Afternoon Edition

First Read
# An interview with Bashar al-Assad

Russia
# "The Cold War Heats Up in Syria" - Julia Ioffe, "The New Republic"

RFE/RL Target Region
# Yulia Tymoshenko's prison diaries are going online
# "Metternich in Baghdad" - Ramzy Mardini, "Foreign Policy"

Of Interest
# 3-D printed food may become an actual thing
# How Google plans to save Google+ 

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# A nice little window into PAC politics

-------------------------
Morning Edition

Russia
# The Levada Center must register as a "foreign agent"
# "Geopolitics Stages a Comeback" - Sergey Karaganov, "Russia in Global Affairs"
# "Russians Arrest CIA Agent" - David Satter, "NRO"

Iran
# Foreign policy divides the candidates for the presidency
# "Humans of New York in Tehran" - Brandon Stanton, "Bettery"
# Looking at local elections in Tehran
# The U.S. may try to stop sales of gold to Iran

Afghanistan
# Why the Afghan peace process has stalled
# "Afghans are Wary of Nawaz Sharif - but Should They Be?" - Dawood Azami, "BBC"
# Europe is trying to promote business in Afghanistan
# Gayle Lemmon on women's rights in Afghanistan

Pakistan
# Can Nawaz Sharif improve media freedom in Pakistan?
# There will be no air conditioning or socks in offices in Pakistan
# "Drones Over Pakistan" - C. Christine Fair, "Huffington Post"
# Coca-Cola makes a bid for peace between India and Pakistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# "The Economist" on gay rights in Georgia
# A wave of attacks in Iraq killed nearly 100
# How Europe is trying to deal with youth unemployment

Of Interest
# A 2010 attack on Google accessed the company's surveillance database
# Apple heads to DC
# Would you open up to a robot psychiatrist?
# Why Americans will never get Eurovision

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Pictures from the Oklahoma tornado
# "The Day in Government Snooping" - Andrew Beaujon, "Poynter"
# "America and Iran: Wrestling with Ghosts" - Suzanne Maloney, Brookings

Afternoon Update

Iran
# Saeed Jalili: Europeans will "pay the price" for a war in Syria too

Russia
# Oligarchs are footing much of the Sochi 2014 bill
# Russia looks north for the next natural resource boom

Afghanistan
# "Afghanistan’s Forgotten Crisis: Its Economy" - Victor Mallet, "Financial Times"

RFE/RL Target Region
# CPJ on an attack on a journalist in Kyiv
# Coming together in the South Caucasus

Of Interest
# Cyprus gets taken to task on money laundering
# How to legalize pot

Science & Technology
# A report on cyberattacks originating in India
# Chinese hackers are back on the offensive

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Al Jazeera" notes RFE/RL reporting from Azerbaijan
# "Business Insider" cites RFE/RL reporting on clashes at a gay pride event in Tbilisi
# "Foreign Policy" cites RFE/RL reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov's social media prowess

International Press Review

Russia
# "Sochi's Olympic Security Obstacles" - Sergey Markedonov, "National Interest"
# "Dagestan’s Bitter Shadow War, Fought by 'Many Tsarnaevs'" - Ellen Barry, "The New York Times"
# The CIA station chief has been outed in Moscow (Ryan Fogle has left the country as well)
# Woah.

Iran
# "Who Are Iran's Voters?" - Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, "Al-Monitor"
# Some public support for former president Rafsanjani
# The Internet slows down ahead of the vote
# Iran sent two accused spies to the gallows

Pakistan
# PTI appears to have won the vote in Karachi (as Zahra Shahid Hussain is laid to rest)
# "Pakistan's Industry of Violence" - Beenish Ahmed, "The American Prospect"
# Take a journey on Pakistan's crumbling rail system

Afghanistan
# The Afghan Analysts Network on the Afghan Taliban's relationship with Pakistan
# Afghan forces are having trouble saving their wounded without the aid of U.S. helicopters
# Afghanistan is seeking direct military aid from India
# Why efforts to strengthen a law protecting women may backfire

Of Interest
# Lifting of oil sanctions on Syria benefits jihadist groups
# Bees are being trained to hunt for land mines
# Yahoo! will buy Tumblr for just over $1 billion (Yahoo! Japan just had a security breach)

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# SES government employees will take home bonuses despite sequestration
# President Obama will address drones and Guantanamo Bay in a speech on Thursday

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on TeliaSonera's sponsoring of Eurovision
# "Interfax" cites RFE/RL reporting on the asylum case of Andriy Shkil

International Press Review

Iran
# The mayor of Tehran takes full credit for some ruthless crackdowns
# "It Will Take More Than Two New Candidates to Change Iran" - Ray Takeyh, "Financial Times"
# "Back to the Future in Iran's Election" - Namazikhah & Marashi, "National Interest"
# There will be no women running for president in Iran

Russia
# Russia delivered advanced cruise missiles to Syria
# Moscow officials say they have arrested hundreds of illegal migrants from Central Asia
# Kaspersky Lab wants the U.S. government as a customer

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Hezb-i-Islami claimed responsibility for the bombing in Kabul
# "Afghanistan’s Cycle of Corruption" - Mujib Mashal, "The Daily Beast" (more here)
# Walkie-talkies are popular in Pakistan's tribal regions

