tass--2020-11-17--Press review: Pro-EU candidate wins Moldovan presidential vote and Armenia stuck in strife

Izvestia : Maia Sandu ’ s win in Moldovan presidential election to impact ties with Russia Pro-EU candidate Maia Sandu has won the Moldovan presidential election , beating her opponent Igor Dodon by 15.5 % .
According to the experts quizzed by Izvestia , Chisinau is likely to gradually change its foreign policy course without breaking ties with Russia .
Sandu confirmed that she seeks to pursue a balanced policy and establish pragmatic dialogue with all countries , including Russia .
Political analysts point out that the Moldovan government will be more consolidated .
Now , the government and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direction .
The Moldovan presidential election ended with a run-off between Igor Dodon , who is known for his pro-Russian policies , and Maia Sandu , who favors European integration .
Meanwhile , Sandu promised to establish a balance through contacts with Russia and the US , announcing consultations on this matter in parliament .
`` It is unlikely that there will be any sudden moves , however , there will be a gradual drift towards the West , of course , '' Associate Professor of the Department of Political Theory at MGIMO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing is that the power in the country will be more consolidated .
Before , there was a pro-Russian head of state and a pro-European parliament , who blocked each other , and now , we will see a pro-Western president and pro-Western lawmakers in a country that is still divided . ''
As for the relations between Moscow and Moldova ’ s new leadership , Russia will let Chisinau take the lead in building the relations , the expert pointed out .
There is no doubt that Moldova will have a hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is to what extent , Koktysh concluded .
The political situation in Armenia has hit a dead end by the second week of protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan , Izvestia reports .
The opposition can not force the head of government to leave , and he has no plans to resign .
Experts told Izvestia that it is hard to predict the outcome of the nation 's political strife , however , Pashinyan has a chance to stay in power , as there is no political force in the country that could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current leadership .
Meanwhile , Armenian President Armen Sarkissian stressed that the government should resign , calling on the government and the lawmakers to prepare for a snap election .
Armenian political analyst Edgar Khachatryan told Izvestia that the protests are not growing in scale due to several factors .
Firstly , Armenia is in a state of apathy right now , with many mourning their husbands and sons .
`` People still do not understand what has happened .
Many don ’ t have it in them to take to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , winter is coming , it is cold in Yerevan , and many people are sick , namely with the coronavirus .
All this is significant .
However , the political crisis is very serious , and so far , there is a trend that shows that the situation may worsen , '' he explained .
The expert added that many do not want to see members of the previous government at the helm .
There are some who are willing to give a chance to the pre-revolution elites , if they promise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nagorno-Karabakh and resolve the issue with its political status , Khachatryan said .
`` There are also Pashinyan ’ s supporters .
Namely people working in state bodies .
I think the government will hold on as law enforcement is on its side , '' he concluded .
Although Pashinyan ’ s policy led to such an outcome of the conflict , he may be able to stay in power , since there is no alternative force that Armenians would support right now , political analyst Denis Denisov told Izvestia .
`` As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he is poorly qualified .
But I think that the protests against Pashinyan will go on for some time , and then they will cease .
There is no force in Armenia right now that could mobilize a more significant amount of people .
There is no structure , no leaders , and no major businessmen who are interested in it , '' the expert pointed out .
Nezavisimaya Gazeta : Trump threatens to crack down on China before Biden takes over Incumbent US President Donald Trump wants to punish Beijing for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has served as a roadblock to a second term for Trump , Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports .
He plans to blacklist a number of Chinese state enterprises and Chinese officials for their alleged involvement in persecuting Muslims in Xinjiang , suppressing democracy in Hong Kong or working for the army .
Experts suggest that new sanctions are likely , as ex-President Barack Obama took a similar step on his way out of the White House against Russia .
Senior members of the US administration with direct access to the president say that Trump plans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decisions in his last 10 weeks as US president .
Those decisions aim to cement his legacy concerning China .
The US-based Axios news website reports that the incumbent president wants to make it politically impossible for the Biden administration to change its course on China .
Andrey Karneev , who heads the Higher School of Economics Asian and African Studies Department , told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that Trump ’ s plans are similar to the last few weeks of the Obama administration , back when it worked on measures to punish Russia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian diplomats were expelled from the US .
Trump can also follow this path , but against China .
Trump holds a serious grudge against China .
Were it not for the epidemic , he would have had more chances of getting reelected .
In the very beginning of 2020 , the economic situation was very favorable for Trump .
So , he will try to cement anti-China sentiment in US politics .
On the other hand , it won ’ t be hard for Biden to confirm the sanctions for Xinjiang and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump of caring solely about trade and the economy , while ignoring human rights .
Consequently , sanctions in this sphere will not tie Biden ’ s hands , they will help him carry out his policy .
The criticism of China is an area where the Republicans and the Democrats are more or less united , '' the expert pointed out .
Alexander Lukin , who heads the International Affairs Department at the Higher School of Economics , also noted that there are similarities in Trump ’ s approach to Russia at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ situation Biden finds himself in .
`` As soon as Trump tried to improve relations with Russia , Democrats attacked him , branding him a traitor .
And now , the Republicans are ready to do the same regarding China .
If Biden takes any steps to improve relations , the Republicans will say that he is betraying the country ’ s interests , '' the expert told the paper .
In the past six months , US-linked hackers have been the main source of cyber threats to Russian companies , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kommersant ’ s possession that the paper reported .
Before that , Russian hackers had taken the lead .
The overall number of attacks has dropped by nearly a quarter .
Hacker groups have left commercial structures for lone hackers , switching to critical information infrastructure targets and government bodies , cyber security companies told the paper .
From May to October 2020 , US hackers were the main source of cyber threats to Russia , carrying out 36 % of the total number of attacks , while Russian hackers accounted for 29 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ notes .
Before that , Russian hackers had been in the lead with 39 % of the attacks carried out in January 2020 , while the Americans were behind 30 % of the recorded cyber offenses , Kommersant reported in February .
The countries of origin reflect the data seen by cyber security experts , however , this may be a ruse , and the perpetrators may simply be posing as foreign hackers , Check Point Software Technologies executive in Russia and the CIS Vasily Dyagilev stressed .
Criminals have `` no nationality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told the paper .
The main issue is that there is no united system of cooperation between states that could allow hackers to be nabbed .
For example , attacks from Ukraine `` are completely impossible to investigate '' due to political differences , while the UK and US will never give up a Russian hacker attacking Russian targets , and it is impossible to track money , since all states `` look the other way '' regarding anonymous currencies that hackers request , the expert explained .
Meanwhile , only one in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political , as the rest of them are usually carried out by unqualified hackers , Batrankov noted .
Russia ’ s share among IT companies founded in recent years in developing countries has reached a mere 3 % , a report published by the Boston Consulting Group ( BCG ) informs .
Russia has one of the lowest rates of emerging companies , and their evaluation is often lower than that of their foreign competitors , Kommersant reports .
The BCG report in Kommersant ’ s possession informs that there are just over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on developing markets since 2014 , which comes up to about 3 % of the total share .
BCG included six Russian companies in the top-100 IT companies among developing countries : Yandex , Mail.ru Group , Wildberries , Playrix , 1C and Tinkoff Bank .
The company ’ s research notes that the average revenue of these companies comes to $ 1.8 bln a year , and their growth rate is six times higher than the rate of tech companies from the S & P 500 index .
Considering the fact that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ market reaches 0.3 % of the global market , the 3 % contribution of new Russian companies over the past six years is a `` good number , '' noted Alexey Solovyev , founder of A.Partners .
The market has only existed for about ten years , which is not enough for a huge number of companies to appear , but the situation will change , the investor told the paper .
Experts quizzed by Kommersant point out that Russian companies often prefer foreign jurisdictions , which may affect the statistics .
When @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it basically `` removes the Russian flag , '' or they might have trouble finding clients , Alexander Chachava , managing partner at Leta Capital , told the paper .
`` So , some of them drop out from the statistics , and it turns out that only a company that works on the domestic market for the most part can be called a Russian company , '' he explained .
TASS is not responsible for the material quoted in these press reviews .

