http://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.rferl.org/img/rssLogo.gif http://www.rferl.org en-US Copyright 2009 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:45:29 +0000 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Iran and Kuwait pledged to boost economic cooperation during the first visit to Tehran by a prime minister from the Gulf Arab U.S. ally in more than 30 years, Iranian state media said. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Kuwait_Pledge_Cooperation_During_Rare_PM_Visit/1884360.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Kuwait_Pledge_Cooperation_During_Rare_PM_Visit/1884360.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:19:12 +0000 News A rocket hit the outside wall of the luxury Serena Hotel in Kabul today, wounding four people, including two boys, a Health Ministry official said. http://www.rferl.org/content/Rocket_Hits_Luxury_Hotel_In_Kabul_Four_Wounded/1884325.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Rocket_Hits_Luxury_Hotel_In_Kabul_Four_Wounded/1884325.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:38:11 +0000 News NATO took command of the training of the Afghan army and police today to consolidate efforts on building an effective security force, a vital precondition for the withdrawal of foreign troops. http://www.rferl.org/content/NATO_Takes_Command_Of_Afghan_Army_Police_Training/1884321.html http://www.rferl.org/content/NATO_Takes_Command_Of_Afghan_Army_Police_Training/1884321.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:32:56 +0000 News Iraq's parliament suspended efforts today to reach a deal on a law that is crucial for an election to take place in January and could affect the U.S. military' s plans for a partial withdrawal next year. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_Parliament_Struggles_Over_Elusive_Vote_Deal/1884317.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iraqi_Parliament_Struggles_Over_Elusive_Vote_Deal/1884317.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:22:29 +0000 News Tabloid journalism, with its screaming headlines, half-naked girls, and sensationalist news, has flourished in Russia for a number of years. But the king of the Russian tabloids, "Tvoi den" publisher Aram Gabrelyanov, is steadily building a media empire, and even offering a new school for budding muckrakers. http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Tabloid_King_Builds_An_Empire/1884265.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Tabloid_King_Builds_An_Empire/1884265.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:12:06 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Tabloid_King_Builds_An_Empire/1884265.html#relatedInfoContainer The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has called Afghan President Hamid Karzai an "unworthy partner" who does not deserve a big boost either in U.S. troops or civilian aid. Nancy Pelosi also said there was not strong support among her fellow Democrats in Congress for a big increase in troops to oppose the Taliban. http://www.rferl.org/content/US_House_Speaker_Doubts_Afghanistan_Worthiness_As_Partner/1884210.html http://www.rferl.org/content/US_House_Speaker_Doubts_Afghanistan_Worthiness_As_Partner/1884210.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:51:21 +0000 News Tens of thousands of Albanian opposition Socialist Party supporters have launched their latest protest to demand the government either recount the vote in a controversial June 28 election or hold another. http://www.rferl.org/content/Albania_Opposition_Protests_To_Demand_Vote_Recount/1884185.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Albania_Opposition_Protests_To_Demand_Vote_Recount/1884185.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:30:51 +0000 News Iran plans to hold air-defense maneuvers aimed at protecting its nuclear facilities, a senior commander was quoted as saying today. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_To_Hold_Drills_For_Protecting_Nuclear_Facilities/1884162.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_To_Hold_Drills_For_Protecting_Nuclear_Facilities/1884162.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:59:32 +0000 News Azerbaijan said upcoming talks with Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would be "decisive" and warned that its troops were ready to use force to take back the rebel region if they fail, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said. http://www.rferl.org/content/Azerbaijan_Says_Karabakh_Talks_Last_Chance_For_Deal/1884135.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Azerbaijan_Says_Karabakh_Talks_Last_Chance_For_Deal/1884135.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:31:49 +0000 News MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) -- Three suspected Taliban militants blew themselves up today as police chased them in Pakistani Kashmir, police said. Militants have carried out a series of bomb attacks across Pakistan in recent weeks in retaliation for a military offensive in the northwest, but there have been no attacks in Pakistan's part of the disputed Kashmir region. Today's incident will revive concern that the militants are trying to expand their campaign of violence to distract the ... http://www.rferl.org/content/Suspected_Militants_Blow_Themselves_Up_In_Pakistan/1884097.