Relationship Experts On True Love & Making Love Last | World of ...

What is true love? It?s a question that?s been contemplated by everyone from authors to artists to philosophers to clinicians.

And it?s one that naturally brings up another key query: How do we make love last?

With Valentine?s Day just around the corner, we asked relationship experts to share their definitions of true love and provide practical tips for prolonging it.

What True Love Isn?t

Many think of love as a feeling. And in some ways it is. According to Mark E. Sharp, Ph.D, a psychologist in private practice who specializes in relationship issues, ?the experience of being ?in love? is primarily a feeling,? which begins with a powerful attraction and sexual desire.

But these initial intense feelings fade over time, he said. What?s left are ?feelings of connection and affection,? if the couple works to sustain them.

Yana Dubinsky, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist and director of clinical training at Primary Care Psychology Associates, also noted that true love goes beyond feelings. ?When a couple stands in front of friends and family on their wedding day, they promise to love each other ?til death do us part.? If love were a feeling, how can we make a promise about how we will feel in 20, 30, 50 years??

What True Love Is

?There are many kinds of love,? said Mudita Rastogi, Ph.D, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Arlington Heights, Ill. ?Passionate, romantic love is very important, but long-term couples also engage in deliberate acts of love that nurture their partner and their overall couple relationship.?

She described love as a process that includes how you love your partner and how your partner wants to be loved. ?For some people it may mean saying, ?I love you.? For other people it may involve changing the oil in the car.?

Love also means being empathic, meeting each other?s needs and supporting your partner when they need you, she said.

Psychologist Erich Fromm inspired Dubinsky?s definition of true love: ?an act of will and judgment, intention and promise.? Sharp also focused on commitment, and added that true love involves choices and behaviors shared by partners.

?Healthy adult love exists when both partners are emotionally interdependent; meaning that both partners love one another, care for one another, desire physical closeness with one another, but respect each other enough to have their own identities as well,? said Meredith Hansen, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist who specializes in couples, premarital and newlywed counseling. Partners feel safe being themselves and being vulnerable with each other.

Making Love Last

Loving relationships take effort. The experts suggested these tips for making love last.

• Manage conflict. In her clinical work and research on happy couples, Dubinsky has found that all couples have conflict. But it?s how they deal with conflict that counts. When a compromise doesn?t seem possible, the key is to manage conflict and fight fair. This includes not hitting below the belt, listening to your partner and speaking clearly and directly, she said. ?Resist the urge to bring up prior events that may help you prove your point.? Staying on track prevents an argument from escalating. Consider your partner?s point of view, and how they might interpret yours, she said. ??We don?t have to agree, but we must work to understand.?
• Have a strong foundation. ?Your interests, opinions and experiences can change as you grow. But if you share the same core belief systems, you will have a platform from which to build a strong relationship,? Rastogi said.
• Have fun. ?Whether it is gardening, deep sea diving, or taking French cooking lessons, all couples should have some activities that they enjoy doing with each other,? Rastogi said.
• Ask about your partner?s day, and actually listen. ?Offering a solution is not always necessary. Listening always is,? Dubinsky said.?
• Be clear about your needs. The best way to get your needs met is to communicate them clearly. As Dubinsky said, none of us is a mind reader.
• Share your feelings with each other. Vulnerability is sharing your feelings ? not your thoughts. And this ultimately helps you connect emotionally, Hansen said. ?When you argue with your partner, the facts do not matter. Rather it is important for couples to share how the incident made them feel or how it affected them emotionally.?
• Carve out quality time. ?This does not have to be an elaborate date or a vacation; sometimes just going to bed a little early, turning off the television, and connecting can go a long way,? Hansen said.
• Have your own passions. ?We are all multifaceted, complex creatures. Your partner will never be able to match all your needs and interests. It is OK to pursue some separate activities, either individually, or with friends, apart from your partner,? Rastogi said.
• Perform nice acts daily. ??Show your partner that you care with small gestures,? such as a compliment, Dubinsky said. These seemingly small acts make a big difference. Similarly, when your partner does something kind, let them know, she said.
• Dream together. ?Knowing what you both want out of life and working together to make those dreams a reality will strengthen the bond in your marriage,? Hansen said. Discuss your relationship goals and how you?ll accomplish them at least once a year.
• Respect your differences. Partners will always have differences. ?The strongest couples manage their differences without becoming over-reactive, and without disengaging from each other,? Rastogi said.
• Embrace your partner?s individuality. The idiosyncrasies we once fell in love with can frustrate us today, Hansen said. But it?s important to let your partner be themselves. ?To help with this, make a list of all your partner?s positive qualities, characteristics and behaviors,? and keep it on your phone for regular reminders, she said.
• Consider counseling. According to Dubinsky, ?Too many couples wait until it?s too late or view therapy as sign of failure. Couples therapy can take a strength-based approach to help you identify the strengths in your relationship and help you translate those strengths into areas that are more difficult.?

