The Rundown - February 4

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on Vladimir Putin's main man in the Kremlin and a Ukrainian boy's deep sea discovery

International Press Review

Iran
# Talks over Iran's nuclear progam will continue in Kazakhstan
# The Iranian parliament has dismissed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's labor minister...
# ...and Ahmadinejad calls the speaker corrupt
# "Is the Iranian Government Legitimate?" - Max Fisher, "The Washington Post"
# "Tehranimal Farm" - Roland Elliott Broan, "Foreign Policy"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Hamid Karzai says Helmand was better before UK troops came
# Afghan and Pakistani leaders are in the UK for diplomatic meetings
# The TTP says it is open to negotiations with the Pakistani government
# Afghan interpreters are having a tough time getting U.S. visas
# Worth a watch: "The Horsemen"

Russia
# The director of the Bolshoi says he knows who was behind last month's acid attack
# Russia and China will not compete militarily in China
# "Why Russia’s Soft Power Is Too Soft" - Fyodor Lukyanov, "Russia in Global Affairs"
# An American skiier documents her time in Sochi
# Volunteering may become a ward of the state

Iraq
# A suicide blast in Kirkuk killed at least 15 and wounded nearly 100
# Asiacell went public in Iraq
# On the effects of Jalal Talabani's absence from Iraqi politics

Of Interest
# "Journalism for Democracy" - Herbert Gans, "Nieman Journalism Lab"
# The largest collection of animal noises is now online
# Drones are everywhere
# TeliaSonera's CEO stepped down on Friday

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# There may be a reset of the reset with Russia
# The President has broad authority to launch pre-emptive cyber strikes
# "The Myth of America's Shadow Wars" - Loch Johnson, "The Atlantic"
# The U.S. is set to become an energy powerhouse

http://www.rferl.org/content/rundown-press-review/24892101.html