themoscowtimes--2020-07-09--Moscow Lifts Outdoor Mask Requirements as New Coronavirus Cases Slow

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Thursday that wearing masks will no longer be required outdoors from July 13 as the @ @ @ @ @ has dwindled in the Russian capital in recent weeks .
“ A mandatory mask regimen @ @ @ @ @ lifted , ” Sobyanin said in his blog .
Masks are still required in stores @ @ @ @ @ facilities and other public places , he added .
Health experts recommend that the general @ @ @ @ @ avoid the spread of Covid-19 .
Starting Monday , restrictions will also be lifted for @ @ @ @ @ and children ’ s camps , as well as amusement parks and cultural centers .

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Thursday that wearing masks will no longer be required outdoors from July 13 as the number of new coronavirus cases has dwindled in the Russian capital in recent weeks.
“A mandatory mask regimen on the streets will be lifted,” Sobyanin said in his blog.
Masks are still required in stores, public transport, medical facilities and other public places, he added.
Health experts recommend that the general public wear cloth masks to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
Starting Monday, restrictions will also be lifted for businesses, schools, universities and children’s camps, as well as amusement parks and cultural centers.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-09--Police Raids Target Moscow Opposition Activists Planning Constitution Rally

Police in Moscow have raided the homes of several opposition activists and city council members planning protests against Russia ’ @ @ @ @ @ the opposition MBKh Media news website reported early Thursday .
Authorities detained Andrei Pivovarov , @ @ @ @ @ oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky ’ s Open Russia pro-democracy movement , Interfax reported later in the @ @ @ @ @ colleague Dmitry Zair-Bek told Interfax that a court database contained information about nine searches related @ @ @ @ @ police earlier in the day carried out raids on the homes of municipal lawmaker Yulia @ @ @ @ @ Tatyana Usmanova and Olga Gorelik and MBKh Media chief editor Sergei Prostakov .
The raids @ @ @ @ @ Open Russia ’ s legal defense team Alexei Pryanishnikov in the Siberian city of Tomsk @ @ @ @ @ .
The activists said that officers did not let their lawyers inside the homes during @ @ @

Police in Moscow have raided the homes of several opposition activists and city council members planning protests against Russia’s newly adopted constitution, the opposition MBKh Media news website reported early Thursday.
Authorities detained Andrei Pivovarov, a high-ranking member of exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Open Russia pro-democracy movement, Interfax reported later in the day.
Pivovarov’s colleague Dmitry Zair-Bek told Interfax that a court database contained information about nine searches related to Open Russia.
Moscow police earlier in the day carried out raids on the homes of municipal lawmaker Yulia Galyamina, Open Russia coordinators Tatyana Usmanova and Olga Gorelik and MBKh Media chief editor Sergei Prostakov. The raids also targeted the coordinator of Open Russia’s legal defense team Alexei Pryanishnikov in the Siberian city of Tomsk, according to MBKh Media.
The activists said that officers did not let their lawyers inside the homes during the raids.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-09--Moscow Push to Reduce UN Cross-Border Aid to Syria Fails

A Russian bid to get the United Nations to reduce cross-border humanitarian aid to war-torn Syria was voted down by the Security Council Wednesday , an official said .
Authorization for the aid , which comes through two crossing points on the Turkish border — at Bab al-Salam , which leads to the Aleppo region , and Bab al-Hawa , which serves the Idlib region — expires Friday .
Under its resolution , Moscow had wanted to abolish the first crossing point and put a time limit of six months on the second .
Russia needed nine votes and no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Council to get its resolution passed — but received only four votes , announced the President of the Security Council , German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen .
Seven countries voted against it and four abstained .
`` The draft resolution has not been adopted , having failed to obtain the required number of votes , '' Heusgen said .
Diplomats said that Russia , along with China , Vietnam and South Africa , had voted for the resolution .
Against were the United States , the United Kingdom , France , Germany , Belgium @ @ @ @ @ @ @

