Pamela Dockins Last updated on: October 29, 2015 10:18 AM VIENNA—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting separately with his Iranian and Russian counterparts in Vienna Thursday, ahead of international talks on Syria that the top U.S. diplomat has called the «most promising» opportunity in years to end the country’s «nonstop horror.»In addition to […]readmore
VOA News Four Russian cruise missiles launched from warships in the Caspian Sea crashed in Iran, falling short of their targets in Syria, a U.S official confirmed to VOA. The official said there has been no information on damage. Russia on Wednesday ramped up its air campaign in Syria with heavy aerial bombardments and, for […]readmore
VOA News Russian President Vladimir Putin defended his country’s military support for Syria, saying Tuesday that Russia will continue to aid President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in their «fight against terrorist aggression.» Speaking at a regional security conference in Tajikistan, Putin said Assad is open to working with the «healthy» opposition in Syria on a political […]readmore
ÖSZKE, HUNGARY—Serbia says it is not able to handle the vast number of migrants gathered on its sealed border with Hungary, after Hungarian officials closed the gap in its fence with Serbia as part of a crackdown on the migrants. Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on Tuesday that Serbia is not a «collection center.» He […]readmore
VOA News European Commission Chief Jean-Claude Juncker has called on EU member states to resettle about 160,000 refugees, saying Greece, Italy and Hungary can no longer handle the burden alone. Speaking to the European Parliament Wednesday, Juncker urged Europe to face the current refugee crisis with solidarity. He said the granting of emergency relocation in […]readmore
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth made history Wednesday, surpassing her great-great-grandmother to become Britain’s longest-ruling monarch. The queen marks the day in an understated fashion, making a public appearance at the opening of a Scottish rail line and hosting a private dinner at her Balmoral Castle retreat in the Scottish Highlands. Meanwhile the British press is publishing […]readmore
Lisa Schlein GENEVA—The United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) says the number of women and children fleeing countries of violence heading for Europe has increased sharply in recent months. UNICEF says those arriving in the gateway country of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has tripled in the past three months. According to UNICEF, some 3,000 people […]readmore
VOA reporter Steve Herman BANGKOK—Thailand’s military junta and police are speaking of “significant progress” in their investigation of last month’s bombing of a Bangkok shrine, which left 20 people dead and wounded more than 120 others, many of them Asian visitors. The authorities are talking about a foreign man arrested at Thailand’s border with Cambodia. […]readmore
VOA News U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will give a speech Wednesday in Philadelphia in support of the international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, while Democrats in Congress are on the verge of guaranteeing lawmakers will not be able to pass a measure opposing the deal. Kerry and top diplomats from Britain, China, France, […]readmore
Reuters MEXICO CITY—Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s approval rating sank to a new low in a poll released on Tuesday, as the embattled leader faces a struggling economy and a litany of security and conflict of interest scandals that have undercut his support. The president’s approval stands at a low of 35 percent, down from […]readmore