Month: December 2019

Oil gained on Wednesday ahead of meetings this week where OPEC and its allies are expected to extend production curbs to support the market, while industry data showing that U.S. crude stockpiles fell more than […]

Rouhani Calls for Release of Innocent Protesters

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Wednesday for the release of any unarmed and innocent people who were detained during protests against gasoline price hikes, after two weeks of violent clashes, Reuters reported. The unrest, […]

China Warns U.S. Over Uighur Bill

China warned on Wednesday that the U.S. House of Representatives bill calling for a tougher U.S. response to Beijing’s treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority will impact bilateral cooperation, clouding prospects for a near-term deal […]

U.S. Hasn’t Ruled Out Imposing Tariffs on Imported Autos

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Tuesday the Trump administration has not ruled out imposing tariffs on imported autos, after letting a review period end in November with no action, Reuters writes. “We’ve been having […]

Saudi Arabia to Launch First G20 Meetings

A Saudi official confirmed that the Kingdom will kickstart meetings on Wednesday for the G20 after it assumed the presidency of the world’s most economically powerful group of nations, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The number of […]

Kim Rides White Horse Up Sacred Peak as Nuclear Talks Deadline Looms

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rode a white horse up a sacred mountain on his second symbolic visit in less than two months, state media reported Wednesday, as his country is threatening provocation if Washington refuses to […]

SpaceX’s Mission to International Space Station Delayed due to Weather

A Dragon spacecraft will return to the International Space Station for the third time tomorrow, after today’s planned launch was delayed due to bad weather high above Florida. According to Space.com, the next opportunity for […]

Larry Page Steps Down as CEO of Google, Alphabet; Sundar Pichai to Take Over as CEO of Both Companies

Alphabet (GOOGL) announced on Tuesday that Google CEO Sundar Pichai will replace Larry Page as CEO of Alphabet. Pichai will serve as CEO of both Alphabet and its Google subsidiary. Page and Sergey Brin will […]

Trump Says China Trade Deal May Have to Wait

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday a trade deal with China might have to wait until after the U.S. presidential election in November 2020, denting hopes that the two largest economies would soon reach an […]

Kamala Harris Ends 2020 Presidential Bid

Senator Kamala Harris ended her 2020 presidential bid on Tuesday, abandoning a campaign that began with promise for a rising Democratic Party star but faltered as she struggled to raise money and make a compelling […]

Apple Could Start Releasing iPhones Twice a Year

J.P. Morgan analysts have predicted that Apple is going to change up its launch strategy for 2021, CNBC reported. In a note from the analysts citing supply chains, it’s predicted that Apple would shift to […]

AG Barr Skeptical of Inspector General’s Finding on Russia Inquiry

Attorney General William Barr has told Justice Department officials that he is skeptical of a conclusion by the department’s inspector general that the FBI had sufficient information to open the investigation into whether any Trump […]

New U.S. Law on Hong Kong Doesn’t Help Trade Talks, Trump Claims

President Donald Trump said on Monday U.S. legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong did not make trade negotiations with China easier, but added he believes Beijing still wants a deal with the United States, Reuters […]

Trump Confronts European Allies Before NATO Talks

President Donald Trump launched an angry broadside against his European allies ahead of a NATO summit in London on Tuesday, singling out France’s Emmanuel Macron for “very nasty” comments on the alliance and Germany’s shortfall […]

Russia Switches on Gas Mega Pipeline to China

Russia switched on an enormous gas pipeline to China worth billions of dollars Monday, affirming increasingly close economic and political ties between the two countries, CNN reports. Named the “Power of Siberia,” the pipeline runs […]

France, EU Ready to Fight Back over U.S. Tariff Threat

France and the European Union are ready to fight back over the latest U.S. tariff threats on French products, French government ministers said on Tuesday, Reuters informs. At the beginning of the week, U.S. government said […]

Schumer Urges Republicans to Resist Russia’s Propaganda about Ukraine Meddling in 2016 Election

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer on Monday denied the recent claims by Republicans that Ukraine was interfering in the 2016 election, calling it a “lie” pushed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Certain Senate Republicans have […]

Tariffs Risk Pushing Brazil Closer to China

President Donald Trump’s surprise decision to slap metals tariffs on Brazil is a blow to President Jair Bolsonaro’s aim of forging closer ties with Washington and could push Latin America’s No. 1 economy closer to […]

Homeland Security Proposes Face Scans for Citizens

The Trump administration intends to propose a regulation next year that would require all travelers, including U.S. citizens, to be photographed when entering or leaving the United States, according to the administration’s regulatory agenda, Reuters […]

Doug Collins Urges Adam Schiff to Provide Testimony

House Judiciary Committee’s top Republican urged the Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to provide testimony before the panel in the hearing of the impeachment process. Doug Collins is the newest Trump ally that called […]

Poll Shows 53% of Republicans Believe Trump is Better Than Lincoln

As much as 53% of Republicans have said that they believe Donald Trump exceeds Abraham Lincoln in his presidency, Newsweek reported. YouGov and the Economist carried out a poll and released its results which show […]

Perry Concludes Last Day as Energy Secretary

Rick Perry has ended his last day as an Energy Secretary in the Trump administration on Sunday, extending thanks to his family and the people of America in a tweet for allowing him to serve at […]

White House Won’t Participate in Wednesday’s Trump Impeachment Hearing

The White House told Democratic lawmakers on Sunday that President Donald Trump and his lawyers would not participate in a congressional impeachment hearing this week, citing a lack of “fundamental fairness”, Reuters reported. Trump’s aides […]

China Suspends U.S. Military Visits to Hong Kong

China said on Monday U.S. military ships and aircraft won’t be allowed to visit Hong Kong, and also announced sanctions against several U.S. non-government organizations for encouraging protesters to “engage in extremist, violent and criminal […]

Trump Off to London for NATO Summit

President Donald Trump leaves on Monday for a NATO summit in London and he is under pressure from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resist the temptation to wade into the British election campaign coming […]

Iran Facing Worst Unrest in 40 Years

Iran is experiencing its deadliest political unrest since the Islamic Revolution 40 years ago, with at least 180 people killed, and possibly hundreds more, as angry protests have been smothered in a government crackdown of […]

Democrats Aim to Catch Up to Trump’s 2020 Spending Advantage

Democrats are narrowing President Donald Trump’s early spending advantage, with two billionaire White House hopefuls joining established party groups to target the President in key battleground states that are likely to determine the outcome of […]

December 1, 2019 Focus Washington

Pope Condemns Iraq’s Crackdown on Protesters

Pope Francis on Sunday criticized Iraq’s crackdown on anti-government protests, which have led to the deaths of more than 400 people since they erupted in Baghdad and other cities in October, Reuters informed. “I am […]

December 1, 2019 Focus Washington

UN Chief Warns About Climate Change Efforts

The world must stop a “war against nature” and find more political will to combat climate change, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday, the eve of a two-week global climate summit in Madrid, […]

December 1, 2019 Focus Washington

Trump Faces Two Impeachment Deadlines

President Donald Trump faced two deadlines in Congress this week as Democrats prepared to shift the focus of their impeachment inquiry from fact-finding to the consideration of possible charges of misconduct over his dealings with […]