Afternoon Update

Iran
# The statement on new sanctions on businesses working with Iran (more background)
# Barbara Slavin on Hassan Rowhani's candidacy for president

Russia
# Russia plans to spend $50 billion on its space program

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# SIGAR warns of militants acquiring aid and contract money in Afghanistan
# Pervez Musharraf on the no-longer-secret deal between the U.S. and Pakistan on drones
# Afghanistan: The Eyes of a People

Of Interest
# "The Waiting" -- a new film on the plight of IDPs
# What the whereabouts of the Samsung chairman say about tensions on the Korean Peninsula

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Families of the Newtown victims have become savvy campaigners in D.C.

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Morning Edition

Iran
# The Iranian nuclear standoff won't end any time soon
# The U.S. has blacklisted business man Babak Morteza Zanjani

Russia
# Alexei Navalny on the possibility he ends up in jail
# "Russia's Unpopular Intelligentsia" - James Carden, "National Interest"
# More than half of Russians want Vladimir Putin to step down in 2018
# "A Russia-China Alliance Brewing?" - Harold & Schwartz, "The Diplomat"
# "How Vladimir Putin Beat Femen" - Matt Gurney, "National Post"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The Taliban killed a candidate for political office in Pakistan
# The fighting continues in the Tirah Valley
# IDPs in Pakistan will be able to vote at food distribution centers
# The Karachi Stock Exchange is pretty lucrative
# Uzbek fighters are gaining support in northern Afghanistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# The shooter in the Serbian rampage has died
# "The Gilded Cage of Asia" - Joshua Foust, "Foreign Policy"
# "Launching a Startup in Iraq" - Jackie Spinner, "AJR"

Of Interest
# Tension in Korea is making it a tourist magnet
# The Pentagon says North Korea may have a miniaturized nuclear weapon

Science & Technology
# "Cybersecurity: A View From the Front" - Toomas Hendrik Ilves, "The New York Times"
# Why are tall people so smart?
# The physics of whispering

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "Radio World" on the U.S. international broadcasting budget
# The State Department is denying a cover-up in the death of a diplomat in Afghanistan
# "10 Ways to Fix the Drone War" - Rosa Brooks, "Foreign Policy"
# "Immigration and the Knowledge Economy" - Mark Zuckerberg, "The Washington Post"

Afternoon Update

Russia
# Golos slams the Kremlin

Iran
# "Targeting Iran's Energy Sector Isn't Working" - Daniel Graeber, "Oil Price"
# The Director of Iran's Expediency Council’s Center of Strategic Studies Hassan Rohani will run for president

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Al Jazeera" reports on security in northern Afghanistan
# Elites in Karachi are wary of driving around in Porsches
# Discussing women's rights in Afghanistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# The Vagina Monologues will not be performed in Kyrgyzstan
# Tajik peacekeepers are in Nepal
# Black and white photos from Baku

Of Interest
# How Felix Baumgartner prepped to jump from space
# Remembering video journalist Tim Heatherington

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Atlantic" reprints RFE/RL's interview with Femen leader Oleksandra Shevchenko
# Luke Allnutt's Kindle single on the death of his father has been published

International Press Review

Iran
# Ali Vaez on the aging reactor at Bushehr
# The U.S. has offered to help Iran clean after the earthquake
# Iranian wrestlers are heading to New York in May
# An Iranian scientist says he has invented a time machine

Russia
# "Why Navalny Will Be Jailed" - Georgy Bovt, "Moscow Times"
# Finland didn'tmean to put Vladimir Putin on the blacklist
# "Vice" lunches with Ramzan Kadyrov
# This just in: Yakutsk is really really cold

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Pakistanis are fleeing the fighting in Tirah Valley
# "India-Pakistan: Business First" - Manjeet Kripalani, "The Diplomat"
# A raid gone wrong in Afghanistan
# "Rebuilding a Former Taliban Haven" - Rebecca Santana, "AP"
# Beautiful photos from Afghanistan in early and mid twentieth century

RFE/RL Target Region
# Ratko Mladic was ejected from court for an outburst
# The Macedonia name issue may finally be resolved
# Uzbekistan is not impressed with the Harlem Shake
# "Now is Not the Time for an Independent Kurdistan" - Ranj Alaaldin, "Asharq Al Aswat"
# "The Economist" on the release of Yury Lutsenko

Of Interest
# There will be a new round of prosecutions over the Auschwitz death camp
# "What the World Needs from the BRICs" - Dani Rodrik, "Project Syndicate"
# How to procrastinate at work like a champ

Science & Technology
# NASA has plans to capture an asteroid
# The drive to cure humans of sleep
# A new app for temporary phone numbers
# Immortality is a waste of time

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Drones don't just kill senior terrorist leaders
# Let the budget hand-wringing begin (more here and here)
# There may be a bill on background checks in the Senate

Afternoon Update

Russia
# Patriarch Kirill warns of the perils of feminism
# Vladimir Putin gets an Amsterdam welcome

Iran
# There have been several strong aftershocks in southern Iran

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The Afghan Analysts Network on an RFE/RL-hosted debate on the Taliban
# "Death of an FSO and Tragedy in Zabul" -- Gary Owen

RFE/RL Target Region
# The Aral Sea is pretty dry
# Turkey wants to increase trade with Kyrgyzstan
# "Ferghana News" is protesting a censorship order in Kyrgyzstan

Of Interest
# My life as a North Korean spy
# Weapons from Libya are making the rounds

