http://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.rferl.org/img/rssLogo.gif http://www.rferl.org en-US Copyright 2009 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:07:06 +0000 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL The World Health Organization (WHO) says antiviral medicines like Tamiflu should be used much earlier by doctors in order to prevent deaths from swine flu. The UN agency also says it is sending more supplies of antivirals to developing countries most affected by swine flu. Those countries include Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Ukraine. http://www.rferl.org/content/Amplifier_WHO_Urges_Doctors_To_Use_Antiviral_Drugs_Sooner_To_Prevent_Swine_Flu_Deaths/1877353.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Amplifier_WHO_Urges_Doctors_To_Use_Antiviral_Drugs_Sooner_To_Prevent_Swine_Flu_Deaths/1877353.html Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:10:01 +0000 News http://www.rferl.org/content/Amplifier_WHO_Urges_Doctors_To_Use_Antiviral_Drugs_Sooner_To_Prevent_Swine_Flu_Deaths/1877353.html#relatedInfoContainer The coming years could see the price of natural gas fall as demand weakens but new supplies keep flowing into the market. That is according to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) published today. The annual report, which is used by many governments to help set energy policies, suggests that major gas exporters like Russia, Iran, and Qatar will be particularly affected. http://www.rferl.org/content/International_Energy_Agency_Predicts_Natural_Gas_Prices_To_Fall/1874095.html http://www.rferl.org/content/International_Energy_Agency_Predicts_Natural_Gas_Prices_To_Fall/1874095.html Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:46:47 +0000 News http://www.rferl.org/content/International_Energy_Agency_Predicts_Natural_Gas_Prices_To_Fall/1874095.html#relatedInfoContainer As concerns over massive outbreaks of swine flu rise in many countries with the onset of the influenza season, doctors say much is misunderstood about how people contract the disease. We speak to experts to learn more, and whether there is any cause for panic. RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Unmasking_The_Truth_About_Swine_Flu/1869526.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Unmasking_The_Truth_About_Swine_Flu/1869526.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:28:25 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Unmasking_The_Truth_About_Swine_Flu/1869526.html#relatedInfoContainer Public fears of a major outbreak of swine flu are growing in countries from Ukraine to Afghanistan. The fears are fed by real cases of people falling ill with the flu. But what is not clear is how many of the cases are ordinary flu, and how many are swine flu, and whether fears of an imminent pandemic are justified. http://www.rferl.org/content/Swine_Flu_Fears_Spread_From_Ukraine_to_Afghanistan/1869479.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Swine_Flu_Fears_Spread_From_Ukraine_to_Afghanistan/1869479.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:50:05 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Swine_Flu_Fears_Spread_From_Ukraine_to_Afghanistan/1869479.html#relatedInfoContainer Can local forces help turn the tide against the Taliban? Washington is looking at that possibility as it weighs a new strategy for Afghanistan. The model is the success of tribal forces in marginalizing Al-Qaeda in Iraq. But many Afghans say turning to local militias can be a risky business. http://www.rferl.org/content/US_Weighs_Working_With_Local_Powers_In_Afghanistan_But_It_Can_Be_Risky_Business/1867030.html http://www.rferl.org/content/US_Weighs_Working_With_Local_Powers_In_Afghanistan_But_It_Can_Be_Risky_Business/1867030.html Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:19:33 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/US_Weighs_Working_With_Local_Powers_In_Afghanistan_But_It_Can_Be_Risky_Business/1867030.html#relatedInfoContainer For eight years since the U.S.-aided toppling of the Taliban, the residents of the Qala-e Zal district of Konduz Province have relied on Afghan government forces for security. Until recently, that seemed enough. http://www.rferl.org/content/As_Security_Worsens_An_Afghan_District_Forms_Its_Own_Militia_/1865834.html http://www.rferl.org/content/As_Security_Worsens_An_Afghan_District_Forms_Its_Own_Militia_/1865834.html Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:11:28 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/As_Security_Worsens_An_Afghan_District_Forms_Its_Own_Militia_/1865834.html#relatedInfoContainer Deputy UN envoy to Afghanistan Peter Galbraith was dismissed from his mission earlier this month after accusing the top envoy there, Kai Eide, of concealing information about the extent of fraud in the country’s contested election. In a new twist, Galbraith himself is now at the center of a new apparent scandal. A Norwegian newspaper reported that Galbraith acquired shares in an Iraqi Kurdish oil field at a time when he was a leading diplomatic voice in the U.S. debate over the structure of ... http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraq_Oil_Scandal_Threatens_Former_US_Diplomat_Galbraith/1852916.