Sakhalin Island was hit by a strong earthquake on Thursday morning, killing two people and leaving two people dead and several dozen others injured. Reports on the quake differed on its magnitude, with some accounts putting the first shock at 6.4 and others at 6.6 or 6.8. Nevelsk, on the southwestern side of the island, was closest to the epicenter, but the quake was also felt in Kholmsk and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. According to the Itar-Tass news service, federal authorities immediately began to ship in relief supplies. I've got an e-mail out to my adoption agency's rep in Yuzhno asking about the state of the orphanages in the southern part of the island and I'll let you know when I hear more.

On Thursday, Russian explorers planted a flag under the Arctic Ocean near the North Pole, claiming--symbolically at least--a new chunk of the region for Russian oil and gas exploration. The Web site of The Times of London has a photo of the flag, which has a rust-proof titanium pole. International bodies have previously rejected Russia's legal claims to the region.

On Monday, the Russian space agency came to the aid of U.S. astronauts suspected of drinking before taking off on a launch from Russia. A Roskosmos spokesman called the report "utterly impossible", noting that both U.S. and Russian astronauts are under constant medical surveillance for two weeks prior to launch and that they are quarantined for 48 hours before take-off. Still, said the spokesman told reporters that the astronauts and cosmonauts are not "monks and can drink a bit on Earth when in good company".

And there is new video purporting to show that the massacre of school children held hostage by terrorists in the Russian city of Beslan was caused by the actions of Russian security forces. The Russian government has said that the Chechen terrorists exploded a bomb in the school's gym. But the head of the Beslan Mothers' Committee told news organizations that the tape shows that explosion happened outside the gym where the security forces were. About 1,000 parents and children were being held in the gym, and 330 of them died.

A poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center puts the pro-Putin United Russia party in the lead for this December's election to the State Duma, with 46% of those surveyed backing the party. Just 7% of those surveyed said they supported the Communist party.

And finally, congratulations to Robin and her husband, who blog at "His, Hers and Ours", and who on Friday had a successful court hearing for the adoption of their son.