 RFE/RL Headlines 9/17/2010 5:46:14 PM A daily digest of the English-language news and analysis written by the staff of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty RFE/RL is looking for guest bloggers, preferably writing from and about our broadcast region. If you're interested, drop us a line at webteam@rferl.org. |
| Features  Church Controversy Fuels Fresh Turkey-Armenia Tensions A planned religious service at an Armenian church in eastern Turkey is threatening to descend into a major dispute between the two nations, still bitterly divided over their troubled history. More  Explainer: Voting Amid Rising Corruption, Warlordism Ranjbar's difficulties illustrate the obstacles faced by many independent candidates in elections where much is at stake for President Hamid Karzai and the future direction of the country. More Election days make the Afghan capital city particularly nervous. Ahead of them, the Taliban always intensifies its threats to attack both the government and would-be voters indiscriminately. More  Different Slogans, Similar Problems For Afghanistan's Women Candidates While the record participation of women candidates in Afghanistan's upcoming parliamentary elections showcase the growing participation of women in the political process, the road to office is still strewn with obstacles. More  Polish Police Arrest Chechen Exile Zakayev A police spokesman said Zakayev was detained on the street and taken under police escort to the prosecutors' office. More  New START Treaty Headed To Floor Of U.S. Senate (Intro) A U.S. Senate committee has approved a major nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, moving one of President Barack Obama's top foreign policy goals closer to reality. The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or START, was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a vote of 14-to-4. Next stop is the floor of the U.S. Senate. More  Hope For Jailed Iranian Baha'is After Sentences 'Reduced' A Baha'i International Community representative says she hopes seven jailed Iranian Baha'i leaders will now get a proper appeal hearing after their sentences were reportedly halved. More  Kyrgyz Ethnic Uzbek Trial Delayed The trial of four ethnic Uzbeks for their involvement in the ethnic clashes in southern Kyrgyzstan in mid-June has been postponed because one of the defendants is ill. More  Armenia, Iran To Build Power Plant Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian says Iran and Armenia will start building two major hydroelectric power stations on their border in the coming weeks. More  Russian Skinheads Charged With Hate Crimes St. Petersburg officials have charged 25 young men belonging to an alleged skinhead group with hate crimes and attacks on people that resulted in two deaths. More  Milinkevich Won't Run For Belarus Prez Belarusian opposition leader Alyaksandr Milinkevich has said he won't participate in presidential elections in December because the future victory of the incumbent is widely seen as a foregone conclusion. More  More Female Police For Afghan Vote Afghanistan's security forces are bolstered by thousands of women officers as they go on high alert ahead of the nationwide parliamentary elections on September 18. More  Tajik Officials 'Targeting Islamic Dress' A branch of the opposition Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP) in the southern Tajik city of Kulob has complained that authorities are pressuring women who wear the hijab, the Islamic head scarf. More  Kosovars: No Serbia Talks Without U.S. Kosovo government officials and opposition members say there can be no high-level talks with Serbian officials without a U.S. presence. More  Belarus Writer To Run For President Prominent Belarusian writer and opposition activist Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu has officially announced his intention to run for president. More  Iran Activist Allowed Jail Visit Hunger-striking Iranian political activist Arjang Davudi has been allowed to see his wife for the first time since his prison protest started two months ago. More  VOA Freelancer Denies Uzbek Charges Abdumalik Boboev, a freelancer for VOA's Uzbek Service, is charged with slander, distributing materials that pose a threat to public order, and illegally crossing Uzbekistan's state border. More  Taking A Stand More  What Does ‘Confederation’ Mean In The South Caucasus? Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has mentioned the idea of a “confederation” with Azerbaijan. The phrase quickly got people wondering what exactly the president had in mind. More |
