Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 9/2/2011 3:16:43 AM 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 Kyrgyzstan's Uzbek Schools Set A New Course As the new school year kicked off on September 1, some 35 ethnic Uzbek children attending the Cholpon school in the district of Kara-Suu in southern Kyrgyzstan began their studies in a whole new language -- Kyrgyz. More   Dying Lake Gives New Life To Iran's Antigovernment Protests Police forces and activists are sparring again in Iran over an issue of national interest. But this time the source of the dispute is far from the corridors of power in Tehran and is centered on the rapidly receding shoreline of one of the world's largest saltwater lakes. More   Missing For A Decade, Russian Soldier Claims He Was Held As Slave A Russian soldier who was missing for more than a decade reappears in his hometown, claiming he was abducted and enslaved in the North Caucasus. He's now in military custody as investigators probe whether he was simply a deserter. More   News Nazarbaev Wants To Curb Faith Groups Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev has called for tighter control over religious groups, saying it was necessary to protect the state from extremism. More   From Our Bureaus Dozens Of Kyrgyz Presidential Candidates Seeking Registration Kyrgyz presidential candidates must pay a 100,000 som ($2,200) registration fee before taking a mandatory Kyrgyz-language test that all candidates must pass. More   Chemical Leak Empties Russian Schools Schools and kindergartens in the central Russian city of Chelyabinsk were evacuated on September 1 following a chemical leak from a freight car. More   Kyrgyz Police Face Custody-Death Rap Four police officers in southern Kyrgyzstan have been charged in connection with the death of a Russian citizen who was allegedly severely beaten while in police custody. More   Gongadze Widow Demands Open Trial The widow of slain Ukrainian journalist Heorhiy Gongadze has called for the trial of the main suspect in her husband's murder to be opened to the public. More   Eurovision Asks Azerbaijan To Simplify Visa Rules Eurovision is a song contest and not a political program, but the organization will stand up for freedom of speech in the countries that host it, including Belarus and Azerbaijan, its executive supervisor told RFE. More   Russian Official Dies In Tajikistan On Eve Of Medvedev Visit A Russian security services officer has died in Dushanbe, one day before the scheduled arrival in Tajikistan of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. More   Azerbaijan Slams Sarkisian Statements A top adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says recent statements by Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian about the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory are "nonsensical" and "unpresidential." More   The Power Vertical The Congress Of The Victors There is a lot of buzz in the Russian media today about how September 23-24 could be when Dmitry Medvedev announces, well, you know what. More   An Overhaul In The Upper House? Maybe it was the fiasco surrounding getting Valentina Matviyenko into the Federation Council. Maybe it is some kind of power play. But for some reason, reforming the upper house of Russia's parliament seems to be all the rage. More   Chaikhana Sad Anniversary In Bishkek This week marked a number of memorable events in Kyrgyzstan, in which people celebrated Eid-alf-Fitr marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the 20th anniversary of the nation's independence and, of course, the beginning of the new school year. More   Lost No More It's always nice to have a happy ending! And we just got one for the story of Husniddin Mashrabov, a Tajik migrant worker stranded for months in South Ossetia. More   Caucasus Report Armenian Political 'Dialogue' In Jeopardy The dialogue between the Armenian coalition and opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) that began last month is in danger of collapse, raising the specter of a new wave of potentially destabilizing opposition protests. More   Outpost Washington First U.S. Ambassador To Moldova Reflects On The Pace Of Change On August 31, RFE/RL spoke to Mary Pendleton, Washington’s first ambassador in Chisinau (1992-1995), on the sidelines of an event at the National Endowment for Democracy called "Moldova’s Transition: 20 Years of Challenges and Successes." More   At Large A Moldovan Walks into a Cafe in Tripoli... More