WASHINGTON — A Yazidi woman who survived rape and enslavement by Islamic State and was rescued from Gaza last October in a U.S.-led operation arrived in Germany on Tuesday, February 18. Fawzia Amin Saydo, 21, was kidnapped by IS militants from her hometown of Sinjar, northern Iraq, in August 2014, just a month before her 11th …

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U.S.-based supporters of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny marked one year since his sudden and unexplained death in an arctic prison with vigils and protests in many U.S. cities, including Washington, New York and Los Angeles. VOA Russian correspondents spoke to Navalny supporters who urged the U.S. authorities to demand a release of Russian …

Read more “VOA Russian: Navalny supporters want Russian political prisoners released as part of deal with US”

Germany is set to hold an election on Sunday, with voter frustrations over migration and the cost of living at the forefront of a bitter campaign. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the lead candidate to be Germany’s next chancellor has accused Washington of interfering in the election. …

A British couple detained in Iran last month has been charged with spying, Iran’s state media reported Tuesday.   Britain’s Foreign Office has identified the couple as Craig and Lindsay Foreman.  “The detained individuals entered the country as tourists and collected information in several provinces of the country,” reported Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency. Iran has accused …

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Ukrainian soldier Andriy Chernytskyi came up with a project to build a kids’ playground in his hometown – but didn’t live to see it come to fruition. The playground is now open. Tetiana Kukurika has the story, narrated by Anna Rice. VOA footage by Sergiy Rybchynski. …

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the United States is working toward a “fair” and “sustainable” solution to end Russia’s three-year war on Ukraine, but that both Moscow and Kyiv would have to make concessions to achieve peace. Rubio offered his assessment after he and other key U.S. officials met for several …

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VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a “complex” respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend’s Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.  The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted …

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ISTANBUL — Turkish police detained 282 suspected members of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, militant group in raids over the last five days, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Tuesday. The raids came as Turkey continues to remove elected pro-Kurdish mayors from their posts over militant ties in a crackdown coinciding with hopes for an …

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A Russian drone hit an apartment building in the central Ukrainian city of Dolynska, officials said Tuesday, injuring at least three people. Andriy Raikovych, governor of the Kirovohrad region where the attack took place, said on Telegram that authorities evacuated dozens of people from the building and that those injured included a mother and two …

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Top U.S. and Russian diplomats began meetings Tuesday in Saudi Arabia about relations between their countries and a potential end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.  Both sides have tempered expectations, describing the talks as an initial step that could lay the framework for direct talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.  …

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PARIS — European leaders called for beefing up their defense spending Monday after a Paris summit on Ukraine and the region’s security — amid concerns about an aggressive Russia and declining support from Washington. The emergency meeting comes ahead of U.S.-Russian talks on ending the war in Ukraine — which it appears could leave out the …

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London — European leaders held a crisis security meeting Monday in Paris after a blizzard of diplomatic interventions by Washington in recent days that have raised doubts over the U.S. commitment to the transatlantic alliance, the bedrock of European security. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission President …

Read more “European leaders hold crisis security talks as US signals transatlantic reset”

European leaders held a crisis meeting Monday in Paris to discuss Ukrainian and European security. As Henry Ridgwell reports, the meeting comes after a blizzard of diplomatic interventions by Washington that have raised doubts over the U.S. commitment to the transatlantic alliance, the bedrock of European security. …

NICOSIA, CYPRUS — A pair of agreements outlining how sizable natural gas deposits inside Cypriot waters will get to market via processing facilities in Egypt are a milestone for energy cooperation, Cyprus’ president said Monday.  President Nikos Christodoulides said the cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt is helping to define the regional energy map, calling the agreements …

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ATHENS — The Greek government’s chief seismologist says the frequency of earthquakes affecting Santorini and nearby islands has eased in recent days, but that the outlook for continued tremors in the coming weeks remains uncertain. “Unfortunately, for now, we must wait. These seismic sequences do not end quickly. They follow their own timeline,” seismologist Costas Papazachos …

Read more “Top Greek scientist: Santorini earthquake outlook remains uncertain”

Russia has freed a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this month on drug smuggling charges, according to Russian media reports and a U.S. official.  The move appears to be an effort to ease tensions between Moscow and Washington ahead of talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.  Kalob Byers, 28, was detained on Feb. 7 at Moscow’s …

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Vatican City — Doctors have changed treatment for Pope Francis’ respiratory tract infection to tackle a “complex clinical situation” and he will remain in hospital for as long as necessary, the Vatican said on Monday. “The results of the tests carried out in recent days and today have demonstrated a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract, …

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Taipei, Taiwan        — China has launched a new round of diplomatic outreach to European countries amid rising tension between the United States and its European allies. While top U.S. officials and European leaders clashed over issues such as values, democracy and Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, Chinese foreign minister …

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French President Emmanuel Macron is set to host a group of European leaders for talks Monday focused on the situation in Ukraine amid a shift in the U.S. approach to the conflict and suggestions by U.S. officials that Europe would not have a role in peace talks. Among those expected to attend were leaders from …

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