themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Moscow Sees Warmest Fall on Record

Moscow Sees Warmest Fall on Record

The average temperature in Moscow for September , October and November was 3.2 degrees Celsius , which is 4.4 C @ @ @ @ @ in Moscow will be declared the warmest on record for the capital , according to @ @ @ @ @ service .
“ This autumn in Moscow will be the warmest ever , ” the @ @ @ @ @ weather chief Roman Vilfand as saying .
“ September was very warm , October was @ @ @ @ @ course turned out to be significantly warmer than normal , ” Vilfand said .
The @ @ @ @ @ cooldown with the first day of winter with a slight chance of snow by mid-week @ @ @ @ @ recording its warmest winter ever in 2019-2020 , with traditional snow cover largely absent , @ @ @ @ @ hottest year ever overall .

The average temperature in Moscow for September, October and November was 3.2 degrees Celsius, which is 4.4 C above normal.
Fall 2020 in Moscow will be declared the warmest on record for the capital, according to Russia’s state weather service.
“This autumn in Moscow will be the warmest ever,” the state-run TASS news agency quoted weather chief Roman Vilfand as saying.
“September was very warm, October was the warmest and November of course turned out to be significantly warmer than normal,” Vilfand said.
The weather service forecast a gradual cooldown with the first day of winter with a slight chance of snow by mid-week.
The news follows Moscow recording its warmest winter ever in 2019-2020, with traditional snow cover largely absent, while 2019 was Russia's hottest year ever overall.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-01--Blame Climate Change for Historically Warm Fall in Russia’s Biggest Cities, Experts Say

Global climate change is behind this year ’ s extraordinarily warm autumn in Moscow and St. Petersburg , experts interviewed by The Moscow Times said .
Russia ’ s two largest cities experienced the warmest autumn temperatures of their recorded histories in 2020 , official weather services reported Tuesday .
And it ’ s only the beginning , experts say .
Over the next 10 years , Russia can expect to see warmer autumn temperatures than those of the previous decade , said Alexei Kokorin , head of climate and energy program at the World Wildlife Fund in Russia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in terms of temperature , precipitation and winds , ” Kokorin said .
Alexander Kislov , head of meteorology and climatology at Moscow State University , said other factors besides climate change are at play , pointing to three main causes for Moscow ’ s warm autumn .
“ The first reason is global warming , the type of warming which is manifested everywhere , including in Russia 's central region and Moscow , ” Kislov told The Moscow Times .
“ The second reason is the [ atmospheric ] circulation phenomenon of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air outflow from the south , ” he said .
These winds may also come from the north , causing the opposite anomaly .
“ In addition to this , large urban agglomerations are creating their own mesoclimate , which is manifested in a so-called ‘ heat island ’ , ” Kislov said .

Global climate change is behind this year’s extraordinarily warm autumn in Moscow and St. Petersburg, experts interviewed by The Moscow Times said.
Russia’s two largest cities experienced the warmest autumn temperatures of their recorded histories in 2020, official weather services reported Tuesday.
And it’s only the beginning, experts say.
Over the next 10 years, Russia can expect to see warmer autumn temperatures than those of the previous decade, said Alexei Kokorin, head of climate and energy program at the World Wildlife Fund in Russia.
“The climate has become increasingly unstable in terms of temperature, precipitation and winds,” Kokorin said.
Alexander Kislov, head of meteorology and climatology at Moscow State University, said other factors besides climate change are at play, pointing to three main causes for Moscow’s warm autumn.
“The first reason is global warming, the type of warming which is manifested everywhere, including in Russia's central region and Moscow,” Kislov told The Moscow Times.
“The second reason is the [atmospheric] circulation phenomenon of a given year: the prevalence of air outflow from the south,” he said. These winds may also come from the north, causing the opposite anomaly.
“In addition to this, large urban agglomerations are creating their own mesoclimate, which is manifested in a so-called ‘heat island’,” Kislov said.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-02--Putin Orders Mass Coronavirus Vaccination in Russia ‘Next Week’

President Vladimir Putin has ordered the mass vaccination against coronavirus among the Russian population to start late next week , @ @ @ @ @ in line to receive the country 's Sputnik V jab .
The order came hours @ @ @ @ @ western country to issue general-use approval for Pfizer-BioNTech ’ s jab starting next week .
@ @ @ @ @ the process so that large-scale vaccination starts late next week , ” Putin told Deputy @ @ @ @ @ who is overseeing Russia ’ s Covid-19 response efforts , in a videoconference Wednesday .

President Vladimir Putin has ordered the mass vaccination against coronavirus among the Russian population to start late next week, with doctors and teachers first in line to receive the country's Sputnik V jab.
The order came hours after Britain became the first western country to issue general-use approval for Pfizer-BioNTech’s jab starting next week.
“Let’s organize the process so that large-scale vaccination starts late next week,” Putin told Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova, who is overseeing Russia’s Covid-19 response efforts, in a videoconference Wednesday.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-02--Putin Urges Post-Soviet Allies to Support Embattled Armenian PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged fellow members of a post-Soviet military bloc to support Armenia ’ s prime minister as he grapples with domestic pressure over his agreement to a Moscow-brokered peace deal with Azerbaijan .
Nikol Pashinyan has faced a wave of outrage at home since the Nov. 9 peace deal ended more than six weeks of bitter fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh , with Armenians calling him a “ traitor ” and demanding his resignation .
Under the deal , Armenia ceded three districts surrounding the ethnic Armenian enclave in addition to four others that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speaking at a virtual meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on Wednesday , Putin called Pashinyan ’ s moves to end the conflict “ painful ” but “ necessary , ” hailing the prime minister ’ s “ courage.
” '' Our task now is to support both the prime minister and his team in order to ensure peace , '' Interfax quoted Putin as saying .
The CSTO is a Russia-led military alliance of former Soviet countries that includes Armenia , Belarus , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan .
Azerbaijan , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is not a CSTO member and has received Turkey ’ s backing in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh .
During the CSTO meeting Pashinyan said that Russian peacekeepers remain the primary guarantor of peace and security in Nagorno-Karabakh , Interfax reported .
Since the Nov. 9 peace deal , a force of nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers has been deployed to the region for a five-year period that can be renewed .
The Armenian authorities last month said they had thwarted a plot to assassinate the prime minister .
Pashinyan , whose wife and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflict , has said the peace deal was Armenia 's only option and that it ensured Karabakh 's survival .
Also on Wednesday , Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia welcomes , but doesn ’ t insist , on making Russian the second official language in Karabakh and is ready to help further its spread , according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency .
Peskov added that it ’ s up to Armenia and Azerbaijan to determine any official second languages in their own countries .

