News Archive - 9 January 2015

>Earlier this week, the State Department said Kerry would travel to India this weekend to attend an investment summit promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held in the city of Ahmedabad, in Modi's home state of Gujarat.Among the top agenda items on Kerry's trip, which is to...

>Cohen, an attorney, has overseen U.S. sanctions policy from the Treasury. He was in charge of finding and thwarting financial support lines for terrorist organizations and drug traffickers while running efforts to crack down on money laundering.He will replace deputy CIA deputy director Avril Haines, who is joining...

>ANKARA (Reuters) - (This version of the Jan. 7 story corrects the month to November from December in paragraph 12.) Iran's top authority Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran should immunize itself against international sanctions imposed over its nuclear program, keeping up a confrontational stance as talks over...

Secretary of state John Kerry will meet with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian FM, on January 14, 2015 in Geneva to discuss nuclear negotiations. Photo by Evan Vucci/Reuters WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Iran’s foreign minister in Switzerland next week to discuss the current state of...

>The meeting will take place ahead of lower-level bilateral nuclear talks between Iran and members of six major powers expected to start on Jan. 15 in Geneva as well as a collective discussion among the entire group scheduled to resume on Jan. 18.Speaking to reporters, the senior U.S.

Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook note that he is "committed" to building a social network where people can speak freely without fear of violence. In 2010, a Pakistani lawyer attempted to have Mr. Zuckerberg put to death over drawings of Muhammad that appeared on the site.

After Chicago-area schools canceled classes two days last week because of brutally low temperatures and dangerous wind chills, many parents and other curmudgeons complained loudly.

Having defeated President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Jan 8, 2015 presidential poll, victor Maithripala Sirisena yesterday took oaths before Supreme Court Justice K

In the wake of the Obama administration’s partial normalization of relations with Cuba, proponents of the embargo condemned the move, with National Review publishing an unsigned editorial claiming that allowing Americans to trade freely with the island nation amounts to giving comfort to murderous dictators. NR’s editors concluded with:The Cuban...

KABUL — The scene beneath a crumbling overpass in the capital city was a troubling one. Hundreds of figures huddled together in the shadows. Some ...

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have recommended that retired Army Gen. David Petraeus be charged for providing classified documents to his biographer, raising the prospect of ...

The deteriorating health of King Abdullah is casting a shadow over Saudi Arabia, where a growing dispute over succession is dividing the House of Saud ...

The intelligence services have never doubted that new terrorist attacks will come to the West, including Britain, writes MAX HASTINGS.

Getting directly to the point: why is Saudi Arabia, perhaps the major contributor to the continuing fall of oil prices pumping more and more oil, while losing a huge amount of revenue in the process, apparently "cutting off their nose to spite their face"?

Brussels (AFP) - European leaders will make an extraordinary show of support for France by joining a mass rally in Paris this weekend, amid a wave of solidarity following after the bloody end to the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

Turkish authorities do not intend to impose sanctions on Russia if asked by the United States or the European Union, Turkish Ambassador to Russia Umit Yardim told RIA Novosti on Friday.

A weekly class seeks to explain how biblical prophecy relates to headlines in the news today. The free class, held at the Church at Tuscaloosa in Northport from 7-8 p.m. each Monday, is taught by Eric Walker, executive director of Igniting a Nation Ministries Inc. in Birmingham. Walker is...

James Motarjemi Bryan, an Iranian-born Bay Area radio personality known as "the Persian Johnny Carson," will be remembered at a memorial service set for 3 p.

PARIS -- Cherif Kouachi, one of the two Kouachi brothers, suspects of Charlie Hebdo attack, declared to BFMTV Friday morning he was sent by Al-Qaeda Yemen, while told BFMTV that he belonged to Islamic State (IS).

Saudi Arabia faced a double crisis Sunday, Jan. 5: King Abdullah, 91, is gravely ill – reportedly with lung cancer - and preparing to abdicate. Two American specialists have been rushed to Riyadh to treat him, as his successors stand by, although princely disputes may delay an announcement.

Grande risalto mediatico per Napoli-Juventus, la sfida clou della 18esima giornata di Serie A che verrà trasmesso praticamente in tutto il mondo, certamente in tutti i cinque continenti.

Also, U.S. Olympic Committee pushes Boston to host 2024 Summer Games; Harry Reid may not regain full vision in right eye; 170 cars in Michigan crash; flu season shaping up to be severe; Al Qaeda claims responsibility for Charlie Hebdo attack; and Nigerian forces

“We came to Australia to become the best team.” Uli Stielike, the Korean national team coach, showed strong determination.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense lawyers have issued a subpoena to a New York Times reporter to testify in the trial of a former CIA officer accused of leaking classified information.

It was not long ago that Saudi Arabia's foreign exchange reserves were mounting rapidly and it faced no problem in its fiscal management. Not anymore. Last week, the world's largest crude exporter announced an expansionary 2015 budget with the largest-ever fiscal deficit of dollar 38.6 billion.

LONDON, Jan. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Oil production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) totaled 30.03 million b/d in December, up 20,000 b/d from November, a Platts survey ...

