rferl--2020-08-02--Pompeo Says U.S. Firms 'Becoming Aware' Of Abuses In Xinjiang, Warns China On Iran Deal

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said American companies are “ becoming aware ” of human rights abuses in the Chinese province of Xinjiang as he reiterated his call for them to reconsider doing business there .
During an interview with Fox News on August 2 , he also said that the United States would soon take action against Chinese software companies and warned a Chinese trade deal with Iran would “ destabilize ” the Middle East .
Pompeo told Fox that Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps ( XPCC ) , which was sanctioned on July 31 by the Treasury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Western businesses , including U.S. companies .
Pompeo said XPCC was involved in cotton production .
“ I don ’ t think companies -- some brand names here in America -- want to be connected to what is taking place there , ” he told Fox .
The action freezes any U.S. assets of the company and officials , and prohibits Americans from doing business with them .
American clothing brands import significant amounts of cotton from China .
Pompeo accused the Chinese Communist Party of doing “ terrible , terrible things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Turkic ethnic group living in Xinjiang , including carrying out sterilizations and forced abortions .
He added that American companies are “ starting to become more aware ” of what is happening in Xinjiang and of the “ challenges this presents to their brand.
” “ I think all across the world for an awful long time we did n't recognize the threats posed to freedom , the authoritarian nature of the regime there , and so we let things go on that we should n't , ” he said .
The U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sanctions has put Chinese firms operating in Xinjiang “ on notice ” that they must change their behavior .
Pompeo ’ s comments come amid a deterioration of relations between the United States and China over a host of issues -- from human rights abuses , spying , and intellectual property theft to Beijing 's response to the coronavirus outbreak .
He told Fox News that President Donald Trump will “ take action in the coming days ” on Chinese software companies that are feeding data directly to the Beijing government , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He gave no further details .
Trump said on July 31 that he would soon issue an order for the popular social-media platform TikTok to be banned in the United States .
Turning to Iran , Pompeo denounced reports that Beijing and Tehran are close to signing a $ 400 billion economic and security deal .
He said United States sanctions against Iran would be applied to Chinese state firms , warning that Tehran ’ s access to money and weapons “ only compounds ” risks for the region .
“ I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see this for what it is .
China ’ s entry into Iran will destabilize the Middle East , ” he said .

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said American companies are “becoming aware” of human rights abuses in the Chinese province of Xinjiang as he reiterated his call for them to reconsider doing business there.
During an interview with Fox News on August 2, he also said that the United States would soon take action against Chinese software companies and warned a Chinese trade deal with Iran would “destabilize” the Middle East.
Pompeo told Fox that Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which was sanctioned on July 31 by the Treasury Department, had “deep connectivity” to Western businesses, including U.S. companies. Pompeo said XPCC was involved in cotton production.
“I don’t think companies -- some brand names here in America -- want to be connected to what is taking place there,” he told Fox.
The action freezes any U.S. assets of the company and officials, and prohibits Americans from doing business with them. American clothing brands import significant amounts of cotton from China.
Pompeo accused the Chinese Communist Party of doing “terrible, terrible things” to the Uyghurs, the Muslim Turkic ethnic group living in Xinjiang, including carrying out sterilizations and forced abortions.
He added that American companies are “starting to become more aware” of what is happening in Xinjiang and of the “challenges this presents to their brand.”
“I think all across the world for an awful long time we didn't recognize the threats posed to freedom, the authoritarian nature of the regime there, and so we let things go on that we shouldn't,” he said.
The U.S. secretary of state said the latest rounds of sanctions has put Chinese firms operating in Xinjiang “on notice” that they must change their behavior.
Pompeo’s comments come amid a deterioration of relations between the United States and China over a host of issues -- from human rights abuses, spying, and intellectual property theft to Beijing's response to the coronavirus outbreak.
He told Fox News that President Donald Trump will “take action in the coming days” on Chinese software companies that are feeding data directly to the Beijing government, posing a risk to U.S. national security.
He gave no further details.
Trump said on July 31 that he would soon issue an order for the popular social-media platform TikTok to be banned in the United States.
Turning to Iran, Pompeo denounced reports that Beijing and Tehran are close to signing a $400 billion economic and security deal.
He said United States sanctions against Iran would be applied to Chinese state firms, warning that Tehran’s access to money and weapons “only compounds” risks for the region.
“I think countries in the Middle East should see this for what it is. China’s entry into Iran will destabilize the Middle East,” he said.


rferl--2020-08-02--Belarusian President Lukashenka To Address Nation Days Before Toughest Reelection Bid

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka will deliver his state-of-the-union address on August 4 , just days before his toughest reelection bid @ @ @ @ @ than a quarter century ago .
Lukashenka will deliver his address in parliament after its @ @ @ @ @ earlier to discuss key national issues , his press spokeswoman Natalya Eismont said .
The @ @ @ @ @ deliver his address in parliament in April but postponed it amid the coronavirus outbreak .
@ @ @ @ @ opponents mounted a growing challenge to his long rule , Lukashenka called an extraordinary meeting @ @ @ @ @ .
Lukashenka has ruled Belarus since 1994 but opposition to a sixth term has been @ @ @ @ @ thousands of people attending opposition rallies over the last few weeks .
With reporting by @ @ @

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka will deliver his state-of-the-union address on August 4, just days before his toughest reelection bid since coming to power more than a quarter century ago.
Lukashenka will deliver his address in parliament after its two chambers meet a day earlier to discuss key national issues, his press spokeswoman Natalya Eismont said.
The president was initially scheduled to deliver his address in parliament in April but postponed it amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Last week, as political opponents mounted a growing challenge to his long rule, Lukashenka called an extraordinary meeting of parliament for August 3.
Belarus will hold presidential elections on August 9.
Lukashenka has ruled Belarus since 1994 but opposition to a sixth term has been growing, with tens of thousands of people attending opposition rallies over the last few weeks.
With reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-08-02--COVID-19: Kosovar Prime Minister Tests Positive; Iran Sees Most New Infections In Nearly A Month

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 687,000 , with nearly 18 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has tested positive for COVID-19 , the latest world leader or official to catch the potentially deadly illness .
Avdullah said on August 2 that he has a mild cough but no other signs of symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19 .
`` From tonight , I will be in isolation for the next two weeks .
I will perform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added in a Facebook post .
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , Brasil 's President Jair Bolsonaro , and Prince Albert II of Monaco are among the other leaders and officials who have contracted COVID-19 .
There have been nearly 18 million registered cases of COVID-19 worldwide with nearly 700,000 people succumbing to the illness .
Many of those who have died from the coronavirus had underlying health conditions or were elderly .
Kosovo has experienced an increase in cases and deaths over the past four days , with more than 953 new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said on August 2 that the latest one-day rise in confirmed coronavirus infections there was the highest in nearly a month .
Home to the Middle East 's worst COVID-19 outbreak after the pathogen emerged in central China late last year , Iran has seen a gradual return of cases in the holy city of Qom and other population centers that were hard hit in the initial stages of the pandemic .
AFP quoted Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari as saying 2,685 people had tested positive for the virus in the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ July 8 .
She called the epidemiological situation `` concerning '' in 25 of Iran 's 31 provinces .
Iran has the ninth-most infections of any country at more than 306,000 .
The resulting disease , COVID-19 , has killed nearly 17,000 Iranians , the 10th-highest death toll in the world .
Iranian media also reported that 79-year-old filmmaker Khosro Sinai had died of the virus on August 1 .
Sinai , perhaps best-known for his film Long Live , was the first Iranian film director to win an international prize after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local outbreak taking a worrisome trajectory , Iran 's main stock exchange eclipsed the 2-million-point mark for the first time in its history on August 2 , according to local media .
Analysts warn that the Tehran Stock Exchange 's stubborn rise risks leaving investors exposed to a market bubble , AFP said , against a backdrop of slumping economic indicators and exchange-rate woes from the coronavirus outbreak and pressures from U.S. sanctions .
Iran 's clerical leadership has been encouraging Iranians to invest in local stocks to boost the economy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and AFP

