The Most Unusual Thing Happened When He Was Cleaning The Pipes #ShortFilm

Viddsee
Viddsee
Viddsee
January 22, 2016
This article The Most Unusual Thing Happened When He Was Cleaning The Pipes appeared first on Viddsee BUZZ.

Tub ss1 krkView photos
Tub ss1 krk
The most unusual thing happened when he was cleaning the pipes. His girlfriend wasn’t going to bother with his late night urges, so this young man, Paul, took matters into his own hands.

He did what he needed to get the job done.

Tub ss2 krkView photos
Tub ss2 krk
In the strangest twist of events, the bath tub surprised him with a present the next day. The pipes were clogged, and it coughed up a most unusual, thing…

Tub ss3 krkView photos
Tub ss3 krk
It was a DIY job gone wrong. Be warned, we needed new stomachs for this.

Watch ‘Tub’ by Bobby Miller on Viddsee BUZZ:

Viewer discretion: Contains strong language, depictions of sexual acts and disturbing footage.

‘Tub’ debuted at Sundance and screened at SXSW in Texas. It won the Grand Prize for Experimental Film at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, Faculty Honors & Audience Award at the Columbia University Graduate Film Festival, and Weirdest Film at the Knoxville Horror Film Festival.

More on the film here.

Just one more! Watch this horror about anaemic vampires hunting down virgin men in Tokyo.

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AIRSHOW-Kuwait says sticks to F-18 jets despite approval delays
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Reuters Middle East

Major oil accord energizes Riyadh-Beijing partnership
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Arab News

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Secret Syria network saves lives with air raid warnings
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AFP

Military aid to Kabul will cause more Pathankots: Jaffrelot
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IANS

Kuwait emir: exports from joint oil fields with Saudi to resume
(Adds details, background) KUWAIT, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Kuwait's emir has said operations and exports from oil fields jointly operated with Saudi Arabia will resume soon, local media reported on Thursday. "The resumption of operations and exports in joint oil fields will resume soon. No matter what happens, we don't have a disagreement with Saudi Arabia and even if there is one, it will be resolved," Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah was quoted as saying by Al Rai newspaper.
Reuters Middle East

Pan-Islamic body urges de-escalation in Saudi-Iran dispute
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Reuters Middle East

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COLUMN-Saudi Arabia's dwindling oil revenues and the challenge of reform: Kemp
The views expressed are his own) * Saudi GDP per capita and oil prices: tmsnrt.rs/1nA8Apa By John Kemp LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia faces profound challenges to its economy and political system as a result of the slump in oil prices, which will test the skill of the country's ruling elite unless oil revenues recover in the next two years. Despite frequent official statements over the last four decades about the need to diversify the economy away from dependence on petroleum, Saudi Arabia's economic outlook remains bound up with the price of oil.
Reuters Middle East

MIDEAST STOCKS-Saudi, Egypt retreat in early trade
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Reuters Middle East

Saudi's Tasnee swings to fourth straight loss in Q4
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Reuters Middle East

Saudi's Mouwasat Medical Services Q4 net profit up 6.1 pct, beats estimates
DUBAI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Mouwasat Medical Services Co , one of Saudi Arabia's largest listed healthcare providers, reported a 6.1 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit on Thursday, beating analysts' forecasts. The company's net profit in the three months to Dec. 31 was 53.8 million riyals ($14.3 million), up from 50.7 million riyals in the same period a year earlier, it said in a bourse statement. Three analysts polled by Reuters had on average forecast Mouwasat would make a quarterly profit of 50.4 million riyals. ...
Reuters Middle East

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Iraq faces 'harsh year' due to oil price fall: minister
Oil revenues that supply the vast majority of Iraqi government funds are "very limited", with crude trading at half the value projected in the budget, the finance minister said Thursday. Plummeting oil prices mean Iraq is facing a financial crisis as it fights a costly war against the Islamic State jihadist group, and rebuilding areas devastated by the conflict will cost even more. Iraq is selling oil at "between $21 and $25 per barrel", Hoshyar Zebari told a news conference, adding that "the revenues we are obtaining from oil are very limited".
AFP

Hyderabad varsity bends, but student protests go on
Hyderabad/New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The Hyderabad university on Thursday revoked the suspension of four Dalit research scholars, but students continued to protest for the fifth day over the suicide of a Dalit student who too had been suspended. Addressing the protesting students at the campus, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack his ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya over the suicide by Rohith Vemula.
IANS

Saudi's PetroRabigh posts wider Q4 net loss on plant shutdown
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Reuters Middle East

Chess forbidden in Islam, rules Saudi grand mufti
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IANS

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Saudi Arabia to grant first licence in airline liberalisation by end-March
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Reuters Middle East

