Political news

• Top Tories: hard Brexit stance could lose us next election

  03-12-2016 23:00
  
  Ex-ministers reject ‘Ukip-lite’ views and urge Theresa May to spell out her EU strategyThe Tory party could lose the next general election if Theresa May alienates its core of moderate supporters by imitating Ukip and pushing through a hard Brexit, a group of former Conservative ministers and MPs says.The warning to the prime minister from the party’s senior ranks comes after Tory voters turned to the pro-EU Lib Dems in droves in Thursday’s Richmond Park byelection, deliv
  
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• Brexit chaos could change the political map of Britain

  03-12-2016 23:00
  
  The Liberal Democrat victory in the Richmond Park byelection could be just the first of many electoral aftershocks that could reconfigure the electoral landscapeGood news had been in short supply for Lib Dems over the previous 18 months, so when some hugely encouraging data arrived at their byelection headquarters in Richmond last Wednesday morning, the reaction was one of excitement coupled with scepticism. Party strategists had just received the results of internal polling showing they had pul
  
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• Chaos as Chelsea signal intent with win at Man City

  03-12-2016 22:58
  By Ian Chadband LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea made the most emphatic statement yet about their Premier League title credentials as they forged clear at the top of the table with a dramatic, chaotic and emotional 3-1 win at Manchester City on Saturday. The comeback victory gave Chelsea 34 points from 14 matches, three clear of second-placed Arsenal who romped to a 5-1 victory at West Ham United thanks to Chile forward Alexis Sanchez's 15-minute hat-trick in the second half. Chelsea are four points c
  
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• Chelsea apologises to abused former player

  03-12-2016 22:56
  English soccer club Chelsea issued a public apology to former striker Gary Johnson on Saturday for the sexual abuse he suffered as a young player and said it had been wrong to insist on a confidentiality clause when paying him compensation. Johnson, 57, said on Friday that he had been abused by former Chelsea chief scout Eddie Heath in the 1970s, receiving 50,000 pounds from the club in settlement in 2015. Chelsea added that an external review would establish whether they carried out a proper in
  
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• Brazil's Temer keeps low profile at wake for soccer team

  03-12-2016 22:52
  President Michel Temer came to mourn Brazil's tragic heroes, a rural soccer team that beat the odds and was then wiped out in a plane crash. Temer, who assumed the presidency after the controversial impeachment of his predecessor earlier this year, has made only limited public appearances since losing two ministers to a corruption scandal. Originally, according to a source at the presidential palace, Temer planned only to travel to the airport at the city in remote southern Brazil long enough to
  
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• Singapore minister urges U.S. focus on strategic interest in Asia

  03-12-2016 22:48
  The United States should focus on larger strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific region, including expanding trade ties, the defence minister of Singapore said on Saturday, when asked about the controversy sparked by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's phone call with the president of Taiwan. Ng Eng Hen said it was not Singapore's place to comment on Trump's phone calls, but welcomed comments by his aides reaffirming Trump's support for the longstanding U.S. "one China" policy, a policy also sup
  
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• South Africa's Zuma asks court to set aside influence-peddling report

  03-12-2016 22:47
  By James Macharia JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma has asked the High Court to set aside a report by an anti-corruption watchdog that called for a judicial inquiry into alleged influence-peddling in his government, the president's office said on Saturday. While stopping short of conclusive findings, the report by the Public Protector watchdog has increased political pressure on Zuma by calling for an investigation into whether he, some cabinet members and some state co
  
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• Uzbekistan's interim leader expected to win presidential election

  03-12-2016 22:42
  Uzbekistan's prime minister and interim president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, looks likely to win a presidential election on Sunday by a landslide and become the second leader of Central Asia's most populous nation since independence. Karimov, who ran the resource-rich former Soviet republic of 32 million people with an iron fist since 1989, died from a stroke in September, aged 78. Mirziyoyev, cabinet head since 2003, swiftly emerged as Karimov's most likely successor after the speaker of the upper ch
  
