Iran holds pro-government rallies after protests

DUBAI (Reuters) - Annual nationwide pro-government rallies were held in Iran on Saturday to mark the end of the unrest that shook the country in 2009, state media reported, a day after price protests turned political in a dozen cities.

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Syrian rebels depart enclave in south as army gains in north

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels began to evacuate an enclave in southwestern Syria on Friday under a surrender deal with the government as the army thrust into the northwest -- the insurgents' main remaining stronghold.

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Turkey, Russia sign deal on supply of S-400 missiles

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Russia on Friday signed an accord for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries, Turkish authorities said, finalizing a deal set to deepen military ties between NATO member Turkey and the Kremlin.

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China recovers $112 million in misused poverty relief funds - Xinhua

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities have recouped 730 million yuan ($112.20 million) in misappropriated funds as part of an investigation into the country's national poverty-reduction scheme, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.

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U.S. military to accept transgender recruits on Monday: Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Transgender people will be allowed for the first time to enlist in the U.S. military starting on Monday as ordered by federal courts, the Pentagon said on Friday, after President Donald Trump's administration decided not to appeal rulings that blocked his transgender ban.

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Trio of grisly crimes darken U.S. holiday season

(Reuters) - In the Christmas week, there were reports of a man accused of murdering his girlfriend with a samurai sword in Texas, an Ohio woman indicted for killing her husband and hiding his body parts in their house, and a Florida man arrested for trying to electrocute his wife by rigging a booby trap to a door.

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Numbing cold wave grips U.S., heralding a frigid New Year's Eve

(Reuters) - The torrent of arctic air that poured into many parts of the United States this week tightened its grip on Friday and brought record cold to some spots, as forecasters warned revelers from Memphis to Maine to expect numbing conditions on New Year's Eve.

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Boy, three, playing with stove caused deadly New York fire, officials say

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A 3-year-old boy playing with the burners on a kitchen stove started a fire in a New York City apartment building that killed 12 people, including four children, city officials said on Friday.

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White House, Congress prepare for talks on spending, immigration

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Friday it was set to kick off talks next week with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders on immigration policy, government spending and other issues that need to be wrapped up early in the new year.

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Gunman kills two at Houston garage, takes his own life

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A former worker at a Houston auto repair shop fatally shot two employees on Friday and then committed suicide, Houston police said.

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U.S. crime novelist Sue Grafton dies of cancer

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Crime novelist Sue Grafton, whose Kinsey Millhone Alphabet series became world-wide best sellers, has died after a two-year battle with cancer, her daughter said on Friday.

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Trump wants Postal Service to charge 'much more' for Amazon shipments

SEATTLE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump called on the U.S. Postal Service on Friday to charge "much more" to ship packages for Amazon , picking another fight with an online retail giant he has criticized in the past.

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California set for New Year's buzz with recreational marijuana sales

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California adults not content to ring in the New Year with the traditional fizz of champagne can look forward to celebrating with the buzz of marijuana, purchased for the first time from state-licensed retailers of recreational pot.

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