Author: Worldman

Iran sits on what are thought to be the world’s largest gas reserves, yet can barely supply its own domestic demand. Since the United Nations-backed deal over Tehran’s nuclear program spurred the lifting of international sanctions, the country has strived to attract foreign investment in developing oil fields and upgrading its aging infrastructure.  The Ministry …

Read more “Iran Needs Billions to Upgrade Gas Fields, But Will Investors Invest?”

U.S. President Donald Trump says Russia appears to taking provocative steps such as sailing a spy ship near the U.S. East Coast because Moscow has concluded no improvement in relations will occur anytime soon. …

Ukraine this spring will renew its search for human remains at the crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, Dutch Security and Justice Minister Stef Blok has said. …

U.S. media are reporting that former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn may have lied to FBI agents in an interview last month, saying he had not discussed sanctions against Russia with Moscow’s U.S. ambassador. …

Cryonics is a long way from going mainstream, but Russia’s KrioRus, the first cryonics company set up outside the United States, says business is picking up. …

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s nearly month-long medical leave in London is a sharp reminder to taxpayers that while they finance their leaders’ health care abroad, they often are stuck with decrepit, ill-staffed government health facilities at home. For decades, Nigerians have paid for their leaders and former rulers to get medical treatment overseas. That courtesy …

Read more “Nigerian Leader Extends Sick Leave Abroad as Citizens Suffer”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia and the United States would benefit from restoring communications between their intelligence agencies to bolster the fight against terrorism. …

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is taking part in his first major international talks Thursday, joining a gathering of G20 foreign ministers in Germany. Tillerson’s schedule includes a number of sideline meetings with individual ministers, including those from Britain, Turkey, Italy, South Korea, Japan and Brazil. His most high profile meeting outside of the …

Read more “Tillerson Attending First Major Talks at G20”

Chancellor Angela Merkel testified Thursday to a parliamentary committee examining alleged U.S. surveillance in Germany and the activities of German intelligence, defending her insistence that “spying among friends” is unacceptable.   The parliamentary panel is investigating alleged eavesdropping in Germany by the U.S. National Security Agency and its relationship with German counterparts. The inquiry was …

Read more “Germany’s Merkel Testifies on Alleged US Eavesdropping”

The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL. …

U.S. retail sales and inflation rose in January, strengthening the case for the central bank to raise interest rates. Retail sales advanced four-tenths of a percent for the month. PNC Bank economists Gush Faucher says the gain is partly due to an improving labor market with “more jobs and rising wages” as workers become more …

Read more “US Retail Sales, Inflation Rise”

Many people find they cannot live without their smartphones, tablets, laptops and other digital devices for play, and increasingly for work at home or when they are on the move.   The use of modern communication technologies is rapidly transforming the traditional mode of working in a fixed location in favor of working at home. …

Read more “Report: Telework Blurring Boundaries Between Work, Personal Life”

The largest university in Kosovo has received a threat warning of attacks from Islamic State (IS), university officials said Wednesday. A threatening letter, allegedly signed by IS, was found at the campus as the University of Pristina as students and teachers prepared to mark its 47th anniversary.  The letter was found in the ceremony hall …

Read more “University in Kosovo Receives Threat of Alleged IS Attack”

Vitaly Milonov, a Russian lawmaker who has crusaded against LGBT rights and praised Moscow’s embargo on foreign foodstuffs, has been accused of hypocrisy for buying Finnish trout banned in Russia. …

U.S. President Donald Trump has again vowed to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and has criticized the landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers. …

If elected president, Serbian Prime minister Aleksandar Vucic might well seek to maintain his balancing act between Moscow and Brussels. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.) …

Venezuelan authorities raided the Caracas offices of Odebrecht on Tuesday, as prosecutors deepened a probe into the Brazilian construction firm that has admitted paying some $98 million in bribes to obtain government contracts in Venezuela. “The investigation is aimed at clarifying the situation and determining if the projects for which this company was contracted were …

Read more “Venezuela Prosecutors Raid Odebrecht Offices in Bribe Probe”