Corey Flintoff

The Russian parliament is expected to give final approval this week to a bill that would make it illegal to expose children to information about homosexuality. Russian law experts say the courts would likely rule against the legislation because it violates the Russian constitution's ban on discrimination. Even so, authorities could use it to harass specific organizations or visitors from abroad such as Madonna who spoke in favor of gay rights during a concert in St. Petersburg last year. And the legislation could curry favor among conservatives whom Putin has been courting since returning to the presidency.

The challenges include mild winter weather, high costs and residents who have lost their homes. But Russia says it will put on a great show when the 2014 Winter Olympics come to Sochi next February.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, saying it is important not to "lose momentum" in the effort to convene a peace conference on Syria. Ban was only the latest in a string of foreign dignitaries who have come to Russia, seeking Putin's blessing for such a conference, expected to be held in early June. There's a lot at stake. Russia has been a long-time supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and continues to supply weapons to his regime. U.S. officials have said lately that those weapons include advanced missile systems for attacking ships and airplanes. If Assad already has such weapons, they could pose a real threat to international efforts to impose a no-fly zone, to deliver supplies to the rebels, or to maintain a maritime embargo.

Much has been made of the fact that the suspects in the Boston bombings are ethnic Chechens, with links to the volatile North Caucasus region of Russia. Russian reaction to the story, however, appears to be as complex as the region's turbulent history.

The United States and Russia have been at odds over human rights, Syria and even the adoption of Russian orphans by American families. But former U.S. envoys who met with officials in Moscow this week say they found "a willingness to explore ideas" and urged cooperation on economic and security issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a measure that would ban Americans from adopting Russian children. The ban is designed as retaliation for a new U.S. law that sanctions Russian officials accused of human rights violations.

The up-scale mall on Red Square is called GUM. It's in the former state-run department store, a Soviet-era monument that was once famous for long lines and unsmiling service. It's been turned into a glittering showplace for high-end foreign brands that most Russians can only look at.

The Russian military is plagued by problems: A top heavy senior officer corps and a defense industry that churns out obsolete equipment, to name just two. Analysts in Russia say the U.S. should be worried about a weaker Russia, which may be becoming a front line in the battle against Islamist extremism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent word welcoming President Obama's re-election. But the Russian government and state-run media sought to discredit the American electoral process.

Members of the band took part in the protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin that sent three of their band mates to jail. The group, which is an anonymous collective of more than a dozen people, tweeted that the two women were safe outside of the country.