Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 10/7/2011 10:15:47 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 European Human Rights Commissioner Criticizes Russia's 'Atmosphere Of Impunity' To mark the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya, RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Danila Galperovich spoke with Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg about that case, as well as about other high-profile murder investigations and key human rights issues in Russia. More   Afghanistan 10 Years On: 'By Working, We Have Managed To Change Our Lives For The Better' Ten years ago today, U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan to destroy the Al-Qaeda network -- blamed for the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 -- and topple its protector, the hard-line Taliban regime. One year after the fall of the Taliban, RFE/RL correspondent Grant Podelco visited the Afghan capital and spent a morning with schoolteacher Mohammad Kabir Anwari, his wife, Rabia, and their six daughters. Anwari spoke about the positive changes that had taken place in his family's life since the fall of the Taliban. To mark the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion, we tracked down Anwari in Kabul today to find out how he and his family have fared in the intervening years, which have seen increasing instability and a Taliban resurgence. More   Afghanistan 10 Years On: Women See Progress, But Look For Brighter Future The U.S.-led invasion in 2001 inspired optimism among women who had routinely suffered from violence and suppression. Ten years on, have their lives changed for the better? More   Russian Media Landscape Varied Despite Heavy State Control October 7 marks the fifth anniversary of the assassination of "Novaya gazeta" journalist and author Anna Politkovskaya, renowned for her groundbreaking investigative reporting from the North Caucasus region. To mark this date and to honor Politkovskaya's memory, RFE/RL introduces a six-part series, "The State Of The Russian Media." This series will examine issues including ownership and censorship, the changing habits of news consumers, problems journalists face in Russia's regions, the rise and impact of online media, and the role of tabloids. More   News 3 Women Win Nobel Peace Prize The Norwegian Nobel Institute has named three women as joint winners of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize -- Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian-born peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Yemeni rights activist Tawakkul Karman. More   From Our Bureaus Tajik Officials Relocate People From Dangerous Flood Zone Officials in southern Tajikistan have begun demolishing some 250 houses because they are in a dangerous flood zone. More   Afghan Filmmakers Slam Movie Criticism The Afghan filmmaking community has hit back at critics of a movie screened in Kabul this week that is critical of Iran's treatment of Afghan refugees. More   Russian Teachers Protest Wage Levels About 200 teachers from secondary schools and kindergartens in eastern Russia staged a protest on October 7 to demand a salary increase. More   Kyrgyz 'Crime Boss' Heading Home he lawyer for a wanted Kyrgyz national on a U.S. list of global drug kingpins says his client is returning from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kyrgyzstan. More   Fund-Raising Launched For Cameras In Kyrgyz Detention Center Local authorities in southern Kyrgyzstan are trying to raise enough money to buy video cameras for a detention center, following the death of a man who was beaten while in custody there. More   'Beaten' Belarusian Freed From Jail Belarusian opposition activist who says he was severely beaten by the police who took him into custody last month has been released from detention. More   Uzbek Activist Wary Of Detention Law A prominent Uzbek rights activist says a new law aimed at regulating treatment in pretrial detention in Uzbekistan is unlikely to change the "grim" situation in the country's penal institutions. More   Azeri Islamic Party Leader Jailed The head of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan (AIP) has been jailed for 12 years after being convicted of trying to overthrow the government. More   U.S: Silk Road Would Bring Prosperity The U.S. special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan says a bid to revive the ancient Silk Road across Central Asia should bring prosperity to the region. More   Kyrgyz Presidential Hopefuls Plan Appeal Four people whose applications to register as candidates for this month's Kyrgyz presidential election have twice been rejected plan to file another appeal. More   Belarus Activist Sues Over Nuclear Plant An antinuclear activist in western Belarus is suing President Alyaksandr Lukashenka over plans to build a contentious nuclear power station there. More   Date Set For Pavlyuk Murder Verdicts Verdicts are expected next week in the trial of three people accused of killing a prominent Kyrgyz journalist in Kazakhstan. More   4 More Candidates For Kyrgyz Presidency The Kyrgyz Central Election Commission (BSK) has registered four more presidential candidates for the October 30 election. More   Kazakhs Sentenced For Extremism Four men have been sentenced to jail terms in the northwestern Kazakh city of Aqtobe for religious extremism and armed resistance against police. More   Iraqi Court Dismisses Case Against Journalist An Iraqi court has thrown out a case by a government commission against a journalist sued for publishing an article critical of the commission. More   Transmission Serbs Fall For Nobel Internet Hoax Dobrica Cosic, an arch-nationalist Serbian writer, was pranked by a group of cyber activists. More   You Mean It Was A Staged Photo-Op? The prime minister isn't a world-class archaeologist after all. More   Putin Is King As Far As Larry Is Concerned Talk show host Larry King is head over heels for Vladimir Putin. More   The Power Vertical Leonid Ilyich And Vladimir Vladimirovich How valid are the comparisons between Vladimir Putin and Leonid Brezhnev? More   Persian Letters 'Ahmadinejad’s Right-Hand Man Underwent Plastic Surgery' Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars reports that the closest aide of Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, underwent plastic surgery earlier this week. More   Chaikhana The King Of Talk Comes To Kazakhstan Larry King, known around the world for his interview program on CNN, was in an unlikely venue this past week -- Kazakhstan -- where he moderated at the Eurasian Economic Forum KAZENERGY 2011. More   The Blender Podcast: Paying The Price For Reporting The Truth, Plus Harvesting Hash On Horseback In Episode 39, going to jail in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan simply for reporting the truth; harvesting marijuana by horseback in Central Asia; the 9/11 generation confronts the horror of war; plus Moldova's Ethno Jazz Festival. More