Political news

• Central Americans surge north, hoping to reach U.S. before Trump inauguration

  24-11-2016 23:59
  By Gustavo Palencia and Sofia Menchu TEGUCIGALPA/GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Central American countries warned on Thursday that large numbers of migrants have fled their poor, violent homes since Donald Trump's surprise election win, hoping to reach the United States before he takes office next year. Trump won the Nov. 8 vote by taking a hard line on immigration, threatening to deport millions of people living illegally in the United States and to erect a wall along the Mexican border. Trump's to
  
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• France's Fillon found 'more convincing' in final primary debate - poll

  24-11-2016 23:27
  PARIS (Reuters) - Former French prime minister Francois Fillon was seen as the winner of a final debate with rival Alain Juppe before a vote on Sunday to determine who becomes the conservatives' candidate for next year's presidential election, a poll showed on Thursday. The flash survey by Elabe pollsters after Thursday's debate found that 71 percent of conservative and centre-right voters considered Fillon more convincing than Juppe. Fillon was also ahead among all viewers independently of thei
  
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• German coalition agrees to lift east German pensions from 2018

  24-11-2016 23:22
  Germany's ruling coalition agreed on Thursday to gradually raise state-backed pensions of those from the former Communist east to match western German levels from 2018 through 2025, a memorandum about the meeting showed. The agreement was reached during a late-night meeting of the leaders of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), their CSU Bavarian sister party, and the Social Democrats (SPD), the junior party in the ruling coalition.
  
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• At least eight security forces members killed in Egypt's Sinai

  24-11-2016 23:06
  At least eight members of Egypt's security forces were killed on Thursday in an attack on a checkpoint in the northern Sinai, a military spokesman said in a statement. An Islamist insurgency in the rugged, thinly populated Sinai Peninsula has gained pace since the military toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule. The militant group staging the insurgency in Sinai pledged allegiance to Islami
  
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• Abuse inquiry handled assault claim badly, say MPs

  24-11-2016 23:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A sexual assault allegation was dealt with poorly by heads of the inquiry into child sexual abuse, MPs say.
  
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• Mayor says Trump backs Los Angeles' 2024 Olympic Bid - NBC

  24-11-2016 22:43
  (Reuters) - U.S. Republican President-elect Donald Trump told the Los Angeles' mayor he would support the city's 2024 Olympics bid when the two spoke this week, NBC reported on Thursday, citing the mayor's spokeswoman. Trump and Mayor Eric Garcetti, a Democrat, spoke by phone on Wednesday and "had a productive conversation about ways to expand infrastructure investments and opportunities in communities across America," spokeswoman Connie Llanos said, according to NBC. Reuters could not immediate
  
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• Bulgarian police fire rubber bullets to quell migrant camp riot

  24-11-2016 22:42
  Bulgarian police fired water cannon and rubber bullets to quell a riot by migrants angered at being confined to their refugee camp due to a health scare, the interior ministry said. The unrest at the camp in Harmanli, a town close to the Turkish border, came two days after authorities sealed it off to prevent anyone leaving after local media reported that the migrants were carrying infectious diseases. Earlier on Thursday, residents set fire to furniture and tyres and threw stones at riot police
  
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• Memorable matches between Southampton and Everton

  24-11-2016 22:39
  Here are five standout clashes between Southampton and Everton: FA Cup first round, January, 1900. Southampton 3 Everton 0 Southampton were still in the southern league when they took on established first division heavyweights Everton but the FA Cup was already known for producing upsets and did not disappoint. Southampton triumphed 3-0 in shock victory to spark a run that took them all the way to the final for the first time, where they were hammered 4-0 by Bury.
  
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• Southampton v Everton - the fans' view

  24-11-2016 22:38
  Southampton will host Everton on Sunday as their former manager Ronald Koeman returns to the south coast club for the first time since making the switch in June. Seventh place Everton have won just six of a possible 21 points in their last seven matches despite a positive start to their 2016/17 Premier League campaign. Here is what the fans have to say about their respective clubs: Andrew Walker, Saints Podcast The return of Ronald Koeman will be the main story this weekend.
  
