Political news

• Khamenei says Sweden has good name among Iranians

  11-02-2017 23:38
  Iran's supreme leader said on Saturday the United States and Western powers are regarded with suspicion in the Middle East because of their interference, but that Sweden has a good name among Iranians and is seen as a reputable economic partner. Iran has had relatively good relations with neutral Sweden which has over the years been often critical of the foreign policy of the United States, the Islamic republic's arch-enemy.
  
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• Pochettino lashes Tottenham players after Liverpool loss

  11-02-2017 22:34
  Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino accused his players of failing to deal with the pressure of a Premier League title race after they were outplayed in a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool on Saturday. The Londoners were lucky to be only two goals down at halftime at Anfield as Liverpool brought Tottenham's nine-game unbeaten run in the league to a halt. It was the manner of the defeat -- only second-placed Tottenham's third of the season -- that was most concerning though as they appeared overw
  
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• How vulnerable is China to a trade war?, After Mosul falls, So-called experts need to stop fearmongering, Standing in solidarity with Muslims, The nauseating hypocrisy of Trump’s vilification

  11-02-2017 22:31
  HOW VULNERABLE IS CHINA TO A TRADE WAR? “In the Chinese media, business commentators are all talking about the same thing: The coming trade war with the United States...,” writes Ed Zhang. “The business commentators have been explaining to readers why a trade war won’t be a good thing.
  
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• Democrats elect civil rights lawyer as nominee for US House

  11-02-2017 22:23
  WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Democrats hoping to turn voter discontent into an upset picked civil rights attorney Jim Thompson to run for the U.S. House seat that Mike Pompeo vacated to become CIA director under President Donald Trump.
  
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• Liverpool halt Spurs run, Arsenal and United win

  11-02-2017 22:22
  By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Liverpool roared back into the mix for a top-four finish with a 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday that opened the door for Chelsea to strengthen their vice-like hold on the Premier League title race. Two goals from Sadio Mane in a vibrant first half scuppered second-placed Tottenham's hopes of cutting Chelsea's lead to six points and the Blues will go 12 points clear with 13 matches left if they win at Burnley on Sunday. While Chelsea look unstopp
  
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• Germany's Social Democrats narrow gap with Merkel's conservatives - poll

  11-02-2017 22:21
  Germany's centre-left Social Democrats have closed to within one percentage point of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, a poll showed on Saturday, seven months before a pivotal federal election with EU-wide ramifications. The SPD, Merkel's junior coalition partners, would take 32 percent of the vote if an election were held today, an Emnid poll to appear in Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed, three percentage points higher than last week. It was the highest result for the SPD since April 20
  
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• Spain's Rajoy cements grip on his party ahead of tricky term

  11-02-2017 21:59
  Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy secured the backing of his conservative People's Party (PP) on Saturday to stay on as its leader as his minority government attempts to forge pacts with the opposition to pass a budget and stay in power. Rajoy, 61, was re-elected by party representatives at an internal conference - the fourth time since 2004 he has run unchallenged for the PP's leadership. Rival parties had called for Rajoy to step aside during the prolonged talks to form a government last ye
  
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• Yale to change name of college tied to 19th century slavery defender

  11-02-2017 21:58
  Yale University will change the name of its Calhoun College after protesters said the Ivy League school should drop the honour it gave to an alumnus who was a prominent advocate of U.S. slavery, the university said on Saturday. The college is named for John C. Calhoun, a South Carolina native who served as U.S. vice president under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Yale said it will rename Calhoun College for Grace Murray Hopper, an alumnus who received a PhD in mathematics and mathematical
  
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• Gorsuch returns 68-page questionnaire to Senate

  11-02-2017 21:49
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee has returned a 68-page questionnaire to the Senate Judiciary Committee ahead of confirmation hearings expected in March.
  
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• Mane double puts Liverpool back on track

  11-02-2017 21:24
  (Reuters) - Liverpool belatedly kick-started their year and damaged Tottenham Hotspur's slender Premier League title hopes as Sadio Mane struck both goals in a 2-0 victory at Anfield on Saturday. Second-placed Tottenham had the chance to cut Chelsea's lead at the top to six points ahead of their trip to Burnley on Sunday, but they were swept aside before halftime by a vibrant Liverpool side who had failed to win in the league in 2017. Mane, whose absence at the African Nations Cup coincided with
  
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• Islamic State's Syrian stronghold should be isolated by spring - Michael Fallon

  11-02-2017 21:22
  Western-backed Syrian forces should isolate Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria "by the spring" before an offensive on the city itself, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said on Saturday. The Syrian Democratic Forces, which includes the powerful Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, launched the campaign on Raqqa in November. It announced this month the start of a new phase in the offensive, aiming to complete its encirclement of the city and cut off the road to the militants' stronghold in Deir al-Z
  
