With eight weeks before Kazakhstan's new capital is officially presented to ten invited heads of state on June 10, both President Nursultan Nazarbaev and Mayor Adilbek Djakysbekov recently reconfirmed in separate press conferences that Akmola's construction timetable is on track. (Panorama [Almaty], April 10) The... MORE

Despite recording exceptionally low inflation and some indicators of accelerating economic growth, Ukraine will not receive the remainder of the $542 million stand-by IMF credit agreed upon with the Fund last year. While not wholly unexpected, the IMF decision is likely to exacerbate Ukraine's problems,... MORE

The former mayor of Grozny, Bislan Gantemirov, said in an interview with "Ogonek," that 90 percent of the money allotted for the restoration of Chechnya is being "squandered." According to Gantemirov, the embezzlement was directly led by former FSB chief Mikhail Barsukov, presidential security chief... MORE

Recent declarations of Slavic brotherhood and unity have not kept Moscow from putting the economic squeeze on Minsk. Belarusan First Deputy Prime Minister Valery Kokorev announced last week that Russian exporters this year are insisting that the share of barter-financed Belarusan trade be kept to... MORE

The Main Directorate for Security in the Caucasus of Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has announced a warrant for the arrest of Chechen field commander Ruslan Khaikharoev. He is accused of kidnapping twenty-four citizens of North Ossetia and two officials of the International Orthodox Center. He... MORE

President Yeltsin's representative to the Constitutional Court, Sergei Shakhrai, said yesterday that he supports the idea that, should the president become incapacitated, his powers should be delegated to the Speaker of the upper house of parliament, rather than to the (as yet unconfirmed) prime minister.... MORE

Andrei Nikolaev, the former head of Russia's Federal Border Service, elected to the State Duma on April 12, says that he intends to set up a centrist political party to campaign in the 1999 parliamentary elections. (Itar-Tass, April 13) Nikolaev said deputies from Moscow and... MORE

Russia's Central Bank chairman, Sergei Dubinin, said yesterday that Russia would not attend this week's meeting of Group of Seven (G-7) finance ministers in Washington. His explanation was simple: Moscow has not been accorded the status it deserves. Dubinin indicated to reporters that Moscow is... MORE

Seleznev said after yesterday's meeting that President Yeltsin will shortly sign into law the bill on trophy art that he had earlier vetoed. Last week, the Constitutional Court ruled that, because parliament had mustered enough votes to override Yeltsin's veto, the president must now sign... MORE

Chechnya's Supreme Shariah Court has recognized the peace agreement with Russia to be "a political act which benefits both sides, which does not contradict the norms of the Shariah and is binding for each resident of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria." Any actions directed at... MORE