 RFE/RL Headlines 06.07.2009 A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  A First Step In Moscow Presidents Obama and Medvedev signed a preliminary agreement over a major new nuclear-arms deal. But many think the positive atmospherics at their summit represent only a possible first step toward bridging fundamental differences. More  U.S.-Russian Summit Begins Muscovites were shivering under steady rain as U.S. President Barack Obama touched down in the Russian capital for his first visit as president. The weather reflected general skepticism that the two-day summit would do much to achieve Washington's goal of turning around stalled relations. More  EU, Ukraine Scramble To Avoid Gas Discomfort The president of the European Commission said in Brussels that he had fronted a last-minute mediation effort between Moscow and Ukraine in addition to looking for international loans to help Ukraine settle the tranche of its debt to Moscow that is due on July 7. In an indication of the extent of the frustration at Ukraine's failure to meet its obligations, the European Commission last week recommended that member states begin hoarding gas in preparation for further disruptions of Russian gas sup More From Our Bureaus  Uyghurs Abroad Blame Beijing Policies For Unrest Chinese officials have blamed "separatists" in Xinjiang and plotters abroad for rioting that broke out on July 5. But a former Uyghur activist in neighboring Kygyzstan says the woeful rights situation is to blame for the kind of deep resentment that might have spawned this weekend's deadly violence. More  Tajik Town Removes Busts Of Civil War 'Heroes' Officials in the southern Tajik city of Qurghon-Teppa have decided to remove the prominent sculptures of three People's Front commanders from a main street, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More 'Tell Musavi To Quit The Killings' More The 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  Tanks For Nothing Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said he disapproves of "the global superpowers that have conferred on themselves the right to impose conditions on the way in which independent and sovereign countries have to live." A few years ago such a phrase would have unambiguously been interpreted as Lukashenka's routine disapproval of the way in which his regime was being treated by the United States. More  Obama's Unexpected Kremlin Gambit U.S. President Barack Obama has just injected himself into Russia's fractious domestic politics by praising Dmitry Medvedev and criticizing Vladimir Putin. It's a high-risk gambit that just might work. More  Obama Wades Into Russian Politics Russia's embattled and marginalized opposition could get a badly needed boost when some of the Kremlin's fiercest critics meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Moscow. More  Russia's Black Community And The Obama Effect Barack Obama's first presidential trip to Moscow stirs particular interest among a minute section of the Russian public -- the fraction of the country's black and mixed-race Russians. Does the arrival of America's first black president hold special meaning for African-Russians? More  Nervous Neighbors In 'Near Abroad' Ever since Barack Obama famously pledged a "reset," smaller countries in Russia's near abroad have feared their interests will be sacrificed for smoother superpower relations. What's the mood in Georgia and Ukraine as the summit begins? More  'Historic Cracks' And Hard-Liners In Iran A fresh challenge of Iran's disputed election by a key group of religious leaders comes just as hard-liners step up their attacks on the opposition. Is it part of a growing rift in the establishment brought on by hidden efforts to pick the next supreme leader and snuff out republican institutions? More  Election Environment Improving, But Major Obstacles Remain Experts on Afghanistan came together this week at the Asia Society to discuss possible outcomes for the country's presidential election, which is scheduled for August 20. The election is viewed as a critical test of Afghanistan's fledgling democracy. Will the vote represent another step toward a stable, democratic, and peaceful Afghanistan, or a return to armed conflict over political succession? The credibility of the election process will determine how this scenario unfolds. More  The Rise Of The Ultra-Conservatives The hard-line camp of Iran's ruling establishment has so far quashed a major challenge by reformists. But a much greater test may lie ahead. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is ill and a succession battle looms. The hard-liners are unlikely to leave the choice to chance. More  Meet The New Public Face Of Beleaguered Nabucco It's been an up-and-down year for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline. Just as work on the long-stalled project seems set to finally begin, some shift -- usually at the hand of Russian energy giant Gazprom -- alters the commercial landscape and Nabucco's chances appear to recede. But the pipeline's supporters have just selected a big name in European politics to help push the project toward realization -- former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. More  Iran Says It's Pursuing Doctor Who Helped Dying Neda Iran's police chief says a doctor who was present at the death of a young Iranian woman during opposition street protests in Tehran is under investigation by both Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and by the international policy agency Interpol. Interpol, however, denies any knowledge of the case. More  Grozny Vows Vengeance After Attack On Police Russian news agencies quote Chechnya's Kremlin-backed president, Ramzan Kadyrov, as characterizing the latest attack as a final act of desperation by militants. More |
