Russian budget clears another hurdle

The lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, has narrowly approved the country's 1998 draft budget on its second reading.

Earlier this month, the Duma passed the controversial budget on its first reading only after an intervention by President Yeltsin and after the government agreed to scale back its planned cuts in social spending.

To become law the budget must now pass a third reading, scheduled next month.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service