Kathleen Moore is the director of RFE/RL's Central Newsroom.
It's an alarmingly familiar story, particularly in places where cultural traditions are strict toward women. A young woman starts dating a boy and her parents disapprove. Or she refuses an arranged marriage. Or perhaps she asks for a divorce. Relatives accuse her of bringing shame on the family. Honor must be restored, and the woman is murdered. They're called "honor killings," and they happen all over the world -- from Brazil and Bangladesh to Egypt, Pakistan, and Uganda. Europe, too, is increasingly grappling with the problem.
For years, central banks around the world have held most of their foreign currency reserves in U.S. dollars. Now, there are signs that central banks are shifting away from dollar assets and into other currencies, such as euros. That's mainly because the dollar's value has fallen so much in the past three years. Experts say the gradual shift away from the U.S. currency is likely to continue -- suggesting there's more dollar weakness ahead.
Prague, 18 February 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Craig Murray may be one of Britain's least diplomatic diplomats in recent memory. While ambassador to Tashkent, he spoke publicly about repression and the lack of democratic freedoms in Uzbekistan. Last year he accused the United States and United Kingdom of using intelligence gained from people tortured in Uzbekistan. And in a widely published speech in November, he criticized the United States for helping prop up what he called President Islam Karimov's "brutal" regime. Murray was suspended from his post in October 2004 and has now taken severance pay -- moves the British Foreign Office has said are not connected with his outspoken views. He now plans to run against British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in Britain's Parliamentary election, expected in May.
Two years ago, Britain's ambassador to Uzbekistan made headlines when he spoke out publicly about Tashkent's poor human rights record. Craig Murray had harsh words, too, for the United States, saying it was helping prop up a brutal regime. Murray was suspended from his post in October 2004 and has now taken severance pay -- moves the British Foreign Office has said are not connected with his outspoken views. He spoke to RFE/RL about his experiences -- and his future plans.
New life in the West? Immigration continues to be a hot topic in many European countries -- but they are dealing with it in different ways. Denmark's prime minister has just been re-elected on the back of support for his anti-immigration policies. Britain this week unveiled plans to restrict immigration by making it harder for unskilled foreigners to work there. But at the same time, Spain has offered an amnesty to nearly one million illegal workers.
Sixty years ago this week, advancing Soviet soldiers liberated Auschwitz, one of the most notorious Nazi death camps. As many as 1.5 million people -- mostly Jews -- were murdered in the camp's gas chambers or succumbed to disease and starvation. Amid the horror and cruelty, there was also music. Auschwitz had a women's orchestra, which was made to play in front of prisoners and SS officers alike. Anita Lasker-Wallfisch was its cellist -- an experience she says saved her life.
Ukraine says it plans to pull its 1,600 troops out of Iraq in the first half of this year. The announcement comes after eight Ukrainian soldiers died in an explosion at an ammunition dump in Iraq. Kyiv's decision follows other announcements of changes to the multinational force in Iraq. Poland, which also has one of the largest troop contingents in Iraq, is cutting its presence by one-third within the next few months, while the United Kingdom says it plans to send an extra 400 soldiers.
The U.S. dollar's continued decline was one of the biggest economic stories of 2004. Its impact has been felt around the world. But while it's caused problems for some, others are seeing benefits.
Media watchdog groups say up to 78 journalists worldwide died while doing their jobs in 2004, making it one of the deadliest years for reporters in the last decade. While many were killed in the line of fire covering wars and other conflicts, others were deliberately singled out for their work.
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski (file photo) Who wielded the most influence on world events in 2004? The obvious answers, of course, are top decision-makers like U.S. President George W. Bush or Russian President Vladimir Putin. But other -- lesser known -- individuals had a crucial impact on events, but in different and sometimes unexpected ways. RFE/RL looks at three such figures who rose to prominence in 2004.
What were the biggest news stories of 2004? RFE/RL conducted an informal poll among broadcasters, editors, correspondents, and analysts and came up with a list of the Top 10 for 2004.
Fifty years ago, Europe's leaders had the idea to use culture to help heal the scars and prevent future conflict on a continent recovering from a devastating war. The divisions left in the wake of World War II -- and new splits caused by the Cold War -- are now largely over. Dignitaries and experts from across Europe have been gathering in Poland to celebrate the European Cultural Convention's contributions to this effort -- and to hear about new challenges in an increasingly multicultural Europe.
Rising to the occasion The head of one of Europe's top rights bodies has joined the European Union and the United States in welcoming key electoral reforms approved by Ukraine's parliament. Terry Davis, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, said approval of the changes shows Ukraine's political maturity. Davis spoke to RFE/RL on the sidelines of a European cultural conference in Wroclaw, Poland.
People around the world with HIV/AIDS are often treated as social outcasts, deprived of human dignity as they battle not only the disease, but also religious, social, and cultural stigma. In Central Asia, however, the challenges are often even tougher for those with HIV/AIDS. In some countries, prejudice is actually contributing to the spread of the disease. And reports of abuse are widespread. For example, prisoners in Uzbekistan have reportedly been threatened with injections of the HIV virus for misbehavior. In the third of a four-part series on AIDS in Central Asia, RFE/RL looks at the attitudes of government and religious officials, as well as society in general, to the disease.
Bush says his administration has a "strong-dollar" policy (file photo) There's concern over the falling value of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies. The European single currency, the euro, today hit another record high of nearly 1.31 dollars. Experts say the dollar's recent slide is mainly due to worries about the huge U.S. trade and budget deficits -- and that a further fall is likely.
It's been more than 30 years since scientists first discovered that certain common chemicals were eating away at the protective ozone layer in the earth's atmosphere. That research alerted the world to the dangers of CFC gases and led to a landmark agreement to safeguard the ozone layer, which protects life on earth against the Sun's harmful radiation. The treaty -- the Montreal Protocol -- has been a remarkable success, with many of the harmful chemicals on their way to being phased out. But scientists gathered in the Czech capital Prague this week say there's still no evidence the ozone layer is recovering. And they say they are worried that politicians may agree at a meeting this week to allow the continued use of a chemical that destroys ozone.
In a famous speech in January 2002, U.S. President George W. Bush described Iraq, Iran, and North Korea as an "axis of evil," saying they and their allies posed a grave danger with their pursuit of banned weapons. Now, female musicians from around the world have given the phrase a new twist. Together with a Norwegian producer, they've made "Lullabies from the Axis of Evil." The project features singers from Bush's "axis of evil" countries, as well as other countries in the news, such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan. The collection of songs aims to be a message of peace and hope -- and to show that, wherever people come from, they have much in common.
China and Central Asia are facing similar threats from militant Islamic groups, but are they working together to fight them? China and four Central Asia states are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has focused on cooperation in the name of security. Such cooperation has involved information-sharing, some joint military exercises and, as of this year, an antiterrorism center in Tashkent. But experts also say cooperation appears to be a way for China to restrict activity by Uyghur nationalists in the region.
This story is one of many featured on RFE/RL's new Religion And Tolerance --> /specials/religion/ webpage, which highlights examples of religious tolerance in our broadcast region. Visit for insight into the roles of Islam and Orthodoxy, features on religious topics, an interactive map of RFE/RL's broadcast region, biographies of leading religious figures, and profiles of religious minorities.
Yasser Arafat is gravely ill in a Paris hospital. The top Islamic cleric in the Palestinian territories, Sheikh Taissir Dayut Tamimi, said today that he has been at Arafat's bedside and that the Palestinian leader is "in a difficult situation, but he is still alive." With Arafat's condition worsening, attention is turning to what will happen after his death. What is next for the Palestinians -- and for the peace process itself?
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