US adds nine to Iran sanctions blacklist
Washington: The United States added nine individuals and entities to its Iran sanctions blacklist in a move condemned by Tehran as a “blatant violation” of goodwill amid long-running nuclear talks.
Greek parliament formally dissolved
Athens: The presidential decree dissolving the Greek Parliament and the declaration of early general elections January 25 was posted on Wednesday on the doors of the parliament building’s main entrance in central Athens.
China factory blast kills 17, injures 33
Beijing: Seventeen people were killed and 33 injured in a massive explosion at a factory in south China’s Guangdong Province on Wednesday. The blast at Fuwa Engineering Machinery Manufacturing Co ltd in the Shunde District of the industrial city of Foshan was heard several miles away.
118 journalists killed in 2014: IFJ
Brussels: One hundred and eighteen journalists and media staff were killed around the world in 2014, with Pakistan and Syria the deadliest countries, the International Federation of Journalists said.
First gay weddings in Scotland held
london: The first gay wedding ceremonies in Scotland took place today just after the stroke of midnight, as two couples tied the knot in Glasgow.
Prank text lands Pakistani youth in jail
lahore: A hoax text message sent by a 17-year-old Pakistani boy has landed him in jail. Hasnat Hashmi, a student at a private school in Taxila, texted his principal posing to be a terrorist and threatening to blow up the institution.
53 dead in Philippines flooding, landslides
Manila: The death toll from flooding and landslides in the Philippines wrought by tropical storm Jangmi rose to 53 on Wednesday, officials said, with some regions saying they were caught off guard by the deluge.