A Mexican journalist was slain in the southern state of Quintana Roo, authorities said Saturday, in the latest case of a reporter being killed before a presidential election riddled with violence. Jose Guadalupe Chan was killed in the village of Saban, in the municipality of Jose Maria Morelos, the state government said. Local media reported that he was shot dead inRead more
Iran is studying ways to keep exporting oil and other measures to counter U.S. economic sanctions, state news agency IRNA reported Saturday. Since last month, when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal that lifted most sanctions in 2015, the rial currency has dropped up to 40 percent in value, prompting protests by bazaar traders usually loyalRead more
The Jordanian army began delivering humanitarian aid to thousands of displaced Syrians who took shelter near its border when major fighting broke out in southern Syria this month, a government spokeswoman said Saturday. “This is in line with Jordan’s stance to help our Syrian brothers,” Jumana Ghunaimat told the state news agency. Several thousand Syrians had gathered near aRead more
U.S. President Donald Trump discussed trade and other economic issues late Friday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday. The phone call between the two leaders was the first to be publicly disclosed since Trump blasted Trudeau as “very dishonest and weak” at the end of the Group of Seven leaders meeting in CanadaRead more
A rescue boat saved 59 migrants at sea off Libya on Saturday and Italy immediately said it would not welcome them, setting up a fresh standoff with Malta and adding to tensions among European governments over immigration. The migrants on board Open Arms, a boat run by the Spanish Proactiva Open Arms charity, include five women and four children, saidRead more
Iraq will begin a manual recount of May national election votes on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Independent High Electoral Commission said in a statement on Saturday. Only those problematic ballots flagged in formal complaints or official reports on fraud allegations will be recounted, the statement said. The recount will start in Kirkuk provinceRead more
Fourteen European Union countries have said they are prepared to sign deals with Germany to take back asylum seekers who had previously registered elsewhere, part of an effort to placate Chancellor Angela Merkel’s restive Bavarian allies. In a document sent to leaders of her coalition partners, seen by Reuters, Merkel listed 14 countries, includingRead more
The U.S. ambassador to Estonia says he has resigned over frustrations with President Donald Trump’s comments about the European Union and the treatment of Washington’s European allies. In a private Facebook message posted Friday, James D. Melville wrote: “For the President to say EU was ‘set up to take advantage of the United States, toRead more
President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had received assurances from King Salman of Saudi Arabia that the kingdom will increase oil production, “maybe up to 2,000,000 barrels” in response to turmoil in Iran and Venezuela. Saudi Arabia acknowledged the call took place, but mentioned no production targets. Trump wrote on Twitter that he hadRead more
June 30 marks Asteroid Day, a U.N.-sanctioned campaign to promote awareness around the world of what’s up in the sky. In Milan, scientists are assembling a new telescope that uses “insect vision” to spot risky celestial objects. Faith Lapidus explains. …Read more
Istanbul’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride march will go ahead on Sunday even though the governorship of the Turkish city banned it citing security concerns, the organizers of the event said on Friday. In a statement published on the Facebook page of Istanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week, the organizers said the decision to banRead more
There is momentum for improving Turkey’s frayed relations with the West even as it warms up to Russia, a senior Turkish government adviser told VOA on condition of anonymity, days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected. Erdogan’s adviser said that in February, during a visit by then-U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, bothRead more
U.N. agencies are cautiously welcoming an agreement the European Union reached Friday after a marathon summit on problems posed by migrants who reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. The European Union states in principle have agreed to set up so-called secure centers to process asylum claims. Under the proposed deal, these centers are to beRead more
Mexico will have its presidential election Sunday, and voters appear to be heading to the ballot box with sweeping change in mind. Polls consistently show the left-leaning Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador — widely known as AMLO — with a double-digit lead. Voters also will pick candidates to fill 128 seats in the country’s Senate andRead more
European Union leaders meeting Friday in Brussels hailed progress in reaching at least a partial deal on migration. But there appeared to be little breakthrough in two other key subjects: Brexit and reforming the eurozone financial union. It took marathon talks lasting until early Friday for EU leaders to reach a partial and vaguely wordedRead more
On Sunday, Mexicans head to the polls to elect a new president, 500 members of Congress and 128 senators amid mounting discontent over rampant corruption and increasing violence. Presidential candidates: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador: Front-runner with a substantial lead in the polls. He is the former mayor of Mexico City and the leader of theRead more
Canada struck back at U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs on Friday, vowing to impose punitive measures on C$16.6 billion ($12.63 billion) of American goods and unveiling a C$2 billion aid package for affected industries and workers. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told a news conference the tariffs would come into effect on July 1. …Read more
European leaders have agreed to extend their sanctions against Russia for its 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. The EU leaders said in statement Friday the sanctions have been extended for six months. The decision was made at the leaders’ summit in Brussels after they had a “very short discussion” on Ukraine, an anonymous sourceRead more