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Suspected_Militants_Blow_Themselves_Up_In_Pakistan/1884097.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:48:22 +0000 News Russian President Dmitry Medvedev today made a rare criticism of the ruling Kremlin-backed United Russia party, saying the party has undermined democracy in recent regional elections. United Russia is led by Vladimir Putin, Russia's powerful prime minister and Medvedev's mentor. http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Medvedev_Raps_Ruling_Party_Over_Elections/1884094.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Medvedev_Raps_Ruling_Party_Over_Elections/1884094.html Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:41:55 +0000 News The United States must tighten control of Afghan development contracts as a first step toward stemming rampant corruption, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today. http://www.rferl.org/content/US_To_Tighten_Control_Of_Afghan_Contracts/1883895.html http://www.rferl.org/content/US_To_Tighten_Control_Of_Afghan_Contracts/1883895.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:27:11 +0000 News The United Nations General Assembly's human rights committee condemned Iran today for a violent crackdown on protesters after presidential elections this year that the Iranian opposition says were rigged. http://www.rferl.org/content/UN_Committee_Slams_Iran_For_Postelection_Crackdown/1883884.html http://www.rferl.org/content/UN_Committee_Slams_Iran_For_Postelection_Crackdown/1883884.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:43:46 +0000 News Jailed Azerbaijani journalist Eynulla Fatullayev is among the winners of the 2009 International Press Freedom Awards, an annual recognition by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) of journalists working in dangerous or repressive circumstances, RFE/RL's Azerbaijan Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Imprisoned_Azeri_Journalist_Honored_By_CPJ/1883882.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Imprisoned_Azeri_Journalist_Honored_By_CPJ/1883882.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:32:40 +0000 From Our Bureaus Vladimir Tutayev, an activist from Russia's United Civic Front (OGF), was detained in Moscow today, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Moscow_Police_Detain_Opposition_Activist/1883870.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Moscow_Police_Detain_Opposition_Activist/1883870.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:46:46 +0000 From Our Bureaus Iranian human rights advocate and lawyer Shirin Ebadi said she has been receiving death threats, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Nobel_Laureate_Threatened_Harassed/1883866.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iranian_Nobel_Laureate_Threatened_Harassed/1883866.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:39:07 +0000 From Our Bureaus The official number of swine-flu cases in Kyrgyzstan has been put at 61, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyzstan_Braces_For_SwineFlu_Outbreak/1883861.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyzstan_Braces_For_SwineFlu_Outbreak/1883861.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:34:23 +0000 From Our Bureaus A spokesman for the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims in Russia's European Territories has condemned the murder of Orthodox Priest Daniil Sysoyev in Moscow, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Russian_Muslim_Leaders_Condemn_Orthodox_Priests_Murder/1883779.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Russian_Muslim_Leaders_Condemn_Orthodox_Priests_Murder/1883779.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:49:21 +0000 From Our Bureaus A decades-old conflict in Yemen between the government and northern rebels from the country's Shi'ite minority is heating up. As it does, Yemeni officials are charging Iran with supporting the rebels in a conflict that is also drawing in Saudi Arabia. RFE/RL correspondent Charles Recknagel speaks with RFE/RL's Radio Farda correspondent Hossein Aryan about the fighting in Yemen and whether it risks sparking a larger regional crisis. http://www.rferl.org/content/Interview_Conflict_In_Yemen_Widens_Amid_Charges_Of_Iran_Involvement/1883769.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Interview_Conflict_In_Yemen_Widens_Amid_Charges_Of_Iran_Involvement/1883769.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:32:01 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Interview_Conflict_In_Yemen_Widens_Amid_Charges_Of_Iran_Involvement/1883769.html#relatedInfoContainer Senior officials from six world powers have expressed disappointment that Iran had not accepted proposals intended to delay its potential ability to make nuclear bombs, and urged Tehran to reconsider. http://www.rferl.org/content/Six_Powers_Regret_Irans_Stance_On_Nuclear_Deal/1883763.