Vladimir Putin's 60th Birthday

Gallery Vladimir Putin's 60th Birthday

To recognise Vladimir Putin's 60th birthday, here is a selection of pictures of the Russian strongman over the years.

Terror plot foiled in Moscow

Olga Tanas and Ilya Arkhipov Russia's security forces thwarted a planned terror attack in Moscow by striking against a group of three suspected militants near the country's capital, according to the National Anti-Terrorist...

Hope for the oil tycoon who needled Kremlin

Russia's Supreme Court says it will hear an appeal against the second conviction of jailed former oil tycoon and fierce Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Lenin's tomb reopens for business

The tomb of Russia's revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin has reopened after major repairs for water damage to its foundation, media reports said.

US, UK to push for new Syrian government

Kitty Donaldson and Roger Runningen UK Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama said they are in agreement on plans to forge a transitional government in Syria after Bashar al- Assad is ousted.

Russia expels 'American CIA agent'

Steve Gutterman Russia has expelled a US diplomat after saying he had been caught red-handed with disguises, special equipment and wads of cash as he tried to recruit a Russian intelligence agent to work for the CIA.

Russia arrests 'CIA agent' after amateurish act of espionage

David Herszenhorn and Ellen Barry Russia detains an American citizen, claiming he is CIA agent.

Russia claims to have expelled 2nd US 'spy'

Nataliya Vasilyeva Russian state television aired footage Wednesday from Russia's security services claiming that another alleged American spy was expelled earlier this year.

White House: Assad likely used chemical arms

Jim Kuhnhenn The White House asserted Monday that it's highly likely that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime, not the rebel opposition, was behind any chemical weapons use in Syria.

Thousands rally against Putin

Anna Malpas Thousands of protesters have filled a Moscow square to denounce President Vladimir Putin a year into his new term and rekindle the momentum that was brutally quashed when a protest last year led to...

US sticks to cautious line on Syria

The US is insisting it will not be thrown off its cautious approach to Syria, despite Israeli military strikes near Damascus and new questions about the use of chemical weapons in the civil war.

US and Russia agree on Syrian peace conference

The United States and Russia have agreed to hold an international conference in search of peace in Syria and push both sides in the conflict to find a negotiated solution.

UK aims to host Syria peace talks

Robert Winnett, Tom Parfitt and Colin Freeman David Cameron is seeking to convene an emergency summit in Britain aimed at brokering a deal to end the escalating conflict in Syria.

Book on Boston bombing suspects in the works

The first major book on the Tsarnaev brothers, the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, has found a publisher.

Blogger to stand trial in Putin protester purge

Ellen Barry When middle-class Muscovites massed for the first time on December 5, 2011, chanting ''Putin is a thief'', many were there because of the anti-corruption blogger Aleksei Navalny.

The trials of Aleksei Navalny

Ellen Barry When middle-class Muscovites massed on December 5, 2011, chanting "Putin is a thief", many were there because of the anti-corruption blogger Aleksei Navalny.

Bombing suspect's YouTube playlist evolved in path towards radicalism

In a few months, starting last August, the YouTube account in the name of Tamerlan Tsarnaev took on an increasingly puritanical religious tone.

Berezovsky asked forgiveness, Putin confirms

Jonathan Earle Boris Berezovsky, the exiled oligarch found dead in Britain last month, wrote two letters to Vladimir Putin in which he asked for forgiveness and the right to come home, the Russian president...

Pussy Riot member back in Russian court

A Russian court is to consider whether one of the jailed Pussy Riot band members is eligible for early release as she has served a half of her two-year sentence.