LAKE BAIKAL ~ A Russian mini-submarine reached the bottom of Lake Baikal at a depth of 1,680 meters on Tuesday, setting a record for the deepest dive in a lake, expedition organizers said.

The scientific expedition is being organized by Artur Chilingarov, a pro-Kremlin member of parliament and an Arctic explorer who led the team that planted a flag at the bottom of the North Pole in August last year.