Ahead of the October presidential election, the Milli Majlis has adopted two changes proposed by President Haidar Aliev to the electoral law in response to opposition demands. The first reduces the minimum turnout for a valid election from 50 to only 25 percent. The second--pertaining... MORE

The historic Bibi-Eibat mosque in Baku, devastated by the Soviet authorities, reopened on July 12, following restoration mostly financed by the Azerbaijani state. Built in 1257, the mosque stands on the ninth-century graves of four presumed descendants of the prophet Muhammad. Azerbaijan's religious and state... MORE

The U.S. company Mobil Oil, Monument Oil of Britain and the state company Turkmenneft (in the process of being reformed as the Turkmen National Oil Company) have signed a production-sharing agreement for the onshore Garash-Syzlyk oilfield in western Turkmenistan. Mobil holds a 52.4 percent interest,... MORE

At the end of June, Boris Giller, the owner of Kazakhstan's leading newspaper, the weekly Russian-language Karavan, reportedly sold his newspaper, his TV Channel KTK, his radio broadcasting channel Karavan and his two printing houses in Almaty and Astana. The purchaser remains anonymous. (Focus Central... MORE

Tajik security authorities and opposition representatives yesterday offered discrepant versions of an armed clash which occurred on July 12 in Kofarnikhon district, twenty-five to thirty kilometers east of Dushanbe. According to the authorities, twenty were killed on both sides. According to the opposition, four were... MORE

Some Russian analysts were said to be concerned yesterday over the adverse impact that parliamentary election results in Japan might have on diplomatic relations between Moscow and Tokyo. The Liberal Democratic Party of Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto suffered a major defeat in a Japanese... MORE

Participants were close-mouthed following a meeting in Moscow on July 10 between Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev and the visiting Defense Minister from Cyprus, Yiannakis Omirou. The two men reportedly discussed military cooperation between Russia and Cyprus, but revealed nothing of their talks. Afterward, Omirou... MORE

Russia's troubled armed forces suffered yet another public humiliation on July 10 when a newspaper reported that some 1,000 tons of dog food had been discovered at any army food depot near Moscow. According to the daily Kommersant, military prosecutors also discovered a number of... MORE

According to The New York Times, the International Monetary Fund has told Russian government officials that it is ready to lend Russia US$11 billion to stabilize the ruble and restore international confidence in Russian markets. As Russia's financial crisis deepened last week, negotiators were reported... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin reportedly canceled plans to leave Moscow to go on vacation this week. The Russian press continues to print rumors that unidentified extremists are planning to take power in a coup as soon as Yeltsin departs from the capital. Yeltsin fanned the flames... MORE