rferl--2020-01-27--Russia Expels Japanese Man For Trying To Collect 'Classified Information'

Moscow has expelled a Japanese man for attempts to collect `` classified information , '' the Russian Foreign Ministry said on January 27 .
According to the ministry , an unidentified Japanese national , who was in Russia on a journalistic visa , was detained on December 25 while trying to collect data linked to Russia 's military potential in the Far East .
The ministry said the man was warned about `` the inadmissibility of his actions , '' ordered to leave the country , and left Russia the following day .
The ministry also summoned a Japanese diplomat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the incident .
The ministry 's announcement comes a day after Japanese police arrested a former employee of Japanese telecom and energy giant Softbank for allegedly stealing proprietary information from the company and giving it to Russian officials .
Yutaka Araki , 48 , is suspected of obtaining `` trade secrets from a computer server at a telecommunication-related company on February 18 last year , in violation of Japan 's unfair competition prevention law , '' Tokyo police said in a statement , without disclosing the firm .
Meanwhile , media reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carrier SoftBank Corp , a unit of the SoftBank Group .
Police suspect Russian trade officials at Moscow 's mission in Tokyo were involved in espionage , media reports said .
The Russian embassy has described the media reports as `` regrettable '' and `` cheap spy allegations . ''
Based on reporting by AP , TASS , AFP , and Interfax

Moscow has expelled a Japanese man for attempts to collect "classified information," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on January 27.
According to the ministry, an unidentified Japanese national, who was in Russia on a journalistic visa, was detained on December 25 while trying to collect data linked to Russia's military potential in the Far East.
The ministry said the man was warned about "the inadmissibility of his actions," ordered to leave the country, and left Russia the following day.
The ministry also summoned a Japanese diplomat and handed him a note of protest over the incident.
The ministry's announcement comes a day after Japanese police arrested a former employee of Japanese telecom and energy giant Softbank for allegedly stealing proprietary information from the company and giving it to Russian officials.
Yutaka Araki, 48, is suspected of obtaining "trade secrets from a computer server at a telecommunication-related company on February 18 last year, in violation of Japan's unfair competition prevention law," Tokyo police said in a statement, without disclosing the firm.
Meanwhile, media reports in Japan said it was major mobile carrier SoftBank Corp, a unit of the SoftBank Group.
Police suspect Russian trade officials at Moscow's mission in Tokyo were involved in espionage, media reports said.
The Russian embassy has described the media reports as "regrettable" and "cheap spy allegations."
Based on reporting by AP, TASS, AFP, and Interfax


rferl--2020-01-27--Pakistani Police Detained Leader Of Civil Rights Group

PESHAWAR -- Police in Pakistan have detained the leader of a civil rights group that has criticized the military 's operations in the northwestern tribal regions .
Manzoor Pashteen , leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement ( PTM ) , was taken away by officers in the city of Peshawar overnight , police told RFE/RL on January 27 .
Pashteen is accused of sedition , hate speech , incitement against the state , and criminal conspiracy after a rally organized by the PTM attracted thousands of people in the city of Bannu on January 12 .
He has not been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Pakistani lawmaker and a PTM member , called Pashteen ’ s detention `` punishment for demanding our rights in a peaceful and democratic manner . ''
`` But Manzoor 's arrest will only strengthen our resolve , '' he wrote in a tweet .
Amnesty International South Asia said Pashteen has been `` arbitrarily detained for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly .
He must be released immediately and unconditionally . ''
The PTM has campaigned for civil rights for ethnic Pashtuns since 2018 .
The group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to public rallies to denounce the powerful Pakistani army 's heavy-handed operations in the militancy-hit tribal regions and the military 's alleged connection with Islamist militants .
The military has accused Pashteen of treason by criticizing the army falsely .

PESHAWAR -- Police in Pakistan have detained the leader of a civil rights group that has criticized the military's operations in the northwestern tribal regions.
Manzoor Pashteen, leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM), was taken away by officers in the city of Peshawar overnight, police told RFE/RL on January 27.
Pashteen is accused of sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy after a rally organized by the PTM attracted thousands of people in the city of Bannu on January 12.
He has not been formally charged yet.
Mohsin Dawar, a Pakistani lawmaker and a PTM member, called Pashteen’s detention "punishment for demanding our rights in a peaceful and democratic manner."
"But Manzoor's arrest will only strengthen our resolve," he wrote in a tweet.
Amnesty International South Asia said Pashteen has been "arbitrarily detained for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. He must be released immediately and unconditionally."
The PTM has campaigned for civil rights for ethnic Pashtuns since 2018. The group has attracted tens of thousands of people out to public rallies to denounce the powerful Pakistani army's heavy-handed operations in the militancy-hit tribal regions and the military's alleged connection with Islamist militants.
The military has accused Pashteen of treason by criticizing the army falsely.


rferl--2020-01-27--France: Eastern Partnership Doesn't Mean EU Membership

BRUSSELS -- France has rejected suggestions that the Eastern Partnership could lead to European Union membership for countries included in the program , and insists that half of its future funding goes to environmental investments , according to two documents seen by RFE/RL .
Paris submitted the two so-called discussion papers , dated October 2019 and January 2020 , as part of a consultation process initiated by the European Commission ahead of the planned publication in March of a report on the future of the Eastern Partnership .
The countries included in the partnership are the six former Soviet republics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia , Moldova , and Ukraine .
The partnership was created in 2009 with the aim of encouraging these countries to undertake reforms , in return for closer relations and economic benefits .
It has paved the way for Georgia , Moldova , and Ukraine , which have repeatedly stated that their aim is to join the European Union , to conclude association agreements and visa-liberalization deals with Brussels .
Moscow has expressed strong misgivings about the program , arguing that closer economic ties between the EU and its main trading partners could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from October states that “ our spirit of responsibility must collectively guard us from fostering illusions or ambiguity among our partners about the purpose of the partnership.
” It said the partnership is “ based on economic and political cooperation , ” but excludes “ all prospects or all mechanisms of EU integration or membership.
” “ The objective is to reinforce the resilience of our partners , especially in the fields of rule of law , the fight against corruption , and modernizing the economy , ” it added .
Paris has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s decision to halt the opening of membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania last year , sparking disappointment and concern in the Western Balkans .
French President Emmanuel Macron has insisted that enlargement needed to be preceded by reforming the EU at its current size .
He also has called for dialogue with Russia , which is facing EU sanctions over its actions in Ukraine .
A diplomat from an eastern EU member state told RFE/RL under condition of anonymity that France “ doesn ’ t want to do anything in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ The impending Brexit also makes France the biggest foreign-policy player in the bloc , so they will have a big influence from now on , ” the official added .
Both French papers also insisted on creating “ a green agenda ” for the Eastern Partnership to be approved at a summit of EU and Eastern Partnership leaders in Brussels in June .
The proposal comes as the European Commission in December launched a European Green Deal investment plan with the goal of creating a “ climate-neutral EU by 2050.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ministers adopted conclusions on climate diplomacy in which they stated that the bloc will place “ increased emphasis on supporting the efforts of the EU 's immediate neighbors ” to achieve climate neutrality .
In its January paper , Paris noted that “ our common determination to fight climate change leads us to suggest the EU Green Deal be extended to the Eastern Partnership , striving for climate-neutrality by 2050.
” It also suggested “ that 50 % of the European financial assistance to Eastern Partners…contribute to climate and environment objectives ” with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , waste management , sustainable development , and renewable energy sources .
“ There will be a negotiation about the figure the EU will spend on ‘ green , ’ but it will probably not go that high , ” a diplomat from a member state who didn ’ t want to be identified told RFE/RL .
So far up to one-quarter of the Eastern Partnership budget has been spent on climate and energy .

