Political news

• UK eyeing customs union access, work visas for some sectors - report

  07-01-2017 23:58
  Britain is looking to secure privileged EU customs union access, work visas and tax breaks for certain sectors as part of a plan to protect key industries when it exits the European Union, the Sunday Times newspaper reported. Prime Minister Theresa May has so far said very little about her negotiating position for Brexit but she is due to lay out her thinking in a speech this month. It said the government would fight to give key industries "privileged" access to the European customs union.
  
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• Silva wants Hull fans back after winning start

  07-01-2017 23:16
  (Reuters) - Marco Silva began his Hull City managerial career with an FA Cup victory on Saturday but the Portuguese was left hoping that their missing fans would be back to support his bid to ensure the Tigers avoid Premier League relegation. In a debut match for the League's newest managers, who both have their work cut out to save their teams from the drop, Silva came out on top over Swansea City's Paul Clement with the 2-0 win, courtesy of late goals from Abel Hernandez and Josh Tymon.
  
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• Two suspected militants killed in Saudi security operation

  07-01-2017 23:02
  Two men accused of links to bombings and other attacks against Saudi Arabia were shot dead in a security operation in the capital Riyadh on Saturday, Interior Ministry officials said. The officials told a news conference a security officer was wounded in the operation in the al-Yasmin neighbourhood in northern Riyadh, after the two suspects engaged in a shootout with security forces to resist arrest. Mansour al-Turki, a Ministry of Interior spokesman, identified the two as Taye' al-Say'ari and T
  
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• UK at risk of Brexit ‘catastrophe’ warns Canadian trade expert

  07-01-2017 23:00
  
  Former EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers ‘absolutely right to say replacement deal may take a decade to sort out’Britain risks a “catastrophic” Brexit because the government is so dismissive of the concerns of trade experts, according to one of the figures behind the EU-Canada trade deal which took a decade to negotiate. Related: As a trade negotiator, I’m shocked at Brexiters’ ignorance | Jason LangrishContinue reading...
  
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• Labour MPs urge Jeremy Corbyn to back two-tier EU immigration controls

  07-01-2017 23:00
  
  Senior MPs tell leader to protect EU workers but recognise ‘strength of feeling in the country’ about migrationSenior Labour MPs have called on Jeremy Corbyn to back a new two-tier system of controls on EU migration or risk seeing the party slide into irrelevance in the eyes of the British public.In the latest sign of tension in the party over the issue, the MPs, backed by several former shadow cabinet members, argue that a “progressive, fair and managed” migration system
  
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• Police say gun was returned to Florida airport shooting suspect last year

  07-01-2017 22:59
  (Reuters) - Police in Alaska said on Saturday they had returned a handgun to the Florida airport shooting suspect which was temporarily taken from him when he underwent a mental evaluation late last year. Anchorage Police Chief Christopher Tolley said it was not immediately clear if it was the same gun used in Friday's deadly rampage in Fort Lauderdale. Officials told a news conference the gun was returned to the suspect, Esteban Santiago, 26, because the Iraq war veteran had not committed a cri
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Insists Labour Is Trying To Speak For '100% Of People' In The Country

  07-01-2017 22:32
  
  Labour is trying to speak for “100% of the people” in the country, Jeremy Corbyn has insisted, just days after analysis suggested the party has almost no chance of winning a majority at the next general election.
  The Labour leader said he believed his party’s campaigns on health, education and manufacturing would get a “great deal” of support.
  His comments come after a left-of-centre think tank wrote off Labour’s chances of a majority at the 2020 general elec
  
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• Zuma's ex-wife given boost in South Africa leadership race

  07-01-2017 22:22
  By Joe Brock JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The chances of South African President Jacob Zuma's ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, becoming the next leader of the African National Congress were given a boost on Saturday with the endorsement of the ruling party's women's division. The ANC will pick a new leader at a conference in December and, given its national dominance since coming to power at the end of apartheid in 1994, the winner is likely to go on to be South Africa's next president when election
  
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• Ivory Coast defence minister trapped in city as soldiers open fire

