Trump does not rule out meeting Taiwan president, questions Russia hacking involvement

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday left open the possibility of a meeting with Taiwan's president if she visits the United States after he is sworn in on Jan. 20 and also expressed continued skepticism over whether Russia was responsible for computer hacks of Democratic Party officials.

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U.S. judge blocks transgender, abortion-related Obamacare protections

(Reuters) - A federal judge in Texas on Saturday issued a court order barring enforcement of an Obama administration policy seeking to extend anti-discrimination protections under the Affordable Care Act to transgender health and abortion-related services.

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Two suicide attackers kill at least two in Syria's Tartous: state TV, monitors

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two suicide bombers detonated their explosives, killing at least two security officers in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous, Syrian state television reported after midnight on Sunday.

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One attacker still inside Istanbul nightclub: CNN Turk

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - One attacker was still inside an Istanbul nightclub after an armed attack early on Sunday and police special forces were preparing an operation to enter the building, broadcaster CNN Turk said.

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Suspect in fatal shooting of Pennsylvania trooper killed by police

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Reuters) - Pennsylvania police on Saturday morning shot to death a suspect wanted for the murder of a rookie trooper who was serving him a protection order, law enforcement authorities said.

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Caution marks Iraqi army advance against Islamic State north of Mosul

SADA, Iraq (Reuters) - The earth shook three times with the impact of air strikes targeting Islamic State positions north of Mosul. Only then did the Iraqi troops assembled on the edge of the small farming village advance.

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U.N. Security Council welcomes Syria truce, rebels warn they could abandon it

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

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Early birds flock at Times Square for New Year's Eve revelry

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City is preparing for a veritable sea of humanity to converge on Times Square on Saturday for the annual descent of the New Year's Eve ball, a century-old tradition that will unfold this year under an unprecedented blanket of security.

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China considering strong measures to contain Taiwan - sources

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military has become alarmed by what it sees as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's support of Taiwan and is considering strong measures to prevent the island from moving toward independence, sources with ties to senior military officers said.

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Winter storm socks U.S. New England region, snaps power lines

(Reuters) - A winter storm lashed New England with heavy snow and high winds on Friday, cutting power lines as some areas were blanketed with more than 24 inches (60 cm) of snow, the U.S. National Weather Service said.

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Obama to meet lawmakers in attempt to protect health law

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama plans to meet Democratic lawmakers in Congress next week to discuss how to protect his signature healthcare law from Republican efforts to dismantle it, a White House official said on Friday.

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Threat of New Year attack in U.S. low but 'undeniable': agencies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. defense and security agencies said they believed the threat of militant attacks inside the United States was low during this New Year's holiday, yet some chance of an attack was "undeniable," according to security assessments reviewed on Friday.

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Britain, edging towards Trump, scolds Kerry over Israel

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain scolded U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for describing the Israeli government as the most right-wing in Israeli history, a move that aligns Prime Minister Theresa May more closely with President-elect Donald Trump.

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Iraqi forces face Islamic State car bombs, fierce resistance in south Mosul

NEAR MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces faced car bombs and fierce resistance from Islamic State militants in southern Mosul on Friday, the second day of a renewed push to take back the city after fighting stalled for several weeks.

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Duterte delegates Philippines into economic sweet spot but misgivings rising

MANILA (Reuters) - After six months at the helm in the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte has been touting just two achievements of his presidency - a vicious war on drugs and a surprise alliance with his country's bitter rival, China.

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Gang-ravaged Mexico stuck in weed ban as U.S. opens up

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican advocates for drug reform are voicing alarm about the country's widening gap with the United States on marijuana legislation, as criminal violence surges again south of the border.

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Obama sanctions Russia for intervening in 2016 election

HONOLULU (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Thursday authorized a series of sanctions against Russia for intervening in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and warned of more action to come.

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Philippines' Duterte calls U.S. envoys 'spies' over alleged ouster plot

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte derided U.S. ambassadors as "spies" on Thursday, responding to a media report of an alleged American plot to destabilize his government, a job he said some envoys were appointed solely to do.

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Goods trade deficit widens; labor market near full strength

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A drop in U.S. exports last month pushed the country's trade deficit in goods higher while the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week in a positive sign for the labor market.

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Russia announces ceasefire in Syria from midnight

MOSCOW/ANKARA (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire between Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government starting at midnight on Thursday.

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Senator McCain says has 'concerns' about Tillerson nomination

VILNIUS (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, will have to explain his relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at his confirmation hearing, senior Republican senator John McCain said on Thursday.

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Actress Debbie Reynolds, known for 'Singin' in the Rain,' dies at age 84

(Reuters) - - Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds, who sang and danced her way into the hearts of millions of moviegoers around the world in musicals like "Singin' in the Rain," died on Wednesday at age 84, her son said.

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U.S. set to announce response to Russian election hacking: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration plans to announce on Thursday a series of retaliatory measures against Russia for hacking into U.S. political institutions and individuals and leaking information in an effort to help President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican candidates, two U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

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Actress Debbie Reynolds dies of a stroke, a day after daughter

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Debbie Reynolds, a leading lady in Hollywood musicals and comedies in the 1950s and 1960s, including "Singin' in the Rain," died on Wednesday, her son said, just one day after the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher.

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Largest drop in two months as Wall St. rally loses steam

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell in low volume on Wednesday in a broad decline triggered in part by a sharp drop in home resales.

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Trump tax reforms could depend on little-known 'scoring' panel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's goal of overhauling the U.S. tax code in 2017 will depend partly on the work of an obscure congressional committee tasked with estimating how much future economic growth will result from tax cuts.

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Kerry says settlements endanger peace, Israel hits back

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned on Wednesday that Israel's building of settlements was endangering Middle East peace, expressing unusually frank frustration with the long-time American ally.

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Turkey and Russia have ceasefire plan for Syria, says Ankara

ANKARA/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey and Russia have prepared an agreement for a ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding that Ankara would not give up its opposition to President Bashar al-Assad staying on as leader.

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Trump to make 'positive' economic announcement on Wednesday: spokesman

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump plans to make an announcement later on Wednesday on the economy, his transition team said, signaling it would be a boost to U.S. workers but giving no other details.

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Mexico eyes border, migration as leverage in talks with Trump

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico aims to defend free trade with the United States by using border security and immigration policy to gain leverage in talks with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump after he takes office next month, senior officials say.

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U.S. accuses Chinese citizens of hacking law firms, insider trading

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three Chinese citizens have been criminally charged in the United States with trading on confidential corporate information obtained by hacking into networks and servers of law firms working on mergers, U.S. prosecutors said on Tuesday.

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Doping: Russia officials admit sports doping, say not state-sponsored: New York Times

(Reuters) - Russian officials for the first time have admitted to mass doping in the country's sports system but dismissed suggestions that the "institutional conspiracy" was state-sponsored, the New York Times reported.

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Montana lawmakers denounce plans for neo-Nazi rally

(Reuters) - Top Montana Democratic and Republican lawmakers on Tuesday warned neo-Nazis they would find "no safe haven" for a rally that could include guns planned for next month in a mountain town where white nationalists have threatened Jewish residents.

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Holiday weekend provides no respite from Chicago's violence

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Chicago's holiday weekend was marred by bouts of gunfire and a dozen killings, continuing a yearlong surge in violence in the third largest U.S. city that has pushed the number of murders to a nearly two-decade high.

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In Pearl Harbor visit, Abe pledges Japan will never wage war again

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe joined U.S. President Barack Obama for a symbolic joint visit to Pearl Harbor on Tuesday, commemorating World War Two dead and pledging that Japan would never wage war again.

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Trump Tower lobby briefly evacuated over suspicious package

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Police briefly evacuated the lobby of Trump Tower in New York City, home to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, on Tuesday after a suspicious package was discovered, authorities said.

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Toshiba flags hit of 'billions of dollars' on U.S. nuclear acquisition

(Reuters) - Toshiba Corp said it may have to book several billion dollars in charges related to a U.S. nuclear power plant construction company acquisition, sending its stock tumbling 12 percent and rekindling concerns about its accounting acumen.

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Star Wars actor Carrie Fisher dies at 60

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Carrie Fisher, who rose to fame as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" films and later endured drug addiction and stormy romances with show business heavyweights, died on Tuesday, her daughter said through a family spokesman.

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Trump picks his company lawyer for special negotiator: statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican President-elect Donald Trump has turned to his long-time company's top lawyer to serve as a special negotiator for trade deals and other talks, Trump's team said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Taiwan warns of increasing threat as Chinese warships conduct drill

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan warned on Tuesday that "the threat of our enemies is growing day by day", as Chinese warships led by the country's sole aircraft carrier sailed towards the island province of Hainan through the South China Sea on a routine drill.

