REUTERS AMERICA NEWS PLAN FOR MONDAY DEC 14

LATEST AND PLANNED U.S. NEWS COVERAGE (ALL TIMES ET)

TOP STORIES

Obama at Pentagon says faster progress needed against Islamic State

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said on Monday progress needs to speed up against Islamic State militants, calling on allies to increase their military contributions to coalition efforts to destroy the group in Iraq and Syria. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Obama said he was sending Defense Secretary Ash Carter to the Middle East to secure more military help from partner nations in the fight against the group. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/OBAMA (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moved at 1:37 p.m., 260 words)

On Sandy Hook anniversary, U.S. activists call for gun restrictions

-- U.S. gun control activists called for expanded background checks for firearms purchasers and for a ban on sales to people on federal watch lists on Monday, in a protest marking the third anniversary of the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school. (CONNECTICUT-SHOOTING/ANNIVERSARY (PIX, TV), moved at 11:50 a.m., 395 words)

In American mosques, growing safety concerns - and more armed guards

CORONA, Calif. - From the suburbs of Los Angeles to the outskirts of Washington, D.C., mosques around the United States are warily stepping up security in the face of growing fears about reprisals on American Muslims. (CALIFORNIA-SHOOTING/MOSQUES (PIX), moved, by Idrees Ali, 865 words)

Obama 'runs wild' in Alaska, drinks catkin tea for TV adventure show

NEW YORK - They shared tea made out of catkins, ate wild salmon picked over by a bear, talked about being a dad and discussed climate change - all while snipers kept watch from the mountains and the official food taster looked on warily. President Barack Obama's "Running Wild" Alaska episode with wilderness expert Bear Grylls airs on NBC television on Dec. 17. (TELEVISION-RUNNINGWILD/OBAMA (PIX), moved, by Jill Serjeant, 400 words)

Aggreko pulls Olympic tender, leaves Rio 2016 power in doubt

RIO DE JANEIRO - Temporary power supplier Aggreko has pulled out of a tender to provide generators to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year, the spokesman for Rio 2016 told Reuters, dealing a major blow to organizers rushing to secure an energy source for the world's largest sporting event. (BRAZIL-OLYMPICS/AGGREKO (EXCLUSIVE, UPDATE 2), moved at noon, 596 words)

Paris climate pact sinks coal stocks, lifts renewable energy

-- A landmark deal to curb global warming dented shares of fossil fuel companies on Monday and lifted renewable energy stocks although some price swings were muted by the non-binding nature of the pact. (CLIMATECHANGE-SUMMIT/STOCKS (UPDATE 1), moved at 12:18 p.m., 530 words) See also: Obama calls Xi to praise China's role in climate talks (CLIMATECHANGE-USA/CHINA, moved at 10:14 a.m., 78 words)

Can the Paris agreement protect poor farmers from climate change?

BARCELONA - Purity Gachanga is one small-scale farmer who is beating climate change. On her several acres of land in Embu North district in central Kenya, she keeps cows and goats that produce milk, grows trees for fodder, and collects water to irrigate her food crops in a pond filled with tilapia fish. (CLIMATECHANGE-SUMMIT/AGRICULTURE (PIX), moved, 897 words)

Italian police seize 3,500 fake parchments with papal blessings

ROME - Italian police have confiscated about 3,500 counterfeit parchments bearing blessings by Pope Francis and being sold to pilgrims in Rome, authorities said on Monday. (POPE-PARCHMENTS/ (PIX), moved at 10:48 a.m., 190 words)

SUPREME COURT

Supreme Court leaves intact jury award in Los Angeles police shooting

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the city of Los Angeles and two policemen on Monday, leaving in place a $5.7 million judgment a jury awarded to a man left paralyzed from the waist down after the officers shot him in the back four times. (USA-COURT/POLICE, moved at 9:45 a.m., by Lawrence Hurley, 250 words)

