TAJIK AUTHORITIES FREE PRICES FOR BREAD.

In a move likelyto drive even more Tajiks into the hands of the opposition, theTajik government removed all controls on prices for bread, Ostankinotelevision reported August 20. To try to soften the blow, theTajik authorities said they would provide subsidies for the pooreststrata of the population. Meanwhile, fighting spread throughoutmuch of the country; Russian border commander on the scene Lt.Gen. Pavel Tarasenko said that the rebels were planning to disruptthe upcoming centennial celebrations of Russia’s annexation ofTajikistan’s Pamir region.

Paid in the Coin of the Realm.