VLADIMIR PUTIN

Maria Butina clutched bouquets of flowers and exclaimed that "Russians don't surrender" as she arrived in Moscow on Saturday after serving nine months in a US jail for acting as a Russian government agent.Butina flew into Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after being deported from Miami following her release on Friday, AFP journalists said. She had been held in Florida's Tallahassee prison."I didn't give up because I know I simply didn't have the right," Butina told a waiting crowd of journalists. "Russians don't surrender!"

Upon returning home from Japan, Duterte met with doctors who ruled out any surgical procedures.

Russia is showing off its next generation Kalashnikov assault rifles, helicopters and facial recognition systems as President Vladimir Putin hosts dozens of African leaders for a major summit in Sochi.The Wednesday and Thursday event at the Black Sea resort has brought together delegates to discuss everything from nuclear technology to mineral extraction -- but on the sidelines, stands for arms companies dominate.

Mass protests in Santiago, Chile raised questions about an upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, but the government says it will be held on schedule November 16-17

Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is set to be Africa's largest when it is completed

Trump said sanctions against Turkey for its incursion into Syria will be lifted -- as long as Turkey upholds promises to protect the rights of different ethnic and religious groups.

Russia's trade with Africa currently is less than half that of France with the continent, and 10 times less than that of China -- Russia leads only in terms of arms sales

Syrian Kurdish fighters raise their flag in March after overrunning the last vestige of the Islamic Strate group's "caliphate" in a US-backed offensive they had hoped would earn them Western support for their dreams of self-rule

Russia has also exerted soft power in the CAR. Kremlin funding resurrected the Miss Central African Republic beauty pageant after a three-year break

The couple's business has helped by them become social media stars

All 54 African states are sending a representative to the event in Russia's Sochi

Russia and Turkey have agreed to ensure Kurdish forces withdraw from areas close to Syria's border with Turkey and to launch joint patrols, in a deal hailed as "historic" by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.After marathon talks in Russia's southern city of Sochi, Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin announced the deal late Tuesday just hours ahead of a deadline for Turkey to restart its assault on Syrian Kurdish forces.

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) hailed "a historic agreement" on dealing with the Kurds in Syria following talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin at the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido (pictured October 17, 2019) met with various Chinese delegations in Caracas, according to his diplomatic envoy to Brazil

Turkey outlined Monday its plans for a 120-kilometre "safe zone" in Syria on the eve of a key withdrawal deadline, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the West of "standing by terrorists".A Turkish military source said Kurdish fighters should initially withdraw from the area between Tal Abyad, captured by Turkish forces at the start of the offensive, and Ras al-Ain, under a US-brokered agreement that expires Tuesday night.

Islamic State group prisoners were being held in a safe place, said Kalin

Investigators said they opened a criminal probe into the violation of safety rules after the collapse of a dam in Siberia

Campaigners say recent cases have led to a breakthrough in awareness and Russians are expecting the state to do more to protect abuse victims

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters ride in the back of a pick up truck in the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad on October 18, 2019

Turkey has agreed to suspend its Syria offensive for five days and will end the assault if Kurdish-led forces withdraw from a safe zone along the border, US Vice President Mike Pence and Turkish officials announced Thursday after high-stakes talks.The agreement for the 120-hour pause eased what had escalated into an unprecedented crisis between the United States and Turkey, but critics quickly accused President Donald Trump of again abandoning Kurdish allies.

The authorities have increasingly been cracking down on dissent