Arutz 7 news briefs

If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here and try our Audio Briefings on WhatsApp.  Prince Andrew accused of using N-word during trade meeting The Duke of York has been mired in further controversy amid claims he used a racially offensive word during a Buckingham Palace meeting in 2012. Rohan Silva, who at the time was David Cameron's key aide on the tech economy, said during a discussion about trade policy he asked the royal if the government department responsible for trade "could be doing a better job". He told the Evening Standard the Duke replied: "Well, if you'll pardon the expression, that really is the n----- in the woodpile." Sources have categorically denied Andrew used the word saying "the duke did not say that". Read on for the details. Meanwhile, the Duke of York's grilling by Newsnight's Emily Maitlis on Saturday night continues to generate shock waves on both sides … [Read more...] about Monday evening news briefing: Prince Andrew accused of using N-word during Buckingham Palace meeting

If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here and try our Audio Briefings on WhatsApp.  Court dismisses bid to force Prime Minister to seek Brexit delay Boris Johnson's attempts to deliver Brexit received a boost today, as a Scottish court ruled there is "no doubt" the Prime Minister accepts he must ask for an extension in the event of no deal. The Court of Session ruled it would neither be "necessary nor appropriate" to force the Government to ask for a Brexit delay. It comes as Mr Johnson prepares to launch his own legal action in the Supreme Court to stop him having to delay Brexit. It is clear why the Prime Minister wants it done and dusted, as economic research shows uncertainty over Brexit has cut business investment by around 11pc over the three years following the referendum – equivalent to a £20bn hit to the UK economy. Meanwhile, Tim … [Read more...] about Monday afternoon news briefing: Court in ‘no doubt’ about Prime Minister as it rules against forcing him to ask for Brexit delay

NEW DELHI: After holding talks with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar on Monday said the two parties will hold talks with their allies in Maharashtra before taking a decision on government formation in the state. Addressing a press conference, Pawar said he briefed Gandhi about the political situation in Maharashtra and that there was no talk on government formation in the state. "We have discussed in detail the political situation in Maharashtra," he said. "We will keep an eye on the situation in Maharashtra. Congress and NCP leaders will hold further talks on the future course of action," he added. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is in talks with ally Congress for a possible coalition with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena after the latter's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell apart over the chief minister's post in Maharashtra. "Sharad Pawar met the Congress President today and briefed her on the situation in Maharashtra. It was … [Read more...] about Sharad Pawar briefs Sonia on political situation in Maharashtra

What’s the story? West Africa experienced the biggest outbreak of the Ebola virus ever known, causing thousands of deaths, devastating fragile healthcare systems and damaging the economies of countries, some of which were still recovering from civil war. At the peak of the epidemic, in autumn 2014, infections were doubling every few weeks. The World Health Organisation said there had been 28,457 officially recorded cases by 4 October 2015, almost all in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, with about 11,312 deaths, but many go unrecorded and the true figure is thought to be two to three times higher. However the forecast by the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in September 2014 that if nothing changed there could be 1.4 million cases by late January proved to be unduly pessimistic. For the first time since the outbreak began, there were no new cases officially recorded in the week to 7 October. Serious concerns about the spread of the virus to countries bordering the epidemic … [Read more...] about Ebola crisis – the Guardian briefing

Kash Patel, the National Security Council’s senior counterterrorism director, sued Politico on Monday for libel, arguing that the news organization falsely accused him of 'lying, deceit and unethical conduct.'  Fox News reported that defendants including Politico reporter Natasha Bertrand and Politico owner Robert Allbritton 'acted in concert' with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading impeachment proceedings, to 'destroy Kash's reputation' and further 'Schiff's baseless Ukrainian quid pro quo hoax.'  'This lawsuit is high on bombast and low on merit,' Politico spokesman Brad Dayspring told DailyMail.com. 'It is unserious and is a public relations tactic designed to intimidate journalists and media organizations from doing their job.'   Kash Patel, the National Security Council's senior counterterrorism director, is suing Politico over news stories that said he was feeding President Trump negative information about … [Read more...] about Senior White House counter-terrorism adviser sues Politico claiming newspaper falsely accused him of briefing Trump on Ukraine based on leaks from Adam Schiff