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Trump taps Bossert for counterterrorism post -statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Thomas Bossert, former deputy homeland security adviser to President George W. Bush, would be his White House adviser on security and counterterrorism issues, according to a statement.

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Russia finds first black box from Black Sea crash jet

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has found the first flight recorder from a military plane that crashed into the Black Sea killing all 92 on board, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, amid unconfirmed reports that authorities had grounded all aircraft of the same type.

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Russia calls U.S. move to supply Syria rebels weapons a hostile act: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday it viewed a U.S. decision to ease restrictions on weapons supplies to Syrian rebels as a "hostile act" which threatened the safety of Russian warplanes and military personnel, the RIA news agency reported.

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Oil gains post-Christmas ahead of OPEC, non-OPEC cuts

TOKYO (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices extended gains on Tuesday in post-Christmas trading, as OPEC and non-OPEC members are set to start curbing output in less than a week to support oil prices.

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Obama says he would have outrun Trump, but Trump says, 'No way!'

HONOLULU (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview broadcast on Monday that he would have won most Americans' support if he had been able to run against Donald Trump for a third term.

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Human error led to Colombia soccer plane crash: authorities

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Errors by the pilot, airline and Bolivian regulators are to blame for a plane crash in Colombia that killed 71 people last month, including most of Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team, Colombia aviation authorities said on Monday.

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Exclusive: Fresh advance in east Mosul to begin within days - U.S. commander

EAST OF MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi forces will resume their push against Islamic State inside Mosul in the coming days, a U.S. battlefield commander said, in a new phase of the two-month-old operation that will see American troops deployed closer to the front line in the city.

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Turkish army says Islamic State attack in Syria's al-Bab killed 30 civilians

ANKARA (Reuters) - At least 30 civilians were killed and many others were wounded on Sunday after Islamic State launched an attack in the Syrian town of al-Bab to prevent people from fleeing, the Turkish military said in a statement on Monday.

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Chinese carrier enters South China Sea amid renewed tension

TAIPEI (Reuters) - A group of Chinese warships led by the country's sole aircraft carrier entered the top half of the South China Sea on Monday after passing south of Taiwan, the self-ruled island's Defense Ministry said of what China has termed a routine exercise.

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Russia mourns 92 killed in Black Sea jet crash, hunts for black box

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia held a national day of mourning on Monday, a day after a Syria-bound military plane crashed into the Black Sea killing all 92 people on board, and expanded a search operation to try to recover passengers' bodies and the jet's black box.

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Israel, angered by anti-settlement U.N. vote, summons foreign ambassadors

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel summoned the ambassadors of 10 nations to Jerusalem to reprimand them on Sunday and had more harsh words for the Obama administration over a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding an end to settlement-building.

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Magnitude 7.7 quake strikes Chile, tsunami warning issued

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile issued a tsunami warning and evacuation order for southern coastal areas after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 struck 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Puerto Montt in southern Chile on Sunday.

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China's aircraft carrier to drill in Western Pacific

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's first aircraft carrier will carry out drills in the Western Pacific, in what the navy called part of routine exercises, amid renewed tension over self-ruled Taiwan that Beijing claims as its own.

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Pope's Christmas message offers hope in world hit by terrorism, war

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday offered a Christmas hope for peace in a world lacerated by war and terrorism, urging people to remember migrants, refugees and those hit by economic instability caused by "idolatry of money".

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South Korea prosecutor says to raid presidential office: Yonhap

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's special prosecutor investigating a corruption scandal involving President Park Geun-hye said on Sunday it had no choice but to raid the presidential offices, Yonhap News reported.

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Missing Russian defence ministry plane has crashed over Black Sea - Interfax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian Defence Ministry TU-154 plane that had disappeared from radar over the Black Sea with 91 people on board has crashed, the Interfax news agency reported on Sunday, citing an unidentified source.

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Under scrutiny, Trump decides to dissolve his foundation

(Reuters) - U.S President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he intends to dissolve his charitable foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which has been under investigation by the New York attorney general.

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Defying pressure, U.S. lets U.N. denounce Israeli settlements

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Friday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, defying heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and President-elect Donald Trump for Washington to wield its veto.

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Tunisian security forces arrest three for links to Berlin market attack suspect

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian security forces have arrested three suspected militants after uncovering their links to Anis Amri, the Tunisian national believed responsible for the Berlin Christmas market attack that killed 12 people, Tunisia's Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

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South Korean president's friend at heart of scandal summoned for questioning

SEOUL (Reuters) - A South Korean special prosecutor probing a corruption scandal engulfing impeached President Park Geun-hye summoned a friend of hers at the center of the crisis for questioning on Saturday on charges including bribery and embezzlement, an official said.

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Lockheed CEO tells Trump she will work to drive down cost of F-35

(Reuters) - The chief executive of Lockheed Martin Corp told President-elect Donald Trump on Friday that she was committed to driving down the cost of the company's F-35 fighter jet, a day after Trump took aim at the cost of the F-35 in a Twitter post.

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FBI warns of possible Islamic State-inspired attacks in U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal authorities cautioned local law enforcement on Friday to be aware that supporters of Islamic State have been calling for their sympathizers to attack holiday gatherings in the United States, including churches, a law enforcement official said.

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Exclusive: Trump team seeks names of officials working to counter violent extremism

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's transition team has asked two Cabinet departments for the names of government officials working on programs to counter violent extremism, according to a document seen by Reuters and U.S. officials.

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Trump's nuclear remarks test bid to improve Russia ties

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump upped the stakes on Friday in a back-and-forth exchange with President Vladimir Putin over nuclear weapons that tested the Republican's promises to improve relations with Russia.

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Putin shrugs off Trump's nuclear plans, says Democrats sore losers

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Vladimir Putin said on Friday he was unfazed by President-elect Donald Trump's plans to boost the U.S. nuclear arsenal, praising Trump for being in touch with U.S. public opinion while branding the Democrats sore election losers.

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Exclusive: FBI probes FDIC hack linked to China's military - sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI is investigating how hackers infiltrated computers at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for several years beginning in 2010 in a breach senior FDIC officials believe was sponsored by China's military, people with knowledge of the matter said.

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Putin, in letter to Trump this month, sought 'new level' of ties: Trump team

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a letter to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump this month, sought bilateral cooperation and a "new level" of U.S.-Russian relations, according to a copy of the letter released by Trump's team on Friday.

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Hijacked Libyan plane lands in Malta with 118 on board

VALLETTA (Reuters) - An airliner on an internal flight in Libya was hijacked by a man claiming to have a hand grenade on Friday and diverted to Malta, where it landed with 118 people on board.

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Exclusive: Dashcam shows truck speed into Berlin Christmas market

BERLIN (Reuters) - A video clip from a car-mounted dashcam appears to show the moment a truck drove into a Berlin Christmas market on Monday in an attack that killed 12 people.

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Bathroom law battles loom in more states after North Carolina controversy

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - The storm over legislation seen as targeting transgender people is set to intensify in 2017 with several U.S. states proposing measures similar to a bathroom restriction statute in North Carolina that has prompted protests, lawsuits and economic boycotts.

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Trump calls for expanded U.S. nuclear weapons capability

PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called on Thursday for the country to expand its nuclear weapons capabilities until the world "comes to its senses" - a signal he may support costly efforts to modernize the aging U.S. nuclear arsenal.

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U.S. formally ends controversial registry program for visitors

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday it is canceling an inactive registry program for visitors from countries where extremist groups are operating, a plan similar to a Muslim registry considered by President-elect Donald Trump.

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U.N vote on Israeli settlement postponed, 'potentially indefinitely': source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A United Nations Security Council vote on a draft resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements has been postponed, "potentially indefinitely", a western diplomatic source said on Thursday.

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Trump, Netanyahu urge Obama to veto U.N. resolution on halting settlements

JERUSALEM/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Obama administration on Thursday to veto a U.N. Security Council draft resolution calling for an immediate halt to settlement building on occupied land that Palestinians want for a state.

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U.S. jobless claims rise to six-month high last week

WASHINGTON,(Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose to a six-month high last week, but remained below a level that is associated with labor market strength.

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Uber removes self-driving cars from San Francisco roads

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] has removed its self-driving cars from San Francisco streets, halting the autonomous program one week after its launch as the company faced a regulatory crackdown.

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North Carolina Senate rejects repeal of transgender bathroom law

RALEIGH, N.C. (Reuters) - North Carolina's Senate on Wednesday voted against repeal of a law that restricts transgender restroom access and has put the state at the center of national debate over lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights.

