Ron Synovitz is a senior correspondent for RFE/RL.
International financial institutions have been lending billions of dollars to governments in Central and Eastern Europe during the past year to help them weather the global financial crisis. Unlike previous lending by the IMF and the World Bank, the new loans carry fewer, but more focused requirements on economic reforms.
Iran's top nuclear negotiator has begun a meeting with officials from the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany. The P5+1 meeting comes amid international concern about the build-up of a covert Iranian atomic program -- and ongoing suspicions that Iran wants the ability to build a nuclear bomb.
Iran has revealed the existence of a second uranium-enrichment facility in the country. The United States, Britain, and France called on the UN's nuclear watchdog to immediately investigate "this disturbing information" and demanded that Tehran comply with international rules. Iran's president responded angrily.
The United States, European Union and United Nations have exerted strong pressure on Honduras's de facto government to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya, saying his removal from power was a coup that violated the rule of law. But there is a growing debate over Zelaya's removal -- with some arguing the move was not only legal under the country's constitution, but also necessary to preserve the rule of law there.
France plans to close makeshift camps housing hundreds of illegal migrants. The crackdown follows the bulldozing of a similar refugee camp in Greece. Rights activists say hundreds of refugees will now be forced to go into hiding or face jail and deportation.
The Pentagon has reportedly begun putting a program in place that will give hundreds of detainees at the U.S. military's Bagram prison in Afghanistan the right to challenge their incarceration. Human rights advocates are welcoming the reports, but also are expressing some skepticism.
In the eight years since 9/11, Al-Qaeda's operational tactics have been evolving within its strategically flexible ideology. Experts agree Al-Qaeda is no longer the same organization it was in 2001. But for all the research that has been done, much remains unknown or a matter of speculation -- including whether Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is still alive.
Armenia and Turkey have taken a step toward reconciliation -- announcing that they will launch final talks aimed at establishing diplomatic ties. But diplomatic protocols announced on Monday still need to be approved by the parliaments of both countries.
Iraqi officials say the country's first national census since 1987 could be postponed indefinitely because of fears it may stoke ethnic and political tensions in the north. Political rifts between Kurds and Arabs are at play, as is control of key oil fields.
Reports from Kabul say U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have had an "explosive" meeting -- with Holbrooke reportedly complaining about alleged fraud during last week's election.
With a Taliban suicide attack hitting Kabul this weekend, there are renewed fears about security ahead of Afghanistan's presidential election. While security has been a key focus of NATO and Afghan government troops, Taliban militants have waged their own campaign of threats and intimidation.
A wave of bombings in Shi'ite areas of Iraq has raised fears that there could be a resurgence of sectarian violence in the country. Some suggest Al-Qaeda may be trying to foment a civil war. Others say a turf war may be emerging between rival Iraqi factions following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from urban areas. So far, Shi'ite leaders have been urging their followers to show restraint.
The U.S. and Britain are calling for a new framework on negotiations with the Taliban to encourage moderate elements to support the Afghan government. It could signal a shift toward a more wholesale approach to militias that includes letting them stay armed and mobilized.
Preliminary election results from northern Iraq's Kurdish region show the two traditional ruling Kurdish parties securing the presidency and a majority of seats in parliament. But as the final results are being tallied, it also appears that a viable opposition has emerged in the region with a reformist agenda.
Longstanding differences between Kurdish officials and Iraq's central government are on the Obama administration's agenda as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki visits Washington this week. Upcoming parliamentary elections in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq will determine which Kurdish officials take part in any future negotiations with the Baghdad government. Ultimately, their differences are testing whether a federal system of government can work in Iraq.
As many as 2,000 Taliban prisoners were killed in late 2001, allegedly by fighters of a U.S.-backed warlord in Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama has called for more facts on the case, and questions remain about why the killings have not been officially investigated.
South Korea is on high alert amid suspicions that North Korea was behind a recent wave of website outages in South Korea and the United States. The attacks are being called the most widespread cyberoffensive in recent years.
Iranian demonstrators who allege vote-count fraud in the reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad are using Internet media to stay ahead of government censors. And some young Iranians are taking the battle further, launching their own cyberattacks against government websites.
After a weekend of widespread protests against Iran's official election results, many Iranians continue to believe that incumbent President Mahmud Ahmadinejad was fraudulently declared the winner of the June 12 vote. Now the regime in Tehran is trying to silence the critics. RFE/RL looks at the reasons many suspect Iran's presidential election was stolen.
A Bosnian television station has shown what it says is recent video footage of indicted Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic freely enjoying life with members of his family and at parties attended by scores of guests. But officials in Belgrade say the footage is at least eight years old, and allege it was leaked to undermine Serbia's EU membership bid by suggesting Belgrade is not meeting its promise to arrest Mladic.
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