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--2020-01-27--U.S. Military Confirms Aircraft Crashed In Afghanistan

An American military aircraft crashed in eastern Afghanistan on January 27 , the U.S. military and the NATO-led force in the country said , adding that there were no indications so far it had been brought down by enemy fire .
The spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan , Colonel Sonny Leggett , said that the military plane , a Bombardier E-11A , crashed in the Ghazni Province and an investigation of its causes was ongoing .
He gave no information on casualties or details of the crash .
Separately , the NATO-led Resolute Force mission confirmed the crash in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Bombardier E-11A crashed today in Ghazni Province , Afghanistan , '' the message said .
`` While the cause of [ the ] crash is under investigation , there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire .
We will provide additional information as it becomes available .
Taliban claims that additional aircraft have crashed are false . ''
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said a U.S. Air Force plane crashed in the Ghazni Province , which sits in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains .
Mujahid claimed the crash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. military .
The militant group often exaggerates casualty figures .
The Aviation Safety Network , a website of the Flight Safety Foundation that that keeps track of aviation accidents , incidents , and hijackings , tweeted that video posted online has confirmed that the plane that crashed was a U.S. military plane .
`` A video confirms that a USAF Northrop Grumman E-11A crashed in Afghanistan , '' it said .
`` This is a Bombardier Global Express outfitted as Battlefield Airborne Communications Node . ''
The Bombardier E-11A aircraft is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surveillance over Afghanistan .
It is used by the military to extend the range of radio signals and can be used to convert the output of one device to another , such as connecting a radio to a telephone .
The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node , also referred to by the U.S. military as “ Wi-Fi in the sky , '' can be carried both on manned planes such as the E-11A or by unmanned aircraft .
Local Afghan officials had told RFE/RL earlier on January 27 that a passenger place from Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban-held area of Ghazni Province .
Provincial Governor Wahidullah Kalimzai told RFE/RL that the aircraft belonged to Ariana Airlines and was carrying about 83 people .
However , the state-owned airline denied in a Facebook post that one of its planes had crashed .
The conflicting accounts could not immediately be reconciled .
The number of people on board and their fate was not immediately known , nor was the cause of the crash .
With reporting by Reuters , AP , and AFP

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


rferl--2020-01-28--Kyrgyz Students Return Home From China, Being Checked For Coronavirus

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan says six university students have returned home from neighboring China and are going through medical checks , @ @ @ @ @ the spread of a new coronavirus that has killed more than 100 people in China @ @ @ @ @ the Xinjiang University in China 's northwestern city of Urumqi arrived on January 28 in @ @ @ @ @ being kept in quarantine in separate isolated rooms , the Kyrgyz government said on January @ @ @ @ @ chief physician of the Kyrgyz State Sanitary Center , Ryspek Sadygaliev , said a 28-year-old @ @ @ @ @ earlier with pneumonia symptoms , tested negative for the virus .
Kyrgyzstan ’ s main @ @ @ @ @ southern city of Osh are screening passengers for signs of infection .
The death toll @ @ @ @ @ at 106 , with more than 4,500 cases confirmed across China and at least 16 @ @ @

BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan says six university students have returned home from neighboring China and are going through medical checks, as governments scramble to control the spread of a new coronavirus that has killed more than 100 people in China.
The six students from the Xinjiang University in China's northwestern city of Urumqi arrived on January 28 in Bishkek, where they are being kept in quarantine in separate isolated rooms, the Kyrgyz government said on January 28.
Meanwhile, the chief physician of the Kyrgyz State Sanitary Center, Ryspek Sadygaliev, said a 28-year-old Bishkek resident who was hospitalized earlier with pneumonia symptoms, tested negative for the virus.
Kyrgyzstan’s main airports in Bishkek and the southern city of Osh are screening passengers for signs of infection.
The death toll from the virus now stands at 106, with more than 4,500 cases confirmed across China and at least 16 other countries.


rferl--2020-01-28--Russian Police Question Man Suspected Of Abandoning Two Sons At Airport

A Russian man suspected of leaving his two young sons alone in a Moscow airport has handed himself in to the authorities .
The Investigative Committee says police in the Rostov region interrogated the man on January 28 , two days after his two sons , born in 2011 and 2014 , were left on their own at Sheremetyevo International Airport .
The man and his sons arrived at Sheremetyevo from the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk on January 26 , the committee has said .
The father later took a flight to the city of Rostov in southwestern Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 41-year-old Dmitry Gavrilov from Khabarovsk region .
He reportedly left the boys with their IDs and a letter in which he explained he wasn ’ t able to take care of his children .
The children 's ombudswoman in Khabarovsk region , Viktoria Tregubenko , quoted the boys ' mother as saying that she had to leave her husband because he was constantly beating her .
After the couple got divorced , he did not allow her to see her sons , she said .
The woman said she had not been aware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave their sons alone in the airport and was ready to take the boys with her , according to Tregubenko .
With reporting by TASS and Interfax

A Russian man suspected of leaving his two young sons alone in a Moscow airport has handed himself in to the authorities.
The Investigative Committee says police in the Rostov region interrogated the man on January 28, two days after his two sons, born in 2011 and 2014, were left on their own at Sheremetyevo International Airport.
The man and his sons arrived at Sheremetyevo from the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk on January 26, the committee has said. The father later took a flight to the city of Rostov in southwestern Russia.
Media reports identified the man as 41-year-old Dmitry Gavrilov from Khabarovsk region. He reportedly left the boys with their IDs and a letter in which he explained he wasn’t able to take care of his children.
The children's ombudswoman in Khabarovsk region, Viktoria Tregubenko, quoted the boys' mother as saying that she had to leave her husband because he was constantly beating her. After the couple got divorced, he did not allow her to see her sons, she said.
The woman said she had not been aware of her former husband's decision to leave their sons alone in the airport and was ready to take the boys with her, according to Tregubenko.
With reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-01-28--Taliban Launch Deadly Attack On Afghan Security Post

KABUL -- At least seven Afghan police officers have been killed in a January 28 attack by Taliban militants on @ @ @ @ @ northern province of Baghlan , officials say .
Several others were reported wounded in the @ @ @ @ @ of the provincial capital , Pul-e Khumri .
Some reports said as many as 16 @ @ @ @ @ attack .
A spokesman for the Taliban , Zabiullah Mujahid , said the attackers took @ @ @ @ @ , Taliban attacked Pul-e Khumri in a bid to overrun it , and blocked the @ @ @ @ @ the Afghan capital , Kabul , for more than a week .
Taliban fighters control @ @ @ @ @ half of Afghanistan .
The United States and the Taliban have been in talks on @ @ @ @ @ With reporting by dpa , AP , and TOLOnews


rferl--2020-01-28--China Asked To Allow Kazakh Students To Leave Locked-Down City

NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstan ’ s government says it has asked Beijing to allow 98 Kazakh students to leave the city @ @ @ @ @ of a virus outbreak that has killed more than 100 people .
“ We are @ @ @ @ @ our citizens from the city of Wuhan , '' Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Shakhrat Nuryshev @ @ @ @ @ adding that there were currently 1,300 Kazakhs in China .
Wuhan has been in lockdown @ @ @ @ @ and out of the area to control the spread of the new coronavirus .
The @ @ @ @ @ now stands at 106 , with the number of infections reaching more than 4,500 .
@ @ @ @ @ and to at least 16 countries .
Nuryshev said there are no plans to completely @ @ @ @ @ China , as that would stop Kazakh citizens from returning home .
Among those who @ @ @ @ @ four people have been hospitalized with suspected respiratory infections and are being tested , Health @ @ @ @ @ same briefing .

