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11/21/2011 9:30:28 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
 Controversial Islamic Center Near New York's Ground Zero Quietly Advances Park51, the Islamic community center near the site of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, is quietly coming into existence after a major public outcry last year. More  As EU's East-West Divide Is Bridged, A New Schism Opens Between North And South Not so long ago the ten newest European Union members from the east were seen as the bloc's poor cousins, lagging far behind their richer and more politically developed neighbors to the west. But much has changed since former communist countries such as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the EU in 2004, followed by Bulgaria and Romania three years later. More  U.S. Deficit Committee On Brink Of Failure A special congressional committee charged with forming a plan to reduce the U.S. deficit by $1.2 trillion is on the brink of declaring failure, with each side blaming the other for the impasse. More Hundreds of protesters are facing off with security forces in Cairo's central Tahrir Square as part of a fresh wave of protests challenging the country's ruling military authorities. More  Was Putin Booed On Stage? Prime Minister Vladimir Putin might have got a nasty shock on November 20 as he climbed into the ring in front of 22,000 fans at a Moscow stadium to congratulate Russian martial-arts guru Fedor Emelianenko for an emphatic win over America’s Jeff Monson. More  Chechen Shot Dead In Moscow: Incriminate The Usual Suspects Ruslan Akhtakhanov, a Chechen businessman, public figure, and minor poet living in Moscow, was shot dead on the street late on November 15. Russia's Investigative Committee immediately listed North Caucasus insurgents as the most likely suspects. Other members of the Moscow Chechen community are skeptical, however, and with good reason. More  Putin's Winter Of Discontent It isn't entirely clear whether fans at Moscow's Olympic Stadium booed Vladimir Putin this weekend. But it also doesn't matter. The incident has added to a growing narrative that Russia's national leader is wearing out his welcome. More  Afghan Tradition Makes Room For Girls In southern Afghanistan, local tradition dictates that the birth of a newborn son be celebrated with an ancient ceremony. Now, one writer from Kandahar has broken the centuries-old tradition by performing the ceremony for his newborn daughter. More  Afghan Jirga Backs Karzai Strategies Organizers of an Afghan loya jirga convened by the president to debate relations with the United States and peace strategies suggest the Kabul council of tribal elders and other invited guests might continue into a fifth day. More  Armenia Warns Over Karabakh Deaths The Armenian military has pledged to respond "disproportionately" to the deaths of two Armenian soldiers in skirmishes with Azerbaijani forces reported in the breakaway Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh. More  Azerbaijani Journalist Recounts Attack Azerbaijani journalist Rafiq Tagi has recounted details of the assault two days ago in which he received multiple stab wounds. More  U.K. Cuts Off Iran Banks; New U.S. Sanctions Next Britain has cut off all ties between its financial sector and Iranian banks, with coordinated U.S. and Canadian sanctions expected to follow, as Western powers look to boost pressure on the country over its secretive nuclear program. More  Russian Patriarch To Visit Kyrgyzstan The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is expected to visit Kyrgyzstan next month. More  Kyrgyz 'HIV Moms' Resume Protest Mothers of HIV-positive children have staged another protest at the Kyrgyz parliament building in Bishkek. More  Moldova Set For Dialogue With Russia Moldovan Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca says Moscow is increasingly open to a "more intense dialogue" with Chisinau over the breakaway region of Transdniester. More Pakistan's transgender community has suffered from decades of discrimination and abuse. But a new court ruling, which among other things grants them the right to vote, has given the suppressed minority new hope. More  A Lone Voice Tries To Reform Russia's Prisons From Within It's been two years since lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in Moscow's Butyrka remand prison, allegedly having been kept in inhumane conditions and denied routine medical care. Despite international outrage and a Kremlin order to investigate the case, it seems little has changed in Butyrka. Rights violations are routine and the conditions for further tragedies persist. More  Tajik Railways Wants Probe With Uzbeks Of Alleged Terrorist Blast ajik Railways has proposed conducting a joint investigation with Uzbek officials of an explosion last week on a railroad in southern Uzbekistan. More  Uzbek Seeks Political Asylum In Russia An Uzbek who swam across a river from Russia to reach Estonia is applying for political asylum in Russia following his release from jail there. More |
