Regional authorities in Russia's Far East have expressed some disquiet over various aspects of the recent rapprochement between Tokyo and Moscow. Of special concern are the negotiations on the status of the disputed Kuril Islands. At a meeting in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on March 24-25, the governor... MORE

Russia's domestic political problems intruded in the country's foreign affairs over the weekend as Moscow moved to postpone a long-scheduled summit meeting between President Boris Yeltsin and Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto. The informal "no-neckties" summit -- to have been held in the Japanese city... MORE

The co-chairman of the Russian Party in Latvia, Mikhail Gavrilov, called yesterday for legislating "bilingualism" in Latvia. The goal: to elevate Russian to the status of official language, on equal footing with Latvian. Gavrilov led a 100-strong picket in front of the parliament building. The... MORE

Azerbaijani President Haidar Aliev yesterday recapitulated some of his country's objections to Russia's policies in the region. He called for equal treatment for all countries in the CIS, "without any predominance by some over others," stopping the "current tendency to create CIS supranational bodies," removal... MORE

Human Rights Watch yesterday made public an appeal it has sent to Tajik President Imomali Rahmonov, asking him to commute the death sentences recently handed down by Tajikistan's Supreme Court against six "terrorists." Human Rights Watch expressed concern that "political considerations" may have contributed to... MORE

Even though he was not legally obliged to do so, on April 2, former Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin released his 1997 income declaration. He had a good year, reporting income of 1,446,400 rubles ($240,000) in 1997, a thirty-fold increase on the 46,400 rubles he earned... MORE

A bomb blast during prayers yesterday damaged Riga's sole remaining synagogue, situated in the historic old town. There were no casualties. Jugendstil stained glass windows suffered. President Guntis Ulmanis expressed his regret and indignation both in a telephone call to Latvia's chief rabbi and in... MORE

A by-election was held in Dagestan's Buinaksk electoral district last weekend. Voters were choosing a candidate to represent them in Russia's State Duma in place of Ramazan Abdulatipov, who had to give up the seat when he was appointed deputy prime minister last year. The... MORE

There were angry scenes in Nizhny Novgorod yesterday as several hundred supporters of Andrei Klimentyev took to the streets to protest the annulment of the election and Klimentyev's arrest. Klimentyev, a nightclub owner with two criminal convictions and currently on trial for embezzlement, was elected... MORE

Greek Defense Minister Apostolos Tsochatzopolous concluded his three-day visit to Russia yesterday with a declaration that political and military cooperation between the two countries had reached a high level. According to Tsochatzopolous, the two countries share views on security in the Balkans, the eastern Mediterranean... MORE