| Italy's Renzi vows to resign after crushing referendum defeat Posted: 04 Dec 2016 05:24 PM PST  By Crispian Balmer and Gavin Jones ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi vowed to resign after suffering a crushing defeat on Sunday in a referendum on constitutional reform, tipping the euro zone's third-largest economy into political turmoil. The euro fell to 20-month lows against the dollar, with markets worried that instability in the euro zone's third largest economy could reignite a dormant financial crisis and deal a hammer blow to Italy's fragile banking sector. Renzi's resignation could open the door to early elections next year and to the possibility of an anti-euro party, the opposition 5-Star Movement, gaining power in the heart of the single currency.
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| Fidel Castro interred in rock, closing last chapter of historic life Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:44 PM PST  By Sarah Marsh and Diego Oré SANTIAGO, Cuba (Reuters) - Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro's ashes were encased in a large granite boulder on Sunday in a ceremony that capped nine days of public mourning and aimed to literally set in stone the legacy of one of the 20th century's most influential characters. Cutting a solitary figure in his four star general's uniform, Cuban President Raul Castro placed a cedar box containing his brother's cremated remains in a niche in the rock at the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in southeastern Cuba. A dark plaque engraved with the word "Fidel" was then fixed over the niche.
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| Austrians roundly reject far right in presidential election Posted: 04 Dec 2016 01:50 PM PST  By Francois Murphy and Kirsti Knolle 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. The runoff vote was a litmus test, since it was a re-run of a vote held in May, before Britain voted to leave the European Union and Americans elected Donald Trump as president. Norbert Hofer of the anti-immigration Freedom Party lost the May election by less than a percentage point, and polls had for months shown the race too close to call.
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| China newspapers say call with Taiwan's Tsai shows Trump's inexperience Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:46 PM PST  Chinese state media on Monday continued to play down the protocol-bending phone call last week between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Taiwan's president, with editorials in two newspapers saying the move showed Trump's inexperience. China's national English-language newspaper, the China Daily, said the 10-minute call "exposed nothing but the inexperience Trump and his transition team have in dealing with foreign affairs". The Friday call was the first by a U.S. president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China".
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| Rebels defiant as Syrian army nears Aleppo's Old City Posted: 04 Dec 2016 01:39 PM PST  By Tom Perry BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria's army and allied militia advanced towards rebel-held areas of Aleppo's Old City on Sunday in an attack which a military source predicted would be over in a matter of weeks. Western and regional states backing the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad appear unwilling or unable to do anything to prevent a major defeat for those fighting to topple the Syrian leader, whose campaign to regain all Aleppo has been backed by the Russian air force and foreign Shi'ite militias. Rebel groups in Aleppo have told the United States they will not leave their shrinking enclave, a senior rebel official told Reuters, after Russia call for talks with Washington over a full withdrawal of opposition fighters.
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| Netanyahu to discuss 'bad' Iran deal with Trump, Kerry stresses settlements Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:33 PM PST  By Jeffrey Heller and Arshad Mohammed 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. Speaking separately to a conference in Washington, Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry clashed over the Iran deal and Israel's settlement construction on the occupied West Bank, which Kerry depicted as an obstacle to peace. "Israel is committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
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| California loft fire's toll rises to 33, with more victims expected Posted: 04 Dec 2016 05:12 PM PST  A fire that devastated an Oakland, California, loft building during a weekend dance party has taken at least 33 lives and the toll will likely rise, authorities said on Sunday, as criminal investigators joined recovery teams at the charred ruin. Firefighters in Oakland, east of San Francisco, found the remains of nearly three dozen victims as they sifted through the debris-filled shell of the two-story converted warehouse being used by an artists' collective. The cause of the fire was still undetermined, officials said.
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| Fidel Castro funeral subdues Cuba's popular Santeria festival Posted: 04 Dec 2016 05:10 PM PST By Frank Jack Daniel HAVANA (Reuters) - The subdued atmosphere in Cuba to mark the funeral on Sunday of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro also dampened spirits at the annual celebration of Santa Barbara, a red-clad Roman Catholic saint revered by the island's Africa-inspired Santeria faith. Castro died aged 90 on Nov. 25 and his ashes were interred in the southeastern city of Santiago de Cuba on Sunday after nine days of national mourning. "Other years there is food and refreshments for people who aren't from here," said Armando Rodrigo, 26, mingling with his friends outside the church in the Parraga neighborhood as policemen looked on. |
| Trump continues to defend his call with Taiwan's leader Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:56 PM PST  NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump continued to use Twitter Sunday to defend his engagement with the leader of Taiwan, a breach of diplomatic protocol as the U.S. shifted recognition from Taiwan to China nearly 40 years ago.
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| Top Asian News 12:56 a.m. GMT Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:56 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's popular Prime Minister John Key stunned the nation on Monday when he announced he was resigning after eight years as leader. Key had been widely expected to contest his fourth general election next year. But he said he wanted to ensure he didn't make the mistake that some other world leaders have done, and instead wanted to leave while he was on top of his game. Speaking in a shaking voice, Key said he had made personal sacrifices for the job and the role had taken a toll on his family. Key said his National Party caucus would meet Dec. |
| The Latest: Populist party says it's poised to govern Italy Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:49 PM PST  ROME (AP) — The Latest on Italy's referendum on constitutional reforms (all times local):
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| New Zealand Prime Minister John Key resigns after 8 years Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:49 PM PST  WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's popular Prime Minister John Key stunned the nation on Monday when he announced he was resigning after eight years as leader.
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| Islamic State strikes back to slow Iraqi forces in Mosul Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:48 PM PST  By Saif Hameed and Ulf Laessing BAGHDAD/BARTELLA, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters retreating in the face of a seven-week Iraqi military assault on their Mosul stronghold have hit back in the last two days, exploiting cloudy skies which hampered U.S.-led air support and highlighting the fragile army gains. In a series of counter-attacks since Friday night, the jihadist fighters struck elite Iraqi troops spearheading the offensive in eastern Mosul, and attacked security forces to the south and west of the city. On Sunday two militants tried to attack army barracks in the western province of Anbar.
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| New Zealand Prime Minister John Key resigns Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:43 PM PST  Popular New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced his shock resignation Monday, saying it was the right time to go after eight years in the job. Key, a former Merrill Lynch currency trader, had recently marked his eighth anniversary as prime minister and 10th year as leader of the centre-right National Party, which is set to meet next week to elect his successor. Deputy Prime Minister Bill English is widely seen as the favourite to take over.
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| Recent developments surrounding the South China Sea Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:42 PM PST  BANGKOK (AP) — A look at recent developments in the South China Sea, where China is pitted against smaller neighbors in multiple disputes over islands, coral reefs and lagoons in waters crucial for global commerce and rich in fish and potential oil and gas reserves:
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| Britain's migrants should take integration oath: report Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:33 PM PST  Britain should consider requiring newcomers to take an oath of integration on arrival, according to proposals in a government-commissioned report released on Monday. The report follows a year-long study which found some communities in Britain were becoming more segregated, despite progress in recent years which has led to greater integration overall. It proposed immigrants being required to take an oath of integration with British values and society on arrival in the country, rather than awaiting their final citizenship test.
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| Renzi quits after losing reforms referendum by big margin Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:13 PM PST  ROME (AP) — Italian Premier Matteo Renzi announced he will resign Monday after suffering a stinging loss in a reforms referendum, triggering immediate calls from a populist party and other opposition forces for elections to be held soon.
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| New Zealand Prime Minister John Key resigns in surprise move after 8 years as leader Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:10 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister John Key resigns in surprise move after 8 years as leader. |
| Italy's Renzi quits after crushing referendum defeat Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:06 PM PST  Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced his resignation on Monday, hours after learning he had suffered a crushing defeat in a referendum on constitutional reform. "My experience of government finishes here," Renzi told a press conference, acknowledging that the No campaign had won an "extraordinarily clear" victory in a vote on which he had staked his future. Interior Ministry projections suggested the No camp, led by the populist Five Star Movement, had been backed by 59.5 percent of those who voted.
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| New Zealand prime minister announces surprise resignation Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:04 PM PST  SYDNEY (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister John Key unexpectedly announced his resignation on Monday, saying it was the "right time" to leave politics. Key said he had no immediate future plans, but told reporters he would stay in parliament long enough to avoid a by-election for his seat. (Reporting By Jane Wardell; Editing by Paul Tait)
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| Kerry accuses Israeli right of sabotaging peace process Posted: 04 Dec 2016 04:00 PM PST  US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday accused right-wing Israelis of deliberately thwarting efforts to broker a peace deal with the Palestinians. In unusually stark terms, Washington's top diplomat warned that Israeli settlement building was undermining any hope of an agreement to allow two states to live side-by-side. At the Saban Forum, an annual gathering of senior Israeli and US policymakers, Kerry said some members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government had made "profoundly disturbing" statements.
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| Euro dives as Italy votes 'No' on reform, shares slip Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:54 PM PST  The euro sank to 20-months lows in Asia on Monday after Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he would resign in the wake of a stinging defeat on constitutional reform that could destabilize the country's shaky banking system. Markets had earlier taken some encouragement when Austria's far-right presidential candidate was soundly defeated by a pro-European contender, confounding forecasts of a tight election.
