Breffni O'Rourke

April 15, 2005

Russia: Tiger Protection Methods Held Up As Example For Struggling India

The United Nations is urging India to do more to save its dwindling population of Royal Bengal tigers. CITES, the UN body responsible for stamping out trade in endangered animal species, has also praised Russia's efforts to preserve its even rarer Amur tiger. Will the world succeed in saving the last of its big cats?

April 14, 2005

World: Nuclear Fusion Promises Abundant Energy -- Or More Problems?

Nuclear fusion is a process that is being seen as mankind's bright new hope for boundless sources of clean energy. Although fusion for practical purposes is still just a fantasy, steps are under way to build the world's first experimental fusion reactor. The question is, where? France and Japan both want to host the reactor, and have been wrangling for over a year. But now they have decided to take a definite decision, so that the program can move ahead. However, some environmentalists doubt the true benefits of fusion.

April 13, 2005

EU: Budget Process A Bruising Fight For Money

The European Union's internal negotiations on a new budget for the period 2007 to 2013 are moving into high gear. This follows a warning from the European Commission in Brussels that the process must be decided by June if programs are to be funded on schedule. This will be the first long-term budget adopted since the EU expanded by 10 new members last year. Competition for the hundreds of millions of euros in funding is fierce.

April 11, 2005

Russia: Putin In Germany To Promote Foreign Investment

Chancellor Schroeder (left) greeting President Putin in Hannover Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Germany for talks with German leaders on political and economic issues. He also visited the world's biggest trade show for industrial technology, the Hannover trade fair, in an effort to promote foreign investment in Russia. But in Moscow, a drama is being played out that sends a different message to investors -- that is, the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovskii, the former head of the Russian oil giant Yukos. Many believe the Kremlin is punishing Khodorkovskii for financing opposition political parties.

April 07, 2005

EU: New EU States To Join Schengen Open-Border Agreement In 2007

The European Union has confirmed that its new Central and East European member states will start joining the Schengen open-borders agreement in 2007. Schengen is a system in which travelers arriving at one of the EU's outer borders are checked only once, and thereafter can travel freely inside nearly all the nations of the bloc. What impact will this sweeping change have on the region, and on illegal immigration?

April 06, 2005

Middle East: Are Egypt's Pro-Democracy Demonstrations Sign Of Broader Change?

Thousands of Egyptian students have turned out in Cairo to stage fresh demonstrations in support of political reform. The demonstrations are just the latest protest against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak. They exemplify a rising desire for change in the Middle East, and their action comes amid U.S. calls for increased democracy in the region. But is change really on the political horizon?

April 05, 2005

Mideast: Saudi Security Forces Gain Ground on Terrorists, But Fight Not Over

Saudi security forces (file photo) Saudi Arabian authorities have reportedly killed two key Islamic militants -- a Saudi, and a Moroccan suspected of involvement in major terrorist attacks in Europe and North Africa. They were among at least seven militants killed in fierce gun battles in northern Saudi Arabia. Does this latest clash indicate the authorities are gaining the upper hand over the terrorists -- or the reverse?

April 04, 2005

World: Strong Pope Leaves Roman Catholic Church At A Crossroads

John Paul II (1920-2005) Pope John Paul II led the Roman Catholic Church with immense strength. He combined a lack of compromise on doctrinal issues with deep compassion. That made him respected as a moral force by hundreds of millions of people --Catholics and non-Catholics alike. But his death left unresolved the question whether the church should remain firm in opposing many of the influences of modern life or recognize the need for change? That divide is most keenly felt between the industrialized countries of Europe and North America and the developing countries of Africa and Latin America, where the church's true strength lies today.

March 24, 2005

UN: Surrender Of War Crimes Suspects To Hague Sets New Tone Of Cooperation

Carla del Ponte is the chief prosecutor at The Hague war crimes tribunal. (file photo) The international community's high representative in Bosnia is among those who see a change in Balkan governments' cooperation with the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal. Paddy Ashdown says the Serbian entity in Bosnia, Republika Srpska, is demonstrating a new understanding through its handover of indictees to The Hague tribunal. Serbian authorities in Belgrade have also transferred suspects to the UN court. But the most-wanted war crimes suspects remain at large. And until they are brought to justice, the court's work is not complete.

March 23, 2005

Europe: Berlin Deports Muslim Cleric As Debate Continues On Anti-Terror Laws

Germany will deport to Turkey a Berlin-based imam under antiterror laws dealing with threats to public safety. In various comments last year, the imam called Germans "useless" and offered justifications for suicide bombings in Israel and Iraq. The Berlin court ruling is an example of how European countries are trying to protect themselves from Islamic extremism.

