Turkey’s largest foreign military base in the world opened Saturday in Mogadishu, in a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Somali leaders, top Turkish military officials and diplomats. Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and the head of the Turkish military, General Hulusi Akar have jointly inaugurated the 4 square kilometer (1.54 square mile) facility, which holdsRead more
Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Barcelona to oppose Sunday’s referendum on Catalonian independence from Spain. Waving Spanish flags, the protesters filled the square in front of Barcelona’s regional government buildings Saturday. Madrid has declared the vote illegal, and authorities in Spain began sealing off polling stations and confiscating ballots. While the Spanish national governmentRead more
Authorities in Spain have begun sealing off polling stations and confiscating ballots ahead of a planned referendum vote Sunday that possibly could lead to the Catalonian region’s independence. The Spanish government says there will be no Catalonia independence vote Sunday, even as the regional government continues preparations for the referendum. Enric Millo, the highest-ranking SpanishRead more
Officials in far east Russia say a soldier who opened fire at other servicemen during drills has been tracked down and killed. The military says the soldier, who killed three and wounded two other soldiers, offered resistance to arrest and was shot dead early Saturday following a massive manhunt. During Friday’s incident, the soldier firedRead more
A bilateral cease-fire agreement reached earlier in September between Colombia’s government and the country’s last active guerilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN) takes effect Sunday. The head of the ELN, Nicolas Rodriguez, alias Gabino, in a rare video posted online Friday, was shown ordering rebels to stand down ahead of the cease-fire commencing date.Read more
At least 16 people have died and millions are without power since Hurricane Maria walloped the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Once again, the U.S. military is answering the call to help federal government relief efforts. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has the latest. …Read more
U.S. and Central American law enforcement authorities announced Friday that they have charged more than 3,800 members of the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs in coordinated law enforcement action since March. The charges, announced in Miami by acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco and the attorneys general of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, reflectRead more
Kosovo’s president, Hashim Thaci, says U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has pledged that the United States will be directly involved in reaching a final agreement to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Thaci told VOA’s Albanian service after meeting with Pence on Friday at the White House that “Pence will be focused and maximally involved”Read more
Russian police released opposition leader and would-be presidential candidate Alexei Navalny on Friday after several hours in detention. Police charged Navalny with repeatedly organizing unauthorized rallies, an administrative offense punishable with a fine of up to a 300,000 rubles ($5,200) and compulsory work for up to 200 hours. “We were finally presented with a chargeRead more
U.S. officials said Friday that a military aircraft crashed in Syria, injuring two service members and damaging their Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Officials said the injuries were not life-threatening after what was called a “hard landing.” The service members have reportedly been released from medical care. A source told CNN that the crash was not dueRead more
U.S. intelligence officials examining the latest audio statement claiming to be from Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi say, so far, they have no reason to doubt its authenticity. However, there are questions as to whether the message from the leader of the collapsing, self-declared caliphate will cause IS operatives to spring into action. SomeRead more
Catalonia’s secessionists, who are trying to organize an independence vote from Spain on Sunday, may be getting aid from Russia as part of the Kremlin’s ongoing strategy to destabilize the European Union, according to European Union analysts. Spain’s central government has deployed thousands of police to contain expected disorder. They have threatened local officials who supportRead more
Twenty-seven European Union nations, not including Britain, will be coming up with clear options on a more tightly knit future for themselves even before they will allow divorce negotiations with the U.K. to move toward brokering a new relationship. EU Council President Donald Tusk said Friday he would be presenting “a political agenda in twoRead more
A Serbian minister has denied media reports in the Balkan nation that the government is muzzling the free press through intimidation, threats and financial pressure. Vladan Vukosavljevic, Serbia’s culture and information minister, told The Associated Press on Friday that his agency “strongly objects” to any form of pressure on journalists and believes in media freedom.Read more
The International Committee of the Red Cross reports Yemen is in the grips of an unprecedented cholera outbreak. The Swiss humanitarian organization said the number of suspected cases in the impoverished, war-torn country could reach 900,000 by the end of the year. This latest projection far exceeds the ICRC’s worst case scenario in July, whenRead more
The Spanish government says there will be no Catalonia independence vote Sunday, even as the regional government continues preparations for the referendum. Spanish Culture Minister Inigo Mendez de Vigo said Friday the independence vote violates Spanish law and the government will not accept the results of the referendum. “We are open to dialogue within theRead more
Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, has a message for the world’s central bankers: Don’t be Luddites. Addressing a conference in London on Friday, Lagarde said virtual currencies, which are created and exchanged without the involvement of banks or government, could in time be embraced by countries with unstable currencies or weakRead more
As the last international flights to and from the Kurdistan Region in Iraq were grounded Friday, hundreds of protesters wielding colorful balloons and signs with messages like “compassion” and “love” gathered outside the airport. Protesters say they are hoping Baghdad backs down on its decision to establish a no-fly zone over their region after aRead more