Political news

• Trump salutes Carrier _ and himself _ for saving jobs

  01-12-2016 23:55
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donald Trump saluted workers, owners and himself Thursday at a Carrier plant in Indiana, declaring that a deal to keep a local plant open instead of moving operations to Mexico was only the first of many business victories to come in the U.S. with him as president.
  
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• David Davis: UK may pay for access to EU single market

  01-12-2016 23:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK may pay to get the "best possible" single market access, Brexit Secretary David Davis says.
  
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• Southgate England interview was no cosy fireside chat - FA

  01-12-2016 23:38
  By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Gareth Southgate was given a grilling to ensure he was mentally strong enough for the England manager's job, FA chief executive Martin Glenn said on Thursday. Former international defender and England under-21 coach Southgate was handed a four-year contract this week having impressed the FA during four matches as interim manager following Sam Allardyce's sacking. With few other candidates in the running, his appointment came as no surprise but Glenn said the p
  
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• The Hamilton Mixtape , a Love Letter to a Love Story

  01-12-2016 23:34
  Hamilton is likely destined to carry the word “influential” around with it for a long time—after all, it’s already influencing the 45th president. The Hamilton Mixtape, an official new album largely composed of Hamilton’s showtunes reinterpreted by pop and rap stars, underscores the remarkable scope of that influence. Contemporary American idols like Kelly Clarkson, Nas, Jimmy Fallon, Usher, John Legend, and Common have each now recorded loving tributes to Lin-Manue
  
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• Brazil Senate boss Calheiros indicted for embezzlement

  01-12-2016 23:30
  By Lisandra Paraguassu BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court indicted the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, on Thursday for embezzlement, a ruling that is expected to fan growing tensions between the judiciary and Congress over corruption cases. The top court voted 8-3 to try the senator charges of misusing public funds in a nine-year-old case involving the payment of child support for a daughter Calheiros had in an extramarital affair. Calheiros was indicted for billing the Senate
  
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• UK Brexit minister: Leaving EU won't mean economic isolation

  01-12-2016 23:28
  Britain's minister for leaving the European Union tried to reassure businesses on Thursday that exiting the bloc won't cut the U.K. off from much-needed international workers and investment. Brexit Secretary ...
  
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• National Olympic committees paid Irishman Hickey's bail

  01-12-2016 23:25
  The umbrella body representing national Olympic committees paid Patrick Hickey's bail to allow him to return home after he was arrested in a probe into an illegal ticket-scalping ring during the Rio de Janeiro Games. The former head of the Olympic Council of Ireland and the European Olympic Committee, who was released from prison in August, has maintained he is innocent of all charges. Irishman Hickey, 71, was allowed to leave Brazil in November on condition he paid 1.5 million reais (343,257 po
  
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• Polls close in Richmond Park by-election

  01-12-2016 23:19
  Polls have closed in the Richmond Park by-election, triggered after Zac Goldsmith resigned as a Conservative MP in protest at the Heathrow expansion go-ahead. Neither the Tories nor UKIP is fielding candidates to stand against Mr Goldsmith, who secured a 23,000 majority from the 2015 general election. Both Mr Goldsmith and Ms Olney are against a third runway at the west London airport.
  
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• Mattis reported named for Pentagon but Trump team denies

  01-12-2016 23:15
  U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will nominate retired General James Mattis to lead the Pentagon, two media outlets reported on Thursday, but a Trump spokesman said no decision had been made. The Washington Post said Trump had chosen Mattis and that an announcement was likely to be made early next week. CNN also reported that Trump had settled on Mattis.
  
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• Brent at 16-month high, Treasury yields climb further

  01-12-2016 23:10
  By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent crude futures rose to a 16-month high on Thursday on the heels of OPEC's agreement a day earlier to cut oil output, while Treasury yields continued to climb following the weakest monthly performance for global bonds in almost 13 years. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield jumped to its highest since July 2015 to start the month, after Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Global Broad Market Index fell 1.76 percent in November, its steepest monthly per
  
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• Austria's presidential candidates trade accusations in final debate

  01-12-2016 23:10
  Tetchy accusations of lying dominated the final televised presidential debate in Austria between far-right candidate Norbert Hofer and former Greens leader Alexander Van der Bellen on Thursday. A Hofer victory would make him the first far-right head of state in the European Union. Van der Bellen narrowly won a run-off vote in May, which was annulled due to sloppy counting.
  