Izvestia: Maia Sandu’s win in Moldovan presidential election to impact ties with Russia
Read also Putin congratulates Maia Sandu on winning Moldovan presidential election
Pro-EU candidate Maia Sandu has won the Moldovan presidential election, beating her opponent Igor Dodon by 15.5%. According to the experts quizzed by Izvestia, Chisinau is likely to gradually change its foreign policy course without breaking ties with Russia. Sandu confirmed that she seeks to pursue a balanced policy and establish pragmatic dialogue with all countries, including Russia. Political analysts point out that the Moldovan government will be more consolidated. Now, the government and the president will be looking in the same direction. The Moldovan presidential election ended with a run-off between Igor Dodon, who is known for his pro-Russian policies, and Maia Sandu, who favors European integration. Meanwhile, Sandu promised to establish a balance through contacts with Russia and the US, announcing consultations on this matter in parliament. "It is unlikely that there will be any sudden moves, however, there will be a gradual drift towards the West, of course," Associate Professor of the Department of Political Theory at MGIMO Kirill Koktysh told Izvestia. "Another thing is that the power in the country will be more consolidated. Before, there was a pro-Russian head of state and a pro-European parliament, who blocked each other, and now, we will see a pro-Western president and pro-Western lawmakers in a country that is still divided." As for the relations between Moscow and Moldova’s new leadership, Russia will let Chisinau take the lead in building the relations, the expert pointed out. There is no doubt that Moldova will have a hard time without Russia, but the question is to what extent, Koktysh concluded. Izvestia: Armenia hits political deadlock as protests continue
Read also Armenian premier says he bears main responsibility for Karabakh situation
The political situation in Armenia has hit a dead end by the second week of protests against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Izvestia reports. The opposition cannot force the head of government to leave, and he has no plans to resign. Experts told Izvestia that it is hard to predict the outcome of the nation's political strife, however, Pashinyan has a chance to stay in power, as there is no political force in the country that could offer itself as a viable alternative to the current leadership. Meanwhile, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian stressed that the government should resign, calling on the government and the lawmakers to prepare for a snap election. Armenian political analyst Edgar Khachatryan told Izvestia that the protests are not growing in scale due to several factors. Firstly, Armenia is in a state of apathy right now, with many mourning their husbands and sons. "People still do not understand what has happened. Many don’t have it in them to take to the streets because of their grief. Secondly, winter is coming, it is cold in Yerevan, and many people are sick, namely with the coronavirus. All this is significant. However, the political crisis is very serious, and so far, there is a trend that shows that the situation may worsen," he explained. The expert added that many do not want to see members of the previous government at the helm. There are some who are willing to give a chance to the pre-revolution elites, if they promise to return at least a part of Nagorno-Karabakh and resolve the issue with its political status, Khachatryan said. "There are also Pashinyan’s supporters. Namely people working in state bodies. I think the government will hold on as law enforcement is on its side," he concluded. Although Pashinyan’s policy led to such an outcome of the conflict, he may be able to stay in power, since there is no alternative force that Armenians would support right now, political analyst Denis Denisov told Izvestia. "As head of state, he showed that he is poorly qualified. But I think that the protests against Pashinyan will go on for some time, and then they will cease. There is no force in Armenia right now that could mobilize a more significant amount of people. There is no structure, no leaders, and no major businessmen who are interested in it," the expert pointed out. Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Trump threatens to crack down on China before Biden takes over
Incumbent US President Donald Trump wants to punish Beijing for the pandemic that started in China, which has served as a roadblock to a second term for Trump, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports. He plans to blacklist a number of Chinese state enterprises and Chinese officials for their alleged involvement in persecuting Muslims in Xinjiang, suppressing democracy in Hong Kong or working for the army. Experts suggest that new sanctions are likely, as ex-President Barack Obama took a similar step on his way out of the White House against Russia. Senior members of the US administration with direct access to the president say that Trump plans to introduce a series of tough political decisions in his last 10 weeks as US president. Those decisions aim to cement his legacy concerning China. The US-based Axios news website reports that the incumbent president wants to make it politically impossible for the Biden administration to change its course on China. Andrey Karneev, who heads the Higher School of Economics Asian and African Studies Department, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that Trump’s plans are similar to the last few weeks of the Obama administration, back when it worked on measures to punish Russia, not China. "For example, Russian diplomats were expelled from the US. Trump can also follow this path, but against China. Trump holds a serious grudge against China. Were it not for the epidemic, he would have had more chances of getting reelected. In the very beginning of 2020, the economic situation was very favorable for Trump. So, he will try to cement anti-China sentiment in US politics. On the other hand, it won’t be hard for Biden to confirm the sanctions for Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The Democratic Party accused Trump of caring solely about trade and the economy, while ignoring human rights. Consequently, sanctions in this sphere will not tie Biden’s hands, they will help him carry out his policy. The criticism of China is an area where the Republicans and the Democrats are more or less united," the expert pointed out. Alexander Lukin, who heads the International Affairs Department at the Higher School of Economics, also noted that there are similarities in Trump’s approach to Russia at the beginning of his term and the situation Biden finds himself in. "As soon as Trump tried to improve relations with Russia, Democrats attacked him, branding him a traitor. And now, the Republicans are ready to do the same regarding China. If Biden takes any steps to improve relations, the Republicans will say that he is betraying the country’s interests," the expert told the paper. Kommersant: Russian companies report cyber attacks by US hackers
Read also Number of cybercrimes in Russia up by 77% in 2020
In the past six months, US-linked hackers have been the main source of cyber threats to Russian companies, according to data provided by Check Point and in Kommersant’s possession that the paper reported. Before that, Russian hackers had taken the lead. The overall number of attacks has dropped by nearly a quarter. Hacker groups have left commercial structures for lone hackers, switching to critical information infrastructure targets and government bodies, cyber security companies told the paper. From May to October 2020, US hackers were the main source of cyber threats to Russia, carrying out 36% of the total number of attacks, while Russian hackers accounted for 29%, a report by Check Point notes. Before that, Russian hackers had been in the lead with 39% of the attacks carried out in January 2020, while the Americans were behind 30% of the recorded cyber offenses, Kommersant reported in February. The countries of origin reflect the data seen by cyber security experts, however, this may be a ruse, and the perpetrators may simply be posing as foreign hackers, Check Point Software Technologies executive in Russia and the CIS Vasily Dyagilev stressed. Criminals have "no nationality," cyber security expert Denis Batrankov told the paper. The main issue is that there is no united system of cooperation between states that could allow hackers to be nabbed. For example, attacks from Ukraine "are completely impossible to investigate" due to political differences, while the UK and US will never give up a Russian hacker attacking Russian targets, and it is impossible to track money, since all states "look the other way" regarding anonymous currencies that hackers request, the expert explained. Meanwhile, only one in a thousand cyber attacks may be considered political, as the rest of them are usually carried out by unqualified hackers, Batrankov noted. Kommersant: Russian IT companies’ share among developing countries reaches mere 3%


tass--2020-11-17--Kremlin blasts US attempts to extend its jurisdiction to other countries

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Russia is critical of US attempts to spread its jurisdiction to other countries , presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said about the US Senate ’ s adoption of the Rodchenkov Act .
`` Certainly , we took note of that , '' Peskov said .
`` As you may know , in the context of this document and in general we are extremely critical of any attempts by the United States to extend its jurisdiction to other countries . ''
The Kremlin spokesman believes that `` this can cause nothing but concern . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ us and we disagree with them , '' he said .
The bill passed by the US Senate would allow US justice officials to seek prosecution for doping conspirators in competitions involving American athletes .
The Rodchenkov Act will apply to all competitions held in accordance with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) and envisages the possibility of prosecuting any person around the world involved in a doping collusion at competitions where the United States is present .
The act was named after a former director of the Moscow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is positioned as WADA ’ s chief informer in the case of doping violations in Russian sports .
In October , the bill was approved by the House of Representatives of the US Congress .
Now the US president has ten days to sign it into law .
Earlier , WADA repeatedly opposed the adoption of this act and expressed concern over its exterritorial aspect .
Also , the agency pointed to the risk of legal redundancy in different jurisdictions , which would destabilize the anti-doping structure and the existence of a set @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Russia is critical of US attempts to spread its jurisdiction to other countries, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said about the US Senate’s adoption of the Rodchenkov Act.
"Certainly, we took note of that," Peskov said. "As you may know, in the context of this document and in general we are extremely critical of any attempts by the United States to extend its jurisdiction to other countries."
The Kremlin spokesman believes that "this can cause nothing but concern." "Such transborder practices do not suit us and we disagree with them," he said.
The bill passed by the US Senate would allow US justice officials to seek prosecution for doping conspirators in competitions involving American athletes. The Rodchenkov Act will apply to all competitions held in accordance with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and envisages the possibility of prosecuting any person around the world involved in a doping collusion at competitions where the United States is present.
The act was named after a former director of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, who is positioned as WADA’s chief informer in the case of doping violations in Russian sports. In October, the bill was approved by the House of Representatives of the US Congress. Now the US president has ten days to sign it into law.
Earlier, WADA repeatedly opposed the adoption of this act and expressed concern over its exterritorial aspect. Also, the agency pointed to the risk of legal redundancy in different jurisdictions, which would destabilize the anti-doping structure and the existence of a set of unified rules for all athletes around the world.


tass--2020-11-17--Russia to launch Soyuz-2 rocket with communications satellites on November 24

PLESETSK /Arkhangelsk Region/ , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu checked preparations for the launch of a Soyuz-2 carrier rocket with a cluster of satellites scheduled for November 24 , the Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday .
Commander-in-Chief of Russia ’ s Aerospace Force Colonel General Sergei Surovikin reported to the defense minister , `` the launch of the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket for putting a cluster of satellites into orbit will take place on November 24 and currently a combat team of the Defense Ministry of Russia is completing technological operations for preparing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pad . ''
A source in the space industry earlier told TASS that three Gonets-M communications satellites were scheduled to be launched from the Plesetsk spaceport in northern Russia on November 24 .
The Gonets is Russia ’ s sole low-orbit satellite communications system designed for the global exchange of various types of information with mobile and stationary facilities , and for organizing re-broadcasting channels for various purposes .
The system allows transmitting Glonass coordinate data from a mobile post to remote monitoring and communications centers , irrespective of a subscriber ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will offer communications , including telephone services , in hard-to-access places , including the Arctic , and provide infrastructure for the Internet of things .
In the future , it will allow transmitting data online from any objects , including mobile .
The orbital grouping is expected to comprise 28 satellites in low near-Earth orbit .
A Soyuz-2 medium three-stage carrier rocket delivers satellites into near-Earth orbits of various altitudes .
The first launch of a Soyuz-2 rocket took place from the Plesetsk spaceport in November 2004 .

