President Yeltsin met for more than two hours in the Kremlin yesterday with rival presidential candidate, Grigory Yavlinsky. Yavlinsky told a television interview afterwards that the discussion had been policy-oriented and businesslike, and that Yeltsin had listened while Yavlinsky laid out his ideas for Russia's... MORE

Russian Foreign Ministry chief spokesman Grigory Karasin denounced as "brazen bigotry and cheap politicking" the Lviv municipality's decision to rename downtown streets in that city after the slain Chechen president Djohar Dudaev and after the late leader of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (which fought first... MORE

Chechen fighters over the weekend attacked the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry's Grozny headquarters for Chechnya, killing three Russian soldiers and wounding others. The ministry complained that Chechen fighters were breaking into its radio frequencies to "spread propaganda." The Defense Ministry acknowledged that the resistance shot... MORE

The Ukrainian parliament yesterday ratified the U.S.-Ukraine agreement on cooperation in space. The agreement, signed last December in Vienna, envisages commercial use of Ukrainian Zenith and Cyclone boosters for launching U.S. satellites. Some 20 commercial launches are planned through the year 2002. (Interfax-Ukraine, May 5)... MORE

The chairman of the Russian Duma's international affairs committee, Vladimir Lukin, reiterated to South Korea's foreign minister in Moscow yesterday Russia's desire to participate in Korean peace talks. Lukin reminded Gong Ro-myung of Moscow's 1994 proposal for an international conference on the issue. In addition... MORE

Estonian foreign minister Siim Kallas took over May 3 the rotating chairmanship of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers for a six-month term. Addressing the 39 delegations of the CE's member countries in Strasbourg, Kallas said that Estonia as chairman will demonstrate "firm resolve... MORE

A spokesman for Russian first deputy prime minister Vladimir Kadannikov said in Moscow yesterday that South Korea's Daewoo conglomerate is considering participation in joint projects to develop Russia's auto industry. Daewoo expressed its interest during a meeting between Russian officials and South Korean industrialists aimed... MORE

The Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of Galina Starovoitova, the only woman aspiring to be registered as a candidate in the Russian presidential election. The court upheld the ruling of the Central Election Commission that a quarter of the signatures submitted in support of... MORE

Taiwan is said to be considering investing in a joint venture with the Russian-based YAK aircraft manufacturing company to produce 156-seat passenger jets, officials in Taipei said May 3. The proposal calls for Taiwan to invest $300 million for an unspecified stake in the venture.... MORE

The de Volkskrant newspaper reported May 3 that the Russian government has earmarked funds for a Russian aerospace consortium to take control of the aircraft assembly, service, and maintenance units of Fokker NV. The Dutch aircraft assembler went bankrupt March 15. A Swiss bank advising... MORE