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Six_Powers_Regret_Irans_Stance_On_Nuclear_Deal/1883763.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:29:25 +0000 News A horse owned by Ramzan Kadyrov came in third in the Melbourne Cup race earlier this month, winning $420,000 for the Chechen strongman. But the money may never make it into Kadyrov’s pockets. http://www.rferl.org/content/Kadyrovs_Unlucky_Day_At_The_Races/1883657.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Kadyrovs_Unlucky_Day_At_The_Races/1883657.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:25:55 +0000 Transmission http://www.rferl.org/content/Kadyrovs_Unlucky_Day_At_The_Races/1883657.html#relatedInfoContainer The Iranian news website “Tabnak” and several bloggers are reporting that authorities are sending text messages to citizens warning them not to take part in antigovernment protests. http://www.rferl.org/content/Authorities_Warn_Iranians_Not_To_Protest_By_SMS/1883679.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Authorities_Warn_Iranians_Not_To_Protest_By_SMS/1883679.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:21:34 +0000 Transmission http://www.rferl.org/content/Authorities_Warn_Iranians_Not_To_Protest_By_SMS/1883679.html#relatedInfoContainer Russia's antiracism youth movement, known as Antifa, has long endured violent attacks by nationalists, police harassment, and public indifference. Most recently, they suffered the murder of one of their most prominent activists. Now they are fighting back, staging their own violent assaults on known nationalist activists. http://www.rferl.org/content/Antifa_Takes_On_Nationalists_In_Russian_Youths_Civil_War/1883674.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Antifa_Takes_On_Nationalists_In_Russian_Youths_Civil_War/1883674.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:08:49 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Antifa_Takes_On_Nationalists_In_Russian_Youths_Civil_War/1883674.html#relatedInfoContainer Judging from the descriptions in news reports, the EU's first full-time president, Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy, doesn't exactly quicken the blood of the Brussels press pack. But there is one thing at least about van Rompuy that people find worthy of debate: how to pronounce his name. http://www.rferl.org/content/Herman_Van_Rompuy__Hows_That_Again/1883643.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Herman_Van_Rompuy__Hows_That_Again/1883643.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:52:45 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Herman_Van_Rompuy__Hows_That_Again/1883643.html#relatedInfoContainer Russia has the world's most fraudulent economy and attempts to stamp out white-collar crime have done little to stop its spread during the global financial downturn, PricewaterhouseCoopers said in a survey. http://www.rferl.org/content/Russia_Tops_Pricewaterhouse_Global_Fraud_Survey/1883624.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Russia_Tops_Pricewaterhouse_Global_Fraud_Survey/1883624.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:35:07 +0000 News The UN nuclear watchdog chief has urged Iran to accept an offer to process its enriched uranium abroad by the end of 2009, and advised Western powers not to impose further sanctions on Tehran. http://www.rferl.org/content/ElBaradei_Urges_Iran_To_Agree_Fuel_Deal_By_Year_End/1883581.html http://www.rferl.org/content/ElBaradei_Urges_Iran_To_Agree_Fuel_Deal_By_Year_End/1883581.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:04:28 +0000 News The European Union picked two relatively low-profile personalities to the bloc's newly created top posts. Who are they? http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Are_Herman_van_Rompuy_and_Catherine_Ashton/1883558.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Are_Herman_van_Rompuy_and_Catherine_Ashton/1883558.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:43:31 +0000 Features http://www.rferl.org/content/Who_Are_Herman_van_Rompuy_and_Catherine_Ashton/1883558.html#relatedInfoContainer In the early 1950s, Radio Free Europe used balloons to float millions of leaflets over the Iron Curtain. The leaflets contained news, criticism and satire of the Communist regimes as well as inspirational messages of solidarity from the Western world. Today, RFE/RL's mission continues in 20 countries and 28 languages. We asked our colleagues to translate a sentence from an old RFE/RL leaflet into all 28 of our current broadcast languages. Enjoy! (No worries, there's an English ... http://www.rferl.org/content/off_mic_what_do_28_broadcast_languages_sound_like/1883533.html http://www.rferl.org/content/off_mic_what_do_28_broadcast_languages_sound_like/1883533.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:25:35 +0000 Off Mic http://www.rferl.org/content/off_mic_what_do_28_broadcast_languages_sound_like/1883533.html#relatedInfoContainer A high-ranking U.S. diplomat visiting Chisinau said the White House supports Moldova's democratic process and will stand by it as it makes its foreign policy choices, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Visiting_US_Diplomat_Pledges_Support_For_Moldova/1883470.