Trump urges House to vote quickly to end partial shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump implored the House on Monday to end the partial government shutdown, but neither Republicans nor Democrats appeared ready to quickly approve the federal funding package he brokered with the Senate without first debating their own demands over immigration enforcement operations. Democrats are refusing to provide the votes House Speaker Mike Johnson needs to push the package forward as they try to rein in the Trump administration’s deportation operations af

Feb. 3, 2026

SpaceX acquires xAI in bid to build space data centers

Elon Musk said Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial-intelligence startup xAI in a record-setting deal that unifies Musk's AI and space ambitions by combining the rocket-and-satellite company with the maker of the Grok chatbot. The deal, first reported by Reuters last week, represents one of the most ambitious tie-ups in the technology sector yet, combining a space-and-defense contractor with a fast-growing AI developer whose costs are largely driven by chips, data centers and energy. I

Feb. 3, 2026

US cuts India tariffs to 18% as Modi halts Russian oil purchases

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- US President Donald Trump on Monday announced a trade deal with India that slashes US tariffs on Indian goods to 18 percent from 50 percent in exchange for India halting Russian ​oil purchases and lowering trade barriers. Trump announced the deal on social media following a call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting that India would now buy oil from the US and potentially Venezuela. A White House official told Reuters that the US was rescinding a punitive 25 pe

Feb. 3, 2026

[Graphic News] Apple leads global brand value rankings; Samsung is 8th

Apple has maintained its position as the world’s most valuable brand for a third consecutive year, while Samsung ranked eighth, down two places from a year earlier. According to the Global 500 rankings released by brand valuation firm Brand Finance, Apple ranked No. 1 in 2026 with a brand value of $607.6 billion, up 6 percent from $574.5 billion in 2025. The increase was driven by steady demand across the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, reinforcing Apple’s top position. The to

Feb. 2, 2026

Warsh 'regime change' faces steep hurdles at sprawling US Fed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Former US Federal Reserve Gov. Kevin Warsh checks a long list of boxes for President Donald Trump as his pick to run the Fed, with longstanding political and social ties to the president, deep ​Wall Street connections and a well-tailored demeanor, but how deeply and quickly he will cut interest rates and how aggressively he will pursue his "regime change" at the Fed remain open questions. Trump has called for rate cuts to what amount to crisis levels of perhaps 1 percent.

Feb. 1, 2026

Guterres warns of UN's 'imminent financial collapse'

GENEVA (Reuters) -- The UN chief has told member states the organization is at risk of "imminent financial collapse," citing unpaid fees and a budget rule that forces the global body to return unspent money, a letter seen by Reuters on Friday showed. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly spoken about the organization's worsening liquidity crisis but this is his starkest warning yet, and it comes as its main contributor the US is retreating from multilateralism on numerous fronts.

Feb. 1, 2026

US Fed holds rates steady, defying Trump pressure

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady Wednesday at its first policy gathering this year, citing robust economic growth, as the central bank resists President Donald Trump's mounting pressure for cuts. Trump has sharply escalated his targeting of the Fed since returning to the White House, seeking to oust a key official among its leadership in what chairman Jerome Powell said could be the "most important legal case" in the institution's long history. But on Wednesd

Jan. 29, 2026

TikTok settles as social media giants face trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — TikTok agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed. The social video platform was one of three companies — along with Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube — facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap, settled the case for an undisclosed sum. Details of the settlement with TikTok were not disclos

Jan. 28, 2026

Meta, TikTok, YouTube to stand trial on youth addiction claims

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Meta Platforms, TikTok and YouTube will face courtroom scrutiny this week over allegations that their platforms are fueling a youth ​mental health crisis, as the national debate about kids’ screen time enters a new phase. The trial in California Superior Court, Los Angeles County is a test case for thousands of other lawsuits seeking damages for social media harms, in a legal onslaught that could erode Big Tech's longstanding legal defense. The plaintiff is a 19-year-old

Jan. 27, 2026

EU, India successfully conclude major trade deal: New Delhi

NEW DELHI (AFP) -- The leaders of India and the European Union planned to announce the "mother of all deals" on Tuesday when they meet in New Delhi to formalize a huge trade pact reached after two decades of negotiations. EU chiefs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hope the pact, which Indian officials said was concluded Monday, will help shield against challenges from the world’s two leading economies, the United States and China. "Official level negotiations are being concluded and both sides a

Jan. 27, 2026

[Breaking] Trump says he's increasing tariffs on S. Korea to 25%

Jan. 27, 2026

Gold tops record $5,000 mark

LONDON (AFP) -- The price of safe-haven asset gold surpassed $5,000 on Sunday, hitting a record amid rising global uncertainty and turmoil set off by US President Donald Trump's policies. Gold reached $5,026 an ounce in trading after sister metal silver blasted through $102 an ounce for the first time Friday. While turbulence over Trump's ambitions for Greenland and pressure on the Federal Reserve have provided the most recent support for gold, the precious metal has for two years achieved all-t

Jan. 26, 2026

Trump threatens 100% tariffs on Canada over China trade deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- US President Donald Trump said Saturday he would impose a 100 percent tariff on Canada if it follows through on a ​trade deal with China and warned Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney that a deal would endanger his country. "China will eat Canada alive, completely devour it, including the destruction of their businesses, social fabric, and general way of life," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100 percent T

Jan. 25, 2026

Tariffs starting to bump up product prices: Amazon CEO

Amazon is starting to see an ‍uptick in product prices on its e-commerce platform as sellers respond to cost pressures stemming from US ​President Donald Trump's tariffs, the tech giant's CEO, Andy Jassy, told CNBC on Tuesday. The company had pulled forward its inventory shipments early last year and urged third-party sellers to bring in more stock ahead of time to circumvent tariff-driven surges in shipping costs, but "that supply has run out in the fall," Jassy said in the ‍interview at the Wo

Jan. 21, 2026

Europe's leaders stand firm in Davos as CEOs warn on emotions

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) -- European leaders, rattled by Donald Trump's latest global gambit, are looking to present a united front in Davos, as CEOs warned against an emotional response to the US president's ​ambition to take over Greenland. French President Emmanuel Macron said the European Union should not bend to "the law of the strongest," adding that it was "crazy" that the bloc was having to contemplate using its "anti-coercion instrument" against the United States. "We do believe tha

Jan. 21, 2026