Soviet Union

President Vladimir Putin said June 16 that Russia would boost its nuclear arsenal by more than 40 intercontinental missiles this year, a move branded "sabre-rattling" by NATO and "a step backwards" by Washington.

The Pentagon is "poised" to station heavy weapons for up to 5,000 American troops in several Eastern European and Baltic countries to deter Russian aggression, The New York Times reported June 13.

The Russian Red Army Choir, known as the Alexandrov Ensemble, will be in Istanbul and Ankara this month.  
The choir?s repertoire includes surprise Turkish songs. The Istanbul concert will be on June 13 at Zorlu PSM, while the Ankara concert will commence on June 15 at the Ankara Congresium.

Occupying the entrance floor of SALT Beyo?lu, a new installation, titled "Strait" by architect Neyran Turan, constructs a physical and imagined Bosphorus as the peculiar petrol pipeline it has become since the 1990s. 

Hürriyet correspondent Ç?nar Oskay and photojournalist Sebati Karakurt write about the unfortunate league final for Tractor Sazi Tabriz, an Iranian football club with its Azeri fans who sport Turkish nationalist symbols.

Sazan Island is a half-hour boat ride from mainland Albania and is shrouded in a ghostly legacy. The island, where the Adriatic and Ionian seas meet between Italy and Albania was once home to a Soviet military base and chemical weapons facility.

Serbian soldiers march on Red Square

MOSCOW -- Members of the Serbian Army (VS) Guard were among the servicement who on Saturday took part in the Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square.

This was the largest parade of its kind organized to date by Russia to mark May 9, the day when Germany capitulated in 1945.

Energy Minister Taner Y?ld?z has called on environmentalists in Turkey to march together against a nuclear power plant in Armenia near the Turkish border, the life of which has been extended by 10 years although its original closing date was set for next year. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said May 4 that he would not join the new coalition government being formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, citing disputes over legislation.

Labor Day marked with picnics and rallies

BELGRADE -- International Workers Day, May 1, is known in Serbia as Labor Day and is a two-day non-working holiday in the country.

It is traditionally marked with early morning picnics and barbecues known in Serbian as "uranak" - and with protests organized by trade unions.