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraq_Oil_Scandal_Threatens_Former_US_Diplomat_Galbraith/1852916.html Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:24:45 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraq_Oil_Scandal_Threatens_Former_US_Diplomat_Galbraith/1852916.html#relatedInfoContainer Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdish region has stopped exporting oil in a dispute with Baghdad. The regional government says that it will contribute no more oil to the Iraqi government's oil-export program until disagreements are resolved over who is responsible for paying foreign oil companies operating in the Kurdish region. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_Kurds_Halt_Oil_Exports_In_Dispute_With_Baghdad/1850641.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_Kurds_Halt_Oil_Exports_In_Dispute_With_Baghdad/1850641.html Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:44:07 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_Kurds_Halt_Oil_Exports_In_Dispute_With_Baghdad/1850641.html#relatedInfoContainer Germans are going to the polls for national elections after months of campaigning focused on economic issues. But there is another issue that increasingly made its way into the political debate this year despite being long considered a no-go area: Germany's military mission in Afghanistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/As_Germany_Votes_Afghan_Mission_Gets_Growing_Attention/1837179.html http://www.rferl.org/content/As_Germany_Votes_Afghan_Mission_Gets_Growing_Attention/1837179.html Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:49:38 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/As_Germany_Votes_Afghan_Mission_Gets_Growing_Attention/1837179.html#relatedInfoContainer With Western eyes focused on the fight against the Taliban in southern and eastern Afghanistan, the security situation in the previously peaceful northern Konduz Province has dramatically worsened. Taliban numbers are growing, too few Afghan security forces patrol the region, and German troops sent to reconstruct the province are reluctant to switch to a full combat role. Is Konduz becoming the Taliban's newest front in the Afghan war? http://www.rferl.org/content/Security_Worsens_as_Taliban_Move_Into_Northern_Afghanistan/1830036.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Security_Worsens_as_Taliban_Move_Into_Northern_Afghanistan/1830036.html Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:26:49 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Security_Worsens_as_Taliban_Move_Into_Northern_Afghanistan/1830036.html#relatedInfoContainer The Obama administration is at a crossroads in its strategy for Afghanistan. The top U.S. commander there has called for more troops, warning that the war in Afghanistan could be lost to the Taliban without them. But U.S. President Barack Obama says he wants more time to consider all the variables in the Afghan problem before making an immediate decision. http://www.rferl.org/content/Obama_Administration_At_A_Crossroads_In_Its_Afghan_Strategy/1828431.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Obama_Administration_At_A_Crossroads_In_Its_Afghan_Strategy/1828431.html Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:26:44 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Obama_Administration_At_A_Crossroads_In_Its_Afghan_Strategy/1828431.html#relatedInfoContainer Can Afghanistan's nascent free press act as a gadfly to prod the country's famously slow bureaucracy to act on forgotten cases? One radio listener hoped so and called in with a curious request. The listener -- an Afghan citizen imprisoned in Tajikistan -- wanted the show to look into what happened to a year-old agreement to repatriate Afghan prisoners to their home country. http://www.rferl.org/content/Plight_Of_Prisoners_In_Afghanistan_Tajikistan_Brought_To_Light_Thanks_To_Gadfly_Media/1826479.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Plight_Of_Prisoners_In_Afghanistan_Tajikistan_Brought_To_Light_Thanks_To_Gadfly_Media/1826479.html Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:34:29 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Plight_Of_Prisoners_In_Afghanistan_Tajikistan_Brought_To_Light_Thanks_To_Gadfly_Media/1826479.html#relatedInfoContainer Iranian protesters are back en masse in the streets of Tehran and other major cities. The demonstrations against President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, taking place amid an official march in support of the Palestinian cause, are the first since police and vigilantes intimidated the opposition off the streets with mass arrests two months ago. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Protesters_Take_To_Streets_Of_Tehran_Other_Cities/1825818.