Netanyahu at Davos says Israel needs more aid after Iran deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday that his country will need more US military aid because of the nuclear deal with Iran. Israel is currently negotiating a new 10-year military aid package with Washington that it says will need to grow beyond the $3.1 billion yearly currently provided by the United States. The figure excludes US spending on projects including Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.
AFP

Saudi-Iran dispute jeopardises Yemen peace talks
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Reuters Middle East

Saudi's Mobily swings to Q4 profit; signs waiver on some debt covenants
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Reuters Middle East

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Kerry says there will be no "fundamental delay" in Syria talks
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that internationally brokered talks between Syria's government and opposition groups this month may be delayed by a day or two, but there would be no fundamental delay. Asked at the start of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Davos if he was concerned that a delay in the talks that have been scheduled to start in Geneva on Jan. 25 may lead to a loss of momentum, Kerry said: "When you say a delay, it may be a day or two for invitations, but there is not going to be a fundamental delay.
Reuters Middle East

US says stands by Iran missile sanctions
The United States stands by its new ballistic missile-related sanctions on Iran, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday after Tehran described the decision as "bizarre". Washington unveiled the new missile-linked sanctions against Iran on Sunday -- almost immediately after separate international sanctions related to Tehran's alleged nuclear activities had been scrapped. "We have made it very clear that we use sanctions when we think they are appropriate in order to counter behaviour that we believe has broken the law or has challenged the United Nations Security Council or threatened the United States," Kerry said on the sidelines of a gathering of billionaires and political leaders in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.
AFP

Oman to speed up gas import plans from Iran post-sanctions
By Rania El Gamal DUBAI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Oman expects speedier completion of a planned pipeline to import natural gas from Iran now that international sanctions against Tehran have been lifted, the energy minister of the Gulf sultanate said on Thursday. Iran sits on one of the world's largest gas reserves, which Oman has been eyeing as it hopes to feed energy-intensive industries and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants. Price disagreements, Western sanctions that have stunted Iranian energy projects and U.S. pressure on Oman to find other suppliers have prevented real progress on the pipeline project.
Reuters Middle East

MIDEAST STOCKS-Oil, global markets weigh on region but Saudi petchems rise
* Petchems pull Saudi bourse slightly higher in late trade * Emaar Economic City surges after Q4 earnings * Dubai, Abu Dhabi fall further to new 28-month lows * Real-estate development companies main drag on Qatar * Egypt falls to September 2015 low By Celine Aswad DUBAI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Most Middle Eastern bourses fell on Thursday as investors remained worried by the chronic weakness of oil prices and declines in international bourses, but Saudi Arabia's stock index edged up on the back of petrochemical shares. ...
Reuters Middle East

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Turkey's Koc Holding chairman suffers heart attack - hospital official
Mustafa Koc, chairman of Turkey's biggest conglomerate Koc Holding and one of the country's best-known corporate figures, has suffered a heart attack and is being treated in hospital, a hospital official told Reuters on Thursday. "He had a heart attack. Shares in Koc fell 0.71 percent to 11.18 lira by 0756 GMT, while the main share index was 0.07 percent higher.
Reuters Middle East

India must consider troops for West Asia: Former Indian NSA
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IANS

Congress regimes failed to unravel Netaji mystery: Rajnath
Ashok Nagar (West Bengal), Jan 21 (IANS) Two days before the Narendra Modi government begins declassifying secret files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday flayed successive Congress regimes for not taking steps to unravel the mystery behind the revolutionary leader's disappearance. "We all know about Netaji's birthday. "Wasn't it the responsibility of successive Congress regimes of independent India to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the leader who played such a prominent part in making the country free, the leader on whose call youth used to get all charged up to fight the British rulers?" "Steps should have been taken to uncover the mystery behind his disappearance.
IANS

Russian families feel pain as economic crisis drags on
Two years ago, before the Russian economy took a steep plunge, Maria Bunina vacationed abroad and supported her four children and nine grandchildren. "Before I knew I had money and that it would be sufficient," Bunina told AFP in her cramped three-bedroom Moscow apartment she shares with seven family members. As Russia's economy plunged into recession on the back of Western sanctions over Ukraine and tumbling oil prices, Bunina lost her job as a social worker which she used to supplement her meagre pension.
AFP

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Muslim body chief seeks healing of Saudi-Iran rift
Worsening relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran are diverting attention from the "real challenges" facing Muslims, the head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said on Thursday. Iyad Madani was addressing an extraordinary meeting of the 57-member OIC, called by Saudi Arabia after protesters in Iran burned its diplomatic missions there in early January. The attacks "contradict diplomatic standards", and "interference in the affairs of any member state undermines our organisation's charter," said Madani, referring to criticism by Iran's leaders of Nimr's execution.
AFP

