 RFE/RL Headlines 6/24/2010 5:59:34 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  Departure Of A Trusted U.S. Commander Leaves Afghans Even More Uncertain The change in command of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan has left Afghan leaders and observers questioning the future of the counterinsurgency effort. More  Kurdish Affairs Expert Offers Regional Perspective On Growing Violence In Turkey With violence linked to Kurdish militants increasing in Turkey in recent weeks, the likelihood appears to be growing for a cross-border ground assault into northern Iraq by Turkish military forces. RFE/RL correspondent Ron Synovitz spoke with Michael Gunter -- an authority on Kurdish affairs in Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria, and Iran -- for a regional perspective on what is happening. Gunter, a political science professor at Tennessee Tech University and the International University in Vienna, has written nine books about the Kurdish people of the region -- including some of the first analyses in English of Kurdish unrest in the Middle East. More  Georgia Rethinks The 'Reset' Georgians used to worry they would be the victims of better U.S.-Russian relations. But officials in Tbilisi now say U.S. President Barack Obama's reset with Moscow is actually enhancing their security. More  Divided Yugoslavia Unites To Mourn Death Of Actor Bekim Fehmiu The Yugoslav film and stage actor Bekim Fehmiu died in Belgrade last week at age 74. Fehmiu, who worked in Western films but found his greatest fame in the movie industry back home, was celebrated by his fans as a true Yugoslav personality. An ethnic Albanian born in Bosnia who married a Serb and lived most of his life in Belgrade, Fehmiu remained committed to the idea of a united nation even as ethnic divisions tore Yugoslavia apart. More  As Kyrgyzstan Prepares For Referendum, Government Faces Predictions Of Collapse Kyrgyzstan's new leaders are pinning their hopes on a referendum to legitimize their rule. But amid rising animosities, conspiracy theories, and speculation over the government's imminent collapse, it's far from clear what will happen. More  Tajikistan Jails Four Suspected Islamists Tajikistan has jailed four followers of a banned Islamic party for up to 18 years on charges of inciting antigovernment activities, the Supreme Court has said. More  NATO: No Change In Afghan Strategy NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that the alliance's strategy in Afghanistan "will not miss a beat" despite the dismissal of the United States' top general in the war-torn country. More  Pakistan Convicts Five Americans A court in Pakistan has sentenced five Americans to 10 years in jail after finding them guilty of terrorism charges. More  Russia Resumes Gas To Belarus Russia has resumed gas supplies to Belarus, saying that country has fully paid its debt of several hundred million dollars for previous deliveries. And Gazprom also says it has settled a bill from Belarus for back payment of transit fees for gas heading westwards through Belarusian territory. So is the "gas war" between the two countries over? More  Armenian Leaders Visit Karabakh Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian have visited Nagorno-Karabakh, almost one week after deadly fighting took place in the breakaway Azerbaijani region. More  Iraq Moves To Keep Minorities At Home An Iraqi minister says Baghdad wants to discourage emigration by its minority groups and has urged other countries not to accept asylum seekers from these communities. More  Armenian Parliament Gives Initial Approval To Foreign-Language Bill The Armenian parliament has given preliminary approval to controversial amendments that would allow for foreign-language schools in the country. More  Belarusian TB Patients Start Hunger Strike Dozens of tuberculosis patients at a clinic in the central Belarusian town of Volkavychy say they have begun a hunger strike to protest against their living conditions. More  Russia Police Chief Sacked In Far East A police chief in Russia's Far East has been sacked in connection with allegations of abuse against three suspected members of a group of antipolice vigilantes. More  Rights Groups Urge Greater Pressure On Azerbaijani Government International and Azerbaijani human rights groups have issued a joint appeal to the Council of Europe to take decisive measures to improve the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. More  Moldova Orders Russia To Withdraw Troops From Transdniester Moldova has ordered Russia to withdraw 1,500 troops stationed in a separatist eastern region for the past two decades. More  Russian Hope On Transdniester A senior Russian official says he is hopeful that a recent Russian-German joint security initiative could help solve the frozen conflict on Moldova's eastern border More  Bakiev Family Accused In Clashes The head of Kyrgyzstan's State Security Service has accused relatives of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev of planning and instigating recent ethnic clashes along with the Taliban and other regional Islamic militant groups. More  Iran Warns On U.S. Role In Karabakh An Iranian diplomat says Tehran is strongly opposed to U.S. involvement in a multinational peacekeeping force that would be deployed around the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the event of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord. More  Kazakh Opposition Leader Sentenced To Four Years In Jail Yermek Narymbaev was one of the organizers of the campaign "Nazarbaev Ket!" (Nazarbaev, Go Away!) and a hunger strike against President Nursultan Nazarbaev on May 1. He was sentenced to 15 days in jail on May 2 for holding an unsanctioned demonstration. More An Iranian doctoral student at Oxford who campaigned in Iran last year for opposition leader Mir Hussein Musavi is being held in solitary confinement by Iranian authorities, according to his wife. More  Obama's Burger Diplomacy The U.S. president ordered a cheddar-cheeseburger with onions, lettuce, tomato, and bread-and-butter pickles. The Russian leader went for a cheddar-cheeseburger with onions, jalapenos, and mushrooms. More  Modernizing Like It's 1985 The turbulence currently rattling Russia's body politic resembles that which existed in the early perestroika period. There is a consensus that there is a need for change, the elite has split into two opposing camps unable to agree over what needs to be done, and neither side can garner a critical mass of support for their agenda. More  Trial Of Iran’s 'Blogfather’ Begins, 20 Months After His Arrest Iran’s hard-line Fars news agency reports that the trial of controversial blogger Hossein Derakhshan, known as Iran’s “Blogfather" for helping to popularize blogging in the Islamic republic, began in Tehran on June 23. More  U.S. 'Troubled' By Reports Of Media Pressure In Ukraine The United States has expressed concern over reports of pressure on journalists in Ukraine. More  Rights Groups Urge Council Of Europe To Keep Up Pressure On Azerbaijan International and local rights groups have issued an appeal to the Council of Europe urging it to take concrete measures to improve the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. More  Defining ‘Victory’ In Pakistan’s War On The Taliban Although army security operations are under way in almost all Pakistan’s tribal areas and some of them have even been declared cleared of armed Taliban, there is no reason for average Pakistanis to believe the onslaught of radicalism that started with the dollar-fuelled anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan in the 1980s will end soon. More |
