Month: February 2021

Oil extended its rally for a ninth day on Wednesday, supported by producer supply cuts and hopes that vaccine rollouts will drive a recovery in demand, Reuters writes. The American Petroleum Institute said on Tuesday […]

World Shares Hit Fresh All-Time Highs

World shares rose to new all-time highs overnight and European indexes strengthened, with market sentiment generally upbeat on the prospect of fiscal stimulus and vaccine rollouts and ahead of a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve […]

Senators Vote to Proceed with Trump’s Impeachment Trial, but Conviction May Prove Elusive

A divided U.S. Senate voted largely along party lines on Tuesday to move ahead with Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on a charge of inciting the deadly assault on the Capitol, but conviction appears unlikely barring […]

New Hate Symbols on U.S. Warships Including Noose Spark Navy Condemnation

The U.S. Navy’s top admiral on Tuesday condemned two new racist incidents involving hate symbols on warships, which sources said included a noose that was left on a Black sailor’s bed, Reuters reported. The incidents, […]

Senator Shelby Not to Run for Reelection in 2020

On Monday, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) announced that he would not run for re-election in 2022, according to The Hill. “Today I announce that I will not seek a seventh term in the United States […]

protection against coronavirus infection

New Variants Threaten to Reverse Progress against COVID-19

The falling trend in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. is threatened by new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus, reported The Hill. After the post-Thanksgiving period when a pick was reached in cases, hospitalisations and […]

Two Capitol Riot Suspects who Took Private Plane to DC Arrested in Texas

According to the FBI, two Dallas individuals were arrested and charged in connection to the Capitol riots in Washington D.C. last month, reported The Hill. The two, reported to be real estate agents named Katherine […]

‘Cowboys for Trump’ Leader Released from Jail

The leader of the group so-called “Cowboys for Trump” is to be released from jail by a federal district court judge, while he’s awaiting trial on charges related to the Capitol riots, according to The […]

COVID May Have Taken ‘Convoluted Path’ to Wuhan, WHO Team Leader Says

The head of a World Health Organization-led team probing the origins of COVID-19 said bats remain a likely source and that transmission of the virus via frozen food is a possibility that warrants further investigation, […]

Trump Impeachment Trial to Open With Fight on Constitutionality

Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, on a charge of inciting last month’s deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol, opens on Tuesday with a debate over the constitutionality of the Senate trying a president after […]

Two U.S. Carrier Groups Conduct Exercises in South China Sea

Two U.S. carrier groups conducted joint exercises in the South China Sea on Tuesday, days after a U.S. warship sailed near Chinese-controlled islands in the disputed waters, as China denounced the United States for damaging […]

Georgia Secretary of State’s Office Launches Probe into Trump’s Election Phone Call

Georgia’s Secretary of State’s office opened a probe on Monday into former U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, a step that could lead to a criminal investigation by state […]

Bitcoin Powers to New High as Tesla Takes It Mainstream

Bitcoin extended gains on Tuesday to a record high as the afterglow of Tesla Inc’s investment in the cryptocurrency had investors reckoning it would become a mainstream asset class for both corporates and money managers, […]

South Korea’s New Top Diplomat Says Confident about U.S. Coordination over North Korea

South Korea’s new foreign minister said on Tuesday he was confident about coordinating North Korea policy with the United States despite earlier signs of differences, Reuters reported. Chung Eui-yong, 74, took office as South Korea’s […]

Saudi PIF Invests in NBK Capital Partners’ Shariah Credit Fund

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has become an anchor investor in a new $300 million shariah credit fund launched by NBK Capital Partners (NBKCP) that will provide capital to mid-market companies in the Middle East, […]

Justice Department Seeks Resignations of Trump-Era US Attorneys

The Justice Department will ask U.S. attorneys who were appointed by former President Donald Trump to resign from their posts, as the Biden administration moves to transition to its own nominees, a senior Justice Department […]

Global Stocks Mixed on Optimism Over Recovery, Stimulus

Global stock markets were mixed Tuesday after another record-setting rally on Wall Street. London and Frankfurt opened lower, while Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong advanced, The Associated Press reported. U.S. futures were lower a day […]

Hacker Boosts Toxic Chemical Level 100-Fold at Water Plant

A hacker breached computer networks at a Oldsmar, Florida, water treatment plant, remotely delivering a 100-fold boost in a chemical that is highly dangerous in concentrated amounts, Bloomberg reported. In an attack with the potential […]

Trump’s Lawyers Challenge Constitutionality of Post-white House Impeachment Trial

The day before former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial begins on a charge of inciting the deadly attack on the Capitol last month, his lawyers on Monday denied he had encouraged violence and challenged the […]

Netanyahu Pleads Not Guilty to Corruption as Trial Resumes

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded not guilty on Monday to corruption charges at the resumption of his trial, six weeks before voters again head to the polls to pass judgment on his leadership, Reuters […]

Dollar Steadies after Losses on Payrolls

The dollar steadied against major currencies on Monday as traders waited for more data on the U.S. economy, after a disappointing jobs report last week ended a rally in the greenback, Reuters reported. The euro […]

Shares Reach Record High, Oil Tops $60 a Barrel

World shares hit a record high on Monday and oil surpassed $60 a barrel for the first time in a year, on hopes that a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package will be passed by U.S. […]

China Reports No New Local COVID-19 Infection for First Time in Nearly Two Months

China reported no new locally transmitted mainland COVID-19 case for the first time in nearly two months, official data showed on Monday, adding to signs that it has managed to stamp out the latest wave […]

South Africa Halts AstraZeneca Rollout on Fears It Doesn’t Stop Mild Illness

South Africa halted Monday’s planned rollout of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccinations after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild infection from one variant, stoking fears of a much longer cat-and-mouse battle with the pathogen, Reuters […]

Biden Administration Moves to Rejoin U.N. Human Rights Council

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration will reengage with the United Nations Human Rights Council, three years after former President Donald Trump withdrew over what his administration called bias against Israel and a lack of reform, […]

US and China will meet for the first time at a high level since Russia's attack on Ukraine as Biden tries to get Beijing's help with the war.

Biden: China Should Expect ‘Extreme Competition’ From US

President Joe Biden says China is in for “extreme competition” from the U.S. under his administration, but that the new relationship he wants to forge need not be one of conflict, The Associated Press reported. […]

Trump Impeachment Trial to Open With Sense of Urgency, Speed

Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial is opening this week with a sense of urgency — by Democrats who want to hold the former president accountable for the violent U.S. Capitol siege and Republicans who […]

February 7, 2021 Focus Washington

Biden Admin Halts Trump Asylum Deals with El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

The Biden administration said on Saturday it was immediately suspending Trump-era asylum agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, part of a bid to undo his Republican predecessor’s hardline immigration policies, Reuters reports. In a […]

February 7, 2021 Focus Washington

Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Biden Says No Intel Briefings for Trump: ‘He Might Slip and Say Something’

President Joe Biden has said former President Donald Trump should no longer receive intelligence briefings and suggested Trump could reveal the sensitive information contained in them, Newsweek reports. Biden gave his first network TV interview […]

February 7, 2021 Focus Washington

Chicago Teachers, District Talks in Stalemate over COVID Re-opening Plan

Talks between Chicago teachers and the mayor on a plan to reopen the third-largest U.S. school district during the pandemic were deadlocked on Friday after the union signaled that it would not accept her “last, […]