Nagorno-Karabakh Briefing | Nov. 7

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan — now in its sixth week — shows little sign of easing after three ceasefires have fallen apart, and could be approaching a decisive moment as heavy clashes are reported near a key town. Nagorno-Karabakh and areas under control of Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, before the conflict resumed in…

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Doctor Who Treated Navalny and Denied Novichok Poisoning Promoted to Regional Health Minister

The head doctor of the Siberian hospital which first treated leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny — and repeatedly denied that he had been poisoned — has been appointed the region’s new health minister. Omsk region governor Alexander Burkov said in a statement Saturday morning he had named Alexander Murakhovsky, 49, to head up the region’s…

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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Nov. 6

Russia has confirmed 1,733,440 cases of coronavirus and 29,887 deaths. Nov. 6: What you need to know today Russia has confirmed the record-breaking number of 20,582 new coronavirus cases and 378 deaths.  Chinese authorities suspended entry for Russians with valid visas and residence permits because of Russia’s spike in coronavirus cases, the Chinese Embassy in Moscow announced Thursday.  Russia has recorded…

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Laboratory for COVID-19 testing opens in Ukhta with support from Gazprom

News from projects and regions November 6, 2020, 15:20 On November 5, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) laboratory was opened at the Ukhta City Outpatient Clinic. The laboratory will increase the number of tests for the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) performed in the region and reduce the waiting time for their results. Before the launch of this facility, laboratories of this kind…

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Belarus Briefing | Nov. 6

Belarus has seen weekly mass protests against the disputed presidential re-election of Alexander Lukashenko for nearly three months. On Monday, exiled Belarusian opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called for a national strike after the deadline she set for Lukashenko to resign and free all political prisoners expired the previous day. Here’s more of the latest news…

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‘Crucified Jesus’ Detained Outside Moscow FSB Headquarters

A Russian activist has been detained for staging a half-naked crucifixion stunt outside the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in central Moscow, witnesses reported late Thursday. Pavel Krisevich replicated the crucifixion of Jesus Christ while other activists in raincoats labeled “FSB” doused the surrounding area with a harmless burning liquid and scattered folders signifying criminal…

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OSCE Condemns Belarus Torture, Calls for Fresh Presidential Vote

A report from the OSCE election-monitoring organization published on Thursday condemned “massive” rights abuses and torture in Belarus and called for a re-run of the country’s August presidential polls in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory. The first major independent report into the election and subsequent crackdown by authorities said human rights abuses “were found…

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Up To 40% of Russia’s Coronavirus Test Results Could Be False Negatives

Between 30% and 40% of the Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests performed in Russia could be giving false negative results because of the methodology being used, the state-run Interfax agency reported Thursday citing Russian Health Ministry chief pulmonologist Sergei Avdeev. “If sampling materials are collected poorly or too lightly, that could lead to a…

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Nagorno-Karabakh Briefing | Nov. 5

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan — now in its sixth week — shows little sign of easing after both sides accused the other of breaking an agreement not to target residential and civilian areas with missile strikes. Nagorno-Karabakh and areas under control of Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, before the conflict resumed in September 2020.…

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Russia Moves to Grant Ex-Presidents Lifetime Immunity From Prosecution

Russian lawmakers submitted legislation Thursday that would grant former presidents lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution under President Vladimir Putin’s constitutional reforms, Interfax reported. Under current laws, presidents cannot be held criminally or administratively liable for crimes committed while serving their terms. A parliamentary working group assessing Putin’s constitutional reforms proposed earlier this year to extend…

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The first power unit of the Belarus NPP has been connected to the unified power grid of the Republic of Belarus

On November 3, at 12:03 pm, the first Belarus NPP GenIII+ power unit (its General Designer and General Contractor being the ROSATOM’s Engineering Division) equipped with a VVER-1200 reactor was synchronized with the grid for the first time and delivered the first kilowatt-hours of electricity to the unified power grid of the Republic of Belarus.…

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Scores of Nationalists Detained at Moscow National Unity Day Protests

Police in Moscow detained at least 60 nationalists who attempted to stage street rallies known as the “Russian March,” the police-monitoring website OVD Info reported. Unlike previous years, the Moscow authorities did not grant permission for the nationalists to hold their traditional march in the southeast of the city because of the coronavirus pandemic.  According…

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Muscovites Send a Message of Peace and Tolerance on National Unity Day

