Month: January 2019

The brother of an American being held in Moscow for alleged spying says a prison visit by U.S. Embassy staff has been postponed. David Whelan expressed disappointment that Russian authorities didn’t allow the visit scheduled for Thursday, but said he hoped it could be rescheduled soon and British diplomats also would be given access to …

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President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will develop new technologies — including in space — to acquire unrivaled missile defense and maintain an advantage over adversaries such as Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. …

A military honor guard welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin on a state visit to Serbia on January 17. During the one-day visit, Putin awarded Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with a Russian state honor, the Order of Aleksandr Nevsky. …

An investigative journalist in Ghana who helped expose a high-ranking official at world soccer body FIFA as corrupt was shot dead by gunmen on a motorbike as he drove home alone at night, police said Thursday. His employers said he was assassinated. Ahmed Hussein-Suale was killed late Wednesday, shot twice in the chest and once …

Read more “Journalist in Ghana Who Exposed Soccer Corruption Shot Dead”

At least nine people were killed and more than 20 injured in a car bombing at a Colombian police academy in Bogota on Thursday, recalling the high-profile attacks associated with bloodiest chapters of the country’s guerrilla and drug conflicts. The scene outside the General Santander police academy in southern Bogota was chaotic in the immediate …

Read more “9 Dead in Car Bombing in Colombia Capital”

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani thanked Pakistan on January 17 for its help in advancing peace talks with the Taliban amid continuing diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the 17-year war in the country, Pakistani officials said. …

The way humanity produces and eats food must radically change to avoid millions of deaths and “catastrophic” damage to the planet, according to a landmark study published Thursday.  The key to both goals is a dramatic shift in the global diet — roughly half as much sugar and red meat, and twice as many vegetables, …

Read more “Study: Human Diet Causing ‘Catastrophic’ Damage to Planet”

Poles on Wednesday heatedly condemned the power of hate speech to trigger real-life violence after the slaying of a popular liberal mayor, with many calling for stronger actions against those who threaten others. Not only did the killer, an ex-convict, take the life of the 53-year-old Gdansk mayor, Pawel Adamowicz, but he stabbed him during …

Read more “Mayor’s Killing in Poland Sparks Anger Against Hate Speech”

Female employees at Citigroup Inc around the world are paid just 71 percent of what men earn, the giant bank said on Wednesday, declaring its intentions to close its gender pay gap. A Citigroup shareholder group that sought data on the pay gap said the bank is the first U.S. company to disclose such figures. …

Read more “Giant US Bank Reveals 29 Percent Pay Gap Between Men, Women”

Konstantin Kilimnik, the alleged Russian intelligence operative who helped run Paul Manafort’s operations in Kyiv for roughly a decade, boasted of the duo’s closeness to RFE/RL in a 2017 interview. “The only guy who Manafort can conceivably talk to in Ukraine is basically me,” he said. …

The United States has urged Moldovan officials to ensure a free and fair election process for the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections. …

Thousands of people marched in Belgrade on January 16 to mark the anniversary of the still unsolved assassination of Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic, accusing the authorities of covering up for the perpetrators. …

Russian rescue workers have pulled a fifth body from the debris of a residential building hit by an explosion in the southern region of Rostov earlier this week. …

U.S. authorities have detained a journalist and television presenter working for Iran’s English-language Press TV on unspecified charges, the state-run broadcaster reported on January 16. …

The resolution is in response to last month’s announcement by the Treasury Department that it would lift sanctions on the core businesses of Deripaska, a powerful Russian oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin. …

Jonathan Nez delivered a message of hope, resilience and change Tuesday in his inaugural address as president of the Navajo Nation, drawing from the tribe’s history as a way to move forward. He and Vice President Myron Lizer took the oath of office before a large crowd at an indoor sports arena in Fort Defiance, …

Read more “Jonathan Nez Sworn In as Navajo Nation President”