rferl--2020-01-11--UN Approves Syrian Aid Effort, Scaled Back To Appease Russia

The United Nations has renewed a six-year-long cross-border aid operation to Syrian civilians , but the scale of the effort was significantly reduced to avoid another veto by Russia .
The 15-member Security Council on January 10 voted to allow cross-border deliveries to continue from two sites in Turkey , but it eliminated crossing points from Iraq and Jordan .
The effort was also renewed for only six months instead of the usual one year .
The UN and aid groups have since 2014 crossed into Syria from Turkey , Iraq , and Jordan at four places in a program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia and China abstained from the vote .
The United States and Britain also abstained , expressing anger over the reduced scale of the operation , which had been scheduled to expire at the end of the day on January 10 .
The 11 other Council members voted for the extension .
The UN estimated that 2.7 million people in northwestern Syria and 1.3 million in the northeast relied on assistance from the cross-border operations .
The Syrian government has not consented to the deliveries .
Syrian government forces have launched an offensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stronghold of antigovernment forces and extremist fighters mixed among some 3 million civilians .
The UN has warned of the heightening risk of a humanitarian disaster along the Turkish border .
Karen Pierce , Britain 's UN ambassador , accused Russia of politicizing the issue and said before the vote that authorizing only two crossing points for six months was `` an inadequate response to the situation on the ground . ''
`` There are some 1.8 million people at risk in the northeast if we do n't find a way to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can imagine how dire the situation becomes , '' Pierce told reporters .
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia rejected her comments , saying the situation had changed dramatically and that Security Council action should reflect that .
`` All these cries about imminent catastrophe , disaster , which the northeast faces if we close one cross-border point is totally irrelevant because humanitarian assistance to that region is coming from within Syria , '' he told reporters ahead of the vote .
The UN has said it has no alternative to the cross-border operation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' because the area is largely controlled by the Syrian government , a close ally of Russia .
Moscow argues that aid is being delivered at a sufficent level by the Syrian government .
Russia and China last month vetoed a draft resolution that would have authorized three crossing points for one year .
It was Russia 's 14th UN Security Council veto since the start of the Syrian conflict .
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the veto as `` shameful '' and told Moscow and Beijing that `` you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , along with Iran , has provided crucial support for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country ’ s civil war , which broke out after a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011 .
The United States and Turkey support differing rebel groups in Syria , while terror groups , including those linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda , have become involved in the fighting , which has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced million since the start of the war .
With reporting by Reuters , AP @ @ @ @ @

The United Nations has renewed a six-year-long cross-border aid operation to Syrian civilians, but the scale of the effort was significantly reduced to avoid another veto by Russia.
The 15-member Security Council on January 10 voted to allow cross-border deliveries to continue from two sites in Turkey, but it eliminated crossing points from Iraq and Jordan.
The effort was also renewed for only six months instead of the usual one year.
The UN and aid groups have since 2014 crossed into Syria from Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan at four places in a program authorized annually by the Security Council.
Russia and China abstained from the vote.
The United States and Britain also abstained, expressing anger over the reduced scale of the operation, which had been scheduled to expire at the end of the day on January 10. The 11 other Council members voted for the extension.
The UN estimated that 2.7 million people in northwestern Syria and 1.3 million in the northeast relied on assistance from the cross-border operations. The Syrian government has not consented to the deliveries.
Syrian government forces have launched an offensive in northwest Idlib Province, the last stronghold of antigovernment forces and extremist fighters mixed among some 3 million civilians.
The UN has warned of the heightening risk of a humanitarian disaster along the Turkish border.
Karen Pierce, Britain's UN ambassador, accused Russia of politicizing the issue and said before the vote that authorizing only two crossing points for six months was "an inadequate response to the situation on the ground."
"There are some 1.8 million people at risk in the northeast if we don't find a way to help them. This is winter. One can imagine how dire the situation becomes," Pierce told reporters.
Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia rejected her comments, saying the situation had changed dramatically and that Security Council action should reflect that.
"All these cries about imminent catastrophe, disaster, which the northeast faces if we close one cross-border point is totally irrelevant because humanitarian assistance to that region is coming from within Syria," he told reporters ahead of the vote.
The UN has said it has no alternative to the cross-border operation, but Nebenzia said "alternatives exist" because the area is largely controlled by the Syrian government, a close ally of Russia.
Moscow argues that aid is being delivered at a sufficent level by the Syrian government.
Russia and China last month vetoed a draft resolution that would have authorized three crossing points for one year. It was Russia's 14th UN Security Council veto since the start of the Syrian conflict.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the veto as "shameful" and told Moscow and Beijing that "you have blood on your hands."
Russia, along with Iran, has provided crucial support for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s civil war, which broke out after a government crackdown on protesters in March 2011.
The United States and Turkey support differing rebel groups in Syria, while terror groups, including those linked to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, have become involved in the fighting, which has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced million since the start of the war.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, and dpa


rferl--2020-01-11--Bulgarian Prosecutors Charge Environment Minister With Deliberate Mismanagement

SOFIA -- Bulgarian prosecutors have officially charged the country ’ s now-resigned environment minister with deliberate mismanagement of water supplies in and around the western town of Pernik in a crisis that led to antigovernment protests .
Neno Dimov , who faces up to eight years in prison , resigned on January 10 , a day after he was taken into custody following a round of questioning by investigators .
Prosecutors accuse Dimov of providing water supplies to industrial users even when he had been informed that the water in a dam -- the only source of drinking water to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- had seriously decreased .
`` Some 97,000 people will not have normal access to drinking water in the next five months -- - which they would have had if the minister had exercised his authority , '' Prosecutor Angel Kanev told reporters .
`` This is the biggest damage , '' he said .
Dimov has denied any wrongdoing and has blamed the water crisis on dry weather and poor management of the local water facility .
Last month , prosecutor Krasimira Mincheva said that , with his inaction , Dimov `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ management , ” which she said resulted in “ damage to human health.
” Anger in Pernik , a town of more than 70,000 located less than 40 kilometers west of Sofia , has been growing since November 18 , when municipal authorities implemented water restrictions due to lack of supply from the Studena Dam .
Initially , water was made available for 10 hours a day , but lately residents have had access to water for only seven hours a day .
The restrictions , applied to another town and six nearby @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effect no more than five months .
The rationing has led to protests and calls for the government to resign , amid allegations of mismanagement and malfeasance by local officials from the supply company and municipal administration .
The opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party said it would on January 20 file a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Boyko Borrisov ’ s government over its environmental and water policies .
Since the government can secure a parliamentary majority with support of a small populist party , the motion is unlikely to pass .
With reporting @ @ @ @ @ @

SOFIA -- Bulgarian prosecutors have officially charged the country’s now-resigned environment minister with deliberate mismanagement of water supplies in and around the western town of Pernik in a crisis that led to antigovernment protests.
Neno Dimov, who faces up to eight years in prison, resigned on January 10, a day after he was taken into custody following a round of questioning by investigators.
Prosecutors accuse Dimov of providing water supplies to industrial users even when he had been informed that the water in a dam -- the only source of drinking water to the city of 70,000 and surrounding area -- had seriously decreased.
"Some 97,000 people will not have normal access to drinking water in the next five months --- which they would have had if the minister had exercised his authority," Prosecutor Angel Kanev told reporters.
"This is the biggest damage," he said.
Dimov has denied any wrongdoing and has blamed the water crisis on dry weather and poor management of the local water facility.
Last month, prosecutor Krasimira Mincheva said that, with his inaction, Dimov "did not take sufficient care of property management,” which she said resulted in “damage to human health.”
Anger in Pernik, a town of more than 70,000 located less than 40 kilometers west of Sofia, has been growing since November 18, when municipal authorities implemented water restrictions due to lack of supply from the Studena Dam.
Initially, water was made available for 10 hours a day, but lately residents have had access to water for only seven hours a day.
The restrictions, applied to another town and six nearby villages, were scheduled to stay in effect no more than five months.
The rationing has led to protests and calls for the government to resign, amid allegations of mismanagement and malfeasance by local officials from the supply company and municipal administration.
The opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party said it would on January 20 file a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Boyko Borrisov’s government over its environmental and water policies.
Since the government can secure a parliamentary majority with support of a small populist party, the motion is unlikely to pass.
With reporting by The Sofia Globe and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-11--West Ramps Up Pressure On Iran Over Crash Probe