[IPS]United Nations -In a satirical piece titled 'An Unserious Look at the Year Ahead' in the Wall Street Journal last week, Hugo Rifkind predicts the price of a barrel of oil will fall so low that people across the world would start buying oil for the barrel - and throw...

>"We decided to decline ... this is because the conditions we think are necessary to ensure the success of the meeting are not available," the moderate Islamist said in an online post.When he headed the Western-backed Syrian political opposition in 2012, Khatib called for negotiations with President Bashar al-Assad to...

South Korean coach Uli Stielike says his side's individual brilliance will count for nothing their Asian Cup campaign which starts Saturday.

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Australia will launch their attempt to reach new heights in football by toppling champions Japan and winning their first Asian Cup when they kick off the t...

(MENAFN - The Peninsula) Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) will host a consultative meeting of national societies in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) at Crowne Plaza Doha from Januar...

The art deco Casino theatre in Chennai was built in 1941 by JH Irani, an ice factory owner, and designed by his engineer-son, Firoz. Photo: N Sridharan

New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) Former Indian and US diplomats Friday held business as a force to drive the two economies, a signal US President Barack Obama must send out in his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi later this month.

With Western economic sanctions against Russia, Iran and Cuba in the news, it is a good time to take stock of the debate on just how well such measures work.

>WASHINGTON Jan 8 (Reuters) - Republican lawmakers said on Thursday they are close to reintroducing legislation seeking a voice in negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and to impose tougher sanctions against Iran, now that they control both houses of the U.S. Congress.Senator Mark Kirk told reporters at the...

Jim Slattery, a former congressman from Kansas, made a rare visit to Tehran last month in which he addressed a conference on extremism and held discussions with Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rohani's chief of staff, Mohammad Nahavandia. Slattery told RFE/RL's Golnaz Esfandiari that...

An appeals court in Tehran has upheld the ten-year prison sentence of the young scientist Omid Kokabee without regard for the earlier opinion of the Supreme Court or the reasoning set forth in their ruling on the case.

Violent developments in northern Mali have displaced the event, which is the subject of a new documentary.

The Athena Film Festival has revealed the complete lineup of films slated to screen over the course of the four-day festival. Now in its fifth year, the Athena Film Festival is a celebration of women and leadership in cinema, both on and off-screen. The fifth edition of the festival will...

A $1 gas tax increase would constrain U.S. oil consumption, reduce pollution and CO2 emissions and weaken oil-dependent unsavouries like Russia and Venezuela, Iran.

Australia defeated Kuwait 3-1 in the opening game of the 2015 Asian Cup, coming from behind to start their campaign in ideal fashion.

Dublin -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xptds5/soda_ash_2014) has announced the addition of the "Soda Ash: 2014 World Market Outlook and Forecast up to 2018" ...

ARGENTINA players laughed off criticism of their supposed defensive weakness on Thursday and vowed there would be no repeat of their 2010 World Cup quarter-final thrashing by Germany.

With flags flying at half-mast, European Council, Commission and Parliament officials on Thursday expressed their solidarity with the victims of this week's murderous attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

KARACHI: Police on Friday said they had shot dead four regional Al-Qaeda militants including a senior leader in an early morning encounter in the port city of Karachi.

Oil prices have lost more than half their value in the last year, one of the biggest single factors reshaping the global economy. That’s why the World Bank has examined the global impact of oil in one of its analytical chapters of its latest Global Economic Prospects report.

TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has denounced “terrorism” and violence committed in the name of Islam, after the deadly attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Today is Friday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2015. There are 356 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: read more

By United Press International UPI Almanac for Friday, Jan. 9, 2015

‘Something has changed!” That phrase dominated conversation, including the media, in much of France a day after the worst carnage the country has experienced in peacetime. Some labeled the attack...

Australia will hope to set the country alight with football fever when it kicks off the 2015 Asian Cup in Melbourne on Friday.

For the second consecutive quarter, the global average connection speed remained above the 4 Mbps broadband threshold, despite a slight decline in the third quarter of 2014, dropping 2.8 percent to 4.5 Mbps.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian police are taking precautionary measures and strengthening national security following the militant-style attacks that took place in France and Australia.

Jan 9 (Infostrada Sports) - Fixtures from the Asian Nations Finals Group Stage matches on Friday Group Stage - Group A Friday, January 9 (GMT)Australia v Kuwait (0900) Group Stage - Group A Saturday, January 10 (GMT)South Korea v Oman (0500) Group Stage - Group B Saturday, January 10 (GMT)Uzbekistan...

The Iraqi squad suggest the players did not welcome to the idea of waking up at 5 o'clock in the morning for travel purposes and forced their officials to arrange a completely new itinerary with short notice.

[The Daily Vox]The devastating attack on satirical french magazine Charlie Hebdo has provoked shock and anger across the world, and rekindled a debate about the boundaries of free expression, the right to offend, and Wednesday's violent attempt to gag cartoonists. RA'EESA PATHER asked media workers in South Africa their thoughts.

The biggest news of the new year, while hardly a surprise to those paying attention, was that despite the valiant efforts of its composer, Sting, The Last Ship will be hauled into drydock and depart…

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015: Chandy seeks govt help to rehabilitate Indians from Gulf