NUR-SULTAN -- Kazakhstan’s government says it has asked Beijing to allow 98 Kazakh students to leave the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of a virus outbreak that has killed more than 100 people.
“We are considering the possibility of evacuating our citizens from the city of Wuhan," Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Shakhrat Nuryshev said on January 28, adding that there were currently 1,300 Kazakhs in China.
Wuhan has been in lockdown with strict transport restrictions in and out of the area to control the spread of the new coronavirus.
The death toll from the virus now stands at 106, with the number of infections reaching more than 4,500. It has spread across China and to at least 16 countries.
Nuryshev said there are no plans to completely close the border with neighboring China, as that would stop Kazakh citizens from returning home.
Among those who have returned from China, four people have been hospitalized with suspected respiratory infections and are being tested, Health Minister Yelzhan Birtanov told the same briefing.


rferl--2020-01-28--Tajikistan Detains 113 Suspected Members Of Banned Muslim Brotherhood

DUSHANBE -- Tajik police have arrested 113 people on suspicion of being members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group .
@ @ @ @ @ on January 28 that the suspects included 20 teachers and employees of various universities , @ @ @ @ @ official from the northern city of Isfara .
`` The group 's goal is to @ @ @ @ @ establish an Islamic state , and it has been banned as a terrorist and extremist @ @ @ @ @ '' Rahmon said .
Sources in Tajikistan 's law enforcement have told RFE/RL that dozens @ @ @ @ @ Muslim Brotherhood were detained in recent weeks .
The Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni Islamist @ @ @ @ @ 1928 by the Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna .
The group 's teachings have spread internationally @ @ @ @ @ groups , movements , and parties around the world -- some of which do not @ @ @ @ @ The group claims to be peaceful but has been banned in many countries as an @ @ @ @ @ banned the Muslim Brotherhood as an extremist group in 2006 .

DUSHANBE -- Tajik police have arrested 113 people on suspicion of being members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood group.
Prosecutor-General Yusuf Rahmon told reporters on January 28 that the suspects included 20 teachers and employees of various universities, two foreigners, and one official from the northern city of Isfara.
"The group's goal is to forcibly overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state, and it has been banned as a terrorist and extremist organization in many countries," Rahmon said.
Sources in Tajikistan's law enforcement have told RFE/RL that dozens of suspected members of the Muslim Brotherhood were detained in recent weeks.
The Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928 by the Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna.
The group's teachings have spread internationally and have influenced various Islamic groups, movements, and parties around the world -- some of which do not use the same name.
The group claims to be peaceful but has been banned in many countries as an extremist organization.
Tajik authorities banned the Muslim Brotherhood as an extremist group in 2006.


rferl--2020-01-28--Criminal Record Of Crimean Journalist Mykola Semena Officially Cleared

SIMFEROPOL , Ukraine -- An RFE/RL contributor in Ukraine ’ s Russia-controlled Crimea region has received court papers officially confirming the termination of his probation and the expunging of his criminal record .
A court in Crimea ’ s capital , Simferopol , on January 14 ruled to prematurely terminate the probation period and expunge the criminal record of Mykola Semena , who had been convicted of separatism on the peninsula .
Semena received a copy of the ruling on January 28 and is now considered totally free .
Semena , who has contributed to RFE/RL ’ s Krym.Realii ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arrested by Crimea ’ s Russia-imposed authorities in April 2016 and charged with acting against the “ territorial integrity of the Russian Federation.
” He says the accusation was politically motivated and violated fundamental freedoms of expression and that Russian authorities based their case on an inaccurate translation of one of his stories from Ukrainian into Russian .
In September 2017 , a court convicted him and gave Semena a 2 1/2-year suspended sentence and banned him from “ public activity ” for three years .
Three months later , a court that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upheld his conviction .
The United States , the European Union , the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe , and international media watchdogs all condemned the trial and verdict .
In December , the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to include the native Crimean journalist and five other colleagues on the list of people held captive in occupied territories for a prisoner exchange and be released to mainland Ukraine .
The United Nations has documented numerous human rights abuses in Crimea , accusing the Russian-imposed authorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that targets opponents of the peninsula ’ s annexation , including many among the regions ’ indigenous Crimean Tartars , independent media outlets , and journalists .
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to seize Crimea in 2014 after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned office and fled to Russia amid a popular pro-democracy uprising .

SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine -- An RFE/RL contributor in Ukraine's Russia-controlled Crimea region has received court papers officially confirming the termination of his probation and the expunging of his criminal record.
A court in Crimea's capital, Simferopol, on January 14 ruled to prematurely terminate the probation period and expunge the criminal record of Mykola Semena, who had been convicted of separatism on the peninsula.
Semena, who has contributed to RFE/RL’s Krym.Realii (Crimea Realities) reporting project, was arrested by Crimea’s Russia-imposed authorities in April 2016 and charged with acting against the "territorial integrity of the Russian Federation."
He received a copy of the ruling on January 28 and is now considered totally free. He told Krym.Realii, "This whole process essentially crossed about four years out of my life, during which all my creative activities were suspended at the risk of ending up in jail."
Reacting to Semena's release, RFE/RL President Jamie Fly said, "We are thrilled at the news that Mykola is a free man -- free to be with his family, to receive the medical care he needs, and, of course, to write."
Fly added, "Journalism is not a crime. Mykola's arrest for publishing criticism of the annexation was politically motivated and a profound violation of his basic rights. We are very happy that his important journalistic voice will be heard again."
Semena says the accusation was politically motivated and violated fundamental freedoms of expression and that Russian authorities based their case on an inaccurate translation of one of his stories from Ukrainian into Russian.
In September 2017, a court convicted him and gave Semena a 2 1/2-year suspended sentence and banned him from “public activity” for three years.
Three months later, a court that Russia calls the Supreme Court of Crimea upheld his conviction.
The United States, the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and international media watchdogs all condemned the trial and verdict.
In December, the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to include the native Crimean journalist and five other colleagues on the list of people held captive in occupied territories for a prisoner exchange and be released to mainland Ukraine.
The United Nations has documented numerous human rights abuses in Crimea, accusing the Russian-imposed authorities of conducting a persistent campaign of oppression that targets opponents of the peninsula’s annexation, including many among the regions’ indigenous Crimean Tartars, independent media outlets, and journalists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order to seize Crimea in 2014 after Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych abandoned office and fled to Russia amid a popular pro-democracy uprising.


rferl--2020-01-28--Iran Preparing For U.S.-Criticized Satellite Launch

Satellite images suggest Iran is preparing to launch a satellite into space after three failed rocket launches last year , reports say , as part of a program viewed by the United States as a cover for ballistic missile development .
`` Yes , a site is being prepared for placing the Zafar satellite into orbit , '' Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi tweeted late on January 27 , responding to a U.S. media report saying Iran was preparing for a launch at the Imam Khomeini Space Center in Semnan Province .
The minister said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into orbit this year .
The apparent preparations for a rocket launch follow two failed launches of the Payam and Doosti satellites in January and February last year , and a launchpad rocket explosion in August .
Since 2009 , Iran has sent several satellites into orbit .
The United States has accused Tehran of using the technology as part of an effort to develop ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons .
Tehran has denied the accusation .
Satellite photos taken on January 26 by the San Francisco-based commercial company Planet Labs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of International Studies at Monterey show work at a launchpad at the Imam Khomeini Space Center .
The images also show more cars and activity at a facility at the space center , located about 230 kilometers southeast of Tehran .
`` It looks pretty clearly to us like Iran is going to try and put a satellite into space , '' Jeffrey Lewis , a professor at the Middlebury Institute who tracks Iran 's space program .
The increased activity at the Imam spaceport come as the country prepares to mark the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The U.S. pullout from Iran ’ s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers last year and its reimposition of sanctions against the country has heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington .
The United States has reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy , while Iran has gradually reduced its commitments under the deal .
Tensions culminated earlier this month after top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad , prompting Iran to retaliate with a missile attack against two bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and NPR