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• May suffers backlash over flagship business reform

  24-11-2016 22:31
  BoE’s Haldane and GSK’s Witty among senior figures to attack executive pay plans
  
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• U.S. soldier dies following IED blast in northern Syria - statement

  24-11-2016 22:20
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. service member died on Thursday after being wounded in an improvised explosive device blast in northern Syria, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. CENTCOM said the blast occurred near in the vicinity of Ayn Issa but gave no other details, adding that it would release more information "as appropriate." (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Sandra Maler)
  
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• Nigel Farage Says He 'Isn't The Type' To Become British Ambassador To The US

  24-11-2016 22:08
  
  Nigel Farage has said he “is not the type” to become British ambassador to the US, after President-Elect Donald Trump infuriated the UK Government by suggesting the appointment.
  The interim Ukip leader, who was dubbed “Mr Brexit” after his role in June’s EU referendum, told CNN that he wasn’t “Foreign Office” enough to take on a formal diplomatic position.He said: “In normal terms I wouldn’t necessarily put the words Farage and am
  
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• White house condemns attack on Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims in Iraq

  24-11-2016 21:59
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday condemned an attack in Hilla, Iraq, that killed about 100 people, most of them Iranian Shi'ite pilgrims, saying the bombing "was clearly intended to stoke sectarian tensions." (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler)
  
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• No holiday for political talk, social media posts suggest

  24-11-2016 21:57
  
  As Americans feasted on turkey Thursday during the nation's first major post-election holiday, some took to social media to describe the political gloating, loathing and subject avoiding they experienced ...
  
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• Rodrigo Duterte, Phillipines President, Calls Channel 4 News Reporter 'A Son Of A Wh*re'

  24-11-2016 21:36
  
  The president of the Philippines has told a Channel 4 News journalist to “get lost, you son of a whore” for asking about the thousands killed by his Government in his short time in office.
  Five thousand people have been killed in the five months since Rodrigo Duterte came to power as part of the country’s brutal war on drugs.
  This is more than died under Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Philippines under martial law for nine years.Those killed have been killed by security forces
  
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• Rodrigo Duterte, Philippines President, Calls Channel 4 News Reporter 'A Son Of A Wh*re'

  24-11-2016 21:36
  
  The president of the Philippines has told a Channel 4 News journalist to “get lost, you son of a whore” for asking about the thousands killed by his Government in his short time in office.
  Five thousand people have been killed in the five months since Rodrigo Duterte came to power as part of the country’s brutal war on drugs.
  This is more than died under Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the Philippines under martial law for nine years.Those killed have been killed by security forces
  
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• Chinese official defends Chinese takeovers of German firms - newspaper

  24-11-2016 21:33
  Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong on Thursday defended efforts by Chinese companies to take stakes in German companies, saying such deals benefitted both sides. "Concerns about a 'sell-off of Germany' are completely unfounded," Liu told Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper days after news that U.S. authorities had recommended blocking the sale of German chip equipment maker Aixtron [AIXGn.DE] by China's Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC). Liu said China would continue to encourage its firms to i
  
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• Ghost airplane attends banquet for new Airbus jet

  24-11-2016 21:25
  By Tim Hepher TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) - Airbus presented dignitaries and media assembled for the debut of its latest model with an unexpected sight on Thursday: a white-painted $300-million A350 jetliner being prepared for delivery without an airline livery, breaking an industry taboo. In this case, the aircraft has been sold to one of the world's largest leasing companies, AerCap , according to online records of the serial number on the tail. AerCap had arranged to lease it to SriLankan Airl
  
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• Turkey PM warns Europe: Cutting off ties would bring 'flood' of migrants

  24-11-2016 21:07
  Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Thursday warned Europe that without Ankara's help it could be "flooded" by waves of migrants and said cutting off talks with the bloc would be far more damaging to Europe than Turkey. "We are one of the factors protecting Europe. If refugees go through, they will flood into Europe and take it over, and Turkey prevents this," Yildirim said in comments broadcast live on television.
  
