 RFE/RL Headlines 6/29/2010 7:58:01 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  ‘Decade of Decline' For Democratic Institutions In Former Soviet States The last 10 years have been a "decade of decline" for democratic governance and institutions throughout most of the former Soviet Union, according to the latest edition of "Nations in Transit," an annual report compiled by U.S.-based watchdog Freedom House. More  The Pirates Of Hamburg: From Medieval Romanticism To 21st-Century Reality The German port city of Hamburg is no stranger to pirates. The city harbors innumerable legends about the bandits of the sea, many stretching as far back as the 14th century. Now, for the first time in 400 years, the city is preparing to hold a court trial involving real pirates -- 10 men from Somalia charged with hijacking a German ship. More  Troubled Belgium To Focus On Economic Crisis, EU's Diplomatic Arm As It Assumes Presidency On July 1, Belgium will take over the European Union's rotating presidency. The country is in the throes of a political crisis which could see its two predominant language communities split it in two, but caretaker Prime Minister Yves Leterme has tried to reassure his EU colleagues, saying much of the day-to-day running of the bloc will be left to the EU's central institutions. More  Key Senate Panel Approves Petraeus For Afghan Job General David Petraeus's approval by the Senate Armed Service Committee was never really in doubt. At the June 29 hearing, the 57-year-old revered military leader told lawmakers that he plans no major change in strategy in the nine-year-old war. More  Czechs Protest Plans For Michael Jackson Statue Thousands of Czechs are protesting plans to put up a statue of Michael Jackson in Prague to mark the celebrity's 52nd birthday on August 29. More  Russia Calls U.S. Spy Charges 'Baseless,' Regrets Timing Russia's Foreign Ministry says the arrest of 10 alleged Russian spies in the United States is a throwback to the Cold War. In a statement, the ministry said the U.S. allegations are unfounded and pursued "unseemly" goals. More  U.S. Arrests 10 Alleged Secret Russian Agents The United States has announced the arrests of 10 people for allegedly spying for Russia. More  Kazakh Leader Warns Of Kyrgyz Threat Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, speaking at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Conference on Tolerance and Nondiscrimination, said the violence between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz was a "significant challenge" to the region and a "threat to all OSCE...states." More  IMF Unveils New Armenia Loan Package The International Monetary Fund has announced plans to provide Armenia with almost $395 million in fresh loans in the next three years. More  Uzbeks Repatriating Wounded Kyrgyz A Kyrgyz Health Ministry press release said officials plan to transport a total of some 180 injured refugees back from Uzbekistan. More  Uzbeks Annul Air-Traffic Deal With Tajiks Uzbekistan has terminated a key air-traffic agreement with neighboring Tajikistan and may temporarily close its airspace to Tajik aircraft. More  Armenia Names New Labor Minister Artur Grigorian, 40, was nominated by the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK), a junior partner in Sarkisian's governing coalition, and is the third person to hold the post in little more than a year. More  Russian Rights Group Creates 'Gulag' The Russian human rights center Memorial has launched an online "museum" on the history of the Soviet labor and prison camps known as the gulag. More  Jailed Blogger To Attend Father's Funeral The Justice Ministry's penitentiary service told RFE/RL that Emin Milli would be released from prison for three days to attend the funeral of his father, Pasha Abdullayev, who died on June 28. More  Baha'i Houses Demolished In Iran Some 50 houses owned by members of Iran's Baha'i religious minority have been demolished in a village northeast of Tehran, according to an eyewitness report to Radio Farda. More  Russia Creates 'Talented Youth' Registry The Russian government has announced the formation of a national registry of "talented young people." More  Armenia Seeks Chinese Funding For Rail Link To Iran An Armenian government minister says Yerevan is seeking as much as $1 billion in loans from China to finance a railway link to neighboring Iran, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Rafsanjani Criticizes Iranian Politics Former Iranian President Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, a top Iranian cleric who has supported the opposition, has severely criticized the country's political situation. More  Officials Deny Karzai Met Insurgent Pakistani officials have dismissed reports that Afghan President Hamid Karzai met a top militant leader in Kabul in a meeting arranged by the Pakistani army. More  Arrests At Moscow Mayor Protest Fifteen people were arrested in Moscow on June 28 during a protest against Mayor Yury Luzhkov. More  Kyrgyz Rights Activists Arrested In Osh Two Kyrgyz human rights activists have been detained and questioned by the Osh Prosecutor-General's Office. More  Missing Iranian Scientist And A Fourth Mysterious Video Just as we posted an item about his third video -- in which he says he might get killed for refusing to betray his country -- a fourth video emerged on YouTube in which a man identifying himself as Amiri says he will soon return home. More  Missing Iranian Scientist Appears In Another Mysterious Video A new video has surfaced in which a man who identifies himself as Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist who went missing about a year ago during a trip to Saudi Arabia, says he is being held in the United States against his will. More  Karachayevo-Cherkessia Sets Up Group To Address Abazins' Grievances Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic President Boris Ebzeyev met on June 28 with leading members of four public organizations that represent the republic's Abazin minority to discuss how to resolve their grievances. More |
