 RFE/RL Headlines 12/10/2009 5:15:09 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  France, Britain Call For Global Tax On Bankers' Bonuses British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have issued a joint call for bankers to pay a special tax on any bonus they have received this year. More  Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize In Oslo U.S. President Barack Obama has received the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway. Obama said the use of military force was sometimes necessary and "morally justified," despite its human tragedy. More  Georgian District Successfully Demined Demining work in Georgia's Gori district has been completed, RFE/RL's Georgian Service reports. More  Kyrgyz, Chechen NGOs Receive French Award The Kyrgyz nongovernmental organization Citizens Against Corruption is one of the winners of the French Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood Award for 2009, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Slain Ingushetian Activist Given U.S. Human Rights Award The U.S. State Department's annual Human Rights Defenders Award has been given posthumously to Ingushetian human rights activist Maksharip Aushev. More  Kyrgyz Analyst Beaten, Robbed In Bishkek A Kyrgyz political analyst was severely beaten and robbed in Bishkek late on December 9, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Kyrgyz Ex-Security Chief Attacked A former senior Kyrgyz Security Council official has been hospitalized after a reported attack in the capital, Bishkek, late on December 9, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More A prominent human rights activist was found dead today in the central Russian city of Kemerovo, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Russian Police Search Activists' Flats The Moscow apartments of opposition activists Aleksandr Averin and Sergei Fomchenkov were searched by police, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Kazakh Court Dismisses Rights Activist's Appeal An Almaty regional court today rejected an appeal from jailed human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis for his case to be reviewed, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Iran's Green Movement's New Tactic Iranian oppositionists have launched a campaign in support of student Majid Tavakoli, who was arrested on Students Day on December 7 after giving a passionate speech during an antigovernment protest at Tehran’s Amir Kabir University. More  Vote For The Biggest Story Of 2009 Iran's postelection protests? Swine flu? Obama's first year in office? Or something else we're missing? More  A 'Functioning' System During his November 12 Address to the Federal Assembly, President Dmitry Medvedev devoted an entire section to the window-dressing of Russia’s managed democracy. True, the section came way down in the speech, far below bits on “innovation” and “modernization.” In fact, talk about the country’s fake political system ranked above only other such embarrassing topics as reforming the police and military and instability in the North Caucasus (about the latter, Medvedev said he considers it “our most serious domestic political problem,” making it hard to understand why he took nearly 10,000 words to get around to it). More  Abkhazia Increasingly Polarized On Eve Of Presidential Ballot A journalist for "Der Spiegel" who visited Abkhazia this summer observed that "the Abkhazians are assembling a state with the same level of seriousness and the same irritating attention to detail with which amateur craftsmen build matchstick replicas of the Eiffel Tower." But perhaps inevitably, Abkhazia's first elections since the republic was formally recognized as an independent state by Russia last year are not proceeding in line with the rulebook for a fair and democratic ballot. More  The Last Song Of A Glacier U.S. photographer Julia Calfee documented the slow demise of an Alpine glacier as a testament to the effects of climate change. More  Up In Smoke: Russia's Tobacco 'Epidemic' Hundreds of thousands of Russians die each year from smoking-related illnesses. But as more people drop the habit in Western countries, Russia is becoming an increasingly important market for international tobacco companies. More  Georgia's Afghan 'Surge' With nearly 1,000 troops committed, what is the tiny South Caucasus country getting in return? More  Sweden's 'Soft Touch' Sweden presides over a two-day EU summit that punctuates the end of the rotating presidency. More |
