Attorney General Eric Holder says the NSA whistleblower's claims of what he would face should he return to America are 'entirely without merit'

Texas governor Rick Perry calls special legislative session to force through controversial bill to ban abortions in his state

I am writing this article on my Apple iMac. Beside me is a skinny capp from Starbucks, and I have already used Google to research information for this piece. Like most of the population, I am queasy about how little tax the trio pay but, while I could boycott the coffee, it's not so easy to do without Apple or Google.

Splitting Jamie Dimon’s role might make his reign longer, with an extra set of eyes at the top to cut mistakes

Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who died on 3 February at the age of 87, was the mixed-race daughter of the controversial US politician Strom Thurmond who kept her parentage secret for more than 70 years to avoid damaging his political career.

Global stock markets are expected to face turbulent trading when they re-open today as investors give their initial verdict on the US budget agreement to avert the "fiscal cliff" of combined general tax rises and public spending cuts.

Markets worldwide face volatility after late compromise on tax rises and spending cuts

As Republicans struggle to regain their footing in the storm unleashed by comments on rape made by a conservative congressman from Missouri, President Barack Obama has signalled that he intends to give them no help with biting remarks delivered at a New York fundraiser.

The Presidential campaign of Mitt Romney was rocked again yesterday as his private wealth came under fresh and unfriendly scrutiny in the media even as Democrats continued to exploit embarrassment created by comments from a conservative congressman in Missouri on rape and abortion.

Nobody needs to be reminded that the Sea of Galilee in the Holy Land has special significance to Christians as the place where Jesus walked on water. Now, however, a new historic marker may need to be erected on its shores: "Here in 2011 swam a gaggle of inebriated US Republican Congressmen, one in the buff."

Boris Johnson today defended London's financial sector from international criticism in the wake of the latest banking scandal.

Rod Blagojevich, the former Governor of Illinois, began a 14-year jail term in Colorado yesterday. The one-time golden boy of Democratic Party politics in Illinois was found guilty of corruption. His immediate predecessor, George Ryan, was jailed for the same reason.