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on Moldova as a hub for gay rights in Eastern Europe
# "Al Monitor" cites RFE/RL reporting on an Iranian artist finding refuge in Irbil, Iraq
# Dennis Mulhaupt has resigned from the BBG

International Press Review

Russia
# The government is taking legal action against Golos
# "Like It or Not, Russia Is a Global Financial Power" -- Martin Gilman, "Moscow Times"
# The Duma approved Elvira Nabiullina as the head of Russia's Central Bank

Iran
# The list of new sanctions on Iran
# 37 people are now reported dead after an earthquake in Iran
# "Is Time on Iran’s Side?" -- Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, "Lobe Log"
# Mahmud Ahmadinejad's opponents may try to block a planned rally
# The MEK is going to open an office in Washington

Pakistan
# How the CIA and ISI collaborated on the drone program
# How a single spy turned U.S.-Pakistan relations sour
# "Failed City? Karachi's Violent Spiral" -- Arsla Jawaid, "Foreign Policy"

Afghanistan
# The Taliban doesn't really have much for an office in Qatar
# "China's Afghanistan Challenge" -- Raffaello Pantucci, "The Diplomat"
# Two French hostages were freed in Afghanistan

Of Interest
# The tale of a Moldovan hitman
# Iraq and Iran execute a lot of people
# "The Iron Lady as Liberator" -- Yulia Tymoshenko, "Project Syndicate"

Syria
# "PBS Frontline" goes behind the lines in Syria
# The U.S. will send some gear to rebels in Syria

Science & Technology
# Yandex is experimenting with gesture-based functions
# This baboon's sound may hold the key to the origins of human speech
# Will Google drop Android?

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The U.S. and North Korea held secret talks in March
# The Senate may see an immigration bill in the next week
# Europe and the U.S. disagree on austerity

Afternoon Update

Iran
# A magnitude 6 earthquake struck near Bushehr (more on the location of the nuclear site)
# Iran will start mining uranium
# Some Iranian MPs want to annex part of Azerbaijan

Russia
# "Is Vladimir Putin's Foreign Policy Unpopular? Not So Much" -- Mark Adomanis, "Forbes"

Pakistan
# Heavy fighting in Pakistan's Tirah Valley
# Pervez Musharraf's treason hearing was postponed

Of Interest
# Al-Qaeda in Iraq claims ties with the Al-Nusra Front in Syria
# Bitcoin isn't the only alternative currency out there

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# # The U.S. will increase intel-sharing with Central Asian governments
# Video of that new laser weapon in action
--------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Total Dictation, Partial Dictatorship" -- Masha Gessen, "The New York Times"

International Press Review

Iran
# A senior lawmaker says Iran could withdraw from the NPT
# Iran may have continued weapons research after 2003
# Western officials there is enough substance to keep talking to Iran
# Some U.S. senators want to add more sanctions on Iran
# "The Utility of the Iran Sanctions" -- Bryan Prior, "National Interest"

Russia
# Vladimir Putin smiled through the protests in Germany
# Mikhail Beketov has died
# Russia has been in the WTO for eight months
# Corruption is a booming business sector in Russia

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Afghanistan as a destination for asylum seekers
# Omar Waraich on the piety test for potential Pakistani politicians
# 69 candidates are vying for 10 seats reserved for non-Muslims in Pakistan
# "Is It Time to Forgive Greg Mortenson?" -- Jon Krakauer, "The Daily Beast"

RFE/RL Target Region
# There will be competing inaugurations today in Armenia
# The case against Femen
# "The U.S. Has a Foreign-Policy Partner in Iraq" -- Nouri al-Maliki, "The Washington Post"
# Serbia has rejected an EU-sponsored deal on Kosovo
# Maybe Gulnara Karimova did not resign from her UN post

Of Interest
# RFE/RL talks to Margaret Thatcher in 1991
# In Pictures: Margaret Thatcher and the Cold War
# Not the most sympathetic read on Cyprus

North Korea
# Discussing North Korea with a nuclear scientist who has been there
# A.Q. Khan doesn't think North Korea will use a nuclear weapon
# Who is paying North Korea's bills?

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "Time to Face Facts" -- John Kerry, "Foreign Policy"
# The navy is deploying its new antidrone laser
# The U.S. has thousands of records from the Saddam Hussein era in Iraq
# A "Fox News" reporter may go to jail for protecting a source

Afternoon Update

Iran
# The rial took another dip after failed nuclear talks
# "Helping Iran Make TRR Fuel" - Mark Hibbs, "Arms Control Wonk"

Russia
# "How Russia and Azerbaijan Weaken Europe’s Values" - Judy Dempsey, Carnegie Endowment
# Moving photos (and some of cute dogs) from St. Petersburg

Afghanistan
# "How A Female Photographer Sees Her Afghanistan" - Marie McGrory, "NPR"

Of Interest
# Wikileaks has released diplomatic cables from the 1970s (here)
# PHOTOS: Syria in ruins
# Time to take a dive beneath Europa's ice sheets

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Morning Edition

Iran
# Kazakhstan was the perfect place for a diplomatic disagreement...
# ...more from Scott Peterson...
# Talks "can't go on forever"
# The shifting of Iran's economy
# "The Pain of Following Iran in U.S. Media" - Rami Khouri, "The Daily Star"

Russia
# "Russia's Digital Underground" - Soldatov & Borogan, "Foreign Policy"
The new wave of creativity and culture in Russia
# "The Kremlin's World" - Ariel Cohen, "The New York Times"

