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Pelosi asks committee to proceed with articles of impeachment against Trump House speaker said inquiry revealed a failure by president to uphold the law and his actions are a ‘violation of the public trust’Today’s developments in US politics – latest updatesQuoting from the Declaration of Independence and the founding fathers about the danger of a president one day betraying the country’s trust to foreign powers, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, announced on Thursday that she was directing the judiciary committee to draft articles of impeachment against Donald Trump.“The president leaves us no choice but to act,” Pelosi said. “Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and a heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairman to proceed with ar...

Nearly 500,000 people march against Macron as strikes grip France Transport workers bring country to standstill amid anger over pension changesMore than 450,000 people have marched in cities across France as railway workers, teachers and hospital staff held one of the biggest public sector strikes in decades against Emmanuel Macron’s plans to overhaul the pension system.A nationwide transport strike brought much of France to a standstill and was expected to continue for the next few days as unions dug in, saying the president’s pension changes would force millions of people to work longer or receive lower payments. Continue reading... Go to Source

Uncovered: reality of how smartphones turned election news into chaos Groundbreaking research gives snapshot of world in which politics coverage is warped by social media algorithms and friendship groupsSecrets of their smartphones: see how voters follow the news in memesAsk the average 2019 voter where the problems with political news lie, and you might hear a few familiar claims: fake news. Russian interference. The biased BBC.But take a look at their smartphones, and you might discover a different, more chaotic world – in which news is being shaped less by publishers or foreign agents but by social media algorithms and friendship groups. Continue reading... Go to Source

General election: Johnson apologises for article comparing women wearing burqas to letterboxes – live news Parties out in force during final stretch ahead of 12 December vote, after two days of Nato drama 11.55am GMTLance Forman, the London MEP, is speaking at the press conference.He says, if it is acceptable for the Brexit party to stand down in 317 Tory-held seats, it makes sense for the Brexit party to back the Conservative party everywhere. 11.49am GMTThe four Brexit party MEPs who have left to back the Conservatives are now holding a press conference in Westminster.There is a live feed here. Continue reading... Go to Source

Seventy Labour staffers give statements to antisemitism inquiry Testimonies by current and former party workers have been passed to EHRC, lawyer saysGeneral election latest - live newsScores of serving and former Labour officials have given sworn statements about antisemitism in the party as part of evidence submitted to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s investigation into the issue.James Libson, a lawyer representing the Jewish Labour Movement, confirmed he has prepared 70 testimonies from current and former staffers as part of the inquiry. Continue reading... Go to Source

Joe Biden targets Trump's Nato sore spot with video mash-up of mockery Democratic frontrunner goes viral with video that ends with the message: ‘We need a leader the world respects’Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Biden has sought to capitalise on world leaders’ private ridicule of Donald Trump at the Nato summit, releasing a video montage including similar moments which soon went viral on Twitter.Within hours the video, posted by the Democratic frontrunner on Wednesday evening, amassed close to 2m views, and more than 21,000 retweets. By comparison, Trump’s video about his Nato trip had 1.4 million views and 14,600 retweets in the space of 12 hours. Continue reading... Go to Source

France grinds to halt in the biggest strikes of Macron's presidency Rail and air transport as well as schools and policing hit by walkouts over pension changesEmmanuel Macron is facing the biggest strikes of his presidency, as French rail workers, air-traffic controllers, teachers and public sector staff staged walkouts and took to the streets against proposed changes to the pension system.Rail services almost ground to a halt, with 82% of drivers on strike and at least 90% of regional trains cancelled, amid fears that the open-ended transport disruption could continue for days. In Paris, 11 out of the 16 metro lines were shut, forcing commuters to scramble to hire bikes and scooters. Continue reading... Go to Source

Plastic pollution kills half a million hermit crabs on remote islands Experts fear species decline after huge number of deaths on Henderson and CocosMore than half a million hermit crabs have been killed after becoming trapped in plastic debris on two remote island groups, prompting concern that the deaths could be part of a global species decline.The pioneering study found that 508,000 crabs died on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands archipelago in the Indian Ocean, along with 61,000 on Henderson Island in the South Pacific. Previous studies have found high levels of plastic pollution at both sites. Continue reading... Go to Source