Trump’s Iran decision unites Putin and Merkel on Nordstream 2 pipeline project

Any attempt by U.S. President Donald Trump at blocking a proposed gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany would be resisted strongly, said the Russian President Vladimir Putin to German Chancellor Angela Merkel during their meeting on Friday. While Germany has severely protested the Russian annexation of Crimea four years ago and the two countries…

European Union launches measures to protect its business interests in Iran

The measures proposed by the European Commission includes, blocking laws that ban EU firms to comply with U.S. sanctions law, not recognizing court ruling that enforce American penalties, start the legal process of working with Iran’s central bank and allowing EU banks to fund the projects of EU companies in Iran. On Friday, the European…

Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association prefer FTA, low tariffs on automobiles

The move is aimed at maintaining the chinks in the well-oiled, tried and tested global automobile supply chain. U.S. demands for changes in NAFTA could significantly impact automakers and autospare makers. On Friday, an association of Japanese automakers stated, it hoped Japan’s export partners would stick to existing free trade relationships and keep tariffs on…

China’s Tianjin plans on setting up a $16 billion fund for the AI industry

By 2025, China aims to displace U.S. dominance in the artificial intelligence industry. On Thursday, China’s news agency Xinhua stated, Tianjin plans on setting up funds worth $16 billion (100 billion yuan) to support the artificial intelligence industry. By 2025, China wants to become the world leader in artificial intelligence and displace the United States…

Digital currencies are not yet ripe for consumer adoption: Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard

Listing out the serious challenges posed by digital currencies, Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard opined blochain technology, the underlying technology that powers them, could be harnessed for facilitating and easing bank-to-bank transactions, as well as for payments in financial markets. In what is likely to be one of the Federal Reserve’s most detailed critiques of…