Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s nearly month-long medical leave in London is a sharp reminder to taxpayers that while they finance their leaders’ health care abroad, they often are stuck with decrepit, ill-staffed government health facilities at home. For decades, Nigerians have paid for their leaders and former rulers to get medical treatment overseas. That courtesy …

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia and the United States would benefit from restoring communications between their intelligence agencies to bolster the fight against terrorism. …

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is taking part in his first major international talks Thursday, joining a gathering of G20 foreign ministers in Germany. Tillerson’s schedule includes a number of sideline meetings with individual ministers, including those from Britain, Turkey, Italy, South Korea, Japan and Brazil. His most high profile meeting outside of the …

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Chancellor Angela Merkel testified Thursday to a parliamentary committee examining alleged U.S. surveillance in Germany and the activities of German intelligence, defending her insistence that “spying among friends” is unacceptable.   The parliamentary panel is investigating alleged eavesdropping in Germany by the U.S. National Security Agency and its relationship with German counterparts. The inquiry was …

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

U.S. retail sales and inflation rose in January, strengthening the case for the central bank to raise interest rates. Retail sales advanced four-tenths of a percent for the month. PNC Bank economists Gush Faucher says the gain is partly due to an improving labor market with “more jobs and rising wages” as workers become more …

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Many people find they cannot live without their smartphones, tablets, laptops and other digital devices for play, and increasingly for work at home or when they are on the move.   The use of modern communication technologies is rapidly transforming the traditional mode of working in a fixed location in favor of working at home. …

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The largest university in Kosovo has received a threat warning of attacks from Islamic State (IS), university officials said Wednesday. A threatening letter, allegedly signed by IS, was found at the campus as the University of Pristina as students and teachers prepared to mark its 47th anniversary.  The letter was found in the ceremony hall …

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Vitaly Milonov, a Russian lawmaker who has crusaded against LGBT rights and praised Moscow’s embargo on foreign foodstuffs, has been accused of hypocrisy for buying Finnish trout banned in Russia. …

U.S. President Donald Trump has again vowed to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and has criticized the landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers. …

If elected president, Serbian Prime minister Aleksandar Vucic might well seek to maintain his balancing act between Moscow and Brussels. (The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.) …

Venezuelan authorities raided the Caracas offices of Odebrecht on Tuesday, as prosecutors deepened a probe into the Brazilian construction firm that has admitted paying some $98 million in bribes to obtain government contracts in Venezuela. “The investigation is aimed at clarifying the situation and determining if the projects for which this company was contracted were …

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Michelle Obama’s garden stays. First lady Melania Trump says through a spokeswoman that she is committed to preserving gardens at the White House, including the bountiful one planted by her immediate predecessor. “As a mother and as the first lady of this country, Mrs. Trump is committed to the preservation and continuation of the White …

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Less than six month after Rio de Janeiro hosted the first-ever Olympics in South America, game venues sit idle and already in disrepair, raising questions about a legacy that organizers promised would benefit the Brazilian city and its residents. “We thought this would be for us,” said Alex da Silva Ferreira, a mechanic who walked …

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Human rights workers say a Russian LGBT activist and an associate have returned to Russia after they were detained by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. …