State of emergency in Irkutsk region as President Vladimir Putin flies in amid carnage from heavy rain - with ‘worse to come’.

As usual there is outlandish speculation about an alien visit, but there is genuine puzzlement and disagreement among experts over the mystery object.

A twice weekly service starting in Irkutsk will fly to Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tyumen.

Greenpeace concern as firefighters say they cannot extinguish 3 year blaze with smoke visible from space.

People evacuated after thunderstorms-with-no-rain ignite foliage and forests.

Hopes fade of finding 13 people, six weeks after Tyva Avia aircraft went missing in remote and mountainous region.

Il-76 plane crashed while battling wildfires; Minister vows 'We will never forget them.'

Most fires will not be extinguished, with major cities polluted by fumes.

Police examine horrific child cruelty allegations against 26 year old woman teacher.

The vehicle with Orthodox pilgrims on board flipped into a ditch and overturned down an embankment, falling 'the height of a 5 storey building’.