The latest: Chechen Prime Minister Tenders Resignation

28.02.2006
Chechen Prime Minister Tenders Resignation
Chechen Prime Minister Sergei Abramov, who survived a car crash in November 2005, has announced his resignation.

28.02.2006
Moscow Synagogue Attacker Pleads Innocent
A man accused of attacking worshippers at a Moscow synagogue on Jan. 11 has pleaded innocent in court on Tuesday. Alexander Koptsev, 20, faces life in prison if convicted of the charges of attempted murder, assault and actions aimed at humiliating ethnic or religious groups.

28.02.2006
Russian Schoolgirl’s Parents Fight to Ban Darwin from Curriculum
Parents of a 15-year-old Russian schoolgirl have filed a suit against the Education Ministry, demanding to ban Darwin’s theory of evolution from the school program.

28.02.2006
Safin Ousts Compatriot Davydenko to Win Comeback Match
Russia’s Marat Safin has made an impressive return from a six-month injury layoff, beating compatriot and world number five Nikolay Davydenko 4-6 6-2 6-2 in the first round of the Dubai Open.

28.02.2006
Kaliningrad’s Muslim Community Condemns Use of Bin Laden in Russian Newspaper Ad
Muslim community council in Kaliningrad, Russian territory located between Poland and Lithuania, have condemned an advertisement in a local newspaper that used Osama bin Laden’s portrait.

28.02.2006
Iran Says Will Pursue Research as Russia Deal Hangs in the Balance
Tehran would not suspend its atomic research, a senior official has said, casting doubt over whether a Russian agreement would defuse a crisis over Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Earlier, Iran said it had reached a “basic” agreement with Russia on a joint venture to enrich uranium, but both Russian and Iranian officials had identified serious obstacles to a full deal.

28.02.2006
US Profited From Mohammed Cartoons Scandal — Expert
Chief producer of the Arabic service of the Russia Today TV channel discusses who could be behind the Muhammad cartoons scandal and of Russia’s controversial relations with Hamas.

28.02.2006
Four Million Illegal Immigrants in Russia in 2005
Russia’s Migration Service estimates the number of illegal immigrants working in Russia in 2005 at four million people, RIA Novosti reported Tuesday.

28.02.2006
Russia and Turkey to Hold Joint Naval Exercises
Russian and Turkish naval ships will hold joint naval exercises in the Black Sea. During the two-day maneuvers, they will drill communication tasks, joint maneuvering and a battle simulation.

28.02.2006
President’s Father-in-Law Abducted in Russian Republic Near Chechnya
Magomed Chakhkiyev, the father-in-law of Ingush president Murat Zyazikov has been kidnapped in Nazran, the capital of the Caucasus republic of Ingushetiya. Chakhkiyev, 70, the deputy of the local parliament, was seized by unidentified assailants, who forced him into a car at a gunpoint.

28.02.2006
U.S. Skeptical of Nuclear Agreement Between Iran and Russia
The Bush administration has voiced skepticism Monday that Russia and Iran had reached agreement in which Russia would enrich uranium for Iran. “There’s no deal, frankly, that I’m aware of,” said deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli.

28.02.2006
British Math Teacher Attacked in Moscow
A British citizen has been attacked in downtown Moscow. Questioned by police at a hospital where he had been taken with cranial injuries and a fractured skull, he said he cannot remember anything after relaxing at a bar.

28.02.2006
EU Starts Radio Broadcasting on Belarus to Help Topple Lukashenko’s Regime
Lithuania has joined neighboring Poland in broadcasting radio programs into Belarus, as part of EU efforts to break President Alexander Lukashenko’s stranglehold on the country’s media before crucial elections.

28.02.2006
UK Government Tells Exiled Tycoon Berezovsky Not to Plot Against Russian President Putin
Boris Berezovsky, the Russian businessman who is now living in Britain under political asylum has been warned by the government not to campaign for the overthrow of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

28.02.2006
Ban on Gay Pride Parade in Moscow Threatens All Human Rights — HR Group
By banning a gay pride parade in Moscow, city mayor is threatening civilian freedoms and a civilian society, Human Rights Watch has said in a letter to Yuri Luzhkov, and called on Moscow authorities to allow the parade.