 RFE/RL Headlines 1/22/2010 A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  Tatar President Won't Seek New Term The Kremlin says the longtime president of the Russian republic of Tatarstan has asked not to be nominated for another term when his current one ends in March. More  Serbian Orthodox Church Elects New Patriarch Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church today elected a new leader. Eighty-year-old Bishop Irinej Gavrilovic is Serbia's 45th patriarch and the successor to Patriarch Pavle, who died last November at the age of 95. More  Russia Arrests Whistleblowing 'YouTube Cop' Russia's famed "YouTube cop," Aleksei Dymovsky, who made headlines by posting a video alleging widespread police corruption, was arrested today for alleged fraud and abuse of office. Rights activists call the move an attempt to silence Dymovsky and frighten future whistleblowers. More  Serbian Orthodox Church Leaders Meet to Elect New Patriarch The highest body in the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Holy Assembly of Bishops, is meeting today to elect a new leader following the death of Patriarch Pavle late last year. The process, which involves an original voting system that includes an element of chance, may end with a new patriarch being picked as early as today. More  Obama Takes Aim At Bank 'Excess' U.S. President Barack Obama has unveiled far-reaching plans to limit the size of banks and place restrictions on their financial risk-taking. More  U.S. Rights Body Challenges Moldovan PM Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat has appeared before the Helsinki Commission, a U.S. agency that monitors human rights worldwide, during his first visit to Washington as premier. Filat discussed the challenge of establishing what he called "a state of law" in his country after a decade of Communist Party rule. More Rus-Belarus Electricity Talks To Resume A third round of Russian-Belarusian talks on Russian electricity transit to the Baltic states and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad were due to be held today in Minsk, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More  Kazakh News Agency Search Faked Editors of the Bishkek-based stan.tv say two people used the murder of their colleague to conduct a search of their office in Almaty, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Jailed Armenian Journalist Appeals Vote Jailed Armenian opposition journalist Nikol Pashinian has appealed to the Constitutional Court to annul the results of the January 10 parliamentary by-election, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More More than 100 opposition activists protested price increases for utilities, medicine, and transportation fees in the northeastern Russian city of Kirov today, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Uzbek Sports Journalist Arrested Prominent Uzbek sports journalist Khairulla Khamidov has been arrested, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  Former Uzbek Envoy To U.S. Moved To Foreign Ministry Former Uzbek Ambassador to the United States Abdulaziz Komilov has been appointed first deputy foreign minister, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  Uzbeks Tried For Attack On Imam A trial has started for some 70 people suspected of involvement in an assassination attempt against an Uzbek imam and the killing of an Interior Ministry official, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  Moscow Police Evict Settlement Residents Police and militia units have forcibly taken over the riverside housing settlement of Rechnik in suburban Moscow to end a controversial standoff, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More Moldovan PM Challenged On Confronting Anti-Semitism Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat has appeared before the Helsinki Commission, a U.S. agency that monitors human rights worldwide, during his first visit to Washington as premier. More  Is Romania's President Dabbling In The Occult? When Traian Basescu was reelected Romanian president by a thread in December, everyone, friend or foe, said he owed his victory to a handful of Romanian expats’ votes. Basescu himself thanked those living abroad for their support, while his leftist adversaries suggested expats should not be allowed to vote anymore. More  Alleged 'Arctic Sea' Hijacker Said To Issue Appeal Last summer, the disappearance of a cargo ship in the Baltic Sea prompted international speculation about a secret Russian arms sale to the Middle East gone bad. More  Why Are Internet Rights Becoming Part Of U.S. Foreign Policy? The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has sharply criticized Beijing’s policy of censoring access to the Internet and pursuing Chinese dissidents who try to use it as a tool for social change. But is the Internet really such an effective democracy-building tool that it needs to be defended by U.S. foreign policy? More  Why Tymoshenko Might Benefit EU Energy Security This winter may not see a natural-gas crisis in Ukraine, but then again, the country's presidential election isn’t over. The outcome of the February 7 runoff may well determine whether the gas crises continue, and by extension, shape the future of European energy consumption. More  Divisive Nationalist Made Ukraine Hero Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has declared World War II-era nationalist leader Stepan Bandera a Hero of Ukraine, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More A Russian researcher has been found dead in the Russian Republic of Buryatia, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More |
