Antoine Blua is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
On 7 July, suicide bombers killed 52 people in attacks on the London transportation system. Since then, France’s government has been working to prevent similar terrorist attacks on French soil. Security analysts say terrorism poses a significant threat in France. But organizations defending individual liberties claim proposed antiterror measures violate the rights of citizens.
A 20-meter-high model of the Shenzhou rocket (file photo) Yesterday’s successful landing of the U.S. space shuttle "Discovery" at the end of a two-week mission has confirmed the United States’ leading position in space technology and space exploration. The U.S. space agency NASA is now due to launch an unmanned spacecraft to Mars to study whether the planet once had sufficient water to nurture life. Russia is the other traditional space power. But other countries are actively developing national space programs. Most notably, China is speeding up development of its technology in a drive to keep up with the world's major space powers.
Russia and China will hold unprecedented joint military exercises later this month in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok and in the coastal Chinese province of Shandong and nearby waters. More than 10,000 troops will take part in the drill, dubbed "Peace Mission 2005,” which will include army, navy, air force, marine, airborne, and logistics units. As their scale suggests, these exercises underscore the growing ties between the two former Cold War antagonists.
Kant air base Russia's military originally announced last year it would boost its troop strength at the Kant air base in Kyrgyzstan, and that more warplanes would be added at the base. However, the military set no time frame for the arrival of the new forces. The issue is now surfacing again, at a moment when the continued presence of U.S. troops on military bases in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan is coming under growing criticism.
Madeleine Albright speaking to RFE/RL in Baku Ilham Aliyev, who took over Azerbaijan's presidency from his father, Heidar Aliyev, in controversial 2003 elections, has only recently allowed opposition protests to take place, amid heavy international pressure. As the two-day visit to Baku of former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright suggests, pressure is mounting on Aliyev's administration to oversee free and fair parliamentary elections in November, or risk international isolation.
Quitting can be hard The Internet has become a part of life for a growing number of people around the world. But many people don't realize that hours spent online could be a symptom of Internet addiction. The disorder is affecting a growing number of people, mainly children and teenagers, who are spending increasing amounts of time playing games and chatting on the web. In an effort to tackle this problem, China has now opened its first clinic to help treat Internet addicts.
Bush making his speech at Fort Bragg In a televised national address yesterday, President George W. Bush said prevailing in the Iraqi conflict is vital to the future security of the United States. Seeking to bolster support for the ongoing war, Bush also compared the Iraqi insurgents to the hijackers who carried out the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States. RFE/RL looks at reactions from officials and politicians in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Afghanistan.
Mahmud Ahmadinejad The European Union is calling for continuity in its relations with Tehran following the election of a candidate to Iran's presidency many see as a hard-liner. However, EU leaders say they will keep up pressure on Iran over the country’s controversial nuclear activities and its poor human rights record.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) promotes democracy and assists its 55 participating states in building democratic institutions. It also acts as an instrument of conflict prevention, crisis management, and postconflict rehabilitation. But its member states must do the hard work of actually implementing reforms. And according to the annual report of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, a lot more remains to be done to firmly establish democracy in many parts of the OSCE region. (For a country-by-country fact sheet, see below.)
Workers in Shandong Province Since economic reforms began in 1978, China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has expanded at an average rate of over 9 percent per year. However this economic success has been accompanied by a series of energy concerns -- insufficient energy supply, heavy reliance on coal despite its negative environmental impact, and a low level of energy efficiency. These issues are becoming increasingly pressing as Beijing plans to quadruple its GDP within the next 15 years.
Acting President Kurmanbek Bakiev In an address to the permanent council session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on 30 May, Kyrgyz interim President Kurmanbek Bakiev said the situation in his country has been brought back to normal. However, a series of recent incidents suggest that the weakness of the new leadership, combined with burning social and economic issues, have created a volatile environment that persists months after the ouster of President Askar Akaev.
As the world is marking today as International Children’s Day, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says children in residential institutions in Europe and Central Asia are often subjected to violence.
Murder is the leading cause of job-related deaths among journalists worldwide, and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has identified the Philippines as the most “murderous country,” followed by Iraq. Despairing of getting protection from security forces, some Filipino reporters have decided to arm themselves. In Iraq, news organizations are hiring armed guards to protect their staff. Such measures imply some risks.
Draft legislation that would amend 11 laws is now awaiting approval by Kazakhstan's legislative upper house. The bill, which concerns many elements of the country's society -- including the media, nongovernmental organizations, and religious communities -- was drafted under the premise that it would strengthen national security. But as RFE/RL reports, the changes would further encroach on religious believers' rights.
Gender violence is present in every region of the world. But in some conservative societies in South Asia, it has not been considered an issue until recently. Stories of horrific rapes in Pakistan and India, murders in Afghanistan, and the desperate plights of other women in South Asia have all underscored how far the region has to go before women are treated with justice.
Today is the UN-declared World Press Freedom Day, an annual observance meant to highlight the importance of a free press for civil societies. In the second-part of a two-part series, RFE/RL looks at press freedom in Central Asia. There, governments have often resorted to "hidden" forms of censorship -- such as restricting news organizations' access to printing houses or broadcast frequencies -- to keep dissenting voices from being heard. But journalists and activists are finding new ways to get their messages heard, including by turning to the Internet. The Internet is still far from being a mass medium in Central Asia but it is becoming an increasingly influential forum for exchanging news and opinions.
GUUAM -- the group comprising Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Moldova -- was formed eight years ago with the aim of fostering regional cooperation outside the boundaries of Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). But GUUAM's accomplishments were largely reduced to a series of signed agreements that never came to fruition. But now efforts are under way to revitalize the group. Leaders from four of the five member-states are gathering tomorrow in the Moldovan capital Chisinau in an attempt to breathe new life into a group that is increasingly turning away from Moscow and looking toward the West.
Long-standing social problems have surfaced in Kyrgyzstan three weeks after former President Askar Akaev was removed from office. Thousands of squatters, many from the south of the country, are occupying land around the capital Bishkek. They insist that they should be allocated land by the new authorities. As RFE/RL reports, their demands have sparked anger among many Bishkek residents.
President Jacques Chirac began his campaign to save the European Union constitution yesterday, with opinion polls showing the “no” campaign is clearly ahead just six weeks before a referendum on the history-making document on 29 May. Fielding questions in a televised "town hall"-style meeting, Chirac warned voters that a rejection of the text could mean France would "cease to exist politically" in the EU. He also said the charter would strengthen France and Europe by giving the EU rules that would allow it to compete with other global powers like the United States.
Kazakhstan is one of several Central Asian and Asian countries facing threats to major lakes Increasing water drainage and pollution are putting many lakes around the world in serious danger. It is estimated that more than one-half of the world's five million lakes are at risk, threatening the economic and health benefits they bring local communities. Asia is no exception.
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