What makes Vladimir Putin push?

November 14, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

An age-old feeling of vulnerability drives Russian aggressiveness.

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Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called for attacks against the rulers of Saudi Arabia in a speech purported to be in his name on Thursday, saying his self-declared caliphate was expanding there and in four other Arab countries. Baghdadi also said a US-led military campaign against his group in Syria and Iraq was failing and he called for "volcanoes of jihad" the world over. Reuters could not independently confirm the authenticity of the speech - an audio recording carried on Islamic State-run social media. The voice sounded similar to a previous speech delivered by Baghdadi in July in a mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul, the last time he spoke in public.

The US government now patrols nearly half the Mexican border by drones alone in a largely unheralded shift to control desolate stretches where there are no agents, camera towers, ground sensors or fences, and it plans to expand the strategy to the Canadian border. It represents a significant departure from a decades-old approach that emphasizes boots on the ground and fences. Since 2000, the number of Border Patrol agents on the 1,954-mile border more than doubled to surpass 18,000 and fencing multiplied nine times to 700 miles.

Mali announced tougher health checks at border crossings after registering its second Ebola outbreak, while Liberia on Thursday signaled progress in neutralizing the virus by saying it would not renew a state of emergency. The world's worst ever epidemic of the haemorrhagic fever has infected more than 14,000 people and killed at least 5,160 since it erupted in March in West Africa, a region dogged by poverty and poor health care. It has ravaged Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and spurred a global watch for its spread.

One of publishing's nastiest, most high-profile conflicts, the months-long standoff between Amazon.com and Hachette Book Group, is ending. Amazon and Hachette announced a multiyear agreement Thursday. With e-book revenues reportedly the key issue, Amazon had removed pre-order tags for Hachette books, reduced discounts and slowed deliveries. Those restrictions are being lifted immediately, according to the announcement.

Hours after a FIFA judge cleared Russia and Qatar of corruption in their winning World Cup bids, the American who led the investigation said Thursday he would appeal the decision to close the case because it was based on "materially incomplete and erroneous" information. In what appears to be an open act of conflict within FIFA, prosecutor Michael Garcia criticized ethics judge Joachim Eckert's 42-page report clearing the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts. Eckert's findings, which were released Thursday morning, were based on Garcia's investigation. Despite finding wrongdoing among the 11 bidding nations, Eckert said the integrity of the December 2010 votes was not affected.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc said it would buy Procter & Gamble Co's Duracell battery business in exchange for its entire $4.7 billion stake in the world's No. 1 household products maker. P&G, whose brands include Pampers diapers and Tide detergent, said it would contribute about $1.8 billion in cash to recapitalize Duracell before the transaction.

Cat lovers in Northern California are pouncing at the chance of spending time with feline company at a new cat cafe in Oakland. Cat Town Cafe is giving dozens of visitors a chance to mingle with furry friends while sipping coffee and nibbling on cat-themed cookies. The cafe opened last month and has been full since opening day. It was inspired by the cat cafe craze in Japan, where many people live in cramped high-rise apartments that don't allow pets.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

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