While banks are printing more money than ever before, bunches of them inexplicably disappear, much like gold caches that are heavily relied on at times of political crisis.

On Friday, the Chinese Commerce Ministry announced that Beijing and Washington had agreed upon the “context” of the bilateral phase one trade agreement. US President Trump dismissed media speculation that he would cancel import tariffs on China under the new deal.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly boasted about his administration’s plans to “keep” Syria’s oil, in contravention of international laws against pillaging. Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry has publicized an intelligence report estimating that US oil smuggling operations in eastern Syria are already earning the US $30 million a month.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Varied issues ranging from digital trade to cross border data sharing and cyber intrusions will be addressed by the "phase two" trade agreement negotiations between the United States and China, a senior US administration official said on Friday.

The United States and China has been trying for month to negotiate a trade agreement, with President Trump teasing for a “big deal” any time soon. A report in the Wall Street Journal on Thursday suggested that Trump agreed to slash the existing tariffs and not impose new levies.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump indicated that Washington was "VERY close' to reaching a "BIG" trade deal with China, which would end a massive trade war which has impacted hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of trade between the two economic giants.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Predatory pricing by e-commerce players in India is a predominant issue among traders, as it hurts their local businesses. Traders have been raising the issue with the Indian government, which is now preparing rules to deal with deep discounts and fake products available on the market.

Despite being excluded from the 5G roll-out, Huawei’s equipment will continue to be used in Norway’s 4G network. The Chinese company has come under increased pressure from the United States, trapped in a wider economic and political dispute between two superpowers.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during a visit to Beijing in December 2017, the Maldives’ first bilateral FTA with a foreign country.

The precious metal investment website Apmex reported that palladium remains the only widely traded metal that has been climbing in price, in contrast to gold, silver, and platinum.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Several international airlines have grounded their Boeing 737 freighters, after receiving a warning about a potentially defective cabin component from Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI). The rigid barrier at the front of the cargo cabin provides emergency support during extraordinary situations.

The Faroe Islands have been trying to enter a free trade agreement with China. According to Danish media, the Chinese made it contingent on a 5G deal with the Chinese telecom giant Huawei. Any pressure, thought, has been denied by both the Chinese and the Faroese.

New Delhi (Sputnik):  US and Chinese officials have been working on the terms of the phase-one deal for months, after President Donald Trump announced in October that the two nations had reached an agreement. Both the countries were entangled in a trade war, inflicting higher duties on each other for over one and a half year.

BERLIN (Sputnik) – German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on the US Senate to refrain from adopting the draft defence budget that envisages sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Scientists at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), together with their colleagues from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), have conducted an interdisciplinary comparative study of the rural regions of the two countries.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Federal Reserve has ended US interest rate cuts after three reductions this year, saying in a statement on Wednesday that strong economic and labor market conditions supported the decision.

In mid-October, the Handelsblatt newspaper reported that fresh security requirements for telecommunications networks in Germany does not contain a clause to keep Huawei from taking part in the construction of 5G infrastructure. Washington has repeatedly warned Berlin over Huawei taking part in developing Germany’s 5G infrastructure.

New Delhi (Sputnik): Russia has been talking to India as well about supplying SSJ100 jets amid rising demands for passenger planes in one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets. The opportunities to sell the Russian planes in foreign markets have brightened as the share of US components in the plane has dipped to less than 10 percent.

Last week, the Saudi Arabian national petroleum and natural gas enterprise raised $25.6 billion after it launched an initial public offering that put Aramco's total value at an estimated $1.7 trillion.

The US has consistently threatened companies involved in the Russian-European pipeline project Nord Stream 2 with sanctions, trying to hinder the venture to deliver natural gas to the EU and bypass Ukraine. Shortly before the construction of the pipeline is finished, US senators are reportedly hurrying to proceed with these measures.