BBC News.

President Trump has said he would have dismissed the sacked FBI Chief, James Comey, even if officials at the U.S. Justice Department had not recommended it. In an interview with the American TV network, NBC, Mr. Trump denied putting pressure on Mr. Comey to drop the FBI investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and his presidential campaign. He repeated a denial of any link with Russia on that issue.

The American Senate has approved President Trump's nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, a critical position ahead of re-negotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Robert Lighthizer was confirmed by vote of 82 to 14.

The party of the French president-elect, Emmanuel Macron, has unveiled a list of candidates for next month's parliamentary elections. More than half of them have never held elected office. The party, now renamed Republic on the Move, still has to find nearly 150 more candidates.

The U.N. Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has told an international gathering on Somalia that the conditions are now in place for it to become a success story. He said the country now had a government that could be trusted and a plan that made sense.

The military government in Thailand has given Facebook until next Tuesday to take down content critical of the Thai monarchy or face prosecution. The country has strict regulations that protect its monarchy from even mild criticism.

One of South Africa's top universities, Stellenbosch, has suspended three students suspected of putting up Nazi-style posters around the campus. The Vice Chancellor said the University was doing its utmost to be diverse and inclusive.

Life in one of Colombia's most isolated and impoverished states, Choco has been paralyzed after a general strike. Hundreds of protesters marched in the regional capital, Quibdo, to protest against a lack of government funding.

BBC News.