Putin raised armed forces' pay

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has announced a pay rise of twenty percent for members of the armed forces and other state employees.

Mr Putin's announcement came amid criticism of the government's handling of the failed attempts to rescue the submarine Kursk and its crew of one-hundred-and-eighteen, and coincided with a wreath-laying ceremony attended by relatives of the sailors.

Many were too overcome with emotion to make the full trip to the site of the disaster, in the Barents Sea.

Earlier the Russian prosecutor-general announced a criminal investigation into the tragedy. A BBC Moscow correspondent says the pay rise is clearly an attempt by Mr Putin to boost confidence among the military; he took office promising to restore Russian military might and defend Russia's place as a major player on the world stage.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service