RFE/RL Headlines
3/31/2011 4:47:02 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. |
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Features
Exiled Iran Religious Scholar Calls For Debate On Nuclear Safety
Hassan Yousefi Eshkevari, a prominent Iranian religious scholar, has called for a debate among intellectuals and political activists about the safety of nuclear facilities in earthquake-prone Iran. The call, issued in an article published on the opposition "Jaras" website, comes as nuclear safety is under intense scrutiny as Japan battles nuclear catastrophe. Eshkevari's is one of the first such challenges pertaining to nuclear facilities in Iran, where there is general agreement across the political spectrum on the country's nuclear-energy policy. Eshkevari, an outspoken critic of the Iranian establishment who was jailed and defrocked in Iran, speaks to RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari from Germany, where he has resided for the past three years. More 
Securing Japan's Nuclear Reactors Grows Harder
Rescue teams trying to secure Japan's earthquake-damaged reactors at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant are finding the task is getting harder, not easier, with time. More 
Russia Mourns Passing Of Popular Actress Lyudmila Gurchenko
Russia lost one of its most beloved actresses on March 30 when Lyudmila Gurchenko, the star of Soviet-era classics like the 1983 film "Station for Two," passed away in Moscow. More 
OSCE Regrets Minsk Office Closure
The OSCE chairman in office, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis, today said he deeply regretted that Belarus' authorities had not reconsidered their decision not to extend the mandate of the OSCE office in Minsk. More 
MP Vote Saves Bishkek Kiosks
The vote means the kiosks near Bishkek's Osh bazaar may stay until a new marketplace for them is set up elsewhere in the city. More A former cellmate of an Iranian political prisoner who died this week of cancer says authorities provided medical treatment that was too little, too late. More 
Jailed Belarusian Activist 'On Hunger Strike'
Belarusian activist Mikita Likhavid has gone on a hunger strike to protest being jailed for 3 1/2 years over a postelection demonstration, his mother said. More 
Activists Detained In Baku Ahead Of Opposition Rally
Several opposition activists have been detained in Azerbaijan ahead of a planned antigovernment rally. More 
EU 'To Keep Pressing Belarus'
The European Union says it will continue to press for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus following Minsk's decision to soften the charges against two former presidential candidates. More 
Moldova Activists Deplore Setback On Gay Rights
The issue of gay rights is divisive in the predominantly Christian Orthodox country, but ensuring safeguards for homosexuals is a precondition for deeper ties with the European Union. More 
Iran Ministry Summons More Activists
Political activist and journalist Reza Alijani has been summoned to Iran's Intelligence Ministry, the latest activist to receive a summons in recent weeks. More 
Missing Kazakh Publisher 'In Belarus'
Colleagues said Daniyar Moldashev, whose Almaty publishing house prints the opposition newspapers "Respublika" (The Republic) and "Golos respubliki" (The Voice of the Republic), went missing after he was attacked and robbed on his way home from Almaty airport on March 25. More 
Armenian Pol Ends Hunger Strike
Armenian opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian has ended his 15-day hunger strike after appeals from supporters and what he called a positive change in the public mood. More 
Tajiks Warn Of Water Crunch
Saidahmad Dustov, deputy head of Tajikistan's Hydrological Agency, told RFE/RL on March 29 that the observation of mountain snow from airplanes showed that "snow reserves and precipitation in [certain] regions are significantly lower than in previous years." More 
Turkmen Activist Forcibly Committed
A resident of the village of Sakgar in the district of Magtymguly told RFE/RL that 80-year-old Amangelen Shapudakov was called to the local police department on March 7 and has not been seen since. Police initially denied he'd been sent to a psychiatric facility, then changed their story. More 
Foreskin Foreshadowing
"Another charitable and manly deed was performed in Dushanbe ... with the aim of fulfilling parents' fervent wishes and pleasing their children." That's how Tajik television's announced a recent "circumcision party" organized by the president's upwardly mobile son, Rustam Emomali More 
Influential Bahraini Blogger Reportedly Arrested
A high-profile Internet activist in Bahrain has reportedly been arrested. More 
Leaked Cables Show U.S. Was Wrong On Ukraine's Yanukovych
Diplomatic cables leaked from the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine by the WikiLeaks website show the embassy believed prior to the 2010 presidential election that Viktor Yanukovych had changed and that he was a better option than Yulia Tymoshenko. Both of these positions were fundamentally wrong, says Taras Kuzio. More Libyan rebels outside the town of Brega fired rockets and exchanged gunfire with troops loyal to Muammar Qaddafi in an attempt to retake the eastern town, captured by the government forces days earlier. Rebels were reportedly still in control of Ajdabiyah, about 140 kilometers south of the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Video by Reuters More Children suffering from the rare genetic disease epidermolysis bullosa, or EB, are sometimes called "butterfly kids" because their skin is as fragile as an insect's wings. Treatments are available, but parents of young patients in Russia say a lack of specialized care and knowledge is hindering their efforts to better their children's lives. More 
The Life Of Lyudmila Gurchenko
Russia lost one of its most beloved actresses on March 30 when Lyudmila Gurchenko, the star of Soviet-era classics like the 1983 film "Station for Two," passed away in Moscow. More Mohammad Rassool (for Charles' and Zarif's story) More |
