Special Interest: World Politics


  • White House fires National Security Agency chief

    The Trump administration has fired the head of both the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command, General Timothy Haugh.



    Reported - 03/04/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgerl183j3o


    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/03/nsa-director-fired-tim-haugh/

  • Trump introduces tariffs

    Global stocks have sunk, a day after President Donald Trump announced sweeping new tariffs on most of the world.



    Reported - 03/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly1g63x7q8o


    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/03/global-markets-turmoil-trump-tariffs-wall-street-downturn

  • Marine Le Pen guilty

    French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for office for five years after being found guilty of embezzlement of EU funds.


    She also received a 4 year prison sentence, of which 2 will be suspended.



    Reported - 31/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0ylgjew1xo


    https://news.sky.com/story/marine-le-pen-latest-far-right-leader-barred-from-running-in-frances-next-presidential-election-13339259



  • Major US defence security failure

    A journalist was inadvertently added to a secret group chat where senior US officials discussed plans for a strike against the Houthi group in Yemen.



    Reported by BBC News - 25/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cg70xgxl3vmt

  • Istanbul mayor arrested ahead of election

    The main rival to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been formally arrested and charged with corruption.


    Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of Istanbul, is expected to be selected as the opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) 2028 presidential candidate. 



    Reported by BBC News - 22/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0egjvj8vdro

  • Trump signs order to dismantle US education department

    US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.



    Reported by BBC News - 20/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c07zpmzxln1o

  • South African ambassador 'no longer welcome' in US

    The US is expelling South Africa's ambassador, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing him as a "race-baiting politician". 


    In a post on X, Rubio accused Ebrahim Rasool of hating America and the President and said the ambassador was "no longer welcome in our great country".



    Reported by BBC News - 15/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmj8ky3rvno

  • Greenland's opposition wins election

    Greenland's centre-right opposition has won a surprise general election victory.


    The Democratic party, which favours a gradual approach to independence from Denmark - achieved around 30% of the vote, near-complete results show. They will still need to enter into a coalition with other parties to form a government.



    Reported by BBC News - 12/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2r3d0r8z0o

  • Ontario imposes 25% surcharge on US-exported electricity

    Canada's province Ontario is imposing a retaliatory 25% surcharge on electricity it sends to US states in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods.



    Reported by BBC News - 10/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yrpnr6kr2o

  • Mark Carney to become Canada's next PM

    Mark Carney, the former Bank of England boss, will become the next Prime Minister of Canada, replacing Justin Trudeau who resigned in January.



    Reported by BBC News - 09/03/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3911lv1pzko

  • Trump sanctions International Criminal Court

    President Donald Trump has signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court, accusing it of "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel".



    Reported by BBC News - 06/02/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2p19l24g2o

  • USAID at risk

    The Trump administration, working with Elon Musk, marks its intention to merge USAID (the US government's main overseas aid agency) with the state department, as workers were asked to stay out of its Washington headquarters on Monday. 


    This latest shakeup of American government systems comes as Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency team have reportedly seized access to the personal information of millions of Americans (including medical history, national insurance numbers, work history and personal addresses).



    Reported by BBC News - 03/02/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdjdmx12j9no

  • Trump signs flurry of executive orders

    US President Donald Trump has signed a number of executive orders in the first 2 days of his presidency, including:


    • Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord
    • Withdrawing from the World Health Organisation
    • Pardoning over 1500 individuals convicted during the Capitol Building riots
    • Ending birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants
    • The US will now only recognise 2 sexes, male and female

    Reported by BBC News - 21/01/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqld6wnv1rgo

  • Donald Trump inaugurated

    Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 47th President of the United States of America.


    This is his second term in the office, where he served as the 45th President before the Biden administration.


     

    Reported by BBC News - 20/01/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cy9lvveyyqxo

  • Trump's US election win certified

    Donald Trump's election win has been formally certified in Congress on 06/01/25. Current Vice-President Kamala Harris presided over the event as required by the US Constitution.



    Reported by BBC News - 06/01/25


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd9x33z8nzpo

  • Biden issues record number of presidential pardons

    US President Joe Biden has issued presidential pardons to 39 Americans convicted of non-violent crimes, and commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 others, including several convicted of multi-million dollar fraud schemes.



    Reported by BBC News - 12/12/24


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c30nq7r0v2mo

  • Federal cases against Donald Trump dropped

    The special prosecutor who brought two key criminal cases against Donald Trump has asked judges to drop both of them after his victory in the 2024 presidential election. President Trump had pleaded not guilty to both of the cases.


    Special counsel Jack Smith was overseeing cases accusing President Trump of trying to overturn the 2020 election results and improperly storing classified documents after he left office. Special counsel Smith said the cases should be closed because of a policy that bans the prosecution of a sitting president.


    Reported by BBC News - 25/11/24


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gvd7kxxj5o

  • Trump's top team so far

    President elect Donald Trump has nominated the following people to roles in his top team:


    Chief of Staff - Susie Wiles


    Department of the Interior - Doug Burgum


    Health and Human Services - Robert F. Kennedy Jr.


    Director of National Intelligence - Tulsi Gabbard


    Defense Secretary - Pete Hegseth


    Secretary of State - Marco Rubio


    Agriculture - Brooke Rollins


    Treasury Secretary - Scott Bessent


    Labour - Lori Chavez-DeRemer


    Energy - Chris Wright


    Secretary of Education - Linda McMahon


    Commerce - Howard Lutnick


    Housing and Urban Develpment - Scott Turner


    Transportation - Sean Duffy


    Head of Environmental Protection Agency - Lee Zeldin


    Attorney General - Pam Bondi


    National Security Adviser - Mike Waltz


    Homeland Security - Kristi Noem


    Veteran Affairs - Doug Collins


    Solicitor General - Dean John Sauer 


    Border Czar - Tom Homan


    Department of Government Efficiency - Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy


    United Nations Ambassador - Elise Stefanik


    Surgeon General - Dr. Janette Nesheiwat


    Director of CDC - Dr. Dave Weldon 


    Director of Office of Management and Budget - Russell Vought


    Reported by BBC News - updated 24/11/24


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24gze60yzo

  • Donald Trump cabinet nomination for Attorney General withdraws

    Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, has withdrawn from consideration for the role. He said the controversy surrounding his nomination had become a "distraction" for the president-elect.


    Reported by BBC News - 21/11/24


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm20pye11j3t

  • Republicans win complete control of US Congress

    The Republican party (GOP) now control the presidency and both chambers of Congress - the House and the Senate - which means they will hold all the elected tools of power.


    Reported by BBC News - 14/11/24


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c0lp93494g9t

  • Donald Trump wins 2024 US presidential election

    Donald J. Trump is projected to have won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, where he faced Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate. His victory is largely attributed to his appeal in conservative and swing states. While the election results are still being certified, Trump's return signals a potential shift back to his "America First" policies.


    Widely report - 06/11/24


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