RFE/RL HEADLINES
10/26/2011 8:24:24 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. |
FEATURES
 Moscow Region Governor Accused Of Scheming To Fix Elections For Ruling Party A leading opposition lawmaker is calling for an investigation in the wake of allegations that Moscow Oblast Governor Boris Gromov ordered local officials to assure "maximum support" for the ruling United Russia party in upcoming elections to the State Duma. More  Spate Of Suspect Deaths Casts Spotlight On Moscow's Remand Prisons The recent deaths of suspects held in remand has once again cast a harsh light on Moscow pretrial detention centers, known as SIZO's or "investigative isolators" in Russian, where, according to the Moscow Helsinki Group, some 50-60 people die in custody each year. More  Opposition Grows To Next Stage Of U.S. Military Presence In Afghanistan Opposition is growing among Afghans to a draft agreement between Kabul and Washington that would allow a small, long-term U.S. military presence on Afghan soil after 2014. The issue sparked protests and parliamentary debate this week, and is set to be the topic of a national assembly of political and tribal leaders next month. More  For Russia, Qaddafi's Downfall Is No Cause For Celebration The West views the overthrow and death of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi as a victory of democratic forces over a brutal dictator. But Russia sees Qaddafi's fall as the potentially illegal overthrow of a trusted ally. More  Top U.S. Treasury Official In Europe For Talks On Sanctioning Iranian Central Bank A top U.S. Treasury Department official is visiting European capitals this week to gather support for tougher sanctions on Iran in response to an alleged plot to assasinate a Saudi diplomat on U.S. soil. Undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence David Cohen was in London on October 24 to discuss ways to place potentially crippling sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran that would deny the country access to the global financial system. More  Clinton In Central Asia: Seeking Balance Between Realpolitik And RightsU.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visits to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan this past weekend represent a step toward closer U.S. relations with the two former Soviet countries, but they have also highlighted the delicate line Washington is walking between its concerns over human rights abuses and its need for regional alliances as it winds down the war in Afghanistan. More  U.S. Lawmakers Split On Iran Response Members of the U.S. Congress appear to be split as to how Washington should respond to an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in the U.S. capital. More  Azerbaijani-Turkish Gas Deal Opens Southern Corridor In agreeing on gas shipments for Turkish consumption, Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders have resolved one of the biggest obstacles to sending Caspian region gas to Europe. Now the game is on to see which of three proposed pipelines, including the EU's long-delayed Nabucco project, gets the bid. More  Kyrgyz Government To Abolish Visas For Citizens Of 46 Countries The Kyrgyz government has decided to allow the citizens of 46 countries to stay in the country for three months without obtaining a visa. More  Armenian PM Warns Against Challenging Ruling Party Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian says the ruling Republican Party (HHK) intends to increase its dominance in domestic politics and it would be wrong for anyone to challenge it. More  Bishkek Mayor's Son To Face Trial An investigation into a fatal traffic accident involving the son of the mayor of the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek, is finished and the case has been sent to court. More  Dubrovka Victims Commemorated Relatives and friends today commemorated the victims of the hostage-taking at Moscow's Dubrovka Theater on the ninth anniversary of the end of the standoff.More  TV Station Reports Attack On Its Journalists In West Kazakhstan An independent online television company says two of its journalists were attacked with baseball bats and one of them shot with a rubber bullet in the western Kazakh city of Aqtau. More  Belarus Deports Russian Journalist As 'Threat To Security' The Belarusian authorities have deported a Russian journalist after he talked to the wife of a jailed opposition leader in Minsk. More  Taliban Issues Loya Jirga Warning The Taliban is warning that it will target a Loya Jirga or "grand assembly," which the Afghan government plans to hold next month. More  RFE/RL Turkmen Correspondent Freed An RFE/RL correspondent jailed in Turkmenistan has been freed under a presidential amnesty. More  Balkan Supporters Remain Loyal To Qaddafi After His Death In death as in life, Libya's former ruler Muammar Qaddafi brought together his disparate Balkan supporters, who paid respect to the "Desert Lion" in statements, newspaper memorial notices, and Internet forums in the days after his violent death. More  Qaddafi's Magic Carpet Ride Libya leader Muammar Qaddafi and Bulgaria’s communist leader Todor Zhivkov are captured during an official visit by Qaddafi to Bulgaria in the late 1970s. More  Silovikiland And Its Discontents Despite KGB veteran Vladimir Putin's imminent return to the Kremlin, there is a lot of angst in siloviki-land. More  Are Millions Of Iranians Criminals? Are millions of Iranians criminals? Yes, according to an announcement by Iran’s Telecommunication Minister Reza Taghipour, who says the use of antifiltering tools and VPNs is a crime. More  Georgia's 'Pragmatic Dreamer' Outlines Political Credo Just three weeks ago, few Georgians would have recognized Bidzina Ivanishvili if they had encountered the reclusive billionaire philanthropist on the streets of Tbilisi. More |
