 RFE/RL Headlines 7/13/2010 7:55:06 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  Iranian Women's Rights Activist Recounts Decision To Cast Off Hijab When Fariba Davoodi Mohajer, a well-known Iranian journalist and women's rights activist, removed her hijab for the world to see, the act came under immediate attack by the Iranian regime, which accused her of immorality and depravity. More  Possible New Lease On Life For EU Reps To Caucasus, Moldova A broad consensus is emerging in the European Union to extend the mandates of the bloc's special envoys to various global trouble spots. More  Wiesel 'Pleads' With Russian Government For Khodorkovsky's Freedom Nobel Peace laureate Elie Wiesel has launched a global campaign to free imprisoned Russian oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whom he calls a "political prisoner." RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Elena Vlasenko spoke to Wiesel about the case and the state of human rights in Russia. More  French Parliament Approves Veil Ban The French parliament is set to vote on legislation that would ban the wearing of the full-body veil in public, a measure that would affect the minority of Muslims who wear the veil. More  Iran Scientist At Center Of 'Abduction' Dispute Preparing To Leave U.S. An official at the Iranian interests section of the Pakistani Embassy in Washington has said his office is preparing travel documents for an Iranian nuclear scientist at the center of an alleged "abduction" dispute and expects him to leave for home on the first available flight, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reports. More  Kyrgyz Official Resigns To Stand In Elections First Deputy Chairman Almazbek Atambaev sent a letter to interim President Roza Otunbaeva asking her to release him from his post. More  Osh Mayor Meets Missings' Relatives The mayor of the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh has met with relatives of people missing since deadly clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz last month. More  Kyrgyz 'Revolutionaries' Demand Benefits Some of the participants in the antigovernment demonstration on April 7 that contributed to the ouster of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev are demanding social benefits from the government. More  McFaul Meets With Kyrgyz President Michael McFaul, the U.S. special assistant for National Security Affairs and senior director of Russian and Eurasian Affairs, held talks with interim President Roza Otunbaeva to discuss U.S.-Kyrgyz relations. More  Iran Blames Uzbeks For Energy Delay Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's chief of staff has blamed an Uzbek rail blockade for delaying the completion of a hydroelectric plant in southern Tajikistan that Iran is helping to build. More A bomb attack apparently targeting a tribal elder in northern Pakistan killed a teenage boy on July 12. More  Religious Figures Support Iranian Speaker Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani has received support from religious figures in the holy city of Qom. More  Russian Parents Demand Preschools As the Russian government debates how to solve a growing demographic crisis, parents across Russia are protesting a lack of preschools. More  Another Russian City Drops Mayoral Elections The local Duma in the eastern Russian city of Angarsk has overwhelmingly passed a resolution to shelve mayoral elections in favor of hiring a city manager. More  Pakistani Region Faces 'Humanitarian Crisis' The security and humanitarian situation in Pakistan's Kurram region has deteriorated significantly, local leaders and analysts say. More  Uzbek Airport Delays Tajik Flight Uzbek air-traffic controllers refused for more than an hour on July 10 to allow a Tajik passenger plane to leave Uzbek airspace. More  Belarusian Court Upholds Church Verdict The Belarusian Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's verdict imposing an environmental fine on the embattled New Life Evangelical Church. More  Duma Official Arrested For Bribery A Russian State Duma official has been arrested for allegedly taking a $70,000 bribe. More  No Azerbaijani, Armenian Leader Talks The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan avoided face-to-face talks on the sidelines of an informal summit of seven former Soviet republics held in Yalta, Ukraine over the weekend. More  Russian Streets Paved With $100 Bills! Or... "Russian Esquire" has calculated that it would be cheaper to build the new Sochi-Adler highway -- which is being built ahead of the 2014 Olympics -- out of $100 bills or oysters or foi gras than it would to build it under the current budget. More  Daghestan Rights Activists Not Convinced Arrested Women Planned Suicide Bombings Russia's National Counterterrorism Committee (NAK) reported on July 12 the arrest in Makhachkala of six women it identified as potential suicide bombers, and two men believed to be their handlers. The Russian daily "Kommersant," however, today quoted a Daghestan human rights activist as questioning whether the women indeed intended to commit acts of terrorism. More  Belarus's President Prepares The Next Act Plot closure is a sign of the highest mastery in dramaturgy. And in this regard, Ilya Milshtein argues, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is a first-class talent. More |
