Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 6/1/2011 9:45:04 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.

 

Picks Turkic-Language Festival Opens In Kazan The 10th annual "Navruz" festival of Turkic-language culture is taking place in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. The Tatar capital, Kazan, is hosting 40 international theater and music companies, including popular throat-singing acts from the Yakutia and Tuva regions of Russia. More   Balalaika virtuoso Dmitry Kalinin part 2 Balalaika virtuoso Dmitry Kalinin part 2 More   Balalaika virtuoso Dmitry Kalinin Balalaika virtuoso Dmitry Kalinin More   Features A Fearless Journalist Who Died In The Relentless Pursuit Of News The killing of Pakistani journalist Sayed Saleem Shahzad has enraged the media in Pakistan, who are suspiciously pointing their fingers at the country's intelligence services. RFE/RL looks at Saleem Shahzad's life and work, which apparently earned him deadly enemies. More   Russian Rock Critic Targeted In Slander Suits Prominent Russian rock critic Artemy Troitsky has landed himself in hot water for calling Vadim Samoylov, the black-clad, mop-haired former front man of the disbanded gothic rock band “Agata Kristi,” a "trained poodle" for Deputy Kremlin Chief of Staff Vladislav Surkov. More   A Yerevan Spring? Armenian Government, Opposition Move Toward Reconciliation The Armenian government is freeing its jailed critics and opening the door to dialogue with the opposition. Why? More   Kids With Bombs: In Afghanistan And Pakistan, A Child With A Dream Can Be Deadly There has been a spate of child suicide bombings in Afghanistan and Pakistan in recent weeks, perhaps due in part to the Taliban's latest push for fresh revenge attacks after the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces earlier this month. Afghan officials have accused the Taliban of training children for the attacks, although under closer inspection, the reasons why children become suicide bombers are more complex. More   News Amid Crisis, Belarus Seeks IMF Help Belarusian authorities have asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a rescue loan to help tackle a spiraling financial crisis. Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich said the country was hoping for between $3.5 billion and $8 billion allocated over a period of three to five years. More   From Our Bureaus Kyrgyz Man's 'Rights Violated' In Iran The Kyrgyz ombudsman's office said on June 1 that a Kyrgyz citizen has been held in Iran's notorious Evin prison since 2009. More   Azerbaijani Villagers Protest Unemployment, Social Problems Residents in a village in Azerbaijan's Naxcivan Autonomous Republic have held a protest against high unemployment and other social problems in the exclave. More   Jailed Belarusian Opposition Leader Not Allowed To See Wife, Father Jailed Belarusian presidential candidate Mikola Statkevich has been denied a visit by his wife and 84-year-old father. More   Kyrgyz Terrorism Trial Adjourned The trial of 10 alleged Kyrgyz members of the terrorist organization Jaishul Mahdi (The Messiah's Army) has been quickly adjourned shortly after proceedings started. More   Azeri Activists' Detention Extended Three more Azerbaijani opposition activists arrested during an April protest in Baku had their pretrial detention extended by two months on June 1. More   Blasts Stop At Russian Military Deport Explosions caused by a fire at a military ammunition depot in the Russian republic of Bashkortostan nearly a week ago have finally ceased. More   Second Kazakh Blast Victim Identified Kazakh authorities say they have identified the second victim of a suspicious explosion near the National Security Committee (UKK) jail in Astana last week. More   Iranian Journalist 'In Grave Condition' An Iranian journalist who wrote to the country's supreme leader alleging widespread rape in prison is seriously ill in jail, according to his family. More   Court Adjourns Hearing On Jailed Iranian Lawyer's License To Practice An Iranian court has indefinitely adjourned a hearing on the revoking of jailed human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh's license to practice law. More   Armenia Opposition Holds 'Victory' Rally Armenian opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrossian says he scored his biggest victory yet against the government while announcing and strongly advocating the start of a "formal dialogue" with it. More   Tatarstan Hosts Turkic Nations' Theater Festival A theater festival featuring performances by actors from various Turkic-speaking countries has opened in Kazan. More   Transmission Iran's Motorists Get The Hump Over Soaring Camel Prices Of all the multiple hazards confronting Iran's motorists, camels should pale beside the problems posed by other drivers. This after all is a country whose devil-may-care driving culture produces a horrendous accident rate that accounts for an estimated 25,000 deaths a year. More   The Power Vertical The Return Of The (Housebroken) Oligarchs More   Gandhara Certainly Not the First, Unlikely To Be The Last Though I’m not sure who abducted and killed Syed Saleem Shahzad, his kidnapping and murder reminds me of a situation in Peshawar in 2009, while I was working for “The News International.” More