Political news

• No experience needed: Trump taps Carson for HUD secretary

  05-12-2016 23:56
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump chose retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson on Monday to be secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, raising fresh concerns about the lack of experience some of Trump's Cabinet picks have with agencies they're now being chosen to lead.
  
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• Nigel Farage on Time's person of year shortlist

  05-12-2016 23:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is shortlisted for the title of Time magazine's person of the year.
  
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• Everton forward Bolasie to have knee surgery

  05-12-2016 23:39
  (Reuters) - Everton forward Yannick Bolasie will have surgery to repair knee ligament damage sustained in the 1-1 draw at home to Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. The Democratic Republic of Congo international picked up the injury in the second half at Goodison Park and the Toffees confirmed on Monday he needed an operation. "Scans have now confirmed anterior cruciate ligament damage to the right knee.
  
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• Cosby's testimony can be used against him at criminal trial: judge

  05-12-2016 23:38
  Comedian Bill Cosby has lost a bid to keep Pennsylvania prosecutors from using his own words against him at his criminal sexual assault trial, currently scheduled to begin no later than June. Judge Steven O'Neill of the Court of Common Pleas in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, ruled on Monday that prosecutors can introduce potentially damaging sworn testimony the 79-year-old entertainer gave about his sexual history during a civil case in 2005. The testimony, in which Cosby acknowledged giving y
  
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• Buffett's Berkshire could get $29 billion Trump tax boost -analyst

  05-12-2016 23:37
  (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc could get a $29 billion (22.78 billion pounds) boost to its book value if President-elect Donald Trump is able to slash the U.S. corporate tax rate to 15 percent from 35 percent, Barclays Capital wrote on Monday. Trump's proposed reduction could help Berkshire lower its net deferred tax liability to $21.6 billion from $50.5 billion, excluding sums associated with its regulated utility units, Barclays analyst Jay Gelb said.
  
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• White House decries fake news that led to pizzeria gun incident

  05-12-2016 23:27
  The White House on Monday condemned a surge in politically motivated fake news after police said a bogus story prompted a man to walk into a crowded Washington pizzeria and fire a gun. A North Carolina man was arrested at the Comet Ping Pong restaurant on Sunday after he showed up armed. According to police, he said he wanted to investigate reports the restaurant was the hub of a child sex ring organised by 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
  
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• First lady to sit down with Oprah for interview

  05-12-2016 23:22
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Michelle Obama will talk about her time in the White House during an interview with Oprah Winfrey that will air Dec. 19 on CBS.
  
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• House, Senate leaders reach deal on Calif. drought, Flint

  05-12-2016 23:20
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House and Senate leaders have reached a bipartisan agreement on a bill to authorize $170 million for Flint, Michigan and other cities beleaguered by lead in drinking water, and to provide relief to drought-stricken California.
  
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• Middlesbrough edge Hull thanks to Ramirez header

  05-12-2016 23:18
  (Reuters) - Middlesbrough moved away from the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Hull City thanks to a second-half header from midfielder Gaston Ramirez in the Premier League on Monday. Uruguay international Ramirez, who was an influential figure throughout the match, broke the deadlock on the hour with a firm downward header at the back post from a Viktor Fischer corner. Ramirez, who had a loan spell at Hull from Southampton in the 2014/15 season, thought he had helped set up
  
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• Contenders, picks for key jobs in Trump's administration

  05-12-2016 23:17
  (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he would nominate retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a presidential rival-turned-supporter to serve as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles as Trump works to form his administration before taking office on Jan. 20, according to Reuters sources and media reports. See the end of the list for posts already filled. ...
  
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• Capitol Hill Buzz: Passed, then Un-passed

  05-12-2016 23:12
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Can a bill be un-passed? The answer in the Senate is yes.
  
