 RFE/RL Headlines 3/26/2010 8:45:25 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Features  Rice Or Potato Or Water, UN Maintains Tradition Of Commemorations World Water Week is just one of dozens of days, weeks, years, and even decades aimed at drawing attention to what ails the globe. More  'Mr. Trololo' Reflects On His Internet Success: 'Pleased...But Not Surprised' A nearly forgotten Soviet-era singer has become a global sensation after one of his music clips from the 1970s went viral on the Internet. More  Obama, Medvedev Agree On Landmark Nuclear Arms Reduction Pact The White House has announced that Washington and Moscow have reached agreement on a landmark nuclear arms reduction pact. U.S. President Barack Obama said he will meet Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Prague on April 8 to sign the new treaty. More  With Iraqi Votes Tallied, Deal-Making Begins The official results from Iraq's parliamentary elections show former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc won two more seats than current Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law bloc. The neck-in-neck results suggest that a lengthy effort to form a new government is about to begin, with high-stakes deal-making that could severely test the country's newfound stability. More  Five Wounded Leaving Daghestan Mosque Five people, including an imam, were wounded when unknown attackers fired on them as they were leaving a mosque after Friday evening prayers in the village of Aksai in the Russian republic of Daghestan. More Military officials say that a South Korean naval ship with 104 people onboard was sunk near the North Korean border today after an unexplained explosion in its stern. More  Russia Bans 'Mein Kampf' Russian prosecutors today banned Adolf Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" in a bid to curb the growth of militant far-right groups. More  NATO: Missile Defense An Alliance Priority The head of NATO will call on March 27 for making missile defense a priority for the alliance and to "use every opportunity to cooperate on this with Russia." More  Soldiers, Militants Killed In Pakistan Pakistan's military says five soldiers and at least 21 suspected militants have been killed in clashes in Pakistan's northwest, in a region near the Afghan border. More  Mideast Peace 'Affects U.S. Security' U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the lack of peace between the Palestinians and U.S. ally Israel is a threat to U.S. national security interests in the Middle East. More  Clinton, Gates Seek Extra Military Funds U.S. Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Defense Gates seek an extra $37.5 billion for operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. More  Concerns About Euro, Despite 'Bailout' Euro zone leaders have agreed to create a joint financial safety net with the IMF to help debt-ridden Greece. More Ex-Turkish Brass Says Karabakh Key A retired Turkish general says Ankara will continue to link the normalization of its relations with Armenia to a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. More  'Muhammad' Marchers Face Charges Five men will face criminal charges in connection with a clash during a march in Baku marking the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Muhammad. More  Former Kazakh Uranium Execs Freed The Kazakh Prosecutor-General's Office has dropped criminal charges against three former top officials at the state uranium company KazAtomProm. More  Azeri Media Advocate Wins London Prize An Azerbaijani media rights activist has been awarded for his work by the London-based organization Index On Censorship, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More  Uzbeks Protest Tajik Aluminum Plant Around 1,000 students and university professors in the southern Uzbek town of Termez have protested against neighboring Tajikistan's plan to expand its aluminum plant near Uzbek territory. More  Russia Plans Yeltsin Monument A monument to Russia's first president, Boris Yeltsin, will be unveiled in his native city of Yekaterinburg next year. More Police have freed 30 Vietnamese nationals who were forced into slave labor at an underground garment factory in the town of Yegoryevsk, near Moscow, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Mayor Of Russian Town Severely Beaten The mayor of the town of Shatura, near Moscow, was severely beaten by three assailants on March 25, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More The international rights group Human Rights Watch is urging Tajik authorities not to deport a detained Kyrgyz human rights activist to Kyrgyzstan. More  Human Rights Film Festival Opens In Kyiv The International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival opens in Kyiv today. More  Uzbekistan Puts Limits On Foreign Travel By Medical Workers The Uzbek Health Ministry has imposed strict controls on foreign trips by the country's leading medical workers. More  Opposition Activists Detained In Almaty Several Kazakh activists have been detained in Almaty while campaigning for the release of jailed former uranium company head Mukhtar Dzhakishev. More Dozens of Georgian opposition activists held a protest in Tbilisi demanding the immediate release of political prisoners. More An organization representing active and retired police officers held a protest against corruption in the North Ossetian capital, Vladikavkaz. More  Turkmenistan Holds Conference On Creating Desert Lake A two-day international conference on the creation of a lake in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert was held in the western port city of Turkmenbashi. More  Moldova PM Denies 'Secret' Aid Pact Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat says there are no "secret political clauses" behind a multibillion dollar aid-package that was earmarked for his country at an international donors conference. More The Week In Facebook Inspired by "The Atlantic's" mock "World Leaders" Facebook group, RFE/RL presents a Facebook-style summary of last week's events. More  Georgian Protesters Want Bush Street Renamed Several people protested in the Georgian capital yesterday for a street named in honor of former U.S. President George W. Bush to be renamed. More  Russia May Begin Marking Victory Over Japan Russia may soon join the United States observing a second day marking the Axis defeat in World War II: Victory Over Japan Day. The decision could raise eyebrows in Washington as well as Japan because of the Soviet Union's controversial role during the war in the Pacific. More  Big Brother Is Listening Rights group say Iranian authorities eavesdrop on citizens. More  Is Former Yugoslavia Stuck On The Sand Dune Of History? Former British diplomat Charles Crawford says it's time to reorganize the confusing set of authorities and policies dealing with Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia. More |