Of Interest
# Jude Law will team up with the Belarus Free Theater
# Alexander Cooley reviews Philip Shishkin's book on the Ferghana Valley
# Construction of a huge mosque in Tajikistan continues apace
# When art fought the Cold War

Science & Technology
# Skype with care
# "Android's Growing Malware Problem" - Greg Scoblete, "Real Clear World"
# LulzSec hackers were sentenced in the UK

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Authorities arrested a man in Idaho with ties to the IMU

Afternoon Update

Russia
# Ilya Goryachev was arrested in Serbia [Google translate version]
# Vladimir Zhirinovsky is no longer welcome in Kyrgyzstan

RFE/RL Target Region
# A "secret archive" of torture videos from prisons in Georgia exists

Of Interest
# Details on Skype's encryption [in German; Google translate version]
# Global racial tolerance -- mapped
# The dictionary of numbers

Science & Technology
# 3-D imaging of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly
# "The New Yorker" releases a new secure uploading feature (designed by Aaron Schwartz)
# Smart phone, smart TV, smart rifle

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Washington Post" cites RFE/RL reporting on the spy scandal in Russia
# "Reason" links to RFE/RL reporting on Afghanistan
# "UPI" cites RFE/RL reporting on taxing development projects in Afghanistan

International Press Review

Russia
# Pictures from the exit from Afghanistan
# The Soviet Union *almost* had a laser-toting satellite

Iran
# Scott Peterson on talks in Instanbul
# Iranian conservatives are split on presidential candidates
# "Bomb, Coerce or Contain Iran" - Gregory Koblentz, "National Interest"
# Iranian wrestlers got a nice welcome in New York

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Some Afghans are wary of Nawaz Sharif at the helm in Pakistan
# Maybe that election violence in Pakistan was actually a good sign
# The Lahore high court will take up Pakistan's YouTube ban
# Pakistan hosts its first hackathon
# How India sees the Afghanistan-Pakiostan border row

Science & Technology
# Scientists extracted stem cells from cloned human embryos
# The Kepler mission hits a snag
# We need a space program because humans will need to escape from Earth
# Belize bulldozed a 2,300-year-old Mayan pyramid to make room for a road

Of Interest
# A Turkish court says the murder of Hrant Dink was part of a larger conspiracy
# "How Baghdad Fuels Iraq's Sectarian Fire" - Sarah Whitson, "The New York Times"
# "Ukraine’s Asgarda: Reinventing the Amazon Warrior Women" - Ashley Cleek, "The World"
# Christopher Hill on negotiating with "monsters"

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The White House is pushing a media shield law
# "Peak Scandal?" - Ryan Lizza, "The New Yorker"

Afternoon Update

Russia
# "The Spy Who Shot Himself in the Foot" - Julia Ioffe, "The New Republic"

Iran
# "The Ayatollah's Game Plan" - Mohsen Milani, "Foreign Affairs"
# "Rafsanjani Is No Iranian Reformer" - Michael Miner, "Real Clear World"

Pakistan
# "An Astonishing Mandate" - Cyril Almeida, "The Indian Express" 

RFE/RL Target Region
# Human Rights Watch on the beating of Ulugbek Azimov in Kyrgyzstan
# Ivanishvili: sexual minorities in Georgia "have the same rights as any other social groups." 
# Tedx heads to Tbilisi

Of Interest
# Poynter on the "AP" phone records case
# How to mine gold safely
# Netflix and YouTube get A LOT of traffic

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Wall Street Journal" cites RFE/RL reporting on an Iranian's conviction in Nigeria for arms trafficking

International Press Review

Iran
# Mandiant says Iranian hackers are attacking U.S. companies
# Davoud Ahmadinejad is trying to make his mark in Iran's politics
# How India deals with Iran without irking the U.S.

Russia
# Anton Krasovsky on being openly gay in Russia
# NYT: "From Russia with Wig" (some...irregularities about the arrest)

Afghanistan
# The World Bank on the Afghan economy
# The Taliban says people should be immunised against polio
# Educating the next generation of Afghan women

Pakistan
# "Will Pakistan Seize Chance on Human Rights?" - Mustafa Qadri, "CNN"
# The USIP releases a study on fresh water in Pakistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# Iran, Russia, and the U.S. are trying to save Olympic wrestling
# Azerbaijan has extended defamation laws to cover speech online

Of Interest
# How a dissident blogger escaped Bahrain
# Loneliness: the silent killer
# The rise of the Silicon Valley oligarch

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# David Carr on the "AP" phone records case
# Remembering Kenneth Waltz

Afternoon Update

Russia
# Russia says it has arrested an American for trying to flip an FSB agent
# "The Economist" reviews three books on Russia

Iran
# Tehran has apologised for killing Afghans who were crossing the border

Pakistan
# "Dawn" says it has proof of an agreement between political parties to not allow women to vote in Lower Dir
# The vote in Pakistan as seen in India
# India-Pakistan trade was up 21% last year

RFE/RL Target Region
# Kurdish fighters are heading to Iraq from Turkey
# A new film on the war in Afghanistan by Ben Anderson

Of Interest
# Gas and oil prices may be on the decline
# Paper: "Are Cyber-Weapons Effective?"

