Two students and two women were injured when a grenade taken by a student to a school in southern Russia exploded, police and news reports said today.

Gunmen who seized a bus carrying at least 40 people in southern Russia have demanded the release of five Chechens jailed on hijack charges.

A bus carrying 40 people has been seized by at least one gunman in southern Russia. It was heading to a popular resort town in the Caucasus Mountains.