  07-01-2017 21:45
  By Ange Aboa BOUAKE, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - Soldiers in Ivory Coast's second largest city, Bouake, opened fire on Saturday, trapping the defence minister inside a local official's house shortly after a deal to end two-day mutiny appeared to have been agreed, a Reuters witness said. The dramatic turn of events came just an hour and a half after President Alassane Ouattara announced he had agreed to the soldiers' demands for bonus payments and improved living standards. In addition to Defence Min
  
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• Giroud strikes late winner as Arsenal sneak by Preston

  07-01-2017 20:57
  Olivier Giroud's scoring streak continued as he struck late to give Arsenal a 2-1 victory at Championship side Preston North End in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. Giroud's deflected finish in the 89th minute was rough on Preston who had dominated the opening period after Callum Robinson had given them an early lead. Arsenal were a different proposition after the break and equalised a minute after the restart when Ramsey fired home from the edge of the area after Alex Iwobi's lay-off.
  
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• Trump: Only 'stupid' people, fools oppose better Russia ties

  07-01-2017 20:29
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that "only 'stupid' people or fools" would dismiss closer ties with Russia, and he seemed unswayed after his classified briefing on an intelligence report that accused Moscow of meddling on his behalf in the election that catapulted him to power.
  
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• Iraq says deal reached over Bashiqa, Turkey says issue will be solved

  07-01-2017 20:24
  Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday an agreement had been reached with Turkey over an Iraqi demand that Turkish forces withdraw from the Bashiqa camp near Mosul in the north of the country, Iraqi state TV reported. Turkish forces have been stationed in Bashiqa since before a recent offensive against Islamic State in northern Iraq.
  
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• Trump's pick for intelligence chief spent years lobbying

  07-01-2017 20:21
  
  Former Sen. Dan Coats, in line to be national intelligence director, has swung back and forth between government service and lobbying, the type of Washington career that President-elect Donald Trump has ...
  
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• Brother of airport shooting suspect says US gov't failed him

  07-01-2017 20:19
  
  PENUELAS, Puerto Rico (AP) — The brother of a man accused of killing five people at a Florida airport questioned Saturday why his brother was allowed to keep his gun after U.S. authorities knew he'd become increasingly paranoid and was hearing voices.
  
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• Ivory Coast government reaches deal to end army mutiny

  07-01-2017 20:17
  By Ange Aboa BOUAKE, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said on Saturday that the government had reached an agreement with disgruntled soldiers on Saturday to end a two-day revolt that had spread unrest across the West African nation. The uprising began early on Friday when the soldiers - mainly former rebel fighters - demanding wage increases and bonuses - seized Bouake, the second-largest city. Speaking to his government ministers and reporters, Ouattara said he ha
  
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• Rooney record in United rout, Leicester win at Everton

  07-01-2017 20:08
  By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Wayne Rooney left his footprint on FA Cup third-round day with the first goal in holders Manchester United's 4-0 rout of Championship side Reading on Saturday to draw level with Bobby Charlton as the club's record scorer. Premier League champions Leicester City claimed a first away win all season as they beat Everton 2-1 with Ahmed Musa scoring both goals after the hosts had taken the lead.
  
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• The Latest: Government service, lobbying swings for Coats

  07-01-2017 20:00
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Djokovic makes statement in epic win over Murray in Doha final

  07-01-2017 19:52
  (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic made an immense statement in his bid to rule men's tennis again when he defeated Andy Murray, the man who deposed him as world number one, 6-3 5-7 6-4 in an epic Qatar Open final in Doha on Saturday. Looking back to near his peerless best at times in a game of searing quality, the Serbian missed out on three match points and had to repel a roaring Murray comeback before ending the Briton's 28-match, five-tournament winning streak. In their first meeting since Murray wo
  
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• U.S. warns citizens against visiting tourist spot Gambia

  07-01-2017 19:51
  The United States warned its citizens against visiting the tourist destination of Gambia on Saturday, and told those there to considering leaving, citing the risk of unrest as President Yahya Jammeh digs in despite losing an election. "The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to The Gambia because of the potential for civil unrest and violence in the near future," the statement on its website said. It said the supreme court hearing on Jan. 10 of Jammeh's challenge to the r
  
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• Fed's Kashkari says he's optimistic about bank plan under Trump