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--2020-01-28--Pompeo Urges Syrian, Russian, And Iranian Forces To Halt Idlib Offensive

The United States has expressed concern and called for an immediate cease-fire in northwestern Syria where the combined forces of Russia , Iranian proxies , and the Syrian government are reportedly conducting an assault on the Idlib and Aleppo provinces .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on January 27 the military assault is causing a humanitarian crisis affecting “ hundreds of thousands ” of civilians in Idlib Province , the last rebel stronghold where millions have taken refuge after fleeing other parts of Syria during its nearly nine-year civil war .
Pompeo said these forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground attacks that have trapped thousands of civilians under bombardment in Marat an-Numan , leaving them nowhere to flee.
” He blamed the “ destabilizing actions of Russia , the Iranian regime ” and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for directly preventing the establishment of a cease-fire in northern Syria , as called for in a UN Security Council resolution .
Assad ’ s renewed push to recapture rebel-held territory started on December 19 and his forces have regained control over 46 settlements covering 320 square kilometers .
“ The United States condemns these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syria , ” Pompeo said .
“ We call for an immediate cease-fire and full access to the affected areas by humanitarian organizations to alleviate the suffering of the hundreds of thousands that have fled the incessant bombing .
”


rferl--2020-01-28--Ukraine Detains Three Suspects Who Fought With Russian-Backed Separatists

Ukrainian authorities on January 27 said they detained three men suspected of fighting with Moscow-backed armed formations in the eastern Donetsk region .
They were detained in three separate incidents .
The military said a member of a subversive reconnaissance unit was captured after he stepped on a mine near the front line in eastern Ukraine .
His unit left him behind and returned to its rear position after the incident .
The unidentified combatant received numerous land mine wounds and is being treated at a military hospital at an undisclosed location .
The Security Service ’ s ( SBU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a grenadier from the Donetsk regional town of Horlivka .
He was apprehended in the Azov Sea coastal city of Mariupol .
The unidentified suspect fought against Ukrainian forces for nearly two years but was discharged after being wounded in 2016 .
Toward the end of 2019 , the man made his way to government-controlled Mariupol in search of work , the SBU said in a statement .
The internal security unit of the National Police detained another suspect in Kyiv on January 27 who fought with Russia-backed separatists .
On the night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commander of a reconnaissance unit shot at an off-duty police officer in the chest outside a café in Kyiv .
The suspect was a former member of OPLOT , a pro-Russian militant organization that Ukraine has deemed illegal .

Ukrainian authorities on January 27 said they detained three men suspected of fighting with Moscow-backed armed formations in the eastern Donetsk region.
They were detained in three separate incidents.
The military said a member of a subversive reconnaissance unit was captured after he stepped on a mine near the front line in eastern Ukraine. His unit left him behind and returned to its rear position after the incident.
The unidentified combatant received numerous land mine wounds and is being treated at a military hospital at an undisclosed location.
The Security Service’s (SBU) counterintelligence unit the same day detained a grenadier from the Donetsk regional town of Horlivka.
He was apprehended in the Azov Sea coastal city of Mariupol. The unidentified suspect fought against Ukrainian forces for nearly two years but was discharged after being wounded in 2016.
Toward the end of 2019, the man made his way to government-controlled Mariupol in search of work, the SBU said in a statement.
The internal security unit of the National Police detained another suspect in Kyiv on January 27 who fought with Russia-backed separatists.
On the night of January 24-25, the alleged former commander of a reconnaissance unit shot at an off-duty police officer in the chest outside a café in Kyiv.
The suspect was a former member of OPLOT, a pro-Russian militant organization that Ukraine has deemed illegal.


rferl--2020-01-28--NPR Reporter Barred From Pompeo’s Ukraine Trip After Contentious Interview

The U.S. State Department didn ’ t include a reporter from National Public Radio ( NPR ) in the press pool for Secretary of State of Mike Pompeo ’ s upcoming trip to Ukraine and four other countries .
NPR and the State Department Correspondents ’ Association ( SDCA ) , which represents reporters covering the State Department , said on January 27 that reporter Michele Kelemen was removed from the travelling pool .
The removal can be seen only as retaliation for her colleague ’ s interview with Pompeo , who angrily responded to NPR journalist Mary Louise Kelly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the SDCA said .
“ The State Department press corps has a long tradition of accompanying secretaries of state on their travels and we find unacceptable to punish an individual member of our association , ” Shaun Tandon , the head of the association , said in a statement .
The State Department didn ’ t immediately address the exclusion of the NPR reporter .
Kelly interviewed Pompeo on January 24 .
She said the secretary of state got angry and ended the interview when he was asked questions about defending U.S @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was fired by President Donald Trump last year .
According to Kelly , she was then asked to go into Pompeo 's private living room to continue the conversation .
Kelly said that Pompeo yelled and used foul language as he claimed that most Americans do not know where Ukraine is located .
Kelly said Pompeo also asked her : “ Do you think Americans care about Ukraine ?
” In a subsequent statement , Pompeo accused the reporter of lying when setting up the interview and in agreeing to conduct the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued a response to Pompeo 's statement , calling Kelly a reporter with `` utmost integrity '' and said it stood behind her report .
The Committee to Protect Journalists also issued a statement criticizing Pompeo , saying his reaction was another sign of the Trump administration 's `` hostility '' toward the press .
Trump allies accused Yovanovitch of impeding an investigation into the president 's political rival 's work in Ukraine .
During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July , Trump called Yovanovitch `` bad news .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ has avoided answering questions about why he did not publicly defend her reputation .
The U.S. Senate is currently conducting a trial after the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives impeached Trump last month on two charges -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress .
Both charges -- or articles of impeachment -- are linked to the president ’ s dealings with Ukraine .
Pompeo ’ s foreign trip is scheduled to start on January 29 .
It includes stops in Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Uzbekistan , three countries where there are media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kelemen , has covered the State Department for two decades and said she was not given a reason for being removed from the travel pool .
With reporting by AFP and Reuters

