rferl--2020-01-22--Moscow Lab's Status Suspended Amid Doping Scandal

The World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) says it has provisionally suspended the status of the national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow as Russia 's doping scandal continues .
The suspension prohibits the Moscow laboratory from carrying out `` any work '' related to the analysis of blood samples in connection with athlete biological passports ( ABP ) , the Montreal-based organization said in a statement on January 22 .
It said the measure will remain in place pending `` disciplinary proceedings '' to be carried out by an independent committee .
The move comes after WADA last month banned Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flag at major international events for four years , and barred Russia from hosting or bidding for major sporting events .
Russia has appealed against the measures before the Court of Arbitration for Sport .
On December 9 , the Russian Anti-Doping Agency ( RUSADA ) was again declared noncompliant with the World Anti-Doping Code due to WADA 's finding that data provided by the Moscow laboratory had been manipulated in an apparent bid to cover up past drug use by Russian athletes .
The laboratory 's full accreditation was revoked in 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doping program , but it was allowed to resume ABP analysis in 2016 .

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) says it has provisionally suspended the status of the national anti-doping laboratory in Moscow as Russia's doping scandal continues.
The suspension prohibits the Moscow laboratory from carrying out "any work" related to the analysis of blood samples in connection with athlete biological passports (ABP), the Montreal-based organization said in a statement on January 22.
It said the measure will remain in place pending "disciplinary proceedings" to be carried out by an independent committee.
The move comes after WADA last month banned Russian athletes from competing under their country's flag at major international events for four years, and barred Russia from hosting or bidding for major sporting events.
Russia has appealed against the measures before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
On December 9, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) was again declared noncompliant with the World Anti-Doping Code due to WADA's finding that data provided by the Moscow laboratory had been manipulated in an apparent bid to cover up past drug use by Russian athletes.
The laboratory's full accreditation was revoked in 2015 following the exposure of Russia's institutionalized doping program, but it was allowed to resume ABP analysis in 2016.


rferl--2020-01-22--Kazakhs Picket Chinese Consulate To Call For Release Of Relatives In Xinjiang

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- Three men have staged separate pickets outside the Chinese Consulate in Kazakhstan 's largest city , Almaty , demanding the release of their relatives and other ethnic Kazakhs being held in custody in China 's northwestern Xinjiang region .
Marat Qurbanov , Serik Azhibai , and Baibolat Kunbolatuly said on January 22 that their relatives and three other ethnic Kazakhs , some of whom are Kazakh passport-holders , were being held in `` political prisons . ''
They called for detailed information about their whereabouts and their release .
Nobody from the consulate met with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ submit their requests in writing .
Similar protests have taken place in Kazakhstan in recent months , with demonstrators demanding that the Kazakh authorities officially intervene in the situation faced by ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang .
In August 2018 , the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in the region were being held in `` counterextremism centers . ''
The UN said millions more had been forced into so-called “ reeducation camps.
” China denies that the facilities are internment camps .
People who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of ethnic Kazakhs , Uyghurs , and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing `` political indoctrination '' at a network of camps .
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs .
The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz , Tajiks , and Hui , also known as Dungans .
Han , China 's largest ethnicity , is the second-largest community in Xinjiang .

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Three men have staged separate pickets outside the Chinese Consulate in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, demanding the release of their relatives and other ethnic Kazakhs being held in custody in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.
Marat Qurbanov, Serik Azhibai, and Baibolat Kunbolatuly said on January 22 that their relatives and three other ethnic Kazakhs, some of whom are Kazakh passport-holders, were being held in "political prisons."
They called for detailed information about their whereabouts and their release.
Nobody from the consulate met with the demonstrators. Security officers asked them to submit their requests in writing.
Similar protests have taken place in Kazakhstan in recent months, with demonstrators demanding that the Kazakh authorities officially intervene in the situation faced by ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang.
In August 2018, the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in the region were being held in "counterextremism centers."
The UN said millions more had been forced into so-called “reeducation camps.” China denies that the facilities are internment camps.
People who have fled the province say that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of camps.
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, is the second-largest community in Xinjiang.


rferl--2020-01-23--Ukraine's Population Shrinks By Nearly A Quarter

A so-called electronic census found Ukraine ’ s population has dwindled by almost a quarter since 2001 , driven by migration , death rates exceeding birth rates , but also because it was impossible to count residents in Russia-occupied Crimea and the territories in the country 's east that Kyiv doesn ’ t control .
`` There are 37.3 million people living in Ukraine , '' Dmytro Dubilet , the minister of the Cabinet of Ministers , said at a briefing in Kyiv on January 23 .
Dubilet said the electronic census data was gleaned from a variety of sources @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the statistical research of households , public registries , and the pension fund .
The new figures as of December 1 represent a decrease of 11.2 million or 23 percent since 2001 -- the last year an official census was conducted .
In 1991 , when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union , Ukraine had close to 52 million inhabitants .
In the past decade , 3.8 million Ukrainians left the country and didn ’ t return , Dubilet said .
Ukraine had 9.4 births per 1,000 people and 14.5 deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the most recent data available from the World Bank .
Currently , there are 20 million women and 17 million men in the country .
About 20 million people are of active working age at 25 to 64 years old .
Before Russia ’ s seizure of Crimea in 2014 , the peninsula had 2 million inhabitants , whereas the densely populated easternmost Donetsk and Luhansk regions had nearly 6 million people before the Donbas conflict erupted .
The census 's margin of error doesn ’ t exceed 2.86 percent , Dubilet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , AFP , and Ukrayinska Pravda

A so-called electronic census found Ukraine’s population has dwindled by almost a quarter since 2001, driven by migration, death rates exceeding birth rates, but also because it was impossible to count residents in Russia-occupied Crimea and the territories in the country's east that Kyiv doesn’t control.
"There are 37.3 million people living in Ukraine," Dmytro Dubilet, the minister of the Cabinet of Ministers, said at a briefing in Kyiv on January 23.
Dubilet said the electronic census data was gleaned from a variety of sources, including mobile phone operators, sociologists, the statistical research of households, public registries, and the pension fund.
The new figures as of December 1 represent a decrease of 11.2 million or 23 percent since 2001 -- the last year an official census was conducted.
In 1991, when Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union, Ukraine had close to 52 million inhabitants.
In the past decade, 3.8 million Ukrainians left the country and didn’t return, Dubilet said.
Ukraine had 9.4 births per 1,000 people and 14.5 deaths per 1,000 people in 2017, according to the most recent data available from the World Bank.
Currently, there are 20 million women and 17 million men in the country. About 20 million people are of active working age at 25 to 64 years old.
Before Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014, the peninsula had 2 million inhabitants, whereas the densely populated easternmost Donetsk and Luhansk regions had nearly 6 million people before the Donbas conflict erupted.
The census's margin of error doesn’t exceed 2.86 percent, Dubilet said.
Based on reporting by DW, AFP, and Ukrayinska Pravda


rferl--2020-01-23--Man Shoots Himself Dead Outside Serbian Parliament

BELGRADE -- A man has committed suicide with a handgun in front of Serbia 's parliament in central Belgrade , @ @ @ @ @ Ministry said on January 23 that the man , aged about 50 , shot himself @ @ @ @ @ on the spot .
No further details were immediately available .
The man killed himself @ @ @ @ @ the entrance of the parliament building .
It is the second suicide at that spot @ @ @ @ @ Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic shot himself there shortly after lawmakers passed a law allowing extradition @ @ @ @ @ war crimes tribunal in The Hague .
He died two days later .
Stojiljkovic had @ @ @ @ @ committed during the 1998-99 Kosovo war .

