Reuters Morning Digest: December 23, 2015

Click to View in Browser Wednesday, December 23, 2015 U.S. lifted Uzbekistan's rights ranking as cotton field abuses continued SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The news reached Dmitry Tihonov in Uzbekistan's rural heartland as the labor activist quietly recorded the arrival of thousands of teachers, nurses, laborers, students and other conscripts sent to the fields to pick cotton. Oil up after U.S. crude stocks drop, still close to 11-year lows LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices edged up on Wednesday after an unexpected fall in U.S. crude inventories but remained not far above 11-year lows as supplies remain abundant and as OPEC lowered the demand outlook for its exports. Turkish Internet servers under sustained cyberattack: internet body ISTANBUL/OXFORD, England (Reuters) - Turkish Internet servers have suffered one of the most intense cyberattacks ever seen in the country over the last week, according to an Internet management body, raising fears Ankara may be a target of political hackers. NASA cancels launch of next Mars probe due to instrument leak (Reuters) - A U.S. science satellite slated to launch to Mars in March has been grounded due to a leak in a key research instrument, NASA said on Tuesday, creating uncertainty about the future of a widely anticipated effort to study the interior of the planet. World Cup champion Hirscher almost hit by drone (Reuters) - Four-time World Cup champion Marcel Hirscher has criticized the use of drones to film races after one crashed and almost hit him in a race at Madonna di Campiglio on Tuesday. 'Star Wars' takes Chinese social media by storm, flirts with record release SHANGHAI/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After a mammoth marketing campaign, growing online chatter in China around "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" suggests the latest installment of the hit franchise has a shot at breaking box office records in the world's second-largest movie market. 'Star Wars' fan arrested over threat to student who revealed plot: prosecutor (Reuters) - A Montana man has been arrested on suspicion of threatening to shoot a student for divulging a plot line from the newly released Star Wars epic, court documents showed on Tuesday. Related Video One killed in blast at Istanbul airport -local media Iraqi troops storm into center of Islamic State-held Ramadi Great Debate Global smartphone brands face mass extinction Three ways China is finally taking its seat at the world's table A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today » » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2015 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add newsletters@email.reuters.com to your address book. Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook