Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has denounced the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran as “unacceptable.” Shoukry said during a visit to Riyadh on Tuesday that Iranian behavior following Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr’s execution was tantamount to “intervening in the kingdom’s internal affairs.”
Mainland Chinese shares recovered early losses amid volatile swings, following Monday's suspension of trading which led to a global equities sell-off. The Shanghai Composite was up 0.8% at 3,324.27 after opening more than 3% lower, while the Hang Seng also changed direction to head up 0.1% to 21,342.09.
The United States Justice Department has filed a federal lawsuit against Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche that seeks billions of dollars in penalties over claims that the car companies installed devices to deliberately misreport emissions. Nearly 600,000 diesel-engine vehicles were installed with these devices since 2009.
The British Overseas Territory of Ascension Island is set to become a marine reserve almost as big as the UK, the British government has announced. Using a £300,000 grant from the Bacon Foundation, the UK government will close 52.6% of the south Atlantic island's waters to fishing. In the rest of the waters there will be a monitored tuna fishery.
By David Cameron - This year’s 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare is not just an opportunity to commemorate one of the greatest playwrights of all time. It is a moment to celebrate the extraordinary ongoing influence of a man who – to borrow from his own description of Julius Caesar – “doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus.”
Argentina's January 3rd. statement on the Falkland Islands dispute claiming sovereignty and calling for dialogue with the United Kingdom has received a low key but strong response from the Foreign Office, according to the Mail on line.
Saudi Arabia says it has broken off diplomatic ties with Iran, amid a row over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was speaking after demonstrators had stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
Sixty-seven journalists were killed globally this year, either targeted because of their work or dying while reporting, Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontiers, RSF, said in its annual report. Some 27 citizen (amateur) journalists and seven media workers were also killed.
The world's first seafloor massive sulfide mining project contract has been signed between Nautilus Minerals Inc, a mining company with headquarters in Canada and Tongling Nonferrous metals group, a state owned Chinese company.
By Gwynne Dyer -The climate deal that almost 200 countries agreed to in Paris was far better than most insiders dared to hope even one month ago. The biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, China and the United States, are finally on board. There is real money on the table to help poor countries cut their emissions and cope with warming.