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Visiting_US_Diplomat_Pledges_Support_For_Moldova/1883470.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:03:49 +0000 From Our Bureaus The Tajik government has introduced a new decree obliging journalists to pay for information obtained from officials, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/In_Tajikistan_Free_Information_Comes_At_A_Price/1883466.html http://www.rferl.org/content/In_Tajikistan_Free_Information_Comes_At_A_Price/1883466.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:58:48 +0000 From Our Bureaus Iran has increased its pressure on student activists ahead of the national Student Day on December 7. http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Arrests_Student_Activists_Ahead_Of_Student_Day__/1883427.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Iran_Arrests_Student_Activists_Ahead_Of_Student_Day__/1883427.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:32:01 +0000 News Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill has called on Russian society not to draw premature conclusions regarding the murder of an Orthodox priest late on November 19, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Russian_Patriarch_Urges_Restraint_Following_Priests_Killing/1883420.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Russian_Patriarch_Urges_Restraint_Following_Priests_Killing/1883420.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:27:17 +0000 From Our Bureaus The Kyrgyz parliament has approved amendments to a law that bans smoking in state institutions, at entrances to multistory buildings, and in all public places. http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyzstan_Moves_To_Ban_Smoking_In_Public_Places/1883364.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Kyrgyzstan_Moves_To_Ban_Smoking_In_Public_Places/1883364.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:45:16 +0000 From Our Bureaus A Tatar opposition newspaper editor accused of propagating extremist views has gone on trial in Tatarstan, RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Tatar_Newspaper_Editor_Nationalist_Leader_On_Trial/1883361.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Tatar_Newspaper_Editor_Nationalist_Leader_On_Trial/1883361.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:43:32 +0000 From Our Bureaus Youth activists in Minsk have held a so-called "orange" protest against the government of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Youth_Activists_In_Belarus_Stage_Orange_Action/1883357.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Youth_Activists_In_Belarus_Stage_Orange_Action/1883357.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:38:51 +0000 From Our Bureaus The woman suffered injuries in a beating last week at the hands of a Russian military officer from a unit stationed in Khatlon Province, but police say her death was ultimately caused by complications from hepatitis. http://www.rferl.org/content/In_Tajikistan_Woman_Dies_After_Beating_By_Russian_Troop/1883355.html http://www.rferl.org/content/In_Tajikistan_Woman_Dies_After_Beating_By_Russian_Troop/1883355.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:36:37 +0000 From Our Bureaus Armenia's Foreign Ministry has declared that Yerevan and Ankara will hold no further major negotiations until their parliaments ratify bilateral agreements on closer relations, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. http://www.rferl.org/content/Armenia_Says_No_Talks_With_Turkey_Until/1883313.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Armenia_Says_No_Talks_With_Turkey_Until/1883313.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:14:04 +0000 From Our Bureaus The six countries negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program are meeting for fresh talks today in Brussels, as the threat of more punitive sanctions hangs over the dispute. The meeting comes one day after U.S. President Barack Obama said Washington and its allies could soon have a package of measures against Iran for its failure to accept a UN-brokered deal to send enriched uranium abroad for processing into fuel. Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said Tehran was willing to ... http://www.rferl.org/content/World_Powers_Meet_On_Iranian_Nuclear_Program/1883207.html http://www.rferl.org/content/World_Powers_Meet_On_Iranian_Nuclear_Program/1883207.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:46:01 +0000 News A suspected U.S. drone aircraft has fired two missiles at a northwestern Pakistani militant stronghold, killing two people in the second such attack this week, security and Taliban officials said. http://www.rferl.org/content/Two_Dead_In_Suspected_US_Missile_Strike_In_Pakistan/1883192.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Two_Dead_In_Suspected_US_Missile_Strike_In_Pakistan/1883192.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:40:20 +0000 News A masked gunman entered a church and shot dead a Russian Orthodox priest well-known for his missionary work among the young, investigators said today. http://www.rferl.org/content/Masked_Gunman_Kills_Russian_Priest_At_Moscow_Church/1883073.