Rouhani enters Iran election row over barred candidates
Iran's president entered a row over thousands of disqualified election candidates Thursday, taking a barely veiled swipe at a powerful committee that chooses who can run for parliament. Hassan Rouhani's intervention came days after it emerged that only one percent of reformists seeking to become lawmakers had been deemed eligible to contest the ballot on February 26. Reformists have been largely sidelined since the disputed 2009 re-election of hardline conservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, when the movement alleged widespread ballot fraud.
AFP

KSA, China agree on strategic partnership
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Arab News

Sack Smriti for misleading people on Dalit's suicide: Congress
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The Congress on Thursday demanded the sacking of Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani from the cabinet for "misleading" people about the suicide of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here that the "anti-Dalit mindset of the BJP and the RSS" has been manifesting itself over the last 20 months in various forms across the country. Surjewala said union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, "on whose letter the HRD ministry had pressurised for expulsion of the five Ph.D. Dalit students", should also be removed from the cabinet.
IANS

Turkish PM says no role for "terrorist groups" in Syria talks
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Reuters Middle East

No sign Saudi Arabia will ride to oil market rescue
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Reuters Middle East

Legal uncertainties delay flow of Iranian oil to Europe
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Reuters Middle East

Hope marines can stay in Italy during arbitration: Rome
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IANS

Kerry says no "fundamental delay" to Jan. 25 Syria talks
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Reuters Middle East

Kejriwal wants two central ministers sacked over suicide
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IANS

UAE says current oil prices not sustainable and will bounce back
The UAE Energy Minister on Wednesday said current prices are not sustainable and will positively change in the future. Suhail Al Mazroui said it is a matter of time before prices bounce back. Oil prices are currently trading at multi-year lows.
Gulf News

Xi signs Egypt deals as China looks to boost Mideast clout
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AFP

'The Finest Hours' set for February 5 release in India
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IANS

Iraq oil exports at record, unaffected by Iran's return to market
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Reuters Middle East

Probe Bandaru's letter in Dalit scholar case: LJP MP
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) Lok Janshakti Party's Lok Sabha member from Bihar Chirag Paswan on Thursday demanded a probe into a letter written by union minister Bandaru Dattatreya to the HRD ministry ahead of the Dalit research scholar's suicide in Hyderabad. The LJP is part of the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Bandaru Dattatreya is a BJP leader.
IANS

Oil prices fall near 2003 lows on oversupply, demand worries
* Oil glut, weakening economic growth keep outlook bleak * ECB's Draghi comments lend some support * Venezuela's call for OPEC meeting falls on deaf ears * Iraq oil min says production to rise to over 4 mln bpd this year * Coming up: EIA data at 1600 GMT (Adds Draghi comments, updates prices) By Simon Falush LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Oil fell on Thursday, turning back towards 12-year lows on persistent concerns about oversupply and the outlook for demand. Oil futures have hit their lowest since 2003 this week as investors worry that a glut of crude is combining with slowing demand due to economic weakness, especially in China. Benchmark Brent was down 16 cents at $27.72 a barrel by 1401 GMT.
Reuters Middle East

China's leaders have a 'communication issue': IMF chief
Poor communication by China's economic managers has led to uncertainty and exacerbated market fears, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Thursday at the annual Davos summit of economic and business leaders. Mixed signals from China, which is attempting to shift its economy away from exports and investment to a consumer-driven model, have deepened concerns about the outlook for world growth, she said. Uncertainty is "something that markets do not like", Lagarde told a panel of business leaders and economic regulators in the snow-blanketed Swiss ski resort.
AFP

Turkey 'can do more' in anti-IS fight: Carter
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AFP

Twelve migrants drown trying to reach Europe from Turkey
Twelve bodies were found on Turkey's western coast and 26 people were rescued on Tuesday after a boat carrying migrants bound for Greece capsized, the Turkish coastguard said in a statement. Responding to a distress signal sent in the early morning near Izmir, the coastguard found the bodies of at least five children according to Dogan News Agency. The coastguard said a helicopter and three boats were still searching for others.
Reuters Middle East

Stuck at sea, BP's LNG shipment highlights Egypt's payment struggle
By Oleg Vukmanovic and Sarah McFarlane MILAN/LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - BP's diversion of a tanker of liquefied natural gas (LNG) away from Egypt due to payment issues is the first sign that the country's currency crisis could be jeopardising its energy supplies, traders said. Earlier this month the tanker British Sapphire was diverted to Brazil rather than discharging in Egypt, with the delivery of the LNG cargo for Egypt delayed up until October, traders said. Egypt's state-owned EGAS was not available to comment.
Reuters Middle East

Specialist funds pick up Iran stocks ahead of warier big investors
* First frontier funds start to buy Iran stocks * Major portfolio investment some way off * Stock market developed but local knowledge key By Karin Strohecker LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Two decades after he hauled a suitcase full of cash onto the floor of the Moscow stock exchange to buy up shares in the aftermath of communism, Dominic Bokor-Ingram has taken a similar early punt on Iran. The Briton launched a joint venture fund with Iranian investment group Turquoise Partners on Sunday, just one day after the announcement most international sanctions on Iran would be lifted in return for restrictions on Tehran's nuclear programme.
Reuters Middle East

