December 20, 2015 Obama says Putin not honoring Ukraine ceasefire agreement President Barack Obama on Sunday bluntly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of not living up to a cease-fire agreement in Ukraine, but offered no new plans for how the West might change his calculus.
December 20, 2015 US Chamber of Commerce head urges Cuba to open up economy The head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has a prescription for communist-run Cuba's struggling economy: less government control and a heavier dose of the open market.
December 20, 2015 Jordan expels Syrian envoy in diplomatic tussle Jordan has expelled the Syrian ambassador from the country, giving him 24 hours to leave Amman. The state-run Petra news agency says the government declared Ambassador Bahjat Suleiman persona non-grata on Monday and asked him to leave.
December 20, 2015 Modi sworn in as Indian PM; a better relationship with Pakistan possible? Narendra Modi has taken the oath of office as India's new prime minister. The ceremony at the sprawling presidential palace in New Delhi was made more historic by the presence of the leader of archrival Pakistan.
December 20, 2015 Obama to argue for avoiding overreach overseas, in upcoming foreign policy speech Confronting critics of his foreign policy, President Obama will soon outline a strategy for his final years in office that aims to avoid overreach as the second of the two wars he inherited comes to a close.
December 20, 2015 DOJ brings first-ever cyber-espionage case against Chinese officials Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday announced a first-of-its-kind criminal cyber-espionage case against Chinese military officials the Justice Department charges hacked into major U.S. companies to steal trade secrets -- though Holder could not say whether the five defendants stand a chance of ever seeing the inside of a U.S. courtroom.
December 20, 2015 Egypt courts convict 170 in mass trials A pair of Egyptian courts on Sunday convicted 170 suspected supporters of toppled President Mohammed Morsi on charges related to violent attacks last year, the country's latest mass trials ahead of this month's presidential elections.
December 20, 2015 Tensions mount in South China Sea dispute over Chinese oil drilling China is stepping up provocative actions and harsh rhetoric in maritime disputes in the South China Sea as Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traded words on the growing tensions.
December 20, 2015 France facing pressure from US over warship deal with Russia The French government is facing pressure from the U.S. over the sale of two warships to the Russian navy, amid reports that Paris plans to push ahead with the controversial deal.
December 20, 2015 Administration threatens expanded sanctions if Ukraine referendum goes forward The Obama administration is warning of drastically expanded sanctions on Russia if a secession referendum in eastern Ukraine goes forward, and is signaling that Vladimir Putin's latest call for the vote to be postponed does not go far enough.