PLESETSK /Arkhangelsk Region/, November 17. /TASS/. Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu checked preparations for the launch of a Soyuz-2 carrier rocket with a cluster of satellites scheduled for November 24, the Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.
Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Aerospace Force Colonel General Sergei Surovikin reported to the defense minister, "the launch of the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket for putting a cluster of satellites into orbit will take place on November 24 and currently a combat team of the Defense Ministry of Russia is completing technological operations for preparing the rocket for its delivery to the launch pad."
A source in the space industry earlier told TASS that three Gonets-M communications satellites were scheduled to be launched from the Plesetsk spaceport in northern Russia on November 24.
The Gonets is Russia’s sole low-orbit satellite communications system designed for the global exchange of various types of information with mobile and stationary facilities, and for organizing re-broadcasting channels for various purposes. The system allows transmitting Glonass coordinate data from a mobile post to remote monitoring and communications centers, irrespective of a subscriber’s location.
The Gonets next-generation satellite system will offer communications, including telephone services, in hard-to-access places, including the Arctic, and provide infrastructure for the Internet of things. In the future, it will allow transmitting data online from any objects, including mobile. The orbital grouping is expected to comprise 28 satellites in low near-Earth orbit.
A Soyuz-2 medium three-stage carrier rocket delivers satellites into near-Earth orbits of various altitudes. The first launch of a Soyuz-2 rocket took place from the Plesetsk spaceport in November 2004.


tass--2020-11-17--Egyptian naval group arrives in Russia's Novorossiysk for first time for joint drills

SEVASTOPOL , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
A group of the Egyptian Navy ’ s ships called at the port of Novorossiysk for the first time to participate in the Russia-Egypt Friendship Bridge-2020 naval exercise , the press office of Russia ’ s Black Sea Fleet reported on Tuesday .
`` The Egyptian naval group comprises the frigate Alexandria , the corvette El Fateh and the fast missile craft M. Fahmy .
Chief of the Egyptian Navy ’ s Operations Department Rear Admiral Mahmoud Adel Mahmoud Faizi has been appointed as the commander of the naval exercise and the head @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf , '' the press office said in a statement .
`` After the mooring of the Egyptian and Russian naval forces , the commanders of the ships within the exercise ’ s command group paid an official visit to Commander of the Novorossiysk Naval Base Rear Admiral Viktor Kochemazov and the head of the Novorossiysk administration , '' the statement says .
The crews of the ships participating in the joint naval exercise laid flowers at the Memorial on the Alley of Heroes , paying tribute to the soldiers who had died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany , the press office said .
The Russian-Egyptian Friendship Bridge-2020 drills will run in Novorossiysk and at the Black Sea Fleet ’ s naval combat training ranges on November 17-24 .
The drills envisage the onshore and offshore phases that will be held in the Black Sea for the first time .
The drills aim to strengthen and develop military cooperation between the Russian and Egyptian Navies in the interests of security and stability at sea and to exchange experience between the personnel in repelling various threats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statement says .
During the maneuvers , the Russian and Egyptian Navies will practice all types of ships ’ protection and defense with firings against surface and air targets .
Separate drills will be held to practice abeam replenishment at sea , measures to inspect suspicious vessels and render assistance to a ship in distress with the search for and the rescue of a drowning person , the press office said .
The Russian and Egyptian Navies have been holding Friendship Bridge drills since 2015 .

SEVASTOPOL, November 17. /TASS/. A group of the Egyptian Navy’s ships called at the port of Novorossiysk for the first time to participate in the Russia-Egypt Friendship Bridge-2020 naval exercise, the press office of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet reported on Tuesday.
"The Egyptian naval group comprises the frigate Alexandria, the corvette El Fateh and the fast missile craft M. Fahmy. Chief of the Egyptian Navy’s Operations Department Rear Admiral Mahmoud Adel Mahmoud Faizi has been appointed as the commander of the naval exercise and the head of the delegation on Egypt’s behalf," the press office said in a statement.
"After the mooring of the Egyptian and Russian naval forces, the commanders of the ships within the exercise’s command group paid an official visit to Commander of the Novorossiysk Naval Base Rear Admiral Viktor Kochemazov and the head of the Novorossiysk administration," the statement says.
The crews of the ships participating in the joint naval exercise laid flowers at the Memorial on the Alley of Heroes, paying tribute to the soldiers who had died during the Soviet Union’s 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany, the press office said.
The Russian-Egyptian Friendship Bridge-2020 drills will run in Novorossiysk and at the Black Sea Fleet’s naval combat training ranges on November 17-24. The drills envisage the onshore and offshore phases that will be held in the Black Sea for the first time. The drills aim to strengthen and develop military cooperation between the Russian and Egyptian Navies in the interests of security and stability at sea and to exchange experience between the personnel in repelling various threats in the areas of intensive shipping, the statement says.
During the maneuvers, the Russian and Egyptian Navies will practice all types of ships’ protection and defense with firings against surface and air targets. Separate drills will be held to practice abeam replenishment at sea, measures to inspect suspicious vessels and render assistance to a ship in distress with the search for and the rescue of a drowning person, the press office said.
The Russian and Egyptian Navies have been holding Friendship Bridge drills since 2015.


tass--2020-11-17--Russia airlifts 64 pieces of military equipment for peacekeepers in Karabakh in one day

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Russia ’ s military transport planes Ilyushin-76 and Antonov-124 have delivered to Armenia 64 motor vehicles and other equipment , including armored personnel carriers and trucks , over the past 24 hours , the Russian Defense Ministry ’ s press service said on Tuesday .
`` Over the past 24 hours Ilyushin-76 and Antonov-124 planes of Russia ’ s Aerospace Force operating from the Ulyanovsk-Vostochny airdrome have carried out 22 flights to deliver to Armenia 64 motor vehicles and other pieces of equipment - armored personnel carriers , cross-country motor vehicles , tanker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and support equipment , '' the Defense Ministry said .
The personnel and military vehicles are forming columns for a march to Nagorno-Karabakh .
`` Helicopters Mi-8 and Mi-24 provide air protection on the route , '' the Defense Ministry said .
On November 9 , Russian President Vladimir Putin , Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10 .
The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region .
According to the Russian Defense Ministry , units from the 15th separate motor rifle brigade of the Central Military District constitute the contingent ’ s backbone .
Russian observer posts have been stationed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire agreement .
The peacekeeping operation ’ s command center is near Stepanakert .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Russia’s military transport planes Ilyushin-76 and Antonov-124 have delivered to Armenia 64 motor vehicles and other equipment, including armored personnel carriers and trucks, over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service said on Tuesday.
"Over the past 24 hours Ilyushin-76 and Antonov-124 planes of Russia’s Aerospace Force operating from the Ulyanovsk-Vostochny airdrome have carried out 22 flights to deliver to Armenia 64 motor vehicles and other pieces of equipment - armored personnel carriers, cross-country motor vehicles, tanker trucks, earthmoving machines and other logistic and support equipment," the Defense Ministry said.
The personnel and military vehicles are forming columns for a march to Nagorno-Karabakh. "Helicopters Mi-8 and Mi-24 provide air protection on the route," the Defense Ministry said.
On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. The Russian leader said the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides would maintain the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to the region.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, units from the 15th separate motor rifle brigade of the Central Military District constitute the contingent’s backbone. Russian observer posts have been stationed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire agreement. The peacekeeping operation’s command center is near Stepanakert.


tass--2020-11-17--Russian security chief praises post-Soviet bloc’s handling of pandemic

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has offered to develop collective approaches to cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization ( CSTO ) in the sphere of biosecurity .
`` We will need to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the pandemic ’ s consequences , developing collective approaches to CSTO cooperation in the sphere of biosecurity , '' he said during a video session of the CSTO Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils .
`` The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic poses one of the biggest challenges .
The rapid spread of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ practically in the entire world , the global political and economic systems are being tested , '' he stated .
Patrushev added that in his opinion , the CSTO states are dealing well with this difficult situation .
`` In order to overcome the fallout of the pandemic , it is important to exchange current information , provide the necessary aid to each other , namely through the supply of tests , medicine , means of individual protection , vaccine development and testing , and conducting consultations on providing medical aid to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has offered to develop collective approaches to cooperation within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the sphere of biosecurity.
"We will need to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the pandemic’s consequences, developing collective approaches to CSTO cooperation in the sphere of biosecurity," he said during a video session of the CSTO Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils.
"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic poses one of the biggest challenges. The rapid spread of the coronavirus has changed the usual way of life practically in the entire world, the global political and economic systems are being tested," he stated. Patrushev added that in his opinion, the CSTO states are dealing well with this difficult situation.
"In order to overcome the fallout of the pandemic, it is important to exchange current information, provide the necessary aid to each other, namely through the supply of tests, medicine, means of individual protection, vaccine development and testing, and conducting consultations on providing medical aid to the citizens of our states," Patrushev noted.


tass--2020-11-17--Russia ranks 100th in the world for COVID-19 death rate, watchdog says

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Russia ranks 100th in the world in terms of the coronavirus fatality rate @ @ @ @ @ Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova said on @ @ @ @ @ 62nd in the world in terms of morbidity per 100,000 population and 100th in terms @ @ @ @ @ she said at an online symposium on COVID-19 .
Russia ’ s COVID-19 mortality rate @ @ @ @ @ % , Popova added .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Russia ranks 100th in the world in terms of the coronavirus fatality rate, Head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova said on Tuesday.
"Russia ranks 62nd in the world in terms of morbidity per 100,000 population and 100th in terms of mortality rate," she said at an online symposium on COVID-19.
Russia’s COVID-19 mortality rate currently stands at about 1.7%, Popova added.


tass--2020-11-17--Xinhua Sports: 2020 Yiwu Half Marathon kicks off

YIWU , China , November 17 .
/PRNewswire/ .
A news report from Xinhua Sports : 8:00 A.M. on November 15 , 2020 Yiwu Half Marathon kicks off .
Over 10,000 runners joins in three major events , half marathon , mini marathon and parent-child marathon .
After a close race , Cao Tianxiang has won men 's half marathon at 1:07:50 , and Zhao Na has won female 's half marathon at 1:17:18 .
Yiwu Marathon has been running for 6 years , with a continuously improved racing level .
In 2019 , Yiwu Marathon won the title of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Themed as `` New Silk Road , Start to Run '' , the event has attracted over 10,000 runners .
Apart from the classic routes of previous years , the Yiwu Botanical Garden stage has been added .
After passing through Yiwu Port , the contestants will come to Yiwu Botanical Garden from Xicheng North Road , traveling 4 kilometers in the `` City Green Lung '' , and then follow the main road , Shangcheng Avenue back to the finish line .
The newly-added botanical garden stage is a featured spot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Yiwu is not only a big wholesale market , but also a happy city that is livable and enjoyable .
The marathon has been demonstrating the image of Yiwu as a `` Free Trade Zone '' city , promoting the integration of Yiwu 's business and sports , and bringing new vitality into the development of Yiwu .
Yiwu is not only the world-renowned commodity capital , but also a booming modern city .
Today , Yiwu has connected to more than 2 million small , medium and micro enterprises , more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , and connected to trillion-level business entities .
As one of the important windows of China 's reform and opening up , Yiwu has established trade relations with more than 200 countries and regions .
The 13,052-kilometer-long Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe train are carrying tens of thousands of Yiwu goods , which are sold all over the world .