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• Azeri security forces say kill man trying to detonate suicide belt

  03-12-2016 22:39
  Azerbaijan's security forces on Saturday shot dead an Azeri man who tried to detonate a suicide belt near a shopping mall in the capital Baku, the state security service said. Ex-Soviet Azerbaijan, a secular Muslim country with a population of about 10 million, is a major energy producer in the Caspian Sea region. "Azeri citizen Azizagaoglu Emin Jami (born 1978) ... was killed during a special operation carried out by the state security service," the service said in a statement.
  
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• Surprise winner of Gambia poll eyes new cabinet, reforms

  03-12-2016 22:35
  By Emma Farge BANJUL (Reuters) - The winner of Gambia's presidential election told Reuters on Saturday he was keen to form a new cabinet to get cracking with reforms, a day after veteran leader Yahya Jammeh stunned the tiny west African nation by conceding defeat. Jammeh's statement on state radio sparked wild celebrations in a country he has ruled with an iron hand since taking power in a coup 22 years ago, but doubts persisted over how he would step aside and whether the army would switch its
  
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• France's Left starts fightback after Hollande bows out of presidential race

  03-12-2016 22:27
  By Elizabeth Pineau and Richard Balmforth PARIS (Reuters) - France's Left on Saturday launched a bid to re-energise supporters disenchanted by Francois Hollande's five years in power and find a candidate to unite the ranks ahead of a presidential election next year where it could face humiliation. Hollande threw the Socialist nomination of a candidate for next spring's presidential election wide open last Thursday when he announced he would not seek a second term in the Elysee. As leftist groups
  
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• Argentina's Macri says investigations into activist justified

  03-12-2016 22:16
  Argentine President Mauricio Macri said on Saturday that court investigations into against jailed social justice activist Milagro Sala were justified, after two major multilateral organizations called this week for her release. Sala is a deputy in the parliament governing the Mercosur trade bloc, which is composed of several traditionally left-leaning Latin American nations including Argentina. Also a leader of the Tupac Amaru social movement, Sala was detained in January and accused of instigat
  
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• Argentina's Macri says set expectations too high for first year

  03-12-2016 22:14
  Argentine President Mauricio Macri, who took office last December promising to attract a wave of private investment, said on Saturday his government had generated excessively high expectations for his first year among his voters. Macri campaigned on a free-market platform, and upon taking office reversed the interventionist policies of his predecessors, loosening price controls, devaluing the peso, and cutting regulations. "Perhaps in the frenzy of last year's campaign, the expectations of all o
  
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• Brazil mourns Chapecoense crash victims at packed stadium wake

  03-12-2016 22:10
  By Brad Haynes CHAPECO, Brazil (Reuters) - A downpour drenched thousands of mourners in this Brazilian city on Saturday as they grieved over 50 caskets flown overnight to the stadium of the local Chapecoense soccer team, which was all but wiped out in an air crash Monday in Colombia. Instead, they looked on as Air Force troops, after unloading the bodies from cargo aircraft, ferried the caskets to makeshift tents erected on the team's soggy home turf, where victims' families sat in sorrow. Presi
  
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• UK plans to buy 20 new drones from General Atomics - minister

  03-12-2016 22:06
  Britain has signed a $125 million (98 million pound) contract with privately held U.S. weapons maker General Atomics for development of a new drone, and plans to eventually buy 20 of the new unmanned planes, Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon said on Saturday. "We're planning to buy 20 aircraft that will double our current fleet," Fallon told Reuters in an interview at the Reagan National Defense Forum in southern California. "We have 10 aircraft that still have some life in them, but
  
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• Chelsea make title statement amid chaos, emotion at Man City