A Russian bid to get the United Nations to reduce cross-border humanitarian aid to war-torn Syria was voted down by the Security Council Wednesday, an official said. Authorization for the aid, which comes through two crossing points on the Turkish border — at Bab al-Salam, which leads to the Aleppo region, and Bab al-Hawa, which serves the Idlib region — expires Friday. Under its resolution, Moscow had wanted to abolish the first crossing point and put a time limit of six months on the second. Russia needed nine votes and no veto from a permanent member of the Council to get its resolution passed — but received only four votes, announced the President of the Security Council, German Ambassador Christoph Heusgen. Seven countries voted against it and four abstained. "The draft resolution has not been adopted, having failed to obtain the required number of votes," Heusgen said. Diplomats said that Russia, along with China, Vietnam and South Africa, had voted for the resolution. Against were the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Estonia and the Dominican Republic.
Tunisia, Niger, Indonesia and Saint Vincent abstained, the diplomats said. The vote came after Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a draft resolution by Germany and Belgium providing for a one-year extension of the cross-border authorization and the maintenance of both crossing points. In an interview with AFP on Wednesday, Washington's ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, said the U.S. opposed any reduction. "We know the right thing to do is to have both border crossings in the northwest remain open to reach the maximum amount of Syrians that are in need of humanitarian aid," Craft told AFP. When asked if the issue was a "red line," she replied, "Yes, absolutely." Russia's move "is just another attempt for them to politicize humanitarian assistance," she said. According to Craft, keeping only one border crossing open would cut off 1.3 million people living north of Aleppo from humanitarian aid. 'Right and wrong' The choice to be made between the Western position and that of Russia and China is "between good and evil, right and wrong," said Craft, noting that Germany and Belgium "already have a new draft in mind and we are very supportive." The two European countries submitted their new draft Wednesday evening. In their latest draft text, obtained by AFP, Germany and Belgium asked for just a six-month extension of cross-border aid authorization, instead of one year. But they have kept both border crossings open, and there is no indication that Moscow — in a position of strength on the subject, as it was six months ago — will be satisfied with the changes. The result of a forthcoming vote on the new draft, which Russia could again block, is not expected until Friday, when the UN cross-border authorization expires.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-09--Russian Mining Giant Disputes $2Bln Arctic Oil Spill Fine

Mining giant Nornickel on Wednesday said it was contesting a fine imposed by the Russian authorities over a massive oil @ @ @ @ @ sparked a state of emergency .
Nornickel `` disputes the amount of environmental damage caused @ @ @ @ @ calculated by the Russian environmental watchdog , Rosprirodnadzor , the company said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ requested a subsidiary of Nornickel pay `` voluntary compensation '' totaling 147.8 billion rubles ( @ @ @ @ @ or one third of the group 's net profit last year .
Nornickel reiterated , @ @ @ @ @ financially support `` the consequences of the accident at its own expense '' .
Russia @ @ @ @ @ said the company had `` every right '' to contest the fine in court .

