Month: May 2018

The Kremlin said on May 11 that a suggestion by Chechen lawmakers to change the constitution to allow President Vladimir Putin to serve another presidential term when his current term ends in 2024 is not on Putin’s agenda. …

Russia has denied a visa request to report on next month’s soccer World Cup events from a German investigative journalist who broke the Russian doping scandal story. …

Malaysia’s newly installed prime minister says he is ready to make good on a campaign promise to pardon opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Mahathir Mohamad said Friday, “We will begin the . . . proper process of obtaining a pardon for Datuk Sri Anwar,” using a Malay honorific.   Mahathir said the king “has indicated he …

Read more “Malaysia’s New PM Ready to Pardon Opposition Leader”

Terrorism will be one of the major challenges facing Egyptian President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, who begins a new term in office next month after winning nearly 100 percent of the vote in February’s election. In some quarters, however, Sissi’s war on terror is described as a “heavy-handed” approach by security forces. “I would actually take …

Read more “Challenges Await Egypt’s Sissi in New Term”

The World Health Organization said Friday it is preparing for “the worst case scenario” for an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. WHO said Thursday that between April 4 and May 5, twenty-seven cases of fever with hemorrhagic signs, including 17 deaths, were reported in the DRC’s Bikoro district.  WHO says two of …

Read more “WHO Prepares for ‘Worst Case Scenario’ for DRC Ebola Outbreak”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on May 11 that the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal undermines confidence in the global order. …

A Moscow court opened a hearing in a case against Aleksei Navalny over nationwide protests but swiftly rescheduled it for May 15, prompting sardonic criticism from the opposition politician. …

The leader of the U.S. Central Command says the Taliban in Afghanistan “cannot win militarily” despite an uptick in attacks launched by the militants. …

Chilean bishops are arriving in Rome ahead of an expected brow-beating next week from Pope Francis, who says he was misled about a bishop at the center of the Chilean church’s sex abuse scandal. One top-ranked churchman is apparently not coming: Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, retired archbishop of Santiago, who sits on Francis’ kitchen cabinet. Abuse …

Read more “Chilean Bishops in Rome for Expected Brow-beating From Pope”

Italian researchers on Thursday unveiled a new robotic hand they say allows users to grip objects more naturally and featuring a design that will lower the price significantly. The Hennes robotic hand has a simpler mechanical design compared with other such myoelectric prosthetics, characterized by sensors that react to electrical signals from the brain to …

Read more “Italian Researchers Develop Lighter, Cheaper Robotic Hand”

Amid threats from Islamic State group, getting in and out of the polling stations safely will be the prevailing thought on Iraqi voters’ minds May 12 when the country goes to the polls to choose a new parliament and the prime minister. Islamic State militants have threatened to carry out attacks ahead of the elections …

Read more “Iraqis Head to Polls Amid Security Threats, External Influence”

The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on three entities and six Iranian individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps two days after President Donald Trump announced he was pulling out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. …

Mahathir Mohamad has been sworn in as Malaysia’s next prime minister, becoming, at 92, the world’s oldest elected leader following a stunning election win. …

The Armenian government has conducted its first major shake-up since former protest leader Nikol Pashinian became prime minister on May 8, firing the country’s top police chief and its national security adviser, while the acting finance minister announced his resignation. …

 After failing to coax Washington to stick with the Iran nuclear deal, and facing protests at home over his labor and pension reforms, French President Emmanuel Macron may find solace Thursday in Germany, where he will be given a prestigious European award for another key ambition: far-reaching goals to reform and revamp the European Union.  …

Read more “Macron Hailed as European Unifier, but Reality Remains Elusive”

A son of an American man who went missing in Iran 11 years ago said the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal presents a new opportunity to bring his father home. In an interview with VOA Persian’s NewsHour program in Washington on Wednesday, Doug Levinson said the U.S. and Iranian governments should take advantage …

Read more “Son of Missing American Sees Opportunity in US-Iran Deal Exit”

Iranian forces fired 20 rockets at Israeli army posts in the Golan Heights from inside Syria, the Israeli military reported late Wednesday. Israel said its Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted some of the rockets while the others caused minimal damage and no casualties. Israel said it views the incident “with severity.” Israel has been …

Read more “Iranian Forces in Syria Shell Golan Bases, Israel Says”