  07-01-2017 19:21
  Neel Kashkari, the president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank who wants to force U.S. banks to hold more capital in order head off a future financial crisis, on Saturday said he was optimistic about his plan's chances under incoming president Donald Trump. "I'm optimistic that if Congress now says we are going to take a fresh look at bank regulation, we are going to take a fresh look at Dodd Frank, there may be a real opportunity to weigh in and say, let's be much more aggressive on capit
  
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• RHI scandal: Gerry Adams says Sinn Féin will act over fiasco

  07-01-2017 19:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gerry Adams signals that Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness could resign if Arlene Foster does not stand aside during an investigation into a flawed green energy scheme.
  
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• Libya says will declare force majeure at two ports over smuggling

  07-01-2017 19:17
  Libya's UN-backed government will declare force majeure on two ports to stop fuel smuggling from them, a statement from its presidential council said on Saturday. Libya expects its oil production to rise to around 900,000 barrels per day after a series of agreements to reopen major oil ports and oilfields which had been closed for two years by armed factions, fighting and strikes.
  
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• Ivory Coast government reaches deal to end army mutiny - local official

  07-01-2017 19:07
  BOUAKE, Ivory Coast (Reuters) - A delegation led by Ivory Coast's Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi reached an agreement on Saturday with mutinying soldiers to end a two-day revolt that has spread unrest across the West African nation, said a local official involved in the talks. "We have a deal. There's white smoke," said Djande Lorgn, the sub-prefect in the city of Bouake where the talks took place. "This accord ends the mutiny." (Reporting by Ange Aboa; Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by
  
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• Russian treachery is extreme and it is everywhere | Nick Cohen

  07-01-2017 19:00
  
  Vladimir Putin’s worldwide influence is pernicious. Dare Theresa May confront it?Nationalism always breaks its promises because nationalists hate enemies in their countries more than they hate the enemies of their countries. Millions of American conservatives proved it when they voted for Donald Trump, even though he was an open admirer of a hostile foreign power.Local hatreds, not national security, moved them. They hated Obama more than they feared Putin. They hated political correctness
  
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• Grammar schools offer ‘pitifully few’ places to poorer children

  07-01-2017 19:00
  
  Selection is no driver of social mobility, according to analysis of 2016 dataClaims by Theresa May that grammar schools have proved to be great engines of social mobility have been undermined by figures showing that the vast majority of grammars admit only a tiny proportion of children from the poorest families.As pupils return after the Christmas break, official figures show that in many grammar schools, less than 1% of the total pupil intake receives free school meals (an indicator of the poor
  
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• Saudi prince readies strategy if clerics oppose reforms - report

  07-01-2017 18:59
  The young prince leading Saudi Arabia's drive for economic reform has laid out a three-pronged strategy to avoid a backlash from any religious conservatives opposed to his plan, according to remarks reported by Foreign Affairs magazine on Saturday. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 31-year-old overseeing the kingdom's biggest-ever overhaul of state and society, told visiting researchers last month punitive measures would be considered for any clerics who incited or resorted to violenc
  
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• Sir Ivan Rogers quits civil service

  07-01-2017 18:56
  Britain’s former ambassador to EU resigns days after decision to leave Brussels
  
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• U.S. consular official shot in Mexico, in stable condition

  07-01-2017 18:51
  An American consular official was shot in Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city in the restive western state of Jalisco, but is now in stable condition, Mexican authorities said on Saturday. The U.S. Embassy could not immediately be reached for comment. Jalisco is one of the engines of the Mexican economy, but the state's southern border turned into a battleground between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNG) and the Michoacan-based Knights Templar.
  
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• Three killed in Somalia tea shop blast, soldiers among casualties

  07-01-2017 18:51
  At least three people were killed and 11 others injured when an explosion ripped a small restaurant popular with soldiers in the Somali capital on Saturday evening, police and local officials said. Al Shabaab militants have launched similar attacks in the past in a campaign to topple the Western-backed government. "A bomb that was planted in the tea shop exploded," Abdifatah Omar, the spokesman for Mogadishu's mayor, told Reuters.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn: Red Cross NHS warning 'unprecedented'

  07-01-2017 18:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Red Cross is warning there is a "humanitarian crisis" in its hospitals in England, something the NHS denies.
  