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Asia Times" reprints an RFE/RL report on the new government in Pakistan
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on Pakistan's new government

International Press Review

Iran
# "Spiegel" interviews Iran's foreign minister
# CNAS on what containing Iran looks like
# What the Rafsanjani candidcay means for the regime in Tehran
# How Syria could become Iran's Vietnam

Russia
# "What Lies Ahead for Russia in the Next Decade" - Lipman & Petrov, "Moscow Times"
# Russia's Pacific fleet is becoming its Mediterranean fleet
# How Moscow authorities try to keep the traffic situation from worsening further
# Foreign athletes no longer need visas

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Sharif vs. Army, Round 3" - Declan Walsh, "The New York Times"
# "In Pakistan, Expect More of the Same" - Max Boot, "Commentary"
# "Sharifistan" - Arif Rafiq, "Foreign Policy"
# NATO hopes for "stable instability" in Afghanistan post-2014

Of Interest
# The role of gruesome videos in the Syrian civil war
# Exploring the boundaries of news photo editing
# Should China have a spot on the Arctic Council
# Kazakhstan's energy future

Science & Technology
# Goolge's plans for Chrome and Android
# Why babies all over the world say "mama"

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The "AP" on the Department of Justice seizure of phone records (more here)

RFE/RL In The Media
# Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, and Amnesty International cover the arrest of Rovshen Yazmuhamedov
# The Council of Foreign Relations quotes RFE/RL's interview with Mansur Osanlu

International Press Review

Iran
# Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could faces jail time and/or lashes
# A couple of surprise candidates entered the field (and bred some resentment)
# "The Day After a Strike on Iran" - Marwan Muasher, "National Interest"
# The Iranian navy will get new cruise missiles

Russia
# 59 protesters were detained in Moscow last week
# "Russia Wasn't Built in a Day" - Peter Savodnik, "Foreign Policy"
# The government is auditing Gazprom (the EU is taking a look too)

Pakistan
# A suicide attack targeted Baluchistan's police chief
# Omar Waraich on what the election results mean for Pakistan
# "Pakistan Army Helps Advance Democracy" - Haroon Siddiqui, "The Star"
# The leader of the MQM party may want Karachi to secede

Afghanistan
# Authorities say an American tortured Afghan civilians
# "When a Bomb Goes Off in Afghanistan" - Heidi Vogt, "The Daily Beast"
# The Taliban freed four Turkish hostages

Of Interest
# Eight years after the Andijan massacre
# "How Austerity Kills" - Stuckler & Basu, "The New York Times"
# 10 scifi flicks that got the future all wrong
# "Don't Make Fun of Renowned Dan Brown" - Michael Deacon, "Telegraph"
# "At Bloomberg, omniscience is a feature not a bug"

Science & Technology
# A new "super wheat" may increase yields by 30%
# The moon and the Earth may have gotten water from the same source

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The "PBS Newshour" analysis of Gerson and Shields
# An audit shows the IRS got political

Afternoon Update

Pakistan/Afghanistan
# Some pre-election voices from Pakistan
# About that Peshawar High Court judgment on drones

Iran
# An adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader has joined the election fray
# Iran has recalled its ambassador to Cyprus

Of Interest
# "A Turbulent Valley in a Turbulent Decade" - Josh Foust, "Foreign Policy"
# "My Father, the Good Nazi" - Philippe Sands, "Financial Times"
# European and Asian languages derive from a single mother tongue

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Protecting the Strait of Hormuz is expensive
# Law enforcement and corprations agree: more cyberoffense

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# The "International Business Times" on the arrest of RFE/RL journalist Rovshen Yazmuhamedov

International Press Review

Russia
# Russia's Sweden-oriented war game rattled Stockholm
# "The FBI-Russia Connection" - David Wise, "Reuters"

Iran
# "The Guardian" reports on the (potential) presidential aspirations of the mayor of Tehran
# Iran's iron and steel sector gets a lifeline
# The U.S. sanctioned more Iranian businesses
# Iran's new drone...in pictures

Pakistan/Afghanistan
# How the U.S. Army stopped focusing on poppies in Afghanistan
# Angry voters and the rise of Imran Khan
# "Pakistan’s Last Shot at Staying Democratic" - Anatol Lieven, "Financial Times"
# "It's Morning in Islamabad" - Mosharraf Zaidi, "Foreign Policy"
# How Pakistan is trying to control the movement of fertilizer

Boston Bombing
# Tamerlan Tsarnaev was talking about waging jihad while in Russia
# Apparently Dzhokhar Tsarnaev spoke "ebonics" and that matters

Of Interest
# "How to Heal Balkan Wounds for Good" - David L. Phillips, "The New York Times"
# How a sophisticated bank-robbing ring was broken up
# Wine-tasting is not a real science

Syria
# The U.S. Ambassador to Syria slipped into the country to meet with opposition members
# Some rebel fighters are defecting to the Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra

Science & Technology
# Time lapse photos of our changing world
# A new law means apps must disclose how they use user data
# The ISS has a radiator leak
# Southern whales are dying off at an alarming rate

