https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2026 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:39:16 +0200 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Afghanistan is looking to Central Asia to diversify its trade partners as it seeks to reduce its long-established economic dependence on Pakistan, its eastern neighbor. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-border-trade-central-asia-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-turkmenistan/33592451.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-pakistan-border-trade-central-asia-kazakhstan-uzbekistan-turkmenistan/33592451.html Sun, 16 Nov 2025 11:38:09 +0100 AfghanistanFeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanPakistanThe Rundown Stories A bus driver, believed to be a Central Asian migrant, faced investigation in Russia after passengers accused him of leaving commuters waiting while he prayed at a bus terminal. The incident has sparked debate over public religious practices by Muslim migrants in Russia. https://www.rferl.org/a/islam-prayers-muslim-migrants-russia-tajikistan-khabarovsk-religion-mosque/33583254.html https://www.rferl.org/a/islam-prayers-muslim-migrants-russia-tajikistan-khabarovsk-religion-mosque/33583254.html Sat, 08 Nov 2025 09:18:52 +0100 FeaturesRussiaTajikistanThe Rundown Headline Thousands of teachers, health workers, and other civil servants have been mobilized to pick cotton across Central Asia, despite official pledges to end forced labor. https://www.rferl.org/a/forced-labor-central-asia-cotton-harvest/33578833.html https://www.rferl.org/a/forced-labor-central-asia-cotton-harvest/33578833.html Sun, 02 Nov 2025 13:22:50 +0100 FeaturesTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories Central Asia is reeling from the effects of Russia's fuel export restrictions triggered by Ukrainian attacks on its oil refineries. While countries like Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan struggle with price hikes and shortages, others like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are attempting to diversify their sources. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-export-ban-central-asia/33559892.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-export-ban-central-asia/33559892.html Wed, 15 Oct 2025 08:03:43 +0200 FeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories A growing number of Iranian women and girls have stopped wearing the hijab in public, despite the threat of arrest and imprisonment. Women say the move has transformed the streets of major cities in Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hijab-woman-life-freedom-tehran-protests/33555684.html https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hijab-woman-life-freedom-tehran-protests/33555684.html Sat, 11 Oct 2025 13:31:09 +0200 FeaturesIranThe Rundown Stories Ukraine is set to rename the smallest unit of its national currency – dropping the Russian-derived term “kopiyka” in favor of “shah,” a historical Ukrainian term. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-renames-kopiyka-kopek-currency-russia-invasion-derussification/33548954.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-renames-kopiyka-kopek-currency-russia-invasion-derussification/33548954.html Fri, 03 Oct 2025 21:19:26 +0200 UkraineFeaturesRussiaRussia Invades UkraineThe Rundown Stories Police in Kyrgyzstan are conducting raids targeting the women who wear the niqab, a face veil that is banned in the Muslim-majority country. Police have issued $230 fines to dozens of women, while hundreds of others were given warnings for violating the ban. https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-crackdown-niqab-islam-women/33515551.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-crackdown-niqab-islam-women/33515551.html Tue, 02 Sep 2025 00:01:06 +0200 KyrgyzstanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Kyrgyzstan has removed two more statues of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin and ditched his name from many streets and schools as the country continues to shed its Soviet legacy. A Russian lawmaker, meanwhile, urged Moscow to punish Kyrgyzstan for its “unfriendly action.” https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-russia-lenin-statues-soviet/33514203.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kyrgyzstan-russia-lenin-statues-soviet/33514203.html Fri, 29 Aug 2025 00:01:07 +0200 KyrgyzstanFeaturesRussiaThe Rundown Headline Just before the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban in August 2021, RFE/RL spoke with several young professionals in Kabul who voiced their fears and anxieties about the future. We reconnected with them again this week to see how their lives have unfolded. https://www.rferl.org/a/kabul-young-people-taliban-afghanistan-women/33501191.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kabul-young-people-taliban-afghanistan-women/33501191.html Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:04:57 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Suicide rates have increased in Afghanistan in recent years, as the nation grapples with crippling poverty, a lack jobs and opportunities, and severe restrictions imposed upon them by the country’s Taliban-led government. https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-restrictions-fueling-suicides-afghans/33486028.html https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-restrictions-fueling-suicides-afghans/33486028.html Tue, 29 Jul 2025 00:01:00 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories The Taliban says the British data leak of Afghan allies is not news for them because the former interior and defense ministries “have left all their documents behind.” https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-uk-data-breach-refugees/33482096.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-taliban-uk-data-breach-refugees/33482096.html Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:47:58 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories A popular Afghan singer has been missing for more than a month in Kabul, where she shot to fame with her performance on a popular television talent show nearly a decade ago. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-singer-zulala-hashemi-taliban-music/33472476.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-singer-zulala-hashemi-taliban-music/33472476.html Sun, 13 Jul 2025 00:03:31 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories Kabul could completely run out of water within five years, experts say, blaming the crisis on rapid population growth, climate change, and mismanagement. Many parts of the Afghan capital have already run dry, with lots of residents having to choose between food and increasingly pricey water. https://www.rferl.org/a/kabul-water-crisis-running-out-of-water-afghanistan-2025/33461892.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kabul-water-crisis-running-out-of-water-afghanistan-2025/33461892.html Sun, 06 Jul 2025 00:06:36 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Headline Ongoing global conflicts such as those in Ukraine and the Middle East, and shifting international priorities are exacerbating the dire situation for women's rights in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.  https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-women-global-conflicts-aid-cuts-rights/33445224.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-women-global-conflicts-aid-cuts-rights/33445224.html Tue, 17 Jun 2025 00:49:39 +0200 AfghanistanFeaturesThe Rundown Stories When Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Uzbek leader Shavkat Mirziyoev travel to Moscow for talks with senior officials, it's just another series of meetings between leaders with deep ties. But a series of recent meetings that involved their children told a new story: the succession process is on. https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asian-leaders-groom-children-successors-moscow-putin/33435078.html https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asian-leaders-groom-children-successors-moscow-putin/33435078.html Mon, 09 Jun 2025 00:01:36 +0200 FeaturesKazakhstanKyrgyzstanRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UzbekistanThe Rundown Stories