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Protesters_Take_To_Streets_Of_Tehran_Other_Cities/1825818.html Fri, 18 Sep 2009 10:31:04 +0000 News http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Protesters_Take_To_Streets_Of_Tehran_Other_Cities/1825818.html#relatedInfoContainer Did former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher secretly not want Germany’s reunification on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall? That’s the conclusion from a report today in "The Times" newspaper of London. The report is based on copies of Kremlin records smuggled out of Moscow in the early 1990s by a young Russian researcher. http://www.rferl.org/content/British_Paper_Says_Thatcher_Opposed_German_Reunification_/1820460.html http://www.rferl.org/content/British_Paper_Says_Thatcher_Opposed_German_Reunification_/1820460.html Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:15:26 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/British_Paper_Says_Thatcher_Opposed_German_Reunification_/1820460.html#relatedInfoContainer As Georgia tries to impound ships delivering cargo to breakaway Abkhazia, Sukhumi has responded by threatening to destroy any Georgian warships operating off its coastline. The feud, which has the potential to escalate into an armed confrontation, poses tough legal questions for third parties. Should ships from other nations respect Georgia’s sea blockade? Or is Tbilisi acting out of bounds by treating any shipments to Sukhumi as smuggling? http://www.rferl.org/content/Smuggling_Dispute_Between_Sukhumi_Tbilisi_Is_In_Uncharted_Waters_Legally/1814822.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Smuggling_Dispute_Between_Sukhumi_Tbilisi_Is_In_Uncharted_Waters_Legally/1814822.html Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:52:10 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Smuggling_Dispute_Between_Sukhumi_Tbilisi_Is_In_Uncharted_Waters_Legally/1814822.html#relatedInfoContainer Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the "Great First of September" revolution that brought him to power. The week of celebrations come as Libya is reopening to the West and international oil companies, aided by their governments, are racing to invest in the country. http://www.rferl.org/content/Libyas_Qaddafi_Opens_Celebrations_To_Mark_40_Years_In_Power/1812235.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Libyas_Qaddafi_Opens_Celebrations_To_Mark_40_Years_In_Power/1812235.html Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:27:10 +0000 News Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki came to power as part of the alliance of Shi'ite religious parties that dominates the government. But now the two sides are going separate ways, with Maliki appearing ready to tie his fortunes to a multiconfessional alliance. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_PM_Shiite_Bloc_Prepare_To_Face_Off_In_Parliamentary_Elections/1807402.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_PM_Shiite_Bloc_Prepare_To_Face_Off_In_Parliamentary_Elections/1807402.html Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:18:03 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_PM_Shiite_Bloc_Prepare_To_Face_Off_In_Parliamentary_Elections/1807402.html#relatedInfoContainer Iran has been in deep political crisis for two months since the June 12 presidential elections. But the nature of the crisis seems to be changing with time. The first phase pitted hard-line conservatives against reformers who say Mahmud Ahmadinejad stole the election. But that fight is increasingly being overshadowed by a second one: a public battle between Ahmadinejad’s camp and other powerful members of the conservative establishment over how powerful he will be in his second term. http://www.rferl.org/content/Will_Ahmadinejad_Be_Stronger_Or_Weaker_In_His_Second_Term/1799896.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Will_Ahmadinejad_Be_Stronger_Or_Weaker_In_His_Second_Term/1799896.html Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:36:52 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Will_Ahmadinejad_Be_Stronger_Or_Weaker_In_His_Second_Term/1799896.html#relatedInfoContainer In Turkey, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has secured Ankara's backing for the South Stream gas pipeline project, which will cross the Black Sea through Turkey's territorial waters so as to bypass Ukraine. The pipeline is seen as a competitor to the EU's Nabucco project, which will also transit through Turkey and already has secured Ankara's approval. http://www.rferl.org/content/Putin_In_Turkey_Seeking_Approval_For_South_Stream_Route/1793851.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Putin_In_Turkey_Seeking_Approval_For_South_Stream_Route/1793851.html Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:42:10 +0000 News The president’s first term was largely about completing the hard-line backlash, approved by the Supreme Leader, against the reformist camp led by former President Mohammad Khatami. And Ahmadinejad did the job thoroughly. But now Ahmadinejad begins his second term immediately after feuding with the supreme leader. At issue was Khamenei’s backing of conservative demands that the president dismiss a top aide. http://www.rferl.org/content/Could_Ahmadinejads_Mix_Of_Mysticism_And_Politics_Lead_To_A_Power_Grab/1793312.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Could_Ahmadinejads_Mix_Of_Mysticism_And_Politics_Lead_To_A_Power_Grab/1793312.html Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:20:52 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Could_Ahmadinejads_Mix_Of_Mysticism_And_Politics_Lead_To_A_Power_Grab/1793312.html#relatedInfoContainer The most feared force that keeps protesters off the streets of Tehran is a shadowy group of men in street clothes with clubs and pistols. When they swoop down on a demonstration in cars without license plates, the police stand back and so does the Basij militia. The men literally get away with murder. Who are they? http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Are_Irans_Vigilantes/1772500.