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• Trump, ex-Vice President Gore meet, discuss climate policy

  05-12-2016 23:07
  By Amy Tennery and Timothy Gardner NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Vice President Al Gore, a leading voice in the fight against climate change, and Donald Trump, who at one point called it a hoax, met on Monday in what Gore called a "productive" session. In addition to seeing Trump, he also met briefly with the Republican's daughter, Ivanka, who attended a series of high-level meetings since her father won the Nov. 8 election. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential campaign to Republican Ge
  
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• Ukip Donor Mansplains Fall Of Roman Empire To Classicist Mary Beard

  05-12-2016 23:01
  
  Ukip donor Arron Banks has taken the bold step of challenging Cambridge University classicist Mary Beard on her knowledge of Roman history, citing his schoolboy studies and Russell Crowe Hollywood epic Gladiator! as his sources.
  Beard - a professor of classics and a fellow of Newnham College since 1984 who has produced multiple series on Rome for the BBC - is one of Britain’s best-known scholars.
  The university don clearly felt she had to intervene on Twitter when Banks - the multi-millio
  
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• By accident or design, Trump signals tougher China policy

  05-12-2016 22:59
  
  Whether by accident or design, President-elect Donald Trump is signaling a tougher American policy toward China, sparking warnings from both the outgoing Obama administration and Beijing. On Monday, White ...
  
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• Brazil's Supreme Court removes indicted head of Senate

  05-12-2016 22:52
  SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court decided on Monday to remove the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, who was indicted last week by the top court on charges of embezzlement, a court spokesman said. Justice Marco Aurelio de Mello took up an injunction against Calheiros based on a majority ruling by the court last month that no person indicted for a crime could be in the presidential line of succession. The head of the Senate is currently the second in line after the speaker of th
  
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• The Latest: Biden warns fiscal plans reminiscent of 2008

  05-12-2016 22:49
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Stein still stands to benefit under losing recount effort

  05-12-2016 22:42
  
  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein's efforts to force a recount of the presidential race in three states where she admittedly doesn't think the result would change has led to questions about her motives and criticism that she's just trying to raise her profile and fatten her own coffers.
  
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• Ex-coup leader, DEA fugitive wins Haitian Senate seat

  05-12-2016 22:41
  By Makini Brice PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - A former Haitian coup leader wanted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration for alleged cocaine trafficking and money laundering has won election to Haiti's Senate, according to preliminary results released by the electoral council. Guy Philippe defeated all other candidates in the second round of elections, held on Nov. 20, for the southwestern Grand Anse region, which is still recovering from the damage inflicted by Hurricane Matthew. "Victory, th
  
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• Wall Street rises with banks, investors shrug off Italian referendum

  05-12-2016 22:37
  By Sinead Carew NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Monday on strong economic data while currency and bond investors shrugged off Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's resignation, following voters' rejection of his constitutional reforms. U.S. Treasury yields fell in choppy trading on Monday as investors viewed the dramatic bond market selloff following Donald Trump's surprise U.S. presidential win as overdone. "It was a neutral day in Europe because neither the far right nor the far left
  
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• Oil retreats on doubts OPEC cuts can ease glut

  05-12-2016 22:33
  By Jessica Resnick-Ault NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. crude futures strengthened Monday before retreating in post-settlement trade as the market lost confidence OPEC cuts would be sufficient to reduce oversupply given increased U.S. drilling. Brent crude settled at $54.94 a barrel, up 48 cents - or 0.88 percent - before retreating to $54.22 a barrel. The market fell as investors shifted their focus to rising drilling, said Tariq Zahir, managing member of Tyche Capital Advisors in New York.
  
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• French PM Valls launches presidential bid, quits government

  05-12-2016 22:23
  By Christian Hartmann EVRY, France (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls declared on Monday that he would seek the Socialist Party's nomination for next year's presidential election and said he was quitting the government to focus on campaigning. Although opinion polls bill Valls as the favourite for the Socialists' ticket, they also forecast that neither he nor any other left-wing candidate will win the election, rather that conservative candidate Francois Fillon will beat far-right Na
  
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• Why the EU can’t let a crisis go to waste

  05-12-2016 22:14
  In March, the European Union plans to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding document, the Treaty of Rome. As the EU struggles with multiple cracks and crises – which now include instability in Italy after a Dec. 4 vote revealed strong anti-EU feelings – the Union needs reminders of its original purpose.
  
