Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 1/28/2011 6:44:59 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 Egyptian Unrest: Local Movement Or Voice Of The 'Arab Street'? The ongoing protests rocking the political establishment in Egypt, mirroring those that recently toppled the government in Tunisia, are being accompanied by a wave of apparent copycat movements across the Middle East. Is Egypt's popular movement representative of a wider discontent on the "Arab Street" - - or is its relevance primarily local? More   How Are The Protests In Egypt, Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution Being Viewed In Iran? Iranian state media has been portraying the recent upheaval in Arab countries as a struggle against Western puppets in the region, while claiming that citizens who have taken to the streets in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere are taking inspiration from Iran's Islamic Revolution. More   News Nazarbaev 'Ready To Stay On' Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev says he is ready to stay in power for as long as required. The parliament earlier this month voted to hold a referendum on extending Nazarbaev's presidency till 2020, paving the way for him to skip any presidential elections over the next decade. More   Protests Sweep Egypt; Military Deploys; Curfew Extended Nationwide Thousands of protesters are clashing with police today in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. Supporters of the Islamist opposition are officially taking part in the street protests for the first time, dramatically stepping up pressure on the government. More   U.S. Set To Expand Belarus Sanctions A senior U.S. State Department official says the United States will expand existing sanctions against Belarus in response the government's brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in the wake of last December's presidential election. The move comes just days before the European Union is to vote on its own sanctions against the government in Minsk. More   From Our Bureaus Protests In Russian Far East Dozens of people protested today in the Far Eastern Russian city of Vladivostok against rising prices for foodstuffs and utilities. More   More Charges Against Crimean Speaker A second criminal case has been opened in Ukraine against former Crimean Parliament chairman Anatoliy Hrytsenko. More   Iran Rights Lawyer Faces New Charges A prominent Iranian lawyer says he faces new charges related to his work with a rights group set up by Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah said he faces charges of being a member of and participating in the establishment of the Defenders of Human Rights Center. More   Kyrgyz-Chinese Border Crossings To Close For A Week Two major checkpoints on the Kyrgyz-Chinese border will be closed from January 31-February 8 for the Chinese New Year holiday. More   Moscow Activists Protest Police Law Moscow police today detained five activists who staged individual protests outside the Russian State Duma against the draft law on police. The body is debating the draft today. More   Armenia To Probe Noncombat Deaths Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian said he would pay "special attention" to investigations into noncombat army deaths after being confronted by angry parents of dead soldiers. The parents are concerned that the authorities are not telling the truth or taking the deaths seriously. More   OSCE Kyrgyz Report Ready 'In March' The chairman of the international commission investigating last year's deadly ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan says his group's report will be issued in March. The clashes led to the deaths of at least 426 people, while tens of thousands were forcibly evicted from their homes. More   Bakiev Nephew Faces Longer Sentence Kyrgyz prosecutors have said they want a longer sentence for a nephew of ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiev who was convicted of involvement in deadly unrest in southern Kyrgyzstan last year. More   Transmission Mubarak Sitting Pretty In Azerbaijan Despite troubles at home, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is still sitting pretty in Azerbaijan. More   Chaikhana Turkmenbashi's Advice For Elbashy The book "Rukhname," which served as a spiritual guide for the people of Turkmenistan, contains a passage that says "no country should have a leader older than 70 years." The purported author of that book was none other than the country's long-serving former president, Saparmurat Niyazov. Is Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbaev listening? More   Caucasus Report Small Corners Of Hell Russian investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya was gunned down in Moscow in October 2006 primarily for her articles criticizing Russian policy in Chechnya, in particular the vindictiveness, intimidation, corruption and arbitrary brutality that are the hallmarks of the pro-Moscow Chechen leadership. More   Commentary What’s Inspiring The Arab Revolt? It is next to impossible to predict the course of mass activism and protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere in the Arab world. But there are reasons to think that the fall of authoritarian regimes by mainly young and frustrated protesters will not necessarily lead to a catastrophic outcome. More   The Blender 'The Blender,' RFE/RL's New Weekly Podcast More