THE billionaire investor and activist Tom Seyer announced he is joining the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in America, reversing his previous decision not to run earlier this year.

Seyer, 62, is one of the most visible and deep-pocketed liberals advocating for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. He surprised many Democrats in January when he travelled to Iowa, home of the nation’s first presidential caucus, declaring to focus entirely on impeachment rather than the White House.

Since then he says he has grown impatient with the Democratic-controlled House. Around half of the Democratic contenders have called on the House Democrats to start an impeachment inquiry, however Speaker Nancy Pelosi has resisted, citing that a rush to impeachment without facts could ultimately help Trump politically.

ELSEWHERE, the new Cabinet for Greece was sworn in yesterday, two days after conservative leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis won early elections on pledges to make the country more business-friendly, cut taxes and negotiate an easing of draconian budget conditions.

Finance minister Christos Staikouras said: “Our central aim is to create the conditions for a high and sustainable development with healthy public finances and a stable banking sector. We will promote production, productivity, competitiveness, quality, adaptability and an outward looking approach of our economy.”

MEANWHILE Japan’s Government has said it will abide by a court ruling ordering it to compensate former leprosy patients’ families over a lengthy segregation policy, which severed family ties and caused long-lasting prejudice.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the Government will not appeal against the Kumamoto District Court ruling, which awarded compensation to 541 plaintiffs for financial and psychological suffering due to discrimination within education, jobs and marriage.

The court has ordered the Government to pay 370 million yen (£2.73m) in damages to the 541 families. It said it failed to end segregation until 1996, decades after leprosy or Hansen’s disease, became curable.

AND FINALLY, the UN has revealed a grime milestone in the Libyan conflict, claiming more than 1,000 people have been killed since April due to fighting between militias.

The World Health Organisation said those killed include over 100 civilians with more than 5,500 people wounded since forces loyal to Khalifa Hifter launched an offensive on the Tripoli-based Government three months ago.

Hifler’s self-styled Libyan National Army is the largest of Libya’s many militias, with support from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia.