Political news

• Peru demands cash payment from Odebrecht in plea deal talks

  02-01-2017 23:53
  The office of Peru's attorney general announced on Monday that it has asked Odebrecht for a "significant sum" of money as part of talks towards a plea deal, after the Brazilian company acknowledged distributing bribes to unnamed Peruvian officials. The total amount Odebrecht will be required to pay will be negotiated with the company after it makes an initial deposit, said Hamilton Castro, the lead prosecutor investigating the public works contracts in Peru that Odebrecht may have won through br
  
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• Syrian rebels say they froze talks on Russian-backed peace conference due to ceasefire violations

  02-01-2017 23:50
  Syrian rebel groups said on Monday they had decided to freeze any talks about their possible participation in Syrian peace negotiations being prepared by Moscow in Kazakhstan unless the Syrian government and its Iran-backed allies end what it said were violations of a ceasefire. In a statement, the rebel groups also said that any territorial advances by the army and Iran-backed militias that are fighting alongside it would end the fragile ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey, which back oppos
  
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• Investigators question Israel's Netanyahu over alleged receipt of gifts

  02-01-2017 23:50
  By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Police questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for three hours under caution at his official residence in Jerusalem on Monday on suspicion of receiving gifts from businessmen in breach of his role as a public servant. Part of a police statement issued after the questioning ended said that "investigators questioned PM Benjamin Netanyahu under caution on suspicion of receiving benefits." No additional details were initially given. The move to question the I
  
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• Argentines declare $97.8 billion in tax amnesty - government

  02-01-2017 23:45
  Argentina declared $97.842 billion in assets by the completion of a second phase of a tax amnesty programme that ended on Dec. 31, the government said on Monday. The vast majority, $84.13 billion, were assets held abroad, the AFIP tax agency said in a report. Argentines had until the end of 2016 to declare assets and pay a 10 percent fine to protect themselves from prosecution for tax evasion.
  
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• Factbox - Brazil's history of violent prison uprisings

  02-01-2017 23:07
  About 60 people were killed in a prison riot in the city of Manaus sparked by a war between rival drug gangs, officials said on Monday, in some of the worst violence in years in Brazil's overcrowded penitentiary system. Violent uprisings among Brazil's 600,000-strong prison population are a regular occurrence, fed by chronic overcrowding, degrading conditions and competition between criminal groups that control large swaths of penitentiaries. Following is a list of notable riots: October 2016 -
  
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• Argentina decrees telecoms rule changes to increase competition

  02-01-2017 22:43
  Argentina has loosened regulations to allow more competition in its telecoms sector and widen internet penetration, according to a decree published on Monday that the government hopes will attract billions of dollars in investments. Companies will no longer be barred from simultaneously providing cable TV, internet, fixed line and mobile phone services. Satellite TV company DirecTV will for example be allowed to sell internet services while cable operator Cablevision SA gets the green light to e
  
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• Christmas fixtures great for fans, hard for players - Mourinho

  02-01-2017 22:16
  By Richard Martin LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho repeated his complaints about the Premier League's festive fixture pile-up after his side laboured to a 2-0 win at 10-man West Ham United on Monday. The Portuguese coach blamed United's mixed performance on having to play their second game in three days, the trip to London coming barely 48 hours after a stirring 2-1 comeback win at home to Middlesbrough. It's amazing for the fans around the world, everybody has the Prem
  
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• For young or old, the 21st-century workplace is a challenge

  02-01-2017 21:59
  A new French law that took effect Jan. 1 asks employers to protect their workers from having to respond to work-related texts or emails after office hours.
  
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• Murders in notoriously violent El Salvador drop 20 percent in 2016 - police

  02-01-2017 21:56
  Murders in El Salvador fell by more than a fifth in 2016 after soaring to one of the highest rates anywhere around the globe the previous year, police data in the Central American nation showed on Monday. National police chief Howard Cotto said steps taken by the government to combat El Salvador's violent street gangs, known as Maras, helped to cut the homicide total by 1,378 from the previous year to 5,278, a decline of 20.7 percent. The wave of killings in El Salvador in 2015 pushed the murder
  
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• Islamic State kills 24 with Baghdad car bomb, attack police stations in Samarra

  02-01-2017 21:51
  By Kareem Raheem and Ghazwan Hassan BAGHDAD/TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - An Islamic State car bomb killed 24 people in Baghdad's Sadr City district on Monday and the militants also attacked two police stations in the city of Samarra as Iraqi forces fought to oust the group from Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq. At least four other attacks across Baghdad, some also claimed by Islamic State, killed nine more people earlier in the day, bringing the total death toll from bombings in the capital
  
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• New U.S. Congress prepares to undo Obamacare, weigh Trump personnel picks

  02-01-2017 21:50
  By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new, Republican-controlled U.S. Congress convenes on Tuesday eager to repeal major portions of President Barack Obama's healthcare law and roll back environmental and financial industry regulations, but could quickly become embroiled in fights over President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet choices. Despite his promise to unite a deeply divided country, Trump will be sworn in on Jan. 20 leading a Republican Party that early on will push legislation through C
  
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• Chelsea's Musonda returns from Betis loan spell

  02-01-2017 21:29
  (Reuters) - Charly Musonda has returned to Chelsea early from his loan spell with Real Betis, the Spanish club said on Monday. Belgium under-21 international Musonda initially moved to Betis in January 2016, and the attacking midfielder extended his stay after impressing during the second half of last season. "Real Betis and Chelsea FC have reached an agreement to terminate the loan of player Charly Musonda Jr to the Green-and-White team," read a statement on Betis's official website.
  
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• Argentina says tax revenue rose 90 percent in December

  02-01-2017 21:19
  BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina's tax revenues rose 90 percent in December from a year earlier to 275.542 billion pesos ($17.28 billion), a record high for monthly collections in pesos, the AFIP tax agency said on Monday. Annual tax collection in 2016 was 2.07 trillion pesos, up 34.6 percent from 2015. The government's tax intake is increasing as Argentines participate in a tax amnesty program. ($1 = 15.945 Argentine pesos) (Reporting by Caroline Stauffer; Editing by Peter Cooney)
  
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• Manchester United's Mata and Ibrahimovic sink 10-man West Ham

  02-01-2017 21:17
  By Richard Martin LONDON (Reuters) - Manchester United clinched a sixth consecutive Premier League win for the first time since April 2015 as Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored second-half goals in a controversial 2-0 victory at 10-man West Ham United on Monday. The game was overshadowed by referee Mike Dean's harsh decision to send off home midfielder Sofiane Feghouli in the 15th minute for a challenge on Phil Jones, while Ibrahimovic's goal, coming after Mata's 63rd minute opener, looked
  
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• Defoe frustrates Liverpool, Aguero helps Manchester City win

  02-01-2017 21:16
  By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Liverpool squandered a chance to exert some pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea as Sunderland's Jermain Defoe converted two penalties to earn the Premier League strugglers a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light on Monday. Sadio Mane's goal looked to have earned Liverpool a win that would have moved them within three points of Chelsea but the forward later handled the ball in the area to give in-form striker Defoe the chance to salvage a draw for his side.
  
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• Democrats extol health care law in bid to derail GOP repeal

  02-01-2017 21:15
  Senior House Democrats on Monday extolled the benefits of President Barack Obama's health care law in hopes of derailing Republican plans to gut the statute and over time replace it. In a conference call ...
  
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• Christmas message leads to death threats, police case in Pakistan

  02-01-2017 21:13
  By Kay Johnson and Mubasher Bukhari ISLAMABAD/LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A Christmas message calling for prayers for those charged under Pakistan's blasphemy laws has led to death threats against the son of a provincial governor killed five years ago for criticising the same laws. The case highlights the continuing influence in Pakistan of Muslim hardliners who praise violence in the name of defending Islam, despite a government vow to crack down on religious extremism. The hardliners have cal
  
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• Migrants in U.S., Mexico fret about Trump threat to halt remittances

  02-01-2017 21:11
  By Michael O'Boyle CLEARWATER, Fla. (Reuters) - In central Mexico’s Mezquital Valley, new pick-up trucks bounce along unpaved roads and U.S.-style houses are springing up alongside cornfields. During the holiday season, even as money and gifts have flowed into the area from relatives working in the United States, residents have fretted about what a Trump presidency will mean for them and family members working in the United States. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump said he wou
  
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• No proof Russian hacking influenced U.S. election - Trump spokesman

  02-01-2017 20:59
  No evidence has emerged to suggest Russian hacking influenced the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and it would be irresponsible to jump to conclusions before receiving a final intelligence report, Donald Trump's spokesman said on Monday. "There is zero evidence that they influenced the election," Sean Spicer told Fox News. Due to become White House press secretary when Trump enters the White House on Jan. 20, Spicer told CNN the president-elect would see the intelligence report once it
  