Afghanistan
# An airstrike killed a senior Taliban commander but also claimed the lives of several women and children
# Some in the Taliban ranks are sick of fighting
# The Afghan army went in to the Tengi Valley alone last week
# Some rural construction projects are better than others
# Helmand's most senior police woman has a real gem of a brother

RFE/RL Target Region
# Watch our Google Hangout with Raffi Hovannisian
# Some of Yulia Tymoshenko's political allies were released from jail
# "Culture War in Belarus" - Simon Lewis, "Open Democracy"

Of Interest
# A new film on 38 Jews who lived in a cave in Ukraine to excape the Holocaust
# Why dictators don't like jokes
# The rise and rise of Vice media

Science & Technology
# Fusion rockets could making getting to Mars a lot easier
# This is really not a human, it's a robot
# Brain games aren't making you any smarter
# You will be hired by a robot

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "A Secret Deal on Drones, Sealed in Blood" - Mark Mazzetti, "The New York Times"
# Remembering U.S. diplomat Anne Smedinghoff
# Immigration reform legislation may be introduced this week
# The "PBS Newshour" analysis of Shields and Brooks

Afternoon Update

Afghanistan
# "The Economist" on Balkh governor Atta Mohammad Noor

Iran
# "Why Do We Laugh at North Korea but Fear Iran?" - Julian Hattem, "The Atlantic"
# "Top Gear" is pretty popular in Iran

Of Interest
# "News by and for the Authorities" - Walker & Orttung, "The New York Times"
# Facebook Home is the end of the very notion of personal privacy
# Teachers can finally stop grading papers and things

Off Shore Investigation
# The list of prominent names so far published
# More on Mukhtar Ablyazov, Dmytro Firtash, and Moonis Elahi

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Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on potential for Navalny to end up in jail
# "Al Jazeera" cites RFE/RL reporting on health week in Turkmenistan
# Masha Gessen on "The Americans" for "Slate"

International Press Review

Iran
# The back and forth of nuclear negotiations in Almaty
# Iranians are back from Nowruz vacations and facing a tough election season
# "The Ayatollah in his Labyrinth" - Abbas Milani, "Foreign Policy"
# “The Father of Iran’s Nuclear Programme” - Peter Jenkins, "Lobe Log"

Russia
# "A Dictator's Guide on Ruling for Life" - Alexei Zakharov, "Moscow Times"
# Gazprom will return to the Yamal-Europe 2 pipeline project
# Russians will not get their Mark Knopfler

Pakistan
# Candidates in elections are facing tests of their faithfullness (or lack of it)
# A committee in the UK parliament says just .6% of Pakistanis pay taxes
# A discussion with young women fighting for their rights in Pakistan
# "Pakistan’s Precipitous Decline" - William Milam, "The New York Times"
# Study: The Fighters of Lashkar-e-Taiba

Iraq
# "The Road to Failure in Iraq" - Adnan Pachachi, "The New York Times"
# Archaeologists have unearthed Abraham's home in Ur

RFE/RL Target Region
# Bidzina Ivanishvili's name surfaced in the ICIJ off-shore report
# A Kazakh firm has filed a $400 million claim against the Kyrgyz government
# Russia has offered Serbia a $500 million loan

Of interest
# Leo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks are producing a movie about Mikhail Gorbachev
# Online music licensing revenues have surpassed radio
# The rise of Bitcoin

Science & Technology
# Watch how the new Facebook Home works
# Scientists can see what you're dreaming

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Video of James Earl Ray -- the man who shot Martin Luther King

Afternoon Update

Iran
# "Iran’s Forgotten Ethnic Minorities" - Nader & Stewart, "Foreign Policy"
# A primer on the Assembly of Experts

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Elections or National Consensus: Which One Wins?" - Gran Hewad, "Afghan Analysts Network"
# "None of the above" will be a choice for Pakistani voters
# The UK parliament's report on development in Pakistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# "Georgia's Bumpy Transition: How The EU Can Help" - Jana Kobzova, ECFR
# Tajikistan and Uzbekistan clash over water
# Chatham House on demographics

Of Interest
# Landmine Monitor 2012
# "A Tale of Two Londons" - Nicholas Shaxson, "Vanity Fair"
# The tar sands are crushing science in Canada

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# An interview with an American jihadist in Somalia

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Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Global Post" cites RFE/RL reporting on the death of the Russian Banksy and flood damage in Tajikistan

International Press Review

First Read
# Exposing global off-shore accounts (more here and here)

Iran
# Mahmoud Ahmadinejad....oppositionist?
# "How Iran Won the War on Drugs" - Amir Afkhami, "Foreign Affairs"
# Iran has been warned about food security as inflation rises

Russia
# Inside the fight over orphans in Russia
# News: Olympic preparations in Russia are behind schedule and over-budget
# Russia and China have an agreement on $3.5 billion in arms sales
# Corruption in Russia is affecting German investment there

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Yesterday's attack in Afghanistan was the largest on civilians since 2011
# What the Soviets got right and wrong in Afghanistan
# The life of a Pakistani soap star

Of Interest
# The women of the Free Syrian Army
# Debate: Are rich politicians really less corruptible?
# "The Bitcoin Bubble and the Future of Currency" - Felix Salmon, "Reuters"
# "The Bitcoin Boom" - Maria Bustillos, "The New Yorker"

