Luis Ramirez, Ken Bredemeier, Chris Hannas LONDON/WASHINGTON—The United Nations on Wednesday called off the fractious Syrian peace talks in Geneva until the end of February.U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who was alternating between discussions with representatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and opposition groups trying to overthrow him, called the delay until February 25 a «temporary […]readmore
VOA News Negotiators meeting for Syrian peace talks that began Friday in Geneva are focusing on urgent goals: establishing a cease-fire, delivering humanitarian aid, and setting a course for long-term resolution of the nearly five-year conflict. They’re also confronting a crisis years in the making, rife with deep sectarian divisions, clashing regional and international interests, […]readmore
VOA News France is planning to make make another push to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but has warned that if its efforts fail, it will recognize a Palestinian state. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told French diplomats on Friday that in the coming weeks, Paris will try to organize an international conference to «bring about […]readmore
Pictures shared on social media purport to show people running away from the mosque attack. (Al Arabiya) Edward Yeranian Last updated on: January 29, 2016 12:02 PM CAIRO—Attackers wearing suicide belts and carrying assault rifles targeted a Shi’ite mosque in eastern Saudi Arabia during Friday prayer services, killing five people and wounding 18 others. It […]readmore
VOA News Memes are making the rounds mocking Italy’s decision to cover up nude statues at Rome’s Capitoline Museum with big white boxes for a visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Ahead of Monday’s press conference between Premier Matteo Renzi and Rouhani, wooden panels were erected around some Roman statues in the museum. The decision […]readmore
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in France Wednesday – the first official visit of an Iranian president there since 1999. Rouhani flew in from Italy where he closed business deals worth $18.5 billion. He is expected to do likewise in France. The visits come after the sanctions were lifted from the Islamic Republic as part […]readmore
Heather Murdock RIYADH—At an outdoor cafe in the Saudi Arabian capital, 28-year-old Abdullah looks nervous, but says he is happy to chat with two female reporters. As we sit down at one of the empty tables, the manager comes outside and asks us to leave. Like most places in the popular dining district, it is […]readmore
Zabihullah Ghazi JALALABAD, AFGHANISTAN—The Islamic State group in Afghanistan has added new programming to its radio broadcasts that the Afghan government has failed to take off the air. The IS-run FM station “Voice of the Caliphate,” which broadcasts from a remote mobile transmitter on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, this week added Dari broadcasts to its lineup. […]readmore
VOA News The wife of a Chinese editor who recently went missing was summoned by Chinese officials for questioning Tuesday, just hours before she was scheduled to discuss her husband’s case live on international television. He Fangmei said Friday that she last spoke to her husband, Li Xin, former opinion editor for the liberal-leaning Southern […]readmore
Pamela Dockins BEIJING—The United States and China agreed Wednesday to work together to ensure that North Korea ends its nuclear-weapons program, but high-level talks in Beijing indicated the two sides disagree on whether and what sort of sanctions to use against Pyongyang following its underground nuclear test three weeks ago.U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, […]readmore