Ford Says It Will Not Move Small Car Production from China to US

Ford says it has no plans to move production of a small car from China to the United States despite President Donald Trump’s enthusiastic tweet Sunday. “It would not be profitable to the build the Focus Active in the U.S. given an expected annual sales volume of fewer than 500,000 units,” a Ford statement said. …

9 Killed in Attack on Checkpoint in Western Afghanistan

An Afghan official says insurgents have attacked a checkpoint in the western Herat province, killing at least nine Afghan security forces and wounding another six.        Gelani Farhad, the provincial governor’s spokesman, says the attack late Saturday ignited a gunbattle in which around 10 insurgents were killed and five wounded. He says the attack …

Power Restored in Most of Japan’s Quake-Hit Hokkaido

Power had been restored to almost all customers in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido by early Saturday, two days after an earthquake caused an island-wide blackout and killed at least 21 people. But the impact of Thursday’s 6.7 magnitude quake was set to rumble on with Toyota Motor planning to halt operations at 16 …

Cameroon Women Rally Demanding End to Violence

Hundreds of women gathered on the streets of Bamenda, an English-speaking town in northwestern Cameroon, to protest the violence afflicting their communities. In an emotionally charged event Friday, they called on the government and armed separatists to lay down their guns and engage in meaningful dialogue for peace. Thirty-seven-year old Etta Ernestine cried as she …

Tropical Storm Florence Strengthening Over Atlantic

Tropical storm Florence is strengthening over the Atlantic Ocean. Forecasters say Florence will become a hurricane by Sunday and then a major hurricane days later.   Swells generated by Florence are affecting Bermuda and are expected to reach portions of the U.S. East Coast.    The hurricane center cautions that the swells “are likely to …

Officials: 2 Health Scares at US Airports Tied to Mecca Pilgrims

Two major health scares at U.S. airports involving inbound flights are related to pilgrims returning from the Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which ended in late August, U.S. health officials said on Friday. On Wednesday, U.S. health officials sent an emergency response team with mobile diagnostic equipment to …

Protesters in Basra Set Fire to Iranian Consulate

Hundreds of protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in Basra, Iraq, setting fire to it and chanting “Iran out, Iran out, free Iraq, free Iraq.”  Various sources say many residents of the predominantly Shi’ite city accuse political parties backed by Iran of interfering in Iraqi politics.  Arab media report that Iran closed its Shalamja border crossing …

UN Syria Envoy Warns of ‘Perfect Storm’ for Disaster in Idlib

The U.N. envoy for Syria warned Friday that all the ingredients exist for a “perfect storm” of a humanitarian catastrophe if the Syrian government, backed by Russia, carries out a large-scale military offensive on the northwestern province of Idlib. “The dangers are profound that any battle for Idlib could be — would be — a …

Native Americans Worry Trump Supreme Court Pick Threatens Sovereignty

Native Americans have expressed concern about President Donald Trump’s pick for Supreme Court justice, Brett Kavanaugh, whose confirmation hearings began this past week in Washington. Many believe that Kavanaugh does not recognize the sovereignty of tribes, which govern themselves as independent nations within the United States. Tribal nations, through hundreds of treaties with the government, …

The Week’s Best: Stories You May Have Missed

We know that rferl.org isn’t the only website you read, and it’s possible that you may have missed some of our most interesting journalism from the past week. To make sure you’re up-to-date, here are some of the highlights produced by RFE/RL’s team of correspondents, multimedia editors, and visual journalists over the past seven days. …

US, UK Step Up Cooperation Against Female Genital Mutilation

Authorities in the U.S. and Britain are stepping up cooperation to tackle female genital mutilation, staging joint operations at airports in London, New York and elsewhere to raise awareness of an issue that affects millions of girls and women worldwide. Police and border security agencies on both sides of the Atlantic have signed a new …