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Reigning world champion Magnus Calsen of Norway wins FIDE World Blitz Championship

Carlsen, 28, earned 17 points in 21 rounds, with not a single game lost

Magnus Carlsen EPA/JUSTIN LANE

Magnus Carlsen

© EPA/JUSTIN LANE

ST. PETERSBURG, December 30. /TASS/. Reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has won the World Chess Federation (FIDE) World Blitz Championship that finished in Russia’s second largest city of Saint Petersburg on Sunday.

Carlsen, 28, earned 17 points in 21 rounds, with not a single game lost. Second is Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland (16.5 points) and Hikaru Nakamura of the United States is third (14.5 points). Peter Svidler demonstrated the best result among Russian players and finished fifth, with 14 points.

Russian mogul skier Ivanova to compete at FIS Freestyle Cup stage in US

Ivanova, 30, is the winner and holder of numerous prizes in Russia’s national mogul competitions

Degradation of international situation, security architecture: Putin's statements

The Russian president pointed out that Russia was "sincerely committed to the ideals of a multipolar world"

Trump threatens countries opposing US plans on Greenland with tariffs

The United States needs Greenland for national security, the US president noted

Driverless systems to substitute low-skilled labor — Putin

Growth of labor productivity, increase of quality of life of people are meant, Putin noted

Russian foreign ministry advises Russian citizens not to travel to Moldova

"Moscow continues to record numerous episodes of discrimination, ungrounded harassment and undue treatment of Russian citizens in Moldova by the Moldovan authorities," the ministry said

Israeli defense minister confirms military continues demolishing buildings in Gaza

Israel Katz stated the goal is to "destroy the deadly underground terrorist infrastructure that Hamas built beneath the homes of Gaza residents and all the buildings above them in order to eliminate threats to the residents of the Negev and the State of Israel"

Russia’s defense chief inspects Battlegroup West in special military operation area

Battlegroup West troops are advancing in all the four frontline areas of their operation on a broad front of over 320 km, Battlegroup West Commander Colonel General Sergey Kuzovlev reported to Andrey Belousov

US, Ukraine 'not on same page' on some issues in peace talks — Zelensky

Vladimir Zelensky continues to insist that Ukraine field 800,000 soldiers while admitting that Kiev cannot afford such an army

Rodriguez’s envoy visits US for high-level meetings — WP

According to the newspaper, Felix Plasencia, who previously served as the Bolivarian republic’s foreign minister, has visited Washington for consultations with senior US officials

Lavrov, Oman’s top diplomat push for preventing use of force against Iran — MFA

"The conversation focused on a major escalation of tensions around Iran, being artificially fueled from the outside, that is fraught with a broader regional conflict," the ministry said

Precious metals futures in the red — market data

Palladium futures with delivery in March 2026 lost 5% on NYMEX to $1,782 per Troy ounce

China urges US to abandon idea of attacking Iran — deputy envoy to UN

Sun Lei emphasized the need for a team effort of all parties to maintain international peace and security

Poland to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine during the year

Polish Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said this requires a government decision, as well as Ukraine’s transfer of UAV production and countermeasure technologies to Poland

Agriculture Ministry expects grain harvest in Russia to grow in 2026 compared to 2025

According to preliminary data by the Federal Statistics Service, the grain harvest in Russia in 2025 amounted to 139.4 million tons in net weight

More than half of Americans assess Trump’s first year in office negatively

55% of those polled think that Donald Trump’s policy has worsened the economic situation in the country

Lavrov, Belarusian ambassador hail intensive top-level bilateral contacts

Alexander Rogozhnik is completing his mission to Russia after being appointed chair of the Vitebsk Region Executive Committee

IN BRIEF: Russian forces expand buffer zones, disrupting enemy plans, senior general says

Russian forces liberated around eight localities and took more than 300 square km of land under control in the first two weeks of January

EU leaders tell Europeans fairy tales about Ukrainian victory — Hungarian PM

Viktor Orban stressed that the calculations of European politicians advocating the continuation of military action against Russia "do not correspond to reality"

Russian troops gain foothold on western bank of Gaichur River — top brass

As a result of the offensive, Battlegroup East units crushed the enemy defense, liberating an area of over 6 square kilometers

Putin, Netanyahu discuss situation surrounding Iran — Kremlin

The Russian president outlined fundamental approaches favoring the intensification of political and diplomatic efforts to ensure stability and security in the region

