20 June 2004 -- A Russian racism expert who advised the courts in cases involving racially motivated crimes was shot dead today in central St. Petersburg.
When Vladimir Lukin was confirmed as Russia's human rights ombudsman in February, activists were cautiously optimistic.
18 June 2004 -- The presidents of Russia and several other former Soviet republics today signed deals to improve economic ties and expand military cooperation.
The following responses from President Aslan Maskhadov to questions submitted by RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service were received on 13 June. As a matter of policy, RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service also continues to solicit comment on the situation in Chechnya from the Russian Interior Ministry and the pro-Moscow Chechen administration in Grozny.
Prague, 18 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- As the EU's constitutional summit wraps up in Brussels today, we take a look at why Central Europe snubbed the European Union in last week's parliamentary elections; the Kremlin's choice for a new Chechen president; NATO's looming failure in Afghanistan; the trial of former Yukos oil chief Mikhail Khodorkovskii on tax-evasion and fraud charges; and the findings of interim reports on the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States.
President Putin 18 June 2004 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said today in Astana that, before the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Moscow had warned Washington that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was planning terrorist attacks against the United States.
The United States and Britain famously walked away from the UN Security Council when they could not gain support for a resolution authorizing war in Iraq. But they were recently praised by council members for their flexibility following the unanimous adoption of a resolution endorsing Iraq's restoration of sovereignty. Experts at the UN say the case of Iraq shows that despite clashes that have raised doubts about the Security Council's legitimacy, it remains central to key security matters.
17 June 2004 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said today his government does not want to see Russia's giant oil company Yukos go bankrupt.
Uzbekistan saw its share of violence during the April attacks
Brussels, 17 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- An international donors conference for Georgia has resulted in pledges totaling about $1 billion.
The organizers of a modern-art exhibition dealing with religious themes have gone on trial in Moscow, accused of inciting hatred. The case is seen as a possible landmark trial for freedom of expression in Russia as well as the issue of where the Orthodox Church fits into Russian society.
Prague, 17 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Interim reports released yesterday by the U.S. commission investigating the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 say there is little or no evidence that Iraq's Saddam Hussein was involved with Al-Qaeda in the planning of the strikes. Several news dailies today discuss the reports' findings in light of the U.S. administration's claims to the contrary as it presented its case for going to war in Iraq. We also take a look today at media coverage in times of conflict; Chechnya's likely new Moscow-approved leader; and the trial of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovskii.
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