Political news

• Actress Carrie Fisher suffers 'cardiac episode' on flight: L.A. Times

  23-12-2016 23:41
  By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Carrie Fisher suffered a "cardiac episode" on Friday during an airline flight from London to Los Angeles and was rushed to a hospital in critical condition after landing, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing emergency officials. Fisher, 60, who has been on a tour promoting a new memoir, is best known for her role as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" movie series. The celebrity news website TMZ.com and other news outlets also reported that Fisher s
  
  Read more

• WITHDRAWAL-London court says Turkish trustees have no claim on alleged Gulen-linked firm's UK asset

  23-12-2016 23:39
  LONDON (Reuters) - This story has been withdrawn. The story was based on a ruling that was not a final judgement. There will be no substitute story.
  
  Read more

• Israel calls back for consultations ambassadors to New Zealand and Senegal

  23-12-2016 23:33
  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed Israel's ambassadors in New Zealand and Senegal to return to Israel for consultations, his spokesman said on Friday, in response to a UN resolution on settlements. The Security Council resolution demanding an end to settlement activity on land the Palestinians want for a state was put forward by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal. Netanyahu's spokesman David Keys said the prime minister had also ordered the cancellation of the pl
  
  Read more

• U.N. Security Council denounces Israeli settlements, U.S. abstains

  23-12-2016 23:22
  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Friday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, Israel and some U.S. lawmakers who urged Washington to wield its veto. An abstention by the United States paved the way for the 15-member international body to approve the resolution, with 14 votes in favour, prompting applause in the council chamber. "Israel rejects this sha
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Israel hopes to work with Trump after U.N. settlements resolution office

  23-12-2016 23:21
  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel looks forward to working with President-Elect Donald Trump to counter any effects of a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a halt to settlement activity, a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday. "The Obama administration not only failed to protect Israel against this gang-up at the UN, it colluded with it behind the scenes," the statement said. ...
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Trump asks when US and allies will 'fight back'

  23-12-2016 23:14
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times local):
  
  Read more

• Families and disabled people 'hit worse by rising homelessness'

  23-12-2016 23:00
  
  Labour’s John Healey says figures undermine government’s claim to protect society’s most vulnerableTheresa May’s claim to lead a government that protects the most vulnerable is undermined by figures showing that families and disabled people have been disproportionately hit by increasing homelessness, Labour has said.John Healey, the shadow housing minister, said on Friday that while homelessness generally had gone up 41% since 2010, people who might expect extra care from
  
  Read more

• Israel will not adhere to U.N. settlements resolution - Netanyahu office

  23-12-2016 22:48
  Israel will not abide by the terms of a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted on Friday demanding an end to settlement activity, a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "Israel rejects this shameful anti-Israel resolution at the U.N. and will not abide by its terms," the statement said.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Trump calls remarks on video by Berlin attacker 'a purely religious threat'

  23-12-2016 22:43
  (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, referring to a video in which a Tunisian man suspected in a Berlin truck attack vowed to "slaughter you pigs," said on Friday it was "a purely religious threat, which turned into reality." "Such hatred! When will the U.S., and all countries, fight back?" Trump tweeted. (Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington; Editing by David Alexander)
  
  Read more

• US warns of possible attacks on churches, holiday gatherings

  23-12-2016 22:42
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities warned local law enforcement authorities across the nation Friday that Islamic State sympathizers are continuing to call for attacks on churches and other holiday gathering sites.
  
  Read more

• Martin Rowson on Trump and Putin's nuclear comments – cartoon

  23-12-2016 22:34
  
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Trump welcomes 'nice' letter from Putin after nuclear vow

  23-12-2016 22:33
  
  WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — After months of promising to engage more with Russia, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to enhance America's nuclear capabilities, admonishing Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that he hopes both global powers can restore collaboration so that "we do not have to travel an alternate path."
  
  Read more

• More states consider working around the Electoral College

  23-12-2016 22:21
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Frustrated after seeing another candidate secure the presidency without winning the national popular vote, mostly Democratic lawmakers in several capitols want their states to join a 10-year-old movement to work around the Electoral College.
  
  Read more

• Aleppo sees shelling, air strikes again as Assad urges peace talks

  23-12-2016 22:19
  By Lisa Barrington and Angus McDowall BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels shelled Aleppo and air strikes resumed around the city on Friday as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies said the insurgents' withdrawal from the city could pave the way towards a political solution for the country. A day after the last rebels left their remaining pocket of territory in the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights - a war monitor based in Britain - said about 10 shells fell in its southwestern
  
  Read more

• White House defends decision to abstain in U.N. vote on settlements

  23-12-2016 22:18
  The White House on Friday defended its decision to abstain from a U.N. Security Council vote on Israeli settlements, allowing the resolution to pass, saying the rapid expansion of settlement activity put a two-state solution at risk. Ben Rhodes, the White House's deputy national security adviser, also dismissed criticism by President-elect Donald Trump of the U.S. decision saying President Barack Obama was president of the United States until Jan. 20.
  