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• Grim Hollande says he won't seek second term as French president

  01-12-2016 22:55
  By Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande shocked France on Thursday by announcing he would not seek a second term next year, acknowledging his deep unpopularity and making way for another leftist candidate to take on conservative Francois Fillon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen. The surprise announcement - effectively an admission that by running again he would hurt his Socialist party's chances - marks the first time since France's fifth Republic was created in 1958 th
  
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• Unpopular Hollande doomed by failure of jobs promise

  01-12-2016 22:45
  By Brian Love PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande staked his political fate on a promise to bring down unemployment, and it was his failure to turn around the economy that made him France's most unpopular president ever. In a glum address from the Elysee Palace on Thursday, Hollande became the first modern French head of state not to seek re-election, acknowledging he lacked the support to win.
  
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• The Latest: Stein calls Trump's recount objection 'shameful'

  01-12-2016 22:45
  
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Latest on the presidential recount efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (all times local):
  
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• Talktalk becomes latest victim of software attack

  01-12-2016 22:38
  "Along with other Internet Service Providers in the UK and abroad, we are taking steps to review the potential impacts of the Mirai worm", Talktalk said, adding it has put additional controls in place. Mirai is a malicious software which in October cut off access to some of the world's best known websites, including Twitter and Spotify.
  
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• Britain's Talktalk becomes latest victim of software attack

  01-12-2016 22:38
  "Along with other Internet Service Providers in the UK and abroad, we are taking steps to review the potential impacts of the Mirai worm", Talktalk said, adding it has put additional controls in place. Mirai is a malicious software which in October cut off access to some of the world's best known websites, including Twitter and Spotify.
  
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• Saving jobs: Trump salutes Carrier -- and himself

  01-12-2016 22:24
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donald Trump saluted workers, owners and himself Thursday at a Carrier plant in Indiana, declaring that a deal to keep a local plant open instead of moving operations to Mexico was only the first of many business victories to come in the U.S. with him as president.
  
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• Saving jobs: Trump salutes Carrier _ and himself

  01-12-2016 22:24
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Donald Trump saluted workers, owners and himself Thursday at a Carrier plant in Indiana, declaring that a deal to keep a local plant open instead of moving operations to Mexico was only the first of many business victories to come in the U.S. with him as president.
  
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• DHS panel recommends gov't keep private immigration jails

  01-12-2016 22:23
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A government advisory panel recommended Thursday that the Homeland Security Department continue using private, for-profit jails to house immigrants facing deportation.
  
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• Large crowds for Castro's ashes after symbolic Che Guevara reunion

  01-12-2016 22:19
  By Diego Oré and Sarah Marsh SANTA CLARA, Cuba (Reuters) - Thousands of people greeted Fidel Castro's funeral cortege on its journey across Cuba on Thursday after a symbolic overnight reunion at the mausoleum in Santa Clara housing the bones of fellow revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. Waving flags and chanting "I am Fidel," Cubans thickly lined pastel-coloured colonial streets in admiration of Castro, who died on Friday at age 90 as one of the towering figures of the 20th century after
  
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• Trump backs LA 2024 bid on call with IOC's Bach

  01-12-2016 22:14
  (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke with the head of the International Olympic Committee to express his support for Los Angeles' bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, the city's bid committee said on Thursday. The Los Angeles bid committee said on Twitter that Trump spoke with IOC President Thomas Bach by phone "to express his strong support" for the Olympics and the city's "plans to host a great Games." The California city is seeking to host the summer Games for a third time in
  
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• Trump picks retired Gen. James Mattis for Pentagon chief - Washington Post

  01-12-2016 22:13
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen retired Marine General James Mattis for defense secretary, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing unidentified sources. The newspaper said the announcement was likely to be made early next week. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by David Alexander)
  
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• Seeking truth, 21st-century style

  01-12-2016 22:12
  A few years back a “fake news anchor” named Stephen Colbert on the TV comedy show “The Colbert Report” coined the term “truthiness” to describe people who’d rather believe what they want to be true and avoid information that challenges their beliefs. Fake news stories can feed these impulses. Concerns about fake news spreading online are legitimate.
  
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• Channel 4 ramps up fight with ministers over its future

  01-12-2016 22:08
  Broadcaster sees ‘unprecedented interference’ as government considers options
  
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• UK could pay EU for access to single market, ministers say

  01-12-2016 22:00
  
  David Davis and Philip Hammond cause surprise by expressing willingness to pay to retain lucrative single market accessBritain could end up paying the European Union to retain access to the single market, David Davis and Philip Hammond have said, in a concerted attempt to signal that the government is willing to take a flexible approach to the looming Brexit negotiations. Related: It won’t be easy to stop Brexit. But here are four ways to do it | Martin KettleContinue reading...
  
