Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 4/15/2011 7:59:33 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 Kyrgyz National Hero Comes Back From The Dead Bewildered authorities in Kyrgyzstan try to unravel the mystery of how one of the 87 national heroes declared dead in fateful clashes a year ago has turned up alive and well. More   In Wake Of Minsk Bombing, Authorities Threaten Crackdown On 'Rumormongers' In the aftermath of the April 11 subway bombing in Minsk, authorities have announced that their investigation will include probes of political figures and journalists. Since the attack, the Belarusian Internet has been abuzz with rumors, speculation, and outrage, much of it directed at President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime. More   News Ex-Official Slams Khodorkovsky Judge A former official at the Russian court that tried Mikhail Khodorkovsky has said in an interview published on April 15 that it wasn't the judge who decided the jailed ex-oil tycoon's fate. More   From Our Bureaus Pakistan Cleric Rejects Political Violence Maulana Fazlur Rahman, head of the country's largest religious party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI-F), said his party fully endorses a unanimous decision taken by religious leaders in Lahore three years ago dissociating themselves from suicide attacks. More   Tajik Electricity Rationing Eased A spokesman for Tajikistan's state energy supplier said that thanks to the increased volume of water in the Vakhsh River, electricity rationing has been lifted in the capital. He said other parts of the country would have electricity from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. More   Belarus Activist Ends Hunger Strike Syarhey Malaletkin told RFE/RL on April 15 that he was ending his protest because 15 days is the maximum term, he believes, that those who took part in the unsanctioned antigovernment protest on December 19 in Minsk should have been given. More   Kazakh Floods Evacuate Thousands Some 6,000 people have been evacuated from the city of Oral and several other towns and villages in western Kazakhstan hit by severe floods this week. More   Russian Mothers Begin Hunger Strike Sixteen young mothers in the southern Russian city of Volgograd have launched a three-day hunger strike to highlight the lack of kindergartens in the region. More   Azeri MPs Condemn Opposition Meetings A group of Azerbaijani parliament deputies today proposed establishing a special committee to probe the activities of foreign diplomats in Baku. More   Kyrgyz Opposition Deputies Defect Ten Kyrgyz opposition deputies have defected to the government's parliament majority. More   Tajikistan Says Militant Leader Killed Tajikistan's Interior Ministry says the country's most wanted man, militant leader Abdullo Rahimov, has been killed. More   Iraq Upset By Call to Cancel Arab Summit Iraqi politicians say they regret the Persian Gulf states' request that the Arab League cancel its May summit in Iraq. More   Uzbek President's Daughter Sues Uzbek President Islam Karimov's youngest daughter is suing a French website for defamation. More   The Power Vertical The Emperor Strikes Back? Well, Not So Fast. More   Persian Letters Khamenei Was No Ordinary Baby, Cleric Says While most babies cry after they are born, Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the name of the first Imam of the Shi'a as he was about to be born, a well-known Iranian cleric says. More   Chaikhana How Should Russia Deal With Central Asia? Will the ongoing popular uprisings in Arab countries spread to Central Asia and what role should Russia play in the region? More   The Blender Podcast: Debating France's Contentious New Veil Ban; Russia's Forgotten 'Butterfly Children' In this week's show, a roundtable discussion of the new French law banning the niqab or burqa in public; Russia's tragic "butterfly children"; and our regular "Uncovered" segment about important stories that aren't getting their due in the Western media. More   Video Archive 'Putin Is Skiing' Takes Rights Concerns To The Stage A Czech theater group is performing an original play inspired by the work of murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who sought to uncover human rights abuses in Russia. The troupe, Divadlo Líšeň, uses surreal humor to shed light on injustices taking place in Vladimir Putin's Russia. More   Photo Gallery Archive Photos Of The Week -- April 9-15 Belarusians mourn victims of the Minsk subway bombing while Russia remembers cosmonaut Yury Gagarin. More