The long-heralded celebrations of the 60th anniversary of Victory Day are finally over, and many Muscovites find themselves with an odd aftertaste. The event that was supposed to be both a patriotic rally and an international gala turned out to be neither. Most of the... MORE

On May 10, the 15th Russia-EU summit was held in Moscow. Coming immediately after the pompous celebrations of Victory Day in the Russian capital, the meeting resulted in the signing of a new partnership agreement aimed at forging closer economic, political, and cultural ties between... MORE

Russian President Vladimir Putin and the presidents of nine other CIS member countries attended an informal CIS summit on May 8 in Moscow, as part of Russia's anniversary celebrations of victory in the Second World War. Presidents Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia and Ilham Aliev of... MORE

The surprise arrest in Switzerland of Yevgeny Adamov, former head of the Russian Ministry on Nuclear Energy (MINATOM), has sent shock waves across Russia's vast bureaucracy. A federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is investigating claims that Adamov pocketed some $9 million of U.S. government... MORE

In the aftermath of the Iraq war, Syria captured the headlines of the world press, as the international community asked, "Will Syria be next?" Though it quickly became clear that no such attack was imminent, Syria, nevertheless, has come under intense American pressure aimed at... MORE

Real estate prices in Bahrain have registered unusual rates of increase over the last few months as western expatriate workers relocate to the island kingdom, in the hope of finding a more secure environment. Bahrain is considered to offer one of the Gulf’s most western-friendly... MORE

On June 23 Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah declared on behalf of King Fahd a one-month ultimatum, during which al-Qaeda members should surrender themselves to authorities. A headline figure of half a dozen insurgents responding to the amnesty by the deadline of July 22 spelt an... MORE

Late on July 20 Saudi security forces followed up on a tip that led them to the house of al-Qaeda’s leader Salih al-Awfi in the King Fahad district of Riyadh. Militants inside the house then opened fire and a gun-battle ensued, resulting in the killing... MORE

On August 3 one or two gunmen forced their way into the offices of the Rocky Trade and Construction firm in Riyadh and shot Anthony Higgins, a 63 year-old Irish engineer, four times in the head and chest, killing him immediately. Al-Qaeda did not claim... MORE

The Iraqi insurgency spiked again in August 2004 when Muqtada al-Sadr took the offensive against the transitional Iraqi government of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the Multi-National Force of U.S. and other foreign troops, as the former coalition is now known. It was optimistically believed... MORE