The latest: Russia’s Upper House Gives Putin Wider Powers To Hunt Down Terror Suspects Abroad

07.07.2006
Russia’s Upper House Gives Putin Wider Powers To Hunt Down Terror Suspects Abroad
Russia’s upper house of parliament — the Federation Council — approved an act investing the president with wider power in hunting and eliminating terror suspects across the globe.

07.07.2006
Ukraine’s Orange Coalition Falls Apart, Pro-Russian Forces Call for New Alliance
Ukraine’s Western-leaning Orange coalition fell apart Friday less than a month after its formation, boosting the fortunes of the pro-Russian opposition forces who are now set to form a new alliance. Earlier, Viktor Yushchenko warned that he could dissolve parliament if a government is not formed within a constitutionally mandated period that ends July 20.

07.07.2006
Russian Parliament Moves to Outlaw Dollar, Euro Words in Public Speech
Russia’s lower house of parliament passed in second reading Friday a bill that would ban lawmakers and other officials from using the terms “dollar” and “euro” in domestic economic debates.

07.07.2006
Ukrainian Parliament Shuns Pro-Western Orange Bloc, Elects Socialist Speaker
Ukraine’s parliament elected veteran Socialist Oleksander Moroz as its speaker on Thursday, casting doubt over a prospective government coalition made up of backers of the 2004 “Orange Revolution”.

07.07.2006
Russian Publisher Closes 2 Teen Magazines Following Prosecutors’ Criticism
Russian-German publishing house Burda has decided to close two teen magazines after a high ranked Russian prosecutor said that teen magazines promote sex and drugs among the young.

07.07.2006
More Russians Think Things Are Looking Up in Chechnya — Poll
More adults in Russia believe a solution to the problems in a breakaway republic can be reached, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation.

07.07.2006
Kazakhstan Warns Western Nations Against Meddling in Country’s Home Affairs
Kazakhstan’s top diplomatic official warned the West against meddling in the post-Soviet republic’s home affairs. Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokaev, during an official visit to Washington on June 6, rejected any attempts by outsiders to impose systems of governance on his country.

07.07.2006
Pro-Russia Activist Has His Ears, Nose Cut Off in Eastern Ukraine
A lawmaker and owner of a local restaurant was attacked by a group of henchmen in Ukraine’s eastern city of Kharkov. The man was hospitalized with ears and nose cut off, and deep scars on his buttocks.

07.07.2006
Mauresmo Ousts Sharapova From Wimbledon Semifinals
World number one Amelie Mauresmo laid to rest some Wimbledon demons as she reached her first final with a brave 6-3 3-6 6-2 win over Maria Sharapova.

07.07.2006
Russian Spacecraft to Bring U.S. Astronaut to ISS
The Russian Federal Space Agency and NASA have agreed that an American astronaut will travel to the International Space Station aboard Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft, Roscosmos crewed flight program director Alexei Krasnov told journalists on Thursday.

07.07.2006
Russia, U.S. Urge Iran to Reply to Six-Nation Proposal as Soon as Possible
Russia, U.S. have urged Iran to reply to six nation proposals on its nuclear program as soon as possible. “The Iranian leadership said it is ready for dialogue and will answer by August,” Putin said. “In our view they could have done this earlier.” From its part U.S. officials stress that Iran faced UN Security Council action if it failed to join international negotiations over its nuclear program.

07.07.2006
British Gold Mining Official Shot in Kyrgyzstan
Gunmen in Kyrgyzstan injured a British representative of gold mining company Oxus Gold Plc in the early hours of Friday, police said.

07.07.2006
Russian Authorities Halt Broadcasts of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe
Russian regulators have forced about 60 radio stations to stop broadcasting news reports produced by Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, according to radio managers and Russian officials.

07.07.2006
Russia Has “No Other Partner But U.S.” in Global Security, Disarmament — Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia has “no other partner but the United States” on the issues of global security and disarmament.

07.07.2006
Russia Threats Democracy, Tries to Undermine Georgian Government — Saakashvili
Mikheil Saakashvili, president of the former Soviet republic of Georgia, warned yesterday that Russia is trying to undermine his government in hopes of intimidating democracy activists from rising up against corrupt regimes like the one he toppled three years ago.