07/19/19

The world this week politics

Britain's ambassador to America, Sir Kim Darroch, resigned after President Donald Trump said he would "no longer deal with him". The spat came after Sir Kim's confidential cables to London were leaked to a newspaper.

They described the White House as "dysfunctional", "clumsy" and "inept", and its occupant as "radiating insecurity". The British government backed its man, but Boris Johnson, the probable next prime minister, conspicuously did not. Sir Kim took the hint.

Mr Trump violated the American constitution by blocking those whose views he disliked from his Twitter account, a federal appeals court ruled. It said the First Amendment forbids a public official to operate in such a way on a platform used to conduct government business.

The case was brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of seven blocked Twitter users. Japan accused South Korea of failing to enforce international sanctions against North Korea fully.

The complaint was the latest barb in an escalating row between the two countries, after Japan imposed restrictions on exports to South Korea in protest at judgments against Japanese firms in South Korean courts.

At least 20 people were killed in tribal violence in a remote area in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. Pregnant women and children were among the victims.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of Greece's centre-right New Democracy party, won an overall majority at a general election, thanks to a 50-seat top-up that is given to the party that wins the most seats.

He has promised tax cuts and a more business-friendly environment. Greece still grapples with serious economic problems that the outgoing left-wing Syriza government, led by Alexis Tsipras, has failed to resolve.

A tape surfaced that purports to be of a conversation between a former close aide to Matteo Salvini, the powerful deputy prime minister of Italy, and a number of Russians concerning ways of secretly using Russian money to fund Mr Salvini's Northern League party.