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Jeremy Bransten

Also by Jeremy Bransten

August 16, 2005
Russia: Lawmakers Propose Bill To Allow Putin To Run For Third Term

Just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he might consider running for a third term -- if the constitution allowed it -- a Russian lawmaker has proposed a bill to amend Russia's constitution to allow him to do just that. Was Putin being serious?
August 11, 2005
Space: NASA Set To Launch Latest Mars Probe

An artist's conception of a future Mars mission Fresh from celebrating a successful shuttle mission, NASA on 12 August is due to launch the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The $720 million unmanned spacecraft is the largest and most sophisticated probe ever sent to the red planet. Its goal is to explore possible landing sites for future human travelers and to study the climate, geology, and distribution of water on the planet.
August 10, 2005
Russia: Moscow Urges Iran To Halt Nuclear Restart

Iran's Bushehr plant (file photo) Russia's Foreign Ministry has urged Iran to immediately halt its work on uranium conversion and continue its close cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Russia has for years cooperated closely with Iran on nuclear issues. Does Moscow's call mean it is now realigning its position to mirror that of the West?
August 04, 2005
World: In Major Breakthrough, Scientists Clone World's First Dog

Snuppy (right) is a dead ringer for his father South Korean scientists have successfully cloned the world's first dog. Man's best friend now joins a long list of animals that have been "duplicated." But what makes this achievement so remarkable is that dogs -- unlike sheep, goats, mice, pigs, or even cats -- have such a complicated reproductive biology that cloning them was thought to be nearly impossible. Now that canines have been conquered, will humans be next?
July 28, 2005
Russia: Paving The Way Toward Better Roads

In need of repair The 19th century writer Nikolai Gogol famously quipped that Russia suffered from two misfortunes: fools and bad roads. Many Russians say the observation still holds true today. But Russia's road transport agency says it is working on a plan to eliminate at least one of those problems.
July 28, 2005
Poland Recalls Ambassador From Belarus

Prague, 28 July 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Poland today recalled its ambassador from Belarus, sending diplomatic relations between the two neighbors into a tailspin.
July 27, 2005
Russia: Outbreak Of Bird Flu Confirmed In Siberia

Russia has confirmed that a bird flu outbreak has hit Siberia. The authorities say the virus was probably brought to Russia by migratory birds from Asia, but poses little risk to humans. Other experts are not so confident.
July 27, 2005
Russia: New TV Channel To Tend To Country's Spiritual Needs

Patriarch Aleksii II celebrating Christmas Mass in January (file photo) First came patriotic-military television. Then the Kremlin announced a plan to establish a television network to improve Russia's image abroad. Now, Russia's first national Orthodox television channel is due to hit the airwaves this week, to cater to Russia's spiritual needs. Media observers say they detect a clear pattern.
July 20, 2005
Russia: Muslim Film Festival In Tatarstan Aims To Break Stereotypes

The film festival is part of Kazan's celebrations to mark the city's 1000th year anniversary These are difficult times to be a Muslim. In the wake of 9/11, the Madrid explosions, the London bombings, the Beslan school massacre, and other acts of terror, Islam and extremism are mentioned in the same breath all too frequently. Many ordinary Muslims, who reject the linkage, say they are tired of being portrayed in the media as fanatics or assassins. A film festival in Russia's republic of Tatarstan aims to change that.
June 22, 2005
EU: European Citizens' Petition Opposes Turkey in EU

A demonstration against Turkey's accession to the EU was held in Prague on 20 June A petition drive aimed at stopping Turkey's EU aspirations has begun in several European countries. Organizers of the "Voice for Europe" campaign say their goal is to collect at least 1 million signatures urging Europe's politicians not to begin membership talks with Ankara. Leaders of the initiative say they are not financed by any political party and have no affiliation with any nationalist or extremist organizations. They say they are ordinary citizens who simply believe Turkey does not belong in the EU, and they want Brussels to take notice.
June 16, 2005
Russia: Parties Call For End To Censorship In State Broadcasting

Russian customer tunes in to NTV Communist and right-wing parties in Russia may not have many opinions in common. But they do agree on one thing. They want an end to what they call de facto censorship on Russian national television and radio that keeps them mostly off the air. A broad coalition of political parties and civic organizations calling itself Russia's Committee on Defending Freedom of Expression is asking President Vladimir Putin to return freewheeling political debates and live programming to Russian state broadcast media. Some media observers welcome the initiative but say the problems facing Russia's broadcast media reflect a much deeper crisis in Russian journalism and will not be solved that easily.
June 14, 2005
Ukraine: Gongadze Killers Confess, But Who Ordered Murder?

