The Rundown - April 28

News & views on RFE/RL's broadcast region

International Press Review

Iran
# Iran's opposition will protest on June 12th, the anniversary of last year's election
# A dispatch from the Iran-Iraq border
# Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be at the U.N. in New York next week

Pakistan
# Ron Moreau wonders why Pakistan keeps releasing Taliban officials
# "U.S. Must Wise up on Pakistan Aid" - Rajeev Sharma, "The Diplomat"
# "Who is Behind the Hazara Unrest?" - Mosharraf Zaidi, "News International"
# India suspects one of its diplomats is spying for Pakistan

Afghanistan
# "Afghanistan - The New Skiing Destination" - Jon Boone, "The Guardian"
# A British citizen has been sentenced in Afghanistan for bribery

Russia
# "Russia's Rethink" - Editorial, "Financial Times"
# "Vedomosti" has sued the speaker of the State Duma
# Russia will try to join the WTO

Iraq
# "U.S. Has Unfinished Business in Iraq" - Simon Tisdall, "The Guardian"
# "The New York Times" on the Iraq withdrawl timeline

Kyrgyzstan
# "A New Chance to Build Kyrgyz Democracy" - Anders Aslund, "Moscow Times"
# Kyrgyzstan's interim government charges Bakiyev with "mass killing"

Of Interest
# "U.K. Foreign Policy: Shrunken Ambitions" - Phillip Stevens, "Financial Times"

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "Help From Our Friends" - Gulnara Karimova, "National Interest"
# Congress will hold a meeting on Iran sanctions
# Noah Shachtman on the greening of the U.S. Army for "Foreign Policy"
# Al Kamen's "In the Loop"