Kathleen Moore is the director of RFE/RL's Central Newsroom.
An expected battle looks to have been averted in cyberspace. The dispute was over who should run the Internet -- or, to be more exact, its addressing system. Since 1998, that's been the job of a U.S. nongovernmental organization (NGO). But some countries wanted control shifted to an international body. The dispute threatened to overshadow the UN's World Summit for Information Society, which started in Tunisia today. But at the last minute, a compromise was reached.
Three years ago, Mukhtar Mai was gang-raped in her Pakistani village, allegedly on the orders of a tribal gathering. Unusually for the victim of a so-called honor crime, she has been seeking justice ever since.
Doctors in Indonesia injecting a parrot with a vaccine Fears are growing about a possible global outbreak of deadly bird flu in humans. But the response, too, is now gathering pace, with countries around the world stepping up their precautions. The aim is to prevent the spread of the virus among birds -- and to prepare in case the virus mutates into one that is easily passed between people.
It has been a little more than four years since the global war on terror began in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States. In that time, the war has seen governments step up attempts to root out terrorist groups, sometimes through military coalitions of the willing but more often through police work. Yet global terrorists have shown no sign of abandoning their struggle and continue to strike in Europe, in the Middle East, and Asia. In the first part of a four-part series on the war on terror, we look at why so far there are no clear winners in the conflict.
Sham marriages can be big business, attracting would-be immigrants who want to circumvent asylum rules to stay in a country. That's why Britain earlier this year brought in new rules to clamp down on the practice. But critics say genuine couples, too, have been caught out by the new rules. And they're joining forces with other couples facing separation to campaign for the right to stay together in the United Kingdom.
Kelly says the London attacks were "allowed" Britain is still struggling to come to terms with this summer's bombings in London, which killed more than 50 people. The attacks were perpetrated by Muslim extremists. But three out of the four suicide bombers were born in Britain. That fact has focused renewed attention on Britain's 1.5-million strong Muslim community -- from the contented, to the disaffected, to the radical. Authorities in Britain now have expanded powers to deport foreigners who promote terrorism, and they have already barred one prominent radical cleric, Omar Mohammad Bakri, from returning to Britain. In the third and final part of our series, RFE/RLspeaks to an associate of Bakri, who describes the London bombings as a "martyrdom operation."
Many women work informal jobs with no security A new UN report confirms what many people already know -- that women fill the bulk of the world's lowest-paying, most insecure jobs. The report by the UN's women's fund, UNIFEM, says the working poor are both men and women, but that "the further down the chain of quality and security, the more women you find." And it says that improving the lives of the world's working women is key to fighting global poverty.
The price of oil hit another new high on 29 August -- just over $70 a barrel -- as one of the biggest hurricanes to hit the U.S. forced much oil and gas production to shut down along America's southern Gulf Coast. The rise prompted concern from the head of the OPEC oil cartel. Some experts are warning the price could rise further and could top $80 a barrel.
Just 36 percent of the population of Afghanistan knows how to read and write It's been 10 years since the United Nations set out its World Program of Action for Youth, with calls to improve the lives of the world's young people. On 12 August, International Youth Day, the UN is reminding governments of their commitments.
People pray before memorial to victims in Hiroshima's Peace Park on 6 August Sixty years ago, a U.S. B-29 bomber dropped an atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. It was aimed at bringing the war to an end and avoiding an invasion that would cost the lives of many U.S. soldiers. And, in fact, Japan agreed to surrender a few days later, after the United States bombed another Japanese city, Nagasaki. But the Hiroshima bombing took a devastating toll -- it destroyed the city and killed more than 100,000 in its immediate aftermath. One of the youngest survivors is Koko Tanimoto-Kondo. As a young child she was filled with hate and swore to take revenge. But as she told RFE/RL, she later had an encounter that put her on the path to reconciliation.
A judge in the United States has sent a reporter from "The New York Times" to jail for refusing to reveal the name of a confidential government source. Judith Miller had refused to reveal who gave her the name of a CIA agent and so faces several months in jail. The case goes to the heart of the U.S. administration's justification for war -- and rights groups say it's a test of press freedom.
Mukhtar Mai leaving for Islamabad yesterday Three years ago, she was gang-raped in her Pakistani village, allegedly on the orders of a tribal gathering. Since then, Mukhtar Mai has sought justice for her attack, and in the process has drawn international attention to the plight of many women in rural Pakistan. On Monday, it's the turn of the Supreme Court to hear a case that has also caused some embarrassment to Pakistan's authorities.
An actor portrays a mother placing her newborn in a babybox Some mothers can't -- or won't -- look after their newborn babies. Abandoned in public places, these infants often die. One possible solution is a "babybox" that lets a woman abandon her infant safely. The latest country to introduce one is the Czech Republic. But like elsewhere, it's sparked controversy. RFE/RL reports.
Twenty years ago, some of the world's most popular music acts took to the stage in London and Philadelphia in a massive charity concert that raised millions for African famine relief. Now, the man behind Live Aid has announced there will be a new series of Live Aid concerts. Organizers say "Live 8" will be the world's biggest music event in two decades.
Next week, some of the world's most beautiful young women will vie to be crowned Miss Universe. The Bangkok pageant will feature contestants from more than 80 countries -- including, for the first time in nearly a decade, Indonesia. And that's caused a bit of controversy, with protests from some Indonesian Muslim groups.
She was born in Kazakhstan, studied cello in Moscow, and soon had a thriving career as part of a classical piano trio with her two sisters. Then, 25 years ago, Alfia Nakipbekova defected to the United Kingdom. She has since established herself there as a sought-after performer of everything from Bach to jazz-influenced contemporary music. Now Nakipbekova's group, the Cellorhythmics, has just released a new album.
Central Asian music is still relatively unknown in the West. It's also not widely available, unless you know where to look. But a number of small, specialist record labels are doing their best to bring the music to a wider audience.
One aspect of Catholic Church teaching has been particularly controversial over the years: its opposition to birth control. While some bishops in the church have begun speaking out in favor of moderating this position, the seat of the church -- the Vatican -- has remained firm in forbidding artificial contraception like condoms and the birth control pill. In this second part in a three-part series on the Catholic Church and the modern world, RFE/RL reports the Vatican's position is deeply unpopular in some corners of the church, and that the rise of HIV/AIDS is posing another challenge to the ban. [See also "The Line Between Science and Religion (Part I)" --> http://rfe.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/04/ba5901b3-09d8-463a-9af3-104de1fd448c.html and "The Catholic Church And Social Welfare (Part III)" --> http://rfe.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/04/cfcd1e67-4b32-49ca-8532-c32d7c1daceb.html .]
Tuberculosis is a deadly disease, but it's also curable. The problem is, it takes at least six months to treat, and many people fail to complete their course of medicine. To coincide with World TB Day on 24 March, RFE/RL correspondent reports that new drugs are now being developed that -- scientists hope -- will lead to shorter and more effective treatment.
Berlusconi: too busy writing love ballads Politicians can be boring. Their speeches often induce yawns; their statements can sound dull or vague. But some have also shown an inclination for artistic expression -- in poetry, prose, or even song. The president of Turkmenistan is just the latest in a long line that includes the Italian prime minister and politicians from Europe, the United States, and Russia.
Load more
