Political news

• France's Macron attacks Le Pen as frontrunners campaign in Lyon

  04-02-2017 22:56
  By Catherine Lagrange LYON (Reuters) - French presidential hopeful Emmanuel Macron launched an attack on far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Saturday, saying she was betraying France's ideals, as the two frontrunners held rallies in the city of Lyon for a weekend of campaigning. On the other side of town, Le Pen kicked off her presidential campaign, listing promises such as leaving the euro zone, holding a referendum on EU membership and slapping taxes on the job contracts of foreigners. Macron, a
  
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• Trump's criticism of judge shows limits of staff's influence

  04-02-2017 22:45
  
  Late Friday night, some of President Donald Trump's top advisers huddled on the phone to craft a response to a court ruling that blocked the White House's refugee and immigration ban. The White House statement ...
  
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• UK faces massive rise in costs to fix stealth fighter

  04-02-2017 22:31
  
  Trump tweets and software problems heighten concerns over advanced jetBritain is being forced to pour millions of pounds of new funds into the troubled F-35 stealth fighter programme being developed in America and considered a vital part of the UK’s future defences.The F-35, being built by the US in partnership with countries including the UK, is the costliest weapon ever developed by the Pentagon. It is scheduled to go into service in the UK in 2018 and into full production in 2019, and i
  
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• We will boycott Trump speech, say Labour’s female MPs

  04-02-2017 22:19
  
  Harriet Harman leads call to ‘empty chair’ US president if he is invited to address Parliament on state visitA group of the UK Labour party’s most senior women MPs vowed last night to stage a mass “no show” at Westminster if Donald Trump is invited to address both Houses of Parliament during his planned state visit to the UK.The party’s former deputy leader Harriet Harman led the calls for female MPs to “empty chair” any speech by Trump saying his
  
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• Corbyn street: What they think of Jeremy and Labour’s three-line whip

  04-02-2017 22:14
  
  Like the Labour party, the residents of a north London street in Corbyn’s constituency are split over BrexitIf Jeremy Corbyn wants to know what Labour voters think of his approach to Brexit he could do worse than visit the unpretentious residential road that bears his name in the heart of his constituency. Everyone, it seems, has a view about Corbyn and Brexit along Corbyn Street, London, N4.This after all is metropolitan, cosmopolitan, strongly Labour supporting Islington. Corbyn has been
  
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• Diane Abbott’s support for Jeremy Corbyn in doubt over Brexit vote

  04-02-2017 21:57
  
  Shadow home secretary’s office unable to confirm intentions for Brexit negotiations after missing article 50 voteDiane Abbott’s future in the shadow cabinet was in doubt on Saturday night after she failed to guarantee that she would vote to trigger Brexit negotiations in the Commons this week.The shadow home secretary missed a vote last Wednesday, citing a migraine, after Jeremy Corbyn imposed a three-line whip on his MPs to support a government bill to trigger article 50. Corbyn&rsq
  
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• Visa holders hurry to board flights to US amid reprieve

  04-02-2017 21:52
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Visa holders from seven majority-Muslim countries affected by President Donald Trump's travel ban hurried to board U.S.-bound flights Saturday, fearing they might have only a slim window through which to enter the country after a federal judge temporarily blocked the ban.
  
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• Britain's verdict on Trump? Improve non-US allies and be prepared

  04-02-2017 21:50
  
  The words the UK public most associate with the new US president are ‘dangerous’, ‘unstable’ and ‘bigot’If Donald Trump is not a popular man in his own country, his public image in Britain is even worse. Related: Two thirds of Britons believe Trump is 'threat to international stability'Continue reading...
  
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• Mass protests force Romania to scrap decree decriminalising graft

  04-02-2017 21:43
  By Radu-Sorin Marinas BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's prime minister said on Saturday he was scrapping a decree that would have shielded dozens of politicians from prosecution for corruption, bowing to one of the biggest protests since the fall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989. Sorin Grindeanu said the decree - which decriminalised several graft offences in what the government said was a bid to relive pressure on the prison system - would be repealed on Sunday, just five days after is was a
  
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• Louvre attacker put under formal detention after condition improves

  04-02-2017 21:40
  The knife-wielding attacker who was shot by a French soldier outside the Louvre museum has been declared fit to be interviewed after his condition improved and placed in formal detention, the Paris prosecutor's office said on Saturday. The 29-year-old Egyptian, identified as Abdullah Reda al-Hamamy, was shot several times on Friday after he set upon soldiers with a pair of machetes in what French President Francois Hollande described as a terrorist attack. "His life is no longer in danger," an o
  
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• Rugby: England finish strongly to edge France 19-16

  04-02-2017 21:30
  By Mitch Phillips LONDON (Reuters) - England overcame a poor first half to grind down France for a 19-16 victory to open the defence of their Six Nations title on Saturday, setting a national record of 15 successive victories in the process. England were lucky to be level at 9-9 at halftime and trailed 16-12 after an hour as Rabah Slimani scored the opening try for France. "The performance was ugly, but the result is beautiful," said relieved England coach Eddie Jones.
  
