Terror attack at Moscow's Domodedovo airport.

Terror bomb attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport kills 35.

Over 30 people have died in a bomb attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport on Monday. Security services had received no specific warnings about the attack.

The blast struck at 4:37 p.m. on Monday in the crowded international arrivals area of Domodedovo airport, where relatives and friends were waiting to welcome inbound travelers. According to the police the suicide bomber’s explosive device had a TNT equivalent of over five kilos and was stuffed with pieces of metal to cause maximum human casualties. The bomber was able to enter freely: people coming to the airport to meet and greet travelers do not have to pass through security.

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under the articles “terrorist act,” “illegal trafficking in explosives” and “murder,” a spokesperson said. By the time this paper went to print, the toll was 35 dead and over 150 injured, according to the National Anti-Terrorism Committee. As many as 53 people were hospitalized in Moscow and the surrounding area.

President Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting in the immediate aftermath of the attack. He instructed law enforcement agencies to investigate and to boost security on public transport, while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told his staff to ensure the victims were given all necessary assistance. No personnel changes are planned as yet, said Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov: “So far, all efforts are focused on helping the victims.”

Presidents Barack Obama of the United States and Nicolas Sarkozy of France were among the many world leaders who spoke out to denounce the attack.

On New Year’s Eve and shortly afterwards, police at Domodedovo were on high alert - following weather-related disruption, but for several days prior to the blast things had returned to normal. There was no prior warning of any possible terror attack, according to an Interior Ministry spokesman and airport security staff.

Several dozen warnings are received each year about possible terrorist attacks in Moscow but not all of them are true. This time, no concrete information was available, the security man added.

After the explosion, transport police across Moscow were put on high alert. Two flights were rerouted from Domodedovo to Sheremetyevo, said airport spokesperson Anna Zakharenkova. Lufthansa cancelled two flights while Austrian Airlines and BA cancelled one each.

One can, of course, sue Domodedovo for its inadequate security, as welcoming parties are not inspected on entering the arrivals hall, but that would be senseless. Given the security situation across Moscow, there are a vast number of places vulnerable to attack, says Arkady Livshits, general director of Arli Spetstekhnika, a company that manufactures anti-terrorist equipment.

The security and especially the intelligence services can be blamed for failing to prevent the attack, said Gennady Gudkov, deputy head of the State Duma’s security committee. But no amount of efforts by anti-terrorist squads can ward off 100% of attacks, especially given the existing levels of corruption in government and the police terrorists will, unfortunately, keep finding opportunities to make their deadly impact.

Dave Lindahl Scam

India and Russia reaffirm strategic partnership

Russia and India pledged Tuesday to share intelligence and work together to fight international terror as the two historic allies signed a clutch of agreements aimed at reinvigorating their relationship.

President Dmitry Medvedev held nearly two hours of talks Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hoping to boost trade and investment in both countries.

With Singh and Medvedev looking on, officials signed agreements to deepen cooperation in the nuclear energy, pharmaceutical and information technology sectors.

During the Cold War, India and the Soviet Union shared a deep relationship, while the United States tilted toward India's neighbor Pakistan. In recent years, India has moved closer to the United States, but its strategic partnership with Russia has endured.

"Russia is a time-tested friend of India that has stood by us in our times of need," Singh told reporters after the talks.

The fight against terror was a major focus of discussions, the two leaders said.

Both countries have been the victim of major terrorist assaults, with Pakistan-based gunmen killing 166 people in the Indian city of Mumbai in a 60-hour siege in 2008, and Russia suffering a string of deadly attacks by Chechen rebels.

"We are determined to work together to cooperate in information and intelligence sharing and in devising effective counterterrorism strategies," Singh said.

Medvedev called for an agreement for the extradition of terrorist suspects.

"We have suffered seriously from terror attacks," Medvedev said, adding Russian and Indian "law enforcement agencies should cooperate."

India and Russia also agreed Tuesday to liberalize their visa regimes as part of plans to ease travel by Indian businessmen to Russia. Indian business leaders have long complained about the difficulty of getting multiple entry visas to Russia, which makes them prefer trade with other destinations in Southeast Asia or China.

On Monday, India and Russia signed an agreement to double bilateral trade from the current $10 billion to $20 billion over the next five years.

