 RFE/RL Headlines 2/2/2010 8:01:36 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  Kadyrov's Libel Case Against Paper Opens A Russian court today opened a libel case filed by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov against an opposition newspaper he says damaged his reputation when it wrote he had murdered, tortured, and harmed fellow countrymen. More Ukraine has expelled four Russians for spying and held another on espionage charges, the head of Ukraine's main intelligence service has said. More  Iran To Execute Nine More Protesters, As Opposition Denounces 'Dictatorship' Iran's judiciary says nine more protesters linked to counterrevolutionary groups are to be executed soon. Meanwhile, opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi has denounced the "roots of tyranny and dictatorship" that still exist in Iran. More  Blast Hits Russian Rail Line An explosion has struck a handcar on a rail line in northwestern Russia, injuring the operator's leg. More  Swedes, Poles Urge Tactical Arms Cut Sweden and Poland are calling on the United States and Russia to reduce their tactical nuclear arms in Europe, saying it's time such weapons were included under an arms control regime. The call comes as an international conference on nuclear disarmament opens in Paris. More  Belarus Jails South African For 13 Years For Failed Bank Heist A court in the Belarusian city of Baranavichi today sentenced South African national George Dirk Prinsloo to 13 years in jail for attempted armed robbery, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. More  Azerbaijan To Mark President's Mother's Birthday Azerbaijani parliamentarian Elmira Akhundova has proposed that the birthday of President Ilham Aliyev's mother should be celebrated every year as Mothers' Day, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More  Kazakh Papers Seized Amid Libel Suit Kazakh officials have seized editions of at least five opposition and independent newspapers that contain an article alleging corruption by President Nursultan Nazarbaev's son-in-law, Timur Kulibaev, who is suing the newspapers, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Armenia Police Drop Charges On Activists Armenian police have dropped the cases against three opposition activists due to a lack of evidence, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Minibus Taxi Drivers Strike In Daghestan Minibus taxi drivers in the capital of the Russia's Republic of Daghestan are on strike today for a second straight day, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Business Owners Protest Georgia Tax Law Dozens of small-business owners are protesting a new tax law today in the Georgian capital, RFE/RL's Georgian and Russian services report. More  Kazakh Police Detain Opposition Activists Kazakh police arrested 11 activists from the opposition Algha (Forward) party in Astana today, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Moldova Gets Big IMF Loan Moldovan and International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials have signed an agreement for a $574 million loan that Chisinau says will help it bridge its ballooning budget deficit, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More  Russians Protest French Nuclear Waste A dozen or so environmental activists in St. Petersburg have protested the arrival of 480 tons of uranium waste to the city, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Test Shows Jailed Azeri Journalist Not Drug Addict Azerbaijani officials say a blood test shows that a jailed journalist who says heroin was planted on him in prison is not a drug addict and does not need to go to a drug treatment center, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More  Kyrgyz Establish Movement In U.S. Kyrgyz nationals in the United States have established a group called the Kyrgyz Movement for Democracy Abroad in Washington, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. More  Official Uniforms Still Available In Iraq, Lawmakers Say Iraqi legislators say that procedures must be taken to prevent the sale of army and police uniforms in clothes stores around the country, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq reports. More  Azeri President's Brother Sues Journalists The brother of President Ilham Aliyev has filed a lawsuit against two journalists at the opposition newspaper "Yeni Musavat," RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports. More  Kazakh Diplomat Visits U.S. In OSCE Role Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabaev begins a three-day U.S. visit today in his role as chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  One Hand Clapping If you schedule a debate and only one candidate shows up, does it count? In Ukraine's presidential race, it definitely does -- as an opportunity for Yulia Tymoshenko to level a few zingers at the "empty spot" representing her rival, Viktor Yanukovych. More  Kaliningrad On The Brink It began as a protest against a new transportation tax. It mushroomed into a massive street demonstration calling for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's resignation. And the Kremlin clearly didn't see it coming. More  Mentally Ill Man Escapes 'Moharebeh' Charge Blogger and lawyer Mohammad Mostafaei writes about how he represented a young man in court who was charged with "moharebeh," or waging war against God, despite a mental condition. According to Iran's Islamic law, moharebeh is punishable by death. More  New Research Rejects Claim That 'Shock Therapy Reform' Kills Economists and sociologists have been examining a study published last year in a prestigious British medical journal that claimed to find a link between "shock therapy" economic reforms and death rates in former Soviet republics. The latest research rejects the widely-reported claim that mass privatization kills. More  'He Asked For A Blessing From His Family Members' Two Azerbaijani soldiers last week shot and killed four officers on their base before allegedly turning their guns on themselves. The incident was the latest troubling reminder of the state of the Azerbaijani Army, which observers say is rife with corruption, hazing, and abuse. More  Film On Russian Neo-Nazis Itself Faces Ban Under Antiextremism Laws In Russia, an award-winning film about skinheads has drawn both praise and condemnation, highlighting the country's ambiguous stance on the issue of ultranationalism. "Russia 88," a film widely praised for raising awareness about the country's devastating racist violence, is now facing a potential ban under antiextremism laws. More |
