To initialize an empty list do this:
new_list = []
or
new_list = list()
To add elements to the list, use append
new_list.append(12)
To extend the list to include the elements from another list use extend
new_list.extend([1,2,3,4])
new_list
[12,1,2,3,4]
To remove an element from a list use remove
new_list.remove(2)