Families and friends of the more than 300 people killed in Russia's worst school massacre marked the fifth anniversary of the tragedy Tuesday. At exactly 9:15 a.m., a bell rang out over the city of Beslan and the remnants of School Number 1, where 32 heavily armed militants took more than 1,200 people -- children, parents and teachers -- hostage on the first day of school in 2004. Russian television showed hundreds of people lined up at the school's gymnasium, ...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election last month spurred massive protests, plans a televised speech Tuesday night to discuss domestic and foreign issues. Iran's Fars news agency said the speech will be carried on one of the state-run television networks. The speech will follow a call from Iran's three top reformist leaders for an end to the "security atmosphere" in the country, referring to what they say is the government's heavy-handed response to those protesting the results of last month's ...

Russian and U.S. nuclear negotiators have completed a joint statement on the framework for a new arms control agreement to replace the 1991 START I agreement which expires December 5. A U.S. source close to the American side tells CNN that Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev will discuss the joint statement at their Monday meetings in Moscow and are expected to announce and sign it at their joint press conference Monday afternoon. The agreement will set new limits on ...

On the eve of a two-day summit with U.S. President Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says both countries are "moderately optimistic" about "resetting" their relations. In an interview with Italian media RAI and Corriere della Sera, Medvedev said relations "have begun to revive" after a period of significant deterioration during the administration of President George W. Bush. The top issue on the agenda for the two leaders, Medvedev said, is working out a new treaty on limiting strategic offensive nuclear ...

A military helicopter crashed Friday in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least 26 security personnel on board, the Pakistani military said. A Marine source described the fighting Thursday evening as "our most significant encounter." Sporadic fighting took place over several hours in the southeastern sector of Garmser district, said Pelletier, spokesman for the Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan. Helmand province, a poppy-growing region, is the focus of the military push called Operation Khanjar. Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world's opium, ...

The president of the troubled Russian republic of Ingushetia was wounded in an assassination attempt Monday when a blast hit his convoy. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov suffered a severe brain concussion, fractured ribs and a ruptured liver, his spokesman said. The president underwent surgery and his life was not in danger, spokesman Kaloi Akhigov said. Yevkurov's motorcade was headed to his office Monday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives packed in a car parked by the side of the road, law enforcement ...

U.S. President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced Wednesday that their countries will soon begin negotiations on reducing their nuclear arsenals, according to a joint statement from the two leaders. The announcement came after Obama and Medvedev met in London ahead of Thursday's G-20 summit. The statement said the two leaders agreed that the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms -- which expires in December -- "has completely fulfilled its intended purpose ...

President Obama has told Russia that the United States might not proceed with a missile defense system in eastern Europe if Iran drops plans for producing nuclear weapons, senior administration officials said Tuesday. Obama raised the possibility in a letter to Russia seeking help in trying to end Iran's nuclear program, a senior administration official said. Contrary to news reports, it was not a secret letter, the official said. Obama told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in the letter that the ...

The United States is looking for opportunities for "face-to-face" dialogue with Iran after nearly three decades without diplomatic ties, President Barack Obama said Monday, but still has "deep concerns" about Tehran's actions. "There's been a lot of mistrust built up over the years, so it's not going to happen overnight," Obama said during his first prime-time news conference Monday night. He said his administration is reviewing existing U.S. policy toward Iran, which supports groups Washington has branded terrorist organizations and ...