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• Clashes between Congo tribal militia, government kill 31

  05-12-2016 22:01
  Clashes between a tribal militia and security forces in a province of central Congo killed at least 31 people at the weekend, its vice governor said on Monday. Hubert Mbingho N'Vula said on state TV that the conflict in Kasaï province started after a row between an uncle and a nephew over who had the title to a local chieftaincy, before Congolese forces stepped in to try to restore order. "(The uncle) resorted to raising a militia," N'Vula said, adding that 13 security forces and 18 militia
  
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• Nigel Farage Slated By Pro-EU Ken Clarke Over Infamous 'Breaking Point' Refugee Poster

  05-12-2016 21:53
  
  Ken Clarke has laid into Nigel Farage for his infamous ‘Breaking Point’ poster of refugees trying to enter the EU during the Brexit referendum campaign.
  Clarke, the pro-EU former chancellor, called out the former Ukip leader during a heated exchange for using the poster that suggested the scale of the migration crisis showed the EU had failed.
  Clarke said this was untrue as the issue of admitting non-EU citizens, such as refugees, has always been a matter for the British government.
  
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• Euro zone grants Greece short-term debt relief; no deal with IMF

  05-12-2016 21:53
  By Francesco Guarascio and Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone finance ministers agreed on Monday some debt relief for Greece but were divided on reforms it must undertake to reach fiscal targets, leaving it unclear if the International Monetary Fund will join the Greek bailout programme. The IMF says it can only do so if this will be the last bailout for Athens, and that would entail either debt relief or more reforms by Greece. Ministers agreed to grant Greece short-term debt rel
  
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• Israeli legislators advance revised bill to legalise settlements

  05-12-2016 21:49
  By Ori Lewis JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's parliament gave initial approval on Monday to a revised bill that would legalise Israeli settlement homes built on private Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank. The proposed law has already drawn sharp international condemnation and strained relations within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's governing right-wing coalition. Israeli critics and Palestinians have called it a land grab that would further distance prospects for a two-state solution
  
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• The Latest: Michigan Republicans appealing recount order

  05-12-2016 21:48
  
  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Latest on the presidential recount efforts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin (all times local):
  
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• Ukraine ready to join trilateral gas talks in Brussels

  05-12-2016 21:47
  Ukraine is ready to join trilateral talks to discuss gas issues with Russia on Dec. 9 in Brussels, Ukraine state energy company Naftogaz said on its Twitter account on Monday (https://twitter.com/naftogazukraine). The former Soviet republic has not bought gas directly from Russia since November 2015, following a breakdown in relations after Russia's annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian separatism in Ukraine's war-torn east. Naftogaz did not say who will take part in talks that Russia
  
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• The Latest: Trump rallies slated for NC, Iowa, Michigan

  05-12-2016 21:43
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Holders United host Reading, City visit West Ham in FA Cup

  05-12-2016 21:31
  Manchester United will begin their FA Cup defence at home to a Reading side managed by their former defender Jaap Stam, while their local rivals Manchester City visit West Ham United in the third round after the draw was made on Monday. Premier League leaders Chelsea will host Notts County or Peterborough, English champions Leicester City will visit fellow top-flight side Everton, while Liverpool welcome Newport County or Plymouth Argyle in ties to be played between Jan. 6-9. Arsenal, who like M
  
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• Russia, China block U.N. demand for seven-day Aleppo truce

  05-12-2016 21:27
  By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia and China on Monday vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have demanded a seven-day truce in Syria's Aleppo, with Russia arguing it would allow rebels to regroup and that time was needed for talks between Washington and Moscow. It was the sixth time Russia has vetoed a Security Council resolution on Syria since the conflict started in 2011 and the fifth time China has blocked action.
  
