RFE/RL Headlines
10/20/2009 4:27:46 PM
A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty News
Russian President Seeks To Deepen Ties In Belgrade Russia is seeking to deepen its ties with Serbia as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits Belgrade bearing a 1 billion-euro ($1.5 billion) loan. More
Karzai Endorses Afghan Runoff Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission has ordered that a presidential runoff be held on November 7. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai has called the runoff against former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah a "step forward" for Afghan democracy. More
Iraqi Parliament Again Fails To Vote On Key Election Law Iraq's parliament has failed for the second time to vote on a new electoral law which is supposed to supply the framework for critical national elections in January. The reason was the lack of a quorum in the chamber, but the confused situation seems to suit some parties just fine. More
Karzai's Reaction To Afghan Recount Awaited Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected today to react to the findings of the Electoral Complaints Commission, which is believed to have invalidated enough fraudulent votes from the August poll to necessitate a runoff. More
From Our Bureaus
Moscow Court Sanctions Arrest Of Buryatia Interior Minister
A Moscow court has sanctioned the arrest of the interior minister of Russia's Republic of Buryatia, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More
Moscow Court Sanctions Arrest Of Buryatia Interior Minister A Moscow court has sanctioned the arrest of the interior minister of Russia's Republic of Buryatia, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More
Tbilisi Court Starts Hearing Russia Espionage Case A court in Tbilisi has begun hearing the case of Vakhtang Maisaia, who is accused of spying for Russia, RFE/RL's Russian and Georgian services report. More
World Bank Tells Armenia To End 'Oligopoly' The World Bank's managing director has called for Armenia to end its "oligopoly," RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More
Jailed Former Kazakh Nuclear Chief Hospitalized The former head of Kazakhstan's state nuclear corporation, KazAtomProm, who has been in jail since May, was hospitalized on October 19, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More
Four Armed Men Arrested In Tajik Enclave In Kyrgyzstan
Tajik police have arrested four armed men in the Tajik enclave of Vorukh in Kyrgyzstan's Batken Province, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More
Tajik police have arrested four armed men in the Tajik enclave of Vorukh in Kyrgyzstan's Batken Province, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More
Boycotting Duma Deputies Threatened With Wage Sanctions
The speaker of the Russian State Duma has said that representatives of the Communist faction in the parliament might lose their salaries for each Duma session they skip, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More
The speaker of the Russian State Duma has said that representatives of the Communist faction in the parliament might lose their salaries for each Duma session they skip, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More
Kyrgyz Cabinet Steps Down Following Reform Decree The government of Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov has resigned, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More
Baku Protests Ban On Flag At Bursa Soccer Match Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry summoned Turkish Charge d'Affaires Nihat Civaneri to complain about the ban of Azerbaijan's national flag at the historic Turkish-Armenian soccer match in Bursa last week, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More
Iraqi Politicians Blame Poor Coordination For Security Lapses A recent spike in violence in Iraq has been caused by the lack of coordination among security agencies and the growing politicization of law enforcement, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reports. More
Kyrgyzstan Plans New Checkpoint On Tajik Border
Kyrgyz authorities plan to create an additional checkpoint along the country's southern border with Tajikistan, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More
Kyrgyz authorities plan to create an additional checkpoint along the country's southern border with Tajikistan, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More
Turkmen Newspaper Editor Reprimanded For Dozing Off
The editor in chief of Turkmenistan's "Bereketli toprak" newspaper has been officially reprimanded for dozing off during an October 14 government session chaired by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More
The editor in chief of Turkmenistan's "Bereketli toprak" newspaper has been officially reprimanded for dozing off during an October 14 government session chaired by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More
Transmission
Moldova And The Cobra Effect
Back in the days of colonial India, Delhi had a snake problem. It got so bad that the British administration offered a generous bounty for every killed snake. People began raising snakes in order to earn as much money as possible. When the government figured this out, it cancelled the bounty, prompting many of the snake farmers to release their no-longer-profitable snakes into the wild and making the original situation considerably worse. More
