Author: Freered

The outgoing U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has accused Russia of engaging in aggressive and destabilizing actions that she says are threatening the rules-based international order. …

Vlado Trifunovic, a former Yugoslav Army general who was convicted of treason by Serbia’s wartime nationalist leadership during the Balkans wars of the 1990s, has died at the age of 78. …

In Zimbabwe, doctors and aid organizations have called on the government to improve the country’s water and sanitation amid a typhoid outbreak. Authorities have started dismantling vendors’ malls as part of efforts to contain the outbreak that has struck more than 200 people in the capital, Harare, killing two, and has been detected in other …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed as “fake” a dossier on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that was leaked earlier this month. Speaking on January 17, Putin said allegations that Trump met with prostitutes at a Moscow hotel are “ridiculous.” (Reuters) …

Thousands of people are running from the crumbling Islamic State group in eastern Mosul every day. Other families are staying put, hiding in their homes as battles rage outside, later emerging on the streets as Iraqi forces claim victory. In the days that follow escape or military victory, remnants of IS remain on their bodies, …

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa urged for calm in relations with Serbia following a war of words that erupted between the two countries over the weekend. In an exclusive interview with VOA’s Albanian Service, Mustafa was responding to comments by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic who said his country “is ready to send troops to Kosovo …

Facebook is stepping up efforts to head off tougher regulation by Germany, a fierce critic of the social media network operator, saying Monday it would do more to combat fake news as its chief operating officer met with officials in Berlin. Top German lawmakers are planning legislation this year to force Facebook to remove “hate …

A man suspected of killing 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Day has been caught in the city’s Esenyurt district, Turkish media report. …

French President Francois Hollande has responded to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of the European Union by saying that the EU “has no need for outside advice” on its affairs. …

The wife of the gunman who killed 49 people at an Orlando gay nightclub last year has been arrested in connection with the mass shooting, the U.S. attorney general has said. …

Senior members of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration say they are considering moving White House press briefings to a new location with more space, but reporters oppose the proposal saying it would hurt their ability to do their jobs.  The briefings take place in a room in the West Wing of the White House, which …

South Korean prosecutors investigating the corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of the country’s president have asked for the arrest of Samsung’s acting chief, Lee Jae-yong, son of the Samsung group chairman Lee Kun-hee who has been ill in recent years.  The prosecutors have been conducting a probe into Samsung’s financial support of a …

Pakistani military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has told Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that his troops have destroyed “all safe havens” for terrorists in Pakistan. …

Former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has announced that he will run for president in the election scheduled for later this year. …

At least 32 people are reported dead in a crash of a Turkish cargo plane near the airport in the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. …

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump says his plan to replace President Obama’s healthcare program is “formulated down to the final strokes,” and will be unveiled soon. In an interview with the Washington Post posted late Sunday, Trump said his goal was “insurance for everybody,” but that he declined to provide specifics.  One thing he did specify …

Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow has left the country for neighboring Senegal, a coalition member and local media said on Sunday, a day after West African leaders failed to persuade President Yahya Jammeh to step aside. Barrow, a former real estate agent, won a Dec. 1 election in the former British colony by a slim margin. …

Police in Brazil have entered two prisons in the country’s northern state of Rio Grande do Norte where a riot left at least 10 inmates dead on Saturday, authorities said Sunday. A statement released by the office in charge of state penitentiaries said the rebellion started Saturday afternoon in the Alcacuz and Rogerio Coutinho detention …

Russia plans to improve and expand its naval and air bases in Syria, Interfax news agency reported on Sunday, citing an unnamed source, as Moscow cements its presence in the Middle Eastern country, its only overseas military deployment. The source told Interfax that Russia will start repairing a second runway at Hmeimin air base near …

The landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers “will not be renegotiated,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister said on January 15, ahead of the first anniversary of the agreement’s implementation. …

Why is a suspension of Turkmen gas to Iran happening and how long might it continue? What’s at stake for each of the countries? And how much damage could this do to Turkmen-Iranian relations? LIsten to this week’s Majlis podcast to find out. …

Afghan officials say at least seven civilians, including a woman and three children, were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on January 15. …

United States officials will be invited by Turkey and Russia to attend new Syria peace talks set to take place in Kazakhstan later this month, Turkey’s foreign minister said Saturday. Mevlut Cavusoglu had previously expressed support for U.S. participation in the talks, though Russia has yet to publicly acknowledge any support for the invitation to …

When the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket goes into space Saturday, it will carry a payload that could revolutionize how airplanes fly. Technology on board will make airplanes trackable over the entire Earth, including the black zones over vast oceans and deserts where planes currently can’t be traced. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti explains. …

Authorities in Pakistan have reported no progress in finding at least four secular activists and bloggers who mysteriously went missing a week ago from different cities, including the national capital of Islamabad. Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan told reporters Saturday that security and intelligence agencies are “fully focused” on the issue, and making efforts to …

About 3,500 American soldiers have been deployed as part of NATO troop rotations in Eastern Europe aimed at reassuring regional allies following Russia’s moves against Ukraine. …