  03-12-2016 21:57
  By Ian Chadband LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea made the most emphatic statement yet about their Premier League title credentials as they forged clear at the top of the table with a dramatic, chaotic and emotional 3-1 win at fellow contenders Manchester City on Saturday. The drama in the day's big match came with Antonio Conte's men coming from one down at halftime to score after the break through Diego Costa, Willian and Eden Hazard for a remarkable eighth straight league win. The chaos came deep in
  
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• UK to double armed drone fleet in deal with US Predator manufacturer

  03-12-2016 21:41
  
  General Atomics to provide 10 drones to Royal Air Force in $100m deal
  Fallon heralds addition of firepower, imaging and intelligence gatheringDefense secretary Michael Fallon on Saturday announced a $125m (£100m) development deal with US arms manufacturer General Atomics under which the UK fleet of armed drones will double. Related: UK defence secretary tells US only Nato can deter Russian threatContinue reading...
  
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• Arrest after Jo Cox Twitter threat to MP Anna Soubry

  03-12-2016 21:32
  A man has been arrested after an allegedly threatening Twitter post that called for people to "Jo Cox" an MP. A 25-year-old man was held after Anna Soubry, the MP for Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire, was the apparent target of an online message. The politician called the Twitter user a "sad cowardly troll", noting the differently spelled surname.
  
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• Home Office keeps child refugees ‘in the dark’ about move to UK

  03-12-2016 20:49
  
  Children held at French reception centres since Calais camp demolition are distressed by lack of information, says reportThe Home Office has been accused of failing to provide sufficient information to child refugees from the demolished Calais camp, in what critics believe is a ploy to try to reduce the number of unaccompanied minors who are likely to enter the UK.Researchers who visited a series of reception centres in France, where children are being held as their UK applications are processed
  
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• Jones happy after England's perfect year, but demands more

  03-12-2016 20:28
  By Mitch Phillips LONDON (Reuters) - It should have come as no surprise but Eddie Jones was not resting on his laurels after watching his England team beat Australia 37-21 on Saturday to complete a perfect year of 13 victories since he took charge. Jones, like everyone else in the stadium, was decidedly unimpressed by an opening 20 minutes in which his team barely touched the ball and, but for the television match official, could have been 30 points down. The fact that they regrouped and took to
  
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• Guardiola apologises for Man City's part in brawl

  03-12-2016 20:21
  By Ian Chadband LONDON (Reuters) - Pep Guardiola apologised for Manchester City's part in the ugly mass brawl that disfigured the end of their 3-1 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday as he contemplated his most problematic day in the Premier League. While Guardiola talked of his regret about the melee that saw City pair Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho sent off in stoppage time, rival manager Antonio Conte praised his team's character. Chelsea came from 1-0 down to record an eighth straight win and move
  
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• Brighton draw blank in miserable day for frontrunners

  03-12-2016 20:19
  Brighton and Hove Albion squandered the chance to go top of the Championship on Saturday when they were held to a goalless draw by struggling Cardiff City. Victory would have taken the south-coast side a point clear of leaders Newcastle United, who lost at Nottingham Forest on Friday night, but they could not prise open the Cardiff defence - and played stoppage time with 10 men after Gaeten Bong was sent off. Norwich City also hit five as they returned to form after five defeats on the bounce, d
  
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• Half F1 grid is after Rosberg's seat, says Lauda

  03-12-2016 20:15
  By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - Mercedes have been approached by half the Formula One grid since world champion Nico Rosberg announced his retirement on Friday, according to the team's non-executive chairman Niki Lauda. Lauda, himself a triple world champion who announced his retirement in 1979 and then came back three years later and won the 1984 title, said he had been shocked when Rosberg told him his decision a few hours before the announcement. Truly incredible." Lauda, who said his main
  
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• 'We've improved a lot' says Cheika after ninth defeat of year

