 RFE/RL Headlines 28.05.2009 A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  Leaders Of U.S. Muslim Charity Given Stiff Jail Terms The leaders of what once was the biggest Muslim charity in the United States have been given long prison sentences for channeling millions of dollars to the Palestinian militant organization Hamas. More  Moldovan Parliament Delays Vote On New President Observers say the postponement is likely due to the Communists' failure to persuade the opposition -- which has vowed to boycott the vote -- to participate. More  Amnesty Warns Of Combined Economic, Repression Effect In its latest report on the state of rights around the world, Amnesty International warns that many governments have failed abysmally to protect human rights, human lives, and livelihoods threatened by the economic downturn. The group also says the term "security" has been misused to undermine rights. More Police Search Rights Group's Office In Moscow Police have searched the office of the human rights organization Spravedlivost (The Justice), RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  U.S.-Iraqi Audit To Check Finances For Reconstruction A joint U.S.-Iraqi audit will be carried out to look at allocations for Iraq’s reconstruction managed by the U.S. military, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reports. More  Six Candidates Set For Iraqi Kurds' Presidential Vote Six candidates have been confirmed for the Kurdish regional government's presidential election to be held on July 25, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reports. More  Ukrainian President Says GDP Could Fall 20 Percent Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has called the government's budget policies "amoral" and predicted that the GDP for the first quarter of 2009 would shrink by more than 20 percent. More  Rights Activists Criticize Tajik Prison Conditions Tajikistan's Center for Human rights says that inmates in Tajik prisons live in desperate conditions, the prisons lack a proper supply of food and have poor health-care services. More  Illegal Afghan Immigration In Tajik Region On The Rise The head of the migration service in the southern Tajik region of Khatlon says there has been an increase in the number of violations of the immigration rules along the border with Afghanistan. More  Turkey Ready To Help Bring Kyrgyz Goods To Europe Turkey's president of says his country is ready to assist Kyrgyzstan to transport its goods to Europe, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More Former Czech Leader Pelted With Eggs ... Again The former Czech prime minister has been left with egg on his face, once again. More  Is Turkey Trying To Help U.S. Stay At Manas? Scant attention has been paid to Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s three-day visit to Kyrgyzstan, which began on May 26. More What are your options if you are a 66-year-old British woman who wants to have a child? More  Russia's Chief Auditor Implicitly Rejects Chechen Leader's Property Declaration Speaking to REN-TV after Russian Justice Minister Aleksandr Konovalov's report to the Federation Council on official corruption, Audit Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin was asked about the recent income and property declaration by Chechnya's Ramzan Kadyrov. Stepashin replied that "the entire republic is Kadyrov's property. There is no need to feel sorry for him." More  Armenian Opposition May Publicize Findings Of Election Violence Probe The future of the five-person Fact-Finding Group of Experts established last fall to investigate the events that culminated in the clashes in Yerevan in March 2008 between police and security forces and supporters of the defeated opposition presidential candidate is in jeopardy following the resignation of its chairman. More  No Longer Silent? Iran's “silent voters” -- the 20 million who skipped the 2005 presidential ballot -- are expected to play a decisive role in the June 12 election. In a bid to reach them, reformist candidates are using everything from text messages to e-mails to video clips, all with the same message: a decision to stay home is a vote for Mahmud Ahmadinejad. More  Lahore Attack Suggests War In Pakistan Expanding The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in the eastern city of Lahore that killed at least 25 people. The attack is widely seen as the Taliban's response to the government's ongoing antiextremist operation in the Swat Valley. A recent string of high-profile militant attacks in Lahore suggest that Pakistan's war against the insurgents has now expanded into its heartland. More  Change Of Tune In Battle Against Afghan Opium There appears to be growing recognition that the counternarcotics strategy in Afghanistan is failing. Military and civilian officials say too little support has been offered to farmers, and too little effort has focused on the powerful drug lords who spread instability throughout the region and farther abroad. More  Interview: Opium A 'Low-Risk Product For A High-Risk Environment' There is growing recognition that the battle against opium-poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is failing, and has made no serious dent in the country's position as the world's main source of opium. William Byrd, an adviser to the World Bank on fragile and conflict-affected countries, speaks with RFE/RL about Afghanistan's complex opium-eradication challenge. More  Moldova Must Stop Mixing Politics And Prosecutions A poisonous atmosphere in Moldova means that compromise is no longer possible and repeat elections appear inevitable. One way to start the vital process of national reconciliation is to put an end to the selective prosecutions of political opponents that has so sullied Moldova's legal system and international reputation. More  Iran Presidential Candidate On Interpol List Conservative presidential candidate Mohsen Rezai, who isn't expected to poll well in the June 12 election, has been under scrutiny in the last few days. More |
