rferl--2020-05-09--COVID-19: New Cases In Russia Top 10,000 For Seventh Straight Day

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 275,000 with almost 4 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
Russian authorities announced more than 10,000 new coronavirus infections across the country for a seventh straight day on May 9 , with the number in Moscow now eclipsing 104,000 .
The 24-hour national rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections reported by the country 's task-force headquarters -- by 10,817 to 198,676 -- marks a very slight increase on the previous day 's increase despite a stringent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the spread of the pandemic forced officials to cancel parades and other gatherings planned to mark the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9 , although President Vladimir Putin appeared at a solemn wreath-laying and gave a televised speech from Red Square .
Thirty of Russia 's 80-plus regions have registered more than 1,000 cases , according to the national crisis center , with a majority of those infections in the capital .
The anti-coronavirus task force said 104 people had died in the past day , bringing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s relatively low official death toll has spawned criticism that authorities may be covering up the real toll of the outbreak by failing to correctly identify coronavirus deaths as such , accusations that have been rejected by authorities .
Shortages of medical equipment including personal protective equipment for health-care workers is said to be a major problem in many places .
A doctor at an ambulance unit in Russia 's western Voronezh region earlier this month became the third physician who 'd spoken out about shortages to fall from a hospital window @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The first two doctors ' falls proved fatal .
Officials said on May 9 that Moscow 's day-to-day increase was 5,667 infections , to 104,189 .
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin recently estimated that some 2-2.5 percent of the capital 's residents were currently infected , according to Interfax , but it was unclear where that figure came from as testing is still said to be sorely lacking .
Moscow announced on May 7 that a citywide lockdown would be extended until the end of the month as new cases continued to rise .
Deputy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that city residents will be required to wear masks in public places starting May 12 and residents not wearing masks inside public transport will be fined 5,000 rubles ( $ 68 ) .
Shortages of medical equipment including personal protective equipment for health-care workers is said to be a major problem in many parts of Russia , although the lion 's share of COVID-19 cases reported so far are in the capital .
Russian activists have warned that the roughly 875,000 people held in the nation ’ s overcrowded prisons and pretrial detention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people who work in them -- could be in particular danger from the spread of the virus .
The International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) says its board has approved an additional $ 121.1 million in emergency assistance to Kyrgyzstan to meet urgent needs stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic .
The emergency assistance was approved by the IMF ’ s Executive Board on May 8 , the IMF said in a news release .
The IMF emergency support will finance health and economic relief and help shore up confidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 6.2 million people .
“ The outbreak of the pandemic has weakened the macroeconomic outlook and opened a balance of payments gap estimated at about $ 500 million , ” the IMF said .
But the international lender said there is an “ unprecedented high level of uncertainty surrounding this projection.
” The disbursement announced May 8 brings the total IMF emergency assistance to the Kyrgyz Republic to address the COVID-19 pandemic to $ 242 million .
Tao Zhang , deputy managing director of the IMF , said “ expeditious additional donor support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ difference between the estimated $ 500 million balance of payments gap and the $ 242 million the IMF has supplied .
The previously approved $ 120.9-million disbursement came just days after Kyrgyzstan ’ s declaration on March 24 of a state of emergency in the capital , Bishkek , and several other regions and districts in response to the spread of the coronavirus .
To ensure that the loan is efficiently spent on addressing the crisis , Kyrgyz authorities have committed to strengthen procurement rules , the IMF said .
With reporting by @ @ @ @ @ @

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 276,000 with almost 4 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Russia
Russian authorities announced more than 10,000 new coronavirus infections across the country for a seventh straight day on May 9, with the number in Moscow now eclipsing 104,000.
The 24-hour national rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections reported by the country's task-force headquarters -- by 10,817 to 198,676 -- marks a very slight increase on the previous day's increase despite a stringent lockdown.
Russia's measures to curb the spread of the pandemic forced officials to cancel parades and other gatherings planned to mark the 75th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany on May 9, although President Vladimir Putin appeared at a solemn wreath-laying and gave a televised speech from Red Square.
Thirty of Russia's 80-plus regions have registered more than 1,000 cases, according to the national crisis center, with a majority of those infections in the capital.
The anti-coronavirus task force said 104 people had died in the past day, bringing the national death toll to 1,827.
Russia’s relatively low official death toll has spawned criticism that authorities may be covering up the real toll of the outbreak by failing to correctly identify coronavirus deaths as such, accusations that have been rejected by authorities.
Shortages of medical equipment including personal protective equipment for health-care workers is said to be a major problem in many places.
A doctor at an ambulance unit in Russia's western Voronezh region earlier this month became the third physician who'd spoken out about shortages to fall from a hospital window in the course of several weeks. The first two doctors' falls proved fatal.
Officials said on May 9 that Moscow's day-to-day increase was 5,667 infections, to 104,189.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin recently estimated that some 2-2.5 percent of the capital's residents were currently infected, according to Interfax, but it was unclear where that figure came from as testing is still said to be sorely lacking.
Moscow announced on May 7 that a citywide lockdown would be extended until the end of the month as new cases continued to rise.
Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova said on May 8 that city residents will be required to wear masks in public places starting May 12 and residents not wearing masks inside public transport will be fined 5,000 rubles ($68).
Shortages of medical equipment including personal protective equipment for health-care workers is said to be a major problem in many parts of Russia, although the lion's share of COVID-19 cases reported so far are in the capital.
Russian activists have warned that the roughly 875,000 people held in the nation’s overcrowded prisons and pretrial detention facilities -- and the hundreds of thousands of people who work in them -- could be in particular danger from the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, Russian news reports said a fire broke out at a Moscow hospital where coronavirus patients were being treated, and at least one person was killed.
The TASS and RIA-Novosti news agencies said the blaze broke out around 8.30 p.m. on May 9 at the facility in northwestern Moscow.
The Emergency Situations Ministry told the news agencies that some patients who had been confined to beds were being evacuated.
The fire was later extinguished, reports said.
The hospital, called Spasokukotsky, is one of several in the Russian capital that has wards specially designated to treat coronavirus patients.
Kyrgyzstan
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says its board has approved an additional $121.1 million in emergency assistance to Kyrgyzstan to meet urgent needs stemming from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The emergency assistance was approved by the IMF’s Executive Board on May 8, the IMF said in a news release.
The IMF emergency support will finance health and economic relief and help shore up confidence in the government of the nation of 6.2 million people.
“The outbreak of the pandemic has weakened the macroeconomic outlook and opened a balance of payments gap estimated at about $500 million,” the IMF said.
But the international lender said there is an “unprecedented high level of uncertainty surrounding this projection.”
The disbursement announced May 8 brings the total IMF emergency assistance to the Kyrgyz Republic to address the COVID-19 pandemic to $242 million.
Tao Zhang, deputy managing director of the IMF, said “expeditious additional donor support” is needed to make up the difference between the estimated $500 million balance of payments gap and the $242 million the IMF has supplied.
The previously approved $120.9-million disbursement came just days after Kyrgyzstan’s declaration on March 24 of a state of emergency in the capital, Bishkek, and several other regions and districts in response to the spread of the coronavirus.
To ensure that the loan is efficiently spent on addressing the crisis, Kyrgyz authorities have committed to strengthen procurement rules, the IMF said.
With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax


rferl--2020-05-09--Afghan President Calls For 'Thorough' Investigation Into Drowning Of Migrants After Crossing Into Ir

Afghan President Calls For 'Thorough' Investigation Into Drowning Of Migrants After Crossing Into Iran

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered a probe into the drowning of several Afghan migrants last week after reports that Iranian border guards allegedly forced them into a river .
Afghan authorities had already been investigating the incident , but Ghani on May 8 formed a new 10-member team to look into the deaths after 18 bodies of migrants were recovered , some of them bearing signs of torture .
Officials claim the migrants drowned in the Harirud River while illegally crossing into Iran from Afghanistan ’ s western Herat Province .
A decree issued by Ghani orders the team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into reports about the deaths of several countrymen along the Iranian border , '' the president ’ s office said in a statement .
Abdul Ghani Noori , the governor of Herat Province , said earlier on May 8 that out of 55 Afghan migrants who were forced into the river authorities had so far recovered 18 bodies and six were still missing .
Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) on May 4 called allegations that Iranian border guards beat and then forced Afghan migrants into the river “ shocking.
” Afghan officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beaten , tortured , and then forced into the Harirud River by Iranian border guards .
“ The allegations are indeed shocking , ” Patricia Gossman , an associate director for the Asia division at HRW , told RFE/RL on May 4 .
“ It really requires a very thorough investigation into what exactly happened , ” she added .
Gossman said if proven , the actions of the Iranian border guards would amount to “ a very serious human rights violation.
” Abbas Musavi , a spokesman for Iran 's Foreign Ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place on Afghan soil .
`` Border guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran denied the occurrence of any events related to this on the soil of our country , '' he said in a statement on May 3 , adding that Tehran would launch an investigation .
Decades of conflict , extreme poverty , and high rates of unemployment force thousands of Afghans to illegally cross the border to Iran every year .
There are currently up to 1 million registered Afghan refugees in Iran , while the country hosts another 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Nations .

