Russian Authorities Acquit, Rearrest Pussy Riot Members

Members of the Russian punk protest group Pussy Riot were arrested immediately after they walked out of a Moscow pretrial detention center on July 30. Activists Veronika Nikulshina, Olga Kuracheva, and Olga Pakhtusova spent 15 days in custody for storming the pitch at the soccer World Cup final in Moscow. Another Pussy Riot member, Pyotr …

Turkish Steel Makers Eye Exports to West Africa Amid US Tariff Setbacks

Turkish steel makers are looking to expand in West Africa and other emerging markets in response to tariffs and planned quotas which threaten their sales to the United States and the European Union, a senior sector official said. Namik Ekinci, board chairman for the Turkish Steel Exporters Association (TSEA), told Reuters that Turkey was looking …

Could Turkey Turn to Russia in Response to US Threats?

Deepening rifts between Turkey and the United States are fueling speculation Turkey is being given further impetus to strengthen ties with nearby Russia. Senior Turkish officials met with their Russian and Iranian counterparts Monday in Russia’s Sochi sea resort as part of ongoing cooperation among the countries over resolving the Syrian civil war. “We can …

Mali Says More Than 700 Polling Stations Inoperable During Election

Officials in Mali say more than 700 polling stations were not able to operate during Sunday’s presidential election because of attacks or threats of violence. Authorities said Monday the counting of ballots is underway, but said no ballots were cast at 716 polling stations — representing just over 3 percent of the country’s total — …

Witnesses: Heavy Fighting Near Yemen’s Hodeida Kills Dozens

Heavy fighting along Yemen’s west coast between pro-government forces and Shiite rebels in recent days has left dozens dead from both sides, Yemeni officials and witnesses said Sunday. Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been advancing in the area in recent weeks as they battle Iran-allied rebels known as Houthis. The fighting has …

Hun Sen’s CPP Dominates Election in ‘One-Horse Race’

Cambodians headed to the polls today for an election in which the only viable alternative party has been banned. That’s helped the country’s prime minister of more than three decades to extend his reign even longer. But that’s not enough for Hun Sen, who wants legitimacy as well as assured victory. David Boyle reports from …

Former Milosevic Defense Lawyer Killed in Belgrade

A prominent Belgrade lawyer who in the past helped to defend late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic was shot dead, gangland-style, in front of his home on Saturday, police said. Dragoslav Ognjanovic, 57, was gunned down in front of his apartment building in the Novi Beograd neighborhood and his 26-year-old son was wounded in the right …

Editors Calls Capital Gazette Victims ‘Friends of the People’

The five Capital Gazette employees killed in an attack in their newsroom last month were “friends of the people,” and “not one of them deserved to be seen as an enemy,” the executive editor of The Washington Post said Saturday at a benefit concert for the victims’ families and colleagues. While Martin Baron didn’t mention …

Voting, in Mali and Zimbabwe, Tests Elections Organizers

Malians went to the polls on Sunday to determine whether to grant a second term to President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Zimbabweans will cast votes Monday in the first election since longtime leader Robert Mugabe was forced to resign in November. Whether constituents have confidence in the results of these elections – and those in at …

Funeral Service For Longtime Kosovar Dissident Held In Pristina

A funeral service for political activist and human rights defender Adem Demaci, a revered figure in Kosovo who was sometimes called the “Balkans’ Mandela,” was held on July 28 in the Kosovar capital, Pristina. Political leaders from Kosovo, Albania, Macedonia, as well as hundreds of Kosovars attended the ceremony. …

US Prelate McCarrick Resigns From College of Cardinals Following Sexual Abuse Allegations

Pope Francis has accepted U.S. prelate Theodore McCarrick’s offer to resign from the College of Cardinals following allegations of sexual abuse, including one involving an 11-year-old boy, and ordered him to conduct a “life of prayer and penance” in a home to be designated by the pontiff until a church trial is held, the Vatican …