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Briefing Chechnya: How a remote Russian republic became linked with terrorism

The main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are two brothers from Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been the scene of cyclical revolts and brutal crackdowns for the past 200 years.

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Global News Blog Good Reads: From raising champions, to Norway’s slow TV, to making real friends

This week's round-up of Good Reads includes a profile of Olympian Missy Franklin, American sitcoms in Kyrgyzstan, a strange TV phenomenon in Norway, a 'slow friend' backlash to Facebook, and productive early risers.
June 2013 was world's fifth-hottest June on record, says NOAA

June 2013 broke monthly records over much of northern Canada, western Russia, southern Japan, the Philippines, part of southwestern China, and central southern Africa.
Global News Blog Turkish street vendors turn on a dime to make a lira off Taksim protests

Swimming goggles and 'V for Vendetta' masks cropped up in street vendors' hands within days of the first demonstrations in Taksim Square.
Difference Maker Pianist spreads goodwill for America through the power of music

John Ferguson founded American Voices, a nonprofit whose mission is to help aspiring young artists around the world pursue their interest in American jazz, Broadway, break dancing, and classical music.
Google Earth Engine unveils how Earth has altered

For the first time, the public can track back the environmental changes occurring on our planet's surface over time via Google Earth Engine.
Opinion Syria – another sign that US needs to recalibrate Middle East policy

As the US backs into Syria and other Mideast crises, China is proactively and strategically engaging in the region. Its actions point out what America has to lose if it continues to hesitate in the Middle East.
Briefing Chechnya: How a remote Russian republic became linked with terrorism

The main suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing are two brothers from Chechnya, a Russian republic that has been the scene of cyclical revolts and brutal crackdowns for the past 200 years.
Were motives of Boston bombing suspects embedded in Chechen heritage – or not?

The suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing were immigrants from a violent region of the Caucasus, but experts say disaffection with the US, rather than radical ideology, is the more likely motive.
Chechen identity looms over Boston Marathon bombing suspects

If true that the two suspects were raised in Chechnya, its warrior tradition - which stresses male independence and defiance of authority - would likely have shaped their childhood.
CSMonitor editors share their favorite people to follow on Twitter

Twitter turned 7 this week. In celebration of the social network's birthday, The Christian Science Monitor compiled a list of favorite Twitter accounts. Each is informative and useful in its own way. Find out what each section recommends for you.
Backchannels Egypt's economy is collapsing, and no one is stopping it

Egypt's economic problems do have a possible solution: politics. But Egypt's politicians are failing.
Energy Voices What's China doing in Greenland?

China’s drive to develop Greenland’s rare earths may be driven more by its economic than geopolitical interests, Rogers writes.
Energy Voices BP Energy Outlook: why the oil giant's forecasts are flawed

The BP Energy Outlook 2030 is not a statistical or scientific document, Cobb writes, but rather a political one. It is not a statement about the way the world is so much as about the way BP wishes it to be over the next 20 years, he adds.
Pakistani Taliban enter fray around strategic NATO routes

Fighting between rival militant groups near the Khyber Pass has reportedly claimed more than 70 lives over the past week.
Chapter & Verse 'Games Without Rules' dominate Afghanistan's tangled history

Afghan-American author Tamim Ansary tracks the past of his native country
Backchannels In Egypt a new cabinet, but same old IMF problem

A day after President Mohamed Morsi reshuffled Egypt's cabinet, an IMF representative was in Cairo to discuss a $4.8 billion loan. But the cost of that needed cash appears steep.
IMF arrives in Egypt in effort to head off currency crisis

Leading bank HSBC said that a $4.8 billion International Monetary Fund loan is 'the only thing' preventing Egypt from a currency crisis brought on by post-revolution political upheaval.
John Kerry as secretary of State: expect a more traditional style (+video)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with her late-night dancing and talks with children, was known for her 'people to people' style. John Kerry is expected to adopt a more traditional version of diplomacy.
Editor's Blog Managing the 'water planet'

For most of history, there were always new lands to discover, explore, and exploit. Resources like water were taken for granted. But an important shift has occurred as we've looked back at our planet from space: We've become more conscious of preserving our rare, blue-green island in the universe.
Progress Watch Poland takes top honors for 'most improved' in cutting red tape

It's getting easier to do business in many countries, according to a World Bank report, with Eastern Europe and Central Asia making significant strides this year.
Energy Voices Georgia installs soccer star as energy minister

The prime minister-elect of Georgia announced earlier this week his choice of soccer sensation Kakha Kaladze as his new energy minister. The soccer star has played for top Italian clubs Milan and Genoa, according to OilPrice.com.
Kremlin to pull out of Russia-US nuke lockdown program

Russia's plan to end the Nunn-Lugar program, in which the US aided Russia in handling post-Soviet weaponry, is just part of Russia's shifting policy regarding international cooperation.
Editor's Blog How poor is poor? How rich is rich?

Everyone from the US Census Bureau to the United Nations has a definition of poverty. A reasonable income is unquestionably important. But income alone doesn't determine whether someone is poor. Or rich.
Russia keeps door open to Pakistan after Putin cancels trip

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Islamabad yesterday in an apparent effort to smooth feathers ruffled in Pakistan by Putin's last- minute cancellation of his own scheduled visit.
Opinion Beware Russia's hand in elections in Georgia, Ukraine, Lithuania

A top priority of Russian President Vladimir Putin is the reintegration of former Soviet republics – based on tighter economic links and culminating in a political and security pact centered around Russia. Meddling in Eastern European elections is one way to fulfill Putin's regional ambition.