RFE/RL Headlines
9/2/2011 7:29:31 PM
A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio LibertyRFE/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. |
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Features
Russia Plays Damage Control In Last-Ditch Effort To Save Business Interests In Libya
Fears abound in Moscow that months of ambivalence over the conflict in Libya, and its reluctance to call for the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi, could cost Russia billions of dollars in defense and energy contracts. Russia's belated decision to recognize Libya's provisional leadership, the National Transitional Council, on September 1 appears to be a last-ditch effort at damage control. More 
Ukraine Minister Says Police Corrupt
Ukrainian Interior Minister Anatoliy Mohyliov admits that corruption exists within his ministry but said he is fighting against it on many fronts. More 
Muslims Protest In Kosovo Capital
Around 1,000 people have rallied in Kosovo's capital of Pristina in a protest demanding space for a new mosque. More 
Chief Kyrgyz Mufti Faces Accusations
Kyrgyzstan's chief mufti, Chubak ajy Jalilov, has been accused of overcharging would-be pilgrims to Mecca. At the same time, Jalilov said he plans to initiate a court case against Kyrgyzstan's ombudsman and a well-known politician. More 
EU Steps Up Syria Sanctions
The European Union has agreed to step up sanctions on Syria by banning imports of its oil amid the continuing crackdown on antigovernment protests there. More 
U.S. Says Forces Coordinate With Iraq, Turkey On Rebel Attacks
A senior U.S. military official says American forces jointly patrol with the Iraqi Army and Kurdistan Regional Government forces in disputed areas and coordinate with Iraq and Turkey about crossborder attacks by Kurdish rebels. More
Iraq's Main Blocs Urged To Hold Talks
An Iraqi political party has called on the country's main blocs to meet urgently to discuss Iraq's long-standing political crisis. More 
Russian Envoy Defends Program For Armenian Immigration
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Vyacheslav Kovalenko has dismissed the public outcry over a Russian government program to encourage and aid Armenians to emigrate to Russia. More 
RFE Azerbaijani Reporter Deported
An RFE/RL correspondent has been deported from the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxcivan through Iran after investigating the death of a man reportedly accused of spying for Tehran. More 
Two Kyrgyz Officials Detained For Fuel Smuggling To Tajikistan
Two Kyrgyz officials have been detained on suspicion of involvement in the illegal export of gasoline to Tajikistan. More 
Two Opposition Activists Say Assaulted In Western Kazakhstan
Two opposition activists in western Kazakhstan say they have been assaulted in the western city of Aqtau. More 
Activists Support Uzbek Journalist
Dozens of activists picketed the Uzbek Embassy in Bishkek today to demand the immediate release of Uzbek journalist Yelena Bondar. More 
Russia's 'Change Election'?
How should Russia's so-called non-systemic opposition approach the December State Duma elections, which they will not have the opportunity to contest? More 
Daghestan's Silovik With A Human Face
In most of Russia's 83 federation subjects, the second most powerful man is the prime minister or the parliament speaker. Not so in Daghestan, where Rizvan Kurbanov, 50, the first deputy premier with responsibility for police and security, is positioning himself as the eminence grise behind, and a possible successor to, republic head Magomedsalam Magomedov. More 
Podcast: '5 Days Of War' Is Hell, Plus Classic Iranian Psychedelic Rock
Director Renny Harlin's latest movie is about the Russo-Georgian war of 2008 and is called "5 Days of Hell," but as one reviewer noted, it feels like an eternity if you're in the audience. Plus, Jamie Kirchick in Libya, psychedelic rock from Iran, and the world's 6th billionth person, once celebrated, now lives in poverty. More Deciphering Mullah Omar's Eid Message In what could be considered the Taliban's "state-of-the-union" address, Mullah Mohammad Omar marked the end of Ramadan with a message of moderation. More Four Belarusian activists jailed in connection with protests following last year's controversial presidential elections have been freed after a pardon from President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. Their release comes as EU officials say the Belarusian leader has pledged to release all political prisoners in the first half of October. More 
Pardoned Election Activists Taste Freedom
Four activists jailed in connection with Belarus's contentious presidential election in December 2010 were freed overnight on September 1-2 after surprise pardons from President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. RFE/RL's Belarus Service met up with all four -- Aleh Hnedchyk, Dzmitry Daronin, Ales Kirkevich, and Andrey Protasenya -- as they returned home after their release. (All photos by RFE/RL's Belarus Service) More Ales Kirkevich, the deputy chairman of Belarus's Young Front opposition group, arrived in Minsk on September 2 after his release based on a presidential pardon. More Dzmitry Daronin, a Minsk native, talks after his release from a Belarusian jail on September 1-2 on the basis of a presidential pardon. More |
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
9/2/2011 7:30:46 PM
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the South Caucasus and Russia's North Caucasus region.
