themoscowtimes--2020-09-26--F1 Reports Biggest Coronavirus Spike This Year Ahead of Russian Grand Prix

Formula One confirmed on Friday that it has recorded the sport 's biggest coronavirus spike this year as it prepares for the Russian Grand Prix , the 10th race of the season .
The sport said it had returned its highest number of positive Covid-19 test results , hours before welcoming a significant number of spectators to a race for the first time this year .
The F1 organisation and the sport 's ruling body the International Motoring Federation ( FIA ) said they had discovered seven cases of coronavirus following 3,256 tests between Sept. 18 and Sept. 24 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ days on the teams ' staff , drivers and all paddock and news media personnel .
This weekend 's event is the first major international sports event of the Covid-19 era to have a significant crowd of spectators after the Russian promoters claim to have sold 30,000 tickets for Sunday 's race in Sochi .
Seven of the ten teams are based in Britain where the number of reported cases of infection has risen rapidly in recent weeks .
There had been 44,000 tests carried out during the opening nine races , run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under serious protocol for behaviour in bubbles – with a total of nine positive results overall and not more than two in a single week .
The practice of operating strict bubbles and sub-bubbles and restricting movement under tight guidelines faces its biggest test of the season this weekend .
Russia confirmed 7,523 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday , taking the overall total to 1,143,571 .

Formula One confirmed on Friday that it has recorded the sport's biggest coronavirus spike this year as it prepares for the Russian Grand Prix, the 10th race of the season.
The sport said it had returned its highest number of positive Covid-19 test results, hours before welcoming a significant number of spectators to a race for the first time this year.
The F1 organisation and the sport's ruling body the International Motoring Federation (FIA) said they had discovered seven cases of coronavirus following 3,256 tests between Sept. 18 and Sept. 24.
The tests are carried out every five days on the teams' staff, drivers and all paddock and news media personnel.
This weekend's event is the first major international sports event of the Covid-19 era to have a significant crowd of spectators after the Russian promoters claim to have sold 30,000 tickets for Sunday's race in Sochi.
Seven of the ten teams are based in Britain where the number of reported cases of infection has risen rapidly in recent weeks.
There had been 44,000 tests carried out during the opening nine races, run in a sequence of three triple-headers and under serious protocol for behaviour in bubbles – with a total of nine positive results overall and not more than two in a single week.
The practice of operating strict bubbles and sub-bubbles and restricting movement under tight guidelines faces its biggest test of the season this weekend.
Russia confirmed 7,523 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, taking the overall total to 1,143,571.


themoscowtimes--2020-09-27--Azerbaijan, Armenia on War Footing After Casualties in Heavy Fighting

Baku and Yerevan put themselves on a war footing after heavy fighting erupted Sunday between Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists , claiming military and civilian casualties on both sides , including at least one child .
The worst clashes since 2016 have raised the spectre of a fresh war between arch enemies Azerbaijan and Armenia which have been locked for decades in a territorial dispute over the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh .
A major confrontation between the ex-Soviet Caucasus neighbors would draw in big regional players Moscow and Ankara .
Russia , France , Germany and the EU swiftly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while Pope Francis prayed for peace .
The Armenian defense ministry spokesman , Artsrun Hovhannisyan , said intense fighting continued along the Karabakh frontline Sunday afternoon .
Azerbaijan said it had captured seven of its Armenian-controlled villages , a claim Yerevan denied .
In a televised address to the nation earlier in the day , Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev vowed victory over Armenian forces .
`` Our cause is just and we will win , '' Aliyev said , repeating a famous quote from Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin 's address at the outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Karabakh is Azerbaijan , '' he said .

Arch foes Armenia and Azerbaijan on Sunday accused each other of initiating deadly clashes that claimed at least 23 lives over a decades-long territorial dispute and threatened to draw in regional powers Russia and Turkey.
The worst clashes since 2016 have raised the spectre of a fresh war between long-standing rivals Azerbaijan and Armenia which have been locked for decades in a territorial dispute over the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Sixteen Armenian separatist fighters were killed and more than 100 wounded in fighting, rebel officials said.
Both sides also reported civilian casualties.
"We are tired of Azerbaijan’s threats, we will fight to the death to resolve the problem once and for all," Artak Bagdasaryan, 36, told AFP in Yerevan, adding that he was waiting to be conscripted into the army.
Karabakh separatists said one Armenian woman and a child were killed, while Baku said that an Azerbaijani family of five died in shelling launched by Armenian separatists.
Armenian defense ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan claimed Karabakh rebel forces killed "some 200 Azerbaijani troops and destroyed 30 enemy artillery units and 20 drones."
Azerbaijan said it has captured a strategic mountain in Karabakh that helps control transport communications between Yerevan and the enclave.
A major confrontation between Muslim Azerbaijan and majority Christian Armenia threatened to embroil regional players Moscow and Ankara and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on global powers to prevent Turkey from getting involved in the conflict.
'Sacred homeland'
"We are on the brink of a full-scale war in the South Caucasus," Pashinyan warned.
Azerbaijan's "authoritarian regime has once again declared war on the Armenian people," he added.
France, Germany, Italy, and the EU swiftly urged an "immediate ceasefire," while Pope Francis prayed for peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the military flareup with Pashinyan and called for "an end to hostilities."
"The Russian side expressed serious concern over the resumption of large-scale clashes," the Kremlin said.
But Azerbaijan's ally Turkey blamed Yerevan for the flare-up and promised Baku its "full support."
"The Turkish people will support our Azerbaijani brothers with all our means as always," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tweeted.