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Coronavirus pandemic

Losses from suspending tours to China estimated at several million dollars

Major operators suspended sales of tours to China last week in accordance with recommendations of the Russian tourism authority

© Maxim Grigoryev/TASS

MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/. Outbound tourism market players can suffer losses worth several million dollars because of suspension in sales of tours to China due to the coronavirus spread, Executive Director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Maya Lomidze said on Tuesday on the air with the Rossiya-24 TV Channel.

"As far as outbound tourism is concerned, losses can provisionally amount to several million dollars in connection with the ban on sales of package tours to China," Lomidze said.

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"Certainly, damages for the business are huge, primarily for the inbound, rather than for outbound tourism, because the Chinese market is among the leading and consistently growing ones. The amount of such losses is difficult for estimation so far," she said.

Major operators suspended sales of tours to China last week in accordance with recommendations of the Russian tourism authority. Market players also announced plans of bringing their clients back to Russia.

The Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization (WHO) on December 31, 2019 about the outbreak of pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of over 11 million people. The pathogen, the 2019-nCoV coronavirus, was identified on January 7.

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UN secretary general urges Azerbaijan, Armenia to normalize relations

Stephane Dujarric noted that the secretary general "encourages the parties to continue the delimitation and demarcation of the remaining sections of the border and tackle all outstanding bilateral issues toward achieving full normalization of relations."

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Ukraine’s military loses positions near Avdeyevka, says DPR

Igor Kimakovsky said that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy casualties among personnel and military hardware, including Western equipment

US volunteer Russel Bentley missing in Donetsk killed — RT editor-in-chief

Bentley came to Donbass from the United States in 2014

Shoigu orders additional tank protection sets for Ukraine operation

The minister also inspected the training process in Omsk Armor Engineering Institute

Ukrainians abroad storming embassies to avoid mobilization, Russian diplomat says

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Russia’s advanced radar in Kaliningrad to monitor entire territory of Europe — source

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Swiss parliament votes against joining task force on frozen Russian assets

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Iran has no plans to immediately retaliate to attack on its soil — agency

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Russian defense chief checks implementation of orders to develop drones

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Ukraine’s new ethnic minorities law insufficient to protect Magyars — Hungarian president

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Polish premier refuses to hand over his country’s Patriot systems to Ukraine

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Russia knows French military instructors working in Ukraine — Lavrov

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Security guarantees on Ukraine did not apply to Crimea, Donbass — Lavrov

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Three Ukrainian soldiers swim across Dnieper to surrender to Russian troops — governor

Vladimir Saldo called on other Ukrainian servicemen to switch to the Russian side and request the corresponding assistance

Ukrainian drones continue to fly over Zaporozhye NPP — press service

On April 19, the Ukrainian military attacked the training center of Zaporozhye NPP again, but the drone was neutralized over the roof of the building

Russian government increases customs duties on beer from unfriendly countries

This measure is not a prohibitive one and will make it possible to make competitive conditions equal for Russian producers, the ministry said

About 30 events in 26 countries to be held as part of Russian Film Festival — minister

The geography of work in the culture sphere was wider before but "all the horizontal ties are kept," Olga Lyubimova noted

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Victor Gumenny said the advanced systems may solve the tasks of air-space defence and may fight hypersonic weapons

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The Security Service of Ukraine announced earlier that in a joint operation with law enforcement agencies in Ukraine and Poland it thwarted an attempt to assassinate Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

West close to sending military to Ukraine, this would 'drag Europe to bottom' — Orban

"This military whirlpool can drag Europe to the bottom. Brussels is playing with fire and angering God," the Hungarian prime minister said

Kiev lacks both troops and equipment near Chasov Yar in DPR, says retired general

Military commanders of Ukrainian army brigades "lack both personnel and the required amount of equipment" while Russian troops enjoy a considerable superiority, especially in artillery, Sergey Krivonos noted

Two people killed in borderline Belgorod Region in Ukrainian drone attack — governor

According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, a private residence in the village of Poroz caught fire when the unmanned aerial vehicles dropped two explosive devices

Founder of neo-Nazi cell in Crimea flees to Georgia — source

According to the official, the investigation established that Mikhail Maurov planned to travel to Ukraine to join the ranks of a right-wing Ukrainian organization called the Freedom of Russia Legion

Lavrov speaks of West’s agony, Russia’s approach to any future talks with Kiev

The Russian foreign minister also described Armenia and Russia as more than formal allies

Russian stock indices rising on Friday

The MOEX Russia Index edged up by 0.44%, the RTS Index surged by 1.13%

Hungarians in western Ukraine should get their rights back, Budapest says

"The Hungarian community’s opportunities to use its native language in the fields of education, culture, media and self-governance have been significantly limited," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto specified

Drones downed over Isfahan cause no damage, says Iranian foreign minister

It is reported that several drones had been intercepted by the national air defense forces over Isfahan

