Russia has blocked a Greenpeace ship from entering Arctic waters where the environmentalist group was planning to protest against oil exploration activities by Rosneft and ExxonMobil, the group said.

Russian scientists claim to have discovered blood in the carcass of a woolly mammoth, adding that the rare find could boost chances of cloning the prehistoric animal.

The worst February cold spell Europe has seen in decades may last until the end of the month, leading meteorologists said, raising the prospect of further deaths and an extended spike in European spot gas prices.

The European air traffic control agency said today that it expects no significant disruption of air traffic as a result of volcanic ash in the next 24 hours.

An explosion and fire ripped through a mine in northern Russia, killing 12 workers, an emergency official said today.

I LIKE Christmas, I’ve always liked it. But one thing I don’t like is the annual whinge from those people who say we’ve lost the true spirit of Christmas and that it has become submerged in commercialism, consumerism, materialism and whatever ‘ism’ you’re having yourself.

TWO OF Europe’s greatest bird-watching spectacles are getting under way: raptors cranes and storks are converging on Gibraltar and the Bosporus strait before crossing the sea for Africa, where they will spend the winter.

Iran today said it had joined the club of countries enjoying space technology after launching its first satellite last week in a joint project with Russia, state-run television reported.

Rescuers found four more bodies in the rubble of a store in northern Russia overnight, bringing the death toll from Monday’s explosion and fire to 24.

Exploration company Ovoca Resources has entered into a heads of agreement to acquire a 78% interest in the share capital and an option to acquire the remaining issued share capital and warrants of the private exploration company Norplat Limited.

Stable prices for heroin and a likely increase in the drug’s purity could lead to an increase in the number of overdose deaths, the UN drug agency warned today.

The first launch of a new Russian booster rocket has been postponed because of technical problems, the Russian Defence Ministry said today.

A blade separated from a helicopter and hit a tent at a hunting and fishing camp for the wealthy in northern Russia, killing two people.

At least three people were killed and dozens trapped under rubble when an explosion destroyed part of a apartment building in northern Russia today, officials said.

Russia successfully tested a prototype new weapon that can penetrate any prospective missile defences during this week’s military exercise, a senior general said today.

AT least, Malcolm O'Kelly is interested in travelling. That is one positive he took on the arduous trip to Siberia.

An Mi-8 helicopter of Russia’s air defence force crashed into a radio tower in northern Russia today then burst into flames. Five crew members were believed dead, emergency officials said.

Mysterious dents have been found on the wreck of the Kursk nuclear submarine.

Investigators examining the wreckage of the Kursk nuclear submarine have removed the bodies of 45 sailors since the vessel was brought to dock in northern Russia earlier this month.

Divers today began attaching a second pontoon to the barge holding the wreckage of the submarine Kursk in preparation for raising the vessel into a dry dock at a ship-repair plant in northern Russia.

Naval engineers using a remote-controlled mini-sub conducted exploratory work today at the site where the Kursk nuclear submarine sank, laying the groundwork for the complex, two-month operation to raise the shattered ship.