Ron Synovitz is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
John Barry, author of "The Great Influenza" and among the world's foremost historians on the influenza pandemic of 1918, is warning the world not to become complacent about the threat posed by the new swine flu virus. He worries the new strain may seem to disappear during the summer -- but quietly continue to infect people around the world until it surfaces against in a stronger, mutated form.
The World Health Organization has raised the alert over the H1N1 flu virus for the second time this week -- urging governments around the world to start putting their emergency plans into action for an imminent pandemic.
Islamic militants are challenging government authority in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, and fresh advances are bringing the insurgency closer to major cities. How confident should we be that Pakistan's nuclear weapons won't fall into the wrong hands?
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says a NATO-led military exercise scheduled for May in Georgia would be dangerous and hinder efforts to rebuild relations between Moscow and the Western alliance. But NATO insists it will go ahead with the long-planned exercises, despite Russian demands to call them off.
After four months of deadlock, Iraqi lawmakers have elected Ayad al-Samarraei, a Sunni Arab legislator and strong critic of Iraq’s Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, to the post of parliamentary speaker.
Leaders of youth protests against Moldova's official election results have been using cell phone text messages, blogs and Internet social networks -- like Facebook and Twitter -- to organize massive demonstrations in Chisinau. RFE/RL takes a closer look at how a small group of Internet-savvy activists in Chisinau have been using modern technology to get the word out about their rallies.
As U.S. President Barack Obama called on Iraqis to "make political accommodations" and take "responsibility" for their country during a surprise visit, officials in Baghdad were grappling with a case that could well indicate how prepared they are to tackle a key obstacle to progress.
A confidential report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), cited by the "Financial Times," says that struggling EU member states should switch to the euro currency, even if they are not full members of the eurozone.
U.S. officials say President Barack Obama will not press for concrete commitments on Afghanistan from NATO allies during the summit April 3-4 in Strasbourg, France, and Baden Baden, Germany. The announcement follows consultations between Obama and European leaders in which the U.S. president was told there would not immediate troop reinforcements by key European allies like France and Germany.
NATO has overcome internal divisions to outlive both the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union. And it has gone on to tackle security challenges beyond its own borders -- including the Balkans and Afghanistan. A look at the alliance's history.
NATO air strikes 10 years ago to counter a violent crackdown by Serb forces in Kosovo are remembered by many in Belgrade as a case of Western aggression. But in Kosovo's capital, which also was targeted, many ethnic Albanians view the campaign as the end of a repressive era and the ushering in of freedom.
U.S. President Barack Obama says new plans for Afghanistan should also focus on Pakistan, and must include an "exit strategy" for U.S. troops. Within hours of his remarks, his special envoy to the region was reportedly briefing NATO allies on the new strategy.
Azerbaijan says voters in the March 18 referendum have overwhelmingly approved a series of constitutional amendments -- including a provision that would allow President Ilham Aliyev to continue running for reelection indefinitely. But the president of the Council of Europe's chamber of local authorities says the amendments violate Baku's commitments on democracy, and that if the amendments are implemented, Azerbaijan could eventually be suspended from the council altogether.
Former poppy farmers in Afghanistan appear to be growing cannabis instead -- giving Afghanistan the dubious distinction of being the world's top producer of both heroin and cannabis.
Islamic banks so far appear to be weathering the global financial crisis better than many conventional banks. But experts say you don't have to be a direct holder of "toxic assets" to get burned, and falling prices for assets that have been deemed Shari'a compliant could mean darker days ahead.
Iran this week began the lengthy process of starting up its long-delayed Bushehr nuclear power plant -- a Russian-built facility with a 1,000-megawatt light-water reactor. As the day nears when Iran will start producing its own nuclear energy, fears that material from Bushehr could be used to build a nuclear weapon have been eclipsed by fresh concerns over uranium-enrichment efforts elsewhere in Iran.
Iranian officials say the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant could finally become operational this year. Commissioned in 1995, its launch has been delayed many times amid Western allegations that it may be part of a wider Iranian program to secretly develop nuclear weapons.
Pakistani officials have agreed to let local judges in the Swat Valley practice Shari'a law, in exchange for a pledge from pro-Taliban militants to refrain from attacks. Is the deal a necessary compromise, or could it open the door to abuses of human rights -- and create new safe havens for militants?
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Muhammad el-Baradei leaves office in November after 12 years of leading the UN's nuclear watchdog. With a vote on his successor expected soon, the politics behind the selection of the next IAEA chief are unfolding. The leading candidate, Japan's Yukiya Amano, appears to support ideas in Washington for a new framework of dialogue with Iran about its controversial nuclear program.
Kyrgyzstan says its decision to evict U.S. troops from Manas International Airport near Bishkek is final. The United States says it is still in talks with Bishkek to retain use of the base. But Washington also is looking for alternative routes to supply NATO forces in Afghanistan.
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