 RFE/RL Headlines 3/12/2010 7:01:05 AM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Features  Gorbachev's Legacy Examined A quarter of a century ago, Mikhail Gorbachev began ushering in an era of change that still reverberates today. More  UN Torture Envoy Says Concerned About Iran In the wake of the UN Human Rights Council's recent session on Iran, Manfred Nowak, the UN's special rapporteur on torture, talked about his attempts to visit Tehran and his efforts to make governments around the world take better care of their detainees. More  'Forbes': Number Of New Billionaires Reflects Global Recovery "Forbes" magazine's list of the world's billionaires mirrors the global financial recovery. It includes 62 Russians -- nearly twice as many as last year -- most of whom are returning after being knocked off during the economic crisis. More  Afghans, Iranian Honored As 'Women Of Courage' Ten extraordinary women have been recognized by the U.S. State Department in a ceremony in Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared in person alongside first lady Michelle Obama to praise the group of women that she and her staff have chosen as this year's International Women of Courage. More  PM Coalition Leads In Early Iraq Tally Partial preliminary results from Iraq's parliamentary elections suggest that the State of Law coalition of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is taking the largest share of votes but appears unlikely to win a majority. More  Petition Calling For Putin's Ouster Gaining Momentum In Russia Andrei Sakharov's widow, the star of a popular television crime drama, and a nationally known comedian are among more than one thousand people calling in a petition for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to step down. More  Ganic Granted Bail By London Court A former member of the Bosnian wartime presidency, Ejup Ganic, who was arrested in Britain last week on suspicion of war crimes, was released on bail by the High Court in London today. More  Karzai: Pakistan Key To Reconciliation Pakistan has an important part to play in Kabul's peace efforts -- and Afghanistan does not want to become a battleground for other powers' "proxy wars." That's the main message Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been relaying during a visit to Pakistan. More  Ukraine Appoints Pro-Moscow Government Ukraine's parliament appointed a new prime minister after President Viktor Yanukovych formed a new governing coalition in the legislature today. Yanukovych has moved quickly to form a government following the ouster of the country's Orange Revolution leaders in a presidential election last month. More  Moldovan Ex-President Accuses Premier Of Smuggling The leader of Moldova's opposition Communist Party has accused Prime Minister Vlad Filat of smuggling cigarettes into neighboring Romania to pay for his election campaign last year, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More  Russian Soccer Fans End Hunger Strike Fans of the Krylya Sovetov (Wings of the Soviets) soccer club in the Russian city of Samara have ended their hunger strike after the team's players received their unpaid wages, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Russia To Build First Synthetic Fuel Plant Russia's first plant to produce synthetic fuel will be built in the central Kemerovo Oblast, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Tajik President Picks Veteran Top Aide Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has appointed veteran economist Matlubkhon Davlatov to head the presidential office, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More  Court Orders Kazakh Oil Workers Back On The Job A court in southwestern Kazakhstan has ruled that a strike by several thousand workers at an oil producing subsidiary of KazMunayGaz is illegal, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  March 11, 1985 -- A Promise Of Communist Spring This day in 1985 marked the ascent to power in the Soviet Union of Mikhail Gorbachev, a man who would set in motion a chain of events ending in the collapse of Communism. More  The Rundown - March 11 A comprehensive review of news and opinion on RFE/RL's broadcast region. More  The Anti-Putin Manifesto Increasingly, battle lines are being drawn in Russia. Yesterday, an online petition appeared calling for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's removal from power and it has been signed by virtually all active members of the Russian political opposition and a growing rank of ordinary citizens. More  Vaclav Havel Urges Iran Student Leaders Not to Lose Hope Former Czech President Vaclav Havel has praised the two Iranian activists who were awarded the Homo Homini prize awarded annually by the Czech NGO People in Need "in recognition of a dedication to the promotion of human rights, democracy, and nonviolent solutions to political conflicts" and called on them not to lose hope. More  Iran's Supreme Leader Defends Powerful Candidate-Vetting Body Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that the Guardians Council's authority in terms of supervising elections and vetting candidates should not change. More A group of Iranian women protested against what they described as gender and ethnic discrimination in the Islamic Republic by dancing in front of Tehran's embassy in Ottawa on International Women's Day. More  Who Is Waging War Against God In Iran? How did Mohammad Amin Valian, a 20-year-old student from Damghan, land in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) infamous Special Detention Center No. 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison? More |
