Political news

• Equatorial Guinea confirms hosting ousted Gambian leader Jammeh

  24-01-2017 23:58
  Equatorial Guinea confirmed on Tuesday it was hosting ousted Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, who fled his country after West African troops threatened to remove him by force if he did not concede his election defeat. Information Minister Eugenio Nse Obiang confirmed that Jammeh was in the country in a statement sent out to journalists. Jammeh plunged Gambia into turmoil in December when he refused to accept losing to Adama Barrow, demanding a new poll.
  
  Read more

• Rebuking Obama, Trump boosts Keystone XL, Dakota pipelines

  24-01-2017 23:42
  
  President Donald Trump moved swiftly Tuesday to advance the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines, signing executive actions to aggressively overhaul America's energy policy and deal ...
  
  Read more

• Trump health pick gives Dems few details on health overhaul

  24-01-2017 23:37
  
  President Donald Trump's selection to become health secretary told a Senate committee Tuesday that the new administration believes people with existing illnesses should not be denied health insurance, ...
  
  Read more

• Tesco faces new legal action over accounting scandal

  24-01-2017 23:37
  Britain's biggest retailer Tesco PLC is facing a new claim for damages from an investor about its 2014 profit overstatement, the company said on Tuesday. A spokesman for the supermarket group said it was aware of a claim filed by Manning & Napier, the U.S. fund manager, and would be filing a defence shortly. Manning & Napier declined to comment.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Trump dogged by insecurity over popular vote, media coverage

  24-01-2017 23:33
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump holds the most powerful office in the world. But he's dogged by insecurity over his loss of the popular vote in the election and a persistent frustration that the legitimacy of his presidency is being challenged by Democrats and the media, aides and associates say.
  
  Read more

• Supreme Court Brexit ruling: What happens next?

  24-01-2017 23:32 via bbc.co.uk
  
  After the Supreme Court rejects the government's Brexit appeal, what happens next?
  
  Read more

• Hemed sends Brighton back to top

  24-01-2017 23:30
  LONDON (Reuters) - Brighton & Hove Albion returned to the top of England's second-tier Championship with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Cardiff City at the Amex stadium on Tuesday. Chris Hughton's side dominated throughout but had to wait until the 73rd minute for Israeli international Tomer Hemed to strike after he slipped past Sol Bamba to smash home the ball. The win puts Brighton two points ahead of Newcastle and 11 points clear of third-placed Reading, who beat Fulham 1-0 with a 49th-minute
  
  Read more

• FACT CHECK: Miscues on voter fraud and election results

  24-01-2017 23:24
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's press secretary on Tuesday mischaracterized the election results and the findings of a study that purported to show significant voting in the past by non-citizens.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Trump clears way for controversial oil pipelines

  24-01-2017 23:23
  By Steve Holland and Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders on Tuesday smoothing the path for the controversial Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines in a move to expand energy infrastructure and roll back key Obama administration environmental actions. Oil producers in Canada and North Dakota are expected to benefit from a quicker route for crude oil to U.S. Gulf Coast refiners. Trump campaigned on promises to increase domestic energy production
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Insurers propose alternative to federal mandate

  24-01-2017 23:22
  
  The Latest on activities in Congress (all times EST): 5:15 p.m. Health insurers are telling Congress there's a workable alternative to getting Americans covered that does not require a federal mandate. ...
  
  Read more

• Ingraham's site gets first question at Spicer press briefing

  24-01-2017 23:19
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer took the first question at his briefing Tuesday from a reporter who works for Lifezette, a website founded by Donald Trump supporter Laura Ingraham that published some untrue stories during the 2016 presidential campaign.
  
  Read more

• House passes bill to bar federal funds for abortion

  24-01-2017 23:19
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Emboldened by a Republican in the White House, the GOP-led House on Tuesday backed legislation that would permanently bar federal funds for any abortion coverage.
  
  Read more

• Factbox - Trump gives nod to Keystone XL oil pipeline

  24-01-2017 23:19
  (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday to move forward with construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, rolling back key Obama administration environmental actions in favour of expanding energy infrastructure. In 2015, former President Barack Obama rejected the cross-border crude oil line, seven years after it was first proposed, citing environmental concerns and saying it would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to the U.S. economy. THE PROJECT:
  
  Read more

• Lawmakers, governor ready for showdown in divided N Carolina

  24-01-2017 23:16
  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislators begin a new session Wednesday amid rancor with a new governor and deep skepticism about whether they will reach consensus on big issues or remain stuck in a quagmire of state officials' own making.
  
