US and Taliban negotiators have agreed on a draft framework for a peace deal seeking to put an end to the 17-year conflict in Afghanistan, Washington’s top negotiator has said. US negotiators held six days of talks with the Taliban in Qatar last week. The Afghan president has made a new call for direct talks […]

  The White House is still planning to move ahead with next week’s scheduled State of the Union address, but the details remain up in the air after House Speaker Nancy Pelosistrongly urged the president to delay the speech or submit it in writing amid the government shutdown fight. According to multiple sources, it remains unclear […]

The US will work with allies to “expel every last Iranian boot” from Syria, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says. Mr Pompeo warned there would be no US reconstruction aid for areas controlled by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad until Iran and its proxies had left. He also criticised ex-President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy, saying […]

United States federal agencies reportedly raided the office of a Michigan-based science and tech center last month during a crypto-related investigation, local news outlet Wood-TV reported Jan. 5. As Wood-TV reported, Chris Boden, the founder of The Geek Group, made a live public statement on YouTube Saturday night, which has evidently since been deleted. Boden reportedly claimed the office of […]

The federal grand jury being used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his probe into Russian collusion in the US 2016 election has had its term extended by up to six months. The initial 18-month term was due to expire this weekend. The jury’s members have heard dozens of witnesses and have approved a swathe […]

US Democrats have vowed to pass bills that would end a government shutdown, when they take control of the House when Congress reconvenes on Thursday. But the bills will not include funding for President Donald Trump’s Mexican border wall, the cause of the shutdown. The impasse will therefore continue, as Republicans still control the Senate […]

Donald Trump has shrugged off a stinging personal attack on his presidency from senior fellow Republican Mitt Romney. Mr Romney, who stood and lost for the Republicans against Barack Obama in 2012, suggested in an article that Mr Trump was not fit to be president. Mr Trump had not “risen to the mantle”, he wrote […]

A top Republican has said US President Donald Trump remains committed to defeating Islamic State (IS) in Syria, despite his plan to withdraw US troops. Senator Lindsey Graham suggested the withdrawal had been slowed and he was now reassured of the president’s commitment after meeting him on Sunday. Mr Trump’s troop pullout plan met strong […]

U.S. stocks pushed higher in a choppy session on Friday following a wild week of trading that has seen equities rebound from a prolonged slide. Major indexes moved in and out of positive territory during the day, action that was emblematic of recent volatility though lacking the huge swings of the past week. Thursday’s trading […]

President Donald Trump has lashed out at the US central bank for stock market turmoil, saying the American economy’s only problem is the Fed itself. In a tweet, Mr Trump said the Federal Reserve lacks understanding of markets and “necessary trade wars”. The salvo came as Mr Trump’s treasury secretary scrambles to calm nervous investors. […]