 RFE/RL Headlines 8/17/2009 4:45:10 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  Iran Begins Another Mass Trial Over Postelection Turmoil Some 25 people have gone on trial in a Tehran revolutionary court over their alleged involvement in provoking the unrest that erupted after the disputed June 12 presidential election. They are the third such group to face prosecution in a mass trial since the postelection unrest. More  High-Level U.S. Military Delegation Visits Turkmenistan A delegation led by General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, made a visit to Ashgabat, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More  Georgia To Officially Withdraw From CIS Georgia will officially end its membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as of August 18, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  Tajik-Afghan Prisoner Exchange Still On Hold A Tajik-Afghan agreement on a prisoner exchange signed last year has still not been implemented, RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports. More  Suicide Bomb Kills 20 At Ingushetian Police Station A suicide bomber in a truck packed with explosives has left at least 20 people dead and 80 wounded in Russia's volatile republic of Ingushetia, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  'The Strength Of Democracy' Millions of Afghans tuned in on August 16 to watch a televised debate between President Hamid Karzai and two of his main challengers in this week's election. Following the landmark event, co-hosted by RFE/RL, we asked experts and ordinary Afghans around the country what they thought. More  Mikhalkov Directs Himself Back In Charge Russia's resurgent film industry grossed nearly $550 million in 2008. But many filmmakers say the business is being put in a chokehold by a few influential figures -- most notably actor/director Nikita Mikhalkov, a close Kremlin ally who this year fought his way back to the top of the powerful Cinematographers' Union. More  Karzai Confident Of Win In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Afghan President Hamid Karzai defends his record over the past eight years, including his deals with regional strongmen and warlords, and says he is confident of reelection to another five-year term on August 20. More  Fresh Faces, But Familiar Challenges Still Remain Mahmud Ahmadinejad is busily piecing together his new cabinet, promising "major changes" and the addition of fresh faces to his team for his second term in office. But below the surface, the Iranian president continues to face considerable challenges both from his reformist rivals and his fellow conservatives. More  Russia's U-Turn Toward Zakayev For all their reputation for somnolence, corruption, intrigue, and occasional descent into paranoia, Russian rulers, courtiers, and bureaucrats have been anything but uncreative, inflexible and lacking in ideas. Even today, a Russian politician can perform U-turns and somersaults that would turn any acrobat green with envy. Witness, for example, the Kremlin's recent overtures to the exiled Chechen leader Akhmed Zakayev. More |
