan. Cavusoglu […]
US in secret talks with Venezuela
The United States has opened up secret communications with Venezuela’s socialist party boss, as members of President Nicolas Maduro‘s inner circle seek guarantees they would not face retribution if they cede to growing demands to remove him, a senior US administration official has told the Associated Press news agency. Diosdado Cabello, who is considered the […]
Hungary ex-PM recalls fall of Iron Curtain: ‘Nobody thought it would go so fast’
When Hungary’s former leader Miklos Nemeth first started poking a hole through the Iron Curtain in 1989, he had no idea how quickly his actions would contribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communism in central and eastern Europe. In an exclusive interview with AFP, Nemeth tells the story of […]
Global concern over Amazon fires escalates pressure on Bolsonaro
International concern over fires in the Amazon mounted on Thursday, with the UN and French President Emmanuel Macron calling for action as Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research reported nearly 2,500 new fires in the past 48 hours. Amid global concern about raging fires in the Amazon, Brazil‘s government complained Thursday that it is being […]
Lebanon calls on U.S. to support Syrian refugees’ social programs
Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Richard Kuyumjian on Wednesday called upon the United States to support social programs for local communities hosting Syrian refugees. “These programs help the Lebanese society in facing the crisis which necessitates the support of such measures and initiatives,” Kuyumjian said in a statement issued by the ministry. Kuyumjian’s remarks came […]