Corey Flintoff

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, saying it is important not to "lose momentum" in the effort to convene a peace conference on Syria. Ban was only the latest in a string of foreign dignitaries who have come to Russia, seeking Putin's blessing for such a conference, expected to be held in early June. There's a lot at stake. Russia has been a long-time supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and continues to supply weapons to his regime. U.S. officials have said lately that those weapons include advanced missile systems for attacking ships and airplanes. If Assad already has such weapons, they could pose a real threat to international efforts to impose a no-fly zone, to deliver supplies to the rebels, or to maintain a maritime embargo.

Suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev traveled to Dagestan in southern Russia twice in recent years, and investigators want to know whether that experience led him toward a radical and violent form of Islam.

The Tsarnaev brothers' relatives in Russia's Dagestan republic reacted differently to the Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent shootout. Their mother saw pictures of Tamerlan's body on YouTube and is said to be in shock, unable to speak. More distant relatives share their thoughts. People at the mosque that Tamerlan visited in 2012 say the mosque is in no way responsible for his actions.

The already-frayed relations between the U.S. and Russia have unraveled even more over the past several days. Russia has published a list of 18 Americans who will be barred from entering the country because of their alleged involvement in human rights violations.

Semiprecious stones were the medium of choice for Vasily Konovalenko, a Soviet ballet set designer turned sculptor. His masterful workmanship captured Russian characters, from Cossacks and drunks to country folk and czarist henchmen. He fell afoul of the authorities and left Russia for the U.S. in the 1980s.

The United States and Russia have been at odds over human rights, Syria and even the adoption of Russian orphans by American families. But former U.S. envoys who met with officials in Moscow this week say they found "a willingness to explore ideas" and urged cooperation on economic and security issues.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is under attack these days — and is receiving no support from his erstwhile political partner, President Vladimir Putin. Though loyal and cautious, Medvedev became a magnet for the opposition, who sought an alternative to Putin. Now, observers say, it's only a matter of time before Medvedev is ousted.

A new law places the tag on human rights and other private groups that receive funding from abroad. In Russia, the label is nearly synonymous with "spy." Critics say the law is part of an effort by President Vladimir Putin to stifle dissent.

At most cafes, a customer buys a drink or food and stays as long as it takes to consume it. But a Russian entrepreneur is experimenting with ways to change that: At his Clockface Cafes, money buys time, and everything else — from drinks to snacks to art supplies and event space — is free.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a measure that would ban Americans from adopting Russian children. The ban is designed as retaliation for a new U.S. law that sanctions Russian officials accused of human rights violations.