The U.S. State Department didn’t include a reporter from National Public Radio (NPR) in the press pool for Secretary of State of Mike Pompeo’s upcoming trip to Ukraine and four other countries.
NPR and the State Department Correspondents’ Association (SDCA), which represents reporters covering the State Department, said on January 27 that reporter Michele Kelemen was removed from the travelling pool.
The removal can be seen only as retaliation for her colleague’s interview with Pompeo, who angrily responded to NPR journalist Mary Louise Kelly’s questions about Ukraine days earlier, the SDCA said.
“The State Department press corps has a long tradition of accompanying secretaries of state on their travels and we find unacceptable to punish an individual member of our association,” Shaun Tandon, the head of the association, said in a statement.
The State Department didn’t immediately address the exclusion of the NPR reporter.
Kelly interviewed Pompeo on January 24.
She said the secretary of state got angry and ended the interview when he was asked questions about defending U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who was fired by President Donald Trump last year.
According to Kelly, she was then asked to go into Pompeo's private living room to continue the conversation. Kelly said that Pompeo yelled and used foul language as he claimed that most Americans do not know where Ukraine is located.
Kelly said Pompeo also asked her: “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?”
In a subsequent statement, Pompeo accused the reporter of lying when setting up the interview and in agreeing to conduct the post-interview conversation off the record.
NPR issued a response to Pompeo's statement, calling Kelly a reporter with "utmost integrity" and said it stood behind her report.
The Committee to Protect Journalists also issued a statement criticizing Pompeo, saying his reaction was another sign of the Trump administration's "hostility" toward the press.
Trump allies accused Yovanovitch of impeding an investigation into the president's political rival's work in Ukraine. During a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July, Trump called Yovanovitch "bad news."
Pompeo, Yovanovitch's boss, has avoided answering questions about why he did not publicly defend her reputation.
The U.S. Senate is currently conducting a trial after the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives impeached Trump last month on two charges -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Both charges -- or articles of impeachment -- are linked to the president’s dealings with Ukraine.
Pompeo’s foreign trip is scheduled to start on January 29.
It includes stops in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, three countries where there are media freedom concerns.
The barred reporter, Kelemen, has covered the State Department for two decades and said she was not given a reason for being removed from the travel pool.
With reporting by AFP and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-28--Bulgarian Court Arrests Ukrainian Suspected Of Planning Attack On Activist

A court in Bulgaria on January 27 sent Ukrainian national Oleksiy Moskalenko ( Levin ) to jail for 40 days based on a red Interpol notice issued by Ukraine on suspicion of co-organizing an attack on a Ukrainian activist that led to her death .
Bulgarian prosecutors the same day said they personally received the requisite documents for extradition from Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktor Trepak .
Moskalenko , 42 , was detained in the Black Sea coastal city of Burgas on January 24 without resisting and was identified by his fingerprints , Bulgarian police said at a briefing .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the picture listed on the Interpol notice .
Bulgarian police said the suspect crossed by foot into Bulgaria from Romania in 2018 and was living in an apartment rented by a woman from Ukraine .
On July 31 of that year an assailant poured acid on Ukrainian activist Kateryna Handzyuk in Kherson , a city 560 kilometers south of Kyiv .
Thirty percent of her body was burned and three months later she died of her wounds after numerous operations in Kyiv .
An official in the city council and an adviser to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke out against public corruption in the city .
Investigators say she was killed for accusing local politicians of stealing from the local budget and of illegal logging in the region .
Five men were convicted on August 5 for carrying out the attack and given prison sentences ranging between 6 1/2 and 3 years .
Moskalenko is charged with “ intended grievous bodily injury , which caused [ the ] death of the victim , ” according to the Interpol notice .
Ukrainian prosecutors suspect Kherson regional council head Vladyslav Manher of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has denied wrongdoing and has stated that he didn ’ t personally know the victim and wasn ’ t involved in illegal tree felling in the region .
He has been free on bail since February .
The persecution of human rights and civic activists in Ukraine has become a growing concern .
Last year , there were 83 documented cases of persecution , with violence being employed in the vast majority of incidents , including one murder , according to a study jointly conducted by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reporting by Hromadske and Ukrayinska Pravda

A court in Bulgaria on January 27 sent Ukrainian national Oleksiy Moskalenko (Levin) to jail for 40 days based on a red Interpol notice issued by Ukraine on suspicion of co-organizing an attack on a Ukrainian activist that led to her death.
Bulgarian prosecutors the same day said they personally received the requisite documents for extradition from Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktor Trepak.
Moskalenko, 42, was detained in the Black Sea coastal city of Burgas on January 24 without resisting and was identified by his fingerprints, Bulgarian police said at a briefing. He was wearing a disguise that differed from the picture listed on the Interpol notice.
Bulgarian police said the suspect crossed by foot into Bulgaria from Romania in 2018 and was living in an apartment rented by a woman from Ukraine.
On July 31 of that year an assailant poured acid on Ukrainian activist Kateryna Handzyuk in Kherson, a city 560 kilometers south of Kyiv.
Thirty percent of her body was burned and three months later she died of her wounds after numerous operations in Kyiv.
An official in the city council and an adviser to Kherson’s mayor, Handzyuk often spoke out against public corruption in the city.
Investigators say she was killed for accusing local politicians of stealing from the local budget and of illegal logging in the region.
Five men were convicted on August 5 for carrying out the attack and given prison sentences ranging between 6 1/2 and 3 years.
Moskalenko is charged with “intended grievous bodily injury, which caused [the] death of the victim,” according to the Interpol notice.
Ukrainian prosecutors suspect Kherson regional council head Vladyslav Manher of ordering the attack on Handzyuk.
Manher has denied wrongdoing and has stated that he didn’t personally know the victim and wasn’t involved in illegal tree felling in the region.
He has been free on bail since February.
The persecution of human rights and civic activists in Ukraine has become a growing concern.
Last year, there were 83 documented cases of persecution, with violence being employed in the vast majority of incidents, including one murder, according to a study jointly conducted by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union and groups ZMINA and Truth Hounds.
With reporting by Hromadske and Ukrayinska Pravda


rferl--2020-01-27--Ukraine’s Richest Billionaire Akhmetov Buys $221 Million French Estate

Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov has bought a lavish , 14-bedroom mansion for 200 million euros ( $ 221 million ) in the French Riviera town of Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat , the Financial Times ( FT ) reported on January 27 .
The seller of the nearly 200-year-old home in the south of France , Italy-based beverage company Campari Group , had announced an agreement to sell it to an unnamed buyer in August .
The acquisition of the 19th-century Palladian mansion and botanical gardens adds to Akhmetov ’ s growing real-estate portfolio , which includes a penthouse in the upscale Knightsbridge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchased for a then-record $ 221 million in 2011 .
Akhmetov , 53 , is Ukraine ’ s wealthiest person whose net worth is an estimated $ 6.7 billion by Forbes .
A native of the eastern Donetsk region , Akhmetov accumulated his wealth in metals and mining and owns a sprawling business empire that includes coal mines in the United States , and energy , engineering , finance , media , and retail companies in Ukraine .
He also owns the Shakhtar Donetsk soccer team .
He was still based in Donetsk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Russian-backed forces started fighting the Ukrainian Army there in April 2014 in a war that has killed more than 13,000 people .
FT cited a statement it obtained from Akhmetov ’ s System Capital Management ( SCM ) announcing the latest property purchase .
“ SCM Holdings Limited investment company announces the acquisition of a real-estate asset , Volla ‘ Les Cedres ( France ) , from the Campari Group , ” the statement read as quoted by FT .
The Italian beverage maker acquired the 18,000-square-foot mansion in 2016 as part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ des Produits Marnier Lapostolle , the maker of the orange liqueur Grand Marnier .
Campari immediately put the estate on the market with an asking price of 350 million euros , making it the most expensive abode in the world at the time .
It was built in 1830 and once belonged to Belgian King Leopold II .
The purveyors of Grand Marnier bought it in the 1920s , according to Bloomberg .
It stands on 14 hectares of land and has a vast botanical garden .
With reporting by Bloomberg , Forbes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mansion Global

Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov has bought a lavish, 14-bedroom mansion for 200 million euros ($221 million) in the French Riviera town of Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat, the Financial Times (FT) reported on January 27.
The seller of the nearly 200-year-old home in the south of France, Italy-based beverage company Campari Group, had announced an agreement to sell it to an unnamed buyer in August.
The acquisition of the 19th-century Palladian mansion and botanical gardens adds to Akhmetov’s growing real-estate portfolio, which includes a penthouse in the upscale Knightsbridge neighborhood of London at One Hyde Park purchased for a then-record $221 million in 2011.
Akhmetov, 53, is Ukraine’s wealthiest person whose net worth is an estimated $6.7 billion by Forbes.
A native of the eastern Donetsk region, Akhmetov accumulated his wealth in metals and mining and owns a sprawling business empire that includes coal mines in the United States, and energy, engineering, finance, media, and retail companies in Ukraine. He also owns the Shakhtar Donetsk soccer team.
He was still based in Donetsk -- Ukraine’s industrial heartland -- when Russian-backed forces started fighting the Ukrainian Army there in April 2014 in a war that has killed more than 13,000 people.
FT cited a statement it obtained from Akhmetov’s System Capital Management (SCM) announcing the latest property purchase.
“SCM Holdings Limited investment company announces the acquisition of a real-estate asset, Volla ‘Les Cedres (France), from the Campari Group,” the statement read as quoted by FT.
The Italian beverage maker acquired the 18,000-square-foot mansion in 2016 as part of a deal when it bought Societe des Produits Marnier Lapostolle, the maker of the orange liqueur Grand Marnier.
Campari immediately put the estate on the market with an asking price of 350 million euros, making it the most expensive abode in the world at the time.
It was built in 1830 and once belonged to Belgian King Leopold II. The purveyors of Grand Marnier bought it in the 1920s, according to Bloomberg.
It stands on 14 hectares of land and has a vast botanical garden.
With reporting by Bloomberg, Forbes, Financial Times, Variety, and Mansion Global


rferl--2020-01-28--Trump Trial Team Concludes Opening Argument, Rejects Bolton Allegations

Lawyers defending U.S. President Donald Trump in the U.S. Senate concluded their three-day opening argument , urging senators to acquit him of two articles of impeachment and rejecting as `` inadmissible '' explosive allegations reportedly made in a new book by former national-security adviser John Bolton .
Trump 's lawyers said in the Senate chamber on January 28 that voters , not Congress , should decide the fate of the president , who has been charged with two articles of impeachment by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives .
`` The election is only months away .
The American people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White House Counsel Pat Cipollone told the Senate .
`` Overturning past elections and massively interfering with the upcoming one would cause serious and lasting damage to the people of the United States and to our great country .
The Senate can not allow this to happen , '' he added .
`` It is time for this to end , here and now .
So we urge the Senate to reject these articles of impeachment . ''
His comments came on the third and final day of the Trump legal team 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managers completed their three allocated days of statements prior to the president 's lawyers ' arguments .
Republicans control the 100-seat chamber with 53 seats , meaning it is almost certain Trump will be acquitted .
Conviction and removal from office requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate .
But press reports of explosive comments to be published in an upcoming book by Bolton , the president 's former top security official , have shaken the proceedings .
The New York Times reported that Bolton wrote in August that Trump told him he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ military aid to Ukraine until Kyiv helped by launching investigations into Democrats , including his potential election opponent , former Vice President Joe Biden , and son Hunter Biden .
Trump has repeatedly denied he attempted to pressure Kyiv by withholding the aid until it announced an investigation into the Bidens .
On the final day of arguments , Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow told senators that `` you can not impeach a president on an unsourced allegation , '' referring to the unpublished book manuscript .
He added , though , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true , it would not represent impeachable conduct .
Some Republican senators proposed that Bolton 's book manuscript be reviewed on a closed , classified basis , but top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer rejected the suggestion .
Democrats want Bolton and other administration officials to be called to testify in the trial , but Trump 's team -- supported by most Republican senators -- oppose the issuance of any such subpoenas .
Democrats have hoped that at least four Republican senators will support them in a vote to allow witnesses .
If no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have the opportunity to ask questions of Democrat managers and Trump 's defense team in the trial , which is only the third presidential impeachment case to reach the Senate in U.S. history .
The other two ended in acquittals .
With reporting by AP , AFP , and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-28--Trump Calls For Two-State Solution, Says 'Undivided' Jerusalem To Be Israeli Capital

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed a `` contiguous , '' independent Palestinian state with a capital in eastern Jerusalem , but he made the move contingent upon Palestinians accepting several moves seen by many as difficult , as he unveiled his much-anticipated Middle East peace plan .
Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Trump on January 28 said the plan more than doubles the territory currently under Palestinian control , although it also granted Israeli sovereignty over major settlement areas in the West Bank -- something certain to anger Palestinians .
He also said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' capital under the plan , although he also spoke of the capital of a future Palestinian state being in parts of `` eastern Jerusalem . ''
In exchange , Israel would agree to accept a four-year freeze on new settlement activity while the process of negotiating a Palestinian statehood takes place .
Trump , who asserted that the plan was the `` most detailed '' ever , said Palestinians had been used as `` pawns '' by others in the region and that it was time for this to end .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get [ this deal ] done , '' Trump said .
Details of the plan were released on the White House website .
Trump later tweeted a map of `` what a future State of Palestine can look like , with a capital in parts of East Jerusalem . ''
Palestinian leaders had rejected the so-called `` deal of the century '' before its release , saying Trump had been biased in favor of Israel and that the United States was no longer an impartial player in the dispute .
Palestinian Authority leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank , flatly rejected Trump 's plan , saying his response was `` a thousand nos , '' adding that the plan will be sent to `` the trash bin of history . ''
The meeting included the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas , which controls Gaza .
Hamas also rejected the plan , with senior official Khalil al-Hayya telling AFP , `` We warn the whole world not to go along with this deal because we reject it as the Palestinian people and we will resist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the past had not endorsed a two-state solution to ending the decades-long conflict -- the longtime international formula that would eventually see a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel .
But in his White House comments , he did allow for a two-state solution and said Palestinian territory would be `` contiguous . ''
Currently , it is divided between the West Bank and Gaza Strip , with no connecting land .
Under the deal , the various areas would be connected by a combination of above-ground roads and tunnels .
Netanyahu has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bank and extending Israeli sovereignty on all its settlements in the areas captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War .
Netanyahu 's spokesman , Jonathan Urich said the Israeli leader will ask his Cabinet on February 2 to approve his plan to annex parts of the West Bank .
The Jordan Valley in particular is considered a vital security asset by the Israelis .
Under the plan , security responsibility for the Jordan Valley would remain with Israel for the foreseeable future but could be scaled back as the Palestinian state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jerusalem would stand as Israel ’ s `` undivided '' capital , but he left open the possibility that `` eastern Jerusalem '' would serve as the future Palestinian state 's capital -- and that Washington would `` happily '' build its embassy there .
Palestinians were angered by Trump 's previous decision to transfer the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel 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 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community .
Following Trump 's remarks , Netanyahu called it `` a historic day '' and heavily praised the U.S. president and his team for delivering the deal .
`` On this day , you became the first world leader to recognize Israel 's sovereignty over areas in Judea and Samaria that are vital to our security and central to our heritage , '' he said , using the Biblical names for the West Bank .
Israeli leaders have agreed to negotiate in the future on the basis of the Trump plan and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Israel 's agreement on statehood for Palestinians is dependent on a security arrangement to protect Israelis , they added .
Israel will also take steps to ensure Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and respect Jordan 's role regarding holy sites , Trump and other officials said .
Palestinians would also be required to take steps toward self-government , including the safeguarding of respect for human rights , press freedom , and credible institutions .
Trump said that should Palestinians `` choose peace , '' Washington will be there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way , '' and he touted a previously announced $ 50 billion investment package to aid an independent state .
An Israeli spokesman said Netanyahu would travel to Russia on January 29 to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on the proposals .
With reporting by AP , AFP , dpa , and Reuters

