https://www.rferl.org Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty is an international news organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries https://www.rferl.org/Content/responsive/RFE/en-US/img/logo.png https://www.rferl.org en Copyright 2020 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Sat, 07 Mar 2020 13:45:39 +0000 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Two Russian nationals have been detained by police in Sweden in connection with what authorities are calling the attempted murder of a prominent blogger and critic of the Chechen government last month. https://www.rferl.org/a/chechen-blogger-abdurakhmanov-attemppted-murder-sweden-two-russian-nationals-detained/30474799.html https://www.rferl.org/a/chechen-blogger-abdurakhmanov-attemppted-murder-sweden-two-russian-nationals-detained/30474799.html Sat, 07 Mar 2020 11:37:46 +0000 North CaucasusNewsWatchdogRussiaNorth CaucasusPicks Uzbekistan says it will become an observer of a Russia-led economic union before deciding whether it joins or not, Tashkent announced on March 7. https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-observer-of-russia-led-trade-bloc/30474675.html https://www.rferl.org/a/uzbekistan-observer-of-russia-led-trade-bloc/30474675.html Sat, 07 Mar 2020 09:42:02 +0000 UzbekistanNewsUzbekistan A truce between Russia and Turkey in Syria’s Idlib Province appears to be holding, according to the Turkish defense minister.  https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-syria-idlib-truce-russia-holding/30474604.html https://www.rferl.org/a/turkey-syria-idlib-truce-russia-holding/30474604.html Sat, 07 Mar 2020 08:26:25 +0000 RussiaNewsRussia To mark International Women's Day on March 8, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty asked successful women what advice they would give themselves when they were young. In this segment, women from Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan offer their thoughts. https://www.rferl.org/a/advice-to-my-younger-self-women-from-the-caucasus/30466065.html https://www.rferl.org/a/advice-to-my-younger-self-women-from-the-caucasus/30466065.html Sat, 07 Mar 2020 07:05:00 +0000 GeorgiaArmeniaAzerbaijanGeorgiaVideo ArchivePicksVideos The U.S. State Department has raised its alert level for Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan over steps taken by the countries in response to the global coronavirus crisis and the outbreak being seen in neighboring Iran. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-raises-virus-alert-level-azerbaijan-turkmenistan-iran/30474464.html https://www.rferl.org/a/us-raises-virus-alert-level-azerbaijan-turkmenistan-iran/30474464.html Sat, 07 Mar 2020 03:35:58 +0000 AzerbaijanNewsAzerbaijanIranTurkmenistan Picks An Iranian lawmaker has died after being infected with the coronavirus, Iranian media reported on March 7. https://www.rferl.org/a/china-new-virus-numbers-slow-many-originated-iran/30474462.html https://www.rferl.org/a/china-new-virus-numbers-slow-many-originated-iran/30474462.html Sat, 07 Mar 2020 03:31:42 +0000 IranNewsIranPicks Follow all of the latest developments. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-live-blog-radio-free-europe-zelenskiy/30114684.html https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-live-blog-radio-free-europe-zelenskiy/30114684.html Sat, 07 Mar 2020 02:32:29 +0000 Ukraine Live BlogUkrainePicksBlogsUkraine Live Blog The landslide election of a political novice with a robust reform agenda raised hopes for a sea change in a country long plagued by corruption and the influence of powerful tycoons. Nine months into Volodymyr Zelenskiy's presidency, there are fears that the major cabinet reshuffle he sprung on the nation this week could torpedo those hopes and change Ukraine's trajectory. https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskiy-s-big-move-will-new-brains-and-new-hearts-revive-the-same-old-problems-in-ukraine-/30474081.html https://www.rferl.org/a/zelenskiy-s-big-move-will-new-brains-and-new-hearts-revive-the-same-old-problems-in-ukraine-/30474081.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 20:52:07 +0000 UkraineWatchdogFeaturesUkrainePicks Russian President Vladimir Putin is injecting the sensitive and potentially divisive issues of god, ethnicity, and same-sex marriage into the country's constitution. But the wording as leaked by lawmakers suggests he is taking a careful approach, going just as far as he thinks he can without risking a big blowup or backlash. The same goes for Syria, amid tension with Turkey over the bloodshed in Idlib Province. https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in-russia-not-so-basic-law-goal-in-syria/30474008.html https://www.rferl.org/a/week-in-russia-not-so-basic-law-goal-in-syria/30474008.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 18:40:38 +0000 Steve Gutterman's Week In RussiaFeaturesPicksSteve Gutterman's Week In Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he did not intend to head a newly empowered State Council once his presidency formally ends in 2024. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-political-future-state-council/30473929.html https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-putin-political-future-state-council/30473929.