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| Matsuyama holds on to win in Bahamas for 3rd straight win Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:52 PM PST  NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Hideki Matsuyama was only 5 when he first saw Tiger Woods, watching on videotape that 1997 Masters victory. Even sweeter was standing next to Woods in his Sunday red shirt to receive yet another trophy.
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| Merrick quits as Wellington coach in A-League Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:37 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Ernie Merrick has resigned as coach of the Wellington Phoenix in Australian football's A-League. |
| European relief at Austrian far-right election defeat Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:31 PM PST  Austria's voters have resoundingly rejected anti-immigration and eurosceptic Norbert Hofer's bid to become the European Union's first far-right president, a result greeted with relief from centrist politicians across the continent. Instead, Greens-backed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen swept 53.3 percent of Sunday's vote against 46.7 percent for his rival from the anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe), according to public television projections. "Today it is not an exaggeration if I say that today we see a red-white-red -- the flag of Austria -- as a signal of hope and change.
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| Skiing World Cup Champ Gut captures season-opening Super-G Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:24 PM PST  World Cup overall champion Lara Gut claimed the season opening women's super-G race at Lake Louise on Sunday, one day after finishing runner-up in the downhill. Gut, who won the bronze medal in the downhill at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, clocked a time of one minute, 02.68 seconds, finishing 0.10 seconds ahead of Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein. Italy's Sofia Goggia was third in 1:03.27.
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| Brazilians protest corruption, target president's ally Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:19 PM PST  Brazilians marched in cities across the country Sunday, protesting against corrupt politicians and fears that Congress will try to scupper a huge anti-graft probe. The biggest gathering was in the center of the financial powerhouse Sao Paulo, where police put the crowd at 15,000. The peaceful protests expressed support for Operation Car Wash, a probe that has uncovered mass embezzlement by politicians and top executives at the state oil company Petrobras and other businesses.
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| Matsuyama holds off Stenson to win World Challenge Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:10 PM PST  Hideki Matsuyama captured his fourth title in the past two months Sunday by holding off reigning British Open champion Henrik Stenson to win the Hero World Challenge by two strokes. The 24-year-old Japanese star served notice that he will be a contender to become his homeland's first male major golf champion by taking the 18-man invitational event hosted by 14-time major winner Tiger Woods. "He's going to be one of the top guys to beat for a very long time," said Woods, who made his comeback this week from a 16-month back injury layoff.
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| Switzerland's Lara Gut wins Lake Louise super-G Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:09 PM PST  LAKE LOUISE, Alberta (AP) — Lara Gut won what the weather turned into a World Cup super-G sprint Sunday at Lake Louise.
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| AP PHOTOS: In Cuba, a near-religious farewell to Castro Posted: 04 Dec 2016 03:05 PM PST  In Havana's Plaza of the Revolution, hundreds of thousands paid tribute to images of Fidel Castro and signed oaths of loyalty to the socialist system he created. On the lonely roads of eastern Cuba, crowds waited for hours to salute the casket holding his ashes.
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| Chilean court rejects demand against Israeli judges Posted: 04 Dec 2016 02:56 PM PST SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A Chilean court rejected lawsuits filed in the South American country against three current or former Israeli Supreme Court justices for endorsing the construction of the West Bank separation barrier and the seizure of lands and the property on them from Palestinians. |
| Cuban exiles see only a glimmer of hope in Castro's funeral Posted: 04 Dec 2016 02:54 PM PST  MIAMI (AP) — In the heart of Miami's Little Havana, Cuban exile Armando Garcia said Sunday's funeral of Fidel Castro granted neither simple closure nor optimism for immediate change, but was a glimmer of hope for democracy in Cuba.
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| Renzi facing exit as polls point to Italy referendum defeat Posted: 04 Dec 2016 02:54 PM PST  Matteo Renzi's time as Italy's prime minister appeared to be over Sunday as exit polls indicated voters had overwhelmingly rejected constitutional reform proposals on which he had staked his future. The reformist premier had vowed to quit if he lost the vote on proposals to streamline parliament and the first exit polls indicated he had been left with little other option. Almost 70 percent of the electorate turned out to vote, first reports from polling stations indicated, underlining the stakes after Renzi's resignation pledge turned the vote into a de facto referendum on his leadership and record.
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| The Latest: German FM pleased with Austrian result Posted: 04 Dec 2016 02:50 PM PST  VIENNA (AP) — The Latest on Austria's presidential election (all times local):
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| Another frustrating draw for Prandelli's Valencia in Spain Posted: 04 Dec 2016 02:45 PM PST MADRID (AP) — The frustration keeps piling up for Valencia in the Spanish league. |
| Selby downs O'Sullivan for second UK title Posted: 04 Dec 2016 02:44 PM PST  York (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Mark Selby added a second UK Championship to his world title with a 10-7 win over Ronnie O'Sullivan in the final on Sunday.
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