by Michael Mathes Millennial White House candidate Pete Buttigieg is no creature of Washington. He was a virtual unknown before 2019, when he served as mayor of a mid-size Midwestern US city. He eschews the overt theatrics so ingrained in today’s presidential politics. As a technocrat who rarely raises his voice, Buttigieg deploys calm and […]

Oil prices soared more than four percent Friday following claims that the US had killed a top Iranian general, ratcheting up tensions between the foes and fuelling fears of a conflict in the crude-rich region. The head of Iran’s Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, was hit in an attack on Baghdad international airport early Friday, according […]

Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg on Friday defended the policy implemented by his news agency to steer clear of investigating him, saying doing so would not be credible. Bloomberg told CBS News he “hired somebody outside” to run the Bloomberg News organization and establish policies for ethics. “People have said to me, ‘How can you […]

by Michael Mathes Democrat trailblazer Kamala Harris pulled the plug on her US presidential campaign Tuesday after a promising start to her bid was eroded by underperforming in a crowded field and a failure to raise sufficient funds. The exit of the progressive senator leaves 15 candidates in the battle to see who challenges President […]

by Rob Lever / with Thomas Urbain in New York Michael Bloomberg’s likely run for the presidency would create a hornet’s nest of practical and ethical problems for his company, which as one of the world’s biggest news organizations would be thrust into coverage of its owner. A campaign could set up unusual challenges for […]

An offer by the United States to host a Pacific rim summit in America in 2020 after Chile abruptly cancelled this year’s event was “not a good idea”, Malaysia’s foreign minister said Thursday. The sharp retort comes days after most southeast Asian leaders snubbed a meeting with US officials in Thailand when President Donald Trump […]

A second whistleblower has come forward, this one with first-hand information about events that triggered an impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump for alleged abuse of power, the informant’s lawyer said Sunday. “I can confirm this report of a second #whistleblower being represented by our legal team,” Mark Zaid said on Twitter. “They also made […]

by Catherine KURZAWA / AFP Apple went on the offensive against Brussels in an EU court on Tuesday, fighting the European Commission’s landmark order that the iPhone-maker reimburse Ireland 13 billion euros ($14 billion) in back taxes. The EU’s tax demand, made three years ago, “defies reality and common sense,” Apple’s lawyer Daniel Beard told […]

The US central bank cut its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year on Wednesday, and Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell vowed to do whatever is needed to keep the economy growing. But the Fed’s policy committee is divided, with three of 10 voting members dissenting from the decision, one because he wanted […]

by Sebastian Smith / AFP One’s a septuagenarian male politician whose verbal gaffes raise doubts over his fitness for office. The other is a septuagenarian male politician who makes so many slip-ups that the public has almost stopped taking notice. Welcome to Joe Biden vs Donald Trump, the prospective 2020 match-up that, if nothing else, […]

The United States must observe a landmark nuclear deal and halt “economic terrorism” against Iran if it wants to hold talks, the Islamic republic’s foreign minister said Thursday. Tehran and Washington have been locked in a bitter standoff since last year when US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the 2015 deal that gave […]

The US and 10 Southeast Asian states will hold their first-ever joint maritime exercises in September, aimed at preventing “wrongdoing” as Washington and Beijing jostle for influence in the region. Washington has traditionally been the dominant naval power in Southeast Asia and its re-engagement with the area comes as a deteriorating trade war with China […]

Superhero Black Widow is a woman at the top of her game, and so is the actress who plays her — Scarlett Johansson is the world’s highest paid actress for the second year in a row, according to Forbes’s annual ranking published Friday. Johansson, 34, earned $15.5 million more than she did in 2018, primarily […]

David Koch, a billionaire American libertarian and influential donor to conservative causes, has died at age 79 after a long battle with cancer, his brother Charles said Friday. Koch retired last year as executive vice president of Koch Industries, the conglomerate he co-owned with his older brother and built into the second largest family-owned company […]

Sony Interactive Entertainment on Monday announced a deal to buy Insomniac Games, the studio behind hot-selling “Spider-Man” and “Ratchet & Clank” video games. Sony did not disclose financial terms of the acquisition that will add Insomniac to its stable of studios making games exclusively for the Japanese consumer electronics giant’s PlayStation consoles. “Insomniac Games is […]

US President Donald Trump has confirmed he is keen to buy Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory rich in natural resources and of increasing geopolitical relevance as the Arctic ice sheet melts.  But Denmark, a NATO ally, swiftly retorted that the island, located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is not for sale, prompting Trump […]