On June 9, the Duma rejected on second reading a bill which would have established profit-sharing arrangements in the oil and gas industry and set the stage for more foreign investment, Interfax reported. Many deputies said that they believed the government-backed measure would allow foreign... MORE

Vladimir Medvedev, chairman of the Oil and Gas Producers Union of Russia, told Russian radio June 9 that Moscow should press the UN to lift its embargo on Iraq. Medvedev said that Russia would profit from such a step. His words were echoed by Russian... MORE

The Russian parliament changed the rules June 9 for depriving a deputy charged with a crime of his immunity, Russian radio reported. In the past, lifting a deputy's immunity required the support of two-thirds of all members; now it will require only one-half. Among the... MORE

The Russian finance ministry will simplify tax procedures for small businessmen, Moscow radio reported June 8. This concession reflects the growing political clout of independent business operators, Kommersant-Daily suggested June 9. The paper said that within three years, small businesses will employ from 18 to... MORE

Human rights activist Sergei Kovalev told Russian radio June 9 that he had refused to accept an award from Chechen president Dzhokhar Dudayev. Reports that he had been given the award sparked widespread criticism in Moscow, Komsomolskaya pravda reported June 8. Earthquake Recovery Effort Ends.

Russian emergency personnel on June 9 ended their search for victims of the May 27 earthquake on Sakhalin, Itar-Tass reported. 1846 bodies were recovered. Ostankino Studios Sealed.

The Russian government sealed 39 offices and studios at Russian state television June 8 after the service failed to pay for rent and supplies, Russian television said. While independent television is supposed to pick up the slack, that group may not be able to do... MORE

The free market, not a government conspiracy, is behind the closing of many of the country's papers, the government's press committee told Moskovskaya pravda June 9. The committee was responding to charges June 7 by Duma deputy Mikhail Poltoranin that the Russian government was killing... MORE

Yeltsin's Judicial Commission on Information Disputes will enter a case now in New York's Federal District Court to seek compensation from the Russian-language weekly "Kurier" in the US that has used Russian materials without giving credit, Moscow radio reported June 8. Two Cholera Cases Recorded... MORE

Medical officials told Moskovsky komsomolets June 9 that doctors had identified two victims of cholera in the Russian capital. The paper said that the authorities did not believe that this was the start of an epidemic there. Russia to Send 160 Peacekeepers to Angola.