 RFE/RL Headlines 9/18/2009 A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| News  Iran Protesters Take To Streets Of Tehran, Other Cities Demonstrations taking place amid an official march in support of the Palestinian cause are the first since police and vigilantes intimidated the opposition off the streets with mass arrests two months ago. More  NATO's Warm Overture To Russia NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in a speech at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels, has called for improved ties with Russia. One day after the U.S. said it was withdrawing from a missile-defense plan that had angered Moscow for years, the NATO chief invited Russia to join the U.S. and the alliance in fighting "21st-century" security challenges. More  White House Girds For Afghan Troop Debate President Barack Obama said this week that "there is no immediate decision pending" on whether he will send more combat troops to Afghanistan, but members of Congress are already staking out their positions and bracing for a contentious debate. More  Officials Do Not Deny Turkish-Armenian Deal Set For October 13 Armenian officials are not denying that the landmark agreements aimed at normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations will be signed on October 13, a date that has been reported in the press, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. More  Moldovan Leader Apologizes To Romanians Over Visa Issue Moldova's acting president, Mihai Ghimpu, has apologized to Romanians for the visa requirement imposed on them by his predecessor earlier this year. More  Kyrgyz Lawmaker Loses Immunity Over Vote-Day Actions Kubanychbek Kadyrov, a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party, was officially accused by the prosecutor-general of organizing a mass disorder in the northern town of Balykchy during the controversial July 23 presidential election. More Bloggers Emin Milli, 30, and Adnan Hajizada, 26, were detained on July 8 after they were confronted in a restaurant and a scuffle ensued. They have been charged with "hooliganism and infliction of minor damage." More A fracas between Chinese and Turkmen workers at an energy company in eastern Turkmenistan has left several people injured and hundreds detained, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More  Turkmen, Ukrainian Presidents Unveil Strategic Bridge The bridge, located in Lebap Province, is 1,414 meters long and is considered unparalleled in Central Asia. More  OSCE Mum On Kazakh President-For-Life Initiative The timing of the initiative by the rubber-stamp parliament is particularly embarrassing, as it comes just months before that Central Asian country assumes the chairmanship of the OSCE. More  Columbia U. Pursues Campus In Turkmenistan New York's Columbia University says it may establish a campus in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat, RFE/RL's Turkmen Service reports. More  Supporter of Jailed Kazakh Rights Activist Fined An Almaty court has ruled that journalist Andrei Sviridov has to pay an $80 fine for holding an unsanctioned public protest, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Kazakh Sent 'Chained Constitution' Activists from Kazakhstan's opposition Azat party have sent a copy of the country's constitution wrapped in a chain to Zakratdin Baidosov, the man who proposed that President Nursultan Nazarbaev be named president-for-life, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service reports. More  Ukrainian Ex-Minister Anxious Over Missile Defense Move Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk has expressed the hope that the new U.S. policy that cancels previous agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic on basing missiles and a radar system in their countries will not be made at the expense of Poles, Czechs, and Ukrainians. More Video: Iranians Come Out For Quds Day Iran's official Quds Day proceedings, when throngs traditionally chant "Death To Israel!" and vow support for Palestinians, have provided a rare window for opposition protesters to assemble without immediately being spotted and stopped by the police. Government supporters were in evidence. But tens of thousands of Iranians were also out on the streets to display the green that has come to mark opposition to the results of the June 12 election that officials say was won handily by conservative President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. More  What Corrupt People Wear Ukrainian activists in support of HIV positive people have been protesting outside the Health Ministry's building, protesting the high cost of retro-viral drugs. More  The Missiles Of September With Eastern Europe jittery about a resurgent Russia, U.S. President Barack Obama has decided to overhaul plans for a missile-defense system in Europe. What do Obama's changes mean for the region? More  Iran's IRGC Has A Lot To Lose From the earliest days of the Islamic state in Iran, it was clear the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps would not remain a mere military force. More Turkey's 'Armenia Opening' Far From Done Deal The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains the potential spoiler, as Armenia maintains this is a separate issue that has nothing to do with Turkey. But the opposition in Turkey argues that no deal should be reached until the Karabakh situation is resolved, to the approval of even some in the ranks of the ruling AK party. More  Reformist Journalist Says Protests Put 'Ball In Court' of Opposition Leader Musavi Tens of thousands of supporters of Iran’s Green movement took to the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities on September 18. The protests took place at the same time as state-sponsored Quds day demonstrations in support of the Palestinian cause. A Tehran-based journalist told RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari that the latest anti-Ahmadinejad protests show the Green movement is still alive. More |
