Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 4/20/2011 7:56:47 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 Investigation Into Minsk Subway Bombing Moves Into High Gear Although authorities in Belarus remain quiet about the suspects detained in connection with the April 11 Minsk subway bombing that killed 13 people, the investigation is in full swing. Police are combing the city of Vitsebsk for clues and prosecutors are issuing official warnings to independent media for "sowing panic." More   U.S. State Department Reaches Out To The World Online The U.S. State Department has recently expanded its presence across the social-media landscape, launching Twitter accounts in a host of languages and soliciting feedback on its Facebook page. The push comes amid popular uprisings across the Arab world, where social media have helped activists coordinate demonstrations and spread news of street protests. More   Conflicting Goals Hamper Communication With the U.S State Department now tweeting in nine languages, RFE/RL talks to Clay Shirky, a professor, author, and expert on the Internet and social media, about the role new communications technologies can play in spreading democratic values. More   Pakistani Pashtun Tribe Rises Up Against Extremists A Pashtun tribe in Pakistan has risen against a Taliban-allied militia it once felt forced to accommodate. More   Reports Of Names Of Alleged Subway Bombers Set Off Frenzy Minsk authorities have been tight-lipped about detained suspects in connection with the deadly April 11 subway bombing. But names have been leaked and neighbors, police, and reporters are staking out their homes. More   Former IRA Member Can't See Rationale Behind Minsk Bombing Former IRA operative Sean O'Callaghan helped plan and execute several deadly terror attacks in Northern Ireland. He gives his insights into the possible motivation behind last week's bomb attack in Belarus. More   Iran's Nobel Laureate Ebadi Warns Of Unrest Among Ethnic Arabs In Iran Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has warned the United Nations of the possible spread of unrest in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan Province, home to most of the country's ethnic Arab minority. More     From Our Bureaus Belarusian Weekly Warned Again About Subway-Bombing Reports The editors of the Belarusian weekly newspaper "Nasha niva" have been officially warned about an article the newspaper published on the Minsk subway terrorist attack. More   Russian Journalist Arrested For Extortion Police in the southern Russia city of Rostov-na-Donu have arrested an editor at a local newspaper for alleged extortion of government officials. More   Kyiv Post Editor Reinstated The chief editor of the "Kyiv Post" whose sacking last week prompted a strike by staff is to return to the English-language weekly under an agreement reached with its owner. More   Serbian Politician Still On Hunger Strike Serbia's nationalist opposition leader Tomislav Nikolic is in the fifth day of a hunger strike to demand early elections. More   Tehran Students Protest University 'Garrison' Tehran University students are protesting the extensive presence of security forces on their campus, saying such measures are turning the university into a garrison. More   Turkish Contractors Sue Turkmenistan Three Turkish construction companies operating in Turkmenistan have brought legal action against the Turkmen government over outstanding payments amounting to $600 million. More   Son Of Kyrgyz 'Lazarus' Spent Money The son of a man erroneously believed killed in last year's antigovernment uprising in Kyrgyzstan says he spent all the compensation money -- on a commemoration service for his "dead" father. More   Artist To Keep Fighting For Armenia Statue A prominent Turkish painter recovering from a stab wound has pledged to continue fighting the demolition of a controversial monument designed to promote reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. More   Iraq Wants Treaty To Protect Heritage Iraq wants to conclude a new international agreement that will designate the dealing of antique Iraqi artifacts a crime. More   Illegal Russian Tree-Felling Probed Environmental police in Moscow are investigating the illegal felling of at least 120 birch trees near the route of the planned Moscow-St. Petersburg highway outside of the Russian capital. More   Kyrgyz Urged To Sell Gold-Miner Stake Kyrgyz economists have recommended that the government sell a stake in leading gold-producing concern Centerra Gold, Inc., which is the largest gold producer in Central Asia. More   Tajik Homeowners Protest Demolitions Tajik Prosecutor-General Sherkhon Salimzoda said last week that all houses in the Qushteppa settlement in Rudaki were built illegally because Tajik law prohibits building residential property on agricultural or irrigated land. More   Senior Tajik Judge's Son In Death Probe Tajik Supreme Court Chairman Nusratullo Abdulloev's son is suspected of killing a Chinese woman in a car accident. More   Belarus OKs Chornobyl Rally, Bans March Belarusian Officials Allow Rally But Ban March On Chornobyl Anniversary More   Kazakhs Eye Uyghur Extradition To China Kazakh authorities reportedly arrested Arshiddin Israil at Beijing's request last summer, even though the UN office in Almaty granted him refugee status in 2009 and Swedish officials agreed last year to grant him asylum. A lawyer says Israil is likely to face torture and imprisonment, or even a death sentence, if he is sent back. More   Transmission Tempest Over 'Three Cups Of Tea' And Author Mortenson Ahead of our own report on the "Three Cups Of Tea" controversy, RFE/RL spoke to notable Pakistan and Afghanistan authority Ahmed Rashid, whose praise is featured on the first page of Greg Mortenson's book, about Mortenson and his Central Asia Institute. More   Caucasus Report Another Kazakh Militant Reported Killed In Daghestan Over the past two years, the authorities in Daghestan have reported the death of seven Kazakh citizens fighting in the ranks of the North Caucasus insurgency, and the arrest of four more would-be Kazakh recruits. More   Watchdog Police Excluded From Probe Into Belarus Activist's Beating The Minsk prosecutor's office has launched an investigation into the election-day beating of a rights activist -- but says police will be excluded from the probe. More   Iranian Journalist Said Jailed For Six Years Iranian journalist Nazanin Khosravani has been sentenced to six years in jail, her lawyer has told an opposition website. More   Outpost Washington A Question For Kazakhstan President Nazarbaev's people love him, we're told. But how much, exactly? Without a real election it's hard to know. More   Commentary The Lost Traditions Of Daghestan Daghestan is the most ethnically diverse republic in Russia, yet history provides not a single example of ethnic conflict there. This tradition of tolerance continues even today. But times change and sometimes social problems can destroy even the most sacred qualities of a person's character. More   Chaikhana Banned Because Of A Beard Tajik football player Parviz Tursunov is facing a hard and rather unusual choice: the athlete has been told to choose between his bushy beard and his career in sports. More