Supreme Court reinstates Kentucky inmate's death sentence

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday reinstated the death sentence of a Kentucky man convicted in the 1997 murders of a Louisville couple including a pregnant woman who was strangled and whose body was found with scissors sticking out from her neck. (USA-COURT/DEATHPENALTY, moved at 11:57 a.m., 250 words)

Supreme Court rules DirecTV can enforce arbitration agreements

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court rules that satellite television provider DirecTV Inc can enforce arbitration agreements signed by its customers in California. (USA-COURT/ARBITRATION (UPDATE 1), moved, 250 words)

Supreme Court rejects human rights suit against Occidental

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Monday declined to revive a human rights lawsuit against Occidental Petroleum Corp and a security contractor that had accused them of complicity in a deadly 1998 bombing by Colombia's military of a village in the South American country. (USA-COURT/OCCIDENTAL (UPDATE 1), moved at 9:42 a.m., 226 words)

SPECIAL REPORT

Why Washington ignored torture by Iraqi militias

ERBIL, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi reports seen by Reuters show how Washington, seeking to defeat Sunni jihadists and stabilize Iraq, has consistently overlooked excesses by Shi'ite militias sponsored by the Iraqi government. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/IRAQ-MILITIAS (SPECIAL REPORT, CORRECTED, PIX), moved at 10:13 a.m., by Ned Parker, 2,640 words)

WASHINGTON

Biden, in call with Turkey PM, urges cooperation with Iraq

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden on Monday welcomed the reported withdrawal of Turkish troops from a camp in northern Iraq and urged Turkey to continue trying to cooperate with Baghdad, the White House said on Monday. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-USA (PIX), moved at 11:34 a.m., 108 words)

White House says Kerry will press Russia on Turkey de-escalation

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John Kerry will press Moscow on the need for de-escalation with Ankara after Turkey's shoot-down of a Russian plane at the Syrian border, the White House said on Monday. Kerry holds meetings with Russian leaders in Moscow on Tuesday. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/TURKEY-USA, moved at 1:50 p.m., 92 words) See also: Russia says Kerry, Lavrov agree on preconditions for next international Syria meeting (MIDEAST-CRISIS/LAVROV-KERRY-CALL (UPDATE 1), moved at noon, 211 words)

Former Honduran president travels to U.S. to face charges in FIFA case

TEGUCIGALPA - Rafael Callejas, the former president of Honduras, on Monday flew to the United States where he has been indicted for alleged links to a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme at the world soccer governing body FIFA. (SOCCER-FIFA/HONDURAS, moved at 10 a.m., 162 words) See also: U.S. investigates broadcasters in widening FIFA case (SOCCER-FIFA/BROADCASTING (PIX), moved, 900 words)

Fed weighs merits of jumbo portfolio in post-crisis era

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO - Once the Federal Reserve lifts interest rates from near zero, likely this week, the focus will turn to the other legacy of the crisis-era policies: the Fed's bloated balance sheet. The prevailing view is that the U.S. central bank's $4.5 trillion portfolio, swollen by bond purchases aimed at stimulating the economy, will have to shrink once rates are on their way up, and the Fed will just need to decide how quickly. (USA-FED/PORTFOLIO, moved at 11:33 a.m., by Ann Saphir and Jonathan Spicer, 728 words)

FEATURES

From Snowpocalypse to trigger-happy dog, no shortage of American oddness in 2015

NEW YORK - Wacky weather, animal antics and outrageous human behavior made headlines in 2015, with America's quirky tales ranging from a Florida man arrested for landing a small helicopter on the U.S. Capitol grounds to a dog named Trigger who shot his owner in Indiana. (USA-ODD/ (FEATURE, PIX), moved, by Barbara Goldberg, 662 words)

Disney's 'Star Wars' marketing force reaches for female fans

LOS ANGELES - "Star Wars" actress Daisy Ridley smiles on the cover of Glamour magazine, storm trooper necklaces are on sale at Kay Jewelers, and commercials for the new film "The Force Awakens" are running during Kim Kardashian's reality TV show. (FILM-STARWARS/WOMEN (TV, PIX), moved at 10:47 a.m., by Lisa Richwine, 695 words)

