
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.

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.

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.

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.

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%.

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.

With the conflict with Mexico escalating the White House on Thursday appeared to endorse a 20% tax on all imports to the United States, only to insist a few hours later that it was not endorsing the plan.

Prime Minister Theresa May has told US Republicans the UK and America cannot return to failed military interventions to remake the world in our own image. Suggesting a UK foreign policy shift, she said those days were over but added that the US and UK should not stand idly by when the threat is real. However the two countries must renew the special relationship for this new age and lead together, again.

Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump's chief White House strategist, went on a tirade against the media during an interview with The New York Times. Bannon, who spearheaded the far-right website Breitbart News until he took over as Trump's campaign CEO in August, lambasted the press and said it had been humiliated by the results of the 2016 election.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto has cancelled next week's trip to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. His decision comes a day after the new US president unveiled his plan to build a wall along the Mexico-US border and insisted the US would recoup the costs for the barrier from Mexico, which has strongly objected.