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged fellow members of a post-Soviet military bloc to support Armenia’s prime minister as he grapples with domestic pressure over his agreement to a Moscow-brokered peace deal with Azerbaijan.
Nikol Pashinyan has faced a wave of outrage at home since the Nov. 9 peace deal ended more than six weeks of bitter fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, with Armenians calling him a “traitor” and demanding his resignation. Under the deal, Armenia ceded three districts surrounding the ethnic Armenian enclave in addition to four others that Azerbaijani forces reclaimed during the fighting.
Speaking at a virtual meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on Wednesday, Putin called Pashinyan’s moves to end the conflict “painful” but “necessary,” hailing the prime minister’s “courage.”
"Our task now is to support both the prime minister and his team in order to ensure peace," Interfax quoted Putin as saying.
The CSTO is a Russia-led military alliance of former Soviet countries that includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Azerbaijan, which also shares post-Soviet ties to Russia, is not a CSTO member and has received Turkey’s backing in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
During the CSTO meeting Pashinyan said that Russian peacekeepers remain the primary guarantor of peace and security in Nagorno-Karabakh, Interfax reported. Since the Nov. 9 peace deal, a force of nearly 2,000 Russian peacekeepers has been deployed to the region for a five-year period that can be renewed.
The Armenian authorities last month said they had thwarted a plot to assassinate the prime minister.
Pashinyan, whose wife and son were at the front during the conflict, has said the peace deal was Armenia's only option and that it ensured Karabakh's survival.
Also on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia welcomes, but doesn’t insist, on making Russian the second official language in Karabakh and is ready to help further its spread, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. Peskov added that it’s up to Armenia and Azerbaijan to determine any official second languages in their own countries.
AFP contributed reporting.


themoscowtimes--2020-12-02--Russia Eyes Expansion to ‘Foreign Agent’ Law

Under current law , the “ foreign agent ” label may be extended to civil society groups , media outlets , as well as individual journalists and bloggers in Russia .
The latest flurry of proposed legislation would expand the definition of “ foreign agents , ” ban them from running for office and allow authorities to dissolve them .
Russia is seeking to label any politically active individual a “ foreign agent ” in the latest move to broaden a law that critics say curbs free speech .
Lawmakers from both houses of Russia ’ s parliament submitted a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign agent ” label to any Russian or foreign citizens who collect information on Russia ’ s military activities while receiving foreign funding .
The government backed the bill ahead of a vote in the lower-house State Duma , Interfax reported Wednesday .
The Duma has not yet scheduled the first reading of the bill , which is needed along with an upper-house Federation Council vote before President Vladimir Putin signs it into law .
“ The bill signals a new witch hunt of civil society groups and human rights defenders standing up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ International ’ s Russia researcher Natalia Prilutskaya said .
“ The Russian authorities have already starved civil society financially and forced many organizations to close .
Now , they are further demonizing individual activists.
” The “ foreign agent ” law passed in 2012 requires labeled organizations to report their activities and face financial audits .
Activists have denounced the law , saying it seeks to silence groups critical of the Kremlin ’ s human rights record .
Russia has gradually expanded the law , which initially targeted NGOs , to include “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A December 2019 law also expanded the “ foreign agent ” label to encompass individual journalists and bloggers .

Under current law, the “foreign agent” label may be extended to civil society groups, media outlets, as well as individual journalists and bloggers in Russia. The latest flurry of proposed legislation would expand the definition of “foreign agents,” ban them from running for office and allow authorities to dissolve them.
Russia is seeking to label any politically active individual a “foreign agent” in the latest move to broaden a law that critics say curbs free speech.
Lawmakers from both houses of Russia’s parliament submitted a draft bill last month expanding the “foreign agent” label to any Russian or foreign citizens who collect information on Russia’s military activities while receiving foreign funding.
The government backed the bill ahead of a vote in the lower-house State Duma, Interfax reported Wednesday. The Duma has not yet scheduled the first reading of the bill, which is needed along with an upper-house Federation Council vote before President Vladimir Putin signs it into law.
“The bill signals a new witch hunt of civil society groups and human rights defenders standing up for justice and dignity,” Amnesty International’s Russia researcher Natalia Prilutskaya said.
“The Russian authorities have already starved civil society financially and forced many organizations to close. Now, they are further demonizing individual activists.”
The “foreign agent” law passed in 2012 requires labeled organizations to report their activities and face financial audits. Activists have denounced the law, saying it seeks to silence groups critical of the Kremlin’s human rights record.
Russia has gradually expanded the law, which initially targeted NGOs, to include “undesirable” organizations and media outlets. A December 2019 law also expanded the “foreign agent” label to encompass individual journalists and bloggers.