Syria picks UN envoy as chief negotiator for peace talks
Syria's UN envoy will be the regime's chief negotiator in upcoming peace talks, a government source said Thursday, as a dispute over the opposition's representatives threatened to delay the negotiations. The latest bid to end the Syrian war through indirect talks between the government and opposition was scheduled to begin on January 25 in Geneva. Syria's ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, will be the government's chief negotiator, with Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Moqdad heading the delegation, the Syrian government source said.
AFP

Egyptian pound steady at forex sale, weaker on black market
Egypt's central bank kept the pound steady against the dollar at its official foreign currency auction on Thursday, but the currency weakened against the dollar on the black market. Egypt, which depends on imported food and energy, is facing a dollar shortage and increasing pressure to devalue the pound. The central bank surprised markets when it strengthened the pound against the dollar on Nov. 11 by 20 piasters and has bucked expectations by holding it steady ever since.
Reuters Middle East

Robust capitalization remains a core strength of Saudi banks
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Saudi Gazette

Don't stoke communal tension: Trinamool tells Rajnath
Kolkata, Jan 21 (IANS) Accusing Rajnath Singh of using a political meeting to "threaten" the West Bengal government, the ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday said as India's home minister, he should not stoke "communal tension" over the Malda violence. Which home minister with a conscience would do that?" Trinamool chief national spokesperson Derek O'Brien said, hours after Rajnath Singh castigating the Mamata Banerjee government over the January 3 violence at Kalichak of Malda district. Addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party rally at Ashok Nagar in North 24 Parganas district, Rajnath Singh alleged that the state government was trying to shield those who attacked the BSF and torched several of its vehicles and remarked that none, including the police, was safe in West Bengal.
IANS

India-Africa collaboration in energy critical, says Pradhan
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) With the global economic situation currently at a critical phase, it is imperative that India and Africa forge deeper collaboration, particularly in the energy field, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Thursday. "The global situation makes our collaboration more critical. The fourth India-Africa Hydrocarbons Conference looks to align and initiate future collaborations between India and Africa in hydrocarbons," Pradhan said inaugurating the two-day conference here.
IANS

KSA: Oil price crash fueled by oversupply
Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi reviewed aspects of bilateral relations and discussed a number of regional and international issues on Wednesday. Earlier, speaking to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on The Situation Room on, Al-Jubeir said the crash in oil prices is being fueled by oversupply. “People should go back to Adam Smith and basic economics.
Arab News

Abandon coal, oil or face climate disaster, Davos experts warn
Barely five weeks after the world hailed a 195-nation Paris accord to stop global warming, plummeting oil prices have thrown into perspective the challenge of bringing about its promised energy revolution. "The economics at these prices will mean that it is very cost effective to use oil rather than renewables which are still very expensive at these prices," said IHS chief economist Nariman Behravesh. The post-2020 Paris Agreement, reached December 12, aimed to avert the most calamitous effects of climate change: severe droughts, floods and storms, and rising seas that would engulf islands and coastal areas populated by hundreds of millions of people.
AFP

Iraq to sell local bonds to public for first time since 2003 - finance minister
(Adds quotes, background) BAGHDAD, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Iraq plans to sell local bonds to the public for the first time since 2003, with a 5 trillion dinar ($4.24 billion) issue expected this year, the finance minister said on Thursday, as the country seeks to cover a widening budget deficit. The three-year bonds will carry an interest rate of 10 percent and will be sold to "citizens and employees", Hoshiyar Zebari told a news conference in Baghdad. Iraq already issues treasury bills to domestic banks and has international bonds outstanding.
Reuters Middle East

Turkish billionaire businessman Koc dies after heart attack
* Koc family lead Turkey's secular business elite * Koc businesses account for 10 pct of Turkish output * Family had at times difficult relations with Erdogan * Koc's death "saddened him deeply" - Erdogan's office (Adds comment from Bill Ford, biographical background, updates share price) By Daren Butler and Melih Aslan ISTANBUL, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Mustafa Koc, the 55-year-old chairman of Turkish conglomerate Koc Holding and one of the country's most prominent businessmen, died on Thursday after a heart attack. Head of the pre-eminent dynasty of Turkey's secular business elite, Koc has had, at times, an uneasy relationship with the Islamist-rooted AK Party founded by President Tayyip Erdogan.
Reuters Middle East

Saudi telco STC would be happy with 50 pct of Kuwait's VIVA
The chief executive of Saudi Telecom (STC) believes that owning 50 percent of Kuwaiti affiliate Viva would be reasonable, he told Saudi-owned television channel Al Arabiya on Thursday. "I think that the total of 50 percent is considered reasonable in Viva," Khaled al-Biyari told the television channel in an interview on the sidelines of the Davos gathering.
Reuters Middle East

