| By Maria Caspani President-elect Donald Trump appears to be backing away from some of his campaign rhetoric. The president-elect, who has called climate change a hoax, told the New York Times that he was now “keeping an open mind” on whether to pull out of the landmark Paris accord to fight global warming – a key legacy of the Obama administration. Trump also seemed less keen to make good on his promise to prosecute Hillary Clinton, saying he didn’t want to “hurt the Clintons,” but that he was not ruling out an investigation into her family's charitable foundation or her use of a private email server while she was U.S. secretary of state. More post-election news: Trump’s strongest supporters didn’t take his changes of heart well. That included Breitbart News (remember Steve Bannon?). Former CIA Director David Petraeus indicated he would serve Trump if asked. Trump’s grandmother never really adjusted to life in the United States, and his grandfather tried to move the family back to Germany. Extending U.S. sanctions on Iran for 10 years would breach the Iranian nuclear agreement, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said. He warned that Tehran would retaliate if the sanctions are approved. Digit of the day $65.6 billion Deep within the recesses of recent tax policy is an anti-fraud provision that will delay refunds for millions of taxpayers who file for two popular credits aimed at helping low-income workers. The change means that the 26 million workers claiming $65.6 billion of Earned Income Tax Credits for 2015 will not get money back from the IRS before Feb.15. Afghanistan’s spice of life Afghan women collect saffron flowers in the Karukh district of Herat, Afghanistan, November 5, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammad Shoib Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, selling for as much as $1,200-$1,800 a kilogram, and has long been seen as an alternative crop to opium poppies for poor farmers in a country struggling with the legacy of decades of war and lawlessness. Around the world Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have fled Tal Afar as Shi'ite paramilitary groups close in on the Islamic State-held town on the road between Mosul and Raqqa, the main strongholds of the militant group's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The U.S.-backed Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul started a little over a month ago and is turning into the most complex campaign in Iraq since the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. A new peace accord between Colombia's government and FARC rebels will be signed on Thursday and sent to Congress for approval, President Juan Manuel Santos said. Peace in war-torn Yemen may partly hinge on the fate of a missile arsenal belonging the country’s armed Houthi rebels. Around the country A federal judge blocked an Obama administration rule to extend mandatory overtime pay to more than 4 million salaried workers from taking effect, imperiling one of the outgoing president's signature achievements for boosting wages. The decision by the Obama administration to delay final approval for the Dakota Access Pipeline was meant to ease tensions but ended up doing just the opposite, as consternation increased among company officials and led to growing violence between law enforcement and protesters. Donald Trump won with the lowest minority vote in decades, a Reuters review of polling data shows. The numbers underscore the deep national divisions fueling incidents of racial and political confrontation in the United States. Around Wall Street Not on the same page: Financial markets showed the diverging path of U.S. and euro zone monetary policy, with Wall Street breaking new ground, the dollar perching near a 14-year high, and German bond yields touching record lows. A U.S. banking regulator is considering whether to harden sanctions against lenders that abuse their clients or violate banking laws, according to a draft plan seen by Reuters. The proposal was drawn up in the wake of a fake-account scandal at Wells Fargo. Prosecutors in South Korea raided the offices of Samsung and the country’s largest pension fund in the latest chapter of a corruption investigation that has rocked President Park’s administration. Today's reason to live:
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