Month: February 2017

Gyms have grown popular in Afghanistan’s capital in recent years, but the country’s conservative culture meant that women could not use them with men. One female entrepreneur saw that as an opportunity, and five years ago opened Ladies World, a women-only exercise facility with modern equipment, a sauna, swimming pool, beauty salon and area for …

On February 3, 2002, the New England Patriots shocked the National Football League (NFL) and many fans by defeating the heavily favored St. Louis Rams 20-17 to take home their first Super Bowl victory. This Sunday, the Patriots will make history again: Super Bowl LI marks the team’s ninth Super Bowl appearance, an NFL record. So, …

Avocado farmers in the rolling hillsides of Mexico’s Michoacan state are not worried for now by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to tear up a trade deal which could make the favorite snack of Super Bowl viewers more expensive. Americans will chomp through huge amounts of avocados mashed into guacamole during the Super Bowl on …

Authorities in France say that the machete-wielding man who was shot by a security guard at Paris’s Louvre Museum is in critical, life-threatening condition. …

The official Iranian news agency says Tehran has banned a U.S. wrestling team from a major tournament it is hosting, as the fallout from the war of words between the two countries reached the sporting world. …

Moldova’s pro-Russia President Igor Dodon has proposed a new flag for his country that would eliminate similarities the current banner has with the flag and coat of arms of neighboring Romania. …

A brief video clip of Donald Trump’s granddaughter singing in Chinese is circulating to strong approval on the internet in China, even while some criticized the U.S. president’s failure to send greetings for the Lunar New Year.  The clip posted by Trump’s daughter Ivanka shows 5-year-old Arabella Kushner singing best wishes for the holiday while …

In Donald Trump, Europe’s populist leaders think they have found a champion.    For now.    The opening salvoes of Trump’s presidency, most notably his 90-day ban on immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations, are being gleefully milked by anti-Muslim lawmaker Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and other populist leaders in Germany, Italy and elsewhere who …

President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily banning refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries has put a spotlight on those immigrant communities across the country. The U.S. has taken in nearly 270,000 immigrants and refugees from the affected countries since 2007, according to an analysis of U.S. State Department data by The Associated Press. …

U.S. President Donald Trump has plunged the United States into a dispute with Australia over the fate of 1,300 refugees primarily from Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. …

An Iranian man denied entry into the United States under President Donald Trump’s immigration executive order became the first person allowed to return to the country on February 2. …

U.S. news media are reporting that the White House is preparing to impose new sanctions on Iran as early as February 3 for test-firing ballistic missiles and fueling proxy wars in the Middle East. …

Traoré Kajale left war-torn Ivory Coast in 2012 with dreams of playing professional soccer in Moscow. Without a work visa, and with no money to return home, he wound up struggling just to stay off the streets. But Traoré’s life changed dramatically when he met a Russian math student named Diana. (RFE/RL’s Russian Service) …

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Thursday the Trump administration is committed to strengthening relations with South Korea in the face of what he called the “provocations” that country faces from North Korea. “Right now we have to address the reality of the threat that your country and my country faces, and we intend to …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is holding talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a visit to Ankara on February 2. …

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Russia to pay opposition activist Aleksei Navalny more than 63,000 euros ($68,000) in compensation for unlawful arrests and other rights violations. …

Pressure on French presidential candidate Francois Fillon to pull out of the election grew Thursday as some lawmakers in his own camp urged him to abandon his bid in the face of a scandal in hopes of saving the conservatives from defeat. The scandal, which surfaced a week ago when a newspaper said the wife …

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday he would issue an executive order for military support in his fight against illicit drugs, which he said was a national security threat and he would “kill more” people if he had to. The mercurial leader ruled out declaring martial law and said he did not need extra …

The medals for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics will be made from metals reclaimed from discarded cell phones. Olympic organizers say they are asking the Japanese public to donate old phones or other old electronic appliances in an effort to collect as much as eight tons of metal to produce the 5,000 gold, silver …

Iranian-born Swedish actress Bahar Pars, who hopes to share an Oscar for best foreign film, says she and fellow actor Rolf Lassgard “have decided to travel” to the Academy Awards ceremony despite the confusion around U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban. Pars, who got Swedish citizenship in 1995, said by traveling to the prestigious Feb. …

Pop star Beyonce is expecting twins with husband, rapper Jay-Z. “We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes,” Beyonce announced in a post on her Instagram page.  The post shows a photo of the pop star holding her baby bump. She is surrounded …

Russian President Vladimir Putin is heading to Hungary for his second visit in two years, a development that has many in the European Union looking on with concern. …

Ukrainian military authorities say that an unarmed military transport plane was hit by antiaircraft fire from a Russian naval vessel over a disputed area of the Black Sea. …

There is ongoing speculation that Daghestani republic head Ramazan Abdulatipov, who turned 70 last year, will be dismissed before his formal term in office ends next year, possibly to be replaced by a Russian Interior Ministry general. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.) …

President Donald Trump has chosen Neil Gorsuch, a judge for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado, as his choice to fill the vacant seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump made the announcement at a prime-time news conference at the White House Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. Gorsuch would fill the seat left …

Donald Trump’s chief strategist has pledged to “hammer” mainstream Republicans and liberals, has taken on the capitalist elite who sparked the 2008 global economic crisis, and has called the news media the “opponent” of the Trump administration. This week, the administration announced that Steve Bannon will also be a key member of the National Security …