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• Suicide bombers attack two police stations in Iraq's Samarra - sources

  02-01-2017 20:47
  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen wearing suicide vests attacked two police stations in the central Iraqi city of Samarra on Monday, killing at least seven policemen, security sources said. The sources said clashes were ongoing at both police stations. (Reporting by Ghazwan Hassan; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
  
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• Deputy leader of Libya's U.N.-backed government resigns

  02-01-2017 20:45
  A deputy leader of Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) announced his resignation on Monday, saying the U.N.-backed administration had failed to tackle urgent problems arising from years of conflict and political disarray. The resignation of Musa al-Koni casts doubt on the future of the government in its current form, just over a year after it was launched under a U.N.-mediated deal that had only partial support from Libya's rival factions. Western powers backed the GNA to tackle Islamic
  
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• Italy's 5-Star Movement unveils ethics code; critics cry hypocrisy

  02-01-2017 20:44
  By Isla Binnie ROME (Reuters) - Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement said on Monday it would not automatically require its politicians to step down if they come under legal investigation, prompting critics to accuse it of hypocrisy. Italy's largest opposition group presents itself as a squeaky-clean counterweight to mainstream parties, which have repeatedly come under corruption probes for almost 25 years. Critics said founder Beppe Grillo was softening his stance now that the movement had
  
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• The Latest: Trump jabs critics, says he knew he'd win

  02-01-2017 20:42
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Free agent Barton returns to Burnley

  02-01-2017 20:14
  (Reuters) - Burnley have signed free agent Joey Barton on a short-term deal until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on their website (www.burnleyfootballclub.com) on Monday. The 34-year-old midfielder returns to Turf Moor having left the club in the close season after rejecting a new contract before embarking on an ill-fated spell with Glasgow Rangers. Barton's contract was terminated by the Scottish club on Nov. 10 after a training ground argument with team mate Andy Halliday
  
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• Djokovic recovers from slow start to begin year with win in Doha

  02-01-2017 20:12
  (Reuters) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic made a sticky return to action before recovering from losing the opening four games to beat Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff at the Qatar Open on Monday. Djokovic, who was deposed as world number one by Andy Murray at the back end of last year and split with coach Boris Becker, eventually snapped into his usual rhythm to win 7-6(1) 6-3. The Serbian will play either Florian Mayer of Germany or Argentine Horacio Zeballos in the second round.
  
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• Owner of Brazil juice maker Natural One sells stake to Gávea - sources

  02-01-2017 20:08
  By Tatiana Bautzer SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The owner of Brazilian juice maker Natural One SA has sold a minority stake to Brazilian investment firm Gávea Investimentos Ltda for an undisclosed price, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. Ricardo Ermirio de Moraes, who founded Natural One a decade ago in the southeastern town of Jarinu and was its sole shareholder, agreed to the deal with Gávea on Dec. 28, the sources said. Moraes is a member of the family that owns Br
  
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• Manchester City make light of Fernandinho red card to beat Burnley

  02-01-2017 20:06
  (Reuters) - Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho was sent off for the third time in his last six games but it did not stop them as Sergio Aguero came off the bench to score in a 2-1 Premier League home defeat of Burnley on Monday. City's hopes of closing the gap on leaders Chelsea took a knock in the 32nd minute when their Brazilian skipper Fernandinho got a straight red card for a reckless two-footed tackle on Icelandic midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
  
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• Trump leaning towards Georgia ex-gov for agriculture head - official

  02-01-2017 19:38
  Former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is U.S. Republican President-elect Donald Trump's leading candidate to run the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a senior Trump transition team official said on Monday. Perdue, a Democrat-turned-Republican who founded a grain and fertilizer business, served on Trump's agricultural advisory committee during his presidential campaign. The official gave no other details about Trump's choice for agriculture secretary, one of the few remaining posts Trump has to fil
  
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• Newcastle stunned by Blackburn as Brighton take top spot

  02-01-2017 19:36
  (Reuters) - Newcastle United were stunned 1-0 at Blackburn Rovers on Monday as their winter wobbles continued, with Brighton overtaking them into top spot in the English Championship after coming from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 away. Chris Hughton's Brighton extended their winning streak to five matches as they scored two goals in two second-half minutes through substitute Tomer Hemed and Lewis Dunk to battle back from Lucas Piazon's 55th-minute opener. Visiting goalkeeper David Stockdale had als
  
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• Sunderland draw leaves Liverpool's Klopp baffled

