Belarus has joined with Russia in protesting the alleged mishandling by New York police of an incident involving the arrest of two diplomats from the former Soviet republics. On January 3 a Belarusan first deputy foreign minister summoned the U.S. charge d'affaires in Minsk and... MORE

Russia hopes to launch 28 civilian spacecraft this year, including 20 foreign ones. Two manned space missions are planned, each carrying crews to the orbiting Mir space station. Other highlights include the first launches from the new Svobodny launch site in the Far East and... MORE

Citing environmental concerns, Russia has so far refused to accept some 20 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium and 5 spent nuclear fuel rods left in Georgia following the break-up of the Soviet Union. The U.S. has been trying to get the material out of this volatile... MORE

U.S. officials said on January 3 that Russia had blocked efforts by the OSCE to force the government of Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic to reinstate victories won by the opposition in a number of Serbia's largest cities in November 17 elections. (The New York Times,... MORE

Japan's coast guard went into action over the weekend in an effort to contain an oil slick that threatens Japan's western coast. The oil came from the Russian oil tanker "Nakhodka," which broke apart in waters near Japan on January 2 for reasons that remain... MORE

Szymon Serafinowicz, aged 86, is due to go on trial today at London's Old Bailey. He is accused of murdering three Jews in Nazi-occupied Belorussia. This will be Britain's first war crimes trial. (Financial Times, January 6) Modest Russian Space Goals for 1997.

The IMF's representative in Armenia, Susan Jones, recently indicated that the Fund is dissatisfied with Armenia's fulfillment of an IMF-sponsored reform program. Complaints include the fact that the Central Bank of Armenia has exceeded an agreed upon $100 million limit over 10 months for credits... MORE

Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze told the country on radio that he and his ministers held "extremely serious meetings" in Batumi with the Ajarian Autonomous Republic's Supreme Soviet chairman Aslan Abashidze and other Ajarian officials. Shevardnadze stated that he and the central government agreed to allow... MORE

Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma attended the December 24 roll-out of the second prototype of the An-70 turbo-prop military transport, declaring that the occasion proved that Ukraine "holds a place of honor in the world's aircraft industry..." The new plane replaces the first test aircraft, which... MORE

At a regular meeting in the Minsk Writers' House chaired by speaker Syamyon Sharetsky, some 45 members of the forcibly dissolved Belarusan parliament--including 6 out of 9 members of its Presidium -- designated a National Economic Council and a "shadow cabinet." Headed by the dissolved... MORE