Many hams from the US and Europe visiting Russia should find it easier to operate there, as the Russian Federation has decided to join the CEPT (Council of European Post and Telecommunications administrations) agreement on amateur radio licensing. No effective date has been announced. According to a posting on the Southgate Amateur Radio Club's news page, officials of IARU Region 1 consider the decision "a major step forward to achieve worldwide radio amateur roaming." American hams holding Extra or Advanced Class licenses may operate in CEPT countries without special permission. General Class licensees have restricted privileges. Novices and Technicians have none. For information on operating by US hams in CEPT countries, visit <www.arrl.org/cept>.
In other DX news, Southgate also reports that the new government of Southern Sudan has issued its first amateur license, for a DXpedition scheduled for July. No callsign has yet been issued, as the International Telecommunications Union has yet to assign a prefix for Southern Sudan.
Also, The Daily DX reports that the planned DX0DX expedition to the Spratly Islands has been postponed again, this time until next April. Team leader VK3FY said the delay was due to circumstances beyond their control and was "in the best interests of the team of operators."