YIWU, China, November 17. /PRNewswire/. A news report from Xinhua Sports: 8:00 A.M. on November 15, 2020 Yiwu Half Marathon kicks off. Over 10,000 runners joins in three major events, half marathon, mini marathon and parent-child marathon. After a close race, Cao Tianxiang has won men's half marathon at 1:07:50, and Zhao Na has won female's half marathon at 1:17:18.
Yiwu Marathon has been running for 6 years, with a continuously improved racing level. In 2019, Yiwu Marathon won the title of Gold Medal Event of China Athletics Association.
Themed as "New Silk Road, Start to Run", the event has attracted over 10,000 runners. Apart from the classic routes of previous years, the Yiwu Botanical Garden stage has been added. After passing through Yiwu Port, the contestants will come to Yiwu Botanical Garden from Xicheng North Road, traveling 4 kilometers in the "City Green Lung", and then follow the main road, Shangcheng Avenue back to the finish line.
The newly-added botanical garden stage is a featured spot to promoting Yiwu. Runners can see that Yiwu is not only a big wholesale market, but also a happy city that is livable and enjoyable. The marathon has been demonstrating the image of Yiwu as a "Free Trade Zone" city, promoting the integration of Yiwu's business and sports, and bringing new vitality into the development of Yiwu.
Yiwu is not only the world-renowned commodity capital, but also a booming modern city. Today, Yiwu has connected to more than 2 million small, medium and micro enterprises, more than 20 million industrial workers across the country, and connected to trillion-level business entities.
As one of the important windows of China's reform and opening up, Yiwu has established trade relations with more than 200 countries and regions. The 13,052-kilometer-long Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe train are carrying tens of thousands of Yiwu goods, which are sold all over the world.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1334634/10000_runners_running_through_Yiwu_city.jpg


tass--2020-11-17--Russia reports 442 coronavirus deaths in past 24 hours, new daily record-high

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
The number of coronavirus-related fatalities in Russia went up by 442 , compared @ @ @ @ @ .
This is a new record-high for the country , while 33,931 people died from @ @ @ @ @ national anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters Tuesday .
The provisional death rate stands at 1.72 @ @ @ @ @ ’ s data shows .
In particular , 74 new fatalities were recorded in Moscow @ @ @ @ @ ( 69 ) , the Krasnoyarsk Region ( 20 ) , the Rostov Region ( @ @ @ @ @ Region ( 16 ) and the Moscow Region ( 15 ) .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. The number of coronavirus-related fatalities in Russia went up by 442, compared to 303 a day earlier. This is a new record-high for the country, while 33,931 people died from COVID-19 in Russia, the national anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters Tuesday.
The provisional death rate stands at 1.72%, the crisis center’s data shows.
In particular, 74 new fatalities were recorded in Moscow, followed by St. Petersburg (69), the Krasnoyarsk Region (20), the Rostov Region (18), the Irkutsk Region (16) and the Moscow Region (15).


tass--2020-11-17--Russia documents 22,410 cases of COVID-19 in past 24 hours

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Russia has documented 22,410 cases of COVID-19 , a disease caused by the @ @ @ @ @ past 24 hours , with the overall case count hitting 1,971,013 , the anti-coronavirus crisis @ @ @ @ @ .
The daily increase in COVID-19 cases has surpassed 22,000 for four days in a @ @ @ @ @ number of active cases , that is , patients who are undergoing treatment right now @ @ @ @ @ the first time since September 17 , from 461,265 to 461,178 .
In the past @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 cases have been documented in Moscow , 2,130 in St. Petersburg , 839 in @ @ @ @ @ in the Nizhny Novgorod Region , 351 in the Arkhangelsk Region .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Russia has documented 22,410 cases of COVID-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the past 24 hours, with the overall case count hitting 1,971,013, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Tuesday.
The daily increase in COVID-19 cases has surpassed 22,000 for four days in a row.
However, the number of active cases, that is, patients who are undergoing treatment right now, has gone down for the first time since September 17, from 461,265 to 461,178.
In the past 24 hours, 5,882 new COVID-19 cases have been documented in Moscow, 2,130 in St. Petersburg, 839 in the Moscow Region, 407 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 351 in the Arkhangelsk Region.


tass--2020-11-17--Aeroflot to resume flights to Athens from November 21

Aeroflot reminded that entry into the territory of Greece is allowed only for certain categories of passengers : citizens of @ @ @ @ @ residence permit , some other categories with special permits from the Greek authorities .
Aeroflot @ @ @ @ @ Nice from November 20 , and Aeroflot reported earlier that it will restart flying to @ @ @ @ @ 22 .
The air traffic between Russia and Cyprus has not been started formally at @ @ @ @ @ make freight and passenger flights intended primary for carriage of goods but with certain passenger @ @ @ @ @ Due to the pandemic in the spring Russia has stopped regular passenger flights with other @ @ @ @ @ number of countries have been partially resumed since summer : Belarus , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan @ @ @ @ @ , UAE , Turkey , the Unired Kingdom , Switzerland , Tanzania , Serbia , @ @ @ @ @ and Cuba .
Last week , flights with Ethiopia and the Seychelles were also formally @ @ @ @ @ none of the Russian airlines announced the start of flights to these countries .

Aeroflot reminded that entry into the territory of Greece is allowed only for certain categories of passengers: citizens of Greece, holders of a residence permit, some other categories with special permits from the Greek authorities.
Aeroflot has earlier resumed flights to Nice from November 20, and Aeroflot reported earlier that it will restart flying to Cyprus’ Larnaca from November 22. The air traffic between Russia and Cyprus has not been started formally at the moment. Many airlines make freight and passenger flights intended primary for carriage of goods but with certain passenger categories authorized on board.
Due to the pandemic in the spring Russia has stopped regular passenger flights with other countries. Flights to a number of countries have been partially resumed since summer: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Egypt, UAE, Turkey, the Unired Kingdom, Switzerland, Tanzania, Serbia, Japan, the Maldives, and Cuba. Last week, flights with Ethiopia and the Seychelles were also formally resumed, but so far none of the Russian airlines announced the start of flights to these countries.


tass--2020-11-17--Africa’s coronavirus deaths top 47,100

Africa’s coronavirus deaths top 47,100

The number of coronavirus-related fatalities went up by 126 in the past 24 hours to reach 47,198 , while more than 1.6 million people recovered .
PRETORIA , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa reached 1,880,975 after 6,975 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours , eNCA TV reported Tuesday , citing the regional World Health Organization ( WHO ) office .
Number of COVID-19 cases across globe up by over 528,000 in past day - WHO South Africa accounts for the biggest number of infections ( 751,024 ) and deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has recorded 6,442 virus-related deaths and 110,547 infections .
Morocco reported 4,697 fatalities .
In Sub-Saharan Africa , Kenya is ranked second after South Africa with with 70,245 coronavirus infections and 1,269 fatalities , followed by Nigeria ( 65,148 and 1,163 ) .
In late December 2019 , Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan , in central China .
Since then , cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ globe .
On March 11 , 2020 , the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic .

The number of coronavirus-related fatalities went up by 126 in the past 24 hours to reach 47,198, while more than 1.6 million people recovered.
PRETORIA, November 17. /TASS/. The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Africa reached 1,880,975 after 6,975 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, eNCA TV reported Tuesday, citing the regional World Health Organization (WHO) office.
Number of COVID-19 cases across globe up by over 528,000 in past day - WHO
South Africa accounts for the biggest number of infections (751,024) and deaths (20,241). Egypt, meanwhile, has recorded 6,442 virus-related deaths and 110,547 infections. Morocco reported 4,697 fatalities.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya is ranked second after South Africa with with 70,245 coronavirus infections and 1,269 fatalities, followed by Nigeria (65,148 and 1,163).
In late December 2019, Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.