Armenia has to define CSTO’s zone of responsibility on its territory, says Lavrov

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Water level of Ishim River in Russia’s Tyumen Region surpasses dangerous mark

It has reached 911 centimeters

Iran threatens to attack Israel's "nuclear centers" in case of aggression on its part

Ahmad Haqtalab argued that Israel had been conducting "subversive and terrorist activities" against the Islamic republic's nuclear infrastructure for year

Russian economy proves resilience amid large-scale sanctions — IMF

The IMF states that the restrictions led to the need to rebuild the economy

Putin signs law on holding World Friendship Games

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US House passes procedural vote on Ukraine aid bill

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Proposals on Russian assets confiscation undermine financial system — Finance Minister

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

French, US, British nukes all interwoven — Russian diplomat

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Israeli aviation strikes towns in Gaza Strip

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North Korean leader arrives at public event in Aurus luxury car gifted by Putin

On April 10, the vehicle was also spotted when the North Korean leader visited Kim Jong Il Military and Political Academy

Armenia’s relations with Russia not at their highest — top diplomat

Ararat Mirzoyan also said that Yerevan is currently making efforts to expand cooperation with the European Union and the United States

Chinese analyst sees US veto on Palestine as reflection of arrogance, double standards

Wang Wen stated that it’s still very hard to achieve a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

G7 leaders to decide on Russian assets use — Italian Deputy PM

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American Abrams tanks vulnerable even to Soviet-era weapons, says expert

US President Joe Biden announced on January 25 that Washington would hand over 31 M1 Abrams tanks to the Kiev regime

Russian military closely monitors all Ukrainian 'novelties' — Kremlin on UAVs

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One crew member of jet crashed in Stavropol Region killed, search for another continues

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US agrees to withdraw troops from Niger — Washington Post

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US gives nod to Israeli operation in Rafah in exchange for canceling major attack on Iran

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Russian Cabinet expands list of perfumery, cosmetic products subjected to import duty

"The effect of the customs duty totaling 35%, renewed in December 203 in respected of imported perfumery, cosmetics and home care products will cover certain new positions of these products from unfriendly countries," the ministry said

Moscow International Film Festival kicks off

MIFF President Nikita Mikhalkov, a celebrated Russian film director, declared the festival open, praising the bravery of foreign cultural figures who are visiting Russia at this time

EU ministers to discuss use of Russian assets for Ukraine on April 22 — EU official

Earlier, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the European Union intends to invest the first 2.5-3 billion euros of profits raised from seized Russian assets in military assistance for Ukraine

NATO discussing transfer of ‘deep precision strike capabilities’ to Ukraine — Stoltenberg

Stoltenberg said NATO believes Ukraine has the right to strike "legitimate military targets" inside Russia

BRICS looking at creating common digital payment platform

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that BRICS nations have already established a special channel for information exchange between their central banks

North Korea conducts new anti-aircraft missile test — KCNA

A power test of a super-large warhead designed for "Hwasal-1 Ra-3" strategic cruise missile was held as well

Russia can join top three countries by lithium reserves — governor

Infrastructure is required to implement the investment project, both power transmission lines and the railroad, Andrey Chibis noted

Izvestia correspondent Semyon Eremin killed in special operation zone

The tragedy occurred near the village of Priyutnoye located on the border of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Zaporozhye Region

Kiev ordered mandatory evacuation from Kharkov Region to accommodate mercenaries

Evacuation campaigns are regularly organized by the Kiev government, under the pretext of security issues

US 'not forgetting' to help itself with aid to Ukraine — Kremlin

"In any case, whatever the modality of providing this aid, de facto it is about provoking Ukraine into further hostilities down to the last Ukrainian, putting guarantted money in the pockets of the US," Dmitry Peskov said

Death toll in Gaza Strip since tensions escalated exceeds 34,000 — Health Ministry

It is reported that just over the past 24 hours alone, 42 people have been killed and 63 wounded

French president says creating Israeli-type air defense network for Ukraine impossible

Emmanuel Macron added that Europe’s resources are limited, and the European Union will continue helping Kiev keeping in mind its own reserves

Baku, Yerevan to approve draft agreement on delimitation commissions by July 1

The statement said that "the parties agreed that the delimitation process will be based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration"

US assured Israel that Iranian drones will be intercepted — US journalist Hersh

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Blast rocks military base south of Baghdad — Reuters

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Russia delivers 34 strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure over week — top brass

The Ukrainian army lost more than 3,550 troops, four tanks and five armored combat vehicles in battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk area over the past week, the ministry reported

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Russia's revenues from oil exports remain high despite price ceiling — IMF

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Russia won’t allow NATO to move closer in Ukraine — Lavrov

There is still no full clarity regarding the future of Ukraine's western regions, the Russian foreign minister went on to say