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_RFERL.gif http://www.rferl.org en-US Copyright 2010 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sat, 25 May 2013 21:04:35 +0000 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Reports say fighting in the strategic Syrian town of Qusair has intensified.State media reported on May 25 that troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had launched a three-pronged attack on the rebel-held town and were making big advances. http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-heavy-fighting-qusair/24997285.html http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-heavy-fighting-qusair/24997285.html Sat, 25 May 2013 16:22:15 +0000 News RFE/RL Police in Britain have arrested a man under antiterrorism laws at BBC headquarters. http://www.rferl.org/content/uk-police-arrest-man-spy-claim-soldier/24997237.html http://www.rferl.org/content/uk-police-arrest-man-spy-claim-soldier/24997237.html Sat, 25 May 2013 15:18:34 +0000 News Islamic banks are rising as an alternative to conventional Western banks, partly due to their success in weathering the current economic crisis. How do they work? http://www.rferl.org/content/explainer-islamic-banking/24997173.html http://www.rferl.org/content/explainer-islamic-banking/24997173.html Sat, 25 May 2013 13:44:13 +0000 Features Charles Recknagel An ostensible suicide bomber has died in the Afghan capital after his explosives-laden vest went off prematurely. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-suicide-bomber-mosque-blast/24997145.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-suicide-bomber-mosque-blast/24997145.html Sat, 25 May 2013 13:23:27 +0000 Afghanistan The international police agency Interpol has rejected a Russian push to include British millionaire William Browder on its international search list. http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-interpol-browder-hermitage/24997086.html http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-interpol-browder-hermitage/24997086.html Sat, 25 May 2013 12:26:09 +0000 Russia At least 11 people have been wounded in a suicide car bombing in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Daghestan. http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-suicide-attack/24996985.html http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-suicide-attack/24996985.html Sat, 25 May 2013 10:50:30 +0000 North Caucasus Police in northwest Pakistan say two militant attacks have left nine people dead. http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-bomb-attacks/24996954.html http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-bomb-attacks/24996954.html Sat, 25 May 2013 10:24:16 +0000 Pakistan Volunteers have distributed 10,000 pink balloons to residents in Kabul, after a day of explosions and gunfire in the Afghan capital. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-peace-balloons-kabul/24996935.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-peace-balloons-kabul/24996935.html Sat, 25 May 2013 10:08:47 +0000 Afghanistan Some 50 gay activists have held a gay-pride march in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, despite a ban by local authorities. Russian gay-rights activists have also attempted to hold an unsanctioned rally in Moscow. http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-gay-pride-march-kyiv/24996849.html http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-gay-pride-march-kyiv/24996849.html Sat, 25 May 2013 08:32:25 +0000 Ukraine RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service Pakistani officials say a gas cylinder blast on a school bus has killed at least 16 children and a teacher in eastern Pakistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-schoolbus-gas-cylinder-blast-deaths/24996810.html http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-schoolbus-gas-cylinder-blast-deaths/24996810.html Sat, 25 May 2013 07:54:05 +0000 Pakistan The president of Bosnia's Muslim-Croat federation has been freed from jail following his arrest last month on corruption charges. http://www.rferl.org/content/bosnia-president-freed/24996741.html http://www.rferl.org/content/bosnia-president-freed/24996741.html Sat, 25 May 2013 04:55:26 +0000 Bosnia An Iranian director sentenced to prison in 2010 for antigovernment propaganda has appeared at the Cannes film festival for the screening of a new film about censorship, which he shot in secret in Iran. http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-filmmaker-rasoulof-cannes/24996698.html http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-filmmaker-rasoulof-cannes/24996698.html Fri, 24 May 2013 20:18:21 +0000 Iran Iran's establishment has prepared itself for the June 14 presidential election by upping intelligence-gathering efforts, disrupting the Internet, and launching special units intended to help it prevent the type of mass unrest seen after the 2009 vote. http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-presidential-election-security-measures/24996694.html http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-presidential-election-security-measures/24996694.html Fri, 24 May 2013 19:49:31 +0000 Iran Golnaz Esfandiari The author of the new book "Restless Valley: Revolution, Murder and Intrigue in the Heart of Central Asia" is joined by RFE/RL experts for a discussion of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and the challenges the region has faced since the fall of the Soviet Union. http://www.rferl.org/content/briefing-shishkin-central-asia-restless-valley/24996679.html http://www.rferl.org/content/briefing-shishkin-central-asia-restless-valley/24996679.html Fri, 24 May 2013 18:57:00 +0000 Events The 5+2 group tasked with negotiating a settlement to Moldova’s breakaway Transdniester region is expected to conclude a second day of talks Friday (May 24) with few, if any, results. The latest talks come as Transdniester has raised alarm in the region with a proposal to move its parliament from Tiraspol across the Dniester River to the historically symbolic city of Bender. http://www.rferl.org/content/moldova-transdniester-bender-tiraspol-osce/24996653.html http://www.rferl.org/content/moldova-transdniester-bender-tiraspol-osce/24996653.html Fri, 24 May 2013 18:03:21 +0000 Moldova Radu Benea The Pakistani government has reiterated its view that U.S. drone attacks on its territory remain illegal, after President Barack Obama unveiled new rules for their use. http://www.rferl.org/content/islamabad-opposed-drones-obama-address/24996560.html http://www.rferl.org/content/islamabad-opposed-drones-obama-address/24996560.html Fri, 24 May 2013 16:31:31 +0000 Pakistan The appearance of Aleksei Kudrin and Vladislav Surkov in the news this week is the latest sign that the battle in the Russian elite is heating up. http://www.rferl.org/content/russias-cold-war-heats-up/24996543.html http://www.rferl.org/content/russias-cold-war-heats-up/24996543.html Fri, 24 May 2013 16:07:40 +0000 The Power Vertical http://www.rferl.org/content/russias-cold-war-heats-up/24996543.html#relatedInfoContainer Police say Taliban gunmen have targeted a UN compound in central Kabul in a coordinated attack, which included explosions and a gunbattle. http://www.rferl.org/content/taliban-storm-un-office-kabul/24996506.html http://www.rferl.org/content/taliban-storm-un-office-kabul/24996506.html Fri, 24 May 2013 15:48:52 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan The Russian consul in Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea has resigned amid a controversy caused by his recent comments regarding the deportation of Crimean Tatars during World War II . http://www.rferl.org/content/russian-consul-crimea-resigns-controversial-remarks/24996499.html http://www.rferl.org/content/russian-consul-crimea-resigns-controversial-remarks/24996499.html Fri, 24 May 2013 15:40:20 +0000 Ukraine RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service A photo posted on May 23 of the Chechen authoritarian leader Ramzan Kadyrov cuddling up with three kittens in his Grozny palace has sparked a new battle with a top Moscow socialite. http://www.rferl.org/content/kadyrov-cat-fight-kandelaki/24996467.html http://www.rferl.org/content/kadyrov-cat-fight-kandelaki/24996467.html Fri, 24 May 2013 15:21:17 +0000 Transmission http://www.rferl.org/content/kadyrov-cat-fight-kandelaki/24996467.html#relatedInfoContainer A Peshawar city police superintendent said local religious leader Haji Hidayatullah survived the attack but his driver and bodyguard were killed. http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-peshawar-bomb/24996333.html http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-peshawar-bomb/24996333.html Fri, 24 May 2013 13:55:41 +0000 Pakistan RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal Georgia's prime minister has said fierce political rival President Mikheil Saakashvili is not exempted from interrogation "if prosecutors find it necessary," without elaborating. http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-saakashvili-interrogation/24996327.html http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-saakashvili-interrogation/24996327.html Fri, 24 May 2013 13:48:14 +0000 Georgia Millions of Iranians will head to the polls on June 14 to determine Iran's next president. As the campaign officially kicks off, RFE/RL has compiled this guide to Iran's rival factions, prominent campaign issues, and the intricacies of the Islamic republic's electoral system. http://www.rferl.org/content/guide-iran-presidential-election/24996324.html http://www.rferl.org/content/guide-iran-presidential-election/24996324.html Fri, 24 May 2013 13:37:24 +0000 Iran Frud Bezhan Reports say gunmen have taken positions inside a building in the Afghan capital after an attack that apparently began with at least two large blasts. http://www.rferl.org/content/kabul-attack-gunfight/24996314.html http://www.rferl.org/content/kabul-attack-gunfight/24996314.html Fri, 24 May 2013 13:37:17 +0000 Afghanistan Two men were arrested after a Pakistan International Airlines plane sent British fighter jets scrambling to escort it to a London airport following an unspecified incident on board. http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-plane-escort/24996297.html http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-plane-escort/24996297.html