tass--2020-11-17--Takara Belmont Discovers Changes at Core of Hair Structure

OSAKA , Japan , November 17 .
/PRNewswire/ .
Takara Belmont Corporation ( hereinafter Takara Belmont ) has developed a new technology for analyzing hair , leading to the discovery of structural changes in the medulla , the central part of hair previously largely not visible to researchers .
As a result , it has developed a new hair care system , designated `` Hair Medulla Care , '' which beautifies hair by reconstructing the medulla .
Looking ahead , Takara Belmont will build on these findings to deepen scientific knowledge of the medulla , with a view to applying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The research findings were selected for a prestigious oral presentation at the 31st IFSCC Congress 2020 Yokohama , the academic conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists , held online from October 21 to October 30 , 2020 .
About the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists : https : //kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202011116992-O2-u3P134eu.pdf Hair structure is generally divided into three regions : the cuticle on the outside , the cortex , and then the medulla core .
Hair is a field of cosmetic research in which much remains to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little is known about the detailed structure and function of the medulla .
To unlock its secrets , the Takara Belmont Cosmetics Laboratory has developed a new hair-sectioning technology for directly observing the internal structure in order to analyze the medulla in detail .
The key feature of this technology is Takara Belmont 's original method of cutting individual hairs lengthwise to observe it , a first for the industry .
Using this hair-sectioning technology , it was discovered that two types of medulla exist : the `` black medulla '' in which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black and unclear , and the `` white medulla '' which scatters less light , resulting in a white and clear appearance .
In the white medulla , the central fibrous structure is thicker and has fewer than half the pores of the black medulla .
Based on this knowledge , Takara Belmont succeeded in developing Hair Medulla Care , a method for filling a porous black medulla , changing it into white medulla-like condition and then maintaining that state .
For example , the whitest and most apparent gray hair samples taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ large number of black medulla .
When the company applied the Hair Medulla Care treatment to these gray hairs , it was able to confirm that their transparency improved , and they took on a more beautiful appearance , a significant finding which it predicts will excite the beauty industry .
Hidetaka Yoshikawa , Chairman and CEO of Takara Belmont , states : `` I feel extremely pleased that our research institute has been able to report this kind of world-first result .
I consider this to be an extremely important discovery for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I aim to contribute to the beauty industry and wider society in the form of cosmetics development , so that many people from all walks of life can enjoy beautiful hair . ''
Takara Belmont will pursue further research into Hair Medulla Care and investigate a variety of hair conditions in addition to graying in order to accelerate medulla research and its application to products .
Going forward , Takara Belmont will create new technologies and new value , apply them to merchandise and services , and spread the hope of beauty by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worldwide , aiming for the realization of the ideal hair of each person , and maximizing the potential of this research .
Company Name : Takara Belmont Corp. Representative : Hidetaka Yoshikawa , Chairman and CEO Locations : Osaka Headquarters : 2-1-1 , Higashishinsaibashi , Chuo-ku , Osaka Tokyo Headquarters : 7-1-19 , Akasaka , Minato-ku , Tokyo Founded : October 5 , 1921 Capital : 300 million yen No .
of employees : 1,544 ( as of March 31 , 2020 ) Line of business : Hairdressing-related appliances and equipment , cosmetics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment CONTACT : Miki Hiraoka ( Ms. ) , Naomi Kubo ( Ms. ) , Takara Belmont Corporation , Tel : +81-6-7636-0856 , Email : kouhou @ takara-net.com , *For inquiries , please contact us by email only .

OSAKA, Japan, November 17. /PRNewswire/. Takara Belmont Corporation (hereinafter Takara Belmont) has developed a new technology for analyzing hair, leading to the discovery of structural changes in the medulla, the central part of hair previously largely not visible to researchers. As a result, it has developed a new hair care system, designated "Hair Medulla Care," which beautifies hair by reconstructing the medulla. Looking ahead, Takara Belmont will build on these findings to deepen scientific knowledge of the medulla, with a view to applying the research in new hair care products.
Research outline: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202011116992-O1-B8PfIAWa.pdf
The research findings were selected for a prestigious oral presentation at the 31st IFSCC Congress 2020 Yokohama, the academic conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists, held online from October 21 to October 30, 2020.
About the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202011116992-O2-u3P134eu.pdf
Hair structure is generally divided into three regions: the cuticle on the outside, the cortex, and then the medulla core. Hair is a field of cosmetic research in which much remains to be discovered and, in particular, very little is known about the detailed structure and function of the medulla. To unlock its secrets, the Takara Belmont Cosmetics Laboratory has developed a new hair-sectioning technology for directly observing the internal structure in order to analyze the medulla in detail. The key feature of this technology is Takara Belmont's original method of cutting individual hairs lengthwise to observe it, a first for the industry.
Using this hair-sectioning technology, it was discovered that two types of medulla exist: the "black medulla" in which light is scattered and the interior appears black and unclear, and the "white medulla" which scatters less light, resulting in a white and clear appearance. In the white medulla, the central fibrous structure is thicker and has fewer than half the pores of the black medulla. Based on this knowledge, Takara Belmont succeeded in developing Hair Medulla Care, a method for filling a porous black medulla, changing it into white medulla-like condition and then maintaining that state. For example, the whitest and most apparent gray hair samples taken from Japanese people were characterized by a large number of black medulla. When the company applied the Hair Medulla Care treatment to these gray hairs, it was able to confirm that their transparency improved, and they took on a more beautiful appearance, a significant finding which it predicts will excite the beauty industry.
Hidetaka Yoshikawa, Chairman and CEO of Takara Belmont, states: "I feel extremely pleased that our research institute has been able to report this kind of world-first result. I consider this to be an extremely important discovery for accelerating hair research. Going forward, I aim to contribute to the beauty industry and wider society in the form of cosmetics development, so that many people from all walks of life can enjoy beautiful hair."
Takara Belmont will pursue further research into Hair Medulla Care and investigate a variety of hair conditions in addition to graying in order to accelerate medulla research and its application to products. Going forward, Takara Belmont will create new technologies and new value, apply them to merchandise and services, and spread the hope of beauty by responding to the hair-related concerns of people worldwide, aiming for the realization of the ideal hair of each person, and maximizing the potential of this research.
About Takara Belmont: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202011116992-O3-9YvJ5Vgx.pdf
Corporate Information
Company Name: Takara Belmont Corp.
Representative: Hidetaka Yoshikawa, Chairman and CEO
Locations:
Osaka Headquarters: 2-1-1, Higashishinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka
Tokyo Headquarters: 7-1-19, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Founded: October 5, 1921
Capital: 300 million yen
No. of employees: 1,544 (as of March 31, 2020)
Line of business: Hairdressing-related appliances and equipment, cosmetics, dentistry- and medical- related apparatus and equipment
Official website: https://www.takarabelmont.co.jp/global/
CONTACT: Miki Hiraoka (Ms.), Naomi Kubo (Ms.), Takara Belmont Corporation, Tel: +81-6-7636-0856, Email: kouhou@takara-net.com, *For inquiries, please contact us by email only.


tass--2020-11-17--Infortrend EonStor CS Scale-out NAS supports RDMA

TAIPEI , November 17 .
/PRNewswire/ .
Infortrend® Technology , Inc. ( TWSE : 2495 ) , the industry-leading enterprise storage provider , has implemented RDMA for internal networks of EonStor CS scale-out NAS to boost the overall cluster performance .
Among the applications that can fully take advantage of the technology there are big data analysis , massive parallel high-performance computing ( HPC ) , and machine learning .
EonStor CS is a scale-out NAS system .
By adding more CS nodes , enterprises can get a high performance and high capacity cluster system with up to 100+ GBps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ storage for the needs of future data growth .
Scale-out expansion offers an easier and more cost-effective way of managing growing data while reducing consequent performance bottlenecks .
CS also simplifies data management by integrating data from all nodes into one cluster system .
As a cluster system , CS nodes use internal network for nodes intercommunication .
Infortrend implements Remote Direct Memory Access ( RDMA ) for cluster internal network communications to significantly improve the CS cluster performance by up to 30 % .
For preventing data loss and ensuring data protection @ @ @ @ @ @ @ node protection Erasure Code and Replica modes which are also executed between nodes via cluster internal network .
With RDMA support , CS nodes ' CPU are offloaded from data copies , and this allows cluster nodes to perform data I/O workloads directly through the memory ( 'zero-copy networking ' feature ) .
With lowered CPU load , significantly shortened network latency , and higher bandwidth , CS RDMA cluster system boosts network and host performance by leveraging its CPU for processing massive data I/O and increases IOPS .
`` Enterprises can now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latency of EonStor CS scale-out NAS cluster .
RDMA allows to bypass CPU and release its resources for applications requiring high IOPS and HPC processing massive amounts of data , '' said Frank Lee , Senior Director of Product Planning .
Infortrend ( TWSE : 2495 ) has been developing and manufacturing storage solutions since 1993 .
With a strong emphasis on in-house design , testing , and manufacturing , Infortrend storage delivers performance and scalability with the latest standards , user friendly data services , personal after-sales support , and unrivaled value @ @ @ @ @ @ @ www.infortrend.com Infortrend® and EonStor® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Infortrend Technology , Inc. ; other trademarks are the property of their respective owners .