  03-12-2016 20:10
  By John Geddie LONDON (Reuters) - Australia finished their season on Saturday in the same way as last year: head-in-hands after defeat at Twickenham. "There are many young lads now that have test experience, and we've got some other young lads that we are looking at bringing in next year as well." Australia dominated the opening exchanges, smashing England in the tackle and zipping through their fracturing defence. Cheika's men seemed intent on not letting England match their record run of 14 co
  
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• Kane double helps Tottenham thrash sorry Swansea

  03-12-2016 20:03
  TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5 SWANSEA CITY 0 Dec 3 (Reuters) - Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen both scored twice as Tottenham ran riot against a sorry Swansea side to keep in touch with the top four and send their opponents back to the bottom of the Premier League on Saturday. Tottenham's unbeaten league start was ended last week at Chelsea but they hit back in emphatic fashion, albeit with the benefit of a highly-dubious penalty tucked away by Kane late in the first half. Until then Swansea held firm as
  
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• Russia bets on Trump as gateway to eased sanctions

  03-12-2016 20:01
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Vladimir Putin wants to make Russia great again. For that, he may need a hand from Donald Trump.
  
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• Chelsea's Brazilians lead tributes to Chapecoense victims

  03-12-2016 20:00
  By Ian Chadband LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea's Brazilian players led emotional Premier League tributes on Saturday to the victims of the Chapecoense football club who died in Monday's Colombian air crash. Only three of the players who flew north from Brazil for the Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional survived the crash in the mountains outside Medellin, leaving the football world in mourning. A minute's silence was observed at each Premier League game on Saturday and nowhere was the
  
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• Castro funeral cortege reaches destination, leftist friends gather

  03-12-2016 19:55
  By Diego Oré SANTIAGO, Cuba (Reuters) - Flag-waving Cubans leaned from windows and lined the streets as Fidel Castro's funeral cortege approached the end of three-day journey on Saturday, rolling into the city of Santiago de Cuba where the revolutionary leader's remains will be laid to rest. High-profile leftist friends of Castro, including Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and soccer's Diego Maradona, were expected for an evening farewell in the city where Castro launched his revolutio
  
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• Russia seeks full withdrawal of Aleppo rebels

  03-12-2016 19:48
  By Tom Perry, Isla Binnie and Vladimir Soldatkin BEIRUT/ROME/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it was ready for talks with the United States about a withdrawal of all Syrian rebels from eastern Aleppo, where advances by the Russian-backed Syrian army and its allies threaten to deal a crushing blow to the rebellion. In just over a week, the army and allied militias have seized large areas of the opposition-held territory in eastern Aleppo in a ferocious campaign that may leave the rebels
  
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• Corbyn: Labour will seek amendment to any Article 50 bill

  03-12-2016 19:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labour will seek to amend any legislation on the Article 50 process to withdraw from the EU, Jeremy Corbyn reiterates.
  
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• Apple shows ambition to get into self-driving car race

  03-12-2016 19:17
  By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc is wading in to the debate over regulation of self-driving cars, declaring it is excited about the potential for automated transportation and calling on U.S. regulators not to restrict testing of such vehicles. A five-page letter from Steve Kenner, Apple's director of product integrity, to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the company's most comprehensive statement yet about its interest in self-driving vehicle technology.
  
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• UK defence secretary tells US only Nato can deter Russian threat

  03-12-2016 18:34
  
  Michael Fallon added Nato members must pay more and not expect US taxpayer to shoulder disproportionate burdenBritish defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon, making the first trip across the Atlantic by a UK cabinet minister since Donald Trump won the election, told the incoming administration that Russia presented a real threat that only Nato could deter.Trump on the campaign trail repeatedly spoke warmly about a need for increased dialogue with Russian president Vladimir Putin while questioning
  
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• Norway government wins backing for 2017 budget, prevents collapse