There?s no fairy tale formula for true love. It begins and blossoms with partners committing and recommitting to each other, both in vow and in action. As Sharp said, ?[Long lasting true love] is when two people make a commitment to each other and choose to act in ways that sustain their feelings for each other and their connection to each other over time.?

Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and blogs regularly about eating and self-image issues on her own blog, Weightless.

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Tartakovsky, M. (2013). Relationship Experts On True Love & Making Love Last. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 12, 2013, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/02/11/relationship-experts-on-true-love-making-love-last/

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Egyptian court suspends YouTube for a month over controversial film (Update: Google statement)

Users of YouTube in Egypt could face a month-long blackout of the service after an administrative court ruling ordered the website's suspension. The ministries of communication and investment have been ordered to block the popular video sharing site, reports news agency MENA, for hosting the movie short Innocence of Muslims. The American-made film has caused strong reactions since its release in September, at which point the initial complaint about YouTube's showing of it is said to have been made. Today's decision is a result of that ruling, and while the service should still currently remain online, Egypt's National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority has claimed it will uphold the suspension once it receives confirmation of the verdict. This isn't the first time access to YouTube has been restricted by a government, and the very same film caused the Pakistani prime minister to call for a similar ban at the time of the movie's release. We've reached out to Google for comment.

Update: Google has responded with the following statement:

"We have received nothing from the judge or government related to this matter."

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Reuters

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Glitch in medical code threatens mental health care, therapists warn ...

Jennifer Shephard / Jennifer Shephard for NBC News

Psychologist Marc Milhander, 54, says he's weeks away of having to close his Niles, Mich., counseling center after delays and denials in insurance payments caused by an overhaul of treatment codes.

By JoNel Aleccia, Staff Writer, NBC News

Published at 4:45 a.m. ET: Marc Milhander conducted more than 100 psychotherapy sessions in the first few weeks of this year, treating patients ranging from the mildly anxious to the severely depressed and the 24-year-old with antisocial personality disorder who really wants to get his hands on a gun.

But Milhander, 54, a psychologist who co-owns a busy Niles, Mich., counseling center, is getting pretty anxious himself.

He?s among a growing number of U.S. mental health professionals who say their insurance claims have been denied -- and their payments have been withheld -- because of problems resulting from nationwide changes in psychotherapy treatment codes that took effect Jan. 1.

?I?ve been paid for five hours of work for the month of January,? said Milhander, who supports a staff of four and oversees 300 patients a month. ?I just wrote a big, fat check out of my personal bank account to keep us afloat.?

Worse, Milhander and others say systemwide delays and outright denials of payment could last for months, jeopardizing not just the nation?s 500,000 providers, but also access to care for millions of mentally ill Americans. Federal estimates suggest that nearly 20 percent of the adult U.S. population has some form of mental illness.

?So far, it?s chaos,? said Randy Phelps, deputy executive director for the American Psychological Association, who says hits to the coding section of the APA's website have topped 300,000 in the past month. ?It?s hard to evaluate how widespread this is.?

The problem comes amid growing demands for better interventions with the mentally ill in the wake of shooting massacres in Aurora, Colo., and Newtown, Conn.