TAIPEI, November 17. /PRNewswire/. Infortrend® Technology, Inc. (TWSE: 2495), the industry-leading enterprise storage provider, has implemented RDMA for internal networks of EonStor CS scale-out NAS to boost the overall cluster performance. Among the applications that can fully take advantage of the technology there are big data analysis, massive parallel high-performance computing (HPC), and machine learning.
EonStor CS is a scale-out NAS system. By adding more CS nodes, enterprises can get a high performance and high capacity cluster system with up to 100+ GBps Read/Write speed and more than 100PB of storage for the needs of future data growth. Scale-out expansion offers an easier and more cost-effective way of managing growing data while reducing consequent performance bottlenecks. CS also simplifies data management by integrating data from all nodes into one cluster system.
As a cluster system, CS nodes use internal network for nodes intercommunication. Infortrend implements Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) for cluster internal network communications to significantly improve the CS cluster performance by up to 30%. For preventing data loss and ensuring data protection, CS is designed with support of node protection Erasure Code and Replica modes which are also executed between nodes via cluster internal network. With RDMA support, CS nodes' CPU are offloaded from data copies, and this allows cluster nodes to perform data I/O workloads directly through the memory ('zero-copy networking' feature). With lowered CPU load, significantly shortened network latency, and higher bandwidth, CS RDMA cluster system boosts network and host performance by leveraging its CPU for processing massive data I/O and increases IOPS.
"Enterprises can now experience higher performance gains and lowered I/O latency of EonStor CS scale-out NAS cluster. RDMA allows to bypass CPU and release its resources for applications requiring high IOPS and HPC processing massive amounts of data," said Frank Lee, Senior Director of Product Planning.
Learn more about EonStor CS scale-out NAS
About Infortrend
Infortrend (TWSE: 2495) has been developing and manufacturing storage solutions since 1993. With a strong emphasis on in-house design, testing, and manufacturing, Infortrend storage delivers performance and scalability with the latest standards, user friendly data services, personal after-sales support, and unrivaled value. For more information, please visit www.infortrend.com
Infortrend® and EonStor® are trademarks or registered trademarks of Infortrend Technology, Inc.; other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: Winnie Tsai, +886-2-2226-0126 #8557, winnie.tsai@infortrend.com


tass--2020-11-17--Bulgaria’s COVID-19 cases surpass 100,000

SOFIA , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Doctors in Bulgaria recorded another 3,519 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours @ @ @ @ @ infected people has reached 101,770 , according to the Bulgarian Health Ministry ’ s United @ @ @ @ @ the ministry , 152 COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours , with the @ @ @ @ @ .
At present , 5,353 patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals , 288 of them @ @ @ @ @ .
A total of 30,317 people have recovered since the start of the pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ in the past 24 hours .
The number of medical workers who have contracted COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ reached 4,011 by now .
Bulgaria reported its first coronavirus case on March 8 .
@ @ @ @ @ authorities declared a state of emergency , which remained in effect until May 14 .
@ @ @ @ @ situation is now in effect in Bulgaria .
It has been extended until the end @ @ @

SOFIA, November 17. /TASS/. Doctors in Bulgaria recorded another 3,519 coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the total number of infected people has reached 101,770, according to the Bulgarian Health Ministry’s United Information Portal.
According to the ministry, 152 COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours, with the death toll climbing to 2,282. At present, 5,353 patients are undergoing treatment in hospitals, 288 of them are in intensive care units. A total of 30,317 people have recovered since the start of the pandemic. Bulgaria conducted 7,934 coronavirus tests in the past 24 hours.
The number of medical workers who have contracted COVID-19 continues to grow and has reached 4,011 by now.
Bulgaria reported its first coronavirus case on March 8. On March 13, the authorities declared a state of emergency, which remained in effect until May 14. A state of emergency epidemiological situation is now in effect in Bulgaria. It has been extended until the end of November.


tass--2020-11-17--Sanya Beach Handball Invitational Kicks off in Hainan

SANYA , China , November 17 .
/PRNewswire/ .
From Nov. 12 to 13 , 2020 , `` Beautiful Sanya Lishan Distillery Cup '' Beach Handball Invitational 2020 organized by SABGOC was held in Sanya .
Anhui women 's team and Shandong men 's team won the championship in the match .
The beach handball competition was divided into men 's and women 's groups from Anhui , Jiangsu , Shandong and some other regions in China .
Shandong beat Anhui 2-0 to win the men 's team title at the 2020 Sanya Beach Handball Invitational Tournament here on last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beginning of the match , while Shandong used defensive counterattacking tactics , with the goalkeeper scoring directly when the Anhui players did not come to the defensive positions .
The two teams played hard in the second half , Anhui was one point behind Shandong at the last second of the match , but Wang Wenjun did not score in the following free kick for Anhui .
`` We won mainly in teamwork and defence , and we showed our usual training level today , '' said Sun Haonan , a player for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Anhui beat the Chinese young women 's national team 2-0 to win the title .
The Anhui women 's team , which has many national team players , with an average age of 22 , won the match easily with their height and experience .
Cheng Qiao , deputy secretary general of the Chinese Handball Association , said that beach handball is entertaining for audience due to the athletes ' fancy shooting skills such as the 360-degree twist in the air in pursuit of two points .
According to Zhou Jun , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Beautiful Sanya 2020 '' competition series is designed as a practice run for the working process of The Games .
The Sixth Asian Beach Games Sanya 2020 Organising Committee will spare no effort to ensure the operation of the invitational while carefully adhering to epidemic prevention and control .
Image Attachments Links : http : //asianetnews.net/view-attachment ?
attach-id=376886 Caption : On November 13 , in the women 's finals , Anhui beat Chinese youth team 2-0 to win the woman 's team title .
Zhang Tianjie of the Anhui team attacked in @ @ @

SANYA, China, November 17. /PRNewswire/. From Nov. 12 to 13, 2020, "Beautiful Sanya Lishan Distillery Cup" Beach Handball Invitational 2020 organized by SABGOC was held in Sanya. Anhui women's team and Shandong men's team won the championship in the match. The beach handball competition was divided into men's and women's groups from Anhui, Jiangsu, Shandong and some other regions in China.
Shandong beat Anhui 2-0 to win the men's team title at the 2020 Sanya Beach Handball Invitational Tournament here on last Friday. Anhui attacked fiercely at the beginning of the match, while Shandong used defensive counterattacking tactics, with the goalkeeper scoring directly when the Anhui players did not come to the defensive positions. The two teams played hard in the second half, Anhui was one point behind Shandong at the last second of the match, but Wang Wenjun did not score in the following free kick for Anhui. "We won mainly in teamwork and defence, and we showed our usual training level today," said Sun Haonan, a player for Shandong.
In the women's event, Anhui beat the Chinese young women's national team 2-0 to win the title. The Anhui women's team, which has many national team players, with an average age of 22, won the match easily with their height and experience. Cheng Qiao, deputy secretary general of the Chinese Handball Association, said that beach handball is entertaining for audience due to the athletes' fancy shooting skills such as the 360-degree twist in the air in pursuit of two points.
According to Zhou Jun, Vice Mayor of Sanya City, the "Beautiful Sanya 2020" competition series is designed as a practice run for the working process of The Games. The Sixth Asian Beach Games Sanya 2020 Organising Committee will spare no effort to ensure the operation of the invitational while carefully adhering to epidemic prevention and control.
Image Attachments Links: http://asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=376886
Caption: On November 13, in the women's finals, Anhui beat Chinese youth team 2-0 to win the woman's team title. Zhang Tianjie of the Anhui team attacked in the game.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1335088/Sanya_Beach_Handball_Invitational.jpg
CONTACT: Ms. Qiu, Tel: +86-10-63074558


tass--2020-11-17--Kazakhstan registers over 600 new coronavirus cases

NUR-SULTAN , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Doctors in Kazakhstan recorded 602 new coronavirus cases , 14 more than a day earlier , and the total caseload reached 121,653 , the government ’ s inter-agency commission for preventing the coronavirus spread reported on Tuesday .
In the past eight days , some 564-704 new coronavirus cases were confirmed .
The share of those infected stood at 0.6 % of the country ’ s 18.8 mln population .
The coronavirus spread rate in the past eight days reached 1.05 .
The biggest number of 1,962 cases per day was reported on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a total of 110,382 people have recovered , including 438 in the past 24 hours .
The coronavirus death toll has hit 1,945 , climbing by seven in the past day .
A total of 4,071,101 tests for COVID-19 have been carried out as of November 16 .
Some 2.98 % of those who passed tests were infected .
On August 1 , the Kazakh Health Ministry changed its method for counting coronavirus cases .
Apart from confirmed COVID-19 patients , the data now includes patients diagnosed with pneumonia who test negative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to COVID-19 .
As many as 40,197 such cases and 420 deaths were recorded in the country as of November 16 .
A state of coronavirus emergency was in effect in Kazakhstan between March 16 and May 11 .
Due to a rise in infections , the country ’ s authorities introduced a number of additional quarantine restrictions on July 5 .
The gradual easing of restrictions began on August 17 .
However , restrictions were tightened in mid-October in the cities of Nur-Sultan and Almaty , as well as in some other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to prevent a second coronavirus wave .
Since November 9 , restrictions for crossing the state border , including for cargo companies , were tightened .

NUR-SULTAN, November 17. /TASS/. Doctors in Kazakhstan recorded 602 new coronavirus cases, 14 more than a day earlier, and the total caseload reached 121,653, the government’s inter-agency commission for preventing the coronavirus spread reported on Tuesday.
In the past eight days, some 564-704 new coronavirus cases were confirmed. The share of those infected stood at 0.6% of the country’s 18.8 mln population. The coronavirus spread rate in the past eight days reached 1.05. The biggest number of 1,962 cases per day was reported on July 9.
According to the commission, a total of 110,382 people have recovered, including 438 in the past 24 hours. The coronavirus death toll has hit 1,945, climbing by seven in the past day.
A total of 4,071,101 tests for COVID-19 have been carried out as of November 16. Some 2.98% of those who passed tests were infected.
On August 1, the Kazakh Health Ministry changed its method for counting coronavirus cases. Apart from confirmed COVID-19 patients, the data now includes patients diagnosed with pneumonia who test negative for the coronavirus but have symptoms similar to COVID-19. As many as 40,197 such cases and 420 deaths were recorded in the country as of November 16.
A state of coronavirus emergency was in effect in Kazakhstan between March 16 and May 11. Due to a rise in infections, the country’s authorities introduced a number of additional quarantine restrictions on July 5. The gradual easing of restrictions began on August 17. However, restrictions were tightened in mid-October in the cities of Nur-Sultan and Almaty, as well as in some other regions of the country, in order to prevent a second coronavirus wave. Since November 9, restrictions for crossing the state border, including for cargo companies, were tightened.