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "The Myth of Presidential Leadership" - Norm Ornstein, "National Journal"
# "The End of Hands-Off-Hillary Clinton" - Thrush & Haberman, "Politico"

Afternoon Edition

Pakistan/Afghanistan
# "A New Spring in the Age of Freedom" - Mosharraf Zaidi, "India Today" 
# Pakistan's electoral winner will likely be calling the IMF
# The U.S. will keep nine bases in Afghanistan

Iran
# "Will the Iran-Saudi Arabia Proxy War Spread to Iraq?" - Mohammed Ayoob, "Real Clear World"

Russia
# "Swampland" - Anna Nemtsova, "Foreign Policy" 

Boston Bombing
# Ellen Barry on Tamerlan Tsarnaev's six-month visit to Daghestan

Of Interest
# The story of an Italian paparazzo who was wkilled by a professional hitman
# A suspect in the Spamhaus DDoS attack has been extradited
# Video footage of the gas blast in Prague

Science & Technology
# Lots of people are up for heading to Mars

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on gender imbalance in Georgia
# TOL cites RFE/RL reporting on Azerbaijan

International Press Review

Russia
# Russia may sell S-300 systems to Syria as new peace talks are planned
# Vladimir Surkov is out of the Kremlin
# "Don’t ’Reset’ With Putin, Crack Down on Him" - Elisa Massimino, "Bloomberg"
# A dispatch from Boris Berezovsky's funeral

Iran
# "U.S. Must Pay Attention to Iran's Unfair Election" - Mehdi Khalaji, Washington Institute
# A report on Iran's missile technology
# RSF on the media situation in Iran

Pakistan/Afghanistan
# Patronage is alive and well in Pakistan
# Imran Khan: Pakistan's wildcard
# "Can Pakistan Legally Shoot Down U.S. Drones?" - Dawood I. Ahmed, "Foreign Policy"
# NATO is probing charges of misconduct in southern Afghanistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# Iraq may slide into civil war
# PKK fighters have begun withdrawing from Turkey
# How Georgia dealt with drug addicts

Boston Bombing
# The Tsarnaev brothers have not been linked to any terrorist group
# A relative in Daghestan calls Tamerlan "a prominent Islamist"

Of Interest
# Google's Schmidt says the web needs a "delete" button
# The updated "AP" social media guidelines
# The "sharing economy" may be a bit over-stated
# How noise-cancelling headphones work

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# FP: "The Six Things We Learned from the Benghazi Hearing"
# The Cleveland kidnapper delivered his baby

Afternoon Update

Russia
# "Forbes" on the creative economy in Russia
# "The Russians Are Shrinking!" - Oliver Bullough, "The Wall St. Journal"

Pakistan
# "Pakistan's Minorities Have No Faith in Democracy" - Kathy Gannon, "AP"
# The toll of political violence in Pakistan

Afghanistan
# "Adding the Ballot to the Bullet? Hezb-e Islami in Transition" - Osman & Ruttig, AAN

Iran
# Presidential candidates are registering for the elections (FA)
# The editor of an Iranian news site has been arrested

Boston Bombings
# "The Bombers’ World" - Christian Caryl, "NY Review of Books"

Of Interest
# "Outfoxing the Oligarchs in Latvia" - Gabriel Kuris, "Foreign Policy"
# Meet the best backgammon player in the world

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The New York Times" cites RFE/RL reporting on the opposition rally in Moscow

International Press Review

Russia
# "Russia's Energy Bully Takes a Fall" - Alexandros Petersen, "Foreign Policy"
# "Putin Strives to Become Russia's Über-Patriot" - Schepp & Neef, "Spiegel"
# "Putin's First Year Back in Power: A Kingdom Built on Sand?" - Kadri Liik, "Real Clear World"
# Julie Ioffe on the opposition in Russia

Iran
# Iran re-patriated an Iraqi fighter who died in Syria
# The media war is heating up ahead of elections
# "'Red Lines' On Iran: Not So Black and White" - Shashank Joshi, "The Diplomat"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "The Guardian" reports on the marginalization of Ahmadis
# Pakistan's election commission says poll workers are all trained up
# Ben Anderson on covering the war in Afghanistan

Of Interest
# Turkey fears Russia too much to intervene in Syria
# "LeMonde" on the future of NATO
# What sarin gas does to the human body
# The death toll from bird flu in China is now 31

Science & Tech
# "The Coming War Over Net Neutrality" - Tim Wu, "The New Yorker"
# "Can Humans Survive?" - Annalee Newitz, "The Daily Beast"
# The cure for gray hair may be upon us

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The U.S. says China is responsible for a series of cyber attacks
# Al Gore has done well for himself

Afternoon Update

RFE/RL Target Region
# The OCCRP rap sheet on Naser Kalmendi
# The organ-trafficking scandal in the Balkans continues to unravel
# A handless Kazakh man was denied a UK visa for lack of fingerprints

Russia
# Preparations in Moscow
# Russia says there is a growing chance of outside intervention in Syria

Of Interest
# "I was swallowed by a hippo"
# The forthcoming book on the Hanging Towers of Babylon