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Are_Irans_Vigilantes/1772500.html Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:48:23 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Are_Irans_Vigilantes/1772500.html#relatedInfoContainer The hard-liners who control Iran’s government have counted heavily on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s support to roll back reformists. But Khamenei is ill and ultimately a successor must be chosen. There are many signs that key hard-liners feel the Islamic republic could be a perfect Islamic state without such republican institutions as elections and already are working to make that state a reality. Could the next supreme leader’s succession be their opportunity to finally change the identity of ... http://www.rferl.org/content/How_Could_HardLiners_Choose_The_Next_Supreme_Leader/1769299.html http://www.rferl.org/content/How_Could_HardLiners_Choose_The_Next_Supreme_Leader/1769299.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 12:38:35 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/How_Could_HardLiners_Choose_The_Next_Supreme_Leader/1769299.html#relatedInfoContainer The hard-line camp of Iran's ruling establishment has so far quashed a major challenge by reformists. But a much greater test may lie ahead. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is ill and a succession battle looms. Will the hard-liners leave the choice of the next supreme leader to chance? There are signs they won't. http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Ultraconservatives_May_See_Chance_To_Revive_Wilting_Revolution/1768776.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Ultraconservatives_May_See_Chance_To_Revive_Wilting_Revolution/1768776.html Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:31:30 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Ultraconservatives_May_See_Chance_To_Revive_Wilting_Revolution/1768776.html#relatedInfoContainer Iran's supreme leader is nominally above factional politics. But Ali Khamenei has backed hard-liners in key battles with reformists, and conservative methods and determination to win the recent election might hint that a battle for succession has already begun. http://www.rferl.org/content/Crisis_Response_Hints_At_Early_Stages_Of_Iranian_Power_Struggle/1768100.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Crisis_Response_Hints_At_Early_Stages_Of_Iranian_Power_Struggle/1768100.html Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:11:42 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Crisis_Response_Hints_At_Early_Stages_Of_Iranian_Power_Struggle/1768100.html#relatedInfoContainer Iranian state television has begun to show some of the hundreds of people arrested in the protest rallies that have rocked Tehran over the past days. The confessions follow a similar storyline: pear, they confess to crimes ranging from carrying grenades to inciting unrest and say they were provoked to act by the VOA or BBC. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Opposition_Tarred_By_Public_Confessions_From_Arrested_Protesters/1761585.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Opposition_Tarred_By_Public_Confessions_From_Arrested_Protesters/1761585.html Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:05:07 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Opposition_Tarred_By_Public_Confessions_From_Arrested_Protesters/1761585.html#relatedInfoContainer It's not unusual for authoritarian governments to try to block public access to uncensored news during times of crisis. But normally this takes the form of blocking websites. Tehran has gone a big step further. It's jamming international satellite frequencies that normally carry U.S. and British government-sponsored newscasts in Persian -- a violation of international broadcasting law and a measure of how hard Tehran is working to isolate the public. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Jams_Foreign_Satellite_News_In_Bid_To_Isolate_Public/1761064.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Jams_Foreign_Satellite_News_In_Bid_To_Isolate_Public/1761064.html Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:47:00 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Jams_Foreign_Satellite_News_In_Bid_To_Isolate_Public/1761064.html#relatedInfoContainer The Iranian supreme leader's order for street protests to stop gives a green light to security forces to quash any further rallies. At the forefront are the armed ideological wings of the Islamic Revolution -- the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij militia, both of which warned even before the presidential election that they would not tolerate a "Velvet Revolution" in Iran. http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Basij__Defending_Against_A_Velvet_Revolution/1758397.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Basij__Defending_Against_A_Velvet_Revolution/1758397.html Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:05:25 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Basij__Defending_Against_A_Velvet_Revolution/1758397.html#relatedInfoContainer Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is expected to speak at Friday Prayers, after six days of mass rallies in protest of the June 12 presidential poll. It is clear that Khamenei ultimately will have to take a position on the crisis and that the stakes are nothing less than the future course of Iran itself. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Whose_Side_Is_The_Supreme_Leader_On_/1757510.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Whose_Side_Is_The_Supreme_Leader_On_/1757510.html Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:13:20 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Whose_Side_Is_The_Supreme_Leader_On_/1757510.html#relatedInfoContainer As reformists protest what they say is a rigged second-term for hard-liner President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, they are not just expressing dissatisfaction with the election’s outcome. They are exposing deep divides within Iran’s political establishment over the shape of the Islamic republic’s future. The central question is whether Iran should become a more modern, industrial society that is also more open to the world, or whether it should remain as it is now: conservative, closed, and with a ... http://www.rferl.org/content/In_Iran_Its_Modernists_Against_Traditionalists/1756185.html http://www.rferl.org/content/In_Iran_Its_Modernists_Against_Traditionalists/1756185.html Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:57:34 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/In_Iran_Its_Modernists_Against_Traditionalists/1756185.html#relatedInfoContainer Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is best known outside Iran for his confrontational style. He rejects UN demands to halt uranium enrichment, has called the Holocaust a myth, and regularly denounces U.S. foreign policy. But when Iranians go to vote in the June 12 presidential election, their main interest will not be Ahmadinejad’s international performance. It will be how he has managed Iran’s economy. http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Economy_Takes_Center_Stage_In_Increasingly_Bitter_Campaign/1752031.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Economy_Takes_Center_Stage_In_Increasingly_Bitter_Campaign/1752031.html Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:18:30 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Economy_Takes_Center_Stage_In_Increasingly_Bitter_Campaign/1752031.html#relatedInfoContainer The rapid approach of Iran's presidential election is raising passions among voters on an unimagined scale. Supporters of reformist candidate Mir Hossein Musavi filled the streets of Tehran overnight in a direct challenge to supporters of hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, with some of the biggest crowds seen since the 1979 revolution. http://www.rferl.org/content/Tehran_Election_Rallies_Bring_Out_Biggest_Crowds_Since_Revolution/1750165.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Tehran_Election_Rallies_Bring_Out_Biggest_Crowds_Since_Revolution/1750165.html Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:01:52 +0000 News Twenty years ago, on June 4, 1989, Chinese troops and tanks waited for nightfall and then attacked pro-democracy protesters who had occupied Beijing's central Tiananmen Square for more than six weeks. The crushing of China's democracy movement was so brutal, and so closely followed by television viewers in so many countries, that it remains one of the most vivid moments of recent history. http://www.rferl.org/content/Remembering_Tiananmen_Square_20_Years_Later/1746092.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Remembering_Tiananmen_Square_20_Years_Later/1746092.html Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:55:25 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Remembering_Tiananmen_Square_20_Years_Later/1746092.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. President Barack Obama came to office promising to explore ways to talk with countries hostile to the United States -- such as North Korea and Iran. That was in contrast to the Bush administration’s labeling them as parts of an "axis of evil." But will events such as Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests, and Tehran’s stepped-up rhetoric, allow Obama to begin his effort? Or will they push Obama to adopt a harder line, too? http://www.rferl.org/content/North_Korea_Iran_Issue_Early_Challenges_To_Obama_Doctrine/1740051.html http://www.rferl.org/content/North_Korea_Iran_Issue_Early_Challenges_To_Obama_Doctrine/1740051.html Tue, 26 May 2009 14:22:46 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/North_Korea_Iran_Issue_Early_Challenges_To_Obama_Doctrine/1740051.html#relatedInfoContainer This week saw an unexpected showdown between the old and current administrations over how the United States should fight terrorism while maintaining its own values. http://www.rferl.org/content/The_Duel_Over_US_National_Security/1737690.html http://www.rferl.org/content/The_Duel_Over_US_National_Security/1737690.html Fri, 22 May 2009 17:06:17 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/The_Duel_Over_US_National_Security/1737690.html#relatedInfoContainer The U.S. dollar fell to its lowest level of the year on May 20. But the timing of the fall was strange indeed: it came just as U.S. officials said the U.S. economy is stabilizing. So why is the dollar in retreat? http://www.rferl.org/content/Why_Is_Dollar_Weakening_If_US_Economy_Stabilizing/1736609.