The Russian capital’s top prosecutor today said that a bomb blast at a Moscow market that killed 10 people was most likely a hate crime, the Interfax news agency reported.

Electricity blackouts hit large sections of the Russian capital today, forcing many subway lines and trams to halt service while frustrated pedestrians tried to flag down taxis on traffic-jammed streets.

The Republic of Ireland's Euro 2004 qualifier with Russia could be under threat from peat bog fires in the area surrounding the Russian capital.