  Read more

• U.S. Senator Graham says Obama policy on Israel 'flat-out reckless'

  23-12-2016 22:18
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senator Lindsey Graham said on Friday that U.S. foreign policy under President Barack Obama "has gone from naive and foolish to flat-out reckless" after the United States abstained from voting on a U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity. The senior Republican senator, in a note on Twitter after the vote, said: "With friends like these, #Israel doesn't need any enemies. ...
  
  Read more

• U.N. vote on settlements is a blow to Israeli policy - Abbas spokesman

  23-12-2016 22:18
  RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - A U.N. Security Council vote to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements is a blow to Israeli policy, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday. "The Security Council resolution is a big blow to Israeli policy, a unanimous international condemnation of settlements and a strong support for the two-state solution," spokesman Nabil Abu Rdainah said in a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. 
  
  Read more

• U.N. chief welcomes settlements resolutions, urges return to talks

  23-12-2016 22:18
  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the Security Council's adoption on Friday of a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, his spokesman said. "The secretary-general takes this opportunity to encourage Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work with the international community to create a conducive environment for a return to meaningful negotiations," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols, editing by G Crosse)
  
  Read more

• Trump says after U.N. vote - "things will be different after Jan. 20th"

  23-12-2016 22:18
  (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said in a tweet after the United States abstained in a U.N. Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements that "things will be different after Jan. 20," when he takes office. Trump on Thursday urged the United States to veto the resolution. (Reporting by Eric Beech in Washington)
  
  Read more

• Settlement vote at U.N. Security Council is 'day of victory' - Palestinians

  23-12-2016 22:18
  A U.N. Security Council vote to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements marks "a day of victory," a senior Palestinian official said on Friday. "This is a day of victory for international law, a victory for civilized language and negotiation and a total rejection of extremist forces in Israel," Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters. "The international community has told the people of Israel that the way to security and peace is not going to be done through occu
  
  Read more

• Kerry, after U.N. vote, calls for Israel, Palestinians to advance two-state solution

  23-12-2016 22:18
  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Israel and the Palestinians to advance prospects for a two-state solution after the United States abstained in a U.N. Security Council vote on Friday condemning Israeli settlements. Kerry said in a statement that the United States did not agree with every aspect of the resolution.
  
  Read more

• UN condemns Israeli settlements as Obama declines to veto

  23-12-2016 22:10
  
  In a striking rupture with past practice, the United States allowed the U.N. Security Council on Friday to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation" ...
  
  Read more

• Global stocks steady, US dollar near 14-year peak on low volumes

  23-12-2016 22:09
  By Dion Rabouin NEW YORK (Reuters) - Key stock indexes around the world were little changed on Friday, as were the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasury yields, in low volume trading ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend. The dollar index has gained 5.0 percent since Donald Trump's U.S. presidential victory on Nov. 8, but was little changed for the week.[FRX/] U.S. Treasury prices were slightly firmer as investors made minimal moves in a holiday-shortened session.
  
  Read more

• World Rugby criticises handling of North concussion

  23-12-2016 22:03
  By Ken Ferris LONDON (Reuters) - World rugby's ruling body has criticised the handling of the concussion suffered by Northampton's George North against Leicester this month, saying that he should have left the field immediately and not returned. A domestic Concussion Management Review Group (CMRG) investigating the incident decided Northampton wrongly allowed the Welsh winger to resume playing after he sustained the injury in the Premiership game. World Rugby said on Friday it was unhappy with t
  
  Read more

• Trump's nuclear remarks test bid to improve Russia ties

  23-12-2016 21:56
  By Melissa Fares and Andrew Osborn WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump upped the stakes on Friday in a back-and-forth exchange with President Vladimir Putin over nuclear weapons that tested the Republican's promises to improve relations with Russia. Offering a glimpse of how he might conduct diplomacy after taking office on Jan. 20, Trump reportedly welcomed a nuclear arms race with Russia and China and boasted that the United States would win it. MSNBC hos
  
  Read more

• Arizona man arrested for plotting Islamic State-inspired attack

  23-12-2016 21:53
  By David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona man authorities described as an avowed Jihadist was arrested for plotting an Islamic State-inspired lone-wolf attack in the state. Derrick Raymond Thompson, 30, of Phoenix was charged with one felony count each of assisting a criminal syndicate and misconduct involving weapons stemming from his activities since at least July 2014, according to FBI officials and documents filed with an Arizona state court. Thompson, also known as Abu Talib Al-Amrik
  
