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World's safest airlines

TransAsia plane crash in Taipei became the eighth deadly incident involving Asian aircrafts in the last year

Photo {{sliderIndex+1}} from 10

World’s new leading airline in terms of its safety record is Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong

© AP Photo/Cathay Pacific Airways, HO

Emirates which is one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates is ranked second. Photo: A stewardess inside an Emirates A380 aircraft

© AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A

EVA Airways, a Taiwanese international airline comes third. Photo: Hello Kitty-themed EVA Air Airbus 330-300 jet from Japan approaching to land at the Sungshan Airport in Taipei

© AP Photo/Wally Santana

The fourth position was taken by Canadian national carrier Air Canada

© EPA/UDO WEITZ

KLM, or Royal Dutch Airlines is ranked fifth. It is the oldest airline in the world still operating under its original name. Photo: KLM passenger planes takes off from Schiphol airport in Amsterdam

© AP Photo/Peter Dejong

Air New Zealand which was leader of last year's rating is sixth in 2015. Photo: Air New Zealand's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner after the arrival at Auckland Airport

© AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Peter Meecham

Qantas Airways which is the flag carrier of Australia is ranked 7th. The last deadly incident involving Qantas aircraft occurred in 1951

© AP Photo/Rick Rycroft

Eighth position was taken by China's Hainan Airlines

© AP Photo/M. Spencer Green

JetBlue Airways, an American low-cost airline, is ranked 9th. Photo: Passengers at a security check point at JetBlue Airways' Terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York

© AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Etihad Airways comes tenth

© AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili

TransAsia plane crash in Taipei became the eighth deadly incident involving Asian aircrafts in the last year. Starting from 1973 German Research Center JACDEC (Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre) provides global safety analysis about commercial aviaion, based on the information about accidents involving aircrafts of 60 largest airlines. World's safest airlines for 2015, according to JACDEC - in photo gallery by TASS

Conflict in Syria

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Ukrainian intel agent plotted to plant bomb under car of Russian defense official — FSB

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Zelensky defines essence of next summit on Ukraine in four-letter explicit word — Lavrov

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Group of Syrian law enforcement officers ambushed in Tartus, 14 killed — minister

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Thailand accepts invitation to become BRICS partner state — MFA

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Australia contacts Russia regarding captured mercenary — diplomat

Maria Zakharova emphasized that "Canberra obediently follows in the footsteps of the collective West, which pursues a Russophobic policy"

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Russia’s Chechnya ships 200 ‘Jihad mobile’ vehicles for special military operation

The authorities of Chechnya handed over 200 "Jihad mobile"

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Nine killed in shootout with law enforcers in Syria’s Tartus — TV

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Annual inflation in Russia gearing up to 9.7% over week — Economy Ministry

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West plans to destabilize situation in Serbia — Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman

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Plane crash in Kazakhstan claims 38 lives

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Russia sees US recommendation for its citizens to leave Belarus as provocation — MFA

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Lavrov welcomes Trump team’s statements about willingness to resume dialogue

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Drone launched from Yemen falls in south Israel

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Greece continues to ship munitions to Ukraine en masse — website

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Houthis strike military facility near Tel Aviv with hypersonic missile

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Russia doesn’t need ceasefire in Ukraine, it needs legally binding guarantees — Lavrov

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Russian MFA says West could try to pull off some military 'scheme' in Belarus

A presidential election campaign is starting in Belarus on January 1, with the election scheduled for January 26

Decision-making centers in Kiev may be targets of Russia’s strikes, says Lavrov

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Nothing new in US statements on strategic stability dialogue — MFA

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Russia has no illusions that Ukraine conflict can be resolved easily — top diplomat

"We have never stated that the incoming administration of [US President-elect Donald] Trump will necessarily give a start to negotiations on global security, on Ukraine," Sergey Lavrov noted

Russian gas is most profitable for Europe in terms of price and logistics — Novak

In conditions of competing China, Europeans pay significantly more for US LNG than for Russian gas, the official noted

Russia to donate 1 million euro to UN Climate Convention

The document says that the goal of the payment is to ensure the representation of Russian staffers in the convention’s secretariat

Russia says Su-35S fighter jets provide cover to Aerospace Forces in Kursk Region

