Tajik resistance inflicted 17 deaths on the government side in two separate attacks on October 31 and November 1 in the Garm region, according to a Foreign Ministry statement issued in Dushanbe yesterday. The statement accused the opposition yet again of using terrorist methods; and... MORE

Only the "early" oil from Azerbaijan, but not the much larger amounts of "future" Azeri oil, can be allowed through the Turkish straits, senior Turkish officials told an international oil conference yesterday. State minister Necmettin Cevheri and Energy minister Sinasi Altiner were cited as cautioning... MORE

The European Union's External Affairs Commissioner Hans van den Broek yesterday in Chisinau praised "Moldova's convincing success in establishing real democracy" and "true progress" toward economic stabilization and privatization. Van den Broek announced an increase in EU financial grants to Moldova for balance of payments... MORE

Ten Tatar deputies to Crimea's parliament began a hunger strike yesterday in the parliament building, demanding that Crimea's new constitution maintain the legislative seats reserved for the Tatar community's representatives and institute Tatar seats on local councils. The draft of the new constitution would eliminate... MORE

On November 1, the Crimean parliament began an article-by-article debate on a new Constitution. It is the second attempt this year to produce a document amenable both to Simferopol and to Kiev, following the latter's earlier rejection of a draft that was too separatist-oriented. Initial... MORE

Labor unrest is looming again in the troubled Donbass coal-mining region. On November 1, the strike committee at Donetskuhol reportedly forced a decision on the trade unions to halt deliveries of coal to consumers. The same day, 24 branch leaders of the Independent Trade Union... MORE

The controversy over Ukraine's obligation to abolish the death penalty continued into Wednesday, one day after the Supreme Council voted to approve the terms of the country's admission to the Council of Europe as a full member. At the center of the storm is the... MORE

Ukrainian and G-7 negotiators are expected tomorrow to complete three days of negotiations in Kiev on assistance to Ukraine in closing down the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and upgrading parts of the country's energy sector. The delegations are reportedly working on a financial package involving... MORE

In a telephone conversation yesterday the prime ministers of Latvia and Lithuania, Maris Gailis and Adolfas Slezevicius, resolved to "prevent further deterioration of bilateral relations" caused by Latvia's agreement of intent with two Western companies to explore and develop oil deposits in an offshore zone... MORE

As 1995 draws to a close, levels of unemployment throughout the Russian Federation are showing wide regional variation. The Republic of Ingushetia continues, as in preceding months, to be plagued by the highest rate, with almost 30 percent of the able-bodied population reportedly out of... MORE