The education of girls and women is universally accepted in more than 200 countries and territories, including nearly 50 Muslim-majority nations.
But Afghanistan’s hard-line Islamist Taliban rulers have banned teenage girls from attending school after the sixth grade since they returned to power two years ago. The ban was extended in December to women in universities.
Countless protests by Afghans inside the country, pressure from the international community, and lobbying by Muslim scholars and clerics have failed to convince the fundamentalist Taliban leaders to reopen schools.
Experts are divided over whether the ban is rooted in how the Taliban’s interpretation of Islam is shaped by conservative Pashtun tribal customs and cultural practices or if it is prompted by how senior Taliban ideologues interpret Islamic teachings.
Most Taliban leaders are ethnic Pashtun, Sunni Muslim clerics. Many were educated in Deobandi madrasahs in neighboring Pakistan. Deobandism emerged as a puritanical Islamic revivalist movement in 19-century British Colonial India. Based on the Sunni Hanafi school of jurisprudence, it is a prominent strain among Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Tribal Influences
Sami Yousafzai, a veteran Afghan journalist and commentator, argues that the Taliban restrictions against women are linked to social customs and cultural practices in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
Most Taliban leaders come from various Pashtun rural tribal communities in these regions bordering Pakistan.
"They believe that a woman's place is either inside a house or in a grave," Yousafzai said of the basic Taliban belief influenced by the status of women in the families of clerics and religious leaders in these Pashtun regions.
“Women living in the households of the current Taliban policymakers were never educated and never left their homes,” said Yousafzai, who has tracked the Islamist group since it emerged as a ragtag militia in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar in late 1994. “These women never performed any government or nongovernmental jobs.”
Yousafzai says the Taliban backs policies shaped by this worldview by leaning on Islamic teachings supporting such ideas. He says Taliban leaders rely on sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that discourage women from leaving their homes.
“Their primary belief is that pubescent girls should not leave home under any circumstance,” he said. “This is why they view women leaving home for education or work as engaging in moral corruption.”
In Afghanistan, a Muslim nation of some 40 million people, activists and rights advocates accuse the Taliban of implementing "gender apartheid" by denying women education, work, freedom of movement, and deciding how they can appear in public.
Most Muslims agree that Islam allows women to get an education. Yet the Taliban publicly says that it will allow girls access to education only after ensuring complete gender segregation and other unspecified conditions.
Almost all Afghan secondary schools were gender segregated and universities imposed a strict separation between men and women after the Taliban takeover.
Yousafzai says in conservative and traditional Muslim societies around the world, some clerics also favor restrictions on women's education, work, and their role in public life. But the governments in those countries usually oppose or limit such ideas.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia -- one of the most conservative Sunni Muslim nations -- has allowed women to drive and granted them freedom of movement without a male guardian. These steps are part of a reform and modernity drive by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
The Taliban ban on education has invited universal condemnation from Muslims globally.
“The Taliban's ban on women's education is not rooted in [the Islamic] Shari’a law but rather reflects cultural biases that contradict the teachings of Islam,” said Salam al-Marayati, president of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in the United States.
He said that contrary to Taliban practices, “Islam emphasizes the importance of seeking knowledge and encourages all individuals, regardless of gender, to acquire an education.”
Historical Conflict
But Islamic scholars and those who have attempted to convince the Taliban about reopening girls schools offer a different explanation.
John Mohammad Butt, an Islamic scholar and former BBC broadcaster who is the only Westerner to graduate from India’s Darul Uloom Deoband, argues that the Taliban's policy on girls' education is not tribal but shaped by the century-old conflict over modern education.
“The problem is that girls' education in Afghanistan -- indeed, contemporary education in general -- has generally been introduced in Afghanistan in line with a secular agenda,” he said.
In the 1920s, a coalition of conservative clerics and tribal and community leaders deposed reformist King Amanullah Khan. He wanted to modernize Afghanistan along Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk's secular lines and championed modern education and rights for women.
This opposition to modernity and secularism continued, and conservative clerics opposed women's education and work. It became a key part of the Islamist opposition to the pro-Soviet Afghan communist governments after the April 1978 military coup that ended the Afghan monarchy. The mujahedin accused the communists of spreading immorality by promoting women’s education and empowerment.
“This has led to particular wariness on the part of conservative circles in Afghanistan with regard to girls' education,” Butt said.
'Deep Ideological Conviction'
Obaidullah Baheer, a political science lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, became part of an effort to rescind the ban by talking to the Taliban last year.
But he says the effort failed because “the ban is a matter of deep ideological conviction” for the current supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Baheer says that the most prominent Taliban leaders have studied in Pakistani madrasahs and were thus disconnected from village and tribal life.
“They have been indoctrinated by the Deobandi school of thought so that they now enforce the strictest version of Islam on the Afghan population,” he said.
He argues that the ban on girls’ schools is a deliberate policy championed by Akhundzada, who he says has endorsed Taliban Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani's Arabic language book The Islamic Emirate And Its System. In this book, Haqqani supports a fringe Islamic opinion of preferring the choice of one of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Sawdah Bint Zam'ah, who chose to stay at home until her death.
Baheer says Haqqani ignores his other wives and other female companions that played an active role in many sectors of society and how they served as students and teachers for men.
“This fringe opinion is not held by all Taliban leaders but is one that the current absolute sovereign, the Taliban emir, seems to be convinced of,” he said.
Butt says that even Haqqani has acknowledged the principle that if there is something that women need to act upon, then that is also something that women need to learn about.
“I hope the Taliban authorities will come to realize in the not-too-distant future that education for women will make Afghan women into better Muslims,” he says. “It will enable them to make a stronger contribution to the well-being of their country.”
Two years after grappling with the issue, Western diplomats appear to be encouraging Afghan conservative and clerical circles to find ways to end the ban.
Tom West, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan, recently tweeted that Afghan women must be educated and contribute to the economy to help their country stand on its own two feet.
“If change to policies is made, it will be because Afghans have asked for it, not a result of foreign requests,” he wrote.


rferl--2020-05-09--Putin Leads Scaled-Back Russian Events To Mark 75th Anniversary Of Victory Day

MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial near the Kremlin to highlight pared-down commemoration ceremonies amid the COVID-19 pandemic to mark 75 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II .
Putin also delivered a televised address to the nation in a somber scene from nearby the memorial that included a minute of silence .
`` We know and firmly believe that we are invincible when we stand together , '' Putin told the country 's 145 million people .
He also emphasized how sacred the holiday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remember its heroes of a conflict that killed an estimated 25 million Soviet citizens before it wound down in 1945 .
The Russian president said all the plans in the works for further development of the country 's army and navy would be fulfilled and they would be equipped with the `` most-advanced '' weapons .
A flyover of Red Square by 75 Russian warplanes followed , with many events online and on television to remind the country of what Russians call the Great Patriotic War .
There was heavy TV programming arranged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through Red Square that had to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic that has seen seven straight days of more than 10,000 new cases of infection .
Despite strict lockdown measures and a heavy police presence to enforce them throughout the city , some Muscovites took to the streets in small groups to witness the flyover , gathering on street corners .
A group of Communist Party activists protesting for the right to mark Victory Day resulted in two detentions .
The group included two Duma deputies , Communists Denis Parfyonov and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shouted `` Disgrace ! ''
at officers as they grabbed one of the others .
A national task force on May 9 reported the seventh straight 24-hour rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections of over 10,000 -- by 10,817 to 198,676 -- marking a very slight increase on the previous day 's increase despite the stringent lockdown .
Some people defied the restrictions to take to the streets displaying photos of grandparents who died in the war .
Irina Popova , 60 , who owns a cosmetics business , told RFE/RL near Red Square that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for walks through Moscow on Victory Day .
`` You can ’ t not celebrate this day .
It ’ s sacred , ” she said .
“ It ’ s good to self-isolate , this thing is dangerous .
But I got an [ electronic ] pass , so I ’ m allowed to go on the street.
” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un , whose absence from public appearances sparked speculation of ill health last month , reportedly sent Putin a telegram to congratulate Russia on the anniversary .
Marking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrated throughout most of Europe the previous day , Putin sent telegrams on May 8 to U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , whose countries were allies during World War II .
Putin and Trump spoke by phone on May 7 , and the Kremlin said on May 8 that Putin and Johnson also spoke by phone , congratulating each other on the 75th anniversary of the allied victory in World War II and expressing a readiness for dialogue and cooperation on bilateral issues .
`` Both sides expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues on the agenda of Russian-British relations , as well as in solving pressing international problems , '' the Kremlin said .
In his message to Trump , Putin said Russia and the United States stood at the forefront of confronting global challenges and “ could do a lot to ensure international security and stability . ''
The messages were among many that Putin dispatched to the Soviet Union 's World War II allies on the anniversary of the end of the conflict in Europe .
Britain 's Queen Elizabeth II said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war victims ' sacrifice `` is that countries who were once sworn enemies are now friends , working side by side for the peace , health , and prosperity of us all , '' noting that the message of VE Day was , `` Never give up , never despair . ''
In Germany , President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel joined other government officials in a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to victims of war and violence in Berlin .
“ The corona pandemic is forcing us to commemorate alone -- @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us and to whom we are grateful , ” Steinmeier said .
He urged Germans to “ think , feel , and act as Europeans ” amid the coronavirus crisis .
Elsewhere across Europe , VE Day events had to be postponed , canceled , or reduced to online commemorations .
Across the Atlantic , President Donald Trump joined seven World War II veterans , ages 96 to 100 , at a wreath-laying ceremony in Washington to commemorate the anniversary .
Trump said the anniversary served as a reminder `` that no challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American spirit . ''
With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Matthew Luxmoore in Moscow , Reuters , AFP , and TASS

