Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 3/30/2011 8:00:17 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 New Russian Opposition Party Unveils Report On Corruption Under Putin How corrupt has Russia become under Vladimir Putin's rule? According to a new report by top opposition politicians, corruption over the past decade surpasses that of the so-called wild 1990s. More Filmmaker Rafi Pitts: Iran 'On The Verge Of An Explosion' Celebrated Iranian filmmaker Rafi Pitts, whose political thriller "The Hunter" was nominated for Berlinale's prestigious Golden Bear award in February 2010, says one of the reasons he made a thriller was to reflect the suspense he sees building up in Iran. More Belarus Theater Founder Urges EU To Step Up Brussels should slap tough economic sanctions on Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime in Belarus. That is the message of Natalya Kalyada, co-founder of the campaigning Belarus Free Theatre, who together with the members of her ensemble are considered to be public enemies in their home country. More Tom Stoppard On Belarus's Lukashenka: 'He's Made Monkeys Out Of Us' In recent years, celebrated playwright Tom Stoppard has made common cause with opposition activists in Belarus, collaborating with the Belarus Free Theater. Stoppard spoke with RFE/RL writer at large James Kirchick on the sidelines of the annual Brussels Forum international affairs conference. More News   Unyielding Assad Blames 'Conspirators' For Protests Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made a defiant speech in the face of unprecedented protests against his authoritarian rule, blaming them on "conspirators" who he said were trying to destroy the country. More From Our Bureaus Bashkir Nationalist Leader Sentenced A leader of the Bashkir Youth Union has received a three-year suspended sentence after he was found guilty of attacking journalists as a member of the Republic of Bashkortostan's government in 2009. More Kyrgyz Prison Hunger Strikes End Kyrgyz officials say the remaining hunger-striking inmates in five of the country's penitentiaries have ended their protest. More Kazakh Opposition Publisher 'Missing' After Attack A Kazakh opposition publisher is reported missing following an attack, and his colleagues say they fear he might have been abducted. More Jail Terms Halved For Sons Of Former Tajik Opposition Commander The prison terms of the sons of slain Tajik Emergency Situations Minister and former opposition commander Mirzo Ziyoev have been reduced by half to 15 years by an appeals court. More Mother Of Russian Soldier Found Dead Demands Probe The mother of a young conscript found hanged in a military unit near Moscow earlier this month is demanding a proper investigation into her son's death. More Three Jailed For Attack On Kazakh Opposition Activists Three young men have been jailed for seven days for attacking Kazakh opposition activists protesting next month's presidential election. More China To Test DNA Of Kyrgyz Remains The human remains found after last year's ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan will be identified in China. More Jailed Iranian Blogger In Grave Condition, His Father Reports The jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Ronaghi-Maleki is in grave condition in Tehran's Evin prison. More Belarusian Activist Jailed 3 1/2 Years For Election Protest A Belarusian political activist has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in a maximum security prison after being found guilty of taking part in "mass unrest" in December. More Uzbeks Shut Religious Bookstores Uzbek security services have closed down bookstores specializing in religious literature in Tashkent. More Belarus Journalist's Apartment Searched A Polish-Belarusian journalist charged with insulting President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says the KGB has searched his apartment and itemized his possessions. More Transmission 'Mommy, I Couldn't Hold Back My Tears' Readers who have been following the saga of the "Vasilios N," the Georgian-flagged cargo ship whose crew recently escaped from Libya after being held in Misurata for 11 months, know the story is as much a family drama as it is a seafaring one. More The Power Vertical A Russian Land Grab In Abkhazia? When Russia recognized Abkhazia's independence in August 2008, very few countries followed suit. But there was nonetheless jubilation and gratitude in Sukhumi.Today, many Abkhaz are wondering whether the cost of Moscow's support may have turned out to be a bit too high. More Chaikhana Is Kazakhstan Under Threat Of Radical Islamization? Islam in on the rise in Kazakhstan and it could potentially cause problems for the country's stability, according to the Kazakh media. More Gandhara Praying For Victory In Pakistan Daud Khattak takes a lighthearted look at potential divine intervention in today's India-Pakistan cricket match. More