World

WASHINGTON,  (Reuters) – President Barack Obama exhorted fellow Democrats yesterday to preserve his legacy-defining healthcare law as Republicans moved ahead with their long-desired bid to scrap it in what Vice President-elect Mike Pence called the “first order of business” of Donald Trump’s administration.

NEW YORK/LONDON,  (Reuters) – Gold rose to the highest in nearly four weeks yesterday as the dollar edged back from a 14-year peak and physical demand from major consumers China and India increased.

CARACAS,  (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro  yesterday shuffled his cabinet by naming a new economy czar to oversee the OPEC country’s decaying socialist system and a new oil minister to confront the economic difficulties caused by low oil prices.

ABIDJAN, (Reuters) – Gambia’s army chief pledged his loyalty yesterday to President Yahya Jammeh, who has refused to accept defeat in last month’s election and faces the possibility of regional military intervention to enforce the result of the vote.

LONDON, (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed a senior career diplomat as envoy to the European Union yesterday to replace an ambassador who quit with a scathing resignation letter that exposed frustration among officials over her strategy.

(Reuters) – Coca-Cola Co and the American Beverage Association trade group were sued yesterday for allegedly misleading consumers about the health risks from consuming sugary beverages.

NEW YORK,  (Reuters) – A New York City train derailed at a downtown Brooklyn terminal during yesterday’s morning rush hour, injuring more than 100 commuters in the metropolitan area’s second major rail accident since late September.

LUANDA, (Reuters) – Angolan lawyers, who argue that President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’ billionaire daughter was illegally appointed as the chief executive of the state oil company, have applied for their case to be heard in the Constitutional Court.

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The Republican-led U.S. Congress had a rough start to its first session of the Donald Trump era yesterday when a public outcry that included a dressing-down from the president-elect prompted the House of Representatives to backtrack on its plans to defang an ethics watchdog.

ACCRA, (Reuters) – The head of Gambia’s electoral commission has fled to Senegal due to threats to his safety after declaring that President Yahya Jammeh lost last month’s election, a defeat the ruler has refused to accept.

NEW YORK, (Reuters) – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed free tuition at the state’s public colleges for students from low- and middle-income families yesterday, seizing on an idea that became a rallying cry for many Democrats in last year’s presidential election.

FLAT ROCK, Mich./WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – Ford Motor Co yesterday scrapped a planned Mexican car factory and added 700 jobs in Michigan following criticism by Donald Trump, as the U.S.

OTTAWA, (Reuters) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reached out in a video address to the new U.S.

SEOUL/WASHINGTON  (Reuters) – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s “clear warning” to North Korea shows he is aware of the urgency of the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear program and will not waver from a policy of sanctions against the isolated country, South Korea said yesterday.

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Around 60 people were killed in a prison riot in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus, with decapitated bodies of drug gang members thrown over prison walls, officials said yesterday.

CAIRO/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Islamic State claimed responsibility yesterday for a New Year’s Day mass shooting in a packed Istanbul nightclub that killed 39 people, an attack carried out by a lone gunman who remains at large.

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis has told bishops around the world they must adhere to a policy of zero tolerance for clergy who sexually abuse children and begged forgiveness for “a sin that shames us”.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India’s top court on Monday prohibited politicians from using religion and caste to garner votes, a verdict that could force political parties to change their strategy in upcoming elections.

RIO DE JANEIRO, (Reuters) – A gunman stormed a house party and killed 11 people, including his former wife and 8-year-old son, before shooting himself in the head during a New Year’s party in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas late on Saturday.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The United Nations Security Council yesterday welcomed a ceasefire in the Syrian civil war, but rebel groups threatened to abandon the two-day-old truce if violations persisted.