Congo opposition cries foul after presidential poll blighted by mishaps

The main opposition camps in Congo's presidential election on Sunday complained of widespread irregularities after a chaotic vote disrupted by long queues, broken voting machines and torrential rain.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2EUba6g

Ebola-hit Congolese town stages mock vote to protest at ban

Residents of an Ebola hotspot in eastern Congo staged a mock presidential election on Sunday to show the authorities a decision to postpone the vote there due to health fears was unfounded.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2VjSS3x

Stocks pin hopes on Sino-U.S. talk, as year ends deep in the red

Asian stocks rose on Monday as hints of progress on the Sino-U.S. trade standoff provided a rare glimmer of optimism in what has been a rough year-end for equities globally.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2An5dep

Bangladesh PM Hasina wins third straight term despite vote-rigging claims

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's alliance won Bangladesh's election with a thumping majority, the country's Election Commission said on Monday, giving her a third straight term following a vote that the opposition rejected as rigged.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2SzajLL

China's services activity picks up in December: official PMI

Growth in China's services industry picked up in December after a two-month slowdown, an official survey showed, offering some respite for the slowing economy though the outlook remains gloomy as domestic and external risks to growth rise.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2AqnVlf

Tokyo court says extends detention of Nissan's Ghosn until January 11

The Tokyo District Court said on Monday it has extended the detention of ousted Nissan Motor Co chairman Carlos Ghosn by 10 days until Jan. 11.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2VifJMO

Indonesia's latest tsunami raises global questions over disaster preparedness

As Indonesia reels from the carnage of yet another natural disaster, authorities around the globe are working on how they can prepare for the kind of freak tsunami that battered coasts west of Jakarta this month.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2RmwK9l

North Korea's Kim sent message to Trump on nuclear talks: Chosun Ilbo

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a "conciliatory message" to U.S. President Donald Trump amid stalled nuclear negotiations, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported on Monday.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2BNk0ir

Brazil moving its embassy to Jerusalem matter of 'when, not if': Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro told him that it was a matter of "when, not if" he moves his country's embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2QaDDpF

Graham more upbeat on Syria troop withdrawal after Trump meeting

A senior Republican U.S. senator said he emerged from a White House meeting with President Donald Trump on Sunday reassured that Trump is committed to defeating Islamic State even as he plans to withdraw American troops from Syria.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2Vk7DTW

Wall Street may gain Monday but unlikely to mute December losses

Investors could see one last boost to Wall Street stocks in the final trading session of the year on Monday, but they do not expect gains to offset losses in the worst December since the 1930s.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2EY0aEk

Republican Senator Graham says Trump receptive to shutdown deal idea

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday he was optimistic that Republicans, Democrats and President Donald Trump could reach a deal to end a government shutdown that includes border wall funding and legal status for some illegal immigrants.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2EWKYYL

Putin tells Trump that Moscow is open for dialogue

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in a New Year letter on Sunday that Moscow was ready for dialogue on a "wide-ranging agenda", the Kremlin said following a series of failed attempts to hold a new summit.

from Reuters: Top News https://reut.rs/2EVBcFp