United States

• Saturday, February 4th 2017 - 07:11 UTC

  Federal Judge blocks Trump's immigration ban; White House will appeal

  

  Seattle federal judge on Friday put a block on U.S. President Donald Trump's week-old executive order that had temporarily barred refugees and nationals from seven countries from entering the United States. The judge's temporary restraining order represents a major setback for Trump's action, though the White House said late Friday that it believed the ban to be “lawful and appropriate” and that the U.S. Department of Justice would file an emergency appeal.

• Thursday, February 2nd 2017 - 17:53 UTC

  Tillerson sworn in as Secretary of State; he was approved by a Senate 56-43 vote

  

  Rex Tillerson was sworn in as secretary of state by Vice President Mike Pence in a ceremony presided over by President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday evening. Before Tillerson was sworn in, Trump spoke briefly in the Oval Office.

• Wednesday, February 1st 2017 - 09:00 UTC

  Trump begins to forge conservative Supreme Court; Democrats expected to battle nomination

  

  President Donald Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch, a fast-rising conservative judge with a writer’s flair, to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, a selection expected to spark a fierce fight with Democrats over a jurist who could shape America’s legal landscape for decades to come.

• Tuesday, January 31st 2017 - 11:45 UTC

  Trump sacks attorney general for “betraying” and questioning legality of immigration ban

  

  President Donald Trump has fired the acting US attorney general, after she questioned the legality of his immigration ban. Sally Yates, who had been appointed under Barack Obama, earlier ordered justice department lawyers not to enforce the president's executive order.

• Monday, January 30th 2017 - 11:06 UTC

  Trudeau sidetracks Trump, “Welcome to Canada all those fleeing persecution, terror and war”

  

  Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken a stand on social media against the temporary US ban on refugees and immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries. PM Trudeau underscored his government's commitment to bringing in “those fleeing persecution, terror & war”.

• Monday, January 30th 2017 - 10:34 UTC

  Chaos and mass protests in US airports; Trump stands by immigration ban

  

  The Trump administration is standing firm over its ban on immigration from seven countries despite court rulings and mass protests against it. In a statement, President Trump said visas would once again be issued once “the most secure policies” were in place, and denied it was a Muslim ban. The move has been widely condemned.

• Monday, January 30th 2017 - 10:00 UTC

  Iraq furious with the Trump ban: Bagdad recalls that they are in the front line combating the IS

  

  Iraq will lobby against new travel limits to the United States by Iraqis, arguing both countries need to uphold their fight against Islamic State (IS), Iraqi parliamentarians said on Sunday. The Iraqi government has so far declined comment on an executive order signed by new U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday that suspends the entry of travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 90 days.

• Sunday, January 29th 2017 - 09:26 UTC

  US Judge issues a stay temporarily halting Trump's deportation executive order

  

  A US judge has issued a stay temporarily halting the deportation of visa holders or refugees under an executive order from President Trump. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a legal case early on Saturday in response to the order. The judge's stay prevents those “caught up” in the aftermath from being deported, the ACLU said.

• Saturday, January 28th 2017 - 11:53 UTC

  US economy expands at an annual 1.6%; “Trumpconomics” promises 4% growth

  

  The US economy grew at an annual pace of 1.9% in the fourth quarter of last year, according to official figures. That was slower than the 2.2% growth rate economists had been expecting and below third quarter growth of 3.5%, which means annual GDP rose by 1.6%, the slowest since 2011 and down on 2015 when the world's largest economy expanded by 2.6%.

• Saturday, January 28th 2017 - 09:21 UTC

  Trump and Peña Nieto agree to disagree on the wall but will not discuss it publicly

  

  President Donald Trump and Mexico's president, Enrique Peña Nieto, had a “productive and constructive” call on Friday morning, according to a joint statement released by the White House today. The two presidents discussed America's trade deficit with Mexico, “the importance of the friendship between the two nations,” and the need to work together to stop drug trafficking and illegal guns and arms sales, the statement said.