Performers Take the Stage at Refugee Ball
Hundreds gathered Tuesday at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C., to listen to a mix of performances by first- and second-generation Americans. …
As Trump Prepares For Inauguration, Washington Braces For Protests
With hundreds of thousands descending on Washington to celebrate — and protest — Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, the U.S. capital is bracing for a ceremony whose pomp has been overshadowed by extraordinary tensions. …
Last Call For Bishkek’s Obama Bar & Grill?
When Barack Obama leaves office, will the restaurant named after him close its doors? The manager of the Obama Bar & Grill in the Kyrgyz capital says definitely not, because just like Obama, the eatery has earned its place in history. (RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service) …
Orthodox Christians Celebrate Epiphany With Icy Plunges
Russian Orthodox Christians took the plunge in icy Siberian waters to mark the holy day of Epiphany. Meanwhile, the faithful in Serbia celebrated with a swimming race in Belgrade. (RFE/RL’s Russian and Balkan services) …
Ice Storm Grips Parts of Oregon, Washington State
An ice storm shut down parts of major highways and interstates Wednesday in Oregon and Washington state and paralyzed towns along the Columbia River Gorge, with up to 2 inches of ice coating the ground in some places. As temperatures hovered around freezing, Interstate 84 was shut down for a 45-mile stretch in Oregon. Transportation …
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Al-Qaida-linked Militants Claim Responsibility for Deadly Suicide Bombing in Mali
An al-Qaida-linked extremist group is claiming responsibility for Wednesday’s suicide attack on a military camp in northern Mali, killing at least 60 soldiers and former rebels and wounding 115. A car packed with explosives penetrated the camp in Gao as hundreds of solders gathered for a morning meeting. They belong to the Joint Operational Mechanism, …
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HRW: Disabled Refugees ‘Overlooked’ in Greece
Disabled refugees and migrants are not properly identified in Greece and have poor access to basic services such as toilets, showers, food and medical care, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Wednesday. About 60,000 refugees and migrants live in formal and makeshift camps in Greece and Human Rights Watch said conditions there were …
In Final Press Conference, Obama Pressures Russia Over Actions In Ukraine
U.S. President Barack Obama held his final press conference in office on January 18. Addressing U.S. sanctions on Russia, Obama stressed that they were imposed because of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and that the sanctions can be removed once Russia stops “meddling in Ukrainian affairs.” (AP) …
Obama Tells Trump Not To Link Russia Sanctions To Nuclear Arms Reductions
U.S. President Barack Obama says Washington should not lose focus on why it imposed sanctions against Russia over Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea territory and its support for separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. …
Iraqi General Says IS Driven Completely From East Bank Of Tigris River In Mosul
The commanding officer of Iraq’s elite Counter Terrorism Services says his forces have driven Islamic State fighters from all districts of eastern Mosul that they have been tasked with recapturing. …
Russia Extends Snowden’s Residency Permit
Russia says it has extended the residency permit of Edward Snowden, the former U.S. intelligence contractor who disclosed archives of top-secret surveillance files. …
U.S. Confirms 10 More Guantanamo Prisoners Sent To Oman
The United States on January 17 confirmed that 10 prisoners had been released from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and transferred to Oman. …
Obama Commutes Chelsea Manning Sentence, Pardons Retired General Cartwright
U.S. President Barack Obama has commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst who is serving 35 years in prison for leaking classified U.S. documents to WikiLeaks. …
Vietnam Signals Softer Stance on Contested South China Sea
Vietnam shows signs of softening its approach toward China over their bitter maritime dispute, a move welcomed by nervous leaders in Beijing as it could rebalance Hanoi’s foreign policy away from Washington while cooling decades of strife. Beijing and Hanoi issued a communique Saturday proposing negotiations on their conflicting claims in the South China Sea, …
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Senators Question Nominee to Head Commerce Department
Donald Trump’s nominee to head the U.S. Commerce Department is scheduled to be questioned by a Senate committee Wednesday about his qualifications to head an agency responsible for bolstering the economy, international trade and many other tasks from forecasting the weather to taking the census. Wilbur Ross is a multi-billionaire who made a fortune buying …
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Seahorses at Risk, But Conservation Efforts Having Impact
Alongside cephalopods like the octopus and the cuttlefish, seahorses are some of the most fascinating animals in the ocean. One of the strangest things about them is that seahorses are really just fish, closely related to pipefish, those long, thin swimmers you can find hanging around the shoreline. Seahorses are more delicate, and more desirable, …
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Poll: Unlike Trump, Americans Want Strong Environmental Regulator
More than 60 percent of Americans would like to see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s powers preserved or strengthened under incoming President Donald Trump, and the drilling of oil on public lands to hold steady or drop, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released on Tuesday. The results could foretell stronger-than-expected public opposition to Trump’s …
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Iraqi Forces Push Into IS-held Pocket in Mosul
Iraqi special forces pushed into a pocket of Islamic State-held territory in eastern Mosul on Tuesday, the military said, seeking to recapture the remaining districts under the group’s control east of the Tigris river. The militants have been driven out of most eastern districts in their Iraqi stronghold in a 3-month-old U.S.-backed campaign. Iraqi troops …
European Court Rules Russian Ban On U.S. Adoptions Violated Rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that a Russian law barring Americans from adopting Russian children led to human rights violations. …
Saudi Arabia Quietly Spreads its Brand of Puritanical Islam in Indonesia
When Ulil Abshar-Abdalla was a teenager in Pati, Central Java, he placed first in an Arabic class held at his local madrasa. The prize was six months of tuition at the Institute for the Study of Islam and Arabic (LIPIA), a Jakarta university founded and funded by the Saudi Arabian government. At the end of …
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High-Profile Trial Of Kazakh Journalist Gabdullin Starts In Astana
Prominent Kazakh journalist Bigeldy Gabdullin has gone on trial in Astana on extortion charges. …
Amnesty International Says European Antiterror Laws Undermine Rights
Counterterrorism measures that have been adopted across Europe in the wake of deadly terrorist attacks are eroding human rights under the guise of defending them, Amnesty International warns. …
Researchers say Fingerprint Data Vulnerable in ‘Peace’ Photos
Japanese researchers say they have successfully copied fingerprint data from a digital picture of a person flashing a two-fingered “V” or peace sign, raising questions about the potential theft of such information. “One can use it to assume another identity, such as accessing a smartphone or breaking and entering into a restricted area such as …
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Writings of Obscure American Leftist Drive Kurdish Forces in Syria
Could the writings of a little-know leftist from a rural American state help to reshape the political structure of the nation that emerges from the Syrian civil war? That could be the case if the Kurdish YPG — one of the most effective forces in the U.S.-backed struggle against Islamic State extremists — succeeds in its goal …
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