Main News of December 23

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

World

The two powerful bomb blasts that rocked the Syrian capital Damascus were directed against Russian intelligence, the Guardian reported on its website, citing Syrian television

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev has bought a controlling stake in French Ligue 2 side AS Monaco, the club announced

 

Russia

Russia braced for another mass protest in the heart of the capital by voters angry over recent elections won by Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, while the Kremlin countered critics’ complaints with stunning calls of its own for dramatic political reform

Russia successfully test launched two Bulava intercontinental ballistic missiles, Defense Ministry spokesman Col. Igor Konashenkov said

Russia's space industry needs an influx of new faces to overcome its current crisis, the head of the Roscosmos agency said