The West turned up the heat on Iran over the crash of a Ukrainian airliner outside of Tehran , with the United States saying it is “ likely ” that an Iranian missile shot down the craft and vowing to “ take appropriate action in response.
” Meanwhile , Canada ’ s foreign minister on January 10 announced the formation of an international working group of countries to press Iran for a thorough investigation into the crash , which counted 57 Canadians among the dead , a figure revised down from an earlier death toll of 63 .
All 176 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UIA ) flight were killed when it crashed shortly after takeoff from the Tehran airport en route to Kyiv .
Initial reports blamed a technical malfunction , but Western leaders and experts say they are increasingly convinced based on intelligence information that it was shot down by an Iranian missile , likely by mistake .
The air disaster came hours after Iran targeted two Iraqi bases that house U.S. troops with missiles on January 8 in response to a January 3 U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iranian antiaircraft batteries mistook the airliner for a U.S. warplane on a retaliatory mission over Tehran .
Iran has vehemently denied one of its missiles shot down the plane , saying it was an “ impossible ” suggestion .
“ What is obvious for us , and what we can say with certainty , is that no missile hit the plane , ” Ali Abedzadeh , head of Iran 's national aviation department , told a news conference .
“ If they [ Western leaders ] are really sure , they should come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' in accordance with international standards , he added .
U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo on January 10 said that “ we do believe it is likely that that plane was shot down by an Iranian missile , '' echoing remarks by Canadian and British officials .
Pompeo said a probe into the incident would continue and that , when it is completed , he was “ confident that we and the world will take appropriate action as a response . ''
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that `` we have intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and our own intelligence.
” “ The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile , ” he said .
Western intelligence services may be reluctant to share information on a strike because it comes from highly classified sources .
Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Canada has formed a coordination group with Britain , Ukraine , Sweden , and Afghanistan to help families of victims .
Many of the Canadians killed were from the country ’ s large Iranian community .
Other victims were initially listed as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
There were also 11 Ukrainians on board , including nine crew .
Champagne said Iran has granted Canada just two visas for government officials .
But he expects more will be approved soon so that Canada 's Transportation Safety Board can participate in the investigation .
Iran has also invited experts from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing , along with representatives from France , Britain , and Ukraine , but it is uncertain as to the level of access they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the probe may already have been compromised by the removal of wreckage from the crash site .
With reporting by AP , AFP , Reuters , and dpa

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


rferl--2020-01-11--Trump Hails ‘Brave’ Iranian Protesters, Warns Tehran ‘World Is Watching’

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support for “ brave ” Iranian protesters and warned the government that the “ world is watching ” as demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran to express anger after Iran admitted it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner .
“ To the brave , long-suffering people of Iran : I 've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency , and my Administration will continue to stand with you .
We are following your protests closely , and are inspired by your courage , '' he wrote on Twitter on January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added that Tehran “ must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people.
” “ There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters , nor an internet shutdown .
The world is watching , ” he added , referring to a previous round of antigovernment protests in November and December that saw more than 300 people killed and a shutdown of the Internet .
Trump ’ s comments came as hundreds of protesters gathered outside a university in Tehran and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for justice and to demand that government leaders step down .
Protests also broke out in Isfahan , Hamadan , Sari , Rasht , and Babol , according to posts on social media .
“ Resignation is not enough , '' protesters chanted in front of Tehran 's Amir Kabir University while demanding a trial for those responsible for the Janaury 3 downing of a Ukrainian airliner that killed all 176 people on board .
Amateur videos posted on social media also showed protesters chanting “ dishonorable ” in an apparent reference to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days of denials that a missile fired by its forces caused the crash .
Iran ’ s semiofficial Fars news agency said some of the protesters ripped up photos of Major General Qasem Soleimani , the powerful head of the elite foreign arm of Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who was assassinated by the United States on January 3 .
Fars estimated the protesters numbered between 700 and 1,000 .
Human Rights Activists News Agency ( HRANA ) website posted a video claiming to show tear gas being used to break up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on January 11 admitted that its military “ unintentionally ” shot down a Ukrainian airliner outside of Tehran .
The military said the plane was mistaken for a “ hostile target ” after it turned toward a “ sensitive military center ” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) .
It added that the military was at its “ highest level of readiness '' amid raised tensions with the United States .
The government said those responsible for the tragedy would be brought to justice .
Although admitting its forces shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put some of the blame on the United States , with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif saying the incident occurred `` at a time of crisis caused by U.S .
adventurism . ''
`` A sad day .
Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces : Human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster , '' Zarif wrote on Twitter .
Amirali Hajizadeh , head of the aerospace division of the ( IRGC ) , said on January 11 that his unit accepts “ full responsibility ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Tehran had vehemently denied allegations by Western leaders and experts that evidence indicated an Iranian missile had brought down the plane .
The Ukraine International Airlines ( UIA ) flight was en route to Kyiv from Tehran on January 8 carrying at least 57 Canadians , 82 Iranians , 10 Swedes , 10 Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country expects a full probe and compensation from Iran .
`` We expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the return of the bodies of the dead , the payment of compensation , official apologies through diplomatic channels , '' Zelensky said on January 11 .
Zelenskiy spoke later in the day by phone with Iranian President Hassan Rohani .
Zelenskiy ’ s office said Rohani apologized for the tragedy and promised that those responsible would be held accountable .
The two also discussed Iranian compensation to the victims , the office said .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Radio Farda , Reuters , AP , and AFP


rferl--2020-01-11--Protesters In Tehran Call For Justice Over Iran’s Downing Of Ukrainian Plane

Protesters outside a university in Tehran have called for justice after Iran admitted it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane on January 8 .
“ Resignation is not enough , '' protesters chanted outside Amir Kabir university on January 11 while demanding a trial for those responsible for the downing of the plane that killed all 176 people on board .
Amateur videos posted on social media also showed protesters chanting “ dishonorable ” in an apparent reference to Iranian authorities , who finally admitted that a missile fired by its forces caused the crash .
Iran ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protesters ripped up photos of Qasem Soleimani , the poweful of the elite foreign arm of Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps who was assassinated by the United States on January 3 .
Fars estimated the protesters numbered between 700 and 1,000 .
Human Rights Activists News Agency ( HRANA ) website posted a video claiming to show tear gas being used to break up the protests in Tehran .
Iranian police detained a British envoy to Tehran in front of Amir Kabir University for inciting antigovernment protesters .
The envoy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broke out in Isfahan , Hamadan , Sari , Rasht , and Babol , according to posts on social media .
They are the largest antigovernment demonstrations since November , when thousands of people took to the streets to protest an increase in fuel prices .
Many Iranian were in shock and grief after Tehran admitted -- following days of denials -- that its military shot down the passenger plane .
Amirali Hajizadeh , the head of the aerospace division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) , said on January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responsibility ” for the tragedy .
In comments aired by state TV , he said that when he learned about the downing of the plane , “ I wished I was dead.
” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed his “ deep sympathy ” to the families of the 176 victims and called on the armed forces to `` pursue probable shortcomings and guilt in the painful incident.
” Nearly half of those killed were Iranian citizens while many others were ethnic Iranians living in other countries .
With reporting by Reuters @ @


rferl--2020-01-11--Two U.S. Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan After Vehicle Hits Roadside Bomb