Fri, 24 May 2013 13:24:58 +0000 Pakistan A Russian Orthodox priest who stood up for jailed members of the all-female punk-rock collective Pussy Riot says he has been granted political asylum in the Czech Republic. http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-priest-asylum-pussy-riot-czech/24996227.html http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-priest-asylum-pussy-riot-czech/24996227.html Fri, 24 May 2013 12:34:32 +0000 Russia U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a visit to Israel on May 24 that this week's disqualifications of would-be candidates for the Iranian presidency were "based solely on who represents the regime's interests." http://www.rferl.org/content/article/24996191.html http://www.rferl.org/content/article/24996191.html Fri, 24 May 2013 12:15:24 +0000 Iran Iraqi volunteers -- both Sunni and Shi'ite -- are slipping into Syria. There, they fight on opposite sides, raising fears the war will spill back to Iraq. http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-iraqi-fighters-rebels-government/24996149.html http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-iraqi-fighters-rebels-government/24996149.html Fri, 24 May 2013 11:24:09 +0000 Iraq Charles Recknagel, Samira Ali Mandee Officials from Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have confirmed that nationals from both those countries have been found recently fighting on the side of the rebels in Syria's ongoing civil war. http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-rebels-fighting/24996087.html http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-kyrgyzstan-tajikistan-rebels-fighting/24996087.html Fri, 24 May 2013 10:56:01 +0000 Tajikistan RFE/RL's Tajik Service, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service Russian regulators have lifted a ban on VKontakte, Russia's top social-network website, hours after blacklisting the site by "mistake." http://www.rferl.org/content/vkontakte-blacklist-ban-russia-mistake/24996067.html http://www.rferl.org/content/vkontakte-blacklist-ban-russia-mistake/24996067.html Fri, 24 May 2013 10:45:21 +0000 Russia Russia's Foreign Ministry says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government has agreed in principle to attend an international peace conference in Geneva proposed by Russia and the United States. http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-russia-peace-conference-assad/24995988.html http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-russia-peace-conference-assad/24995988.html Fri, 24 May 2013 09:40:58 +0000 Russia RFE/RL Turkey's parliament has passed legislation to ban advertising of alcoholic products and tighten restrictions on sales. http://www.rferl.org/content/article/24995961.html http://www.rferl.org/content/article/24995961.html Fri, 24 May 2013 09:37:44 +0000 News Two days after a Ukrainian court upholds a ban on the gay-rights event, a "KyivPride-2013" Committee spokeswoman tells RFE/RL that gay-rights defenders have "a plan B" and the weekend event will take place anyway. http://www.rferl.org/content/gay-ukraine-pride-parade-ban-kyiv/24995945.html http://www.rferl.org/content/gay-ukraine-pride-parade-ban-kyiv/24995945.html Fri, 24 May 2013 08:27:15 +0000 Ukraine RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service Speaking at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the city of Sochi, on Russia's Black Sea coast, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic has said his country is "grateful" for Russia's backing on the Kosovo issue. http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-serbia-strategic-agreement/24995819.html http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-serbia-strategic-agreement/24995819.html Fri, 24 May 2013 07:35:22 +0000 Russia Berik Zhaghyparov pleaded not guilty, saying he was at the protest in Astana as an independent journalist to cover the event. http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-journalist-sentenced-protest/24995812.html http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-journalist-sentenced-protest/24995812.html Fri, 24 May 2013 07:30:14 +0000 Watchdog A powerful earthquake has hit Russia's Far East region, sending tremors across the country and sparking a short-lived tsunami warning. http://www.rferl.org/content/earthquake-russia-tsunami-warning-lifted/24995784.html http://www.rferl.org/content/earthquake-russia-tsunami-warning-lifted/24995784.html Fri, 24 May 2013 06:48:45 +0000 Russia Anthony Cordesman is a former director of intelligence assessment for the U.S. secretary of defense’s office and a recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal. He now holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He gave RFE/RL Washington Bureau Chief Heather Maher his thoughts about President Barack Obama’s May 23 national security speech. http://www.rferl.org/content/cordesman-says-obama-made-promise-cant-keep/24995572.html http://www.rferl.org/content/cordesman-says-obama-made-promise-cant-keep/24995572.html Thu, 23 May 2013 21:49:12 +0000 Features The attacks in the western African country on May 23 were claimed by one of the Islamist militant groups that seized