OTHER U.S. NEWS

Prosecutor tells jury says Baltimore officer negligent in Freddie Gray death

BALTIMORE - A Baltimore police officer charged with manslaughter in the death of a black detainee needed only a few seconds to save the man's life and changed his story about the death, a prosecutor said during closing arguments on Monday. (BALTIMORE-POLICE/ (UPDATE 2, PIX, TV), moved at 11:30 a.m., by Ian Simpson, 398 words)

Severed head in Pennsylvania may be tied to body parts market

ECONOMY, Pa. - A year after an embalmed woman's head was found along a rural Pennsylvania road, investigators trying to identify the victim said on Monday they found red balls in the eye sockets and the case may be tied to a growing black market for body parts. (PENNSYLVANIA/HEAD, expect by 3 p.m., 400 words)

Jury to take up fate of Massachusetts teen charged with murder

SALEM - A jury is set to weigh the fate of Massachusetts teenager accused of raping and murdering his high school math teacher, after his attorney and a county prosecutor delivered closing statements the high-profile trial on Monday. (MASSACHUSETTS-MURDER/TEACHER (UPDATE 1), moved at 11:55 a.m., by Ted Siefer, 384 words)

Lawyers for Pollard to urge parole terms be dropped

NEW YORK - Lawyers for Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard will urge a U.S. judge to rescind parole conditions set after his release from prison last month, calling them "onerous and oppressive." Pollard, a former civilian intelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy, was released after 30 years in prison Nov. 20, and is living in New York, where he hopes to start work at an investment firm. (ISRAEL-USA/POLLARD, expect by 3 p.m., 300 words)

Mayor of Georgia city shot to death in domestic dispute

ATLANTA - The mayor of a small city in northern Georgia died after he was shot in the head during a domestic disturbance, state investigators said on Monday. Clarkesville Mayor Terry Greene was injured in a shooting Sunday night at his home, about 85 miles northeast of Atlanta, and he later died at an Atlanta hospital. (USA-GEORGIA/MAYOR, moved, 135 words)

Florida man incompetent for trial in 9/11 memorial bomb plot in Kansas City

TAMPA, Fla. - A federal judge has found a Florida man, accused of plotting to detonate a pressure-cooker bomb at a Kansas City memorial to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, incompetent to stand trial, his defense attorney said following a court hearing on Monday. (FLORIDA-THREAT, expect by 3:30 p.m., 200 words)

Houston Ship Channel reopened after chemical tanker fire

HOUSTON - The Houston Ship Channel was re-opened after a burning tanker prompted a nearly three-hour shutdown of a two-mile-long section of the largest petrochemical port in the United States. The fire was extinguished nearly 90 minutes after it started but the channel remained closed for nearly another 90 minutes as firefighters monitored the air to ensure no toxic fumes lingered. (SHIPPING-HOUSTON/FIRE (UPDATE 3, PIX), moving shortly, 217 words)

Chicago teachers' union votes to authorize a strike

CHICAGO - Chicago public school teachers have voted "overwhelmingly" to authorize a strike, preparing for what could be the second walk-out at the financially troubled system in less than four years, the union said on Monday. (CHICAGO-EDUCATION/STRIKE (UPDATE 2), moved, by Mary Wisniewski, 397 words)

National Guard member pleads guilty in plot to attack Illinois base

CHICAGO - An Illinois National Guard member pleaded guilty on Monday to plotting with his cousin to attack an Illinois military installation as part of a conspiracy to support Islamic State, a spokesman for federal prosecutors said. (USA-JUSTICE/ISLAMICSTATE, moved at 1:20 p.m., by Mary Wisniewski, 310 words)

