Internal Affairs Ministers Anatoly Kulikov of Russia and Dainis Turlais of Latvia signed April 27 in Riga an agreement on cooperation among their ministries in combating organized crime. Reportedly targeting mainly economic crime, the agreement provides for joint measures to prevent, detect, and investigate criminal... MORE

A state-run Iraqi newspaper reported yesterday that President Boris Yeltsin had sent a message to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on the subject of "boosting" relations "between the two friendly countries." The message was reportedly passed to Saddam by Kalmyk president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. The newspaper provided... MORE

A major Russian oil exporter is at loggerheads with Havana over what the exporter claims is Cuba's failure to honor a 1995 oil-for-sugar deal between the two countries. Alfa-Eko won a tender to supply to Havana 1.5 million tons of Russian crude oil in exchange... MORE

Russian presidential challenger Mikhail Gorbachev has reportedly called on other candidates not to campaign on the issues of Chechnya, CIS integration, and financial stabilization, saying these are such serious matters that there must be no "speculation" upon them. (Interfax, April 26) Russo-Japanese Defense Talks.

In the first visit ever by a Japanese defense chief to Russia, the director-general of Japan's defense agency arrived in Moscow April 27 for several days of talks with Russian leaders. Yesterday Hideo Usui toured the Kubinka air base and visited the Taman motor rifle... MORE

An agreement between Canada and Russia, signed on the eve of the Moscow nuclear security summit, has raised a political storm in Ottawa. Members of the Canadian parliament have attacked the April 18 agreement, which calls for Canada to study the conversion of Russian plutonium... MORE

A public opinion poll published April 26 by Vox Populi showed Communist Gennady Zyuganov with 25 percent support and incumbent President Boris Yeltsin with 23 percent. Results of an opinion poll published April 28 by VTsIOM gave Zyuganov 27 percent and Yeltsin only 21 percent.... MORE

In a move likely to displease Moscow, Poland's Chief Military Prosecutor announced April 26 that he would reexamine the April 22 decision to drop the investigation against former prime minister Jozef Oleksy on allegations of spying for Moscow. A Warsaw regional military prosecutor had ruled... MORE

A Russian delegation has verified that the health of seven Russian pilots held hostage by Afghan Taliban rebels since last August is "satisfactory." But, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry source in Moscow April 26, the entreaties of Russia and the international community appear to... MORE

Representatives of the Moscow-backed Chechen government said today that Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, who was recently named successor to slain Chechen leader Djohar Dudaev, was himself killed on Sunday night. Chechen Security Council Secretary Ruslan Tsakayev said Yandarbiev was killed in the town of Urus-Martan, 12 miles... MORE