Russia lower house passes bill to shorten military conscription requirement
The Russian Duma , the lower house of parliament, on Wednesday voted 359-53 to pass a bill that will shorten the military conscription requirement from two years to one, beginning in January 2008. The bill is expected to...
Russian Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov unexpectedly quit Friday after Russian President Vladimir Putin recommended to the Russian upper house - the Federation Council - that Ustinov be asked to step down from...
President Bush has imposed a US travel ban on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and his associates. In a proclamation released Monday, Bush cited election fraud, corruption and human rights violations as reasons for...
Federal prosecutor says US trial of former Russian nuclear minister 'pointless'
A US federal prosecutor said Friday that proceeding with a US trial of former Russian nuclear energy minister Yevgeny Adamov on charges of fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion for diverting to his own...
Michael Kelly : "Russian Duma Speaker Gryzlov's determination this week that the Russian constitution would not be changed to allow Putin to run for a third term as president is a triumph for democracy, but will...
Russia MP rules out constitutional amendment for third Putin term
The speaker of the Russian Duma , Russia's lower house of parliament, said Tuesday that parliament would not hold another vote on whether to modify the constitution to allow the president to run for a third term. The...
International brief ~ Japan concerned Chinese ship ban violates international law
Leading Monday's international brief, Japan has raised concerns that a navigation ban on commercial ships in part of the East China Sea may actually violate Japan's sovereignty and international law under the UN Convention on the...
A controversial Russian law imposing restrictions on domestic and foreign nongovernmental organizations operating in the country took effect Monday. The new law, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in January, implements strict registration requirements, imposes financial oversight...
A Moscow court ruled Monday that the Russian Human Rights Research Center , a major human rights umbrella group, will remain open despite increased government control over NGOs. The Russian Justice Ministry had requested...
Protests continue in Belarus over alleged fraud in Lukashenko re-election
For the fourth day in a row, hundreds of protestors gathered at a central square in Minsk on Wednesday to oppose what they claimed were the rigged results of the Belarus presidential election, defying...