Planned Parenthood files federal lawsuit against Ohio health department

CLEVELAND - Attorneys for Planned Parenthood sued Ohio on Sunday, asking a judge to block what it argues is an attempt by the state's top attorney to stop the organization from providing abortion services, court filings showed. (OHIO-PLANNEDPARENTHOOD/, moved, by Kim Palmer, 355 words)

U.S. hog farmers go to extremes to fend off deadly virus return

CHICAGO - Some Minnesota farmers are feeding the remains of dead baby pigs to hogs in attempts to ward off infections of a deadly virus in their offspring. In Oklahoma, farm workers are mixing manure from swine sick with the disease, known as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, into the food of healthy animals to build their immunity. (USA-HOGS/VIRUS, moved, 792 words)

Seattle lawmakers set to vote on allowing Uber, other drivers to unionize

SEATTLE - City council members in Seattle were set on Monday to vote on a new law that would allow drivers for services such as Uber and Lyft the right to unionize. (WASHINGTON-UBER/, moved, 328 words)

SPOTLIGHT

From icon to politician: As Myanmar changes, so does Suu Kyi

NAYPYITAW - When Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi spoke warmly on a recent radio show about a critical meeting that followed her landslide election victory, she was referring to talks with the very man who had detained her for 15 years. (MYANMAR-POLITICS/ (PIX), moved, 805 words)

MIDDLE EAST

Motorist rams Jerusalem pedestrians, shot dead - Israeli police

JERUSALEM - A motorist rams into a bus stop in Jerusalem, injuring at least nine people before he is shot dead, Israeli police say, in what appears to be latest in a surge of Palestinian street attacks. (ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/ (UPDATE 1, TV, PIX), moved at 10:28 a.m., 373 words)

Egypt says no evidence of terrorism in Russian plane crash

CAIRO - Egypt says it has found no evidence so far of terrorism or other illegal action linked to the crash of a Russian passenger plane in Sinai that killed all 224 people on board on Oct. 31. (EGYPT-CRASH/ (UPDATE 1), moved, 200 words)

U.S. Embassy in Ankara to limit services Monday and Tuesday, cites security threat

ANKARA - The U.S. Embassy in Ankara will scale back its services on Monday and Tuesday due to a possible security threat. Last week, the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul had canceled consular services for a day, citing information about a possible security threat. (USA-TURKEY/SECURITY, moved, 60 words)

Free Syrian Army rebels deny Russian support

BEIRUT - Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad in western Syria deny receiving any support from the Russian air force, saying that on the contrary it continued to bomb them and rejecting comments by a top Russian general. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-DENIAL, moved, 580 words)

Clashes in southeast Turkey kill seven, new curfews declared

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey - Two people were killed on Monday as Turkish police clashed with crowds protesting against a security crackdown in the main southeastern city of Diyarbakir. (TURKEY-KURDS/ (UPDATE 1), moved at 10 a.m., 460 words) See also: Turkish troops leave Iraqi camp after Baghdad orders them out (MIDEAST-CRISIS-TURKEY/IRAQ (UPDATE 1), moved, 290 words)

With region in turmoil, West pushes for Yemen peace

DUBAI - Alarmed by the rise of Islamic State, under pressure from the West and with stalemate on the battlefield, Yemen's civil war foes are expected to launch their most serious peace efforts so far at U.N.-mediated talks in Geneva starting on Tuesday. (YEMEN-SECURITY/TALKS, moved, 760 words)

WORLD

French teacher "invented" story about Islamist attack

PARIS - A report from a French school teacher that he had been assaulted by a self-styled Islamist militant on Monday, causing classes to be canceled and an anti-terrorism investigation, turned out to be "invented," investigators said. (FRANCE-ATTACK/ (UPDATE 4, PIX), moved at 12:42 p.m., 253 words)

At least 60 killed as Nigerian army raids Shi'ite sect, hospital says

ABUJA - At least 60 people were killed this weekend when the Nigerian army raided a Shi'ite sect and arrested its leader in the northern city of Zaria, the director of a local hospital said on Monday. (NIGERIA-VIOLENCE/, moved at 1:12 p.m., 327 words)