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• UK could pay EU for access to single market, ministers admit

  01-12-2016 22:00
  
  David Davis and Philip Hammond cause a surprise by expressing willingness to pay to retain lucrative single market accessBritain could end up paying the European Union to retain access to the single market, David Davis and Philip Hammond have said, in a concerted attempt to signal that the government is willing to take a flexible approach to the looming Brexit negotiations. Related: It won’t be easy to stop Brexit. But here are four ways to do it | Martin KettleContinue reading...
  
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• Talktalk becomes latest victim of malicious software attack

  01-12-2016 21:59
  "Along with other Internet Service Providers in the UK and abroad, we are taking steps to review the potential impacts of the Mirai worm", Talktalk said, adding it has put additional controls in place. Mirai is a malicious software which in October cut off access to some of the world's best known websites, including Twitter and Spotify. A cyber attack hit Britian's Post Office broadband customers on Sunday, affecting some types of routers, Post Office said.
  
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• Key House chairman: GOP will change Medicare, to 'save' it

  01-12-2016 21:59
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of a key House committee pledged Thursday that congressional Republicans will change Medicare in order to save it.
  
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• Pharma execs weigh in on possible changes under Trump

  01-12-2016 21:58
  Since he was elected, Trump, who has said he wants to repeal Obamacare and reform Medicare and Medicaid, has not addressed the sharp drug price increases that dominated the Presidential campaign. Pharma companies are breathing a sigh of relief, but Trump could be more critical of drugmakers and their price increases than the industry expects, Allergan Inc Chief Executive Brent Saunders said on Thursday. Saunders, speaking at the annual Forbes Healthcare Summit in New York, predicted Trump could
  
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• House bill would relax bank rules aimed at averting crash

  01-12-2016 21:54
  The House neared approval Thursday of legislation easing bank curbs that Democrats imposed to prevent another financial crisis, as Republicans offered a symbolic preview of regulatory changes they plan ...
  
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• The Latest: Trump renews pledge to build border wall

  01-12-2016 21:53
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Ban Ki-moon sorry for U.N. role in deadly Haiti cholera outbreak

  01-12-2016 21:51
  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon apologised to the people of Haiti on Thursday for the world body's role in a deadly cholera outbreak that has killed more than 9,300 people and was blamed on Nepali U.N. peacekeepers. Haiti was free of cholera until 2010, when the peacekeepers dumped infected sewage into a river. The United Nations does not accept legal responsibility for the outbreak of the disease that causes uncontrollable dia
  
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• Brazil states relax austerity deal in defeat to Temer

  01-12-2016 21:50
  By Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - Governors of cash-strapped Brazilian states on Thursday got President Michel Temer to bow to their demands to relax tough austerity measures, throwing the country's pledges to rebalance its depleted accounts further into doubt. Struggling to pay their pensioners and employees, many governors have accused Temer of trying to impose harsh measures in exchange for revenues from an asset repatriation amnesty that they argue states are entitled to. After meeting wit
  
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• Steve Bell on Tony Blair's new institute for centre-ground politics – cartoon

  01-12-2016 21:49
  
  Continue reading...
  
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• Wisconsin election recount begins; Michigan's is challenged

  01-12-2016 21:47
  
  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The tedious task of recounting Wisconsin's nearly 3 million votes for president began Thursday with scores of hastily hired temporary workers flipping through stacks of ballots as observers watched their every move.
  
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• Shamoon virus returns in Saudi computer attacks after four-year hiatus

  01-12-2016 21:42
  Shamoon, the destructive computer virus that four years ago crippled tens of thousands of computers at Middle Eastern energy companies, was used two weeks ago to attack computers in Saudi Arabia, according to several U.S. cyber security firms. CrowdStrike, FireEye Inc, Intel Corp's McAfee security unit, Palo Alto Networks Inc and Symantec Corp warned of the attacks, though they did not name any victims.
  
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• Christmas isn’t being banned. But we should play along with those who think it is | Gaby Hinsliff

  01-12-2016 21:41
  
  Even though the campaign to save Santa is pointless, the left should realise many voters want to be reassured that their world isn’t changingWhy aren’t we allowed to talk about Christmas any more? For that’s the question we’re all asking ourselves, surely, in between ordering the turkey and hanging the Advent calendar.Why is there not more Christmas in my life, I ask myself plaintively, while cobbling together an emergency nativity play costume at midnight? Why are the fo
  
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• Shamoon virus returns in Saudi computer attacks after 4-year hiatus

  01-12-2016 21:40
  Shamoon, the destructive computer virus that four years ago crippled tens of thousands of computers at Middle Eastern energy companies, was used two weeks ago to attack computers in Saudi Arabia, according to several U.S. cyber security firms. CrowdStrike, FireEye Inc , Intel Corp's McAfee security unit, Palo Alto Networks Inc and Symantec Corp warned of the attacks, though they did not name any victims.
  