BELGRADE -- A man has committed suicide with a handgun in front of Serbia's parliament in central Belgrade, officials say.
The Interior Ministry said on January 23 that the man, aged about 50, shot himself in the mouth and died on the spot.
No further details were immediately available.
The man killed himself on the steps leading to the entrance of the parliament building.
It is the second suicide at that spot since 2002, when former Interior Minister Vlajko Stojiljkovic shot himself there shortly after lawmakers passed a law allowing extradition of suspects to the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague. He died two days later.
Stojiljkovic had been charged with crimes allegedly committed during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.
With reporting by dpa


rferl--2020-01-23--Media Freedom Groups Express Unease Over Ukrainian Disinformation Bill

Media freedom watchdogs and journalists ’ associations are expressing concern over a bill aimed at combating Russian disinformation .
Critics say the draft law put forward by the Culture , Youth , and Sports Ministry on January 20 foresees excessive intrusion of governmental regulation and control in the sphere of media , and could be used to harass journalists .
In a statement on January 23 , the Representative on Freedom of the Media for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ) Harlem Desir said he understood `` the need to fight against disinformation ” in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is facing a Russia-backed insurgency in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk .
`` But this should not be done at the expense of media freedom and through state interference in the content of the media and in the organization of journalism activities in the country , '' Desir added .
The Nation Union of Journalists of Ukraine ( NUJU ) warned that the bill on `` amendments to certain legal acts of Ukraine aimed to provide national information security and right to access to truthful information '' would legalize state interference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers ' rights .
According to the bill , criminal punishment for spreading disinformation could range from large fines to prison sentences of up to seven years .
But NUJU head Serhiy Tomilenko said some provisions such as the issuance of press cards have `` nothing to do with Russian aggression . ''
Journalists would be required to receive their press accreditation through a state-sponsored agency , while a media monitor would be tasked with imposing fines and blocking online media , among other sanctions , Tomilenko said .
Professional status would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adherence to the Code of Journalistic Ethics .
The European Federation of Journalists ( EFJ ) and other media watchdogs advised the Ukrainian government to stay out of the activities of media outlets and allow them to self-regulate .
`` The state should create conditions for this process [ self-regulation and autonomy ] by avoiding any governmental interference and not deprive journalists of their rights , '' said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez .
To combat disinformation , the government should promote `` self-regulation , support for professional standards of journalism and fact-checking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ diversity of sources to debunk false information , and the development of media literacy , '' Desir said .

Media freedom watchdogs and journalists’ associations are expressing concern over a bill aimed at combating Russian disinformation.
Critics say the draft law put forward by the Culture, Youth, and Sports Ministry on January 20 foresees excessive intrusion of governmental regulation and control in the sphere of media, and could be used to harass journalists.
In a statement on January 23, the Representative on Freedom of the Media for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Harlem Desir said he understood "the need to fight against disinformation” in Ukraine at a time when the country is facing a Russia-backed insurgency in the easternmost regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
"But this should not be done at the expense of media freedom and through state interference in the content of the media and in the organization of journalism activities in the country," Desir added.
The Nation Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU) warned that the bill on "amendments to certain legal acts of Ukraine aimed to provide national information security and right to access to truthful information" would legalize state interference in the journalistic profession and restrict media workers' rights.
According to the bill, criminal punishment for spreading disinformation could range from large fines to prison sentences of up to seven years.
But NUJU head Serhiy Tomilenko said some provisions such as the issuance of press cards have "nothing to do with Russian aggression."
Journalists would be required to receive their press accreditation through a state-sponsored agency, while a media monitor would be tasked with imposing fines and blocking online media, among other sanctions, Tomilenko said.
Professional status would be conferred or denied to journalists based on adherence to the Code of Journalistic Ethics.
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and other media watchdogs advised the Ukrainian government to stay out of the activities of media outlets and allow them to self-regulate.
"The state should create conditions for this process [self-regulation and autonomy] by avoiding any governmental interference and not deprive journalists of their rights," said EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez.
To combat disinformation, the government should promote "self-regulation, support for professional standards of journalism and fact-checking initiatives, independence of the media, diversity of sources to debunk false information, and the development of media literacy," Desir said.


rferl--2020-01-23--Democrats Resume Arguments At Trump Impeachment Trial

Democrats at the U.S. House of Representatives have started a second day of opening arguments in the trial on whether to convict and remove President Donald Trump from office .
The seven lawmakers acting as prosecutors on January 23 made their case in the Senate on abuse of power -- one of the two articles of impeachment for which Trump has been charged : They plan to present facts and evidence of alleged obstruction of Congress the next day .
A July 25 phone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart , Volodymyr Zelenskiy , is at the center of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversation revealed that Trump had urged Zelenskiy to investigate his political rival , Joe Biden , and his son .
Critics say the Trump administration withheld crucial military aid to Kyiv as leverage .
Trump has denied the charges and called the impeachment proceedings a “ witch hunt.
” Adam Schiff ( California ) , the lead House prosecutor , told the Senate on January 22 that , if Trump isn ’ t convicted , future presidents will act as if they too are above the law .
The Senate is expected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controlled by Trump 's fellow Republicans .
Based on reporting by C-SPAN and CNN

A former top FBI counterintelligence agent pleaded guilty to charges related to his work for notorious Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, changing his plea after federal prosecutors filed new, reduced charges of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on Russia by working for the billionaire industrialist.
The move by Charles McGonigal, made on August 15 before a federal judge in New York City, ends a prosecution that had stunned the FBI, where McGonigal had investigated Russian influence operations for years while climbing the bureau’s ranks.
The 55-year-old also still faces a separate set of foreign agent charges in Washington, D.C., related to work he did for Albanian officials.
McGonigal, who retired as head counterintelligence in the FBI's New York bureau in 2018, was originally indicted in January by a grand jury on more serious charges of money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions.
Prosecutors alleged that McGonigal and a former Russian diplomat with whom he was associated, were paid more than $200,000 to do work for Deripaska, a wealthy Russian metals tycoon who has long been seen as a Kremlin insider. Deripaska was hit with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018.
U.S. authorities said McGonigal was hired to dig up negative information on Vladimir Potanin, a rival oligarch to Deripaska. McGonigal and the former diplomat, Sergei Shestakov, also worked to try and get Deripaska removed from U.S. sanctions lists.
Shestakov has pleaded not guilty to the more serious charges than had been originally filed against McGonigal.
They "attempted to conceal Deripaska's involvement by, among other means, not directly naming Deripaska in electronic communications, using shell companies as counterparties in the contract that outlined the services to be performed, using a forged signature on that contract, and using the same shell companies to send and receive payment from Deripaska," the Justice Department said in a press release after McGonigal entered his plea.
McGonigal could receive up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in December.
The separate case filed in Washington, D.C., by federal prosecutors centers on work McGonigal allegedly did on behalf of a former Albanian intelligence officer, for which he was paid $225,000.
McGonigal also allegedly lied to the FBI about his contacts with foreign nationals and foreign travel while he was still employed by the bureau.
Deripaska also faces charges of violating U.S. sanctions through real estate deals and a complicated scheme under which he allegedly arranged for his girlfriend to travel to the United States to give birth to two of their children.


rferl--2020-01-23--OSCE Representative Calls On Tajikistan To Accredit RFE/RL Staff Members

OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir has called on Tajikistan to granted accreditations to the “ entire team ” of RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service , saying journalists must be able to work `` freely without undue restrictions . ''
Desir made the call in a tweet on January 23 , as Tajikistan ’ s Foreign Ministry has been reluctant to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 journalists and staff members of the Tajik Service , known locally as Radio Ozodi .
Their credentials have been withheld or expired on November 1 .
The Foreign Ministry has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the Tajik Service , which falls short of the year-long accreditations mandated by Tajik law , while seven Radio Ozodi correspondents remain without credentials .
In a letter to Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on January 21 , RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said the Tajik government failed to honor its commitments to allow the organization 's Tajik Service to function `` unimpeded '' and to `` fulfill Tajikistan 's international obligations to respect independent media . ''
The Washington Post , the Committee to Protect Journalists , Human Rights Watch , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government 's withholding of accreditation as a violation of media freedom and a means of censorship .
Members of the U.S. Congress have criticized the use of accreditation to restrict Radio Ozodi 's independent reporting and warned that a failure to allow RFE/RL to operate freely could affect U.S.-Tajik relations .
Tajik law prohibits foreign-media journalists from working without accreditation .
RFE/RL , which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media , operates as an international media organization in Tajikistan .

