India official met Trump national security adviser this week

India's national security adviser made a low-key visit to Washington earlier this week to meet with a senior aide to President-elect Donald Trump, Indian diplomats said Friday, in a sign of New Delhi's desire to forge close ties with the incoming U.S. administration. India's Ajit Doval met for more than one hour with Michael Flynn, Trump's national security adviser, and they discussed their respective security priorities, including counterterrorism.

U.N. Security Council denounces Israeli settlements, U.S. abstains

The United States yesterday allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlements, defying pressure from President-elect Donald Trump, Israel and some U.S. lawmakers who urged Washington to wield its veto. An abstention by the United States paved the way for the 15-member international body to approve the resolution, with 14 votes in favour, prompting applause in the council chamber.

In showdown with Trump, Obama allows anti-Israel resolution in Security Council

United Nations, Dec 24 : The conflicting world views of President Barack Obama and his successor-elect Donald Trump took the global stage on Friday when Obama refused to have an anti-Israel resolution vetoed in the Security Council in a signature departure from US policy of blocking measures critical of Israel. [NK Middle East] The Security Council condemned the Israel building of settlements on the West bank and East Jerusalem in a show of defiance by both the Council members and the Obama administration against Trump who wanted it vetoed.

US lets UN denounce Israeli settlements

A construction site is seen in the Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev, in the occupied West Bank UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Friday allowed the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, defying heavy pressure from long-time ally Israel and President-elect Donald Trump for Washington to wield its veto. A US abstention paved the way for the 15-member council to approve the resolution, with 14 votes in favor, prompting applause in the council chamber.

Trump’s nuclear remarks test bid to improve Russia ties

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump upped the stakes on Friday in a back-and-forth exchange with President Vladimir Putin over nuclear weapons that tested the Republican's promises to improve relations with Russia. Offering a glimpse of how he might conduct diplomacy after taking office on Jan. 20, Trump reportedly welcomed a nuclear arms race with Russia and China and boasted that the United States would win it.

In deep-red Kansas, even Republicans have had enough of Republicans

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according... Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama's pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a... One bright bit from the 2016 elections is that there really does appear to be a limit to how badly you can screw up a state's economy before voters have had enough. Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has been testing the theory mightily during his tenure, slashing taxes for corporations and the rich, cutting state services, and creating gargantuan state deficits while promising magic ponies that continually fail to arrive.

South Koreans to march against president on Christmas Eve

California's attorney general is pursuing new charges against the operators of a website advertising escort services two weeks after a judge tossed an earlier case. California's attorney general said Friday that she was pursuing new pimping charges against the operators of Backpage.com, a website that advertises escort services, just two weeks after a judge tossed an earlier case.

BRIEF-Maxim Power Corp enters agreement to sell maxim power (USA) to hull street energy

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla./MOSCOW, Dec 23 U.S. President-elect Donald Trump upped the stakes on Friday in a back-and-forth exchange with President Vladimir Putin over nuclear weapons that tested the Republican's promises to improve relations with Russia. Dec 23 Halliburton Co on Friday said it had reached a $100 million settlement to resolve a long-running securities fraud class action lawsuit against the oilfield services provider that twice reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

One month out, Trump inauguration lacks star power

On January 18, 2009, the stars turned out in force in front of the Lincoln Memorial at a concert honoring then-President-elect Barack Obama. Denzel Washington spoke to kick off the event, then Bruce Springsteen performed, and then Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi, James Taylor, Garth Brooks, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Josh Groban, U2, Usher, Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Beyonce and many more.

White House denies UN resolution was swipe at Netanyahu

Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes denied Friday that President Barack Obama was trying to "get back" at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by abstaining from a controversial UN Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements. "Absolutely not," Rhodes told CNN's Jim Acosta on "The Situation Room."

Trump co-chair wishes death on Obama, calls 1st lady male

A wealthy businessman who co-chaired president-Elect Donald Trump's state campaign confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday that he told an alternative newspaper he hoped President Barack Obama would die from mad cow disease and that the first lady would "return to being a male." Carl Paladino , a millionaire real estate developer who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2010 as a Republican, made the comments in response to a survey by Artvoice , a Buffalo publication that asked local artists, performers and business owners for their New Year's wish list.

Senate Dems pledge close look at stock trades by HHS nominee

Senate Democrats say they will closely examine stock trades by President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Republican congressman Tom Price of Georgia traded more than $300,000 in shares of health care-related companies in recent years while backing legislation that could potentially affect them.

Republicans vow to reverse Obama’s ‘absolutely shameful’ Israel policies

Republican leadership reacted with fury to the Obama administration's decision to abstain from a UN Security Council vote condemning Israel's settlement enterprise on Friday, vowing to reverse his policy gains and punish the UN for repeatedly targeting the Jewish state. President-elect Donald Trump said on Twitter that things would change after he takes office next month, and House Speaker Paul Ryan called the vote an "absolutely shameful" blow to peace.

UN condemns Israeli settlements as Obama declines to veto

In a striking rupture with past practice, the United States allowed the U.N. Security Council on Friday to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem as a "flagrant violation" of international law. In doing so, the outgoing Obama administration brushed aside Donald Trump's demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel's leadership.