The Moscow office of the Helsinki Watch organization has opened a telephone hot line to enable people in Moscow and the surrounding region to report on human rights observance by the local authorities, a Moscow radio station has reported. It gave the number as 208-07-69... MORE

Russian foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov yesterday praised U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright's just completed diplomatic foray into the Middle East. But, in a remark that underscored Russia's desire to play a more influential role in the region, Primakov said that international participation in the... MORE

Primakov also used the meeting in Moscow to reiterate to reporters that Russia is not assisting Iran in the development of nuclear weapons or long range missiles, as has been alleged by Israel and the U.S. Primakov said that there are no official governmental contacts... MORE

An armaments chief from Russia's Defense Ministry said on September 11 that only 25,000-26,000 of the army's tanks meet today's standards and that a modernization of the country's armored forces is not expected until at least 2005. According to the Russian general, the army received... MORE

President Boris Yeltsin called in six of Russia's leading financiers yesterday and told them to stop picking on the "young reformers" in his government. (NTV, RTR, September 15) Yeltsin said he has no intention of replacing the two first deputy prime ministers -- Anatoly Chubais... MORE

First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov attended a board meeting of the Tyumen Oil Company (TNK) on September 13 at which new directors were chosen. Nemtsov traveled to Tyumen in order to pledge the government's support for the efforts of the Alfa group to establish... MORE

A ceremony honoring participants of the raid on Budennovsk took place in Grozny on September 13 when the 115 fighters who took part received the order of "National Hero." Relatives of seventeen fighters who died in the raid were given the order of "Honor of... MORE

Japan's recently reshuffled government suggested late last week that it foresees upcoming talks between Russian president Boris Yeltsin and Japanese prime minister Ryutaro Hashimoto as a real opportunity to boost long-stagnant Russian-Japanese relations. In remarks made on September 12, Hashimoto restated Japan's recently reformulated diplomatic... MORE

An Estonian cartographer suggested yesterday that deliberate errors in Soviet-era charts may have led to the deaths of 12 Estonian servicemen last week. As part of a training exercise the servicemen were crossing what was believed to be a shallow channel separating the Estonian mainland... MORE

Iosif Kobzon, one of Russia's most popular singers, has won a seat in the Russian parliament. Kobzon retired from singing last week when he reached the age of 60 and gave his last concert in Moscow. Yesterday, he ran as an independent in a by-election... MORE