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• Rugby: Bench strength turned ugly display into beautiful win - Jones

  04-02-2017 21:29
  By Mitch Phillips LONDON (Reuters) - England's growing strength in depth was underlined in bold at Twickenham on Saturday as the influx of replacements in the last 20 minutes dragged the initiative from France and helped the Six Nations champions battle out a 19-16 victory. England trailed 16-12 after an hour as Rabah Slimani scored the opening try for France, who had been the better team for most of the first half. Within minutes coach Eddie Jones had virtually emptied his bench and the fresh m
  
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• After judge lifts travel ban, Trump fumes, vows to act

  04-02-2017 21:22
  By Julia Edwards Ainsley and Kinda Makieh WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump denounced a judge who lifted the travel ban he had imposed on citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries, vowing that his government would reinstate it as affected travellers scrambled to try to quickly enter the United States. Last weekend thousands of people who had tickets to travel or immigrate to the United States were stopped in their tracks by Trump's executive order to restrict entry for
  
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• After ending ceasefire, Philippine leader says peace talks over too

  04-02-2017 21:18
  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Saturday that peace negotiations with Maoist-led rebels would be scrapped, five months after both sides resumed talks to end nearly five decades of conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people. Duterte called off a unilateral ceasefire on Friday, two days after the New People's Army (NPA) did the same. The tough-talking Duterte said the communist leaders who his government had freed temporarily to take part in peace negotiations overseas would go
  
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• France's Le Pen sets out presidential election manifesto

  04-02-2017 21:14
  LYON, France (Reuters) - France's far-right National Front detailed 144 proposals for party leader Marine Le Pen's election bid, including leaving the euro and a vote on European Union membership. ...
  
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• Copy of article 50 bill 'signed by PM' to be auctioned at Tory dinner

  04-02-2017 20:35
  
  The Guardian has seen emails indicating document apparently signed by Theresa May is to go under the hammerA copy of the article 50 bill apparently signed by Theresa May is to be auctioned off at a Conservative party fundraising event. The Guardian has seen emails showing that a signed copy of the European Union (notification of withdrawal) bill, which MPs voted on this week, was acquired by a Westminster councillor for an auction at the inaugural Regent’s Dinner, organised by the West End
  
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• Wall St. lending to Main St. even as many decry Dodd-Frank

  04-02-2017 20:34
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has wasted little time in beginning a push to reverse the stricter banking regulations enacted after the 2008 financial crisis. Trump has branded the Dodd-Frank Act "a disaster" — a regulatory overreach that slowed the economy and stifled lending to consumers and businesses.
  
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• What Do You Know ... About Surfing the Web?

  04-02-2017 20:30
  
  Katie Martin / The Atlantic In this week’s Atlantic coverage, our writers explored who drives online activity, what’s on the surface of the moon, the politics of web security, how Trump’s travel ban will affect the tech industry, the enviable life of an Instagram mom, and more.
  
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• Red-hot Lukaku scores four in 'crazy' Everton victory

  04-02-2017 20:30
  Romelu Lukaku made a big statement in the race to finish as the Premier League's top scorer this season with four goals in Everton's staggering 6-3 Premier League victory over Bournemouth on Saturday. Lukaku, 23, has now netted 16 times in the league, one clear of Chelsea's Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal. Manchester United's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland's evergreen Jermain Defoe, who scored a brace against Crystal Palace on Saturday, sit one furth
  
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• VP: Gorsuch will join Supreme Court 'one way or the other'

  04-02-2017 19:55
  
  PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence pledged Saturday that Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch will join the nation's highest court "one way or the other."
  