AfD leader questions expediency of Kiev support amid evidence of Nord Stream involvement

Der Spiegel reported on Thursday that the German Federal Supreme Court considers it "highly likely" that the explosions were carried out "on the orders of a foreign state"

IAEA announces localized ceasefire for repairs on power line to Zaporozhye nuke plant

This will enable repairs to begin on the last remaining backup power line to the ZNPP

Chadian president awarded 2026 African Peace Prize

Experts highlighted the efforts of Mahamat Idriss Deby to strengthen national unity, combat extremism and cross-border crime, and use dialogue as a strategic tool to resolve political and regional disputes

Syrian president issues decree protecting Kurds’ rights

The Kurdish language is recognized as official and can be taught at schools in Kurdish-populated areas

London is again trying to boost its authority at Kiev’s expense — senior legislator

"London seems to have entered the race for dominance within the 'warmongers’ camp,' effectively closing the 'window of opportunity' for Europe to reclaim its sovereignty," Leonid Slutsky said

Bank of Russia lowers dollar exchange rate for January 17-19 to 77.83 rubles

The regulator lowered the official euro exchange rate by 1.27 rubles to 90.5366 rubles

Trump claims Iran has canceled 800 scheduled hangings

Unrest in Iran began on December 29 after street protests triggered by a sharp fall in the Iranian rial exchange rate

Russia awaited in global driverless system markets — Putin

There is a need to scale up exports of advanced products and reach global markets in order to create the really strong and cost efficient industry of driverless systems, he noted

Greenland, Denmark unite against US threats of island’s seizure — Russian envoy

Vladimir Barbin emphasized that only Greenland and Denmark can make decisions on this issue

Ukraine needs to make 'painful concessions' to achieve peace — Czech president

Petr Pavel did not say which concessions he was referring to

FACTBOX: Who is running in the Russian presidential election

Four candidates will vie for the top office

Unacceptable to use blackmail, threats when talking to Cuba — Russian MFA

Moscow is concerned about escalating tensions around Cuba, Maria Zakharova said

Trump getting Nobel medal doesn't confer Peace Prize to him, laureate center says

The comment came amid news that Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her medal to US President Donald Trump

Kremlin describes German court's Nord Stream ruling as 'the style of highly likely'

The court’s ruling says there is a high degree of probability that a foreign state ordered the explosions

Twelve Russians enter 2026 Australian Open singles bracket to play under neutral status

The tournament runs between January 18 and February 1

Trump says no one convinced him not to strike Iran

Unrest in Iran began on December 29 after street protests triggered by a sharp fall in the Iranian rial exchange rate, and spread to most major cities. Authorities reported the deaths of 40 law enforcement officers

Witkoff announces US demands for Iran on diplomatic settlement

The US Special Presidential Envoy mentioned nuclear enrichment as one of four issues

Russian paratroopers advancing in four localities in Zaporozhye Region — governor

The fighting is heavy, but Russian soldiers are confidently advancing, Yevgeny Balitsky said

Russia needs sovereign AI technologies — Putin

The plan of their creation and rollout will be discussed shortly with participation of domestic high-technology business, Putin added

Gazprom notes active gas withdrawal from Ukrainian underground storage facilities

Gas reserves in the sole underground gas storage of the Baltic States dropped below 40% on January 15, the Russian gas major added

Venezuela not humiliated by US military aggression, defense chief says

Vladimir Padrino Lopez emphasized that the honor of Venezuela’s national armed forces "remains unwavering"

Contract for electricity supplies from Russia to China remains in effect — Inter RAO

The parties are currently actively exploring opportunities for electricity trade

Russia must move quicker from testing to rollout of autonomous systems — Putin

The Russian leader drew attention of meeting participants and all the colleagues in the government to this

Exhumation of Soviet soldiers in Lvov 'degradation bordering on savagery' — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister emphasized that despite the OSCE's declared commitment to defending and protecting human rights as one of the organization's fundamental aims, Western countries maintained a deathly silence while watching the actions of the Kiev regime

Finland opens probe into three German snow trekkers who trespassed border into Russia

According to the Finnish Border Guard, the adventurists crossed the border in Paljakka in northeastern Finland’s Kuusamo "out of curiosity"

Russia’s UN envoy urges West to focus on guarantees of non-confrontation around Iran

Vasily Nebenzya added that Russia was "ready to provide all possible support" to such an effort