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Exclusive: U.S.-supplied drones disappoint Ukraine at the front lines

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Millions of dollars' worth of U.S.-supplied drones that Kiev had hoped would help in its war against Russian-backed separatists have proven ineffective against jamming and hacking, Ukrainian officials say.

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Turkish prosecutors probing why Russian envoy's killer not taken alive: state media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish prosecutors are investigating why the off-duty policeman who shot dead Russia's ambassador to Turkey was not captured alive, state media said on Wednesday, as the number of people arrested over the killing rose to 11.

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Thousands stuck as Aleppo evacuation deal hits last-minute hitch

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A convoy of 60 buses carrying people desperate to leave the last rebel-held enclave of Aleppo was held up in freezing temperatures on Wednesday when an evacuation deal hit a last-minute hitch.

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German police seek Tunisian in hunt for Christmas market attacker

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police are looking for a Tunisian man after finding an identity document under the driver's seat of the truck that plowed into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people, on Monday evening, security sources said.

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Experts scour site of deadly blast at Mexico fireworks market

TULTEPEC, Mexico (Reuters) - Teams of forensic investigators pored over the charred remains of fireworks market outside Mexico City on Wednesday after a series of blasts a day earlier killed at least 31 people and injured dozens more in a disaster marked by disbelief and tears.

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Kremlin slams new U.S. sanctions, says may respond

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that new sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States would damage relations between the two countries and that Moscow would respond with its own measures.

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Orlando nightclub victims' families sue Twitter, Google, Facebook

(Reuters) - The families of three men killed at Orlando's Pulse gay nightclub have sued Twitter Inc, Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc in federal court, accusing the companies of providing "material support" to the self-radicalized gunman.

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Search warrant materials used in Clinton email probe unsealed

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. court on Tuesday released a copy of the application used to obtain a search warrant that allowed the FBI to gain access to emails related to a probe of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private server before the Nov. 8 election.

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Former Flint emergency managers, others, charged in water crisis

FLINT, Mich. (Reuters) - Michigan prosecutors on Tuesday charged four former government officials, including two city emergency managers, with conspiring to violate safety rules in connection with the Flint water crisis, which exposed residents to dangerous levels of lead.

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Gunmen and security forces exchange heavy gunfire near city of Karak: security forces

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordanian security forces clashed with unidentified gunmen after a raid on a house in a village on the outskirts of the southern city of Karak where suspected militants were believed to be hiding, security sources said.

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German police believe they arrested wrong man after attack: Die Welt

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police think that the man from Pakistan who was arrested as a suspect in the attack on a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people on Monday was not the actual perpetrator, Die Welt newspaper reported, citing senior security sources.

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Turkish police detain six after Russian ambassador shot dead

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said, who was shot in the back as he gave a speech in Ankara on Monday by an off-duty police officer shouting "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar".

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Apple in talks with India to manufacture locally: WSJ

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Apple Inc is in talks with India's government to explore making products locally, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, as the U.S. firm aims to make deeper inroads in the world's second-largest mobile phone market by users.

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Taliban video shows sons born to kidnapped U.S., Canadian couple

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Senior Taliban figures confirmed on Tuesday they had released a new video showing a kidnapped American-Canadian family, including two young boys born in captivity while held by the feared Haqqani network.

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China says it has handed over U.S. drone taken in South China Sea

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday it had returned to the United States a U.S. underwater drone taken by a Chinese naval vessel in the South China Sea last week.

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Russian ambassador shot dead in Ankara gallery

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot in the back and killed as he gave a speech at an Ankara art gallery on Monday by an off-duty police officer who shouted "Don't forget Aleppo" and "Allahu Akbar" as he opened fire.

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Judge orders unsealing of Clinton email probe search warrant

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ordered the unsealing of the application used to obtain a search warrant that allowed the FBI to gain access to emails related to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's private server shortly before the Nov. 8 presidential election.

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U.S. sees China returning drone as early as Tuesday in South China Sea

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expects China to soon return an underwater U.S. drone after a Chinese naval vessel seized it last week, with one U.S. official telling Reuters the exchange could happen as early as Tuesday at an agreed spot in the South China Sea.

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IMF's Lagarde guilty, but not punished, in French negligence trial

PARIS (Reuters) - French judges found IMF chief Christine Lagarde guilty of negligence on Monday for failing to challenge a state arbitration payout to a business tycoon in 2008 when she was French finance minister, but they did not punish her.

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Aleppo evacuation back on after deal over besieged villages

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An operation to bring thousands of people out of the last rebel-held enclave of Aleppo was under way again on Monday after being held up for several days, together with the evacuation of two besieged pro-government villages in nearby Idlib province.

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Philippines won't 'deviate from' arbitration ruling on China: minister

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines said on Monday it will not "deviate from" an international tribunal ruling that rejected China's extensive claims in the South China Sea but it must build trust with China before discussing "sensitive" bilateral issues.

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China says discussing return of undersea drone with U.S. military

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese and U.S. militaries are having "unimpeded" talks about the return of U.S. underwater drone taken by a Chinese naval vessel in the South China Sea last week, China's foreign ministry said on Monday.

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Aleppo evacuations resume after stand-off over villages

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Convoys of evacuees traveled from a rebel-held area of Aleppo and from two Shi'ite villages besieged by insurgents on Monday after a days-long stand-off.

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Syrian Observatory says 10 evacuation buses leave villages

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said on Monday 10 buses had left the besieged Shi'ite Muslim villages of al-Foua and Kefraya near Idlib carrying evacuees through rebel-held territory toward Aleppo.

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U.S. electors expected to officially confirm Trump victory

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Electoral College is expected on Monday to officially select Republican Donald Trump as the next president in a vote that is usually routine but takes place this year amid allegations of Russian hacking to try to influence the election.

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Senators call for probe of cyber attacks by Russia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican and Democratic senators called on Sunday for a special bipartisan panel to investigate cyber attacks against the United States by foreign countries with a focus on Russia's alleged efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election.

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Trump aide plays down prospect of upending 'one China' policy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's incoming White House chief of staff on Sunday played down the prospect that Trump would revisit Washington's decades-old "one China" policy, even though he suggested as much a week ago.

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Jordanian police storm besieged castle, free tourists: security source

AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordanian security forces freed tourists trapped inside a medieval castle on Sunday after storming the building where armed men had taken shelter following a shootout with police, security sources said.

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Islamic State claims Yemen suicide attack that killed 49: statement

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Sunday that killed up to 49 Yemeni soldiers in the southern port city of Aden, the group said in a statement.

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With water cannons and Southern belles, Trump ends 'thank you' tour

MOBILE, Ala. (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump wrapped up his post-election "thank you" tour on Saturday with celebratory geysers from water cannons, greetings from hoop-skirted Southern belles and some gloating over the TV newscasters who had expected him to lose.

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Trump says picks Mulvaney to be White House budget director

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he has chosen U.S. Representative Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina to be his White House budget director, turning to a fiscal conservative to help pursue his policy agenda.

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Supporters, opponents of embattled Park stage big rallies in Seoul

SEOUL (Reuters) - Supporters of South Korean President Pak Geun-hye rallied on Saturday for her reinstatement while opponents gathered to repeat their demands that the leader impeached over a corruption scandal step down immediately.

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Syrian rebels say new deal reached to secure Aleppo evacuation

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A new deal has been reached to complete the evacuation of rebel-held areas of east Aleppo which had stalled over demands from pro-government forces that two villages besieged by rebels also be evacuated, a Syrian rebel told news channel al-Arabiya al-Hadath on Saturday.

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Obama points finger at Putin for hacks during U.S. election

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday strongly suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally authorized the computer hacks of Democratic Party emails that American intelligence officials say were aimed at helping Republican Donald Trump win the Nov. 8 election.

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China seizes U.S. underwater drone in South China Sea

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Chinese warship has seized an underwater drone deployed by a U.S. oceanographic vessel in the South China Sea, triggering a formal diplomatic protest and a demand for its return, U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday.

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U.S. intelligence agencies feuding with Republicans over Russian hacking

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican members of Congress are complaining that U.S. intelligence agencies are refusing to brief them widely on a classified CIA report that concluded Russia hacked Democratic Party data in an effort to help Donald Trump win the presidency.

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Philippines' Duterte tells U.S. to prepare to leave the country

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told the United States on Saturday to prepare for the eventual repeal of a military deal that allows Washington to deploy troops and equipment for exercises in the country.

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Sumner Redstone to step down from Viacom board

(Reuters) - Controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone will step down from the Viacom board of directors after the company's annual meeting in February, according to a company filing on Friday.