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• Protesters target police in Paris suburb unrest

  11-02-2017 21:18
  Protesters threw projectiles at police and set cars and rubbish bins ablaze on Saturday in a bleak area of the Paris suburbs where tensions have risen over alleged police brutality in the arrest of a local man. A policeman has been placed under formal investigation for suspected rape and three others for unnecessary violence on Feb. 2 during the arrest of the 22-year-old man in Aulnay-sous-Bois outside the French capital. The Paris police prefecture said some 2,000 people gathered peacefully in
  
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• Trump and Japan's Abe share high-five on Florida golf course

  11-02-2017 20:53
  
  President Donald Trump has long boasted about his prowess on the golf course. Now he's putting his game to work. The president spent his Saturday morning golfing with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ...
  
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• Mitrovic puts Newcastle back on top

  11-02-2017 20:52
  Newcastle United's Aleksandar Mitrovic escaped a red card and then scored the winner as they returned to the top of England's second-tier Championship with a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The home fans felt Serbia international Mitrovic should not have been on the pitch when he found the net having earlier avoided a second booking for a clumsy challenge on the keeper. Mitrovic made the most of his luck and slotted home on 44 minutes to put Rafa Benitez's side one point ahead of second-plac
  
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• Trump and Abe share high-five on Florida golf course

  11-02-2017 20:36
  
  JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has long boasted about his prowess on the golf course. Now he's putting his game to work.
  
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• Italy deserves Six Nations spot despite heavy losses - coach

  11-02-2017 20:31
  By Mark Bendeich ROME (Reuters) - Italy coach Conor O'Shea fended off suggestions on Saturday that his team were out of their depth in the Six Nations and said the tournament's experiment with attacking bonus-points encouraged opponents to "go for the jugular" this year. O'Shea, who took over as coach last year, has a long-term plan to turn Italy from perennial wooden-spooners into a force to be reckoned with, but his first two home Six Nations outings have been heavy defeats against opponents h
  
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• Trump transition team limits EPA at environmental forum

  11-02-2017 20:24
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency halved the number of staffers attending an annual Anchorage forum on issues like climate change in response to a request from President Donald Trump's transition team.
  
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• Late Daly try gives England dramatic victory over Wales

  11-02-2017 20:22
  By Mitch Phillips CARDIFF (Reuters) - Elliot Daly's try four minutes from time gave champions England a 21-16 victory over Wales in a pulsating Six Nations clash played at relentless speed amid an amazing atmosphere at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday. England’s 15-match winning streak and hopes of a repeat grand slam looked over as they trailed late into a game which an inspired Wales dominated, but an errant clearance by Jonathan Davies allowed England to counter and Daly
  
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• Angry Bilic says referee was bad after West Ham denied

  11-02-2017 20:13
  West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic was sent to the stands after his frustration boiled over when West Bromwich Albion salvaged a last-gasp 2-2 draw in the Premier League on Saturday. Bilic lost his cool when Gareth McAuley's header deep into stoppage time denied his side after they had fought back from conceding after six minutes at the London Stadium. The Croatian was angry at Nacer Chadli's opener, feeling there had been a foul in the build-up, and was also perplexed when West Ham had a 16th
  
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• Protesters face off as U.S. abortion debate heats up

  11-02-2017 20:11
  By Lacey Johnson and Richard McKay WASHINGTON/MARIETTA, Ga. (Reuters) - Anti-abortion protesters rallied at scores of Planned Parenthood clinics on Saturday to urge Congress and President Donald Trump to strip the health services provider of federal funding, while supporters of the organisation staged counter-demonstrations around the United States. With anti-abortion groups expecting protests at up to 225 clinics, Planned Parenthood supporters organised 150 protests of their own at parks, gover
  
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• Barca, Alaves condemn fan violence

  11-02-2017 19:34
  La Liga champions Barcelona condemned the crowd trouble that occurred before their game at Alaves on Saturday when a supporter was taken to hospital after around 70 people were involved in violent clashes. "FC Barcelona regrets and condemns incidents that occurred today in the city of Vitoria before the game against Deportivo Alaves," said a statement from Barca. "The club strongly rejects any violent conduct and hopes that the necessary authorities will be able to identify those responsible for
  
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• Theresa May faces public backlash over hard Brexit, poll finds