tass--2020-11-17--Crew Dragon spacecraft with four astronauts aboard docks with ISS

NEW YORK , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
The US SpaceX ’ s Crew Dragon manned spacecraft with four astronauts aboard docked with the International Space Station , according to live broadcast of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) website .
The manned spacecraft ’ s docking with the ISS is performed in an automatic mode .
In case of the need , a manual docking by the commander is possible , like on Russia ’ s Soyuz .
`` The Crew Dragon `` Resilience '' docked at 11:01pm ET .
With confirmation of hard capture complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's @ SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts aboard is officially attached to the @ Space_Station , '' NASA said .
The crew confirmed on its Twitter account that the effort was successful .
Currently , leak checks are underway .
The docking came with a six-minute delay .
This was needed to wait for the daybreak and clearly see the orbital facility .
The crew dubbed Resilience includes NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins , Victor Glover , and Shannon Walker , as well as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ : the Japanese specialist flew to space twice and the Americans once while for Glover this is the first flight to the orbit .
The crew will spend six months at the ISS .
Currently , the ISS crew includes Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov as well as NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins .
The launch had been postponed from November 14 to November 15 due to inclement weather conditions .
On Sunday , during the launch preparations , the SpaceX experts discovered a small air leak which was eliminated by repeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removing small debris from the seal .
The first manned mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft was conducted this year by astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken .
The spacecraft entered the Earth ’ s orbit on May 30 and docked with the ISS automatically on May 31 .
Hurley and Behnken dubbed it Endeavour after their first space shuttle .
The launch of the Crew Dragon became the first manned flight in nine years from US soil aboard a US spacecraft .
NASA halted crewed flights in 2011 after the Space Shuttle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all astronauts were delivered to the ISS and back by Russia ’ s Soyuz spacecraft .

NEW YORK, November 17. /TASS/. The US SpaceX’s Crew Dragon manned spacecraft with four astronauts aboard docked with the International Space Station, according to live broadcast of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website.
The manned spacecraft’s docking with the ISS is performed in an automatic mode. In case of the need, a manual docking by the commander is possible, like on Russia’s Soyuz.
"The Crew Dragon "Resilience" docked at 11:01pm ET. With confirmation of hard capture complete at 11:13pm, the spacecraft with NASA's @SpaceX Crew-1 astronauts aboard is officially attached to the @Space_Station," NASA said.
The crew confirmed on its Twitter account that the effort was successful. Currently, leak checks are underway. The docking came with a six-minute delay. This was needed to wait for the daybreak and clearly see the orbital facility.
The crew dubbed Resilience includes NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins, Victor Glover, and Shannon Walker, as well as Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission specialist Soichi Noguchi. Three astronauts have previous space flight experience: the Japanese specialist flew to space twice and the Americans once while for Glover this is the first flight to the orbit.
The crew will spend six months at the ISS. Currently, the ISS crew includes Russian cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov as well as NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins.
The launch had been postponed from November 14 to November 15 due to inclement weather conditions. On Sunday, during the launch preparations, the SpaceX experts discovered a small air leak which was eliminated by repeated opening and closing of the hatch and removing small debris from the seal.
The first manned mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft was conducted this year by astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken. The spacecraft entered the Earth’s orbit on May 30 and docked with the ISS automatically on May 31. Hurley and Behnken dubbed it Endeavour after their first space shuttle. The launch of the Crew Dragon became the first manned flight in nine years from US soil aboard a US spacecraft. NASA halted crewed flights in 2011 after the Space Shuttle program came to an end. Subsequently, all astronauts were delivered to the ISS and back by Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.


tass--2020-11-17--US Senate passes Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
The US Senate has passed the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 ( RADA ) that will hold accountable individuals involved in schemes used for systematically violating anti-doping rules , the United States Anti-Doping Agency said .
The Act , which was passed unanimously in the US House of Representatives in October of last year , `` will provide the tools needed to protect clean athletes and hold accountable international doping conspiracies that defraud sport , sponsors and that harm athletes , '' USADA said .
`` The Act establishes criminal penalties for systems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ athletes , citizens and businesses .
It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation and provides restitution for athletes defrauded by conspiracies to dope .
It is a monumental day in the fight for clean sport worldwide and we look forward to seeing the Act soon become law and help change the game for clean athletes for the good , '' it noted .
The Rodchenkov Act will apply to all competitions held in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency ( WADA ) rules .
Under this Act Washington will be able to prosecute any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competitions where the US is present , be it an athlete or sponsor .
However , the Act won ’ t apply to North America ’ s professional leagues ( the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) and the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , which have not adopted WADA ’ s code .
The violators face a $ 1 mln fine and a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars .
The Act is named after former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov , who is the key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doping in Russian sport .
The document will enter into force if the US president signs it within 10 days .
Earlier , WADA had opposed the adoption of the Act on numerous occasions , voicing concerns over its extraterritorial nature .
Besides , the global agency said the document could duplicate laws in various jurisdictions , thus destabilizing the anti-doping structure stipulating a range of single rules for athletes around the world .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. The US Senate has passed the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act of 2019 (RADA) that will hold accountable individuals involved in schemes used for systematically violating anti-doping rules, the United States Anti-Doping Agency said.
The Act, which was passed unanimously in the US House of Representatives in October of last year, "will provide the tools needed to protect clean athletes and hold accountable international doping conspiracies that defraud sport, sponsors and that harm athletes," USADA said.
"The Act establishes criminal penalties for systems that carry out doping-fraud schemes that rob athletes, citizens and businesses. It also protects whistleblowers from retaliation and provides restitution for athletes defrauded by conspiracies to dope. It is a monumental day in the fight for clean sport worldwide and we look forward to seeing the Act soon become law and help change the game for clean athletes for the good," it noted.
The Rodchenkov Act will apply to all competitions held in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules. Under this Act Washington will be able to prosecute any person on the globe, involved in competitions where the US is present, be it an athlete or sponsor. However, the Act won’t apply to North America’s professional leagues (the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Hockey League (NHL), which have not adopted WADA’s code. The violators face a $1 mln fine and a sentence of up to 10 years behind bars.
The Act is named after former head of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov, who is the key whistleblower for WADA in the case on doping in Russian sport. The document will enter into force if the US president signs it within 10 days.
Earlier, WADA had opposed the adoption of the Act on numerous occasions, voicing concerns over its extraterritorial nature. Besides, the global agency said the document could duplicate laws in various jurisdictions, thus destabilizing the anti-doping structure stipulating a range of single rules for athletes around the world.


tass--2020-11-17--Some 300 people dealing with aftermath of crude oil train derailment near Vladimir

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Nearly 300 people are dealing with the aftermath of an accident when 35 @ @ @ @ @ with crude oil derailed near Vladimir , central Russia , the Emergencies Ministry reported on @ @ @ @ @ of the slick at the site of the oil spill after tank cars came off @ @ @ @ @ meters .
Specialists of the Emergencies Ministry ’ s regional department used foam to prevent @ @ @ @ @ task force of 274 people and 46 pieces of equipment is working at the [ @ @ @ @ @ 78 personnel of the Russian Emergencies Ministry and 21 pieces of equipment , '' the @ @ @ @ @ , a freight train carrying crude oil derailed on the 238th km of the Gorkovskaya @ @ @ @ @ killed .
A criminal case was opened into violating safety rules resulting in the death @ @ @ @ @ .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Nearly 300 people are dealing with the aftermath of an accident when 35 carriages of a freight train with crude oil derailed near Vladimir, central Russia, the Emergencies Ministry reported on its website.
The area of the slick at the site of the oil spill after tank cars came off the tracks reached 12,500 square meters. Specialists of the Emergencies Ministry’s regional department used foam to prevent a fire.
"A task force of 274 people and 46 pieces of equipment is working at the [accident] site, including 78 personnel of the Russian Emergencies Ministry and 21 pieces of equipment," the statement said.
On Monday, a freight train carrying crude oil derailed on the 238th km of the Gorkovskaya railroad. One person was killed. A criminal case was opened into violating safety rules resulting in the death of a person by negligence.


tass--2020-11-18--Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejects Trump campaign’s lawsuit

NEW YORK , November 18 .
/TASS/ .
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump ’ s campaign , which said that election observers had been denied proper access to closely watch ballot counting in Philadelphia .
The court ruled 5-2 that observers were able to see that members of the Philadelphia County Board of Elections were performing their duties under the Election Code .
`` We conclude the Board did not act contrary to law in fashioning its regulations governing the positioning of candidate representatives during the pre-canvassing and canvassing process , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minimum distance parameters for the location of such representatives .
Critically , we find the Board ’ s regulations as applied herein were reasonable in that they allowed candidate representatives to observe the Board conducting its activities as prescribed under the Election Code , '' the court pointed out .
On November 3 , American citizens headed to the polls to elect 435 representatives to the House , 35 senators out of 100 to the Senate , and the President and Vice President of the United States .
In addition , voters decided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and numerous other local elections were held .
The November race for the White House pit Democratic contender Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris against incumbent US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence of the Republican Party .
Though the vote count is still underway , major US media outlets project that the Democratic contender has presumptively won the presidential election .
Both Fox News and Associated Press have put Biden over the top , beyond the needed 270 vote threshold .
Trump is challenging the current outcome @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in key swing states , and has filed lawsuits to fight his case in court .

