Thursday, February 23, 2012


Azerbaijani singer Sabina Babayeva, Baku's Eurovision 2012 entry

New Website To Cover Baku's Eurovision, Warts And All

A group of independent Azerbaijani journalists has launched a website that they say will provide full and unbiased coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest, scheduled to take place in May in Baku. More

A cropped section of one of Liu Xia's photographs, of husband Liu Xiaobo and a doll

'Ugly Babies' Exhibit Depicts Life Under Oppression In China

A new exhibition of photos by a Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's wife, Liu Xia, smuggled out of the country and put on display in New York provides a rare window into life under oppression. More

Afghan parliament deputy Fawzia Koofi

'Favored Daughter' Sets Sights On Afghan Presidency

At 36 years of age, Afghan lawmaker Fawzia Koofi can already boast a number of pioneering achievements. Now in her second term in parliament, she has been a leader in the effort to restore women's rights in the country. She has served as the Afghan parliament's only female deputy speaker; and she has found time to raise a family and become an accomplished author. Now, in her latest book, Koofi describes her harsh past and ambitions to one day become Afghanistan's first woman president. More

A controversial new official Afghan history textbook will not cover the divisive events of the past four decades

New Afghan Textbooks Sidestep History

In a country devastated by decades of war, Afghan officials believe they have found a way to teach the country's history without inflaming old animosities between Afghanistan's long-warring ethnic and political groups. The answer, they say, is to omit the past four decades from the history books. More

The Paradox Of Russia’s Left

Much of the Russian electorate leans left, according to sociologists. So why haven't the country's leftist parties fared better at the polls? More


Recent Features

One Russian Teenager's Disillusionment

"Putin's Kiss," a critical documentary about the Russian pro-government youth organization Nashi, is told through the story of teenage leader Masha Drokova.
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Chechen Separatist Leader Urges Actress To Prove Charitable Donation

The controversy surrounding Hilary Swank's paid trip to Chechnya was revived this week when the republic's separatist leader asked the Hollywood actress to prove she had donated the fee she was paid to attend the birthday party of Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's despotic leader.
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Video Tymoshenko: 'I Fear For My Mother's Life'

The daughter of Ukraine's jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko tells RFE/RL that she's afraid her mother may die because of what she describes as abusive prison conditions.
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Fake Member Of Parliament Raises Alarm In Afghanistan

Lawmakers are sounding the alarm bell over what they say was a serious breach of security after a man purporting to be an Afghan parliamentarian duped regional officials into giving him an official tour.
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The Iran Conflict Comes To The Caucasus

Incidents involving Jewish diplomats being targeted for attack in the South Caucasus illustrate how Georgia and Azerbaijan risk being drawn into the conflict between Tehran on one side and Israel and the West on the other.
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Iran Honors Its 'Nuclear Martyrs'

Tehran appears to be trying to develop a personality cult around the four nuclear scientists who have been assassinated over the past two years.
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What If Scotland Chooses Independence?

The date's not yet set, but Scots are on the verge of being asked if they want independence from the United Kingdom. How might the emergence of a new state in Europe affect the United Kingdom, the European Union, and other regions on the continent striving for greater autonomy?
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'No Question That The Iranians Are Trying To Lash Out'

Israel has blamed Iran for two bombings targeting its diplomats in India and Georgia this week. Iran has denied any involvement. RFE/RL spoke to Juan Zarate, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and former deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism about the attacks.
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Video 'Outsider' Jolie Puts Bosnia's War Story On World Stage

Angelina Jolie's new film about the Bosnian war, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," was screened in Sarajevo on February 14 before thousands of local residents and war survivors. Afterward, Jolie said she was "terrified" while making the film because the war was such a painful time in Bosnia's history.
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Iranian Nuke Still One To Three Years Away, Says Expert

Iran announced on February 15 that it has installed its first domestically produced nuclear fuel rods in a reactor in Tehran. Tehran also announced that it activated a new generation of centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility. RFE/RL speaks with nuclear physicist Frank Barnaby about what the advances reveal regarding Iran's uranium enrichment abilities.
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