RFE/RL Headlines
12/23/2010 6:44:14 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. |
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Features
In Azerbaijan, Hijab Debate A Mounting Challenge For Government
In Azerbaijan, a recent ban on schoolgirls wearing the hijab, or Muslim head scarf, has sparked angry public protests that are taking on an increasingly political flavor and raising the specter of religious extremism in a country that is both Muslim-majority and largely secular. More 
Afghan Political Crisis Simmers Despite Positive Signs
Despite signs that the Afghan government is nearing the inauguration of a new parliament, the political crisis generated by September's elections might be far from over. More 
U.S., EU To 'Review' Belarus Ties
The United States and the European Union say they are reviewing their relations with Belarus after police in Minsk cracked down on mass opposition protests against the weekend vote that President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says he won in a landslide. More 
Afghans Release Tajik 'Kidnapped By Mistake'
A Tajik student has told of his kidnap ordeal at the hands of a group of Afghan drug smugglers in a suspected case of mistaken identity. More 
Another Ex-Minister In Ukraine Probed
Ukraine's prosecutor-general has launched a criminal investigation into former Deputy Justice Minister Yevhen Korniychuk, accusing him of abuse of power while in office. More 
Group Wants Referendum To Keep Kazakh President On Until 2020
A group in northeastern Kazakhstan says it is collecting signatures to hold a national referendum that would keep President Nursultan Nazarbaev in office until 2020. More Two Kyrgyz Army veterans have started a hunger strike in Bishkek to demand overdue social allowances. More 
Women 'Disappointed' By Nearly All-Male Iraqi Cabinet
Iraqi women legislators and rights activists have expressed disappointment that there is only one woman in the country's new government. More 
Writers: Iran Free Newspaper Editor
Over 150 writers, translators, journalists, and other literary figures have signed a letter to the head of Iran's judiciary demanding the immediate release of the editor in chief of a reformist newspaper. More 
Iran: Students Chose Foreign Universities
Iran's top students are choosing North American universities to pursue masters' and doctoral degrees, according to a senior Science Ministry official. More 
Tajikistan Takes On Beards, Foreign Madrasahs
Tajikistan seems to be determined to meet a government deadline to return home all its students studying in unofficial foreign religious schools. More 
Beyond The Zero-Sum World?
In the run-up to the UN climate conference in Cancun earlier this month, the emphasis was definitely on low expectations. The hangover of Copenhagen was palpable. More 
Setting The Stage For Putin To Save The Day
Aleksandr Golts says he doesn't go in for conspiracy theories, but wonders aloud at how, at the very moment when the matter of the possible return of our national leader to the Kremlin is on everyone's lips, a bunch of "out-of-control fanatics" start begin beating up anyone with a "non-Russian face" in Moscow. More 
The Night I Stood In For An Iranian Hero
On the second anniversary of Nasrin Sotoudeh being banned from leaving Iran, Nazila Ghanea was overcome with the feeling that Sotoudeh should have been present to see the people of the world recognize her selfless bravery. More 
How to Rig an Election
For a moment during the recent presidential campaign in the former Soviet republic of Belarus, I felt like I was covering a school board election in small-town America. The scene was an auditorium at a Minsk ballet academy, where young boys in unitards lingered in the hallway. More |
