The United States conducted five self-defense strikes in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Huthi militias, U.S. Central Command said on February 18.
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet soon to define the bitter rivals' borders and to seek progress toward a peace treaty, leaders of both countries said following meetings with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Munich.
Members of the Russian Pussy Riot protest group and other well-known activists held a memorial in the German capital, Berlin, on February 18 for fierce Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny, who died on February 16 in a remote prison in Russia's Arctic region.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on February 18 dismissed an arrest warrant issued by Russia, saying it was just an attempt to intimidate her amid speculation she could get a top EU post.
Court documents examined by RFE/RL reveal that medical care was repeatedly denied to inmates at the prison where Aleksei Navalny was held. In one case, this resulted in the death of an inmate. The revelation comes amid questions over how Navalny died and as his body has still not been handed over to his family.
Authorities in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, have begun removing benches from the courtyards of apartment buildings, where neighbors get together to socialize. No official explanation has been given, but a municipal worker said it was to prevent people from gathering in large groups.
A former British diplomat and NATO representative in Afghanistan says he is not optimistic about the situation in the war-torn country as its Taliban leaders continue to restrict rights and freedoms, especially for females.
The pedophilia scandal currently causing outrage in Hungary has run its course, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said during a traditional annual address to the nation.
A relatively strong earthquake hit Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh on February 18.
A court in Kyrgyzstan ordered the closure of Kloop Media on February 9. The court’s ruling came after a series of state-selected “experts” testified on court that Kloop’s reporting was having a negative psychological effect on Kyrgyzstan’s people. The ruling against Kloop sends a chilling message to independent outlets and journalists, who were already bracing for the possible adoption of two draft laws—one on media, the other on NGOs—that would give Kyrgyz authorities even greater latitude to limit independent journalism. Читать дальше...
The U.S. ambassador to Moscow visited a makeshift shrine to Aleksei Navalny on February 18, as Russian authorities suppressed memorials and tributes to the late opposition leader.
Akhmat Kadyrov, the 18-year-old son of the authoritarian ruler of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been appointed the region's minister for youth and sports, a high-ranking Chechen official announced.
National and regional special envoys to Afghanistan are to convene in Doha on February 18 in the second UN meeting of its kind in less than a year, with uncertainty hanging over whether Taliban authorities would join.
Timothy Snyder, a history professor at Yale University, believes that Vladimir Putin will go down in history as a ruler who fundamentally weakened Russia, while Aleksei Navalny will be remembered for giving his life for his country. Snyder spoke to RFE/RL on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 17.
