Mishal Husain comes face-to-face with AI and the Mishalbot

Presenter Mishal Husain comes face-to-face with robot her, the Mishalbot.

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What next for Brexit in 2018?

What are the key dates and developments to watch out for as Britain and the EU move forward?

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Can Hull build on its UK City of Culture status beyond 2017?

As 2017 draws to a close can Hull build on its cultural year?

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In memoriam: Entertainment and arts figures we lost in 2017

A look back at some of the arts and entertainment figures who died in 2017.

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The future of international justice

After the end of the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, will wider worldwide justice be done?

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The best science long reads of 2017 (part two)

The second part of our selection of the best science and environment reads this year.

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Protests hit Tehran, two demonstrators reported killed in Iran town

DUBAI (Reuters) - Street protests hit Iran for a third day running on Saturday, spreading to the capital Tehran with crowds confronting police and attacking some state buildings, and a social media report said two demonstrators had been shot dead in a provincial town.

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South Korea seizes another ship suspected of transferring oil to North Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean authorities have seized a Panama-flagged vessel suspected of transferring oil products to North Korea in violation of international sanctions, a customs official said on Sunday.

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Earthquake rattles Athens, no immediate reports of damage

ATHENS (Reuters) - An earthquake with a preliminary reading of 4.6 rattled Athens and central Greece early Sunday, witnesses said, with no immediate reports of damage.

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Special Report: Meet the force behind Zimbabwe's 'Crocodile' president

HARARE (Reuters) - His wife is a beauty queen, his troops unseated Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, and his motorcade is fit for a president. General Constantino Chiwenga, head of the armed forces until earlier this month, is on a roll.

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Probe into deadly fire at U.S. firm’s Philippines offices focuses on possible safety lapses

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Reuters) - A government investigator into a blaze that led to the deaths of 37 staff at the southern Philippines offices of an American market research firm says there are indications of fire safety lapses that may have contributed to the tragedy.

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Christians in shock after deadly attack on Coptic Church in Egypt

CAIRO (Reuters) - At an hour that Sama'an Farag usually spends leisurely sipping his morning tea, the doorman at the Mar Mina Coptic Church near Cairo found himself springing up to close the doors upon hearing gunshots and the sound of ricocheting bullets.

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Merkel eyes social cohesion as she presses for new government

BERLIN (Reuters) - Conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, under pressure after three months of failing to form a new ruling coalition, on Sunday vowed to address growing social divisions as she worked rapidly to build a stable German government.

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Turkey's Erdogan to discuss Syria with Macron in Paris - source

PARIS (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will visit Paris on Jan. 5 to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, with the conflict in Syria high on the agenda, a source in the French president's office said on Saturday.

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Greek government applies for cancellation of asylum granted to Turkish soldier

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Greek government said on Saturday that it had filed a request for the cancellation of the asylum granted to a Turkish soldier accused of involvement in last year's coup attempt.

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Blaze in Manchester apartment block brought under control

LONDON (Reuters) - Firefighters battled a blaze in an apartment block in central Manchester, northern England, on Saturday, with one person taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.

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LA Man Arrested For 'Swatting' Call That Led To Innocent Kansas Man's Death

Authorities arrested a 25-year-old man in California for a “swatting” prank emergency call that led to the death of an innocent 28-year-old Kansas man who was shot by police responders on Thursday evening as he stood on his front doorstep.

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Trump talks China, North Korea in impromptu interview

Speaking with the New York Times, the president acknowledged he’s “been soft” on China on trade, and decried the Russia investigation, but said he thinks Robert Mueller is “going to be fair.”

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Luann de Lesseps Checks Herself into Alcohol Treatment Center After Palm Beach Arrest

Days after her headline-making arrest, Luann de Lesseps is heading to rehab

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Where deadly Bronx fire raged, an eerie, icy calm

There are barely any traces of fire on the apartment building's facade, no puddles of water on the ground, and only a handful of onlookers. On Friday, only two fire trucks, their lights still flashing, hinted at the drama that had unfolded the evening before in the Bronx.

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US eyes increased pumping from biggest federal water project

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Trump administration said Friday it will look at revving up water deliveries to farmers from California's Central Valley Project, the largest federal water project in the United States, in what environmental groups called a threat to protections for struggling native salmon and other endangered species.

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Mattis sees larger U.S. civilian presence in Syria

By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Friday that he expected to see a larger U.S. civilian presence in Syria, including contractors and diplomats, as the fight against Islamic State militants nears its end and the focus turns toward rebuilding and ensuring the militants do not return. The United States has about 2,000 troops in Syria fighting Islamic State. Mattis' comments are likely to anger Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has previously called U.S. troops "illegal invader" forces.

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Mother Says Alabama Police Beat Black 17-Year-Old Son

Angela Williams shared a photo of her son's bloodied face on Facebook

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Alleged 'Nigerian Prince' Email Scammer Arrested In Louisiana

Police in Slidell, Louisiana, have arrested a man who allegedly helped scam people out of thousands of dollars in “Nigerian prince”-style email schemes.

