SYRIA SEIZES 75 PERCENT OF ALEPPO

Syrian government forces and allied militias captured Aleppo’s centrally located al-Shaar neighborhood from rebels Tuesday, securing nearly threequarters of the besieged enclave less than two weeks after launching a ground offensive, according to the Syrian military.

The Syrian government and its ally Russia meanwhile rejected a cease-fire for the war-torn city, keeping up the military offensive amid rebel retreats and massive displacement.

Snow geese deaths from mine pit number in the thousands B

butte, mont.» Several thousand snow geese died after a snowstorm forced tens of thousands of the migratory birds to take refuge in the acidic, metal-laden waters of an old open pit mine in Montana last week.

Witnesses said the pit looked like “700 acres of white birds,” on Nov. 28. Since then, employees of MR and Arco have used spotlights, noise makers and other efforts to haze the birds off the water and try to prevent others from landing.

Aide says Trump sold all of his stock in June

B washington» President-elect Donald Trump sold all of his stocks in June as he plunged into the general election campaign, his transition team announced Tuesday.

His advisers provided no proof of the transactions and would not explain the apparent sell-off.

The announcement comes amid swirling questions about potential conflicts of interest between Trump’s expansive financial holdings and the decisions that will reach his desk as president.

Some details of Trump’s finances are unknown, given that he never released his tax returns during the presidential campaign, breaking decades of precedent.

Earthquake rocks Indonesia’s Aceh province; at least 25 dead. A strong

undersea earthquake rocked Indonesia’s Aceh province early Wednesday, killing at least 25 people and causing dozens of buildings to collapse. In the Pidie Jaya district, hundreds of people have been injured and more than 40 buildings, including mosques, stores and homes, were flattened.

Utah to spend $138,000 to restore outlaw’s cabin

B circleville, utah» State officials are going to restore a decaying wood