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Russian Qualification Makes Croats Heroes
By / Staff Writer When a national football team qualifies for a major tournament, they are typically greeted as heroes back home. But when Russia last week qualified for the European Championships, it was Moscow's small Croatian community -- not Russian footballers -- who were overwhelmed by gratitude from relieved fans.

Elections to Deliver Duller Deputies
By Nabi Abdullaev / Staff Writer Once a lively venue for arguments, fistfights and hurled objects, the State Duma -- a place Duma Speaker and United Russia head Boris Gryzlov once fittingly described as ""not a place for discussion"" -- has become increasingly sedate over the past four years.

Kasparov Gets 5 Days for Marching
By David Nowak / Staff Writer Opposition leader Garry Kasparov was among dozens of activists detained Saturday, as riot police eventually quashed a thousands-strong rally against President Vladimir Putin that spilled into the central streets.

Police Grab Dozens in St. Pete
Combined Reports Riot police detained dozens of opposition activists rallying Sunday in St. Petersburg against President Vladimir Putin's government, a day after the crackdown on an opposition demonstration in Moscow.

British Lawmakers Call for a Dialogue With Moscow
The Associated Press British lawmakers in a report Sunday urged the government to meet with their Russian counterparts to thrash out thorny judicial issues that have chilled ties between the two nations.

Litvinenko Case Going to Strasbourg
Combined Reports Alexander Litvinenko's widow is seeking a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights that Russia was complicit in poisoning the former Federal Security Service officer with radioactive polonium, her lawyer said Friday.

Leader of KGB Coup Dead at 83
The Associated Press Vladimir Kryuchkov, the former KGB chief who spearheaded a failed coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, has died, officials said Sunday. He was 83.

Belarus to Bar 100,000 From Leaving
The Associated Press More than 100,000 people -- roughly one of every 100 citizens -- will be barred from leaving Belarus after Jan. 1, the interior minister told journalists Saturday.

Saakashvili Leaves Post Ahead of Georgian Presidential Vote
Combined Reports Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili stepped down Sunday to be registered as a candidate in the Jan. 5 presidential election, his chief spokesman said.

Ukraine Mourns '30s Famine Victims
By Olga Bondaruk / The Associated Press Accounts of the Stalin-era forced famine continue to divide historians and politicians.

Quick Deal in Ukraine Unlikely
The Associated Press Ukraine's newly elected parliament abruptly ended its first session Friday, dimming hopes for the quick formation of a government and an end to two months of post-election turmoil.

U.S. Missile Defense Offers Get Poor Reviews in Moscow
Combined Reports U.S. proposals for cooperation on missile defense fall short of ""real cooperation"" and would not prompt Moscow to abandon plans to suspend implementation of a key European arms treaty, Leonid Slutsky, deputy head of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, said Friday.

Suicide Bomber Suspect in Bus Blast
By Nabi Abdullaev / Staff Writer A suicide bomber could have been responsible for a blast Thursday that tore through a commuter bus in North Ossetia and killed six people, a law enforcement source said Friday.

Dagestan Yabloko Candidate Dies From Gunshot Wounds
The Associated Press A candidate on the liberal Yabloko party's State Duma ticket in Dagestan died Saturday of wounds inflicted by unidentified gunmen who shot him in the entryway of his apartment building, the party said.

Ren-TV Says Crew Was Beaten
Combined Reports Five armed men wearing masks and camouflage burst into a hotel in Ingushetia early Saturday morning and dragged away three Moscow television journalists and a human rights activist, police and the activist said.

Putin Taking to TV in Pre-Vote Address
By Natalya Krainova / Staff Writer President Vladimir Putin will deliver a nationally televised address this week, ahead of the Dec. 2 State Duma elections in which he is heading the United Russia ticket, the Kremlin said Friday.

Syria to Attend Mideast Conference
The Associated Press The Bush administration was able to declare a clean sweep on Sunday when Syria, the last Arab world holdout, announced it would attend a high-stakes Middle East peace conference in the U.S. this week.

Close Contest Predicted in Croatian Parliamentry Vote
The Associated Press Croatians were voting in closely contested parliamentary elections Sunday, choosing between the ruling conservatives and the leftist opposition for a government to steer the ex-Yugoslav country into the European Union.

Australia's Rudd to Focus on Warming
The Associated Press Newly elected leader Kevin Rudd moved quickly Sunday to bring Australia into international talks on fighting global warming and to head off potentially thorny relations with the United States and key Asian neighbors.

Malaysia Crushes Ethnic Indian Rally
The Associated Press Police used tear gas and water cannons Sunday to crush a banned rally by more than 10,000 ethnic minority Indians -- a rare street clash that exposed Muslim-majority Malaysia's deep racial divisions.

Sharif Back in Pakistan After Exile
The Associated Press Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned home Sunday after years in exile, the latest political heavyweight to join Pakistan's deepening power struggle.

Germany Aims to Lift Standards at Top Universities
By Madeline Chambers / Reuters It may have brought the world aspirin, rocket science, quantum physics and the diesel engine, but Germany's days of scientific glory are long gone and it is now hunting for a new generation of Einsteins.

Chavez Gives Light to Poor Ahead of Referendum
Reuters The Venezuelan president pushes through social developments ahead of a Dec. 2 referendum.

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