Flights from east of Russian resumed for the first time since last year's earthquake and tsunami which led to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
As temperatures sunk to minus 50C and below, schools and kindergartens were closed for the world's hardiest children.
New evidence of climate change as blazes come six weeks early in 2014.
Key move to revive Far Eastern economy and compete with Macau and Busan.
Winter comes to summer including freak hailstorms, mega-flooding but also wild fires.
Minister of Energy Alexander Novak is proposing to slash the mineral extraction tax on new developments for quarter of a century.
Billionaire tycoon aims to use Siberia’s hydropower to fuel legion of data centres cheaper than anywhere else in Russia.
Vostochny 'not ready' for December Soyuz liftoff, says source in Roscosmos.