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Putin and Erdogan push for Syria talks without U.S. or U.N.

MOSCOW/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said he and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan are working to organize a new series of Syrian peace talks without the involvement of the United States or the United Nations.

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Aleppo evacuation suspended amid dispute over villages

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The evacuation of people from the last opposition-held areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo was suspended on Friday after pro-government militias demanded that the wounded should also be brought out of two Shi'ite villages being besieged by rebel fighters.

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Aleppo evacuation halted without explanation: WHO

GENEVA (Reuters) - The evacuation of wounded and civilians from eastern enclaves of Aleppo was aborted on Friday, and aid agencies and vehicles told to leave the area without explanation, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

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Clinton aide Abedin seeks to review Clinton emails search warrant

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Huma Abedin, the longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, asked a U.S. judge on Wednesday to allow her to review a search warrant the FBI used to gain access to emails related to Clinton's private server shortly before the Nov. 8 presidential election.

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White supremacist found guilty on all counts in Charleston church massacre

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - The jury in avowed white supremacist Dylann Roof's federal hate crimes trial found him guilty on all counts on Thursday for gunning down nine black parishioners at a historic church in Charleston, South Carolina, last year.

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'Is a Tweet policy?' State Department officials ponder

A debate is percolating in the U.S. State Department, where diplomats measure their words with demitasse spoons, on how to handle Donald Trump's Twitter commentary if he continues to tweet after he becomes U.S. president on Jan. 20.

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Trump taps retired general, TV analyst for National Security Council posts

(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced two appointments to the National Security Council on Thursday: retired Army Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg as chief of staff and executive secretary, and Fox News Channel analyst Monica Crowley as senior director of strategic communications.

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Trump ordered to give deposition in Washington restaurant suit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Washington judge has ordered Republican President-elect Donald Trump to give a deposition in a lawsuit against celebrity chef Jose Andres stemming from Trump's disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants.

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Targeting U.S. automaker signals possible China retaliation over Trump talk

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - China's plan to punish a U.S. automaker accused of price-fixing is a sign of how Beijing could retaliate if President-elect Donald Trump upends decades of relations between the two nations.

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Murdoch's Fox agrees deal to buy Sky for $14.6 billion

LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox said on Thursday it had agreed to buy European pay-TV firm Sky for $14.6 billion, sticking to its earlier offer despite complaints from some investors.

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Trump, in tweet, raises more questions about U.S. political hacking

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday raised more questions about Russia's reported role in cyber attacks on U.S. political parties and individuals as well as the timing of the White House's response under President Barack Obama.

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China defends its right to 'ready slingshot' in South China Sea

BEIJING (Reuters) - China defended its right on Thursday to put "necessary military installations" on artificial islands in the South China Sea, after a U.S. think-tank said Beijing appeared to have deployed weapons such as anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems.

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Reuters witness: evacuation begins from rebel-held Aleppo area

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - At least 17 buses and 10 ambulances drove out of the rebel-held part of Aleppo on Thursday, a Reuters reporter in the city said, carrying people being evacuated as part of a ceasefire deal.

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Philippine Duterte's admission he killed criminals an impeachable offense: senators

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte risks impeachment after he admitted "personally" killing criminals when he was the mayor of Davao City, said two Philippine senators.

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Chinese ambassador to U.S.: Sovereignty not a 'bargaining chip'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a veiled warning to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, China's ambassador to the United States said on Wednesday that Beijing would never bargain with Washington over issues involving its national sovereignty or territorial integrity.

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Yahoo says one billion accounts exposed in newly discovered security breach

(Reuters) - Yahoo Inc warned on Wednesday that it had uncovered yet another massive cyber attack, saying data from more than 1 billion user accounts was compromised in August 2013, making it the largest breach in history.

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Rebel officials say Aleppo evacuation plan back on track

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian opposition groups said an evacuation of rebel-held areas of Aleppo was back on track and expected to begin early on Thursday, but uncertainty persisted as a media outlet run by Lebanon's Hezbollah said truce talks faced "big complications".

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Wall Street falls after Fed raises rates; energy weighs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell in volatile trading on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter point and signaled hikes could come next year at a faster pace than some expected.

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Trump team disavows survey seeking names of climate workers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Wednesday disavowed a survey sent to the U.S. Department of Energy that requested the names of people working on climate change in the agency.

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Syria's Assad: Trump can be our natural ally

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with Russian state television that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump could become a natural ally to Damascus if he shows he is sincere about fighting terrorism.

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Exclusive: China installs weapons systems on artificial islands - U.S. think tank

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China appears to have installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven of the artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea, a U.S. think tank reported on Wednesday, citing new satellite imagery.

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Manhattan apartment sales prices top $2 million for first time: survey

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The average sales price of an apartment in Manhattan is expected to top $2 million this year for the first time, but prices are seen leveling off in 2017 after nearly doubling over the past decade.

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Ex-CIA chief says Trump risks blame for an attack if he skips briefings

DUBAI (Reuters) - Former CIA director Leon Panetta said on Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump risked being blamed after any potential attack on the United States if he refused to receive more regular intelligence briefings.

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Trump formally names ex-governor Perry of Texas to lead Energy Department

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday formally announced Rick Perry, a former Texas governor and Trump's one-time presidential rival, as his choice to lead the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Fed set to hike rates, policy outlook now hinges on Trump presidency

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve will conclude its two-day policy meeting on Wednesday afternoon with an interest rate increase all but assured and will issue new forecasts assessing whether the economic outlook has changed since the U.S. election.

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Asia ready for Fed hike, anxious on rate outlook

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asia shares crept cautiously higher on Wednesday while a hush settled on the U.S. dollar as investors felt certain the Federal Reserve would raise rates for the first time in a year, but were less sure what it might herald for 2017.

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Trump chooses congressman Zinke for interior secretary: reports

(Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump will name first-term Republican U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana, a former Navy SEAL commander, as his interior secretary, according to media reports on Tuesday.

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Syrian rebels prepare to withdraw from Aleppo as truce begins

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels prepared to withdraw from Aleppo on Wednesday after a ceasefire agreement that ended years of fighting in the city and gave President Bashar al-Assad his biggest victory yet after more than five years of war.

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U.S. Energy Department balks at Trump request for names on climate change

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Energy Department said on Tuesday it will not comply with a request from President-elect Donald Trump's Energy Department transition team for the names of people who have worked on climate change and the professional society memberships of lab workers.

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Battle of Aleppo ends after years of bloodshed with rebel withdrawal

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - Rebel resistance in the Syrian city of Aleppo ended on Tuesday after years of fighting and months of bitter siege and bombardment that culminated in a bloody retreat, as insurgents agreed to withdraw in a ceasefire.

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Trump to pick former Texas Governor Perry as Energy Secretary

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump has chosen former Texas Governor Rick Perry to head the U.S. Department of Energy, a transition official said, putting him in charge of the agency he proposed eliminating during his bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

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Exclusive: Top U.S. spy agency has not embraced CIA assessment on Russia hacking - sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The overseers of the U.S. intelligence community have not embraced a CIA assessment that Russian cyber attacks were aimed at helping Republican President-elect Donald Trump win the 2016 election, three American officials said on Monday.

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Asian shares wobble as investors await Fed, dollar dips

TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares were on tenterhooks on Tuesday as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's meeting that begins later in session for clues on the outlook for U.S. monetary policy, while crude oil prices pulled back after their surge to 18-month highs.

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Trump's tough trade talk makes U.S. firms fear China retribution

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's challenges to China on trade and Taiwan are rattling American companies who have long benefited from stable relations between the two countries but now fear retaliation by Beijing if Trump were to act.

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Trump taps Goldman Sachs executive Cohn for key economic post

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday said he would appoint Goldman Sachs Group Inc President and Chief Operating Officer Gary Cohn to head the White House National Economic Council, a group that coordinates economic policy across agencies.

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Exclusive: SWIFT confirms new cyber thefts, hacking tactics

LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - Cyber attacks on the global banking system have continued - and succeeded - since February’s heist of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank, underscoring the continuing vulnerability of the SWIFT messaging network, a SWIFT official told Reuters.

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Oil hits highest since mid-2015 on non-OPEC cut agreement

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil rose to an 18-month high on Monday after OPEC and some of its rivals reached their first deal since 2001 to jointly reduce output to tackle global oversupply, though prices slipped late in the day.

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Snow, cold to sweep across U.S. Northeast ahead of arctic blast

(Reuters) - A snowstorm that pummeled the Midwest and grounded hundreds of flights will sweep across the U.S. Northeast on Monday, creating tough travel conditions ahead of the season's first arctic blast, forecasters said.