Russia's Environment Minister Dmitri Kobylkin said the company had "every right" to contest the fine in court.
Nornickel reiterated, however, that it would financially support "the consequences of the accident at its own expense".
The watchdog this week requested a subsidiary of Nornickel pay "voluntary compensation" totaling 147.8 billion rubles ($2.05 billion), or one third of the group's net profit last year.
Nornickel "disputes the amount of environmental damage caused by the diesel leak" calculated by the Russian environmental watchdog, Rosprirodnadzor, the company said in a statement.
Mining giant Nornickel on Wednesday said it was contesting a fine imposed by the Russian authorities over a massive oil spill in the Arctic that sparked a state of emergency.
But "we saw the consequences of the accident and saw the damage done there", he added.
Kobylkin also said the company was liable for environmental damage, saying those responsible are "required to pay full compensation".
"Damage to the environment and compensation for the consequences of the accident are two different things," he added.
President Vladimir Putin declared a state of emergency after 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked from a fuel storage tank at one of the company's subsidiary plants near the Arctic city of Norilsk in late May.
The fuel seeped into the soil and dyed nearby waterways bright red in a spill that was visible from space.
A massive clean up effort involved trapping floating diesel with booms on the water surface to prevent it from flowing into crucial waterways and freshwater lakes.
Russia's natural resources minister said the fine reflected the huge damages caused by the spill.
"The scale of the damage to Arctic water resources is unprecedented," Kobylkin said earlier this week.
He drew comparisons to one of the worst oil spills in US history — the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska which, he pointed out, cost Exxon Mobil more than $5 billion in punitive damages.
Putin has said he expected Norilsk Nickel to fully restore the environment.
Russia's richest man Vladimir Potanin who owns the company earlier estimated that the clean-up would cost about 10 billion rubles, on top of any fines, and vowed to spend "whatever is needed".


themoscowtimes--2020-07-09--Russia's Coronavirus Continue Steady Rise Past 700K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8 , a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks .
Many other regions lifted lockdown restrictions ahead of a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic .
Critics have cast doubt on Russia 's low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting to play down the scale of the crisis .
Russia attributes its lower virus death figures to mass testing which has identified many cases with mild or no coronavirus symptoms .
The Health Ministry is now adjusting how it reports numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the virus even if the direct cause of death was another condition or the patient tested negative .
Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin , a liberal politician known for his outspoken comments , said Russia 's health system requires more funds and modernization in many regions .
`` Medicine is significantly underfunded even according to the current norms and also it needs a serious overhaul , '' Kudrin , who heads the Audit Chamber that examines government spending , said in an interview with the state-run TASS state news agency .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and show these figures , '' he added .
Nevertheless the economist said Russia `` is not doing a bad job with the pandemic , '' crediting the role of the military , which has built emergency facilities .

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 constitutional reforms that now allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.
Both events were initially postponed due the epidemic.
Moscow opened cinemas and theaters on Aug. 1. In the capital, masks are mandatory in stores and on public transport but not in the streets.
Several institutes in Russia are working on a coronavirus vaccine.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said it developed a "safe" vaccine following clinical trials on a group of volunteers.
The trials are ongoing, and the Defense Ministry expects clinical trials to be fully completed in the coming weeks.
AFP contributed reporting to this article.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-09--Russian Governor Detained on Murder Charges

A sitting Russian governor has been detained on suspicion of organizing murders in the early 2000s , investigators said early @ @ @ @ @ 50 , is a former timber and scrap metal metal merchant and member of the @ @ @ @ @ which has the third-most seats in the Russian parliament .
Furgal handed a rare defeat @ @ @ @ @ party incumbent in the 2018 elections for governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk region .
@ @ @ @ @ attempted murder and the murder of multiple entrepreneurs , ” said Russia ’ s Investigative @ @ @ @ @ major crimes .
It published a video showing Investigative Committee and Federal Security Service ( @ @ @ @ @ as he was entering his SUV .
The governor is suspected of ordering the killing @ @ @ @ @ Khabarovsk and Amur regions in 2004-05 , the investigators said .
The charges against Furgal @ @ @ @ @ to life in prison .

A sitting Russian governor has been detained on suspicion of organizing murders in the early 2000s, investigators said early Thursday.
Sergei Furgal, 50, is a former timber and scrap metal metal merchant and member of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party, which has the third-most seats in the Russian parliament. Furgal handed a rare defeat to the pro-Kremlin United Russia party incumbent in the 2018 elections for governor of the Far Eastern Khabarovsk region.
“Sergei Furgal organized an attempted murder and the murder of multiple entrepreneurs,” said Russia’s Investigative Committee, which deals with major crimes.
It published a video showing Investigative Committee and Federal Security Service (FSB) officers apprehending Furgal as he was entering his SUV.
The governor is suspected of ordering the killing of several businessmen in the Khabarovsk and Amur regions in 2004-05, the investigators said.
The charges against Furgal carry a sentence of up to life in prison.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-09--Russia Looks to Resume Flights to EU, China – Reports

