Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Ex-President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is flanked by current President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (left) and parliament speaker Ali Larijani (right).

Will Iran’s Former President Rafsanjani Be Allowed To Run?

The spokesman for Iran's Guardians Council -- the oversight body that vets all the country's election candidates -- has said that physically weak candidates will not be allowed to run. The comments appear to be a reference to the age of 78-year-old presidential hopeful Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is considered a challenge to Iran’s establishment. More

PHOTO GALLERY: A tour of the KarLAG

Photogallery In Kazakhstan, Spending Saturday Night In The Gulag

A museum of the Stalin-era prison camp system in central Kazakhstan has given visitors a night-time tour, where they were "treated" to prison meals and a performance of mock interrogations. More

New legislation regarding marijuana use is expected to be introduced in Georgia's parliament later this month.

Georgia Considers Taking Softer Approach To Marijuana

Georgia’s strict laws on marijuana have become the subject of a hot debate in the former Soviet republic as the government considers decriminalizing the use of cannabis. More

Gazprom employees at the launch of production at the Bovanenkovskoye gas field in the far northern Yamal-Nenets Region in October 2012

At 20, Russia's Gazprom Struggles To Stay Dominant

After two decades as Russia's marquee company, is Gazprom losing its mojo? A changing energy market and emergence of new energy sources is challenging the company's longtime dominance. More

The gravestone for Admira Ismic and Bosko Brkic at Sarajevo's Lion Cemetery.

Twenty Years On: The Unfinished Lives Of Bosnia’s Romeo And Juliet

Bosko and Admira, who became known to the world as Sarajevo's Romeo and Juliet, were killed on a bridge in the Bosnian capital 20 years ago. More

Recent Features

An immigrant looks toward New York

Has The U.S. Green Card Lottery Run Out Of Luck?

Each year, the U.S. green-card lottery awards tickets to American citizenship to a lucky 55,000 applicants. But now, the program itself may have run out of luck, becoming collateral in deal-making between Democrat and Republican lawmakers as they attempt a massive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system.
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People hold a banner reading "Kosovo" during a protest against the agreement about the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo in Belgrade on May 10.

U.S. Congressman Engel Says Serbia, Kosovo Can Now 'Look Forward To Future'

Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the U.S. House of Representative’s Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke to RFE/RL about the recent normalization agreement between Serbia and Kosovo and the prospects for reconciliation.
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“We, in our laboratory, are interested in developing a new way of creating stem cells," says Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov.

U.S. Scientists Claim Breakthrough In Cloning Human Stem Cells

U.S. scientists have reportedly succeeded in producing early human embryos through cloning, a major breakthrough that could potentially help treat a number of diseases and injuries with stem cells. But the study, which used techniques similar to those that created the cloned sheep Dolly in Scotland in 1996, has raised ethical concerns.
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Dzokhar (left) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings, in a handout photo released through the FBI website days after the April 15 attack.

FBI Probes Exiled Chechen Rebel For Link To Bombing Suspect

The FBI has been investigating a former Chechen rebel fighter over his association with one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
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Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf waves after registering his candidacy for the June presidential election.

Iranian Candidate Appears To Offer Starkly Contrasting Accounts Of Crackdown

Two starkly different accounts by one of Iran’s leading presidential hopefuls of his role in state crackdowns have emerged online. So is Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf a hard-liner or a moderate?
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A map showing the rights of homosexuals around the world (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Interview: In 78 Countries, 'Blind Hatred' Persists Against Homosexuals

What is the state of LGBT rights in the world today? To mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) has released a map charting the rights of homosexuals around the world. The co-secretary general of ILGA, Renato Sabbadini, spoke to RFE/RL's Claire Bigg.
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Afghan Finance Minister Omar Zakhilwal

Airing Of Dirty Laundry Raises Afghan Hopes That Corruption Will Be Tackled

Cars, liquor, and nepotism. Not subjects often discussed in the Afghan parliament. But this week's hearings were different and they have caused a sensation in Kabul.
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Playing with fire? The stage for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest is unveiled during a news conference at the Malmo Arena in Malmo, Sweden on May 2.

Sweden Plays Eurovision Host, With Main Sponsor Mired In Scandal

The multinational musical glitzfest known as Eurovision holds its final in Sweden. But the main sponsor of this year's contest raises eyebrows for its ties to human rights abuses in the former Soviet Union.
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'In Prison, He'd Still Be Alive': Anticorruption Video Goes Viral In Russia

A former prisoner, newly freed because of bribes, is gunned down in the street. The message: "In prison, he'd still be alive." It's all in the name of fighting corruption in Russia's republic of Daghestan.
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Young people at the private club Malevich in St. Petersburg in February.

St. Petersburg LGBT Activists Test 'Propaganda Law' With Tolerance Event

Gay and transgender activists in St. Petersburg are planning a small rally on May 17 despite the city's notorious law banning so-called "homosexual propaganda." It comes with authorities in the Russian capital, Moscow, holding out against a similar event there.
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