Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 3/14/2011 8:49:32 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 As Food Prices Spike, Azerbaijanis Endure Border Chaos To Shop In Iran Between 3,000 and 3,500 Azerbaijanis are crossing the Iranian border daily in search of cheap food as prices at home soar. The rising prices are partially explained by global market trends. But analysts say corruption also plays a big role. More   Physicist Explains What Happened -- And What Might Yet Happen -- In Japanese Nuclear Crisis To better understand what is happening at the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, RFE/RL correspondent Bruce Pannier spoke to British-based nuclear physicist Frank Barnaby about what is already one of the worst civil nuclear disasters in history. More   Gay Rights At Center Stage In Battle Over Moldova Antidiscrimination Bill An antidiscrimination bill in Moldova has become a bone of contention between religious conservatives and gay-rights activists. And the bill's opponents have brought in some controversial figures from the U.S. religious right to bolster their arguments. More   News Gulf Military Force Enters Restive Bahrain joint Gulf nation military force moved into the island kingdom of Bahrain today at the ruling monarchy's request to help quell a Shi'ite rebellion, and has been condemned by the main opposition group as an occupying force. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary Hillary Clinton is in Paris for a meeting of the G8 industrialized nations and plans to sit down for talks with members of the Libyan opposition. It will be the first high level contact between the White House and members of the anti-government forces trying to oust Muammar Qaddafi. The Central Newsroom reports. More   United Russia Sweeps Regional Polls Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's ruling United Russia party scored an overwhelming victory in March 13 local elections, with party members welcoming the win as evidence of voter support and opposition members hurling accusations of election violations. More   Japanese Race To Prevent Further Disaster At Fukushima Fears of a nuclear catastrophe in Japan are rising in the wake of reports that fuel rods inside three quake-damaged reactors appear to be melting. The threat of a nuclear emergency is complicating rescue operations for what the Japanese government is calling the worst disaster in the country since World War II. More   From Our Bureaus Tajikistan Suspends Train Route To Khujand Tajikistan's railroad company has suspended trains traveling from the capital, Dushanbe, to the northern city of Khujand. More   Jailed Azeri Journalist Appeals To Aliyev The jailed chief editor of the former newspaper "Gundalik Azerbaijan," Eynulla Fatullayev, has sent a letter to President Ilham Aliyev expressing hope that he will be released. More   Kyrgyz-Uzbek Newlyweds Get Cash A newly wedded Kyrgyz-Uzbek couple has become the first to receive a cash payment for people in mixed marriages in southern Kyrgyzstan. More   Chinese Traders Killed In Bishkek Two major markets in the Kyrgyz capital have been closed after the killings of two ethnic Chinese traders. More   Official: No Troops Sent To Kazakh Jail A Kazakh prison official has denied a report that troops were deployed to a maximum-security jail. More   Baby Snatcher Nabbed In Kazakhstan A woman has been jailed for seven years for snatching a newborn baby from a maternity hospital in the Kazakh city of Almaty last year. More   Former Presidential Candidate Said To Have Fled Belarus The wife of Ales Mikhalevich, who opposed the entrenched President Alyaksandr Lukashenka in the December 19 election and wrote on his blog on March 14 that he is "in a zone that is not accessible for the Belarusian KGB," confirmed to RFE/RL that he had left Belarus. More   Transmission Kyrgyzstan Gets Its 'Mt. Putin' Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin now has a mountain peak named after him in Kyrgyzstan, all for the sake of improved of bilateral relations. More   The Power Vertical A Victory In Name Only As they assessed the results of Sunday's elections, the authorities did their best to put on a brave face. But few were convinced. More   Commentary During Egypt Uprising, Alexandria Led The Way Alexandria was the center of Egyptian political life for most of the past 200 years. As late as the 1950s, the fabled Mediterranean resort was the country's summer capital. In the first half of the 20th century it was a cosmopolitan commercial center. The events of recent months in Egypt are a new chapter for the city. More