MOSCOW -- President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day calling for unity and a dignified honoring of those killed during World War II, even as the coronavirus pandemic curtailed the pomp the Kremlin had planned for Russia’s most important secular holiday.
With this year marking 75 years since the Nazi defeat, the Kremlin had hoped to turn already elaborate May 9 celebrations into a platform for Putin to host world leaders and promote what he sees as Russia’s rightful place on the world stage.
But the coronavirus has upended political life, and society in general, with millions under lockdown orders, the economy contracting, and Putin forced to limit his appearances to teleconferences with cabinet members and governors.
At a speech that marked his first public appearance in nearly a month, Putin did not mention the virus or its spread in Russia, focusing solely on the memory of the millions of Soviet citizens who died in what is known as the Great Patriotic War.
“We will, as usual, widely and solemnly mark the anniversary date, do it with dignity, as our duty to those who have suffered, achieved, and accomplished the victory tells us,” he said. “There will be our main parade on Red Square, and the national march of the Immortal Regiment -- the march of our grateful memory and inextricable, vital, living communication between generations.”
He also vowed that Russia would always remember the victims of the conflict, which killed an estimated 25 million Soviet citizens -- most of them civilians.
"We know and firmly believe that we are invincible when we stand together," he said.
Russia has nearly 200,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and a death toll that stood at more than 1,800 as of May 9 -- a figure that many observers believe is an undercount.
Earlier, Putin laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial, next to the Kremlin’s walls. Later on, 75 Russian jets and other warplanes roared over Red Square and the Moscow skyline.
While Victory Day has always been a major event, under Putin it has taken on even grander ceremonial importance, a reflection in part of how the Kremlin has sought to extol aspects of Soviet history and promote nationalist sentiment.
Russian authorities on May 9 reported the seventh straight daily increase in infections over 10,000, a further sign that the virus is tightening its grip on the country despite some early, strict moves by the government aimed at curtailing the disease’s spread.
The streets in the Russian capital’s central district were mostly empty of people, a contrast to past years when parks and boulevards were typically filled with people celebrating and handing flowers to veterans.
A heavy police presence was seen in many parts of the city, helping to enforce the strict lockdown measures that have been in place since late March.
Still, some Muscovites took to the streets in small groups to witness the flyover, gathering on street corners.
A group of Communist Party activists protested on Tverskaya Street, less than a kilometer from the Kremlin, against coronavirus-related prohibitions that kept them from publicly marching. Two members of the group were detained by police. The group included two members of Russia’s lower house of parliament.
Some people defied the restrictions to take to the streets displaying photos of grandparents who died in the war.
Irina Popova, 60, who owns a cosmetics business, told RFE/RL near Red Square that her grandmother always used to take her for walks through Moscow on Victory Day.
"You can’t not celebrate this day. It’s sacred,” she said. “It’s good to self-isolate, this thing is dangerous. But I got an [electronic] pass, so I’m allowed to go on the street.”
One day earlier, as most of Europe and the United States marked VE Day, Putin sent messages to U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, with reminders of cooperation among the war-time allies.
Putin and Trump spoke by phone on May 7, and the Kremlin said on May 8 that Putin and Johnson also spoke by phone, congratulating each other on the 75th anniversary.
"Both sides expressed readiness to establish dialogue and cooperation on issues on the agenda of Russian-British relations, as well as in solving pressing international problems," the Kremlin said.
Photo Gallery: Russia's Monumental Tributes To The 'Great Patriotic War' It is known in Russia as the "Great Patriotic War" and there are a number of imposing monuments across the country to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Soviet Union suffered an estimated 25 million war deaths, half of whom were civilians. As Russia and other former Soviet states prepare to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II on May 9, here is a look at some of Russia's monumental memorials. Share on Facebook
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In his message to Trump, Putin said Russia and the United States stood at the forefront of confronting global challenges and “could do a lot to ensure international security and stability."
While Russia’s celebrations were curtailed, Belarus went ahead with parade watched by thousands of spectators in the capital Minsk,
Elsewhere across Europe, VE Day events had to be postponed, canceled, or reduced to online commemorations.
In Washington, D.C., Trump joined seven World War II veterans, ages 96 to 100, at a wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the anniversary.
With reporting by RFE/RL correspondent Matthew Luxmoore in Moscow, Reuters, AFP, and TASS


rferl--2020-05-09--Serbia Protests EU Reference To Inventor Tesla As 'Croatian'

The Serbian government has protested to the European Union after one of the bloc 's educational websites described inventor and electricity trailblazer Nikola Tesla as a `` famous Croatian . ''
Tesla was an ethnic Serb born under the former Austrian Empire in what is now Croatia .
He spent most of his life in Western Europe and the United States , but his ethnicity is a near-constant source of friction between Balkan neighbors and former Yugoslav republics Serbia and Croatia .
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on May 9 that he had sent a protest note to Brussels @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a `` Croatian '' on the EU 's Learning Center website for children .
Serbia is a candidate country for EU membership ; Croatia joined the bloc in 2013 .
Serbia 's culture minister , Vladan Vukosavljevic , previously demanded an `` apology to the Serbian people '' from the European Union allowing what he described as `` the virus of this fake information '' to appear on an official EU website .
The ashes of Tesla , who developed alternating current as a means to transport electricity and was among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are housed in the Nikola Tesla museum in Belgrade , the Serbian capital .
Statues in his honor are on display both there and in the Croatian capital , Zagreb .
Tesla took on U.S. citizenship and lived there for decades before his death in New York in 1943 .

The Serbian government has protested to the European Union after one of the bloc's educational websites described inventor and electricity trailblazer Nikola Tesla as a "famous Croatian."
Tesla was an ethnic Serb born under the former Austrian Empire in what is now Croatia.
He spent most of his life in Western Europe and the United States, but his ethnicity is a near-constant source of friction between Balkan neighbors and former Yugoslav republics Serbia and Croatia.
Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said on May 9 that he had sent a protest note to Brussels after learning about the reference to Tesla as a "Croatian" on the EU's Learning Center website for children.
Serbia is a candidate country for EU membership; Croatia joined the bloc in 2013.
Serbia's culture minister, Vladan Vukosavljevic, previously demanded an "apology to the Serbian people" from the European Union allowing what he described as "the virus of this fake information" to appear on an official EU website.
The ashes of Tesla, who developed alternating current as a means to transport electricity and was among the first scientists to discover X-ray imaging, are housed in the Nikola Tesla museum in Belgrade, the Serbian capital.
Statues in his honor are on display both there and in the Croatian capital, Zagreb.
Tesla took on U.S. citizenship and lived there for decades before his death in New York in 1943.
Based on reporting by AP


rferl--2020-05-09--At Least Two Dead After Afghan Police Fire On Protesters

At least two people were killed and more were injured in western Afghanistan on May 9 when police clashed with hundreds of protesters angry over what they insisted was unfair distribution of food aid during the COVID-19 pandemic , a local lawmaker said .
Protesters in the western Ghor Province were claiming the humanitarian assistance was being given mainly to people with political connections .
Gulzaman Nayeb , a lawmaker from Ghor Province , said seven people had been killed and 14 injured .
Mohammad Arif Aber , a spokesman for the provincial governor , said two people had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire in response to some of the 300 or so protesters throwing stones and firing weapons and trying to storm the governor 's residence .
Aber denied that aid was being handed out unfairly .
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission ( AIHRC ) Chairwoman Shaharzad Akbar said that group is probing `` worrying reports of police firing on protesters . ''
Reuters said Akbar told it earlier this week that his commission had received numerous complaints from Afghans about the unfair distribution of supplies and other aid meant to help some of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic .
`` We hear repeated complaints from people that the ones who are receiving the limited aid that is there are not the ones that are most deserving , they are the ones who have connections to local authorities or local officials , '' it quoted her as saying .
Afghanistan has 3,778 confirmed cases of coronavirus infections and 109 deaths , according to a Johns Hopkins University tally , although testing is sparse and those figures are thought to be unreliable .
The executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dead on May 9 included a local volunteer radio presenter who was sitting in his nearby shop when a stray bullet struck him in the head .


rferl--2020-05-10--Iran Says Ready For Prisoner Swap With U.S. Without Preconditions