  03-12-2016 18:18
  Norway's right-wing minority coalition has secured backing in parliament from two centrist parties for its 2017 fiscal budget, preventing a government collapse, politicians negotiating the deal told Reuters on Saturday. Following weeks of difficult talks, the Liberal Party and the Christian Democrats will back the ruling coalition of the Conservatives and the Progress Party, lead negotiator Hans Olav Syversen of the Christians said. The Conservative Party said the four parties would hold a joint
  
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• Stoke move into top half with victory over Burnley

  03-12-2016 18:16
  STOKE CITY 2 BURNLEY 0 Dec 3 (Reuters) - Stoke City's early-season problems were firmly consigned to history as they raced into the top half of the Premier League on Saturday with two cracking goals earning them a 2-0 win over poor travellers Burnley. Jon Walters put the hosts ahead with a fine 20th-minute goal, steering his volley into the net from Xherdan Shaqiri's pinpoint cross. Fifteen minutes later Stoke celebrated an equally good finish from Marc Muniesa who delivered his first Premier Le
  
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• West Brom up to sixth after victory over Watford

  03-12-2016 18:14
  (Reuters) - WEST BROMWICH ALBION 3 WATFORD 1 West Bromwich Albion climbed to the heady heights of sixth, above Manchester United, as they repelled a Watford fightback to claim a third victory in four games. A trademark West Brom set-piece goal saw West Brom take a 16th-minute lead, Jonny Evans hanging in the air to head in powerfully from a Chris Brunt corner. Brunt doubled the lead in the 33rd minute, skimming a free kick just inside the post via a slight deflection. ...
  
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• McConnell cautions replacement to health law to take time

  03-12-2016 18:12
  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Congress will act early next year to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law but delay the changes as Republicans try to come up with an alternative.
  
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• Nuttall is no friend of Britain’s working people

  03-12-2016 18:10
  Labour can defeat Ukip but it cannot ignore voters’ immigration concerns
  
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• Kane double helps Tottenham thrash Swansea

  03-12-2016 18:07
  (Reuters) - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5 SWANSEA CITY 0 Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen both scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur ran riot against a sorry Swansea side to keep in touch with the top four. After losing their unbeaten league record the previous week at Chelsea, Tottenham hit back in emphatic fashion although they were frustrated for 40 minutes and needed a fortunate penalty to open the floodgates against the struggling Welsh club. Kane set the ball rolling after Swansea's former Tottenham def
  
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• Palace ease pressure on Pardew with win over Saints

  03-12-2016 18:06
  CRYSTAL PALACE 3 SOUTHAMPTON 0 Dec 3 (Reuters) - Under-pressure Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew was relieved to see his side end their six-match losing streak and clamber clear of the relegation zone with a 3-0 victory over Southampton at Selhurst Park on Saturday. In a match which Pardew really had to win amid suggestions that his job may be on the line, the Eagles' boss was helped by a 33rd-minute howler from Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster, made in front of new England manager Gareth Sout
  
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• England roar back to complete perfect year

  03-12-2016 18:00
  By Mitch Phillips LONDON (Reuters) - England overcame an awful start to roar back superbly and overwhelm Australia 37-21 with a dominant display at Twickenham on Saturday to complete a perfect year of 13 victories under coach Eddie Jones. Australia led 10-0 and had three tries ruled out in an incredibly one-sided first quarter but they led only 16-13 at the break and barely got another look at the England line. Clever tries for Marland Yarde and Ben Youngs and a second for Jonathan Joseph were f
  
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• Rugby - England roar back to complete perfect year

  03-12-2016 17:58
  By Mitch Phillips LONDON (Reuters) - England overcame an awful start to roar back superbly and overwhelm Australia 37-21 with a dominant display at Twickenham on Saturday to complete a perfect year of 13 victories under coach Eddie Jones. Australia led 10-0 and had three tries ruled out in an incredibly one-sided first quarter but they led only 16-13 at the break and barely got another look at the England line. Clever tries for Marland Yarde and Ben Youngs and a second for Jonathan Joseph were f
  
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• Trump shrugs off fuss over Taiwan call

  03-12-2016 17:52
  
  President-elect Donald Trump is unapologetic about roiling diplomatic waters with his decision to speak on the phone with Taiwan's leader, a breach of long-standing tradition that risks enmity from China. ...
  
