The latest: Russia Closes Only Border Pass With Georgia

08.07.2006
Russia Closes Only Border Pass With Georgia
Russian authorities closed the only overland border pass with Georgia, citing construction work, officials said Saturday. The incident was the latest dispute in uneasy Russian-Georgian relations, which have soured since President Mikhail Saakashvili came to power in 2004.

08.07.2006
3 Russians, 1 Congolese Killed in Congo Plane Crash
Three Russian crew members and one Congolese were killed when a cargo plane crashed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the latest in a series of air crashes in the African nation, an official said on Saturday.

08.07.2006
Ukraine’s New Coalition Offers Pro-Russian Prime Minister
The main Ukrainian opposition party joined up with two other groups in parliament Friday, and the new coalition proposed pro-Russian politician Viktor Yanukovich as prime minister.

08.07.2006
6 Killed, Security Officers Wounded in Southern Russia Attacks
Four people were killed and two more seriously wounded when their vehicle came under fire in Chechnya. Three FSB services were wounded in a blast in another part of the rebellious region. 2 more people were killed in the neighboring Ingushetia, local officials said Saturday.

08.07.2006
Russia’s Abramovich Bids for Rosneft Stake — Report
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has placed a bid for a stake in Rosneft, giving a boost to the Russian oil group’s planned initial public offering, the Financial Times newspaper said on Saturday.

08.07.2006
Russia Clamps Down on U.S. Funded Radio Programs
Russian authorities have dramatically curtailed the number of stations broadcasting Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America news programs. The move comes against the backdrop of growing criticism about the state of democracy and media freedoms in Putin’s Russia.

08.07.2006
Two Years After Forbes Editor’s Killing, Watchdog Urges Russia to Resume Probe
The journalism watchdog group Reporters Without Borders on Friday called for the leaders of Russia and the United States to request a U.N. investigation into the killing of journalist Paul Klebnikov. The U.S.-born editor of Forbes magazine’s Russian edition was gunned down on a Moscow street on July 9, 2004.

08.07.2006
U.S. to Pursue Civilian Nuclear Cooperation With Russia — Report
President George W. Bush will allow extensive U.S. civilian nuclear cooperation with Russia for the first time, a decision that reverses decades of bipartisan policy, according to a media report. The move is to be announced at Bush’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin next Saturday before the G8 summit in St. Petersburg.