Afternoon Update
Russia
# "Self-censorship’s chill on artistic freedom in Russia" -- Elena Vlasenko, Index on Censorship
# Sochi's strays may be killed off (link in Russian)
# What the experts say about EU-Russia relations
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Footage of Pakistan cleaning up after yesterday's strong earthquake
# "Take the Bilateral Security Agreement Out of Afghan Politics" -- Sarah Chayes, Carnegie Endowment
Of Interest
# "Can Iraq Meet its Oil Potential?" -- Afeef Nessouli, "CNN"
# A backgrounder on Kazakhs in Mongolia
# Onnik Krikorian on social media in Azerbaijan and Armenia
-------------------------
Morning Edition
RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL "The Atlantic" on Gerard Depardieu's tour of repressive regimes
# "Moscow on the Potomac" -- Judy Bacharach, "World Affairs Journal"
International Press Review
Iran
# The U.S. offered aid to Iran after the earthquake
# Colin Kahl on what Iran needs to make a bomb
# The Iran Project urges diplomacy
# "A Third Way to Address the Iranian Threat" -- Michael Ledeen, "The Wall St. Journal"
# The Iranian police force has set up its election HQ
Russia
# Aleksei Navalny's trial kicks off today
# Russia admits that the U.S. missile shield is no threat
# Paul Goble on Russia and China's fight for the Arctic
# The Kostroma Center for the Defense of Public Initiatives may be in trouble after a roundtable at the American Embassy
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "The Washington Post" on Imran Khan's run for parliament
# It's been a tough campaign season for Pakistan's secular parties
# Afghans working for Germany fear reprisals after Germany's withdrawal
# Political parties may become a thing of the past in Afghanistan
RFE/RL Target Region
# The U.S. Embassy in Baku criticized the closing of the Free Thought University
# Nationalism in Albania is "unnerving" for the West
Of Interest
# Police raided a New York gallery with ties to Russian gangsters (the full slate of charges)
# "The Plot to Block Internet Freedom" -- Genachowski & Bollinger, "Foreign Policy"
# Bitcoin is killing gold (maybe)
Science & Technology
# Pressure cookers have been used for IEDs for years
# We may be eating wood in a few years
# A supernova caught in the fossil record
U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# A letter addressed to Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) tested positive for ricin
# "Clip the Agency's Wings" -- Micah Zenko, "Foreign Policy"
# A new report on torture after 9/11
Russia
# "Self-censorship’s chill on artistic freedom in Russia" -- Elena Vlasenko, Index on Censorship
# Sochi's strays may be killed off (link in Russian)
# What the experts say about EU-Russia relations
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Footage of Pakistan cleaning up after yesterday's strong earthquake
# "Take the Bilateral Security Agreement Out of Afghan Politics" -- Sarah Chayes, Carnegie Endowment
Of Interest
# "Can Iraq Meet its Oil Potential?" -- Afeef Nessouli, "CNN"
# A backgrounder on Kazakhs in Mongolia
# Onnik Krikorian on social media in Azerbaijan and Armenia
-------------------------
Morning Edition
RFE/RL In The Media
# Read RFE/RL "The Atlantic" on Gerard Depardieu's tour of repressive regimes
# "Moscow on the Potomac" -- Judy Bacharach, "World Affairs Journal"
International Press Review
Iran
# The U.S. offered aid to Iran after the earthquake
# Colin Kahl on what Iran needs to make a bomb
# The Iran Project urges diplomacy
# "A Third Way to Address the Iranian Threat" -- Michael Ledeen, "The Wall St. Journal"
# The Iranian police force has set up its election HQ
Russia
# Aleksei Navalny's trial kicks off today
# Russia admits that the U.S. missile shield is no threat
# Paul Goble on Russia and China's fight for the Arctic
# The Kostroma Center for the Defense of Public Initiatives may be in trouble after a roundtable at the American Embassy
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "The Washington Post" on Imran Khan's run for parliament
# It's been a tough campaign season for Pakistan's secular parties
# Afghans working for Germany fear reprisals after Germany's withdrawal
# Political parties may become a thing of the past in Afghanistan
RFE/RL Target Region
# The U.S. Embassy in Baku criticized the closing of the Free Thought University
# Nationalism in Albania is "unnerving" for the West
Of Interest
# Police raided a New York gallery with ties to Russian gangsters (the full slate of charges)
# "The Plot to Block Internet Freedom" -- Genachowski & Bollinger, "Foreign Policy"
# Bitcoin is killing gold (maybe)
Science & Technology
# Pressure cookers have been used for IEDs for years
# We may be eating wood in a few years
# A supernova caught in the fossil record
U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# A letter addressed to Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) tested positive for ricin
# "Clip the Agency's Wings" -- Micah Zenko, "Foreign Policy"
# A new report on torture after 9/11