Officials in front of the residence of the Swiss ambassador to the United Nations, which serves as a venue for discussions between the Chinese and Americans, in Cologny, 10 May 2025. (Geneva Solutions/Paula Dupraz-Dobias)

Beijing and Washington break ice at trade talks in Geneva. As the US and China remain locked in an escalating trade war, all eyes have turned to Geneva this weekend. On Saturday, delegations from both powers held a first round of discussions, with another round slated for Sunday. Few details emerged from the talks, led on Washington’s side by treasury secretary Scott Bessent and by vice premier and economy minister He Lifeng on Beijing’s part.

Neutral ground. There was much speculation about where the high-stakes talks would be held. At the World Trade Organization? At the Intercontinental Hotel, where the US delegation had met the Swiss the previous day? We were able to confirm that it was within the discreet premises of the Swiss ambassador's private residence in Cologny that Washington and Beijing had agreed to meet, far from the curious eyes of the public and journalists.

A win for Switzerland, whose diplomatic efforts to bring the two economic rivals to the table paid off. But something much larger was riding on the meeting's success.

An unlikely catalyst. Fentanyl, the synthetic opioid wreaking havoc in the United States, has become a flashpoint in US-China relations, with Chinese producers playing a key role in its trade. It was ironically also the icebreaker in their trade stand-off. More on that.

🎤KITCH AND POLITICS. Never immune to politics or cheesy pop music performances, the Eurovision Song Contest will kick off tomorrow, with participants competing in the semi-finals before facing off in Saturday’s final round.

This year’s contest, hosted by Switzerland, takes place in Basel – just a train ride away from the headquarters of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), whose public broadcaster members promote their countries’ pop artists.

Disunity. The theme this year is “United by Music”. But outside the venue, security is being stepped up in anticipation of anti-Israeli protests following the inclusion of a survivor of the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks.

Palestinian activists oppose Israel’s participation, accusing the EBU of double standards and accusing saying the country’s broadcaster of being complicit in “genocide”.

Defending EBU’s decision not to exclude Israel, director general Noel Curran told Geneva Solutions that the country was represented by KAN, the broadcaster, and not the government. He said Russia had been excluded from the 2022 contest following its invasion of Ukraine, because “the broadcaster was so linked to the state that it became part of the apparatus around the invasion”.

📖Read the full story: Meet the organisation behind Eurovision and its fight for trusted journalism

– By Paula Dupraz-Dobias

Internally displaced Palestinians gather to receive food from a charity kitchen in Jabalia refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, 9 May 2025. (Keystone/EPA/Mohammed Saber)

New Geneva foundation claims it can feed all of Gaza – with help from mercenaries The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, recently registered in Geneva, has unveiled its plan to deliver aid to over two million Palestinians, bypassing traditional channels and using private armed security.