Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 4/8/2011 8:15:29 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.

 

Picks Jukebox Hero: Yury Gagarin's Legacy In Pop Culture Gagarin More   Features Russia's Star On Rise Again In Kyrgyzstan In the year since President Kurmanbek Bakiev's overthrow in April 2010, a series of events has provided Russia with opportunities to reassert its presence and keep the Kyrgyz government deeply in the Kremlin's debt. More   Pakistani Media Still Seen As On A Tight Leash The media in Pakistan are ostensibly free and thriving under a civilian government, but while the number of outlets may have grown, the scope of coverage has not. More   News On Rights, U.S. Singles Out Arab Regimes, Others In its annual report on human rights conditions around the world, the United States has leveled a harsh critique of Arab governments currently embroiled in popular pro-democracy upheavals, saying rights abuses in those countries were 'especially serious' last year. Russia, Belarus, Iran, and Ukraine were also mentioned as serious abusers of its citizens' human rights. More   New Deadline For Armenian Leadership Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian has given Armenia's political leadership late three more weeks to free his jailed loyalists and start a dialogue with his Armenian National Congress (HAK) or face an opposition push for power. More   Kosovo's New President: A Political Novice With Broad Support Kosovo's parliament elected a political unknown, policewoman Atifete Jahjaga, to serve as the country's new president. More   Kazakh President Sworn In Again Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has been sworn in to another five-year term in office after a landslide win in a weekend election criticized by rights groups. More   From Our Bureaus Arrests Over Kids' Arranged Marriages Two sisters -- 3-year-old Darwesh Bibi and 6-year-old Fazeelat Bibi -- were engaged to two boys from another family to resolve a dispute between the families, who live in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. More   Tajik Power Woes Blamed On Water Tajik Energy and Industry Minister Gul Sherali says a lack of water in reservoirs is responsible for the rationing of electricity in Tajikistan. More   Russia: Islamist Suspects Detained Six alleged members of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir Islamic group have been detained in the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan. More   Jailed Belarus Activist Released Jailed Belarusian activist Syarhey Kavalenka was unexpectedly released today, 12 days before the end of his sentence. More   Jailed Iranian Wins Media Award The jailed Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi has won the UN cultural organization's press freedom award. More   Russian Activist Quits 'Strategy 31' More   Belarus: Activist Resumes Hunger Strike Jailed Belarusian Activist Resumes Hunger Strike More   Kyrgyz Media Consultant Beaten, Robbed A well-known Kyrgyz businesswoman and media consultant has been beaten and robbed in Bishkek. More   Kyrgyz Ex-Banker Sentenced In Absentia A fugitive banking executive has been sentenced to 16 years in jail in Kyrgyzstan for transferring hundreds of millions of dollars out of the country. More   Armenian Editors Seek Media Support The editors of two Armenian newspapers locked in court battles with former President Robert Kocharian have urged other media outlets to help them battle the increased number of libel cases taken against the country's press. More   'U.S. Still Wants Iraq Troop Presence' An Iraqi parliament deputy says U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Baghdad seeking a deal to allow thousands of U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after the withdrawal deadline. More   Kyrgyz Premier Criticizes Ex-Prosecutor Kyrgyz Prime Minister Almazbek Atambaev has publicly criticized sacked acting Prosecutor-General Kubatbek Baibolov and opposition parliament deputies More   The Power Vertical Power Struggles And Polemics The latest tensions between President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin -- or appearance thereof -- have sparked a lively debate in the Russian press about what is actually going on inside the tandem. More   Chaikhana Kazakhstan Eyeing Two-Party System? Kazakh authorities are apparently no longer happy with their one-party system, and would like to see more political groups entering the parliament -- at least according to the country's high-ranking officials. More   The Blender Podcast: Yury Gagarin, Soviet Pop Culture Inspiration; A Noted Director Goes 'Way Back'; Kyrgyzstan Navigates Rough Waters More   Gandhara Talks With The Taliban In Pakistan? Daud Khattak looks at repeated attempts on the life of a leader of one of Pakistan's major Islamist political parties and discusses possible rifts in the Taliban leadership. More   Video Archive Gagarin: Space Hero -- and Pop-Culture Legend From the moment Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin become the first human being to enter outer space on April 12, 1961, he became a living legend and the toast of the international elite. But he also proved an enduring inspiration for Soviet pop culture, which dedicated postage stamps, watchbands -- and especially music -- to preserving his memory. More   Photo Gallery Archive Photos Of The Week -- April 2-8 Kyrgyz uprising and Chornobyl remembered as unrest continues in Middle East. More