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• Chancellor Hammond chooses his battle - fixing weak productivity

  24-11-2016 20:59
  By William Schomberg LONDON (Reuters) - In 2011, early in his time as Chancellor, George Osborne said he would revive British manufacturing as he promised "a march of the makers" to rebalance the economy. This week, Osborne's successor Philip Hammond staked out his own priority: turning around Britain's long-standing productivity problem to meet the challenges of leaving the European Union. Hammond used his first budget statement to address what he called the "shocking" gap between productivity
  
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• Kurds and Shi'ite forces to coordinate in push to encircle Mosul

  24-11-2016 20:58
  By Isabel Coles, Saif Hameed and Ulf Laessing ERBIL/BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Kurdish and Shi'ite forces near Mosul have agreed to coordinate their operations in support of a U.S-backed offensive seeking to encircle and capture Islamic State's last major urban stronghold in Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi officials said on Thursday. The agreement will restrict the movement of the jihadists in and out of Mosul and aid the attempts of the forces ranged against them to complete the encirclement of the city fr
  
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• German economy ministry questions purchase of U.S. military planes

  24-11-2016 20:48
  Germany's economic ministry has questioned a defence ministry plan to buy U.S. transport planes, proposing instead the purchase of a Brazilian aircraft that could trigger orders for German firms. A state secretary in Germany's economic ministry, Brigitte Zypries, told lawmakers in a letter that she had made the suggestion to her counterpart at the defence ministry after a visit to an Embraer facility in Brazil. Zypries said Embraer presented its own KC-390 transport aircraft as a "very convincin
  
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• J&J makes takeover approach for Swiss drugmaker Actelion - Bloomberg

  24-11-2016 20:45
  (Reuters) - U.S. healthcare company Johnson & Johnson has approached Swiss biotechnology firm Actelion Ltd about a potential takeover, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing people it said were familiar with the matter. The report said that deliberations are still at an early stage following Johnson & Johnson's initial offer, and Actelion is working with an adviser to explore options. Johnson & Johnson Chief Executive Alex Gorsky said earlier this year that the company was interested
  
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• British wage growth looks 'dreadful' after Brexit - IFS

  24-11-2016 20:37
  By David Milliken LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's wage growth prospects look "dreadful", a leading think tank said on Thursday, after official economic forecasts showed workers were unlikely to recoup losses suffered after the financial crisis within the next five years. The Institute for Fiscal Studies - a think tank focussed on budget issues - said Wednesday's forecasts showed wages in 2021 would be lower than in 2008, after adjusting for inflation - a stagnation with no precedent since at least
  
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• Gunmen kill at least three policemen in Egypt's Sinai

  24-11-2016 20:32
  Gunmen killed at least three policemen and injured seven in an attack on a checkpoint in the restive northern Sinai on Thursday, Egyptian security sources said. An Islamist insurgency in the rugged, thinly populated Sinai Peninsula has gained pace since the military toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule. In Thursday's incident, assailants fired two rocket propelled grenades at the checkpoi
  
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• Lufthansa pilots extend strike until Saturday for long-haul flights

  24-11-2016 20:29
  By Peter Maushagen FRANKFURT/BERLIN (Reuters) - Lufthansa pilots in Germany said they will extend strike action until Saturday and target long-haul flights, further raising pressure on management in a long-running pay dispute. One of Europe's biggest airlines, Lufthansa has already grounded nearly 1,800 flights since pilots represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union went on strike on Wednesday, disrupting travel plans for more than 315,000 passengers. Lufthansa said earlier on Thursday th
  
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• Tax system struggles with rise of gig economy

  24-11-2016 20:27
  OBR predicts changing work trends will cut revenues by £3.5bn in 2021-22
  
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• Self-employment ‘desperately difficult’ for taxes

  24-11-2016 20:27
  Traditional employer-employee relationships are taxed more but are on the wane
  
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• Wells Fargo asks U.S. court to dismiss account scandal lawsuit

  24-11-2016 20:26
  By Suzanne Barlyn NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co has asked a U.S. court to order dozens of customers who are suing the bank over the opening of unauthorised accounts to resolve their disputes in private arbitrations instead of court, according to legal documents. The motion, filed in the U.S. District Court in Utah on Wednesday, is in response to the first class action lawsuit filed against Wells since it agreed to pay $185 million (148.54 million pounds) in penalties and $5 million t
  
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• Germany's Seehofer invites Trump to Bavaria - source