  Read more

• Russia's Putin discusses killing of ambassador with Erdogan

  23-12-2016 21:45
  Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gave an update on the investigation into the killing of the Russian ambassador in Ankara in a phone conversation with President Vladimir Putin on Friday which also covered the Syrian crisis, the Kremlin said. The envoy, Andrei Karlov, was shot dead on Monday by an assassin who shouted "Allahu Akbar" and "Don't forget Aleppo". "The President of Turkey informed Vladimir Putin about how the investigation of the murder of the Russian ambassador to Turkey was going,"
  
  Read more

• Damascus water supply cut after rebels pollute it - authority

  23-12-2016 21:44
  The Damascus water authority has been forced to cut supplies coming into the Syrian capital for a few days and use reserves instead after rebels polluted the water with diesel, it said on Friday. The al-Fija spring which supplies Damascus with water is in the rebel-held Wadi Barada valley northwest of the capital in a mountainous area near the Lebanese border. A military news outlet run by Syrian government ally Hezbollah said the rebels in the Wadi Barada valley had refused to leave the area an
  
  Read more

• Air strikes resume around Aleppo - Syrian Observatory

  23-12-2016 21:44
  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said air strikes resumed in rebel-held areas of the countryside near Aleppo on Friday for the first time since the end of an operation this week to evacuate rebels and civilians from the city. Strikes hit to the west, south-west and south of the city, which the Syrian government has recaptured from the rebels in a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad. The British-based Observatory had no information on casualties yet. (Reporting b
  
  Read more

• Palace appoint former England manager Allardyce

  23-12-2016 21:32
  
  Former England boss Sam Allardyce has signed a 2-1/2 year contract to take over as manager of Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace, the London club said on Friday. Palace, who are fourth from bottom, sacked Alan Pardew on Thursday after a dismal run of results. "We are delighted to be able to make an appointment so quickly and fortunate that someone of Sam's calibre and experience was available," club chairman Steve Parish said in a statement.
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Trump criticizes UN vote on Israeli settlements

  23-12-2016 21:29
  
  The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times local): 3:20 p.m. President-elect Donald Trump is criticizing the Obama administration's decision to allow the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israeli ...
  
  Read more

• U.S. crude settles at 17-month high after small, pre-holiday gain

  23-12-2016 21:25
  By Scott DiSavino NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices closed at a 17-month high on Friday in quiet trade ahead of the Christmas and New Year holiday week, even though the gain was small, as the market waits to see how OPEC manages its planned output cuts with Libya expecting to boost production. Brent futures gained 11 cents, or 0.2 percent, to settle at $55.16 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained seven cents, or 0.1 percent, to settle at $53.02, its highest close sin
  
  Read more

• Senate Dems pledge close look at stock trades by HHS nominee

  23-12-2016 21:14
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats say they will closely examine stock trades by President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
  
  Read more

• U.S. says settlement building undermines Israel security

  23-12-2016 20:56
  Continued settlement building "seriously undermines Israel's security," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said on Friday after Washington allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to settlements by abstaining from the vote. "One cannot simultaneously champion expanding Israeli settlements and champion a viable two state solution that would end the conflict.
  
  Read more

• Israeli minister says U.S. has abandoned Israel after U.N. vote

  23-12-2016 20:56
  Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Friday the United States had abandoned Israel by abstaining in a United Nations Security Council vote which adopted a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements. The United States tonight has simply abandoned its only friend in the Middle East," Steinitz, who is close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Channel Two News.
  
  Read more

• U.N. Security Council demands end to Israeli settlements, U.S. abstains

  23-12-2016 20:48
  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Obama administration on Friday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump as well as Israel and several U.S. senators who urged Washington to use its veto. The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote on Friday by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel a
  
  Read more

• Syrian rebels shell Aleppo as Assad urges peace talks

  23-12-2016 20:40
  Syrian rebels shelled Aleppo on Friday killing at least three people, media reported, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies said the insurgents' withdrawal from the city could pave the way towards a political solution for the country. The Observatory said six people, including two children, were killed, while state television said at least three people died. Insurgents seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have frequently shelled the areas of Aleppo that have been under g
  
  Read more

• New Mexico nuclear waste site could restart operations in January

  23-12-2016 20:39
  The United States' only permanent nuclear waste disposal site got the go-ahead on Friday to resume operations nearly three years after a radiation leak shut down the New Mexico facility. The U.S. Department of Energy said in a statement that disposal of nuclear waste at the site near Carlsbad could begin again as early as next month, following two safety reviews and corrective actions. The announcement came one day after New Mexico state officials said they had given their approval for operation
  