Two U.S. soldiers were killed and two wounded when the army vehicle they were traveling in struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan , the NATO press office said in a statement .
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the January 11 attack , saying it occurred in the southern Kandahar Province , where U.S. and Romanian forces are stationed .
NATO confirmed the incident took place in Kandahar .
The U.S. soldiers were conducting operations as part of NATO 's Resolute Support Mission .
They are the first U.S. military members to be killed in Afghanistan in 2020 .
Last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ combat-related incidents in the war-torn country .
The U.S. Department of Defense will not release the names of the soldiers killed until 24 hours after their relatives have been notified .
There are currently around 12,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Afghanistan , down from a peak of roughly 100,000 in 2011 .
Of those , almost 8,000 are participating in NATO ’ s Resolute Support training and assistance mission -- making up close to half its overall contingent .
Civilians have also been victims of attacks by the Taliban .
The Afghan Interior @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civilians were killed and 5,172 were wounded by Taliban militants last year .
“ Taliban fighters often carry out terrorist assaults on civilian populations , ” Marwa Amini , a spokeswoman for the ministry said at the time , adding that killing civilians is `` tantamount to a war crime . ''
Based on reporting by AP , Reuters , and dpa

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


rferl--2020-01-11--Putin Says He Hopes Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline Will Start By Early 2021

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country should be able to complete a U.S.-sanctioned gas export pipeline to Germany by the first quarter of 2021 , a slightly longer period than previously announced .
Putin , speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow on January 11 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel , said Russia will `` certainly '' be able to complete Nord Stream 2 without foreign assistance .
The Russian leader said the project , which was expected to start in the first half of 2020 , will be delayed `` several months . ''
`` I hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or the first quarter of next year , the work will be completed and the gas pipeline will start , '' Putin said .
The United States last month sanctioned Western vessels laying the pipeline for Nord Stream 2 , which consists of two parallel lines stretching 1,230 kilometers each from Russia to Northern Germany , amid claims the project hurts European energy security and increases Moscow 's influence over Kyiv .
Merkel said she did not agree with the U.S. approach to sanctions .
She called the project legitimate and said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ted Cruz ( Republican-Texas ) , one of the author 's of the bill sanctioning Nord Stream 2 , said Washington targeted the vessels amid the belief that Russia did not have the technology to lay deep sea pipelines .
Russian officials said last month they will send a ship currently in the Far East to complete the pipeline .
However , the ship will first need to be upgraded , the officials said .
Putin and Merkel also talked about salvaging the Iranian nuclear deal , bringing peace to Libya and rebuilding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1/2 hours .
The two leaders said the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA ) -- which eased sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits on its uranium-enrichment program -- should be adhered to .
The agreement was backed by the United States , Russia , Germany , France , the United Kingdom , and China .
However , Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018 , calling the deal signed by his predeccesor Barack Obama `` terrible , '' and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of complaining about the new sanctions , Tehran on January 5 said it would no longer abide by the terms of the JCPOA , putting the landmark agreement on the verge of collapse .
Merkel said the JCPOA is `` certainly not perfect '' but added she and Putin `` agreed that we should do anything to preserve the deal . ''
Russia and Germany are also involved in efforts to bring about a cease-fire in Libya , which Berlin has said could become a `` second Syria . ''
Merkel and Putin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the UN to be held in Berlin in the coming weeks .
Turmoil in the oil-rich North African nation has been escalating as Russia-backed warlord Khalifa Haftar seeks to take power from the UN-recognized government .
During a trip to Istanbul on January 8 , Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a cease-fire in Libya starting January 12 .
Turkey has sent troops to support the UN-backed government .
Media have reported that Russian mercenaries from the Wagner paramilitary group are fighting alongside Haftar .
Putin said there are many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but claimed he was unaware of Russian mercenaries .
`` If there are Russian citizens there , they do not represent the interests of the Russian government and do not receive money from the Russian government , '' Putin said .

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country should be able to complete a gas-export pipeline to Germany that has been placed under sanctions by the United States by the first quarter of 2021, slightly later than previously announced.
Putin, speaking at a joint press conference in Moscow on January 11 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Russia will "certainly" be able to complete Nord Stream 2 without foreign assistance.
The Russian leader said the project, which was expected to start in the first half of 2020, will be delayed "several months."
"I hope that by the end of this year or the first quarter of next year, the work will be completed and the gas pipeline will start," Putin said.
The United States last month sanctioned Western vessels laying the pipeline for Nord Stream 2, which consists of two parallel lines stretching 1,230 kilometers each from Russia to northern Germany, amid claims the project hurts European energy security and increases Moscow's influence over Kyiv.
Merkel said she did not agree with the U.S. approach to sanctions. She called the project legitimate and said it should be completed.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (Republican-Texas), one of the authors of the bill sanctioning Nord Stream 2, said Washington targeted the vessels amid the belief that Russia did not have the technology to lay deep sea pipelines.
Russian officials said last month they will send a ship currently in the Far East to complete the pipeline. However, the ship will first need to be upgraded, the officials said.
Iran Deal
Putin and Merkel also talked about salvaging the Iranian nuclear deal, bringing peace to Libya and rebuilding Syria during their meeting that lasted 3 1/2 hours.
The two leaders said the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- which eased sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits on its uranium-enrichment program -- should be adhered to.
The agreement was backed by the United States, Russia, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and China.
However, Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018, calling the deal signed by his predeccesor Barack Obama "terrible," and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran that have decimated its economy.
After months of complaining about the new sanctions, Tehran on January 5 said it would no longer abide by the terms of the JCPOA, putting the landmark agreement on the verge of collapse.
Merkel said the JCPOA is "certainly not perfect" but added she and Putin "agreed that we should do anything to preserve the deal."
Libya Peace
Russia and Germany are also involved in efforts to bring about a cease-fire in Libya, which Berlin has said could become a "second Syria."
Merkel and Putin expressed support for peace talks organized by the UN to be held in Berlin in the coming weeks.
Turmoil in the oil-rich North African nation has been escalating as Russia-backed warlord Khalifa Haftar seeks to take power from the UN-recognized government.
During a trip to Istanbul on January 8, Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a cease-fire in Libya starting January 12.
Turkey has sent troops to support the UN-backed government. Media have reported that Russian mercenaries from the Vagner paramilitary group are fighting alongside Haftar.
Putin said there are many mercenaries in Libya, including from Syria, but claimed he was unaware of Russian mercenaries.
"If there are Russian citizens there, they do not represent the interests of the Russian government and do not receive money from the Russian government," Putin said.


rferl--2020-01-12--British Ambassador Detained Briefly While Attending Tehran Vigil For Jet-Crash Victims

Britain 's ambassador to Tehran has said he was detained briefly by Iranian authorities as he attended a vigil for @ @ @ @ @ 's crash of a Ukrainian passenger jet .
Iran 's Mehr news agency said Rob @ @ @ @ @ 11 for his alleged `` involvement in provoking suspicious acts '' at the gathering in @ @ @ @ @ Kabir University .
Students held a gathering at the school after Iran said the Ukrainian @ @ @ @ @ by Iranian antiaircraft missiles .
In a post to Twitter January 12 , Macaire said @ @ @ @ @ pay respects to the victims , and was not attending any demonstration .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ crossroads moment .
It can continue its march towards pariah status with all the political @ @ @ @ @ or take steps to deescalate tensions and engage in a diplomatic path forwards , '' @ @ @ @ @ officials did not immediately make any statement about the incident .
More protests were expected @ @ @ @ @ amid building outrage among some Iranians about the downing of the Ukrainian jet .


