The European Court of Human Rights has found Georgia guilty of denying financial compensation to a family that suffered Stalin-era repression. The landmark ruling could pave the way for other repression victims in Georgia to seek damages and raises difficult questions about the historical responsibility for Soviet crimes.
Ukrainians go to the polls on February 7 in a runoff election for their first new president since the 2004 Orange Revolution. Many say there's little difference between the two candidates. But others believe Yulia Tymoshenko is the only hope of guaranteeing the country's democratic gains.
Afghan and U.S. officials are encouraged by a recent deal in eastern Afghanistan under which a major tribe has agreed to keep the Taliban out of their territory in return for aid. But while the move might help in stemming the Taliban tide, some warn it could create more conflicts and bloodshed in the future.
Uzbekistan's Prime Minister has sent a letter to his Tajik counterpart warning Dushanbe of potential damage by the Roghun hydropower plant to Central Asia's "frail environmental balance.” Shavkat Mirziyaev said Uzbekistan "would take the matter further” if Tajikistan ignores Uzbekistan's warning.
Iran's President Mahmud Ahmadinejad says his country is now ready to send its low-enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment -- as requested by the United Nations -- under a deal aimed at easing concerns about the Iranian nuclear program.
The EU's single currency, the euro, is facing its most serious test since it came into existence 11 years ago. Officials at the European Commission and at the European Central Bank (ECB) are now pondering how to restore a semblance of balance within the 16-nation eurozone, where a group of five nations is floundering in deep deficits and debt as result of the world financial downturn.
A U.S. agency that monitors human rights around the world has welcomed Kazakhstan as the new chair of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), but cautioned the former Soviet republic that it must improve its own rights record if it wants to be effective in its new role.
Economists and sociologists have been examining a study published last year in a prestigious British medical journal that claimed to find a link between "shock therapy" economic reforms and death rates in former Soviet republics. The latest research rejects the widely-reported claim that mass privatization kills.
Two Azerbaijani soldiers last week shot and killed four officers on their base before allegedly turning their guns on themselves. The incident was the latest troubling reminder of the state of the Azerbaijani Army, which observers say is rife with corruption, hazing, and abuse.
In Russia, an award-winning film about skinheads has drawn both praise and condemnation, highlighting the country's ambiguous stance on the issue of ultranationalism. "Russia 88," a film widely praised for raising awareness about the country's devastating racist violence, is now facing a potential ban under antiextremism laws.
Abolfazl Eslami, a former career diplomat who fled Iran, says the ruling establishment faces opposition even from its own diplomats and security forces.
Architectural preservationists in Russia are campaigning to save a unique Constructivist building in the shape of a hammer and sickle, which is threatened with demolition to make way for new development.
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