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• Brazil targets Itaú as tax probe reaches more banks

  01-12-2016 21:39
  By Ana Mano and Guillermo Parra-Bernal SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian police investigating alleged bribery of tax officials on Thursday raided Itaú Unibanco Holding SA, the latest banking giant to be swept up in the widening investigation. Police did not name the bank involved in the phase of the so-called Operation Zealot but Itaú, Latin America's No. 1 bank by market value, confirmed it was the target. The investigation centres on allegations that dozens of companies bribed memb
  
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• The Latest: Trump campaign objects to Michigan hand recount

  01-12-2016 21:34
  
  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Latest on the presidential recount efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (all times local):
  
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• Pelosi cedes some power to House Dems angry over elections

  01-12-2016 21:33
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats angry over the party's dreary Election Day voted Thursday to strip some power from Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — but with her support.
  
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• The Latest: Trump didn't take IN jobs vow seriously at first

  01-12-2016 21:29
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Religious leaders urge Australia to ramp up fight against modern slavery

  01-12-2016 21:20
  By Umberto Bacchi LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A group of prominent religious leaders urged Australia on Thursday to introduce laws to ensure forced labour is not used to produce goods sold in the country, saying ending slavery needed to be a national priority. In a letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, 18 faith leaders said Australia should follow Britain's lead in getting companies to disclose steps they have taken to clean up their supply chains under its Modern Slavery Act, pas
  
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• It won’t be easy to stop Brexit. But here are four ways to do it | Martin Kettle

  01-12-2016 21:18
  
  Chip away, every day. This is a long game but, as harsh reality bites, time will be on the side of the remainersThose of us with only a smattering of knowledge about the ancient world know one thing about Cato the Elder. During Rome’s long wars against Hannibal, Cato ended every speech in the senate with the same words: “Carthage must be destroyed.”“Brexit must be stopped” is unlikely to last as long as Cato’s catchphrase has managed to. But it focuses the min
  
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• Trump speaks with Bach to express support for LA Olympic bid

  01-12-2016 21:15
  President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with the head of the International Olympic Committee to voice his support for Los Angeles' bid to host the 2024 Games.
  
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• Brent hits 16-month high, Treasury yields rise further

  01-12-2016 21:14
  By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brent crude futures rose to a 16-month high on Thursday on the heels of OPEC's agreement a day earlier to cut output, while Treasury yields continued to climb following the weakest monthly performance for global bonds in almost 13 years. The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield jumped to its highest since July 2015 to start the month, after Bank of America Merrill Lynch's Global Broad Market Index fell 1.76 percent in November -its steepest monthly percent
  
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• Oil soars, Brent hits 16-month high after OPEC output deal

  01-12-2016 21:03
  By Devika Krishna Kumar NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices surged 4 percent on Thursday, with Brent crude at its highest in about 16 months, extending gains after OPEC and Russia agreed to restrict output to reduce the global supply glut more quickly. The deal also included OPEC's first coordinated action in 15 years with non-member Russia. "It remains to be seen how well they stick to the plan, but if OPEC hadn't come to an agreement the probability is that oil prices would have fallen to $40 a ba
  
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• Most London babies have foreign-born parent

  01-12-2016 20:59
  Data offer further evidence of how capital is ‘different to the rest of the UK’
  
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• France's Hollande says he won't seek re-election

  01-12-2016 20:58
  By Ingrid Melander PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday he would not seek a second term in next year's presidential election, a surprise move that clears the way for an alternative left-wing candidate. Hollande is the most unpopular president in French polling history, a fact he tacitly acknowledged in a speech from the Elysee Palace. "I am aware today of the risk that going down a route that would not gather sufficient support would entail, so I have decided not
  
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• Obama, trying to protect legacy, unlikely to act on Mideast peace

  01-12-2016 20:50
  By Arshad Mohammed and Matt Spetalnick WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama, keen to preserve his legacy on domestic health care and the Iran nuclear deal, is not expected to make major moves on Israeli-Palestinian peace before leaving office, U.S. officials said on Thursday. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the last word on the president's failed peace effort might come from Secretary of State John Kerry at an appearance on Sunday at an annual Middle East co
  
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