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 687,000, with nearly 18 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Kosovo
Kosovar Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti has tested positive for COVID-19, the latest world leader or official to catch the potentially deadly illness.
Avdullah said on August 2 that he has a mild cough but no other signs of symptoms commonly associated with COVID-19.
"From tonight, I will be in isolation for the next two weeks. I will perform my obligations from home," he added in a Facebook post.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Brasil's President Jair Bolsonaro, and Prince Albert II of Monaco are among the other leaders and officials who have contracted COVID-19.
There have been nearly 18 million registered cases of COVID-19 worldwide with nearly 700,000 people succumbing to the illness.
Many of those who have died from the coronavirus had underlying health conditions or were elderly.
Kosovo has experienced an increase in cases and deaths over the past four days, with more than 953 new cases and 53 fatalities.
Iran
Iranian officials said on August 2 that the latest one-day rise in confirmed coronavirus infections there was the highest in nearly a month.
Home to the Middle East's worst COVID-19 outbreak after the pathogen emerged in central China late last year, Iran has seen a gradual return of cases in the holy city of Qom and other population centers that were hard hit in the initial stages of the pandemic.
AFP quoted Health Ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari as saying 2,685 people had tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours, the highest count since July 8.
She called the epidemiological situation "concerning" in 25 of Iran's 31 provinces.
Iran has the ninth-most infections of any country at more than 306,000. The resulting disease, COVID-19, has killed nearly 17,000 Iranians, the 10th-highest death toll in the world.
Iranian media also reported that 79-year-old filmmaker Khosro Sinai had died of the virus on August 1.
Sinai, perhaps best-known for his film Long Live, was the first Iranian film director to win an international prize after the country's 1979 revolution.
Even with the local outbreak taking a worrisome trajectory, Iran's main stock exchange eclipsed the 2-million-point mark for the first time in its history on August 2, according to local media.
Analysts warn that the Tehran Stock Exchange's stubborn rise risks leaving investors exposed to a market bubble, AFP said, against a backdrop of slumping economic indicators and exchange-rate woes from the coronavirus outbreak and pressures from U.S. sanctions.
Iran's clerical leadership has been encouraging Iranians to invest in local stocks to boost the economy.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan Service and AFP


rferl--2020-08-02--Exiled Lukashenka Challenger Said To Leave Moscow For Kyiv

A critic of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka who last month fled the country along with his children after his and others ' candidacies were rejected for next week 's presidential election has reportedly left Russia for neighboring Ukraine .
A spokesman for Valer Tsapkala said on August 2 that the 55-year-old politician and founder of a prominent high-tech park in Minsk -- who was seen by some as a serious challenger to the 26-year incumbent Lukashenka -- was on his way from Moscow to Kyiv .
The spokesman , Alyaksey Urban , did not provide details or say why Tsapkala @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imminent arrest , preferred the Ukrainian capital to Russia .
The announcement comes seven days before Belarus 's August 9 vote , which has already been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protest .
Add to that a fresh accusation by Lukashenka that Russian mercenaries were detained while purportedly trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election , and it shapes up as one of the most alarmingly volatile elections of Lukashenka 's authoritarian tenure .
More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began , including politicians , organizers , and journalists .
Human rights groups and other critics have accused Belarusian authorities of fostering an atmosphere of `` fear and intimidation '' ahead of the vote , including by banning independent observers from polling stations and threatening to deploy troops to put down any protests .
Officials have barred aspiring candidates like Tsapkala and popular vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski , whose wife , Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya , entered the race after her husband was jailed following his announcement that he would also seek the presidency .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ support of Tsikhanouskaya amid mounting public opposition to Lukashenka 's sixth term in office , with the biggest of the demonstrations attracting tens of thousands of people to Minsk ’ s Park of Peoples Friendship on July 30 .
The Central Election Commission dismissed Tsapkala 's application on July 14 after apparently rejecting around half of the 160,000 signatures that accompanied his application to run .
Tsapkala appeared on Russian TV 10 days later to say he 'd fled out of concern for his safety after prosecutors visited his children 's school and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to be arrested .
Tsapkala 's wife , Veranika , is reportedly still in Belarus .
Veranika Tsapkala , along with Maryya Kalesnikava , a coordinator of the campaign of another excluded presidential aspirant , former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka , joined forces to support Tsikhanouskaya , who unlike Tsapkala and Babaryka was registered as a presidential candidate .
Tsikhanouskaya reportedly sent her two children to an EU member state out of concern for their safety after receiving threats ahead of election .
Late last month , Tsapkala 's sister-in-law reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with accusations against Tsapkala by an obcure Turkish businessman that emerged after Tsapkala 's attempt to get on the ballot .
None of Lukashenka 's five electoral victories has ever been regarded as free or democratic by Western standards , and the 65-year-old former Soviet cooperative-farm director routinely jails political opponents , shuts dissent out of state-dominated media , and uses the state apparatus to keep close tabs on and punish perceived rivals or dissenters .
Belarusian authorities have tried to link Tsikhanouski and other jailed opposition politicians with a probe launched against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company Vagner who were detained and accused of trying to somehow affect the election .
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General 's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would ask Belarus to hand over 28 of the Vagner detainees on charges of fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine .
It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28 , although Moscow disputed that status .
Lukashenka said after a meeting with senior intelligence and investigative officials late on August 1 that while the Russians `` are certainly guilty ... these are soldiers .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We need to deal with those who ordered , who sent them here . ''
Moscow , which has been frustrated at an inability to implement a joint union agreement signed decades ago with Minsk , has dismissed any suggestion of interference in the election .