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CIA station in Kiev targeted in recent Russian attack, military expert reveals

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Kremlin admits legal action over transfer of $1 bln from Russian assets to Ukraine

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Biden’s last aid package to Kiev won’t contribute to Ukraine’s security — Russian diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, this speaks of the fact that the West continues to do everything to escalate the conflict with Russia, not sparing effort or anyone in Ukraine

Finnish company says power cable’s emergency shutdown due to sabotage

Finland and Estonia are connected by two sets of high-voltage submarine cables

Russian commissioner hopes for resumption of effort to bring children from Syria

The effort has been under way since 2018, with almost 600 children brought from Syrian refugee camps to their relatives in Russia

Mother, her 11-year-old son among victims of Kazakhstan plane crash — authorities

The emergencies ministry has published the official list of Kazakh citizens who perished in the crash

Diplomat refutes allegations about departure of new Russian ambassador to Washington

In late November, Russian media outlets reported that Director of the Foreign Ministry’s North America Department Alexander Darchiev may become Russia’s new ambassador to the US, taking over for Anatoly Antonov who returned to Moscow, having been relieved of his duties as envoy by President Vladimir Putin’s decree

Press review: Ukraine eyes missile programs as EU considers new sanctions on Russia

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Press review: Kiev escalates attacks as payments ease for Russian raw material buyers

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Russia’s 2,000th R-7 rocket delivers Resurs-P remote sensing satellite into orbit

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FSB foils series of assassination attempts on senior Russian defense officials

The bombs intended for killing high-placed Russian Defense Ministry officials were disguised as a power bank and a document folder, the FSB press office specified

Taxi ploughs into crowd of pedestrians in New York, six wounded — Fox News

Six people were hospitalized with injuries of varying degrees

Scientists present Russia's first 50-qubit cold atom quantum computer — MSU

The experiment that allowed testing the supercomputer prototype took place on December 19, the Moscow State University said

Baku, Yerevan can jointly initiate dissolution of OSCE Minsk Group — diplomat

The spokeswoman went on to say that the stalemate began when Western countries de-facto blocked the work in this format

Shelling on Donetsk decreases as frontline shifts — DPR head

Denis Pushilin noted that shelling in Donetsk’s Kirovsky and Petrovsky districts is expected to diminish further once Kurakhovo is liberated

Russian forces pound Ukrainian military airfields, ammo depots over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 380 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed six enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Russian embassy refutes reports on Sudan’s refusal to host Russian base

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According to emergency services, the incident was caused by a household gas explosion

List of BRICS partners to be announced soon — Brazil’s Foreign Ministry

Eduardo Paes Saboia also mentioned that the BRICS states' aim to increase the number of permanent members of the UN Security Council will drive the further growth of the organization, and Brazilian authorities will support this decision

Oboronlogistics company blames loss of its ship Ursa Major on terrorist attack

The Ursa Major dry cargo ship wrecked in the Mediterranean Sea

Sandu regime may seize Moldavan power plant in Transnistria — Russian Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova noted that "under such a scenario, the Russian peacekeeping presence in the region will be jeopardized"

Middle East in for ‘chaotic and violent’ time after change of power in Syria – analyst

According to Joost Niemoller, Israel is the main winner from the changes in Syria, while Iran seems the biggest loser

Ukrainian agent planned to present explosive gift to Russian defense official — FSB

The Russian Federal Security Service reported earlier on Thursday that it had foiled a series of assassination attempts on the lives of high-placed Defense Ministry officials in Moscow and their family members

Serious conflict between Israel, Turkey possible — Russian expert

"It’s important to note that the primary development in this context is the markedly increased role of non-Arab states in the region, particularly two key players," Vitaly Naumkin said

Putin's principles of Ukrainian settlement stem from international law — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat drew attention to the fact that "the Kiev regime plays into the hands the West, which needs to remove such a strong competitor as Russia from the international scene"

Russia practically eliminates remnants of Ukraine’s Air Force — source

The source said that attempts to recruit more pilots in Poland and other Eastern European countries were not particularly successful

Russia not setting preconditions for talks on Ukraine — Lavrov

The foreign minister stressed that Russia was deceived "when they stated that NATO would not expand eastwards and when they emphasized their commitment to resolve [the conflict] based on the UN Charter"