 RFE/RL Headlines 9/2/2010 7:16:00 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  Iran's Human Rights Lawyers Increasingly Facing Their Own Days In Court Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, who has defended a number of political and human rights activists in Iran, is now facing her own day in court. After security forces searched her home and office and took away some of her personal belongings, she was charged with crimes against the state and ordered to face questioning this week. More  Driven To Distraction: Putin's Lada Stunt Backfires Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's ride across Siberia in a brand new Lada Kalina, designed to boost both Russia's flailing car industry and his own popularity ratings, appears to have run into an embarrassing glitch. Amateur videos showing three identical presidential Kalinas, one of them on a tow truck, are making the rounds on the Internet. More  What Led Kabul To Sack Ambassador To U.S.? Ordered by Kabul to resign, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States says that while it's normal for him to step down after so long at the post, he's complained of a "smear campaign" against him in Afghanistan. More  Iran Risks Crash With Record Stock Market Boom, Say Economists Analysts abroad warn that a "state-induced" boom on the Tehran stock exchange could end in a catastrophic crash, triggering a long depression that throws millions out of work. More  Nagorno-Karabakh Marks Anniversary Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh today marked the 18th anniversary of the disputed enclave's de facto secession from Azerbaijan and pledged Baku will never resume control of their territory. More  Police Raid On Russian Magazine Russian police have raided the offices of a weekly opposition magazine known for its investigative articles on high-level corruption. More  Jailbreak Claims Top Tajik Official Tajikistan's top security officials have been removed from their posts, following a recent deadly prison break involving 25 high-profile inmates. More  Tense Days As Medvedev Visits Baku Moscow has sought to regain influence in the strategically important South Caucasus, and observers say Dmitry Medvedev's trip to Azerbaijan may lend insight into the Kremlin's long-term goals in the region. More  European Parliamentarian 'Shocked' By Moscow Protest A European Parliament deputy says she was shocked by the violent police actions against peaceful demonstrators in Moscow on August 31. More  Price Of Bread Increases In Russia's Far East Vadim Povzner, the director of the central bakery in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said today the increase -- one of the steeper rises registered in Russia -- was necessary due to flour and grain suppliers increasing their prices. More  Independent Belarusian Weekly 'Facing Closure' The oldest independent newspaper in the eastern Belarusian city of Babruisk says it faces bankruptcy and closure because of government interference. More  Iraq Plans To Become Self Sufficient In Wheat Iraqi officials say Iraq produced enough wheat this year to meet about 50 percent of domestic demand thanks to modern irrigation technologies and support for farmers. More  Kyrgyz-Uzbek Talks Unsuccessful Talks between Kyrgyz and Uzbek border officials on the possible release of two Kyrgyz border guard officers have ended without success More  Iranian Opposition Launches Satellite TV Channel Iran's opposition Green Movement has officially launched a new satellite TV channel, RASA TV (Resan-e Sabz-e Iran or Iran's Green Media). More  Montenegrin Steelworks Woes Continue The trade unions of Montenegro's troubled Niksic steel mill have rejected a management plan to lay off 1,385 workers and then rehire several hundred of them. More  Hard-Line Bullying Of Karrubis Continues The wife of Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi has written an open letter to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemning the harassment of her family by the Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards. More  Ukraine President Begins China Trip Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has departed for his first official visit to China with visa regimes and bilateral cooperation high on the agenda. More Azerbaijan Unfurls Huge National Flag With much pomp, the Azerbaijani government has unfurled a huge new flag, one of the largest in the world. More While there are a host of controversial decisions to be made concerning the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, the Russian government has decided to leave one -- that of the mascot -- up to the Russian people. More  Those Who Hold Talks With Israel Are 'Very Stupid' Iran doesn’t seem to be too happy about the Middle East peace talks that have resumed in Washington, D.C. More  Stoning Lawyer Reunited With Family Iranian lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei, who defended a woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, fled Iran after his wife and her brother and father were arrested to put pressure on him. More  Russia Intensifies Focus On Misuse Of Funds In South Ossetia No less a figure than Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has arrived in Tskhinvali in connection with the ongoing investigation into the embezzlement of funds Moscow provided for postconflict reconstruction in the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia in the wake of the Russian-Georgian war. More |