  02-01-2017 19:30
  Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp was lost for words to explain their late collapse in a 2-2 draw at Sunderland in the Premier League on Monday after the hosts twice came from behind to snatch a draw thanks to a pair of Jermain Defoe penalties. The result left Liverpool on 44 points from 20 games, five behind leaders Chelsea, who play their game in hand at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, and two clear of Manchester City. Sunderland's Defoe cancelled out Daniel Sturridge's early opener in the first
  
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• Around 60 killed as drug gangs clash in Brazil prison massacre

  02-01-2017 19:29
  By Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - Around 60 people were killed in a bloody prison riot in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus sparked by a war between rival drug gangs, officials said on Monday, in the worst violence in over two decades in Brazil's overcrowded penitentiary system. The head of security for Amazonas state, Sergio Fontes, told a news conference that the death toll could rise as authorities get a clearer idea of the scale of the rebellion sparked by a fight between rival drug gangs.
  
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• Clement to be named Swansea manager - reports

  02-01-2017 19:08
  (Reuters) - Paul Clement will become Premier League strugglers Swansea City's third manager of the season and will be officially unveiled on Wednesday, British media reported on Monday. The Bayern Munich assistant manager will replace American Bob Bradley who was sacked by the Welsh club last month having taken over from Francesco Guidolin in October. There was no immediate word from Swansea but Sky Sports and the BBC said Clement had agreed a 2-1/2 year deal.
  
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• Tax cut seen lifting soy planting in No.3 exporter Argentina

  02-01-2017 19:06
  By Hugh Bronstein BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina will cut its soybean export tax by 12 percentage points to 18 percent by 2020, the government said on Monday, a move expected to spur more planting in the South American grains powerhouse at a time of rising world food demand. The decree, published in the government's official gazette, sets out a plan for shaving 0.5 percentage point from the export levy every month in 2018 and 2019. In 2017 the tax will stay at 30 percent, having been cut fro
  
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• Member of anti-IS coalition killed in Iraq in non-combat incident

  02-01-2017 18:43
  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A service member from the international coalition fighting Islamic State was killed in a "non-combat related incident" in Iraq on Monday, the U.S. military said. The Combined Joint Strike Force did not disclose the name, nationality or the circumstances surrounding the person's death but said in a statement that the incident was under investigation. (Reporting By Stephen Kalin, editing by Larry King)
  
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• Syrian suspected of planning truck attack in Germany arrested - prosecutors

  02-01-2017 18:31
  By Erik Kirschbaum BERLIN (Reuters) - A Syrian migrant who arrived in Germany two years ago has been arrested on suspicion of seeking funds from Islamic State to drive truck bombs into a crowd, a German state prosecutor's office said on Monday. The man, Anis Amri, 24, was later shot dead by Italian police. In the latest case, the prosecutor in the western city of Saarbruecken said the 38-year-old Syrian was detained on Saturday and a formal arrest warrant was issued on Sunday on suspicion that h
  
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• Garden villages: Locations of first 14 announced

  02-01-2017 18:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The locations of England's first garden villages - and three new garden towns - are revealed.
  
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• Israeli police question Netanyahu over alleged gifts - media

  02-01-2017 18:29
  By Luke Baker JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Police investigators began questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his official residence in Jerusalem on Monday on suspicion of receiving gifts from businessmen in breach of his role as a public servant, Israeli media said. The move was authorised by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, who decided after a preliminary inquiry that there was enough evidence to open a criminal investigation, Haaretz newspaper reported. Israeli media said the questionin
  
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• Theresa May To Revive David Cameron's Failed EU Migrant Benefits Crackdown

  02-01-2017 18:28
  
  The crackdown on migrant benefits that David Cameron failed deliver as a result of his EU referendum defeat is to be revived by Theresa May after Brexit, reports suggest.
  The Times quotes Whitehall sources suggesting the Prime Minister wants to stop EU migrants claiming in-work benefits such as tax credits, bringing them in line with restrictions faced by newcomers from any where else in the world.
  The newspaper quoted Downing Street saying no decisions had been made and sources emphasised that
  
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• Defoe penalties earn Sunderland 2-2 draw with Liverpool

  02-01-2017 18:19
  Jermain Defoe kept up Sunderland's fight to avoid relegation as he converted two penalties to give the Black Cats a 2-2 home draw with Liverpool after the visitors led twice in a rip-roaring Premier League clash on Monday. Defoe took his league tally to 11 goals, cancelling out a 19th minute opener by Daniel Sturridge and then a 72nd minute Sadio Mane tap-in, with both Liverpool goals coming after poor Sunderland defending at corner kicks.
  