Science & Technology
# The guy behind the guy behind the guy at Twitter and Google
# Hints of dark matter
# A bit of progress in the hunt for an AIDS vaccine
# Your breath may be as unique as your fingerprint
# Time for the Facebook phone

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Chick Hagel on the future of the Department of Defense
# Anne-Marie Slaughter is the new president of the New America Foundation
# More on Hillary '16

Afternoon Update

Russia
# "Irrepressible Moscow" - Paul Starobin, "City Journal"
# Mikhail Kalashnikov was made for the modern Internet

Iran
# "Iran Beyond Oil?" - Patrick Clawson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Pakistan
# Some ex-lawmakers may have fake degrees...
# ...And a lot more don't pay taxes

Afghanistan
# On the battle in Farah
# Taliban fighters tried -- and apparently failed -- to free imprisoned cohorts

RFE/RL Target Region
# Human Rights Watch on the crackdown on NIDA in Azerbaijan
# Georgia after some chacha
# Remembering former RFE/RL broadcaster Peter Halasz

Of Interest
# The IMF will contribute one billion euros to the Cyprus bailout...
# ...Some shady deals happened in days of limbo on the island
# Smash your old cell phone with a hammer

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Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Atlantic" reprints RFE/RL's interview with Alena Ledeneva
# CPJ cites RFE/RL reporting on a jailed editor in Uzbekistan

International Press Review

Russia
# "Did Putin Sink Cyprus?" - Ben Judah, "The New York Times"
# The "Financial Times" on the rise (and bureaucracy) of Rosneft
# State employees face stricter disclosure requirements

Iran
# The Carnegie Endowment on Iran's nuclear program
# Iranians may finally be able to travel to Belarus without a visa
# Shooting for an ice cream record

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Pakistan is pulling out of peace talks with the Taliban
# "Pakistan’s Dangerous Elections" - Fasih Ahmed, "The Daily Beast"
# Corruption is rampant in Afghanistan
# Young Pakistanis aren't enamored with their country's democracy
# Imran Khan's campaign tactics seem oddly familiar

RFE/RL Target Region
# Militants attacked journalists in Iraq over a story about a cleric
# A series of pieces on security in Central Asia
# Sex selection in the Caucasus and Balkans rivals China

Science & Technology
# Debate: Should tweets cost you your job?
# The Earth and the moon are slowly drifting apart
# Domain names are going to get a bit more complicated than ".com"

Of Interest
# Aung San Suu Kyi has been rather quiet since her release
# China has announced four more cases of bird flu
# An interview with one of Hitler's food tasters

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The State Department has a few open positions
# Gay marriage is getting more support in government
# The NRA proposes armed guards for every school
# Tough to say if this poll is funny, depressing, or both

Afternoon Update

Iran
# Diesel smugglers in Pakistan are liking sanctions on Iran
# "From Princeton to Persia" - Katie Cella, "Foreign Policy"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Mira Sethi on Nawaz Sharif's political future
# Photos from the Bagrami IDP camp near Kabul 

Of Interest
# Flights from Turkey to Armenia will just have to wait
# The barons of Bitcoin
# The satellite technology protecting troops from IEDs
# Fighting against Bashar Al-Assad

Europe
# "Why the Euro is Doomed in Four Steps" - Matthew O'Brien, "The Atlantic"
# Commentary: Europe gets tough with (Russian) investors

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Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on Boris Berezovsky
# "Repression in Russia, in Black and White" - Masha Gessen, "The New York Times"
# The "LA Times" cites RFE/RL reporting on a stolen Rembrandt in Serbia
# "Khama Press" quotes RFE/RL's Afghan and Pakistan services' religious debate 
# "Interfax" cites RFE/RL reporting on opposition politics in Ukraine (more here) and rallies in Kiev

International Press Review

Russia
# Russia steps up its Internet censorship
# Tough going for hotel seekers in Sochi
# "The Chechen Boss" - Anna Nemtsova, "Foreign Policy"
# "Cyprus and Russia Did Not Just Break Up" - Yuri Zhukov, "Foreign Affairs"

Iran
# Inflation remains in the double digits in Iran
# Iran has slowed its nuclear work ahead of elections
# "Shahnameh of the Digital Age" - Roja Heydarpour, "Al-Monitor"
# "The Best Red Line for a Nuclear Iran" - Ray Takeyh, "The Washington Post"
# Pistachios are getting expensive

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Badam Zari wants to represent Pakistan's tribal areas in parliament
# Afghanistan is protesting Pakistan's border constrcution activities
# Afghan security forces may not be ready to fight
# The taxman cometh in Afghanistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# Celebrating April Fools' Day in Odessa
# Is Kurdistan the new Taiwan?
# Tajikistan's Bokhtar oil field will be developed by France, China, and Tethys
# Tracking guns in Serbia

Of Interest
# British fighters are joining the war in Syria
# Where the applause came from
# A brief history of crucifixion
# Haikus from "The New York Times"

Science & Technology
# A look at the Android malware used to track Tibetans
# The Facebook phone might not be so stupid

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "State-Wrecked: The Corruption of Capitalism in America" - David Stockman, "The New York Times"
# Could Google tilt a close election?