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Contenders for U.S. diplomatic jobs under Trump face Senate resistance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contenders for President-elect Donald Trump's two top diplomatic roles, Rex Tillerson and John Bolton, will face a tough review in confirmation hearings in a U.S. Senate led by Trump's fellow Republicans.

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Trump considering Fiorina for director of national intelligence: New York Times

(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke on Monday to former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Carly Fiorina about the job of director of national intelligence, the New York Times reported, citing a senior Trump transition team member.

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China warns Trump against ignoring its Taiwan interests

BEIJING (Reuters) - China expressed "serious concern" on Monday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long-held stance that Taiwan is part of "one China", calling it the basis for relations.

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Trump renews questions about election hacking reports

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican President-elect Donald Trump on Monday renewed his questions about U.S. intelligence reports that Russia intervened in the presidential election by targeting his rival.

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Trump says the F-35 program and cost 'out of control'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday the cost of Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet program is too high and that he would save billions on that once he takes office.

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Trump taps Retired General Kelly to lead Homeland Security: statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday formally announced Retired General John Kelly, a 45-year military veteran, as his choice to lead the Department Of Homeland Security.

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Trump says reports Russia helped him in U.S. election are 'ridiculous'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump rejected as "ridiculous" U.S. intelligence reports that Russia intervened in the presidential election on his behalf through targeted hacking, putting him at odds with top lawmakers who vowed to investigate the findings.

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Oil surges as non-OPEC, OPEC producers agree on output cuts; dollar strong

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than 5 percent on Monday after OPEC and non-OPEC producers agreed to curb oil output and ease a global glut, while the U.S. dollar extended gains ahead of an expected rate hike this week.

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Rick Perry a leading candidate for U.S. energy post: source

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rick Perry, who proposed eliminating the U.S. Energy Department during his unsuccessful bid for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, has emerged as a leading candidate to head the agency under President-elect Donald Trump, a transition official said on Sunday.

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Exclusive: U.S. and Russia propose safe exit for Aleppo fighters - opposition officials

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States and Russia on Sunday tabled a proposal to rebels in Aleppo that would offer safe passage from the city for fighters, their families and other civilians, three opposition officials with Aleppo rebel groups told Reuters.

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Syrian army advances in Aleppo but loses Palmyra to Islamic State

ALEPPO, Syria/AMMAN (Reuters) - The Syrian army and its allies made new gains in Aleppo on Sunday, forcing rebels back into an ever shrinking pocket crammed with civilians, but lost control of the desert city of Palmyra to a swift Islamic State attack.

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Trump says U.S. not necessarily bound by 'one China' policy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump questioned whether the United States had to be bound by its longstanding position that Taiwan is part of "one China" and brushed aside Beijing's concerns about his decision to accept a phone call from Taiwan's president.

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Conflict over Russia is rocky start for Trump and intelligence agencies

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's rejection this weekend of U.S. intelligence analysts' conclusion that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help him win the White House is the latest in a string of conflicts between Trump and the intelligence community he will command.

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Turkey says Kurdish militants may be behind deadly soccer bombing

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey said on Sunday that Kurdish militants may be responsible for the two bombs that killed 29 people and wounded 166 in an apparent coordinated attack on police outside a soccer stadium in Istanbul after a match between two top teams.

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Russia intervened to help Trump win election: intelligence officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. intelligence analysts have concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help President-elect Donald Trump win the White House, and not just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.

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Suspected car bomb wounds around 20 outside Istanbul football stadium: minister

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A suspected car bomb outside a football stadium in central Istanbul wounded at least 20 people on Saturday hours after the end of a match between two of Turkey's top teams, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

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Trump to name Exxon CEO Tillerson secretary of state: NBC NEWS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name the chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp as the country's top diplomat, NBC News reported Saturday.

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Islamic State militants enter Palmyra after heavy fighting: monitor

AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State militants entered the ancient city of Palmyra on Saturday in eastern Syria after advancing to its outskirts for the first time since losing the city earlier this year, a war monitor said.

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Syria, Russia pound rebel-held Aleppo but advances halt

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's military and Russian warplanes bombarded rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Saturday as Damascus's allies said victory was near, but insurgents fought back and army advances halted after rapid gains during the week.

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Syria, Russia pound rebel-held Aleppo but advances halt

ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian's military and Russian warplanes bombarded rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Saturday as Damascus's allies said victory was near, but insurgents fought back and army advances halted after rapid gains during the week.

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OPEC, Russia see smooth road to global deal on output cut

VIENNA (Reuters) - Russia and Saudi Arabia said they expect OPEC and non-OPEC producers to reach an agreement on Saturday to curtail oil output and prop up prices in the first such joint move since 2001.

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Wisconsin judge rejects bid to stop election recount

(Reuters) - A U.S. judge in Wisconsin on Friday rejected a request by President-elect Donald Trump supporters to stop a recount of election votes while the Michigan Supreme Court denied an appeal by Green Party candidate Jill Stein to restart the state's recount.

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Senate passes funding bill, sends to President Obama

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate passed legislation on Friday to fund the government through April and sent it to President Obama for signing into law, after Democrats who had sought more generous healthcare benefits for coal miners stopped delaying action on the measure.

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Trump team memo on climate change alarms Energy Department staff

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump's Energy Department transition team sent the agency a memo this week asking for the names of people who have worked on climate change and the professional society memberships of lab workers, alarming employees and advisors.

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Exxon CEO is now Trump's secretary of state favorite: transition official

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp Chief Executive Rex Tillerson emerged on Friday as President-elect Donald Trump's leading candidate for U.S. secretary of state, a senior transition official said.

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Trump packs trade team with veterans of steel wars with China

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is stacking his trade transition team with veterans of the U.S. steel industry's battles with China, signaling a potentially more aggressive approach to U.S. complaints of unfair Chinese subsidies for its exports and barriers to imports.

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'I had to do it,' accused gunman says of South Carolina church attack

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Jurors in the federal hate crimes trial of Dylann Roof watched a video on Friday of the avowed white supremacist confessing to killing nine parishioners at a historic black church in South Carolina and saying he felt he "had to do it."

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U.S. allies caution Trump on Syria strategy

WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) - Key U.S. allies in Europe are quietly expressing concern over President-elect Donald Trump's approach to Syria, warning that his pledge to work more closely with Russia, Damascus' main backer, will do little to diminish the terrorist threat emanating from Syria.

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Trump's threats chill corporate investment plans in Mexico

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Donald Trump's threats to battle Mexico over trade, investment and jobs have pushed a growing number of companies operating in the country to put expansion plans on hold until the president-elect fleshes out his policies, business leaders have told Reuters since the Nov. 8 election.

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A $30 million splurge on Putin's daughter's favorite sport

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia is building a $30 million complex for acrobatic rock'n'roll, a niche sport in which President Vladimir Putin's daughter is a leading dancer and has a senior role for development, a Reuters review of public documents has shown.

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Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox bids $14.1 billion for UK's Sky

(Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox Inc has made a $14.1 billion bid for the remaining shares of European pay-TV group Sky Plc that the U.S. company does not already own, the British broadcaster said on Friday.

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Trump offers Goldman executive Cohn key economic post: NBC

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S President-elect Donald Trump has asked Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn to head his White House National Economic Council, a group that coordinates economic policy across agencies, NBC News reported on Friday.

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South Korea parliament votes by wide margin to impeach president

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Friday to impeach President Park Geun-hye over an influence-peddling scandal, setting the stage for her to become the country's first elected leader to be expelled from office in disgrace.

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U.S. defense chief visits Afghanistan amid questions over Trump's foreign policy

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday, amid questions about what President-elect Donald Trump's foreign policy will mean for the country as it faces a renewed Taliban-led insurgency.

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Trump gets one presidential intelligence briefing a week: sources

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is receiving an average of one presidential intelligence briefing a week, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, far fewer than most of his recent predecessors.

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John Glenn, first American to orbit Earth, dies at 95

(Reuters) - John Glenn, who became one of the 20th century's greatest explorers as the first American to orbit Earth and later as the world's oldest astronaut, and also had a long career as a U.S. senator, died in Ohio on Thursday at age 95.

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Polar vortex redux? U.S. forecasters say it could hit next week

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Forecasters are sending chills down some spines with a prediction that much of the northern half of the United States could see frigid weather next week similar to life-threatening lows the polar vortex brought to parts of the country in 2014.