“ This is but one of the proposals , they ’ ve been debated a lot .
I think the final [ list ] will differ significantly , ” RBC quoted an unnamed source familiar with inter-agency discussions as saying .
The list compiled by Russia ’ s consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor includes Britain and Germany and is apparently part of phase one of resuming flights during the coronavirus pandemic .
The Netherlands , Denmark , Finland , Hungary , Italy , Norway and Poland are the other EU members on the list , with Mongolia , Sri Lanka and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have recommended restarting international flights to 13 countries , including nine members of the European Union and China , the RBC news website reported Thursday .
Industry experts expressed surprise at the list of countries , saying it does not meet either epidemiological standards of the principles of reciprocity .
Russia ’ s Foreign Ministry said it ’ s still working on the list of approved countries and plans to submit it to the government later , according to RBC .
Rospotrebnadzor sent the list of countries approved for travel to Russia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Wednesday , RBC reported .
That was the deadline for Rospotrebnadzor , the Foreign Ministry , the Federal Tourism Agency and the flagship airline Aeroflot to draft an algorithm on resuming international air travel , the state-run TASS news agency reported .
The agency added that Russia ’ s Covid-19 crisis center has approved the two-phase reopening process .
No date has been set for when Russia ’ s international borders will reopen .
A monthly letter sent to airports by Russia ’ s aviation authority last week said it has extended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 due to the pandemic .
It noted that a new letter could be circulated if the borders reopen earlier .
Russia grounded nearly all international flights in late March to slow the coronavirus outbreak , allowing only special flights evacuating Russians from abroad and other flights authorized by the government .
The European Union , which reopened its borders on July 1 to visitors from 15 countries , will officially remain closed to Russians for the time being .
The 28-member bloc revises its list every two weeks .
Russia ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that international flights would not resume until late September or early October .
“ August is very doubtful , ” she told the Govorit Moskva radio station .

“This is but one of the proposals, they’ve been debated a lot. I think the final [list] will differ significantly,” RBC quoted an unnamed source familiar with inter-agency discussions as saying.
The list compiled by Russia’s consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor includes Britain and Germany and is apparently part of phase one of resuming flights during the coronavirus pandemic. The Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Norway and Poland are the other EU members on the list, with Mongolia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam also greenlit.
Russian health officials have recommended restarting international flights to 13 countries, including nine members of the European Union and China, the RBC news website reported Thursday.
Industry experts expressed surprise at the list of countries, saying it does not meet either epidemiological standards of the principles of reciprocity.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it’s still working on the list of approved countries and plans to submit it to the government later, according to RBC.
Rospotrebnadzor sent the list of countries approved for travel to Russia’s aviation authority and the Transportation Ministry on Wednesday, RBC reported.
That was the deadline for Rospotrebnadzor, the Foreign Ministry, the Federal Tourism Agency and the flagship airline Aeroflot to draft an algorithm on resuming international air travel, the state-run TASS news agency reported. The agency added that Russia’s Covid-19 crisis center has approved the two-phase reopening process.
No date has been set for when Russia’s international borders will reopen.
A monthly letter sent to airports by Russia’s aviation authority last week said it has extended its ban on international flights until Aug. 1 due to the pandemic. It noted that a new letter could be circulated if the borders reopen earlier.
Russia grounded nearly all international flights in late March to slow the coronavirus outbreak, allowing only special flights evacuating Russians from abroad and other flights authorized by the government.
The European Union, which reopened its borders on July 1 to visitors from 15 countries, will officially remain closed to Russians for the time being. The 28-member bloc revises its list every two weeks.
Russia’s tourism association chief Maya Lomidze said Wednesday that international flights would not resume until late September or early October.
“August is very doubtful,” she told the Govorit Moskva radio station.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-10--Dutch Government Takes Russia to European Court Over MH17

