| Shi'ite Muslims worldwide decry execution of Saudi cleric Posted: 02 Jan 2016 12:11 PM PST  By Sam Wilkin DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's execution of a leading cleric from the Shi'ite Muslim minority drew protests from around the world against the ruling Al Saud family and threatened to further intensify a wave of sectarian conflict in the Middle East. Lebanon's Supreme Islamic Shi'ite Council called Saturday's execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr a "grave mistake", and the Hezbollah group termed it an assassination as Shi'ites took to the streets in protest from Tehran to Kashmir. Saudi Arabia executed 47 people including Nimr, whom the government accused of inciting violence against the police.
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| Al-Shabaab releases recruitment video featuring Donald Trump Posted: 02 Jan 2016 01:33 AM PST |
| Putin names U.S. among threats to Russian security Posted: 02 Jan 2016 03:05 AM PST  By Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW (Reuters) - A new appraisal names the United States as one of the threats to Russia's national security for the first time, a sign of how relations with the west have deteriorated in recent years. The document, "About the Strategy of National Security of Russian Federation", was signed by President Vladimir Putin on New Year's Eve. It replaces a 2009 version, endorsed by then- President Dmitry Medvedev, the current prime minister, which mentioned neither the United States not NATO.
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| Saudi Arabia executes top Shiite cleric Posted: 02 Jan 2016 12:00 PM PST  Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia executed Saturday a prominent Shiite cleric, who had been behind anti-government protests, drawing angry condemnation from Shiite-majority Iran and Iraq. Nimr al-Nimr, 56, was executed along with 46 other men, including Shiite activists and Sunnis accused of involvement in Al-Qaeda killings, the interior ministry said.
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| Prominent Shi’ite cleric among 47 people Saudi Arabia executes on terror charges Posted: 02 Jan 2016 01:18 PM PST  By Angus McDowall RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric and dozens of al Qaeda members on Saturday, signaling that it would not tolerate attacks, whether by Sunni jihadists or minority Shi'ites, and stirring sectarian anger across the region. Hundreds of Shi'ite Muslims marched through Qatif district in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province in protest at the execution of cleric Nimr al-Nimr, an eyewitness said. Nimr, the most vocal critic of the dynasty among the Shi'ite minority, had come to be seen as a leader of the sect's younger activists, who rejected the quiet approach of older community leaders for failing to achieve equality with Sunnis.
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| Judge rejects Camille Cosby request to halt deposition Posted: 02 Jan 2016 01:08 AM PST  A federal judge has denied a request by lawyers for Camille Cosby, Bill Cosby's wife of more than 50 years, to be excused from an upcoming deposition for a civil case against the famed comedian. In early December, lawyers for seven Bill Cosby accusers suing the entertainer for defamation in Massachusetts federal court had subpoenaed Camille Cosby. Bill Cosby filed a defamation countersuit against the women on Dec. 14.
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| Clinton raises $55 million in fourth quarter: campaign Posted: 01 Jan 2016 05:53 PM PST  U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton raised $55 million in the last three months of 2015, her campaign said on Friday. The latest haul for Clinton, 68, brings her 2015 fundraising total to $112 million, and gives her one of the best-funded campaign treasuries in the race for the November 2016 U.S. presidential elections. "At the beginning of this campaign, Hillary Clinton set a goal of $100 million in primary contributions for 2015 and blew past that goal, raising more than $112 million in primary money for the year," her campaign said in a statement. It said she had raised $37 million for the primary campaign, the most for any non-incumbent in a non-election year, and $18 million for the Democratic Party in the fourth quarter.
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| Southern states brace for surging Mississippi River flooding Posted: 01 Jan 2016 05:01 PM PST |
| 'Unforgettable' singer Natalie Cole dead at 65 Posted: 01 Jan 2016 04:32 PM PST  Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole, whose biggest hit came in a virtual duet with her late father, pop legend Nat King Cole, of his decades-old hit "Unforgettable," has died at the age of 65, her family said on Friday. The family's statement said Cole died on Thursday night at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles from "ongoing health issues." Cole's career spanned five decades in the R&B, soul, jazz and pop genres. "It is with heavy hearts that we bring to you all the news of our Mother and sister's passing," the Cole family statement said.
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