Many news stories have pointed out a possible connection to the mostly Islamic North Caucasus, a region Reuters describes as "plagued by insurgency, whose leaders have threatened to attack cities and energy pipelines elsewhere in Russia."

• March 29, 2010

Thousands of years after Moses led his people out of Egypt, the Passover story is going digital

• March 29, 2010

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen visited St. Petersburg on 23 March 2010 and participated in a roundtable on cooperation in the Baltic Sea region that was arranged by Governor Valentina Matviyenko.

• March 29, 2010

Germany resistance to full Turkish membership of the EU is one thorny issue to be addressed as Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Ankara. Discussions are planned on a series of issues, including integration of immigrants.

• March 29, 2010

Post-election infighting, the difficult battle to get an International Monetary Fund rescue package back on track, worries over default and relations with Russia are the key investor worries in Ukraine.

• March 29, 2010

A US Russia nuclear deal on reducing their arsenals has received global praise. But some in Russia worry that President Medvedev may have allowed too much leeway for the US to develop missile defense systems.

• March 26, 2010

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, seeking to revise a gas contract with Russia, called for the two sides to forget the legacy of Ukraine's previous government during talks Thursday with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

• March 26, 2010

Tajikistan's prime minister has described as an "excuse" Uzbekistan's claims that technical problems are blocking freight trains bound for his country.

• March 26, 2010