Political news

• Lula rejects accusations in latest Brazilian corruption case

  17-12-2016 23:31
  Lawyers for former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday criticized the fourth corruption case brought against him after a judge accepted formal charges that he had interfered in a government tender to buy new fighter jets. Lula, who was no longer president when the alleged illegal practices happened, was accused of using his influence over his successor's government to help Swedish plane maker Saab AB win the tender for 36 jets worth around $5.6 billion. The former president
  
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• Mourinho hails Zlatan the 'superman' after United win

  17-12-2016 23:20
  Jose Mourinho's admiration for Manchester United's summer recruit Zlatan Ibrahimovic soared to new heights on Saturday as he cooed about the Swede's "superman" mentality following his latest match-winning tour de force at West Bromwich Albion. In the week, Mourinho had described Ibrahimovic as "undroppable" and he was delighted to be given another shining illustration of just why as the 35-year-old scored both goals in the 2-0 Premier League win at the Hawthorns. Ibrahimovic had told BT Sport be
  
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• Unite challenger: ‘We have to focus on how to grow unions, not influence in Westminster’

  17-12-2016 23:00
  
  In his first campaign interview, leadership candidate Gerard Coyne says it is time to refocus on members’ needsGerard Coyne fought his first battle on behalf of working people at the age of 17, when he was stacking shelves at Sainsbury’s supermarket in West Bromwich. Related: Union leader under attack for acting as Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘puppet master’Continue reading...
  
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• Union leader under attack for acting as Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘puppet master’

  17-12-2016 23:00
  
  Unite leadership challenger Gerard Coyne says Len McCluskey has put Labour infighting above members’ needsJeremy Corbyn’s most powerful union ally, Len McCluskey, has been bitterly attacked by the man seeking to end his six-year reign in charge of Britain’s biggest union, Unite.In his first newspaper interview since announcing that he will challenge McCluskey in an election, with huge potential repercussions for Corbyn and for Labour, Gerard Coyne accuses the Unite general secr
  
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• Venezuelans defy Colombia border ban, unrest continues

  17-12-2016 22:46
  By Anggy Polanco SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela (Reuters) - Hundreds of Venezuelans jumped barriers to defy their government's closure of the Colombian border on Saturday while looting and protests continued due to a cash shortage, causing pre-Christmas chaos. The unrest began on Friday following this week's surprise pulling from circulation of Venezuela's largest denomination note, 100 bolivars, before replacement bills were available. The move left Venezuelans flooding banks to deposit or swap their
  
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• Leicester may be in hot water with FA after superb rally

  17-12-2016 22:37
  Manager Claudio Ranieri and Leicester City's players and fans may be in hot water following ill-discipline and off-field crowd behaviour during the 10-man champions' remarkable 2-2 fightback at Stoke City on Saturday. The normally unflappable Ranieri has rarely ever appeared more enraged as he confronted referee Craig Pawson at the interval following a stormy first half during which Jamie Vardy was sent off and Leicester fell two goals behind. As they were coming off the pitch at the break, Rani
  
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• Polish opposition keeps blocking parliament in standoff with government

  17-12-2016 22:18
  By Pawel Florkiewicz and Lidia Kelly WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish opposition leaders said on Saturday they would maintain their blockade of parliament's main hall and called for popular protests against a government that has accused it of trying to seize power. Poland's biggest political standoff in years began on Friday when opposition lawmakers objected to plans by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party to curb media access to parliament, and blocked the plenary hall podium ahead of a budget vote
  
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• Newcastle stay top as Brighton ruin Zola's return

  17-12-2016 21:40
  Newcastle United maintained their slim advantage at the top of the English Championship after first-half goals from Dwight Gayle and Mo Diame earned them a 2-1 victory in their first-ever meeting with Burton Albion on Saturday. Brighton and Hove Albion kept up their hot pursuit of Rafa Benitez's men as they ruined Gianfranco Zola's debut as Birmingham City manager with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win earned deep into stoppage time. Gayle scored his 17th league goal of the season after a quarter of a
  
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• Labour gains two points since November

  17-12-2016 21:24
  
  Opinium/Observer poll places Labour on 31% and Tories on 38% though Labour lacks voters’ trust on Brexit and economyLabour has narrowed the Conservatives’ commanding poll lead despite lacking the trust of voters on Brexit and the economy, according to the final Opinium/Observer poll of 2016. Related: Jeremy Corbyn blames leadership contest for low poll ratingsContinue reading...
  
