A spokesman for the Dutch government confirmed yesterday that Russian president Boris Yeltsin is planning to visit The Hague on February 4 for talks with Dutch prime minister Wim de Kok. German chancellor Helmut Kohl had originally proposed the trip, which will be aimed at... MORE

On January 5 Kazakhstan lowered the customs tariffs it charges on small volumes of industrial goods and foodstuffs and increased the amount of such goods allowed to enter the country tax free. This measure will benefit the so called shuttle trade, in which individuals carry... MORE

Two days after what were reported to have been cordial and productive talks between Russian president Boris Yeltsin and German chancellor Helmut Kohl, the Kremlin yesterday pointedly reemphasized its strong opposition to the NATO alliance's enlargement plans. According to Russian news sources, Yeltsin summoned Prime... MORE

The U.S. "regrets" the recently announced sale of Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Cyprus. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said the deal introduced "a new and destabilizing military element on the island." A Russian official described the objections by the U.S. and others as "groundless"... MORE

Russia is now the second largest exporter of arms in the world, according to the deputy director of Rosvooruzhenie, the Russian state arms exporting company. Oleg Sidorenko said that Rosvooruzhenie alone would have sales of about $3.5 billion for 1996 when final figures are in... MORE

Russian Orthodox Christians are celebrating Christmas today. Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, will conduct the Christmas service at the huge Christ the Savior Cathedral being built near the Kremlin. The Russian Orthodox Church still observes the calendar introduced by Julius Caesar in... MORE

Russian president Boris Yeltsin has canceled his engagements for the rest of this week, complaining of a heavy cold and high temperature. His spokesman said he has been advised by doctors to rest at home. The announcement raised fresh doubts about Yeltsin's health only two... MORE

Yeltsin spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky yesterday denied a report that appeared last week in a British newspaper, according to which the Russian government will soon recognize Grand Duke Georgi Romanov as the official head of Russia's imperial family. "It would be funny if it wasn't annoying,"... MORE

Rivalry between the two leading candidates in Chechnya's upcoming presidential election burst into public view yesterday when incumbent present Zelimkhan Yandarbiev declared that, if defeated, he will not work on the team of the winner. Earlier, the five front-running candidates were said to have informally... MORE

Four Russian officers and two enlisted servicemen were killed, and three officers and one enlisted man were wounded, in a series of attacks in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe from January 1-4. All casualties belonged to Russia's 201st motorized division, except for one of the officers killed.... MORE