 RFE/RL Headlines 10/15/2010 6:09:39 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. |
| Features  Council Of Europe Takes Up Abortion Debate A debate at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) last week has fanned the flames in the debate over the respective rights of embryos and expectant mothers in Europe. In a surprise vote, PACE adopted a resolution affirming the right of medical practitioners to refuse to perform abortions -- contrary to what the draft's authors had originally intended. More  Medvedev Taps Putin Aide For Moscow Mayor After weeks of speculation, Muscovites learned the name of their likely new mayor, as President Dmitry Medvedev announced that he would nominate Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin to replace the recently fired Yury Luzhkov. More  Georgian Parliament Approves Controversial Constitutional Amendment Georgia's parliament has passed constitutional changes that will reduce the powers of the president in favor of the prime minister. Critics say this will allow President Mikheil Saakashvili to hold on to power by seeking the premiership after his second term ends in 2013. More  Fate Of Jolie's Bosnia War Film Unclear Amid Uproar Over Plot Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie's plans to direct her first film in Bosnia-Herzegovina next month have sparked a storm of controversy, with allegations that the film's plot is offensive to war victims. More  U.S. Backs Afghan-Taliban Talks The administration U.S. President Barack Obama has changed course to tentatively back talks with the Taliban in an effort to end the war in Afghanistan. The move marks a shift from the United States' previous stance that it was too early for high-level reconciliation talks. More  Local Tajik Commanders in Rasht Agree To Lay Down Their Weapons Tajik officials have reportedly convinced some local Islamic commanders to end their confrontation with government forces in the country's volatile eastern Rasht Valley. Over 60 government troops have been killed in Rasht since a bloody conflict began there with an ambush on a military convoy on September 19. More  U.S. Assesses China Currency Moves Officials in Beijing have warned Washington ahead of a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke not to blame China for the weakening of the dollar on global markets. More  Uzbek VOA Freelancer Fined Tashkent's Mirzo Ulugbek district court has fined an Uzbek reporter for the U.S.-funded radio station Voice of America (VOA) the equivalent of about $10,000. More  Ukrainian Doctors Detained Over Illegal Organ Transplants Three doctors in Kyiv have been arrested in connection with illegal organ transplants and human trafficking. More  Belarusian Activist May Face Additional Charges A fraud case against Belarusian rights activist Mikhas Bashura has been suspended due to possible new charges against him. More Hundreds of protesters have gathered in the Russian city of Saratov to demand heating in their apartments. More  Kyrgyz Election Victors In Moscow Leaders of at least three parties that garnered the most votes in the Kyrgyz parliamentary elections on October 10 have traveled to Moscow. More  Demonstrators Demand Official Recognition Of WWII Ukrainian Insurgent Army Ukraine's nationalist "Svoboda" (Liberty) Union held a demonstration in Kyiv on October 14 to demand official recognition of the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army. More  Legendary Iranian Singer Marzieh Dies In Paris Exiled Iranian singer Ashraf-o-Sadat Mortezai, known to her fans as Marzieh, died on October 13 in Paris at the age of 85. More  America For The Hard-Working At the press conference announcing indictments against 44 members of an Armenian-American criminal syndicate operating in 25 U.S. states, prosecutors repeatedly said that in its scope and efficiency the organization put “to shame” any classical mafia-style criminal structure. Reading the indictment, though, things seem a bit more prosaic. More  An Opposition Demand Russia's President Can Like In Soviet days, there was a joke about the unending patience of the Soviet citizen... More |
