A 22-year old suicide bomber born in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan was behind a blast on the St Petersburg subway that killed 14 people, Russian investigators have said.

A Turkish Airlines cargo plane has crashed into a residential area just outside Kyrgyzstan's main international airport, killing at least 37 people.

A Turkish Airlines cargo plane has crashed into a residential area just outside Kyrgyzstan's main international airport, killing at least 32 people.

Here’s a briefing on some of the stories and issues highlighted on irishexaminer.com today.

A suspected suicide bomber today crashed a car through the entrance of the Chinese Embassy in the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek, detonating a bomb that killed the attacker and wounded three embassy employees.

The first medal to change hands at the Rio Games for doping has placed further doubt on weightlifting’s credibility as an Olympic sport.

Police in Turkey have detained 13 people on suspicion of involvement in the deadly suicide attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

Some of the stranger stories from around the globe

A British mine worker who was thrown out of Kyrgyzstan for a remark about a local delicacy says police warned him he could have sent the country to war with the UK.

KYRGYZSTAN: A British mine worker has reportedly been arrested in Kyrgyzstan after comparing its national dish to a horse’s penis on Facebook.

Young people in Europe may not live as long as their grandparents, if current rates of smoking and drinking continue.

A Killing Winter

Russia and four other ex-Soviet nations have completed the creation of an ambitious new alliance intended to bolster their economic integration.

Kitty Scully discusses the role of the fruit as food and in biodiversity.

A college friend was convicted of trying to protect Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev by agreeing with another friend to get rid of items they took from his room three days after the attack.

A man who knew the brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings has been charged with obstructing the investigation.

Lawyers for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have asked a judge to make prosecutors turn over family-related evidence as they try to build a case that his older brother was the “main instigator” of the deadly attack.

Two-time Olympic medallist Paddy Barnes edged a step closer to the medals at the AIBA World Elite Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan yesterday.

A Chinese government news portal has claimed that a woman in China’s remote far west is 127 years old, making her the oldest person ever to have lived — but experts raised questions over the supposed record.

WELCOME, then, 2013.

A supposedly friendly guide for migrant workers new to Russia has caused a storm of resentment after portraying them as paint brushes, brooms and other low-skill tools.

Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan have charged three MPs with attempting to violently overthrow the government and inciting crowds to take over buildings housing government offices and parliament.

With Olympic qualification secured Katie Taylor gets back to doing what she does best — winning medals — at the women’s world boxing championships in Qinhuangdao, China today when she faces Mavzuna Choriyeva.

Kyrgyzstan's “Eternal Flame” war memorial has been snuffed out because its gas bill was not paid for three years.

A blaze at a market on the outskirts of Moscow has killed a dozen migrant workers who lived on the premises, a fire department spokesman said.

Military munitions were brought through Shannon Airport on almost 1,200 planes last year, Leo Varadkar, the transport minister, has confirmed.

How much can Ireland really be expected to achieve as the newly appointed OSCE chair, asks Caroline O’Doherty

Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has proposed forming a "Eurasian Union" of former Soviet nations, saying the bloc could become a major global player competing for influence with the US, the European Union and Asia.

Blackpool president Valeri Belokon has strongly denied any wrongdoing after reports claiming he is involved in an investigation into alleged money laundering in Kyrgyzstan.

The suicide bomber who killed 35 people at Moscow’s busiest airport was deliberately targeting foreigners, investigators said today.

Russian investigators have said a suicide bomber who killed 35 people and wounded 180 at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport was a 20-year-old man from the volatile southern Caucasus region.

Eight foreign citizens, including two Britons, were among the 35 people killed in a suicide bombing at Moscow’s busiest airport, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said today.

THE WikiLeaks website came under another powerful internet-based attack making it inaccessible for hours.

Two police officers were slightly injured in an explosion in the centre of Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek, today ahead of a visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The leader of a nationalist party that did better than expected during last month’s election in Kyrgyzstan claimed he was wounded in an assassination attempt.

Gunmen torched more than two dozen tankers carrying fuel to Nato troops and killed a driver today – the sixth attack on convoys taking supplies to Afghanistan since Pakistan closed a key border crossing almost a week ago.

Polls opened in violence-wracked Kyrgyzstan for a referendum today to choose a new constitution that the interim government hopes will legitimise its power until new parliamentary elections in October.

THOUSANDS of ethnic Uzbeks massed on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan refused to return home yesterday, saying they fear for their lives after violent pogroms and don’t trust Kyrgyz troops to protect them.

Up to one million people are now caught up in the crisis in Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan’s interim president warned today that up to 2,000 people may have died in ethnic clashes as she made her first visit to a riot-hit town since the violence broke out.