Meeting Putin, Philippines' Duterte rails at Western 'hypocrisy' and other top stories.

• Meeting Putin, Philippines' Duterte rails at Western 'hypocrisy'

  MANILA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at Western "bullying" and "hypocrisy" during his first meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and said when it came to alliances, the United States could not be trusted.In talks with Putin during an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima, Duterte held nothing back in his views about major powers like the United States, suggesting he is sticking to his guns on re-aligning foreign policy away from Washington, despite his warm words for incomin..

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• Syria war: Aleppo family of 6 killed in 'chemical attack'

  

  The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said preliminary reports indicated a married couple and their four children were killed in one of many airstrikes to hit the al-Sakhour neighborhood in Aleppo's besieged east. The group said chlorine gas was used in the bombardment.The Aleppo Media Center (AMC) activist group also reported that the family was killed and posted a photo of the aftermath on Twitter. The AMC said a barrel bomb containing chlorine gas was dropped on the neighborhood fr..

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• Pope Francis shuts Holy Door, but urges: Stay open to reconciliation

  

  VATICAN CITY –  Pope Francis pulled shut the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, formally ending the Holy Year of Mercy he declared to stress the need for greater reconciliation and forgiveness in his church and in the world. After closing the ornate door, Francis urged some 70,000 people attending Mass in St. Peter's Square to stay open to reconciliation prospects. "Let us ask for the grace of never closing the doors of reconciliation and pardon, but rather of knowing how to go beyond..

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• More than 100 killed in Indian train derailment

  

  Story highlightsOfficial: Fourteen cars in a 23-car train derailed near Kanpur, IndiaCause of crash is under investigation Rescue teams are working on the last overturned car, said Rajesh Modak, deputy inspector general of police in Kanpur. The other cars have been cleared of people, Modak said.More than 150 passengers have been injured, according to CNN affiliate CNN News 18. More than 40 people are seriously injured, Rahul Srivastav, press officer for the Uttar Pradesh police, told CNN. Kanpur..

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• Trump may be Mr. Brexit. But his election could scramble Britain's post-EU plans.

  

  LONDON — The man who will soon occupy the Oval Office calls himself Mr. Brexit.  He was perhaps the biggest foreign cheerleader for Britain’s departure from the European Union before the country voted, and he celebrated on Scottish soil when it opted to get out. He says he wants to do a trade deal with Britain, and he invited a British politician to be his first international visitor upon winning the White House.  In many ways, Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election would se..

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• Iraqi Forces Push on Against IS in Eastern Mosul

  

  MOSUL, Iraq — Iraqi troops advanced against Islamic State fighters toward the center of Mosul on Sunday, but were slowed down by sniper fire and suicide bombings as well as concern over the safety of civilians in a city that is home to more than 1 million people.A few hundred civilians emerged from rubble-strewn front-line neighborhoods in search of safer ground, including women and children, some of them carrying bags or small suitcases.Maj. Gen. Sami al-Aridi told The Associated Press that..

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• Sunday Times: Queen to invite Trump to Britain for state visit

  

  Sunday Times: Queen to invite Trump to Britain for state visit Before you go, we thought you'd like these... LONDON (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth will invite U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for a state visit to Britain next year to try to cement close ties between the two countries, The Sunday Times newspaper said.Citing two ministers and a senior official close to Downing Street, the Sunday Times reported that discussions between British officials and Trump's team would start soon to ..

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• Autumn Statement: UK economy must be 'match fit' for Brexit

  

  Media captionPhilip Hammond urged MPs to support Theresa May in her Brexit negotiations Chancellor Philip Hammond has said he aims to make the economy "match fit for the opportunities and challenges ahead" as the UK approaches Brexit. Ahead of his first Autumn Statement, he said the economy was facing "a larger degree of uncertainty than usual" and he intended to make it "water-tight".The Treasury has confirmed an extra £1.3bn will be spent on UK roads to cut congestion and upgrade local ro..

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• South Korean President Aided Extortion Scheme: Prosecutors

  

  SEOUL—South Korea’s president helped a longtime friend extort money from corporations and allowed her to receive classified documents, prosecutors said Sunday. The claims are the first formal accusation of wrongdoing by Park Geun-hye, who becomes the only South Korean president to face a criminal investigation while in office. The scandal has paralyzed her government and triggered the nation’s largest-ever street demonstrations...

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