  Read more

• Brexit: Civil servants to get international trade training

  24-01-2017 23:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Civil servants will be coached in trade policy and negotiations to prepare for the UK's exit from the EU.
  
  Read more

• Jihadists battle moderate rebels in northern Syria

  24-01-2017 22:57
  By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Heavy fighting erupted in northwestern Syria on Tuesday between a powerful jihadist organisation and more moderate rebel groups, threatening to further weaken the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad in its biggest territorial stronghold. Rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army (FSA) banner, some of which attended peace talks in Kazakhstan, accused the jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham of launching a surprise attack on their positions. Fateh al-Sham,
  
  Read more

• Here's The Biggest Whopper Of Day Five Of Trump's America

  24-01-2017 22:41
  
  On Monday night, President Donald Trump was reported to have told leaders in Washington that he lost the popular vote in the US election because three million to five million “illegals” voted for Hillary Clinton, a renewal of the voter fraud claim he made in the aftermath of his victory.
  To be clear, Trump was was once again raising questions about the legitimacy of his own triumph.In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct
  
  Read more

• Donald Trump 'Believes' There's Widespread Voter Fraud, Though Has Zero Evidence

  24-01-2017 22:41
  
  On Monday night, President Donald Trump was reported to have told leaders in Washington that he lost the popular vote in the US election because three million to five million “illegals” voted for Hillary Clinton, a renewal of the voter fraud claim he made in the aftermath of his victory.
  To be clear, Trump was was once again raising questions about the legitimacy of his own triumph.In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct
  
  Read more

• Correa ally leads Ecuador election polls, but second round likely

  24-01-2017 22:39
  By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's ruling leftist party candidate leads voting intentions in the small Andean country ahead of presidential elections next month, but does not have enough support to win in the first round, two recent polls showed. After recent major losses for Latin America's leftist bloc, Ecuador's election is being scrutinized for a potential further setback as the end of a regional commodities boom and corruption scandals fuel voters' desire for change. Lenin Mo
  
  Read more

• Britain confirms bird flu case in Lancashire, to cull infected poultry

  24-01-2017 22:38
  (Reuters) - The H5N8 bird flu strain has been found in a flock of about 10,000 pheasants at a farm in Lancashire, northwest England, British authorities said on Tuesday. Some of the birds have already died and the remainder will be culled, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said in a statement. Different strains of bird flu have been spreading across Europe and Asia since late last year, leading to the large-scale slaughter of poultry in certain countries and some human dea
  
  Read more

• Global stocks, dollar rise; investors eye earnings

  24-01-2017 22:34
  By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rallied on Tuesday as investors looked past U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist rhetoric and focussed on encouraging economic data and quarterly earnings reports.
  
  Read more

• '1984' sales soar after 'alternative facts,' Trump claims

  24-01-2017 22:29
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — In the wake of incorrect or unprovable statements made by President Donald Trump and some White House aides, one truth is undeniable: Sales are soaring for George Orwell's "1984."
  
  Read more

• Top Republicans accept 'alternative facts' from Trump

  24-01-2017 22:19
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The top three Senate Republicans refused on Tuesday to disavow President Donald Trump's false claim that millions of illegally cast ballots cost him the popular vote.
  
  Read more

• Morocco send holders Ivory Coast packing at Nations Cup

  24-01-2017 22:19
  Rachid Alioui scored a spectacular winner for Morocco to defeat holders Ivory Coast 1-0 and advance to the quarter-finals of the African Nations Cup finals at the expense of the defending champions on Tuesday. French-born Alioui netted from 35 metres to take coach Herve Renard's side into the knockout stages and end the hopes of the country the latter led to the continental title two years ago in Equatorial Guinea. Morocco finished runners-up in Group C with six points, one behind pool winners t
  
  Read more

• Trump White House silent on new Israeli settlement units

  24-01-2017 22:16
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration declined Tuesday to take a position on Israel's latest plan to expand Jewish settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians, breaking with past White House criticism of such construction but leaving its own policy unclear.
  
  Read more

• Factbox - Dakota Access Pipeline's long journey

  24-01-2017 22:16
  (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday allowing the Dakota Access Pipeline to go forward, after months of protests from Native American groups and climate activists pushed the Obama administration to ask for additional environmental review for the controversial project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in December turned down the request for an easement for the Dakota Access Pipeline to build under the Missouri River. The following is a timeline of the proje
  
  Read more

• Why anti-bribery laws help global business

  24-01-2017 22:12
  Just a decade ago, it was common to hear complaints in the United States against a strict anti-bribery law passed in 1977. The biggest complaint was that the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) hurts US companies operating overseas because they lose out to foreign firms willing to pay bribes to close a deal. It remains to be seen if President Trump’s Justice Department will try to weaken the law or ease off from the rigorous enforcement of the act under the Obama administration.
  
