Independent experts examine Washington’s claims that Iran is using its civilian space program as cover to secretly develop a nuclear-capable ICBM. By Ron Synovitz
When Iranians go to the polls on February 21 to elect a new parliament, they will be choosing almost exclusively from conservative candidates. That’s because more than 7,000 reformist candidates have been disqualified by the powerful Guardians Council. By Golnaz Esfandiari and Carlos Coelho
When longtime Kremlin aide Vladislav Surkov’s imminent departure was first announced by an acquaintance last month, the reason given was a supposed shift in Moscow’s policies toward Ukraine. But does Surkov’s dismissal really mean new prospects for an end to the war between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists in the Donbas? By Robert Coalson
An Uzbek justice official recently discussed the deadly violence in the city of Andijon in 2005 during which hundreds of civilians were massacred. Talking about Andijon had been taboo in Uzbekistan but many are now encouraged that the government has raised the issue, considered the darkest event in the country since it gained independence in 1991. By Bruce Pannier
Plans for a new highway in Russia’s capital have led to protests. Locals say the project cuts straight through an industrial site contaminated with radioactive waste. A state-owned company has blamed high radioactive readings in the area on faulty equipment. By RFE/RL’s Russian Service and Neil Bowdler
Nearly 400 people in the picturesque northern Russian city of Veliky Ustyug have been bilked out of over $3 million by an unscrupulous pyramid scheme, prosecutors say. Widely seen as a relic of the so-called “lawless 1990s,” such swindles seem to be making a comeback deep in the Putin era. By Kirill Kruglikov and Robert Coalson
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani banned the hunting of rare birds and animals two years ago, but hunting continues across the country and the hides of rare animals can be bought in markets in the capital, Kabul. By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan
A member of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Commission on the Family has provoked animated ire by likening women who live with their partners outside of marriage to “unpaid prostitutes.” Responding to the outcry, the church said the priest’s remarks “were not aimed at women but at those who debase and use them.” By Robert Coalson
The Russian government hopes assisted in vitro fertilization (IVF) can help boost the country’s falling population. The procedure is covered by Russians’ state health insurance and, since last year, the state will now reimburse patients for IVF undergone at private clinics to cut waiting times. By AFP and Neil Bowdler
For centuries, artisans in the city of Herat have made the ceramic tiles that decorate Afghan mosques. But as mass-produced tiles replace handmade ones, the craftsmen fear that their tradition may be dying out. By RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan
Radio Free | Radio Free (2020-02-21T10:21:16+00:00) The Week’s Best: Stories You May Have Missed. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/02/21/the-weeks-best-stories-you-may-have-missed-9/
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