RFE/RL in the Media
# Quartz covers raid on RFE/RL Baku office
Ukraine
# Ceasefire holding, Ukraine begins artillery withdrawal
# Ukraine desperate for IMF aid as money runs low
# Putin says suspension of gas flow to the east "smells of genocide"; threatens to cut gas by end of week
# "The Real Reason Fighting Stopped in Ukraine – For Now" - Fiona Hill, Reuters
Russia
# Russian ATMs granting micro-loans
# Can Russia afford Transdniester?
# Lesbian nightclub being investigated after viral kissing photo
# Putin approval back at 86 percent
# "No, Obama, Russia's Economy Isn't 'in Tatters'"- Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg
Eastern Europe
# Belarus launching pilot project using cockroaches as animal feed
# Merkel says she hopes Moldova isn't in Putin's sights
Iraq/Syria
# Video shows IS militants smashing antiquities dating from as far back as the 7th century BC
# "Jihadi John" identified as Mohammed Emwazi
# IS onslaught engulfs Assyrian Christians
# "The Clash of Civilizations That Isn't" - Robin Wright, New Yorker
Iran
# Iran's Navy destroys mock U.S. carrier
# New York Times editorial supports potential Iran-U.S. nuclear deal; Krauthammer doesn't
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Report: Torture of detainees continues in Afghanistan
# U.S. embassy issues emergency message, warning of threats against Americans in Afghanistan
# Pakistan tightening mobile phone controls to prevent their use in militant attacks; demanding fingerprints
Central Asia
# Kazakhstan passes draft "gay propaganda" bill
Of Interest