COUNCIL OF EUROPE HONORS KOVALEV.

The Council of Europe has presented its prestigious human rights prize to Russian human rights activist Sergei Kovalev, German radio reported June 22. Kovalyev, a sharp critic of Moscow’s handling of Chechnya, shared the award with Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who disappeared in the Soviet Union after helping Jews escape the Nazi holocaust. While the Council has given no indication of its future plans, the selection of Wallenberg suggests that the Council in the future might want to give an award to Fred Cuny, the American aid worker who has been missing in Chechnya since April 9.

Yeltsin Allows Gubernatorial Elections in Nizhny Novgorod.