The Russian team took fifth place in the unofficial team competition at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games. At the competition in Innsbruck, Austria, the Russians won 16 medals - five gold, four silver and seven bronze. The most successful team at the 2012 Games were the Germans (8 gold, 7 silver, 2 bronze), China in second place (7, 4, 4), Austria in third (6, 4, 4), and South Korea in fourth ( 6, 3, 4).

On January 22, the identity of another person killed in the crash of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the coast of Italy was established. He turned out to be a German citizen. The tourist liner Costa Concordia crashed in the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Giglio off the coast of the Italian region of Tuscany on the night of January 14. There were more than 4.2 thousand people on board, including 111 Russians.

A series of explosions occurred in the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi on January 22. As a result, the church was completely destroyed and another one was partially damaged. Nigerian authorities have not yet reported whether there are deaths or injuries, Reuters reports. “One of the churches was located near the railway. As a result of the explosion, only the gate was destroyed. But the second church was completely destroyed,” said an eyewitness to the incident.

The vice-chairman of the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya, Abdel Hafez Goga, has resigned, the British broadcasting corporation BBC reports. This came amid protests in Benghazi, where protesters accused the former vice-chairman of being insincere when he sided with the opposition against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Based on materials from Interfax news agency

Former senator from the Krasnodar Territory Alexander Pochinok today, following the results of by-elections, was elected deputy of the Mechensky rural settlement of the Kisherstsky district in the Perm Territory. The politician himself told Kommersant about this, adding that about 95% of voters who came to the polling stations supported him. This information was confirmed by the territorial election commission of the Kisherst district.

Newt Gingrich beat his main rival, Mitt Romney, in South Carolina in the final primary to select the Republican Party's presidential candidate in November 2012. In the previous primaries in the other two states, Newt Gingrich had failed to win, and so far Mitt Romney seemed the clear front-runner for his party's presidential nomination.

108 1 min. ... A referendum on the country's accession to the European Union has begun in Croatia. In order for a referendum to be recognized as valid, it is necessary that a simple majority of voting participants vote in favor. According to preliminary data, 55-60% of referendum participants will be in favor of the country joining the EU, while 30 may be against it. The Catholic Church, which has an extremely strong position in the country, also supports the European perspective of Croatia.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych announced on January 22 that a terminal for receiving liquefied gas would be built in the country. “A large terminal for liquefied gas will be built on the Black Sea coast,” said Mr. Yanukovych, speaking at a ceremonial meeting on the occasion of the Day of Unity and Freedom of Ukraine. According to him, Ukraine is also implementing other large infrastructure projects - the construction of wind and solar power plants, the construction of high-speed railways.

The Arab League observer mission in Syria will be extended for another month. The decision on this was made by the foreign ministers of the Arab League countries at a meeting in Cairo. It is expected that the number of observers will be increased and their powers expanded. A number of Syrian opposition activists have called for the mission to be withdrawn from Syria, saying it has failed as the bloody standoff between security forces and opponents of President Bashar al-Assad continues.

On the evening of January 21, Oleg Khripunov, director of the advertising agency Out There Media Russia, was found dead in the southwest of Moscow. According to preliminary data, the man killed himself with a shot to the head. “The body of the director of the advertising agency was found on Kosygina Street in house No. 19 at about nine in the evening,” a source in Moscow law enforcement agencies told RIA Novosti on January 22. According to preliminary data, it was suicide, the source added.

Ukrainian political opposition forces, at a rally dedicated to the Day of Unity and Freedom and held on January 22 on Sophia Square in Kyiv, announced the “Agreement on the coordinated actions of the united opposition.” The text of the agreement calls for joint action aimed at the release of political prisoners, as well as resistance to the current regime in Ukraine. In addition, at the rally, the leaders of the opposition forces congratulated Ukrainians on the holiday.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh left the country today and is believed to have flown to the United States. Delivering his farewell speech, he said that he intended to return to the country only as the leader of the General People's Congress party. He did not say when he intended to return. He also asked for forgiveness from the citizens of the country for all the mistakes he made during his 34-year reign.

In St. Petersburg, investigators opened a criminal case into the death of a 15-year-old boy who died in an ambulance that took him from a police station, the Russian Investigative Committee reported on January 22. According to investigators, police detained a 15-year-old teenager on suspicion of theft on the night of January 22.

The KHL All-Star Game took place in the capital of Latvia Last weekend, the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) held the All-Star Game for the fourth time in its history. After Moscow, Minsk and St. Petersburg, the hockey show was held outside the CIS for the first time - Riga became the capital of the star-studded match. The choice of sports officials was assessed by Kommersant correspondent PETER KUZNETSOV.

About 2 thousand opposition supporters gathered at Mikhailovskaya and Sofiyskaya squares in Kyiv for a rally on the occasion of the Day of Unity and Freedom. Supporters of the parties “Front Zmin”, “Batkivshchyna”, “Svoboda” and others come to Mikhailovskaya and Sofia squares. On Sophia Square there is a stage from which Ukrainian songs are heard.