Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Tuesday 27 April 2010

RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova Report
 
RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova Report
4/27/2010 7:45:49 PM
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.

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Belarus

Lukashenka Raps Russia Over Bases Lukashenka Raps Russia Over Bases
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka today berated ally Russia for not paying for its military bases deployed in his country and warned that he could snub the summit of a Moscow-dominated security pact next month. More
 
Belarusian Opposition Activist Arrested Belarusian Opposition Activist Arrested
An activist of the Belarusian opposition United Civic Party (AHP) was detained by police in the western town of Vaukavysk. More
 
Voting 'Off To Slow Start' In Belarusian Local Elections Voting 'Off To Slow Start' In Belarusian Local Elections
Belarusian officials say there has been low turnout at the start of early voting in nationwide local elections. More
 
Belarusian Internet Fraudster Arrested
U.S. law enforcement authorities have announced the arrest in the Czech Republic of Dmitry M. Naskovets, a Belarusian national accused as a co-conspirator in over 2,000 instances of identity theft and over 5,000 instances of fraud over the Internet. More
 
Kyrgyz President 'Not In Belarus' Kyrgyz President 'Not In Belarus'
Belarusian Ambassador Viktar Dyanisenka told protesters in front of the Belarusian Embassy in Bishkek today that former Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev is not in Belarus. More
 
Moldova

Romania Rallies Behind Moldova EU Bid
Romania and Moldova today agreed to deepen bilateral economic, political, and cultural cooperation to boost Chisinau's bid to join the European Union. More
 
Moldovan Leader To Skip WWII Parade Moldovan Leader To Skip WWII Parade
Moldovan interim President Mihai Ghimpu has agreed to send 70 Moldovan soldiers to participate in the May 9 military parade on Moscow's Red Square but will not attend himself, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More
 
U.S. Speaks Out On Jailed Journalist U.S. Speaks Out On Jailed Journalist
The U.S. Embassy in Chisinau has said it remains "deeply concerned" by the arrest of an independent journalist in Moldova's separatist Transdniester region. More
 
Karabakh Official Pleads For Arrested Moldovan Journalist Karabakh Official Pleads For Arrested Moldovan Journalist
A senior Nagorno-Karabakh official said he has asked authorities in Moldova's breakaway Transdniester region to improve conditions for a local Armenian-born journalist detained there. More
 
Moldova Ex-Minister, Police Chief On Trial Moldova Ex-Minister, Police Chief On Trial
A Moldovan court today began the first high-profile trial over the violent protests that followed the country's disputed April 2009 parliamentary elections. More
 
Moldovan Constitution Change Agreed Moldovan Constitution Change Agreed
Moldova's ruling coalition says it will seek to change just one article in the country's constitution and not press for more ambitious changes, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. More
 
U.S. Voices Concern At Journalist's Arrest In Transdniester U.S. Voices Concern At Journalist's Arrest In Transdniester
U.S. Ambassador to Moldova Asif J. Chaudhry says he has spoken to the leader of Moldova's breakaway Transdniester region about last week's arrest of an independent journalist. More
 
Skepticism On Transdniester Progress Skepticism On Transdniester Progress
The Moldovan government official responsible for affairs in the breakaway region of Transdniester says the chances of achieving any progress on that conflict this year are slim. More
 
Moldova Arrests Ex-Police Chief Moldova Arrests Ex-Police Chief
Chisinau's former police chief was arrested today in connection with the violent protests that led to hundreds of arrests of demonstrators in April 2009. More
 
Ukraine

Ukraine: A New Leader In Parliamentary Mischief Ukraine: A New Leader In Parliamentary Mischief
Last year, after Joe Wilson's "liar" comments in the U.S. generated news for a couple of days, we put together the "Top Five Breaches Of Parliamentary Protocol." More
 
Singer Recalls Performing In Ukraine After Chornobyl Singer Recalls Performing In Ukraine After Chornobyl
A well-known Tajik singer who was on tour in Ukraine at the time of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant disaster says many of the members of her band have died at young ages. More
 
