By empty (7/16/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry officials said on 16 July that the ministry is conducting an investigation into reports that a senior army officer has applied for political asylum while participating in a NATO training course in Belgium. The officer, Lieutenant Colonel Firuz Gassymov, reportedly left the NATO training center without permission last month to visit an unnamed foreign embassy to apply for political asylum. Defense Ministry spokesman Ramiz Melikov confirmed that an official investigation has been launched.

By empty (7/16/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

A district court in Almaty on Thursday fined the opposition Assandi-Times newspaper 50 million tenge (135.4 tenge/$1) for libeling the president in a statement accusing him and his retinue of complicity in publishing a forged issue of the paper. The court seized the paper\'s assets and froze its bank account to make sure that Assandi-Times pays the fine.

By empty (7/14/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The US military in Afghanistan has announced a new operation to protect the forthcoming presidential elections planned for 9 October. Lt Gen David Barno, commander of US-led forces here, told the Associated Press the operation would focus on helping the UN, which is organising the polls. The coalition troops would help provide the necessary security, he said.