Ron Synovitz is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
Pakistan says it has arrested a leading Al-Qaeda member along with at least eight foreign militants -- including some from Central Asia. Their previously unknown extremist group is being linked to Uzbek militants near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
Karzai (file photo) Afghan Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai is denying reports that recent meetings with some of Afghanistan's regional warlords resulted in a political deal for governing the country after September elections. But experts on Afghanistan say they believe there may have been some agreement between Karzai and the powerful regional militia commanders aimed at enhancing the registration of voters.
Violence targeting election and aid workers in Afghanistan is causing concerns ahead of September elections. Nevertheless, the UN's chief spokesman in Afghanistan says voter registration is moving forward.
India's new government released its first policy statement to the parliament in New Delhi today. The wide range of issues in the government's program includes a pledge to open talks with key separatist groups in the divided region of Kashmir, as well as a push for economic reforms and religious tolerance.
India's newly elected government has called for Pakistan and China to join New Delhi in direct, three-way talks about a "common nuclear doctrine." The move is one of several steps taken by India's new Congress Party-led cabinet that appears aimed at moving the peace process forward with its two nuclear-armed neighbors.
Tensions are running high between Sunni and Shi'a Muslims in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi following yesterday's apparent suicide-bomb attack on a Shi'a mosque, which killed 19 people. Pakistani security forces are guarding mosques and bracing for more violence as relatives of those killed bury the victims. RFE/RL takes a closer look at the tensions between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims in Pakistan.
The Sudanese government has signed agreements with rebels in the south of the country aimed at bringing an end to their decades-old conflict. But experts say the agreement is unlikely to avert one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in Sudan's western region of Darfur, where a separate crisis continues.
Freedom House, a U.S.-based pro-democracy group, has issued its latest annual report as part of an ongoing, decade-old study on democratic transition in the former communist world. RFE/RL takes a closer look at the "Nations in Transit 2004" report.
A U.S. brigadier general is to investigate U.S.-led coalition detention centers across Afghanistan in response to allegations of abuse of Afghan detainees by their U.S. captors. Officials in Washington say they are now investigating the deaths of at least five Afghans at U.S. detention centers in the country.
Prague, 23 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- The Arab League today adopted a broad program aimed at promoting political reform in Arab countries and fighting international terrorism.
A call by President Pervez Musharraf for a review of Islamic law in Pakistan has set off a contentious debate in the country. Human-rights advocates say the application of Pakistan's so-called Hudood Ordinance discriminates against women and non-Muslims, and also leads to violations of their basic rights. But conservative Islamists in parliament accuse Musharraf of succumbing to an "American agenda" that they say is being imposed on Pakistan.
The Congress Party of India says it obtained assurances from allies and communist legislators during the weekend that will allow Sonia Gandhi to be sworn in as prime minister as soon as this week (19 May). RFE/RL takes a closer look at the latest political developments in the world's largest democracy.
A confidential report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is at the center of a scandal over abuses by U.S. troops at Baghdad's Abu Ghurayb facility. Senior ICRC officials say the report was meant only for U.S. authorities and was leaked to a U.S. newspaper without their authorization.
(file photo) The scandal over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. forces is focusing attention on Washington's use of private contractors to interrogate detainees in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Members of the world's largest Islamic grouping -- the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference -- met in Malaysia today to discuss developments in the Middle East and the latest violence in Iraq.
The cease-fire is shaky but appears to be holding The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq has announced an agreement aimed at defusing a standoff at the besieged town of Al-Fallujah. The accord calls for all anti-coalition fighters in the town to surrender their heavy weapons. But U.S. officials are warning that U.S. Marines who surround Al-Fallujah could launch offensive operations if the insurgents do not disarm promptly.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has suspended most of its funding for public-sector projects in Uzbekistan, saying the Central Asian state has failed to meet democratic and human rights reforms required by the bank's charter. In London, where the EBRD today is conducting its annual board meeting, nongovernmental organizations are welcoming the freeze.
For the second time in a month, troops from the fledgling Afghan National Army are being deployed to quell fighting between a militia backed by the Afghan central government and troops of a powerful regional warlord. RFE/RL correspondent Ron Synovitz takes a closer look at the situation in the northwestern province of Faryab, where government-appointed military commander General Mohammad Hashim Habibi's soldiers are battling for a third day against the private militia of ethnic Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostum.
A Kabul musician who managed to study the musical heritage of his country during the Taliban era works to ensure that the fragile traditions take root again.
Load more
