Trump names VP, children to White House transition team
Donald Trump shook up his White House transition team, putting running mate Mike Pence in charge and naming a cohort of Washington insiders - and three of his children - to help nail down picks for his future Cabinet.
The reshuffle by the Republican president-elect at Trump Tower in New York came after thousands of angry protesters took to the streets for a second straight night, sign of the acute tensions coursing through the nation after the most divisive campaign in memory.
He announced he was elevating Vice President-elect Mike Pence to lead the transition.
He also included three of his children and his son-in-law Jared Kushner on the team - a move likely to raise eyebrows.
Obama to meet China's Xi, European allies next week - White House
President Barack Obama will meet key European allies and China's Xi Jinping during an upcoming three-country overseas trip, the White House said, hoping to reassure partners after Donald Trump's shock election.
Obama is expected to meet the leaders of Britain, France and Germany during a visit to Berlin and will hold a bilateral meeting with China's leader on the margins of an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima, Peru, said top Obama adviser Ben Rhodes.
Trump's election has thrown delicately balanced geopolitics into flux.
Chinese spend record $25 billion on Singles' Day
Chinese shoppers unleashed a record deluge of cash online for Singles Day, Alibaba said, spending almost US$18 billion (S$25 billion) with the e-commerce giant in the world's biggest online shopping promotion.
Singles' Day - named for the repeated digit 1 in the date Nov 11 - was created by Alibaba in 2009.
Now in just 24 hours it surpasses the main US online spending spree, the five days from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday.
Secret beauty pageant for Indonesia's transgender women
Crowds cheered as a group of Indonesian transgender women showed off glittering gowns in a beauty pageant held almost entirely in secret to avoid unwanted attention from hardliners in the Muslim-majority nation.
Twenty-eight-year-old Pie Nabh Tappii won the title of Miss Transgender Indonesia, facing off competition from 18 other contestants.
The pageant in Jakarta was kept mostly under wraps, with just a handful of media invited as organisers warned cheering supporters not to share images of the event on social media as it unfolded, fearing the wrath of religious radicals.
Formula One: Hamilton fastest in Brazilian practice
Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton reminded Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg that he will not hand over his Formula One title without a fight after dominating practice at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Briton, 19 points behind the German with two races remaining, was fastest in both sessions at a hot and sunny Interlagos with his best lap of one minute 11.895 seconds set on soft compound tyres in the morning.
Rosberg was third, and 0.230 off the pace in that session, but ended the day second on the afternoon timesheets and just 0.030 slower.
