A gas explosion erupted on the top floor of a shopping center in Russia's Vladikavkaz, injuring three individuals, according to the emergency services who spoke with Sputnik.

Tragically, one woman lost her life in the blast, while the condition of another victim is currently being assessed, as reported by the head of North Ossetia.

The third floor and the roof of the Alania Mall are still ablaze, with initial estimates indicating that the fire has spread across an area of approximately 800 square meters, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🪖UK lags behind Russia, Iran, and China in defense spending, with army numbers set to shrink - report

The United Kingdom has fallen behind Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran in terms of defense funding, according to a report by The Times.

Over the past decade, Britain’s defense budget has grown by only 14% (in 2022 cash terms), while Russia, Iran, and China have experienced significantly larger increases of 34%, 57%, and 60%, respectively, as highlighted by research from the House of Commons Library.

This underinvestment has led to a shrinking army, an aging fleet of submarines, and unreliable air defense systems, the publication emphasized. The Royal Navy’s two aircraft carriers, HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth, have been plagued by technical malfunctions.

Additionally, the military has struggled to secure the necessary numbers of F-35 aircraft for the carriers, as well as escort ships and support vessels.

“The number that are in the army, navy, air force at the moment is below what is required for the threats that face our nation,” said James Heappey, former Minister of State for the Armed Forces. He further noted that the army is set to shrink to 72,500 troops under plans announced by the previous Conservative government.

The UK’s military budget for next year is approximately $71.3 billion, equivalent to roughly 2.3% of its GDP. Meanwhile, US President-elect Donald Trump has indicated that he will urge NATO member states to up defense spending to 5% of GDP, according to the Financial Times.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🗣The blaze that engulfed the Alania Mall shopping center in Russia's Vladikavkaz has been extinguished, the emergency services told Sputnik.

The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) preliminarily identified a gas explosion as the cause of the incident.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🔹 UK trails Russia, Iran, China in defense spending as army shrinks – report

🔹 ‘A blow to victims’: Trump slams Biden for sparing 37 convicted murderers

🔹 US Navy cruiser nearly downs second jet after F/A-18 incident

🔹 Roscosmos proposes building spaceports for equatorial nations

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Russia's Lgov in the Kursk region was shelled by Ukrainian forces. Information about casualties and damage is being clarified, local authorities reported.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

❗️Fifty-two rescuers and 11 pieces of equipment have arrived at the crash site in Aktau, Kazakhstan, the country’s Ministry of Emergency Situations reported.

Details regarding the victims are still being confirmed, but preliminary reports indicate that there are survivors.

There were 67 passengers and five crew members on board the aircraft, according to the Azerbaijani news agency, APA.

The crash was reportedly caused by a collision between the airplane and a flock of birds, according to a correspondent from Sputnik.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

⚡️Six people survived the plane crash in Aktau, the Minister of Health of Kazakhstan said.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🎥🎥 The Resurs-P satellite launch from Baikonur

👉Watch the livestream here or follow the link to the Sputnik's website

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

An Azerbaijan Airlines flight departing from Baku and headed for Grozny has crashed in Kazakhstan.

Here is what is known so far:

▪️There were 62 passengers and 5 crew members on board.

▪️Six individuals survived the crash.

▪️The crash was caused by a collision with a flock of birds.

▪️A total of 52 rescuers and 11 pieces of equipment from the Ministry for Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan have arrived at the crash site.

▪️The Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan has announced that a special investigation will be conducted into the crash.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

Video footage of the AZAL plane crash site in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

Footage from Sputnik correspondent

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

There were 16 Russians on board the flight that crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

🚀The Soyuz-2.1b rocket has launched from Baikonur carrying a high-resolution Earth observation satellite.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt

📹Panama against US imperialism

Dozens of Panamanians gathered for a protest at the US Embassy in response to Trump's threat to take control of the Panama Canal.

"We categorically reject the imperialist claims of the United States," said one of the participants in the protest.

📌Subscribe to @SputnikInt