Russia was considering deploying strategic bombers full-time in Venezuela, according to the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, as reported by Moscow Times. The Russian media outlet also reported that an agreement had been reached between Moscow and Caracas to allow the deployment of Russian aircraft at a military base Venezuela’s Caribbean …

Bottom Line Up Front: The U.S. is reportedly close to imposing sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project, a massive Russian-German joint endeavor. Germany, the world’s largest natural gas importer, already gets at least 40% of its gas from Russia. The Nord Stream 2 is a source …

VOA’s Turkish and Kurdish services contributed to this report. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party suffered heavy losses in Sunday’s local elections, losing critical cities across the country, while the main opposition party is on course to win the capital Ankara. In Istanbul, election results remain too close to call, …