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• Labour closes gap on Tories according to latest opinion poll

  17-12-2016 21:24
  
  Opinium/Observer poll places Labour on 31% and Tories on 38% though Labour lacks voters’ trust on Brexit and economyLabour has narrowed the Conservatives’ commanding poll lead despite lacking the trust of voters on Brexit and the economy, according to the final Opinium/Observer poll of 2016. Related: Jeremy Corbyn blames leadership contest for low poll ratingsContinue reading...
  
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• TUC and businesses urge Theresa May to act on rights of migrants

  17-12-2016 21:17
  
  Leaders say uncertainty over 3.2m EU citizens in UK will inflict ‘serious damage’ on economyBritish business and the trade union movement have made an unprecedented joint demand to Theresa May to guarantee immediately the rights of European Union migrants to remain in the UK, warning that further uncertainty will inflict serious damage on the British economy. Related: The Brexit fallout for EU citizens in the UK, and Britons in the EU – Q&AContinue reading...
  
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• Saudi Arabia calls for end of carnage in Syria's Aleppo

  17-12-2016 21:17
  Saudi Arabia, a powerful supporter of the Syrian rebels, called on Saturday for an immediate end to what it said were war crimes being committed by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad as they retake rebel-held parts of Aleppo. "It is by far the worst humanitarian tragedy of the beginning of the 21st century unfolding before the international community's eyes," state news agency SPA quoted a foreign ministry official as saying. "The horrific massacres perpetrated in Aleppo ... have amounted
  
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• Polish PM calls opposition's parliament protest 'scandalous'

  17-12-2016 21:08
  Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo on Saturday called the actions of the opposition, which is blocking access to parliament's main hall, "scandalous". Opposition leaders called for days of anti-government protests and pledged to keep blocking parliament after being accused of trying to seize power by a government they say has violated the constitution.
  
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• In-form Ibrahimovic at the double as United soar

  17-12-2016 21:03
  (Reuters) - Zlatan Ibrahimovic was again at his irrepressible best with another double earning Jose Mourinho's increasingly confident Manchester United a 2-0 win at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday. The 35-year-old Swede told the TV cameras beforehand that he felt as sprightly as a 20-year-old kid before going out and silencing the Hawthorns within five minutes when nodding home Jesse Lingard's superb half-volleyed cross. Wayne Rooney was denied the chance to equal Bobby Ch
  
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• Ex-Guantanamo detainee living in Uruguay denied entry to South Africa

  17-12-2016 20:50
  A former Guantanamo prisoner who was resettled in Uruguay but has asked to leave was denied entry to South Africa by that country's migration authorities, a Uruguayan official said. Jihad Diyab, a Syrian national who had planned to travel to South Africa as a tourist, will return to Uruguay on Saturday, said assistant secretary to the president Juan Andres Roballo. Diyab had left Uruguay on Thursday and paid his own way to Johannesburg and would have had to either return to Uruguay in 90 days or
  
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• Socially isolated voters more likely to favour Brexit, finds thinktank

  17-12-2016 20:41
  
  Demos survey suggests social network size and propensity to travel better indicators than income in referendum votePeople who have little contact with those from outside their own neighbourhoods are overwhelmingly more likely to have voted for Brexit, according to the first in-depth study of the social attitudes that drove the vote to leave the EU. Related: Why did Wales shoot itself in the foot in this referendum? | Richard Wyn JonesContinue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Calls For Urgent Meeting With Theresa May Over Social Care 'Crisis'

  17-12-2016 20:40
  
  Jeremy Corbyn has written to the Prime Minister calling for urgent talks on social care funding in order to “avert a crisis this winter”.
  The Labour leader is urging Theresa May to provide “emergency top-up funding” to protect elderly and vulnerable people at Christmas.
  In the letter, Corbyn writes: “After £4.6 billion of cuts to social care budgets since 2010, more than a million elderly people are not getting the care they need.
  “Social care is in
  
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• Election questions leave US distrustful, like other nations

  17-12-2016 20:40
  
  Americans' enduring confidence that their elections are unimpeachably fair is teetering. Welcome to what much of the world calls reality, especially Russia's neighbors. While the United States cites its ...
  
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• Congo opposition says not planning mass protest at end of Kabila term

  17-12-2016 20:20
  By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's main opposition bloc said on Saturday it was not planning a march against President Joseph Kabila when his mandate expires on Monday, a decision that could defuse anticipated protests. The opposition accuses Kabila of trying to cling to power, and the decision not to stage a mass protest was announced hours after talks between the opposition and ruling coalition failed to reach a compromise on Kabila's political future. "We are no
  
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• Trump's pick for budget director has urged big spending cuts

  17-12-2016 20:11
  
  Republican Rep. Mick Mulvaney, President-elect Donald Trump's choice as his budget director, is a fierce deficit hawk with a record of pushing deep spending cuts across the federal government to balance ...
  
