Austin and Aaron Rhodes recorded the conversation they had with their father on the phone which involved both brothers tell him that they were gay.

Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov’s killing represents a rare propaganda victory for President Vladimir Putin and his hard-line approach to battling separatists.

Chechnya’s president-elect pledged to bring peace and stability to his war-torn southern Russian region today after the Kremlin-backed candidate was elected in a vote tainted by allegations of fraud and overshadowed by fears of terrorism.

European human rights groups today condemned Moscow’s campaign in Chechnya, claiming Russian forces have killed up to 20,000 civilians over the past three years.