POLITICS-CULTURE: Latvia Introduces New Language Law

Russia might have been angry when it was first proposed, but Latvia's neighbour was silent when a new law linking proficienc y in Latvian to employment opportunities in that country went into effect on the w eekend.

RUSSIA: Corruption, Trade, Illegal Logging Threaten Far East Forests

Illegal logging, fuelled by corruption and timber demands from Japan, China and North and South Korea, is leading to the plundering of the Russian Far East's forests, one of the world's largest pristine forest regions, according to environmentalists.

RUSSIA: Pipeline to China Will Destroy Siberian Plateau, Warn Environmentalists

A proposal to build a natural gas pipeline and accompanying road from southern Siberia to China will destroy habitat on a plateau that is internationally recognised for its abundance of rare and endangered species, warn environmentalists meeting here this week.

ENVIRONMENT-RUSSIA: Environmentalists Blast Plundering of Sakhalin Island

Increased oil and timber exploitation on Sakhalin Island, combined with the liquidation of Russia's two key federal environmental protection bodies, could lead to ecological disaster for the island, warn environmentalists.

ENVIRONMENT-RUSSIA: Siberian Conservationists Press for Nature Preserves

Pristine frontier forests in the northern part of Siberia and in the Russian Far East may soon end up as marshy bogs if nature preserves are not created and logging is not halted in these regions, warn environmentalists here.

ENVIRONMENT-RUSSIA: China’s Demand for Timber Fuels Clear-cutting in Siberia

To the alarm of local environmental watchdogs, the regional forestry authorities have allowed a large area of pristine Siberian forest to be clear-cut to satisfy China's demand for timber.

RUSSIA: Media Under Pressure

The Kremlin has vowed to support Russian democracy, but the troubles of the independent mediaaccepted worldwide as an important component of democracysuggest that the days of government tolerance of dissident voices may soon be over.

POLITICS-RUSSIA: Putin Seeks Equal Footing at Okinawa

Russia's President Vladimir Putin goes to the summit of the Group of Eight in Okinawa eager to be considered an equal among t he leaders of the world's seven richest nations.

FINANCE: World Bank Under Fire Over Forestry Loans to Russia

Russian and international ecologists are calling on the World Bank to issue an immediate moratorium on all new projects in Russia and to suspend disbursement of current projects until two environmental agencies are restored.

ECONOMY-RUSSIA: Unions Lash Out at Tax Reform Measures

In an attempt to give the Russian economy a much-needed boost and to deal with widespread tax evasion, the government Friday pushed through the Duma (parliament) a bill approving a new social tax to add to a flat 13 percent income tax rate agreed upon earlier this week.

POLITICS: No Major Breakthrough at US-Russia Summit

US President Bill Clinton and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin ended their first summit Monday with little progress on the major issues of arms control and Chechnya.

POLITICS-RUSSIA: New Prime Minister Faces Immense Challenges

He does not have a plan yet, but Russia's newest Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov says he knows what he has to do to ensure a prosperous future for the country.

POLITICS: Russian Forces Face A Stalemate In Chechnya

-- Although it has managed to battle its way across Chechnya and drive the armed separatists deep into the mountains, Russian forces increasingly find themselves frustrated in their inability to bring the fighting to a close. The danger now is that, unless Moscow changes its policies, the conflict could go on indefinitely.

CULTURE-RUSSIA: Bolshoi Theatre Seeks Restoration Funds Abroad

The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, one of the oldest and best known theatrical companies in Europe, has launched a global fundraising drive to help it raise some 200 million dollars to renovate its home.

POPULATION-ROMANIA: Dwindling Work Force Spells Trouble for Pensioners

The new millennium began in Romania with 33,000 less Romanian residents than at the start of 1999. The number, culled from official data released earlier this month, shows that the country's population is dwindling, a direct result of rising waves of emigration and falling birth rates.

WOMEN-RUSSIA: Equal Opportunities A Pipedream For Women

Flower shops and stalls were booming in the Russian capital throughout the day on Wednesday as people from all walks of life celebrated International Women's Day.

EDUCATION-RUSSIA: A Soviet Pride Falling Apart

'Learning is rowing upstream,' an ancient Chinese proverb says, but these days, for Russian education workers, life is largely a struggle to keep afloat.

ECONOMY: IMF Prevents Russian Default

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved its first loan to Russia in nearly 12 months, saving the former Soviet stateand itselffrom certain default.

/ARTS-ENTERTAINMENT/RUSSIA: Culture Short of Funds, Not Customers

In the country of shortages, there is abundance of readers at the Russian State Library - the largest in Europe - but few of its underpaid and overworked librarians seem particularly delighted about it.

RIGHTS-BALTICS: Russians – the Discriminated Half

Though Latvia backed down from enforcing a newlanguage bill that Russia and the European Union (EU) deemed discriminatoryagainst ethnic Russians living in the Baltic republic, the rights of socalled "Russian speakers" remain a major irritant in relations betweenMoscow and Riga.

ECONOMY-RUSSIA: IMF Promises New Loans for Russia

Russian Premier Yevgeny Primakov flew to Belgrade Tuesday to try and halt the hostilities in Yugoslavia, less than 24 hours after a personal triumph in winning 4.8 billion dollars in loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).