A critic of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka who last month fled the country along with his children after his and others' candidacies were rejected for next week's presidential election has reportedly left Russia for neighboring Ukraine.
A spokesman for Valer Tsapkala said on August 2 that the 55-year-old politician and founder of a prominent high-tech park in Minsk -- who was seen by some as a serious challenger to the 26-year incumbent Lukashenka -- was on his way from Moscow to Kyiv.
The spokesman, Alyaksey Urban, did not provide details or say why Tsapkala, who fled amid rumors of his imminent arrest, preferred the Ukrainian capital to Russia.
The announcement comes seven days before Belarus's August 9 vote, which has already been marred by dubious disqualifications and an unprecedented scale of detentions and other persecution against a backdrop of a pandemic and pro-democracy protest.
Add to that a fresh accusation by Lukashenka that Russian mercenaries were detained while purportedly trying to destabilize Belarus ahead of the election, and it shapes up as one of the most alarmingly volatile elections of Lukashenka's authoritarian tenure.
More than 1,100 people have been arrested since campaigning began, including politicians, organizers, and journalists.
Human rights groups and other critics have accused Belarusian authorities of fostering an atmosphere of "fear and intimidation" ahead of the vote, including by banning independent observers from polling stations and threatening to deploy troops to put down any protests.
Officials have barred aspiring candidates like Tsapkala and popular vlogger Syarhey Tsikhanouski, whose wife, Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, entered the race after her husband was jailed following his announcement that he would also seek the presidency.
Many Belarusians have turned out to rally in support of Tsikhanouskaya amid mounting public opposition to Lukashenka's sixth term in office, with the biggest of the demonstrations attracting tens of thousands of people to Minsk’s Park of Peoples Friendship on July 30.
The Central Election Commission dismissed Tsapkala's application on July 14 after apparently rejecting around half of the 160,000 signatures that accompanied his application to run.
Tsapkala appeared on Russian TV 10 days later to say he'd fled out of concern for his safety after prosecutors visited his children's school and "reliable sources" told him he was going to be arrested.
Tsapkala's wife, Veranika, is reportedly still in Belarus.
Veranika Tsapkala, along with Maryya Kalesnikava, a coordinator of the campaign of another excluded presidential aspirant, former Belgazprombank head Viktar Babaryka, joined forces to support Tsikhanouskaya, who unlike Tsapkala and Babaryka was registered as a presidential candidate.
Tsikhanouskaya reportedly sent her two children to an EU member state out of concern for their safety after receiving threats ahead of election.
Late last month, Tsapkala's sister-in-law reported being detained briefly for questioning in connection with accusations against Tsapkala by an obcure Turkish businessman that emerged after Tsapkala's attempt to get on the ballot.
None of Lukashenka's five electoral victories has ever been regarded as free or democratic by Western standards, and the 65-year-old former Soviet cooperative-farm director routinely jails political opponents, shuts dissent out of state-dominated media, and uses the state apparatus to keep close tabs on and punish perceived rivals or dissenters.
Belarusian authorities have tried to link Tsikhanouski and other jailed opposition politicians with a probe launched against 33 contractors from the private Russian military company Vagner who were detained and accused of trying to somehow affect the election.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office said on July 31 that Kyiv would ask Belarus to hand over 28 of the Vagner detainees on charges of fighting alongside Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. It said nine Ukrainian citizens are among the 28, although Moscow disputed that status.
Lukashenka said after a meeting with senior intelligence and investigative officials late on August 1 that while the Russians "are certainly guilty...these are soldiers. They were ordered [and] they went. We need to deal with those who ordered, who sent them here."
Moscow, which has been frustrated at an inability to implement a joint union agreement signed decades ago with Minsk, has dismissed any suggestion of interference in the election.


rferl--2020-08-03--Moscow Sisters Charged With Killing Father To Be Tried By Jury

The high-profile case of two sisters accused of killing their father in Moscow in 2018 will be tried by jury , a procedure allowed under Russian law in the case of serious crimes , a Moscow court announced on August 3 .
The Moscow City Court ruled that the selection of the jury for the trial of Krestina and Angelina Khachaturyan will start on August 31 .
The court also rejected the defense 's request to send the case back to prosecutors , and extended pretrial restrictions for the two sisters by another six months .
The restrictions include a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other and other participants in the case , and speaking to the media .
The court also backed the prosecution 's demand to ban the sisters from taking part in public events .
Investigators say that in July 2018 , Krestina , Angelina , and a third sister , Maria Khachaturyan -- then 19 , 18 , and 17 years old , respectively -- killed their father , Mikhail Khachaturyan , at their home on the outskirts of Moscow .
Material gathered by investigators included substantial evidence of regular sexual and physical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The case has attracted widespread attention from the Russian media and civil society and has pitted defenders of conservative values , backed by the Russian Orthodox Church , against women 's rights activists who have been calling for the introduction of legislation on domestic violence as a way to bring alleged perpetrators like Khachaturyan to justice and enable their victims to plead self-defense .
In early December , investigators finalized their indictment against the three sisters and sent it to the prosecutor ’ s office to prepare for trial .
Krestina , Angelina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it concluded , governed by “ a strong personal enmity toward their father ” due to continued physical and sexual abuse .
Later in December , Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktor Grin cited flaws in the investigation and asked officials to reclassify the sisters ’ actions as self-defense , which would pave the way for the women to be let free .
But earlier in July , according to the defense team , Grin confirmed the original murder charges in an apparent volte-face , meaning the case will almost certainly go to trial .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alleged crime took place , is set to be tried separately .
A medical evaluation following the killing found her mentally unsound at the time of the crime , and she was recommended for psychological treatment .
With reporting by TASS and Interfax

The high-profile case of two sisters accused of killing their father in Moscow in 2018 will be tried by jury, a procedure allowed under Russian law in the case of serious crimes, a Moscow court announced on August 3.
The Moscow City Court ruled that the selection of the jury for the trial of Krestina and Angelina Khachaturyan will start on August 31.
The court also rejected the defense's request to send the case back to prosecutors, and extended pretrial restrictions for the two sisters by another six months.
The restrictions include a ban on Internet use, communication with each other and other participants in the case, and speaking to the media. The court also backed the prosecution's demand to ban the sisters from taking part in public events.
Investigators say that in July 2018, Krestina, Angelina, and a third sister, Maria Khachaturyan -- then 19, 18, and 17 years old, respectively -- killed their father, Mikhail Khachaturyan, at their home on the outskirts of Moscow.
Material gathered by investigators included substantial evidence of regular sexual and physical abuse by Khachaturyan against his daughters.
The case has attracted widespread attention from the Russian media and civil society and has pitted defenders of conservative values, backed by the Russian Orthodox Church, against women's rights activists who have been calling for the introduction of legislation on domestic violence as a way to bring alleged perpetrators like Khachaturyan to justice and enable their victims to plead self-defense.
In early December, investigators finalized their indictment against the three sisters and sent it to the prosecutor’s office to prepare for trial. Krestina, Angelina, and Maria had acted with premeditation, it concluded, governed by “a strong personal enmity toward their father” due to continued physical and sexual abuse.
Later in December, Deputy Prosecutor-General Viktor Grin cited flaws in the investigation and asked officials to reclassify the sisters’ actions as self-defense, which would pave the way for the women to be let free.
But earlier in July, according to the defense team, Grin confirmed the original murder charges in an apparent volte-face, meaning the case will almost certainly go to trial.
Maria Khachaturyan, who was 17 when the alleged crime took place, is set to be tried separately. A medical evaluation following the killing found her mentally unsound at the time of the crime, and she was recommended for psychological treatment.
With reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-08-03--Kazakh Activist Picketing Chinese Consulate In Almaty Detained

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- Police in Kazakhstan 's largest city have detained an activist who was picketing the Chinese Consulate in protest to recent statements by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xiao about Chinese-Kazakh military cooperation .
Serik Azhibai protested in front of the Chinese Consulate building in Almaty on August 3 with a poster reading : `` Ambassadors bring reconciliation , enemies bring discord !
Get out of the country ! ''
Before police took him away , Azhibai said his action was in protest to an interview Zhang gave Chinese media last week in which , according to Azhibai , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ envoy said that China and Kazakhstan would send troops to each other 's territory to quash possible riots , if need be .
`` We are not a Chinese autonomous region .
We are a sovereign state , an independent nation ... .
Neither China nor any other state has the right to interfere in other countries ' internal affairs , '' Azhibai said .
A city official who arrived at the scene called Azhibai 's action illegal , although it is allowed to hold single-person pickets without advance permission from the local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kazakhs who picketed the consulate in Almaty for many months demanding the release of their relatives and other ethnic Kazakhs being held in custody in China 's northwestern Xinjiang region .
In the interview in question , Ambassador Zhang said the Chinese and Kazakh armed forces `` are decisively cracking down on the three evils , '' a Chinese media expression that refers to terrorism , extremism , and separatism .
Zhang also said in the interview that the two neighbors oppose `` colored revolutions '' in the region .
Anti-China protests in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequent in recent years challenged China 's growing presence in the economy of Kazakhstan and denounced widespread incarceration of the indigenous Turkic-speaking communities in Xinjiang , including Kazakhs and Uyghurs .
In April , Kazakhstan sent a note of protest to Beijing over an article on a Chinese website claiming that Central Asia 's largest economy was seeking to become part of China .
In August 2018 , the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in `` counterextremism centers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been forced into so-called `` reeducation camps . ''
China denies that the facilities are internment camps , but people who have fled the province say that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs , Uyghurs , and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing `` political indoctrination '' at a network of camps .
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs .
The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz , Tajiks , and Hui , also known as Dungans .
Han , China 's largest ethnicity , is the second-largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has imposed sanctions on current and former Xinjiang officials over the ongoing abuse of rights of the region 's indigenous ethnic groups .

