Hello, this is Anna bringing you up to speed on today's top stories.
Trump’s alleged infidelity - Adult film star Stormy Daniels has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump, arguing that his personal lawyer took ‘considerable steps’ to silence her story of an ‘intimate relationship’ with Trump in 2006 and 2007. The lawsuit filed by Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) claims that Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen tried ‘to silence Ms Clifford through the use of an improper and procedurally defective arbitration proceeding hidden from public view’. This follows the revelation last October that Cohen had wired her $130,000 before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels is seeking a court order that would void an alleged non-disclosure agreement between Trump and herself. Trump never signed the agreement ‘so he could later, if need be, publicly disavow any knowledge of the Hush Agreement and Ms Clifford’, the lawsuit states.
Another one bites the dust - Donald Trump’s top economic adviser Gary Cohn has quit his post in the White House. He is the latest high-profile departure from the Trump administration. According to reports, Cohn had threatened to leave after Trump’s neo-nazi sympathising comments following the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. However, he quit on Tuesday night due to Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, a move he is strong opposed to.
Warming relations - Saudi Arabia's crown prince embarked on a three-day visit to the UK amid protests planned against his country's role in the Yemen war. Mohammed bin Salman, 32, is viewed by many as pushing for modernisation of the repressive Gulf State. He will meet with Theresa May and have lunch with the Queen. The Tory government hopes to capitalise on Saudi Arabia opening up its economy, but the prime minister will reportedly express ‘deep concern’ about the crisis in Yemen.
Getting boozy - Coca-Cola will introduce an alcoholic drink for the first time ever with an alcopop-style product in Japan. Japan’s growing obsession with Chu-Hi - canned sparkling flavoured drinks with a local spirit called shochu - is said to be behind the decision. The product is typically between 3% and 8% alcohol.
Unrest in Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka has imposed a state of emergency following days of communal violence between the island's Sinhalese and Muslim communities. The special measures will see soldiers deployed across the country for an initial 10-day period to try and prevent the unrest from spreading.
Global warming - The Arctic experienced its warmest winter on record in more troubling news for climate change. Sea ice hit record lows for the time of year, new US weather data revealed on Tuesday. ‘It’s just crazy, crazy stuff,’ said Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado. ‘These heat waves – I’ve never seen anything like this.’