Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 4/27/2011 8:55:24 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 Interview: U.S. Congressmen Look To Encourage Afghanistan, Azerbaijan On their way to visit Baku and Kabul as part of a congressional delegation, U.S. Representatives Bill Shuster and Christopher Murphy talked to RFE/RL about Washington's goals in Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. More   The Ice Melts In Iran's Cold War With Egypt For more than 30 years they were at daggers drawn. Now, after the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak in February, Egypt and Iran are in the midst of a thaw that could see the restoration of diplomatic ties, frozen since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution. More   News Panetta To Defense, Petraeus To CIA U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to name General David Petraeus, the top U.S. military leader in Afghanistan, to be the new head of the Central Intelligence Agency, and to make current CIA chief Leon Panetta his new secretary of defense. More   Belarus Opposition Leader Goes On Trial The trial has begun in Belarus of Andrey Sannikau, a former opposition presidential candidate charged with "organizing mass riots" following the disputed December election. Sannikau, who has been held in jail since being arrested during postelection demonstrations in the capital, Minsk, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. More   Afghan Pilot Kills Nine In Gun Battle NATO officials in Afghanistan say eight members of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force were killed today along with a private contractor when an Afghan pilot opened fire on them at a training center near Kabul International Airport. More   Russian Police Accused Over Lawyer An independent commission appointed by President Dmitry Medvedev has accused Russian law-enforcement officials of fabricating charges against an anticorruption lawyer, whose death in custody sparked an international outcry. More   From Our Bureaus Tajik Flood Victims Appeal To President A group of women whose homes were destroyed by last year's floods in southern Tajikistan have gathered in front of the presidential palace in Dushanbe to ask President Emomali Rahmon for help. More   Kyrgyz Opposition Party In Talks On Joining Ruling Coalition Kyrgyzstan's opposition Ar-Namys (Dignity) party is negotiating terms for joining the ruling coalition with the leaders of the three ruling parties. More   Belarusian Activist Jailed For Protests A campaign worker for a former Belarusian presidential candidate has been jailed for two years in connection with the mass protests that followed December's disputed presidential election. More   Kyrgyz Parliament To Assist Emigrants A new board is to be set up within the Kyrgyz parliament to assist Kyrgyz labor migrants in other countries. More   Turkish Sculptor Slams Statue Demolition A Turkish sculptor has accused the government of pandering to nationalists by dismantling his controversial statue designed to promote reconciliation with Armenia. More   Kyrgyz Mufti Visits Saudi Arabia To Negotiate Hajj Quota Kyrgyzstan's mufti has left for Saudi Arabia to discuss his country's quota for this year's hajj pilgrimage. More   Dervishes Protest In Iran Gonabadi dervishes are reported to have converged on the northeastern Iranian city of Beydokht this week to protest the summoning of their leader to court. More   Moscow Manhunt For Highway Robbers Moscow city police have launched an extensive search for a group of men who stole a large sum of cash from a Kyrgyz businessman while posing as policemen on April 26. More   Prisoners 'Tortured' After Russian Jail Fire Local human rights activists say prisoners have been subjected to beatings and torture following a fire in a penitentiary in southern Siberia. More   Georgia, Armenia Discuss Security Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze made a visit to Armenia that his counterpart Edward Nalbandian described as further evidence of "truly friendly relations" between the two countries. More   Russian Activists Protest Nuclear Reactors' Extended Use Dozens of Russian environmental activists have staged a protest in the western city of Saratov against the prolonged use of a nuclear energy plant. More   Kazakh Chornobyl Group Starts Monument To Nuclear Victims A groundbreaking ceremony for a monument to victims of nuclear disasters was held in Kazakhstan's northern city of Petropavlovsk. More   Catholics In Eastern Belarus Want Cathedral Returned Catholics in the eastern Belarusian city of Mahileu are collecting signatures for a petition asking city officials to give them the St. Stanislaus Cathedral. More   Armenian Government Gives Ground Yerevan officials have formally allowed the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) to hold a rally in a key Yerevan square on April 29, thereby fulfilling another opposition demand. More   Kyrgyz Supreme Court Rejects Bakiev Request The Kyrgyz Supreme Court has rejected a request by former President Kurmanbek Bakiev's lawyer to replace the judge in the trial against him and 27 of his associates. More   Azerbaijani Opposition Party Raided The offices of the Azerbaijani opposition Musavat Party were raided in Baku by police and investigators on April 26. More   Transmission The End Of Turkish-Armenian Dialogue? Demolition work has begun on the divisive Monument to Humanity in the Turkish city of Kars, also known as the Turkish-Armenian friendship statue. More   Tangled Web Did Anonymous Hack Sony's PlayStation Network? Anonymous as a movement (or a meme, or a subculture, or a hyper-consciousness, or whatever you want to call it) is evolving and increasingly split. More