Argentine police bus crashes, 42 dead; nine injured

BUENOS AIRES - A bus carrying Argentine border patrol officers crashed into a ravine in the northern province of Salta on Monday, killing 42 people, while nine were being treated for injuries. (ARGENTINA-CRASH/ (UPDATE 4, PIX), moved at 1:40 p.m., 265 words)

Rallying party, Merkel pledges to reduce refugee inflow

KARLSRUHE, Germany - German Chancellor Angela Merkel promises at a congress of her conservative party to reduce substantially the number of migrants entering Germany, responding to rank-and-file concerns about the influx of a million refugees this year alone. (GERMANY-CONSERVATIVES/ (UPDATE 1, TV, PIX), moved, 455 words)

Colombia, rebels to sign pact on reparations for war victims

HAVANA - The Colombian government and leftist FARC rebels have reached a deal on reparations for war victims and could be near a pact on the terms of confinement for ex-combatants who would be tried in special tribunals once a definitive peace agreement is reached. (COLOMBIA-REBELS/ (TV), moved at 10:47 a.m., 300 words)

Two Swedes get life sentences for "terrorist crimes" in Syria

STOCKHOLM - Two Swedish men were sentenced to life in prison on Monday for "terrorist crimes" in Syria in 2013, a Swedish district court said in a statement. The two men, aged 32 and 30, were convicted of assisting in executions in Syria. (SWEDEN-WARCRIMES/, moved, 335 words)

Typhoon threatens central Philippines, 750,000 evacuated

MANILA - Hundreds of thousands of people are evacuated from the central Philippines as a typhoon with winds of up to 150 kph (95 mph) made landfall, dumping heavy rain that could cause flooding, landslides and storm surges, authorities warn. (PHILIPPINES-TYPHOON/ (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moved, 325 words)

Rockets fired at north Mali's city of Gao

BAMAKO - Attackers fire rockets early on Monday at Mali's northern city of Gao, which serves a base for U.N. peacekeepers and a French regional security force, military sources and residents say. (MALI-ATTACKS/ (UPDATE 1), moved, 190 words)

Turkey to re-launch EU membership bid with economic talks

BRUSSELS/ANKARA - European Union foreign ministers are set to revive Turkey's efforts to join the bloc by agreeing to open talks on the EU's financial rules, as part of a bigger deal to help Europe solve its migration crisis. (TURKEY-EU/SIMSEK (UPDATE 1), moved, 280 words)

On eve of global trade talks, African leaders seek fair terms

NAIROBI - The World Trade Organization must do more to support large-scale agriculture in Africa and develop a new, global approach to domestic farm subsidies, African leaders said on Monday, the day before the world body's meets in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. (WTO-TRADE/AFRICA (PIX, TV), moved at 11 a.m., by Edith Honan, 400 words)

French far-right fails to win any regions in setback for Le Pen

PARIS - Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front did not win any region in French elections on Sunday in a setback to her hopes of being a serious presidential contender in 2017. (FRANCE-POLITICS/ (UPDATE 8, PIX, TV), moved at 6:30 a.m., 667 words)

Trial of China rights lawyer lasts three hours, police block court access

(CHINA-RIGHTS/ (UPDATE 3, PIX, TV), moved, 670 words)

Thailand's 88-year-old king makes rare appearance

(THAILAND-KING/ (TV PIX), moved at 10 a.m., 398 words)

Burundi starts trial of May coup plotters, days after fighting

(BURUNDI-UNREST/ (UPDATE 1), moved at 9:58 a.m., 510 words)

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

Antidepressants in pregnancy tied to autism

-- Women who take antidepressants during pregnancy may be more likely to have children with autism, a Canadian study suggests. The overall risk is low - less than 1 percent of the nearly 150,000 babies in the study were diagnosed with autism by age six or seven. (HEALTH-AUTISM/ANTIDEPRESSANTS (CORRECTED), moved at 1:20 p.m., 710 words)