  Read more

• Israel plans more than 2,500 new settler homes to start Trump era

  24-01-2017 22:10
  By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel announced plans on Tuesday for 2,500 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank, the second such declaration since U.S. President Donald Trump took office signalling he could be more accommodating towards such projects than his predecessor. A statement from the Israeli Defence Ministry, which administers lands Israel captured in a 1967 war, said the decision was meant to fulfil demand for new housing "to maintain regular daily life". Most of the con
  
  Read more

• Amid criticism, Comey remaining as FBI director under Trump

  24-01-2017 22:09
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director James Comey, the target of bipartisan criticism over his handling of politically sensitive investigations, is staying in his job as head of the law enforcement agency.
  
  Read more

• Trump budget pick: Cut benefit programs; tax hikes on table

  24-01-2017 21:57
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid need significant changes to be preserved for future generations, President Donald Trump's pick to head the White House budget office told Congress on Tuesday, putting him at odds with the new chief executive.
  
  Read more

• Theresa May 'Like Pseudo Dictator' In Supreme Court Brexit Case, Chuka Umunna Says

  24-01-2017 21:45
  
  Theresa May has behaved “like some pseudo dictator” by seeking to begin leaving the EU without a vote in parliament, Chuka Umunna has said.
  The Labour MP said the prime minister had behaved as if “only she should have a say on the way we leave the EU” when she fought in the courts to stop MPs having a vote on Article 50.
  The Government lost its case in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, when judges upheld that triggering Article 50 required an act of parliament.
  Umunna, w
  
  Read more

• The Latest: McCain to nominee: 'What were you thinking?'

  24-01-2017 21:40
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on activities in Congress (all times EST):
  
  Read more

• Theresa May unlikely to address Irish parliament

  24-01-2017 21:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May is not expected to address the Dáil (Irish parliament) during her Dublin visit, Enda Kenny says.
  
  Read more

• Israel advises citizens in Egypt's Sinai to leave, cites attack risk

  24-01-2017 21:24
  Israel on Tuesday advised its citizens in Egypt's insurgency-hit Sinai peninsula to leave the region, warning of the threat of an imminent attack. Israeli holidaymakers are often warned of the risks they face in Sinai, which borders Israel, but the "Level 1" alert issued by the anti-terrorism directorate is its most severe warning. "The directorate warns of the possibility of attacks against tourist sites in the Sinai area in the immediate term," a statement said.
  
  Read more

• Insight - How Russia sold its oil jewel — without saying who bought it

  24-01-2017 21:15
  By Katya Golubkova, Dmitry Zhdannikov and Stephen Jewkes MOSCOW/LONDON/MILAN (Reuters) - More than a month after Russia announced one of its biggest privatisations since the 1990s, selling a 19.5 percent stake in its giant oil company Rosneft, it still isn't possible to determine from public records the full identities of those who bought it. The stake was sold for 10.2 billion euros to a Singapore investment vehicle that Rosneft said was a 50/50 joint venture between Qatar and the Swiss oil tra
  
  Read more

• No one will beat Rooney's United record, says Ferguson

  24-01-2017 21:08
  Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson believes no one will ever beat Wayne Rooney's record of 250 goals for the club. Ferguson, who signed Rooney as an 18-year-old in 2004, said surpassing Bobby Charlton's 249-goal mark by scoring against Stoke City last Saturday was "an achievement par excellence". "Jose (Mourinho) has mentioned Marcus Rashford and there is an opportunity for that young lad, if he stays at United, and develops his potential the way that Wayne has.
  
  Read more

• Brazil probe sees no mechanical failure in judge's plane crash

  24-01-2017 21:05
  By Pedro Fonseca RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A small plane carrying a Brazilian Supreme Court justice overseeing a political bribery investigation did not suffer any obvious mechanical failure when it crashed into a bay amid heavy rain and killed all five on board, investigators said on Tuesday. The Brazilian Air Force, which is in charge of the investigation, said much more work was required before reaching a final conclusion. The death on Thursday of Justice Teori Zavascki, 68, sparked widespre
  
  Read more

• Italy court puts Rome's 5-Star mayor under investigation for abuse of office

  24-01-2017 21:01
  By Steve Scherer ROME (Reuters) - Virginia Raggi, the anti-establishment mayor of Rome elected by a landslide last year after pledging to crack down on rampant corruption, has been put under investigation for abuse of office and false testimony. "Today I've received a subpoena from the Rome court," Raggi wrote, saying it was related to the nomination of the director of the city's tourism department, who was later removed from the position.
  