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Trump expected to name CKE Restaurants CEO to head Labor Department: source

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump is expected to name Andy Puzder, chief executive of CKE Restaurants Inc, as his nominee to head the U.S. Labor Department, according to a source familiar with the choice, putting a vocal critic of government intervention in labor markets in charge of workplace regulation.

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Earthquake magnitude 6.8 reported off coast of Northern California: USGS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 was reported off the coast of Northern California on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

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U.S. jobless claims drop from five-month high

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell from a five-month high last week, pointing to labor strength that underscores the economy's sustained momentum.

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Chinese trade data shows signs of industrial recovery

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's imports grew at the fastest pace in more than two years in November, fueled by its strong thirst for commodities from coal to iron ore, while exports also rose unexpectedly, reflecting a pick-up in both domestic and global demand.

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Trump's choice of China envoy a positive sign for ties, Xinhua says

BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's pick of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as ambassador to China sends a positive sign for ties, Chinese state media said, but the envoy will have to live up to earlier statements rejecting confrontation with Beijing.

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Trump to nominate Pruitt to lead U.S. environmental agency: statement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, a critic of federal environmental regulation, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, his transition team said on Thursday.

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Trump fills homeland security, environment, China ambassador jobs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday picked a fossil fuel industry defender as his top environmental official, another retired general as homeland security chief and Iowa's governor as U.S. ambassador to China in choices at odds with some of his recent pronouncements.

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Rebels seek ceasefire with Syrian army closer to retaking Aleppo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels in besieged eastern Aleppo called on Wednesday for an immediate five-day ceasefire and the evacuation of civilians and wounded, but gave no indication they were ready to withdraw as demanded by Damascus and Moscow.

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Asia shares at one-month peak, bonds bet on ECB support

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian shares hopped higher on Thursday after Wall Street strode to new records and bonds rallied on wagers the European Central Bank would extend its asset buying campaign at a policy meeting later in the session.

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Time magazine names U.S. President-elect Trump Person of the Year

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Time Magazine named U.S. President-elect Donald Trump its person of the year on Wednesday, citing the upheaval in American politics brought about by the New York businessman's election campaign and victory.

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Trump defends his comments on Boeing, sees markets going up: NBC interview

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump said companies should welcome his actions because they will prosper under his administration, the U.S. President-elect told NBC on Wednesday, one day after Boeing Co's shares took a hit when he used Twitter to criticize one of its high-profile projects.

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How Iran closed the Mosul 'horseshoe' and changed Iraq war

BAGHDAD/ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - In the early days of the assault on Islamic State in Mosul, Iran successfully pressed Iraq to change its battle plan and seal off the city, an intervention which has since shaped the tortuous course of the conflict, sources briefed on the plan say.

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Ohio lawmakers pass 'heartbeat' abortion legislation

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - Ohio lawmakers approved a bill that bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, as early as six weeks after conception, clearing the way for one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the United States if it becomes law.

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Kremlin says exit deal for Aleppo rebels still on agenda

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that a potential U.S.-Russia deal to allow Syrian rebels to safely leave Aleppo was still on the agenda, but that no talks were planned between the two countries for now.

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China calls Iowa governor Branstad 'old friend' after report of ambassador pick

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday the governor of the U.S. state of Iowa, Terry Branstad, was an "old friend" after a report that he had accepted President-elect Donald Trump's offer to become the next U.S. ambassador to China.

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Monitor says Syrian army seizes Aleppo Old City from rebels

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A war monitor said on Wednesday the Syrian army had seized control of all parts of the Old City of Aleppo which had been held by rebels, part of an advance which has seen insurgents lose around two thirds of their main urban stronghold over the past two weeks.

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China urges U.S. to block transit by Taiwan president

BEIJING/GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - China called on U.S. officials on Tuesday not to let Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen pass through the United States en route to Guatemala next month, days after President-elect Donald Trump irked Beijing by speaking to Tsai in a break with decades of precedent.

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Repealing Obamacare to be first on Senate agenda in 2017

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Repealing Obamacare will be the first order of business in the U.S. Senate in January, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, said on Tuesday.

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Los Angeles heightens security after threat to metro system

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Heavy security at subway stations in Los Angeles greeted commuters on Tuesday as federal and local authorities investigated a specific but uncorroborated threat to detonate a bomb at the Metro Red Line's Universal City station.

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Lego replaces long-time CEO with first foreign boss in organizational shake-up

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danish toymaker Lego is to appoint its first foreign CEO and give its family owners a bigger role in developing the Lego brand under an organizational shake-up that will see incumbent Jorgen Vig Knudstorp step down by the end of the year.

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Supreme Court rules for Samsung in smartphone fight with Apple

(Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with Samsung in its big-money smartphone patent fight with Apple, throwing out an appeals court ruling that said the South Korean company had to pay a $399 million penalty to its American rival for copying key iPhone designs.

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Trump urges cancellation of order for new Boeing Air Force One

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday costs for a new Air Force One - one of the most prominent symbols of the U.S. presidency - were out of control, and urged the government to cancel a contract with Boeing Co for the jet.

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Obama to deliver speech defending his counterterrorism fight

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will make the case on Tuesday that his counterterrorism policies have helped protect Americans from evolving international threats as he prepares to hand over the White House to a successor who has been critical of his approach.

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Syria says it rejects Aleppo ceasefire if rebels remain: state media

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria rejects any ceasefire negotiated by any party in rebel-held eastern Aleppo unless all the terrorist groups there depart, its Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday in a statement carried by state media.

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Oil dips as OPEC, Russian output rises ahead of production cut

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Tuesday as crude output rose in virtually every major export region despite plans by OPEC and Russia to cut production, triggering fears that a fuel glut that has dogged markets for over two years might last well into 2017.

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Security raised at L.A. rail line after threat warning from foreign country

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Federal and Los Angeles officials said on Monday they had been alerted by authorities in another country to a "specific" threat against the city's Red Line commuter rail system, prompting them to beef up security and alert the public.

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Iran's Rouhani says will not let Trump rip up nuclear deal

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran will not let U.S. President-elect Donald Trump rip up the nuclear deal it signed with world powers, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.

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Judge declares mistrial in ex-South Carolina policeman's murder trial

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A South Carolina judge declared a mistrial on Monday after jurors weighing a murder charge against a white former South Carolina police officer who shot and killed a black motorist said they were deadlocked.

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California bill would require reporting of 'superbug' infections, deaths

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A California state senator introduced a bill on Monday that would mandate reporting of antibiotic-resistant infections and deaths and require doctors to record the infections on death certificates when they are a cause of death.

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Trump nominates Ben Carson to head HUD

(Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday nominated Dr. Ben Carson to serve as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

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China says Trump clear about Taiwan, in touch with his team

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Trump is clear about China's position on the Taiwan issue and China has maintained contacts with his team, the foreign ministry said on Monday, as Trump took to Twitter to complain about Chinese economic and military policy.

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Euro skids, shares hit after Italy votes 'no' on reform

SINGAPORE/SYDNEY (Reuters) - The euro fell to a 20-month low on Monday and investors fled riskier assets after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign following a stinging defeat on constitutional reform that could destabilize the country's shaky banking system.

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Netanyahu to discuss 'bad' Iran deal with Trump, Kerry stresses settlements

JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would discuss with Donald Trump the West's "bad" nuclear deal with Iran after the U.S. president-elect enters the White House.

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Austrians roundly reject far right in presidential election

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian voters roundly rejected on Sunday a candidate vying to become the first freely elected far-right head of state in Europe since World War Two, halting at least temporarily the wave of populism sweeping Western democracies.

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Pence downplays significance of Trump's call with Taiwan president

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President-elect Mike Pence on Sunday downplayed the significance of a phone conversation between Donald Trump and Taiwan's president, describing it as a "courtesy call" that was not intended to show a shift in U.S. foreign policy.

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Trump to intervene to keep U.S. jobs at home on 'day-by-day' basis, Pence says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump, fresh off a deal to keep nearly 1,000 U.S. jobs in the country, will decide whether to intervene with other companies to keep them from moving jobs overseas "on a day-by-day basis," Vice President-elect Mike Pence said on Sunday.

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Recovery teams comb charred ruins of Calif. warehouse, 10th victim reported

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - Recovery teams found a 10th body early Sunday morning in the charred ruins of an Oakland, California, warehouse after a fire broke out during a dance party, triggering one of the worst disasters in the city's history.

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Trump conversation with Taiwan president a 'courtesy call': Pence

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's phone conversation with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday, which prompted a diplomatic protest from China, was simply a "courtesy call," Vice President-elect Mike Pence said on NBC on Sunday.