rferl--2020-01-12--Crisis In Abkhazia Enters Fourth Day As Demonstrators Occupy Presidential Building

Hundreds of protesters have remained holed up in the presidential administration building in Abkhazia 's capital for a fourth day as leader Raul Khajimba defied calls to step down .
The crisis in the breakaway Georgian region erupted on January 9 when demonstrators stormed the Sukhumi building housing Khajimba 's administration , asserting the September election that he won was fraudulent .
The region 's legislature later called on Khajimba to step down .
And the Abkhaz Supreme Court on January 10 reversed an earlier decision declaring the September results void , following a petition by opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsinia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ruling , and plan to appeal , the Russian news agency TASS reported .
A top-level delegation of Russian officials , including the deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council , traveled to Sukhumi to try and broker a resolution .
The Black Sea region has had de facto independence from Georgia after Georgia and Russia fought a five-day war in August 2008 .
Moscow has recognized Abkhazia and another Georgian region , South Ossetia , as independent states , and Russian troops are now stationed in the two regions .
Georgia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both regions to be occupied territories .

Raul Khajimba, leader of the self-proclaimed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, has resigned following four days of protests in the regional capital, Sukhumi.
Former Abkhaz Prime Minister Sergei Shamba read Khajimba's resignation statement to protesters near the presidential residence late on January 12.
Parliament speaker Valery Kvarchia confirmed the resignation, telling Russia's TASS news agency that "the issue of who will act [as president] has not yet been decided."
"It may be the prime minister," he added, referring to Prime Minister Valery Bganba.
Kvarchia said the region's de facto legislature would take up the issue in a session on January 13.
The announcement came just hours after Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov arrived in Sukhumi, joining a Russian delegation headed by Russian Deputy Security Council Chairman Rashid Nurgaliyev.
The crisis in the breakaway Georgian region erupted on January 9, when demonstrators stormed the Sukhumi building housing Khajimba's administration, asserting the September election that he won was fraudulent.
The legislature later called on Khajimba to step down. The Abkhaz Supreme Court on January 10 reversed an earlier decision and declared the September results void, following a petition by opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsinia.
Khajimba and his supporters resisted the calls for his resignation and planned to launch legal appeals before his January 12 about-face.
The head of the region's self-proclaimed Central Election Commission, Tamaz Gogia, said on January 12 that he did not agree with the Supreme Court ruling, but that he would abide by it.
The commission set March 22 as the date for a new election.
The Black Sea region has had de facto independence from Georgia since a war against Tbilisi in 1992-93. After Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August 2008, Moscow unilaterally recognized Abkhazia and another breakaway Georgian region, South Ossetia, as independent states.
Both regions have since been largely propped up by Moscow and are hosting Russian military forces.
Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions to be occupied territories.
With reporting by TASS


rferl--2020-01-12--Pakistani Foreign Minister To Hold Talks In Tehran Amid Spiraling Tensions

Pakistan 's foreign minister is set to hold talks with top Iranian officials in Tehran amid spiraling tensions in the @ @ @ @ @ killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani .
The January 12 visit by Shah Mehmood @ @ @ @ @ earlier in the Pakistani city of Peshawar by hundreds of Shi'ite Muslims outraged by Soleimani @ @ @ @ @ which shares a border with Iran , has tried to balance its relations with Tehran @ @ @ @ @ it cultivates strong ties with Saudi Arabia , and , in the past , the @ @ @ @ @ convey to Iran `` Pakistan 's readiness to support all efforts that facilitate resolution of @ @ @ @ @ and diplomatic means , '' the Foreign Ministry said .
`` Recent developments seriously endanger @ @ @ @ @ already volatile region and underscore the need for immediate and collective efforts for a peaceful @ @ @ @ @ said in a statement .
Qureshi is also scheduled to visit the United States .

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that there can be no advancement in the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers unless there is an improvement in the treatment of women in the country.
Speaking to reporters on August 15, the two-year anniversary of the Taliban’s seizure of power in Kabul, Blinken said the United States continues to work to hold the Taliban accountable for the commitments that it's made, particularly when it comes to the rights of women and girls.
"We've been very clear with the Taliban -- and dozens of countries around the world have been very clear -- that the path to any more normal relationship between the Taliban and other countries will be blocked unless and until the rights of women and girls among other things are actually supported," Blinken said.
No country has recognized the Taliban-led government, and the United States has avoided direct economic engagement in part over the treatment of women and girls, who have seen their rights drastically curbed by the hard-line Islamists. This includes a ban on women working in local and international nongovernmental organizations and a ban on education beyond the sixth grade.
The Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 after President Joe Biden withdrew U.S. troops under the terms of an agreement reached in February 2020 between the Taliban and the administration of then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
Blinken defended the pullout and said the United States was not focused on other priorities.
"The decision to withdraw from Afghanistan was an incredibly difficult one, but also the right one," Blinken said. "We ended America's longest war. For the first time in 20 years, we don't have another generation of young Americans going to fight and die."
A number of international human rights organizations earlier on August 15 called the Taliban's two years of rule shameful and worrying.
Amnesty International and several other international human rights organizations demanded in a statement an effective response to the situation, noting the Taliban's strict decrees against human rights in Afghanistan, especially against women and girls.
The organizations said in a statement that in the past two years, the Taliban has increasingly imposed harmful policies against women and girls and religious and ethnic minorities that clearly violate Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights law.
The Taliban has previously rejected reports on the treatment of women as propaganda of international organizations. The militant group's leaders have said they have strengthened all the rights of women in Afghanistan in light of Islamic principles.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for the Taliban, said in an interview with the AP marking the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of the country that the Taliban views its rule of Afghanistan as open-ended and as drawing legitimacy from Islamic law. He also suggested a ban on female education will remain in place.
Female activist Soheila Yousefi calls the situation alarming and wants the world to pay attention.
"The international community should take serious action in this regard because the world chose to be silent in these two years and did not take any practical steps. Our request is that they should look at the current situation in Afghanistan, then take a serious and comprehensive review."
The Taliban did not respond to Radio Azadi's questions before the release of the report, but the rulers have spoken of strengthening human rights in Afghanistan, especially the rights of women and girls, according to Islamic principles.
With reporting by AP and AFP


rferl--2020-01-12--Iran's Only Female Olympic Medalist Says She's Permanently Left Country

Kimia Alizadeh , Iran 's only female Olympic medalist , says she has permanently left the country , decrying what she called the `` injustice '' and `` hypocrisy '' of an Iranian political system that uses and humiliates athletes for political purposes .
`` Should I start with hello , goodbye , or condolences ? ''
she wrote on Instagram on January 11 .
The 21-year-old Alizadeh , who won a bronze medal in taekwondo at the 2016 Rio Olympics , did not say where she was writing from , but in the past has said she wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement , she said she wanted nothing more than `` taekwondo , security , and a happy , healthy life . ''
But she said she no longer wanted to `` sit at the table of hypocrisy , lies , injustice , and flattery . ''
`` I am one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran with whom they have been playing for years , '' she wrote .
`` I wore whatever they told me to wear , '' she said , referring to the Islamic veil , compulsory for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran .
`` I repeated everything they told me to say , '' she wrote , adding that `` none of us matter to them . ''
News of Alizadeh ’ s disappearance on January 9 had raised concerns in her homeland , with the semiofficial ISNA news agency reporting : `` Shock for Iran 's taekwondo .
Kimia Alizadeh has emigrated to the Netherlands . ''
ISNA wrote that it was thought Alizadeh was looking to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics , but not as a member of the Iranian team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in her statement , but told the `` dear Iranian people '' that she would remain `` a child of Iran wherever '' she lived .
In October , Alizadeh made the BBC ’ s list of 100 most `` inspiring and influential women from around world '' for 2019 based on this year 's theme of the `` female future . ''
Western media at the time said the Iranian taekwondo medalist was credited with `` emboldening Iranian girls and women to push the boundaries of personal freedom , '' the BBC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With reporting by AFP and the BBC