Moderate drinking may be tied to fewer deaths in early Alzheimer's - study

-- People with early Alzheimer's disease who consumed light to moderate amounts of alcohol every day were less likely to die during a recent one-year study, researchers found. (HEALTH-DEMENTIA/ALCOHOL, moved at 11 a.m., 544 words)

In Chile, world's astronomy hub, scientists fear loss of dark skies

CERRO LAS CAMPANAS, Chile - When some of the world's leading astronomers scaled a frosty, Chilean peak in mid-November to break ground on a state-of-the-art, $1 billion telescope, they were stunned by an unexpectedly hazy glow. (CHILE-ASTRONOMY/ (PIX), moved at 1:43 p.m., 675 words)

Drug approvals top 2014 high but R&D returns still struggle

LONDON - The number of new drugs approved in the United States this year has already topped last year's 18-year high, yet large pharmaceutical companies are still struggling to get a decent return on their research dollars. (PHARMACEUTICALS-PRODUCTIVITY/, moved, 339 words)

Valeant hires attorney, crisis management firm as U.S. scrutiny mounts

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - Pharmaceuticals firm Valeant, under mounting pressure from Congress and prosecutors over its drug pricing, has hired an attorney in Washington, DC and crisis public relations experts with political connections, according to sources familiar with the matter. (VALEANT-HILLS/PROBES, moved, 526 words)

ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE

Serena Williams named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year

NEW YORK - Serena Williams, who held all four of tennis's grand slam titles for the second time in her career and won 53 of 56 matches in 2015, was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine on Monday. (SPORTS-AWARDS/ (PIX), moved, 412 words) See also: Sports Illustrated's 'Sportsperson of the Year' winners (SPORTS-AWARDS/ (FACTBOX), moved, 389 words)

Rome to host 2022 Ryder Cup matches

LONDON - Rome will become only the third Ryder Cup host from Continental Europe after Italy beat out Germany, Spain and Austria on Monday in the bidding race to stage the 44th edition of the matches in 2022. (GOLF-RYDER/ (UPDATE 2), moved, 374 words)

Touring play says Germany no paradise for migrants

(EUROPE-MIGRANTS/GERMANY-PLAY (PIX), moved, 422 words)

Adele Soars and Charms in 'Live in New York City' NBC Special

(VARIETY/ (ENTERTAINMENT-MUISC/NEWS), moved, 500 words)

'Mike & Molly' Canceled After Six Seasons, Says Co-Star

(VARIETY/ (ENTERTAINMENT-TV/NEWS), moved, 250 words)

TV Review: 'Making a Murderer'

(VARIETY/ (ENTERTAINMENT-TV/REVIEWS), moved, 600 words)

TV Review: TLC's 'Jill & Jessa: Counting On'

(VARIETY/ (ENTERTAINMENT-TV/REVIEWS), moved, 580 words)

CONSUMER TECH

Samsung appeals Apple patent 'windfall' ruling to U.S. Supreme Court

NEW YORK - Samsung took to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday in a last-ditch effort to pare back the more than $548 million in damages it must pay Apple for infringing the patents and designs of the iPhone. It is the latest step in a long running patent lawsuit between the rival companies that epitomized the global smart phone wars. (APPLE-SAMSUNG/APPEAL, moving shortly, 397 words) See also: Apple Music wins exclusive video deal with Taylor Swift (APPLE-TAYLORSWIFT/ (UPDATE 2, PIX), moved, 400 words)

BUSINESS ANALYSIS

Oil rout rattles nervous investors as Fed hike looms

LONDON - Volatility sweeps through world markets as a renewed slide in oil and weakness in credit markets hit stocks, weigh on bond yields and add to the nervousness already building ahead of an expected U.S. interest rate hike later this week. (GLOBAL-MARKETS/ (WRAPUP 6), moved, 735 words)