OSCE Representative for Freedom of the Media Harlem Desir has called on Tajikistan to granted accreditations to the “entire team” of RFE/RL’s Tajik Service, saying journalists must be able to work "freely without undue restrictions."
Desir made the call in a tweet on January 23, as Tajikistan’s Foreign Ministry has been reluctant to fully grant one-year accreditations to 18 journalists and staff members of the Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi.
Their credentials have been withheld or expired on November 1.
The Foreign Ministry has since granted only partial accreditation to 11 members of the Tajik Service, which falls short of the year-long accreditations mandated by Tajik law, while seven Radio Ozodi correspondents remain without credentials.
In a letter to Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on January 21, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said the Tajik government failed to honor its commitments to allow the organization's Tajik Service to function "unimpeded" and to "fulfill Tajikistan's international obligations to respect independent media."
The Washington Post, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and local Tajik media-advocacy groups have decried the government's withholding of accreditation as a violation of media freedom and a means of censorship.
Members of the U.S. Congress have criticized the use of accreditation to restrict Radio Ozodi's independent reporting and warned that a failure to allow RFE/RL to operate freely could affect U.S.-Tajik relations.
Tajik law prohibits foreign-media journalists from working without accreditation. RFE/RL, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media, operates as an international media organization in Tajikistan.


rferl--2020-01-23--British Police Remove Ukrainian National Emblem From Extremist Guide

Britain has removed Ukraine 's coat of arms from a police guide for identifying extremist symbols , after the presence @ @ @ @ @ ( trident in Ukrainian ) emblem in the document triggered a protest from Ukrainian officials @ @ @ @ @ from the Ukrainian Embassy in London , Ukraine ’ s national symbol was removed from @ @ @ @ @ police statement said on January 23 .
The Ukrainian Embassy tweeted that the police agreed @ @ @ @ @ from its counterterrorism manual `` in response to numerous calls by Ukrainians and as a @ @ @ @ @ Ukrainian diplomats . ''
The British police ’ s statement said that the Ukrainian trident @ @ @ @ @ because `` far right groups have a history of misappropriating national symbols as part of @ @ @ @ @ This is the reason why some national flags and symbols appear in our document , @ @ @ @

Britain has removed Ukraine's coat of arms from a police guide for identifying extremist symbols, after the presence of the "tryzub" (trident in Ukrainian) emblem in the document triggered a protest from Ukrainian officials.
After meeting with representatives from the Ukrainian Embassy in London, Ukraine’s national symbol was removed from the document, a British police statement said on January 23.
The Ukrainian Embassy tweeted that the police agreed to remove the state emblem from its counterterrorism manual "in response to numerous calls by Ukrainians and as a result of the work by Ukrainian diplomats."
The British police’s statement said that the Ukrainian trident was included in its guide because "far right groups have a history of misappropriating national symbols as part of their identity."
"This is the reason why some national flags and symbols appear in our document," it added.


rferl--2020-01-23--Husband Of Jailed U.K.-Iranian Woman Wants London To Be 'Tougher' With Tehran

The husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe , a British-Iranian woman who has been detained in Iran for almost four years , @ @ @ @ @ as a `` chess piece '' in foreign policy .
Speaking on January 23 following @ @ @ @ @ Boris Johnson , Richard Ratcliffe said there has been `` no breakthrough '' in efforts @ @ @ @ @ s release and urged the government to be `` tougher '' with Tehran .
The @ @ @ @ @ was also at the meeting .
Zaghari-Ratcliffe , who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation @ @ @ @ @ airport in April 2016 after visiting relatives in Iran with her young daughter .
She @ @ @ @ @ years in prison for alleged spying in a case that has been condemned internationally .
@ @ @ @ @ and the British government maintain her innocence .
Last month , Iran rejected a request @ @ @ @ @ serving half of her sentence , according to state-run media .
Based on reporting by @ @ @ @

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--2020-01-23--Bulgaria Charges Three Russians In Absentia Over Attempted Murders In 2015

SOFIA -- Bulgarian prosecutors have charged three Russians in absentia for the attempted murder of a weapons manufacturer , his son , and the production manager of the company .
The Sofia City Prosecutor 's Office ( SGP ) said on January 23 that the three unidentified suspects intentionally attempted to poison the victims `` by intoxication with an unidentified phosphorus-organic substance . ''
Prosecutors said the crimes were committed between April 28 , 2015 and May 4 , 2015 , and targeted Emilian Gebrev , owner of EMCO Ltd. , his son Hristo Gebrev , and manager Valentin Takhchiev @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European arrest warrants have been issued for each of the suspects and international arrest and subsequent extradition requests have been registered with Interpol , the prosecutors said .
Notices were also filed with the Schengen Information System , the largest information-sharing platform for security and border management in the EU , they added .
In December , Bulgarian officials said their investigation into the poisonings was focusing on five alleged Russian military intelligence ( GRU ) agents , including a Russian general who purportedly oversaw an assassination team accused in the 2018 nerve-agent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spy Sergei Skripal .
Sotir Tsatsarov , the prosecutor-general at the time , said there was evidence that the Russian general , Denis Sergeyev , had also traveled three times in 2015 to Bulgaria using the same false identity , Sergei Fedotov .
His Bulgarian travels coincided with the poisoning of the Bulgarian weapons maker and two other victims .
Open-source and online sleuth Bellingcat has identified Sergeyev as a member of an `` elite overseas clandestine-operations '' team that is part of GRU unit 29155 .
Western intelligence agencies have said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for years -- and remained undetected until last year -- carrying out subversive activities , including coup attempts and assassinations .
`` At the heart of the Bulgarian poisoning operation was a team of as many as eight GRU officers -- all members of the same unit -- who traveled to Bulgaria in the weeks surrounding the poisoning attempt , '' Bellingcat wrote in a joint investigative report with Germany 's Der Spiegel and The Insider , published on November 23 .
`` Crucially , constellations of teams of three – including Major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bulgaria '' during both attacks on Gebrev , Bellingcat concluded .
The substance used to poison the three Bulgarians may have been a banned pesticide called Amiton ( known in Russia as Tetram ) , according to the Finnish Institute for Chemical Weapons Convention , whom the Bulgarian arms manufacturer had asked to do tests .
RFE/RL learned two days ago that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons never received a written request from the Bulgarian authorities to examine the substance with which Gebrev was poisoned .

SOFIA -- Bulgarian prosecutors have charged three Russians in absentia for the attempted murder of a weapons manufacturer, his son, and the production manager of the company.
The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SGP) said on January 23 that the three unidentified suspects intentionally attempted to poison the victims "by intoxication with an unidentified phosphorus-organic substance."
Prosecutors said the crimes were committed between April 28, 2015 and May 4, 2015, and targeted Emilian Gebrev, owner of EMCO Ltd., his son Hristo Gebrev, and manager Valentin Takhchiev. All three survived the attacks.
European arrest warrants have been issued for each of the suspects and international arrest and subsequent extradition requests have been registered with Interpol, the prosecutors said.
Notices were also filed with the Schengen Information System, the largest information-sharing platform for security and border management in the EU, they added.
In December, Bulgarian officials said their investigation into the poisonings was focusing on five alleged Russian military intelligence (GRU) agents, including a Russian general who purportedly oversaw an assassination team accused in the 2018 nerve-agent attack in Britain that targeted former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
Sotir Tsatsarov, the prosecutor-general at the time, said there was evidence that the Russian general, Denis Sergeyev, had also traveled three times in 2015 to Bulgaria using the same false identity, Sergei Fedotov.
His Bulgarian travels coincided with the poisoning of the Bulgarian weapons maker and two other victims.
Open-source and online sleuth Bellingcat has identified Sergeyev as a member of an "elite overseas clandestine-operations" team that is part of GRU unit 29155.
Western intelligence agencies have said the secret unit has been active in Europe for years -- and remained undetected until last year -- carrying out subversive activities, including coup attempts and assassinations.
"At the heart of the Bulgarian poisoning operation was a team of as many as eight GRU officers -- all members of the same unit -- who traveled to Bulgaria in the weeks surrounding the poisoning attempt," Bellingcat wrote in a joint investigative report with Germany's Der Spiegel and The Insider, published on November 23.
"Crucially, constellations of teams of three – including Major General Denis Sergeyev -- were present in Bulgaria" during both attacks on Gebrev, Bellingcat concluded.
The substance used to poison the three Bulgarians may have been a banned pesticide called Amiton (known in Russia as Tetram), according to the Finnish Institute for Chemical Weapons Convention, whom the Bulgarian arms manufacturer had asked to do tests.
RFE/RL learned two days ago that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons never received a written request from the Bulgarian authorities to examine the substance with which Gebrev was poisoned.


rferl--2020-01-24--Ukrainian Ex-President Arrives For Questioning In Treason Probe

KYIV -- Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has arrived at the State Bureau of Investigation ( DBR ) for questioning @ @ @ @ @ of the inquiries launched into activities he may have played a role in during his @ @ @ @ @ entering the DBR building on January 24 that the questioning was linked to an inquiry @ @ @ @ @ the outlining of the Minsk peace agreements in 2015 , which are related to the @ @ @ @ @ , where Russia-backed separatists have controlled some areas since April 2014 .
Poroshenko , who @ @ @ @ @ parliament , was questioned as a witness several times last year in cases looking into @ @ @ @ @ he failed to win a second term as president in an election in April 2019 @ @ @ @ @ January 20 that it was looking into 13 possible cases where Poroshenko or his associates @ @ @ @ @ confectioner , Poroshenko and his party ran on a pro-European , anti-Russian ticket in July @ @ @ @ @ 25 seats .

KYIV -- Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has arrived at the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) for questioning as a witness in one of the inquiries launched into activities he may have played a role in during his presidency.
Poroshenko said before entering the DBR building on January 24 that the questioning was linked to an inquiry into alleged high treason during the outlining of the Minsk peace agreements in 2015, which are related to the situation in Ukraine's east, where Russia-backed separatists have controlled some areas since April 2014.
Poroshenko, who is currently a deputy in parliament, was questioned as a witness several times last year in cases looking into several other investigations launched after he failed to win a second term as president in an election in April 2019.
The DBR said on January 20 that it was looking into 13 possible cases where Poroshenko or his associates were implicated.
A billionaire confectioner, Poroshenko and his party ran on a pro-European, anti-Russian ticket in July's parliamentary elections, winning 25 seats.


rferl--2020-01-24--Ukraine's Envoy To Romania Voices 'Regret' Over 'Incorrect' Zelenskiy Translation

Ukraine 's ambassador to Romania has expressed `` regret '' over what he called the `` incorrect translation '' of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 's Day of Unity address that has upset Bucharest .
In his video address on January 22 , Zelenskiy recalled the short-lived 1919 agreement known as the Unification Act , which was meant to establish a unified Ukrainian state at the end of World War I .
The English translation quoted Zelenskiy as saying that the northern part of a region of the former Austro-Hungarian empire was `` occupied '' by Romania .
Zelenskiy 's use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Romanian Foreign Ministry to summon Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksandr Bankov .
Bucharest says that the unification of the territory with Romania under the name of Bucovina was internationally recognized in 1919 by the Treaty of Saint-Germain between the Allied powers and Austria .
The northern part of the historical Principality of Moldova was annexed by the Hapsburg empire in 1775 , becoming known as Bukowina .
The territory became part of Romania at the end of World War I , but its northern half was annexed by the Soviet Union following the 1939 treaty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact .
After the demise of the U.S.S.R. in 1991 , the territory became part of Ukraine .
In a Facebook post on January 23 , Bankov said Zelenskiy 's address was incorrectly translated , and pointed to the corrected version of the translation , where the word `` occupied '' was replaced with the word `` taken . ''
`` I sincerely regret this unpleasant situation , '' Bankov said , adding that `` in the end , this is the result of an incorrect translation and baseless interpretations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ being accused by Ukraine 's president that it occupied northern Bucovina ' or 'President V. Zelenskiy supports a Putin-style aggressive revisionism ' are the result of absolutely wrong interpretations , '' Bankov said .

Ukraine's ambassador to Romania has expressed "regret" over what he called the "incorrect translation" of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's Day of Unity address that has upset Bucharest.
In his video address on January 22, Zelenskiy recalled the short-lived 1919 agreement known as the Unification Act, which was meant to establish a unified Ukrainian state at the end of World War I.
The English translation quoted Zelenskiy as saying that the northern part of a region of the former Austro-Hungarian empire was "occupied" by Romania.
Zelenskiy's use of the word "occupied" prompted the Romanian Foreign Ministry to summon Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksandr Bankov.
Bucharest says that the unification of the territory with Romania under the name of Bucovina was internationally recognized in 1919 by the Treaty of Saint-Germain between the Allied powers and Austria.
The northern part of the historical Principality of Moldova was annexed by the Hapsburg empire in 1775, becoming known as Bukowina. The territory became part of Romania at the end of World War I, but its northern half was annexed by the Soviet Union following the 1939 treaty between Moscow and Nazi Germany known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
After the demise of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, the territory became part of Ukraine.
In a Facebook post on January 23, Bankov said Zelenskiy's address was incorrectly translated, and pointed to the corrected version of the translation, where the word "occupied" was replaced with the word "taken."
"I sincerely regret this unpleasant situation," Bankov said, adding that "in the end, this is the result of an incorrect translation and baseless interpretations."
"Affirmations such as 'Romania is being accused by Ukraine's president that it occupied northern Bucovina' or 'President V. Zelenskiy supports a Putin-style aggressive revisionism' are the result of absolutely wrong interpretations," Bankov said.


rferl--2020-01-24--Lawyer: Russian Accused In Massive Bitcoin Theft Abruptly Extradited To France

A Russian man wanted by the United States for a massive bitcoin-theft scheme has been extradited from Greece to France , the latest development in a multinational legal fight that focused attention on cryptocurrency money laundering .
In a post to Facebook on January 23 , Aleksandr Vinnik 's lawyer asserted that his client had been kidnapped , and suggested he had been sent to France without her knowledge .
Zoe Konstantopoulou also said Vinnik was in a Paris hospital , adding that he was `` exhausted '' and not fit for questioning .
Konstantopoulou did not immediately respond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been identified by U.S. and other authorities as an administrator or manager of a `` digital-currency exchange '' -- where people can buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and others -- known as BTC-e .
He was arrested on a U.S. arrest warrant in 2017 on a Greek beach where he was vacationing with his family .
According to the U.S. Justice Department , Vinnik , now 39 , was allegedly the mastermind behind an international money-laundering scheme that had processed over $ 4 billion in cryptocurrency transactions , including bitcoin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mt .
Gox .
The United States has fought in Greek court to have Vinnik extradited , but Russia filed a competing extradition request , saying he faced smaller , unrelated criminal charges in Russia .
Midway through the legal fight , however , France also lodged an extradition request in Greek court on similar theft charges .
Vinnik is one of seven Russians detained or indicted worldwide last year on U.S. cybercrime charges .
A Greek court had approved Vinnik 's extradition to the United States in December 2017 , but other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's justice minister to step in to decide where he should be sent .
Greek authorities had no immediate comment on reports of Vinnik 's extradition .

A Russian man wanted by the United States for a massive bitcoin-theft scheme has been extradited from Greece to France, the latest development in a multinational legal fight that focused attention on cryptocurrency money laundering.
In a post to Facebook on January 23, Aleksandr Vinnik's lawyer asserted that his client had been kidnapped, and suggested he had been sent to France without her knowledge.
Zoe Konstantopoulou also said Vinnik was in a Paris hospital, adding that he was "exhausted" and not fit for questioning.
Konstantopoulou did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking further comment.
Vinnik has been identified by U.S. and other authorities as an administrator or manager of a "digital-currency exchange" -- where people can buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and others -- known as BTC-e.
He was arrested on a U.S. arrest warrant in 2017 on a Greek beach where he was vacationing with his family.
According to the U.S. Justice Department, Vinnik, now 39, was allegedly the mastermind behind an international money-laundering scheme that had processed over $4 billion in cryptocurrency transactions, including bitcoin stolen from another digital-currency exchange known as Mt. Gox.
The United States has fought in Greek court to have Vinnik extradited, but Russia filed a competing extradition request, saying he faced smaller, unrelated criminal charges in Russia.
Midway through the legal fight, however, France also lodged an extradition request in Greek court on similar theft charges.
Vinnik is one of seven Russians detained or indicted worldwide last year on U.S. cybercrime charges.
A Greek court had approved Vinnik's extradition to the United States in December 2017, but other courts issued competing rulings, prompting Greece's justice minister to step in to decide where he should be sent.
Greek authorities had no immediate comment on reports of Vinnik's extradition.


rferl--2020-01-24--Thousands Rally In Baghdad Against U.S. Military Presence

Thousands of Iraqis have gathered at two locations in central Baghdad after a prominent Shi'ite cleric called for a `` million-strong '' protest against the U.S. military presence in the country .
The march was called by Muqtada al-Sadr , who has recently aligned himself more closely with Iran .
Marchers started gathering early in the day at Hurriya Square in central Baghdad and near the city 's main university .
Marchers avoided Tahrir Square , symbol of mass anti-government protests .
Men and women marched waving Iraqi flags and chanting slogans against the United States , which leads a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iraq and Syria .
Witnesses said the marchers were protected by Sadr 's Saraya al-Salam brigades and Iraq 's Popular Mobilization Forces , an umbrella grouping of Iran-backed Shi'ite militias .
Main roads in Baghdad were barricaded by security forces and the city 's Green Zone , which houses foreign missions , was blocked off with concrete barriers .
On January 5 , Iraq 's parliament passed a resolution calling for foreign troops to leave the country in the wake of a U.S. air strike that killed a top Iranian military commander @ @ @ @ @ @ @ January 3 .
However , following a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Iraqi counterpart , Barham Salih , on January 22 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland , the White House said the two sides agreed on the need for the U.S. military to maintain its presence in the Middle Eastern country .
Many anti-government protesters in Iraq fear the rallies against the U.S. military presence could overshadow their separate , months-long demonstrations that have challenged Iran-backed Shi'ite groups ' grip on power .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @


rferl--2020-01-24--Ingush Activist Sentenced Over Violence At Rallies Against Chechnya Border Deal

A court in Russia has sentenced an Ingush activist to 16 months in a colony-settlement for assaulting police officers during mass rallies against a controversial border deal with neighboring Chechnya last year .
A colony-settlement is a penitentiary in which convicts live close to a facility where they work .
A court in the city of Zheleznovodsk in the Stavropol region on January 23 found Magomed Ozdoyev guilty and sentenced him the same day .
Since under Russian law one day in a pretrial detention center equals two days in a colony-settlement , Ozdoyev is due to be released on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activist to be sent to a colony-settlement for taking part in the violent rallies in the capital of Ingushetia , Magas , in March 2019 against the deal reached behind closed doors in September 2018 to settle an Ingush-Chechen border dispute .
Ingush opponents of the deal say that the region 's land is being unjustly handed over to Chechnya , whose strongman leader , Ramzan Kadyrov , has been accused of interfering in the affairs of neighboring Ingushetia and Daghestan .
Trials of several other Ingush activists who took part in the @ @ @ @

A court in Russia has sentenced an Ingush activist to 16 months in a colony-settlement for assaulting police officers during mass rallies against a controversial border deal with neighboring Chechnya last year.
A colony-settlement is a penitentiary in which convicts live close to a facility where they work.
A court in the city of Zheleznovodsk in the Stavropol region on January 23 found Magomed Ozdoyev guilty and sentenced him the same day.
Ozdoyev has partially admitted his guilt.
Since under Russian law one day in a pretrial detention center equals two days in a colony-settlement, Ozdoyev is due to be released on February 20.
Ozdoyev is the ninth activist to be sent to a colony-settlement for taking part in the violent rallies in the capital of Ingushetia, Magas, in March 2019 against the deal reached behind closed doors in September 2018 to settle an Ingush-Chechen border dispute.
Ingush opponents of the deal say that the region's land is being unjustly handed over to Chechnya, whose strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been accused of interfering in the affairs of neighboring Ingushetia and Daghestan.
Trials of several other Ingush activists who took part in the rallies are pending.


rferl--2020-01-24--U.S. Slaps Sanctions On Four Energy Firms For Aiding Iran's Quds Force

The United States has imposed economic sanctions on four energy firms that it accuses of helping to move oil exports for the Quds Force of Iran 's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) .
The sanctions announced on January 23 come three weeks after U.S. forces killed the commander of the Quds Force , Major General Qasem Soleimani , in a targeted air strike near Baghdad .
`` Today , the United States is taking new steps as part of our maximum economic pressure campaign to deny the Iranian regime all sources of revenue to fund its destabilizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pompeo said in a statement .
The U.S. Treasury said two of the firms sanctioned were based in Hong Kong , one was in Shanghai , and the other in Dubai .
It said they had together transferred `` hundreds of millions of dollars ' worth '' of exports from the National Iranian Oil Company , a move that helped finance the Quds Force , which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States .
`` Iran 's petrochemical and petroleum sectors are a primary source of funding for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and enable its persistent use of violence against its own people , '' Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement .
Other entities linked to the IRGC have also recently been targeted by U.S. authorities , including metals companies and oil companies accused of supporting the IRGC .
`` All entities and individuals in the petrochemical sector should take notice , '' Pompeo said .
`` The United States will not waver in its commitment to sanctions enforcement .
As long as the Iranian regime continues to exploit revenue from its petroleum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we will sanction any entity or individual that facilitates such trade . ''
The four firms sanctioned are Triliance Petrochemical and Sage Energy of Hong Kong , Peakview Industry in Shanghai , and Beneathco DMCC of Dubai .


rferl--2020-01-24--Soros Pledges $1 Billion To Battle 'Would-Be, Actual Dictators,' Blasts Trump, Putin

U.S. billionaire and liberal activist George Soros has pledged $ 1 billion to help create a new university network to aid civil society in a world increasingly ruled by what he says are `` would-be and actual dictators , '' aiming blistering criticism at the U.S. , Russian , and Chinese leaders .
The 89-year-old philanthropist said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos , Switzerland , on January 23 that the effort will be the `` most important and most enduring project of my life . ''
Soros said humanity was at a turning point and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fate of rulers like President Donald Trump and China 's Xi Jinping , as well as of the world itself .
`` We live at a transformational moment in history .
The survival of open societies is endangered and we face an even greater crisis : climate change , '' the Hungarian-born billionaire said .
Soros expressed sadness that the world 's biggest powers -- the United States , China , and Russia under President Vladimir Putin -- were `` in the hands of would-be or actual dictators , and the ranks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Soros has been a vocal critic of Trump , telling reporters at the end of a speech that the U.S. president was a `` con man , '' the `` ultimate narcissist , '' and a `` climate denier . ''
Soros also assailed Trump 's economic policies , saying he `` has managed to overheat an already buoyant economy .
An overheated economy ca n't be kept at the boiling point for too long . ''
`` If all this happened close to the election , it would have assured his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election is still 10 months away and , in a revolutionary situation , that 's a lifetime . ''
Soros said his new project , called the Open Society University Network , would be an international platform for teaching and research that existing universities throughout the world would be able to join .
He said it would aim to reach out to `` places in need of high-quality education and in serving neglected populations , '' such as refugees , prisoners , the Roma , and other displaced peoples like the Rohingya Muslim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders of Central and Eastern Europe have attacked Soros for promoting liberal causes in their countries .
Soros 's Central European University was forced to leave Hungary after pressure from the government of far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban , who has angrily denounced Soros on many occasions .
Soros said the `` biggest and most frightening setback '' to civil society globally was in India , where he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was `` creating a Hindu nationalist state . ''
Soros expressed alarm over China 's Xi , who he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to create `` a new type of authoritarian system and a new type of human being , who is willing to surrender his personal autonomy in order to stay out of trouble . ''
With reporting by AFP , AP , and dpa

U.S. billionaire and liberal activist George Soros has pledged $1 billion to help create a new university network to aid civil society in a world increasingly ruled by what he says are "would-be and actual dictators," aiming blistering criticism at the U.S., Russian, and Chinese leaders.
The 89-year-old philanthropist said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 23 that the effort will be the "most important and most enduring project of my life."
Soros said humanity was at a turning point and that the next few years would determine the fate of rulers like President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping, as well as of the world itself.
"We live at a transformational moment in history. The survival of open societies is endangered and we face an even greater crisis: climate change," the Hungarian-born billionaire said.
Soros expressed sadness that the world's biggest powers -- the United States, China, and Russia under President Vladimir Putin -- were "in the hands of would-be or actual dictators, and the ranks of authoritarian rulers continued to grow."
Soros has been a vocal critic of Trump, telling reporters at the end of a speech that the U.S. president was a "con man," the "ultimate narcissist," and a "climate denier."
Soros also assailed Trump's economic policies, saying he "has managed to overheat an already buoyant economy. An overheated economy can't be kept at the boiling point for too long."
"If all this happened close to the election, it would have assured his election. His problem is that the election is still 10 months away and, in a revolutionary situation, that's a lifetime."
Soros said his new project, called the Open Society University Network, would be an international platform for teaching and research that existing universities throughout the world would be able to join.
He said it would aim to reach out to "places in need of high-quality education and in serving neglected populations," such as refugees, prisoners, the Roma, and other displaced peoples like the Rohingya Muslim minority in Burma.
Many right-wing populist leaders of Central and Eastern Europe have attacked Soros for promoting liberal causes in their countries.
Soros's Central European University was forced to leave Hungary after pressure from the government of far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has angrily denounced Soros on many occasions.
Soros said the "biggest and most frightening setback" to civil society globally was in India, where he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "creating a Hindu nationalist state."
Soros expressed alarm over China's Xi, who he said had concentrated power around himself, attempting to create "a new type of authoritarian system and a new type of human being, who is willing to surrender his personal autonomy in order to stay out of trouble."
With reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa


rferl--2020-01-24--Trump Vows To Release Middle East Peace Plan Next Week

U.S. President Donald Trump says he plans to reveal his long-awaited Middle East peace plan by January 28 -- the day he is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington .
`` Probably we 'll release it a little bit prior to [ the visit ] , '' Trump told reporters traveling aboard board Air Force One on January 23 as he returned from Switzerland en route to Florida .
`` It 's a great plan .
It 's a plan that really would work , '' he added .
The Palestinians , who have not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting with Netanyahu , immediately condemned the announcement .
Nabil Abu Rudeineh , a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas , said , `` We warn Israel and the U.S. administration not to cross any red lines . ''
`` This step only reaffirms our absolute rejection of what the U.S. administration has done so far , particularly the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel 's capital , '' the spokesman said .
Palestinians have been angered by what they perceive as the president ’ s pro-Israel actions -- including transferring the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aviv .
Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state .
Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and declared the entire city as its capital , a move not recognized by the international community .
Trump has also not endorsed the two-state solution to the decades-long conflict -- the longtime international formula that would eventually see a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel .
The U.S. president said he had spoken `` briefly '' with the Palestinians , who `` have a lot of incentive to do [ a deal ] @ @ @ @ @ @ @ react negatively at first , but it 's actually very positive for them . ''
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence , who met with Netanyahu at a Holocaust memorial ceremony in Israel , first confirmed that the Israeli prime minister had been invited to the United States .
Pence said that Benny Gantz , Netanyahu 's rival in the upcoming elections , had also been invited .
Pence said Netanyahu had suggested that Gantz be invited and that he had accepted .
It also was not immediately clear if Trump planned to meet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The White House said Trump discussed the timing of the plan 's release with two senior advisers -- Jared Kushner and Avi Berkowitz -- on the flight back from Switzerland .
The launch of the peace plan has been delayed several times over the past two years .
In July 2019 , Kushner proposed a $ 50 billion economic plan for the Middle East at a conference in Bahrain as an initial element of the plan .
With reporting by AFP , dpa , and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-24--U.S., Israel Blast Iran At Event Marking Anniversary Of Auschwitz Liberation

The United States and Israeli used the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp to assail Iran , with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling it `` the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet . ''
`` There will not be another Holocaust , '' Netanyahu told the Jerusalem gathering on January 23 of more than 40 heads of state and government , blasting what he called `` the tyrants of Tehran . ''
He told the World Holocaust Forum that `` we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state . ''
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence called on the international community to `` stand strong '' against Iran , labeling it as the only country in the world where Holocaust denial is `` state policy . ''
Tehran , which denies it is trying to develop nuclear weapons , also has rejected allegations of anti-Semitism .
It claims that while it opposes the Jewish state and supports the Palestinian cause , it has no problem with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iran itself .
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin earlier thanked world leaders for expressing their `` solidarity with the Jewish people '' by attending the forum in Jerusalem marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Speaking at the start of the ceremony , Rivlin said that `` anti-Semitism does not stop with the Jews , '' and called anti-Semitism and racism a `` malignant disease . ''
He added that `` no democracy is immune . ''
The event at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial came amid a spike in anti-Jewish violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More than 1 million people , most of them Jews , were killed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during Nazi Germany 's wartime occupation of Poland .
Six million Jews died in the Holocaust .
The Soviet Red Army liberated Auschwitz on January 27 , 1945 .
Russian President Vladimir Putin , French President Emmanuel Macron , Britain 's Prince Charles , U.S. Vice President Pence , and the presidents of Germany , Italy , and Austria are among the more than 40 dignitaries attending the forum , the largest-ever gathering focused on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Also marking the anniversary was the Saudi head of the Mecca-based Muslim World League ( MWL ) and some 60 senior Muslim religious and community leaders from across the globe who visited the Auschwitz Holocaust memorial in Poland , calling it `` a sacred duty and a profound honor . ''
MWL Secretary-General Muhammad bin Abdulkarim al-Issa knelt and bowed to the ground as he led Islamic prayers next to the memorial .
David Harris of the New York-based American Jewish Committee , which organized the visit , told AFP it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to ever visit Auschwitz or any Nazi German death camp . ''
The visit came just days ahead of another set of memorial ceremonies planned for January 27 at the Auschwitz site .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , dpa , and AFP


rferl--2020-01-24--U.S. Says 34 Troops Suffered Brain Injuries In Iran Missile Strike

The United States says 34 of its soldiers have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following this month ’ s Iranian missile attack on a military base in Iraq .
Half of the troops have returned to their duties in Iraq , while the other 17 are still under medical observation , Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters on January 24 .
President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials initially said no American had been injured or killed in the Iranian attack on the Ain al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq .
But the U.S. military last week said 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms after the attack .
Asked about the apparent discrepancy this week , Trump said : `` I heard that they had headaches , and a couple of other things , but I would say , and I can report , it 's not very serious . ''
On January 8 , Iran carried out a ballistic missile attack on Ain al-Asad and another air base hosting U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for a January 3 U.S. drone missile strike that killed a top Iranian military commander , Major General Qasem Soleimani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Ain al-Asad base at the time of the attack .
Most had been huddling in bunkers after being alerted about the incoming missiles .
Hoffman said that eight service members who had been previously transported to Germany to receive treatment arrived back in the United States on January 24 .
The nine other soldiers who were flown to Germany `` are still undergoing evaluation and treatment there , '' he added .
Based on reporting by AP , Reuters , and AFP


rferl--2020-01-24--Ukrainian Pension Policies Create 'Hardships' On Pensioners In Separatist-Held Areas

Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) says Ukrainian pension policies impose “ hardships ” on pensioners with limited mobility who live in areas controlled by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine .
Pensioners with limited mobility due to illness , disability , or advancing age who live in these areas face “ overwhelming difficulty accessing their pensions or do not get them at all , ” the New York-based human rights watchdog said in a statement on January 24 .
More than 450,000 of the 1.2 million pensioners living there do not receive their pensions , according to Ukraine ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has required people living in the separatist-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to register as displaced persons and to cross the contact line to government-controlled areas to receive their pensions .
“ These policies are discriminatory , violate property rights , and simply cut off those who are physically unable to cross the line of contact from their pensions altogether , ” said Yulia Gorbunova , senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at HRW .
The group urged Ukrainian lawmakers to approve a pending draft law that would delink pension eligibility from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pay pension arrears to those who have been denied pension payments or have been unable to access them .
But HRW said the bill would not address other difficulties that pensioners unable to travel face in accessing their pensions .
As an example , the watchdog cited the rule according to which pensioners from separatist-controlled areas have to appear in person every three months for an identity verification procedure at the only state bank where pensions are paid .
Unlike people living elsewhere in Ukraine , they may not appoint an authorized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ address that , the government should introduce a remote identity verification procedure and access to online notary services , according to HRW .
“ Older people in areas not controlled by the government who have limited mobility should be treated the same as other Ukrainian citizens , ” Gorbunova said .
“ It is heartbreaking to imagine that some of them live in acute poverty but are not getting the pensions to which they are legally entitled .
”

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Ukrainian pension policies impose "hardships" on pensioners with limited mobility who live in areas controlled by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Pensioners with limited mobility due to illness, disability, or advancing age who live in these areas face "overwhelming difficulty accessing their pensions or do not get them at all," the New York-based human rights watchdog said in a statement on January 24.
More than 450,000 of the 1.2 million pensioners living there do not receive their pensions, according to Ukraine's ombudswoman.
Since November 2014, Kyiv has required people living in the separatist-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions to register as displaced persons and to cross the contact line to government-controlled areas to receive their pensions.
"These policies are discriminatory, violate property rights, and simply cut off those who are physically unable to cross the line of contact from their pensions altogether," said Yulia Gorbunova, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at HRW.
The group urged Ukrainian lawmakers to approve a pending draft law that would delink pension eligibility from displaced person status and make it easier to pay pension arrears to those who have been denied pension payments or have been unable to access them.
But HRW said the bill would not address other difficulties that pensioners unable to travel face in accessing their pensions.
As an example, the watchdog cited the rule according to which pensioners from separatist-controlled areas have to appear in person every three months for an identity verification procedure at the only state bank where pensions are paid. Unlike people living elsewhere in Ukraine, they may not appoint an authorized representative to collect their pensions.
To address that, the government should introduce a remote identity verification procedure and access to online notary services, according to HRW.
"Older people in areas not controlled by the government who have limited mobility should be treated the same as other Ukrainian citizens," Gorbunova said. “It is heartbreaking to imagine that some of them live in acute poverty but are not getting the pensions to which they are legally entitled.”


rferl--2020-01-24--Pompeo Heading To Ukraine, Belarus Next Week Before Visiting Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to travel to Ukraine next week as part of a weeklong regional tour that would also include legs in Britain , Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Uzbekistan , the State Department said on January 24 .
Pompeo is due to fly from London to Kyiv on January 30 for his first visit to Ukraine as the U.S. top diplomat , amid an acrimonious impeachment trial currently under way in the Senate on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office .
A July 25 , 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the trial .
A transcript of the conversation revealed that the U.S. president had urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate his political rival , Joe Biden , and his son .
Critics say crucial military aid to Kyiv was withheld as leverage .
In Kyiv , Pompeo will meet with Zelenskiy , Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko , and Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodnyuk to “ highlight U.S. support for Ukraine ’ s sovereignty and territorial integrity , ” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement .
Ortagus said the state secretary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society , and business community leaders , and attend a wreath-laying ceremony to honor those fallen in the conflict in eastern Ukraine , where fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014 .
Pompeo will next head to Minsk on February 1 , becoming the highest-level U.S. official to visit Belarus since diplomatic relations with the United States were frayed more than a decade ago .
He will meet with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei to “ underscore the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stable , and prosperous Belarus , and affirm our desire to normalize our bilateral relations , ” Ortagus said .
After the Belarusian capital , Pompeo will travel to Nur-Sultan for talks with Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev , his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbaev , and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi aimed at reaffirming “ our shared commitment to peace , prosperity , and security in Central Asia , ” according to the statement .
On February 2-3 in Tashkent , Pompeo is set to “ underscore U.S. support for Uzbekistan ’ s reforms and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and territorial integrity ” during talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoev and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov .
While in the Uzbek capital , the state secretary is to attend a meeting with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , and Uzbekistan to “ stress U.S. support for a better connected , more prosperous , and more secure Central Asia.
” Amid growing tensions in the Middle East , Pompeo on January 1 canceled a planned trip to Kyiv , Minsk , Nur-Sultan , and Tashkent that was scheduled to @ @ @ @ @

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to travel to Ukraine next week as part of a weeklong regional tour that would also include legs in Britain, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, the State Department said on January 24.
Pompeo is due to fly from London to Kyiv on January 30 for his first visit to Ukraine as the U.S. top diplomat, amid an acrimonious impeachment trial currently under way in the Senate on whether to remove President Donald Trump from office.
A July 25, 2019 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is at the center of the trial. A transcript of the conversation revealed that the U.S. president had urged his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, and his son. Critics say crucial military aid to Kyiv was withheld as leverage.
In Kyiv, Pompeo will meet with Zelenskiy, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystayko, and Defense Minister Andriy Zahorodnyuk to “highlight U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Ortagus said the state secretary will also meet with religious, civil society, and business community leaders, and attend a wreath-laying ceremony to honor those fallen in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.
Pompeo will next head to Minsk on February 1, becoming the highest-level U.S. official to visit Belarus since diplomatic relations with the United States were frayed more than a decade ago.
He will meet with Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Foreign Minister Uladzimer Makey to “underscore the U.S. commitment to a sovereign, independent, stable, and prosperous Belarus, and affirm our desire to normalize our bilateral relations,” Ortagus said.
After the Belarusian capital, Pompeo will travel to Nur-Sultan for talks with Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbaev, and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi aimed at reaffirming “our shared commitment to peace, prosperity, and security in Central Asia,” according to the statement.
On February 2-3 in Tashkent, Pompeo is set to “underscore U.S. support for Uzbekistan’s reforms and the country’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity” during talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoev and Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.
While in the Uzbek capital, the state secretary is to attend a meeting with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to “stress U.S. support for a better connected, more prosperous, and more secure Central Asia.”
Amid growing tensions in the Middle East, Pompeo on January 1 canceled a planned trip to Kyiv, Minsk, Nur-Sultan, and Tashkent that was scheduled to start two days later.


rferl--2020-01-24--Reports: Leader Of U.S. Neo-Nazi Group That Plotted Violent Attacks Lives In Russia

News reports say an American man who has been linked to a neo-Nazi group that allegedly plotted violent attacks in the United States now lives in Russia .
The Guardian newspaper and the BBC reported on January 24 that the leader of the group that calls itself The Base is a man who has used the aliases of Norman Spear and Roman Wolf .
They said the man is in fact named Rinaldo Nazzaro , who moved to St. Petersburg sometime in 2018 .
Russian social media and other open source information point to a man living in St. Petersburg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There was no response to multiple phone calls made by RFE/RL to a number affiliated with the man ’ s online advertisement for English lessons .
Public records searches and other open source media show a man with the name Rinaldo Nazzaro living in New York , New Jersey , and suburban Washington , D.C. in recent years .
He reportedly married a Russian woman in 2012 .
A white supremacist group whose members espouse a radical racist ideology calling for a race war to cause anarchy , The Base has been around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records .
It gained wide public attention earlier this month when U.S. law enforcement arrested two Americans and one Canadian in Maryland , just days before a major gun-rights rally held in the capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia .
According to documents filed in U.S. federal court , the men were accused of plotting to spark violence at the January 19 rally , which attracted tens of thousands of protesters and ended peacefully with no violence and only a few arrests .
Authorities arrested four other men linked to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to the news reports , Nazarro , using his aliases , was a frequent participant in white supremacist and racist chat rooms , often recruiting people with military backgrounds to join the group .
A company he was affiliated with in the early 2010s was called Omega Solutions International , which said “ its associates worked with various government and military agencies , and had “ experience conducting intelligence analysis for government agencies , military organizations , and private businesses.
” The website was shuttered sometime after August 19 .
With reporting @ @ @ @ @ @

