Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday, 30 December 2010


RFE/RL Headlines
 
RFE/RL Headlines
12/30/2010 7:01:42 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

Afghans Feel Pinch Of Iranian-Border Fuel Blockade Afghans Feel Pinch Of Iranian-Border Fuel Blockade
Despite promises by Tehran to lift a recently imposed blockade, thousands of fuel trucks bound for Afghanistan remain stranded on the Iranian side of the border. More
Top 10 Viral Videos Of 2010 Top 10 Viral Videos Of 2010
These video clips were catapulted into the global public consciousness and continued to find viewers through formal and informal channels. You are likely to have encountered at least some of them before-- a testament to their massive public appeal. But we hope you might be seeing a few others for the very first time. More
Science And Technology Breakthroughs That Changed The World In 2010 Science And Technology Breakthroughs That Changed The World In 2010
The stuff of sci-fi fantasy became reality in 2010, a year of new gadgets, health discoveries, and historic moments in science -- some lasting only a fraction of a second. More
News

Moldova Gets Speaker, Staves Off Crisis Moldova Gets Speaker, Staves Off Crisis
The Moldovan parliament has elected Democratic Party leader Marian Lupu as its speaker and made him acting president. More
Russia's Khodorkovsky Jailed To 2017 Russia's Khodorkovsky Jailed To 2017
Former Russian oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his one-time business partner, Platon Lebedev, are to spend another six years in prison, following their sentencing for embezzlement and money laundering at the end of their controversial trial in Moscow. More
Belarusian Opposition Candidates Formally Charged Over Protests Belarusian Opposition Candidates Formally Charged Over Protests
Four out of seven Belarusian presidential candidates who ran against Alyaksandr Lukashenka in this month's election have been formally charged with organizing violent mass disturbances. Charges against a fifth candidate were expected. More
From Our Bureaus

Iraq Blocs Agree New Nat'l Council
Iraqi parliament rapporteur Muhammad al-Khalidi told RFI that following long and difficult negotiations, the major parliamentary blocs finished drafting a bill that provides for the formation of the council. It is to be voted on by parliament next week. More
Baku Welcomes U.S. Envoy App't Baku Welcomes U.S. Envoy App't
A decision by U.S. President Barack Obama to directly appoint a new ambassador to Azerbaijan whose nomination had been stalled by lawmakers for months has been welcomed by Baku but criticized by an Armenian-American lobbying group. More
Iran Sends Tajikistan Equipment For Hydropower Plant
Iran has begun transporting equipment to Tajikistan for the construction of a controversial hydropower plant. More
Senior Clerics Criticize Iranian Gov't Senior Clerics Criticize Iranian Gov't
Three more senior Iranian clerics have come out with criticisms of government policy. More
Caucasus Report

Armenia Grapples With Galloping Inflation, Mushrooming Foreign Debt Armenia Grapples With Galloping Inflation, Mushrooming Foreign Debt
President Serzh Sarkisian predicts the country will fully emerge from its recession in 2011. But a report compiled by the Civilitas Foundation in Yerevan, offers a more nuanced and less optimistic picture, highlighting such pernicious trends as high inflation, a budget deficit, and the huge increase in Armenia's foreign debt over the past three years. More
Gandhara

Afghan Children's Circus Touring Italy Afghan Children's Circus Touring Italy
"We came from Afghanistan to put smiles on the faces of the Italian people," Fazeela Amerkhel, a 12-year-old girl from Afghanistan, told RFE/RL from Rome, where she is on a tour with the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children (MMCC). More
Commentary

Blood And Special Operations In Belarus Politics Blood And Special Operations In Belarus Politics
Belarus's postelection repression has stifled the current wave of protest. It also made Minsk's international stance much more difficult. But what's least clear is how these events will play out in Belarusian society. More
At Large

Put The Screws On Europe's Last Dictator Put The Screws On Europe's Last Dictator
The Western rapprochement toward Lukashenka, in the hope that he might liberalize, was foolish. More
Belarus Crackdown

'Covered In Blood' -- Belarusian Protester Talks About His Arrest, Imprisonment 'Covered In Blood' -- Belarusian Protester Talks About His Arrest, Imprisonment
Twenty-three-year-old Illya Bohdan is a member of the opposition Belarusian Popular Front. He was detained during the election protests in Minsk on December 19. He was released on December 29 after 10 days in jail. Bohdan spoke with RFE/RL's Belarusian Service after his release. More