Pressured by fresh tariff threats from President Trump, European Commission negotiators agreed to lift remaining customs duties on American industrial products, effectively giving a “green light” to a landmark EU-US trade agreement, Ethnos reported. The deal — reached under duress — reflects the transactional nature of the current trade environment, where the threat of punitive tariffs has become Washington’s primary lever in commercial negotiations.
Greek Shipping Minister Vassilis Kikilias, speaking at a maritime conference in Athens, connected the dots between geopolitics and economics, warning that the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine are directly affecting European energy prices, inflation, and the cost of living. Meanwhile, Australia’s High Commissioner to India signaled that Australian LNG exports to India could surge due to the ongoing Hormuz Strait crisis, with shipments routed through a “crisis-free Indian Ocean route.” The global energy map is being redrawn in real time.