  11-02-2017 19:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Just 35% of British public in new ICM survey would back Britain leaving the EU without agreement with other statesA clear majority of the British public oppose Theresa May’s uncompromising Brexit negotiating position and are not prepared for the UK to crash out of the EU if the prime minister cannot negotiate a reasonable exit deal, according to a new poll.In a sign that public support for the government’s push for a hard Brexit is increasingly precarious, just 35% of the public said
  
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• Sears, Kmart drop 31 Trump Home items from their online shops

  11-02-2017 19:32
  (Reuters) - Major U.S. retailers Sears and Kmart this week removed 31 Trump Home items from their online product offerings to focus on more profitable items, a spokesman said on Saturday. The decision follows retailer Nordstrom Inc's announcement this week it had decided to stop carrying Ivanka Trump's apparel because of declining sales, prompting President Donald Trump to take to Twitter to defend his daughter. White House spokesman Sean Spicer characterized the Nordstrom move as a "direct atta
  
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• Hundreds protest far-right meeting in Italy, scuffles break out

  11-02-2017 19:14
  Hundreds took to the streets in the northern Italian city of Genoa to protest against a meeting of European far-right political groups on Saturday, and tension simmered at times with police. The meeting was attended by Udo Voigt, a European lawmaker from Germany's far-right National Democratic Party, former leader of the British National Party Nick Griffin, and representatives of Romanian and French far-right movements. Genoa Mayor Marco Doria joined the protest march.
  
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• Manchester United ease past Watford to reach points landmark

  11-02-2017 19:12
  (Reuters) - Manchester United edged ever closer to the top four as they became the first club to reach 2,000 points in the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Watford at Old Trafford on Saturday. United, champions 13 times since the start of the Premier League in 1992, stretched their unbeaten league run to 16 games thanks to goals in each half by Juan Mata and Anthony Martial. Watford have never won at Old Trafford in the league and once playmaker Mata swept in after 32 minutes t
  
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• Lib Dems: why we will fight for the single market

  11-02-2017 19:11
  Theresa May’s Brexit strategy will damage the UK ecomomy
  
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• Khamenei says Sweden has good name among Iranians, cooperation deals signed

  11-02-2017 19:08
  Iran's supreme leader said on Saturday the United States and Western powers are regarded with suspicion in the Middle East because of their interference, but that Sweden has a good name among Iranians and is seen as a reputable economic partner. Iran has had relatively good relations with neutral Sweden which has over the years been often critical of the foreign policy of the United States, the Islamic republic's arch-enemy. "America and many European powers have played a role in causing traumat
  
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• Sanchez double lifts Arsenal gloom, United make it sweet 16

  11-02-2017 19:02
  By Neil Robinson LONDON (Reuters) - Arsenal put two Premier League defeats - and days of uncertainty about manager Arsene Wenger - behind them to post a workmanlike 2-0 victory over Hull City that lifted them above Manchester City into third place. With none of the other top four teams playing on Saturday afternoon, Manchester United beat Watford 2-0 to move ahead of Liverpool in fifth place and Southampton's new striker Manolo Gabbiadini scored twice in their 4-0 thumping of Sunderland.
  
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• French economist Piketty joins team of left-wing candidate Hamon

  11-02-2017 18:48
  French economist and best-selling author Thomas Piketty is to join the team of left-wing candidate Benoit Hamon in the run-up to France's presidential election. An organisation chart displaying his name was unveiled on Saturday as Hamon inaugurated his campaign headquarters in central Paris. Piketty will advise Hamon on subjects relating to the "European budget treaty", the chart showed, without giving further details.
  
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• Nigerian airport workers threaten walkout while capital's runway repaired

  11-02-2017 18:41
  Nigerian airport employees may walk out over pay issues at the capital's temporary airport while the main airport's runway is being repaired, their trade union said on Saturday. The Abuja airport runway had deteriorated to such an extent that some major international airlines had refused to fly there, and some aircraft reported damage to their undercarriage. Nigeria's government has said airlines will be able to use the airport at the provincial city of Kaduna, 100 miles (160 km) north of Abuja
  
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• West Brom draw at West Ham with late equaliser

  11-02-2017 18:33
  (Reuters) - Gareth McAuley's header deep into stoppage time earned West Bromwich Albion a 2-2 draw in a lively mid-table Premier League scrap at the London Stadium on Saturday. Manuel Lanzini's swerving shot in the 87th minute looked to have sealed a comeback victory for West Ham but McAuley denied them, although the goal was initially credited to Jonny Evans. West Brom took an early lead when Nacer Chadli punished slack home defending to fire home and Salomon Rondon struck the woodwork as the v
  
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• Abortion protests on both sides erupt across U.S.

