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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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. …

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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, …

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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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