 RFE/RL Headlines 10/4/2010 7:28:27 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  Afghan Regional Leader Says Decentralization Key To Country's Future The Taliban may be gaining momentum in northern Afghanistan, but not everywhere. In Balkh Province, Governor Atta Mohammad Noor has provided economic development and stability, making the region a case study for effective governance in Afghanistan. RFE/RL's Charles Recknagel spoke recently with Noor in the regional capital, Mazar-e Sharif. More  Iran's Currency Slumps Against Dollar Amid Renewed Economic Concerns Some currency traders in Tehran are reported to have stopped selling dollars in the face of increasing demand among Iranians for the currency. More  Worries Grow As Tajik Government Continues Operation Against Militants Five government troops have been reported killed in an ongoing operation in eastern Tajikistan against what officials describe as Islamic militants. Meanwhile, some ordinary Tajiks are sending their military-age sons out of the country, fearing they might be drafted into the conflict. More  Nobel In Medicine To Fertilization Pioneer The Nobel Committee has awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology, the first of six to be announced over the next week, to Robert Edwards for his development of in vitro fertilization. More  Trial Begins Of Anti-Islam Dutch Pol Anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders -- a silent partner in the newly proposed Dutch government -- has appeared in an Amsterdam court to face charges of inciting racial hatred. More  Old Divisions Persist After Bosnia's Elections Elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina appear to have perpetuated the country's persistent ethnic divisions. More  RFE/RL Exclusive: Musharraf Says His New Party Will Lead 'Pakistan Out Of Darkness' Pakistan's former president, Pervez Musharraf, has announced the formation of a new political party that he hopes will bring him back into the power circles of Islamabad in the country's next elections. From his home in London, where he is now based, Musharraf spoke to RFE/RL about his hopes for Pakistan's future and how he sees himself fitting into the picture. More  Serbian Patriarch Enthroned In Kosovo Church Amid Tight Security Thousands of faithful Serbs gathered in the Kosovo town of Pec to attend the enthroning ceremony of the head of Serbia's Orthodox Church, Patriarch Irinej. More  Ex-Kyrgyz Security Chief Freed The former chief of an elite Kyrgyz security unit was transferred from jail shortly after a protest in Bishkek by security officers demanding his release. More  Kyrgyz Satirical Paper To Restart Former editors of the shuttered Kyrgyz newspaper "De Facto" say they will resume publication of that biweekly within three months. More  Armenia Looks To 'Elite' Wheat Seeds Armenia has received nearly 1,000 tons of "elite" grain seeds from Russia needed for a government plan to nearly triple wheat production in four years. More  Most Jailed Iran Students 'In Decades' More  Court Backs Azerbaijan Vote Challenge The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the Azerbaijani government is guilty of having violated citizens' right to a free and fair election during parliamentary elections five years ago. More  Don't Say No To The Panda! Pandas, cheese, and Egyptian Arabic: together at last! These are the unexpected ingredients for a viral video hit that has gone global and attracted millions of YouTube viewers. More  Voronin Stays True To Form Beyond Vladimir Voronin's demand that the European Union condemn an official from a member country for rejecting the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, his comments represent an implicit admission of his own Communist Party's illegitimacy. More  Senior Clerics' Websites Blocked In Iran The websites of three senior Iranian clerics -- Ayatollah Yusef Sanei, Ayatollah Assadollah Bayat Zanjani, and Ayatollah Ali Mohammad Dastgheyb -- who have been critical of the Iranian establishment and the postelection crackdown have reportedly been blocked in Iran. More  'May Iran Shut Down Evin University Forever' In a reference to the notorious prison facility that has housed countless student activists, journalists, and intellectuals, blogger Chahar Divari hopes that one day "Evin University" will be shut down. More  Georgia Falsely Accuses Russia Of New Land Grab The Georgian Interior Ministry formally accused Russia of illegally occupying some 25 hectares of Georgian territory in the course of what it termed the demarcation of the border between Georgia and the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. But after inspecting the area in question, the EU Monitoring Mission issued a statement saying there was minimal evidence to substantiate the Georgian claims. More |