Russia worried about Algeria security

Moscow has asked Algeria to improve security arrangements for its nationals working in the country, after four Russian citizens were found murdered yesterday.

The Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, also urged the Algerian authorities to speed up their inquiry into the killings.

The Russian nationals were found dead in a forest east of the capital Algiers; the local authorities say they believ they had been killed by Islamist militants.

About one-hundred-thousand people have been killed in the violence between the rebels and government forces since 1992.

Correspondents say the four Russians were the first foreign victims in two years.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service