 RFE/RL Headlines 5/26/2010 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  UN 'Civilizations' Forum In Brazil Hopes To Reframe Debate Over Global Culture, Politics The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations will host its third-annual forum in Rio de Janeiro from May 27-29. The conference, titled "Bridging Cultures, Building Peace," will be attended by high-level dignitaries including President Lula da Silva of Brazil, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. More  Health Concerns Surround Majid Tavakoli, Heart Of Iran's Student Movement There is growing concern over the health of a jailed student activist, Majid Tavakoli, following news of his hunger strike in prison. Tavakoli has become a prominent symbol of Iran's student movement, which has come under pressure in the postelection crackdown. Activists in Europe , the United States, and Canada have said they will go on hunger strike today to express solidarity with him and to call for his release. More  Belarus Activist Says RFE/RL Popular Among Prison Inmates An opposition Belarusian activist recently released from prison says RFE/RL's programs in the Belarusian language are available on short wave in jails and are very popular among prison inmates. More  Banker Bemoans Foreign Banks' Reluctance To Set Up In Iraq A senior Iraqi banker says the disinclination of foreign banks to extend their operations to Iraq has negatively affected the country's nascent banking sector and the national economy as a whole. More  Russian Human Rights NGO Opens Office In Ukraine Russian human rights activists opened a branch of the NGO Antiment in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, today. More  Bakiev 'Not In Turkey' Some 50 members of the Meken Sheyitteri (Martyrs of the Land) movement have picketed the Turkish Embassy in Bishkek to demand clarification of media reports that ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev is in Turkey. More  Lviv University Decries 'Interference' Teaching staff at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv have complained about interference by the country's Security Service in its activities. More  Iraq Says Antiquities Ring Busted Iraq's Anticorruption Commission says it has busted a ring of antiquities thieves and seized stolen artifacts in an undercover operation. More The head of the Russian delegation to the KADEX-2010 arms exhibition says it is ready to sell arms to its partners in a regional security grouping at a reduced price. More  Armenian Opposition Holds Rally In Second-Largest City Thousands of activists from Armenia's main opposition alliance held a public rally in the country's second-largest city, Gyumri, during which they denounced the policies of the current government and called for snap elections. More  Notorious Former Tajik Governor Dies In Prison A former powerful governor from Tajikistan's northern Sughd Province has died in a Dushanbe prison. More  United Russia In New Siberia Setback The United Russia political party that is unofficially led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has suffered its second electoral defeat this year in Siberian regional elections. More  Iranian Pleads For Condemned Husband's Life Roudabeh Akbari told Radio Farda that her husband, Jafar Kazemi, was taken into custody on his way home on September 18 and authorities asked him to say he was arrested three months later and wanted him to say he had participated in the December 27 antigovernment protests in Tehran. More  Kyrgyz Interim Official To Sit Out Election The first deputy chairman of Kyrgyzstan's interim government, Almazbek Atambaev, the chairman of the Social Democratic Party who ran for president in 2009, says he does not plan to run for president or compete in the parliamentary elections later this year. More The Week In Facebook RFE/RL presents a Facebook-style summary of last week's events. Click on any of the status updates for more information. More  Iran's Intelligence Ministry To Prove Neda’s Murder ‘Staged’ Iranian news websites, including khabaronline, are reporting that Iran’s Intelligence Ministry is due to release a documentary in the next few days “to complete the removal of ambiguities surrounding the murder of Neda Agha Soltan” and provide “new evidence” about the West’s version of events. More  Hunger Strike, And Evin Prison, Take Their Toll Prominent Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was released from Tehran's Evin prison after he went on hunger strike for more than a week to protest against his imprisonment. More  Central Asia Not Shy In Its Sporting Ambitions Some of Central Asia's energy-rich countries have their eyes set on international sport stars to boost their image. More  A Recording Coup Your government is as weak as a "cardboard house," and he's coming to burn it down -- a real threat against Kyrgyzstan's interim government by Maksim Bakiev, the son of the ousted president? More  Embattled North Ossetian Mufti Steps Down The Spiritual Board of Muslims of North Ossetia (DUMSO) accepted late on May 24 after a prolonged discussion the letter of resignation submitted by the republic's mufti, Ali-haji Yevteyev, four days earlier. More  My Turkmen Odyssey RFE/RL broadcaster Allamourad Rakhimov describes how he was refused entry to Turkmenistan on his first trip home since leaving the country over 10 years ago. More |