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Italy votes in referendum with PM Renzi's future at stake

ROME (Reuters) - Italians started to vote on Sunday in a referendum on constitutional reform which will decide the political future of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has promised to resign if he loses.

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Syrian rebels tell U.S. they won't leave Aleppo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebel groups have told the United States they will not leave Aleppo after Moscow called for talks with Washington over a full withdrawal of rebel fighters from the city's besieged eastern districts, a rebel official said on Sunday.

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U.S. Navy aims to buy more Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets: source

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy plans to divest its older model Boeing Co F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets in coming years and hopes to buy dozens of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to deal with a shortfall of strike fighters aboard its carriers, a Navy official said.

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Trump targets another company, draws Sanders' criticism

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump drew a rebuke from former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday, after turning his attention to another Indiana company planning a move to Mexico.

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Apple shows ambition to get into self-driving car race

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Apple Inc is wading in to the debate over regulation of self-driving cars, declaring it is excited about the potential for automated transportation and calling on U.S. regulators not to restrict testing of such vehicles.

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China lodges protest after Trump call with Taiwan president

BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China lodged a diplomatic protest on Saturday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump spoke by phone with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, but blamed the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own for the "petty" move.

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Castro funeral cortege reaches destination, leftist friends gather

SANTIAGO, Cuba (Reuters) - Flag-waving Cubans leaned from windows and lined the streets as Fidel Castro's funeral cortege approached the end of three-day journey on Saturday, rolling into the city of Santiago de Cuba where the revolutionary leader's remains will be laid to rest.

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Nine dead, many missing, in California party fire

OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - At least nine people were dead and about 25 were unaccounted for after a massive fire broke out during a late-night party in a warehouse in Oakland, California, the city's fire chief said on Saturday.

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Castro's last goal? A soccer field for neighborhood kids

HAVANA (Reuters) - Fidel Castro is remembered around the world as a charismatic revolutionary or a ruthless tyrant, but in his neighborhood he was also a friendly old man who used his influence to build a soccer field for kids two weeks before his death.

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U.S. veterans to meet with tribe elders in pipeline protest

CANNON BALL, N.D. (Reuters) - U.S. military veterans will meet with tribal leaders on Saturday as they continue to entrench themselves in a North Dakota camp where thousands of activists are protesting a multibillion-dollar pipeline project near a Native American reservation.

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Exclusive: U.S. standards council to investigate New Oriental after Reuters report

MIAMI (Reuters) - A U.S. standards-setting body said it would investigate New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc in the wake of a Reuters report that detailed allegations of academic fraud at the company.

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FBI captures a Top 10 Most Wanted fugitive in Los Angeles

(Reuters) - Federal authorities in Los Angeles took a man believed to be Marlon Jones, one of the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted," into custody on Friday, the day after he was placed on the list for a fatal shooting at a birthday party in October, the agency said.

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Man stabbed to death on California university campus

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A man who may have been a faculty member at the University of Southern California was stabbed to death on the downtown Los Angeles campus on Friday, and a suspect was taken into custody, authorities said.

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U.S. military veterans backing North Dakota pipeline protests

CANNON BALL, N.D. (Reuters) - U.S. military veterans plan to build a barracks on Friday at a protest camp in North Dakota to support thousands of activists who have squared off against authorities in frigid conditions to oppose a multibillion-dollar pipeline project near the Standing Rock Native American reservation.

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Jury remains deadlocked in ex-South Carolina cop's murder trial

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - Jurors considering a murder charge against a white South Carolina former police officer who shot and killed a fleeing black motorist last year told a judge for a second time on Friday they were unable to reach a verdict.

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U.S. spy agencies fight Congress over plan for probe of covert Russian influence campaign

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. intelligence officer has asked Congress to drop a provision in a pending bill that would create a special committee to combat Russian efforts to exert covert influence abroad, saying such a panel would duplicate current work and hinder cooperation with foreign allies.

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U.S. payrolls rise solidly; jobless rate falls to nine-year low

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers boosted hiring in November and the unemployment rate dropped to a more than nine-year low of 4.6 percent, making it almost certain that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates later this month.

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Iran says U.S. extension of sanctions act violates nuclear deal

ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran said on Friday the U.S. Senate's vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) for 10 years violated the 2015 deal with six major powers that curbed its nuclear program and threatened to retaliate.

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Trump to nominate retired General Mattis for Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday night he would nominate retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, known as "Mad Dog" and renowned for his tough talk and battlefield experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, to lead the Pentagon.

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Asia shares pare gains; Treasury yields, oil off highs

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares lost some of their recent gains on Friday, after lackluster sessions on Wall Street and Europe, while 10-year U.S. Treasury yields and crude futures pulled back from multi-month highs hit overnight.

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Trump warns of consequences for U.S. firms sending jobs abroad

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump warned on Thursday that U.S. companies would face "consequences" for outsourcing jobs abroad, as he touted his early success in persuading an air conditioner maker to keep about 1,000 jobs in the United States rather than move them to Mexico.

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Trump supports completion of Dakota Access Pipeline

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday said for the first time that he supports the completion of a pipeline project near a North Dakota Indian reservation, which has been the subject of months of protests by tribes and environmentalists.

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Grim Hollande says he won't seek second term as French president

PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande shocked France on Thursday by announcing he would not seek a second term next year, acknowledging his deep unpopularity and making way for another leftist candidate to take on conservative Francois Fillon and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

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New Jersey's Christie mulls run to lead Republican Party: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, an early supporter of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, is considering a run to lead the Republican National Committee, Politico reported on Thursday.

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Exclusive: How Putin, Khamenei and Saudi prince got OPEC deal done

VIENNA (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin played a crucial role in helping OPEC rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia set aside differences to forge the cartel's first deal with non-OPEC Russia in 15 years.

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U.S. veterans head to pipeline protest camp in North Dakota

CANNON BALL, N.D. (Reuters) - U.S. military veterans were arriving on Thursday at a camp to join thousands of activists braving snow and freezing temperatures to protest a pipeline project near a Native American reservation in North Dakota.

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Factory activity at five-month high as orders pick up

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. factory activity accelerated to a five-month high in November amid a pickup in new orders and production, offering more evidence that the economy gained further momentum early in the fourth quarter.

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Oil price rally likely short-lived as OPEC deal not enough to reduce glut

(Reuters) - The oil price rally sparked by an OPEC-Russia deal to cut output is likely to be short-lived, say traders in Asia, because the agreement may only draw more supplies from storage tanks and more crude shipments from the United States.

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OPEC in first joint oil cut with Russia since 2001, Saudis take "big hit"

VIENNA (Reuters) - OPEC agreed on Wednesday its first oil output cuts since 2008 after Saudi Arabia accepted "a big hit" on its production and dropped its demand on arch-rival Iran to slash output.

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Ohio State attacker may have been inspired by overseas militants: FBI

(Reuters) - A Somali immigrant who injured 11 people in an attack at Ohio State University may have been inspired by Islamic State and the late al Qaeda-linked cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, an FBI official told a news conference on Wednesday.

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S&P, Dow hit record highs as oil, bank stocks gain

(Reuters) - The Dow and the S&P 500 hit record intraday highs on Wednesday, fueled by gains in energy and bank stocks.

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Trump says he will leave business to focus on running country

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to step back from running his business empire to avoid conflicts of interest, while turning to Wall Street for nominees for two key economic leadership posts who promised tax reform and a tougher approach to China.

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Rescue service say dozens killed in Aleppo attack

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rescue workers said more than 45 people had been killed in artillery bombardment of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Wednesday, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said more than 50,000 people had been displaced by the fighting.

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Soccer crash survivors undergo operations in Colombia, probe begins

LA UNION, Colombia (Reuters) - Doctors treated traumatized survivors and an investigation was to get underway on Wednesday into an air crash that killed 71 people and wiped out Brazil's Chapecoense soccer team en route to a cup final in Colombia.

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Romney, potential U.S. secretary of state, hails Trump after dinner

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney made an impassioned statement in support of President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday to try to erase doubts about him among Trump's supporters and remain in contention for U.S. secretary of state.

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Scores arrested in first 'Fight for $15' protest since Trump win

LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Scores of demonstrators were arrested on Tuesday as U.S. fast-food and airport workers led nationwide protests for higher pay and union rights in their first major action since Donald Trump was elected president.

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Great Smoky Mountains fires leave 'scene of destruction'

(Reuters) - Officials said on Tuesday that "the worst is over" for two small Tennessee resort towns in the Great Smoky Mountains where wildfires destroyed or damaged some 150 homes and other structures, forced thousands to flee and threatened country music star Dolly Parton's theme park, Dollywood.

