• Donald Trump has said he will name his nominee for the US Supreme Court on Tuesday night.
• Given the immense impact the US Supreme Court has on US political life, the nominee will face tough questions from the Senate  

Washington DC, Jan 31.─ The highest court in the US is often the final word on highly contentious laws, disputes between states and the federal government, and final appeals to stay executions.

What does the Supreme Court do?

It hears fewer than 100 cases a year and the key announcements are made in June. Each of the nine justices serve a lifetime appointment after being nominated by the president and approved by the Senate.

In their presidential primary, France’s Socialists tack to the left and Benoît Hamon beats Manuel Valls with promises of a universal basic income 

Manuel Valls was the favourite to win the first round of the Socialist presidential primary. But last night the centrist former prime minister finished second

Paris, Jan.22.─ As France prepares for its presidential election this spring, the unexpected is becoming routine. Few predicted that the socially conservative François Fillon would emerge as the Republican party’s candidate, until he came from behind to win the primary in November. In December François Hollande decided not to seek re-election—the first incumbent president not to do so since the birth of the fifth republic.

Now comes January’s surprise. Polls suggested that Manuel Valls, a centrist who served as prime minister until last month, was the front-runner in the first round of the Socialist presidential primary on January 22nd. Instead he finished second; first place went to Benoît Hamon, a figure from the party’s left wing.