US Politics in Trump era
What did China do about coronavirus? A timeline.
New leak claims Trump scrapped Iran nuclear deal ‘to spite Obama’
Donald Trump abandoned the Iran nuclear deal to spite Barack Obama, according to a leaked memo written by the UK's former ambassador to the US.Sir Kim Darroch described the move as an act of "diplomatic vandalism", according to the Mail on Sunday.It says the memo was written after the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson appealed to the US in 2018 to stick with the nuclear deal.
Iran: New US sanctions target Supreme Leader Khamenei
US President Donald Trump has said he is imposing hard-hitting new sanctions on Iran, including on the office of the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.Mr Trump said the additional sanctions were in response to the shooting down of a US drone and "many other things".Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's highest authority, was singled out because he was "ultimately responsible for the hostile conduct of the regime".
US ‘blames Iran’ for damage to tankers in Gulf of Oman
US investigators believe Iran or groups it supports used explosives to damage four ships off the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, media reports say. Military experts were reportedly sent to investigate the incident and found a large hole in each of the tankers. No evidence has emerged to show that Iran was involved. The affected countries are yet to assign blame.
Huawei arrest: China demands release of Meng Wanzhou
Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the company's founder, could face extradition to the US. She was arrested in Vancouver on 1 December, but the news was not made public at her request. The charges remain unknown but the US has been probing Huawei over possible violation of sanctions against Iran. China says her detention is possibly a rights abuse.
Trump administration to reinstate all Iran sanctions
The White House said it was "the toughest sanctions regime ever imposed on Iran" and targeted Iran's energy, shipping and banking sectors. However, eight countries will not be penalised by the US for continuing to import Iranian oil. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in May, describing it as "defective at its core".
US ends aid to Palestinian refugee agency Unrwa
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded to the US decision on Friday, describing it as a "flagrant assault against the Palestinian people and a defiance of UN resolutions". "Such a punishment will not succeed to change the fact that the United States no longer has a role in the region and that it is not a part of the solution," Nabil Abu Rudeina told Reuters news agency.
Puerto Rico increases Hurricane Maria death toll to 2,975
The revised death toll is nearly 50 times the previous estimate of 64 Governor Ricardo Rossello "accepted" the findings in a long-awaited independent investigation. Puerto Rico has struggled to repair its infrastructure and power grid since the storm, and is asking US Congress for $139bn (£108bn) in recovery funds.
Facebook bans pages aimed at US election interference
The social network said in a blog that it had identified 17 suspect profiles on Facebook and seven Instagram accounts. It said that there were more than 9,500 Facebook posts created by the accounts and one piece of content on Instagram. In total more than 290,000 accounts followed at least one of the pages involved, it added.
David Shulkin: Sacked secretary in parting shot at Trump
The former hospital administrator, who first served under President Barack Obama, said that "advocates within the administration for privatising" veterans' healthcare services "saw me as an obstacle to privatisation who had to be removed".It is traditional for departing cabinet secretaries to thank the president for giving them the opportunity to serve, but Mr Shulkin pointedly made no reference to Mr Trump.
US accuses Iran of ‘alarming provocations’ amid nuclear tensions
The US secretary of state has accused Iran of "alarming ongoing provocations" aimed at destabilising the Middle East and undermining America's interests."An unchecked Iran has the potential to travel the same path as North Korea and to take the world along with it," Rex Tillerson said. The US has ordered a review of the Iran nuclear deal, although it admits Iran is complying with its commitments.
Ivanka Trump to be assistant to US president
IS conflict: US sends Marines to support Raqqa assault
The US has sent 400 additional troops to Syria to support an allied local force aiming to capture the so-called Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. They include Marines, who arrived in the past few days to set up an outpost from which they will be able to fire artillery at IS positions in the city. Several hundred US special forces soldiers are already deployed, advising Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
EPA chief doubts carbon dioxide’s role in global warming
He told CNBC that measuring human impact on the climate was "very challenging" and there was "tremendous disagreement" about the issue. Mr Pruitt instead insisted that officials needed "to continue the debate" on the issue. His remarks contradict his own agency's findings on greenhouse gas emissions.
Iranian ships ‘force’ US and Royal Navy vessels to change course
The USNS Invincible changed direction when the other vessels came within 600 yards (550m) before stopping. Three British Royal Navy vessels, accompanying the American ship at the time, were also forced to move. A US official told reporters the Iranian vessel had tried to position itself between them. The Iranian ships are believed to belong to the Revolutionary Guard Corps. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a navy official told the Associated Press news agency that such incidents had been happening on a regular basis.
Mike Pence accused of ‘staggering hypocrisy’ on private email
He contacted advisers on terrorism and homeland security via an AOL account during his four years as governor, though he did nothing illegal. The new Indiana governor has released 30 pages of emails after a public records request, but withheld others. Mr Pence was a vocal critic of Hillary Clinton's private email server set-up.
Dakota Access Pipeline to win US Army permit for completion
The US Army has informed Congress that it will grant permission to complete the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline near tribal territory. The notice comes after Donald Trump formally backed the project last month in one of his first acts as US president. Thousands of predominantly Native American protesters have boycotted the $3.8bn (£3bn) pipeline's construction in the state of North Dakota.
Trump travel ban: Seattle judge issues nationwide block
A US judge in Seattle has issued a temporary nationwide block on President Donald Trump's ban on travellers from seven mainly Muslim nations. The State Department says 60,000 visas have since been revoked. Mr Trump's executive order brought in a suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Programm for 120 days.
US sanctions Iran after missile test
The US Treasury Department announced the measures against 13 people and a dozen companies on Friday. President Donald Trump tweeted earlier: "Iran is playing with fire - they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!" But Iran has said it will not yield to "useless" American threats from "an inexperienced person".
Russia’s Putin calls leaked Trump memos ‘utter nonsense’
Air Force One – why is it so expensive?
Trump attacks China in Twitter outburst
Trump election: Jeff Sessions picked for top law job
Donald Trump has named more conservative hardliners for key posts, with Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions nominated as attorney general. Mr Sessions, a former prosecutor, was turned down for a federal judgeship in 1986 because of alleged racist remarks. Congressman Mike Pompeo is nominated as CIA director and retired Lt Gen Michael Flynn made national security adviser.
Jared Kushner: The quiet millionaire with Donald Trump’s ear
Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner looks set to become a close White House adviser, but who is the quiet, camera-shy millionaire? He has not been given an official position within the Trump administration, but Mr Kushner has been named alongside three of Mr Trump's children in the transition team, and he is said to have the President-elect's ear.
US election: Hillary’s humiliating low road to White House
Hillary Clinton could be days away from earning the most powerful job in the land. But the road to the White House has been lined with anger, hatred and mistrust. And surely it must sometimes be painful to peer through the tinted glass of her armoured SUV to see demonstrators who would rather see her in jail. From bullets those vehicles offer a protective shell, but not the brickbats.
US Election: The truth about a Twitter conspiracy theory
The hashtag "Go Hillary" strangely shot to the top of Twitter's US trends list on Sunday. Strangely, because it happened in the immediate wake of potentially very damaging revelations about the Democratic candidate's emails.Donald Trump supporters accused the social network of artificially boosting a trend - but what's the real story?