RUSSIAN SECURITY SERVICE TO OVERSEE BANKCARDS.

Yeltsin’sspecial administration for communications security, FAPSI,will have the power to certify all smart cards that Russianbanks are planning to issue, Kommersant-Daily reported June23. Not only will that ruling put an enormous financialburden on many banks, but it will give the Russiangovernment yet another means to monitor the population.Meanwhile, Moscow has convened a conference to promote acommon information space throughout the CIS, Russian radioreported June 22. And in another move with securityimplications, Kommersant-Daily reported June 23 thatYeltsin’s draft 1996 budget includes major increases for thepower ministries.

Drug Trafficking Increases Dramatically.