Afternoon Update

Iran
# Tehran does not like the Syrian rebels' embassy in Qatar

Russia
# HIV/AIDS and TB are straining Russia's health care system
# Ukraine is moving away from Russian gas

Afghanistan
# Afghan villagers are leaving their homes because of drones

RFE/RL Target Region
# The "Monster of Grbavica" gets 45 years in prison
# Teliasonera may face more fines in Sweden

Of Interest
# How Turkey is taking advantage of the Cyprus situation

Science & Technology
# A comet is heading towards Mars
# Inside the Spamhaus DDoS attack

U.S. Politics
# "I don’t use the word drone."
# "Fox News" is not to blame for polarized political discussions

----------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on NGO inspections in Russia
# "Reason" links to RFE/RL reporting on Afghanistan-Pakistan relations

International Press Review

Russia
# Vladimir Putin may be the winner in the Cyprus banking crisis
# "More Respect for Russia Would Go a Long Way" - Vladislav Inozemtsev, "Moscow Times"
# Russia's plans for post-NATO Afghanistan

Iran
# "The Economist" on how Iranian companies are dodging sanctions
# U.S.-listed companies are doing business in Iran as well
# Iran is making plans for a post-Assad Syria

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# A suicide bombing in Peshawar has killed at least five
# The Taliban comes to Karachi
# "Imran Khan: The Least Bad Option?" - Michael Kugelman, "Dawn"
# The geopolitics of the Iran-Pakistan pipeline
# Hitting the slopes in Afghanistan

News
# North Korea is on high alert as U.S. bombers fly maneuvers over the peninsula
# An ex-soldier from the U.S. is fighting in Syria
# Watching the Iraq-Syria soccer match in Baghdad
# Syrian rebels claim to have shot down an Iranian plane

Of Interest
# "Eurasianet" on the potential environmental impacts of the Kumtor mine
# Big oil's coming tough decade
# What can athiests learn from believers?

Science & Technology
# What does a whale see when it looks at a diver?
# "Google’s Dance" - Robert Epstein, "Time"
# 20 things you didn't know about coffee

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "Pausing the U.S.-Russian Reset" - Andranik Migranyan, "National Interest"
# A Harvard study say the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will end up costing trillions
# Rosa Brooks thinks Gitmo detainees should be released
# Inside Adam Lanza's house

Afternoon Update

Russia
# The Black Sea fleet will run a "small" set of drills
# "The Spectator" on Russian oligarchs in London

Iran
# U.S.-listed companies are still doing business with Iran
# Trade between Iran and Dubai was down by a third in 2012

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Providing security for elections is no small feat in Pakistan
# "The Daily Beast" interviews Saad Mohseni

Of Interest
# Kick all four countries out of the BRICs
# "The Temptation of China's Capital Accounts" - Yu Yongding, "Project Syndicate"
# Banks are open in Cyprus

Science & Technology
# Why food says everything about a person
# We may be able to make fuel out atmospheric carbon dioxide
# The technology behind an early warning system for heart attacks

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Masha Gessen discusses gay rights in Russia on "The World"
# "Al-Monitor" cites RFE/RL reporting on Iraq's Kurdish region

International Press Review

Russia
# Aleksei Navalny thinks he may be headed to prison
# "Der Spiegel" on the life and death of Mikhail Pakhomov
# HSBC is clsoing the Hermitage fund in Russia
# vKontakte may have manipulated content at the behest of the FSB during last December's protests
# "The New Russian Mob" - Joe Nocera, "The New York Times"

Cyprus
# The banks will re-open today
# Russian money from Cyprus is ending up in New York
# Investigators are looking at capital flight from Cyprus

Iran
# "Stopping an Undetectable Iranian Bomb" - Albright, Dubowitz, & Kittrie, "The Wall St. Journal"
# "Argo" may make some money for hostages from the 1979 embassy siege
# A Chinese super-tanker is docked in Iran for an oil shipment

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Afghanistan After the War" - Ahmed Rashid, "The New Republic"
# The Andar militia falls on hard times
# A profile of  one of Afghanistan's "shadow warriors"
# Malala Yousafzai signed a $3 million book deal
# The UN has called on the Taliban to join the peace process

Of Interest
# That shiny new BRIC bank may have to wait
# Joshua Kucera on Central Asia after the war in Afghanistan

Science & Technology
# Shrinking sea ice may be the reason spring is so cold this year
# The details on one of the largest DDoS attacks ever seen
# The rise of drones may lead to the rise of the "privacy speakeasy"
# Why doesn't the moon spin?

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Some controversy over the new head of the CIA's clandestine service
# Immigration will be on the legislative docket this year

Afternoon Update

Iran
# Tehran is not thrilled with the Arab League
# It may be a great time to head to Iran for a little trip

Russia
# "The Real Reason Putin Supports Assad" -- Fiona Hill, "Foreign Affairs"
# The basics of the BRIC bank

Of Interest
# Georgia: The rise and fall of Lazika
# Cyprus: The Mouse That Roared
# Remembering Rabbi Herschel Schacter
# Some old ads with a bit of Russian flavor

Science & Technology
# Yuri Milner is investing in Russia
# Brain size may not have had much effect on evolution

U.S. Politics
# Full audio of the oral arguments in the gay marriage case before the Supreme Court (a discussion of the case on "Charlie Rose")

--------
Morning Edition

Russia
# Why Russia is inspecting NGOs
# Russia's NGO raids targeted some German organizations too
# "Beijing and Moscow, Friends Again" -- Dimitri Simes, "National Interest"
# Russia is for sale on eBay
# "Gay in the USSR" -- Nora Fitzgerald, "Foreign Policy"

Iran
# Sanctions may be speeding up Iran's nuclear program
# What will Mahmoud Ahmadinejad do after he leaves office?

