Robert Siegel talks to Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, about the timing of the Saudi arms deal announcement this week.

Thank goodness it's Friday unless you live in the island nation of Samoa. In which case it's Saturday. The country is skipping a day — shifting its calendar — to join the same time zone as trading partners Australia and New Zealand.

The State Department is calling on Egyptian authorities to stop the harassment of non-governmental organizations. Egyptian security forces earlier raided the offices of 17 NGOs. The military claims some of them were operating without permits.

As people get richer, they tend to get fatter. That's what's happening in China, where 25 percent of adults are now obese or overweight. But some Chinese are discovering that it's possible to enjoy times of plenty and still stay slim.

On New Year's Eve, don't open the front door in Denmark, look out for falling furniture in Italy and chew lightly when eating black-eyed peas in the South of the U.S.

An Arab League monitoring mission is visiting Homs and Hama, major centers of Syria's anti-government uprising, and witnessed violence firsthand. Activists say at least 40 protesters were killed by security forces Thursday. The presence of the monitors has emboldened the protesters, who are chronicling their struggle in videos.

Terror groups are using social media to find new followers. But analysts say if you look at the recruiting numbers, the strategy has failed. What's more, their frank exchanges on Facebook and Twitter have been a boon to law enforcement.