Other top stories today include guidelines for decreasing cancer fatalities, the world's steepest railway opens in Switzerland, and the new Star Wars film is a smash hit
Hello, this is Anna bringing you Monday's top stories.
Climate shift - The Trump administration will drop climate change from a list of global threats in a new National Security Strategy the president is due to unveil on Monday. Instead, Trump’s NSS paper will emphasis the need for the US to regain its economic competitiveness in the world. 'Climate change is not identified as a national security threat but climate and the importance of the environment and environmental stewardship are discussed,' a senior administration official said.
Death prevention - Nearly 40% of cancer deaths could be prevented with simple lifestyle changes, new research has concluded. Quitting smoking, eating healthier and drinking alcohol less would help stop the disease, which claims 8.2 million lives worldwide each year. Scientists suggest those three habits can be blamed for 30.4% of all cancer deaths, around 2.5 million - with tobacco being the biggest risk factor.
Travel misery - A sudden power outage brought the world’s busiest airport to a standstill on Sunday, grounding more than 1,000 flights in the US just days before the start of the Christmas rush. Passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta were left in the dark when the lights suddenly went out at about 1pm. All outgoing flights were cancelled or delayed. International flights were being diverted, officials said.
Tragedy in Beirut - A suspect has been arrested over the death of a British diplomat in Beirut, a source told the Guardian. The body of Rebecca Dykes was reportedly found on the side of a motorway in the early hours of Saturday morning. The circumstances surrounding her death were unclear, but local police officials suggested she had been strangled.
Horrific spectacle - A court in China has sentenced 10 people to death, mostly for drug-related crimes, in front of thousands of onlookers before taking them away for execution. The 10 people were executed immediately after the sentencing in Lufeng in southern Guangdong province, just 160km (100 miles) from Hong Kong, according to state-run media.
Dare to take a ride? - The world's steepest funicular railway has opened to the public in Switzerland, promising to be an epic ride for thrillseekers. The floors tilt, adjusting to the slope as the funicular climbs 110m (360ft) over a distance of 100m at the steepest point. The Stoos Bahn took 14 years to build - two years longer than scheduled - at a cost of 52m Swiss francs (£40m; $53m).
The force returns - The Last Jedi, the eighth installment in the Star Wars saga, premiered this weekend to the second-biggest opening ever in North America. It brought in an estimated $220 million, according to Disney. The Disney film's opening is second only to its predecessor, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opened to $248 million in December 2015.