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Trump bickers with top Democrats over border wall funding
US President Donald Trump has threatened to shut down the government over funding a US-Mexican border wall in budget talks with top Democrats. In a heated exchange with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, Mr Trump said he would be “proud” to shut down the government over border security. Lawmakers face a partial shutdown if a…
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U.S. Christmas tree farmers combat popularity of artificial trees
Rosa Villarreal’s three young sons jumped and ran around the field of Christmas trees like jackrabbits, their excitement palpable as they raced from evergreen to evergreen. The boys, ages 2, 4 and 6, were picking out a real tree this year — a new tradition their young parents hope will create lasting memories. “I saw this video…
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Two nuns admit embezzling cash for Vegas gambling trips
Two nuns who worked at a Catholic school in California have admitted embezzling about $500,000 (£396,000) and using it to gamble in Las Vegas. Sisters Mary Kreuper and Lana Chang took the money from St James’ Catholic School in the city of Torrance, near Los Angeles, to spend in casinos. The pair, who are said…
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Theresa May meeting EU leaders in bid to rescue deal
Theresa May is continuing to hold talks with European leaders and EU officials aimed at rescuing her Brexit deal. No 10 said Mrs May’s meeting with Angela Merkel had been positive and the PM was determined to get MPs to back her deal. Many of her MPs are demanding legally-binding guarantees over the backstop plan…
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Canadian ex-diplomat ‘held in China’
A former Canadian diplomat has reportedly been detained in China and his current employer says it is working for his “prompt and safe release”. The International Crisis Group said it was “aware of reports” of Michael Kovrig’s detention. Details are not yet clear. The news comes days after Canadian authorities arrested a top executive of the…
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Google chief denies political bias claims
Google chief Sundar Pichai has faced accusations of political bias from US politicians. Mr Pichai was being quizzed by members of the House Judiciary Committee about the way his tech firm runs it business. Google was accused of having “programmed” bias against conservative views into its algorithms. Mr Pichai denied the accusation saying he had…