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• Macron offers refuge in France to U.S. scientists, entrepreneurs

  04-02-2017 19:55
  French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on U.S. scientists, academics and entrepreneurs at odds with Donald Trump's administration to move to France. The former economy minister, one of the frontrunners in the upcoming presidential election, urged U.S.-based scientists working on climate change, renewable energy or health issues who were wary of the new political situation to seek refuge across the Atlantic.
  
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• Scotland captain Laidlaw says "changed group" has found winning ways

  04-02-2017 19:53
  By John Geddie EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland rugby captain Greig Laidlaw said his team were "a changed group" after his side, so often the gallant losers, held on to upset Ireland 27-22 in the Six Nations on Saturday. With a wealth of attacking talent such as fullback Stuart Hogg and flyhalf Finn Russell, Scotland have proved they can score against some of the best sides in the world in recent years. "We are a changed group and we want to drive this whole thing forward," said Laidlaw, who lande
  
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• US suspends enforcement of travel ban; Trump bashes judge

  04-02-2017 19:50
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The government on Saturday suspended enforcement of President Donald Trump's refugee and immigration ban and scurried to appeal a judge's order, plunging the new administration into a crisis that has challenged Trump's authority — and ability to fulfill campaign promises.
  
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• New Pentagon chief an instant hit in Japan, South Korea

  04-02-2017 19:49
  
  TOKYO (AP) — In his debut abroad as the first retired general to lead the Pentagon in more than half a century, Jim Mattis found that in Japan and South Korea his experience in uniform is seen as an asset.
  
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• Klopp baffled by Liverpool's 2017 slump after Hull calamity

  04-02-2017 19:49
  (Reuters) - Juergen Klopp, lauded for overseeing the most attractive side in English football before Christmas, said Liverpool's New Year decline made "no sense" after their Premier League title challenge evaporated on Saturday. A 2-0 defeat at struggling Hull City was probably the worst display by Liverpool in a woeful series of performances that seemed unthinkable after they ended 2016 with a vibrant win over fellow contenders Manchester City. Since that New Year's Eve victory, they have won j
  
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• Jordanian air force targets Islamic State in southern Syria

  04-02-2017 19:46
  The Jordanian air force conducted air strikes against Islamic State targets in southern Syria on Friday night, hitting an ammunition depot, a car bomb factory and a barracks, the Jordanian military said in a statement.
  
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• Shelling flares up in east Ukraine ahead of Trump's call to Kiev

  04-02-2017 19:05
  Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists accused each other of resuming artillery attacks in east Ukraine on Saturday, breaking a lull in shelling at a frontline hot-spot that had raised hopes the conflict's worst escalation in months was waning. The reports came hours before a planned telephone call between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Donald Trump, whose aim to improve relations with Moscow has alarmed Kiev while the east Ukraine conflict remains unresolved. Kiev said p
  
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• Parliament must have a meaningful vote on EU deal

  04-02-2017 19:00
  The Article 50 bill must be amended to give MPs a proper say
  
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• Is technology smart enough to fix the fake news frenzy? | John Naughton

  04-02-2017 19:00
  
  As we drown in misinformation, we’re looking to the tech giants to hit the truth button. If only it were that easyThe debate about “fake news” and the “post-truth” society we now supposedly inhabit has become the epistemological version of a feeding frenzy: so much heat, so little light. Two things about it are particularly infuriating. The first is the implicit assumption that “truth” is somehow a straightforward thing and our problem is that we just ca
  
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• Trump fumes, vows to act, after judge lifts travel ban

  04-02-2017 18:59
  By Julia Edwards Ainsley and Kinda Makieh WASHINGTON/DAMASCUS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday denounced a judge who lifted a travel ban for citizens of seven mainly Muslim countries, vowing that his government would reinstate it as affected travellers scrambled for tickets to try to quickly enter the United States. The federal judge in Seattle on Friday blocked Trump's week-old order to stop people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from travelling to the
  
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• Chelsea crush Arsenal, Liverpool lose in Premier League

  04-02-2017 18:58
  (Reuters) - Chelsea moved closer towards regaining the Premier League title after their 3-1 drubbing of Arsenal in the table-topping London derby at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Antonio Conte's side moved 12 points clear of the Gunners with a performance decorated by one of the goals of the season, a dazzling individual effort from Eden Hazard starting from near the halfway line. The 2015 champions' command at the top of the table was strengthened further with fourth-placed Liverpool falling 13
  
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• Newcastle return to Championship summit with 1-0 win over Derby

  04-02-2017 18:53
  LONDON (Reuters) - Newcastle United returned to the top of the Championship table with Matt Ritchie's solitary goal sealing a tense 1-0 victory against playoff hopefuls Derby County on Saturday. Ritchie's deflected strike in the 27th minute secured all three points for the hosts but Rafa Benitez's side were forced to endure a nervous finish with Tom Ince and Darren Bent missing good chances for eighth placed-Derby. ...
  
