Category: World

Nigerian lawmakers on Saturday summoned the attorney general, accountant general, minister of interior and representatives of four companies to appear next month before a committee of parliamentarians over allegations that revenues were withheld from the immigration service. The head of the Nigeria Immigration Service told a committee led by Senator Solomon Adeola that the companies …

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Francois Fillon’s aides used an umbrella to shield him from eggs thrown by protesters in southwest France on Saturday as the beleaguered conservative fell further behind centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-rightist Marine Le Pen in opinion polls. The contrast between former front-runner Fillon, embroiled in a financial scandal, and new poll favorite Macron was striking …

Read more “Fillon Pelted With Eggs, Sinking Poll Numbers”

Iran has denied claims by the United States that Iranian fast-attack boats were “harassing” warships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. …

The gunman in a fatal shooting on the Las Vegas Strip who barricaded himself inside a public bus has surrendered peacefully after shutting down the busy tourism corridor for hours, police said. The standoff began about 11 a.m. local time Saturday with a shooting that killed one person and injured another. It happened on a …

Read more “Gunman Surrenders After Fatal Shooting on Las Vegas Strip”

Hundreds of Belarusians protested in Brest and Homel against President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s government on March 25. (RFE/RL’s Belarus Service) …

Police in Kyrgyzstan have used stun grenades to disperse hundreds of protesters at a rally against the detention of a former parliamentary deputy who plans to run for the presidency. …

Philippine soldiers Saturday rescued one of two Filipino cargo ship crewmen taken captive two days ago by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants, a security official said. The troops recovered Aurelio Agacac, the ship captain, in the remote village of Basakan in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, said Colonel Juvymax Uy, commander of the military’s 104th …

Read more “Philippine Soldiers Rescue Hostage; Abu Sayyaf Suspected”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Friday he has asked the United Nations to help the South American nation alleviate medicine shortages, which have become increasingly severe as the oil-producing nation’s economic crisis accelerates. Triple digit inflation and a decaying socialist economic model have left medications ranging from simple anti-inflammatory drugs to chemotherapy medication out of …

Read more “Venezuela’s President Asks UN for Help With Medical Supplies”

A teenage blogger from Singapore whose online posts blasting his government landed in him jail was granted asylum to remain in the United States, an immigration judge in Chicago ruled Friday.   Amos Yee has been detained by federal immigration authorities since December when he was taken into custody at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Attorneys …

Read more “US Judge Grants Asylum to Singapore Blogger”

The French defense minister says the Western-backed coalition in Syria is ready to launch its final push to drive Islamic State (IS) militants from their so-called capital in Raqqa. …

Belarusian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu has been detained upon arrival in Minsk after talks with Polish government officials in Warsaw. …

The chief of the U.S. military’s Africa Command says Russia is attempting to expand its influence in Libya, something the United States is watching with “great concern.” …

The Trump administration has given a federal permit to the Keystone XL pipeline project after former President Barack Obama rejected it just two years ago. On Friday morning, the U.S. State Department announced the issuance of the permit to TransCanada to build the pipeline, saying that it would “serve the national interest” to do so. …

Read more “Trump Gives Go Ahead for Keystone XL Pipeline”

The United Nations says it will expand an investigation into North Korea’s alleged crimes against humanity. Will we see another North Korean nuclear test? Plus, will Hong Kong’s next leader be able to unify the city? VOA’s Steve Miller has your Asia news, in a minute. …

The United States has turned down an invitation to a multinational conference on Afghanistan that Russia plans to host on April 14, according to the AP news agency. …

A Belarusian human rights group says that about 130 activists who have protested against an unemployment tax have been jailed for up to 15 days and will be unable to participate in fresh rallies on March 25. …

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

Authorities in the breakaway republic of Somaliland say at least 80 percent of the region’s livestock have died due to the crippling drought that has also killed dozens of people and forced thousands into displaced persons camps. “The situation is very grave as most of the livestock were killed by drought,” said Mohamud Ali Saleban, …

Read more “Official Says 80 Percent of Livestock Dead in Somaliland”

Russia may be supplying the Taliban as they fight US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, a top U.S. military commander said Thursday. ” have seen the influence of Russia of late — an increased influence — in terms of association and perhaps even supply to the Taliban,” General Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander and U.S. …

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Iraqi forces are battling for Mosul’s Old City, closing in on the al-Nuri Mosque, where the self-proclaimed Islamic State’s leader declared a “caliphate” in 2014. VOA’s Heather Murdock goes inside IS “government” buildings, revealing some of the inner workings of their rule. …

Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) President Vladimir Fortov, a vocal critic of the Kremlin, has been relieved from his duties by the Russian government. …

A look at the best news photos from around the world. …

NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe has said that Russia may be helping to supply Taliban militants that are fighting Afghanistan’s U.S.-backed government. …

For many who celebrate the Persian New Year, or Nowruz, the vernal equinox is a time to renew ancient traditions. So it was for the Rufai Sufis in Prizren, Kosovo. (RFE/RL’s Balkan Service) …