Bearish Asian markets, weak rupee dent markets
Mumbai, Jan 21 (IANS) Bearish Asian markets, coupled with a weak rupee and long-liquidation positions pushed down the Indian equity markets during the mid-afternoon trade session on Thursday.
IANS

Hollande visit: Pathankot, Paris put terrorism high on agenda
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) Following the terror attacks in Pathankot this year and in Paris last year, terrorism will figure high during French President Francois Hollande's visit to India from January 24 to 26, a senior official said on Thursday. "Following the horrendous attack in Paris and the recent terrorist attack in the Pathankot air base, it would be worth highlighting that cooperation between France and India on matters related to counter-terrorism has acquired a very significant dimension," external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said at a media briefing here.
IANS

EU must avoid British exit, but 'not at any price': French PM
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned on Thursday that it would be a "very bad thing" if Britain left the EU, but warned that British demands cannot be met at any price. A British EU exit "would undoubtedly be a bad thing, a very bad thing," Valls told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Valls was speaking just hours before British Prime Minister David Cameron was set to lay out his vision of Britain's place in the world in a speech at the Swiss ski resort.
AFP

Saudi Arabia ranks third on GDP per capita index
Saudi Arabia ranked third among G20 countries in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita based on purchasing power parity, just after the United Kingdom and the United States.
Saudi Gazette

Pathankot attack: NIA raids six locations in Punjab
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The National INvestigation Agency sleuths on Thursday raided six places in Punjab's Gurdaspur and Amritsar towns as part of the ongoing probe into the January 2 terror attack at the air force base in Pathankot. The places where the raids were carried out belong to suspected Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh and his two companions who were allegedly kidnapped by terrorists hours before they mounted the attack at the air base. "Two days after the lie detector test of Salwinder Singh, we carried out raids at six locations, four in Gurdaspur and two in Amritsar," an NIA official, requesting anonymity, told IANS.
IANS

Will unmask, punish those behind Malda violence: Rajnath
Ashok Nagar (West Bengal), Jan 21 (IANS) Castigating the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal over the Malda violence, union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday assured that those behind the incident would be unmasked and brought to justice. Describing the January 3 violence in Malda district's Kaliachak, where a police station was attacked and several vehicles torched, as "not a small incident", Rajnath Singh said no one in Bengal including police were safe.
IANS

Putin 'probably' approved ex-Russian spy murder
London, Jan 21 (IANS) The murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 in Britain was "probably" approved by President Vladimir Putin, an inquiry has found. Putin is likely to have signed off the poisoning of Litvinenko with polonium-210 in part due to personal "antagonism" between the pair, it said, BBC reported. It said: "We regret that the purely criminal case was politicised and overshadowed the general atmosphere of bilateral relations." Dmitry Preskov, Putin's spokesman, said Moscow's official response to the report will happen through "diplomatic channels", the Russian news agency Interfax was quoted as saying.
IANS

Fears over spillover effect of China slowdown misguided: Daily
Beijing, Jan 21 (IANS) There are misguided fears about the spillover effect of China's slowdown, said a Chinese daily on Thursday. An editorial "Caution against misguided fears on growth and oil" in the China Daily said that "if the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, the International Monetary Fund's decision to cut its global growth forecast for the third time in a year should not be interpreted as a result of worries about the Chinese economy or plummeting oil prices". "Instead, a thorough review of the fundamentals of all major economies is needed to help policymakers around the world prepare for a year that may be at least as turbulent as 2015." It said that hard on the heels of China announcing its GDP growth rate was 6.9 percent in 2015, the slowest in 25 years, the IMF cut its global growth forecasts for this year and the next by 0.2 percentage points, predicting 3.4 percent growth for 2016 and 3.6 percent for 2017.
IANS

US to sell Iraq huge arsenal of attack jet munitions
The United States has approved the sale of almost $2 billion worth of bombs and missiles to equip Iraq's squadron of F-16 attack jets in their battle against jihadist rebels. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said 400 American government staff and contractors would work in Iraq until at least 2020 to maintain the arsenal and train Iraqi pilots and ground crew. "This proposed sale enables Iraq to fully maintain and employ its aircraft and sustain pilot training to effectively protect Iraq from current and future threats," it said.
AFP

Congress gives caste, communal angle to every incident: BJP
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) Hitting back at the Congress, the BJP on Thursday accused the opposition party of "giving a communal colour or caste angle" to every untoward incident in the country. "What has the Congress given us in 60 years? It is very unfortunate," Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Srikant Sharma told reporters here.
IANS

Adma-Opco projects on track despite oil slump
Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (Adma-Opco) is on-track with its drilling and oil production projects despite the plunge in oil prices, which reached new lows below $28 (Dh103) a barrel on Wednesday. “2015 was a good year for Adnoc (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) generally. Reducing our spending was the focus last year, and we managed to cut our spending by 16 per cent. We’re working on a lot of projects in 2016 and have a large budget, but there’s also an opportunity to cut costs because the market prices are lower,” Al Jarwan said.
Gulf News