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• Turkey's Erdogan blames Kurdish militants after bomb kills at least 13, wounds 56

  17-12-2016 20:09
  By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Orhan Coskun ANKARA, Turkey (Reuters) - A car bomb killed at least 13 soldiers and wounded 56 when it ripped through a bus carrying off-duty military personnel in the central Turkish city of Kayseri on Saturday, an attack President Tayyip Erdogan blamed on Kurdish militants. The blast near a university campus comes a week after deadly twin bombings targeted police in Istanbul and may further infuriate a public smarting from multiple attacks by Islamic and Kurdish militants
  
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• Soccer-Sunderland off bottom as Van Aanholt sinks Watford

  17-12-2016 20:07
  SUNDERLAND 1 WATFORD 0 Dec 17 (Reuters) - Sunderland clambered off the bottom of the Premier League after Patrick van Aanholt's second-half goal secured what manager David Moyes described as a "massive" 1-0 victory over Watford at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. The Dutch defender finished off a rare move of quality four minutes after the break, poking a shot past keeper Heurelho Gomes after being found in the area by Jermain Defoe The win moved Sunderland above Swansea City and Hull City, lea
  
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• Polish opposition to keep on protesting, blocking parliament

  17-12-2016 20:04
  By Pawel Florkiewicz and Lidia Kelly WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish opposition leaders called on Saturday for days of anti-government protests and vowed to maintain a blockade of parliament's main hall that the ruling party condemned as an illegal attempt to seize power. About two dozen members of the opposition Civic Platform (PO) took turns to sit in the legislature's plenary hall through the night and the party's leader said they would remain there for the next few days. Poland's biggest political
  
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• West Africa bloc to take 'necessary actions' to uphold Gambia vote result

  17-12-2016 20:03
  By Ulf Laessing ABUJA (Reuters) - The West African regional bloc said on Saturday it would take all necessary actions to uphold the result of a Dec. 1 election in Gambia, where veteran President Yahya Jammeh says he will not step down after losing to Adama Barrow. ECOWAS leaders said at the end of a summit in the Nigerian capital they would attend Barrow's inauguration on Jan. 18 and guarantee the safety of the president-elect. Barrow's surprise victory and Jammeh's initial decision to step down
  
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• ECOWAS urges Gambia to protect safety of president-elect

  17-12-2016 20:03
  ABUJA (Reuters) - Gambia must ensure the safety of the president-elect, whose election victory is disputed by the current head of state, West African regional bloc ECOWAS said at the end of a special summit on Saturday. President Yahya Jammeh, who has led the country for 22 years, lost a Dec. 1 election to little-known challenger Adama Barrow and is due to step down on Jan. 18. Jammeh has called for a fresh vote and his party is challenging the result in Gambia's Supreme Court. (Reporting by Ulf
  
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• Corbyn calls for talks with PM on social care funding

  17-12-2016 19:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Labour leader urges the PM to hold talks on providing "emergency support" for social care.
  
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• China to return seized U.S. drone, says Washington 'hyping up' incident

  17-12-2016 19:56
  By Ben Blanchard and Steve Holland BEIJING/WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - China will return an underwater U.S. drone seized by a naval vessel this week in the South China Sea, both countries said on Saturday, but Beijing complained the United States had been "hyping up" the incident. The drone, known as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), was taken on Thursday, the first seizure of its kind in recent memory. The Pentagon went public with its complaint after the action and said on Saturday i
  
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• On victory lap, few signs Trump focusing on unified nation

  17-12-2016 19:55
  
  PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday was wrapping up his postelection victory tour, showing few signs of turning the page from his blustery campaign to focus on uniting a divided nation a month before his inauguration.
  
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• Hull boss Phelan wishing for change of luck at Christmas

  17-12-2016 19:50
  When Hull City manager Mike Phelan writes a Christmas gift list, the first entry might well be a slice of good fortune judging by his side's harsh 1-0 defeat at West Ham United on Saturday. Hull will be bottom of the Premier League at the start of the festive period but could hardly believe their ill-luck as they were denied three times by the post at West Ham. To add insult to injury the penalty Mark Noble converted late on to hand West Ham a fortuitous three points was awarded after an innocuo
  
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• Hamas blames Israel for killing of drone expert in Tunisia

  17-12-2016 19:36
  The Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza blamed Israel on Saturday for the killing in Tunisia this week of a Tunisian national it described as one of its drone experts, and threatened retaliation. Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Mohammed Zawari, who was gunned down near the city of Sfax on Thursday, had been a member of the group for 10 years and had been supervising its drone programme.
  