  Read more

• Damascus water supply cut after rebels pollute it with diesel

  23-12-2016 20:27
  BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Damascus water authority said on Friday it had been forced to cut supplies to the Syrian capital for a few days after rebels polluted the water with diesel. It said in a statement on its website that authorities would use water reserves until the problem was resolved. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
  
  Read more

• After U.S. abstention, UN Security Council demands end to Israel settlement building

  23-12-2016 20:26
  After the United States abstained from voting, the U.N. Security Council on Friday passed a resolution demanding Israel stop building settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, a reversal of U.S. practice to protect Israel from United Nations action. The resolution was put forward at the 15-member council for a vote on Friday by New Zealand, Malaysia, Venezuela and Senegal a day after Egypt withdrew it under pressure from Israel and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
  
  Read more

• Midwest buying spree lifted US new-home sales in November

  23-12-2016 20:23
  
  A buying spree in the Midwest spurred new U.S. home sales last month to the fastest pace since July. The Commerce Department said Friday that new-home sales in November rose 5.2 percent to a seasonally ...
  
  Read more

• UN set for showdown as US weighs abstention on Israel vote

  23-12-2016 20:05
  
  UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council prepared Friday for perhaps its biggest vote in recent history as the United States weighed abstaining from a resolution that would condemn Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Behind the scenes, U.S. and Israeli officials exchanged surprisingly sharp words for allies.
  
  Read more

• Sudan extradites senior Tunisian Islamic State suspect - state media

  23-12-2016 20:02
  Authorities in Tunisia said on Friday that Sudan had handed over a Tunisian suspect accused of being a senior figure within Islamic State and helping plan a 2015 attack on the Bardo museum in Tunis, state media reported. The suspect, Moez Fezzani, was a point of contact for Tunisian militants who travelled to Syria or Libya, sometimes returning to their home country to carry out attacks, Sofiane Sliti, a senior Tunisian judicial official, told state news agency TAP.
  
  Read more

• Trump co-chair wishes death on Obama, calls 1st lady male

  23-12-2016 19:58
  BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A Buffalo businessman who co-chaired Donald Trump's New York campaign says he wants to see President Barack Obama die from mad cow disease and the first lady "return to being a male."
  
  Read more

• Exclusive - FBI probes FDIC hack linked to China's military: sources

  23-12-2016 19:38
  By Dustin Volz and Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating how hackers infiltrated computers at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for several years beginning in 2010 in a breach senior FDIC officials believe was sponsored by China's military, people with knowledge of the matter said. The security breach, in which hackers gained access to dozens of computers including the workstation for former FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair, has also been the target of a probe by a congr
  
  Read more

• Homelessness on the rise, says British charity as Christmas shelters open

  23-12-2016 19:36
  More than 4,000 homeless people in Britain are expected to use temporary shelters set up over Christmas by charity Crisis, which said the number of people sleeping rough was rising sharply. Staffed by an army of around 13,000 volunteers, the charity will provide food, shelter, haircuts, massages and dentistry services at shelters until Dec. 30. "In the last year, (that...) has gone up by 30 percent," its Chief Executive Jon Sparkes told Reuters at a temporary centre opened in North London on Thu
  
  Read more

• Corruption probe clouds survival of Brazil's transition leader

  23-12-2016 19:30
  By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA (Reuters) - Corruption allegations implicating Brazilian President Michel Temer and his party are casting doubt on his ability to remain in office and causing the first cracks in his coalition amid growing calls for early elections. Allegations that Temer and members of his inner circle solicited illegal funds for his 2014 vice presidential campaign threaten to undermine a solid majority in Congress that put him in office by impeaching leftist Dilma Rousseff in August.
  
  Read more

• Global stocks little changed, U.S. dollar near 14-year peak in thin trading

  23-12-2016 19:23
  By Dion Rabouin NEW YORK (Reuters) - Key stock indexes around the world were little changed on Friday, as were the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasury yields, in thin trading ahead of the Christmas holiday weekend. The U.S. dollar held steady against a basket of major currencies , lingering about half a percent below a 14-year peak set earlier this week.
  
  Read more

• Top Senate Democrat - U.S. must veto U.N. resolution on Israeli settlements

  23-12-2016 19:22
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Incoming U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer called on the Obama administration on Friday to veto the U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for an end to Israeli settlements. "I am strongly opposed to the U.N. putting pressure on Israel through one-sided resolutions. An abstention is not good enough. The Administration must veto this resolution," Schumer said in a statement, adding that he had spoken directly to administration officials earlier on Friday. (
  
  Read more

• Putin praises Trump's judgment, rejects hacking claims

  23-12-2016 19:13
  
  Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced hope Friday that frayed relations with the U.S. will improve once Donald Trump becomes president despite his pledge to strengthen the U.S.'s nuclear arsenal. Speaking ...
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!