  11-02-2017 18:32
  By Lacey Johnson and Richard McKay WASHINGTON/MARIETTA, Ga. (Reuters) - Anti-abortion groups rallied at Planned Parenthood clinics in scores of U.S. cities on Saturday to urge Congress and President Donald Trump to strip the health services provider of federal funding. With organizers expecting protests at up to 225 clinics nationwide, Planned Parenthood supporters in turn organized 150 counter-demonstrations at sites such as city parks, politicians' offices and government buildings. Supporters
  
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• Sales of Ivanka Trump apparel slumped at Nordstrom - WSJ report

  11-02-2017 18:31
  Nordstrom's sales of Ivanka Trump's line of clothing and shoes fell by nearly one-third in the past fiscal year, with sharp drops in sales weeks before her father Donald Trump was elected president, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Nordstrom announced this week it had decided to stop carrying Ivanka Trump's apparel, prompting President Trump to take to Twitter to defend her. "My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom," he said on Wednesday.
  
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• Allen on the mark again as Stoke see off Palace

  11-02-2017 18:30
  (Reuters) - Joe Allen scored a personal best sixth Premier League goal of the season as Stoke City secured a deserved 1-0 win over struggling Crystal Palace on Saturday. Palace, embarrassingly beaten 4-0 by Sunderland last time out, were clearly under orders to provide more of a physical challenge and had three players booked before the interval. Stoke should have taken the lead earlier when Allen headed an easy chance wide but had their patience and persistence rewarded when Ramadan Sobhi laid
  
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• NATO says it sees sharp rise in Russian disinformation since Crimea seizure

  11-02-2017 18:24
  By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO accused Russia of escalating a disinformation campaign since the Kremlin's 2014 seizure of Ukraine's Crimea region, saying Russian websites such as Sputnik and RT had posted false stories, the alliance's spokeswoman said on Saturday. There is increasing concern among senior NATO and European Union officials over Russia's ability to use television and the Internet to spread what they say is fake news. The defence alliance of 28 democracies says it has rec
  
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• Ireland crush Italy in bonus-point try fest

  11-02-2017 18:24
  By Mark Bendeich ROME (Reuters) - Ireland recorded their biggest ever Six Nations victory as they smashed Italy 63-10 in Rome on Saturday, running in nine tries and earning the tournament’s first attacking bonus point. The 2015 champions rebounded from a narrow loss against Scotland last week in Murrayfield and earned their four-try bonus point in barely 30 minutes, with flanker and man-of-the-match CJ Stander scoring the second of his three tries. Substitute winger Craig Gilroy also bagge
  
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• Everton hold on for a point at toothless Middlesbrough

  11-02-2017 18:23
  (Reuters) - Middlesbrough's lack of cutting edge came back to haunt them as they were held to a 0-0 Premier League draw by Everton at the Riverside Stadium, a result that will please neither team's manager. Victor Valdes made three crucial saves to keep Boro's hopes of a first win in eight league games alive, stopping a Romelu Lukaku shot in the first half and twice denying Ademola Lookman in the second, but his team did not capitalise at the other end. Leighton Baines cleared a Ben Gibson heade
  
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• Man United ease past Watford to reach points landmark

  11-02-2017 18:09
  (Reuters) - Manchester United became the first club to reach 2,000 points in the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Watford at Old Trafford on Saturday. United, crowned champions 13 times since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, maintained their top-four pursuit with goals from Juan Mata and Anthony Martial. Watford have never won at Old Trafford in the league and once playmaker Mata swept in Martial's cross in the 32nd minute that sorry statistic was in no danger.
  
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• Polish government accuses media of playing up accidents involving senior officials

  11-02-2017 18:05
  Poland's conservative government accused the media on Saturday of publicising car accidents involving government officials more than in previous years, as Prime Minister Beata Szydlo remained in hospital after a car crash. Szydlo was hurt when her car hit a tree in southern Poland on Friday, the third road accident involving a government motorcade since the eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) came to power a little bit more than a year ago.
  
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• Juncker says Britain may divide EU over Brexit talks

  11-02-2017 17:59
  By Joseph Nasr BERLIN (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he fears Britain will divide the European Union's 27 remaining members by making different promises to each country during its Brexit negotiations. "The other EU 27 don't know it yet, but the Brits know very well how they can tackle this," Juncker told Deutschlandfunk radio. "They could promise country A this, country B that and country C something else and the end game is that there is not a united European
  
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• Ex-VW chairman Piech refuses to testify in German emissions inquiry