  Read more

• What Does It Mean That Trump Is 'Leader of the Free World'?

  24-01-2017 20:57
  
  The presidency of Donald Trump, and the prospect of a new and radically different vision of U.S. foreign policy, has raised the question of whether the United States is still the leader of the free world. The commentator Anne Applebaum, for example, concluded that the West might be nearing the end of its shelf life, and that “Under President Trump, we cannot assume that America is still the leader of the free world.” But what does the term even mean—and is it still useful?
  
  Read more

• White House doubles down on Trump's voter fraud claim

  24-01-2017 20:55
  
  The White House on Tuesday stuck firmly to President Donald Trump's claim that millions of people voted illegally in the November election, but provided no evidence to back up his assertion. Trump spokesman ...
  
  Read more

• Toyota Motor to add 400 jobs at Indiana assembly plant

  24-01-2017 20:55
  By Naomi Tajitsu and David Shepardson TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp on Tuesday said it would add 400 jobs to build more SUVs at one of its U.S. plants, highlighting its expansion plans just as U.S. President Donald Trump calls on manufacturers to build more cars in the country. The Japanese automaker said the jobs were part of a $600 million upgrade of its plant in Princeton, Indiana, and were included in its plans announced earlier this month to invest $10 billion in its U.S. o
  
  Read more

• California governor defiant in face of Trump agenda

  24-01-2017 20:51
  
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown delivered an aggressive defense on Tuesday of California's liberal policies on immigration, health care and climate change during his State of the State address, vowing to fight the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress if they threaten to roll back state policies.
  
  Read more

• Trump narrows down Supreme Court nominee list to 3

  24-01-2017 20:45
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has narrowed his choice to fill the Supreme Court vacancy to three judges and said he expects to make his decision in the coming days.
  
  Read more

• Trump admin orders EPA contract freeze and media blackout

  24-01-2017 20:34
  
  The Trump administration has instituted what it described as a temporary media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants. Emails sent to ...
  
  Read more

• Senate committees approve several of Trump's Cabinet choices

  24-01-2017 20:24
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate committees gave the green light Tuesday to several of President Donald Trump's picks for Cabinet posts, putting the top-level nominations on a glide path to confirmation just days into the new administration.
  
  Read more

• Ecclestone can still play a role in F1, says new boss

  24-01-2017 20:22
  By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - Bernie Ecclestone can still play an important role in Formula One's new era despite being ousted as supremo, chief executive Chase Carey said on Tuesday. Ecclestone, 86, was appointed "Emeritus Chairman" on Monday after U.S. cable TV magnate John Malone's Liberty Media completed a takeover of the sport and appointed existing F1 chairman Carey in his place. "Bernie could be truly helpful to me and the board in the leadership of the business and provide invaluabl
  
  Read more

• FedEx CEO calls Trump's withdrawal from trade deal 'unfortunate'

  24-01-2017 20:18
  U.S. President Donald Trump should reconsider his positions on international trade and work to embrace China and its vast market, FedEx Corp's chief executive officer said on Tuesday, one day after Trump made good on a campaign promise to pull out of a major trade deal with Asian allies. CEO Fred Smith, in separate media appearances on Tuesday, questioned Trump's decision to formally withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The package and business services company employs thousands of
  
  Read more

• Hundreds of police trained by Turkey start work in northern Syria

  24-01-2017 20:15
  By Khalil Ashawi JARABLUS, Syria (Reuters) - A new Syrian police force trained and equipped by Turkey started work in a rebel-held border town on Tuesday, a sign of deepening Turkish influence in northern Syria, where it has helped drive out Islamic State militants in recent months. Casually referred to as the "Free Police", in reference to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) alliance of moderate rebel groups which Turkey backed in its campaign against Islamic State along the Turkish border, many of the
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Spicer cites 'studies' to back Trump voter claim

  24-01-2017 20:11
  
  The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local): 2 p.m. A spokesman says President Donald Trump's belief that there were millions of illegal votes cast in the November election is based on "studies ...
  
  Read more

• EU says new Israeli settlement plan undermines peace

  24-01-2017 20:05
  Israel's plan for 2,500 more settlement homes in the occupied West Bank seriously undermines the prospects for peace with the Palestinians, the European Union's diplomatic service said on Tuesday. Israel announced the plan earlier on Tuesday, in the second such declaration since U.S. President Donald Trump took office signalling he would be less critical of such projects than his predecessor. In a statement, the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) said Israel's plans flew in the face o
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!