For more stories on the Caucasus, please visit and bookmark our Caucasus page . |
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Daghestan's Silovik With A Human Face
In most of Russia's 83 federation subjects, the second most powerful man is the prime minister or the parliament speaker. Not so in Daghestan, where Rizvan Kurbanov, 50, the first deputy premier with responsibility for police and security, is positioning himself as the eminence grise behind, and a possible successor to, republic head Magomedsalam Magomedov. More
Russian Envoy Defends Program For Armenian Immigration
Russian Ambassador to Armenia Vyacheslav Kovalenko has dismissed the public outcry over a Russian government program to encourage and aid Armenians to emigrate to Russia. More
RFE Azerbaijani Reporter Deported
An RFE/RL correspondent has been deported from the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxcivan through Iran after investigating the death of a man reportedly accused of spying for Tehran. More
Podcast: '5 Days Of War' Is Hell, Plus Classic Iranian Psychedelic Rock
Director Renny Harlin's latest movie is about the Russo-Georgian war of 2008 and is called "5 Days of Hell," but as one reviewer noted, it feels like an eternity if you're in the audience. Plus, Jamie Kirchick in Libya, psychedelic rock from Iran, and the world's 6th billionth person, once celebrated, now lives in poverty. 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 
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 
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 
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 
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 
Who Was Behind The Grozny Attacks?
The North Caucasus insurgency perpetrated a series of terrorist attacks in Grozny last night, killing at least eight people and injuring 22. No faction has yet claimed responsibility. The modus operandi suggests the attacks were the work of the Gakayev brothers. More 
Tourism Surges In Nagorno-Karabakh
Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh say the number of foreign tourists visiting the breakaway Azerbaijani region jumped by almost 50 percent in the first half of this year following a similarly sharp rise recorded in 2010. More |
------------------------------------------------------------------------ SHOULDER PATTING IN PARIS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The West Celebrates Victory over Gadhafi In diplomatic terms, it was the final stroke of the Gadhafi era: At the Libya conference in Paris on Thursday, Western leaders and Libya's new rulers set the course for establishing democracy in Tripoli. Europe and the United States are keen to provide aid, but they are also eyeing business opportunities. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,783995,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EURO RESCUE DEBATE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Schäuble Pushes for New EU Treaty In response to the ongoing debt crisis, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble wants to expand the financial policy-making powers of the European Union. The far-reaching reforms would likely require a new EU treaty, the daily Bild reported on Friday. http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,783994,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON SEPT. 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Last Sunrise Between the Twin Towers He came to New York for vacation, but became a witness to the most devastating terror attack the world had ever seen. Reinhard Karger documented the disaster from a marina across the water from the World Trade Center and shared his story with SPIEGEL ONLINE. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,784089,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- Photo Gallery: The Towers Across the Water http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-72403.html#ref=nlint Charisma Deficit: Loss of Bin Laden Threatens Al-Qaida 'Brand' http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,783655,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHARISMA DEFICIT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Loss of Bin Laden Threatens Al-Qaida 'Brand' For years, the charismatic Osama bin Laden was the undisputed face of al-Qaida -- internally as well as externally. But for the last four months, the terror network has had to get by with the relatively boring Ayman al-Zawahiri at the top. Experts believe the lack of an inspiring leader puts the jihadists under pressure. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,783655,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE WORLD FROM BERLIN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'The Principle of WikiLeaks Has Been Destroyed' The release of the complete archive of unredacted US State Department diplomatic cables has been condemned by WikiLeaks' previous media partners and has drawn strong criticism from editorialists at major German publications. Some accuse Julian Assange of abusing his power. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,784048,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE INTERNET AND IRAN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'It Is Possible to Pull the Plug' The regime of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has threatened to completely cut Iran off from the Internet. But activists in the country are well-versed in circumventing official censorship. In a conversation with SPIEGEL, Internet expert Philip Howard explains how they do it and says that complete digital isolation is virtually impossible. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,783662,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 'LIKE A SPANISH TORO' ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Famous Fugitive Cow Captured After Spirited Fight For months she eluded hunters, animal activists and the media, but Yvonne the runaway cow has now finally been captured. The fugitive didn't give up her freedom without putting up some resistance, though. Her performance was so spirited that she's now being compared to a Spanish bull. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,784066,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- Photo Gallery: Bucking Bovine http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-72390.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PEAK OF INSANITY? ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dutch Dream of Building Artificial Mountain Dutch journalist Thijs Zonneveld wrote a column proposing the construction of an artificial mountain in the flat Netherlands as a joke. But the idea has captured the country's imagination and Zonneveld is now looking into its feasibility. After all, he says, in the past the country managed to reclaim massive areas of land from the sea. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,784085,00.html#ref=nlint -------------------- Photo Gallery: Mountain of Madness http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-72402.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A HISTORY OF ARCHEOLOGICAL DECEIT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Swiss Exhibit Features World-Class Forgeries A current exhibition in Neuchâtel, Switzerland features the most outrageous frauds from the world of archeology, from fake skulls to dragons made from the remains of sting rays. It also reveals that people have been making fake artifacts for thousands of years. http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,783676,00.html#ref=nlint ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PICTURE THIS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ On the fly http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,784096,00.html#ref=nlint
A Bunch of Babies
It’s particularly noteworthy how public views of the hardline conservative Tea Party movement are shifting. Today, 43 percent report an unfavorable view of the Tea Party, writes Ruy Teixeira.More: Public Opinion Snapshot: Public Shows No Love for Tea Party, Bush
From the Cartoonist Group.
