 RFE/RL Headlines 9/23/2010 5:41:30 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  New Book Reveals Disputes In Obama Administration Over Afghan War "Washington Post" journalist Bob Woodward's latest book, called "Obama's Wars," is not due to be released until September 27. But excerpts published in two U.S. newspapers already are fueling public debate in the United States with revelations about President Barack Obama's war effort in Afghanistan. More  Interview: Zakayev Says ‘No Irresolvable Issues’ Between Russia, Chechnya Akhmed Zakayev, head of the Chechen government in exile, returned to London on September 22 following his brief detention in Poland on an international arrest warrant requested by Russia. He says he will return to Poland when necessary to participate in an extradition hearing. Zakayev spoke with RFE/RL's Russian Service about his experience in Poland and about the status of the Chechen independence movement. More News  Obama Urges Iran To Talk, World To Support Mideast Peace In his speech at the United Nations, U.S. President Barack Obama has said the door to diplomacy with Iran remains open but that Tehran must show a credible commitment to dialogue on its nuclear program. More  Afghan Reporter Detentions Raise Alarms Afghan journalists and international media watchdogs are expressing concerns following the detention of three Afghan journalists by Afghan and international troops this week. More  U.S. President Announces New Development Aid Policy, Asks For Greater Accountability In a broadly outlined speech to the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a change in the way the U.S. distributes aid to developing countries. More  NATO, Russia Discuss Cooperation (INTRO) NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he's 'very encouraged' by the talks on cooperation held today between NATO member states and Russia on the sidelines of a major UN summit in New York. Rasmussen expressed hope that Moscow and NATO will step up cooperation on conventional arms control and missile defense before the Lisbon NATO leaders' summit in November. More From Our Bureaus Tajik Rebel 'Involved In Attack' On Army Interior Ministry spokesman Mahmadullo Asadulloev told RFE/RL that it is also "very likely" that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), which Mullo Abdullo is believed to be affiliated with, was involved in the attack on the military convoy in the Kamarob Gorge in the Rasht district. More Belarus Activist Fined Over Handouts Local businesswoman Tatsyana Kuchynskaya was detained by police in Salihorsk's central market on August 31 while distributing booklets with the text of a presidential decree on property rents, as well as copies of the newspaper "The Market and Us," which features the logo of the Tell the Truth campaign. More Activists 'Kept From Traveling To Almaty' Activists of the unregistered Kazakh opposition party Forward (Algha) were unable to travel to Almaty today for a discussion on organizing a referendum seeking President Nursultan Nazarbaev's resignation. More  Complaint Withdrawn In Belarus Language Case Police in the western Belarusian city of Hrodna have withdrawn their complaint about a family that protested in an effort to secure Belarusian-language teachers for their children. More  EU Deputies Urge 'Neighborhood' Rethink Senior European Parliament deputies today said the EU must make better use of its neighborhood policy as a foreign-policy tool. More  Moldova's Voronin May Face Prosecution Prosecutors in Moldova have asked parliament to lift the immunity from prosecution of the country's former president, Vladimir Voronin. More  Russo-Kyrgyz Pact Signed By March A Russian military official says a new Russian-Kyrgyz agreement on military cooperation will be signed by March. More  Moldova Says Transdniester Separatists Not Ready To Compromise Moldova's government says Transdniester separatists are holding on to their goal of full independence and thereby jeopardizing international efforts to resolve one of Europe's last "frozen conflicts." More  Armenia Officer Prosecuted Over Hazing Video Armenia's Defense Ministry has officially confirmed the identity of an army officer who was arrested last week for abusing his soldiers and is now facing up to five years in prison. More  Alleged Hizb Ut-Tahrir Members Arrested In Tatarstan Tatarstan's branch of the Russian security service (FSB) says a group of alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir members has been arrested in Tatarstan. More  Family Of Jailed Iranian Dissident Cleric Appeals To UN Chief The family of dissident Iranian cleric Ayatollah Hossein Kazemeyni Boroujerdi has written to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asking him to address human rights violations in Iran at the 65th session of the UN General Assembly that opens today. More  Moscow Judges Seek Protection A Moscow court official says 13 judges in the Russian capital have requested police protection this year after receiving death threats. More  Four Jailed For Sparking Kyrgyz Unrest A court in southern Kyrgyzstan has sentenced four men to four years in jail for using local mosques to set off deadly unrest in June. More  Kazakh Opposition Activists Detained Two members of Kazakhstan's unregistered Algha (Forward) opposition party have been detained by police in the western city of Atyrau. More  Belarusian Catholic Activists Detained Minsk police have again used force against activists who are demanding that the buildings of a 17th-century Catholic church and monastery be returned to the local Catholic community. More Transmission Russian Woman Issues Video Appeal To U.S. Over Home Demolitions A woman who claims to be a journalist whose house is set for demolition, and purports to speak for 2,000 people who face similar fates, appeals in a recent YouTube video for help not from Russian authorities but from "the U.S. government and to every American citizen." More Chaikhana  Dirtying Kyrgyzstan's New Political Field Kyrgyzstan is set to hold elections amid great expectations -- for the first time, really, in post-Soviet Central Asia, there is a fresh and clean political field competing. But the reemergence of a sex tape featuring the leading contender shows that dirty-tricks politics is alive and well. More Caucasus Report  Armenian Coalition Parties Downplay Rumors Of Discord With 18 months to go before the next scheduled parliamentary elections, Armenian oligarch Gagik Tsarukian has called on his Bargavach Hayastan party (BHK), one of the two junior partners in the coalition government, to intensify its activities "at all levels." That appeal is likely to fuel persistent rumors of a rift between the BHK and President Serzh Sarkisian's Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). More  Abkhaz Vice President Survives Fourth Assassination Attempt Aleksandr Ankvab escaped with minor shrapnel wounds when an unknown attacker opened fire with a grenade launcher on his home in Gudauta early this morning. It was the fourth (possibly even the fifth) attempt on his life in the past five years. More  Georgian Parliament To Debate Constitutional Amendments In First Reading The Georgian parliament will meet in emergency session to approve the draft amendments to the new constitution in the first reading, even before the Council of Europe's Venice Commission unveils its final assessment and recommendations. Meanwhile, Georgian opposition politicians continue to demand changes to the draft amendments. More |
