31.   A last-minute deal between the two main Shiite factions eased tensions which had threatened to escalate into an inter-Shiite military showdown in the volatile region.

32.   A Russian police checkpoint in southern Russia was attacked by gunmen from breakaway Chechnya on Friday, the third attack in as many days in the volatile region.

33.   A last-minute deal between the two main Shiite factions eased tension which had threatened to escalate into an inter-Shiite military showdown in the volatile region.

34.   A Russian police checkpoint in southern Russia was attacked by gunmen from the breakaway Chechya on Friday, the third attack in as many days in the volatile region.

35.   A tax official has been kidnapped in the volatile southern Russian region of Dagestan, a news report said Monday.

36.   A proposed pipeline to Turkey and the Mediterranean would involve crossing the politically volatile Caucasus Mountains region.

37.   A southern Russian mayor has been charged with orchestrating the fatal drive-by shooting of the deputy parliament speaker of the volatile Dagestan region, officials said Sunday.

38.   Arab countries and Iran accuse Turkey of tipping the balance in the volatile region by getting closer with the Jewish state.

39.   At least four other kidnapping victims remain in captivity in the volatile southern region of Mindanao, including two Hong Kong nationals and a Malaysian.

40.   Both America and Japan regard the U.S. troops here as an indispensable safeguard against instability in an otherwise volatile region.