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "Al Gore's Golden Years" - Steve Fishman, "New York"
# "Buzzfeed" goes international
-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "UPI" cites RFE/RL reporting on Iran's elections
# "IWPR" cites RFE/RL reporting on forced psychiatric ward stays in Kazakhstan
# Former RFE/RL colleague Muhammad Yaqoob Sharafat has passed away

International Press Review

Iran
# Dissidents are staying largely quiet in the run-up to the polls
# Tehran's fashion police hit the streets for mother's day

Russia
# The Russian opposition seems to be fading (and still in the dock)
# "Celebrating Press Freedom Russian-Style" - Alexei Pankin, "Moscow Times"
# Russia is getting about $70 million per seat to fly U.S. astronauts to space and back

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Inside Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat's election strategy
# On the campaign trail with the PPP
# MI6 was also handing bags of cash to officials in the Afghan government
# The Kajaki Dam project to Afghanistan

Iraq
# Welcome to Erbil, tourist hub of Iraq
# New archeaological evidence of the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Syria
# An Israeli strike in Syria targeted Iranian missiles
# Syria calls it "an act of war"
# "The New Yorker" on the Syria debate inside the White House

Boston Bombing
# A Canadian jihadi told Russian authorities about Tamerlan Tsarnaev
# Conspiracy theories abound in Kyrgyzstan

Of Interest
# Test-firing the first 3D-printed gun
# The paradox of web site comments
# How @breakingnews works
# Branding militant groups

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# James Dobbins is the new SRAP

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Foreign Policy" and "The Asia Times" cite RFE/RL reporting on the Turkmen president's fall
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on new old labor medals in Russia

International Press Review

Iran
# Two Iranians were found guilty of planning bombings in Kenya
# EU negotiators will meet with their Iranian counterparts on May 15
# A photo series on young Iranians

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The prosecutor in the Benazir Bhutto murder case has been killed
# The Afghan government is facing a cash crunch
# Pakistani pols turn to the underworld
# The head of Roshon on telecoms in Afghanistan

Russia
# Vladimir Kara-Murza on an uptick in Alexei Navalny's popularity
# The Kremlin is coming after vKontakte

Of Interest
# "Tea Leaves in Tashkent" - Philip Shishkin, "Foreign Policy"
# "Why Maliki Must Go" - Nussaibah Younis, "The New York Times"
# A pope and a former pope are set to be roommates at the Vatican

Boston Bombings
# The bombings were orignally planned for the 4th of July
# An interesting vKontake post following the attacks

Science & Tech
# Looking for answers in fragments of the Tunguska meteorite
# The most dangerous searches on the web
# Is it legal to take a nap in a self-driving car?

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "The Economist" on the hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay
# "CIA Buys Trouble in Afghanistan" - Sarah Chayes, "LA Times"

Afternoon Update

Russia
# Mary Dejevsky on Russian diplomats

Pakistan
# Omar Waraich reports from the campaign trail
# Swat: A region healing

RFE/RL Target Region
# Kazakhstan says it is cooperating with the Boston bombing investigation
# Bidzina Ivanishvili expects a NATO Membership Action Plan for Georgia next year
# The banning of the 2011 gay pride parade in Belgrade was unconstitutional

Of Interest
# The Guantánamo memoirs of Mohamedou Ould Slahi
# Is cursive dying?

Science
# Here's a story (with a picture) about two colliding galaxies
# Dodging old Soviet satellites 

----------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The New York Times" cites RFE/RL reporting on a tumble taken by the Turkmen president
# The "Pacific Standard" cites RFE/RL reporting on Pussy Riot
# "Radio World" on Masha Gessen's resignation

International Press Review

Iran
# What could the UN find at the Parchin base?
# A senior Iranian diplomat was arrested in Tehran in March
# When Iranian and Israeli officials dined together
# Iran's Basij force says it is the victim of a cyber attack
# On reports that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was arrested
# Ahmadinejad could face house arrest

Russia
# The new Mariinsky theater is set to open
# Surgutneftegas is sitting on $29 billion in cash

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# There is a leadership crisis in the Afghan Taliban
# "Feeding the Hand that Bites" - Fred Kaplan, "Slate"
# On the campaign trail with Imran Khan
# The diary of an Afghan midwife

Boston Bombing
# "A Dead Militant in Dagestan: Did This Slain Jihadi Meet Tamerlan Tsarnaev?" - Simon Shuster, "Time"
# Three more men have been detained (more on them)
# A short guide to the Tsarnaev brothers' associates
# "Tsarnaev Homeland Chechnya: Rebuilt From War, Ruled by Fear" - Maria Golovnina, "Reuters"

RFE/RL Target Region
# Konstantin Parshin on Tajikistan-Russia relations
# "EU or Russia? Ukraine Must Choose" - Maksim Yusin, "Kommersant"
# The ten worst countries for journalists

Of Interest
# How German monitoring hardware is used against dissidents
# One week, no food
# Plugging back in after a year without the Internet

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "U.S. Should Remove Its Magnitsky Halo" - James Carden, "Moscow Times"
# The U.S. is moving closer to sending lethal arms to the Syrian opposition
# The Jamestown settlers may have had to resort to cannibalism

Afternoon Update

Russia
# Security forces broke up a protest near Sochi
# Oligarchs seem to have fared alright in the Cyprus meltdown
# Mary Dejevsky on Russian banker Elena Kotova