  11-02-2017 17:53
  HAMBURG/BERLIN (Reuters) - Ex-Volkswagen Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who resigned after a showdown with former chief executive Martin Winterkorn, has refused to testify to German lawmakers investigating a possible government's role in the VW emissions scandal, according to his lawyer. Piech, also VW's former CEO who spearheaded the carmaker's global expansion, gave testimony to lawyers of U.S. law firm Jones Day last April and to German prosecutors in Braunschweig near VW's Wolfsburg headquarters
  
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• Last-gasp goals rescue lacklustre Bayern at Ingolstadt

  11-02-2017 17:48
  Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich needed two late goals from Arturo Vidal and Arjen Robben to beat relegation-threatened Ingolstadt 2-0 on Saturday in a bleak performance four days before they host Arsenal in the Champions League. It was hardly the dress rehearsal that Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti had hoped for ahead of their Round of 16 first leg against the Premier League club in Munich on Wednesday.
  
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• Ukip Leader Paul Nuttall Denies Claims He Was Not At Hillsborough

  11-02-2017 17:40
  
  Paul Nuttall has denounced claims he was not at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster as a Labour “smear campaign”.
  The Ukip leader, who is fighting the Stoke-on-Trent by-election, responded to allegations that he has lied about his attendance at the 1989 FA cup semi final.
  Nuttall, who was 12 at the time of the tragedy and at school in Bootle, Merseyside, first publicly claimed he was at Hillsborough in a letter to a local newspaper in 2010.He has since shared his account wi
  
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• Suspected Istanbul nightclub attacker formally charged - agency

  11-02-2017 17:26
  A Turkish court on Saturday remanded in custody an Uzbek national accused of killing 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year's Day, state-run media said, an attack the authorities blamed on Islamic State. Abdulgadir Masharipov, who was caught in a police raid in Istanbul on Jan. 16, was formally charged with membership of an armed terrorist group, multiple counts of murder, possession of heavy weapons and attempting to overturn the constitutional order, the state-run Anadolu news agency s
  
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• Greece says bailout deal close, Juncker says it's on shaky ground

  11-02-2017 17:21
  By Karolina Tagaris and Joseph Nasr ATHENS/BERLIN (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned international lenders on Saturday not to heap new burdens on his country but said he believed the drawn-out bailout review with them would end well. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, however, said the deal was "on shaky ground" because the International Monetary Fund had not decided what role it would play. The comments came a day after Greece and its international lenders ma
  
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• Trump says he will bring down the price of wall on Mexico's border

  11-02-2017 17:17
  President Donald Trump pushed back early on Saturday on assertions that the wall he wants built on the U.S. border with Mexico would cost more than anticipated and said he would reduce the price. Trump made his comments in two Twitter posts but did not say how he would bring down the cost of the wall. Reuters on Thursday published details of an internal report by the Department of Homeland Security that estimated the price of a wall along the entire border at $21.6 billion.
  
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• Cuthbert replaces injured North for Wales

  11-02-2017 17:09
  CARDIFF (Reuters) - Wales suffered a blow ahead of their Six Nations game with England on Saturday when winger George North failed a late fitness test and will be replaced by Alex Cuthbert on the right wing. North suffered a dead leg in last week's win over Italy but though he played on, heavily strapped, and scored a 70-metre try in the closing minutes, he was ruled out an hour before kickoff in Cardiff (16.50GMT). ...
  
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• Iran says holds eight foreigners planning attacks

  11-02-2017 17:03
  Iranian security forces have arrested eight hardline Sunni Islamists suspected of planning attacks to disrupt celebrations for Iran's Islamic revolution in the past week, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Saturday. Alavi said the eight were "Takfiri" foreigners, some of whom were linked to a "Takfiri" leader who had been killed in Iran, IRNA reported. "Takfiri" is a word used by predominantly Shi'ite Muslim Iran to refer to hardline, armed, Sunni Islamist groups.
  
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• Trump and Japan's Abe take a swing at golf diplomacy

  11-02-2017 17:00
  By Ayesha Rascoe JUPITER, Florida (Reuters) - President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe hit the links on Saturday, as the two leaders looked to forge a bond over a round of golf diplomacy. Trump and Abe played under mostly clear skies at Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida. The White House did not immediately say whether anyone else joined them and reporters were not allowed on the course to watch the pair.
  
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• Greece aid programme shaky as IMF undecided, EU's Juncker

  11-02-2017 16:30
  BERLIN (Reuters) - Greece's third bailout programme could fall apart as the International Monetary Fund has not yet made up its mind whether to take part in providing more aid, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said. "Yes, it is on a shaky ground in the sense that we don't see how the International Monetary Fund could manage this problem," Juncker told German radio Deutschlandfunk in an interview to be aired on Sunday. "No country has managed bigger steps to improve competitivene
  
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