Don Hill

Bulgaria: 'Death Row' Inmates Awarded Settlements For Poor Prison Conditions

The European Court of Human Rights has granted modest cash awards to two Bulgarian prison inmates who complained of suffering inhumane treatment on that country's "death row." The men, both convicted of multiple murders, were sentenced to death just as postcommunist Bulgaria was imposing a moratorium on the practice -- and were left to languish for years.

Pakistan: Though Lesser Known, Al-Zawahri Is A Top Figure In Al-Qaeda

Al-Zawahri (Left) with Osama bin Laden in October 2001 (epa) Pakistani troops are engaged in fierce fighting with suspected Al-Qaeda militants and local tribesmen in the remote South Waziristan region. They are believed to be protecting a senior Al-Qaeda leader there, whom some military officials are reported as identifying as Ayman al-Zawahri, the organization's No. 2 authority. Though al-Zawahri is lesser known than Al-Qaeda's reputed leader, Osama bin Laden, some observers say the deputy is just as powerful as the chief.

Pakistan: U.S. Rewards Islamabad For Antiterrorism Alliance

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell gave Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf an unexpected sweetener during his visit to Islamabad yesterday. He said that the United States will recognize Pakistan a "a major non-NATO ally."

UN: WHO Says Drug-Resistant TB Threatens World

The World Health Organization (WHO) says drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is raging in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The WHO says in a report issued today that drug resistance in new TB patients runs as high as 14 percent in parts of some countries. One expert told RFE/RL that six out of the world's 10 hot spots for multidrug-resistant TB are in Russia, the Baltic states, and Central Asia.

Spain: Aznar Says All Lines of Investigation Open Into Madrid Bombings

Prague, 12 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar today said Spanish authorities are ignoring no line of investigation in seeking to determine responsibility for yesterday's bomb attacks in Madrid, which killed almost 200 people.

World: Press Report Says 2003 One Of The Bloodiest Years For Journalists

Prague, 10 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- The Vienna-based International Press Institute says 2003 was one of the bloodiest years for war reporters, and one of the most hazardous for journalists of all kinds.

Europe: Intolerance Commission Says Fears Of Racism Hamper Data Collection

The European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance is this month observing the 10th anniversary of its founding. It will convene what it calls a major conference to assess its contributions to racial and religious tolerance in Europe. One of the commission's greatest concerns has been rising anti-Semitism in Europe, but the commission's chairman tells RFE/RL that historical barriers are blocking efforts to analyze the problem.

Iraq: Powell Says Iraq War Made World Safer

Washington, 12 February 2004 (RFE/RL) -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says President George W. Bush was right to order the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, that the president acted on the best advice of his aides, and that -- despite continuing security problems in Iraq -- the results have been positive.

U.S.: Bush's 2005 Budget Concentrates On Security Spending Rather Than Domestic Programs

The $2.4 trillion budget that U.S. President George W. Bush sent to Congress yesterday includes a 7 percent increase in defense spending. This does not include an anticipated $50 billion supplementary appropriation for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. As RFE/RL reports, the new budget represents a departure from usual election-year spending proposals.

Saudi Arabia: Hajj An Ancient Muslim Duty With Modern Trappings (Part 1)

Nearly 2 million pilgrims are in Saudi Arabia this year for the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. RFE/RL reports that increasingly, modern transportation and ancient piety are combining to make the hajj both a worldwide unifying force for Islam, and a security and management challenge for the Saudis.

Georgia: Saakashvili Raising Hopes That Corruption May Be Tackled In Earnest

Georgia's president-elect, Mikheil Saakashvili, says rooting out rampant corruption is his first priority. He is calling for new laws and a new cadre of anticorruption investigators and prosecutors. Weary Georgians have heard this song before. But many in Georgia are optimistic that -- this time around -- things actually may change.

World: Global Warming Could Lead To Extinction Of Plant, Animal Species

An international group of biologists says that global warming threatens to set as many as a million species of Earth's plants and animals on the road to extinction.

Georgia: The Sudden Fame Of 'Misha' Saakashvili

The man who is virtually anointed to win the Georgian presidency on Sunday (4 January) is aggressive and personable, skillful and youthfully self-confident. His many friends in today's Georgia treat him as a national hero. But, as RFE/RL reports, skeptics say that Mikheil Saakashvili has shown only that he can manage a revolution. The question now, they say, is can he manage a fractured nation?

Western Press Review: Worries About International Institutions

Prague, 2 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Commentaries in the newspapers surveyed for today's press review address a variety of topics.

Western Press Review: Milosevic And Seselj 'Not Yet History'

Western Press Review: Pakistan 'Weakest Link' In War On Terrorism

Western Press Review: Commentary Debates -- Who Won Libya?

Western Press Review: The Libyan Turnabout On WMD

Yugoslavia: Former NATO Commander Clark Testifies In Milosevic Trial

Western Press Review: Russian Elections A Vote For 'Authoritarianism' At Home, 'Assertiveness' Abroad