The latest: Son of Slain Chechen President Becomes Republic’s New PM

04.03.2006
Son of Slain Chechen President Becomes Republic’s New PM
Ramzan Kadyrov, head of a shadowy security force of Chechnya widely alleged to commit abductions and abuse of civilians, has been appointed the republic’s prime minister. Kadyrov, the son of the Kremlin-backed Chechen president who was assassinated in 2004, and has been widely seen as likely to become president after he reaches the minimum age of 30 this year.

04.03.2006
Putin’s Aide Outlines Main Threats to Russia
Vladislav Surkov, the president’s aide and deputy head of the Kremlin administration, has identified the main threats to Russia’s sovereignty. Among them he named international terrorism, the threat of direct military clash, the noncompetitiveness of the economy, and “orange technologies”, used for seizure of power in neighboring countries.

04.03.2006
Protest Rallies Against Utilities Hikes Held Across Russia
Thousands of demonstrators turned out in Moscow and other Russian cities on Saturday to protest utilities price hikes that went into effect at the start of this year.

04.03.2006
U.S. State Dept. Thanks Russia for Talks With Hamas
The Bush administration has credited Russia with putting the extremist Palestinian group Hamas on notice that it must renounce terrorism and accept Israel.

04.03.2006
Uzbek Prosecutors Seeking Freedom House Shutdown
The Tashkent City Court will consider a request by prosecutors seeking to shutdown the office of the U.S.-based human rights organization Freedom House in Uzbekistan on Monday, March 6. On Feb. 10, the court ruled to suspend Freedom House’s activities in Uzbekistan for half a year.

04.03.2006
Council of Europe Head Urges Russia to Abolish Death Penalty
The secretary-general of the Council of Europe Terry Davis has urged Russia to abolish death penalty, as the measure was one of the conditions of Russia’s accession to the organization 10 years ago.

04.03.2006
Berezovsky Says His Plan to Overthrow Putin Does Not Break Russian, UK Laws
Boris Berezovsky has denied advocating the violent overthrow of the Russian president Vladimir Putin but admitted that he was pressing for a bloodless regime change similar to recent events in Georgia and Ukraine.