Month: October 2017

The Environmental Protection Agency kept three scientists from appearing at a Monday event about a report that deals in part with climate change. The scientists were expected to discuss a report on the health of Narragansett Bay, New England’s largest estuary. The EPA didn’t explain exactly why the scientists were told not to. “EPA supports …

Read more “EPA Keeps Scientists From Speaking About Report on Climate”

The suicide of an Iranian teenager has put the spotlight on the shadowy online phenomenon known as Blue Whale. …

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

The sloping vineyards of New York’s Finger Lakes region known for producing golden-hued rieslings and chardonnays also are offering a splash of orange wine.   The color comes not from citrus fruit, but by fermenting white wine grapes with their skins on before pressing – a practice that mirrors the way red wines are made. …

Read more “Orange Is the New White? Unique Amber Wine Creates Buzz”

U.S.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he would talk with Asian allies about North Korea and the crisis caused by Pyongyang’s “reckless” provocations, as he kicked off a week-long trip to the region on Monday to meet defense chiefs in the Philippines. Mattis’ trip to Asia, which will also include stops in Thailand and South Korea, …

Read more “Pentagon Chief in Asia; North Korea High on Agenda in Talks With Allies”

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says it is time for Iranian-backed fighters who helped Iraq defeat the Islamic State (IS) extremist group to “go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control.” …

Candidates and voters in Kosovo are awaiting official results after polls closed in the Balkan country’s elections to choose mayors and councilors in 38 municipalities. …

A suicide bomber has killed 13 other people in the restive northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Sunday. The Sunday evening attack also injured five people.  Two subsequent suicide bombings injured more than a dozen others.   There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but officials suspect Boko Haram the militant group …

Read more “13 Killed in Nigeria Suicide Bombing”

Voters in Kosovo headed to the polls on October 22 to cast ballots in municipal elections. RFE/RL filmed early voters in the capital, Pristina, including Kosovo’s Central Election Commission chief, Valdete Daka. (RFE/RL’s Balkan Service) …

Friends and relatives of a couple whose bodies were found in Joshua Tree National Park say they believe the two got lost while hiking in the sprawling desert park and struggled in the searing heat with little food or water before they died in a “sympathetic murder-suicide.” Rachel Nguyen, 20, and Joseph Orbeso, 22, had …

Read more “Lost in Desert, Hikers May Have Died in ‘Sympathetic Murder-suicide’”

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said he would be willing to travel to North Korea on behalf of the Trump administration to help diffuse rising tensions, The New York Times reported on its website Sunday. “I would go, yes,” Carter, 93, told the Times when he was asked in an interview at his ranch house …

Read more “NY Times: Carter Willing to Travel to North Korea”

Heavy rain and wind lashed southern Japan on Sunday as a powerful typhoon neared, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and disrupting rail services on a national election day. It was expected to near the Japanese capital Monday morning before veering east into the Northern Pacific. The agency issued warnings for heavy rain and …

Read more “Powerful Typhoon Drenches Voters Headed to Polls for Snap Election”

Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny is set to be freed on October 22 after serving a 20-day jail term for organizing unsanctioned protests against President Vladimir Putin. …

Voters in Kosovo are heading to the polls on October 22 in an election to choose mayors and councilors in 38 municipalities, in another step in the young republic’s effort to solidify its democratic credentials. …

Exit polls in Georgia are indicating that former AC Milan footballer Kakha Kaladze of the ruling Georgian Dream coalition is far ahead of the pack in the Tbilisi mayor’s race and may avoid the need for a runoff. …