The Rundown -- October 30

RFE/RL in the Media

# "Montreal Gazette" cites RFE/RL reporting about Putin's comments welcoming gays at Sochi games

# International Business Times cites RFE/RL reporting about child brides in Pakistan

Middle East

# "Ousted General in Egypt is Back, as Islamists' Foe" - David Kirkpatrick, "New York Times"

# "Allies in Revolt" - "New York Times" editorial

# First polio outbreak in Syria in 14 years

Iran

# "How to Negotiate with Iran" - Dennis Ross, Eric Edelman, and Michael Makovsky, "Los Angeles Times"

# Iranian actress sentenced to 18 months for security charges

# Iran's "Down with America" contest

# "The Long Road to Agreement With Iran" - Javier Solana, Project Syndicate

Afghanistan/Pakistan

# "Afghanistan and Pakistan Scramble for the Favor of Al Qaeda" - Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor

# What the Iraq crisis can teach about the Afghanistan withdrawal

# Teen girl in Pakistan allegedly digs herself out of grave after being raped by two men

# Sharif promises to reconsider jailing of doctor who helped CIA find bin Laden

# Daughter of woman killed in drone attack visits Congress

Iraq

# David Petraeus says Iraq gains are in "grave danger"

Russia

# Russia accused of using usb sticks to spy on foreign leaders; Russia denies

# Russia holds military drills in the Arctic

# Navalny and his brother indicted in new fraud case

# "Dispatches: An Open Invitation to Violence in Russia?" - Tanya Lokshina, HRW

# "How Putin Uses Money Laundering Charges to Control His Opponents" - Andrew Bowen, "The Atlantic"

Eastern Europe

# Ukraine gains 28 spots in ease of doing business rankings

# Putin aide says Ukraine won't sign Association Agreement because it would be contrary to its interests

# EU renews sanctions on Belarus

Central Asia

# Kazakhstan adopts 12 year schooling

# Russia-Kazakhstan reportedly to sign military agreement next month

Balkans

# "Where Folk Songs Meet Serbian Criminals" - Brad Cohen, BBC

# Kosovo starts talks with EU

Caucasus

# Iran and Azerbaijan in dispute over polo

# Former Georgian defense minister sentenced to four years in jail

Of Interest

# Legatum Prosperity Index

# Jennifer Preston on verifying Tweets

# "How BuzzFeed’s Translation Project Will Hurt Foreign News" - Evgeny Morozov, Slate