Ten times asmany Russian women per 100,000 die while delivering children thando women in developed Western countries, Interfax reported June24. Moreover, the number

Moscow media--includingthe June 24 Segodnya--have given prominent coverage toan American decision to refuse an immigrant visa to Russian singerIosif Kobzon because of the latter's ties to organized crime.According to press reports, Kobzon has direct links to Russianmafiosi arrested in New York in May 1995. Estonian... MORE

Estonianprime minister Tiit Vahi told the Estonian paper PostimeesJune 26 that he believed the dialogue between Moscow and NATOwould contribute to peace by giving Russia "a broader perspective"and allowing it to understand the West, BNS reported June 26.In other comments, Vahi said he believed that... MORE

Becauseof the Baltija Bank failure, Latvians have cashed in their Latviancurrency for foreign money, and this has led to a 9 percent dropin the country's supply of domestic money in circulation, BNSreported June 26. Another result of this run on the national currencyis that the... MORE

Ostankino reported on June26 that Vilnius and Moscow have agreed to a visa-free regime forcertain categories of people, but BNS said the same day that Lithuaniais having increasing difficulties with both Russia and Latviaover border demarcations in the Baltic Sea. Russian and Lithuanianofficials meet this... MORE

Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma said recently that the currentstate of the Ukrainian army could only be described as "tragic,"Vo slavu Rodiny reported June 2. Kuchma noted that 60 percentof the army's officers now have to work second jobs to make endsmeet, that crime and suicides... MORE

Russian defense ministerPavel Grachev held talks June 26 in Chisinau and Tiraspol to preparefor a June 28 summit between Boris Yeltsin and Mircea Snegur.

Moldovanpresident Mircea Snegur said he had resigned from the country'slargest political party--it holds 56 of the 104 seats in the parliamentthere--because the party was now blocking reforms and undercuttingpresidential prerogatives, Chisinau television reported June 26.His resignation will only further exacerbate relations betweenthe legislative and executive... MORE

Marines from Russia's BlackSea Fleet have gone ashore in western Georgia to participate ina joint operation with Georgian forces, NTV reported June 25.The combined military force will patrol the region to preventany Chechens from entering the area. This is the second such landingby Russian marine... MORE

Despitelast week's clashes between the government and the opposition,and a rising tide of complaints about the Armenian government'shandling of the upcoming elections, many Armenians apparentlyare unconcerned about President Levon Ter-Petrosian's decisionto suspend the nationalist Dashnak party and about the almostcertain victory of the president's party... MORE