Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 1/18/2011 8:59:21 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 Seek New Fuel Source As Warm Relations With Tehran Turn Frosty It is a dispute that has severely strained relations between Iran and Afghanistan; for weeks, more than 1,600 diesel fuel tankers bound for Afghanistan have been stranded on the Iranian side of the border without apparent explanation. Now, amid shortages and soaring fuel prices, the government in Kabul has approached Afghanistan's erstwhile foe, Russia, in a search for an alternative energy source. More   A Summit That Won’t Be Business As Usual: Obama, Hu Meet In Washington China is on the rise. America’s self-confidence is battered. And this week the leaders of the two countries are coming together in Washington for a get-together that is being billed by some observers as the most important Sino-American summit in 30 years. More   EU To Read Riot Act To Belarus The crackdown following Belarus's presidential election last month is expected to come in for condemnation from the European Parliament this week. Members of the European Parliament today put the final touches on a draft resolution that will go to a vote on January 20. More   From Our Bureaus Possible Landmark Kazakh Torture Trial Five prison guards and four inmates are charged with torturing former army officer Zhandos Saghatov, who is serving a jail term in the town of Zarechny, in the Almaty region, for a drug-related crime. More   Belarusian Journalist Sentenced For Participation In Protest Belarusian journalist Barys Haretski has been sentenced by a Minsk court to 14 days in jail for taking part in postelection demonstrations on December 19. More   Handler, Dissident And RFE/RL Veteran, Dies Seventy-four-year-old Yury Handler, a Soviet dissident and former director of RFE/RL's Russian Service, died in Lake Ronkonkoma, New York. More   Latvia Rejects Moscow Ex-Mayor's Residency Bid Former Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov's bid for residency in neighboring Latvia has been rejected because of hostile statements he allegedly made in the past about that country. More   PACE To Azerbaijan 'Where's The Visa?' A Council of Europe rapporteur for Azerbaijan says Baku is refusing to issue him a visa. Christoph Straesser, a German parliament member, says he's applied for a visa several times since last May and that the lack of a visa is interfering with his ability to do his job. More   Baha'is Warn On Iran Arson Attacks The Baha'i International Community has sounded the alarm over a recent spate of arson attacks on Baha'i-owned businesses in the city of Rafsanjan in south-central Iran, More   Tajikistan: 4 IMU Suspects Killed A Tajik Interior Ministry official says four suspected members of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) were killed and some 50 others arrested in northern Tajikistan last year. More   Uzbek President To Visit Brussels A European Commission official says a controversial visit by Uzbek President Islam Karimov to Brussels is part of a European Union policy to strengthen relations with Central Asian countries in such areas as human rights as well as economic and military cooperation. More   Soldier Killed In Karabakh Skirmish One Azerbaijani soldier has been killed and two Armenian conscripts wounded recently in skirmishes at the Armenian-Azerbaijani "line of contact" around the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. More   Former Kyrgyz DM To Sue National Commission A former Kyrgyz defense minister says he will sue a state commission that investigated the ethnic clashes between Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in southern Kyrgyzstan last summer. More   Transmission Russian Orthodox Church Wants A Dress Code A senior spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church has proposed the introduction of a dress code for all Russian men and women. Well, mostly women. More   Obama Moves On Cuba: Close But No Cigar U.S. President Barack Obama further eased trade and travel restrictions to Cuba on January 14, most notably allowing Americans to send up to $500 every three months to nonrelatives in Cuba as long as they are not senior government officials or senior members of the communist party. More   Mikhail Prokhorov's Thankless NBA Task Has the National Basketball Association's second most widely known Russian, Mikhail Prokhorov, misread the U.S. market and tragically mishandled his headline-grabbing American acquisition? More   The Rundown - January 18 News and opinion in RFE/RL's broadcast region. More   Belarus Crackdown European Parliament Set To Condemn Belarus Crackdown The crackdown following Belarus's presidential election last month is expected to come in for condemnation from the European Parliament this week. Members of the European Parliament are busy putting the final touches on a draft resolution that should go to a vote on January 20. More