Heorhiy Gongadze Ukraine's Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun says two detained police colonels have pleaded guilty to murdering investigative journalist Heorhiy Gongadze five years ago. Piskun told national television on 13 June that the confessions prove the investigation is moving in the right direction. But Piskun also said he is certain the officers were not acting on their own. Who bears ultimate responsibility for ordering the murder remains unclear. Will the case ever be resolved?
May 31, 2005
Russia: Foreign Minister Lavrov In Japan To Prepare for Eventual Putin Visit

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (file photo) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in Tokyo on a two-day visit due to lay the groundwork for an expected but as-yet-unscheduled visit to Japan by President Vladimir Putin. But the two countries' six-decade-old dispute over the southern Kurile Islands continues to dog relations. Japanese officials say they expect "substantive talks" on the issue. A resolution, however, seems as unlikely as ever.
May 30, 2005
Russia: SPS Selects New Leadership, But Old Problems Remain

Irina Khakhamada was among the SPS leaders to step down following the party's defeat in 2003 parliamentary elections Russia's liberal opposition party, the Union of Rightist Forces (SPS), was once led by some of Russia's most prominent politicians, who helped craft the transition to a market economy in the 1990s. Many became critics of President Vladimir Putin and were welcomed abroad as representatives of pro-Western reformist ideals. But at its Saturday congress in Moscow, the SPS elected new leaders, who say they no longer want the party to be in "opposition" to the Kremlin. Is it a sign of the times?
May 26, 2005
World: WTO Overhauls Regulations As Scientists Warn Of Potential Flu Pandemic

In its largest policy overhaul in more than 30 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted new international regulations aimed at halting the spread of epidemics. This comes as scientists warn that the world has become complacent and is failing to prepare for a potential deadly influenza pandemic.
May 19, 2005
Latvia: Despite Progress, Ethnic Divisions Still Split Society

In many respects, Latvia -- like its two Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania -- is the ultimate success story. Over the past 15 years, the country has overcome five decades of Soviet domination to integrate into the West’s leading economic, political, and military structures. Latvia’s leaders are proud of their country’s membership in NATO and the European Union. But behind the facade, Latvia remains a split society still struggling to overcome ethnic divisions and forge national unity.
May 18, 2005
Russia: Sole Surviving Beslan Militant Goes On Trial

More than 300 hostages were killed when Russian special forces attempted to end the Beslan school siege A court in southern Russia has opened the trial of the only known surviving militant of last year's Beslan school siege. Nurpachi Kuliev appeared before the chief justice of Russia's republic of North Ossetia yesterday in the city of Vladikavkaz, to face charges of terrorism, murder and hostage taking. Some of the relatives of those killed in the Beslan massacre attended the trial opening, which took place in an emotional atmosphere. The proceedings could take several months.
May 13, 2005
Ukraine: Power-Sharing Deal Gives Tatar Minority A Greater Role In Crimean Affairs

Lawmakers in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula have approved a power-sharing agreement that ends months of political deadlock and strengthens the role of the territory's ethnic Tatar minority. In the wake of the deal, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko called on the peninsula's three major ethnic communities -- Russians, Ukrainians, and Crimean Tatars -- to draft a joint memorandum on reconciliation.
May 12, 2005
Russia: Did Putin Come Out Shining, Or With Moscow's Prestige Weakened?

Vladimir Putin (file photo) This was Russian President Vladimir Putin's week to shine, as he hosted world leaders in Moscow, including U.S. President George W. Bush and EU heads, as well as members of the CIS and the Middle East "Quartet." So how did he perform? Does Russia emerge stronger, with an enhanced global image, after this whirlwind week of diplomacy, or has Moscow's prestige been weakened?
May 09, 2005
Archive | Moscow vets recall 'when good triumphed over evil'

With so many world leaders gathered in Moscow and commentators debating the geopolitical consequences of World War II, it's easy to forget that this holiday honors the veterans who fought in humanity's bloodiest conflict. Thirty million men and women -- many barely out of their teenage years -- were mobilized into the Soviet military from 1941 to 1945. Millions perished in battle. Today, the survivors are in their 80s and 90s. The 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe is a last chance for many of them to share old memories, impart advice, and be feted for their service.

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