Trump’s week in review: President secures historic peace deal to bring hostages home as shutdown continues

Trump’s week in review: President secures historic peace deal to bring hostages home as shutdown continues

President Donald Trump secured a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas this week that will end the war in Gaza and return the hostages, two years after the terrorist network attacked Israel Oct. 7, 2023 — all while the U.S. government remains in a shutdown due to a stalemate in the Senate.  The president made the announcement on his Truth Social platform Wednesday. ‘I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan,’ the president posted. ‘This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very...

China outlines more controls on exports of rare earths and technology

China outlines more controls on exports of rare earths and technology

HONG KONG — China outlined new curbs on exports of rare earths and related technologies on Thursday, extending controls over use of the elements critical for many high-tech and military products ahead of a meeting in about three weeks between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The regulations announced by the Ministry of Commerce require foreign companies to get special approval to export items that contain even small traces of rare earths elements sourced from China. These critical minerals are needed in a broad range of products, from jet engines, radar systems and electric vehicles to consumer electronics...

White House turns to expanding Abraham Accords after Israel-Hamas ceasefire

White House turns to expanding Abraham Accords after Israel-Hamas ceasefire

Now that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and hostage deal, the White House is shifting focus to its next diplomatic goal: expanding the landmark Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. ‘There’s a lot of positive momentum that will pick up,’ a senior administration official told reporters Thursday evening after the deal was signed. ‘Hopefully this will lead to much better sentiment and the opportunity to expand the Abraham Accords — to really just change the tone in the region.’ During President Donald Trump’s first administration, the accords brought the United Arab Emirates,...

Trump’s grand peace strategy is bearing fruit, in Middle East and around the world

Trump’s grand peace strategy is bearing fruit, in Middle East and around the world

President Donald Trump turned heads when he signed a recent executive order promising to defend the state of Qatar from attack and – in so doing – protect U.S. interests. The language of the order is clear: if Qatar is attacked, ‘the United States shall take all lawful and appropriate measures – including diplomatic, economic, and, if necessary, military.’ This move comes after Israel, another close American ally, hit Qatar with airstrikes targeting Hamas officials. Some people who don’t understand the full context of the president’s Middle East peace strategy have questioned this order, even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has...

Philippine peso nears record low as central bank plans rate cuts

Philippine peso nears record low as central bank plans rate cuts

Investing.com — The Philippine peso is approaching a record low as the country’s central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), plans further interest rate cuts amid slowing economic growth. The BSP’s next decision is expected on February 13. According to Bloomberg News, financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS)., Barclays (LON:BARC) Plc, and Fitch Solutions predict the peso could reach the 60-per-dollar mark by midyear. On Monday, the currency was trading at 58.420, close to the historic low of 59 per dollar reached in December. Asian markets are feeling the impact of a strong dollar as investors consider...

Best Options Trading Platforms For July 2025

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How Italy’s MPS went from near collapse to bid for revered merchant bank

How Italy’s MPS went from near collapse to bid for revered merchant bank

By Valentina Za, Gianluca Semeraro and Mathieu Rosemain MILAN (Reuters) -Monte dei Paschi (MPS) CEO Luigi Lovaglio has pulled several all-nighters since arriving in Siena in early 2022, when Italy’s Treasury picked him out to revive the fortunes of the world’s oldest bank, five years after bailing it out. Back in October 2022 he worked through the night to pull off a share sale, as MPS’s seventh cash call in 14 years sparked last-minute panic among banks underwriting it. MPS struggled to sell shares at 2 euros each back then. MPS stock traded at 7 euros this week when Lovaglio...

Trump’s exaggerated claim that Pennsylvania has 500,000 fracking jobs

Trump’s exaggerated claim that Pennsylvania has 500,000 fracking jobs

“And there’s very few states that benefit like you do from fracking. I mean, you have 500,000 jobs.” — Former president Donald Trump, remarks at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, Sept. 29 “Kamala has said repeatedly, she wants to ban fracking, which would kill over 500,000 jobs in Pennsylvania alone.” This post appeared first on washingtonpost.com

GOP senator demands FBI reveal if surveillance went beyond Jack Smith’s phone tracking

GOP senator demands FBI reveal if surveillance went beyond Jack Smith’s phone tracking

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is demanding information from the FBI on whether she has been subjected to additional surveillance, following revelations that former Special Counsel Jack Smith tracked her phone calls, calling the action ‘one of the most serious infringements on the separation of powers in American history.’  Fox News Digital first reported Monday that Smith and his’Arctic Frost’ team investigating Jan. 6 allegedly monitored the phone calls of Lummis and fellow GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Tommy...

UMG shares rally after new multi-year pact with Spotify

UMG shares rally after new multi-year pact with Spotify

Investing.com — Universal Music Group (AS:UMG) and Spotify (NYSE:SPOT) have announced a new multi-year deal for recorded music and publishing, the companies announced in a Sunday statement. The agreement includes a direct license between Spotify and UMG, spanning the US and several other countries, they said. “Under the new agreements, UMG and Spotify will collaborate closely to advance the next era of streaming innovation,” the statement writes. “Artists, songwriters and consumers will benefit from new and evolving offers, new paid subscription tiers, bundling of music and non-music content, and a richer audio and visual content catalog.” UMG shares jumped 5%...

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