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• Syrian rebel group blames Iran for holding up Aleppo evacuation

  17-12-2016 19:26
  By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - A senior Syrian rebel blamed Iran and its Shi'ite militias on Saturday of holding up the evacuation of civilians trapped in the remaining rebel bastion in Aleppo and urged Russia to live up to its commitment to implement the deal. Munir al Sayal, the head of the political wing of the Ahrar al Sham rebel group involved in negotiations over the deal, said Iran was insisting people be allowed to leave two besieged Shi'ite villages before letting the Aleppo e
  
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• Eleven in a row Chelsea are kings of the Palace

  17-12-2016 19:22
  By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Leaders Chelsea tightened their stranglehold on the Premier League after a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace earned them an 11th consecutive victory and sent them nine points clear on Saturday. Champions Leicester City had striker Jamie Vardy sent off as they trailed 2-0 at Stoke City before battling back to draw 2-2, Daniel Amartey scoring a late equaliser. Sunderland finally began to see some daylight at the bottom as a 1-0 home win over Watford edged them off the f
  
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• EU's Dombrovskis says Greek pension payout 'complicated' review talks

  17-12-2016 19:13
  Greece's decision to give pensioners a one-off bonus has delayed the conclusion of its second bailout review but an agreement can still be reached in the coming months, EU Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis was quoted as saying on Saturday. Greece angered its lenders this month by announcing it would spend about 600 million euros on a Christmas bonus for low income pensioners after beating its fiscal targets for the year. "What complicated things is the unilateral announcement by the G
  
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• Pentagon says China will return the U.S. underwater drone it seized

  17-12-2016 19:08
  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Saturday that Chinese authorities have agreed to return a U.S. unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) collecting oceanographic data seized by Chinese warship this week. "Through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return the UUV to the United States," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton, editing by G Crosse)
  
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• Britain needs a serious conversation about the NHS

  17-12-2016 19:02
  Long-held assumptions must be challenged given the care crisis, writes Ian Birrell
  
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• Iran calls for meeting of nuclear deal powers over U.S. sanctions

  17-12-2016 18:54
  Iran has requested a meeting of a commission overseeing the implementation of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iranian state media reported on Saturday, in response to what Tehran calls a U.S. violation of the agreement. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif asked for the meeting in a letter to European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Iran's official news agency IRNA said. The White House said on Thursday that a bill extending U.S. sanctions against Iran for 10 yea
  
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• Social care crisis: Jeremy Corbyn seeks urgent meeting with PM

  17-12-2016 18:52
  
  Labour leader calls for ‘emergency top-up’ funds to protect elderly people over winter as services struggle to cope The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has asked to meet Theresa May to discuss emergency funding for Britain’s ailing social care system, which would be the first such cross-party meeting since the new prime minister entered Downing Street.Corbyn has written to the prime minister seeking urgent talks on how the government might avert the deepening crisis in social car
  
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• Negredo double helps Boro ease past Swansea

  17-12-2016 18:21
  (Reuters) - Alvaro Negredo scored a first-half double to set Middlesbrough on the way to a vital 3-0 Premier League win over Swansea City on Saturday and pile more pressure on Bob Bradley's struggling team. Negredo, on loan from Valencia, took his season's tally to five at the Riverside and Marten de Roon sealed victory with a terrific goal from an excellent move just before the hour as Boro finally shed their goal-shy reputation. The game had been billed as a duel between the two Spanish intern
  
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• Vardy off but Leicester make great comeback to draw 2-2

  17-12-2016 18:11
  (Reuters) - Jamie Vardy was controversially sent off but 10-man Leicester City produced an extraordinary comeback from two down to earn a 2-2 draw while showing the spirit of champions at Stoke City on Saturday. The England striker received a straight red card for a two-footed lunge in the 28th minute which did not connect with Mame Biram Diouf and Leicester seemed to lose their discipline, ending up with six yellow cards to go with the red. Bojan scored a 39th-minute penalty after a Danny Simps
  
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• Luckless Hull pay penalty as West Ham snatch win

  17-12-2016 18:04
  (Reuters) - Mark Noble's penalty earned West Ham United a smash-and-grab 1-0 victory over Hull City after the luckless visitors were denied three times by the woodwork at the London Stadium on Saturday. Nervy West Ham were outplayed throughout the first half in which Hull's Dieumerci Mbokani shot against the inside of a post and the pattern continued after the break. Captain Noble almost scored an own goal when his header struck a post before Andrew Robertson's sweetly-struck shot rattled the fr
  
