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Putin vows not to talk to Chechens after bomb

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, vowed he would not talk to rebel Chechens he has accused of setting off a deadly bomb on the Moscow metro to disrupt elections next month that he is virtually certain to win.

Yesterday morning's rush-hour bomb killed at least 39 passengers, and today police said 105 people were still in hospital, 21 of whom remained in a critical condition.

Russian officials gave different explanations for the blast, which shattered the second carriage of a packed train as it was speeding between two central Moscow stations.

Several local newspapers predicted this morning that the toll was likely to rise.