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Masked_Gunman_Kills_Russian_Priest_At_Moscow_Church/1883073.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:27:16 +0000 News News & views on RFE/RL's broadcast region http://www.rferl.org/content/rundown_press_review/1883064.html http://www.rferl.org/content/rundown_press_review/1883064.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:22:31 +0000 Transmission http://www.rferl.org/content/rundown_press_review/1883064.html#relatedInfoContainer The biggest party in Kosovo's government has decided to end its coalition with the smaller Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Deputy Prime Minister Rame Manaj said today. http://www.rferl.org/content/Kosovo_Coalition_Government_Collapses_Deputy_PM/1883059.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Kosovo_Coalition_Government_Collapses_Deputy_PM/1883059.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:18:50 +0000 News News & views on RFE/RL's broadcast region RFE/RL in the Media # The "NY Times" on Obama's BBG choices # The Weekly Standard on the NIAC controversy Int'l Press Review Afghanistan/Pakistan # Obama will not unveil his Afghan strategy until after Thanksgiving # Karzai's former neighbor on his becoming a shut-in # Arif Rafiq thinks Pakistan's president must go # Gordon Brown has been in front of Obama on Afghanistan # Michael Gerson on ... http://www.rferl.org/content/rferl_off_mic_rundown_press_review/1883050.html http://www.rferl.org/content/rferl_off_mic_rundown_press_review/1883050.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:14:39 +0000 The Rundown Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on November 19 that existing gas deals with Ukraine were a guarantee of stable energy supplies to Europe and he hoped for a New Year without any gas "shocks." http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Putin_Wants_New_Year_Without_Gas_Shocks/1883024.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Russias_Putin_Wants_New_Year_Without_Gas_Shocks/1883024.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:37:35 +0000 News A suicide bomber in southwestern Afghanistan killed 17 people today, and an Afghan lawmaker escaped a separate blast on the outskirts of Kabul but five of his bodyguards were killed, officials said. http://www.rferl.org/content/Suicide_Bomber_Kills_Six_In_Afghanistan/1883011.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Suicide_Bomber_Kills_Six_In_Afghanistan/1883011.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:33:32 +0000 News Five Sentenced to Death for Post-election Unrest November 17 – Five people have been sentenced to death in connection with the unrest in the aftermath of the presidential election. Eighty-one others received prison sentences ranging between 6 months and 15 years. Speaking with Radio Farda, former student leader Ali Afshari said that the sentences were meant to incite terror and prevent further protests. [ read in Farsi / read in English ]   Kurdish Activist Faces Execution ... http://www.rferl.org/content/Heard_In_Iran_Farda/1883915.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Heard_In_Iran_Farda/1883915.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:47:22 +0000 Heard in Iran RFE/RL Radio Farda web editor Fred Petrossians is recognized by ThinkSocial for an internet-based project to spread awareness of bloggers' rights in Iran. http://www.rferl.org/content/Petrossian_Farda_ThinkSocial_OR318_press_release/1883909.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Petrossian_Farda_ThinkSocial_OR318_press_release/1883909.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:28:48 +0000 Kudos & Awards Eight years after a U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, the war-ravaged state is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born, the United Nations has said. http://www.rferl.org/content/UNICEF_Names_Afghanistan_Worst_Place_To_Be_Born/1882881.html http://www.rferl.org/content/UNICEF_Names_Afghanistan_Worst_Place_To_Be_Born/1882881.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:59:21 +0000 News Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko today told Russia's Vladimir Putin that Ukraine would scrupulously fulfill its obligations on the transit of Russian natural gas to Europe. http://www.rferl.org/content/Tymoshenko_Pledges_To_Fulfill_Gas_Transit_Deal/1882873.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Tymoshenko_Pledges_To_Fulfill_Gas_Transit_Deal/1882873.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:44:16 +0000 News A Russian government commission has approved plans to set a minimum price for vodka, the latest step in a campaign led by President Dmitry Medvedev to crack down on alcohol abuse, local news agencies reported. http://www.rferl.org/content/Russian_Commission_Approves_Setting_Minimum_Price_For_Vodka/1882839.html http://www.rferl.org/content/Russian_Commission_Approves_Setting_Minimum_Price_For_Vodka/1882839.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:42:44 +0000 News