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 17:26:26 +0000 RussiaNewsRussiaPicks Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of violating the fragile cease-fire along their border for a second time in less than two weeks. https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-trade-accusations-over-fresh-border-fighting/30472681.html https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-trade-accusations-over-fresh-border-fighting/30472681.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 16:41:29 +0000 ArmeniaNewsArmeniaAzerbaijanPicks Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) have lodged a complaint against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights claiming authorities are "unlawfully" impeding their political activities. https://www.rferl.org/a/kremlin-critic-navalny-files-suit-against-russia-at-european-rights-court/30472643.html https://www.rferl.org/a/kremlin-critic-navalny-files-suit-against-russia-at-european-rights-court/30472643.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 16:09:34 +0000 RussiaNewsWatchdogRussiaPicks Arrested in Prague, extradited to the United States, Yevgeny Nikulin is set to go on trial for hacking LinkedIn, DropBox, and other companies. The evidence prosecutors plan to introduce provides more glimpses into the underworld of Russian hackers and cybercrime. https://www.rferl.org/a/in-u-s-hacker-trial-the-tangled-web-of-russia-s-cyberunderground-is-further-exposed/30472603.html https://www.rferl.org/a/in-u-s-hacker-trial-the-tangled-web-of-russia-s-cyberunderground-is-further-exposed/30472603.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 15:34:54 +0000 RussiaFeaturesRussiaPicks A Siberian village has become a magnet for various fringe faith communities, after a visit by the follower of an Indian mystic. Some believe it's the site of a mythical temple, others that it's the center of the universe. Archaeologists have found some pottery. https://www.rferl.org/a/magnet-for-mystics-the-siberian-village-of-okunevo/30472552.html https://www.rferl.org/a/magnet-for-mystics-the-siberian-village-of-okunevo/30472552.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 15:28:00 +0000 RussiaRussiaVideo ArchivePicksVideos Countless Afghan families have found themselves divided by war, with siblings joining either the Afghan defense forces or Taliban militants. RFE/RL spoke to some of the fighters and their families, who spoke of their frustration with the killing and their hopes for peace. https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-families-divided-by-war-plead-for-peace/30472540.html https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-families-divided-by-war-plead-for-peace/30472540.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 15:22:00 +0000 AfghanistanAfghanistanVideo ArchivePicksVideos https://www.rferl.org/a/how-well-are-countries-prepared-for-an-epidemic-/30472473.html https://www.rferl.org/a/how-well-are-countries-prepared-for-an-epidemic-/30472473.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 14:46:00 +0000 RFE/RL's InfographicsAfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBelarusGeorgiaIranKazakhstanKyrgyzstanMoldovaRomaniaRussiaTajikistanTurkmenistan UkraineUzbekistanBosnia-HerzegovinaMontenegroNorth MacedoniaPakistanInfographicsRFE/RL's InfographicsBulgaria Austrian authorities have extradited a Tajik asylum seeker to Tajikistan on Dushanbe's request despite warnings from activists that the man may face torture and an unfair judicial process there. https://www.rferl.org/a/austria-extradites-tajik-asylum-seeker-ignoring-activists-warnings/30472355.html https://www.rferl.org/a/austria-extradites-tajik-asylum-seeker-ignoring-activists-warnings/30472355.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 13:51:49 +0000 TajikistanNewsWatchdogTajikistanFrom Our BureausPicks Iran says the death toll from the new coronavirus has risen to 124 in the Islamic republic, including a former deputy foreign minister who reportedly died after being infected with the virus. https://www.rferl.org/a/coronavirus-death-toll-in-iran-hits-124-including-former-deputy-minister/30472199.html https://www.rferl.org/a/coronavirus-death-toll-in-iran-hits-124-including-former-deputy-minister/30472199.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 12:38:48 +0000 IranNewsIranPicks Jailed Tajik lawyer Buzurgmehr Yorov has received the Prague-based People in Need NGO's annual Homo Homini prize at a special ceremony in the Czech capital. https://www.rferl.org/a/jailed-tajik-lawyer-yorov-receives-homo-homini-human-rights-prize/30472014.html https://www.rferl.org/a/jailed-tajik-lawyer-yorov-receives-homo-homini-human-rights-prize/30472014.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 10:57:59 +0000 TajikistanNewsWatchdogTajikistanFrom Our BureausPicks A date has been set for the trial of the former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev and his 13 co-defendants over deadly clashes with security forces at Atambaev's compound last year in a Bishkek suburb. https://www.rferl.org/a/trial-date-set-for-kyrgyz-ex-president-over-deadly-clashes/30471982.html https://www.rferl.org/a/trial-date-set-for-kyrgyz-ex-president-over-deadly-clashes/30471982.html Fri, 06 Mar 2020 10:34:09 +0000 KyrgyzstanNewsKyrgyzstanFrom Our Bureaus