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has endorsed a "contiguous," independent Palestinian state with a capital in eastern Jerusalem, but he made the move contingent upon Palestinians accepting several moves seen by many as difficult, as he unveiled his much-anticipated Middle East peace plan.
Standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump on January 28 said the plan more than doubles the territory currently under Palestinian control, although it also granted Israeli sovereignty over major settlement areas in the West Bank -- something certain to anger Palestinians.
He also said Jerusalem would be Israel's "undivided" capital under the plan, although he also spoke of the capital of a future Palestinian state being in parts of "eastern Jerusalem."
In exchange, Israel would agree to accept a four-year freeze on new settlement activity while the process of negotiating a Palestinian statehood takes place.
Trump, who asserted that the plan was the "most detailed" ever, said Palestinians had been used as "pawns" by others in the region and that it was time for this to end.
"We have an obligation to humanity to get [this deal] done," Trump said.
Details of the plan were released on the White House website.
Trump later tweeted a map of "what a future State of Palestine can look like, with a capital in parts of East Jerusalem."
Palestinian leaders had rejected the so-called "deal of the century" before its release, saying Trump had been biased in favor of Israel and that the United States was no longer an impartial player in the dispute.
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas, speaking after an emergency meeting in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, flatly rejected Trump's plan, saying his response was "a thousand nos," adding that the plan will be sent to "the trash bin of history."
The meeting included the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls Gaza.
Hamas also rejected the plan, with senior official Khalil al-Hayya telling AFP, "We warn the whole world not to go along with this deal because we reject it as the Palestinian people and we will resist it in all forms."
Trump in the past had not endorsed a two-state solution to ending the decades-long conflict -- the longtime international formula that would eventually see a Palestinian state co-existing with Israel.
But in his White House comments, he did allow for a two-state solution and said Palestinian territory would be "contiguous." Currently, it is divided between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with no connecting land.
Under the deal, the various areas would be connected by a combination of above-ground roads and tunnels.
Netanyahu has called for annexing parts of the West Bank and extending Israeli sovereignty on all its settlements in the areas captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Netanyahu's spokesman, Jonathan Urich said the Israeli leader will ask his Cabinet on February 2 to approve his plan to annex parts of the West Bank.
The Jordan Valley in particular is considered a vital security asset by the Israelis.
Under the plan, security responsibility for the Jordan Valley would remain with Israel for the foreseeable future but could be scaled back as the Palestinian state develops.
The U.S. president said that Jerusalem would stand as Israel’s "undivided" capital, but he left open the possibility that "eastern Jerusalem" would serve as the future Palestinian state's capital -- and that Washington would "happily" build its embassy there.
Palestinians were angered by Trump's previous decision to transfer the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel 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.
Following Trump's remarks, Netanyahu called it "a historic day" and heavily praised the U.S. president and his team for delivering the deal.
"On this day, you became the first world leader to recognize Israel's sovereignty over areas in Judea and Samaria that are vital to our security and central to our heritage," he said, using the Biblical names for the West Bank.
Israeli leaders have agreed to negotiate in the future on the basis of the Trump plan and agreed to the map, the officials said. Israel's agreement on statehood for Palestinians is dependent on a security arrangement to protect Israelis, they added.
Israel will also take steps to ensure Muslim access to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and respect Jordan's role regarding holy sites, Trump and other officials said.
Palestinians would also be required to take steps toward self-government, including the safeguarding of respect for human rights, press freedom, and credible institutions.
Trump said that should Palestinians "choose peace," Washington will be there to help it "every step of the way," and he touted a previously announced $50 billion investment package to aid an independent state.
An Israeli spokesman said Netanyahu would travel to Russia on January 29 to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on the proposals.
With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-28--Iranian Rapper Arrested In Turkey, Tehran Authorities Say

Iranian rapper Amir Tataloo , an underground musician unauthorized by the Islamic republic 's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance , has been arrested in Istanbul following a request by Iran , Tehran authorities said on January 28 .
Police spokesman Ahmad Nourian was quoted by Iranian news agencies as saying that Tataloo , whose real name is Amir Hossein Maghsoodloo , was arrested by the Turkish police after the Interpol issued a `` red alert '' for him .
Nourian said Iran 's judicial authorities had made the request for Tataloo 's arrest `` for encouraging citizens , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially psychotropic drugs , and for spreading corruption . ''
There was no immediate comment from Turkish authorities .
Interpol did not immediately respond to an RFE/RL request for confirmation .
Hadi Shirzad , head of the international department of Iran 's police also told the semiofficial ISNA news agency that an `` Interpol red alert '' was issued for Tataloo following a request by Iran .
In response to an RFE/RL request for confirmation , the Interpol neither confirmed nor denied the arrest .
`` Any arrest in a member country is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with national legislation .
In relation to your query , we would therefore advise you [ to ] contact the national authorities in the country where you believe such an arrest occurred , '' Interpol said in an emailed statement .
Police officials made the comments after the administrator of Tataloo 's social networks , Ronak , broke the news about his arrest on Instagram while warning that the singer could be `` handed over '' to Iran .
Ronak , who appears to be a woman whose actual identity is not known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purported to show the singer in handcuffs .
Tataloo , who has millions of followers on social media , campaigned for hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi during Iran ’ s last presidential elections .
Raisi later became the head of Iran 's judiciary .
The heavily tattooed singer was arrested at least twice in Iran in the past , including in 2013 for alleged cooperation with satellite channels .
Tataloo had been reportedly living in Turkey for the past several months .
His social media manager said the singer was planning to move to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to perform live in the coming days .
With reporting by ISNA and ILNA


rferl--2020-01-28--Detention Of Ethnic Pashtun Activist Triggers Protests In Pakistan, Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD/KABUL – Thousands of protesters have gathered in Pakistani and Afghan cities and towns to voice anger over the detention of an ethnic Pashtun rights activist in Pakistan .
Manzoor Pashteen , the leader of a civic rights group that has criticized the Pakistani military 's operations in the northwestern tribal regions , was detained in the city of Peshawar , and a court rejected his bail application on January 28 .
The leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement ( PTM ) is accused of sedition , hate speech , incitement against the state , and criminal conspiracy .
Protesters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in northwestern Pakistan to call for Pashteen ’ s release .
Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir , who are lawmakers and PTM members , were among those detained during the demonstration outside the National Press Club in the capital .
Pashteen ’ s detention also sparked protests outside the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul , as well as in seven provinces in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan : Nangarhar , Kunar , Logar , Bamyan , Khost , Uruzgan , and Kandahar .
President Ashraf Ghani expressed concerns over Pashteen ’ s detention and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and encourage peaceful civilian movements for justice and must avoid any means of force and violence against these movements . ''
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry reacted by calling Ghani 's comments `` a clear interference in Pakistan ’ s internal affairs and hence , unwarranted . ''
Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) also urged Pakistani authorities to release Pashteen and drop the charges against the activist , saying that `` using criminal laws to chill free expression and political opposition has no place in a democracy . ''
The activist had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly , '' according to Amnesty International .
The PTM has campaigned for civil rights for ethnic Pashtuns since 2018 .
The group has attracted tens of thousands of people out to public rallies to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army 's heavy-handed operations in the militancy-hit tribal regions and the military 's alleged connection with Islamist militants .