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Islamic State claims responsibility for Ohio University attack

CAIRO (Reuters) - The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack at Ohio State University in which a man ran down pedestrians in a car and stabbed others with a butcher's knife.

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Trump taps Obamacare critic to revamp health system

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump named a vociferous critic of Obamacare and a health policy expert on Tuesday to help him repeal and replace President Barack Obama's signature healthcare program.

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North Dakota to block supplies from pipeline protesters' camp

(Reuters) - North Dakota law enforcement will begin to block supplies from reaching protesters at a camp near the construction site of an oil pipeline project in an effort to force demonstrators to vacate the area, officials said on Tuesday.

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U.S. third-quarter growth revised up to 3.2 percent

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - - The U.S. economy grew faster than initially thought in the third quarter, notching its best performance in two years, buoyed by strong consumer spending and a surge in soybean exports.

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U.N. humanitarian chief says 16,000 displaced in Syria's Aleppo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Up to 16,000 people have been displaced in Syria's Aleppo by intense attacks on the rebel-held eastern part of the city, the United Nations humanitarian chief and relief coordinator Stephen O'Brien said on Tuesday, citing initial reports.

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Plane crashes in Colombia with 81 onboard, including Brazil footballers

BOGOTA (Reuters) - An aircraft with 81 people aboard, including a Brazilian football team, crashed in central Colombia, and rescuers are moving survivors from the site, the country's civil aviation association said on its website on Tuesday.

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South Korea's embattled president offers to relinquish power

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's embattled President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday asked parliament to come up with a way for her to relinquish power, including when she should step down from the presidency.

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Trump has chosen Representative Price for health secretary: New York Times

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Republican U.S. Representative Tom Price of Georgia to be secretary of health and human services, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing a transition team official.

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Iranian vessel made 'unsafe' action against US helicopter -officials

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard vessel pointed its weapons at a U.S. Navy helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, two U.S. defense officials told Reuters on Monday, an action they described as "unsafe and unprofessional."

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Philippines' Duterte calls Western threats of ICC indictment hypocritical

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday hit out at what he called "bullshit" Western threats to seek his indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his role in a bloody crackdown on drugs.

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At least 10 injured in Ohio State University attack

(Reuters) - At least 10 people were injured, one critically, at Ohio State University, in an attack that was carried out by an assailant who used a knife and a vehicle to attack people , local officials said.

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Trump vows to end U.S.-Cuba 'deal' unless Havana makes better one

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said in a tweet on Monday he would end the United States' "deal" with Cuba unless a better one was made, reflecting his campaign pledge to reverse President Barack Obama's moves to open relations with the Cold War adversary.

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Cubans to throng Revolution Square in mourning for Fidel Castro

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cubans will begin massing on Havana's Revolution Square from Monday to commemorate Fidel Castro, the communist guerrilla leader who led a revolution in 1959 and ruled the Caribbean island for half a century.

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Oil tumbles as output cut looks elusive, shares slip

TOKYO (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled on Monday on worries that producer countries may not be agree on a deal to cut output, pressuring U.S. stock futures and Asian shares.

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U.S. shoppers spend less over holiday weekend amid discounting

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Early holiday promotions and a belief that deals will always be available took a toll on consumer spending over the Thanksgiving weekend as shoppers spent an average of 3.5 percent less than a year ago, the National Retail Federation said on Sunday.

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Trump says he would have won U.S. popular vote if not for illegal voting

PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that

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Castro's death casts pall over Cuba: even dissidents hold back

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's most prominent dissident group called off its weekly protest march for the first time in 13 years on Sunday following the death of its nemesis Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader whose passing has cast a pall over the island.

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With a cry of 'Viva Fidel!', Cubans begin mourning for Castro

HAVANA (Reuters) - Flag-waving Cuban students broke into a mass chant of "I am Fidel" to salute Fidel Castro as nine days of mourning began for the combative Cold War icon, who dominated the Communist island's political life for generations.

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Trump adviser warns him not to pick Romney for Secretary of State

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An internal dispute among Donald Trump's advisers broke out into the open on Sunday when his campaign manager warned that the president-elect could face an intense backlash from supporters if he chose Mitt Romney to be his secretary of state.

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Cubans fret over life after Castro with Trump next door

HAVANA (Reuters) - From the Bay of Pigs invasion to a historic visit by President Barack Obama to Havana, Cubans have known for generations that whenever the United States turns its face to Cuba, Fidel Castro would be staring right back.

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One ticket has winning numbers in $421 million Powerball lottery

(Reuters) - A lottery ticket sold in Tennessee had the winning numbers for a $421 million Powerball jackpot, one of the biggest on record, officials said after Saturday's draw.

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Cuba's Fidel Castro made revolutionary mark on history

The son of a wealthy landowner, Fidel Castro turned his back on a life of privilege to lead a left-wing revolution in Cuba that endured for decades and was shaped by his political cunning, keen sense of destiny and boundless ego.

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Thanksgiving, Black Friday store sales fall, online rises

(Reuters) - Sales and traffic at U.S. brick-and-mortar stores on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday declined from last year, as stores offered discounts well beyond the weekend and more customers shopped online.

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Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro dies aged 90

HAVANA (Reuters) - Fidel Castro, the Cuban revolutionary who built a communist state on the doorstep of the United States and for five decades defied U.S. efforts to topple him, died on Friday. He was 90.

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Clinton team to take part in U.S. presidential recount in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton's campaign will take part in a Wisconsin recount of votes cast in the U.S. presidential race won by Republican Donald Trump, a campaign official said on Saturday.

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Castro's death puts renewed focus on Trump's Cuba policy

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama offered a "hand of friendship" to Cubans on Saturday after the death of Fidel Castro, while his successor, Republican President-elect Donald Trump gave his first reaction on Twitter, declaring "Fidel Castro is dead!"

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Shootings outside U.S. stores on Black Friday leave two dead

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - A Good Samaritan who tried to stop a woman being assaulted was shot to death outside a Texas Walmart packed with shoppers on Black Friday while another man in New Jersey was also killed outside a mall, authorities said.

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U.N. close to sanctions deal to slash North Korea export earnings: diplomats

(Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council's five veto powers are close to approving new sanctions on North Korea to cut the isolated state's earnings from exports by more than a quarter, principally by targeting its coal exports to China, diplomats said on Friday.

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Green Party files for election recount in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wisconsin's election commission said on Friday it had received petitions for a recount of votes in the presidential election from the Green Party campaign and another candidate and was planning to start the process.

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Trump names Washington lawyer McGahn White House Counsel

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump has named Washington attorney Donald McGahn as his White House Counsel, a senior transition official told Reuters on Friday.

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Trump will pursue 'regional hegemony' in South China Sea: Chinese academics

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Donald Trump presidency does not mean the United States will withdraw from the South China Sea, but rather will continue pursuing "regional hegemony", Chinese academics who drafted a report for an influential government think tank said on Friday.

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Iraq readies force to storm flashpoint town near Mosul

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is readying a special force tasked with storming Tal Afar, a bastion of Islamic State west of Mosul, in a way that would avoid revenge killings against the town's Sunni population.

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Blue-collar Democrats to party: It's still the economy, stupid

The Democratic Party chairman in Youngstown, Ohio, wrote to Hillary Clinton's advisers in May warning she needed to put a jobs-focused message at the heart of her White House campaign or else watch blue-collar voters in states like Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania slip away to Republican Donald Trump.

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Thanksgiving sales surge online as shoppers stay home for holiday

(Reuters) - Online spending by U.S. bargain hunters climbed to above $1 billion by Thanksgiving evening, according to Adobe Digital Index, surging almost 14 percent from a year ago and reflecting a broader trend away from brick-and-mortar shopping.

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Two passenger trains collide in Iran, several killed: TV

ANKARA (Reuters) - Two passenger trains collided in Iran's north-central province of Semnan on early Friday, killing several people and injuring unspecified number of others, Iran's state TV reported.

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Asian stocks steady as dollar pulls back from 13-1/2-year high

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian stocks steadied on Friday as the Thanksgiving break in the United States pegged the dollar's relentless surge that had sucked capital out of most emerging markets.

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Wells Fargo asks U.S. court to dismiss account scandal lawsuit

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co has asked a U.S. court to order dozens of customers who are suing the bank over the opening of unauthorized accounts to resolve their disputes in private arbitrations instead of court, according to legal documents.

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Central Americans surge north, hoping to reach U.S. before Trump inauguration

TEGUCIGALPA/GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Central American countries warned on Thursday that large numbers of migrants have fled their poor, violent homes since Donald Trump's surprise election win, hoping to reach the United States before he takes office next year.

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