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United States / AFP Months into their campaigns, US presidential candidates were suddenly racing against time in a final frenzied weekend of persuasion politics before Iowa kicks off the nomination process. Democrat Hillary Clinton, fearful of a 2008 repeat when she was beaten to the punch in Iowa by an upstart Barack Obama, was leaving nothing to chance, stumping in ...

Addis Ababa / AFP Ethiopia is struggling from its worst drought for 30 years with millions in dire need of life saving aid, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned on Sunday. At least 10.2 million people need food aid in Ethiopia, a figure the UN has warned could rise sharply, as “forecasts indicate that it could double within months” casting a ...

Thomas Penny / Bloomberg Google Inc. denied it reached a “sweetheart deal” with British tax authorities as a dispute continued over the 130 million-pound ($185 million) settlement, which was called a victory by the UK Treasury and dismissed as “derisory” by opposition lawmakers. UK Business Secretary SajidJavid separately said the agreement “wasn’t a glorious moment” and he shares “the sense ...

Khan Yunis / AFP Azza Al Najjar struggles in vain to keep her two-year-old warm by wrapping him in blankets in her prefabricated metal home as a winter storm lashes the Gaza Strip. “The cold increases the suffering of people here,” the 24-year-old mother says. “My son has breathing problems and with the weather his condition has worsened.” The family ...

Damascus / AFP At least 45 people were killed and 110 wounded on Sunday in three bomb blasts near the revered Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zeinab outside the Syrian capital Damascus, state media said. State news agency SANA said the first blast was caused by a car bomb that detonated at a bus station near the shrine. It said two ...

Geneva / AFP The Syrian peace talks, which got off to a start of sorts this weekend, are meant to be a uniquely Syrian affair. But in reality there is a host of outside interests also at the table, in spirit at least. What began as a popular revolt against the authoritarian rule of President Bashar Al Assad in March ...

From organic farming to molecular gastronomy, from the industry trends to the words of caution, from best agricultural practices to role of innovation in the industry — the sixth SIAL Middle East exhibition, ended on a high note, leaving visitors and the participants wanting for more. The fastest growing event for the region’s food, drink and hospitality sector, the event ...