Syria talks to start even if opposition boycotts - Russian diplomat
(Adds detail, quote, reaction from Western diplomat) By Tom Miles Jan 21 (Reuters) - Russia will back an alternative Syrian opposition delegation to negotiate with Syria's government at peace talks in Geneva later this month if the existing opposition team is not reformed or boycotts the talks, a Russian diplomat said on Thursday. The U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Wednesday the talks may be delayed, but major powers must keep up the pressure to bring participants to the table. Kerry met de Mistura in Davos on Thursday and held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday at which they both said talks should go ahead in January despite the apparent lack of agreement on who should represent the opposition.
Reuters Middle East

India should have been 2-2 going into decider
After losing a second game despite scoring 300-plus, Mahendra Singh Dhoni observed that, given the attack he has in the ongoing series against Australia, his team needs to score more to put the opposition batsmen under pressure.
IANS

Eminent dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai dies at 97
Ahmedabad, Jan 21 (IANS) Padma Bhushan awardee Mrinalini Sarabhai died on Thursday following age-related complications at the age of 97, her family said. An infection led to the deterioration of her health, said her son and scientist Kartikeya Sarabhai. Born on May 11, 1918 in Kerala, Mrinalini married Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the pioneer of India's space science programme, in 1942.
IANS

'International body's HQ a new beginning for solar power development'
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The International Solar Alliance (ISA) headquarters in Gurgaon will be a new beginning for solar power development in the country, the government said on Thursday. Prime Ministe Narendra Modi and visiting French President Francois Hollande will jointly lay the foundation stone of the ISA headquarters next week. Both the leaders will also inaugurate the ISA interim secretariat at the National Institute of Solar Energy in Gurgaon in the national capital region.
IANS

Egyptian Refining Co to start output at country's largest refinery in Q1 2017
The Egyptian Refining Company, a subsidiary of one of Egypt's largest investment companies Qalaa Holdings, will start production at its $3.7 billion oil refinery in the first quarter of 2017, managing director Mohammed Saad said. The refinery, which has a capacity to produce 4.2 million tons of refined products annually, the largest in Egypt, will start trial production by the end of 2016, Saad said. Qalaa owns 19 percent of the Egyptian Refining Company (ERC), which will convert lowest value fuel oil into middle and light distillates that Egypt needs for its domestic consumption.
Reuters Middle East

Iraq seeks to link oil companies' fees to crude price - minister
By Maher Chmaytelli and Ahmed Rasheed BAGHDAD, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Iraq is in talks with foreign oil companies to link the fees they receive for developing its fields to oil prices and have them share the burden when markets go down, Iraqi Oil Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi told Reuters on Thursday. Current service agreements with oil companies are straining Iraq's budget as the government pays the firms a fixed fee for increasing production at ageing fields, when its own revenue is dropping with falling oil prices. Iraq also pays the cost of infrastructure investment by the companies.
Reuters Middle East

Migrants cross after Macedonia reopens Greek border
Some 2,000 migrants began crossing into Macedonia on Thursday in freezing temperatures as the country conditionally reopened its border with Greece after closing it temporarily. "The border crossing for migrants near (Macedonian border town) Gevgelija opened early this morning, but only those migrants whose Greek registration papers show their final destination as Germany or Austria can enter," a senior police official in Skopje told AFP. Most of the migrants -- mainly conflict refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan -- had slept in heated tents operated by aid groups.
AFP

GCC and China decide to speed up free trade talks
China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) said Wednesday they would accelerate talks on a free trade deal which has been under negotiation for more than a decade. The announcement, in a joint statement, came during a visit to Saudi Arabia by Chinese President Xi Jinping. “China and the GCC have decided to accelerate the pace of negotiations, review the progress made and hold the next round of negotiations in the second half of February 2016,” the statement said.
Saudi Gazette

Sack vice chancellor, Irani must apologize: Kejriwal
Hyderabad, Jan 21 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday demanded the dismissal of the vice chancellor of Hyderabad University over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar. Addressing a gathering of students at the campus, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also asked Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani to apologize for "playing caste politics" over Rohith Vemula's suicide. "The VC should be removed immediately," Kejriwal said to applause from the students who have been holding protests ever since Vemula took his life on Sunday after being suspended from the university.
IANS

When will Mehbooba take oath? The suspense continues
Jammu, Jan 21 (IANS) Even as PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has decided to continue the alliance with the BJP, it is unclear when she will take oath as the next chief minister of troubled Jammu and Kashmir. While ruling out any new political alliance, the Peoples Democratic Party has decided to continue the vision of late Mufti Muhammad Sayeed while working on a new alliance agenda with the Bharatiya Janata Party. According to former education minister and senior PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, no time-frame can be given on when the new government will assume charge.
IANS

