Posts by Kim Browne
Trump’s “Golden Dome” Won’t Work—but It’ll Make Elon Musk Richer
This is all nonsense, of course. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a Golden Dome system would cost as much as $831 billion over two decades. Scientists warn that even if all the complex technology and computer software works flawlessly, an adversary could defeat the defenses by simply launching a salvo of missiles that would…
Read MoreMAS to shortlist fund managers for S$5 billion Equity Market Development Programme by Q3
[SINGAPORE] The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will shortlist fund managers for its S$5 billion Equity Market Development Programme by the third quarter of 2025. In response to media queries, an MAS spokesperson said that the programme, which was announced on Feb 21, has received “good response” from global and regional asset managers. These…
Read MoreEU weighs cutting 20 banks from Swift in new Russia sanctions
The European Union (EU) is considering cutting more than 20 banks from Swift, the international payments system, as well as lowering a price cap on Russian oil and banning the Nord Stream gas pipelines as part of a new sanctions package that aims to increase pressure on Moscow to end its war against Ukraine. The…
Read MoreRiverstone and Ho Bee Land chairmen make fresh share purchases
[SINGAPORE] Over the five trading sessions from May 16 to 22, institutions were net sellers of Singapore stocks, with net institutional outflows of S$65 million, adding to net outflows of S$55 million for the preceding four sessions. This brings the net institutional outflow for the 2025 year to May 22 to S$1.73 billion. The stocks…
Read MoreTether focuses elsewhere while US seeks to regulate stablecoins
[CHICAGO] While Congress is considering bills that would help integrate stablecoins more into mainstream finance, the largest issuer of the digital tokens says it will continue to focus on serving markets besides the US. On Monday (May 19), an industry-backed regulatory bill known as the Genius Act made its way through the Senate. The House…
Read MoreJoe Biden Is the Least of Democrats’ Problems
Donald Trump did not fire any commissioners from the [Federal Trade Commission] today. Donald Trump declared that he had fired the commissioners. That is, functionally, he announced a desire that he should have the power to fire FTC commissioners and named the commissioners that he would fire if he were to have that power—a power…
Read MoreThe Dark, Nihilistic Philosophy Behind the IVF Clinic Bombing
Last weekend’s bombing of an in vitro fertilization clinic in Palm Springs, California, was not merely shocking for its violence. The arguably more disturbing aspect of this tragic event is the bleak anti-life worldview underlying the attacker’s motives. Twenty-five-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus detonated a car bomb outside the facility, killing himself and injuring four others,…
Read MoreThe Texas Judge Race That Republicans Are Suddenly Eyeing
But lurking behind the curtain of her marginal campaign for Harris County Judge (an executive position, presiding over a four-person Commissioners Court) is a national powerhouse. On the same day Dutt announced her campaign, she also appointed her campaign treasurer: Cabell Hobbs, a veteran staffer of major Republican campaigns going as far back as 2008.…
Read MoreTrump signs orders to revive US leadership in nuclear power
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump on Friday (May 23) signed orders meant to accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants, including small, untested designs that offer the promise of rapid deployment but have not yet been built in the US. The effort is a bid to meet a coming surge in electricity demand and help…
Read MoreChina’s GAC starts auto sales in Brazil, eyes local plant by late 2026
[SAO PAULO] Chinese automaker GAC announced on Friday (May 23) its product launch in Brazil, saying it expects its line of hybrid and electric cars to garner market acceptance that would allow it to start building a factory in the country in late 2026. GAC’s move comes at a time of growing competition in the…
Read MoreTrump threatens EU, smartphones as tariff rhetoric escalates
[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump dug in on his threat to impose a 50 per cent tariff on the European Union and said a potential 25 per cent charge on smartphones would apply to all foreign-made devices, in the latest escalation of a trade war that is rattling markets and confusing businesses. Trump on Friday…
Read MoreEurope: Stocks close week lower on Trump’s EU, Apple tariff threats
[BENGALURU] European shares closed sharply lower on Friday (May 23) after US President Donald Trump ramped up threats of tariffs on the European Union and smartphone giant Apple, reigniting fears of a damaging global trade war. Trump said he is recommending a straight 50 per cent tariff on goods from the EU starting on Jun…
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