Armenia's Central Election Commission has set September 22 as the date of the country's presidential election. The main declared candidates are: incumbent President Levon Ter-Petrosian of the governing Armenian Pan-National Movement; former prime minister and defense minister (now National-Democratic Union leader) Vazgen Manukian; National Self-Determination... MORE

In an unprecedented Russian television interview, the commander of Tajik united opposition forces in Badakhshan region and his chief of staff said yesterday that their mojahedins' main goal is to end Tajikistan's status as a "Russian colony." Their model figure, they said, is the (commonly... MORE

Snegur has compounded the violation of the constitution by issuing a series of 10 orders, the latest on June 21, under which he personally takes over virtually all of the defense minister's functions. The constitution provides for "direct presidential command" of the armed forces only... MORE

President Mircea Snegur yesterday made public a request to Moldova's prosecutor general to investigate and take unspecified, "urgent measures" against the defense minister, Lt. General Pavel Creanga for allegedly condoning misappropriation of military funds and "inciting the military to open rebellion against the president." Snegur... MORE

At a National Press Club news conference in Washington, the presidents of the three Baltic states reaffirmed their determination to seek early admission to NATO despite uncertain signals received from the alliance and the U.S. On behalf of the three presidents and in a gesture... MORE

After two years of bitter wrangling between president and parliament, and following an all-night debate, the Ukrainian parliament this morning adopted a new constitution. Parliament acted after President Leonid Kuchma threatened to hold a national referendum on the issue. The version adopted today is a... MORE

Boris Yeltsin's strategy for the second round of the presidential election seems to be to create a rainbow coalition, and to project a new image as father of the nation and healer of the wounds inflicted in the first round. Even before the first round... MORE

A Russian deputy military prosecutor claims that crime in the Russian armed forces, as well as among troops of the interior ministry and special services, has been rising rapidly in recent years, and that incidences of crime are often concealed by commanding officers who fear... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin has informed Russia's armed forces that he considers it pointless to name a new defense minister prior to Russia's run-off presidential election, a senior military officer said yesterday. The officer, who claimed to have seen Yeltsin's message, said that the Russian president... MORE

Construction of the world's first floating nuclear power plant is currently underway in Russia and could be completed by the year 2001, a leading nuclear specialist said in Moscow this week. Although environmentalists have pointed to the project with alarm, the specialist suggested that Russia... MORE