  24-11-2016 20:23
  Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer has invited U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to visit the southern German state, possibly as soon as February for the Munich Security Conference, a source familiar with the invitation said. Seehofer, who heads the Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), extended the invitation in a letter of congratulations to Trump after his victory, said the source. It was not immediately clear when
  
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• Airbus chief more confident on A350 delivery goal

  24-11-2016 20:17
  TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) - The chief executive of Airbus Group's commercial jet division said on Thursday he had grown more confident of reaching this year's target of at least 50 A350-900 deliveries. "The objective has not changed. I visited the final assembly line last Tuesday and they are still working on 50 this year," Fabrice Bregier told reporters at an event marking the maiden flight of the larger A350-1000 . "I am more confident than I was at the end of June," Bregier said, adding: "We
  
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• Friends, family, turkey and touchdowns for Obamas' holiday

  24-11-2016 20:15
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and his family are spending Thanksgiving with friends, family, turkey and touchdowns, as he puts it, and reflecting "on what truly binds us as Americans."
  
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• Multi-million pound Sex Pistols collection to go up in flames

  24-11-2016 20:09
  By Georgina Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - The son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren said he would set fire to millions of dollars of punk memorabilia on Saturday, as a protest against the musical scene's appropriation by the mainstream. Joe Corre said he would burn Sex Pistols records, clothing and other ephemera on the 40th anniversary of the release of the band's debut single "Anarchy in the UK".
  
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• Trump spends Thanksgiving 'working hard' on Carrier plant

  24-11-2016 20:03
  By Roberta Rampton and Susan Heavey WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday he was spending part of his Thanksgiving holiday trying to convince an Indiana air conditioner maker to stay in the United States - reflecting his election campaign pledge to stop the flow of jobs abroad. Trump, who is also weighing decisions on his Cabinet during a family retreat at his Mar-a-Lago golf resort in Florida, said on Twitter that he was "working h
  
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• Azerbaijan signals OPEC wants big cuts from non-OPEC producers

  24-11-2016 19:58
  By Nailia Bagirova, Rania El Gamal and Olesya Astakhova BAKU/DUBAI/MOSCOW (Reuters) - OPEC may ask oil producers outside the cartel to make big cuts in output, Azerbaijan said on Thursday, highlighting the challenges in striking a deal as the two sides enter the final stages of talks aimed at cutting production to stabilise prices. The oil minister of Azerbaijan, which is not a member of OPEC, was quoted in a newspaper as saying the cartel may want non-OPEC producers to cut output by as much as
  
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• Algeria's energy minister to meet Iranian counterpart in Tehran

  24-11-2016 19:57
  Algerian Energy Minister Nouredine Bouterfa will meet Iranian counterpart Hamid Chitchian in Tehran on Saturday ahead of OPEC talks in Vienna to discuss implementation of oil output cuts agreed in Algiers in September, an Algerian energy source said on Thursday. "We will do the maximum to secure the implementation of the Algiers' deal," the source said. State news agency APS later quoted an energy ministry source confirming the Tehran visit and saying that it would involve discussions on how to
  
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• Total CEO says OPEC deal possible only if Russia participates

  24-11-2016 19:56
  An accord to cut global oil production is possible, but would only happen if non-member countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agree to cut their output, the Chief Executive of Total said on Thursday. "It will only be possible if non-OPEC countries including Russia also agree to cut (output), because Saudi Arabia will not shoulder the burden alone," Patrick Pouyanne told an energy forum in Paris. OPEC is due to meet on Nov. 30 to coordinate the output cut agree
  
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• Oil prices edge up ahead of OPEC meeting to discuss output cuts

  24-11-2016 19:56
  By Ahmad Ghaddar LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices were slightly higher on Thursday ahead of next week's meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to discuss implementation of its proposed cap on production. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 9 cents to $48.05. OPEC is due to meet on Nov. 30 to coordinate the cut agreed in Algiers in September, potentially with the cooperation of Russia, which is not a member of the group.
  
