The first ever meeting between the Pope and the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church ended at the Havana airport. Following the meeting, Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill signed a joint declaration , TASS reports. “Today, the two churches can actively work together to protect Christians around the world,” the patriarch said at the final press conference.

Syrian rebels fighting against Syrian government troops in the province of Aleppo have received ground-to-ground missiles from foreign countries that support them. It is reported by Reuters, citing sources in the command of the rebels. We are talking about missiles with a range of 20 kilometers. Armaments were supplied in "exceptional quantities," the agency quoted one of the interlocutors as saying.

The European Union will lift sanctions against Belarus, which were suspended in October. It is reported by AFP, citing sources in diplomatic circles. According to the agency, such a decision can be made on Monday, February 15, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. The lifting of sanctions may take effect at the end of the month, when the four-month suspension expires.

Photo: Gabriel Bouys / AFP / Scanpix

At the Airport of Havana, a meeting of the Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill began in Cuba. This is the first meeting in history of the Primate of the Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox Churches. “We meet at the right time and in the right place,” Patriarch Pontiff said at the beginning of the meeting. Shot: Russia 24 Patriarch Kirill arrived at Havana Airport at about 13:40 local time (21:40 in Moscow), Pope Francis - at about 14:00.

Moscow's State Historical Museum opens a new exhibit honoring Stalin's favorite artist Photo: Vitaly Belousov / Sputnik / Scanpix Moscow's State Historical Museum debuted a new exhibit on February 10 dedicated to the work of Alexander Gerasimov, who served as one of Stalin's chief artists. From the mid-1930s until the Red Tsar's death, Gerasimov painted dozens of portraits of Stalin, and produced canonical images of Lenin and other Soviet leaders.

Employees of the Rosselkhoznadzor detained in the Novgorod region a car with a load of pears from Belgium, the import of which into Russia is prohibited by sanctions. The truck was carrying 20 tons of pears from Belarus under the guise of frozen currants. At present, the pears have been taken to a special parking lot, and in the future it is planned to destroy the counterfeit goods.

We tell in ten tweets Twitter is one of our favorite social networks. It is very simple, and therefore causes the least complaints. However, on Twitter there are annoying things that make us hate him (and especially those who control it). The Medusa journalist Sultan Suleimanov , who wrote more than 120 thousand tweets over his life, says in ten thesis, for which we hate Twitter. Each thesis, of course, is placed in one tweet. Twitter's main problem is unclear prospects.

Interpol has rejected a request from the organization's national bureau in Moscow to put the former head of Yukos, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, on the wanted list. The Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon determined that the request did not comply with the rules of the organization. For what reasons it was decided to reject the request, is not reported. “The request to put Mikhail Khodorkovsky on the international wanted list was made by the National Central Bureau (NCB) of Interpol in Moscow.

10 important books about the construction of cities, Moscow and Luzhkovskaya architecture Photo: Vladimir Astapkovich / TASS / Scanpix On the night of February 9, Moscow began to massively demolish trading pavilions at the metro stations. The demolition of buildings caused an acute discussion about the actions of the authorities, the legality of structures, infringement of small business and urban space as such.

Shot: Universal Pictures / YouTube Universal Pictures released the second official trailer for the Fantasy film “Snow White and Hunter 2” (the original name “The Huntsman Winter clearly”). The picture is a prequel and spin-off-off film "Snow White and Hunter" in 2012, in which Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth were shot.

Barcelona striker Lionel Messi in January 2016 was named the best player of the month in the championship of Spain. Messi, repeatedly recognized as the best player in the world, was named the best player of the month in the Spanish championship for the first time in his career. During January 2016, Messi scored six goals in six matches, including three against Granada. Almost as incredible, Messi is only the second Barça player to win the award in three years.

Meanwhile in Russia, on Friday, February 12, 2016 Photo: Zurab Dzhavakhadze / TASS / Scanpix Police briefly detained a liberal opposition leader today, accusing him of stashing illegal firearms in his car. (They didn't find any.) The head of Russia's powerful Federal Investigative Committee says the US has been waging a “hybrid war” against the former USSR for the past 20 years.

The London High Court found banker Sergei Pugachev guilty of violating British law and sentenced him to two years in prison. In particular, Pugachev's guilt was recognized in giving false testimony, hiding assets and fleeing from the jurisdiction of the UK. In total, Pugachev was found guilty on 12 out of 17 counts. Judge Rose called one of the most serious violations that the ex-banker left English jurisdiction.

A Moscow court has refused to hear a lawsuit brought by anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny against President Vladimir Putin, saying Navalny's charges aren't subject to consideration or resolution by administrative proceedings.