Daisy Sindelar is the vice president and editor in chief of RFE/RL.
Georgians are at the polls to vote in key parliamentary elections that will shape the country's political course once its powerful president, Mikheil Saakashvili, steps down next year after nearly a decade in office.
Meet Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire newcomer whose Georgian Dream coalition is presenting Mikheil Saakashvili and his ruling party with the first serious competition in their nearly decade-long hold on power.
On September 20, Russian movie theaters are set to premiere "The Horde," an epic historical film depicting the Mongol domination of what is today Russia and Central Asia in the 14th century. The film, which depicts the Mongol warriors as brutal and simple-minded invaders, has angered many Tatars, considered direct descendants of the Mongol Empire's Golden Horde.
For decades, cursive writing has been a standard -- if not always beloved -- classroom subject for children across the world. But as the use of computers spreads, come countries are beginning to drop cursive from their standard curriculum, saying children -- and future generations -- can live without it. RFE/RL talks to orthography experts about the slow death of the written word.
Residents of Lviv in western Ukraine are complaining that their otherwise picturesque hometown is becoming increasingly unlivable because of a mysterious foul odor permeating the city. Environmental officials say unregulated sewer systems are to blame, and have called on city officials to clean up Lviv's air.
Azerbaijanis are almost united in their approval of their government's move to pardon Ramil Safarov, the Azerbaijani soldier who murdered an Armenian with an ax in Hungary in 2004. RFE/RL explores the passions that lie behing this case.
Lawyers for the Russian protest group Pussy Riot have appealed the hooliganism verdict and two-year sentence of band members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich for their February performance in Moscow's Christ the Savior Ca
There are few citizens willing to challenge the powers that be in Tajikistan. But one local resident has risen to fame for his readiness through the decades to stand up to everyone from local bureaucrats to President Imomali Rahmon to the Kremlin itself.
Nearly a century ago, ethnic Armenians fleeing mass killings by Ottoman-era Turks sought shelter in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. In the decades to come, they evolved into one of the cosmopolitan city's most vibrant and prosperous minority communities, working in trade, education, medicine, and carpentry. But mounting violence in the city has cast doubt on the fate of the city's ethnic Armenians. Many have already fled the city that once offered their parents and grandparents safe harbor.
This week, police in Kazakhstan's idyllic Ile-Alatau national park made a grisly discovery: the bodies of 11 people, including several forest rangers, all bearing multiple stab wounds and some burned beyond recognition. Officials have made no arrests and offered no motive for the bizarre killings, which have sparked comparisons to another unresolved crime -- the mass shooting in May of 14 border guards and another ranger on the remote Kazakh-Chinese border.
The trial of the Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot has prompted comparisons to a similar incident in 1989, when the advocacy group Act Up interrupted a service at New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral to demand that Catholic authorities drop their objection to condoms and AIDS education. What ensued was chaos, arrests -- and, ultimately, results.
For Betkil Shukvani, leaving the London Olympics without a medal was disappointment enough, especially when Georgian officials failed to defend his complaint about an unfair ruling in his final judo match. Then he threatened by officials who resented his open allegiance to opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Residents in eastern Georgia are just beginning to recover from a brutal hailstorm last week that destroyed crops, killed livestock, and left buildings decimated. And with parliamentary elections looming in October, both President Mikheil Saakashvili and opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili are jockeying to use the relief efforts to score political points.
The brazen murder of a powerful Muslim cleric in Tatarstan and a separate assassination attempt on the republic's mufti have shaken authorities in what is traditionally one of Russia's most stable Muslim-majority regions.
July 14 marks 100 years since the birth of folk musician Woody Guthrie, the man considered to be one of America's most influential protest singers. Guthrie's tumultuous life had its roots in the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl drought of the 1930s, and World War II, and many of his songs were considered powerful anthems in defense of the poor and oppressed.
The Russian State Duma has passed a controversial bill to impose fresh restrictions on nongovernmental organizations that receive foreign funding. NGOs say the new guidelines will have dire consequences on ordinary Russians who depend on their work for everything from health care to environmental protection.
Cleanup continues in southern Russia following a deadly flood that killed more than 170 people and left many citizens angry about what they see as the government's chronic failure to respond to humanitarian crises.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation into a fatal deluge that killed scores of people at the weekend while also promising relief for its victims. But many Russians say authorities are to blame for failing to prevent the tragedy.
Survivors in Russia's southern Krasnodar region are still recovering from the terror of a deadly nighttime flood that left at least 170 people are dead after heavy rains triggered a massive wave of muddy water that raced through cities like Krymsk with little or no warning.
When the Euro 2012 soccer championship began three weeks ago, the world expected the worst from co-host Ukraine. But as Kyiv prepares to hold the Italy-Spain final, the country has emerged with a nearly spotless record.
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