?Compliance with treatment is a sketchy thing to begin with,? said Sam Muszynski, director of ?the office of health care systems and financing for the American Psychiatric Association. He fears that financial fallout may force some providers to disrupt care, leaving mentally unstable patients on their own temporarily -- or longer.

?All it takes is one missed appointment,? he added.

The trouble stems from the first overhaul since 1998 of the codes used to describe -- and bill for -- mental health treatment. They?re among some 8,000 to 9,000 CPT, or current procedural terminology, codes used for all types of medical procedures.?

The codes, produced by the American Medical Association, are updated each year, usually with no problem, experts say. But this year, changes to a mere 30 codes that affect mental health services have thrown a huge glitch into the system.

?There are some systems that aren?t even ready to begin accepting claims,? said Nina Marshall, director of public policy for the National Council for Behavioral Health.

She has been flooded with calls and e-mails, not only from providers confused about how much to charge and when they?ll get paid, but also from patients worried about care.

?I have heard from consumers saying that their providers can?t provide the services,? she said. ?They?re reaching out to me with real concerns.?

The psychiatric codes were updated after vigorous lobbying by mental health care providers, who argued they weren?t being paid enough to treat today?s medically complex or seriously ill patients.

?What has come out of managed care in mental health is they go in for three days, they?re on meds, they?re barely stabilized, and being treated by outpatient providers,? Phelps said. ?Nobody had reevaluated these codes for 30 years, but the world had changed tremendously.?

Payers unprepared

But the implementation has been difficult, at the very least.

Payers, including the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, admit they weren?t prepared for the switch.

Some providers have used the new codes incorrectly -- or not at all, a violation of federal law. Some government contractors logged extra "edits" into the codes, invalidating scores of submissions, Medicare officials told NBC News. Three weeks into the new system, federal officials had to send directives reminding everyone of the changes, said Brian Cook, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services.

?As soon as we became aware of the problem that some of our Medicare contractors were having, we immediately took steps to fix it and instructed the contractors to re-process the incorrectly denied claims," Cook told NBC News. "We also informed Medicaid State Agencies and private insurers to prevent any widespread problems.?

The nation?s largest private insurers have had problems, too.

?The amount of changes and the work involved was much bigger than ? the folks involved anticipated,? said Helen Stojic, a spokeswoman for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, where Marc Milhander practices.

Stojic couldn?t say how many Michigan claims had been denied or how many providers had been affected, but she acknowledged that many had not received payments in January -- and that there was no firm date when they would.

?We?re going to do everything possible to get some dollars to them,? she said. ?We certainly apologize for the inconvenience.?

For Milhander, the issue is far more than an inconvenience. He says worried about keeping the doors open with so little money coming in.?

?Right now, we?re working for free,? he said.

Steven Perlow, president of the Georgia Psychological Association and a psychologist in private practice, says he hasn?t received January payments from private insurers, either.

He, too, has heard from dozens of frustrated colleagues worried not just about cash flow but also about code changes that shave more off of insurance payments. One change, for instance, trims a typical therapy session to 45 minutes and cuts reimbursement by $1 each time.

?It?s just $1 less, but nonetheless, we?re being asked to take less,? said Perlow, who sees about 45 patients a week.

The biggest worry, though, is that the coding chaos will affect care for vulnerable patients fortunate enough to have some form of insurance coverage.

'A really large job'

About 46.5 million adults in the U.S. -- or nearly 20 percent of the population -- suffer from some form of mental illness, according to government statistics. About 11.5 million suffer from serious conditions.

It?s not clear how many actually have access to care, but many do not, and anything that jeopardizes existing support is a problem, experts say.

?We are ethically bound not to leave patients hanging,? Perlow said. ?I will personally see people for a sliding scale ? there have been situations where I?ve seen people for free.?

Milhander said he, too, would continue to treat patients -- including the most severely ill who require medication management -- as long as possible.

?My staff are understandably panicked, fearful that they won?t have the financial resources to get through this,? Milhander said. ?I?m letting them know I will carry them through this period financially, for as long as I?m able.?