The Dutch government is taking Russia to the European Court of Human Rights ( ECHR ) over the downing of @ @ @ @ @ eastern Ukraine in 2014 .
Analysts say countries very rarely bring lawsuits against other countries @ @ @ @ @ with only 24 so-called “ inter-state applications ” filed in its nearly 70-year history .
@ @ @ @ @ 298 victims of the downing of Flight MH17 is and will remain the government ’ @ @ @ @ @ Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a statement .
“ By taking this step @ @ @ @ @ before the ECHR and thus supporting the applications of the next of kin as much @ @ @ @ @ are moving closer to this goal , ” Blok said .

The Dutch government is taking Russia to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014.
Analysts say countries very rarely bring lawsuits against other countries in the Strasbourg-based court, with only 24 so-called “inter-state applications” filed in its nearly 70-year history.
“Achieving justice for the 298 victims of the downing of Flight MH17 is and will remain the government’s highest priority,” Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said in a statement.
“By taking this step today — bringing a case before the ECHR and thus supporting the applications of the next of kin as much as we can — we are moving closer to this goal,” Blok said.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-10--Siberian Official Fired Over Disputed Coronavirus ‘Body Bags’

A Siberian health official has been fired after controversial photographs went viral showing alleged coronavirus victims in body bags , @ @ @ @ @ A pro-Kremlin tabloid published photographs Monday showing a room full of black bags that it @ @ @ @ @ reported Covid-19 death toll in the Tomsk region .
The regional crisis center said the @ @ @ @ @ the journalist who published the story faced charges of abusing freedom of the media .
@ @ @ @ @ the regional chief of healthcare Alexander Kholopov for “ an organizational mess ” in the @ @ @ @ @ the governor ’ s office announced .
“ How could outsiders enter a closed medical @ @ @ @ @ ’ t any of the medical officials explain the situation clearly ?
” Zhvachkin was @ @ @ @

A Siberian health official has been fired after controversial photographs went viral showing alleged coronavirus victims in body bags, regional authorities said Thursday.
A pro-Kremlin tabloid published photographs Monday showing a room full of black bags that it claimed proved a higher than reported Covid-19 death toll in the Tomsk region. The regional crisis center said the bags contained household waste and the journalist who published the story faced charges of abusing freedom of the media.
Tomsk Governor Sergei Zhvachkin dismissed the regional chief of healthcare Alexander Kholopov for “an organizational mess” in the wake of the scandal, the governor’s office announced.
“How could outsiders enter a closed medical facility?... Why can’t any of the medical officials explain the situation clearly?” Zhvachkin was quoted as saying.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-10--St. Petersburg’s June Deaths Reach Decade High

Russia ’ s second-largest city of St. Petersburg saw a 10-year spike in deaths in June , official data said @ @ @ @ @ relatively low coronavirus deaths compared to other hard-hit countries .
St. Petersburg , which began @ @ @ @ @ early June , officially confirmed 987 deaths from coronavirus last month .
A total of @ @ @ @ @ Petersburg in June 2020 , according to civil registry data — 50 % more than @ @ @ @ @ June 2019 .
It ’ s also the city ’ s highest June death toll @ @ @ @ @ Petersburg governor ’ s office attributed the spike to the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak @ @ @ @ @ June .

Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg saw a 10-year spike in deaths in June, official data said Thursday as questions persist over relatively low coronavirus deaths compared to other hard-hit countries.
St. Petersburg, which began gradually lifting Covid-19 restrictions in early June, officially confirmed 987 deaths from coronavirus last month.
A total of 7,106 people died in St. Petersburg in June 2020, according to civil registry data — 50% more than the 4,575 deaths registered in June 2019.
It’s also the city’s highest June death toll since 2011.
The St. Petersburg governor’s office attributed the spike to the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak in late May and early June.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-10--Kazakhstan Denies China's Claim of New Deadly Virus

Kazakhstan on Friday denied a claim by China 's embassy that a pneumonia outbreak more deadly than the novel coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ Asian country .
In an alert for Chinese citizens posted on the embassy 's website @ @ @ @ @ a disease with `` a mortality rate far higher than Covid-19 . ''
The statement @ @ @ @ @ caused 1,772 deaths in the first half of 2020 and `` 628 in June alone @ @ @ @ @ referred to `` Kazakhstan pneumonia '' but this wording was later changed to `` non-Covid @ @ @ @ @ statement mentioned three provincial cities — Atyrau , Aktobe and Shymkent — saying the disease @ @ @ @ @ Chinese nationals are among those who have died from it .

Kazakhstan on Friday denied a claim by China's embassy that a pneumonia outbreak more deadly than the novel coronavirus is rampaging through the Central Asian country. In an alert for Chinese citizens posted on the embassy's website Thursday, Beijing warned of a disease with "a mortality rate far higher than Covid-19." The statement said the pneumonia outbreak had caused 1,772 deaths in the first half of 2020 and "628 in June alone." The statement originally referred to "Kazakhstan pneumonia" but this wording was later changed to "non-Covid pneumonia." The embassy statement mentioned three provincial cities — Atyrau, Aktobe and Shymkent — saying the disease has taken hold there and Chinese nationals are among those who have died from it.
The Kazakh health ministry is studying the disease and comparing it to Covid-19, the embassy said. Kazakhstan's health ministry said Friday that the claim published by "Chinese media" does not "correspond to reality", without mentioning the embassy. The ministry acknowledged it had classified as pneumonia cases where Covid-19 symptoms were present but the patient tested negative, arguing that this falls within World Health Organization guidelines. The oil-rich country bordering China and Russia has seen virus cases grow more than fivefold since lifting lockdown measures and has confirmed 54,747 cases. Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states have been accused in recent weeks of underplaying the scale of their second wave of cases by classifying many as pneumonia. Lack of good quality testing kits is widely cited as a reason for underreporting. In an article covering the health ministry's rebuttal, pro-government website Tengri News cited a doctor as saying the surge in pneumonia cases was "a manifestation of the coronavirus." In neighboring Kyrgyzstan, the health ministry said this week that it would begin including patients with pneumonia in its official coronavirus count. Kazakhstan has not said whether it will do the same.
news Russia to Pay Kazakhstan Compensation for Contaminated Oil in Crisis Breakthrough Read more


themoscowtimes--2020-07-10--Russia Detains Jehovah’s Witness ‘Elders’

Four Jehovah ’ s Witnesses have been detained on charges of extremism in southern Russia , investigators said Thursday amid @ @ @ @ @ religious organization .
The unnamed worshippers aged between 38 and 47 were alleged to be @ @ @ @ @ a group that has continued to meet in the southern city of Astrakhan since Russia @ @ @ @ @ Witnesses in 2017 .
“ Not wanting to be exposed by law enforcement , the @ @ @ @ @ including using video conferencing , ” Russia ’ s Investigative Committee said .
Investigators , @ @ @ @ @ service officers carried out 27 searches and seized personal belongings as part of the investigation @

Four Jehovah’s Witnesses have been detained on charges of extremism in southern Russia, investigators said Thursday amid an ongoing crackdown against the religious organization.
The unnamed worshippers aged between 38 and 47 were alleged to be the “elders” of a group that has continued to meet in the southern city of Astrakhan since Russia banned the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2017.
“Not wanting to be exposed by law enforcement, the suspects used secrecy measures, including using video conferencing,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said.
Investigators, police officers and FSB security service officers carried out 27 searches and seized personal belongings as part of the investigation.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-10--Russia's Coronavirus Deaths Pass 11K

Russia's Coronavirus Deaths Pass 11K