Iran is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States , Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei says , adding that Washington has yet to respond to Iran 's call for a prisoner swap .
`` We have announced that we are ready without any preconditions to exchange all prisoners and we are prepared to discuss this issue but the Americans have not responded yet , '' Rabiei told the news site Khabaronline on May 10 .
`` We are worried about the safety and health of Iranians in jail ... .
We hold America responsible for Iranians ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Rabiei added .
`` Washington is aware of our readiness and we think there is no need for a third country to mediate between Tehran and Washington for the prisoner exchange , '' Rabiei was quoted as saying .
The United States is set to deport Iranian professor Sirous Asgari , who was acquitted of stealing trade secrets , U.S. and Iranian officials told Reuters last week .
Asgari was reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement .
Iran is believed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Iranian-American businessman Siamak Namazi , his father , Baqer Namazi , and environmentalist and businessman Morad Tahbaz .
Western media reported last week that Tehran and Washington were negotiating a deal that would release U.S. Navy veteran Michael White for an Iranian held in the United States .
White , detained in Iran for allegedly insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and posting private information online , was released on medical furlough in March amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Iran says the U.S. authorities are holding some 20 Iranian nationals in jail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the United States and Iran swapped prisoners in 2019 : American graduate student Xiyue Wang , detained on alleged spying charges , and imprisoned Iranian stem-cell researcher Massud Soleimani , accused of sanctions violations .
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have heightened since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January 2017 , especially after he pulled the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed crippling sanctions on the Islamic republic .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Iran in March to release on humanitarian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country .
With reporting by Reuters and AP

A polytechnic school in Russia’s Tatarstan, a region some 900 kilometers east of Moscow, is using manufacturing facilities that are part of a nearby special economic zone to assemble Iranian attack drones and are increasingly turning to underage students as laborers, many of whom often work in exploitative conditions.
The revelations at Alabuga Polytechnic University raise troubling implications about the lengths that Russian authorities are going to in order to boost the war effort and how the advanced Iranian weaponry -- which is increasingly used to bombard Ukrainian cities and has only recently begun to be manufactured inside Russia -- could contribute to escalating tensions and rising civilian casualties.
The use of underage students as drone factory workers and the details of the manufacturing facilities were first reported by Russian independent media outlets Protokol and Razvorot, which published a series of investigations in July.
Since then, RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities has spoken with students who describe grueling working conditions and interviewed dozens of parents whose children have been enrolled at Alabuga Polytechnic University -- some as young at 15 -- who say that their children were forced to work exceedingly long hours, often without proper breaks or meals, and under hostile conditions that have deeply affected their mental health.
“My son enrolled and 2 1/2 months later he called for me to take him away,” Zhanna, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect against reprisals for speaking about the operation, told RFE/RL. “He said to me on the phone, ‘Come and get me or I’ll die,’ so I picked him up immediately.”
Zhanna, who asked that her underage son’s name also not be used, says that she sent him from Nizhny Novgorod to study at Alabuga Polytechnic University in 2022 because of its reputation as a leading technical institution inside Russia.
The school offered students -- often between the ages of 15-18 -- an opportunity to get vocational training as part of a dual program that combines a classroom education with practical work experience. Students were also promised an opportunity to work and earn a locally competitive salary of up to 70,000 rubles ($700) a month as part of the work experience program that could further their career growth.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war in Ukraine, click here.
But, instead, those enrolled were encouraged and in some cases pressured into working at the drone facility, where the salaries of the mostly underage laborers are contingent on meeting tough production quotas.
“This is a textbook definition of what constitutes exploitation,” Sergei Podsytnik, an investigative journalist at Protokol who worked on the series of reports, told RFE/RL. “[Students] assemble drones, with the work taking priority over their studies.”
The pressure to fulfill these quotas has allegedly led to strenuous back-to-back days -- with some shifts lasting up to 15 hours -- with little time for sleep or adequate sustenance. Overtime work is often unpaid, further highlighting potential labor violations. Exhausted students also reported not always meeting their quotas, which led to them not earning the salary initially promised by the school. Many students came from disadvantaged backgrounds and relied on their earnings to cover costs for tuition, room, and board and would send the remainder home.
Other parents, such as Marina, said she decided to take her daughter out of the program when she discovered that she was working in apparent unsafe conditions and that staff from the school had instructed students not to tell their parents about the drone assembly work.
“This was the last straw for me,” Marina, who also asked for her identity to be concealed, told RFE/RL. “This is a dangerous production process that involves dangerous chemicals. They also forbid the kids from telling everything to their parents.”
RFE/RL sent multiple requests for comment to various staff and administrators at Alabuga Polytechnic University but received no replies.
Making Iranian Drones In Russia
The complicated and concerning dynamic at Alabuga Polytechnic University stems from growing military cooperation between Iran and Russia that has accelerated since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Iran has said it provided drones to Russia before the start of the war, but not since. However, U.S. intelligence officials have warned for months of continued deliveries and deepening cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, saying the two sides were exploring how to set up a manufacturing plant for Iranian drones inside Russia.
According to The Wall Street Journal, an Iranian delegation visited Yelabuga in Tatarstan on January 5, touring a potential site for such a factory at the Alabuga special economic zone close to Alabuga Polytechnic University. U.S. officials released satellite images in April of the plant being built.
Russia already possesses an array of unarmed aerial vehicles, or UAVs, which are used mainly for surveillance and artillery spotting, but has turned increasingly to Tehran for attack drones.
After being forced to abandon Ukrainian territory that its troops captured in the early stretches of the war, Moscow shifted to a strategy of relentless air assaults on Ukrainian cities. These attacks often rely on a combination of cruise missiles and self-detonating drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for the civilian population in Ukraine.
So far, Iran has provided Russia mostly with so-called "suicide" drones, known as the Shahed-136, that contain a modest amount of explosives that can detonate when the drones crash into targets, military experts say.
In acquiring its own domestic assembly line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of the relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems.
WATCH: Russia has resorted to using Shahed-136 drones from Iran in its war on Ukraine. Ukraine says it's already downed many of the drones, which work by slamming into their intended target, laden with explosives. Ordinary Ukrainians say they can already recognize the sound of the drones, which use two-stroke engines like lawnmowers or motorbikes. Iran has denied supplying the drones to Russia.
The arrangement also offers substantial economic and political benefits for Iran, which has sought to portray itself as neutral in the Ukraine war. The appearance of Iranian-made drones over Ukrainian cities, however, has triggered threats of new economic sanctions from the West. The United States, the European Union, and the United Kingdom have also all issued rules in recent months designed to cut off the flow of drone components to Russia and Iran.
The Washington Post reported in November 2022, citing unnamed U.S. intelligence officials, that the agreement to deliver Iranian drone schematics and materials for manufacture in Russia resulted from Iranian leaders believing that the arrangement would allow Tehran to avert new sanctions.
Foreign Recruitment And Patriotic Education
Alabuga Polytechnic University is formally not a college. All of its students are officially enrolled at nearby Yelabuga Polytechnic College, with the Alabuga institution existing on paper as a specialized program for students looking to break into high-tech industries.
Currently, about 1,000 students are studying at Alabuga Polytechnic University, with several hundred of them -- most of whom are between the ages of 15 and 17 -- involved in assembling the Iranian drones.
In addition to the work on the drones, there are other signs that point to blurred lines in Russia between the education system and the country’s military amid the war in Ukraine.
According to current and former Alabuga Polytechnic University students, team-building and organized extracurricular activities through the school often take on a “patriotic” character that may be designed to expose students to official government narratives of international events or echo talking points from state television.
Organized paintball games have become a mainstay for students, especially first-year arrivals, in which they are encouraged to compete against one another and then play together against more experienced outside players. Teachers and administration officials regularly refer to paintball as being part of a “patriotic” education needed to complement the technical aspect of their studies.
In one instance, a group of new students competed in paintball as Soviet soldiers against outside players who were dressed as troops from Nazi Germany in a capture-the-flag competition meant to simulate the World War II battle of Stalingrad. According to one student, the Nazi flag contained the compass symbol used by the NATO military alliance instead of the swastika used by Nazi Germany.
Other instances of political teachings from staff are more direct. In a recording obtained by RFE/RL from June 16, a senior administrator can be heard telling the teenagers that NATO launched a hybrid war against Russia back in 2011 and that it has slowly become more overt. The man then goes on to tell students that their hard work and exceeding long days at the drone factory are part of a nationwide struggle against the West and that their patriotism will be rewarded.
Several students and parents identified the man in the recording as Timur Shagivaleev, the director-general of the special economic zone where Alabuga Polytechnic University and the drone factory operate.
Shagivaleev did not respond to RFE/RL’s request for comment.
The man in the recording then goes on to tell students not to take holidays and to continue working “even if it's mom's birthday,” before ending his speech with, “Long live our great country.”
WATCH: Amid a new wave of Russian drone attacks on Ukraine, analysts in Kyiv are gaining useful intelligence from a collection of downed Russian aerial weapons. They have been studying the remains of Iranian Shahed drones and Russian Kinzhal missiles, among others.
Multiple current and former students told RFE/RL that students who work in the drone factory are often praised by staff, while those who have refused or asked to be reassigned due to the high workload are often publicly shamed. In some instances -- according to recordings heard by RFE/RL -- staff even encourage students to bully others who are not deemed “patriotic” enough.
According to Protokol and Razvorot’s investigations, Alabuga Polytechnic University has also turned toward recruiting foreign students to enroll. The majority of them come from African countries, but also from Central Asia and Azerbaijan, where they are promised “world class” salaries as part of the dual-track world experience program.
However, these foreign students are then given low-skill and menial tasks around the campus and the special economic zone, such as janitorial work, and are also paid lower salaries than initially promised.
Written by Reid Standish based on reporting by RFE/RL’s Idel.Realities


rferl--2020-05-10--HRW Urges Iran To Halt Prosecutions For Protests Over Ukraine Air Crash

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) has called on Iran to halt prosecutions of those who peacefully protested the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ' ( IRGC ) deadly attack on a civilian airliner and the initial denial of responsibility .
The rights group said that since late April , Iranian courts had sentenced 13 people , including several students , to prison terms apparently just for taking part in peaceful protest over the January 8 downing of a Ukrainian civilian airliner , which the IRGC said it `` mistakenly '' shot down , killing 176 passengers and crew .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country , came hours after Iran had launched a missile attack on U.S. forces in Iraq in response to the January 3 assassination of the IRGC 's Quds Force commander , Major General Qasem Soleimani , by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad .
Tehran initially claimed the plane had crashed , but the IRGC admitted three days after the tragedy that Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 had been shot down `` unintentionally '' by the country 's air defenses .
Iranian authorities have said that 30 people were arrested in connection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of people had been arrested in connection with the downing of the plane .
`` Iranian authorities are following their usual playbook of dodging accountability , '' Michael Page , HRW 's deputy Middle East director , said in a May 8 statement .
`` While refusing to provide details about any investigation of culpability for the deadly mistake , judicial officials are wasting no time in sentencing people who protested the loss of 176 lives . ''
Iran has said that the deadly incident will be investigated , but the authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation .
Families of some of the victims have expressed concern that the coronavirus pandemic is slowing down any momentum toward justice for their loved ones , HRW said .
The right group said Iran should conduct a transparent investigation and cooperate with international bodies .


rferl--2020-05-10--Pompeo Again Vows To Push For Extension Of Iran Arms Embargo

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has renewed his pledge to use all means available to extend a ban on conventional arms sales to Iran beyond October .
Pompeo reiterated the vow in a statement on May 9 to mark the second anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers .
U.S. President Donald withdrew the United States from the deal , known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) , on May 8 , 2018 .
Pompeo said since then the United States had built `` the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from funding and equipping terrorists with many billions of dollars . ''
He also said Americans were safer and the Middle East more peaceful than they would have been if the United States had not withdrawn from the JCPOA , and he reiterated his long-standing position that the United States will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon .
Pompeo also referred to this week 's 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II , saying the United States and its allies stood together then to rid the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ideology .
`` Today we face a grave challenge to regional peace from another rogue regime , and we again call on the international community to join us to stop the world 's leading state sponsor of anti-Semitism , '' Pompeo said .
The deal provided for Tehran to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions .
Trump called it `` defective at its core '' and after withdrawing from it reimposed harsh sanctions that have crippled Iran 's economy .
He has said he wants to force @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the terms were not tough enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons , and agree curbs to its ballistic-missile program .
Iran has refused , insisting that its nuclear program was strictly for civilian energy purposes , and has gradually rolled back its commitments under the accord .
Pompeo first announced on April 29 that Washington now also wanted to extend the conventional weapons embargo and said he was `` hopeful '' the UN Security Council would prolong the restriction before it expires .
Iranian President Hassan Rohani reacted by threatening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States continued those efforts .


rferl--2020-05-10--Moscow 'Indignant' Over Perceived U.S Slight Of Soviet Contribution In World War II

Russia 's Foreign Ministry has expressed `` extreme indignation '' at a U.S. statement on May 8 that seemed to ascribe the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 to the United States and Britain .
`` On the eve of a sacred holiday , American officials did not have the courage and the desire to at least hint at the indubitable role and colossal losses that the Red Army and the Soviet people brought in the name of all humanity , '' the Russian statement said .
On its Instagram account , the White House posted a video and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1945 , America and Great Britain had victory over the Nazis !
'America 's spirit will always win .
In the end , that 's what happens . '
'' Asked by the Russian Interfax news agency to comment , the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was quoted as saying , `` We would like to refer you to many latest statements which underline our joint efforts and casualties . ''
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement in April on the 75th anniversary of the meeting of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ River in Germany .
`` We intend to have a serious conversation with U.S. public officials on this issue , '' the Russian Foreign Ministry 's statement concluded .

Russia's Foreign Ministry has expressed "extreme indignation" at a U.S. statement on May 8 that seemed to ascribe the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 to the United States and Britain.
"On the eve of a sacred holiday, American officials did not have the courage and the desire to at least hint at the indubitable role and colossal losses that the Red Army and the Soviet people brought in the name of all humanity," the Russian statement said.
On its Instagram account, the White House posted a video and the words: "On May 8, 1945, America and Great Britain had victory over the Nazis! 'America's spirit will always win. In the end, that's what happens.'"
Asked by the Russian Interfax news agency to comment, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was quoted as saying, "We would like to refer you to many latest statements which underline our joint efforts and casualties."
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement in April on the 75th anniversary of the meeting of U.S. and Soviet soldiers on the Elbe River in Germany.
"We intend to have a serious conversation with U.S. public officials on this issue," the Russian Foreign Ministry's statement concluded.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-05-10--Afghan Cricket Player Gets Six-Year Ban For Match Fixing

Afghan cricketer Shafiquallah Shafaq has been banned from the sport for six years after acknowledging charges of match fixing .
@ @ @ @ @ fixing or attempting to fix matches in the Afghanistan Premier League T20 in 2018 and @ @ @ @ @ , the Afghanistan Cricket Board ( ACB ) said on May 10 .
`` This @ @ @ @ @ where a senior national player is involved in the corruption of a high-profile domestic game @ @ @ @ @ manager Sayed Anwar Shah Quraishi said .
Quraishi said Shafaq 's admission of guilt and @ @ @ @ @ helped him avoid a harsher punishment .
The ABC said that Shafaq will contribute to @ @ @ @ @ players learn from his mistakes .
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP


rferl--2020-05-11--Fire At Private Nursing Home Near Moscow Kills Nine

A fire in a nursing home in the town of Krasnogorsk near Moscow has killed nine people and put another @ @ @ @ @ authorities said on May 11 that the fire , which ravaged a private nursing home @ @ @ @ @ was caused by a faulty wire .
The administrator of the retirement home , whose @ @ @ @ @ was detained on a charge of `` providing services not corresponding to safety regulations .
@ @ @ @ @ , six of those hospitalized are in a very serious condition .
The Moscow region @ @ @ @ @ , visited the hospital and the fire site .
He promised to provide individuals affected @ @ @ @ @ all necessary assistance , '' and pledged `` to punish all those responsible '' for @ @ @ @ @ on reporting by Kommersant and TASS

A fire in a nursing home in the town of Krasnogorsk near Moscow has killed nine people and put another nine in hospital.
Local authorities said on May 11 that the fire, which ravaged a private nursing home for the elderly overnight, was caused by a faulty wire.
The administrator of the retirement home, whose identity was not disclosed, was detained on a charge of "providing services not corresponding to safety regulations."
According to the officials, six of those hospitalized are in a very serious condition.
The Moscow region's governor, Andrei Vorobyov, visited the hospital and the fire site.
He promised to provide individuals affected by the fire with "all necessary assistance," and pledged "to punish all those responsible" for the deadly incident.
Based on reporting by Kommersant and TASS


rferl--2020-05-11--COVID-19: Putin To Address Russia Again As Cases Spike

The global death toll from the coronavirus is some 283,000 with 4.1 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness .
Russian President Vladimir Putin will address the country later on May 11 , when he will speak about moves to bolster the economy amid a wave of coronavirus cases that has given the country the third-highest total in the world .
Putin , in what will be his fifth speech to the country on the outbreak in the past eight weeks , is expected to announce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which was due to be eased on May 12 .
But with a new record of daily confirmed infections announced early on May 11 , it was unclear if the moves would proceed as planned .
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that Putin would deliver his address at the beginning of a meeting devoted to the situation with the spread of the coronavirus .
According to the official coronavirus website set up by the Russian government , 11,656 people have tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with more than 2,000 deaths .
Russian officials point to the country 's rigorous testing for the high number of confirmed cases .
So far , they say , 5.6 million tests have been completed with almost half of those with the coronavirus showing no symptoms .
However , Moscow 's civil registry office said on May 11 that preliminary data showed a 20 percent increase in fatalities in April this year compared with the average over the past 10 years .
Some critics say that with Russia experiencing the fastest rate of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a comparatively low mortality rate of 0.9 percent , the figures suggest the number of deaths in the country is being underreported by officials .
Others say test results can be inaccurate , with some people initially testing negative , only to later test positive .
By comparison , Italy has 219,070 confirmed cases and a death toll of 30,560 , while France had 177,094 cases and 26,383 deaths , according to a tally by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University .
With reporting by Interfax , TASS , and AFP

The global death toll from the coronavirus is some 283,000 with 4.1 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin says coronavirus measures that have prevented workers from going to their jobs in Russia will formally end on May 12 even as the country's coronavirus caseload posts daily-record increases.
Putin said in an address to the nation on May 11 that many coronavirus-related health restrictions will remain in place with a gradual easing to be carried out at different speeds in the various regions of the country, depending on local developments.
The speech, Putin's fifth to the country about the pandemic within eight weeks, comes as officials continue to debate how to bolster the economy amid a wave of coronavirus infections that have given the country the fourth-highest number of cases in the world behind the United States, Spain, and the United Kingdom
"As of May 12, it is necessary to create terms and conditions to resume operations in energy, communications, other basic industries where direct contact with consumers is not required," Putin said in the televised speech, adding that "the epidemic and associated restrictions have had a strong impact on the economy and hurt millions of our citizens."
According to information posted on May 11 on a coronavirus data website set up by the Russian government, 11,656 people tested positive for the virus in Russia during the previous 24 hours, a one-day record.
That brings the Russian government's official tally to 221,344 infections with more than 2,000 deaths.
Russian officials say 5.6 million tests have been carried out in Russia. They say the tests have revealed that nearly half of the people infected by the coronavirus had not been showing any symptoms when they were tested.
Meanwhile, Moscow's civil registry office said on May 11 that there was a 20 percent increase in fatalities during April 2020 compared with the monthly average over the past 10 years.
Despite having the fastest growth rate of coronavirus infections in Europe, Russia still has a comparatively low mortality rate of 0.9 percent.
Some critics say that suggests the number of deaths in Russia is being underreported while others say test results can be inaccurate.
By comparison, Italy had confirmed a total of 219,070 cases by May 11 with a death toll of 30,560, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. France has had 177,094 infections and 26,383 deaths.
Belarus
The Belarusian soccer federation announced on May 11 it is postponing two upcoming matches because players from two teams are suspected of having COVID-19.
Belarus has downplayed the coronavirus pandemic and the country's top soccer league has allowed games to continue in front of fans while federations across the rest of Europe have postponed matches or canceled their seasons.
But the Belarusian Football Federation now says a first-division game scheduled for May 15 between clubs FC Minsk and FC Neman Grodno has been postponed.
A match between Arsenal Dzerzhinsk and GOBZHD scheduled for May 16 also has been postponed.
“This decision was made due to the suspicion of the presence of the COVID-19 virus among the players of Arsenal Dzerzhinsk and Minsk,” the federation said.
The Belarusian federation says extra precautions have been taken at stadiums during the pandemic, including antiseptic cleaning stations, measuring the body temperature of spectators, and social distancing in the stands.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, in power since 1994, has said the world is in a "psychosis" and has shunned restrictive measures implemented in other European countries to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
On May 9, Lukashenka pushed ahead with Belarus's controversial Victory Day military parade marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Neighboring Russia, which is emerging as a global coronavirus hotspot with more than 10,000 new cases recorded per day, postponed its Victory Day celebrations.
Belarus has registered nearly 24,000 infections and 135 deaths from the virus as of May 11. Experts believe the figures underreport the extent of the outbreak there.
Elsewhere in Europe, Germany's Bundesliga announced last week that its season will resume on May 16 without fans in the stadiums -- a move that is being closely watched by other leagues.
Soccer leagues in Italy, Spain, and Britain hope to restart their seasons by June or July. In France, the 10 remaining league matches have been canceled.
Kosovo
Kosovo’s acting prime minister says he has been tested for the coronavirus and will wait for the results in self-isolation at home.
Albin Kurti said May 11 he went into quarantine after having met with a government official who had close contacts with a person confirmed positive with the virus.
Kurti said he would remain isolated until the test result is announced and would carry out government duties “at a distance but with the same commitment.”
Kosovo has lifted some of its lockdown restrictions, but its borders are still closed and most businesses are shut.
As of May 11, Kosovo had 884 confirmed infections and 28 fatalities.
Kurti’s government collapsed in March after only 50 days in power, losing a no-confidence vote initiated by his coalition partners amid disputes over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the removal of trade tariffs on Serbian goods.
Kurti has stayed on in a caretaker capacity. He wants to hold snap parliamentary elections once the pandemic is over.
Central Asia
Kazakhstan has lifted its state of emergency imposed in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but some restrictions remain as Central Asia's hardest-hit country continues to battle the pandemic.
After the announcement on May 11, long lines of vehicles appeared on roads leading to Almaty as police and security forces continued to block cars and trucks from entering, with officials saying that the nation's largest city, along with the capital Nur-Sultan, remain under lockdown until further notice.
The government announced that, as of May 11, all nongrocery shops occupying up to 2,000 square meters, beauty salons, and education centers for children may reopen.
President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said that the remaining restrictions will be lifted gradually, depending on developments in each region or city.
He added that half of the personnel at state companies and other entities had resumed work, while owners and managers of private companies and businesses can decide for themselves how many employees are essential to resume operations.
Toqaev called on citizens to continue to stay home and not gather in groups larger than three people until all restrictions are lifted to avoid a second wave of COVID-19 spreading, which is "very possible."
Kazakhstan has registered the largest number of coronavirus cases in the region with 5,138 recorded infections, including 31 deaths, as of May 11.
In Tajikistan, residents of the capital, Dushanbe, said to RFE/RL that some people with COVID-19 symptoms are encouraged to treat themselves at home as the capacity for treatment at some hospitals is limited.
RFE/RL's Coverage Of COVID-19 Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
Senior students of the Tajik State Medical University and those who graduated from the institution just days ago told RFE/RL that many of them had been forced to work at hospitals in groups treating coronavirus patients due to a shortage of medical personnel.
After weeks of officially having no cases, Tajikistan finally confirmed the presence of the coronavirus in the country on April 30, just ahead of a mission from the World Health Organization.
The latest official data in Tajikistan, issued on May 9, said that the number of coronavirus there was 612, including 20 deaths. But many in the country say the number may be much higher because of underreporting by officials.
In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, the government on May 11 introduced fines that can exceed $330 for violating coronavirus restrictions, including the failure to wear masks outdoors.
Kyrgyz health authorities say the latest number of coronavirus cases in the country has reached 1,016, including 12 deaths.
In Uzbekistan, the latest figures are 2453 infected, including 10 deaths.
The fifth nation in region, Turkmenistan, has not reported a single coronavirus case.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been working on possible visit to Turkmenistan to assess the situation on the ground of one of the world's most tightly run countries.
Experts are skeptical of the claim that there are no cases given the lack of transparency and an independent media in the country.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh, Tajik, Kyrgyz, and Uzbek services, Interfax, TASS, and AFP


rferl--2020-05-11--Taliban Attack On Afghan Army Checkpoint Kills Six As Violence Threatens Peace Deal

Afghanistan 's Defense Ministry says six soldiers were killed and five wounded in a Taliban attack on an army checkpoint in the eastern province of Laghman as a wave of violence threatens an accord aimed at ending fighting in the war-torn country .
The Defense Ministry said in a statement on May 11 that the troops repelled the attackers , adding that the Taliban also suffered casualties though it did not provide specific figures .
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred late on May 10 .
In a separate incident four bombs , one placed under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the side of the road , went off in northern Kabul on May 11 , wounding four civilians , including a child , police said .
The roadside bombs were spaced within 10-20 meters of one another , said Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz .
The wounded child is a 12-year-old girl , Faramarz added .
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing .
Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and its surroundings .
The explosions in the Tahia Maskan area of Kabul city , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Security ( NDS ) , according to security officials .
In a meeting with Taliban representatives in Qatar last week , U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad stressed the need for a cease-fire after an uptick in violence throughout the country .
The Taliban has not carried out any large attacks in the capital since it signed a landmark deal with Washington in February meant to pave the way for peace in the country after more than 18 years of war .
But the Afghan capital has been the scene of several smaller-scale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explosions from two hand grenades late on May 10 in the western part of Kabul .
There were no casualties in that attack , according to Tariq Arian , a spokesman for the Interior Ministry .
Meanwhile , an exchange of prisoners between the Afghan government and the Taliban has continued under the February deal , which stipulates that Kabul should 5,000 Taliban prisoners , while the militants are to release 1,000 captives -- a move expected to lead to intra-Afghan negotiations .
The government says it has freed 1,000 Taliban prisoners .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 300 Taliban members and said they have freed 225 Afghan soldiers -- a figure not confirmed by the government .
With reporting by AP , dpa , AFP , and Tolonews.com


rferl--2020-05-11--Friendly Fire Incident Kills 19 In Iranian Navy Drill

The Iranian Navy says one of its own missiles has struck a support ship in a friendly fire incident during a training exercise in the Sea of Oman , killing 19 and injuring another 15 .
The navy said in a statement on May 11 that the incident involving a Konarak light vessel occurred a day earlier near the Iranian port city of Jask , off the southern coast of the Islamic republic .
The death toll was a sharp revision from what was reported just hours earlier , when state media said at least one sailor was killed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Konarak vessel , a Hendijan-class support ship , has been transferred to a pier in the region .
It was not clear how many crew members were on board the vessel at the time of the accident .
Earlier , state-controlled television said in a report on its website that the Konarak vessel was hit after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target .
Some reports said the Konarak had been hit in the tail by a missile fired from the Jamaran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until a `` thorough '' investigation into the incident had been conducted , `` speculation '' should be avoided .
The incident follows the January downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) , which admitted to the `` unintentional '' shooting down of the plane , saying it came as Iran 's air defenses were on high alert after the firing of missiles at U.S. troops based in Iraq in retaliation for the U.S. assassination of IRGC top general , Qasem Soleimani , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The May 10 friendly fire incident comes amid tensions between Tehran and Washington , including in the Persian Gulf where U.S. authorities have accused Iranian vessels of `` dangerous and harassing '' approaches by U.S. ships .
`` This really showed that the situation with Iran is still dangerous because accidents and miscalculations can happen , '' Fabian Hinz , an expert on Iran ’ s military at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey , was quoted as saying by the New York Times .
`` It doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Persian Gulf , '' Hinz added .
On April 22 , U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly tweeted that he had instructed the U.S. Navy `` to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea . ''
Tensions have heightened between the two sides following Trump ’ s withdrawal of the United States from a 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of sanctions that have crippled Iran ’ s economy .
With reporting by ISNA , Tasnim , Reuters , and The New York Times


rferl--2020-05-11--Amnesty International: Attacks By Damascus, Russian Forces In Syria 'Amount To War Crimes'

