David Shadrach

Donald Trump tumbles to earth with a bump Jon Sopel North America editor. For Roy Moore it looks like the next time he saddles up his horse it will be to ride off into the sunset. The maverick Christian conservative who enjoyed the full-throated supported of Steve Bannon, the slightly-more-tempered endorsement of Donald Trump and the outright antipathy of certain sections of the GOP, has failed in the reddest of red states. So how much should be read into this defeat? Needless to say - and understandably - most of the attention will fall on the humiliation this represents to Donald Trump, but the bigger loser is his erstwhile White House head of strategy Steve Bannon. Alabama was to be the Petri dish for next November's mid-term elections. Alabama would show that rabble-rousing, right-wing, anti-establishment, swamp-draining insurgents could take on the Republican Party grandees in primary races and then cruise to victory afterwards in the main election against the Democrats. Well...

Trump's Jerusalem move: 'A blunder with consequences' NEWS / MAHMOUD ABBAS  READ MORE Trump's Jerusalem move: All the latest updates READ MORE OIC declares East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital READ MORE Why Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel OPINION Trump Jerusalem move hinders US interests in the region by Khalid Al-Jaber,Giorgio Cafiero Jerusalem Mahmoud Abbas Donald Trump United States Middle East Tens of thousands have protested against the US d ecision in different countries [Majdi Mohammed/AP Photo] Washington, DC - President Donald Trump's decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem is a blunder driven by domestic US polices, but with international strategic consequences, Middle East analysts and former US diplomats say. The US president, shortly after coming into office nearly a year ago, had raised some hopes of a renewed Middle East peace process by holding a series of meetings with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Washington, Bethlehem...

Tillerson calls on North Korea to engage in US talks NEWS / NORTH KOREA  United States North Korea China South Korea Asia Pacific Tillerson has been accused of 'wasting his time' in trying to negotiate with North Korea by US President Donald Trump [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters] US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that the United States is willing to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without "precondition". Tillerson, speaking on Tuesday at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC, stated the US "cannot accept" a nuclear-armed North Korea but called on the two countries to begin a dialogue. "We're ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk, and we're ready to have the first meeting without precondition," he said. "It's not realistic to say we're only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your [nuclear weapons] programme." Tillerson added that North Korea has "too much invested"...

Trump's Jerusalem move reignites Palestinian cause NEWS / PALESTINE  From Syria to Indonesia: Protests over Jerusalem spread Palestinian leaders face growing criticism over US Jerusalem move READ MORE Why there can never be a two-state solution Israeli–Palestinian conflict Palestine Middle East Israel Tens of thousands have protested against the US decision in different continents [Sean Gallup/Getty Images] US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy to the city from Tel Aviv has reignited the Palestinian cause, according to analysts. Breaking with years of US policy, Trump announced the move on December 6, drawing international condemnation and sparking a wave of heated protests around the world. No country currently has its embassy in Jerusalem. The status of Jerusalem has long remained a sensitive topic and one of the core issues in the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Trump's decision has "touched the ne...

Roy Moore defeat: Democrat Doug Jones wins in Alabama Senate upset Doug Jones has become the first Democrat in 25 years to win a US Senate seat for Alabama after a bitter campaign against Republican Roy Moore. His unexpected victory deals a blow to President Donald Trump, who backed Mr Moore, and narrows the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49. Mr Moore has so far refused to concede. All votes have now been counted. He fought a controversial campaign, in which allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct with teenage girls. Mr Moore, a firebrand conservative who has said he believes that homosexual activity should be illegal, has repeatedly denied the claims against him. The contest was for the seat vacated by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this year. A flawed candidate - or an anti-Trump wave? Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington Alabama will have a Democrat in the US Senate. It's an outcome that seemed all but impossible a year ago and still seemed unlikely even a...