ISLAMABAD/KABUL – Thousands of protesters have gathered in Pakistani and Afghan cities and towns to voice anger over the detention of an ethnic Pashtun rights activist in Pakistan.
Manzoor Pashteen, the leader of a civic rights group that has criticized the Pakistani military's operations in the northwestern tribal regions, was detained in the city of Peshawar, and a court rejected his bail application on January 28.
The leader of the Pashtun Protection Movement (PTM) is accused of sedition, hate speech, incitement against the state, and criminal conspiracy.
Protesters rallied in Islamabad, Karachi, and in northwestern Pakistan to call for Pashteen’s release. Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir, who are lawmakers and PTM members, were among those detained during the demonstration outside the National Press Club in the capital.
Pashteen’s detention also sparked protests outside the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul, as well as in seven provinces in eastern and southeastern Afghanistan: Nangarhar, Kunar, Logar, Bamyan, Khost, Uruzgan, and Kandahar.
President Ashraf Ghani expressed concerns over Pashteen’s detention and said governments in the region "must support and encourage peaceful civilian movements for justice and must avoid any means of force and violence against these movements."
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry reacted by calling Ghani's comments "a clear interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs and hence, unwarranted."
Human Rights Watch (HRW) also urged Pakistani authorities to release Pashteen and drop the charges against the activist, saying that "using criminal laws to chill free expression and political opposition has no place in a democracy."
The activist had been "arbitrarily detained for exercising his human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly," according to Amnesty International.
The PTM has campaigned for civil rights for ethnic Pashtuns since 2018. The group has attracted tens of thousands of people out to public rallies to denounce the powerful Pakistani Army's heavy-handed operations in the militancy-hit tribal regions and the military's alleged connection with Islamist militants.


rferl--2020-01-28--Russia Ramps Up Safety Measures Over Coronavirus Fears

The mayor of Moscow says special safety measures have been put in place at hotels and tourist sites due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak in China .
`` We have taken special control of hotels and other places where tourists gather en masse .
When alarming signs appear , emergency medical teams will be sent to carry out a thorough examination , '' Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his website on January 28 .
The announcement comes a day after Dmitry Gorin of the Association of Russian Tour Operators said Russian tour operators had stopped selling package holidays to China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus rose to 106 in China with more than 4,500 cases confirmed .
The new virus has spread across China and to at least 16 countries .
Russia , which shares a 4,300-kilometer border with China , has not had any confirmed cases so far .
As governments scrambled to control the spread of the virus , three regions in Russia 's Far East closed their borders with China until February 7 , TASS quoted the governor of the Khabarovsk region as saying .
The closures affect crossings in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the news agency reported .
Meanwhile , the Russian Embassy in Beijing advised citizens studying in Chinese universities who are currently home for the holidays to return to China only after the country ’ s authorities officially announce the start of the next semester .
Chinese authorities have prolonged the winter break due to the virus outbreak .
With reporting by Reuters and TASS

The mayor of Moscow says special safety measures have been put in place at hotels and tourist sites due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak in China.
"We have taken special control of hotels and other places where tourists gather en masse. When alarming signs appear, emergency medical teams will be sent to carry out a thorough examination," Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his website on January 28.
The announcement comes a day after Dmitry Gorin of the Association of Russian Tour Operators said Russian tour operators had stopped selling package holidays to China.
The death toll from the flu-like virus rose to 106 in China with more than 4,500 cases confirmed. The new virus has spread across China and to at least 16 countries. Russia, which shares a 4,300-kilometer border with China, has not had any confirmed cases so far.
As governments scrambled to control the spread of the virus, three regions in Russia's Far East closed their borders with China until February 7, TASS quoted the governor of the Khabarovsk region as saying.
The closures affect crossings in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast and the Khabarovsk and Amur regions, the news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Beijing advised citizens studying in Chinese universities who are currently home for the holidays to return to China only after the country’s authorities officially announce the start of the next semester.
Chinese authorities have prolonged the winter break due to the virus outbreak.
With reporting by Reuters and TASS


rferl--2020-01-28--EU Expands Russia Sanctions List Linked To Aggression Toward Ukraine

BRUSSELS -- The European Union has added seven names to its list of people facing sanctions for undermining Ukraine ’ @ @ @ @ @ .
The sanctions list , which now consists of 177 individuals and 44 entities , @ @ @ @ @ control of Ukraine 's Crimea region in March 2014 and has grown over the following @ @ @ @ @ to back separatists in eastern Ukraine .
The EU General Affairs Council on January 28 @ @ @ @ @ the list for their involvement in the local “ elections ” organized by Crimea ’ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 .
They will have their assets frozen and be put under a visa ban @ @ @ @ @ Danilenko , Lidia Basova , and Yekaterina Pyrkova of Sevastopol ’ s municipal election committee @ @ @ @ @ Gotsanyuk , the head of the de facto Crimean government .
The three other targeted @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Nemtsev , and Yekaterina Altabayeva .
In March , the EU is expected to @ @ @ @ @ six months .

BRUSSELS -- The European Union has added seven names to its list of people facing sanctions for undermining Ukraine’s territorial integrity and independence.
The sanctions list, which now consists of 177 individuals and 44 entities, was established after Russia seized control of Ukraine's Crimea region in March 2014 and has grown over the following years as Moscow has continued to back separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The EU General Affairs Council on January 28 added the seven individuals to the list for their involvement in the local “elections” organized by Crimea’s Russian-imposed authorities in September 2019. They will have their assets frozen and be put under a visa ban.
The seven include Sergei Danilenko, Lidia Basova, and Yekaterina Pyrkova of Sevastopol’s municipal election committee, as well as Yuriy Gotsanyuk, the head of the de facto Crimean government. The three other targeted individuals are Mikhail Razvozhayev, Vladimir Nemtsev, and Yekaterina Altabayeva.
In March, the EU is expected to prolong its sanctions by another six months.


rferl--2020-01-28--U.S. Forces Recover Two Bodies From Plane Crash Site In Afghanistan

Helicopter-borne U.S. forces have recovered the remains of two personnel killed when a military communications aircraft went down in a Taliban-controlled area of Afghanistan 's Ghazni Province , the Pentagon has confirmed .
The Bombardier E-11A , used for military communications , went down in a snowy part of eastern Afghanistan on January 27 .
A Pentagon statement on January 28 said U.S. forces recovered what is believed to be the aircraft 's flight data recorder and that the cause of the crash is under investigation .
It said , however , that there were no indications the crash was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had earlier claimed that its fighters had shot down the craft .
The U.S. statement said the remains of the two crew members were found near the crash site and were `` treated with dignity and respect by the local Afghan community , in accordance with their culture . ''
`` Pending positive identification and in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy , the names of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete , '' said the statement , which added that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aircraft .
Earlier , Ghazni police chief Khaled Wardak said U.S. choppers landed at the site in the late afternoon and were reinforced by Afghan security forces on the ground during the operation .
Afghan forces trying to reach the wreckage clashed with militants and had previously been driven back by Taliban fighters , he added .
`` Following the removal of the bodies , our forces have moved back to their bases .
We do n't know where the foreigners have taken the bodies , '' Wardak said .
Nasir Ahmad Faqiri @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Ghazni , confirmed the operation , saying the Americans took at least two bodies from the scene .
Earlier on January 28 , coalition forces flew sorties over the site of the crashed jet with one aircraft firing flares as a crowd gathered nearby , according to witness reports .
Ghazni police spokesman Ahmad Khan Sirat confirmed the incident , adding that at least one person was killed in the fighting between Taliban and Afghan forces .
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said Afghan forces backed by U.S. military support tried to capture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Taliban fighters on the ground counted six bodies at the site of the crash .
Unidentified U.S. officials were quoted as saying the plane was carrying fewer than five people when it crashed .
The crash comes as the Taliban and United States have been in talks on ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan .
The two sides had been negotiating the deal for a year and were on the brink of an announcement in September 2019 when U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly declared the process `` dead , '' citing Taliban @ @ @ @ @ @ @ AFP