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• White House: 9/11 law permits US attacks on extremists

  05-12-2016 21:23
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House shed new light Monday on the legal foundations for President Barack Obama's expansive use of U.S. military power to target extremists overseas, in a report that also offered the first confirmation that the U.S. now deems the al-Shabab group in Somalia to be inherently linked to al-Qaida.
  
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• Georgia man sentenced to life for toddler's 'hot car' murder

  05-12-2016 21:15
  By Rich McKay MARIETTA, Ga. (Reuters) - A Georgia man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for intentionally leaving his toddler son to die inside a sweltering sport utility vehicle on a summer day, a judge ruled on Monday. Justin Ross Harris, 35, was found guilty last month of felony murder, as well as counts of first- and second-degree cruelty to a child in connection with the June 2014 death of the 22-month-old boy, Cooper. The former Home Depot web developer was also convicted of crim
  
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• Senate nears final votes on bill speeding federal drug OKs

  05-12-2016 21:09
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is set to remove the last hurdles to legislation bolstering disease research and simplifying the government's pathway for pharmaceutical and medical device approvals as Congress heads toward closing out the year.
  
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• Bank of England's Carney says Trump's views on trade 'not right'

  05-12-2016 21:00
  Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's conclusions on international trade were wrong but it was important for governments not to forget people who have been left behind by globalisation. "He is not right on the conclusion about trade and the contribution to the economy," Carney told Britain's Channel 4 television on Monday when asked about Trump's views on trade. On the campaign trail, Trump said China was "killing us" on trade and he threatened to levy a 4
  
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• EU citizens living in Britain will need ID after Brexit, Rudd says

  05-12-2016 20:43
  Three million EU citizens living in the UK will need to have some form of ID documents following Brexit, the Home Secretary Amber Rudd has told MPs. The Home Secretary's warning that Europeans living in the UK will require documentation came in reply to a question from the senior Labour MP Hilary Benn, who chairs the new Brexit Select Committee of MPs.
  
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• Tech investors say UK must clarify Brexit immigration stance

  05-12-2016 20:41
  By Paul Sandle and Eric Auchard LONDON (Reuters) - London could lose its position as the leading destination for start-ups in Europe if it does not remain open to the best talent after the British vote to leave the European Union, investors warned on Monday. Six months after the referendum, tech investors used the TechCrunch Disrupt London conference, a major annual gathering for hot start-ups, to call on the government to answer many lingering questions around immigration policy.
  
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• Greek finance minister Tsakalotos warns creditors not to push Athens too far

  05-12-2016 20:39
  Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos welcomed "progress" in bailout talks with euro zone counterparts on Monday but warned creditors, including the IMF, not to push for reform measures Athens has not previously agreed to. "The Greek economy has done an enormous amount of reforms," he told reporters after the Eurogroup meeting in Brussels. "There should be no demands on Greece that do not take into account ... the current political and social situation." The International Monetary Fund is con
  
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• Brexit Supreme Court Challenge 'Like Watching Paint Dry,' Says Iain Duncan Smith

  05-12-2016 20:38
  
  Iain Duncan Smith has been mocked for saying the Supreme Court Brexit challenge was “like watching paint dry”.
  The former minister went on BBC News to provide a pro-Brexit take on the first day of the four-day hearing on whether MPs should be able to vote on Article 50.
  When he was asked for what he thought the salient points of the day were, he said: “I didn’t watch it all. To be fair it’s a little bit like watching paint dry. You have to be sitting there for a lon
  
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• Trump's tariff plan hits a hurdle: Congressional Republicans

  05-12-2016 20:37
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump's plan to use steep tariffs to punish companies that move overseas is running into an obstacle: Congressional Republicans.
  
