Iran: Halt Imminent Executions

Iran should immediately halt the execution of 12 men convicted of drug offenses, scheduled for January 14, 2017, in Karaj Central Prison, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The human rights organizations expressed concern that, despite repeated government promises, Iran has not made any tangible progress in reducing its alarming execution rate.

Iran: Halt Imminent Executions

Iran should immediately halt the execution of 12 men convicted of drug offenses, scheduled for January 14, 2017, in Karaj Central Prison, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The human rights organizations expressed concern that, despite repeated government promises, Iran has not made any tangible progress in reducing its alarming execution rate.

Mexican police attack journalists covering protests

Mexican police should quickly and credibly investigate reports that police threatened and attacked journalists covering protests last week and should swiftly bring to justice officers found to have assaulted reporters, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. State, municipal, and federal police harassed and assaulted journalists covering officers’ forcible dispersal of protests against rising fuel prices in the northern Mexican states of Coahuila and Baja California from January 5 to 7, several journalists told CPJ.

5th man gets prison in drug-related Texas abduction-slaying

A fifth man has been sentenced to prison over a 2009 drug-related kidnapping and killing of a West Texas man who was later found shot with his hands chopped off in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Federal prosecutors say 34-year-old Francisco Javier Pulido was sentenced to 24 years in prison during a court hearing in El Paso Wednesday.

Photo Flash: Cultural Council of Palm Beach County Welcomes 140 Fans…

Rena Blades , President & Chief Executive Officer of the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, today announced that the second Conversation of this season’s CULTURE & COCKTAILS series attracted more than 140 people last Monday to The Colony Hotel Pavilion, located at 155 Hammon Avenue in Palm Beach . , a conversation with two star appraisers from Antiques Roadshow on PBS: Kathleen Guzman , Managing Director/New York from Heritage Auctions, andNicholas Dawes, Heritage’s Vice President of Special Collections.

The guardians of the liberal order now foresee its collapse

Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads, interesting ideas and opinions to know? Sign up for the Today’s WorldView newsletter . At his farewell address in Chicago earlier this week, President Obama offered a plaintive lament for a world under threat.

Sean Dyche insists Burnley will continue to be run prudently

Sean Dyche stressed Burnley will continue to be run prudently after a financial study from UEFA showed they had a greater operating profit than the likes of Bayern Munich in 2015. UEFA released their eighth annual club licensing benchmark report on Thursday, offering an insight into European teams’ financial status up until the end of 2015, and alongside the usual continental powerhouses at the top of the profit lists were Dyche’s Clarets.

Loy vows to help keep St Mirren in the Championship

New St Mirren striker Rory Loy admits he has unfinished business at the club after struggling to make an impact in his first spell seven years ago. The 28-year-old returned to the Paisley outfit yesterday on a loan deal from Dundee until the end of the season and has vowed to play his part in keeping the Saints in the Championship.

Germaphobe in chief calls shaking hands ‘barbaric’ – but Trump…

U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands as he meets with Republican President-elect Donald Trump on transition planning in the Oval Office at the White House on Nov. 10, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Trump has said that he hates shaking hands. WASHINGTON – President-elect Donald Trump, during a news conference in New York City on Wednesday, vehemently denied the salacious and unverified allegations put forth in a 35-page dossier published by BuzzFeed News.

Press release distribution, EDGAR filing, XBRL, regulatory filings

Books-A-Million to celebrate new President’s Pick: Amy Gary’s “In the Great Green Room” with FREE event on Thursday, January 26 )–Books-A-Million to celebrate new President’s Pick: Amy Gary’s “In the Great Green Room” with FREE event on Thursday, January 26 at the Brookwood Village Books-A-M… United Arab Emirates Prepaid Cards Business and Investment Opportunities, Market Size and Forecasts 2011-2020: Consumer Attitude & Behaviour, Retail Spend, Market Risk – Research and Markets )–Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “United Arab Emirates Prepaid Cards Business and Investment Opportunities – Market Size and Forecas… )–Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP is pleased to announce that Richard A. D’Amura has joined its Financial Services, Securities Regulation and Litigation practice as a partn… )–The Western Union Company announced today that Hikmet Ersek, President and … (more)

UPDATE 1-Brazil to allow 100 pct foreign ownership of airlines -ministry

The Brazilian government is drafting a decree to allow 100 percent foreign ownership of local airlines, a Transportation Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday, a move that could attract investors to a recession-beaten industry. Newspaper Valor Economico, citing three unnamed aides to President Michel Temer, earlier on Thursday reported that the presidential decree would boost regional aviation with subsidies favoring smaller planes such as those made by Embraer SA.

Paying proper tributes

Boring names such as North Columbus this, South Columbus that or Midtown this, have no pizzazz and offer little natural opportunity for exciting marketing. Generally, hyphenated brand names can be confusing; this is why when companies merge with a competitor, they often choose the most significant existing name or sometimes reformat the expanded organization into a new trade name for a fresh “new-marketing” program.

