Russia's deputy minister for nuclear energy Lev Ryabev toldInterfax August 7 that Russia and Iran are in the process of amendingtheir agreement on building a Russian-equipped nuclear power plantat Bushehr on the Persian Gulf. The main amendments are expectedto provide for deliveries of Russian nuclear... MORE

The murder of bankerIvan Kivelidi figured prominently on the agenda of the government'sAugust 7 cabinet meeting chaired by Viktor Chernomyrdin, OstankinoTV reported. Chernomyrdin pledged "tough measures againstthe underworld" and promised full assistance to the investigativeagencies. He also criticized journalists for hampering the investigationinto this case... MORE

Russian presidentBoris Yeltsin told journalists in the Kremlin August 7 that NATOair sorties, or the possible introduction of rapid deploymentunits against Serbian attacks on UN "safe zones" inBosnia, are unacceptable and provocative to the Serbs. Yeltsinoffered to persuade Serbia's president Slobodan Milosevic andBosnian Serb commander... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin told journalists in the Kremlin August7 that "democratic" elections in Chechnya will be shiftedfrom November 1995 to "probably" early 1996. Yeltsinalso said that he has already chosen his representative in Chechnya,and hinted that it would not be the Security Council's secretaryOleg Lobov.... MORE

The recentlyappointed British ambassador to Armenia, David Miller, told anews conference in Yerevan as reported by Noyan Tapan August 4that his country had experienced considerable financial difficultiesin opening embassies in the independent countries of the ex-USSR.He said that Britain opened an embassy in Baku relatively... MORE

Following press leaks, theCzech Republic's Trade and Industry Ministry confirmed that radarmanufacturer NTT Pardubice has sold to Kyrgyzstan its "Tamara"radar system, allegedly capable of detecting Stealth aircraft,for $ 17 million, the August 4 Segodnya reported from Prague.Kyrgyzstan's intended use of the system has not been... MORE

Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkovvisited Minsk and conferred with its President and Prime Minister,Aleksandr Lukashenko and Mikhail Chigir, about expanding deliveriesof Belarus foodstuffs to the Moscow market, Moscow media reportedAugust 4 through 6. The talks focused on potatoes, vegetables,meat, fresh and powdered milk and dairy products.... MORE

For Press Freedom.

Armenia's National Security Ministryannounced August 4 that 14 individuals arrested since July 28,mostly members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaksutyun)and led by Vahan Hovanessian, one of its leaders, were allegedlyplanning to assassinate Defense Minister Vazgen Sarkisyan, touse terrorist methods to create chaos in the country,... MORE

Lithuanian Airlines(LAL) has agreed to buy a Boeing 737-200 passenger jet for $ 8.4million (down from the initial price of $ 8.9 million), havingtaken delivery in June of its first Boeing for $ 8.3 million,BNS reported August 4. Estonian Air has recently acquired a Boeing737-500,... MORE