Moldova And The Cobra Effect Back in the days of colonial India, Delhi had a snake problem. It got so bad that the British administration offered a generous bounty for every killed snake. People began raising snakes in order to earn as much money as possible. When the government figured this out, it cancelled the bounty, prompting many of the snake farmers to release their no-longer-profitable snakes into the wild and making the original situation considerably worse. More
Caucasus Report
Ingushetian Parliament Endorses Russian As Prime Minister
Ingushetia's parliament voted with only two abstentions to approve republican Security Council Secretary Aleksei Vorobyov as prime minister. Ingushetian President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov had brought Vorobyov, a Federal Security Service (FSB) general, to Magas early this year, just months after he himself was named president, and selected him to serve as acting prime minister after he dismissed Rashid Gaysanov and the entire cabinet. More
Ingushetian Parliament Endorses Russian As Prime Minister Ingushetia's parliament voted with only two abstentions to approve republican Security Council Secretary Aleksei Vorobyov as prime minister. Ingushetian President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov had brought Vorobyov, a Federal Security Service (FSB) general, to Magas early this year, just months after he himself was named president, and selected him to serve as acting prime minister after he dismissed Rashid Gaysanov and the entire cabinet. More
Karachayevo-Cherkessia President Suffers Two Tactical Defeats On October 14, Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic (KChR) President Boris Ebzeyev suffered his second tactical defeat within the space of a week when the republic's parliament rejected for the fourth time his proposed candidate to represent the republic in the Federation Council. More
Persian Letters
While We Were All Asleep
Blogger Maryam, who is in her mid-twenties, believes that young Iranians have been deeply apathetic in recent years and are therefore to blame for the reelection of Mahmud Ahmadinejad. She believes wearing green wristbands, chanting slogans, and campaigning on Facebook will not lead to real change, and calls for action. More
While We Were All Asleep Blogger Maryam, who is in her mid-twenties, believes that young Iranians have been deeply apathetic in recent years and are therefore to blame for the reelection of Mahmud Ahmadinejad. She believes wearing green wristbands, chanting slogans, and campaigning on Facebook will not lead to real change, and calls for action. More
Features
Runoff Comes With Second Round Of Obstacles
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has welcomed election officials' decision to hold a second round of presidential elections and Western leaders are expressing their optimism. But enormous logistic and security difficulties must be overcome if the second round, to be held in just two weeks' time, is to considered a success. More
Runoff Comes With Second Round Of Obstacles Afghan President Hamid Karzai has welcomed election officials' decision to hold a second round of presidential elections and Western leaders are expressing their optimism. But enormous logistic and security difficulties must be overcome if the second round, to be held in just two weeks' time, is to considered a success. More
Jundallah: Portrait Of An Extremist Group After the October 18 suicide attack in southeastern Iran that killed at least 42 people, the extremist group Jundallah is suddenly at the center of international attention. The group champions the cause of Iran’s Baluchi minority, but it may also be taking on a new role: as a pawn in a complicated chess game between states in the region. More
Cash-Strapped Science Looks To Government Support Russia came away empty-handed from the Nobel science prizes this month for the sixth year in a row. The lack of recognition of this former powerhouse of scientific achievement is prompting soul-searching about the dire state of Russian science. More
Obama Modifies U.S. Darfur Policy To Include Incentives For years, the United States has relied on economic sanctions in an effort to persuade the government of Sudan to end what's being called a "genocidal" civil war -- so far with no results. Now the Obama administration is shifting Washington's strategy. More
Commentary
Who Is Richard Goldstone?
The UN Human Rights Council has endorsed Judge Richard Goldstone's controversial report accusing both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the 2008-09 conflict in the Gaza Strip. The report has been dismissed as hopelessly one-sided not only by the Israelis but by many neutral observers. But Goldstone's behavior will not surprise those who have followed his career. More
Who Is Richard Goldstone? The UN Human Rights Council has endorsed Judge Richard Goldstone's controversial report accusing both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the 2008-09 conflict in the Gaza Strip. The report has been dismissed as hopelessly one-sided not only by the Israelis but by many neutral observers. But Goldstone's behavior will not surprise those who have followed his career. More