NEW YORK, November 18. /TASS/. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump’s campaign, which said that election observers had been denied proper access to closely watch ballot counting in Philadelphia.
The court ruled 5-2 that observers were able to see that members of the Philadelphia County Board of Elections were performing their duties under the Election Code.
"We conclude the Board did not act contrary to law in fashioning its regulations governing the positioning of candidate representatives during the pre-canvassing and canvassing process, as the Election Code does not specify minimum distance parameters for the location of such representatives. Critically, we find the Board’s regulations as applied herein were reasonable in that they allowed candidate representatives to observe the Board conducting its activities as prescribed under the Election Code," the court pointed out.
On November 3, American citizens headed to the polls to elect 435 representatives to the House, 35 senators out of 100 to the Senate, and the President and Vice President of the United States. In addition, voters decided on 13 US state and territorial governorships, and numerous other local elections were held. The November race for the White House pit Democratic contender Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris against incumbent US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence of the Republican Party. Though the vote count is still underway, major US media outlets project that the Democratic contender has presumptively won the presidential election. Both Fox News and Associated Press have put Biden over the top, beyond the needed 270 vote threshold. Trump is challenging the current outcome, claiming irregularities in the ballot processing in key swing states, and has filed lawsuits to fight his case in court.


tass--2020-11-18--Unclear why Armenian PM was reluctant to allow refugees to return to Shusha, Putin says

NOVO-OGARYOVO , November 18 .
/TASS/ .
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ’ s reason to reject Azerbaijan ’ s demand concerning the return of refugees to the city of Shusha was unclear , Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired on Rossiya-1 .
According to Putin , the issue of Shusha `` emerged during this round of conflict . ''
`` I held a series of telephone talks with President [ of Azerbaijan Ilham ] Aliyev and Prime Minister [ of Armenia Nikol ] Pashinyan on October 19-20 .
It was when the Azerbaijani Armed Forced retook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Karabakh , '' the Russian president said .
`` On the whole , I managed to convince President Aliyev that it was possible to end hostilities but his condition was that refugees would return to their homes , including to Shusha . ''
`` I did not expect our Armenian partners to put it that way , saying that it was unacceptable for them .
Prime Minister Pashinyan told me openly that he viewed it as a threat to the interests of Armenia and Karabakh .
I still can ’ t understand what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it was civilians that were supposed to return and Armenia was expected to retain control of that part of Karabakh , including Shusha , with our peacekeepers deployed there , '' Putin pointed out .
`` We all understand perfectly well that , given the severity of the conflict and the fact that wound haven ’ t healed yet , they are fresh , there have been many losses , many families have been affected both in Azerbaijan and Armenia , that it will take time for the situation to calm down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ view , `` until then , there is a need to ensure the actual safety of people , particularly refugees from both sides . ''
`` This is the mission of Russian peacekeepers , '' he emphasized .

NOVO-OGARYOVO, November 18. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s reason to reject Azerbaijan’s demand concerning the return of refugees to the city of Shusha was unclear, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired on Rossiya-1.
According to Putin, the issue of Shusha "emerged during this round of conflict."
"I held a series of telephone talks with President [of Azerbaijan Ilham] Aliyev and Prime Minister [of Armenia Nikol] Pashinyan on October 19-20. It was when the Azerbaijani Armed Forced retook control of a small part of southern Karabakh," the Russian president said. "On the whole, I managed to convince President Aliyev that it was possible to end hostilities but his condition was that refugees would return to their homes, including to Shusha." "I did not expect our Armenian partners to put it that way, saying that it was unacceptable for them. Prime Minister Pashinyan told me openly that he viewed it as a threat to the interests of Armenia and Karabakh. I still can’t understand what threat it would have posed, provided that it was civilians that were supposed to return and Armenia was expected to retain control of that part of Karabakh, including Shusha, with our peacekeepers deployed there," Putin pointed out.
"We all understand perfectly well that, given the severity of the conflict and the fact that wound haven’t healed yet, they are fresh, there have been many losses, many families have been affected both in Azerbaijan and Armenia, that it will take time for the situation to calm down," Putin noted. In his view, "until then, there is a need to ensure the actual safety of people, particularly refugees from both sides." "This is the mission of Russian peacekeepers," he emphasized.


tass--2020-11-18--Putin dismisses allegations about Russia's changed attitude to Armenia under Pashinyan

NOVO-OGARYOVO , November 18 .
/TASS/ .
The fact that Nikol Pashinyan became Armenia ’ s prime minister on a wave of protests in 2018 did not affect Moscow ’ s relations with Yerevan , Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Russian media outlets , which was aired on Russia-1 and Russia-24 .
`` I haven ’ t noticed anything special about our relations with Armenia recently , particularly during Prime Minister Pashinyan ’ s term , '' Putin pointed out .
According to the Russian president , he has `` rather trust-based and constructive '' relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I don ’ t get these hints [ at changes in Moscow ’ s attitude to Yerevan ] , '' he added .
`` There are centuries-long relations between Russia and the Armenian people , which date back to the distant past .
Our relations are based on cultural and religious affinity , as well as on strong historical , and it is even more important than relations between individuals , '' the Russian president emphasized .
Armenia ’ s parliament elected Pashinyan as the country 's prime minister in May 2018 after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under opposition pressure .

NOVO-OGARYOVO, November 18. /TASS/. The fact that Nikol Pashinyan became Armenia’s prime minister on a wave of protests in 2018 did not affect Moscow’s relations with Yerevan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with Russian media outlets, which was aired on Russia-1 and Russia-24.
"I haven’t noticed anything special about our relations with Armenia recently, particularly during Prime Minister Pashinyan’s term," Putin pointed out. According to the Russian president, he has "rather trust-based and constructive" relations with Pashinyan. "This is why I don’t get these hints [at changes in Moscow’s attitude to Yerevan]," he added.
"There are centuries-long relations between Russia and the Armenian people, which date back to the distant past. Our relations are based on cultural and religious affinity, as well as on strong historical, and it is even more important than relations between individuals," the Russian president emphasized.
Armenia’s parliament elected Pashinyan as the country's prime minister in May 2018 after Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan had stepped down under opposition pressure.


tass--2020-11-18--Moscow’s coronavirus death toll tops 8,000

MOSCOW , November 18 .
/TASS/ .
Moscow recorded 76 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours , the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ statement .
`` Another 76 patients who were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for @ @ @ @ @ Moscow , '' the statement reads .
The city ’ s overall coronavirus death toll @ @ @ @ @ has the highest number of cases nationwide .
The city has so far recorded 522,456 @ @ @ @ @ .

MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. Moscow recorded 76 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, the coronavirus monitoring center said in a statement.
"Another 76 patients who were diagnosed with pneumonia and tested positive for the coronavirus have died in Moscow," the statement reads.
The city’s overall coronavirus death toll has reached 8,009.
Moscow has the highest number of cases nationwide. The city has so far recorded 522,456 coronavirus cases and 377,131 recoveries.


tass--2020-11-17--76 more coronavirus patients die in Moscow in past day

MOSCOW , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Seventy-six more coronavirus patients died in Moscow during the past day , with @ @ @ @ @ exceeding 8,000 , the city ’ s anti-coronavirus crisis center said on Tuesday .
`` @ @ @ @ @ pneumonia have died in Moscow , '' it said , adding the overall number of @ @ @ @ @ reached 8,009 .
The center once again warned that in case of any symptoms of @ @ @ @ @ necessary to stay home , call a doctor and not indulge in self-treatment .
Moscow @ @ @ @ @ regions in terms of confirmed coronavirus cases and the morbidity is now demonstrating upwards tendencies @ @ @ @ @ Moscow has reported 522,456 confirmed coronavirus cases , including 5,882 during the past day .
@ @ @ @ @ have recovered .

MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Seventy-six more coronavirus patients died in Moscow during the past day, with the overall number of fatalities exceeding 8,000, the city’s anti-coronavirus crisis center said on Tuesday.
"Seventy-six coronavirus-positive patients diagnosed with pneumonia have died in Moscow," it said, adding the overall number of coronavirus-related deaths in Moscow has reached 8,009.
The center once again warned that in case of any symptoms of a respiratory disease it is necessary to stay home, call a doctor and not indulge in self-treatment.
Moscow tops the list of Russian regions in terms of confirmed coronavirus cases and the morbidity is now demonstrating upwards tendencies. As of today, Moscow has reported 522,456 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 5,882 during the past day. As many as 377,131 patients have recovered.


tass--2020-11-17--Turkey’s parliament approves presidential decree on sending troops to Azerbaijan

ANKARA , November 17 .
/TASS/ .
Turkey ’ s parliament has approved the president ’ s decree on sending troops to Azerbaijan , as follows from the document published in the parliament ’ s database on Tuesday .
President Tayyip Erdogan ’ s decree was supported by the lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party , the opposition Republican People ’ s Party , the Nationalist Movement Party , and the Good Party .
Under the decree , Turkey will send its troops to Azerbaijan for a term of one year .
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
On November 9 , Russian President Vladimir Putin , Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10 .
Under the document , the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides are to maintain the positions that they held and Russian peacekeepers are to be deployed to the region .
A memorandum on the establishment of a Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring center in Nagorno-Karabakh was signed on November 11 after online talks between Russian and Turkish Defense Ministers @ @ @ @ @ @ @

ANKARA, November 17. /TASS/. Turkey’s parliament has approved the president’s decree on sending troops to Azerbaijan, as follows from the document published in the parliament’s database on Tuesday.
President Tayyip Erdogan’s decree was supported by the lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party, the opposition Republican People’s Party, the Nationalist Movement Party, and the Good Party.
Under the decree, Turkey will send its troops to Azerbaijan for a term of one year.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27 in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides are to maintain the positions that they held and Russian peacekeepers are to be deployed to the region.
A memorandum on the establishment of a Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring center in Nagorno-Karabakh was signed on November 11 after online talks between Russian and Turkish Defense Ministers, Sergei Shoigu and Hulusi Akar.