 RFE/RL Headlines 10/20/2010 7:12:19 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  Russia's Upper Hand In Gas Talks Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrives in Turkmenistan for a two-day visit on October 21. The main topic of discussion, as it has been for years, will be the price of Turkmenistan's natural gas. More  Nominee For Moscow Mayor Set To Impose Kremlin Control Many believe the Kremlin's real reason for replacing Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov -- the last of a group of powerful regional leaders from the 1990s who retained firm control over a city that became his personal fiefdom -- is authoritarian control. More  Georgia Opens Visa-Free Travel In Caucasus Tbilisi's unilateral lifting of visa requirements for Russians living in the North Caucasus has angered the Kremlin, while Georgians who live near the border say Russia should follow suit. More  U.K. Announces Austerity Measures Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne says the country's government will make the largest cuts to public spending since World War II -- slashing benefits and public sector jobs in a four-year austerity plan. More  Afghan Election Body Voids 1 In 4 Votes Afghanistan's election body has announced the nullification of 1.3 million votes -- or nearly one-quarter of the ballots cast -- in last month's parliamentary elections due to fraud and electoral violations. More  U.S. Military Shedding Antigay Policy Following a judge's decision, the Pentagon has ordered U.S. military recruiters to accept applications from potential recruits who openly acknowledge they are gay men or lesbians. More  Ukrainian Activist Beaten At Campaign Event The Ukrainian opposition party Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) says an elderly woman campaigning for it was beaten by two masked men in the eastern city of Kharkiv on October 19. More  Kyrgyz Protest Alleges Russian Meddling About a dozen activists have picketed the Russian Embassy in Bishkek to protest what they termed Russian meddling in Kyrgyz domestic politics. More  Tajik Plant Rejects Pollution Charges The Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco) has rejected allegations by an Uzbek political organization that its plant near the Tajik-Uzbek border has caused tens of millions of dollars worth of damage in Uzbekistan. More  New Book About Kazakh President's Childhood A new book about the childhood of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev has been launched in Almaty, with the author saying his subject can be a model for today's children to follow. More  Iranian Police Further Target Women The new police chief of the Iranian city of Esfahan has deemed a number of women's activities "criminal." More  Belarusian Activist To Appeal Conviction Mikhas Bashura, 35, an active member of the Tell the Truth campaign, says he will file an appeal after being convicted for fraud and fined the equivalent of $6,000 on October 19. More  Kyrgyz Rights Defender Returns Prominent Kyrgyz human rights defender Tolekan Ismailova told RFE/RL that she decided to come back because of the pressure that has been exerted on rights activists and lawyers following deadly interethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan in June. More  Hollywood Origins In The Sticks Michael Douglas may be a big-name Hollywood actor, but apparently, his roots are in Belarus. More  Has The Government Reduced Female University Enrollment? Some Iranian officials had expressed worry over the rising numbers of women at universities, and said that it represented a threat to traditional values and that it would limit women's marriage opportunities. More Blogger "The Writings from the Heart of a Citizen Journalist" writes about a young boy he saw in central Tehran who was forced to work to help his family make ends meet. More  The Controversy Of Kyrgyzstan's Vote Count Kyrgyzstan just finished holding what, arguably, was the most free and fair campaign and elections for parliament in Central Asia's history. But the October 10 poll was almost immediately disputed by one of the 29 parties running in those elections, Butun Kyrgyzstan. More  Who Will Choose Kyrgyzstan's Future? The Kyrgyz have repeatedly rejected authoritarian presidential rule and are chafing against Moscow's efforts to reestablish it. So Cholpon Orozobekova wonders whether the Kremlin will be wise enough to step back. More  Mike Tyson, We Hardly Knew Ye I know I speak for many of my fellow RFE/RL colleagues when I express my disappointment at the news that Mike Tyson will not be visiting Prague this week. More What's Funny In Georgia? Broadcasters from RFE/RL's Georgian Service share a few jokes and talk about what makes Georgians laugh. More |
