Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday chaired a meeting to discuss a gradual withdrawal from lockdown as Russia registered the world’s sixth highest total number of coronavirus cases. Russia recorded more than 10,000 new cases for the fourth day in a row, bringing the total number of …
Read More »Russia reports more than 10,000 new virus cases
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia cemented its place as the European country reporting the highest number of new coronavirus infections Tuesday as its total cases soared passed 155,000. Yevgeny Mikrin, chief designer at Energia, Russia’s top producer of spacecraft, has died from the coronavirus, becoming one of the infection’s highest-profile victims in the country, …
Read More »Virus cases pass 145,000 in new European blackspot Russia
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia registered a near record in new daily coronavirus cases on Monday as total infections topped 145,000, cementing its position as the European country reporting the most new cases. Health officials said there were 10,581 new infections over the last 24 hours, only 52 fewer than …
Read More »Wary Russian doctors count their own dead from virus
Moscow, Russia | AFP | When Russian cardiologist Alexei Erlikh and several colleagues started a project to keep track of medics who had died from the coronavirus, he never expected there would be so many names. Launched last week, the database already lists more than 70 dead doctors, nurses and lab …
Read More »Russia denies bribing FIFA officials to host 2018 World Cup
Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Kremlin on Tuesday “categorically” denied allegations that Russia had bribed FIFA officials for the right to host the 2018 World Cup. “Russia absolutely legally got the right to organise the World Cup,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He said the decision was “not linked to any bribes, we …
Read More »Trump says ready to help end Saudi-Russian oil-price war
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was ready to help resolve an escalating oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia that has helped push crude benchmarks to 17-year lows. The threat of a global recession triggered by the coronavirus pandemic had already hammered prices when Riyadh said …
Read More »Buckwheat and condoms: 5 things Russians are buying in pandemic
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russians, long used to financial and political crises, are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic by bulk-buying the essentials for life in isolation — including condoms. Here are five things they are stocking up on: – Buckwheat – Buckwheat — or grechka as it is …
Read More »CCTV: For Moscow’s quarantined, 100,000 cameras watching
Moscow, Russia | AFP | A vast and contentious network of facial recognition cameras keeping watch over Moscow is now playing a key role in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus in Russia. The city rolled out the technology just before the epidemic reached Russia, ignoring protests and …
Read More »Putin says he’s not a ‘tsar’ after 20 years in power
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed comparisons to a tsar on Thursday, arguing he “works every day” and listens to what people want. “Well, this is not true,” Putin said when asked about being described as a Russian imperial-era ruler. “Maybe someone else can be called a tsar. But in my …
Read More »Putin clears path to staying in power
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin laid out a path Tuesday to staying in power beyond 2024, as lawmakers approved sweeping reforms to the constitution. In a surprise address to the lower house State Duma, Putin said there could be a presidential “reset” allowing him to …
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