News reports say an American man who has been linked to a neo-Nazi group that allegedly plotted violent attacks in the United States now lives in Russia.
The Guardian newspaper and the BBC reported on January 24 that the leader of the group that calls itself The Base is a man who has used the aliases of Norman Spear and Roman Wolf.
They said the man is in fact named Rinaldo Nazzaro, who moved to St. Petersburg sometime in 2018.
Russian social media and other open source information point to a man living in St. Petersburg who taught English to foreigners there.
There was no response to multiple phone calls made by RFE/RL to a number affiliated with the man’s online advertisement for English lessons. Public records searches and other open source media show a man with the name Rinaldo Nazzaro living in New York, New Jersey, and suburban Washington, D.C. in recent years. He reportedly married a Russian woman in 2012.
A white supremacist group whose members espouse a radical racist ideology calling for a race war to cause anarchy, The Base has been around since 2018, according to U.S. court records.
It gained wide public attention earlier this month when U.S. law enforcement arrested two Americans and one Canadian in Maryland, just days before a major gun-rights rally held in the capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia.
According to documents filed in U.S. federal court, the men were accused of plotting to spark violence at the January 19 rally, which attracted tens of thousands of protesters and ended peacefully with no violence and only a few arrests.
Authorities arrested four other men linked to the group in two other U.S. states.
According to the news reports, Nazarro, using his aliases, was a frequent participant in white supremacist and racist chat rooms, often recruiting people with military backgrounds to join the group.
A company he was affiliated with in the early 2010s was called Omega Solutions International, which said “its associates worked with various government and military agencies, and had “experience conducting intelligence analysis for government agencies, military organizations, and private businesses.”
The website was shuttered sometime after August 19.
With reporting by The Guardian and the BBC


rferl--2020-01-24--Mirziyoev Promises Citizenship To Long-Time Uzbek Residents, Other Reforms

TASHKENT -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has promised to provide citizenship to individuals who moved to the Central Asian nation prior to 1995 and have resided there since .
In his state-of-the-nation address to parliament on January 24 , Mirzioyev said the move will solve the citizenship problem for some 50,000 people living in Uzbekistan .
He ordered the parliament to look into his proposal and prepare legislation on the matter by May 1 .
Mirziyoev also announced a plan to liberalize the country ’ s internal migration by abolishing the Soviet-era system that barred people from rural regions from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capital .
`` It is true that we kept our people restrained for 30 years , '' Mirziyoev said , adding that the time came to stop the practice as it pushed hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks to seek jobs in other countries .
Mirziyoev also said that a Public Chamber will be established to monitor the activities of state entities .
According to Mirzioyev , a regional governor will regularly inform citizens about their activities via media outlets .
Social changes , such as increases to wages , scholarships , and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months .
Mirziyoev , a former prime minister , became president after his predecessor Islam Karimov 's death was announced in September 2016 .
Karimov ruled Central Asia 's most-populous country of 32 million with an iron fist since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 .
Mirziyoev has taken steps to bolster the country 's struggling economy and to implement reforms in Uzbekistan -- where rights abuses had been widespread under Karimov .

TASHKENT -- Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev has promised to provide citizenship to individuals who moved to the Central Asian nation prior to 1995 and have resided there since.
In his state-of-the-nation address to parliament on January 24, Mirzioyev said the move will solve the citizenship problem for some 50,000 people living in Uzbekistan.
He ordered the parliament to look into his proposal and prepare legislation on the matter by May 1.
Mirziyoev also announced a plan to liberalize the country’s internal migration by abolishing the Soviet-era system that barred people from rural regions from residing and working in Tashkent, the capital.
"It is true that we kept our people restrained for 30 years," Mirziyoev said, adding that the time came to stop the practice as it pushed hundreds of thousands of Uzbeks to seek jobs in other countries.
Mirziyoev also said that a Public Chamber will be established to monitor the activities of state entities.
According to Mirzioyev, a regional governor will regularly inform citizens about their activities via media outlets. Social changes, such as increases to wages, scholarships, and other allowances, will be introduced in coming months.
Mirziyoev, a former prime minister, became president after his predecessor Islam Karimov's death was announced in September 2016. Karimov ruled Central Asia's most-populous country of 32 million with an iron fist since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Mirziyoev has taken steps to bolster the country's struggling economy and to implement reforms in Uzbekistan -- where rights abuses had been widespread under Karimov.


rferl--2020-01-24--Serbia, Kosovo 'Agree In Principle' On Reviving Railway Links

BELGRADE -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the U.S. special envoy for Serbia and Kosovo say talks are planned for next week about restoring a railway link between the two Balkan neighbors .
“ We have an agreement in principle and we will meet in Berlin on Monday [ January 27 ] , ” Richard Grenell , who also serves as U.S. ambassador to Germany , said on January 24 following talks with Vucic in Belgrade .
Grenell said he had also discussed plans to resume a railway link between Belgrade and Pristina with Kosovar leaders during his visit to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes after the U.S. envoy on January 20 mediated the signing of an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on the resumption of commercial flights between their capitals that were broken two decades ago , when the 1998-99 Kosovo conflict escalated .
Relations between Pristina and Belgrade have remained strained after the Kosovo war that claimed more than 10,000 lives and left over 1 million people homeless .
Serbia continues to consider its former province part of its territory , although its independence , declared in 2008 , has been recognized by about 100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Talks on normalizing diplomatic relations were derailed in November 2018 by Pristina 's imposition of 100-percent tariffs on Serbian goods and services in response to Belgrade 's continued lobbying for countries to reverse their recognition of Kosovo .
During his visits to Pristina and Belgrade , Grenell urged the two neighbors to overcome their differences and to focus on economic development .
“ The tariffs must be dropped , that is unacceptable , ” he said after meeting with Vucic .
“ I also have the same request here , which is : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Serbian president said his country has lost 435 million euros ( $ 480 million ) because of the taxes , while Serbian companies have been pushed out of Kosovo ’ s market .
`` It ’ s senseless to have a railway line and at the same time no goods traveling on those trains , '' Vucic said .


rferl--2020-01-24--Death Toll Rises To 12 In Fire At House For Migrant Workers In Siberia

The death toll in a deadly fire that swept through a house for migrant workers in the Russian Siberian region @ @ @ @ @ 12 after the body of an Uzbek national was identified .
Uzbekistan 's Emergency Situations @ @ @ @ @ that a male body had been identified as Muzaffarjon Mamajonov , who came from Uzbekistan @ @ @ @ @ .
Eleven of the 12 people killed in the fire were Uzbek nationals .
The @ @ @ @ @ citizen .
Fire broke out in the early hours of January 21 at the one-story @ @ @ @ @ authorities said is rented out by a Chinese company for 14 people from China , @ @ @ @ @ The Investigative Committee said a criminal case has been launched into the incident and to @ @ @ @ @ blaze .

The death toll in a deadly fire that swept through a house for migrant workers in the Russian Siberian region of Tomsk has risen to 12 after the body of an Uzbek national was identified.
Uzbekistan's Emergency Situations Ministry said on January 24 that a male body had been identified as Muzaffarjon Mamajonov, who came from Uzbekistan's eastern region of Andijon.
Eleven of the 12 people killed in the fire were Uzbek nationals. The remaining victim was a Russian citizen.
Fire broke out in the early hours of January 21 at the one-story wooden abode, which local authorities said is rented out by a Chinese company for 14 people from China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The Investigative Committee said a criminal case has been launched into the incident and to determine the cause of the blaze.