Named Successor

Libyan forces clear last Islamic State holdout in Sirte | Reuters

By Hani Amara | SIRTE, Libya SIRTE, Libya Libyan forces backed by U.S. air strikes finished clearing the last Islamic State holdout in Sirte on Tuesday after a near seven-month battle for the militant group's former North African stronghold.The forces gained full control over a final patch of ground in Sirte's Ghiza Bahriya district after hours of clashes

Magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits near Banda Aceh, Indonesia | Reuters

SYDNEY An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck 130 km (80 miles) southeast of Banda Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, the United States Geological Survey said.The quake struck at a depth of 33 km (21 miles)at 2203 GMT, the USGS said. No tsunami warning for Indonesia was immediately issued. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis)

Oil falls on output cut skepticism, OPEC and Russia output rise | Reuters

By Scott DiSavino | NEW YORK NEW YORK Oil prices on Tuesday ended lower for the first time in a week since OPEC agreed to cut output on growing skepticism that the cartel would be able to reduce supplies as data showed record high production in most major export regions. After rising over 15 percent over the four sessions since the Nov

Lagarde to seek postponement of trial in Tapie case - lawyer | Reuters

PARIS IMF chief Christine Lagarde will ask for a postponement of a trial aimed at establishing her role in a 400-million-euro ($428 million) payout to businessman Bernard Tapie as another investigation of the case is ongoing, her lawyer told Reuters.France's highest appeals court rejected Lagarde's appeal against a judge's order in December for her to stand trial at the Cour de Justice de la Republique (CJR), a special court that tries ministers for crimes in office.Lagarde was France's finance minister from 2007 to 2011 before becoming Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.The trial, scheduled to take place from Dec. 12-20, will be only the fifth in the history of the tribunal, made up of three judges and six lawmakers from the lower and upper houses of parliament.Lagarde is accused of negligence with the result that public funds were misused by improperly approving the decision to allow an out-of-court arbitration in a dispute with Tapie, a supporter of conservative former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Wall Street rises, euro down ahead of ECB meeting | Reuters

By Sinead Carew | NEW YORK NEW YORK Oil futures snapped a four-day rally on Tuesday on signs of higher output while the euro slipped from a three-week high ahead of a meeting of the European Central Bank on Thursday. Wall Street was boosted by financial and telecom stocks while U.S. Treasury yields held in narrow ranges ahead of the ECB meeting

Gold hovers near 10-month low, U.S. rates in focus | Reuters

By Marcy Nicholson and Zandi Shabalala | NEW YORK/LONDON NEW YORK/LONDON Gold hovered near 10-month lows on Tuesday as the market braced for an increase in U.S. interest rates this month and anticipated more monetary tightening next year."We are closing in on the Federal Reserve meeting next week and the question is how many rate hikes they want to pencil in for next year," said Danske Bank's senior analyst Jens Pederson.He said there were indications that inflation could rise due to more spending under U.S.

Syrian troops close in on Aleppo's Old City, poised for war's biggest victory | Reuters

By Angus McDowall , John Davison and Stephanie Nebehay | BEIRUT/GENEVA BEIRUT/GENEVA Syria's army and allies closed in on areas near Aleppo's Old City on Tuesday, looking closer than ever to achieving their most important victory of the five-year civil war by driving rebels out of their last urban stronghold.Rebels said on Tuesday they would never abandon Aleppo, after reports that U.S. and Russian diplomats were preparing to discuss the surrender and evacuation of insurgents from territory they have held for years.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said talks with the United States on a rebel withdrawal would begin in Geneva as soon as Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. But sources familiar with the plans later told Reuters no talks would take place this week in the Swiss city.The rebels, who controlled large parts of eastern Aleppo for nearly five years, have lost around two thirds of their territory in the city over the past two weeks.The government now appears closer to victory in the city than at any point since 2012, the year after rebels took up arms to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, made more than half of Syrians homeless and created the world's worst refugee crisis.The Syrian Foreign Ministry said it would now accept no truce in Aleppo, should any outside parties try to negotiate one.

U.N. nuclear watchdog confirms Iran shipped sensitive material abroad - diplomat | Reuters

VIENNA Iran has shipped 11 tonnes of heavy water abroad to bring its stock back under a limit set by its landmark nuclear deal with major powers, according to a diplomat citing a confidential U.N. nuclear watchdog report.The shipment is a step towards resolving a dispute with Western powers including the United States that are keen to prevent Iran from testing the deal's terms.

Cuba, U.S. to discuss detente in wake of Trump election | Reuters

HAVANA/WASHINGTON Cuba and the United States will draw up a roadmap for deepening their detente, the Cuban government said on Tuesday, in a first meeting since the election of Donald Trump as U.S.

EU, NATO cement 'transatlantic bond' before Trump takes office | Reuters

By Robin Emmott and Sabine Siebold | BRUSSELS BRUSSELS NATO and the European Union overcame years of rivalry on Tuesday to agree a seven-point plan to counter tactics such as cyber attacks, information warfare and irregular militia from Russia and other potential aggressors.The pact, which is not legally-binding, allows the six EU states outside NATO to benefit from some of the U.S.