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• Romanian government may scrap graft decree as tens of thousands protest

  04-02-2017 18:29
  By Radu-Sorin Marinas BUCHAREST (Reuters) - The leader of Romania's ruling Social Democrats (PSD) said on Saturday the government might withdraw a graft decree that has triggered days of huge street protests and international rebuke. The order decriminalising some graft offences is seen as the biggest retreat on reforms since Romania joined the European Union in 2007. Nationwide protests -- among the country's biggest since the 1989 fall of communist rule and the execution of dictator Nicolae Ce
  
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• Hard work allows Chelsea stars to shine

  04-02-2017 18:27
  By Clare Lovell LONDON (Reuters) - A moment of brilliance from Eden Hazard sent his manager Antonio Conte into paroxysms of delight during the 3-1 over Arsenal on Saturday when the Italian flung himself into the crowd to celebrate the Belgian's goal. Players such as wing backs Marcos Alonso, who scored Chelsea's opener, and Victor Moses, rejuvenated under Conte, harry and harass their opposition, allowing the creatives space to excel.
  
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• Lukaku four-timer as fine Everton run continues amid goal feast

  04-02-2017 18:24
  (Reuters) - - Romelu Lukaku scored after just 30 seconds, equalling the fastest goal in the Premier League this season, and went on to hammer in four as Everton beat struggling Bournemouth 6-3 amid a goal glut at Goodison Park on Saturday. Lukaku's first minute left-footer matched Pedro's 30-second goal for Chelsea against Manchester United but the Belgian was far from finished, making the second for James McCarthy and completing a double himself when he latched on to a careless Simon Francis ba
  
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• Morrison's early strike lifts West Brom past Stoke

  04-02-2017 18:22
  (Reuters) - - Midfielder James Morrison scored the only goal of the game early in the first half to earn West Bromwich Albion a 1-0 win over Stoke City at the Hawthorns on Saturday. Morrison latched on to Nacer Chadli's pass to beat Stoke goalkeeper Lee Grant at his far post in the sixth minute. Stoke's Ryan Shawcross had a deflected header clip the outside of the post and Joe Allen missed a glorious chance to level matters before halftime.
  
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• Liverpool freefall continues with shock 2-0 defeat at Hull

  04-02-2017 18:20
  (Reuters) - - Liverpool's calamitous freefall in 2017 continued with a shocking 2-0 defeat at Hull City which may have put a fatal dent in their Premier League title hopes on Saturday. Alfred N'Diaye, Hull's new loan signing from Villarreal, proved Hull's hero, scoring just before halftime thanks to another questionable piece of goalkeeping from Simon Mignolet, who flapped at a cross and allowed the Senegal international to tap in. ...
  
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• Sunderland crush toothless Palace

  04-02-2017 18:18
  (Reuters) - - Sunderland produced a remarkable display to crush fellow Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace 4-0 at Selhurst Park on Saturday. Sunderland, with just once away league win all season, opened the scoring in the ninth minute through defender Lamine Kone before Didier Ndong added the first of three goals in five frantic minutes. Jermain Defoe ended the contest before the break with a smart quickfire double - his 13th and 14th league goals of the season - as Sunderland ran riot agai
  
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• West Ham seal impressive 3-1 win at Southampton

  04-02-2017 18:16
  (Reuters) - - West Ham United recovered from a goal down to cruise to a comfortable 3-1 Premier League victory away against Southampton on Saturday. Southampton's Italian forward Manolo Gabbiadini, making his debut following his arrival from Napoli, finished superbly from a tight angle in the 12th minute before Andy Carroll levelled with a neat finish two minutes later -- his fourth goal in four league games. ...
  
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• Niang sees Watford home against 10-man Burnley

  04-02-2017 18:15
  Reuters) - - Watford's new loan signing M'Baye Niang scored his first goal for the club in their 2-1 Premier League win over 10-man Burnley at Vicarage Road on Saturday. The visitors put in a battling performance despite having Jeff Hendrick sent off for a two-footed challenge on Jose Holebas after six minutes and falling behind soon after when Troy Deeney headed home Niang's cross. ...
  
