 RFE/RL Headlines 8/28/2009 3:38:10 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  NATO Sees 'Positive Signals' In Russia Relations NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who has made boosting ties with Russia a top priority, said there were already "positive signals" in relations between the alliance and Moscow. More  Medvedev Urges Muslim Clerics To Counter Radicals President Dmitry Medvedev has urged Russia's top Muslim clerics to join forces to stop radical Islamist groups wooing young people in the turbulent North Caucasus. More  Uzbekistan Shuts Its Border With Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan unilaterally closed its border with Kyrgyzstan for two weeks as of August 28, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz service reports. More  Reports: Holbrooke, Karzai Argue Over Afghan Vote Reports from Kabul say U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have had an "explosive" meeting -- with Holbrooke reportedly complaining about alleged fraud during last week's election. More  Ahmadinejad Calls For Prosecution Of Opposition Leaders Speaking at Friday Prayers, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has called for opposition leaders to be punished over the unrest sparked by his disputed election victory. He asked Iran’s judiciary to deal firmly with those who committed “inhuman” actions while “dressed as friends.” More  Iraq Leaders Mourn Death Of Key Shi'ite Figure Iraqi leaders gathered at Baghdad airport to receive the body of a leading Shi'ite figure whose death could heighten political instability before national polls many fear may be marred by violence. More  Moscow Metro Refurbished With Praise For Stalin Moscow has unveiled a refurbished metro station this week decorated with an inscription heaping praise on Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, sparking outrage from opposition and human rights groups. More  U.S. Warns Karzai On Fraud, Corruption, Military Ties U.S. envoys and lawmakers have bluntly warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai that American patience is running out, citing concerns about allegations of fraud and corruption and attempts to prejudge the outcome of last week's election. More  Victims Of Nuclear Tests Commemorated In Russia Victims of nuclear tests and accidents were commemorated in Russia's Voronezh on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the first Soviet nuclear test, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Azerbaijani Court Rejects Bloggers’ Lawsuit An Appeal’s Court in Azerbaijan has upheld a lower court’s rejection of a lawsuit brought by two young bloggers alleging “inhumane treatment” by the police as they await trial. More The Rostov Military District Court in Russia has sentenced a colonel of the Russian Army to six years of jail for espionage, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reports. More  Armenian Court Extends Detention Of Oppositionist A court in Yerevan has extended the pre-trial custody of prominent Armenian opposition figure Nikol Pashinian, who faces charges connected with last year’s post-election unrest. More  'Additional Security' For North Caucasus Schools Russian Minister of Interior Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev called on the officials of the republics in Russia's North Caucasus region to increase security measures to protect local schools as the new academic year nears, RFE/RL's Russian service reports. More  Nine Wounded In Operation Against Chechnya Insurgents Five policemen and four local citizens were wounded by an explosion in the Chechen city of Shali last night, RFE/RL's correspondent reports. More  Georgia Accuses Abkhazia Of Shelling Its Territory Georgia has accused Abkhazia of shooting into its territory, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Supporters Of Khodorkovsky And Lebedev Rally In Moscow Dozens of people have gathered in front of the Russian Duma in Moscow to express their support for the former leaders of Yukos, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Ukraine's Sugar High These days any self-respecting Ukrainian matriarch is up to her ears in canning, pickling, jam, and conserve making. This is the height of the harvest and all its bounty must be preserved in brine, sugar, alcohol, and what not for the winter. All of this requires copious quantities of sugar. More  Stalin's Back (In The Moscow Metro) The word Stalin has been up in the Moscow metro for a few days but it is still drawing glances as people walk into the vestibule of the Kurskaya circle line. More  Shocking Stories From Tehran's Behesht Zahra Cemetery I badgered my mother enough that I made her give in. She made me swear upon my dead father's soul that I would not repeat to anyone what she was about to tell me. She brought in a Koran and asked me to swear upon it. She told me that it was for my own safety that no one should find out. More A Visit To The Test Site Today It was 60 years ago, on August 29, 1949, that the Soviet Union first tested its nuclear arsenal. In the first of many tests, an atomic bomb was detonated at the Semipalatinsk test site, which would become a main hub of the arms race over the next 40 years. On the anniversary of the first test, Yermek Boltayev and Regina Kozhikova of RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service visited the former nuclear site in East Kazakhstan. More Living In The Dead Zone On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb, sending a mushroom cloud high above northern Kazakhstan and a shadow of fear over the rest of the world. The nuclear arms race had begun in earnest. That initial blast, and the many that followed, continue to claim victims. More |
