Author: Guillermo Steele

Private island life isn’t exactly a thing in New York unless you count this off-grid oasis near New Rochelle. Columbia Island, a five-acre island paradise less than an hour from Manhattan, is looking for its next owner. Located in the middle of the Long Island Sound, the island is going under the hammer with Concierge Auctions, in partnership with Patricia Anderson of Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty. The picturesque property, once on the market for $13 million, has been totally renovated. Previously, it served as a radio tower but now features a 5,625-square-foot home. The residence, along with the island itself, is self-sustaining.…

In many instances, that remains the case today. But it’s not necessarily true. Finland set the marker back in 2000, when Nokia turned into 70% of the Helsinki stock market by value1. The dotcom bust that followed resolved the situation. But this event did demonstrate the capacity indices have of becoming unintended risk concentration zones. Today, the US accounts for a mindboggling 70% of the MSCI World Index and 62% of the MSCI All Countries World Index2. Investing in a fund tracking either of these or any similar index essentially means investing in America. The US stock market itself, in…

The US has sent Ukraine more than one million rounds of Iranian ammunition that had been seized last year, the US military said on Wednesday. US naval forces for years have been seizing weapons believed to be from Iran bound for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, usually transported by fishing vessels. US Central Command, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, said about 1.1 million 7.62 mm rounds were sent to Ukraine. They were originally seized by US naval forces in December 2022 and being transferred from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to Houthi forces in Yemen. “The US is…

President William Ruto has revealed that the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) Agreement between Kenya and the United States is nearing its finalisation, signifying a step towards strengthening the existing relations between the two nations.In a post on X, Ruto emphasized that the partnership would be pivotal in promoting trade and investment. “The relations between Kenya and United States are focused on the expansion of our shared prosperity. We are expediting the finalisation of a Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP) agreement, which will anchor increased trade, boost manufacturing, create jobs and spur investment between our nations,” Ruto affirmed…

The United States and the Philippines launched annual joint naval war games on Monday, days after the latest diplomatic row between Manila and Beijing over the disputed South China Sea. More than a thousand sailors from the two allies are taking part in the annual “Samasama” (Tagalog for Together) anti-submarine, surface and electronic warfare drills off Manila and the south of Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety despite a 2016 international ruling that it has no legal basis, have become a growing concern for Washington…

Last-gasp moves to prevent a US government shutdown became legislation late on Saturday, when President Joe Biden signed the bill to extend government for 45 days. Democrats overwhelmingly backed an eleventh-hour Republican measure to keep federal funding going, which comes with a freeze on Washington’s aid to Ukraine. The stopgap measure, adopted 335-91 by the House of Representatives, was pitched by Speaker Kevin McCarthy with just hours to go before a midnight shutdown deadline that would have seen millions of federal employees and military personnel sent home or required to work without pay. Ninety of the votes against the measure…

The US has restarted its free at-home Covid-19 testing service, as the government attempts to limit the spread of the virus over the winter months. Covid hospitalisations have been increasing in the last few weeks, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The tests will be able to detect a new strain of the virus, which has now been reported in several US states. People will be able to request four free rapid antigen tests. The government website to request Covid tests was launched in January 2022, but the programme ended earlier in 2023 to…

Lawyers for Donald Trump have asked the federal judge presiding over his election subversion case in Washington to recuse herself Lawyers for Donald Trump on Monday asked the federal judge presiding over his election subversion case in Washington to recuse herself, saying her past public statements about the former president and his connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol call into question whether she can be fair. The recusal motion from Trump’s lawyers takes aim at U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a former assistant public defender who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama and has…

The IRS wants to show positive results from its burst of new funding under President Joe Biden’s administration, as Republicans in Congress look to claw back some of that money. The US’s revenue agency has announced a plan to aggressively pursue 1,600 millionaires and 75 large business partnerships that owe hundreds of millions of dollars in past due taxes. Commissioner Daniel Werfel of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said that with a boost in federal funding and the help of artificial intelligence tools, the agency has new means of targeting wealthy people who have “cut corners” on their taxes. “If…

Huawei, the Chinese tech juggernaut, is strategically establishing a network of undisclosed semiconductor fabrication plants across various regions of China, reported Bloomberg. The purpose of this move, as indicated by a semiconductor association based in Washington, is to cleverly navigate the constraints imposed by US sanctions. In a daring venture into the realm of chip production last year, Huawei has reportedly garnered substantial financial backing from the Chinese government, believed to be in the vicinity of $30 billion. The Semiconductor Industry Association, an authoritative voice in this landscape, disclosed these intricate manoeuvres. Their assertion underscores the fact that Huawei has…