How long the denials and delays may last is anyone?s guess. Medicare officials say they?ve begun reprocessing claims that were denied in the first weeks of the year. But for some Medicaid programs, the problem is so complex that they may not be able to get up to speed to process claims until June, experts tell NBC News.

Private insurers are aware of -- and working on -- the problem, said Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America?s Health Insurance Plans, an industry association.

?Implementing these codes is a really large job,? she said, noting that some plans are offering alternate payment processes until the problem is fixed.

Still, some providers may stop participating in insurance plans that delay too long, or cut fees, and others might be forced to close shop entirely, unable to go for weeks or months without income.

'How scary is this?'

That?s a frightening thought to the family of Milhander?s 24-year-old patient, who suffers from paranoid delusions and only recently has been stabilized under the psychologist?s care.

?Marc is the only person that he is able to talk to. This is his only release,? says a family member, who asked not to be identified, even broadly, for safety reasons.

The young man suffered a head injury as a teenager. He has threatened to burn the house with people in it, threatened to get a gun, threatened to "come back and haunt" family members after his own death.?

?We hear about these scary things that happen. How scary is this, now that the insurance is having these issues?? said the family member. ?How many people are going to be left untreated out there??

Related stories:?

Source: http://vitals.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/07/16842490-glitch-in-medical-code-threatens-mental-health-care-therapists-warn?lite

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Japan says 2 Russian fighters entered its airspace

In this photo taken by Japan Air Self-Defense Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan, a Russian fighter jet SU-27 flies over the sea off the Japanese island of Hokkaido Thursday afternoon, Feb. 7, 2013. The Defense Ministry said two SU-27 jets, including the one shown in this photo, briefly intruded into Japanese airspace in the afternoon off the coast of Rishiri island on Hokkaido's west coast, prompting Japan?s air force to scramble jets. (AP Photo/Joint Staff Office of Defense Ministry of Japan)

In this photo taken by Japan Air Self-Defense Force and released by the Joint Staff Office of the Defense Ministry of Japan, a Russian fighter jet SU-27 flies over the sea off the Japanese island of Hokkaido Thursday afternoon, Feb. 7, 2013. The Defense Ministry said two SU-27 jets, including the one shown in this photo, briefly intruded into Japanese airspace in the afternoon off the coast of Rishiri island on Hokkaido's west coast, prompting Japan?s air force to scramble jets. (AP Photo/Joint Staff Office of Defense Ministry of Japan)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers his speech during a national rally marking the Northern Territories Day in Tokyo Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. Japan reiterated its demand to Russia the return of the four-island chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Kuril islands in Russia. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, delivers his speech during a national rally marking the Northern Territories Day in Tokyo Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. Japan reiterated its demand to Russia the return of the four-island chain, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Kuril islands in Russia. The banner on the wall reads: "Return the four northern islands." (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

TOKYO (AP) ? Japan's Defense Ministry said two Russian fighter jets briefly intruded Thursday into Japanese airspace as the country was holding rallies demanding that Moscow return a group of disputed islands.

Japan's Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with the Russian Embassy in Tokyo. Russia, however, denied any border violation.

The incident occurred as Japan was observing "Northern Territories Day," when it holds annual rallies urging Moscow to return the islands, seized by the Soviet Union in the final days of World War II.

Defense Ministry official Yoshihide Yoshida said Japanese air force jets scrambled after an intrusion by two Su-27 jets which lasted just over a minute.

Yoshida said it was not immediately known whether the incident was intentional or accidental, but that it was "extremely problematic." The last intrusion by Russian jets in Japanese airspace was on Feb. 9, 2008, he said.

In Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry issued a statement denying any intrusion. It said Russian military aircraft taking part in a military exercise in the area flew in "strict conformity with international rules without any border violations."

It was not immediately clear whether the incident off the northwestern tip of Japan's Hokkaido island was related to Northern Territories Day.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a government-sponsored rally in Tokyo that he will do his utmost to resolve the territorial dispute, which has kept the two nations from signing a peace treaty officially ending their hostilities in World War II.

