WASHINGTON — Washington's top tax official was fired on Wednesday, as President Barack Obama sought to stem a rising tide of criticism over the Internal Revenue Service's improper targeting of conservative groups for special scrutiny.

To maintain the illusion of some prospect for progress in nuclear diplomacy with Tehran, European Union Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton will meet with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, in Istanbul next week. Purportedly, Ashton will see if the P5+1 dialogue with Iran can be put back on track after yet another round of nuclear talks with Iran failed last month.

Since the 2011 revolutions, International public opinion polls have been providing unprecedented information about citizens’ mindsets in many countries of the Arab World. Still, pollsters should beware of the cross-cultural pitfalls that can arise despite the politically-unfettered climates.

The United States, in many senses, is supposedly known as one of the most tolerant countries in the world. Diversity is the foundation of this country, and it is worn as a badge of honor by many of us.  While other countries, such as those in Europe, stifle the voices of their ethnic and religious minorities, the US prides itself on its colorful landscape. 

In the first legislative test for the U.S. Senate's bipartisan immigration bill, the Judiciary Committee rejected a Republican attempt to significantly delay the legalization process for 11 million undocumented immigrants, a central focus of the bill.

In a show of solidarity with the academic boycott of Israel, Professor Stephen Hawking has pulled out of a conference hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem.  His decision is in protest to Israel's treatment of Palestinians.