 RFE/RL Headlines 9/14/2010 6:21:39 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. |
| News  EU Threatens France Over Roma EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has issued a sharp condemnation of France's explusions of Romany migrants after it emerged Paris had specifically targeted the Roma despite contrary assurances. More  Iran Frees 1 Of 3 Jailed U.S. Hikers Authorities in Iran have freed one of three Americans accused by Tehran of spying and held in prison for more than a year. More  French Senate Backs Full-Face Veil Ban French lawmakers back controversial legislation banning the wearing of garments that cover the face in public -- a measure that would affect the minority of Muslims who wear the full-face veil. More  Prosecutors: Byabenin Could Have Been Killed Belarusian Deputy Prosecutor-General Andrei Shved says the Prosecutor-General's Office is checking several theories related to the death of journalist Aleh Byabenin, including suicide and murder. More  Iran Reformists Criticize Guards Chief Iran's largest reform party has written an open letter to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari accusing him of responsibility "for the oppression and catastrophes" following the disputed 2009 presidential election. More  Turkey Result Could 'Encourage' Armenia Analysts in Armenia say the victory of Turkey's ruling party in a constitutional referendum bodes well for a renewed Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. More Misri Khan, president of the journalists association in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, was shot dead early today as he was entering the press club. His family suspects the attack was related to Khan's reporting. More  Moscow Mayor Defiant Amid Scandal Moscow's embattled Mayor Yury Luzhkov says he does not plan to resign despite a recent surge in media criticism. More  EU Deputies Press For Action On Beslan Mothers Three members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who visited families of the victims of the 2004 Beslan school massacre at the beginning of September say they will press EU authorities to demand from Russia greater openness on the issue. More  Former Iran Diplomat Joins Green Cause A former Iranian diplomat says the defection of another Iranian envoy to Europe shows the opposition Green Movement is flourishing. More  Russian: Arms For Kyrgyz Military Space Russian officials have offered to supply Kyrgyzstan with arms as payment for Moscow's use of Kyrgyz territory for various military installations. More  Another Iran Diplomat Seeks Asylum An Iranian diplomat based in Belgium says he has defected and will seek political asylum in Norway, the third such defection in Europe this year. More  Belarus Sets December Presidential Vote Lawmakers in the Belarusian National Assembly have overwhelmingly approved a mid-December date for the country's presidential election, months ahead of when strongman President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's third term is due to expire. More  Kazakhstan Extradites Kyrgyz Citizen To Uzbekistan Kazakh officials have extradited a Kyrgyz citizen of Uzbek origin to Uzbekistan. Meanwhile, 29 Uzbek citizens detained by Kazakh authorities as illegal immigrants have been held in Kazakhstan's National Security Committee jail since mid-June. More  Armenian Leaders Praise Ties With U.S. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and his key ministers have underlined the importance of the country's "friendly" relationship with the United States and called for its further development at a meeting with a visiting top U.S. diplomat. More  Kosovo Ready To Talk With Serbia Kosovo's government has repeated its readiness to hold talks with Serbia but only as an equal partner with Belgrade. More  Court Hears Kadyrov's Slander Case Against Rights Activist A Moscow court has begun hearing the defamation case against human rights activist Oleg Orlov. More  Russia: Negligence Charges Over Bomb A criminal case has been opened against the head of the Stavropol region's Interior Ministry (OVD) for negligence in connection to an explosion outside a cafe last month. More  Defecting Diplomat Slams Ahmadinejad An Iranian diplomat who resigned to join the opposition Green Movement says that the rule of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's government has damaged Iran's prestige and honor. More  Russian Owners Of Ruined Homes To Watch Rebuilding Online The government of Russia's Altai Krai has promised to set up a web-camera system so that residents of the burned down town of Nikolaevka can monitor how their homes are being rebuilt. More  Kiosk Operators Demonstrate In Kazan More than 200 entrepreneurs and small-business owners held a demonstration in Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, to draw attention to their problems with city officials. More  Historic Cyrus Cylinder Called 'A Stranger In Its Own Home' Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on Sunday attended the unveiling of the Cyrus Cylinder, which is on loan to Iran from the British Museum. The cylinder dates from the 6th Century BC and is thought by many to be the first charter of human rights. It will be on public display for four months. More  TAPI: An Idea Whose Time Hasn't Quite Yet Come It's been a dream on a map for more than a decade, a project that could provide thousands of badly needed jobs and a reliable source of energy that could benefit millions in instable areas of southern Asia. TAPI -- the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India natural gas pipeline -- has proven as elusive a quest as any in the long history of the region. More  Why Dedicated E-Readers, Like Kindle, Will Thrive I longed for my Kindle, its lightness in weight and touch, its ergonomic complicity, the softness of e-ink easier on the eye than the eye-swimming harshness of ink upon paper. I had become a convert. More |