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Why_Is_Dollar_Weakening_If_US_Economy_Stabilizing/1736609.html Thu, 21 May 2009 13:08:59 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Why_Is_Dollar_Weakening_If_US_Economy_Stabilizing/1736609.html#relatedInfoContainer Ever since the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has struggled to boost its oil production and agree on how the revenues should be shared among the country's different regions. But so far, reaching an agreement has proved impossible and one region, the Kurdish autonomous north, has gone ahead with developing its oil resources by itself. Now, a new dispute over how oil is to be exported from the Kurdish region is again raising the question of who ultimately controls the northern oil ... http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Controls_Northern_Iraqs_Oil_Wealth/1735737.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Controls_Northern_Iraqs_Oil_Wealth/1735737.html Wed, 20 May 2009 11:43:17 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Controls_Northern_Iraqs_Oil_Wealth/1735737.html#relatedInfoContainer Turkey says there are no signs that a massacre at a wedding ceremony in southeastern Turkey was a terrorist attack. Instead, it appears to be the result of a feud between two families. But because both families are tied to the government-controlled Kurdish paramilitary force, the Village Guards, the events also raise a larger question -- the wisdom of arming citizen militias as a force for stability. http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Massacre_Raises_Questions_About_Blood_Feuds_Arming_Civilians_/1621967.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Massacre_Raises_Questions_About_Blood_Feuds_Arming_Civilians_/1621967.html Tue, 05 May 2009 13:16:01 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Massacre_Raises_Questions_About_Blood_Feuds_Arming_Civilians_/1621967.html#relatedInfoContainer Turkey and Armenia say they have agreed upon a framework for normalizing their relations. The announcement provides no details as to points for discussion between the two sides. But it comes at a time of great political sensitivity as both Ankara and Yerevan -- for very different reasons -- worry their recent progress toward rapprochement could be in jeopardy. http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Says_Agrees_Framework_For_Ties_With_Armenia/1614312.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Says_Agrees_Framework_For_Ties_With_Armenia/1614312.html Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:12:46 +0000 News http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Says_Agrees_Framework_For_Ties_With_Armenia/1614312.html#relatedInfoContainer Speculation has been rife that Turkey may be close to reopening its border with Armenia and restoring the diplomatic ties it broke over the Armenia-Azerbaijan war. But Ankara's desire to include progress over Nagorno-Karabakh could signal a more go-slow approach. http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Signals_Opening_To_Armenia_Must_Include_NagornoKarabakh_Progress/1613844.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Signals_Opening_To_Armenia_Must_Include_NagornoKarabakh_Progress/1613844.html Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:17:00 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Turkey_Signals_Opening_To_Armenia_Must_Include_NagornoKarabakh_Progress/1613844.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. President Barack Obama has wrapped up his visit to Turkey, spending his final hours in Istanbul speaking to Turkish students in the kind of roundtable forum that has become one of his trademarks. The event was informal but may have helped underline one of the main points of Obama's visit to this predominantly Muslim country: to improve the image of the United States. http://www.rferl.org/content/Turks_Warm_To_Obama_Charm_Offensive/1604136.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Turks_Warm_To_Obama_Charm_Offensive/1604136.html Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:21:43 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Turks_Warm_To_Obama_Charm_Offensive/1604136.html#relatedInfoContainer There is much speculation in Turkey that the country could soon reopen its border with Armenia. The speculation is heightening with U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Ankara. Still, one can't help but wonder. Ankara closed the border some 16 years ago. Why is it suddenly such a priority to make peace now? http://www.rferl.org/content/Is_Turkey_Ready_To_Make_Peace_With_Armenia/1603145.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Is_Turkey_Ready_To_Make_Peace_With_Armenia/1603145.html Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:05:39 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Is_Turkey_Ready_To_Make_Peace_With_Armenia/1603145.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. President Barack Obama has arrived in Turkey for the start of a two-day tour, the first predominantly Muslim country he is visiting since taking office. http://www.rferl.org/content/Obama_Starts_TwoDay_Visit_To_Turkey/1602539.