Month: December 2018

A U.S. Army Green Beret major has been charged with murder in the death of an Afghan man during his 2010 deployment to the war-torn country, the U.S. military says. …

The United States denounced the “predatory” practices of Russia and China in Africa as it unveiled a refocus of its strategy that will include an end to “indiscriminate assistance across the entire continent.” …

The United States has condemned the “unconscionable” death of a hunger-striking Iranian political activist who had been jailed for messages he wrote on social media. …

Two international charities have launched a program in southern Malawi to help girls in rural areas remain healthy and stay in school. The charities are running girls’ clubs in the Mulanje district, a hotspot of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Some 360 girls are taking part in the Mawa Girls clubs, which were launched …

Read more “International Charities Work to Brighten Malawi Girls’ Future”

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly passed a resolution calling for the Iranian government to “immediately and unconditionally” release jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. …

An early morning warehouse fire in Kinshasa has destroyed thousands of voting machines and other election materials that were to be used in Congo’s upcoming presidential election. Barnabe Kikaya, an advisor to outgoing President Joseph Kabila, says about 7,000 voting machines were lost in the Thursday morning fire, which he says was the work of …

Read more “Thousands of Voting Machines Destroyed in Congo Warehouse Fire”

A Russian woman accused of working as an agent for the Russian government to build ties to the powerful National Rifle Association lobby group in the United States and infiltrate Republican Party circles is expected to plead guilty Thursday in federal court. Maria Butina was charged in July with acting illegally as an unregistered Russian …

Read more “Accused Russian Agent Set to Plead Guilty in US Court”

The Yellow Vest protesters in France played an ode to Russia on a blocked roadway over the weekend. Or at least that’s what Russian state TV claimed. …

More than 20 journalists and human rights activists have called for the immediate release of Ukrainian blogger and RFE/RL contributor Stanislav Aseyev, who has been held for more than 18 months by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. …

The December 23 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo are the country’s most important in more than a decade. After delaying a new poll for two years, longtime President Joseph Kabila is stepping aside. Two main candidates are vying to replace him, one is his handpicked successor, the other an opposition leader. After two …

Read more “Congo Faces Pivotal Poll After 2 Years of Delays”

Christmas came early, in the form of a brand new potable water kiosk, to two villages – Jerusalem and Canaan – in Gonaives, a town with a population of about 300,000 people in Haiti’s north. On a sunny morning, a group of people, most of them women, gathered with bright yellow, blue, and white plastic …

Read more “Drinking Water Brings Joy to Haitian Town”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that Iran’s ballistic missile activity has been growing instead of stopping, since the 2015 nuclear deal was agreed upon. “Iran has exploited the goodwill of nations and defied multiple Security Council resolutions in its quest for a robust ballistic missile force,” Pompeo …

Read more “Pompeo: Iran Increasing Ballistic Missile Activity”

The court said the publication of the so-called “black ledger” documents “led to interference in the electoral processes of the United States in 2016 and harmed the interests of Ukraine as a state.” …

A group of Russian lawmakers has introduced a package of bills in the State Duma envisaging fines of up to 1 million rubles ($15,000) for spreading false “socially significant” information through the media and on the Internet. …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has told the UN Security Council that Washington would seek to work with the 15-member body to reimpose ballistic missile restrictions on Iran. …

The U.S. Treasury and U.S. Trade Representative’s office said on Tuesday they intended to sign a new bilateral insurance agreement with Britain that will provide insurance market regulatory certainty and continuity after Britain leaves the European Union. The Treasury and USTR said the U.S.-U.K. Covered Agreement would be consistent with a similar agreement signed with …

Read more “US Treasury, USTR Reach Post-Brexit Insurance Accord with Britain”

Nigeria’s main opposition candidate did not attend an event on Tuesday to sign an election agreement stating a commitment to hold a peaceful election early next year, and his party attributed his absence to a “communication lapse.” The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) confirmed in an emailed statement that its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, had not participated …

Read more “Nigerian Candidate Absent From Election Accord Ceremony “

With its wooden walls and posters on protecting forests and fauna, Brazil’s pavilion at the U.N. climate talks in Poland offers no hint of the angst at home and abroad over mixed messages on global warming from its president-elect. But campaign promises made by Jair Bolsonaro that could weaken protection for the Amazon rainforest are …

Read more “Brazil Green Groups Prepare Climate-Change Contingency Plan”