Iran
# Iran's oil revenue is down 27 per cent year-on-year

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Pakistan’s Brutal Elections" - Myra MacDonald, "Reuters"
# "The ‘Poisoned’ Girls of Afghanistan" - Matthieu Aikins, "The New York Times"
# Mian Mohammad Mansha says Pakistan needs austerity

Of Interest
# A chart of what was and wasn't known in the Tsarnaev case
# Communist whisky is worth a pour

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "NPR" cites RFE/RL reporting on the gas blast in Prague
# The "Financial Times" cites RFE/RL reporting on the Tsarnaev brothers

International Press Review

Russia
# The tale of laborers in Sochi
# Vladimir Putin's party is seeing falling poll numbers
# Russia and Japan may decide to end WWII

Iran
# "The Ayatollah’s Billions" -- Akrami & Ghasseminejad, "National Post"
# Mahmud Ahmadinejad's critics are slamming the outgoing president
# Iran's oil exports hit a 26-year low
# Iran is turning to South Asian palm oil as sanctions bite
# A full report on the effect of sanctions on ordinary Iranians

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "The Economist" on Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan's next PM
# "Pakistan's Troubled Election" -- Lisa Curtis, "National Interest"
# How the Taliban is exerting influence over elections

Of Interest
# "The New Yorker" on war crimes in the Balkans
# The Turkmen president takes a tumble
# "How Many People Have Really Been Killed by Chernobyl?" -- Mary Mycio, "Slate"
# Meet the Chechen boy who saved people during the Norway massacre
# How the "NY Review of Books" got the "Misha" scoop

Science & Tech
# The vanguard of free speech is publicly traded
# Twitter's memo to news orgs on account security
# Danish scientists say they are close to a cure for HIV
# On the humor of dogs and cats

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The Boston bombing may be bringing the U.S. and Russia closer
# More medics have been sent to Guantanamo Bay to deal with hunger-striking inmates
# Steve Coll reviews two books on U.S. clandestine operations

Afternoon Update

Iran
# "Iran Threatens Azerbaijan" - Alexandros Petersen, "National Journal"
# An Iranian scientist says he was jailed for refusing to do military research

Russia
# TONIGHT: "BBC Panorama" looks at Russian organized crime in London
# Scoffing at the Magnitsky list

Pakistan
# HRW calls on autorities in Pakistan to protect political candidates

Of Interest
# ENRC is being investigated in Kazakhstan
# A new strain of malaria is resistant to the most common drug used to fight the disease
# A look at the Guantanamo Bay library

Science & Technology
# On the right to be forgotten online
# The Facebook exodus continues apace

U.S. Politics
The U.S. may increase security cooperation with former Soviet republics

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Russia’s North Caucasus Militants: a Primer" -- Liz Fuller, "Global Post"

International Press Review

Iran
# It's conservative vs. conservative in Iran's upcoming elections
# Debating responses to suspected Iranian cyberattacks on the U.S.
# Iran's national intranet is starting to take shape
# It's tough being a political cartoonist in Iran

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The CIA has delivered millions of dollars in cash to the Afghan president
# Attacks killed at least eight in Pakistan
# The head of France's foreign intelligence service has some stark words on Afghanistan
# Is Pakistan a failing state?
# Inside Pakistan's dotcom industry

Russia
# "Foreign Policy" interviews Sergei Lavrov
# "The Myth of Dirty Russian Money" -- Cameron & Ordzhonikidze, "Moscow Times"
# A fired Olympic official says he has been poisoned

Boston Bombing
# Christian Caryl talks to "Misha"
# The full story of how the bombings happened
# "Integration a Hard Road for Young Chechen Men" -- Almut Rochowanski, "IWPR"
# Russia had the bombing suspect on wiretap
# The Tsarnaevs will not come to the U.S.

RFE/RL Target Region
# Iraq has suspended the licenses of nine satellite TV stations
# "Georgia's Dangerous Slide Toward NATO" -- Doug Bandow, "National Interest"
# "The Iraq Sanctions Myth" -- Michael Spagat, "Pacific Standard"
# The IT sector is booming in the Balkans
# Pictures from a gay wedding in Kazakhstan

Of Interest
# Photos of some survivors of the Norway massacre
# "Whither Moral Courage?" -- Salman Rushdie, "The New York Times"
# The Iditarod: an epic race
# "Should Germany Exit the Euro?" -- Hans-Werner Sinn, "Project Syndicate"

Science & Technology
# A Soviet scientist wanted to melt the Arctic
# The future (and present) of bio-engineered crops
# "The Twidiocracy" -- Matt Labash, "The Weekly Standard"

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The CIA is (re)investigating the death of an agent in Georgia at the collapse of the U.S.S.R.

