Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Headlines 2/25/2011 8:59:17 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 Tribal Dynamics Sets Libya Apart From Neighbors If reform can come to Tunisia and Egypt, then why not in the country that lies between them, Libya? The answer could lie in the complex tribal dynamics that make civil war a more likely possibility for this North African state. More   'Neo-Soviet' Rule In Ukraine He's destroyed his country's democratic institutions and reduced quality of life for most of his compatriots. That's the verdict against Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych by many of the country's political experts one year into his presidency. More   News Int'l Pressure Builds In Response To Libya Bloodshed The international community is drawing up an emergency response to the crisis in Libya, where forces loyal to President Muammar Qaddafi are brutally putting down a popular revolt. The UN Human Rights Council is considering expelling the North African country, and many countries are calling for tough sanctions against Qaddafi's regime. More   Iraqi 'Day Of Rage' Turns Deadly Reports say at least five protesters have died in clashes with Iraqi police as thousands of people protest against the government in many cities across the country in a "Day of Rage." More   From Our Bureaus New Delay In Tajik Libel Case A libel lawsuit by a regional Interior Ministry official against the independent weekly "Asia Plus" has been postponed by a Dushanbe court for the third time. More   Sentences Over Tajik 'Plot' Eased Tajik Appeals Court Judge Sanavbar Kholova told RFE/RL that the court decided to shorten by between five and eight years the sentences handed down to the supporters and relatives of the late Emergency Situations Minister Mirzo Ziyoev over an alleged antigovernment plot. More   New Pakistan Attack On NATO Tankers Four people have been killed in an apparent attack by Islamic insurgents on fuel tankers in northwestern Pakistan carrying oil to NATO forces in Afghanistan. More   Minibus Strike Strands Georgians Thousands of commuters in Tbilisi were left stranded this morning after the drivers of hundreds of minibus taxis ("marshrutkas") went on strike. More   Ukrainian-Language School In Donetsk To Stay Open Officials say a Ukrainian-language school in the eastern city of Donetsk that was threatened with closure will remain open. More   House of Kazakh Opposition Leader's Relative Demolished A house near Almaty owned by a relative of Vladimir Kozlov, the leader of the opposition Algha (Forward) party, has been demolished by order of city officials. More   Independent Tajik Press Suffers From Ban On Street Sales Owners of independent Tajik newspapers are complaining that a new ban on selling newspapers on the streets of Dushanbe is hurting sales. More   Kazakh Official On Interpol Watchlist A man whose name and biographical data match that of Kazakh Deputy Prosecutor-General Askhat Daulbaev is on Interpol's wanted list. More   Transmission Yanukovych, The Good Tsar, Er, I Mean President "Conversation with the country." That's how Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's media handlers decided to call his three-hour midday television and state radio marathon on the first anniversary of his inauguration. Sadly, the "conversation" was much more of a well-rehearsed but artistically mediocre performance in a provincial theater than a genuine conversation between a president and his fellow Ukrainians. More   Who’s In Charge At Libya’s UN Mission? Two Libyan diplomats are at odds at the United Nations headquarters even though they both claim they represent Libya. More   Persian Letters Iran’s Intelligence Minister Announces Arrests Iran’s intelligence minister, Heydar Moslehi, told state television Iran had arrested an individual who was armed and on a mission to kill during last week’s antigovernment protests. He also said an individual with ties to the CIA was arrested February 14 after what he described as a period of surveillance. More   Chaikhana A Female President For Kazakhstan? If you believe Central Asian women are reluctant to take part in politics, then think twice. More   The Blender Podcast: Interviews With Vaclav Havel, Mikhail Gorbachev, And Outgoing RFE/RL Head Jeffrey Gedmin More   Tangled Web How Facebook Could Better Help Activists I just wanted to highlight a couple of great follow-ups from my post earlier this week about the security problems activists can face using Facebook. More   A Tree With Roots Consumed In China A few weeks back a colleague here was going around the office saying: “I feel like reading a book about China. Does anyone know a good one?” At the time, I didn’t have an answer, but now I do: Jonathan Watts’s “When A Billion Chinese Jump: How China Will Save Mankind – Or Destroy It.” More   Gandhara Lament For Lahore The last outpost of secularism in Pakistan is under threat. More   Outpost Washington The End Of AfPak (For The Moment) It was originally billed as an exciting love triangle (if not quite a ménage à trois) that would raise us above plodding everyday concerns. More   Commentary Ukrainian History Becoming 'Russified' The selective teaching of Ukraine's history and the government's moves to curb university autonomy are reinforcing concern that the country is moving away from the West and becoming more synchronized with Russia, and in some cases, even endorsing Moscow’s take on Ukrainian history. More