Amnesty International says it has documented 18 attacks in northwest Syria carried out by Syrian government and Russian forces over the past year that amounted to war crimes .
The rights group said in a report published on May 10 that the 18 attacks were on medical facilities and schools , and were carried out by either the Syrian government or its Russian ally between May 2019 and February 2020 in Idlib and areas adjoining the rebel stronghold .
Evidence of the attacks entails multiple serious violations of international humanitarian law , according to Amnesty International .
`` These violations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report says .
The attacks included three ground attacks and two barrel-bomb attacks by Syrian government forces .
The remaining 13 attacks were air strikes -- two by Syrian government forces , seven by Russian government forces , and four by Syrian or Russian government forces .
It said the majority occurred in January and February 2020 , during the latest onslaught , which Amnesty International said “ subjected civilians in opposition-held areas in north-west Syria to a new wave of horrors.
” Since December around 500 civilians have been killed and almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The recent escalation apparently is a continuation of an earlier offensive that began in April 2019 targeting the last pocket under the control of armed opposition groups .
A cease-fire has largely held since early March , but hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced and highly dependent on aid even as the region braces for a possible outbreak of the coronavirus .
Among the documented attacks in Amnesty International ’ s report are Russian air strikes near a hospital in the town of Ariha on January 29 that flattened at least two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amnesty also blamed the Syrian regime for an attack on a school using banned cluster munitions that killed three people in Idlib city on February 25 .
`` The latest offensive continued an abhorrent pattern of widespread and systematic attacks aimed at terrorizing the civilian population , '' Amnesty 's regional director Heba Morayef said .
The report said that , even by the standards of the nine-year war , “ the resulting displacement and humanitarian emergency were unprecedented.
” It said the attacks must be viewed in the context of a well-established @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrastructure and civilians that is `` part of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population , therefore constituting crimes against humanity . ''
Syria 's war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests .
Amnesty International ’ s findings are based primarily on remote research conducted between January and April 2020 .
Researchers interviewed 74 people , including direct witnesses of attacks , displaced people , local and international aid workers , and UN staff members .
Researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ satellite imagery , and obtained logs of aircraft observations by flight spotters on the ground , as well as intercepted aircraft radio communication , to assess consistency with witness accounts .
Amnesty International has sent letters summarizing its findings to the permanent missions of the Syrian and Russian governments to the United Nations in New York and to the largest coalition of armed groups in northwest Syria .
It had not received a response as of 4 May , when its report was finalized .

Amnesty International says it has documented 18 attacks in northwest Syria carried out by Syrian government and Russian forces over the past year that amounted to war crimes.
The rights group said in a report published on May 10 that the 18 attacks were on medical facilities and schools, and were carried out by either the Syrian government or its Russian ally between May 2019 and February 2020 in Idlib and areas adjoining the rebel stronghold.
Evidence of the attacks entails multiple serious violations of international humanitarian law, according to Amnesty International.
"These violations amount to war crimes," the report says.
The attacks included three ground attacks and two barrel-bomb attacks by Syrian government forces. The remaining 13 attacks were air strikes -- two by Syrian government forces, seven by Russian government forces, and four by Syrian or Russian government forces.
It said the majority occurred in January and February 2020, during the latest onslaught, which Amnesty International said “subjected civilians in opposition-held areas in north-west Syria to a new wave of horrors.”
Since December around 500 civilians have been killed and almost 1 million people have been displaced.
The recent escalation apparently is a continuation of an earlier offensive that began in April 2019 targeting the last pocket under the control of armed opposition groups.
A cease-fire has largely held since early March, but hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced and highly dependent on aid even as the region braces for a possible outbreak of the coronavirus.
'Systematic Attacks'
Among the documented attacks in Amnesty International’s report are Russian air strikes near a hospital in the town of Ariha on January 29 that flattened at least two residential buildings and killed 11 civilians.
Amnesty also blamed the Syrian regime for an attack on a school using banned cluster munitions that killed three people in Idlib city on February 25.
"The latest offensive continued an abhorrent pattern of widespread and systematic attacks aimed at terrorizing the civilian population," Amnesty's regional director Heba Morayef said.
The report said that, even by the standards of the nine-year war, “the resulting displacement and humanitarian emergency were unprecedented.”
It said the attacks must be viewed in the context of a well-established pattern of Syrian government forces targeting civilian infrastructure and civilians that is "part of a widespread and systematic attack on the civilian population, therefore constituting crimes against humanity."
Syria's war has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests.
Amnesty International’s findings are based primarily on remote research conducted between January and April 2020. Researchers interviewed 74 people, including direct witnesses of attacks, displaced people, local and international aid workers, and UN staff members.
Researchers also reviewed videos and photographs, analyzed satellite imagery, and obtained logs of aircraft observations by flight spotters on the ground, as well as intercepted aircraft radio communication, to assess consistency with witness accounts.
Amnesty International has sent letters summarizing its findings to the permanent missions of the Syrian and Russian governments to the United Nations in New York and to the largest coalition of armed groups in northwest Syria.
It had not received a response as of 4 May, when its report was finalized.
With reporting by AFP


rferl--2020-05-11--U.S. Law Firm Paid Millions To Former Ukrainian Prime Minister To Avoid Lawsuit, Says Report

An international law firm based in New York paid at least $ 11 million to avoid being sued by Yulia Tymoshenko , Ukraine 's former prime minister , according to The New York Times in a story published on May 10 .
The law firm Skadden , Arps , Slate , Meagher & Flom paid the money after Tymoshenko accused the company of writing a report that was used to help justify her imprisonment by a political rival , the Times reported Tymoshenko was imprisoned from 2011-14 on abuse of office charges that the international community widely condemned as politically @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law firm started representing Viktor Yanukovych ’ s Moscow-aligned government and produced a report that Yanukovych ’ s supporters used to condone Tymoshenko ’ s imprisonment .
She was released after Yanukovych ’ s government fell in 2014 amid protests against corruption and the government 's shift toward Moscow .
Tymoshenko told the Times in a 2018 interview that “ it was very painful ” to hear about Skadden ’ s work while she was in prison .
She accused the law firm of “ whitewashing Yanukovych and his government ” for money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that such a well-known company like Skadden even considered to take this case to deliver , ” she said in 2018 .
“ This is a dirty , dirty , dirty contract.
” Tymoshenko reportedly hired the law firm Reid Collins & Tsai after the Times interview to determine if it was possible to sue Skadden over the report , two people familiar with the arrangement told the Times .
Skadden paid $ 11 million or more to settle before a suit was filed , people familiar with the settlement said , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyer , Sergei Vlasenko , who has also claimed he was treated unfairly by the Yanukovych government , each received about $ 5.5 million from the firm between July and last month , the report said .
Tymoshenko , in a Facebook post on May 4 , referred to a settlement .
`` Yes , the other day I received monetary compensation for damage caused by political repression of 2011-2014 ... from a U.S. resident in the stage of pre-trial settlement .
This suggests that the United States is a truly legal state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sound to them , but true value , '' Tymoshenko wrote .
She said she managed to achieve justice and said it was more proof that her imprisonment was political .
Tymoshenko said she declared the income as required by law and no other details would be released `` due to legislative regulation in the United States regarding legal restrictions in the case . ''
The Times said records filed with the Ukrainian government accounting for the sums do not mention Skadden , which declined to comment for the Times story .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an independent assessment that did not absolve Yanukovych of wrongdoing .
The report concluded that , while Tymoshenko ’ s trial violated some of her rights , her conviction was supported by the evidence presented at trial .
And the report found no evidence that the prosecution was politically motivated .
Neither Vlasenko nor Skadden responded to RFE/RL ’ s request for comment .
William T. Reid , IV , a founding member of Reid Collins & Tsai , said in an e-mail to The Hill that the firm was unable to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ client of the firm .
Reid did not respond to an e-mail request for comment from RFE/RL .
Last year , Skadden paid the Department of Justice $ 4.6 million to settle an investigation into whether the law firm ’ s work with Ukraine violated foreign lobbying laws .
With reporting by The New York Times and The Hill