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Police in Kazakhstan's largest city have detained an activist who was picketing the Chinese Consulate in protest to recent statements by Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xiao about Chinese-Kazakh military cooperation.
Serik Azhibai protested in front of the Chinese Consulate building in Almaty on August 3 with a poster reading: "Ambassadors bring reconciliation, enemies bring discord! Get out of the country!"
Before police took him away, Azhibai said his action was in protest to an interview Zhang gave Chinese media last week in which, according to Azhibai, who is fluent in Chinese, the envoy said that China and Kazakhstan would send troops to each other's territory to quash possible riots, if need be.
"We are not a Chinese autonomous region. We are a sovereign state, an independent nation.... Neither China nor any other state has the right to interfere in other countries' internal affairs," Azhibai said.
A city official who arrived at the scene called Azhibai's action illegal, although it is allowed to hold single-person pickets without advance permission from the local authorities.
Azhibai was one of many Kazakhs who picketed the consulate in Almaty for many months demanding the release of their relatives and other ethnic Kazakhs being held in custody in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.
In the interview in question, Ambassador Zhang said the Chinese and Kazakh armed forces "are decisively cracking down on the three evils," a Chinese media expression that refers to terrorism, extremism, and separatism.
Zhang also said in the interview that the two neighbors oppose "colored revolutions" in the region.
Anti-China protests in Kazakh towns and cities that have become frequent in recent years challenged China's growing presence in the economy of Kazakhstan and denounced widespread incarceration of the indigenous Turkic-speaking communities in Xinjiang, including Kazakhs and Uyghurs.
In April, Kazakhstan sent a note of protest to Beijing over an article on a Chinese website claiming that Central Asia's largest economy was seeking to become part of China.
In August 2018, the United Nations said an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and members of other indigenous ethnic groups in Xinjiang were being held in "counterextremism centers."
The UN said millions more had been forced into so-called "reeducation camps."
China denies that the facilities are internment camps, but people who have fled the province say that thousands of ethnic Kazakhs, Uyghurs, and other Muslims in Xinjiang are undergoing "political indoctrination" at a network of camps.
Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, is the second-largest community in Xinjiang.
The United States has imposed sanctions on current and former Xinjiang officials over the ongoing abuse of rights of the region's indigenous ethnic groups.


rferl--2020-08-03--COVID-19: 101-Year-Old Kyrgyz Man Recovers, Leaves Hospital

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 690,000 , with more than 18 million infections confirmed , causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness .
A 101-year-old Kyrgyz man has recovered from COVID-19 , the illness caused by the novel coronavirus , Health Minister Ainura Akmatova has said .
Akmatova said that the man , whose identity was not disclosed , was released from a hospital on August 3 along with a 80-year-old man , who also recovered from COVID-19 .
Akmatova also said that in the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been registered in the country , bringing the total number of the cases to 37,129 , including 1,420 deaths .
In Kazakhstan , dozens of vendors rallied in the capital , Nur-Sultan , on August 3 , demanding that city authorities allow them to resume their activity at the Artyom shopping mall .
Kazakhstan on July 29 extended its lockdown over the coronavirus for two more weeks until mid-August .
The vendors have also rejected a 42,000-tenge ( $ 100 ) relief sum offered by the government to compensate for the losses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is insufficient .
Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi had said that as of August 1 , Kazakhstan would start adding patients who died of acute pneumonia -- which is on the rise in the country -- to the COVID-19 death toll statistics .
However , on August 3 , he gave the numbers separately , saying that the total number of registered coronavirus cases was 92,662 , including 1,058 deaths , while the number of pneumonia cases registered in the country between January 1 and August 2 was 256,541 , including 4,042 deaths .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of pneumonia deaths in the country in the same period was 2,333 , almost 50 percent less than this year .
Serious concerns have been raised about the pneumonia data in Kazakhstan .
From July 1 to July 8 , Kazakhstan registered 56,809 cases of pneumonia -- on top of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
These pneumonia cases included `` common '' pneumonia -- viral ( 7,348 ) and bacterial ( 9,759 ) -- as well as 39,702 `` unspecified '' viral pneumonia cases that present a course of disease similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ministry .
In neighboring Uzbekistan , the Employment and Labor Ministry said on August 3 that unemployment in Central Asia 's most populous state had reached 13.2 percent since January .
According to the ministry , the unemployment rise in the country of 32 million was caused by restrictions imposed to slow down the pandemic .
Uzbek health authorities said that as of August 3 , the number of coronavirus cases in the country was 25,828 , including 155 deaths .
In Tajikistan , health authorities said on August 3 that over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ registered , bringing the total number to 7,495 , of whom 61 people died .
However , an investigative report by RFE/RL ’ s Tajik Service in June revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundred , including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated COVID-19 patients .
Turkmenistan is the only county in the region that has not registered a single coronavirus case , but RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms , some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died .
In Ashgabat , the capital , morgues release the bodies of people who officially died of pneumonia wrapped in plastic bags and covered with a chlorine-penetrated fabric , local residents who lost loved ones told RFE/RL .
In some parts of the country , quarantine-like zones have been established , and some factories are being shut down , RFE/RL correspondents report .
The leader of a World Health Organization mission , Catherine Smallwood , told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate `` critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan , as if COVID-19 was circulating . ''
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Kazakh , Kyrgyz , Tajik , Turkmen , and Uzbek services , and Theconversation.com