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• Trump throws Washington into state of anxious uncertainty

  04-02-2017 18:12
  
  Two weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump has thrown Washington into a state of anxious uncertainty. Policy pronouncements sprout up from the White House in rapid succession. Some have far-reaching implications, ...
  
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• Libyans intercept at least 1,131 migrants off western coast in a week - coast guard

  04-02-2017 18:11
  Ayoub Qassem said 431 migrants had been intercepted on four inflatable boats off Sabratha's coast on Thursday and some 700 had been picked up on Jan. 27 from three wooden vessels in the same area. "The illegal migrants are from various sub-Saharan countries and include a big number of women and children," Qassem said of those intercepted on Thursday. "Smugglers had tried to foil the process of arrest by opening fire on our coast guards but the coast guards fired back and that forced the smuggler
  
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• Dazzling Scotland hang on to upset Ireland 27-22

  04-02-2017 18:11
  By John Geddie EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Scotland hung on to upset Ireland 27-22 in a pulsating match at Murrayfield on Saturday and secure their first opening day win in the Six Nations for over a decade. Two late penalties from captain Greig Laidlaw snatched a victory for the Scots that was founded on a dazzling first-half display which pushed the hosts into a 21-8 lead at the break. Fullback Stuart Hogg, the player of last year's tournament, scored Scotland's first two tries and centre Alex Dunba
  
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• Trump's Supreme Court pick wary of 'politicians with robes'

  04-02-2017 17:34
  
  Judge Neil Gorsuch recalls being blinded by tears in the middle of a ski run after someone rang his cellphone with news of the unexpected death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The reaction illustrates ...
  
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• Peru to seek arrest of ex president Toledo in mega graft inquiry

  04-02-2017 17:28
  Prosecutors in Peru were preparing to request the arrest of former president Alejandro Toledo on Saturday after uncovering evidence that implicates him in $20 million (£16 million) in bribes that the Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht has acknowledged distributing to win a contract during his government, a source said. Authorities searched a house owned by Toledo in Lima early on Saturday, the attorney general's office said on Twitter without providing additional details. A source in the att
  
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• Royal Jordanian gets U.S. instructions lifting travel ban

  04-02-2017 17:25
  Jordanian airline Royal Jordanian received instructions from the U.S. authorities on Saturday allowing travellers from Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somali and Iran to board its flights to the United States if they have the necessary visa. "These instructions are effective as of today and cancel the U.S. presidential decision that restricted the entry to America of these above mentioned nationalities," Royal Jordanian spokesman Basel Kilani told Reuters.
  
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• Conte hails 'completely different' team after Arsenal win

  04-02-2017 17:22
  By Clare Lovell LONDON (Reuters) - Chelsea manager Antonio Conte hailed his transformed team on Saturday, saying they were completely different from the side that lost to the same Arsenal opponents last September. The buoyant Premier League leaders tore Arsenal apart on Saturday, winning 3-1 to expunge memories of their 3-0 drubbing at The Emirates last year and move 12 points ahead of them. A change of system to 3-4-3 helped the side find rhythm, width and space but Conte said his side had chan
  
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• Garcia moves clear in Dubai

  04-02-2017 17:15
  (Reuters) - Sergio Garcia shot a third-round 68 to finish three shots clear of his Ryder Cup team mate Henrik Stenson in the Dubai Desert Classic on Saturday. Spaniard Garcia birdied his 33rd and last hole of a long day after the second round was disrupted by high winds to move to 16 under par and in a strong position to win his 12th European tour title. "At the end it was very, very dark, I'll tell you that," Garcia, 37, told the Tour website.
  
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• Google, unlike Microsoft, must turn over foreign emails - U.S. judge

  04-02-2017 17:14
  A U.S. judge has ordered Google to comply with search warrants seeking customer emails stored outside the United States, diverging from a federal appeals court that reached the opposite conclusion in a similar case involving Microsoft Corp . U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Rueter in Philadelphia ruled on Friday that transferring emails from a foreign server so FBI agents could review them locally as part of a domestic fraud probe did not qualify as a seizure. "Though the retrieval of the electronic
  
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• Trump lashes out a federal judge over ruling on travel ban

  04-02-2017 17:11
  
  PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump lashed out Saturday at "this so-called judge" who put a nationwide hold on his executive order denying entry to the U.S. to refugees and to people from seven predominantly Muslim countries. The ruling set in motion another weekend of confusion and chaos around the country.
  
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