Residents complain of 'severe carbon monoxide poisoning' as satellite images show blanket of smoke across eastern Siberia.

Director of Alliance Francaise cultural organisation in Irkutsk 'removed his electronic tagging device and fled'.

Members of two families perished and others are missing as emergency services scrambled to the scene.

The Russian president's trip on Wednesday coincided with a marked improvement in levels of pollution, they claim.

Russian army biological protection troops called in amid warnings 'utmost care' needed to stop deadly infection spreading.

Thousands of volunteers had joined search for three year old girl in Tomsk.

'Six die' as bridges swept away and 7,600 evacuated after heavy rains.

Many Pacific islands are famed for their palm trees, but Sakhalin is facing some of the heaviest January blizzards in living memory.

Miracle survival for Liza Grabovskaya in temperatures of minus 12C, lost for 24 hours.