Charles Recknagel is standards editor for RFE/RL.
From Pussy Riot in Moscow to a film deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad, tensions between freedom of religion and freedom of speech were much in the news in 2012.
Iran has demanded the International Atomic Energy Agency immediately close its investigation into allegations Tehran has a military dimension to its nuclear program.
The UN's nuclear watchdog agency says it hopes a meeting in Tehran next month with Iranian officials will strengthen diplomatic efforts to end the nuclear crisis.
A new report suggests that the United States could become the world's leading oil producer by 2017, a development which could have major repercussions on the global energy market.
Israel faces a stronger Hamas than it did the last time the two fought in 2009. Here's why.
China is changing its leadership at a time when the old economic model that produced double-digit growth has run into big problems.
With the election over, U.S. President Barack Obama faces an urgent problem: how to head off a looming fiscal crisis, dubbed the "fiscal cliff."
The United States wants Maksim Bakiev, the son of Kyrgyzstan's deposed president, extradited from Britain to face charges of insider stock trading. More details about the charges are emerging.
A top Turkish pianist has appeared in an Ankara court on charges of insulting Islam with his tweets. The case is raising concerns over freedom of expression in Turkey.
Western sanctions are beginning to sting Iran's economy. But are there dangers for both sides in pushing Iran's economy too far?
The Turkish government has obtained parliamentary approval for military operations outside its borders -- meaning Syria. Does that mean Ankara is ready to go to war with Damascus?
What happens when a president's party loses a parliamentary election to the opposition before the president's term is over? The result is "cohabitation," not unlike when a divorced couple continues to live under the same roof. Here are four things to know about it.
Azerbaijan has jailed a young activist and blogger critical of President Ilham Aliyev and his family, recalling earlier crackdowns against bloggers who have dared to criticize the government.
The Ukrainian government is pushing through a host of measures that opposition parties say will restrict their ability to fully compete in October parliamentary elections. Among them, a law on political rallies to be voted on September 20.
The UN nuclear agency has passed a resolution rebuking Iran for failing to cooperate fully over its nuclear program.
When security forces burst into bars and social clubs in Baghdad last week, they did more than beat people and break bottles. They raised fears that Iraq could be heading toward an Islamic theocracy.
Women used to feel free to come to Baghdad's market district of Kadhimiya. Now, as vigilantes impose strict Islamic dress codes on female visitors and residents, the mood has changed.
The Pakistani Taliban's use of safe havens in Afghanistan is complicating Islamabad's efforts to clear tribal areas of militants.
The death of Daghestan's Sufi spiritual leader, Said Efendi Chirkeisky, in a suicide bombing threatens to add new fuel to the cycle of violence in the North Caucasus republic.
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