 RFE/RL Headlines 12/22/2009 8:38:13 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  Turkmenistan Restores Gas To Russia Ashgabat and Moscow have agreed to renew Turkmen gas supplies to Russia by early January, ending a nine-month dispute between the two ex-Soviet states. More  Activists Protest Fate Of Tatar Language Activists from the Azatliq Youth Union organized a "March of Grief" in Kazan today to draw attention to the status of the Tatar language in Tatarstan, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reports. More Georgian Airways says it has asked Russian aviation officials to allow it to resume direct flights to Moscow as of January 5, RFE/RL's Georgian Service reports. More  Uzbek Writer Yakubov Is Buried Renowned Uzbek writer Odil Yakubov has been buried in the capital, Tashkent, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports More  Putin Counters Georgia Monument 'Snub' Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says the Soviet-era monument commemorating victims and veterans of World War II that was demolished in Georgia could be restored in Moscow, RFE/RL's Georgian Service reports. More  Jailed 'Donkey Bloggers' Take Dim View Of Baku Justice The two jailed Azerbaijani bloggers say they hold out no hope of a successful appeal and want to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service report. More  Seven Kyrgyz Died At Hajj This Year Murataaly-Hajji Jumanov, the chief mufti of the Kyrgyz Spiritual Directorate, also said in Bishkek today that a total of 4,782 Kyrgyz visited the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the hajj that was held this year from November 25-29. More  Kazakh Uranium Chief's Trial Starts The trial of Mukhtar Dzhakishev, the former head of Kazakh uranium producer KazAtomProm, began in Astana today, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Belarusian Rights Activists Dress As Santas To Protest Law A group of some 20 Belarusian rights activists -- some dressed as Santa Claus and snow maidens -- marched in downtown Minsk today to give lawmakers a petition protesting restrictions on the public activities of unregistered organizations, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More  Kyrgyz Journalist Dies After Attack Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk has died in an Almaty hospital nearly a week after police say he was thrown out of a high-rise building in Kazakhstan with his hands and feet bound. More  Armenian Opposition Criticizes PACE The opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) says the Council of Europe has become less concerned with rights abuses in Armenia lately because of President Serzh Sarkisian's Western-backed policies on Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Armenia Says Migration Numbers 'Inflated' Armenia's State Migration Agency says the Turkish government has been grossly inflating the number of Armenian nationals it reports to be working in Turkey, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Kyrgyz City Starts Antiprostitution Drive An official in the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh says the city administration has launched a campaign against prostitution, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Putin Piles On As Georgia Grapples With War Memorial Tragedy The fallout continues in Georgia over the fatal demolition of a war memorial in the western city of Kutaisi. More  Laicite On The March? Hot on the heels of Switzerland's baffling minaret ban, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's party is taking aim at full Islamic veils in public places. More  It's Not Stealing! Cannes Prize-Winning Film From Iran Available For Free Online Award-winning Iranian film director Bahman Ghobadi is making his latest movie, "No One Knows About Persian Cats," available online and is inviting Iranians to watch it for free and to tell others about it. More  The Rundown - December 22 A comprehensive review of news and opinions on RFE/RL's broadcast region More  A False START? Will there be a new U.S.-Russian strategic arms reduction treaty or not? More  With EU In Sights, Will Serbia Give Up Mladic? Even as Serbia formally files its application to join the European Union, it still has much to do to prove its worthiness as a candidate. Chief among them -- handing over fugitive Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic. More Death Of Kyrgyz Journalist Follows Disturbing Pattern Prominent Kyrgyz journalist Gennady Pavlyuk has died nearly a week after he was thrown from the window of a high-rise building in Kazakhstan's largest city. Pavlyuk's body was discovered outside an apartment block in Almaty on December 16. His feet and hands were bound. More  'They Throw You There To Break You' The death last month of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in Moscow's Butyrka prison sparked a public debate over the notorious living conditions in Russian jails and holding cells. Roman Popkov, who led the Moscow branch of the banned National Bolshevik party, spent more than two years in pretrial detention in Butyrka. Popkov speaks to RFE/RL about life in one of the city's most infamous prisons. More  Politicians, Judges, And Generals In Pakistan Conditions in Pakistan have been ripening for another military coup d'etat. This time, the soldiers may not have to use guns and tanks. They can bide their time until the elected government descends into chaos, then march in as national saviors. More |