UAE's Enviromena sees sun shining for solar power in Mena region
Abu Dhabi-based Enviromena, set up in 2007 with local and international investors including venture capital firms, has built around 50 percent of all solar photovoltaic plants in the Middle East North Africa (Mena) region. It has built 45 solar power plants with a total capacity of 70 megawatts (MW) connected to power grids, with another 105 MW of projects under construction. Last month, it won a $128 million deal jointly with Spain's TSK Group to build a 103-MW solar plant in the south of Jordan, Enviromena's biggest contract to date.
Reuters Middle East

Attack on university was attack on Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif
Islamabad, Jan 21 (IANS) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif vowed to continue efforts to wipe out terrorism and extremism from the country, the local media reported on Thursday. Following Wednesday's horrific attack on Bacha Khan University in the northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province the top civilian and military leadership affirmed that the nation's determination to counter the menace had not been affected by the strike in Charsadda district of the province, Dawn reported. Prime minister Sharif and Gen Sharif resolved that the fight against militancy, which enjoyed the nation's support, would be taken to its logical end of elimination of terrorism.
IANS

Tunisia police disperse new protest after jobless man's death
Tunisian police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of job-seeking demonstrators in the impoverished town of Kasserine, in a second day of protests after the death of an unemployed man. The demonstrators had gathered outside the local government offices demanding a solution to the region's dire unemployment before heading towards the town centre, as small groups set up roadblocks with burning tyres. Witnesses said police used tear gas and water cannon and fired warning shots in the air as they came under attack from stone-throwers.
AFP

Islamabad, Kabul, Washington upbeat at Afghan peace process
Islamabad, Jan 21 (IANS) US Vice President Joe Biden, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday expressed satisfaction at the recently-launched four-nation mechanism to boost the peace process in Afghanistan. The quadrilateral mechanism of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US is now discussing a roadmap to restart the peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban groups. Senior officials of the four countries are scheduled to hold the next round of talks in Islamabad on February 6, following two rounds of talks held earlier this month in Islamabad and Kabul.
IANS

'No more sharing among blood banks'
DHA says the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank and Sharjah Blood Bank are no longer able to supply blood and blood products to the facilities outside the respective Emirates. Blood banks will no longer supply blood and its components to private facilities, if the facility is not based within the same emirate, according to a recent decision. A circular issued last month by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said that the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank and Sharjah Blood Bank are no longer able to supply blood and blood products to the facilities outside the respective Emirate.
Khaleej Times

Mirza, Bopanna advance at Australian Open
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) Indian tennis players Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna won their opening round matches to advance to the second round at the Australian Open here on Thursday.
IANS

A Band of Boys to reunite
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) A Band of Boys, a musical quartet which created a sensation with hit songs like "Gori", "Meri neend" and "Nain kataari" in early 2000 and then disbanded to pursue their own individual careers, are back! The Indipop boy band is reuniting for the Mumbai Ballard Estate Festival, and the members are confident that they will be able to strike the right chords with the audience even after so many years, as they had not split, but just taken a break. The band members -- Sudhanshu Pandey, Karan Oberoi, Chin2 Bhosle and Sherrin Varghese -- consider that their biggest strength is their connect with the audience at live gigs. "Each member got busy with their personal musical journeys and the band took a backseat, leading to an unscheduled break and then the idea of being part of this music festival came along," the band members told IANS in a joint email interview.
IANS

Fires erupt as jihadists attack Libya oil facilities
Oil facilities in northern Libya were set ablaze Thursday as Islamic State group jihadists launched fresh attacks to seize key export terminals, the state oil company and local media said. "Fighting resumed at dawn on Thursday... in the Ras Lanouf region," Libya's National Oil Corporation said in a statement, referring to a terminal that, along with the nearby Al-Sidra facility, is one of the country's main oil export hubs. IS, a growing power in strife-torn Libya, has in recent weeks launched repeated attacks from its base in the city of Sirte on facilities in the "oil crescent" along Libya's northern coast.
AFP

World has done nothing for Syria: Prince Turki
Five years on from the start of the bloody civil war in Syria, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, told CNBC that the global community has “done nothing” to help. Speaking to CNBC from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Prince Turki said there had been little progress over Syria. The civil war has prompted hundreds of thousands of Syrians to flee their home country on top of the 260,000 people estimated to have died in the conflict so far, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Saudi Gazette

Arab, Kurdish forces to get more support to fight Islamic State - Hollande
French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that Arab and Kurdish forces would be given additional support to help retake Islamic State's bastions in Syria and Iraq. "The (military) strategy comes through the liberation of the cities of Raqqa and Mosul," Hollande said in a New Year's address to French and foreign ambassadors. Hollande added that Paris was ready to train Libyan security forces once a government was fully in place and warned that the power vacuum in Lebanon needed to be resolved urgently.
Reuters Middle East

