RUSSIA
Early reports of a series of explosions in the capital of Chechnya say at least five people have been killed, policemen among them, according to a Russian agency source. Bystanders near a shop in Grozny said it was the work of suicide bombers, one of them on a bicycle.
The Republic of Chechnya is mainly Muslim and federally attached to Russia. Rebels want to create an Islamic state in the north Caucasus.