Afternoon Update

Iran
# An Iranian scientist was released from U.S. custody
# Samsung will block its app store in Iran

Russia
# Oliver Carroll on idealism and cynicism in Russia

Afghanistan
# A film on drug addicts in Afghanistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# "A Different Balkan Story" - Catherine Ashton, "The New York Times
# Dave Trilling on the Centerra mine in Kyrgyzstan
# It's all eggs for Kazahstan's social affairs minister

Of Interest
# Peru has a huge drug industry but almost no crime
# The economics of suicide
# Bitcoin is closer to becoming a real thing

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# The AIB links to the Reddit AMA with RFE/RL's Aslan Doukaev
# "Al Monitor" cites RFE/RL reporting on new electoral laws in Iraq

International Press Review

Iran
# "Bloomberg" interviews Iran’s minister of economic affairs and finance
# "Why Iran Is Trying to Save the Syrian Regime" - Alireza Nader, "US News & World Report"
# A lot of people are claiming to be the Mahdi
# The Iranian wrestling team will head to Los Angeles next month

Russia
# "Putin’s Medieval Peace Pact in Chechnya" - Ben Judah, "Bloomberg"
# "Russia and Counterterror Cooperation" - Sergey Markedonov, "National Interest"
# The debate over what Russia's history books look like continues
# Sochi in snow

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Pakistan and Russia have agreed on a new "comprehensive partnership"
# "Why We Should be Optimistic About Afghanistan" - Erlan Idrissov, "CNN"
# "The Militant Groups Next Door" - Stephen Tankel, "Foreign Policy"
# The UK is controlling its drones in Afghanistan from...the UK

Boston Bombing
# An interview with the carjacking victim
# One U.S. House member says Russia is not being 100% cooperative in the investigation
# The Tsarnaev family maintains that the brothers are innocent

Of Interest
# On misinformation and Twitter
# Iraq has seen a lot of violence lately
# Poor, poor western democracy

Science & Technology
# What if we never run out of oil?
# Consciousness after death and other tales from resuscitation medicine

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Chemical weapons appear to have been used in Syria
# "No Time for White House to Ignore Russia’s Growing Human Rights Abuses" - David J. Kramer, "The Washington Post"

Afternoon Update

Russia
# A new record....
# "Russia's Dyatlov Pass Incident, the Strangest Unsolved Mystery of the Last Century" -- Derek Mead, "Vice"

Iran
# Inside Iran's private Internet

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Millions of women may not be able to vote in upcoming elections in Pakistan
# Another arrest warrant for Pervez Musharraf
# The NDN is apparently a good drug-smuggling route

Of Interest
# Pew polling data on Muslims' views of religious extremism 
# How important is the Roghun Dam?
# Milos Zeman may get a methonal detector (in Czech)

U.S. Politics
# Internet surveillance continues to expand

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Washington Post" quotes RFE/RL's Aslan Doukaev on militant groups in the North Caucasus
# Read RFE/RL in "The Atlantic" on Tamerlan Tsarnaev's trip to Russia

International Press Review

Russia
# "Foreign Policy" profiles Degi Dudayev
# Aleksei Navalny is not the next president of Russia
# HRW on civil society in Russia
# "The Courage Required to Come Out in Putin's Russia" -- Piotr Smolar, "LeMonde"
# "The Seven Faces of Putin" -- Ivan Krastev, "Prospect"

Iran
# Million of barrels of oil are parked in Iranian tankers
# Iran's unlikely Al-Qaeda ties
# Why Iran has seen a spike in cases of MS
# Modesty propaganda in Iran

Pakistan
# The Taliban is squeezing Pakistan's liberal politicians
# Polio isn't the only disease affecting Pakistani children

Afghanistan
# The booming kidnapping business in Herat
# Afghanistan's female cops are asking for their own bathrooms
# Kabul gets an "Apple store" -- a bit different than an Apple Store

Of Interest
# The hunting trp that doomed Moldova's government
# Debate: Is the hijab worth fighting over?
# "Inside Merkel's Bet on the Euro's Failure" -- Marcus Walker, "The Wall St. Journal"

Boston Bombing
# The CIA wanted Tsarnaev put on a terrorist watch list
# Russia had asked the U.S. to investigate Tamerlan Tsarnaev
# "CNN" talks to Tsarnaev's former brother-in-law

Science & Tech
# Mapping Internet connection speeds around the world
# Twitter's problem with hacked accounts
# Is Apple really in decline?
# The struggle that is dark matter

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Foreign Policy" on RFE/RL's Reddit AMA with Aslan Doukaev (full discussion)
# "The Washington Post" embeds RFE/RL's video report from Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan
# "The Takeway" and "Slate" cite RFE/RL reporting on the Boston bombings
# "Going Through the Motions"- Masha Gessen, "The New York Times"

International Press Review

Russia
# Russia announces plans for its base in Belarus
# The American who tells Russians how bad America is
# Reviewing "The Last Man in Russia"

Iran
# Food prices are escalating in Iran (cue the hoarding)
# Iran has denied that it has ties to the terror suspects arrested in Canada
# RAND on the labor movement in Iran

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "A Chinese Threat to Afghan Buddhas" - Brent Huffman, "The New York Times"
# Some Pakistani were paid from a secret government fund
# "At Home With Pervez Musharraf" - Sadanand Dhume, "The Wall St. Journal"
# A bomb was discovered near Musharraf's house
# Security is still lacking in Helmand Province

Boston Bombing
# "The Wrong Kind of Caucasian" - Sarah Kendzior, "Al Jazeera"
# The attackers seem to not have ties to international jihadi groups
# Why the charges include "wepaon of mass destruction"
# "The Truth About the Chechen Threat" - Robert Schaefer, "CNN"
# "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Has Rights" - Erwin Chemerinsky, "LA Times"
# "Not Your Average Chechen Jihadis" - Charles King, "Foreign Affairs"