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Omar Waraich on the beginning of election season in Pakistan
# "Newsline" on NGOs in Pakistan
# "Kandahar and Hope" -- O'Hanlon & Flournoy, "Real Clear Politics"
# "Newsweek" profiles Sherry Rehman
# "How to do Empire Right?" -- Manan Ahmed Asif, "The Caravan"

RFE/RL Target Region
# The BRICs will set up a new development bank
# Moldova is backing away from probing Russian money-laundering
# Where is Islam Karimov?
# "Iraq's Great Divider" -- Henri Barkey, "LA Times"
# Solving Tajikistan's energy crisis

Syria
# The "AP" reports that the U.S. is training Syrian rebels in Jordan
# "Time" on in-fighting in the rebel ranks

Cyprus
# "Why Russia Refused to Bail Out Cyprus" -- Ian Bremmer, "Financial Times"
# Cyprus may be a model or not

Of Interest
# An interactive on drone strikes (and the problems with the data presentation)
# Clive Schofield on Arctic exploration
# Notes from the brainstorming session that produced "Indiana Jones"

Science & Technology
# Stop with the #hashtags already
# The debate over genetic patents
# Living alone: the silent killer

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Meet the two lawyers arguing the same-sex marriage case before the Supreme Court
# Julia Pierson will be the new head of the Secret Service

Russia
# Boris Berezovsky speaking at the Frontline Club in 2007
# Keith Gessen on the death of Boris Berezovsky
# Amnesty International on NGO raids in Russia
# Stockpiling snow in Sochi

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# GRAPHIC: drone strike (deaths) in Pakistan
# The debate over Nowruz in Afghanistan

Cyprus
# On foreign exposure in Cyprus
# All that Russian money has to go somewhere

Syria
# WATCH: life in Aleppo

Technology
# A Google Android virus was used to track Uighur activists
# Make your iPhone a sat phone

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Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on the life and death of Boris Berezovsky
# "The Man Behind Putin" - Masha Gessen, "The New York Times"

International Press Review

Russia
# A post-mortem investigation reveals that Boris Berezovsky was hanged
# Stitching together YouTube videos for a picture of the Russian meteorite
# Vladimir Zhirinovsky was re-elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Hamid Karzai praised the U.S. in a press conference with Secretary of State John Kerry
# "Der Spiegel" interviews Pervez Musharraf

Iran
# The "BBC" interviews Babak Zanjani
# Stuxnet may have been "an act of force"
# Iranian politicians are focused on upcoming elections, not the nuclear issue

Cyprus
# "The Cyprus Crisis Is a Postmortem for Russia" - Anders Aslund, "Moscow Times"
# The Kremlin is not impressed with the Euro zone
# "Cyprus: It’s Not Over Yet" - Felix Salmon, "Reuters"

Syria
# The war through the eye of Syria's Shi'ites
# How Georgia and Azerbaijan are involved in the Syria conflict
# "The Jihadist from Phoenix" - Tepper & Zion, "Foreign Policy"

Science & Technology
# Facebook is going outside Facebook for info on its users
# Earth is a rare thing
# Russian is now the second most used language on the web

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Hillary Clinton as the 2016 front-runner
# The U.S. "is on the same page" as the Afghan government over talks with the Taliban

Afternoon Update

Boris Berezovsky
# Boris Berezovsky’s last interview
# Who killed Paul Klebnikov?

Cyprus
# The essentials of the Cyprus bailout
# London as Cyprus for Russians
# "Will Putin attempt a Last-Minute Cyprus Rescue?" - Anatole Kaletsky, "Reuters"

Afghanistan
# Kate Clark on the transfer of the Parwan Detention Facility

Syria
# Syrian rebels have started shelling deep inside of Damascus
# The Russian Embassy in Damascus says it has no info on rumors of Bashar al-Assad's death

Of Interest
# Anonymous says it hacked Mossad
# Tales of password hacker
# The Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize will launch today

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Morning Edition

Russia
# China's president urges cooperation with Russia
# "Managing Magnitsky in a Managed Democracy" - Jamison Firestone, "Moscow Times"
# Anna Nemtsova goes inside the Bolshoi Theater
# UNESCO says hundreds of national languages are under threat in Russia

Boris Berezovky
# Initial reports say there was no foul play in the death
# Berezovsky's complicated legacy in and out of Russia
# "Comrades-in-Arms" - Masha Gessen, "Vanity Fair" (2012)

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The "LA Times" reports on Afghanistan's mineral wealth
# Afghanistan will hold peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar
# The Taliban threatened Pervez Musharraf's welcome rally 
# Fawzia Koofi on "The Daily Show" (February)

Cyprus
# Cyprus and the EU have agreed on a bailout package
# "The Guardian" live-blogged the action
# Gas reserves off Cyprus may be a bit smaller than advertised
# "Russians Prepare to Quit Cyprus"- Courtney Weaver, "Financial Times"
# Cyprus is between the EU and Russia

Syria
The CIA is helping other governments get arms to the Syrian rebels
# U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Iraq is allowing Iranian arms flights to Syria

Journalism
# Journalists need to stop using these buzz words
# Longform journalism is back and better than ever

Of Interest
# Macedonia's elections went off (mostly) without a hitch
# The mayor of London gets a grilling on the "BBC"
# "Zero Problems in a New Era" - Ahmet Davutoglu, "Foreign Policy"
# Kazakhstan's education ministry wants to incorporate Legos into state curriculum

Science & Technology
# Mapping the Internet...illegally
# Earth's oceans are on the brink of catastrophe
# We have vastly underestimated the intelligence of animals
# Getting an Android phone ready for space