On Wednesday, Russians celebrated the country’s newest holiday, National Unity Day. Originally established to commemorate Moscow’s liberation from the Polish-Lithuanian occupation in 1612, it now also aims to promote ethnic and religious tolerance among the country’s diverse population. Though 15 years have passed since Nov. 4 was first marked as a public holiday, the date…

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Belarus Briefing | Nov. 4

Belarus has seen weekly mass protests against the disputed presidential re-election of Alexander Lukashenko for nearly three months. On Monday, exiled Belarusian opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya called for a national strike after the deadline she set for Lukashenko to resign and free all political prisoners expired the previous day. Here’s more of the latest news…

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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Nov. 5

Russia has confirmed 1,693,454 cases of coronavirus and 29,217 deaths. Nov. 4: What you need to know today Russia has confirmed the record-breaking number of 19,768 new coronavirus cases and 389 deaths.  Russia is set to miss the self-imposed coronavirus vaccination timeline, information obtained by the business news website The Bell suggests. While the authorities have vowed to vaccinate…

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Russia Not on Track for Mass Coronavirus Vaccination by Year-End – The Bell

Russia will likely miss its self-imposed timeline for mass vaccination against the coronavirus because of insufficient production capacity, the business news website The Bell reported Tuesday. Authorities have vowed to vaccinate a sizable part of Russia’s population by the end of 2020, but developers are reportedly facing issues with scalability and quality control. As a…

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Russia Breaks Coronavirus Cases and Deaths Records, Surges Past 19K Infections

The number of new coronavirus cases in Russia hit another record Wednesday, surpassing 19,000 for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 19,768 new coronavirus cases smash Sunday’s record by more than 1,000 and push the total caseload to 1,693,454, the world’s fourth-highest number.  The national coronavirus information center said that…

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IAEA experts studying the preliminary safety report of the Paks II project (Hungary)

The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority has sent the preliminary safety report of the Paks II project to independent international experts for consideration, through the International Atomic Energy Agency. The implementation license application of the Paks II project is based on the preliminary safety report. Paks II. Zrt, the Hungarian client in the Paks II Nuclear…

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Belarus Launches Nuclear Plant Despite Baltic Outcry

Belarus on Tuesday launched its controversial Russia-built nuclear power station despite safety concerns from neighboring Baltic states three decades after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The launch comes as Belarus strongman president Alexander Lukashenko faces historic protests against his claim to victory in August presidential polls that Western leaders and his critics say were fraudulent. Ahead of…

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Gazprom obtains record-high gas inflow on Kara Sea shelf

Background The Leningradskoye gas and condensate field is located in the Kara Sea within the Leningradsky licensed block. The field’s current recoverable gas reserves are estimated to total 1.9 trillion cubic meters and are classified as unique. In October, a new gas deposit was discovered at the field as a result of drilling and testing of an exploratory well. Commercial gas inflow was obtained with a flow rate…

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Nagorno-Karabakh Briefing | Nov. 3

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan — now in its sixth week — shows little sign of easing after both sides accused the other of breaking an agreement not to target residential and civilian areas with missile strikes. The United Nations warned Monday evening those attacks “may amount to war crimes.” Nagorno-Karabakh and areas under…

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Harrowing Coronavirus Stories Emerge From Russia’s Battered Regions

The second record-breaking wave of coronavirus infections battering Russian regions has been accompanied by distressing stories and images of patients struggling in a strained health system. Cities including St. Petersburg and the western enclave of Kaliningrad have seen their highest caseloads since the spring outbreak, while the Moscow region has doubled Covid-19 hospitalizations over the…

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Moldova’s Pro-EU Presidential Hopeful Wins First Round Vote

Moldova’s pro-European presidential hopeful Maia Sandu won a surprise first-round victory, a major setback for Moscow-backed incumbant Igor Dodon that suggests a tight second round later this month. The small former Soviet country voted under the watchful eye of Russia, which wants polarized Moldova to remain in its sphere of influence as several nearby Kremlin-aligned governments…

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Nagorno-Karabakh Briefing | Nov. 2

Armenia and Azerbaijan failed to strike another ceasefire in talks brokered by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as Baku pledged to “fight to the end” to recapture territory which has been controlled by Armenia-backed separatists since 1994. Meanwhile, Yerevan formally opened consultations with Moscow over when Russia would come to the…

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