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• Suspect chose Florida airport for rampage that killed five - FBI

  07-01-2017 18:41
  By Zachary Fagenson FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Reuters) - The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five people at Fort Lauderdale airport apparently chose to travel to Florida to carry out the rampage, and there are no signs any altercation triggered the attack, authorities said on Saturday. The 26-year-old suspect, Esteban Santiago, had a history of acting erratically and investigators are probing whether mental illness played a role in America's latest mass shooting. "Indications are that he came h
  
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• Former PM Soares who ushered in democracy in Portugal dies at 92

  07-01-2017 18:37
  Portugal's former president and prime minister Mario Soares, who was a central figure in the country's return to democracy in the 1970s after decades of rightist dictatorship, died on Saturday aged 92, doctors said. Once popularly known as "King" Soares for his regal manner, the founder of the Portuguese Socialist Party was premier three times and later spent a decade as the country's head of state. "Today Portugal lost its father of liberty and democracy, the person and face the Portuguese iden
  
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• Soccer-Rooney record in United rout, Leicester win at Everton

  07-01-2017 18:36
  By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Wayne Rooney left his footprint on FA Cup third-round day with the first goal in holders Manchester United's 4-0 rout of Championship side Reading on Saturday to draw level with Bobby Charlton as the club's record scorer. Premier League champions Leicester City claimed a first away win all season as they beat Everton 2-1 with Ahmed Musa scoring both goals after the hosts had taken the lead.
  
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• Real thrash Granada to equal record; Griezmann ends goal drought

  07-01-2017 18:33
  By Richard Martin BARCELONA (Reuters) - Real Madrid equalled a Spanish record of 39 games unbeaten in all competitions by crushing struggling Granada 5-0 on Saturday to go six points clear at the top of La Liga. Spain midfielder Isco set Real on their way to an easy victory by latching on to a pass from Karim Benzema and squeezing the ball underneath Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 12th minute. Benzema tapped in the second goal in the 20th minute after Ochoa failed to hold a shot from
  
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• Sri Lanka launches China-led investment zone amid protests

  07-01-2017 18:26
  By B. Channa Kumara HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka (Reuters) - Sri Lankan police used tear gas and water cannons on Saturday to disperse hundreds of stone-throwing demonstrators protesting against a planned investment zone supported by China. Protesters say that the government of President Maithripala Sirisena is trying to evict thousands of families to provide 15,000 acres (6,070 hectares) of land in the projected industrial zone for Chinese investors. The zone is in the southern district of Hambantota,
  
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• Thousands demonstrate in Paris over murder of Kurdish militants

  07-01-2017 18:24
  Several thousand people demonstrated in Paris on Saturday to demand justice and a speedier investigation into the 2013 murder of three Kurdish activists. Sakine Cansiz, a founder of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the early 1980s, and two other Kurdish women were found dead in the Kurdish Information Centre in Paris in January 2013, all shot at close range. Some 5,500 people, according to police estimates, marched through central Paris demanding French authorities find out who was behind th
  
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• NHS rejects claims of 'humanitarian crisis' in England's hospitals

  07-01-2017 18:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The NHS disputes Red Cross claims of a "humanitarian crisis" in its hospitals in England.
  
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• The Latest: Trump renews calls for warmer ties with Russia

  07-01-2017 18:04
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):
  
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• Two 'dangerous terrorists' killed in Saudi security operation - agency

  07-01-2017 17:58
  Two "dangerous terrorists" were killed in a Saudi security operation in the capital Riyadh on Saturday, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported, citing an Interior Ministry spokesman. The agency said a security officer was also wounded in the operation in the al-Yasmin neighbourhood in northern Riyadh.
  
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• Syrian government decides Aleppo renovation plan - state media

  07-01-2017 17:55
  The Syrian government on Saturday decided a plan of works to restore services, industry and security to the war-ravaged northern city of Aleppo, state media reported. Aleppo, split into a government-held west and rebel-held east since the early days of the almost six-year Syrian conflict, became a focal point of the war. Months of fierce air strikes and siege on the eastern sector destroyed infrastructure, homes and hospitals before the government and its allies took control over the last remain
  
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• Paul: Trump backs health repeal, replacement at same time

  07-01-2017 17:51
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican senator who challenged Donald Trump for the White House nomination says the president-elect "fully supports" repealing President Barack Obama's health law only when there's a viable alternative to replace it.
  