Ukraine, Russia MPs Approve Black Sea Deal Ukraine, Russia MPs Approve Black Sea Deal
The Russian and Ukrainian parliaments have ratified a deal that will keep Russia's Navy based in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula until 2042, as thousands protested outside Ukraine's parliament building against the accord. More
 
Ukraine, Neighbors Recall Chornobyl Ukraine, Neighbors Recall Chornobyl
Ceremonies were held today in Moscow and St. Petersburg to commemorate the people who died from radiation exposure at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant disaster in Ukraine. More
 
Boxing Champ Klitschko Launches New Political Party In Ukraine Boxing Champ Klitschko Launches New Political Party In Ukraine
Former world boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko has announced the launch of a new political party named OUDAR, an acronym that translates as "punch." More
 
Ukrainians Protest Russia Fleet Deal Ukrainians Protest Russia Fleet Deal
Several thousand Ukrainians have rallied in front of parliament to protest against a deal allowing Russia to keep its navy in Ukraine's Crimea for another 25 years. More
 
NATO Looks To Evolve Without Shedding DNA NATO Looks To Evolve Without Shedding DNA
The first day of the NATO foreign ministers meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, was dedicated to the future of the alliance. Day two will tackle Afghanistan in talks conducted together with non-NATO nations contributing ISAF forces and relations with Russia -- albeit with no Russian officials in attendance. More
 
Ukraine Communists Want Stalin Statue
Communists in the Black Sea city of Odesa plan to erect a monument to Soviet leader Josef Stalin later this year. More
 
Yanukovych Defends Naval Base Deal Yanukovych Defends Naval Base Deal
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has defended his decision to grant a 25-year lease extension to Russia's Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea. More
 
Russia, Ukraine Leaders To Talk Gas Russia, Ukraine Leaders To Talk Gas
Ukraine has agreed to a lengthy extension for the Russian Black Sea Fleet's base in Crimea in exchange for a major discount on Kyiv's imports of Russian gas. More
 
What's In A National Anthem? What's In A National Anthem?
A country's national anthem is linked to questions of political legitimacy, citizenship, and national identity. In Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine's third-largest city, citizens are talking about changing the country's national anthem, which they say is too depressing. More
 
Nigerian Wins Ukrainian Poetry Recital Contest Nigerian Wins Ukrainian Poetry Recital Contest
A 20-year-old Nigerian college student, Ayo Osikoya, has stunned the residents of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk with his talent for reading poetry -- so much so that he defeated native Ukrainian speakers in a poetry recitation contest. More
 
Polish President's Remains Arrive in Krakow Polish President's Remains Arrive in Krakow
The coffins holding the bodies of Poland's President Lech Kaczynski and his wife were today flown from Warsaw to Krakow for burial in that city's historic cathedral. More
 
Ukraine's Fractured Opposition Looks Back To 2004 Ukraine's Fractured Opposition Looks Back To 2004
The last time Ukraine faced a slide toward authoritarianism led by the president, in 2004, the opposition united to counteract it. Can the opposition do the same this time around? More
 
Ukrainian Opposition See Biased Media Since Presidential Election Ukrainian Opposition See Biased Media Since Presidential Election
Ukrainian opposition figures are urging a popular talk show to invite opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko as a guest. More
 
Ukraine Urged To End Rights Abuses
The international human rights group Amnesty International has urged Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to ensure accountability for human rights abuses. More
 
Ukrainian TV Journalist Attacked In Dnipropetrovsk Ukrainian TV Journalist Attacked In Dnipropetrovsk
Ukrainian journalist Borys Brahinskiy has said he was attacked on April 12 in the eastern city of Dnipropetrovsk. More
 
Obama: Nuclear Terror Threat Rising Obama: Nuclear Terror Threat Rising
U.S. President Barack Obama has warned that the threat of terrorists using a nuclear weapon has risen. More
 
Russia, U.S. To Sign Deal On Plutonium Russia, U.S. To Sign Deal On Plutonium
Russia and the United States are expected to sign a deal today on reducing stocks of weapons-grade plutonium. More
 
Ukraine In Summit Uranium Pledge Ukraine In Summit Uranium Pledge
Ukraine has announced that it will eliminate its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, the material that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych made the announcement following his first face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the nuclear security summit in Washington. More