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Iran and Saudi Arabia race to pass gender reforms as Tehran relaxes headscarf arrests

Women in the Iranian capital will no longer be arrested for failing to wear a headscarf, Tehran police have said, in a move which follows an unexpected raft of gender reforms in Saudi Arabia. Morality police will no longer automatically detain women seen without the proper hijab head-covering in public, a strict Islamic dress code in place since the 1979 revolution. For nearly 40 years, women in Iran have been forced to cover their hair and wear long, loose garments. Younger and more liberal-minded women have long pushed the boundaries of the official dress code, wearing loose headscarves that do not fully cover their hair and painting their nails, drawing the ire of conservatives. The announcement signalled an easing of punishments for violating the country's conservative dress code, as called for by the reform-minded Iranians who helped re-elect President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, earlier this year. But hard-liners opposed to easing such rules still dominate Iran's security forces and judiciary, so it was unclear whether the change would be fully implemented. Younger and more liberal-minded women have long pushed the boundaries of the official dress code, wearing loose headscarves that do not fully cover their hair Credit: Getty "Those who do not observe the Islamic dress code will no longer be taken to detention centers, nor will judicial cases be filed against them," General Hossein Rahimi, Tehran police chief, was quoted as saying by the reformist daily newspaper Al Sharq. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said violators will instead be made to attend classes given by police. It said repeat offenders could still be subject to legal action, and the dress code remains in place outside the capital. Iran's morality police - similar to Saudi Arabia's religious police - typically detain violators and escort them to a police van. Their families are then called to bring the detainee a change of clothes. The violator is then required to sign a form that they will not commit the offence again. Iran's arch foe Saudi Arabia, under similar internal pressure to liberalise, announced in September that it would finally allow women to drive. Saudis watch composer Yanni perform at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Credit: Reuters Activists had been arrested for driving since 1990, when the first driving campaign was launched by women who drove cars in the capital, Riyadh. Shocking the kingdom, one of the most repressive countries for women in the world, the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a tranche of liberalising changes. In 2018, women will also be allowed to attend sporting matches in national stadiums, where they were previously banned. Designated "family sections" will ensure women are separate from male-only quarters of the stadiums. The crown prince tested public reaction to the move when he allowed women and families into the capital's main stadium for National Day celebrations this year. And Saudi authorities this week allowed female contestants at an international chess tournament to play without the abaya, a long robe-like dress The ambitious 32-year-old heir to the throne upended decades of royal family protocol, social norms and traditional ways of doing business. He bet instead on a young generation of Saudis hungry for change and a Saudi public fed up with corruption and government bureaucracy.

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Police shoot man dead after alleged Call of Duty 'swatting' hoax

The 28-year-old was shot by police after his address was allegedly given to police in prank call.

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Call for tech giants to face taxes over extremist content

Internet firms are "ruthless profiteers" who fail to fight terrorism, the security minister says.

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Iran protests: 'Iron fist' threatened if unrest continues

After three days of demonstrations, the country's Revolutionary Guard threatens a crackdown.

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Call for tech giants to face taxes over extremist content

Internet firms are "ruthless profiteers" who fail to fight terrorism, the security minister says.

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Britons will feel pride in 2018, says Theresa May

The prime minister says 2017 was a turbulent year, but insists she is making progress on Brexit.

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Labour 'staking out centre ground', says Jeremy Corbyn

The "old political consensus is finished", the Labour leader says in his new year message.

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Hogmanay event will go ahead in full despite storm

Scotland is expected to be battered by winds of up to 80mph on New Year's Eve.

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Man killed in Call of Duty ‘swatting’ hoax

A man has been arrested after an alleged prank call led to police shooting dead a 28-year-old man.

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New Year Honours 2018: Praise for stars on list

A Bee Gee and ballerina are among those awarded, while Sir Paul McCartney hails "best pal" Ringo Starr.

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Trump's Russia inquiry 'started by Australian tip-off'

An Australian diplomat was told about "dirt" on Hillary Clinton in a London bar, reports say.

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County Durham child dies after Egypt pool incident

The girl was flown back to the UK but died on 26 December, five days after the accident.

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One treated after fire in Manchester block of flats

One person was taken to hospital due to smoke inhalation after the fire in the city centre.

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Nerves of steel: High up on China's power lines

Workers on some of the highest electricity cables in the world give a new meaning to "power walking".

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Black Lives Matter activist dies at 27

She became a Black Lives Matter activist after her father died while under police restraint.

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Newspaper headlines: Adonis hits out and 'Dad's Army border force'

Sunday's papers feature Lord Adonis calling for a minister to resign and claims of a new volunteer border force.

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When a drag king met a drag queen

Sequins, sexuality and stereotyping - when drag queen Dave Lynn met drag king Sammy Silver.

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How fake news plagued 2017

False stories, pictures and video were widely shared, sowing confusion about the biggest news stories of the year.

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Cheer up Luv - How photo project highlights harassment

Women are speaking out about sexual harassment through photographer Eliza Hatch's powerful project Cheer Up Luv.

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A look back at the town of Cumbernauld

Cumbernauld was a new town built to house people from the nearby overcrowded city of Glasgow. We revisit to see how it has fared as a community.

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Missed this week's entertainment news?

Take a look at some of the week's biggest stories in the world of arts and entertainment.

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Pen pals defy age gap to become friends

Five months since their first letters, a group of schoolchildren and care home residents finally meet up.

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What next for Brexit in 2018?

What are the key dates and developments to watch out for as Britain and the EU move forward?

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Can Hull build on its UK City of Culture status beyond 2017?

As 2017 draws to a close can Hull build on its cultural year?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2CdYQwF

In memoriam: Entertainment and arts figures we lost in 2017

A look back at some of the arts and entertainment figures who died in 2017.

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2q5dBfY

The future of international justice

After the end of the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, will wider worldwide justice be done?

from BBC News - Home http://ift.tt/2loOgZj

The best science long reads of 2017 (part two)

The second part of our selection of the best science and environment reads this year.

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San Juan Mayor Says Trump Lacks 'Good-Hearted' American Values

One-hundred days after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz on Friday again slammed President Donald Trump’s response to a disaster the president says wasn’t a “real catastrophe,” even though it left at least 64 dead.

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