Russia capable of persuading NATO countries to abandon provocations in Baltic region

Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin emphasized that "Russia will not allow navigation in the Baltic Sea to be regulated according to NATO and the European Union's model"

French politician labels Ukrainian actions in Donbass as genocide

Fabrice Sorlin said he had been regularly visiting Donbass for humanitarian purposes since 2017

Russian troops liberate five communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 1,345 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy armored combat vehicles in its areas of responsibility over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

FACTBOX: What is known about undercover British intelligence officer exposed in Moscow

Russia’s Federal Security Service stated that the British intelligence officer working undercover at the embassy is being expelled from the country

Kremlin welcomes signals from Rome, Paris, Berlin regarding dialogue with Moscow

Dmitry Peskov noted that it was necessary to talk to Russia

Binance cryptocurrency exchange bars sanctioned individuals, legal entities from Russia

"Binance sticks to global rules on sanctions and fully observes restrictions against individuals and legal entities and countries, against which international sanctions have been imposed, thus denying access to the Binance platform to such parties," the press service said

Putin calls Russia and Brazil like-minded people in creating just world order

The Russian president noted that cooperation between the two countries "is steadily developing and is being filled with new mutually beneficial projects in various fields"

World heading toward chaos due to West's actions — MFA

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed to "the West’s destructive activities, both in its own countries and abroad, aimed at dismantling the basic principles of morality"

Attempt to 'kidnap' Putin fraught with disastrous outcome for initiator — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova referred to a comment by Defense Secretary John Healy during his January 9 visit to Kiev, where he said that he would like to kidnap Putin to "bring the Russian president to justice"

German expert calls attempt to blame Russia for Nord Stream blast propaganda ploy

Previously, some German experts had suggested that Russia was responsible for the pipeline detonations

All budget commitments to be made irrespective of ruble rate — Finance Minister

Anton Siluanov said earlier that the current ruble range is more or less balanced and may be preserved in the future periods

Russian stock market indices in the green this Friday — market data

The MOEX Russia Index gained 1.2% to 2,733.75 points, while the RTS Index added 2.1% to 1,106.46 points

Russian troops destroy Ukrainian army’s HIMARS system that attacked civilian facilities

The Ukrainian army’s HIMARS MLRS was completely destroyed together with its crew as a result of prompt and well-coordinated operations by the teams of reconnaissance and strike UAV operators

Senior Russian legislator slams US fund's suit for 'tsarist debts' as legal aggression

Previously, Noble Capital RSD initiated legal proceedings demanding $225.8 billion based on alleged obligations under sovereign bonds issued during the Russian Empire

Russian mogul skier Ivanova to compete at FIS Freestyle Cup stage in US

Ivanova, 30, is the winner and holder of numerous prizes in Russia’s national mogul competitions

UK rejects French, Italian calls to restore diplomatic ties with Russia — newspaper

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said London needs "evidence" that Moscow "actually wants peace"

IN BRIEF: Relations with US, negotiations with Ukraine: Putin comments on Trump's words

Russia "has never refused to communicate with the United States," but contacts have been interrupted by Washington

Russian troops liberating Zakotnoye expand zone of control southeast of Krasny Liman

This will speed up the formation of the southern flank, Igor Kimakovsky noted

Driverless truck fleet in Russia to reach 920 units by end of 2028

To date, 95 vehicles were manufactured, which are engaged in commercial transportation on M-11 Neva highway and the Central Ring Road

South Africa's largest game reserve closed due to flooding

Heavy rainfall has been battering the north and east of South Africa for the second week

IN BRIEF: Threats to 'abduct' Putin,' Greenland: statements by Russian Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova said all issues around Greenland should be resolved within the framework of international law

Cuban officer downs US helicopter during US operation in Caracas — Cuban president

Cuban servicemen offered fierce resistance to the prevailing enemy, Miguel Diaz-Canel said

Relocation of major transport companies to regions discussed — Transport Ministry

No specific decisions have been made so far, Andrey Nikitin said

Russia has no claims for Greenland — ambassador

Vladimir Barbin recalled Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen’s remarks during a conference in Washington on January 14

Russia lags behind some countries in terms of autonomous transport — Putin

"Certain countries have reached full sovereignty in producing all the components for autonomous equipment," the head of state noted

Introduction of driverless solutions is necessity, not fashion — Putin

Bringing autonomous driverless solutions into life is certainly not the fashion, Putin stressed