Boston loads up on offence at NWSL draft

The Boston Breakers loaded up on offence at the National Women’s Soccer League draft Thursday, taking four attack-minded players in the first round starting with Wisconsin star midfielder Rose Lavelle. Canadian forward Lindsay Agnew went in the second round to the Washington Spirit while goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan was chosen in the third round by New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC.

US imposes sanctions on Syrian military, tech company

The Obama administration imposed sanctions Thursday on 18 Syrian government officials, Syria’s military and a tech company in response to the use of chemical weapons by President Bashar Assad’s government. The State Department slapped sanctions on the Organization for Technological Industries, which it accused of helping Syria’s ballistic missile program.

The Angle: Presidential Profits Edition

Get that cash: Economist Ray Fisman looks at the example of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to explore how Donald Trump could profit from the presidency. The methods, Fisman finds, will most likely be indirect, and quite difficult to nail down .

Amla feels scoring runs more important than the occasion

Johannesburg : Hashim Amla marked his 100th Test match with a century on Thursday, then said scoring runs after a lean period was more important than the occasion. Amla was unbeaten on 125 after he and JP Duminy put South Africa in command as they reached 338 for 3 at the close on the first day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Wanderers Stadium.

‘Danger to life flood’ warnings issued as homes in Jaywick,…

The tables from the famous Butt and Oyster floating in the River Orwell at Pin Mill after the storm surge of 2013. Photo by Anthony Cullen – photographicday.com The Environment Agency have issued several orange and red alerts for flooding along the Suffolk and Essex coastline, with 1,100 homes in Suffolk set to be evacuated during the early hours of Friday and into Saturday.

Sri Lanka Health Minister instructs provincial health ministers to…

Jan 12, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine, Dr. Rajitha Senaratne today requested the Provincial Health Ministers to properly use the money allocated for the development of the provincial hospitals. Addressing a meeting with the Provincial Health Ministers and other officials at the District Secretariat in Kalutara today, the Health Minister pointed out that the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council has developed the hospitals coming under the council in a proper way using the money allocated for 2016 while the Western Provincial Council proceed with that task very slowly.

Fox Bangor

Britain’s Prince William has comforted a young girl who lost a parent and spoken out about his feelings when his mother, Princess Diana, died two decades ago.

St. Petersburg defends transfer of landmark to church

In the latest scandal involving the powerful Russian Orthodox Church, authorities in St. Petersburg on Thursday defended a controversial decision to give a city landmark cathedral to the church. Museum experts and locals in Russia’s former imperial capital were rattled by the governor’s announcement this week that he was transferring St. Isaac’s Cathedral to the church.

Jain buys big pipe extrusion line from Battenfeld-Cincinnati at K 2016

Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., the big Indian plastics processor, ordered a complete extrusion line to make big polyolefin pipes – up to 8.2 feet in diameter – from Battenfeld-Cincinnati Group, at K 2016, the machinery company said in a post-show report. The large-diameter pipe extrusion line includes Battenfeld-Cincinnati’s new solEX NG extruder series, a technology the company highlighted at the K show in Dusseldorf, Germany.

No, Trump didn’t do surprisingly well among Latino voters

Last May 5, Donald J. Trump tweeted a photo of himself seated at his desk, a big grin on his face, his left hand squeezed into a tight fist giving a thumbs up, his lunch balanced in front of him on a stack of newspapers. “Happy #CincoDeMayo,” the tweet began, “The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill.

Report: ‘Very Credible’ Trump Dossier Author Has Gone Into Hiding

As of Thursday, the debate over the credibility of the purported opposition research dossier on Donald Trump alleging that Russia has blackmail material on him continues to be the top news story in America. The Guardian stoked the fire with a report citing their intelligence community sources as saying that Christopher Steele , the former MI-6 officer who authored the dossier, is considered “very credible” and a “highly regarded professional.”

How OPEC’s Production Cuts Are Affecting the U.S. Oil Market

For the first time in years, an oil production cut that OPEC members have promised is actually going through, and having its desired effect. In this clip from Industry Focus: Energy , Motley Fool analysts Sean O’Reilly and Taylor Muckerman talk about how the cartel’s move to ease back on crude output is affecting U.S. drillers and energy services companies so far, and some industry trends we’re probably going to see as a result.

Starry nights and empty streets in Syria

The stars fill the night sky over the eerily quiet streets of rebel-held Idlib, Syria, but the calm might not last much longer – now that Syrian government forces have recaptured Aleppo in a crushing offensive, they are likely to turn their attentions to Idlib. (Reuters)

US troops arriving in Poland draw Russian ire

US troops and tanks began streaming into Poland Thursday as part of one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War, an operation that Russia angrily branded a “threat”. The Atlantic Resolve mission will see more than 3,000 American soldiers and heavy equipment deployed in Poland and nearby NATO partners Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary on a rotational basis.

Governments admit election is likely as Stormont heads for collapse

The British and Irish governments have conceded an election is increasingly likely as Stormont’s power-sharing administration heads for collapse. Gerry Adams has made clear Sinn Fein will not back down from its demand for Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster to stand aside to allow a probe into her role in a botched green energy scheme.