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• Alec Baldwin Trolls Donald Trump With A Russian 'Make America Great Again'

  07-01-2017 17:48
  
  He’s able to do an uncannily good impression of the US president-elect - but now Alec Baldwin has taken his trolling a step further.
  The actor posted a selfie of him wearing Donald Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” hat.
  But this version had a Russian twist: A photo posted by Alec Baldwin (@iamabfalecbaldwin) on Jan 6, 2017 at 8:26am PST
  He appeared to be referencing a newly-released report in which the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency revealed that Ru
  
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• Suspect chose Florida airport for deadly rampage - FBI

  07-01-2017 17:38
  By Zachary Fagenson FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Reuters) - The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five people at Fort Lauderdale airport apparently chose to travel to Florida to carry out the rampage, and there are no signs any altercation came before the attack, authorities said on Saturday. The 26-year-old suspect, Esteban Santiago, had a history of acting erratically and investigators are probing whether mental illness played a role in America's latest mass shooting. Santiago cooperated with inve
  
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• Several Trump picks' ethics reviews incomplete

  07-01-2017 17:37
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Several of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest, the government's ethics office says, even as Republican senators move quickly to hold at least nine confirmation hearings next week.
  
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• APNewsBreak: Several Trump picks' ethics reviews incomplete

  07-01-2017 17:37
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Several of President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet choices have not completed a full review to avoid conflicts of interest, the government's ethics office says, even as Republican senators move quickly to hold at least nine confirmation hearings next week.
  
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• Fed's Powell says signs of financial excess are 'isolated'

  07-01-2017 17:32
  Low interest rates have helped the Federal Reserve get close to meeting its goals for employment and inflation and have yet to create financial instability, Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell said on Saturday. "Low rates can lead to excessive leverage and broadly unsustainable asset prices - things that we watch carefully for and do not observe at this point," Powell said in prepared remarks for an economics conference in Chicago. Powell, a financial specialist at the U.S. central bank who h
  
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• West Africa leaders to continue Gambia mediation - Liberia president

  07-01-2017 17:24
  West African leaders are still pursuing mediation to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in Gambia where President Yahya Jammeh refused to accept defeat in an election last month, Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Saturday. Sirleaf told reporters after a meeting among regional leaders in Ghana's capital Accra that regional bloc ECOWAS did not yet intend to deploy its standby military force in Gambia. "We are committed to a peaceful mediation and a peaceful transfer of power in th
  
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• Anti-corruption party launches in Bulgaria as election approaches

  07-01-2017 17:21
  A new Bulgarian political party launched on Saturday just months before an election, aiming to fight corruption, boost economic growth and improve living standards. Yes Bulgaria, led by former justice minister in the centre-right government Hristo Ivanov, will take part in the early parliamentary election expected to be held in March or April. The Balkan country has been in political limbo since centre-right Prime Minister Boiko Borisov resigned following the victory of Rumen Radev, a
  
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• NHS crisis: Corbyn calls on May to face urgent Commons questions

  07-01-2017 17:20
  
  Lib Dems demand emergency health funding as NHS England boss disputes Red Cross claim of a humanitarian crisisJeremy Corbyn has called on Theresa May to attend the House of Commons on Monday to face urgent questions over the NHS, after claims the health service is facing a “humanitarian crisis”.
  The Labour leader called on the prime minister to explain how the government will solve the problems, after the British Red Cross said it had been called in to help the NHS in England deal wi
  
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• Airport shooting suspect chose Florida to launch attack: FBI

  07-01-2017 17:12
  (Reuters) - The suspect in Florida's deadly airport shooting apparently chose to travel to Fort Lauderdale to carry out the rampage, and there are no signs there was any altercation on the flight or at baggage claim prior to the attack, authorities said on Saturday. George Piro, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's office in Miami, told reporters the suspect, Esteban Santiago, 26, cooperated with investigators during an interview that lasted several hours overnight. (
  
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