News around the world

Washington (CNN) What was meant to be a celebratory tour of the Midwest on Thursday turned sour for President Donald Trump when he learned federal prosecutors were  looking to question  his company's longtime financial boss. Phoning his attorneys and other confidantes from behind his desk on Air Force One, Trump sought more details about what precisely the Southern District of New York wanted to know from Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer who is so close to the President he once appeared on "The Apprentice." For Trump, the news added another unfortunate layer to his growing frustration at the swirling legal questions now clouding both his administration and his business. Trump's mood, people inside the White House say, has grown dark as his longtime fixer Michael Cohen executes a  very public breakup . Even as he worked to exude confidence about a  roaring economy  and  handshake deal with Europe , the encroaching troubles ...

Washington (CNN) What was meant to be a celebratory tour of the Midwest on Thursday turned sour for President Donald Trump when he learned federal prosecutors were  looking to question  his company's longtime financial boss. Phoning his attorneys and other confidantes from behind his desk on Air Force One, Trump sought more details about what precisely the Southern District of New York wanted to know from Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's chief financial officer who is so close to the President he once appeared on "The Apprentice." For Trump, the news added another unfortunate layer to his growing frustration at the swirling legal questions now clouding both his administration and his business. Trump's mood, people inside the White House say, has grown dark as his longtime fixer Michael Cohen executes a  very public breakup . Even as he worked to exude confidence about a  roaring economy  and  handshake deal with Europe , the encroaching t...

(CNN) This may be the  most important paragraph  of Donald Trump's presidency: "Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, claims that then-candidate Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower in which Russians were expected to offer his campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton, sources with knowledge tell CNN. Cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller, the sources said." Holy crap. Let's take a quick step back for some context. The June 2016 meeting between a group of Russians and the top brass of the Trump campaign, including the candidate's eldest son and son-in-law, has long been at the center of questions -- from special counsel Robert Mueller and others -- about whether there was any sort of collusion between a foreign country and the Trump campaign in 2016. When news of the meeting first broke, Donald Trump Jr. insisted it was a brief and unimportant gathering focused on...

Brexit Consequences for the UK, the EU, and the United States Brexit is the June 23, 2016, referendum where the United Kingdom voted to leave the  European Union . The residents decided that the benefits of belonging to the unified monetary body no longer outweighed the costs of free movement of  immigration . Brexit is the nickname for "British exit" from the EU.  On March 29, 2017, the U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May submitted the  Article 50 withdrawal notification to the EU. That gives the United Kingdom and EU two years to negotiate the following six main points: The U.K. does not want to continue allowing unlimited EU immigration. The two sides must guarantee the status of EU members living in the U.K., and vice-versa. The same applies to work visas, which are not currently required. The U.K. wants to withdraw from the European Court of Judgment. The U.K. wants a "customs union" with the EU. They will not impose  ta...

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump, a week after downplaying Russian interference in US elections, said Tuesday he is "very concerned" that Russia will look to impact the 2018 midterm elections and said he believes Moscow will look to boost Democrats this time. Trump offered no evidence for his claim that Russia would look to help Democrats win in 2018 beyond claiming he has been tougher on Russia than his predecessors. "I'm very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats," Trump tweeted Tuesday. "They definitely don't want Trump!" Trump's tweet comes a week after he faced blistering criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike for touting Putin's denial of Russian interference in the 2016 election and challenging the US intelligence community's assessment of tha...

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump, a week after downplaying Russian interference in US elections, said Tuesday he is "very concerned" that Russia will look to impact the 2018 midterm elections and said he believes Moscow will look to boost Democrats this time.

The United States and its NATO allies are looking to increase their arm-stretch into Iraq by opening new bases and dispatching newer troops.  The move has sparked outrage among the Iraqi politicians and ordinary people alike with political parties saying they are sick and tired of Washington making decisions on behalf of Baghdad.  They also stress that increasing foreign troops is unjustifiable and against Iraq’s constitution. source

The United States and its NATO allies are looking to increase their arm-stretch into Iraq by opening new bases and dispatching newer troops.  The move has sparked outrage among the Iraqi politicians and ordinary people alike with political parties saying they are sick and tired of Washington making decisions on behalf of Baghdad.  They also stress that increasing foreign troops is unjustifiable and against Iraq’s constitution. source

Ukraine crisis: US to give Kiev $200m in defence support The US has announced it will give Ukraine $200m (£152m) to strengthen its defence capabilities. In a statement,  the Pentagon said the funds would be for training, communications, medical, and other non-lethal operational needs. The US said it had given more than $1bn in defence support to Kiev since 2014. Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula that year, and is also accused of arming separatists in the east of the country. Eastern Ukraine conflict: A new, bloody chapter Ukraine country profile More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions - which are known collectively as Donbas. Moscow denies sending its troops and providing weapons to the separatists, but admits that Russian "volunteers" are helping the rebels. The latest announcement by the Pentagon comes just days after US President Donald Trump's summit with Vladimir Put...