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• Exclusive: Syrian rebels get proposal to quit Aleppo, jihadists retake Palmyra
• Kurdish militants claim responsibility for Istanbul attack that killed 38
• Cairo church bombing kills 25, raises fears among Christians
• Trump says U.S. not necessarily bound by 'one China' policy
• More than 100 killed in church collapse in Nigeria: journalist, resident
• Taliban demands for cash stir fears of comeback in Pakistan's Swat Valley
• Ruling party, opposition both claim victory in Macedonia polls
• Midwest snow storm grounds hundreds of Chicago flights
• Bloody conflict between western Kenya farmers drives bid to improve water, fodder
• Wenger looks to Gunners to keep pressure on Chelsea
• Top Asian News 1:10 a.m. GMT
• Bill English chosen as New Zealand's prime minister
• No. 23 Florida's leading scorer, Christinaki, quits team
• Japanese Empress Michiko diagnosed with acute bronchitis
• Haiti police say officer killed at his home by gang members
• Chelsea's Conte impressed by reformed Costa
• Islamic State militants capture Palmyra despite heavy Russian strikes
• Hamburg replaces Beiersdorfer as chairman with Bruchhagen
• Britain to adopt new anti-Semitism definition to fight hate crime
• Santa in trouble? Reindeer shrink in Arctic as climate changes
• Cows and rice paddies boost methane emissions: study
• Surging methane emissions imperil climate goals
• Conservatives lead in early Macedonia election results
• Troubled Italian bank MPS presses search for private capital
• Partial results: Romania's Social Democrats in strong lead
• Veteran leader Gruevski has narrow lead in Macedonian election
• Finance Minister English named as New Zealand prime minister
• Pakistan names new military intelligence chief
• Berg gets only goal as Panathinaikos beats Atromitos
• Cavani scores 2 to rescue PSG in 2-2 draw with leader Nice
• Stanford to play Rice in Australia pending NCAA approval
• Ex-Odebrecht executive links Rio mayor to illegal payments: report
• Trump says reports Russia helped him in U.S. election are 'ridiculous'
• Iborra hat trick keeps Sevilla close to the leaders in Spain
• Ex-Odebrecht director links Brazil's president to illegal transfers: report
• Serbia's Kecmanovic wins second straight Orange Bowl

Exclusive: Syrian rebels get proposal to quit Aleppo, jihadists retake Palmyra Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:30 PM PST By Laila Bassam and Tom Perry ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels have received a U.S.-backed proposal to leave Aleppo along with civilians under safe passage guaranteed by Russia, rebel officials said as government forces closed in on Sunday, but Moscow denied a deal had been reached. Three officials with insurgent groups in Aleppo told Reuters that a letter outlining the proposal had been received, offering an "honorable" departure for the rebels to a place of their choice.

Kurdish militants claim responsibility for Istanbul attack that killed 38 Posted: 11 Dec 2016 07:54 AM PST By David Dolan and Tuvan Gumrukcu ISTANBUL (Reuters) - An offshoot of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility on Sunday for twin bombings that killed 38 people and wounded 155 outside an Istanbul soccer stadium, an attack for which the Turkish government vowed vengeance. The Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK), which has claimed several other deadly attacks in Turkey this year, said in a statement on its website that it was behind Saturday night's blasts, which shook a nation still trying to recover from a failed military coup and a number of bombings this year.. Saturday's attacks took place near the Vodafone Arena, home to Istanbul's Besiktas soccer team, about two hours after a match at the stadium and appeared to target police officers.

Cairo church bombing kills 25, raises fears among Christians Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:18 PM PST By Ahmed Mohammed Hassan and Ali Abdelaty CAIRO (Reuters) - A bombing at Cairo's largest Coptic cathedral killed at least 25 people and wounded 49, many of them women and children attending Sunday mass, in the deadliest attack on Egypt's Christian minority in years. The attack comes as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi fights battles on several fronts. The militant group has also carried out deadly attacks in Cairo and has urged its supporters to launch attacks around the world in recent weeks as it goes on the defensive in its Iraqi and Syrian strongholds.

Trump says U.S. not necessarily bound by 'one China' policy Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:01 PM PST By Caren Bohan and David Brunnstrom WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said the United States did not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China," questioning nearly four decades of policy in a move likely to antagonize Beijing. Trump's comments on "Fox News Sunday" came after he prompted a diplomatic protest from China over his decision to accept a telephone call on Dec. 2 from Taiwan's president. "I fully understand the 'one China' policy, but I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'one China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," Trump told Fox.

More than 100 killed in church collapse in Nigeria: journalist, resident Posted: 11 Dec 2016 10:45 AM PST By Tife Owolabi UYO, Nigeria (Reuters) - At least 100 people were killed by the collapse of a church in southeastern Nigeria, a resident and photojournalist who visited a morgue said on Sunday, but officials put the death toll at just 27. "At Uyo teaching hospital where I am now I could see over a hundred corpses, many are heaped on top off each other on the floor," said photojournalist Ini Samuel. "Eye witnesses also said yesterday corpses were packed in four each bag." Gary Ubong, a resident, said the church's roof had collapsed on worshippers while a pastor was being consecrated as bishop in the presence of government officials.

Taliban demands for cash stir fears of comeback in Pakistan's Swat Valley Posted: 11 Dec 2016 03:09 PM PST By Asad Hashim MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - When Pakistani shopkeeper Abdur Rahim's phone rang in mid-October, he was shocked to hear the voice of a senior militant commander demanding protection money from him and his fellow traders in the Swat Valley. The menacing call was taken seriously in a northern pocket of the country where Pakistani Taliban insurgents took partial control in 2007, before being ousted two years later in a major military operation hailed as a telling blow against Islamist violence. Western powers, including the United States which has thousands of troops fighting other militant groups across the nearby border in Afghanistan, want to see jihadi networks along the frontier crushed.

Ruling party, opposition both claim victory in Macedonia polls Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:32 PM PST "VMRO-DPMNE is the winner of this election," Nikola Gruevski, party leader and prime minister since 2006, told supporters at the party's headquarters. "We are the winners!" Social Democrat leader Zoran Zaev told a cheering crowd of supporters in front of the government building in central Skopje. With votes counted at 96 percent of polling stations the VMRO-DPMNE had a narrow lead of less than 1.5 percent of votes.

Midwest snow storm grounds hundreds of Chicago flights Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:27 PM PST (Reuters) - Hundreds of flights into and out of Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports were canceled on Sunday as a winter storm system dumped moderate to heavy snow on the Upper Midwest and Lower Great Lakes regions before heading toward the U.S. Northeast. A winter storm warning was in effect in the Chicago area on Sunday afternoon, with total accumulations of up to 10 inches (25 cm) expected by midnight CST, the National Weather Service said. As much as 13 inches of snow fell in parts of Michigan and up to 9 inches in parts of Minnesota by 8 a.m. CST on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Bloody conflict between western Kenya farmers drives bid to improve water, fodder Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:20 PM PST By Anthony Langat ALALE, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Most days Kenyan teenager Andrew Taimoi leaves his village on the Ugandan border before dawn and takes his family's livestock in search of food and water, risking his life on the way. More frequent and longer droughts in Kenya's dryland areas have increased competition for resources between the different tribes of West Pokot County, western Kenya, and easier access to guns is increasingly turning these battles deadly. For with its proximity to South Sudan, which has been plagued by three years of civil war, West Pokot has seen an infiltration of illegal guns over Kenya's borders that are largely uncontrolled bar a few checkpoints.

Wenger looks to Gunners to keep pressure on Chelsea Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:15 PM PST Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal are in the 'fight' for their first Premier League title since 2004 and insists the Gunners will maintain the pressure on leaders Chelsea in Tuesday's trip to out of sorts Everton. Arsenal have not lost in the Premier League since the opening day of the season, and had a short stay at the top at the weekend before Chelsea eked out a 1-0 win over West Brom to maintain their three point lead. With a visit to bottom side Sunderland on Wednesday they should retain top spot ahead of next weekend's games.

Top Asian News 1:10 a.m. GMT Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:10 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Bill English, New Zealand's finance minister and a former farmer, will be sworn in as the country's 39th prime minister on Monday after his colleagues in the Parliament chose him as their new leader. English emerged victorious from a meeting of the conservative National Party caucus. Two other candidates for the job withdrew last week after English gained more support than them. He is to be officially sworn in on Monday afternoon. His ascension from deputy prime minister follows the surprise resignation last week of John Key after eight years as prime minister. Key was a popular leader and was expected to contest a fourth straight election next year.

Bill English chosen as New Zealand's prime minister Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:09 PM PST WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Bill English, New Zealand's finance minister and a former farmer, will be sworn in as the country's 39th prime minister on Monday after his colleagues in the Parliament chose him as their new leader.

No. 23 Florida's leading scorer, Christinaki, quits team Posted: 11 Dec 2016 05:01 PM PST PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) — Florida's leading scorer has quit the team.

Japanese Empress Michiko diagnosed with acute bronchitis Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:57 PM PST Japanese Empress Michiko, 82, was diagnosed with acute bronchitis last Friday after suffering a slight fever and cough, an official at the Imperial Household Agency said on Monday. The empress canceled a planned appearance at a karate event on Sunday and rested at her residence in the Imperial Palace, according to the official She has had a cough since November and had an X-ray examination early this month but no abnormality was found, local media said. The empress is the first commoner to marry into the Japanese imperial family when she wed Akihito in 1959.

Haiti police say officer killed at his home by gang members Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:47 PM PST PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Officials in Haiti say a rookie police officer was fatally attacked at his home by gang members wielding machetes.

Chelsea's Conte impressed by reformed Costa Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:43 PM PST Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes Diego Costa has become a reformed character because the fiery striker has rediscovered his love of the game. Costa's quality was never in doubt after he fired Chelsea to the Premier League title two years ago, but the Spaniard found himself in hot water time and again due to his volatile temperament. The 28-year-old cut a miserable figure last season as he squabbled with opponents and even rowed with Chelsea team-mate Oscar on the training ground.

Islamic State militants capture Palmyra despite heavy Russian strikes Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:30 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State captured the ancient city of Palmyra on Sunday despite dozens of Russian airstrikes to push back the militants a day after they briefly seized the city in eastern Syria, a war monitor and the militants said. In the government's first official admission that Palmyra had fallen once again to the militants, state media quoted the governor of the province of Homs, where the city is located, as saying the army had pulled out of the city. "The army is using all means to prevent the terrorists from staying in Palmyra," Homs Governor Talal Barazi was quoted as saying, hours after IS and a Britain-based monitoring group both said the militants had full control of the city.

Hamburg replaces Beiersdorfer as chairman with Bruchhagen Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:28 PM PST HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Hamburger SV is replacing club chairman Dietmar Beiersdorfer with former Eintracht Frankfurt chief Heribert Bruchhagen.

Britain to adopt new anti-Semitism definition to fight hate crime Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:27 PM PST Britain said on Monday it would become one of the first countries to adopt an international definition of anti-Semitism to clamp down on hate crime after an increase in the number of reported incidents targeting Jews. Adopting the definition formulated in May by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is meant to make it harder for people to get away with discriminatory or prejudiced behavior due to unclear or differing definitions of what anti-Semitism actually is. "It means there will be one definition of anti-Semitism – in essence, language or behavior that displays hatred toward Jews because they are Jews – and anyone guilty of that will be called out on it," Prime Minister Theresa May said in pre-released extracts from a speech she was due to deliver.

Santa in trouble? Reindeer shrink in Arctic as climate changes Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:26 PM PST By Alister Doyle OSLO (Reuters) - Reindeer are shrinking on an Arctic island near the North Pole in a side-effect of climate change that has curbed winter food for animals often depicted as pulling Father Christmas' sleigh, scientists said on Monday. The average weight of adult reindeer on Svalbard, a chain of islands north of Norway, has fallen to 48 kg (106 lb) from 55 kg (121 lb) in the 1990s as part of sweeping changes to Arctic life as temperatures rise, they said. "Warmer summers are great for reindeer but winters are getting increasingly tough," Professor Steve Albon, an ecologist at the James Hutton Institute in Scotland who led the study with Norwegian researchers, told Reuters.

Cows and rice paddies boost methane emissions: study Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:25 PM PST By Geert De Clercq PARIS (Reuters) - Global methane emissions from agriculture and other sources have surged in recent years, threatening efforts to slow climate change, an international study has found. Researchers led by French Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement (LSCE) reported that methane concentrations in the air began to surge around 2007 and grew precipitously in 2014 and 2015. In that two-year period methane concentrations shot up by 10 or more parts per billion (ppb) annually, compared with an average annual increase of only 0.5 ppb during the early 2000s, according to the study released by the Global Carbon Project, which groups climate researchers.

Surging methane emissions imperil climate goals Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:17 PM PST A decade-long surge of the potent greenhouse gas methane threatens to make the fight against global warming even harder, top researchers warned Monday. "Additional attention is urgently needed to quantify and reduce methane emissions," they wrote in the Environmental Research Letters journal, summarising the findings of a consortium of 81 scientists. "Keeping global warming below two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is already a challenging target," they said, referring to the goal set in the 196-nation Paris climate pact, which entered into force last month.

Conservatives lead in early Macedonia election results Posted: 11 Dec 2016 04:15 PM PST SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — Macedonians voted Sunday in a general election called two years early as part of a Western-brokered agreement to end a paralyzing political crisis, and the governing conservatives held a slim lead in early returns.

Troubled Italian bank MPS presses search for private capital Posted: 11 Dec 2016 03:41 PM PST FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Troubled Italian lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena said Sunday it is pressing ahead in its effort to raise 5 billion euros ($5.2 billion) from private investors — with time running short.

Partial results: Romania's Social Democrats in strong lead Posted: 11 Dec 2016 03:39 PM PST BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — The left-leaning Social Democrats took a big lead early Monday in partial results from Romania's parliamentary elections a year after a major anti-corruption drive forced the last Socialist prime minister from power.

Veteran leader Gruevski has narrow lead in Macedonian election Posted: 11 Dec 2016 03:34 PM PST By Ivana Sekularac and Kole Casule SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia looked set for a close finish on Sunday to snap elections called to end a crisis over allegations of government corruption, as veteran nationalist leader Nikola Gruevski took a narrow lead with just over half of the votes counted. Gruevski's center-right VMRO-DPMNE party won 38.9 percent of the votes counted by midnight local time, with the main opposition Social Democrat SDSM at 36.3 percent, the country's state electoral commission said. The parliamentary elections came almost a year after Gruevski stepped down as prime minister in an EU-brokered deal to end a crisis over a long-standing corruption scandal.

Finance Minister English named as New Zealand prime minister Posted: 11 Dec 2016 03:30 PM PST By Swati Pandey and Charlotte Greenfield WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English was confirmed as the country's new prime minister on Monday, as expected, a week after John Key announced his surprise resignation after eight years in the role. English, who was the sole contender for the job, announced Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett as the deputy leader, following a special caucus meeting of the ruling center-right National Party. English, who will be sworn in later in the day, has already lined up senior cabinet minister Steven Joyce, the minister for economic development, to replace him in the finance ministry.

Pakistan names new military intelligence chief Posted: 11 Dec 2016 03:21 PM PST Pakistan has named a new head of its powerful military Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), two weeks after replacing the chief of army staff in a significant shift for the military that wields huge influence. Lt. Gen Naveed Mukhtar was appointed as director-general of the ISI, replacing Lt. Gen Rizwan Akhtar, who is being moved to the post of president of the National Defence University, according to a statement by the military's press wing late on Sunday. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday picked Lieutenant General Qamar Javed Bajwa to replace outgoing army chief Raheel Sharif, the popular military leader credited with improving security and driving back Islamist militant groups.

Berg gets only goal as Panathinaikos beats Atromitos Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:57 PM PST ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Marcus Berg scored just before halftime to give Panathinaikos a 1-0 victory over host Atromitos in the Greek league on Sunday.

Cavani scores 2 to rescue PSG in 2-2 draw with leader Nice Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:45 PM PST PARIS (AP) — Edinson Cavani's goals at one end are carrying a Paris Saint-Germain side that is conceding them with alarming regularity at the other.

Stanford to play Rice in Australia pending NCAA approval Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:33 PM PST STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Stanford is planning to open next football season in Australia against Rice.

Ex-Odebrecht executive links Rio mayor to illegal payments: report Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:31 PM PST SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A former executive at Brazilian engineering firm Odebrecht SA [ODBES.UL] told prosecutors that the company made illegal payments to help fund the campaign of Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes, weekly magazine Veja reported. Leandro Azevedo, a top Rio de Janeiro executive at Odebrecht, which built several works related to Rio's Summer Olympics held in August, said the company paid several senior politicians in Rio in exchange for favors that would benefit the conglomerate, according to Veja. Paes' 2012 campaign received 11.6 million reais ($3.4 million) in cash and $5. ...

Trump says reports Russia helped him in U.S. election are 'ridiculous' Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:23 PM PST By Doina Chiacu and Howard Schneider 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. "I think it's ridiculous. I think it's just another excuse. I don't believe it," Trump said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday." Trump's reluctance to blame Russia for interfering in the U.S. election has raised concerns among U.S. officials who fear he will go soft on Moscow at a time when they are worried about its increasingly aggressive behavior on cyber attacks and in Crimea, Ukraine and Syria.

Iborra hat trick keeps Sevilla close to the leaders in Spain Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:17 PM PST MADRID (AP) — Vicente Iborra ended his scoring drought in style, coming off the bench to score a second-half hat trick in Sevilla's 3-0 win over Celta Vigo in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Ex-Odebrecht director links Brazil's president to illegal transfers: report Posted: 11 Dec 2016 02:14 PM PST A former director of Brazilian engineering firm Odebrecht SA told prosecutors that the company made several illegal contributions to politicians from the ruling PMDB party including President Michel Temer, according to a report aired Friday night by Globo TV. If prosecutors prove the accusations, Temer could face an impeachment trial that could destabilize his six-month-old government, which already lost several ministers after similar accusations from other construction firms embroiled in wide-ranging corruption probe. Claudio Melo Filho, a former institutional relations director at Odebrecht, said according to the report, that he took part in a dinner at Temer's official residency in Brasília in 2014 where company executives agreed to transfer 10 million reais ($2.95 million) to finance PMDB campaigns that year.

Serbia's Kecmanovic wins second straight Orange Bowl Posted: 11 Dec 2016 01:57 PM PST PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) — Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic won the Metropolia Orange Bowl Boys' 18s singles title for the second consecutive year Sunday, beating China's Yibing Wu 6-3, 6-1 on green clay at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center.

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