 RFE/RL Headlines 04.05.2009 A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  EU Predicts Big Contraction In Euro Economy The European Union has issued new economic predictions which indicate that the economies of member states will shrink at a much faster rate this year than previously estimated. The global recession will hit hard at exports, and unemployment will rise sharply. No relief is expected until late next year, when the situation might stabilize. More  Disagreements, Fighting Threaten Swat Peace Deal Pakistan's military claims to be making significant progress in defeating Taliban militants in its western border regions, but the Taliban has meanwhile resumed attacks on security forces in Swat Valley. The developments on the battlefield follow Taliban's rejection of an Islamic appellate court over the weekend, leaving the two-month-old Swat peace agreement on the verge of collapse. More  Moldova's President Confirms He Won't Attend EU Summit Outgoing Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin says he will not attend the European Union's Eastern Partnership summit in Prague on May 7 and will send Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan instead. More  'Twitter Revolution' Journalist Freed From House Arrest The Moldovan Court of Appeals has released journalist Natalia Morar from house arrest in the capital, Chisinau, where she had been confined for her role in the so-called "Twitter Revolution," RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More  More Than 100 Iranian Activists Detained In Tehran More than 100 Iranian labor activists and several members of the One Million Signatures Campaign against discriminatory laws were detained in Tehran on May 1 as they gathered in the city's Laleh Park to mark International Workers' Day. More  Armenian Opposition Leader Criticizes 'Road Map' Armenian opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian criticized the government's Turkish-Armenian "road map" agreement at a May Day rally on May 1 in Yerevan, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More Last Week In Facebook Inspired by The Atlantic's mock "World Leaders" Facebook group, RFE/RL presents a Facebook-style summary of last week's events. More  Afghan Government Removes Beggars From Kabul Streets On April 30, local authorities in Kabul began removing all beggars from the streets. The plan follows a resolution by the council of ministers -- headed by President Hamid Karzai -- from November that outlawed begging on the streets. More  Georgia's Azeri Minority Treated As 'Second-Class Citizens' The motivation of Farda Gadirov, the young Azeri man from Georgia who killed 13 people in the bloodbath at Azerbaijan's State Oil Academy on April 30, remains a subject of conjecture. But his biography is typical of that of many members of Georgia's ethnic-Azeri community, some 200,000 of whom have left Georgia since 1992, either to escape perceived discrimination or in search of employment. More  Russia Accuses Azerbaijan, Georgia Of Abetting Transfer Of Funds To North Caucasus Resistance Three days after the Georgian Foreign Ministry rejected as unfounded Russian allegations that Chechen militants are again using Georgian territory as a base from which to launch acts of terrorism in Chechnya, Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika on April 30 accused both Georgia and Azerbaijan of failing to take effective measures to curtail the flow of funds to the North Caucasus resistance. More  EU Envoy Again Calls For Talks In Georgia EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Ambassador Peter Semneby met in Tbilisi on May 1 with opposition leaders who continue to demand the resignation of President Mikheil Saakashvili, and with parliament speaker David Bakradze, who advocates talks with the opposition on political reform. More  Strategic Hurdles As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares for talks with his Afghan and Pakistani counterparts, his new "Af-Pak" strategy for combating extremism and restoring stability in the region faces rapidly evolving challenges. But is it doomed to fail? More  Firings Hint At Possible Relaxation Of Restrictions Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov recently sacked two top media executives. He's also overseen the opening of Internet cafes and the reopening of journalism schools. The moves have sparked hope his government might ease long-standing media restrictions. Others, however, say the changes are largely superficial. More  New Coalition Calls For Gender Equality Ahead Of Vote A new coalition of Iranian women's rights activists has issued a set of demands for the country's next president, including changing the constitution to guarantee gender equality without preconditions. Against all odds, two women are even trying to run in the June vote. More  Financial Crisis Causing Drop In Media Freedom Worldwide A report by the U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House says the global financial crisis is having a negative impact on freedom of the press. Released ahead of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, the report indicates that the crisis is providing oppressive governments with new tools to tighten their grip on the media. More  Russians Ask Where All The Money Is Going There are strange things going on in the world, ladies and gentlemen. Particularly concerning the global economic crisis, and particularly in Russia. Some small, little-noticed events are especially intriguing. The devil, as they say, is in the details. More |