Of Interest
# Debate: Is NATO still useful?
# Tim Judah says the Serbia-Kosovo deal shows the EU deserved the Nobel Prize
# Dozens were killed in attacks and clashes across Iraq
# Capitalism is not good for democracy online
# How the AP got hacked

Afternoon Update

Iran
# ZTE says it has almost abandoned the Iranian market
# HRW: "The Dark Side of Iran's Drug Policy"

Russia
# "Forbes" on the 200 richest Russian businessmen (emphasis on "men")

Afghanistan & Pakistan
# Pervez Musharraf is on the run
# Imported burkas are flooding the market in Afghanistan

Of Interest
# A company tied to Takilant has been fined by Swedish authorities
# The "BBC" has a primer on local elections in Iraq
# A brief history of ricin
# Trees make sounds when they are dying

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# John Stewart on "CNN" coverage of the Boston bombing
# "The Tragedies of Other Places" - Rafia Zakaria, "Guernica"
# "The Senate in the Gun Lobby's Grip" - Gabrielle Giffords, "The New York Times"
# "Checking the Logic of Background Checks" - Jacob Sullum, "Reason"

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Foreign Policy" cites RFE/RL reporting on Serbia-Kosovo negotiations

International Press Review

Iran
# Iran is expanding its nuclear technologies
# How the Iranian revolution happened
# "Iran’s Nuclear Submarine Gambit" - Zachary Keck, "The Diplomat"
# The Supreme Leader condemned the Boston bombing...with a caveat

Russia
# "A Smarter Way to Fight Corruption" - Inozemtsev & Zhuchkova, "Moscow Times"
# Maybe the Kremlin wants to be sloppy with the Navalny trial
# Bill Browder is on an international wanted list
# Pavel Durov is under investigation

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Entire villages were destroyed by the earthquake in Pakistan
# "A Pre-Taliban System With Post-2014 Potential?" - Casey Garret Johnson, "The New York Times"
# The Taliban don't want to be blamed for the Boston bombing
# Imran Khan's house was attacked by his political supporters
# The sex trade is booming in Mazar-i-Sahrif

Of Interest
# Georgia may launch an investigation into the 2008 war
# Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan may be bypassing Baghdad with a new oil deal
# Reddit users are trying to solve the Boston bombing case
# Photos: North Korea before the Kims
# A brief history of punctuation

Science & Tech
# The next generation of batteries may be coming
# The current Internet will look ridiculous in 50 years...maybe
# The top Android phones

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# An arrest was made in the ricin letters case
# Gun control legislation was voted down in the Senate
# "The Marathon" - Charles Pierce, "Grantland"

Afternoon Update

Russia
# "Self-censorship’s chill on artistic freedom in Russia" -- Elena Vlasenko, Index on Censorship
# Sochi's strays may be killed off (link in Russian)
# What the experts say about EU-Russia relations

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Footage of Pakistan cleaning up after yesterday's strong earthquake
# "Take the Bilateral Security Agreement Out of Afghan Politics" -- Sarah Chayes, Carnegie Endowment

Of Interest
# "Can Iraq Meet its Oil Potential?" -- Afeef Nessouli, "CNN"
# A backgrounder on Kazakhs in Mongolia
# Onnik Krikorian on social media in Azerbaijan and Armenia

-------------------------
Morning Edition

RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL "The Atlantic" on Gerard Depardieu's tour of repressive regimes
# "Moscow on the Potomac" -- Judy Bacharach, "World Affairs Journal"

International Press Review

Iran
# The U.S. offered aid to Iran after the earthquake
# Colin Kahl on what Iran needs to make a bomb
# The Iran Project urges diplomacy
# "A Third Way to Address the Iranian Threat" -- Michael Ledeen, "The Wall St. Journal"
# The Iranian police force has set up its election HQ

Russia
# Aleksei Navalny's trial kicks off today
# Russia admits that the U.S. missile shield is no threat
# Paul Goble on Russia and China's fight for the Arctic
# The Kostroma Center for the Defense of Public Initiatives may be in trouble after a roundtable at the American Embassy

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "The Washington Post" on Imran Khan's run for parliament
# It's been a tough campaign season for Pakistan's secular parties
# Afghans working for Germany fear reprisals after Germany's withdrawal
# Political parties may become a thing of the past in Afghanistan

RFE/RL Target Region
# The U.S. Embassy in Baku criticized the closing of the Free Thought University
# Nationalism in Albania is "unnerving" for the West

Of Interest
# Police raided a New York gallery with ties to Russian gangsters (the full slate of charges)
# "The Plot to Block Internet Freedom" -- Genachowski & Bollinger, "Foreign Policy"
# Bitcoin is killing gold (maybe)

Science & Technology
# Pressure cookers have been used for IEDs for years
# We may be eating wood in a few years
# A supernova caught in the fossil record

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# A letter addressed to Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) tested positive for ricin
# "Clip the Agency's Wings" -- Micah Zenko, "Foreign Policy"
# A new report on torture after 9/11