The global death toll from the coronavirus is more than 690,000, with more than 18 million infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the respiratory illness.
Here's a roundup of COVID-19 developments in RFE/RL's broadcast regions.
Central Asia
A 101-year-old Kyrgyz man has recovered from COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, Health Minister Ainura Akmatova has said.
Akmatova said that the man, whose identity was not disclosed, was released from a hospital on August 3 along with a 80-year-old man, who also recovered from COVID-19.
Akmatova also said that in the last 24 hours, 410 new coronavirus cases had been registered in the country, bringing the total number of the cases to 37,129, including 1,420 deaths.
In Kazakhstan, dozens of vendors rallied in the capital, Nur-Sultan, on August 3, demanding that city authorities allow them to resume their activity at the Artyom shopping mall.
Kazakhstan on July 29 extended its lockdown over the coronavirus for two more weeks until mid-August.
The vendors have also rejected a 42,000-tenge ($100) relief sum offered by the government to compensate for the losses caused by the lockdown, saying it is insufficient.
Health Minister Aleksei Tsoi had said that as of August 1, Kazakhstan would start adding patients who died of acute pneumonia -- which is on the rise in the country -- to the COVID-19 death toll statistics.
However, on August 3, he gave the numbers separately, saying that the total number of registered coronavirus cases was 92,662, including 1,058 deaths, while the number of pneumonia cases registered in the country between January 1 and August 2 was 256,541, including 4,042 deaths.
Tsoi added that last year, the number of pneumonia deaths in the country in the same period was 2,333, almost 50 percent less than this year.
Serious concerns have been raised about the pneumonia data in Kazakhstan. From July 1 to July 8, Kazakhstan registered 56,809 cases of pneumonia -- on top of the confirmed cases of COVID-19.
These pneumonia cases included "common" pneumonia -- viral (7,348) and bacterial (9,759) -- as well as 39,702 "unspecified" viral pneumonia cases that present a course of disease similar to COVID-19, according to the Health Ministry.
RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.
In neighboring Uzbekistan, the Employment and Labor Ministry said on August 3 that unemployment in Central Asia's most populous state had reached 13.2 percent since January.
According to the ministry, the unemployment rise in the country of 32 million was caused by restrictions imposed to slow down the pandemic.
Uzbek health authorities said that as of August 3, the number of coronavirus cases in the country was 25,828, including 155 deaths.
In Tajikistan, health authorities said on August 3 that over the weekend, 86 new coronavirus cases were registered, bringing the total number to 7,495, of whom 61 people died.
However, an investigative report by RFE/RL’s Tajik Service in June revealed that the real number of lethal cases of COVID-19 in the country might be several hundred, including dozens of physicians and nurses who treated COVID-19 patients.
Turkmenistan is the only county in the region that has not registered a single coronavirus case, but RFE/RL correspondents have reported that local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients with pneumonia symptoms, some of whom, including medical personnel, have died.
In Ashgabat, the capital, morgues release the bodies of people who officially died of pneumonia wrapped in plastic bags and covered with a chlorine-penetrated fabric, local residents who lost loved ones told RFE/RL.
In some parts of the country, quarantine-like zones have been established, and some factories are being shut down, RFE/RL correspondents report.
The leader of a World Health Organization mission, Catherine Smallwood, told a press conference in Ashgabat on July 15 that the mission had concerns about reports of pneumonia in the tightly controlled energy-rich country.
Smallwood advised the Turkmen government to activate "critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan, as if COVID-19 was circulating."
With reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, and Uzbek services, and Theconversation.com


rferl--2020-08-03--Belarus's Rubber-Stamp Parliament Opens Session Called By President Ahead Of Election

MINSK -- An extraordinary parliamentary session called by authoritarian Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has started in Minsk , just days ahead of an August 9 presidential poll .
Lukashenka 's spokeswoman , Natallya Eismant , said on August 2 that Lukashenka will address the parliament and the nation on August 4 .
Last week , as political opponents mounted a growing challenge to his decades-long rule , Lukashenka called an extraordinary meeting of parliament for August 3 .
He said he decided to push forward his address from its scheduled time in April because of the coronavirus pandemic .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the Council of the Republic was opened by Uladzimer Andreychanka , the chairman of the House , the parliament 's lower chamber .
`` On the basis of the constitution , the head of state [ Lukashenka ] decided to summon an extraordinary session ... to hear the president 's annual message to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly as well as discuss other issues , '' Andreychanka said .
Opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on July 28 that she had submitted a request to both of parliament 's chambers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the national television and radio corporation , to allow her to also address the nation and the parliament the same day as Lukashenka .
`` We are both presidential candidates , and according to [ the constitution 's ] Article 73 , all presidential candidates have equal rights and equal responsibilities .
We express our opinions , which must be taken into account by all , '' Tsikhanouskaya said .
It is unlikely that Tsikhanouskaya , who managed to gather tens of thousands of supporters at rallies in Minsk and other Belarusian towns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be allowed to address the lawmakers and the nation .
In practice , Belarus 's rubber-stamp National Assembly has little real power .
The system concentrates nearly all governing power in the hands of Lukashenka , who has ruled Belarus since 1994 .
Opposition to Lukashenka seeking a sixth term has been growing recently , with tens of thousands of people attending opposition rallies over the last few weeks .

MINSK -- An extraordinary parliamentary session called by authoritarian Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has started in Minsk, just days ahead of an August 9 presidential poll.
Lukashenka's spokeswoman, Natallya Eismant, said on August 2 that Lukashenka will address the parliament and the nation on August 4.
Last week, as political opponents mounted a growing challenge to his decades-long rule, Lukashenka called an extraordinary meeting of parliament for August 3.
He said he decided to push forward his address from its scheduled time in April because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The joint session of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic was opened by Uladzimer Andreychanka, the chairman of the House, the parliament's lower chamber.
"On the basis of the constitution, the head of state [Lukashenka] decided to summon an extraordinary session...to hear the president's annual message to the Belarusian people and the National Assembly as well as discuss other issues," Andreychanka said.
Opposition presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on July 28 that she had submitted a request to both of parliament's chambers, the Central Election Commission, and the national television and radio corporation, to allow her to also address the nation and the parliament the same day as Lukashenka.
"We are both presidential candidates, and according to [the constitution's] Article 73, all presidential candidates have equal rights and equal responsibilities. We express our opinions, which must be taken into account by all," Tsikhanouskaya said.
It is unlikely that Tsikhanouskaya, who managed to gather tens of thousands of supporters at rallies in Minsk and other Belarusian towns and cities in recent weeks, will be allowed to address the lawmakers and the nation.
In practice, Belarus's rubber-stamp National Assembly has little real power.
The system concentrates nearly all governing power in the hands of Lukashenka, who has ruled Belarus since 1994.
Opposition to Lukashenka seeking a sixth term has been growing recently, with tens of thousands of people attending opposition rallies over the last few weeks.
With reporting by BelTA


rferl--2020-08-03--One Dead In Fire At Power Station In Russian Arctic

A fire at a thermal power station in the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk has killed one person , local @ @ @ @ @ to the local branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry on August 3 , the fire @ @ @ @ @ that was under repair but was promptly contained and the incident did not affect the @ @ @ @ @ TETs-2 thermal power station is owned by a subsidiary of Nornickel , the world 's @ @ @ @ @ , which is owned by Russia 's richest man , Vladimir Potanin .
On May @ @ @ @ @ of diesel fuel spilled into a river and the Pyasino lake from the reservoir of @ @ @ @ @ , TETs-3 .
Russia 's ecological watchdog , Rosprirodnadzor , has estimated the damage from @ @ @ @ @ billion .
Last month , Norilsk Nickel reported that another 45 tons of fuel spilled @ @ @ @ @ the Arctic from its aviation fuel pipeline .
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax

A fire at a thermal power station in the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk has killed one person, local emergency officials said.
According to the local branch of the Emergency Situations Ministry on August 3, the fire broke out at a section that was under repair but was promptly contained and the incident did not affect the station's operations.
The TETs-2 thermal power station is owned by a subsidiary of Nornickel, the world's leading palladium and nickel producer, which is owned by Russia's richest man, Vladimir Potanin.
On May 29, some 21,000 tons of diesel fuel spilled into a river and the Pyasino lake from the reservoir of another Nornickel thermal power plant, TETs-3.
Russia's ecological watchdog, Rosprirodnadzor, has estimated the damage from the leakage at $2 billion.
Last month, Norilsk Nickel reported that another 45 tons of fuel spilled into the local waters in the Arctic from its aviation fuel pipeline.
Based on reporting by TASS and Interfax


rferl--2020-08-02--Afghan Troops Continue Mop-Up Operation After Apparent IS Attack On Prison

Afghan authorities say 29 people are dead following a bomb-and-gun attack on a major prison in the eastern Nangarhar Province , where security forces are continuing their search for additional suspects .
The militant group Islamic State ( IS ) has claimed responsibility for the attack , which continued into August 3 after starting in the early evening of the previous day and reportedly involved at least eight gunmen .
`` So far , 29 people have been killed in the incident -- including civilians , security forces , and prisoners -- and more than 50 others are injured , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the provincial governor , said .
He said that by the afternoon of August 3 , eight militants had been killed in addition to the 29 victims .
There were an unspecified number of inmates still missing , he added .
Security troops had cordoned off the area around the prison and were still searching for possible gunmen within the prison and a nearby plaza where militants might be hiding .
The Defense Ministry said the military 's chief of army staff , Yasin Zai , was on the scene and leading the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bomb outside the prison in the provincial capital of Jalalabad around 6 p.m. local time on August 2 , releasing some of the compound 's nearly 1,800 prisoners and sparking a gunbattle with security forces that raged through the night .
The fighting continued into August 3 as militants exchanged fire with security forces from buildings near the prison , according to an RFE/RL correspondent in Jalalabad .
The prison houses Taliban and IS prisoners , along with common criminals .
Officials initially said between 50 and 100 inmates escaped but that number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other forces recaptured 1,025 of them [ prisoners ] while they were trying the escape .
Four hundred and thirty detainees who were in prison [ were ] rescued .
Several prisoners were killed or wounded , '' spokesman Khogyani said in a written statement .
`` There are also several missing detainees .
We will share information about them later . ''
The surrounding residential area is one of high security , with the provincial governor 's office nearby .
IS claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghan special forces announced they had killed the intelligence chief of the IS group 's Afghan headquarters in Jalalabad .
The Taliban has denied responsibility for any of the most recent attacks .
The assault comes on the third and final day of a cease-fire between the Taliban and the Afghan government to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha .
President Ashraf Ghani and the Taliban have both indicated that intra-Afghan talks could begin immediately after the festival , as the United States presses for the start of long-awaited negotiations following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Taliban aimed at reducing U.S. troop numbers and encouraging direct peace talks .
A major hurdle in launching intra-Afghan talks is the completion of prisoner exchanges .
Over the three-day cease-fire weekend , Ghani said he had released an additional 500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture , bringing the total number of militants released to 4,600 out of the 5,000 pledged in the landmark agreement .
The Taliban says it has freed all 1,000 prisoners it had pledged in the agreement with Washington , and insists on its demand for the release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ list .
With reporting by AFP , AP , and Reuters

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--2020-08-04--Report: Iran Has Underreported COVID-19 Deaths

The Iranian government has drastically underreported data on coronavirus cases and deaths , according to state records secretly sent to the BBC .
The figures show nearly 42,000 people died with symptoms of COVID-19 , the disease caused by the coronavirus , through July 20 .
That compares with 14,405 deaths reported by the Health Ministry over the same time period , the British news agency reported August 3 .
The data , sent to the BBC by an anonymous source , include details of daily admissions to hospitals such as names , age , gender , symptoms , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also show any underlying conditions patients might have had .
The BBC said the data correspond to information it has about living and deceased patients .
Iran was one of the nations most impacted by the novel coronavirus early on in the pandemic and there have been lingering doubts about the accuracy of the data published by the government .
China is another country whose official coronavirus data has been questioned by observers .
The BBC said the information sent by the anonymous source reveals significantly lower daily numbers , suggesting they were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ BBC the reason for sharing the data was to “ shed light on truth ” and to end “ political games ” over the coronavirus pandemic .
The data show that the initial rise in deaths in early March was much steeper than official figures .
It also shows that by mid-March deaths were five times higher than the official figure .
The Health Ministry has said that the country 's reports to the World Health Organization regarding the number of coronavirus cases and deaths are `` transparent '' and `` far from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former MP and official at the Health Ministry as saying that the Iranian government was “ anxious and fearful of the truth ” when the coronavirus first hit Iran .
`` The government was afraid that the poor and the unemployed would take to the streets , ” said Nouroldin Pirmoazzen .
Iran already faced difficult economic conditions before the pandemic .
Sanctions that followed the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal have hurt the economy , and the country experienced anti-government protests in November that turned deadly .
Tensions between the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tense in January after a U.S. drone strike near Baghdad ’ s airport that killed Qasem Soleimani , a powerful commander of Iran 's Revolutionary Guards Corps .
Iran responded by firing on a civilian aircraft that its forces mistook as hostile .
The Kyiv-bound flight was struck by two missiles and crashed just after takeoff from Tehran ’ s main airport on January 8 , killing 176 people .
Based on reporting by the BBC

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--2020-08-03--Medvedev Says Migrants In Russia Committing More Crime As Unemployment Skyrockets

Dmitry Medvedev , the deputy chairman of Russia ’ s Security Council , said the nation ’ s migrants are committing more crimes amid mass unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Medvedev told a meeting of the Security Council on August 3 that about 40 percent of migrants in Russia lost their jobs during the pandemic .
“ This , of course , creates a breeding ground for the growth of crime , potentially , in this area , ” he said .
Russia ’ s Interior Ministry on July 25 accused migrants of “ egregious cases ” of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public order , and unauthorized mass protests .
Two days later , on July 27 , Russia 's Federal Security Service said it killed a Tajik migrant who it claims planned a terrorist attack in Moscow .
Most migrants in Russia come from Central Asia with many working in construction or cleaning city streets and buildings .
Russia banned the deportation of migrants at the end of April amid the pandemic .
Medvedev warned the state may tighten rules on immigration , including making companies more responsible for the actions of migrants they @ @

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said the nation’s migrants are committing more crimes amid mass unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Medvedev told a meeting of the Security Council on August 3 that about 40 percent of migrants in Russia lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“This, of course, creates a breeding ground for the growth of crime, potentially, in this area,” he said.
Russia’s Interior Ministry on July 25 accused migrants of “egregious cases” of extremism, “gross violation” of public order, and unauthorized mass protests.
Two days later, on July 27, Russia's Federal Security Service said it killed a Tajik migrant who it claims planned a terrorist attack in Moscow.
Most migrants in Russia come from Central Asia with many working in construction or cleaning city streets and buildings.
Russia banned the deportation of migrants at the end of April amid the pandemic.
Medvedev warned the state may tighten rules on immigration, including making companies more responsible for the actions of migrants they hire.
Reporting by TASS and Kommersant


rferl--2020-08-03--Report: Russians Suspected Of Hacking Former U.K. Trade Minister’s E-Mail Ahead Of Elections

Russians are suspected of hacking into a former British trade minister ’ s e-mail and leaking classified U.S.-U.K. trade documents ahead of Britain 's 2019 elections , Reuters reported on August 3 .
Reuters said the hack of Liam Fox 's account -- which has not been previously reported -- and subsequent leak of the documents is one of the most direct examples of suspected Russian attempts to meddle in British politics .
The hackers accessed Fox ’ s account multiple times between July 12 and October 21 last year , Reuters said , citing two unidentified British sources with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack resembled a state-backed operation , the sources said .
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment .
A British government spokeswoman declined to comment because there is an ongoing criminal investigation .
The hackers stole six tranches of documents detailing British trade negotiations with the United States that were later disseminated online .
Britain 's opposition Labour Party used the leaked documents to attack the ruling party ahead of the 2019 elections .
The Labour Party said the documents showed a government plot to sell the National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an accusation Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly denied .
A British parliamentary report released last month found that Moscow had tried to influence a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014 , and that Britain 's government had failed to adequately investigate possible Russian attempts to sway the 2016 vote on Brexit .
Fox , who is still a member of parliament , stood down as trade minister on July 24 last year in a cabinet reshuffle .

