The main challenger in Belarus’s disputed presidential election said Monday that she was ready to take over the country’s leadership after a wave of protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. “I did not want to be a politician. But fate decreed that I’d find myself on the frontline of a confrontation against arbitrary rule and injustice,” Svetlana…
Tens of thousands of Belarusian opposition supporters gathered for the largest protest rally in recent history in Minsk on Sunday as President Alexander Lukashenko rejected calls to step down in a defiant speech. Crowds of protesters marched through the streets to the central Independence Square, with an AFP journalist estimating the turnout at more than…
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday spoke in front of a crowd of supporters at a rally in central Minsk asking them to defend the country and its independence. As mass protests continued against his rule, Lukashenko spoke on the capital’s Independence Square, telling supporters: “I called you here not to defend me… but for…
Russia has confirmed 922,853 cases of coronavirus and 15,685 deaths. Aug. 16: What you need to know today Vietnam’s health ministry is looking to buy a bulk order of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, state media said on Friday, despite global skepticism over its effectiveness and safety. Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus…
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on…
Vladimir Putin has offered to help ensure Belarus’s security, according to its president Alexander Lukashenko, as pressure builds on the strongman leader and opposition protesters prepare for a show of force Sunday. Thousands demonstrated in the capital Minsk Saturday after main election challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya asked supporters to rally over the weekend and keep alive…
President Alexander Lukashenko said Saturday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has offered full assistance to ensure security in Belarus as thousands held peaceful protests against his rule. “To talk about the military element, we have an agreement with Russia as part of the union state and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Such situations…
The Kremlin said Saturday that President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko agreed in a phone call that the “problems” in Belarus would be swiftly resolved. The phone call came after Belarus leader who claims to have won a disputed presidential election on Sunday said he needed to contact Moscow over growing protests…
Russia said Saturday that it has produced the first batch of its coronavirus vaccine, after President Vladimir Putin announced it had been first in the world to approve a vaccine. Putin’s announcement on Tuesday about the vaccine was met with caution from scientists and the World Health Organization who said it still needed a rigorous…
The opposition in Belarus kept up the pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko with a fresh demonstration in Minsk on Saturday, as the strongman reached out to Russia in an apparent plea for help. Some 5,000 opposition supporters gathered near a metro station in the capital where a demonstrator died during this week’s police crackdown on…
Russia on Friday announced the safe return of 32 of its citizens after Belarus detained them saying they were mercenaries sent to destabilize the country ahead of Sunday’s presidential election. Russia’s Prosecutor-General’s Office said in a statement that “32 Russian citizens who were earlier detained in Belarus crossed the border and are now in Russia.” …
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on…
European Union ministers agreed Friday to draw up a list of targets in Belarus for a new round of sanctions in response to strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s post-election crackdown. At a videoconference hosted by Brussels’ diplomatic chief Josep Borrell, the foreign ministers also agreed to take up the stand-off between Greece and Turkey at their next…
Crowds of workers walked off the job on Friday at several factories in Belarus’s capital Minsk in support of the opposition calling for leader Alexander Lukashenko to step down. Hundreds of workers marched from the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ) and the Minsk Tractor Works (MTZ) after the opposition called for strikes against Lukashenko’s disputed claim…
Graphic content Emerging from a jail in Minsk with other Belarusians detained in a post-election crackdown, 27-year-old math teacher Yana Bobrovskaya said she never expected to make it out alive. “We thought we would be buried in here,” she said Friday, weeping as she recounted her experience to AFP. “They can do anything while you…
The main challenger in Belarus’s disputed presidential election called for mass weekend rallies and workers were walking off the job on Friday as defiance mounted against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko. In a video address to supporters, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya accused Lukashenko’s regime of a “bloody massacre” in a crackdown on post-election protests, as people detained during…
Russia has confirmed 912,823 cases of coronavirus and 15,498 deaths. Aug. 13: What you need to know today Vietnam’s health ministry is looking to buy a bulk order of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine, state media said on Friday, despite global skepticism over its effectiveness and safety. More than half of Russian doctors aren’t ready to get the country’s highly touted…
More than half of Russian doctors aren’t ready to get the country’s highly touted coronavirus vaccine, according to an online survey of more than 3,000 healthcare professionals obtained by the RBC news website Friday. President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that the newly approved Sputnik V inoculation conferred “sustainable immunity” to volunteers including one of his…
Tens of thousands of peaceful demonstrators in Belarus have gathered in recent days to protest President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed victory and the violent police crackdown that followed. Belarusians formed human chains in cities including Minsk, many wearing white and holding flowers, to protest against police brutality during the four nights of unrest after Sunday’s vote.…
The main challenger in Belarus’s disputed presidential election called Friday for mass weekend rallies across the country in support of her claim to have defeated strongman Alexander Lukashenko. “Belarusians will never want to live with the previous government again. The majority do not believe in his victory,” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in a video address. “I…
Specialists from Arctic Research Centre LLC, an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company’s corporate research and development complex, jointly with the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Marine Research Centre of the Moscow State University have arranged a large-scale expedition to study the red-listed Atlantic walrus and polar…
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide…
