Mounting civilian casualties from fighting in eastern Mosul between Iraqi forces and Islamic State are overwhelming the capacity of the government and international aid groups, the United Nations said on November 19.

President-elect Donald Trump and 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney set aside a fierce rivalry on November 19 and held talks likely to feed speculation that Romney could be in line to be the next US secretary of state.

Nearly 200 nations agreed around midnight on November 18 to work out the rules for a landmark 2015 global deal to tackle climate change within two years in a new sign of international support for a pact opposed by US President-elect Donald Trump.

Leaders of Pacific rim nations scrambled to find new free-trade options on November 18 as a looming Donald Trump presidency in the United States sounded a possible death knell for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Syrian rebels fought fiercely with pro-government forces trying to advance into opposition-held areas of eastern Aleppo and warplanes kept up their bombardment of the area on November 18 in a renewed bid by Damascus to retake the entire city.

The US House of Representatives passed a bill on November 17 that would block the sale of commercial aircraft to Iran, a bid to stop sales by Boeing and Airbus that have already been approved by President Barack Obama's administration.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on November 17 he was confident of building trust with Donald Trump following a meeting in which he sought clarity on campaign rhetoric from the US president-elect that cast doubt on long-standing US alliances.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on November 17 he discussed Ukraine and "all aspects" of Aleppo including renewed bombing in the Syrian city this week in a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

US President Barack Obama gave a strong endorsement of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on November 17 and used a visit to Berlin to warn Russia about consequences for intervening in the US election and prod Donald Trump to hold firm against Moscow.

US President Barack Obama arrived in Berlin on November 16 to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, with whom he has forged a close transatlantic alliance during eight years in office that President-elect Donald Trump may now call into question.