News You May Have Missed

• Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a 34-nation Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism. • Syrian President Bashar al Assad is expected to visit Tehran on Jan. 10. • At least seven people are dead in restive southeast Turkey after demonstrators clashed with security forces over curfews throughout the region. • The U.S. Embassy in Turkey in Ankara is limiting services Dec. 14-15 because of a possible security threat, an unidentified U.S. official said. • The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog is expected to close its 12-year investigation into Iran’s alleged secret nuclear weapons program . • Houthi rebels killed 42 private security contractors from Academi, better known as Blackwater, and two high ranking Gulf commanders in a ballistic missile attack in the Bab el-Mandeb region. • A cease-fire in Yemen took effect, according to a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Iranian-backed Houthi militias. • The French teacher who said he was attacked by an Islamic State supporter Dec. 14 lied about what happened, according to French prosecutors. • The Obama administration is expected to authorize the sale of two guided missile frigates to Taiwan as soon as this week. • The Australian military is carrying out “freedom of navigation” flights over disputed islands in the South China Sea. • Seoul and Beijing will hold maritime demarcation talks next week aimed at resolving the issue of their overlapping exclusive economic zones. • CEFC China Energy Ltd. will acquire a controlling stake in KMG International, a fully-owned unit of Kazakhstan's state oil and natural gas firm KazMunayGaz. • In a surprise move, South African President Jacob Zuma replaced newly appointed Finance Minister David van Rooyen with the more experienced Pravin Gordhan, who served as finance minister from 2009-2014. • Unidentified militants fired rockets at the northern Malian city of Gao, home to a base for U.N. peacekeepers and a French regional anti-terrorism force. • The Colombian government and the FARC reached an agreement over reparations for victims, a key point in the peace talks aimed at ending the decadeslong conflict between the two.