 RFE/RL Headlines 4/22/2010 6:02:20 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty RFE/RL is looking for guest bloggers, preferably writing from and about our broadcast region. If you're interested, drop us a line at webteam@rferl.org. |
| Features  Fear Grows In Kandahar Ahead Of Expected NATO Offensive Fear is rising in Afghanistan's southern city of Kandahar, where residents know NATO is planning an offensive to evict the Taliban. More  Cuban Activists' Suffering Feeds Call For Change Civil society in Cuba, long-embattled, appears to be gaining new momentum following the death of a political prisoner and fresh support from the Catholic Church. More  Kazakh Torture Case Being Brought Before UN A complaint filed today before the United Nations Committee Against Torture contends that the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan has failed to prevent or punish police torture. RFE/RL spoke to James Goldston, the executive director of the Open Society Justice Initiative, which filed the complaint. More  START Ratification Process To Begin Soon U.S. and Russian officials say that the ratification process for the new START treaty will begin in early May, when it is sent to lawmakers in both countries. Despite potential roadblocks, they say that an effort will be made to complete the process by the end of the year. More  EU Figures Show Greek Crisis Worsening International financial markets reacted negatively today after the European Union revised Greece's deficit and debt figures upward. More  Iran's Ahmadinejad Visits Zimbabwe Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad flew into Zimbabwe today for talks with President Robert Mugabe. More  Bosnian Serbs Jailed Over Srebrenica Bosnia's war crimes court today jailed two Serb ex-policemen for 31 years each on a charge of aiding in genocide and taking part in the killing of more thousands of Muslims in the town of Srebrenica in 1995. More  In Tallinn, NATO Ministers Search For Solidarity A two-day informal NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Tallinn, Estonia is broadly focused on generating unity on some of the thornier issues facing the alliance. Chief among these are burden sharing between the United States and the rest of the allies, the alliance's future goals and focus, and threat perception. More  Yanukovych Defends Naval Base Deal Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has defended his decision to grant a 25-year lease extension to Russia's Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea. More  Russia Says Bakiev's Resignation Stands Russia says it does not recognize a claim by deposed Kyrgyz leader Kurmanbek Bakiev that he is still president of Kyrgyzstan. More  Armenia Suspends Ratification Of Turkey Deal Armenia's president has confirmed that Yerevan is suspending parliamentary ratification of a historic deal to normalize ties with Turkey. But he says Armenia is not fully leaving the process. More  Iran Guards Begin Gulf War Games Iran has begun large-scale military exercises in the Persian Gulf, amid a continuing standoff with the West over Tehran's disputed nuclear program. More  Kyrgyzstan Sets Referendum Dates Kyrgyzstan's interim government has announced that the country will hold elections in October, after a referendum aimed at reducing the powers of the president. More  Air Traffic To Return To Normal Air traffic is expected to return to near normal across Europe today. More  Bakiev Supporters Arrested In South Kyrgyzstan's interim government says it has arrested a number of allies of exiled President Kurmanbek Bakiev in the south of the country. More  Jailed Iranian Activist 'Out Of Solitary' A jailed Iranian student activist is reported to have been moved out of solitary confinement. More  Kyrgyz Youth Movement Wants Apology From Lukashenka A Kyrgyz youth movement today demanded an apology from Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka for granting asylum to ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Ukrainian Nationalist's Son To Fight For Father's 'Hero' Title The son of a controversial commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Liberation Army during World War II says he will fight to retain his father's posthumous Hero of Ukraine title, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reports. More  Armenian Officer Held In Custody Death An Armenian police officer has been arrested in the ongoing criminal investigation into the suspicious death of a man in police custody, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Charges Dropped Against Uzbek Police In Alleged Gang Rape Criminal charges against 12 Uzbek policemen suspected of the gang rape of Raykhon Soatova and her two sisters in jail have been dropped, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports. More  Croatia's Economic Plan Under Fire Opposition figures, trade unionists, and analysts in Croatia are criticizing Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's economic revival plan as coming too late and not being bold enough to improve the economy. More  European Court Rules Azerbaijan Should Release Jailed Journalist The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) today ruled that the Azerbaijani authorities should release journalist Eynulla Fatullayev from prison and pay him 25,000 euros ($33,512) in moral damages. More  Armenian Church Leader To Visit Baku The supreme head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Garegin II, will make a first-ever visit to Azerbaijan next week to take part in a summit of world religious leaders. More  Millions Said Found In 'Bakiev Accounts' Kyrgyzstan's interim government claims that more than $20 million in cash and gold belonging to ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev and members of his family has been uncovered so far in Kyrgyz banks. More Communists in the Black Sea city of Odesa plan to erect a monument to Soviet leader Josef Stalin later this year. More  Turks Urged To Mark 'Great Catastrophe' Turkish intellectuals have urged their countrymen to join them on April 24 for a silent protest in Istanbul on the 95th anniversary of the start of mass killings and deportations of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. More  Kremlin: No Saakashvili On V-Day A Russian presidential aide has said it would be "extremely bizarre" for the Kremlin to invite Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to Moscow for Victory Day celebrations on May 9 to mark the German surrender in World War II. More Iran Student Still In Solitary Confinement An Iranian student activist whose case has become a symbol for opposition protests remains imprisoned in solitary confinement. More Armenia's economic recovery continued in March as official statistics showed 5.5 percent growth for the first quarter. More  Design Fail: Soviet War Veteran Calendar Uses Photos Of Nazi Troops Veterans in the Russian city of Perm are unlikely to forget this year's 65th anniversary of the World War II defeat of Nazi Germany. More An oddly moving film, said to be taken in Iran in 1975. More  Lenin's Bulging Head The thousands of Lenin statues dotted around Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union have experienced mixed fates. More Fed up with the blaring sirens used by government officials to get to their destinations faster than ordinary Muscovites, a group of frustrated drivers has begun to fight back, RFE/RL’s Russian Service reports. More  Prominent Female Poet Not Included in Iran's Book Of Poets Iran has recently published a book about prominent poets from Iran and the world, apparently without including Forugh Farrokhzad, regarded by many as the country's most influential female poet. More  Federal Envoy Calls For Concession To Circassians Within weeks of his appointment as president of the Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic in September 2008, Boris Ebzeyev managed to antagonize the republic's Circassian minority by naming a Greek, rather than a Circassian, to head the republic's new government. That perceived slight was instrumental in fuelling Circassian demands that the existing borders between the North Caucasus republics be redrawn to create a Circassian republic comprising the territories where Circssians currently constitute a majority of the population. More |
