LATVIA UPDATES THE CONSTITUTION.

In a vote described as “historic,” the Latvian parliament adopted overwhelmingly yesterday a new section of the country’s constitution. The section, dealing with human rights, incorporates the norms of the international pacts to which Latvia is signatory. In addition, a new constitutional paragraph enshrines the status of the Latvian language as the state language, without any special privileges for the Russian language. Details of the legislation and Russia’s reaction were not immediately available. This was one of the parliament’s last actions before the end of its mandate on November 2 (BNS, October 15).

MOLDOVAN GOVERNMENT CAVES IN TO GAZPROM.