Russia, China need to address issues related to payment difficulties for tourists

Maria Zakharova noted that Chinese tourists have no reason to be concerned about the operation of mobile communications, the availability of payment options, or the arrangement of accommodations in Russia

Press review: Russia to respond to EU army plans while Ukraine's ex-PM charged for bribery

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, January 15th

Karin Kneissl: Greenland Could Become the 51st US State

Russian troops liberating Zhovtnevoye straighten frontline at Orekhovo — DPR official

Igor Kimakovsky called Orekhovo one of the largest enemy hubs in this section of the front

Turkey’s losses from Russia’s restrictions may exceed $11 bln in 2016 — ambassador

Russia’s ambassador to Ankara Andrey Karlov referred to "forecasts made by Turkish think tanks"

UK marines in Norway conduct exercises to prepare for NATO-Russia conflict — newspaper

According to the report, the number of personnel at the base is expected to reach 1,500 by spring 2026 and increase to 2,000 by 2027

Situation in Middle East: Putin holds telephone talks with Netanyahu, Pezeshkian

The Russian president confirmed the readiness of the Russian side to "continue appropriate mediation efforts and foster constructive dialogue with the participation of all interested states"

Kiev promised victory, but US now starts to realize it was deceived — Kremlin

According to Dmitry Peskov, the Washington administration is now "beginning to ponder on the question of where their money went," because "the Kiev regime promised" that aid worth $100 billion will secure them victory on the battlefield

WhatsApp to be completely blocked in Russia this year — lawmaker

Andrey Svintsov said this is because WhatsApp is owned by Meta, recognized as the extremist company in Russia

BRICS naval maneuvers finish in South Africa

Operational command of the drill was carried out by the Chinese Navy

Ukrainians building up air defenses near Donetsk — LPR officer

According to Andrey Marochko, the hardware Ukrainian security forces are using to strengthen their air defenses is mostly Soviet-made, but there are also Western systems

New ranking shows where Russian students want to work

The IT industry remains the top choice among young people

German court believes Nord Stream explosions were ordered by Ukraine — media

Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled that Sergey K. should remain in custody

Merz calls Russia 'European country,' hopes to achieve balance in relations

The Chancellor said his comment was not because he was in the east of Germany

Dmitriev calls Canada 52nd state of US

The Russian special presidential envoy noted that Greenland would be the 51st state

Operational security makes Oreshnik system in Belarus invisible to opponents — official

Alexander Volfovich emphasized that the Oreshnik and tactical nuclear weapons are deployed in Belarus only to protect its territory

NATO countries engaged in full-fledged war against Russia — Medvedev

According to him, the alliance is "fully engaged" in the Ukrainian conflict

Moldovan PM says would vote for unifying with Romania

Numerous political parties in Moldova have for decades been advancing the idea of unification with Romania

Azerbaijan has begun gas supplies to Austria and Germany — SOCAR

The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic did not disclose the timing or volume of deliveries

Putin said he was impressed by specimens of driverless systems

Issues of accelerated development of the national industry of driverless and autonomous technologies are on the meeting agenda, the president said

Gas reserves in UGS in Europe down below 90%

Gas withdrawal from UGS facilities in EU countries amounted to 504 mln cubic meters on November 19, according to GIE

Inflation in Russia total 5.59% as of 2025 year-end — Economy Ministry

In monthly terms, consumer price growth rates declined to 0.32%

Ex-top Austrian diplomat reveals what BRICS needs to do to counter US policies

"BRICS has no mechanisms," Karin Kneissl noted

Annual inflation slows down to 5.59% in December 2025 — statistics

In monthly terms, consumer prices gained 0.32%

All districts in Kupyansk controlled by Russian troops — Battlegroup West

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov listened to the report of the battlegroup commander and inquired about the situation around Kupyansk

India’s IIT Madras researchers develop innovative ramjet-propelled artillery shells

According to the institute’s press release, the new 155mm ammunition will significantly enhance the Indian Army’s firepower

Ukrainian troops in Kursk Region will be destroyed, if refuse to surrender — Medvedev

The politician noted that the coming hours will show whether the Kiev regime will use the chance to save its soldiers

Press review: Trump pressures Denmark as US business signals Arctic ties with Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, January 16th

Putin, Iranian president speak over phone — Kremlin

The results of the telephone talk with Iranian President Pezeshkian will be announced in the near future, Dmitry Peskov said