Month: September 2017

At least 28 civilians, including four children, were killed in air strikes in the rebel stronghold of Idlib in northwest Syria, a monitoring group said on September 30. …

The World Health Organization warns a highly infectious, deadly form of pneumonic plague is spreading rapidly in Madagascar and quick action is needed to stop it.  Pneumonic plague, which is transmitted from person to person, has been detected in several cities in Madagascar.  This worries the World Health Organization as the disease is highly contagious …

Read more “Plague Spreading Rapidly in Madagascar”

A Russian soldier who shot and killed three fellow servicemen with an automatic weapon during target practice in the country’s Far East and fled the scene with his weapon was killed by police during a search operation. …

A volcano threatening to erupt in the South Pacific has led to the evacuation of an entire island in Vanuatu.  A state of emergency has been declared on the island of Ambae, where an increase in volcanic activity has raised fears of a major eruption. Ash, stones and lava have been thrown from the mouth …

Read more “Thousands Flee Rumbling Volcano in Vanuatu, South Pacific”

Officials in far east Russia say a soldier who opened fire at other servicemen during drills has been tracked down and killed. The military says the soldier, who killed three and wounded two other soldiers, offered resistance to arrest and was shot dead early Saturday following a massive manhunt. During Friday’s incident, the soldier fired …

Read more “Russian Soldier who Killed 3 Comrades Shot Dead”

Russian​ ​opposition​ ​politician​ ​Aleksei​ ​Navalny​ ​met​ ​with​ ​residents​ ​in​ ​Orenburg​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Urals​ ​on​ ​September 30​ ​as​ ​part​ ​of​ ​his​ ​campaign for the March 2018 presidential election. …

Two women accused of murdering the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to plead not guilty when their trial begins Monday in Malaysia, according to an attorney representing one of the defendants. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam are accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam on February …

Read more “Women Expected to Plead Not Guilty in Death of Kim Jong Un’s Half Brother”

A look at the best news photos from around the world. …

Twenty-seven European Union nations, not including Britain, will be coming up with clear options on a more tightly knit future for themselves even before they will allow divorce negotiations with the U.K. to move toward brokering a new relationship. EU Council President Donald Tusk said Friday he would be presenting “a political agenda in two …

Read more “EU Moves Ahead on New Future Faster Than on Brexit Talks”

Although Ramazan Abdulatipov explained his decision to step down in terms of his age, in light of misfortunes that have dogged his tenure it might be that the Kremlin simply lost patience with him. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL.) …

The head of the local election coordinating committee and about a dozen activists have been detained by police in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod while attempting to hold a rally in support of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny. …

The White House says U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has encouraged Kosovo to ratify a border-demarcation deal with Montenegro. …

North Korean overseas workers are feeling the heat as countries are stepping up their efforts to implement U.N. sanctions against their motherland. On Wednesday, the Polish foreign ministry told VOA’s Korea Service that Poland does not intend to issue new work permits to North Korean workers to comply with the two latest U.N. Security Council …

Read more “North Korean Workers Overseas Feeling Sanctions’ Squeeze”

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson embarks Thursday on his second trip to China, seeking Beijing’s cooperation on a “maximum pressure” campaign against North Korea’s nuclear aggression amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula. In a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong on Thursday, the top U.S. diplomat is seeking China’s cooperation to curb …

Read more “Tillerson Heads to China Amid North Korea Nuclear Escalation”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for “swift action” to halt the deteriorating situation in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State, where a half million mostly Rohingya Muslims have fled to neighboring Bangladesh in the past month. “The situation has spiraled into the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency; a humanitarian and human rights nightmare,” Guterres told an …

Read more “UN Chief Urges ‘Swift Action’ to Alleviate Suffering of Myanmar Muslims”