March 22, 2005

World: Water Day A Reminder That Life Depends On This Liquid Gold

Water -- clear, cool water -- is one of the necessities and also one of the blessings of life. But in a world of growing human populations, and many ecological problems, water is becoming increasingly scarce, particularly in arid regions like Central Asia. World Water Day is being observed today as a reminder that this commodity is capable of provoking political tension as well as peace.

March 10, 2005

Lebanon: Hizballah Appears Too Strong To Be Ignored In Equation

Hizballah, Lebanon's radical Shi'ite organization, showed its strength this week by staging a massive rally in Beirut in support of the Syrian presence in Lebanon. In light of such developments, the United States is reported to be reluctantly moving to accept Hizballah as a major political force. Branded by Washington as a terrorist organization, Hizballah nevertheless looks like it will be taken into account in U.S. efforts to get Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon and to strengthen democracy in the country.

March 09, 2005

Middle East: Pro-Syrian Rally in Beirut Reveals Lebanese Divisions

The divisiveness of Lebanon's political life has been made clear after a Beirut rally -- called to express support for Syria -- attracted huge numbers of people on 8 March. The rally was meant to counter what have been daily gatherings by the Lebanese political opposition to protest Damascus's long-term military and political influence over the country, which is still recovering from a disastrous civil war.

March 02, 2005

U.S.: Supreme Court Abolishes Executions Of Underage Killers

The U.S. Supreme Court on 1 March banned the death penalty for criminals under the age of 18. The ruling ends the threat of execution for people who committed crimes when they were 16 or 17. Human rights campaigners are welcoming the decision, also pointing out that the United States has been among very few states in the world to allow capital punishment for crimes committed by juveniles.

February 23, 2005

Central Asia: Sport Program Ending, But Legacy Remains

After three hectic years, a U.S.-financed initiative to involve Central Asian young people in healthy team sports is coming to an end. The Central Asia Sport and Health Education Program has brought some 22,000 school pupils, both boys and girls, into contact with such games as soccer (eds: football), volleyball and basketball. The scheme was designed to give a constructive leisure time activity to young people who might otherwise fall into crime or other difficulties.

February 17, 2005

East: Hunting The Amur Tiger -- To Count It, Not To Kill It

The Amur tiger (photo credit: WWF) A team of a thousand eager hunters is busy tracking the rare Amur, or Siberian, tiger in the Russian Far East. By the last known statistics, that means there are twice as many hunters as there are Amur tigers remaining in the wild. But these hunters are not after the wondrously striped hide of the tiger, not its bones to grind into traditional Chinese medicines. They only want to count the big cat, to see if its numbers are increasing, or whether it is slipping ever closer to extinction.

February 16, 2005

World: Kyoto Protocol In Force, But Tough Times Ahead

The Kyoto Protocol on climate change came into effect today after an eight-year preparatory period. The protocol is designed to curb emissions of the so-called greenhouse gasses that are thought to be trapping heat in the atmosphere and warming the earth. More than 140 countries have ratified the accord, which sets limits to such emissions between the years 2008 and 2012. But the United States, backed by Australia, rejects the protocol as damaging to their economies and based on unverified scientific evidence.

February 14, 2005

North Korea: Is Pyongyang's Claim To Have Nuclear Arms An Idle Boast?

North Korea surprised the world with its assertion last week that it already has nuclear weapons and is withdrawing from the six-country talks dealing with its nuclear program. But is this only a bluff by the isolated and secretive North Koreans? South Korean officials note there is not proof the weapons actually exist. Nevertheless, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned of a possible "cascade" of countries acquiring nuclear weapons in the coming years if firm action is not taken now.

February 03, 2005

Middle East: Saudis To Savor Small Dose Of Democracy

Saudi Arabia takes a tentative move toward democracy by holding municipal elections next week. The elections, to be held in the capital, Riyadh, on 10 February, are the first ever in the conservative Muslim country. They cannot be called genuinely democratic, insofar as half the population --- namely women -- are not allowed to vote. Is this the start of reforms in the secretive desert kingdom, or it is merely an attempt to divert attention from the lack of movement on larger issues?

January 27, 2005

Central Asia: China's Growing Regional, European Links Seen As Benefiting Region

A Brussels-based research organization, the European Institute for Asian Studies, says Central Asian countries stand to benefit from the growing signs of regional cooperation among East Asian nations and with Europe. The institute is preparing a major study for the European Commission on Europe's interests in East Asia, and RFE/RL spoke to the think tank's research fellow, Sebastian Bersick, about how Central Asia might be affected.