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Obama_Starts_TwoDay_Visit_To_Turkey/1602539.html Sun, 05 Apr 2009 19:20:55 +0000 Features Tax havens have become an increasingly big part of the world's economy. In fact, so much money goes to tax havens, and so much financial speculation takes place with that money, that tax havens are a major factor behind the global financial crisis. The leaders of the G20 are due to consider how to crack down on tax havens when they meet on April 2 in London. http://www.rferl.org/content/Will_G20_Crack_Down_On_Tax_Havens/1566041.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Will_G20_Crack_Down_On_Tax_Havens/1566041.html Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:12:19 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Will_G20_Crack_Down_On_Tax_Havens/1566041.html#relatedInfoContainer Turkey's efforts to deprive the PKK of bases in northern Iraq may have reached a watershed moment with Turkish President Abdullah Gul's visit to Baghdad, which ends March 24. Ankara looks set to strike a deal with the self-rule Iraqi Kurdish region whereby the PKK must disarm or leave the territory. The deal would also open the way for Ankara to officially recognize the Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region in Iraq, despite its former reluctance to do so. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraq_Turkey_Nearing_Deal_To_Deprive_PKK_Of_Bases/1515961.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraq_Turkey_Nearing_Deal_To_Deprive_PKK_Of_Bases/1515961.html Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:27:44 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraq_Turkey_Nearing_Deal_To_Deprive_PKK_Of_Bases/1515961.html#relatedInfoContainer Iraqi farmers have waited through two years of drought, watching as their wells dried up and dust and salt accumulated in their fields. Aid from the central government and the Red Cross might help them survive until next winter, but Iraq's overuse of water resources means it will remain vulnerable to drought for years to come. http://www.rferl.org/content/Second_Year_Of_Drought_Devastates_Iraqi_Agriculture/1514409.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Second_Year_Of_Drought_Devastates_Iraqi_Agriculture/1514409.html Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:11:39 +0000 Features As officials, activists, and entrepreneurs from 130 nations meet this week in Istanbul to seek better ways to manage the world's water problems, there is one solution under discussion that might seem obvious: exporting water from wet countries to dry ones. http://www.rferl.org/content/Can_Wet_Countries_Export_Water_To_Dry_Ones/1514322.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Can_Wet_Countries_Export_Water_To_Dry_Ones/1514322.html Sat, 21 Mar 2009 11:47:23 +0000 Features As Iraq's central government seeks to extend his control over northern hotspots like Mosul and Kirkuk, Kurds are warning it not to go too far. The situation makes Prime Minister Maliki's efforts to build on his security successes in the south and Baghdad appear both urgent and risky. http://www.rferl.org/content/Baghdads_New_Security_Steps_In_North_Worry_Kurds/1509638.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Baghdads_New_Security_Steps_In_North_Worry_Kurds/1509638.html Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:31:59 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Baghdads_New_Security_Steps_In_North_Worry_Kurds/1509638.html#relatedInfoContainer Switzerland has devalued its currency, the franc, as the country tries to adjust to the wild fluctuations of the global economic crisis. The move raises concerns that as the crisis continues, more governments may be tempted to manipulate their currency exchange rates in hopes of gaining advantages for their export sectors -- a destructive move for the global economy. http://www.rferl.org/content/Switzerland_Becomes_First_Major_Western_Currency_To_Devalue_Currency/1509618.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Switzerland_Becomes_First_Major_Western_Currency_To_Devalue_Currency/1509618.html Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:19:00 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Switzerland_Becomes_First_Major_Western_Currency_To_Devalue_Currency/1509618.html#relatedInfoContainer The world is looking to the G20 meeting in London on April 2 for a coordinated strategy for reviving the global economy. But in the run-up to the summit, it is becoming clear that the United States and Europe have very different philosophies about how to get out of the current crisis. http://www.rferl.org/content/USEurope_Split_On_Economic_Stimulus_Erupts_Ahead_Of_G20/1508262.html http://www.rferl.org/content/USEurope_Split_On_Economic_Stimulus_Erupts_Ahead_Of_G20/1508262.html Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:53:03 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/USEurope_Split_On_Economic_Stimulus_Erupts_Ahead_Of_G20/1508262.html#relatedInfoContainer Scientists excavating a 5,500 year-old site in Kazakhstan have found the earliest evidence yet of when man may have first domesticated horses. The evidence suggests that horses were tamed, and ridden, some 1,000 years earlier than is generally assumed. http://www.rferl.org/content/Horses_First_Domesticated_Kazakhstan/1505978.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Horses_First_Domesticated_Kazakhstan/1505978.html Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:25:22 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Horses_First_Domesticated_Kazakhstan/1505978.html#relatedInfoContainer