Soviet troops captured the islands off Hokkaido's eastern coast in the waning days of the war, forcing about 17,000 Japanese residents to be deported over the next few years. About 17,000 people, mostly Russians, live there now.

Japan says a treaty dating back to Feb. 7, 1855, supports its claim to the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.

They lie as close as 10 kilometers (six miles) to Hokkaido and are also near undisputed Russian territory. The islands are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are believed to have offshore oil and natural gas reserves, plus gold and silver deposits.

Addressing former Japanese residents of the islands and others gathered in a large Tokyo concert hall, Abe said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin in December that he wants to settle the dispute. Abe plans to send former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori as a special envoy to Russia this month, but prospects for progress on the issue are uncertain.

"We aim to finally resolve the problem with Russia on the disputed islands and realize the signing of a peace treaty," Abe said in a brief speech before being whisked back to parliamentary proceedings.

In 2010, former President Dmitry Medvedev became the first Russian or Soviet leader to visit the islands, triggering sharp rebukes from Tokyo. He visited a second time last July.

More than half of the former Japanese residents of the islands have died in the 68 years since the Russians took control.

"My birthplace is right in front of me, but I can't return" to live there, said Choriki Sugawara, a 79-year-old man who recalled happy memories growing up on the island of Kunashir ? called Kunashiri in Japan ? in a fishing family of eight.

___

Associated Press writer Malcolm Foster contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-07-Japan-Russia/id-a6dcaf6088a841e484ba885e388b75a2

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Up, up and away: Racers climb NYC's Empire State

FILE- In this Feb. 8, 2012 file photo, six-time champion Thomas Dold (1), of Germany, leads the men's elite field at the start of the 35th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up, at the Empire State Building in New York. Contestants from around the world will compete in the event on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

FILE- In this Feb. 8, 2012 file photo, six-time champion Thomas Dold (1), of Germany, leads the men's elite field at the start of the 35th Annual Empire State Building Run-Up, at the Empire State Building in New York. Contestants from around the world will compete in the event on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? It was a double win for Australians at the annual Empire State Building Run-up.

Australian Mark Bourne raced up the 86 flights of stairs Wednesday night in 10 minutes, 12 seconds. It's his first win.

Fellow Aussie Suzy Walsham won the women's division in 12 minutes, 5 seconds. It's the fourth time she's won the race.

Runners from around the world took part in the vertical dash up a total of 1,576 steps, starting at the lobby and finishing at the observation deck.

More than 600 people were registered for the event, including some world-class elite athletes. Seven-time champion Thomas Dold of Germany did not run this year.

Other contestants came from countries including Belgium, Japan and Papua New Guinea.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

It's a race to the top ? well, to the 86th floor, anyway.

People from around the world are taking part in a vertical race ? up 86 flights of stairs at the Empire State Building. That's a total of 1,576 steps, starting at the lobby and finishing at the observation deck.

The annual Empire State Building Run-up is being held Wednesday night.

More than 600 people are registered for the event, including some world-class elite athletes. Seven-time champion Thomas Dold of Germany is going for his eighth victory in a row. Among the women, four-time winner Cindy Harris of the United States will be taking part, as well three-time winner Suzy Walsham of Australia.

The run-up used to be held during the day before being switched to evening hours last year to allow more participation. The event is put on by the New York Road Runners, which also puts on the annual New York City Marathon.

Like the marathon, start times are staggered. The elite men and woman start before the general field, and participants in the general field are released one at a time several seconds apart to avoid crowding.

The Empire State Building race is among the more high-profile tower climbs in the world. Participants are coming from around the United States, as well as countries including Belgium, Japan and Papua New Guinea.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-06-US-Empire-State-Building-Run-Up/id-82828943be584b6cb82a33a05f24c7a5

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Ross Asset Management Collapse May Hit Apartment... | Stuff.co.nz

The collapse of Ross Asset Management, which snared more than 900 investors in a suspected Ponzi scheme, looks to have spilled over into Wellington's high-end apartment sector.

Three independent sources have told The Dominion Post at least 10 people who put down deposits for properties on yet-to-be built developments will be unable to proceed to settlement because they have been financially wiped out by RAM.

