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Russian President Vladimir Putin To Withdraw Majority Of Troops From Syria

4:27pm March 14, 2016

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Monday he will withdraw the majority of Russian troops from Syria starting on Tuesday. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, about what's behind this move.

Despite Budget Cuts, London Hosts St. Patrick's Day Parade

7:21am March 14, 2016

St. Patrick's Day is on Thursday. London's mayor has fought budget cuts to put on traditional celebrations. Defying what he said were "penny pinchers" with "no poetry in their soul."

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Cargo Jet Deliveries Help To Ease Britain's Biscuit Shortage

7:14am March 14, 2016

Flooding damaged the factory of a popular cookie factory, shutting down operations. After months of biscuit-less tea times, two cargo planes landed with the nation's favorite biscuits on board.

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Migrant Backlash Benefits Germany's Far-Right Party

6:19am March 14, 2016

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

In local German elections, voters delivered a harsh blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats over her refugee policy that saw more than a million migrants apply for asylum last year.

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Turkey's Capital Suffers A Second Deadly Explosion In 2 Months

6:15am March 14, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

A car bomb exploded in a busy square in Turkey's capital, Ankara, killing nearly three dozen and wounding scores more. It was the second car bomb in Ankara in the last month.

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New German Law Delays Refugee Families Reuniting

5:27pm March 13, 2016

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Germany is determined to dissuade more asylum seekers from coming there, but a new law its parliament passed last month targets an especially vulnerable group: children.

German Anti-Immigrant Party Gaining Election Momentum

9:02am March 12, 2016

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

The rise in hostile rhetoric against migrants in Germany is being linked to the country's new populist political party. The "Alliance for Germany is expected to win pivotal elections on Sunday.

Former Vladimir Putin Ally Died From 'Blunt Force Trauma,' Police Say

8:18pm March 11, 2016

by Mary Louise Kelly

Police say a one-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, found dead in a Washington, D.C., hotel last fall, was killed by "blunt force trauma." Who was Mikhail Lesin, founder of the pro-Kremlin RT network, and what could his death mean in the context of today's muscular conduct by Moscow around the world?

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Migrants Stranded In Greece Are Left With Few Options

5:39pm March 11, 2016

by Joanna Kakissis

The closing of borders in the Balkans and the European Union's plan to send asylum-seekers back to Turkey has left the tens of thousands of migrants stranded in Greece unsure what to do next.

Mikhail Lesin, a former Russian press minister and adviser to President Vladimir Putin, was found dead in November. A new report contradicts earlier reports in Russian media that he died from a heart attack.

Former Putin Aide Died Of 'Blunt Force Injuries' In D.C., Medical Report Says

3:43pm March 11, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Mikhail Lesin was found dead in a hotel in November. A new report calls the manner of death "undetermined." In response, Russia says it wants answers from Washington.