January, 2015

• 26 January

  Kurdish fighters backed by US-led airstrikes manage to push out IS of Kobane

   Kurdish fighters backed by intense U.S.-led airstrikes pushed the Islamic State group entirely out of a key Syrian town on Monday, marking a major defeat for the extremists whose hopes for an easy victory when they pushed into Kobane last year dissolved into a bloody, costly and months-long siege. As …

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• 26 January

  Obama, Modi discuss crucial issues

  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama today held talks on a range of crucial issues, including removing hurdles in operationalising the long-stalled civil nuclear agreement and enhancing ties in defence, trade and commerce and climate change. Officials said “progress has been made” on the nuclear issue and India was looking forward to …

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• 23 January

  Kerry to visit Nigeria in the next days to counter extremist groups

  US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday told an audience in Davos that he would visit Nigeria “in a couple of days” as part of a Washington push to counter extremist groups, including Boko Haram. In an emotional speech on the horrors inflicted by extremist groups, Kerry said that in …

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• 23 January

  Obama to start visit to India on Sunday

  US President Barack Obama will travel to India on Sunday for three days with First Lady Michelle Obama. “U.S. cooperation with India can significantly advance our interests in terms of promoting economic ties and increased exports to a growing market,” said Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes in a conference …

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• 23 January

  NATO welcomes Bulgaria decision to take part in new Afghanistan mission

  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Thursday welcomed Bulgaria’s involvement in NATO’s new mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces during a meeting with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev in Sofia. NATO ended its combat mission in Afghanistan last December and replaced it with a non-combat mission of about 12,000 …

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• 23 January

  US condemns Dontesk attack

  The US condemned further violence in eastern Ukraine at a bus stop in Donetsk, Ukraine Thursday morning that claimed at least a dozen innocent lives, noted State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki to reporters. There is an investigation into the incident by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) …

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• 23 January

  Turkish President delays Africa tour to attend Saudi King funeral

  Foreign leaders gathered in a cavernous mosque in the Saudi Arabian capital on Jan. 23 for the funeral of King Abdullah. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the leaders of Sudan and Ethiopia joined Gulf rulers for the funeral prayer at Riyadh’s Imam Turki bin …

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• 23 January

  France deplores "forced resignation" of Yemen President

  France on Friday deplored what it said was the “forced resignation” of Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his Prime Minister Khaled Bahaa. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Yemenis should work for the unity of the country and the continuity of its institutions. Paris also called for …

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• 23 January

  Over 30 dead in Ukraine after bus shelling

  The shelling of a bus and clashes in Ukraine’s separatist east left 34 people dead on Thursday as Kiev was forced to abandon its defence of Donetsk’s airport in one of the deadliest days of the nine-month war. In the worst incident, 13 civilians died when shelling hit a trolleybus …

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• 23 January

  Yemen crisis worsens as President resigns

  Yemeni leader Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi offered to resign amid a standoff with a powerful Shiite militia in control of the capital, throwing his country deeper into political turmoil. In his letter of resignation Hadi, a key US ally in the fight against Al-Qaida, said he could no longer stay in office as the country was …

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