Here are the top stories and upcoming coverage plans for Reuters

text service as of 10 p.m. GMT/ 6 a.m. SGT. For a full schedule

of news and events, go to our editorial calendar on Reuters

Connect.

TOP STORIES

GLOBAL

SYRIA-SECURITY/

Syrian rebels battle for Homs; Western officials see Assad

ouster possibly in days

AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels battled government

forces for control of the key city of Homs on Saturday and

advanced towards the capital Damascus, a lightning offensive

that prompted U.S. and other Western officials to predict

President Bashar al-Assad's rule could end within the next week.

FRANCE-NOTREDAME/

Notre-Dame rises from ruins of fire, restorers and first

responders get ovation

PARIS (Reuters) - The word "Merci" was projected on to the

front of Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral as it reopened on Saturday,

in thanks for its salvation after a devastating fire that

brought the 860-year-old building close to collapse five years

ago.

U.S.

UNITEDHEALTH ( UNH )-CEO/

Suspect identified in UnitedHealth ( UNH ) executive's murder, New

York Post reports

Authorities have identified the man suspected of killing

UnitedHealth ( UNH ) executive Brian Thompson and are closing in

on him, New York City Mayor Eric Adams was quoted as saying on

Saturday by the New York Post.

USA-TIKTOK-USERS/

US TikTok content creators warn followers to find them on

Instagram, YouTube

American content creators on TikTok asked followers to

subscribe to their channels on rival platforms like Meta-owned

(META.O), opens new tab Instagram and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O),

opens new tab YouTube after a federal appeals court ruled that

the social media app could be banned if it is not sold to a

U.S.-based company by Jan. 19.

BUSINESS

RETAIL-HOLIDAYSHOPPING-TIKTOK-SHOP/

US spending on TikTok Shop gains as TikTok faces threat of

ban

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. TikTok users spent heavily to buy

merchandise from a range of vendors on the e-commerce platform

TikTok Shop so far this holiday shopping season, according to

TikTok estimates and a Reuters analysis of spending patterns

measured by data from Facteus.

EMIRATES-USA-CHIPS/

US clears export of advanced AI chips to UAE under Microsoft

deal, Axios says

The U.S. government has approved the export of advanced

artificial intelligence chips to a Microsoft-operated facility

in the United Arab Emirates as part of the company's

highly-scrutinized partnership with Emirati AI firm G42, Axios

reported on Saturday, citing two people familiar with the deal.

ENTERTAINMENT

CUBA-FILM-FESTIVAL-NETFLIX/

Netflix's 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' hits screen in

Havana

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the Yara cinema in Cuba's

capital on Friday evening for a screening of the first TV

adaptation of one of Latin America's most beloved novels, a

mammoth challenge taken on by streaming giant Netflix.

INDIA-CULTURE-CONCERT/

Global music stars head to India as young, affluent Indians

pack concerts

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Young, well-to-do Indians' booming

appetite for live entertainment is attracting global music stars

as they seek out new audiences in the world's most populous

nation.

SPORTS

SOCCER-USA-WORLD-CUP-SCHEDULE/

MLS to go on hiatus during 2026 World Cup

Major League Soccer will go on break during the entirety of

the 2026 World Cup.

GOLF-ASIAN/

Chile's Niemann claims Saudi International title after

three-way playoff

RIYADH (Reuters) - Chile's Joaquin Niemann won his maiden

Saudi International title in sunny conditions at the Riyadh Golf

Club on Saturday, beating Australian Cameron Smith and American

Caleb Surratt in a three-way playoff.

UPCOMING

ARTS / CULTURE / ENTERTAINMENT

AWARDS-KENNEDY CENTER HONORS/ (PIX) (TV)

Francis Ford Coppola, Grateful Dead and Apollo Theater among

2024 Kennedy Center honorees

Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, rock band the Grateful Dead,

blues rock singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, jazz trumpeter,

pianist and composer Arturo Sandoval, and The Apollo Theater are

honored at this year's John F. Kennedy Center awards.

8 Dec

CONFLICTS / WAR / PEACE

MIDEAST-SECURITY/ (PIX) (TV)

Manama Dialogue (Bahrain)

An annual multi-day forum for ministers, policymakers and

decision-makers to debate Middle East foreign-policy, defence

and security challenges.

8 Dec

POLITICS / INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

USA-TRUMP/INTERVIEW

Trump interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press'

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be interviewed on

NBC's "Meet the Press" program, which will air on Sunday, the

network said in a statement.

It said the interview would be conducted on Friday and

excerpts would be released prior to Sunday's broadcast.

8 Dec

BUSINESS / ECONOMICS

VINFAST-FACTORY/

EV maker VinFast begins construction of new Vietnam plant

Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer VinFast

has begun construction of its second domestic

manufacturing plant that will double its output capacity, saying

it is needed to meet increased demand for its small and

mid-sized models.

8 Dec