White bracelets, flowers, a punched fist and a Soviet-era song: all have become symbols of opposition to the re-election of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to serve a sixth term. White The color white has become central in the protests sparked by Sunday’s vote, which have massed behind Lukashenko’s presidential challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a 37-year-old English teacher by…
Tens of thousands of Belarusians staged a wave of peaceful protests on Thursday against President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election and an ensuing brutal police crackdown. In apparent concessions, Belarus announced the release of more than 1,000 detained protesters and the interior minister apologized to injured bystanders. European countries condemned the police violence, with the European…
An international cleanup effort has helped remove spent nuclear fuel from a service ship abandoned after an accident in northwestern Russia, the Norwegian environmental organization Bellona announced Wednesday. The Lepse served the Soviet Union’s nuclear icebreaker fleet from 1934 until the 1980s, when it encountered rough seas and spilled highly radioactive waste inside its cargo…
Thousands of protesters formed human chains in Belarus on Thursday in a growing wave of peaceful demonstrations over President Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election and an ensuing brutal police crackdown. Russia claimed the protests were being orchestrated from abroad to destabilise its ex-Soviet neighbour while European countries condemned police violence and backed fresh sanctions against Lukashenko.…
Workers at two major automotive plants and several other companies in Belarus went on strike in protest against police violence following the country’s disputed election, local media reported Thursday. Thousands of Belarusians have taken to the streets in the five days since election officials declared strongman Alexander Lukashenko winner in Sunday’s polls. Authorities have detained…
Armed and masked men raided the Belarus offices of Uber and Russian tech giant Yandex on Thursday as authorities continued to crack down on protesters disputing the country’s presidential election results. The black-clad men blocked entrances to Uber and Yandex’s office in Minsk with some employees still stuck inside, early reports said and Yandex confirmed.…
The Moscow Times’ coverage of Russia’s student recruitment to help battle the coronavirus following years of healthcare cuts has received an honorable mention from the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). ASJA’s 2020 healthcare crisis coverage award went to the Center for Public Integrity’s investigation on healthcare policies on rationing ventilators in 25 U.S.…
The head of a remote Russian region on Thursday said that herders and other residents of two districts on the border with Mongolia should be vaccinated against bubonic plague. The order was issued after Mongolia’s health ministry said Wednesday that bubonic plague killed a man in the country’s west. It was the latest in a…
Police in Belarus said Thursday they had detained hundreds more protesters as demonstrations continued against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko’s disputed re-election. Four nights of unrest since Sunday’s vote have seen thousands arrested, dozens wounded and two people dead as police used stun grenades, tear gas, water cannon and, in at least one case, live fire…
A Russian YouTuber famous for exploring abandoned sites was arrested and charged with obtaining state secrets last week, authorities and activists said Wednesday. Andrei Pyzh has uploaded hundreds of videos showing his visits to industrial sites and abandoned bunkers to his YouTube channel, which has about 800,000 subscribers. He faces up to eight years in jail…
The Philippines will begin large-scale human testing of Russia’s coronavirus vaccine in October, but President Rodrigo Duterte will not receive the inoculation until regulators guarantee its safety, his spokesman said Thursday. Duterte had offered himself up as a guinea pig for the very first jab, expressing “huge trust” in the vaccine, despite growing skepticism about…
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide…
Russia has confirmed 907,758 cases of coronavirus and 15,384 deaths. Aug. 13: What you need to know today The Brazilian state of Parana signed a deal Wednesday to test and produce Russia’s new coronavirus vaccine, though officials stressed they would have to be sure of its safety and effectiveness first. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will be a guinea…
The Brazilian state of Parana signed a deal Wednesday to test and produce Russia’s new coronavirus vaccine, though officials stressed they would have to be sure of its safety and effectiveness first. The vaccine would have to receive Brazilian regulatory approval and complete Phase 3 clinical trials, or large-scale testing in humans, before being produced…
Belarus on Wednesday confirmed the death of a jailed protester as demonstrators took to the streets for a fourth night of clashes with riot police over a disputed presidential election. Riot police have roughly detained thousands at street protests across the country after long-serving leader Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in Sunday’s poll. The…
France is very worried by the violence in Belarus after the weekend’s elections in the ex-Soviet state, French President Emmanuel Macron said in telephone talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. Macron told Putin he is “very worried about the situation in Belarus and the violence that citizens have faced during the elections,”…
A crushing re-election victory for Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko followed by anti-government protests, violent police repression and the opposition challenger taking refuge in Lithuania — here is a recap of the dramatic events in the ex-Soviet country since Sunday. Vote sparks violence On Aug. 9, 2020, Lukashenko, 65, who has ruled Belarus with an iron…
Police in Belarus said Wednesday they had detained hundreds and shot at protesters in a third night of violence over a disputed presidential election. Western governments have condemned the crackdown and the European Union said the bloc’s foreign ministers would discuss Belarus at an extraordinary meeting on Friday. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged…
A prominent IT investor has been detained under unclear circumstances amid a crackdown on post-election protests in Belarus this week, an international business club where he is a member announced Tuesday. Belarusian authorities said more than 6,000 people have been detained over three nights of protests after election officials declared strongman Alexander Lukashenko the winner of…
Scores of journalists have been assaulted or detained by security officers in Belarus while covering protests against the country’s contested election, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said Wednesday. The Belarusian interior ministry said more than 6,000 protesters have been detained during the three nights of post-election unrest and around 250 sought medical assistance. Here’s a…
Ryazan Oil Refining Company, an enterprise of the refining complex of Rosneft Oil Company, is implementing a project to upgrade the AVT-2 crude distillation unit as part of the production modernisation programme.