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• Valencia ends goal drought as Everton down Southampton

  02-01-2017 18:16
  (Reuters) - Substitute Enner Valencia scored his first Everton goal to break Southampton's resolve and send the home side on their way to a 3-0 win at Goodison Park on Monday, with Leighton Baines and Romelu Lukaku also finding the net. Valencia had not scored in the Premier League since getting two goals for West Ham United against Manchester City last January, but secured the breakthrough in the 73rd minute when he bundled home the rebound after Fraser Forster had saved Lukaku's header.
  
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• Households offered first time-of-use energy tariff

  02-01-2017 18:14
  Growth of digital smart meters opens up new ways of managing usage
  
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• Households offered first ‘time-of-day’ energy tariff

  02-01-2017 18:14
  
  Growth of digital smart meters opens up new ways of managing energy usage
  
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• Around 60 killed in Brazil prison riot - state official

  02-01-2017 18:12
  By Alonso Soto BRASILIA (Reuters) - Around 60 people have been killed in a bloody prison riot sparked by a war between rival drug gangs in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus, officials said on Monday, in some of the worst violence in years in Brazil's overcrowded penitentiary system. The head of security for Amazonas state, Sergio Fontes, told a news conference that the death toll could rise as authorities get a clearer idea of the scale of the rebellion sparked by a fight between rival drug gangs
  
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• Trump presidency puts California Legislature in defense mode

  02-01-2017 18:09
  
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California lawmakers return to Sacramento on Wednesday, liberal dreams of expanding safety-net benefits and providing health coverage to immigrants are giving way to a new vision revolving around a feverish push to protect gains racked up in the past.
  
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• Gambian authorities shut three radio stations amid post-election crisis

  02-01-2017 18:09
  By Edward McAllister DAKAR (Reuters) - Gambian security agents closed three private radio stations near the capital, Banjul, amid an escalating political crisis triggered by President Yahya Jammeh's refusal to accept his election defeat. Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, initially conceded defeat to opposition rival Adama Barrow in the Dec. 1 vote, but then called for a fresh poll, drawing condemnation from local opponents and foreign powers. Jammeh called that a "declaration of war".
  
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• Man City make light of Fernandinho red card to beat Burnley

  02-01-2017 18:07
  (Reuters) - Sergio Aguero came off the bench to score as Manchester City made light of playing for an hour with 10 men to beat Burnley 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Monday. City, needing a quick response after defeat at title rivals Liverpool on Saturday, suffered a blow when Fernandinho was red-carded just past the half hour mark for a wild-looking tackle on Burnley's Iceland midfielder Johann Berg Gudmundsson. The hosts dominated after the break, however, and took the lead after 58 minutes when
  
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• West Brom bounce back to beat Hull 3-1

  02-01-2017 18:03
  (Reuters) - West Bromwich Albion hit back from a goal down to beat Hull City 3-1 on Monday as second-half goals by Chris Brunt, Gareth McAuley and James Morrison piled on the misery for Mike Phelan's struggling side. Robert Snodgrass gave Hull the lead at the Hawthorns in the 21st minute, sliding in to volley Ahmed El Mohamady's cross into the net and the Tigers were good value for their lead at the break.
  
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• Business urges guarantee for EU employees

  02-01-2017 18:02
  Lobby organisations say staff hired after June poll should be allowed to stay
  
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• France tries Equatorial Guinea leader's son in absentia in corruption case

  02-01-2017 17:57
  By Chine Labbé PARIS (Reuters) - The son of Equatorial Guinea's president was put on trial in his absence on Monday in France, accused of buying palatial Parisian properties and exotic cars with money plundered from his native country, a small oil-rich state on Africa's west coast. Teodorin Obiang, eldest son of President Teodoro Obiang and a vice-president himself, denies charges of laundering embezzled public funds, which expose him to a sentence of 10 years in jail and huge fines if co
  
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• Slovak PM Fico urges end to referendum 'adventures' in EU

  02-01-2017 17:33
  Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico urged other European leaders on Monday to stop calling referendums on domestic issues, saying they posed a threat to the EU and to the euro. Last June Britain voted in a referendum to leave the European Union and last month Italian voters rejected a constitutional reform plan. Right-wing, anti-immigrant parties in France, the Netherlands, Italy and elsewhere are demanding referendums on their membership of the EU or the euro.
  
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