United States

• Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 14:02 UTC

  Israel welcomes Donald Trump’s plan to move US embassy to Jerusalem

  

  Israel's officials have welcome Donald Trump’s campaign promise to switch the US embassy from Tel Aviv, saying it would be as easy as changing a sign on a building. But other Middle East countries fear such a move will not help the overall situation.

• Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 13:03 UTC

  Temer talks to Trump and they agree to promote trade and investments

  

  Brazil's President Michel Temer called U.S. President-elect Donald Trump agreeing to work together to improve business relations between the two largest economies in the Americas, a statement from Temer's office said. Brazil is keen to explore business opportunities that could open up if Trump follows through on campaign promises to rewrite a trade deal with Mexico.

• Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 00:18 UTC

  Fed raises rate 25 points to 0.75%, anticipates further increases while US dollar jumps in Asian markets

  

  The U.S. Federal Reserve increased its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of between 0.5 and 0.75%. The higher rate will affect the what savers and borrowers get on their variable rate products from banks, and the fine print of the bank's policy decision shows that a majority of Fed members expect more rate hikes to come, as many as three in the next 12 months, after previously signaling it was expecting only two.

• Wednesday, December 14th 2016 - 14:54 UTC

  Philippine President Duterte admits avoiding Obama at APEC summit on false pretexts

  

  Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged he skipped an evening event at the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima to avoid having to shake hands with Barack Obama. In a speech published Tuesday in a Manila newspaper, Duterte made it clear his absence had not been due to a an upset stomach, but rather a move to avoid an awkward situation.

• Wednesday, December 14th 2016 - 05:10 UTC

  Trump challenges Congress and nominates close friend of Putin, Rex Tillerson Secretary of State

  

  Donald Trump officially announced his plan Tuesday to nominate ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, a pick that could pose complications in the confirmation process due to Tillerson's ties to Russia. Tillerson, 64, has no government or diplomatic experience but has done extensive work overseas on behalf of his petroleum company.

• Tuesday, December 13th 2016 - 07:51 UTC

  Another Goldman Sachs/Wall Street top official named to Trump's economic team

  

  Gary Cohn who was tapped Monday by President-elect Donald Trump to head the Gary Cohn , is second-in-command at investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, which he once hoped to lead. Cohn, 56, has worked on Wall Street since the 1990s and is one the firm’s best known public faces. He makes frequent television appearances to talk about the health of financial markets and the global economy.

• Sunday, December 11th 2016 - 22:04 UTC

  In 8-0 decision US Supreme Court rules in favor of Samsung in milestone patents' case for the industry

  

  In a unanimous decision on Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court threw out a lower court’s US$399 million judgment against Samsung for violating patents involving Apple’s iPhone. The decision overturns a victory that Apple had won in the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.

• Saturday, December 10th 2016 - 10:37 UTC

  Obama orders review of election-campaign cyber-attacks and points to Russia

  

  President Barack Obama has ordered intelligence officials to conduct a broad review of election-season cyber-attacks, including the email hacks that rattled the presidential campaign and raised fresh concerns about Russia’s meddling in U.S. elections, the White House said Friday.

• Thursday, December 8th 2016 - 10:15 UTC

  Time magazine names Trump “Person of the Year”, president of the divided States of America

  

  Time magazine on Wednesday named Donald Trump its Person of the Year, bestowing what the president-elect called an “honor” even as he derided the idea that he’ll lead “the Divided States of America.”

• Wednesday, December 7th 2016 - 12:16 UTC

  Japanese tech firm meets Trump and pledges to invest US$ 50bn in the US

  

  Shares of Japanese technology firm Softbank have soared to their highest level in more than one year in Tokyo trade, jumping 5% at the open. That is on news Chief Executive Masayoshi Son said he will invest US$50bn in US businesses. But details are lacking on where the money will go and how it will benefit American businesses.