Yemen Keeps Counterterrorism Operations With US Despite Raid

Yemen said on Wednesday it had not suspended counterterrorism operations with the U.S. government, despite controversy over a U.S. commando raid on al-Qaida militants in which several civilians were also killed. The raid in al-Bayda province, approved by new U.S. President Donald Trump, resulted in a gun battle that left one Navy SEAL dead and …

Sri Lanka to Ask UN for More Time to Probe War Crimes

Sri Lanka says it needs more time to fulfill promises given to the U.N. human rights body to investigate war crime allegations from the nation’s long civil war, which ended nearly eight years ago. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told foreign correspondents late Tuesday that the government will seek more time at the next U.N. human …

Top Shots

Some of the most compelling photographs from RFE/RL’s broadcast region and beyond for the sixth week of 2017. …

Warren Violates Arcane Rule, Sparking Senate Dustup

Sen. Elizabeth Warren has earned a rare rebuke by the Senate for quoting Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor. The Massachusetts Democrat ran afoul of the chamber’s arcane rules by reading a three-decade-old letter from Dr. Martin Luther King’s widow that dated to Sen. Jeff Sessions’ failed judicial nomination three decades ago. The chamber is debating the …

Boom in Tourists Helping Stabilize China-Vietnam Relations

China has emerged as the top single-country source of tourism for Vietnam over the past year, a status that could help broader relations hurt by a maritime dispute and historical distrust.  The number of Chinese tourists to the neighboring Southeast Asian country reached 250,000 in January, leading other countries with about a quarter of the …

Supreme Court Likely Destination for Trump Travel Ban Case

A U.S. federal appeals court expects to issue a ruling sometime this week on the government’s request to end a temporary pause of President Donald Trump’s travel ban.  A lower federal court issued the temporary restraining order last week, saying the government could not enforce the 90-day entry ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries …

Homeland Security Chief Makes First Public Trip to Congress

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is heading to Capitol Hill for his first public appearance before lawmakers who are sure to press him for details about the Trump administration’s contentious rollout of a travel and refugee ban. He will testify before the House Homeland Security Committee.   Kelly has said the ban was intended to …

Melania Trump Lawsuit Says ‘Daily Mail’ Article Cost Her Millions in Business

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump has re-filed a defamation lawsuit against the company that publishes the Daily Mail’s website, saying an article posted there in August 2016 harmed her ability to earn millions of dollars during a time when she would be “one of the most photographed women in the world.” The article discussed false …

Iraqi Forces Light Up Sky, Thwarting IS Attack

Soldiers say they fired mortars with explosives so bright they could scan the Tigris River after hearing Islamic State militants were preparing boats to once again approach Iraqi-forces controlled eastern Mosul late Saturday. VOA’s Heather Murdock is on the scene in Mosul, where Iraqi forces say they believe the lights deterred the potential militant attack. …

South Sudan President Says Soldiers Who Rape Should Be Shot

The president of South Sudan said on Monday that soldiers who rape civilians should be shot, trying to mollify citizens outraged by abuses by security forces and quell growing international anger over attacks. South Sudan was plunged into a sporadic civil war in 2013 when Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired his deputy, an ethnic …

Despite Scandal, Fillon Continues French Presidential Campaign

French presidential candidate Francois Fillon says he will continue his campaign, despite criticism amid media reports he paid his wife an unjustified salary for 15 years while he was a member of parliament. Claiming his wife was paid fairly for work she did, Fillon only apologized for the “error” of judgement in employing his family, …

From Russia With Love For Trump

In January, Russian media mentioned Donald Trump more often than Vladimir Putin, according to the Interfax news agency. What are Russian news outlets saying about the new U.S. president? (RFE/RL’s Russian Service) …