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The "PBS Newshour" analysis of Shields and Brooks
# "The CIA’s Interrogation Program Deserves a Public Airing" - Reuel Marc Gerecht, "The Washington Post"
# "The Obama Era, Brought to You by the Iraq War" - Ross Douthat, "The New York Times"

Cyprus
# "The Guardian" is live blogging the many delays in the bailout vote
# Cyprus’ finance minister left Russia empty-handed

Iran
# "Al Jazeera" follows three Iranian wrestlers at the world youth championships
# Discussing sanctions on "HuffPost Live"

Russia
# "The Telegraph" interviews Sergei Magnitsky’s widow
# Edward Lucas on the stakes over Cyprus
# Xi Jinping has arrived in Russia

Azerbaijan
# Several rights groups decry the crackdown on NGOs in Azerbaijan

Iraq
# WATCH: Dexter Filkins discusses the story of an Armenian-Iraqi family, a U.S. Marine, and the killing of a family

Of Interest
# Skype may be leaking location info
# How foreign governments keep their lobbying efforts secret
# The Pew Center’s "State of the News Media 2013" report  (a podcast discussing the report)

U.S. Politics
# The shifting political landscape on gay marriage in the U.S.

--------------
Morning update

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on internal strife in the Kremlin

International Press Review

Russia
# Memorial and hundreds of other NGOs were searched by security forces
# Capital outflows from Russia are way ahead of schedule
# Nikolai Kovalyov met with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin in Vienna in February
# "Russia Must Stand Up to EU Bullying on Cyprus" - Dmitry Afanasiev, "Moscow Times"
# Rosneft has completed its takeover of TNK-BP

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Afghanistan's spy chief "secretly" visited Pakistan in December
# How the U.S. is abandoning Afghan women

RFE/RL Target Region
# "Iraqi Hope Dies Last" - Ayad Allawi, "Project Syndicate"
# The "Baghdad Bob" predictions that were at least kind of true
# "Work with Moscow in Central Asia" - Jeffrey Mankoff, "National Interest"

Cyprus
# Cypriot lawmakers have until Monday to approve the ECB deal
# It may be time for a Cyprexit
# Steve LeVine on natural gas in the Mediterranean

Syria
# The EU will debate arming Syria's rebels
# A top Sunni cleric in Syria was killed in a mosque with more than 40 other people

Of Interest
# How to be the best note-taker you can be
# "We Have the Newspapers We Deserve" - Douglas Murray, "The Wall St. Journal"
# UN: It's easier to find a phone than a toilet

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The long slog to a new policy on drones
# The assault weapons ban doesn't have much of a chance

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Russia's New Normal" - Masha Gessen, "The New York Times"
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on the political journey of Vuk Jeremic

International Press Review

Iran
# The Secret Service almost shot Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
# Iran is weaning itself off of oil revenues
# A U.S. General tells Latin America that Iran is not to be trusted 

Russia
# Russia cannot be persuaded to bail out Cyprus
# The allure of western medicine

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Dozens of villages in southern Afghanistan are rising up against the Taliban
# Interpol has rejected a request by Pakistan to arrest Pervez Musharraf...
# ... But, why does he want to return now?
# Colin Cookman looks at Pakistan's elections
# "Afghanistan: The Way to Peace" - Anatol Lieven, "NY Review of Books"

Cyprus
# The world's largest asset management firm doesn't think Cyprus is a big deal
# Banks will be closed all week and pensions may be nationalized
# Cyprus isn't even that big of an off-shore haven

RFE/RL Target Region
# Uzbekistan's rail company may expand the Afghan rails
# The Kurds benfitted from the invasion of Iraq
# A one-stop shop for all news relating to aviation in Central Asia

Of Interest
# 3D printed guns are a real thing now
# What to do if a large asteroid is going to hit Earth: pray
# We are what we tweet
# Rocky planets may have oceans

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The U.S. government will stay open through September 30
# Peter Doran on U.S. plans to cancel the last phase of missile defense (.pdf)
# 24 Guantanamo Bay detainees are on hunger strike

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on the weakness of Vladimir Putin and the difference between "crimes against humanity" and "genocide"
# RFE/RL's Golnaz Esfandiari and Fred Petrossians took part in the Iran Cyber Dialogue

International Press Review

Russia
# Case closed: Russian investigators rule in the Magnitsky case
# "Bright Days for Putin's Dark Knight" - Donald Jensen, Institute of Modern Russia
# Turning to a Swedish CEO to rescue Russian cars

Iran
# The Supreme Leader is trying hard to stop Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's allies
# How Iranian technology has aided North Korea's missile program

Pakistan
# Nawaz Sharif may be Pakistan's next PM
# Pakistanis living abroad will not be able to vote electronically
# "The Islamabad Drone Dance" - Joshua Foust, "PBS"

Cyprus
# A few new bailout ideas are coming from Russia
# "Moscow Can Protect Nicosia from Bullies" - Dimitry Afanasiev, "Financial Times"
# A good overview of the financial situation in Cyprus

RFE/RL Target Region
# Sectarian strains permeate Iraqi politics
# Room for Debate: Was the Iraq War worth it?
# Swedish prosecutors are taking over the teddy bear drop case

Of Interest
# The Arctic may become a hub of modern data centers
# The effect of language on health and wealth
# Here comes the sun...storm