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• Hammond and Davis promise City ‘smooth’ Brexit

  05-12-2016 20:25
  Ministers meet leading financial figures to discuss transitional deal
  
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• Italy president tells Renzi to delay resignation until budget approved

  05-12-2016 20:19
  Italian President Sergio Mattarella told Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Monday to put his planned resignation on hold until parliament had approved the 2017 budget, which could be done as early as Friday. Renzi announced he would resign following his defeat in Sunday's referendum when Italians resoundingly rejected his proposed reforms to the constitution. After a meeting with Renzi, Mattarella's office said in a statement that the prime minister had told him he could no longer remain in power.
  
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• Peru's ex-leader Fujimori leaves prison for brain scan

  05-12-2016 20:11
  Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori said on Monday he has been moved from his prison cell to a health clinic in Lima to undergo testing for a brain condition and to treat problems moving his right shoulder. Fujimori, 78, has been serving a 25-year sentence since 2009 for graft and human rights abuses during his 1990-2000 authoritarian rule. Fujimori said on Twitter that he had been admitted to a clinic in Lima to be scanned for risk of brain ischemia, a lack of blood flow to the brain tha
  
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• US wars grounded in law, White House says

  05-12-2016 20:10
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has determined it can target the extremist group al-Shabab in Somalia under the war powers legislation that Congress approved to target al-Qaida after the 9/11 attacks.
  
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• Georgia man gets life in prison for toddler's 'hot car' murder

  05-12-2016 20:10
  ATLANTA (Reuters) - A Georgia man was sentenced on Monday to spend the rest of his life behind bars for intentionally leaving his toddler son to die inside a sweltering SUV on a hot summer day. Justin Ross Harris, 35, will serve life in prison plus 32 years, a judge ruled. He had been convicted by a jury last month on all eight counts against him in the June 2014 death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper. (Reporting by Rich McKay; Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Chris Reese)
  
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• Euro zone finance ministers grant Greece short-term debt relief

  05-12-2016 20:09
  Euro zone finance ministers agreed on Monday to grant Greece short-term debt relief measures that would reduce the amount of the country's public debt by 20 percentage points of GDP by 2060, euro zone officials said on Monday. Speaking after a meeting of euro zone finance ministers, the head of the euro zone's ESM bailout fund Klaus Regling told a news conference the implementation of the measures would take a while, but the fund would start the process in the coming weeks. The measures, detaile
  
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• Ricciardo promises to unlock 'hidden Honey Badger'

  05-12-2016 20:06
  By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - Daniel Ricciardo is ready to "unlock the hidden Honey Badger" when he starts training for next season's new-look Formula One. The Australian, nicknamed after the cuddly but ferocious animal, finished third overall this year, the best of the rest behind the Mercedes pair, and said in a column for Red Bull he was looking forward to a harder off-season workout.
  
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• India's southern leader Jayalalithaa dies, supporters grieve in streets

  05-12-2016 20:02
  One of India's most popular politicians, Jayalalithaa Jayaraman, died on Monday night after a cardiac arrest, a statement from the hospital said, setting off an outpouring of grief among thousands of her supporters gathered outside. "Our beloved leader, The Iron Lady of India Puratchi Thalaivi Amma is no more," her party AIADMK said in a tweet. Popularly known as "Amma", or "Mother", in the Tamil language Jayalalithaa was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu state, home to major auto firms and IT of
  
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• U.S. seeks to reassure Beijing after Trump call with Taiwan leader

  05-12-2016 19:55
  By Ben Blanchard and Roberta Rampton BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday it had sought to reassure China after President-elect Donald Trump's phone call with Taiwan's leader last week, which the Obama administration warned could undermine progress in relations with Beijing. The statement from a spokesman for U.S. President Barack Obama highlighted concerns about the potential fallout from Trump's unusual call with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, which prompted
  
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• U.S. makes new arrest in fraud probe of bankrupt video tech firm

  05-12-2016 19:54
  By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Monday announced the arrest of a New Jersey man accused of engaging in a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme involving bankrupt video technology firm Kit Digital, in the latest case to spill out of the startup's failure. Irfan Amanat, 45, was charged in a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court with conspiracy, securities fraud and wire fraud stemming from a scam prosecutors said he engaged in with his brother. Irfan Amanat, who a decade a
  
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