A family was rescued by helicopter after chopping birch trees and using them to spell 'SOS' when they were ringed by blazing wildfires.

Eaten by an ancient cave lion or bear, only the tail was left, preserved by the Siberian permafrost.

Now The Siberian Times is seeking to find descendants of British mariner Captain Joseph Wiggin. 

The 15th INNOVUS forum opens over two days with 50 events aimed at discussing Russia's Innovative Development Strategy until 2020.

He spoke out as Premier Dmitry Medvedev was in Siberia on a trip substantially aimed at leading efforts to combat the serious forest fires.

The senior politician called for a change of identity for the vast eastern third of Russia, as the country angles itself towards Asia.

'Scary' scenes as fumes from burning forests cover Lake Baikal, with people - and bears - fleeing 'Apocalypse'.

One estimate is half a million new jobs stemming from improvements to the Baikal-Amur Mainline link amid hopes of foreign investment.

Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk suffering smoke pollution and infernos rage in forests after hot, dry weather.

Intelligence officials in Seoul expressed surprise over a secret 'unknown visit' to eastern Russia by the Communist country's head of state Kim Jong-un.