Wednesday, May 22, 2013


Iran's Shortlisted Presidential Candidates

Iran's Interior Ministry has announced the official shortlist of candidates that will be vying to succeed President Mahmud Ahmadinejad in that country's June 14 election. More

A recent political protest in the heart of Zugdidi

Stuck In The Middle: Abkhazia's Ethnic Georgians Feel The Squeeze

The Georgian government of Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili is seeking to change the dynamic of Tbilisi's relationship with the breakaway region of Abkhazia. And the mostly ethnic-Georgian population of Abkhazia's Gali district is once again feeling the squeeze. More

Tubercular patients at a penal colony in the Ukrainian village of Zhdanovka, in the Donetsk region, line up to enter the canteen.

Study Claims Vitamin C Kills 'Hard-To-Kill' Tuberculosis

Scientists in the United States say they have discovered a common substance that might be able to wipe out even the hardest-to-kill tuberculosis bacteria: vitamin C. More

TeliaSonera CEO Lars Nyberg (shown here in January) stepped down February 1 as the company, whose two largest stakeholders are the Swedish and Finnish governments, came under increasing scrutiny for its activities in Uzbekistan.

New Documents Suggest Fresh Evidence Of TeliaSonera Ties To Karimova

Documents leaked to Swedish investigative journalists and reviewed by RFE/RL appear to offer fresh evidence of a link between Swedish telecom giant TeliaSonera and Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the president of Uzbekistan. More

Rejected presidential candidates Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie (left) and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Khamenei Strengthens Hand Ahead Of Poll

The decision by Iran’s powerful Guardians Council to bar former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani from running in next month's presidential election paves the way for the country’s establishment to bring a loyalist to power. More


Recent Features

Explainer: Iran's Process For Vetting Presidential Candidates

Millions of Iranians will flock to the polls on June 14 to vote for a successor to President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. RFE/RL looks at the vetting process that determines the final list of presidential candidates.
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Pakistan's Ahmadis Face Rising Persecution, Violence

One of the many religious minorities whose plight is documented in the latest U.S. State Department report on religious freedom is the Ahmadiyya community, or the Ahmadis.
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Levada Center, Russia’s Most Respected Pollster, Fears Closure

The director of the independent Levada Center says the polling organization could be forced to close down after Russian prosecutors warned that it must register as a "foreign agent."
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Photogallery Explainer: Why Do Tornadoes Occur And Why Are We Seeing More Of Them?

In the U.S. state of Oklahoma, at least 24 people have been killed and scores of others injured by a huge tornado. The twister was nearly a kilometer wide and packed winds of up to 320 kilometers per hour. RFE/RL correspondent Antoine Blua talked to Dr. Liz Bentley, a member of Britain’s Royal Meteorological Society, to get the lowdown on this often devastating natural phenomenon.
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A Walk Down Washington's Alley Of Russian Poets

In a corner of a park in the U.S. capital lies an unexpected memorial to some of Russia's greatest writers. Washington's Alley of Russian Poets, a short path lined with trees and plaques, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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