Popular Russian YouTuber Yury Dud has urged law enforcement officials in neighboring Belarus to stop violence against civilians following three violent nights of protests against the re-election of its longtime authoritarian leader. Nationwide demonstrations broke out in Belarus after election officials declared President Alexander Lukashenko the winner in Sunday’s vote. Authorities said they have detained…
Waves of repression in Belarus have turned its EU neighbors into places of refuge for pro-democracy Belarusians, with presidential challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya only the latest to shelter there. Tikhanovskaya said she had made the “difficult decision” to leave for Lithuania following a disputed election in which she has claimed victory against Alexander Lukashenko who has…
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will be a guinea pig for a controversial Russian coronavirus vaccine, his spokesman said on Wednesday, as the Southeast Asian nation emerged as a frontrunner for overseas clinical trials. Moscow says it has developed the world’s first vaccine offering “sustainable immunity” against the virus and is in the final stage of tests involving…
A key ally of Belarus’ main opposition candidate in the country’s disputed presidential polls has urged the authorities to end violence against protesters after three nights of post-election unrest. Law enforcement officials were filmed beating and shooting rubber bullets at protesters in the days after official results declared strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko the winner. One…
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide…
The Arctic is warming significantly faster than current climate models account for, fueling extreme heat and the abrupt disappearance of sea ice across the region, a new study by the University of Copenhagen has said. The latest study says that temperatures rose by 1 degree Celsius every decade over the past 40 years in the…
The main challenger in Belarus’s disputed presidential election said Tuesday she had left the country after two nights of clashes between police and opposition supporters left a protester dead. The European Union condemned the polls as “neither free nor fair” and threatened to impose sanctions on those responsible for “violence, unjustified arrests, and falsification of…
The European Union declared Tuesday that the Belarus presidential election that returned authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko to office had been “neither free nor fair.” And, in a statement from EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell on behalf of EU members, the bloc threatened “measures on those responsible for the observed violence, unjustified arrests and falsification of…
Russia has become the first country to approve a vaccine against the coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday despite widespread concerns about its safety. Russia, which has the world’s fourth-highest coronavirus caseload, is one of several countries racing to develop a vaccine to halt the disease that has killed more than 740,000 people and slammed…
The death toll from the coronavirus across many Russian regions could be many times higher than official statistics show, analysis of new data by The Moscow Times suggests. Experts pointed to systemic underreporting of deaths, and highlighted a complex incentive structure and political relationship between the Kremlin and Russia’s governors in the regions. They believe…
The World Health Organization said any WHO stamp of approval on a Covid-19 vaccine candidate would require a rigorous safety data review, after Russia announced Tuesday it had approved a vaccine. President Vladimir Putin said Russia had become the first country to approve a vaccine offering “sustainable immunity” against the new coronavirus. “We are in…
Official election results in Belarus showing an overwhelming victory for its longtime ruler were likely falsified, a senior Russian lawmaker has said in a rare stinging rebuke from Alexander Lukashenko’s traditional ally Moscow. Belarusian election officials announced that Lukashenko won more than 80% of the vote Sunday, a result that triggered ongoing nationwide protests, strikes…
Russia has registered the world’s first coronavirus vaccine early Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin announced, adding that one of his daughters has already been inoculated amid ongoing concerns about the rapidly developed vaccine’s safety. The state-run Gamaleya research institute last week launched Phase III trials of the Covid-19 vaccine involving thousands of volunteers. The Health Ministry…
Russia will move forward with registering its potential coronavirus vaccine, its state health watchdog said, defying calls to put off the process until the vaccine’s trials are complete. President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday announced that the vaccine was registered, with mass production expected to start in September and mass vaccination in October. On Monday, the Association…
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide…
One man has died in protests in Belarus as demonstrators clashed with police for a second night after a disputed election handed a sixth term to strongman Alexander Lukashenko. Thousands took to the streets of the capital Minsk Monday night, saying Lukashenko had stolen the election from his surprise challenger, political novice Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. Police used rubber…
Belarus police on Monday used rubber bullets and tear gas to break up fresh protests challenging the result of a controversial weekend presidential election, witnesses and reports said. Several thousand protesters took to the streets of the capital Minsk for a second night of post-election rallies, with opposition supporters shouting and hundreds of cars honking…