Saudi's Dar Al Arkan Q4 net profit falls 57.9 pct
DUBAI, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Dar Al Arkan, one of Saudi Arabia's largest property developers, reported a 57.9 percent fall in fourth-quarter net profit on Thursday. Arkan made a net profit of 48.7 million riyals ($13 million) in the three months to Dec. 31, versus 115.6 million riyals in the same period a year earlier, it said in a statement. Two analysts polled by Reuters forecast the developer would make a quarterly net profit of between 102.1 and 105 million riyals. ...
Reuters Middle East

Indian economy needs multiple growth engines: Jaitley
Davos, Jan 21 (IANS) The Indian economy needs multiple engines of growth while the government focus now is on reviving private investments, union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Thursday. Any economy needs multiple engines of growth," he said. The minister was speaking at a session on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting here, organised jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Boston Consulting Group.
IANS

Turkey - Factors to Watch on Jan 21
ISTANBUL, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Thursday. The lira stood at 3.0460 against the dollar at 0552 GMT, firming from 3.0558 late on Wednesday. The main share index fell 2.07 percent to 69,603.95 points on Wednesday. The benchmark 10-year government bond yield stood at 11.22 percent at the spot close on Wednesday and was at 11.19 percent in Thursday-dated trade. GLOBAL MARKETS Battered crude oil prices bounced back from their lows on Thursday, propelling solid gains in Asian shares and the dollar. ...
Reuters Middle East

Secretariat raid: HC notice to Delhi government on CBI plea
New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to the city government on a plea by the CBI challenging a trial court order directing the probe agency to release documents seized during a raid at the office of Rajendra Kumar, principal secretary to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The high court, however, refrained from passing any interim order on the agency's plea after counsel Dayan Krishnan, appearing for the Delhi government, opposed the plea saying it has not been heard. The CBI in its plea filed through CBI's standing counsel Sonia Mathur said the special court failed to appreciate that the Delhi government has already obtained attested photocopies of the documents seized and thus the order of returning the documents is "wholly misconceived".
IANS

U-19 World Cup a stepping stone to senior team: Dravid
Mumbai, Jan 21 (IANS) Legendary batsman Rahul Dravid has advised young players not to take the forthcoming Under-19 World Cup as the crowning achievement of their careers, but as a stepping stone for bigger things, like representing their respective countries in the senior World Cup. The tournament is due to start on January 27 in Bangladesh. Three-time champions India (2000, 2008, 2012) are clubbed in Group D alongside Ireland, New Zealand and Nepal.
IANS

Clinton denies her private server kept classified intelligence
Washington, Jan 21 (IANS) Amid a growing challenge from Democratic presidential rival Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton has brushed off a report that her private email server contained classified intelligence from some of the US intelligence community's most secretive programmes. The former secretary of state told National Public Radio Wednesday that the report was a "leak" designed to harm her in the presidential race despite offering no evidence. A Clinton spokesman even publicly accused investigators looking into her server as conspiring with Republican senators to embarrass her, according to CNN.
IANS

Murray destroys local hope Groth at Australian Open
Melbourne, Jan 21 (IANS) World No.2 Andy Murray quickly hushed parochial Australian fans baying for a major upset here on Day 4 of the Australian Open, demolishing star struck local hope Sam Groth in straight sets. In his first appearance on Rod Laver Arena on Thursday, the late-blooming Australian - best known for producing the fastest serve ever recorded in tennis history - was given an unceremonious welcome by the Briton, reports Xinhua. The two-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who went Slam-less last year, didn't give Groth an inch - or a game in the first set, for that matter, - winning 6-0, 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and 29 minutes.
IANS

Asian stocks, currencies, oil rally after sell-off
Asian stocks rallied along with oil and high-yielding currencies in early trade on Thursday, providing some respite from a rout that has sent global markets into a tailspin at the start of the year. Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney led a broad advance across regional trading floors as investors picked up cheap assets following Wednesday's bloodbath, although fears of further volatility hung over their heads. Markets from Asia to the Americas have taken a hammering so far in 2016, chiefly hit by crashing oil prices and worries about the Chinese economy, which is a crucial driver of global growth.
AFP

Barcelona take 2-1 lead against Bilbao in King's Cup quarters
Bilbao (Spain), Jan 21 (IANS) FC Barcelona took another important step in their King's Cup title defence, winning the first leg of their quarter-final 2-1 against Athletic Club Bilbao in an away match. The Basque side pressured Barcelona from the start and for the first 15 minutes the Cup holders were on the back foot until they scored with virtually their first attack of the game on Wednesday. Ivan Rakitic found space down the right to swing over a low cross that allowed Munir to score from eight yards out.
IANS

Air strikes on Yemeni oil port kill 9, say medi