rferl--2020-01-12--Libyan Rivals Agree To Cease-Fire Call  By Russia, Turkey

Forces loyal to eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar and the UN-backed Tripoli government both say they have agreed to a cease-fire , potentially bringing a truce in the fierce battle to control the war-ravaged North African country .
Haftar 's self-styled Libyan National Army ( LNA ) said the truce , set to go into effect in the early hours of January 12 , was conditional on acceptance by the UN-backed Government of National Accord ( GNA ) , which is based in Tripoli .
`` Any breach will be met with a harsh response , '' LNA spokesman Ahmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a statement posted online early on January 12 , the GNA said , `` In response to the Turkish president and the Russian president 's call for a cease-fire , the head of the Presidency Council of the Government of National Accord announces a cease-fire . ''
The GNA had previously welcomed the call for a cease-fire but said its responsibility was to protect its citizens .
The UN Support Mission in Libya ( UNSMIL ) said it welcomed the truce and called on all sides `` to strictly abide by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to address all disputes through a Libyan-Libyan dialogue . ''
The day before , Haftar 's LNA had said it would not halt its campaign to drive the UN-backed government from Tripoli amid calls from Russia and Turkey for a cease-fire .
Many observers say a truce will be hard to maintain , given the fractious , unsteady nature of Libya 's military alliances .
Libya has been torn by violence since longtime ruler Muammar Qaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011 .
The country has two rival administrations , the UN-backed GNA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Tobruk .
The GNA is supported by NATO-member Turkey and its ally Qatar .
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that he dispatched military elements to Libya to ensure stability for the GNA .
UN experts and diplomats say that Russian military contractors in recent months have deployed alongside Haftar 's LNA , which has also received air support from the United Arab Emirates and backing from Jordan and Egypt .
Turkey and Russia have both been criticized by UN and Western officials , who say their efforts to arm @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the violence .
German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on January 11 , said earlier in the day that Libyan peace talks would be held in Berlin and that Libya 's warring parties would need to play a major role to help forge a resolution .
Merkel said she hoped the `` Turkish-Russian [ cease-fire ] efforts will be successful . ''
Berlin and Moscow are acting as mediators in the conflict , which Germany has warned could become a `` second Syria .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ really counting on the opposing sides in Libya ceasing fire , ceasing armed combat ... within a few hours . ''
`` It 's important to bring an end to the armed confrontation . ''
With reporting by Reuters , AFP , and dpa


rferl--2020-01-12--Trump Hails 'Brave' Iranian Protesters, Warns Tehran 'World Is Watching'

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for `` brave '' Iranian protesters and warned the government that the `` world is watching '' as demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran to express anger after Iran said it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian airliner .
`` To the brave , long-suffering people of Iran : I 've stood with you since the beginning of my Presidency , and my Administration will continue to stand with you .
We are following your protests closely , and are inspired by your courage , '' he wrote on Twitter on January 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Tehran `` must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people . ''
`` There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters , nor an internet shutdown .
The world is watching , '' he added , referring to a previous round of anti-government protests in November and December that saw more than 300 people killed and a shutdown of the Internet .
Trump 's comments came as hundreds of protesters gathered outside a university in Tehran and other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ justice and to demand that government leaders step down .
Protests also broke out in Isfahan , Hamadan , Sari , Rasht , and Babol , according to posts on social media .
`` Resignation is not enough , '' protesters chanted in front of Tehran 's Amir Kabir University while demanding a trial for those responsible for the January 8 downing of a Ukrainian airliner that killed all 176 people on board .
Amateur videos posted on social media also showed protesters chanting `` dishonorable '' in an apparent reference to Iranian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ denials that a missile fired by its forces caused the crash .
Iran 's semiofficial Fars news agency said some of the protesters ripped up photos of Major General Qasem Soleimani , the powerful head of the elite foreign arm of Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) who was assassinated by the United States on January 3 .
Fars estimated the protesters numbered between 700 and 1,000 .
The Human Rights Activists News Agency ( HRANA ) website posted a video claiming to show tear gas being used to break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early on January 11 admitted that its military `` unintentionally '' shot down a Ukrainian airliner outside of Tehran .
The military said the plane was mistaken for a `` hostile target '' after it turned toward a `` sensitive military center '' of the IRGC .
It added that the military was at its `` highest level of readiness '' amid raised tensions with the United States .
The government said those responsible for the tragedy would be brought to justice .
Although admitting its forces shot down the plane , Iran @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the United States , with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif saying the incident occurred `` at a time of crisis caused by U.S .
adventurism . ''
`` A sad day .
Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces : Human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster , '' Zarif wrote on Twitter .
Amirali Hajizadeh , head of the aerospace division of the IRGC , said on January 11 that his unit accepted `` full responsibility '' for the tragedy .
Until the admission @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western leaders and experts that evidence indicated an Iranian missile had brought down the plane .
The Ukraine International Airlines ( UIA ) flight was en route to Kyiv from Tehran on January 8 carrying at least 57 Canadians , 82 Iranians , 10 Swedes , 10 Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country expected a full probe and compensation from Iran .
`` We expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open investigation , bringing those responsible to justice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the dead , the payment of compensation , official apologies through diplomatic channels , '' Zelensky said on January 11 .
Zelenskiy spoke later in the day by phone with Iranian President Hassan Rohani .
Zelenskiy ’ s office said Rohani apologized for the tragedy and promised that those responsible would be held accountable .
The two also discussed Iranian compensation to the victims , the office said .
With reporting by RFE/RL 's Radio Farda , Reuters , AP , and AFP


rferl--2020-01-12--Russian Court Arrests Activist For YouTube Show Mocking Putin, Close Associates

A court in the Russian republic of Tatarstan arrested a local civil rights activist on suspicion of promoting terrorism after he mocked President Vladimir Putin and two of his close associates in a YouTube video .
Karim Yamadayev , a former police officer , was arrested on January 11 for a video he posted last month on his YouTube channel called Judge Gramm , Interfax reported .
If found guilty , Yamadayev faces up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of 1 million rubles ( $ 16,390 ) .
The opposition activist told RFE/RL on January 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the city of Naberezhnye Chelny , confiscating his computers , payment cards , and scripts for his show .
The December 29 video features Yamadayev , dressed as a judge , reading death sentences to two men whose heads are covered with black sacks .
A white sign hangs from their necks with the names `` Dmitry Peskov '' and `` Igor Sechin '' respectively .
Peskov is Putin ’ s long-serving press spokesman while Sechin is the powerful chief of Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft .
Another man in the show portrays @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head covered with a black sack and a sign with the name `` Vladimir Putin . ''
Two days after the online show was published , Yamadayev was detained and questioned about the video .
His arrest period is until February 29 and could be extended .

A court in the Russian republic of Tatarstan has arrested a local civil rights activist on suspicion of promoting terrorism after he mocked President Vladimir Putin and two of his close associates in a YouTube video.
Karim Yamadayev, a former police officer, was arrested on January 11 for a video he posted last month on his YouTube channel, Interfax reported.
If found guilty, Yamadayev faces up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of 1 million rubles ($16,390).
The opposition activist told RFE/RL on January 3 that police had searched his home in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, confiscating his computers, payment cards, and scripts for his show.
The December 29 video features Yamadayev, dressed as a judge, reading death sentences to two men whose heads are covered with black sacks. A white sign hangs from their necks with the names "Dmitry Peskov" and "Igor Sechin."
Peskov is Putin’s long-serving press spokesman, while Sechin is the powerful chief of Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft.
Another man in the show portrays a third defendant who also has his head covered with a black sack and a sign with the name "Vladimir Putin."
Two days after the online show was published, Yamadayev was detained and questioned about the video.
His arrest period is until February 29 and could be extended.
With reporting by Interfax


rferl--2020-01-12--European Powers Urge Iran To Stick To 2015 Nuclear Deal

Germany , France , and Great Britain have urged Tehran to stick by the terms of the 2015 deal that restricted Iran 's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief .
In a joint statement on January 12 , German Chancellor Angela Merkel , French President Emmanuel Macron , and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that `` it is essential that Iran return to full compliance with its commitment under the agreement . ''
Iran said last week that it no longer considered itself bound by the agreement , from which the United States withdrew in 2018 .
U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fatally flawed , '' in part because it did not restrict Tehran 's ballistic-missile program or address its support for terrorist groups in the Middle East .
Last week Trump urged European countries to also renounce the deal .
The January 12 joint statement noted that `` we must address -- through diplomacy and in a meaningful way -- shared concerns about Iran 's destabilizing regional activities , including those linked to its missile program . ''
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on U.S. television on January 12 that the administration was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without precondition '' to work out `` a series of steps by which Iran becomes a more normal country . ''
`` The president has drawn no preconditions other than to say we 're willing to meet with the Iranian government , '' Esper said .
Based on reporting by AP , dpa , AFP , and Reuters


rferl--2020-01-12--U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo Says 'Outraged' By Attack On Iraqi Base

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is `` outraged '' by a rocket attack on an Iraqi air base on January 12 .
`` Outraged by reports of another rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase .
I pray for [ the ] speedy recovery of the injured and call on the government of # Iraq to hold those responsible for this attack on the Iraqi people accountable , '' he said on Twitter .
`` These continued violations of Iraq ’ s sovereignty by groups not loyal to the Iraqi government must end . ''
At least seven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ north of Baghdad , wounding four Iraqi soldiers .
Some of the shells hit the runway of the Balad air base , where some U.S. military personnel are based .
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack , which comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran .
Military bases in Iraq hosting U.S. troops have been targeted by rocket and mortar attacks from Iran-backed militias in recent months .
One U.S. contractor was killed in such an attack in December .
On January 8 , Iran launched @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iraq in retaliation for an earlier U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander , Major General Qasem Soleimani .
Based on reporting by Reuters , AFP , and dpa

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is "outraged" by a rocket attack on an Iraqi air base on January 12.
"Outraged by reports of another rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase. I pray for [the] speedy recovery of the injured and call on the government of #Iraq to hold those responsible for this attack on the Iraqi people accountable," he said on Twitter. "These continued violations of Iraq’s sovereignty by groups not loyal to the Iraqi government must end."
At least seven mortar shells struck an Iraqi air base north of Baghdad, wounding four Iraqi soldiers.
Some of the shells hit the runway of the Balad air base, where some U.S. military personnel are based.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
Military bases in Iraq hosting U.S. troops have been targeted by rocket and mortar attacks from Iran-backed militias in recent months. One U.S. contractor was killed in such an attack in December.
On January 8, Iran launched missile attacks against two such bases in Iraq in retaliation for an earlier U.S. drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander Major General Qasem Soleimani.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa


rferl--2020-01-12--Severe Winter Weather Claims More Lives In Afghanistan

Nineteen people have been reported killed as a result of extreme winter weather in parts of Afghanistan , officials said @ @ @ @ @ January 12 that the victims were killed the previous day in Herat , Kandahar , @ @ @ @ @ snowfall and low temperatures .
The overall death toll from this year 's cold snap @ @ @ @ @ and officials cautioned it could rise further .
Temperatures fell to minus 12 degrees Celsius @ @ @ @ @ on January 11 .
`` We are now expecting more cold waves in the coming @ @ @ @ @ Muradi , head of the forecasting section of the government meteorological service , told Reuters @ @ @ @ @ many major roads since the beginning of the year , including the Salang Tunnel and @ @ @ @


rferl--2020-01-12--Ukraine Says Man Arrested In 2017 Attack On Chechen Accused Of Putin Plot

Ukrainian authorities said police have arrested the suspected planner of an 2017 attack on a Chechen who was accused by Russian authorities of plotting to kill President Vladimir Putin .
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in a January 12 post on Facebook that the unidentified man was arrested along with an unspecified number of other people who were also allegedly linked to the October 2017 attack on Adam Osmayev .
Osmayev was wounded in the October 2017 attack on Kyiv 's outskirts that killed his wife , Amina Okuyeva .
National Police chief Ihor Klymenko the same day said the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ couple was part of a group of seven people , some of whom were arrested in September on suspicion of carrying out two other killings .
Four months prior to that attack , Osmayev was targeted in a separate incident during a meeting with a Russian man who was posing as a French journalist .
The man then opened fire as they sat in a car , wounding Osmayev , he later told police .
His wife , who was also in the car at the time , returned fire , wounding the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alleged shooter in the June attack as Artur Denisultanov-Kurmakayev , a Russian national who went by the nickname `` Dingo . ''
Authorities were looking into how he obtained a Ukrainian passport .
Denisultanov was turned over to Russian authorities on December 29 , 2019 , in exchange for a number of Ukrainian prisoners held in Russian detention or in detention of Russia-backed separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine .
It was one of two major prisoner swaps that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has pushed through as part of an effort to ease @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headlines in Ukraine in February 2012 when he was detained and charged with illegal explosives possession , damaging private property , and forgery .
At the request of the Russian authorities , he was charged with plotting to kill Putin , and Moscow sought his extradition .
Kyiv ultimately refused to extradite him , and he was then released from Ukrainian custody in November 2014 , after more than 2 1/2 years in jail .
Three months after his release , Osmayev assumed command of a volunteer battalion fighting separatists in eastern Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ renown working as a medic during the street protests in Kyiv that culminated in violent clashes with police in February 2014 , and the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych .

Ukrainian authorities said police have arrested the suspected planner of a 2017 attack on a Chechen who was accused by Russian authorities of plotting to kill President Vladimir Putin.
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in a January 12 post on Facebook that the unidentified man was arrested along with an unspecified number of other people who were also allegedly linked to the October 2017 attack on Adam Osmayev.
Osmayev was wounded in the October 2017 attack on Kyiv's outskirts that killed his wife, Amina Okuyeva.
National Police chief Ihor Klymenko the same day said the coordinator of the attack on the Chechen couple was part of a group of seven people, some of whom were arrested in September on suspicion of carrying out two other killings.
Four months prior to that attack, Osmayev was targeted in a separate incident during a meeting with a Russian man who was posing as a French journalist.
The man then opened fire as they sat in a car, wounding Osmayev, he later told police. His wife, who was also in the car at the time, returned fire, wounding the alleged attacker.
Ukrainian police later identified the alleged shooter in the June attack as Artur Denisultanov-Kurmakayev, a Russian national who went by the nickname "Dingo." Authorities were looking into how he obtained a Ukrainian passport.
Denisultanov was turned over to Russian authorities on December 29, 2019, in exchange for a number of Ukrainian prisoners held in Russian detention or by Russia-backed separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. It was one of two major prisoner swaps that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has pushed through as part of an effort to ease tensions with Russia.
Osmayev first made headlines in Ukraine in February 2012 when he was detained and charged with illegal explosives possession, damaging private property, and forgery.
At the request of the Russian authorities, he was charged with plotting to kill Putin, and Moscow sought his extradition.
Kyiv ultimately refused to extradite him, and he was then released from Ukrainian custody in November 2014, after more than 2 1/2 years in jail.
Three months after his release, Osmayev assumed command of a volunteer battalion fighting separatists in eastern Ukraine.
His wife, Okuyeva, gained renown working as a medic during the street protests in Kyiv that culminated in violent clashes with police in February 2014, and the ouster of then-President Viktor Yanukovych.


rferl--2020-01-12--Abkhaz Leader Resigns Amid Ongoing Election-Fraud Protests In Breakaway Region

Raul Khajimba , leader of the self-proclaimed breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia , has resigned following four days of protests in the regional capital , Sukhumi .
Former Abkhaz Prime Minister Sergei Shamba read Khajimba 's resignation statement to protesters near the presidential residence late on January 12 .
Parliament speaker Valery Kvarchia confirmed the resignation , telling Russia 's TASS news agency that `` the issue of who will act [ as president ] has not yet been decided . ''
`` It may be the prime minister , '' he added , referring to Prime Minister Valery Bganba @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facto legislature would take up the issue in a session on January 13 .
The announcement came just hours after Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov arrived in Sukhumi , joining a Russian delegation headed by Russian Deputy Security Council Chairman Rashid Nurgaliyev .
The crisis in the breakaway Georgian region erupted on January 9 , when demonstrators stormed the Sukhumi building housing Khajimba 's administration , asserting the September election that he won was fraudulent .
The legislature later called on Khajimba to step down .
The Abkhaz Supreme Court on January 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ September results void , following a petition by opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsinia .
Khajimba and his supporters resisted the calls for his resignation and planned to launch legal appeals before his January 12 about-face .
The head of the region 's self-proclaimed Central Election Commission , Tamaz Gogia , said on January 12 that he did not agree with the Supreme Court ruling , but that he would abide by it .
The commission set March 22 as the date for a new election .
The Black Sea region has had de facto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tbilisi in 1992-93 .
After Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August 2008 , Moscow unilaterally recognized Abkhazia and another breakaway Georgian region , South Ossetia , as independent states .
Both regions have since been largely propped up by Moscow and are hosting Russian military forces .
Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions to be occupied territories .


rferl--2020-01-12--New Iranian Protests Erupt Amid Continuing Outrage Over Downing Of Ukrainian Jet

Iranian students have protested outside several universities for a second day amid mounting outrage over officials ' admission that an Iranian antiaircraft battery was responsible for downing a Ukrainian passenger jet .
Videos circulating on social media on January 12 showed protesters gathering outside Beheshti University in Tehran , chanting `` the students are vigilant and are fed up with that Ali '' -- a disrespectful reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
The new protests came one day after Iran 's military said that Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 was hit with two missiles fired in error by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps ( IRGC ) .
The crash occurred early January 8 , just hours after Iran fired ballistic missiles at U.S. forces on Iraqi bases .
Demonstrators have called for those responsible for the missile strike to be tried .
Another video showed several dozen students protesting outside the Isfahan University of Technology , south of Tehran , specifically criticizing the IRGC .
`` The guards are committing crimes and the leader supports them , '' they chanted .
The videos , and the reported protests , could not be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled for later on January 12 , a day after similar events took place in at least five cities , including Tehran .
Britain 's ambassador , meanwhile , said he was detained briefly by Iranian authorities as he attended a January 11 vigil for the victims of the crash .
In a post on Twitter , Rob Macaire said he attended the event in Tehran to pay respects to the victims , and was not attending any political demonstration .
Britain 's Foreign Ministry called Macaire 's detention a violation of international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summoned Macaire on January 12 to complain about what it called `` his unconventional behavior of attending an illegal rally . ''
`` Today , Rob Macaire was summoned because of his unconventional behavior of attending an illegal rally on Saturday , '' the report said .
At one of the January 11 demonstrations , the semiofficial Fars news agency said , some protesters ripped up photographs of Major General Qasem Soleimani , the powerful military commander who was assassinated by a U.S. drone strike on January 3 near Baghdad 's airport .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was shot down when it was mistaken for a `` hostile target '' after it turned toward a `` sensitive military center '' of the IRGC .
The jet 's downing , the missile attack , and the killing of Soleimani have further stoked already high tensions , particularly between Tehran and Washington .
Late on January 11 , U.S. President Donald Trump appealed to Iranians , expressing support for `` brave '' protesters and warning the Iranian government .
`` To the brave , long-suffering people of Iran : I 've stood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Presidency , and my Administration will continue to stand with you .
We are following your protests closely , and are inspired by your courage , '' he wrote on Twitter on January 11 in English and Perrsian .
He added that Tehran `` must allow human rights groups to monitor and report facts from the ground on the ongoing protests by the Iranian people . ''
`` There can not be another massacre of peaceful protesters , nor an internet shutdown .
The world is watching , '' he added , referring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in November and December that saw more than 300 people killed and a shutdown of the Internet .
Although saying its forces shot down the plane , Iran tried put some of the blame on the United States .
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the incident occurred `` at a time of crisis caused by U.S .
adventurism . ''
`` A sad day .
Preliminary conclusions of internal investigation by Armed Forces : Human error at time of crisis caused by U.S. adventurism led to disaster , '' Zarif wrote on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aerospace division of the IRGC , said that his unit accepted `` full responsibility '' for the tragedy .
Until the admission , Tehran had vehemently denied allegations by Western leaders and experts , and evidence that indicated an Iranian missile had brought down the plane .
The Ukraine International Airlines flight was en route to Kyiv , carrying 82 Iranians , 57 Canadians , 11 Ukrainians , 10 Swedes , 10 Afghans , three Germans , and three Britons .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country expected a full probe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect from Iran assurances of their readiness for a full and open investigation , bringing those responsible to justice , the return of the bodies of the dead , the payment of compensation , official apologies through diplomatic channels , '' Zelensky said on January 11 .
Zelenskiy spoke later in the day by phone with Iranian President Hassan Rohani .
Zelenskiy ’ s office said Rohani apologized for the tragedy and promised that those responsible would be held accountable .
The two also discussed Iranian compensation to the victims , the office @ @


rferl--2020-01-13--Abkhaz Leader Resigns, 'Not Going To Run' For New Term

Raul Khajimba , leader of the self-proclaimed breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia , who resigned following four days of protests in the regional capital , Sukhumi , does not plan to take part in a new election .
Separatist Vice President Aslan Bartsits told lawmakers , who accepted the resignation on January 13 , that Khajimba `` will continue to take part in political life '' but `` is not going to run in the election . ''
A day earlier , former Abkhaz Prime Minister Sergei Shamba read Khajimba 's resignation statement to protesters near the presidential residence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , telling Russia 's TASS news agency that `` the issue of who will act [ as president ] has not yet been decided . ''
`` It may be the prime minister , '' he added , referring to Prime Minister Valery Bganba .
Kvarchia added the region 's de facto legislature would take up the issue in a session later on January 13 .
The announcement came just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin 's aide , Vladislav Surkov , arrived in Sukhumi , joining a Russian delegation headed by Russian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The crisis in the breakaway Georgian region erupted on January 9 when demonstrators stormed the Sukhumi building housing Khajimba 's administration , asserting the September election that he won was fraudulent .
The legislature later called on Khajimba to step down .
The Abkhaz Supreme Court on January 10 reversed an earlier decision and declared the September results void , following a petition by opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsinia .
Khajimba and his supporters had resisted calls for his resignation and planned to launch legal appeals before his January 12 about-face .
The head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commission , Tamaz Gogia , said on January 12 that he did not agree with the Supreme Court ruling , but that he would abide by it .
The commission set March 22 as the date for a new election .
The Black Sea region has had de facto independence from Georgia since a war against Tbilisi in 1992-93 .
After Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August 2008 , Moscow unilaterally recognized Abkhazia and another breakaway Georgian region , South Ossetia , as independent states .
Both regions have since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ host Russian military forces .
Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions to be occupied territories .
With reporting by TASS , Sputnik , Interfax , and Kavkazsky Uzel

Raul Khajimba, leader of the self-proclaimed breakaway Georgian republic of Abkhazia, who resigned following four days of protests in the regional capital, Sukhumi, does not plan to take part in a new election.
Separatist Vice President Aslan Bartsits told lawmakers, who accepted the resignation on January 13, that Khajimba "will continue to take part in political life" but "is not going to run in the election."
Afterward, the breakaway region's parliament named de facto Prime Minister Valery Bganba as acting president and announced that the current staff of the separatist cabinet will continue until a new president is elected.
Bganba issued a statement addressing the residents of the breakaway region, saying that he will do "everything to establish internal stability in order to secure the decent organization and execution of presidential elections in accordance with the terms defined by the constitution."
The leader of the Bloc of the Opposition Forces, lawmaker Aslan Bzhania, said on January 13, that he plans to put himself forward as a presidential candidate in the election.
A day earlier, former Abkhaz Prime Minister Sergei Shamba read Khajimba's resignation statement to protesters near the presidential residence.
Parliamentary speaker Valery Kvarchia confirmed the resignation, telling Russia's TASS news agency that "the issue of who will act [as president] has not yet been decided."
"It may be the prime minister," he added, referring to Prime Minister Valery Bganba.
Kvarchia added the region's de facto legislature would take up the issue in a session later on January 13.
The announcement came just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin's aide, Vladislav Surkov, arrived in Sukhumi, joining a Russian delegation headed by Russian Deputy Security Council Chairman Rashid Nurgaliyev.
The crisis in the breakaway Georgian region erupted on January 9 when demonstrators stormed the Sukhumi building housing Khajimba's administration, asserting the September election that he won was fraudulent.
The legislature later called on Khajimba to step down.
The Abkhaz Supreme Court on January 10 reversed an earlier decision and declared the September results void, following a petition by opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsinia.
Khajimba and his supporters had resisted calls for his resignation and planned to launch legal appeals before his January 12 about-face.
The head of the region's self-proclaimed Central Election Commission, Tamaz Gogia, said on January 12 that he did not agree with the Supreme Court ruling, but that he would abide by it. The commission set March 22 as the date for a new election.
The Black Sea region has had de facto independence from Georgia since a war against Tbilisi in 1992-93. After Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August 2008, Moscow unilaterally recognized Abkhazia and another breakaway Georgian region, South Ossetia, as independent states.
Both regions have since been largely propped up by Moscow and host Russian military forces.
Georgia and most of the international community consider both regions to be occupied territories.
With reporting by TASS, Sputnik, Interfax, and Kavkazsky Uzel


rferl--2020-01-13--Severe Weather Kills At Least 15 In Southwestern Pakistan

ISLAMABAD -- Authorities in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan have declared a state of emergency in seven districts after @ @ @ @ @ at least 15 people over the past two days .
Local officials say the 15 @ @ @ @ @ of their homes collapsed .
Thick layers of snow led to the closure of highways @ @ @ @ @ Quetta , with other cities , local rescue chief Imran Zarkoon told RFE/RL .
A @ @ @ @ @ trucks carrying goods were stranded in remote mountainous areas due to the blockages , Zarkoon @ @ @ @ @ , authorities in neighboring Afghanistan said at least 19 people had been killed as a @ @ @ @ @ low temperatures , bringing to 24 the overall death toll from this year 's cold @ @

ISLAMABAD -- Authorities in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan have declared a state of emergency in seven districts after snowstorms and heavy rains killed at least 15 people over the past two days.
Local officials say the 15 victims died when the roofs of their homes collapsed.
Thick layers of snow led to the closure of highways connecting the provincial capital, Quetta, with other cities, local rescue chief Imran Zarkoon told RFE/RL.
A number of passenger vehicle and trucks carrying goods were stranded in remote mountainous areas due to the blockages, Zarkoon said.
On January 12, authorities in neighboring Afghanistan said at least 19 people had been killed as a result of heavy snowfall and low temperatures, bringing to 24 the overall death toll from this year's cold snap.
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan


rferl--2020-01-13--Gulnara Karimova's Swiss Mansion Being Searched For Precious Art Objects

TASHKENT -- Uzbek officials aiming to seize more than $ 1.5 billion in foreign assets held by Gulnara Karimova , the eldest daughter of the late President Islam Karimov who has been jailed in a Tashkent prison since March 2019 , say they have begun searching a mansion she owns in Switzerland .
According to a January 11 statement , the Uzbek Prosecutor-General 's Office , along with authorities from Switzerland , France , Russia , Latvia , and other countries , is working on bringing back `` 70 art items that had been discovered and impounded in the villa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Geneva . ''
In December 2013 , a group of exiled Uzbek dissidents broke into Karimova 's villa on the shores of Lake Geneva and published images of items allegedly taken from the Uzbek national museum .
Works of art , gold and silver trinkets , jewelry , and an 18th-century , jewel-encrusted Koran were among the items the group filmed in the villa , which Karimova purchased in 2009 for 18 million Swiss francs ( $ 20 million ) .
Uzbek authorities said later that overall some 985 artifacts worth 12.7 billion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may be located in houses belonging to Karimova in various countries .
The statement by the Prosecutor-General 's Office came three days after Karimova 's new corruption trial started in Tashkent .
She is accused of illegally buying state-owned shares of two cement plants that she later sold to foreign businessmen .
The 47-year-old was jailed in March 2019 for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest after receiving a five-year sentence in 2015 on charges of embezzlement and extortion .
Once a socialite , businesswoman , and a pop singer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out with her father in 2014 while he was still the country 's authoritarian leader .
Islam Karimov ran Central Asia 's most populous country from 1989 until his death in 2016 .

TASHKENT -- Uzbek officials aiming to seize more than $1.5 billion in foreign assets held by Gulnara Karimova, the eldest daughter of the late President Islam Karimov who has been jailed in a Tashkent prison since March 2019, say they have begun searching a mansion she owns in Switzerland.
According to a January 11 statement, the Uzbek Prosecutor-General's Office, along with authorities from Switzerland, France, Russia, Latvia, and other countries, is working on bringing back "70 art items that had been discovered and impounded in the villa of G. Karimova in the city of Geneva."
In December 2013, a group of exiled Uzbek dissidents broke into Karimova's villa on the shores of Lake Geneva and published images of items allegedly taken from the Uzbek national museum.
Works of art, gold and silver trinkets, jewelry, and an 18th-century, jewel-encrusted Koran were among the items the group filmed in the villa, which Karimova purchased in 2009 for 18 million Swiss francs ($20 million).
Uzbek authorities said later that overall some 985 artifacts worth 12.7 billion soms (about $33.5 million) may be located in houses belonging to Karimova in various countries.
The statement by the Prosecutor-General's Office came three days after Karimova's new corruption trial started in Tashkent.
She is accused of illegally buying state-owned shares of two cement plants that she later sold to foreign businessmen.
The 47-year-old was jailed in March 2019 for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest after receiving a five-year sentence in 2015 on charges of embezzlement and extortion.
Once a socialite, businesswoman, and a pop singer, Karimova disappeared from public view after falling out with her father in 2014 while he was still the country's authoritarian leader.
Islam Karimov ran Central Asia's most populous country from 1989 until his death in 2016.