Mr Kushner, a key White House adviser, had meetings with Moscow's ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak, and Russian banker Sergey Gorkov.

US president Donald Trump has said the appointment of a special counsel to investigate allegations that his campaign collaborated with Russia to sway the 2016 election is "the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history".

The director of the US Secret Service has resigned in the face of revelations of security breaches and an erosion of confidence over the safety of president Barack Obama and his family.

The 11th-hour US compromise deal satisfied few people fully and saw a vital vote on a $60bn aid package for Sandy victims delayed, giving an outraged Governor Chris Christie a chance to take centre stage, writes Kyran Fitzgerald

Damage to Toyota’s image plummeted further today with the car maker considering a US and Japanese recall of its flagship Prius hybrid – the symbol of its technological prowess and green car ambitions.