Two highly placed sources within Wellington's property sector have separately reported people losing deposits, but the sources declined to go on the record.

And John Fisk, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, who was appointed as the receiver of RAM, said he had heard similar stories on a second-hand basis, but had not had cause to follow them up.

It comes as a double blow to RAM investors as they are likely to lose their deposits too.

And, should property values fall before the development is complete, they could be liable for the shortfall between the final resale price and its original cost.

High-end apartments in the city sell for $2 million to $5m, and developers typically ask for a 10 per cent deposit when buying off the plan.

Property developer Willis Bond & Co managing director Mark McGuinness said he was aware of two RAM investors who put down deposits at the firm's Clyde Quay Wharf development.

However, McGuinness stressed that it had not affected their ability to settle on his development, situated in Oriental Bay. So far the firm has sold 66 properties on the 76-apartment development, with construction already well under way.

RAM, owned and managed by David Ross, was put into receivership late last year after investors were unable to access their funds.

A PwC investigation into the fund, which Ross claimed was worth $450m just before the collapse, found about $10m in assets to back it.

While Willis Bond & Co has said its Clyde Quay was not affected by the RAM case, it is unclear who the other firms are.

Pierre Limn, a real estate agent at Tommy's in Wellington, said it was almost an "inevitability" that the high-end side of the market would be affected by the RAM collapse. "If I was a developer, I certainly wouldn't be broadcasting the fact I have a property where people were unable to settle," he said.

A sharp rise in buyers unable to pay settlements could also potentially affect developers' funding lines.

Property lawyer Fintan Devine said banks often premised their loans on specific criteria, particularly among less established operators, and indications of settlement problems would raise concerns.

"The banks are quite cautious with lending to developers," Devine said.

However, Wellington's high-end apartment market is starting to pick up momentum in the wake of the global financial crisis.

- ? Fairfax NZ News

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/8270746/Ross-saga-may-hit-apartment-sales

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Russia kills last man wanted for Moscow metro bombing

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said it had shot dead the last surviving militant involved in twin bombings that killed 40 people on the Moscow metro in 2010 during a night-time sweep of a forest hideout in the volatile North Caucasus.

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAK) released a crossed-out photo of the alleged militant on Wednesday, his face framed by a thick beard.

Bombings and attacks on police and officials by Islamist fighters in the North Caucasus are a weekly occurrence, but insurgents have also staged numerous attacks on the Russian heartland.

Chechen Islamist rebel Doku Umarov, Russia's most wanted man and head of the umbrella Caucasus Emirate group, claimed responsibility for the metro bombings as well as a suicide bombing that killed 37 at Moscow's busiest airport in 2011.

"Gusen Magomedov was the last remaining participant directly involved in the organization and implementation of terrorist attacks on the Moscow metro in March, 2010," NAK said.

"Fair retribution has caught up with the last one of them."

It said Magomedov had been shot after opening fire on security forces combing forests near the village of Kadyrkent in Dagestan, now the center of militant violence in the North Caucasus.

A video released by NAK showed a mangled body in a black jogging suit and a pistol lying in the underbrush.

An NAK spokesman, Dmitry Pavlov, said Magomedov had personally escorted one of the two female suicide bombers responsible for the twin metro bombings to the entrance of the Moscow underground.

A still image from surveillance footage in the metro published by NAK allegedly shows Magomedov - clean-shaven and wearing a baseball cap - walking beside the suicide bomber.

Later Magomedov, born in 1977, returned to Dagestan and joined a group of insurgents led by a Turkish-born militant, who was killed by security forces last year, Pavlov said.

More than a decade after Moscow re-established federal control over Chechnya following two separatist wars, militants have spread to neighboring provinces such as Dagestan.

Security risks in the region are in the spotlight ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, which Russia will host in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, at the western end of the Caucasus mountains.

(Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Ludmila Danilova; Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Oliver Holmes and Kevin Liffey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/russia-kills-last-man-wanted-moscow-metro-bombing-162758852--spt.html

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