Tehran on Tuesday praised the stance of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Mohammed ElBaradei in the ongoing nuclear dispute between the West and Iran.

Demonstrations in support of a third term for President Vladimir Putin were held across Russia, including Chechnya, on October 24. As Kommersant noted on October 25, while both the Kremlin and the pro-Kremlin United Russia party claimed the demonstrations were spontaneous actions “from below,” members of Russia’s political opposition claim …

As oil prices surged to another record ($93.56 per barrel), energy analysts said Russia has become a critical player in the world oil and gas market. Richard Herold is director of international affairs of the London-based oil multinational, BP, which has large investments in Russia.