A stunning 121-megapixel snapshot of the Earth was taken by a Russian weather satellite in what is thought to be the highest resolution picture of the planet ever taken from space.

If everyone lived like Russians, humanity would need 2 1/2 planet Earths to sustain consumption, though this profligacy is dwarfed by the American lifestyle — which would require no less than four planets to sustain on a humanity-wide scale, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Investigators on Wednesday were analyzing the cockpit voice recorder from the Superjet, which slammed into the side of an Indonesian volcano. They hope the final words of the two pilots will help explain what caused last week's crash, which killed all 45 people on board.

Television humorist Mikhail Zhvanetsky criticized President Putin's inauguration motorcade on state television, saying it looked "disinfected" and "wiped with alcohol."

Half a century ago, this town on the White Sea coast was a supply mecca for residents of the nearby metropolis Arkhangelsk, who regularly made the 35-kilometer trip just to buy sausage, which was usually available in the well-stocked stores of strategically important defense industry centers.

Smoking in Russia will soon be more expensive, as analysts say current tax plans will cause the price of cigarettes to jump five times higher by 2018.

Ill-tempered air travelers might want to think twice before throwing a fit at 35,000 feet on Aeroflot. If the airline gets its way, they could be blacklisted.

Russia will confront a persistent protest movement and a steady decline in oil revenues over the coming years.

In response to "Cypriot Tax Haven May Soon Come to an End," a comment by Daniel Klein on April 25.

A court in Sevastopol, Ukraine has acquitted a Russian defense contractor on espionage charges after he spent two-and-a-half years in prison for buying a piece of outdated Soviet equipment from Ukrainian partners.

A stunning 121-megapixel snapshot of the Earth was taken by a Russian weather satellite in what is thought to be the highest resolution picture of the planet ever taken from space.

Search and rescue helicopters and volunteers struggling through thick forest and mountainous terrain spotted bodies but no survivors on the Indonesian mountainside where a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed by the time darkness forced an end to the search Thursday night.

Police have raided a company that provides private security to major Western firms like IKEA and Procter & Gamble in what its founder, State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov, called punishment for his support of anti-Kremlin protests.

Forty-eight hours into his third term, President Vladimir Putin has backed out of a high-profile meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and other G8 leaders in a snub that raises questions about whether he is re-establishing the chilly relationship with the West that characterized his first two terms as president.

Search teams have found at least 12 bodies on the steep slope of an Indonesian volcano where a Sukhoi Superjet crashed while demonstrating the plane for potential buyers from airlines.

U.S. President Barack Obama will skip the APEC summit in Vladivostok in September, Vedomosti reported Friday, as Obama's spokesman insisted that there were no hard feelings about President Vladimir Putin's decision not to attend a G8 summit next week.

During his first official meetings with foreign leaders as president, Vladimir Putin said Russia is ready to stand behind the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, with particular attention to social and economic development.

An employee of a "closed" enterprise in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg has been accused of leaking secrets about the intercontinental Bulava missile, Kommersant reported Monday.

Historians have long noted a characteristic feature of Russian history: Sometimes development seems to freeze for many years and almost comes to a standstill, only to suddenly surge ahead at a gallop. Events during the first weeks of May were a striking illustration of this.

Indonesian special forces and professional climbers scaled down a treacherous ravine on a volcano face Sunday in search of a missing flight recorder that could explain the deadly crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100.

As Moscow gears up to celebrate its victory in World War II, 67 years ago Wednesday, the shadow of political conflict shrouds the capital as hundreds of arrests cloud Victory Day festivities. 



A Russian paleontologist on Thursday debunked a sensational report about fossilized dinosaur eggs having been found in a rocky hillside in Chechnya, saying the "eggs" were most likely just rocks.

Ten people were injured and one killed when a multi-story building being built in the south of Moscow collapsed suddenly Tuesday.

Photos of an apparently sheared Maria Sharapova blazed through the internet as fans expressed both dismay and support, but the tennis star herself quashed discussions Wednesday with a post explaining it was part of a photo shoot.

Bitter experience showed Mikhail Verbitsky that there's a price to be paid for being flippant about facial hair.

A Moscow court on Thursday ruled to extend the detention period to June 24 of three members of punk group Pussy Riot, whose jailing has been harshly criticized by human rights groups.

A stunning 121-megapixel snapshot of the Earth was taken by a Russian weather satellite in what is thought to be the highest resolution picture of the planet ever taken from space.

Search and rescue helicopters and volunteers struggling through thick forest and mountainous terrain spotted bodies but no survivors on the Indonesian mountainside where a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crashed by the time darkness forced an end to the search Thursday night.

After the end of World War II, Paul Sadler returned home to Chicago with three German books and a photo album from the Dachau concentration camp.

Moscow’s sky was back to normal Friday after a mysterious green cloud that descended on part of the city and prompted emergency calls from residents fearing a chemical spill had dissipated.