United States Plummets To 17th In Economic Freedom Rankings
By Josh Friedman The United States fell to 17th place in the Economic Freedom Index, an annual ranking of countries by economic liberty. Nations like the United Arab Emirates, Georgia and Lithuania now offer more economic freedom than the U.S., according to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington, D.C.-based think tank. In the 2017 Economic
Who Are The Refugees? Take An Up Close Look At Europe’s Migrant Crisis
An asylum seeker from Iran who stitched his lips in protest of the Greek-Macedonian border closure By JOSH FRIEDMAN With controversy swirling over U.S. President Donald Trump's refugee admission policy, many people may take interest in discovering who the refugees arriving in the West actually are. Care for an up close look at
Minorities From Iran Protest In Switzerland
Footage from the protest in Lucerne, Switzerland (in Farsi) By SABOOR NADEM and JOSH FRIEDMAN Ethnic minority migrants from Iran protested the Iranian regime Friday outside the train station in Lucerne, Switzerland. The protesters hailed primarily from the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, which is located near Pakistan. The demonstrators accused the Iranian government
Lithuanian Interpreter From Afghanistan Stuck At Greek-Macedonian Border
Basir Yousofy UPDATE: The Lithuanian government confirmed Yousofy worked Lithuania's military in Afghanistan and granted him asylum in Lithuania. By JOSH FRIEDMAN An asylum seeker currently stranded at the Greek-Macedonian border is a former Lithuanian interpreter who reportedly worked with Lithuania's military in Afghanistan. Basir Yousofy says the Taliban was hunting him in Afghanistan because he
Syrians, Afghans and Iraqi Kurds At Greek-Macedonian Border
Watch interviews with asylum seekers from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan who are trapped outside Idomeni, Greece at the Greek-Macedonian border. Some have been camped at the border for a month. A video report on the situation at the border can be seen here.
Where Does Your Passport Rank?
By JOSH FRIEDMAN Seven countries issue passports that provide more visa-free travel options than the U.S. passport, according to recently released rankings. German citizens have the world's top travel document. Henley & Partners (H&P), a residence and citizenship planning firm, ranks passports based on the number of countries and territories to which they provide visa-free access.
Iran Voted… On What?
President Hassan Rouhani casting his ballot. Rouhani can now count on more support for improving Iran's ties with the West. By JOSH FRIEDMAN Iranians voted in a national election on Friday. The results are still not entirely clear, but western media are naming Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as the big winner. Iran’s presidency was
Saudi Atheist Gets 10 Years In Prison, 2,000 Lashes
A 28-year-old man in Saudi Arabia must serve 10 years in prison and endure 2,000 lashes for expressing atheism on social social media, The Independent reports. Saudi religious police, which monitor social media, determined the man posted more than 600 tweets denying the existence of god, ridiculing Quranic verses, accusing all prophets of lies and
Palestinian Poet In Saudi Arabia Avoids Death Sentence For Blasphemy
Only gets prison and lashes for leaving Islam A Saudi court has ruled that a Palestinian poet is allowed to live, even if he left the faith of Islam. The man must serve eight years in prison and endure 800 lashes, though. CNN reports a court in Saudi Arabia overturned the death sentence of Ashraf
ISIS Bombs Damascus, Kills At Least 50
As Syrian government and opposition leaders prepared for peace talks, Islamic State militants detonated three bombs in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Syria's capital Damascus, killing at least 50 people. Syrian state news agency SANA reported the attack began with a car bombing in the al-Sayyeda Zainab area on Sunday. Then two suicide bombers blew themselves
A Judicial Killing in Yemen
A Saudi-led coalition airstrike has killed the judge who prosecuted Saudi-backed and now-exiled Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, CNN reports. The airstrike hit the home of Yemeni Judge Yahya Rubaid, killing him, as well as his wife, son, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. Five other family members and two guards suffered injuries. "We do not target homes," Saudi coalition
Egypt Marks Arab Spring Anniversary With Crackdown
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi Monday marks the five-year anniversary of the protests in Egypt that led to the toppling of longtime President Hosni Mubarak. Five years following Egypt's Arab Spring uprising, police are raiding thousands of homes in search of people who may protest against current President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the BBC reports. Sisi
Assad Retakes Rabia
Aided by Russian air strikes, Syrian government troops and "popular defense" forces seized the town of Rabia, BBC reports. Rabia was the last major town rebels controlled in Syria's western Latakia province. The town had been in rebel hands for the past four years.
From Africa, the Middle East and Beyond to the Macedonian Border
Refugees, or economic migrants, have poured into Europe from all over Africa and as far east as Bangladesh. Many are now stuck in no man's land at the Greek-Macedonian border. Josh Friedman reports.
Turkey Chooses Erdogan, Again
Josh Friedman reports from Istanbul on Turkey's second election day of the year. Watch the video reports below:
Order Out of Chaos in Turkey?
FMP's Josh Friedman returns to Turkey two months following Turkish parliamentary elections. Turkey still has not formed a new government, but it does have a new war or two. Friedman reports from Istanbul, where a day prior, not one, but two terror attacks occurred. Might the chaos have a political purpose? Watch the previous reports
Turkish Election Coverage
FMP's Josh Friedman covers the Turkish elections from Istanbul. Watch the video reports below:
Boko Haram to join the Islamic State
Nigerian Islamist terror group Boko Haram has reportedly sworn allegiance to the Islamic State, the world's foremost Muslim militant group that currently occupies much of Syria and Iraq. Boko Harma Abubakar Shekau purportedly released a video in which he says that he is announcing his organization's "allegiance to the Caliph of Muslims."
Journalist Saboor Nadem: Why I Fled Afghanistan
Saboor Nadem (front) walking in Macedonia during his journey from Afghanistan to Switzerland By SABOOR NADEM There are all too many reasons to escape from Afghanistan. Over the last four decades, Afghanistan has had more than 3 million people killed, wounded and displaced. The country was and still is plagued by hundreds of terrorist groups,