With oil hedges rolling off, US shale producers face stiff test

NEW YORK - Cash-strapped U.S. shale oil producers are facing another sharp sell-off in a 18-month-old crude slump with reduced hedging protection, risking a severe hit to earnings if prices fail to recover. (USA-OIL/HEDGING, moved, 800 words)

Fed rate hike to put pressure on emerging market corporates in 2016

-- Emerging market companies with debt in dollars and revenue in sinking local currencies will struggle to pay off debt when the U.S. Federal Reserve raises interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade, ending years of easy money policies adopted to cope with the financial crisis. (USA-FED/MARKETS-EM, expect by 5 p.m., 700 words)

U.S. restructuring firms bulk up as crude dive boosts business

NEW YORK/HOUSTON - Law firms and banks are adding staff to their restructuring practices from Houston to New York City to scoop up new business as oil prices sink near 11-year lows, pressuring energy companies to slash debt or file for bankruptcy. (ENERGY-RESTRUCTURING/STAFFING, moved, 790 words)

The China metal exchange at center of investment scandal

(CHINA-METALS/FANYA (INSIGHT, PIX), moved, 1,435 words)

BUSINESS AND MARKETS

Newell Rubbermaid to buy Jarden to create consumer durables giant

-- Newell Rubbermaid, the maker of the namesake food storage containers, agreed to buy diversified consumer products company Jarden Corp for more than $15 billion to increase scale and clout with retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target. (JARDEN-M&A/NEWELLRUBBERMAID (UPDATE 3), moved at 1:37 p.m., 480 words)

Norfolk Southern rejects Canadian Pacific's revised offer

-- U.S. railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp formally rejects a revised offer from Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd , saying it was worth less than CP's earlier proposal, raising the prospect of a proxy battle. (NORFOLK SOUTHERN-M&A/CP (UPDATE 2), moved, at 11:44 a.m., 293 words)

Oil tumbles towards 11-year lows on worsening glut

LONDON - Oil prices tumble 4 percent, coming close to their 11-year low, on growing fears that the global oil glut will worsen in the months to come in a pricing war between leading OPEC and non-OPEC producers. (GLOBAL-OIL/ (UPDATE 6), moved, 465 words) See also: Wells Fargo says slump in oil prices could last longer - FT (WELLSFARGO-ENERGY/, moved at 11:28 a.m., 195 words)

Indexes little changed as crude steadies near 11-yr low

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks were little changed in volatile trading on Monday, two days ahead of an expected U.S. interest rate hike, as crude oil prices steadied near 11-year lows. (USA-STOCKS/ (UPDATE 4, GRAPHIC), moved at 12:36 p.m., 478 words)

Canada's Encana slashes dividend, cuts capex

TOTONTO - Canadian oil and natural gas producer Encana Corp, responding to a sharp drop in oil prices, has slashed its dividend by about 79 percent and its 2016 capital budget by more than a quarter. (ENCANA-SPENDING/ (UPDATE 3), moved at 12:38 p.m., 390 words)

AstraZeneca chases Acerta to secure next cancer drug winner

LONDON - AstraZeneca says it is in talks that might lead to the acquisition of privately held biotech firm Acerta Pharma, a potential $5 billion deal designed to build up its cancer drug portfolio. (ACERTA-M&A/ASTRAZENECA (UPDATE 1), moved, 405 words)

Toshiba to cut up to 7,000 jobs - Nikkei

-- Toshiba is looking to cut up to 7,000 jobs, as it looks to streamline operations in the wake of an accounting scandal, the Nikkei business daily reported. Most of the 6,000-7,000 job cuts will be in the company's lifestyle segment, which includes consumer appliances. (TOSHIBA-REDUNDANCIES/, moved at 12:40 p.m., 155 words)

Alibaba agrees on $266 million acquisition deal with South China Morning Post

(SCMP GROUP-ALIBABA/ (UPDATE 2), moved, 400 words)

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REUTERS AMERICA NEWS PLAN FOR MONDAY DEC 14

REUTERS AMERICA NEWS PLAN FOR MONDAY DEC 14