Turkey’s Erdogan, Iraq’s Abadi Vow To Cooperate On Security, Economy
The leaders of Iraq and Turkey say they are ready to strengthen cooperation to end conflicts and instability in the region. …
U.S. Security Adviser Slams Iran’s ‘Malign, Destructive’ Regional Influence
U.S. President Donald Trump’s top security adviser has told a television interview that the “malign, destructive” influence of Iran and its “proxies” must be removed from Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East. …
Iraqi Kurds Propose Setting Aside Referendum, Starting Dialogue
The government in Iraq’s Kurdistan region offered Wednesday to freeze the results of an independence referendum and start dialogue with the central government in Baghdad in order to prevent any further violence between the two sides. Last week, Iraqi forces seized the city of Kirkuk and other disputed areas held by the Kurds in response …
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Iraq’s Kurdistan Government Offers To ‘Freeze’ Independence Vote Results
The regional government in Iraq’s Kurdistan region has offered to “freeze” the results of last month’s overwhelmingly approved independence referendum to prevent further violence and facilitate dialogue with Baghdad. …
China Reveals New Leadership Team, No Obvious Xi Successor
China’s Communist Party has unveiled the lineup of its highest body, which will rule alongside President Xi Jinping as he embarks on a second five-year term as party leader. …
Report: Putin’s ‘Inner Circle’ Worth Nearly $24 Billion
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s circle of close friends and relatives controls a combined wealth of nearly $24 billion, although Putin has kept himself “officially” clean in terms of financial assets, says a joint report by a global investigative group and an independent Russian newspaper. …
Online Resources Aid Female Candidates
Only about 1 in 5 politicians in the US is female, even though women make up just over half of the US population. With many saying 2018 could be “The Year of the Woman” in American politics, new tools have become available for women running for office. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti shows us some high-tech and …
US Lawmakers: Ethnic Cleansing Taking Place in Myanmar
U.S. lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration to declare that ethnic cleansing is taking place against the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar – a majority-Buddhist nation also known as Burma, which has seen improved ties with Washington in recent years. As VOA’s Michael Bowman reports, a Senate panel Tuesday demanded U.S. officials take a tougher …
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Kenyans Brace for Re-run of Presidential Election
After Kenya’s Supreme Court nullified the country’s presidential election results six weeks ago, the East African nation has been careening down the path to a re-run that has further inflamed political tensions ahead of Thursday’s vote. VOA’s Jill Craig reports from Nairobi. …
Tiger Woods Set to Enter Plea Bargain for DUI Arrest
The diversion program for intoxicated drivers that Tiger Woods is expected to enter Wednesday is one of several across the U.S. aimed at reducing the number of repeat offenders and backlogs of court cases. The 41-year-old Woods is scheduled to plead guilty at a court hearing to reckless driving, a less severe charge than …
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Serbian Defense Minister Denounces U.S. Official’s ‘Unfriendly’ Remarks
Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin has criticized as unfriendly remarks by a senior U.S. diplomat who suggested that Belgrade’s balancing act between Moscow and the West is unsustainable. …
Study: NYC Could See Bad Flooding Every 5 Years
Within the next three decades, floods that used to strike the New York City area only once every 500 years could occur every five years, according to a new scientific study released just days before the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy. The study, performed by researchers at several universities and published Monday in the …
Frozen Conflict Keeps Moldovan Farmers From Their Land
The frozen conflict over Moldova’s breakaway region of Transdniester has taken a heavy toll on people on both sides of the boundary. For thousands of people on the Chisinau-controled side, the ongoing dispute has cut off access to the farmland that provides their livelihoods. (RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service) …
The Daily Vertical: Declaring Open Season On Journalists
The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL. …
New Hampshire Governor Asks Trump to Stop Indonesian Deportation Effort
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu on Monday publicly called on U.S. President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, to halt an effort to deport 69 Indonesian Christians who fled violence in that country two decades ago and are living illegally in the state. The group had been living near the state’s coast under the terms of …
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Russian Soldier Kills Four Comrades In Chechnya
A Russian soldier has killed four of his colleagues at a base in Chechnya before being shot dead, the National Guard has said. …
Iranian Academic Said Sentenced To Death In ‘Grossly Unfair Trial’
Amnesty International has called on Tehran to immediately reverse the death penalty reportedly imposed on a Swedish-Iranian scholar who has been detained in Iran since April 2016. …
EPA Keeps Scientists From Speaking About Report on Climate
The Environmental Protection Agency kept three scientists from appearing at a Monday event about a report that deals in part with climate change. The scientists were expected to discuss a report on the health of Narragansett Bay, New England’s largest estuary. The EPA didn’t explain exactly why the scientists were told not to. “EPA supports …
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‘Satanic’ Blue Whale Game Under Spotlight In Iran After Teenager’s Death
The suicide of an Iranian teenager has put the spotlight on the shadowy online phenomenon known as Blue Whale. …
October 23, 2017
A look at the best news photos from around the world. …
Orange Is the New White? Unique Amber Wine Creates Buzz
The sloping vineyards of New York’s Finger Lakes region known for producing golden-hued rieslings and chardonnays also are offering a splash of orange wine. The color comes not from citrus fruit, but by fermenting white wine grapes with their skins on before pressing – a practice that mirrors the way red wines are made. …
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Pentagon Chief in Asia; North Korea High on Agenda in Talks With Allies
U.S.Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he would talk with Asian allies about North Korea and the crisis caused by Pyongyang’s “reckless” provocations, as he kicked off a week-long trip to the region on Monday to meet defense chiefs in the Philippines. Mattis’ trip to Asia, which will also include stops in Thailand and South Korea, …
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Tillerson Tells Iranian-Backed Militia In Iraq To ‘Go Home’
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says it is time for Iranian-backed fighters who helped Iraq defeat the Islamic State (IS) extremist group to “go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control.” …
Kosovo Awaits Results After Polls Close In Municipal Elections
Candidates and voters in Kosovo are awaiting official results after polls closed in the Balkan country’s elections to choose mayors and councilors in 38 municipalities. …