control of northern Mali last year before being driven out by French-led African troops. http://www.rferl.org/content/article/24995543.html http://www.rferl.org/content/article/24995543.html Thu, 23 May 2013 19:33:53 +0000 News President Barack Obama sets a new course in U.S. counterterrorism efforts in a major national security speech. http://www.rferl.org/content/obama-terrorism-drones/24995503.html http://www.rferl.org/content/obama-terrorism-drones/24995503.html Thu, 23 May 2013 18:16:52 +0000 News RFE/RL Vladislav Surkov just lost his job as deputy prime minister. Is he about to be prosecuted? http://www.rferl.org/content/target-surkov/24995478.html http://www.rferl.org/content/target-surkov/24995478.html Thu, 23 May 2013 17:39:13 +0000 The Power Vertical http://www.rferl.org/content/target-surkov/24995478.html#relatedInfoContainer The court on May 23 upheld a suit by Kyiv authorities, who say the rally, which gay rights activists had planned to hold on May 25, would disrupt celebrations for the annual Kyiv Day that will take place on the same day. http://www.rferl.org/content/gay-ukraine-pride-rally-banned/24995445.html http://www.rferl.org/content/gay-ukraine-pride-rally-banned/24995445.html Thu, 23 May 2013 17:06:36 +0000 Ukraine European Union police in Kosovo have arrested five people on suspicion of war crimes during the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo, reportedly including a close wartime ally of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. http://www.rferl.org/content/kosovo-arrests-eu-guerrillas-war-crimes/24995437.html http://www.rferl.org/content/kosovo-arrests-eu-guerrillas-war-crimes/24995437.html Thu, 23 May 2013 16:59:16 +0000 Kosovo Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has harshly criticized the country's leadership, accusing it of "ignorance" and incompetence, according to reports on opposition websites. http://www.rferl.org/content/rafsanjani-criticism-leaders-iran-election/24995389.html http://www.rferl.org/content/rafsanjani-criticism-leaders-iran-election/24995389.html Thu, 23 May 2013 14:45:13 +0000 Iran Frud Bezhan This week Iran's electoral watchdog, the Guardians Council, approved the candidacies of just eight of the nearly 700 people who applied to run in next month's presidential election. Those disqualified included two prominent nominees -- former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close ally of current President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. So what recourse, if any, do disqualified candidates have to overturn the decision? http://www.rferl.org/content/how-appeal-disqualified-iran-candidate-president/24995189.html http://www.rferl.org/content/how-appeal-disqualified-iran-candidate-president/24995189.html Thu, 23 May 2013 12:45:03 +0000 Iran Frud Bezhan Two Georgian Orthodox Church clerics have been charged in connection with antigay violence that broke out last week in Tbilisi. http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-orthodox-priests-antigay-violence/24995118.html http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-orthodox-priests-antigay-violence/24995118.html Thu, 23 May 2013 12:39:13 +0000 Georgia RFE/RL's Georgian Service A report by RFE/RL and Swedish television documenting links between Gulnara Karimova and large-scale bribery has drawn a furious response on Twitter, where the Uzbek president's daughter and her supporters have posted a flurry of tweets criticizing the report and speculating that Karimova's rivals within Uzbekistan are to blame. http://www.rferl.org/content/uzbekistan-karimova-twitter-response-critical-report-teliasonera/24995129.html http://www.rferl.org/content/uzbekistan-karimova-twitter-response-critical-report-teliasonera/24995129.html Thu, 23 May 2013 12:35:43 +0000 Uzbekistan Daisy Sindelar Syria's main opposition group is meeting in Istanbul to consider possible negotiations with President Bashar al-Assad's regime to end the two-year conflict. http://www.rferl.org/content/syrian-opposition-istanbul-assad/24995081.html http://www.rferl.org/content/syrian-opposition-istanbul-assad/24995081.html Thu, 23 May 2013 12:21:51 +0000 News RFE/RL Armed and masked police have searched the offices of a company involved in developing sports facilities for the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi. http://www.rferl.org/content/sochi-olympics-company-searched/24994928.html http://www.rferl.org/content/sochi-olympics-company-searched/24994928.html Thu, 23 May 2013 10:42:34 +0000 Russia RFE/RL's Russian Service Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has rescinded his decision to bar 10 journalists from covering cabinet meetings. http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-journalists-protest/24994764.html http://www.rferl.org/content/ukraine-journalists-protest/24994764.html Thu, 23 May 2013 08:41:45 +0000 Ukraine A court in the Russian town of Berezniki has denied an early release on parole for jailed Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina. http://www.rferl.org/content/paul-mccartney-pussy-riot/24994744.html http://www.rferl.org/content/paul-mccartney-pussy-riot/24994744.html Thu, 23 May 2013 08:28:05 +0000 Russia RFE/RL