Powerful telescope placed 1.3km below the icy water hopes to track invisible particles from the sun and stars.
New legislation in Latvia is poised to offer citizenship in the European Union country to the children and grandchildren of its exiles forcibly sent to Siberia.
Nicknamed Forrest Gump, he completes a 9,905 kilometre odyssey braving temperatures as low as minus 48C on his 18 month adventure.
Vital link uniting east and west of the country will realise a long-held dream.