An international law firm based in New York paid at least $11 million to avoid being sued by Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine's former prime minister, according to The New York Times in a story published on May 10.
The law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom paid the money after Tymoshenko accused the company of writing a report that was used to help justify her imprisonment by a political rival, the Times reported
Tymoshenko was imprisoned from 2011-14 on abuse of office charges that the international community widely condemned as politically motivated. In 2012 the New York law firm started representing Viktor Yanukovych’s Moscow-aligned government and produced a report that Yanukovych’s supporters used to condone Tymoshenko’s imprisonment.
She was released after Yanukovych’s government fell in 2014 amid protests against corruption and the government's shift toward Moscow.
Tymoshenko told the Times in a 2018 interview that “it was very painful” to hear about Skadden’s work while she was in prison. She accused the law firm of “whitewashing Yanukovych and his government” for money.
'Dirty Contract'
“It’s a pity that such a well-known company like Skadden even considered to take this case to deliver,” she said in 2018. “This is a dirty, dirty, dirty contract.”
Tymoshenko reportedly hired the law firm Reid Collins & Tsai after the Times interview to determine if it was possible to sue Skadden over the report, two people familiar with the arrangement told the Times.
Skadden paid $11 million or more to settle before a suit was filed, people familiar with the settlement said, according to the Times. Tymoshenko and her lawyer, Sergei Vlasenko, who has also claimed he was treated unfairly by the Yanukovych government, each received about $5.5 million from the firm between July and last month, the report said.
Tymoshenko, in a Facebook post on May 4, referred to a settlement.
"Yes, the other day I received monetary compensation for damage caused by political repression of 2011-2014...from a U.S. resident in the stage of pre-trial settlement. This suggests that the United States is a truly legal state, and human rights are not empty sound to them, but true value," Tymoshenko wrote.
She said she managed to achieve justice and said it was more proof that her imprisonment was political.
Tymoshenko said she declared the income as required by law and no other details would be released "due to legislative regulation in the United States regarding legal restrictions in the case."
The Times said records filed with the Ukrainian government accounting for the sums do not mention Skadden, which declined to comment for the Times story.
It has previously publicly defended its Ukraine work as an independent assessment that did not absolve Yanukovych of wrongdoing. The report concluded that, while Tymoshenko’s trial violated some of her rights, her conviction was supported by the evidence presented at trial. And the report found no evidence that the prosecution was politically motivated.
Neither Vlasenko nor Skadden responded to RFE/RL’s request for comment.
William T. Reid, IV, a founding member of Reid Collins & Tsai, said in an e-mail to The Hill that the firm was unable to comment but could confirm Tymoshenko was a client of the firm. Reid did not respond to an e-mail request for comment from RFE/RL.
Last year, Skadden paid the Department of Justice $4.6 million to settle an investigation into whether the law firm’s work with Ukraine violated foreign lobbying laws.
With reporting by The New York Times and The Hill


rferl--2020-05-10--Moscow 'Indignant' Over Perceived U.S. Slight Of Soviet Contribution In World War II


rferl--2020-05-11--Afghans Protest Outside Iranian Consulate Over Drowning Deaths

Hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the Iranian consulate in Afghanistan 's western city of Herat on May 11 over the deaths of migrants who drowned after allegedly being forced into a river by Iranian border guards .
Afghan officials have said the migrants died while illegally trying to cross into neighboring Iran from Herat Province earlier in May .
Abdul Ghani Noori , the governor of the province 's Gulran district , says 18 bodies have been recovered from the river so far and that some of the bodies show signs of torture and beatings .
According to Noori , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the river .
He says six of them are still missing .
Iranian authorities have dismissed the claims that its security forces were involved in their deaths , saying the incident occurred within Afghan territory .
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has ordered a probe into the drownings , forming a 10-member team to carry out the investigation .
A decree issued by Ghani orders the team to carry out a “ thorough investigation into reports about the deaths of several countrymen along the Iranian border . ''
Human Rights Watch ( HRW @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions of the Iranian border guards as “ shocking.
” Decades of conflict , extreme poverty , and high rates of unemployment force thousands of Afghans to illegally cross the border to Iran every year .
There are currently up to 1 million registered Afghan refugees in Iran .
According to the United Nations , there also are as many as 2 million undocumented Afghans in Iran .
Based on reporting by AFP and AP


rferl--2020-05-11--Afghan Forces Capture Key Figures From Islamic State's South Asia Branch

KABUL -- Afghan security forces say they have captured three senior members of the Islamic State ( IS ) extremist group 's South Asia branch -- including the group 's regional leader for South Asia , Abu Omar Khorasani .
Afghanistan 's Interior Ministry announced on May 11 that Khorasani was arrested during a recent operation in Kabul .
In a joint statement , Afghanistan 's General Directorate of National Security ( NDS ) and the Interior Ministry said security forces also arrested the extremist group 's spy chief and its public relations chief .
The statement did not specify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a private Afghan television channel , ToloNews , quoted an unnamed NDS official as saying all three were captured after information about their whereabouts was provided by four previously detained IS militants .
The South Asia wing of IS is mainly focused on Afghanistan and has carried out a series of high-profile terrorist attacks .
Several leaders of the branch also have been captured in recent months .
Afghan security forces on May 6 killed five IS militants and arrested eight others during a raid in the Shakar Dara district on the north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those detained on May 6 included members of a Kabul cell grouping together IS militants and fighters from the Haqqani network , an offshoot of the Taliban .
The NDS attributes several recent terrorist attacks in Kabul to the group , including a March 25 assault on a Sikh temple that killed at least 25 worshippers .
On April 4 , Afghan security forces in Kandahar captured the leader of the Khorasan branch of IS in Afghanistan , Abdullah Orakzai , along with several other militants .
With additional reporting by Reuters and @


rferl--2020-05-11--Iraq Targets Iran-Aligned Militia Over Shooting Death Of Protester

Iraqi security forces have raided the office of an Iran-aligned party in the southern province of Basra and arrested militiamen who fired on demonstrators , killing one protester and injuring several others outside the party building .
The May 11 dawn raid on the Thaar Allah party office led to the arrest of five members of the group and the confiscation of weapons and ammunition , Basra police chief Rashid Fleih said .
The arrests for the death of the protester , the first killed since anti-government demonstrations restarted during the weekend following a brief hiatus , is a rare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forces and militia groups that has killed at least 600 protesters .
The government said the operation was directed by new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi .
Protesters in Baghdad , Basra , and other cities in Iraq 's predominately Shi'ite south restarted demonstrations on May 9 , just days after Kadhimi was sworn in following a nearly six-month political crisis .
The new prime minister , Iraq ’ s former intelligence chief , has stretched out an olive branch to the anti-government protesters who are demanding employment , better services , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cross-sectarian protest movement has also demanded an end to Iranian meddling in Iraqi politics and an end to the post-Saddam Hussein political order .
On May 10 , the judiciary ordered the release of demonstrators arrested since the protests began on October 1 .
The move came after Kadhimi said demonstrators should be protected and that all protesters should be released .
Saadi , who led the military ’ s campaign against the Islamic State extremist group , was demoted in September 2019 by former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi .
Widely considered a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sparked the protest movement .
Saadi is considered close to the United States .
His demotion in 2019 has led to speculation that the move was forced upon the government by Iran-backed political factions and militia groups .
With reporting by AFP , AP , and dpa

Iraqi security forces have raided the office of an Iran-aligned party in the southern province of Basra and arrested militiamen who fired on demonstrators, killing one protester and injuring several others outside the party building.
The May 11 dawn raid on the Thaar Allah party office led to the arrest of five members of the group and the confiscation of weapons and ammunition, Basra police chief Rashid Fleih said.
The arrests for the death of the protester, the first killed since anti-government demonstrations restarted during the weekend following a brief hiatus, is a rare response by authorities to violence by security forces and militia groups that has killed at least 600 protesters.
The government said the operation was directed by new Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Protesters in Baghdad, Basra, and other cities in Iraq's predominately Shi'ite south restarted demonstrations on May 9, just days after Kadhimi was sworn in following a nearly six-month political crisis.
The new prime minister, Iraq’s former intelligence chief, has stretched out an olive branch to the anti-government protesters who are demanding employment, better services, and an end to rampant corruption.
The cross-sectarian protest movement has also demanded an end to Iranian meddling in Iraqi politics and an end to the post-Saddam Hussein political order.
On May 10, the judiciary ordered the release of demonstrators arrested since the protests began on October 1. The move came after Kadhimi said demonstrators should be protected and that all protesters should be released.
Kadhimi also promoted Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saadi to lead counterterrorism operations.
Saadi, who led the military’s campaign against the Islamic State extremist group, was demoted in September 2019 by former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi. Widely considered a hero, his demotion caused outrage and sparked the protest movement.
Saadi is considered close to the United States. His demotion in 2019 has led to speculation that the move was forced upon the government by Iran-backed political factions and militia groups.
With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa