Page 688 - Icks News Today

Siberian Journalist Flees Russia After Threats, Attack April 26, 2021 14:13 GMT Share share Print A journalist from Siberia who had to leave her native city of Kiselyovsk in the Siberian region of Kemerovo earlier this year after she was attacked says she has fled Russia fearing for her safety. Natalya Zubkova, the chief editor of the News of Kiselyovsk website, told RFE/RL on April 26 that she moved to an unspecified country a week ago after police and an investigator from Kiselyovsk visited h...

On this week's Majlis podcast, RFE/RL Media-Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir moderates a discussion about religious freedom and the lack thereof in Central Asia.

Armenian PM Steps Down, Sets Stage For Early Parliamentary Vote April 25, 2021 08:46 GMT Nikol Pashinian is stepping down. Share share Print Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has tendered his resignation, formally freeing the way for parliamentary elections to be held in an effort to defuse a political crisis prompted by the countrys war last year with Azerbaijan. "According to an agreement with the president and political forces, today I’m stepping down in order to hold early parliame...

Turkmen Succession Speculation As Son Of Leader Takes The Reins For National Horse Day April 25, 2021 16:24 GMT Share share Print The 39-year-old son of Turkmenistans autocratic leader oversaw festivities surrounding a national holiday celebrating local horse and dog breeds, as speculation grows over potential hereditary succession in the secretive Central Asian state. President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, 66, has appointed his son Serdar to a number of top positions this year, making him the ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin may hold a summit with his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden in June, a top Kremlin aide said on April 25. 

share Print Some recent media reports suggest the U.S. military will seek to reposition some of its troops in Central Asia after its big decision to withdraw from Afghanistan after nearly two decades in the country. The New York Times reported on April 15 that U.S. officials had been in contact with Kazakh, Uzbek, and Tajik authorities about the possibility of using bases in the region. And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in tweets that he had spoken on April 22 with the Uzbek and K...

“These are the guys you send in because you want to break stuff,” said Mark Galeotti, an expert on Russian security services. Here’s a look at the Russian military intelligence unit that has captured the attention of Western intelligence. Evolution of An Intelligence Unit The GRU -- whose official name is the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation -- is not a new entity. It’s been around for decades, operating first in parallel with the KGB a...

The European Union has dismissed Russian authorities' labeling of Latvia-based independent news outlet Meduza as a "foreign agent" and urged Moscow to end its "systematic infringement" of basic rights and freedoms for the political opposition and other Russians. 

Lukashenka Said Ready To Sign Contingency Decree On Presidential Powers April 24, 2021 13:15 GMT Share share Print Belarusian state media say Alyaksandr Lukashenka has said he will sign a decree that would vest presidential powers in the countrys Security Council if he is unable to function as president. Many governments already consider Lukashenkas claim to the presidency illegitimate since a disputed reelection in August 2020 and with a brutal crackdown continuing against opposition protests ...

Japan Manufacturing Sector Picks Up Steam In April - Jibun Bank TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - The manufacturing sector in Japan is continuing to expand in April, and at a faster pace, Fridays flash estimate from Jibun bank revealed on Friday with a manufacturing PMI score of 59.6. Thats up from 53.3 in March and it moves further above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction. Individually, both output and new orders expanded at their fastest rate since April 2018, while new exp...