Russians are suspected of hacking into a former British trade minister’s e-mail and leaking classified U.S.-U.K. trade documents ahead of Britain's 2019 elections, Reuters reported on August 3.
Reuters said the hack of Liam Fox's account -- which has not been previously reported -- and subsequent leak of the documents is one of the most direct examples of suspected Russian attempts to meddle in British politics.
The hackers accessed Fox’s account multiple times between July 12 and October 21 last year, Reuters said, citing two unidentified British sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The attack resembled a state-backed operation, the sources said.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. A British government spokeswoman declined to comment because there is an ongoing criminal investigation.
The hackers stole six tranches of documents detailing British trade negotiations with the United States that were later disseminated online.
Britain's opposition Labour Party used the leaked documents to attack the ruling party ahead of the 2019 elections.
The Labour Party said the documents showed a government plot to sell the National Health Service to the United States, an accusation Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly denied.
A British parliamentary report released last month found that Moscow had tried to influence a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014, and that Britain's government had failed to adequately investigate possible Russian attempts to sway the 2016 vote on Brexit.
Fox, who is still a member of parliament, stood down as trade minister on July 24 last year in a cabinet reshuffle.
Based on reporting by Reuters


rferl--2020-08-03--Kazakh Activist Charged With Assaulting Police Officer Goes On Trial

ALMATY , Kazakhstan -- Kazakh civil rights activist Asya Tulesova has gone on trial on charges of assaulting and verbally insulting police during an unsanctioned rally in Almaty in June .
The Medeu district court in the Central Asian nation 's largest city , Almaty , on August 3 opened the trial via video link due to coronavirus restrictions .
Tulesova , 36 , was arrested two days after she took part in an unsanctioned demonstration on June 6 .
Investigators say that Tulesova knocked off a police officer 's hat , when law enforcement officers were using force while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almaty .
She faces up to three years in prison if convicted .
Police in Kazakhstan detained more than 100 protesters on June 6 in response to separate calls from two opposition groups , the unregistered Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and the banned Democratic Movement of Kazakhstan , for nationwide peaceful gatherings .
Tulesova 's lawyers called her pretrial detention unlawful , saying that Kazakh criminal-procedure law envisages pretrial detention only in cases in which the charges carry a minimum five-year sentence .
In April 2019 , Tulesova , known for her civic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notoriety in the country for holding up a banner during the Almaty marathon with the words , `` You ca n't run from the truth . ''
She and her friend Beibarys Tolymbekov were later sentenced to 15 days in jail at that time for violating Kazakhstan 's restrictive public-assembly law .
Human Rights Watch has urged Kazakh authorities to drop all charges against Tulesova and immediately release her from custody .

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Kazakh civil rights activist Asya Tulesova has gone on trial on charges of assaulting and verbally insulting police during an unsanctioned rally in Almaty in June.
The Medeu district court in the Central Asian nation's largest city, Almaty, on August 3 opened the trial via video link due to coronavirus restrictions.
Tulesova, 36, was arrested two days after she took part in an unsanctioned demonstration on June 6.
Investigators say that Tulesova knocked off a police officer's hat, when law enforcement officers were using force while detaining protesters at an unsanctioned rally in Almaty.
She faces up to three years in prison if convicted.
Police in Kazakhstan detained more than 100 protesters on June 6 in response to separate calls from two opposition groups, the unregistered Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and the banned Democratic Movement of Kazakhstan, for nationwide peaceful gatherings.
Tulesova's lawyers called her pretrial detention unlawful, saying that Kazakh criminal-procedure law envisages pretrial detention only in cases in which the charges carry a minimum five-year sentence.
In April 2019, Tulesova, known for her civic engagement and environmental activism, gained broader notoriety in the country for holding up a banner during the Almaty marathon with the words, "You can't run from the truth."
She and her friend Beibarys Tolymbekov were later sentenced to 15 days in jail at that time for violating Kazakhstan's restrictive public-assembly law.
Human Rights Watch has urged Kazakh authorities to drop all charges against Tulesova and immediately release her from custody.


rferl--2020-08-03--Serbian Parliament Sworn In After Election Largely Boycotted By Opposition

Serbia ’ s newly elected parliament was sworn in on August 3 in Belgrade amid a noisy protest in front of the parliament building and claims that the election that put them into power was rigged .
The swearing-in of the 250 members of parliament sets the clock ticking on a 90-day period in which they must form a new government .
Lawmakers wore masks and maintained social-distancing guidelines designed to control the spread of the coronavirus as the swearing-in ceremony took place .
The populist Serbian Progressive Party ( SNS ) of President Aleksandar Vucic dominates the parliament with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Socialist Party ( SPS ) , an SNS ally , forms the next largest bloc with 32 members .
The new Serbian Patriotic Alliance ( SPAS ) has 11 deputies and has expressed interest in joining a ruling majority .
Another four minority parties are represented with a total of 19 seats .
Parliamentarians were greeted by a protest of several dozen people , who booed and chanted “ thieves ” and “ betrayal '' as lawmakers arrived .
Some of them threw eggs and tomatoes toward the building .
Police sealed off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the assembly to prevent a repeat of violent protests that took place last month against Vucic , the outcome of the June 21 election , and the government ’ s response to a resurgence of the coronavirus in Serbia .
Critics and rights groups accuse the president of trampling over Serbia 's democracy by exercising an outsized influence over state institutions and the media .
The opposition has also complained about the lack of free and fair voting conditions and a danger to public health amid the COVID-19 pandemic .
Serbia 's main @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they say is Vucic 's increasingly autocratic rule over the country , which is seeking membership in the European Union .
Sasa Radulovic , the leader of the Enough Is Enough ( DJB ) party , which took part in the election but failed to win enough votes to be represented in the new parliament , participated in the protest and called for the annulment of the results and a new election .
He accused the government of falsifying electoral reports at polling stations .
Radulovic claimed to have proof of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also raised “ false election results ” and said as of August 3 Serbia “ officially has no parliament ” because the 250 new parliamentarians were not elected legally .
Vucic has repeatedly denied interfering in the vote , saying his opponents are crying foul because they have little popular support .
Vucic was elected to a five-year term in April 2017 and did not run in the June 21 election .
But he dominated the campaign through the mainstream media , which he controls .
With reporting by AP and AFP

Serbia’s newly elected parliament was sworn in on August 3 in Belgrade amid a noisy protest in front of the parliament building and claims that the election that put them into power was rigged.
The swearing-in of the 250 members of parliament sets the clock ticking on a 90-day period in which they must form a new government. Lawmakers wore masks and maintained social-distancing guidelines designed to control the spread of the coronavirus as the swearing-in ceremony took place.
The populist Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of President Aleksandar Vucic dominates the parliament with a majority of 188 seats. The Socialist Party (SPS), an SNS ally, forms the next largest bloc with 32 members.
The new Serbian Patriotic Alliance (SPAS) has 11 deputies and has expressed interest in joining a ruling majority. Another four minority parties are represented with a total of 19 seats.
Parliamentarians were greeted by a protest of several dozen people, who booed and chanted “thieves” and “betrayal" as lawmakers arrived. Some of them threw eggs and tomatoes toward the building.
Police sealed off much of the area in front of the assembly to prevent a repeat of violent protests that took place last month against Vucic, the outcome of the June 21 election, and the government’s response to a resurgence of the coronavirus in Serbia.
Critics and rights groups accuse the president of trampling over Serbia's democracy by exercising an outsized influence over state institutions and the media.
The opposition has also complained about the lack of free and fair voting conditions and a danger to public health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Serbia's main opposition parties boycotted the vote, decrying what they say is Vucic's increasingly autocratic rule over the country, which is seeking membership in the European Union.
Sasa Radulovic, the leader of the Enough Is Enough (DJB) party, which took part in the election but failed to win enough votes to be represented in the new parliament, participated in the protest and called for the annulment of the results and a new election. He accused the government of falsifying electoral reports at polling stations. Radulovic claimed to have proof of the wrongdoing.
The United Opposition of Serbia also raised “false election results” and said as of August 3 Serbia “officially has no parliament” because the 250 new parliamentarians were not elected legally.
Vucic has repeatedly denied interfering in the vote, saying his opponents are crying foul because they have little popular support.
Vucic was elected to a five-year term in April 2017 and did not run in the June 21 election. But he dominated the campaign through the mainstream media, which he controls.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-08-03--Kyiv Police Detain Man With Explosives Who Took Hostage In Bank

KYIV -- Ukrainian police have detained a man who held a woman hostage in a Kyiv bank for hours , threatening to detonate an explosive device that he said was in his backpack .
Police managed to detain the man after allowing him to talk to journalists inside Kyiv 's Universal Bank .
Officials confirmed after the man was detained that he did in fact have explosives .
The man said that he is `` a holy spirit '' and `` ordered '' to `` arrest all presidents of the world . ''
It was Ukraine 's third hostage incident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ such incident , a man in Ukraine ’ s northwestern city of Lutsk on July 21 held 13 people hostage inside a bus with a firearm and explosives for 12 hours before he was apprehended by security forces .
The perpetrator was later identified as 44-year-old Maksym Kryvosh , a native of the city of Dubno and a resident of Lutsk .
According to the police , Kryvosh ranted against `` the system '' in his negotiations , called Ukraine 's businesspeople and officials `` terrorists , '' and demanded that people watch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suffering endured by animals at farms , research labs , and other locations .
In response , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted a short video on Facebook recommending that people watch the documentary .
The video was removed from Facebook right after Kryvosh was detained .
Nobody was hurt in the 12-hour ordeal .
A few days later , a criminal suspect brandishing a hand grenade forced a senior police officer to drive him for hours through the countryside , chased by police .
More than six hours after the pursuit began , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ car and fled into a forest .
Authorities located that suspect a week later and shot him dead on August 1 , state media reported .
With reporting by AP , Reuters , and dpa

KYIV -- Ukrainian police have detained a man who held a woman hostage in a Kyiv bank for hours, threatening to detonate an explosive device that he said was in his backpack.
Police managed to detain the man after allowing him to talk to journalists inside Kyiv's Universal Bank. Officials confirmed after the man was detained that he did in fact have explosives.
Deputy Interior Minister Anton Herashchenko identified the perpetrator as Suhrob Karimov, a 32-year-old Uzbek citizen.
The man said that he is "a holy spirit" and "ordered" to "arrest all presidents of the world."
It was Ukraine's third hostage incident in recent weeks.
In the first such incident, a man in Ukraine’s northwestern city of Lutsk on July 21 held 13 people hostage inside a bus with a firearm and explosives for 12 hours before he was apprehended by security forces.
The perpetrator was later identified as 44-year-old Maksym Kryvosh, a native of the city of Dubno and a resident of Lutsk.
According to the police, Kryvosh ranted against "the system" in his negotiations, called Ukraine's businesspeople and officials "terrorists," and demanded that people watch the 2005 documentary film Earthlings about the suffering endured by animals at farms, research labs, and other locations.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted a short video on Facebook recommending that people watch the documentary. The video was removed from Facebook right after Kryvosh was detained. Nobody was hurt in the 12-hour ordeal.
A few days later, a criminal suspect brandishing a hand grenade forced a senior police officer to drive him for hours through the countryside, chased by police.
More than six hours after the pursuit began, the man left his hostage in the car and fled into a forest. Authorities located that suspect a week later and shot him dead on August 1, state media reported.
With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa


rferl--2020-08-02--Afghan Prison Attack Leaves At Least 39 Dead As Hundreds Of Prisoners Escape

An attack by Islamic State ( IS ) militants on a prison in Afghanistan 's eastern Nangarhar Province has left at least 39 people dead as violence continues in the war-torn nation .
Civilians , security forces , prisoners , and militants were among those killed in the assault , Afghan officials said on August 3 .
The death toll includes at least 10 militants .
IS claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq news agency .
The assault began on August 2 when the IS militants detonated a car bomb outside the prison in the provincial capital of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then proceeded to storm it , sparking a gun battle with security forces that raged through the night .
The militants released some of the compound 's nearly 1,800 prisoners , which include Taliban and IS members , along with common criminals .
The fighting continued into August 3 as militants exchanged fire with security forces from buildings near the prison , according to an RFE/RL correspondent in Jalalabad .
Afghan officials announced later in the day that the attack was over but said many prisoners were still on the loose .
Officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ escaped but that number was revised dramatically upward to more than 300 .
The surrounding residential area is one of high security , with the provincial governor 's office nearby .
The attack came one day after Afghan special forces announced they had killed Assadullah Orakzai , the intelligence chief of IS 's Afghan headquarters in Jalalabad .
The IS affiliate in Afghanistan has suffered heavy losses over the past year but could still undermine the nation ’ s troubled peace process through continued attacks , analysts have said .
The U.S. military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the IS affiliate “ remains a threat to Afghanistan , the U.S. , NATO allies , and our partners ” despite being flushed out of Nangarhar and Kunar provinces .
Meanwhile , the UN warned in a recent report that IS remains capable of high-profile attacks and hopes to recruit more fighters from among opponents of a deal between the United States and Taliban militants , who have long battled against Kabul 's authority .
The U.S.-Taliban deal , signed in February , is aimed at reducing U.S. troop numbers and encouraging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Afghan government .
However , Taliban militants have continued to carry out attacks to disrupt the talks , with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani saying on July 28 that more than 10,000 government troops had been killed or wounded since February .
The August 2 IS assault came on the third and final day of a cease-fire between the Taliban and the Afghan government to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha .
Ghani and the Taliban have both indicated that intra-Afghan talks could begin immediately after the festival .
With reporting by @ @ @ @ @ @


rferl--2020-08-04--Iranian State TV Reports Fire At Iranian Industrial Area Near Tehran

Iran 's state television reports that a fire broke out at an Iranian industrial area to the east of Tehran @ @ @ @ @ 4 .
The fire was in the Jajrud District of Pardis County in the eastern @ @ @ @ @ It is the latest in a string of fires and explosions in Iran -- including @ @ @ @ @ Iranian state TV said there were no immediate reports of casualties from the fire .
@ @ @ @ @ dispatched and were still trying to extinguish the blaze on the afternoon of August 4 @ @ @ @ @ Reuters and Iranian state TV