Russian Journalist Shot Dead

And in the meantime, Russia continues to slip backwards into totalitarianism:

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, an outspoken critic of war in rebel Chechnya, was shot dead on Saturday at her apartment block in central Moscow.

Politkovskaya, a mother of two, was well-known for exposing rights abuses by Russian troops and remained critical of Moscow's campaign despite intense government pressure.

Here's a fairly good summary from 2005 of how dangerous it is to work in Russia as a reporter.