Medvedev is the last in a stream of powerful world leaders to visit India this year, underscoring how a country once seen as a global underachiever has emerged as a sought after trading partner for the world's flagging economies and an important regional power.

India was a key customer for Russian weapons during the Soviet era, purchasing military hardware worth billions of dollars. With India emerging as one of the largest buyers of fighter aircraft, tanks, submarines and other defense supplies in recent years, the leaders of France, Britain and the United States all worked to snare a part of that market during their visits here in recent months.

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Chechen Parliament in Russia Attached

Chechen parliament in Grozny Attacked leaves six dead.

Six people were killed and 10 others injured when at least three militants stormed parliament in the restive Russian republic of Chechnya.

Shouting Islamist slogans, they launched a bomb and gun attack as deputies arrived for work, and two guards and an official were killed.

All of the attackers were killed, according to Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's Kremlin-backed president.

Deputies inside the building managed to escape by moving to an upper floor.

The attack was condemned by the EU foreign policy chief, Baroness Ashton, who was quoted by AFP news agency as saying: "No circumstances can justify the use of terrorist violence and suicide attacks."

The EU was, she added, ready to "strengthen co-operation with the Russian Federation in the fight against international terrorism".

Correspondents say the incident in the capital Grozny is a reminder that the region is far from stable.

Last year Moscow declared victory against Chechen separatists and there has been a relative lull in the violence under Mr Kadyrov.

But the whole North Caucasus is seeing an insurgency led by Islamist rebels, correspondents say.

'Allahu Akbar'

Militants struck at about 0845 (0445 GMT), attacking policemen guarding the parliament building, Mr Kadyrov told Russian news agency Interfax.

At least one attacker appears to have set off a suicide bomb just outside the building before the others rushed inside, exchanging fire with security guards.

They could be heard shouting "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is great" - as they ran inside, according to Chechen security sources.

A spokesman for the Chechen parliament, Zelim Yakhikhanov, said deputies had feared they would be taken hostage when they heard shooting outside the building.

"We managed to take refuge on the third floor where we stayed until the end of the operation," he told AFP news agency.

President Kadyrov said the operation to suppress the attack took between 15 and 20 minutes. The official killed was reportedly the parliamentary bursar.

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Chechen separatist Zakayev arrested in Poland

A senior Chechen separatist wanted in Russia for alleged murder and kidnapping was arrested Friday in Poland where he was to attend a conference organized by the World Chechen Congress, police said.

A representative of Chechen rebels denied Akhmed Zakayev had been arrested, saying he had turned himself in. Zakayev and his supporters have said the Russian allegations are trumped-up. He has said he represents the political faction of Chechnya's separatist movement, and has no connection to the military wing spearheading the region's insurgency.

"He has not been arrested but he went, at his own initiative, to the prosecutor's office to find out what they want from him," said Osman Ferzaouli, who is based in Denmark but was in Warsaw to attend the conference on trying to develop a concept to stop the Russian-Chechen conflict.

At Russia's request, international police agency Interpol had put out a "red notice" on Zakayev — the equivalent of putting him on its most-wanted list. Russia accuses the 51-year-old activist, who now lives in London, of kidnapping and murder during a separatist war in Chechnya in the 1990s.

Since then, Chechnya and neighboring regions in Russia's North Caucasus have been wracked with violence, and Islamic militants launch frequent attacks on the region's authorities.

Zakayev — who with his silver beard and impeccable grooming looks more the diplomat than guerrilla fighter — was apprehended Friday morning "without any trouble" and turned over to prosecutors, Polish police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said.

Prosecutors were examining the Russian warrant and other documents before questioning Zakayev and deciding whether to extradite or release him, prosecutors' spokeswoman Monika Lewandowska said.

An Interpol red notice is a not a warrant, but shares one country's warrant with other member countries.

Russia's ambassador to Poland, Alexander Alekseev, said this week that Russia "has proof" Zakayev was involved in terrorism, and Moscow expected Poland to detain him if he came to the country.

Polish authorities in the past have been supportive of the small Chechen diaspora there, but said they would be obliged to arrest Zakayev if he came for the conference, given the Russian warrant against him. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said, however, that the matter should be solved between Russia and Britain.

Britain granted Zakayev asylum in 2003, and its refusal to extradite him has strained relations between Moscow and London.

Like most Chechens of his generation, Zakayev was born in the steppes of Kazakhstan to where the entire population of Chechnya was forcibly exiled in 1994 on Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's orders. Many died, and those who survived returned to Chechnya in 1950s after Stalin's death.

Zakayev entered politics in 1994, when as an actor he was named culture minister by Chechnya's first separatist president just months before the Russian army rolled in to crush the tiny mountainous region's independence bid. The war ended in a cease-fire and a humiliating Russian withdrawal that left Chechnya de facto independent and largely lawless.

When the Russian army marched back into Chechnya in 2000, Zakayev was a top assistant to separatist President Aslan Maskhadov. Zakayev was wounded and left Chechnya, becoming Maskhadov's top envoy abroad.

Zakayev's charisma has won him many supporters, including actress Vanessa Redgrave, who has campaigned in his support and paid his $98,000 bail after he was detained at London's Heathrow Airport in December 2002.

He has said he represents the Chechen separatist political faction, and distanced himself from radical Islamic rebels. This year he denounced the militant leader who claimed responsibility for the Moscow subway bombings in March, which he described as a "monstrous crime."

"Violence produces violence," Zakayev said in an April interview with Associated Press Television News. "A huge state can't terrorize the population for 15 years without a backlash. People involved in that suffer a shift in their psychology."

Deadly fire at Russian nursing home

Nine dead in Russian nursing home blaze.

Nine people dead in apparent suicide attempt by elderly resident of a facility 170km outside of Moscow.

An early morning fire at a Russian nursing home that killed nine people may have been started by a resident setting himself on fire, emergency officials say.

The fire, in a small town in the Tver region about 170km northwest of Moscow, the capital, forced nearly 500 residents to be evacuated on Monday, officials said.

Russia's Interfax news agency reported that the fire took hold after a male patient set himself on fire in an apparent suicide attempt, subsequently killing himself and eight others.

Investigators found a canister of flammable liquid in the room where the fire started, leading to speculation that the resident set himself ablaze, Daria Korovina, a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry, said.

Two people were injured in the fire, officials said.

Russia suffers frequent fires at schools, hospitals and other state-run facilities.

Many has been blamed on official negligence, violations of fire safety rules and crumbling infrastructure.

Frequent fires

Russia records nearly 18,000 fire deaths a year, several times the per capita rate of the US and other Western countries.

In January 2009, 23 nursing home residents died in a blaze at their retirement home in the Komi region of Russia's northwest.

A November 2007 fire caused by a short circuit killed 32 patients in a nursing home in the Tula region south of Moscow.

In March 2007, 62 people died in a fire in another nursing home in southern Russia.

A nearby fire station had been shut, and it took firefighters almost an hour to get to the site from a larger town after a night watchman ignored two fire alarms before reporting the blaze, authorities said.

Another nursing home fire the same year killed 10 people in Siberia.

The fire-alarm system functioned properly, but a nurse on duty was away at the time and failed to immediately alert patients and call firefighters.

Bomb blast in southern Russia

Suicide blasts in southern Russia kill 9.

Two suicide bombers including one impersonating a police officer killed at least nine people and injured 18 others in the southern Russian province of Dagestan on Wednesday, officials said.

The blasts in the North Caucasus region came two days after a twin suicide bombing tore through the Moscow subway, killing 39 and wounding scores.

In Wednesday's attacks, in the town of Kizlyar near Dagestan's border with Chechnya, a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a car when pulled over by traffic police, regional Interior Ministry spokesman Vyacheslav Gasanov said.

As investigators and residents gathered at the scene of the blast, a second bomber wearing a police uniform approached and set off explosives, killing the town's police chief among others, said Vyacheslav Gadzhiyev, another ministry spokesman.

Rebels from the North Caucasus, which includes Dagestan and Chechnya, were blamed for masterminding the Moscow attack, but no claims of responsibility have been made.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told Russians on Tuesday that he is certain the masterminds of the subway attacks would be found.

Monday's subway bombings, carried out by two women, were the first terrorist attacks in Moscow in six years. They have shaken a city that has been insulated from the violence still raging in the restive southern corner of the country.