Kathleen Moore is the director of RFE/RL's Central Newsroom.
Italy appears likely to maintain its current troop presence in Iraq (file photo) A number of coalition member states are considering or have already decided that their forces will begin withdrawing from Iraq after national elections in January -- a move that could impact the ability of multinational forces to rein in militants.
John Kerry, an honorary citizen of Horni Benesov? (file photo) Among those closely watching the U.S. election was the mayor of the small Czech town where John Kerry's grandfather was born. RFE/RL correspondent Kathleen Moore watched the election results come in with Josef Klech, the mayor of Horni Benesov near the border with Poland.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's country fared poorly in the survey (file photo) Bribery in public contracting results in the loss of at least $400 billion a year worldwide. That's the finding of the latest Corruption Perceptions Index by watchdog Transparency International, based on independent surveys of local businesspeople, analysts, and officials. The group finds that oil-rich countries are particularly prone to corruption -- and that the countries of Central Asia and Eastern and Central Europe continue to score poorly.
Plans are afoot for what could be Europe's first Romany soap opera. The Slovak writer behind "Gypsies Come to Town" was inspired by American movies and television shows that challenged prejudices against black people. Now, he's trying to do the same for Roma in Eastern Europe.
Ramadan is fast approaching, and Muslims around the world will soon begin observing the annual fasting month. In Western countries in which Muslims are the minority, it can also be a time to raise awareness of Islam. RFE/RL looks at two projects that are encouraging non-Muslims to get a "taste" of Ramadan -- and raise money for charity, too.
A group of popular rock musicians are campaigning for Senator John Kerry (file photo) Prague, 1 October 2004 (RFE/RL) -- A group of American rock musicians has begun a tour aimed at encouraging voters to unseat President George W. Bush in the November presidential election. The "Vote for Change" tour brings together stars such as Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M., and Pearl Jam. Over the next 10 days, they will play in states where the race between Bush and his rival, John Kerry, is expected to be closest. It's an indication of how politically involved popular music artists have become -- perhaps more so than in any other U.S. election.
New technology has been increasingly touted as the answer to antiquated paper-based voting systems. But new hi-tech ballot boxes also have many critics, who worry about security and reliability.
Islam is suffering from an image problem in the West, and Muslims there should become more politically active to help reverse that perception. That's the recommendation of Muslim scholars from around the world who gathered in Jordan this week.
Some analysts fear a cold winter could send demand higher (file photo) World oil prices have fallen slightly from record highs after the president of oil-rich Venezuela won a referendum confirming he will stay in office. But as RFE/RL reports, experts say the fall could be short-lived -- and that $50 a barrel is a possibility.
Afghan sprinter Robina Muqimyar Women athletes were barred from the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896. Four years later, they were permitted to participate in the "ladylike" sports of tennis, golf, and croquet. But things have changed. Now there are thousands of female athletes competing in the Summer Games, in nearly every Olympic sport -- even wrestling, which is open to women for the first time this year. But as RFE/RL reports, getting to the Olympics remains a challenge for many female athletes, particularly those from strictly conservative Muslim countries where beliefs about how a woman should dress and behave often clash with the contemporary traditions of international sports.
Prague, 3 August 2004 (RFE/RL) -- A plane with an unusual Russian cargo has just landed in Britain. It's brought nearly 30 Great Bustards -- a rare bird that's been extinct in Britain for some 130 years. The chicks' arrival in the United Kingdom is the culmination of an ambitious project to reintroduce the bustard -- one of the heaviest birds capable of flying -- to Britain.
Stand-up comedy in the West is still very much a male-dominated business. So when a Muslim woman stands up on stage to make jokes, it can take audiences by surprise. And when she wears a hijab, the effect is even stronger.
A student in Tajikistan is forced to pay three times the average monthly salary for a high grade. A Kazakh teacher gets her students to pay for her trip to Moscow -- and they all pass their exam. In Turkmenistan, the obligation to pay bribes gives students there yet another reason to seek education abroad. All over Central Asia, corruption in education is a serious problem. Ahead of the annual admissions season, RFE/RL correspondents have been talking to students, parents, teachers, and officials about the issue. In the first of a four-part series, they report that corruption in education is widespread and taking a heavy toll on society.
Mikhail Khodorkovskii (file photo) The clock is ticking for Russia's largest oil producer, Yukos. It has until tomorrow to pay $3.4 billion in back taxes before the Tax Ministry can start seizing its assets. As the deadline looms, Yukos's former chief, Mikhail Khodorkovskii, is reported to have offered a fresh proposal to rescue the oil giant.
Lavrov (facing camera) and Ban at today's meeting 3 July 2004 -- Russia and South Korea say they will closely cooperate in talks aimed at defusing the crisis over North Korea's nuclear-weapons development.
Thanks to the Internet, there are now hundreds of agencies where lovelorn Western men can find brides from Eastern Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. But the business remains largely unregulated, and critics say it leaves many women vulnerable to abuse. This week, parliamentarians at the Council of Europe recommended measures to make the business safer for women -- and men.
Europe is famously home to a country with one of the world's most liberal attitudes to drugs -- the Netherlands. But in recent years, other European countries have been softening their drug policies, too. Increasingly, they're moving away from the outright prohibition of drugs and the punishment of drug users. Instead, the focus is now on reducing harm to addicts and treating addiction as an illness, not a crime.
The Council of Europe, Europe's top human rights watchdog, has just chosen a new secretary-general. The Council's Parliamentary Assembly yesterday elected British MP Terry Davis for a five-year term starting on 1 September. Davis, who succeeds Walter Schwimmer, has worked as a rapporteur on the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh for the last three years. RFE/RL spoke to him today about his plans.
The United Nations refugee agency says the number of refugees worldwide last year fell to its lowest level in a decade. But as the agency marks World Refugee Day on 20 June, a huge refugee crisis is unfolding in Sudan.
The United States is seeking a renewal of a UN resolution that gives U.S. peacekeepers immunity from prosecution by the world court. The United States worries the International Criminal Court could be used to launch politically motivated lawsuits against U.S. troops. But the move has again prompted criticism by the court's supporters, especially as it comes amid the prisoner-abuse scandal in Iraq.
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