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The CIA drone program may be moved to the Pentagon
# A CR budget measure stalled in the Senate
# The U.S. will be paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for a century
# Senator Lindsey Graham says American troops should be sent to Syria

RFE/RL in the Media
# "Radio World" on the launch of the global news dashboard

International Press Review

Iran
# Useful infographic on Iran's national intranet

Russia
# "Why Putin Should Dissolve the Duma" - Nikolai Petrov, "Moscow Times"
# "After the Acid Attack, Is the Bolshoi Doomed?" - Boer Deng, "The Atlantic"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Two Cheers for Pakistani Democracy: A Sobering Milestone" - Omar Waraich, "Time"
# "Pakistan’s Extremist Democracy" - Ahmed Rashid, "NY Review of Books"
# Four people were killed when militants stormed a Peshawar court complex
# A dispatch from Afghanistan's only permanent church

Iraq
# The disupted lands of Kirkuk
# Photos of Baghdad in 1932
# "Saddam Would Have Survived the Arab Spring" - Bobby Ghosh, "Time"

Cyprus
# Gazprom made its own bailout offer
# The super-rich who call Cyprus home
# "The Cyprus Precedent" - Felix Salmon, "Reuters"

Of Interest
# "The Case for Obnoxious Dissidents" - Joshua Keating, "Foreign Policy"
# Yerevan gets an online complaints system
# "Biography of a [16th/17th century] Torturer" - Jacob Soll, "The New Republic"
# How the northern lights almost started WWIII
# "The Washington Post" is getting a paywall

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# U.S. authorities will not file charges ion the Max Shatto case
# "How Washington Encourages Nuclear Proliferation" - Ted Galen Carpenter, "National Interest"

RFE/RL In The Media
# Tina Traster blogs about Radio Svoboda's covergae of her family
# Masha Gessen won an award for her 2012 "Vanity Fair" piece on Vladimir Putin

International Press Review

Iran
# "Why Iran May be Ready to Deal" - Vali Nasr, "The New York Times"
# Iran has launched a destroyer in the Caspian Sea

Russia
# Russia is driving a hard bargain over bailout funds with Cyprus
# "The Cossacks are Back. May the Hills Tremble" - Ellen Barry, "The New York Times"
# In pictures: Russia's most successful women
# "The FSB Opens a New Foreign Front" - Andrei Soldatov, "Moscow Times"

Pakistan
# Pakistan's elected government completed a full five-year term
# The "LA Times" on Asif Ali Zardari's political survival skills
# "Pakistan’s Real Image" - Saroop Ijaz, "The Express Tribune"
# The market for camel milk is booming

Iraq
# Check out RFE/RL's "Icons of the Iraq War" series
# "The National" on the Sunnis of Fallujah

RFE/RL Target Region
# Anne Appebaum: "Does Eastern Europe Still Exist?" (speech, ~60 minutes)
# "The Washington Post" reports on Hamid Karzai and Afghanistan's national sovereignty
# State TV in Uzbekistan thinks women should lay off the sauce

Cyprus
# The "Financial Times" on how the depositor tax deal happened in the UK (and, previously, on Russia's stake)
# Russia and Russians could lose billions

Of Interest
# "The Internet is a Surveillance State" - Bruce Schneier, "CNN"
# 50 years of censorship make starting an independent newspaper quite difficult
# "Open and Closed" - Evgeny Morozov, "The New York Times"
# "Der Spiegel" on the Czech Republic "now lies like a drugged-up green oasis"

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The U.S. has effectively cancelled the final stage of a missile defense program in Europe
# "The REAL Reason the U.S. failed in Afghanistan" - Stephen Walt, "Foreign Policy"
# The political analysis of Shields and Brooks

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on crowd dispersal tactics in Azerbaijan
# The "LA Times" cites RFE/RL reporting on an art theft in the Balkans
# "The Wall St. Journal" cites RFE/RL reporting on the sentencing of an Azerbaijani journalist
# "News.ru" reprints RFE/RL reporting on the Magnitsky list

International Press Review

First Read
# "Sargsyan Stole the Presidential Election From Me" -- Raffi Hovannisian, "Moscow Times"

Iran
# A Greek executive has been caught trying to help Iran evade oil export sanctions
# Iran is debating the merits of direct negotiations with the U.S.
# An Iranian human rights official says homosexuality is an illness
# Iran confronted a U.S. drone over the Persian Gulf
# Goolge Reader's demise is bad news for Iranians
# "Islamist Maseratis" -- Anonymous, "The Economist"
# "Forget the Fatwa" -- Eisenstadt & Khalaji, "National Interest"

Iraq
# Photojournalists recall the Iraq War
# Blasts and fighting killed at least 25 in Baghdad
# "The Rise of Nuri al-Maliki" -- Parker & Salman, "World Policy Journal"
# The diary of an American soldier

Russia
# Chna's new president will make his first trip abroad to Moscow
# Ramzan Kadyrov has invited his Instagram friends to Chechnya

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Breaking Up is Not Hard to Do" -- Husain Haqqani, "Foreign Affairs"
# Shi'ites in Pakistan continue to protest
# Afghanistan's economy may be in trouble after the drawdown
# What the Soviets got right when leaving Afghanistan

Tech
# A "Reuters" social media editor was indicted for cooperating with Anonymous
# Facebook is getting #hastags

Of Interest
# "The Inflation of Hugo Chavez" -- Jorge Castañeda, "Project Syndicate"
# Shell Oil has been barred from drilling in the Arctic
# Some sufferers of HIV may have been recently cured