Merkel protege and old rival battle to lead Germany's ruling party

The race to succeed Angela Merkel as leader of Germany's ruling conservatives, and take pole position to succeed her as chancellor, is going down to the wire.

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Australian kids walk out of school to protest climate inaction

Thousands of children walked out of school across Australia on Friday in protest against government inaction on climate change, prompting a rebuke from a minister who said they were setting themselves up for "failure".

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Angry Indian farmers march on parliament to denounce their plight

Tens of thousands of Indian farmers and rural workers marched to the Indian parliament in the capital, New Delhi, on Friday in a protest against soaring operating costs and plunging produce prices that have brought misery to many.

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Germany checking if Merkel's plane woes had 'criminal' cause: paper

German investigators are checking whether there was any criminal cause behind the malfunction of a plane carrying Chancellor Angela Merkel to the G20 summit in Argentina, German newspaper Rheinische Post reported on Friday, citing security sources.

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Activists seek release of refugee Bahraini footballer held in Thailand

Thai rights activists on Friday called for the release of a refugee footballer from Bahrain detained in Bangkok who may be deported back home where they say he could face persecution.

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VietJet plane makes troubled landing, minor injuries to some passengers

A VietJet Aviation JSC flight made a troubled landing on Thursday evening after the wheels on its front landing gear had "problems", with passengers reporting minor injuries, the carrier and Vietnam's aviation authority said on Friday.

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China rejects U.S. academic report calling for retaliatory action

Chinese media on Friday hit back at a U.S. academic report which urged the United States to engage in "tit-for-tat" retaliation to counter what it said was China's widening campaign for influence which threatened to undermine democratic values.

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Air New Zealand Christmas ad replicates Trump's U.N. laughter moment

An Air New Zealand advertisement released for the Christmas season this week takes a dig at U.S. President Donald Trump by portraying an American boy wearing a "Make Christmas Great Again" red cap being laughed at by other children on Santa's "naughty" list.

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Saudi crown prince meets India's Modi in Argentina, plans to ramp up investments

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and told him about plans to scale up investments in India's tech, farm and energy sectors, an Indian official and the Saudi news agency (SPA) said on Friday.

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Taiwan president says 'status quo' policy on China won't change after election drubbing

Taiwan's policy of maintaining the status quo with China won't change despite a drubbing at local elections for the ruling party, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Friday, adding democracy was the biggest difference with China.

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In abrupt switch, Trump cancels Putin meeting, cites Ukraine crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly canceled a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Argentina, registering his disapproval of Russia's treatment of Ukraine and casting new uncertainty over U.S.-Russian ties.

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India says expects significant scaling up of Saudi investments

India expects Saudi Arabia to ramp up investments in several sectors including technology, farm and energy over the next couple of years, a senior Indian official said, after a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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UK PM May says focused on Dec. 11 Brexit vote, not alternatives

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday she was focused on persuading lawmakers to back her Brexit deal at a vote in parliament on Dec. 11 rather than preparing a plan B.

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