Reuters World News Highlights at 0200 GMT, Nov 21

TOP STORIES

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WASHINGTON - One of three wavering U.S. Senate Democrats said on Friday he would vote to start the chamber's healthcare debate, bolstering the chances for a broad reform bill one day before its first crucial test.

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BRUSSELS/BERLIN - Senior officials from six world powers said on Friday they were disappointed Iran had not accepted proposals intended to delay its potential to make nuclear bombs, and urged Tehran to reconsider.

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HALIFAX - The United States must tighten control of Afghan aid contracts as a first step toward stemming rampant corruption, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday.

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PARIS - Appointing a new president and a foreign affairs head was meant to put a fresh face on the European Union, but the choice of two relative unknowns leaves the familiar Franco-German alliance as the EU's dominant force.

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ISTANBUL - Turkey is investigating a suspected plot by Naval officers to attack non-Muslim minorities to discredit the ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party, the prime minister's office said on Friday.

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WASHINGTON - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives on Monday in Washington on the first state visit of the Obama administration -- a tribute, both sides say, to the close natural ties between the two giant democracies.

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WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's job approval rating has dropped below 50 percent in a second major poll in an indication he is suffering from the long healthcare debate and weakness in the economy, Gallup said on Friday.

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ISTANBUL - Turkey's efforts to solve regional problems such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme have enhanced its standing among its Arab neighbours, a report said on Friday.

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BOGOTA - Venezuelan troops this week blew up two makeshift bridges spanning the frontier with Colombia in the latest incident to stoke tensions between two South American neighbors caught up in a long dispute. See story .

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WASHINGTON - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over.