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• EU vows unwavering support to Ukraine but problems with deal mount

  24-11-2016 19:53
  By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders reaffirmed support for carrying out a 2014 pact on closer ties with Ukraine but cited "limitations" amid divisions over how far to go with a country mired in intractable corruption and conflict. Some in Ukraine feel the EU has not shown enough support in its confrontation with Russia and worry that promises by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to mend Washington's relations with Moscow could be come at their expense. On top of tha
  
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• Scotland approves the return of the beaver

  24-11-2016 19:49
  ‘Rewilding’ campaigners also hope for lynx and wolf to roam the countryside once more
  
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• Syrian refugee arrested in Germany with bomb-making materials

  24-11-2016 19:48
  German police arrested a 20-year-old Syrian refugee who sympathised with Islamic State after he tried to cross into Denmark with potential bomb-making materials, a spokesman for the Stuttgart prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The man, whose name was not disclosed, had been in Germany for some time but it was not immediately clear when he entered the country, the spokesman Jan Holzner told Reuters. "We have evidence that he sympathised with Islamic State," Holzner said.
  
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• Trump's friend Farage taunts PM May with 'ambassador's reception'

  24-11-2016 19:47
  Nigel Farage, the Brexit campaigner who U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said would be great as Britain's envoy to Washington, taunted Prime Minister Theresa May with a mock ambassador's reception complete with chocolate and champagne. May's government dismissed Trump's suggestion this week of "Ambassador Farage" saying there was no vacancy as Kim Darroch is currently serving as ambassador to Washington.
  
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• Colombia, rebels sign peace in sober ceremony amid opposition

  24-11-2016 19:44
  By Helen Murphy BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono signed a revised peace accord on Thursday in a far more sober ceremony than a first deal rejected last month by millions at a plebiscite. The government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) worked together in Cuba for four years to negotiate an end to the region's longest-running conflict that has killed more than 220,000 and displaced millions in the Andean natio
  
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• Barca's win at Celtic cannot hide problems with summer recruits

  24-11-2016 19:37
  Barcelona may have again eased into the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday but their win at Celtic could still not paper over some of the cracks that have developed in a squad recruited at huge expense. Despite splurging 122 million euros ($128.84 million) on bolstering their ranks in the summer, Barcelona are still overwhelmingly reliant on the same starting 11 in their biggest games, with their expensive new recruits failing to deliver. Barca drew a blank against Malaga last Saturday
  
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• Britain’s confused development aid plans

  24-11-2016 19:36
  The funding splurge on private equity is at odds with UK commitments
  
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• European leveraged loans pick up pace in run up to year-end

  24-11-2016 19:28
  It comes after a busy November, which has already seen a large number of deals close and allocate onto the secondary loan market. The durability of the loan market following Brexit and Trump’s surprise election and the sheer amount of liquidity available has prompted borrowers to issue loans while there is good visibility. A number of repayments to the loan market and new money raisings has led to vast amounts of money to put to work.
  
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• Andrew Lansley chides chancellor over lack of NHS and social care funding

  24-11-2016 19:28
  
  Former health secretary ‘disappointed’ the autumn statement failed to provide more money to services struggling to copeThe former health secretary Andrew Lansley has joined MPs from across the political spectrum in criticising the autumn statement for its lack of extra funding for the NHS and social care.Lansley, who is now a peer, said he was disappointed there was not extra cash for the health service, which is under increasing pressure because adult social care budgets have been c
  
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• Wildfires tear across Israel, Netanyahu calls arsonists 'terrorists'

  24-11-2016 19:24
  By Rami Amichai HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - Wildfires tore across central and northern Israel on Thursday, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee the city of Haifa, as leaders blamed arsonists for some of the blazes and branded them terrorists. Television pictures showed a wall of flames raging through central neighbourhoods of Israel's third largest city. "Every fire that was caused by arson, or incitement to arson, is terrorism by all accounts.
  
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• Have you changed your mind about your EU referendum vote?

  24-11-2016 19:23
  
  Following the autumn statement’s warnings about the economic implications of Brexit, we want to know if you’re having second thoughts about your vote
  It’s been five months since Britain’s historic EU referendum. On Wednesday Philip Hammond, the chancellor, delivered an autumn statement in which he admitted that Brexit will deal a severe blow to the UK’s public finances. Related: IFS warns of biggest squeeze on pay for 70 years over BrexitContinue reading...
  
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• Brexiters choose to target the messenger

  24-11-2016 19:11
  The ideologically driven assault on the OBR’s sober professionalism is disgraceful
  
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