Credit Suisse’s Demise Spurs Protests in Zurich Financial Center

(Bloomberg) — About 200 protesters gathered outside Credit Suisse Group AG’s headquarters in Zurich this evening following the bank’s collapse. The demonstrators, chanting “revolution” and “eat the rich,” threw eggs at the building in Paradeplatz, the heart of the city’s financial district. Police officers looked on as the protesters made speeches against the power of … Read more

Macron’s Meloni Snub Shows the Draghi Legacy Starting to Unravel

Interpersonal tensions are undermining what should be a high point in relations between France and Italy. Earlier this month, the Quirinal Treaty, a cooperation pact that Macron signed to great fanfare in 2021 with Meloni’s predecessor, Mario Draghi, came into effect, easing the way for the counties to work together on issues such as migration, … Read more

Oil Rebounds as Key Pipeline Remains Shut and China Eases Curbs

Following the imposition of the price cap and related curbs, a backlog of tankers waiting to haul oil through Turkey’s vital shipping straits built up amid a dispute over insurance cover. That now appears to be clearing, with a port agent tally on Sunday showing 19 tankers waiting to pass through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles … Read more

Russia Is Feeling the Pain of Europe’s Oil Embargo

Meanwhile, Europe isn’t scrambling for crude. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has stoked inflation, including for food and energy, has undermined European economies to the point where, as I suggested back in early November, the world can easily handle the loss of Russian barrels, at least for now.

Putin Says Russia May Add Nuclear First Strike To Strategy

“We’re thinking about this,” the Russian president told reporters after a summit in Kyrgyzstan. “If we are talking about a disarming strike, perhaps we should think about using the approaches of our American partners,” he said, citing what he called US strategies to use high-accuracy missiles for a preventive strike.

US Redoubles Efforts to End Dependence on Russian Nuclear Fuel

“We are going to get Congressional support in a bipartisan way for us to make our own fuel cycle supply chain independent, certainly of Russia,” Granholm, 63, said in an interview at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. “We’ve got to make this happen for our own independence and national security.”