 RFE/RL Headlines 4/6/2010 6:25:45 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Features  Russian And Polish Leaders To Mark Katyn Anniversary On April 7, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will mark the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, during which thousands of Polish military officers were massacred on Stalin's orders. It is the first time that Russian and Polish leaders will mark the event together. More  How Is Karzai's Anti-Foreign Rhetoric Playing In Kabul? Afghan President Hamid Karzai has steadily ratcheted up his criticism of the international community in recent days. The remarks have received much attention in foreign capitals, but how are they seen in Kabul? More  On Film, The Trials Of An Iranian Lesbian Activist In a new feature film, “Cul De Sac,” London-based Iranian directors Ramin Goudarzi-Nejad and Mahshad Torkan tell the story of a lesbian woman who flees Iran’s repressive Islamic regime. The script draws on the real-life experiences of Kiana Firouz, who plays herself in the film. RFE/RL spoke to Goudarzi-Nejad and Firouz about their motivation in making the film. More  State Islam, Outsiders Compete For Influence In Central Asia In Central Asia, officially sanctioned Islam and outside sects are engaged in a struggle for influence, with believers and clerics caught in the middle. More  Islamic Scholar: 'There Is No Jihad Against Noncombatants' The influential Muslim scholar Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri last month issued a 600-page fatwa, or religious ruling, condemning terror and suicide bombings. RFE/RL Turkmen Service correspondent Muhammad Tahir speaks with him about why he issued the fatwa and what impact it has had. More  Chinese-Central Asian Relationship Requires Delicate Balancing Act China is making huge inroads in Central Asia, essentially building the region’s energy infrastructure with an emphasis on export routes that lead to China. So far, the relationship looks great -- all parties are receiving what they want. But a look back at Central Asia's recent history suggests this relatively new and flourishing relationship can expect to go through some rough patches. More  Tajik Law Opens Window For Young Afghan Drug Smugglers The prospect of harsh punishments for adults involved in the Afghan-Tajik drug trade has led some traffickers to look to Afghan youth to do their dirty work. As Tajik law does not children under 14 to be punished as adults, impoverished young people are increasingly being recruited as drug mules. More  Turkish Prosecutor Stops Army Arrests Istanbul's chief prosecutor has intervened to prevent Turkish police from detaining up to 90 more military officers in connection with an alleged 2003 military coup plot. More  Karzai Warned Against Undermining NATO NATO has warned Afghan President Hamid Karzai against undermining public support for the alliance's efforts in Afghanistan. More  UN Chief Urges Central Asians To Resolve Water Issues UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has arrived in Tajikistan after a visit to Uzbekistan -- two Central Asian countries at the heart of a long-running dispute over water that affects the entire region. More  At Least 28 Dead In Baghdad Blasts Iraqi officials say coordinated blasts across the capital, Baghdad, have killed at least 35 people and destroyed several buildings. More  Second Subway Bomber Identified Russian investigators say the second of two female suicide bombers responsible for the deadly Moscow subway bombings has been identified as a 28-year-old teacher from the North Caucasus. More  Kyrgyz Police Storm Government Building Held By Protesters Kyrgyz police are reported to have stormed a building that was seized by protesters and freed the regional governor being held there. More  Ban Urges Restraint In Asia Water Dispute UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged restraint in a growing dispute between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan over the building of a massive Tajik hydroelectric dam. More  UN Closes Peshawar Office Over Attack The United Nations today announced that it will close its offices in Peshawar for two days following a deadly April 5 attack on the U.S. consulate in the northern Pakistani city. More Classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters that killed a dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff, has been released by a group that promotes leaking to fight government and corporate corruption. More  U.S. To Unveil New Nuclear Strategy U.S. President Barack Obama's administration is due to release its Nuclear Posture Review today -- a document outlining Washington's policy and strategy on when the United States would use nuclear weapons. More  Karzai Remarks Increase U.S. Tension Remarks by Afghan President Hamid Karzai continue to cause tensions with the United States. More Russian Mayor Resigns Amid Scandal The mayor of the eastern Russian city of Novokuznetsk resigned today as an investigation into his son's alleged financial transgressions continues, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  War Veterans Picket Independent Newspaper In Minsk Dozens of elderly people picketed the office of the independent Belarusian newspaper "Narodnaya Volya" (People's Will) in Minsk today, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More The mother of Iranian journalist and human rights activist Abolfazl Abedini says he has been sentenced to 11 years in jail, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. More  Crimea Russians Want Tatars Disbanded Several pro-Kremlin political groups in Crimea are calling on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to ban the Crimean Tatars' autonomous bodies. More  Azerbaijani Opposition Party Postpones Rally After Refusal An Azerbaijani opposition party has postponed a protest after Baku authorities rejected a formal request to stage a protest outside city hall. More  Chinese Man Jailed For Attack On Kazakh Newspaper A Chinese man has been sentenced by a Kazakh court to five days in jail for attacking the office of an independent newspaper. More  Kyrgyz Opposition Leader Beaten A leader of the opposition Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party in the southern city of Osh remains in serious condition after being severely beaten. More  Christian Radio Station Goes On Air In Iraqi City People in the southern Iraqi city of Basra are now able to listen to the province's first Christian radio station. More  Armenian TV Station Owner Hopeful Of Regaining License The owner of an Armenian television station that was denied a license and shut down in 2002 says he is optimistic the station will get a license and resume broadcasting by the end of this year. More  Azerbaijani University Criticized For Poor Security One Year After Massacre Azerbaijan's Prosecutor-General's Office has warned about a lack of security measures at a university where a massacre took place nearly one year ago. More  Iraqis Debate Reach Of De-Ba'athification Officials responsible for Iraq's de-Ba'athification process say not all ministries and state institutions have complied with the measures aimed at purging those with links to the regime of Saddam Hussein and his disbanded Ba'ath Party. More  Armenian President 'To Seek Reelection' A leading member of Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian's party says he will seek a second term in the next presidential election due in 2013. More  Afghan Jirga To Focus On Pakistan An organizer of Afghanistan's upcoming peace jirga says the expected 1,300 participants will seek ways to create stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan. More  Access All Areas At The UN? Not Any More Starting this week reporters covering the activities of the United Nations Security Council are facing an unwelcome change -- restricted or no access to the council diplomats. More  More Pressure On Karrubi And Allies Reported Sahamnews, the website of reformist cleric Mehdi Karrubi’s Etemad Melli party, reports that Mohammad Davari, the jailed chief editor of the website, has been subjected to torture intended to force him to publicly cast doubt on Karrubi’s claims about the rape of postelection prisoners. More About a dozen young protesters today gained access to some parts of the Iranian Embassy in The Hague. More  Special Court To Be Established for Iranians Abroad Iranian Justice Minister Morteza Baktiari announced on April 3 that a special court for Iranians living outside the country will be established. More  No Hijab On The Soccer Field The secretary-general of Iran's National Olympic Committee has called on Muslim countries to protest the world soccer body’s ban on head scarves for women during the 2010 Youth Olympic Games this summer. More  Local Election Campaign Begins In Georgia Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on March 30 formally scheduled local elections for May 30, the constitutionally specified deadline. A total of 36 political parties and movements subsequently applied to the Central Election Commission to register to participate in the ballot. More Rights Groups Petition For Release Of Jailed Journalists In Iran A coalition of media freedom organizations has delivered a petition to Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York demanding the immediate release of dozens of journalists, writers, and bloggers currently imprisoned in the country. More |