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• Norway government wins backing for 2017 budget, prevents collapse - newspaper VG

  03-12-2016 17:52
  OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's right wing minority coalition has secured backing in parliament from two centrist parties for its 2017 fiscal budget, preventing a government collapse, newspaper VG reported on Saturday, quoting unnamed sources. A budget deal will be presented at a news conference at 1800 GMT, the paper said. A source earlier told Reuters the government was expecting to sign a deal by the end of the day. (Reporting by Terje Solsvik; Editing by Toby Chopra)
  
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• Morocco arrests suspected militant involved in French plot

  03-12-2016 17:47
  By Aziz El Yaakoubi RABAT (Reuters) - Moroccan authorities have arrested a suspected militant accused of acting as an intermediary between Islamic State commanders and a cell dismantled by French authorities last month, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday. France said late last month it had foiled a possible attack after detaining seven people, including some who had been in the ranks of Islamic State in Syria. "For his mission (the suspect) met Islamic State messengers on the Turkish-Syrian
  
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• Yarl's Wood demonstration draws up to 2,000 campaigners

  03-12-2016 17:46
  
  Hundreds march around detention centre perimeter to denounce rise in hate crime in wake of Brexit voteThe largest protest staged against Britain’s most notorious detention centre has taken place, as up to 2,000 demonstrators gathered outside Yarl’s Wood to denounce “immigrant bashing” in the wake of the Brexit vote.Campaigners from across the UK protested at the Bedfordshire immigration removal centre on Saturday, demanding that the facility, which mainly houses women, is
  
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• Stephen Hawking discharged from Rome hospital

  03-12-2016 17:23
  British physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking was discharged from hospital on Saturday after two days of checks, the Rome-based hospital said. Hawking, who was in the Italian capital to attend a conference at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and met Pope Francis on Monday, was taken to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Thursday night. The hospital, considered one of the country's best and where popes are treated, said Hawking was in a good condition and was returning to Britain.
  
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• Castro's last goal? A soccer field for neighbourhood kids

  03-12-2016 17:14
  By Daniel Trotta HAVANA (Reuters) - Fidel Castro is remembered around the world as a charismatic revolutionary or a ruthless tyrant, but in his neighbourhood he was also a friendly old man who used his influence to build a soccer field for kids two weeks before his death. Castro, who led Cuba's 1959 revolution and for five decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died on Nov. 25 at age 90, a decade after ceding power to his brother Raul Castro. Castro lived on the western edge of Havana in a l
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Argues The Labour Party Should Be More Left-Wing To Fight The Far-Right

  03-12-2016 17:00
  
  Jeremy Corbyn has argued the Labour Party must be more left-wing to defeat a rising challenge from the far-right.
  The party leader added it was “nonsense” to say the party should move towards the centre ground to attract voters from working people. 
  Addressing the Party of European Socialists Council in Prague on Saturday, Corbyn said: “We cannot abandon our socialist principles because we are told this is the only way to win power. That is nonsense.”And he app
  
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• Bergdahl seeks pardon from Obama to avert desertion trial

  03-12-2016 16:59
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A former prisoner of war accused of endangering his U.S. comrades by walking off his post in Afghanistan is asking President Barack Obama to pardon him before leaving office.
  
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• India fails to break deadlock on new sales tax

  03-12-2016 16:53
  Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's plan to launch a new national sales tax next April got a jolt on Saturday after a two-day meeting with state officials ended without the resolution of a deadlock on who would administer the tax. The long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) would transform Asia's No.3 economy into a single market, could boost revenues through better compliance and make life simpler for businesses that now pay a host of federal and state levies.
  
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