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• Conte not tinker but tailor in Chelsea win streak

  17-12-2016 18:01
  By Rex Gowar LONDON, (Reuters) - Chelsea played in white in a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday but it is a coat of many colours that self-styled tailor Antonio Conte has cut into a table-topping outfit. Conte has transformed a team with only two new players, Marcos Alonso and N'Golo Kante, from last season’s struggling side who finished 10th in the standings. “A manager must be tailor to try to find the right fit for your team,” Conte told reporters at Selhurst Park after
  
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• EU Tusk urges Polish authorities to respect people, constitution

  17-12-2016 17:41
  European Union Council President Donald Tusk, commenting on a standoff between Poland's opposition and the ruling party, called on the country's authorities on Saturday to respect the constitution. Polish opposition leaders called on Saturday for days of anti-government protests and pledged to keep blocking parliament's main hall after being accused of trying to seize power illegally by a government they say has violated the constitution. "Following yesterday's events in parliament and on the st
  
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• Forgotten man Pato produces blast from the past at Sporting Gijon

  17-12-2016 17:38
  By Richard Martin BARCELONA (Reuters) - Alexandre Pato reminded the world why he was once the hottest prospect in football with a sensational display in Villarreal's 3-1 win at Sporting Gijon on Saturday. The Brazilian, who signed for AC Milan before his 18th birthday for 26 million euros ($27.16 million) but never fulfilled his potential, was given a standing ovation by Sporting supporters despite being the architect of their team's defeat in La Liga. Pato, who won the award for best young play
  
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• Syrian rebels, government say working on deal to secure Aleppo evacuation

  17-12-2016 17:27
  By Laila Bassam and Lisa Barrington ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - A new deal is being negotiated to complete the evacuation of rebel-held areas of Syria's east Aleppo which ground to a halt on Friday after demands from pro-government forces that people also be moved out of two villages besieged by insurgents. A Syrian rebel official and a government official said early on Saturday the evacuation of Aleppo would resume and the two Shi'ite villages would be evacuated, as well as the wounded fro
  
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• The Latest: Trump-Merkel aides reportedly to meet next week

  17-12-2016 17:23
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Syrian rebels blame Iran for holding up Aleppo evacuation deal

  17-12-2016 17:07
  Syrian rebels blamed Iran and its Shi'ite-backed militias on Saturday of holding up a deal to evacuate civilians trapped in the remaining rebel bastion in Aleppo. Munir al Sayal, the head of the political wing of the Ahrar al Sham rebel group involved in negotiations over the deal, said Iran was insisting people be allowed to leave two besieged Shi'ite villages before letting the Aleppo evacuation happen. "Iran and its sectarian proxies are using the humanitarian situation of our people in besie
  
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• Trump's Cabinet selections signal a bold shift after Obama

  17-12-2016 17:01
  
  Propelled by populist energy, President-elect Donald Trump's candidacy broke long-standing conventions and his incoming Cabinet embodies a sharp turn from the outgoing Obama administration. Trump, a Republican ...
  
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• Zimbabwe's Mugabe confirmed as ruling party candidate for 2018

  17-12-2016 16:33
  By MacDonald Dzirutwe MASVINGO, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was confirmed on Saturday as his party's sole candidate for the next presidential election in 2018, when he will be 94. Supporters at a party conference sang a song titled "Mugabe should rule until eternity" as the veteran leader rose to give a speech in which he called for an end to infighting within the ruling ZANU-PF over his eventual successor. Mugabe, the only ruler that the southern African nation has k
  
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• No deal in Congo talks on Kabila's future before expected protests

  17-12-2016 16:31
  Talks in Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday between the ruling coalition and the opposition failed to reach a compromise on the political future of President Joseph Kabila, who is due to stay in power when his mandate ends on Monday. Kabila is required by constitutional term limits to step down after nearly 16 years in power. The capital Kinahasa is on edge ahead of planned opposition protests against what they say is a bid by Kabila to cling to power and it was not immediately clear what
  
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• ‘Shocking’ rise in number of homeless children in B&Bs at Christmas

  17-12-2016 16:29
  
  Shelter says government figures of 124,000 children in temporary accommodation in England show that benefit cuts have made private rents unaffordableThe number of children living in temporary accommodation this Christmas, including in bed and breakfasts, has risen by more than 10% since last year to 124,000, according to the latest government figures. The numbers of children forced into temporary housing in the run up to Christmas have described as “shocking” by the country’s l
  
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