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Coronavirus pandemic

Lithuania, New Zealand, Belarus confirm first novel coronavirus cases

The World Health Organization earlier declared the pneumonia a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations

© EPA-EFE/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

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First coronavirus cases confirmed in seven more countries

MOSCOW, February 28. /TASS/. Lithuania’s Ministry of Health has reported the first novel coronavirus case in the country. A statement to this effect was posted on the ministry’s website on Friday.

According to the ministry, a woman who returned from Verona, Italy, on February 24, has tested positive for the virus. She is currently in hospital in Siauliai. The patient has no fever or any pronounced symptoms of the disease.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health has also reported the first novel coronavirus case in the country.

"The person [diagnosed with the novel coronavirus] arrived in Auckland on 26 February," The New Zealand Herald quotes a spokesman for the Ministry of Health as saying.

The paper noted that the aforementioned person had arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday on Emirates flight EK450 from Tehran via Bali.

The Belarusian Ministry of Health has registered the first novel coronavirus case in the country too.

According to the ministry, an Iranian citizen has tested positive.

"The first imported coronavirus case has been recorded in Belarus. We inform you that a student from Iran has tested positive for the 2019-nCoV coronavirus during tests conducted at the Republican Research and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology on February 27," the ministry posted a statement on its website.

The Iranian student arrived in Belarus from Baku on February 22. "The patient and the persons who had contacts with him have been placed in isolation wards in the Minsk Hospital of Infectious Diseases. The young man’s condition is satisfactory," the Ministry of Health added.

The outbreak of the now-infamous novel coronavirus pneumonia was recorded in Wuhan, an economic and industrial metropolis, in late December 2019. The World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Apart from China, 55 other countries and territories, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

According to the authorities, over 78,800 people have been infected with the virus in China. The death toll has reached 2,788, while over 36,100 patients have recovered.

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Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also claimed that Washington, while helping Ukraine, is not attempting to turn the conflict into a large-scale regional confrontation that spills beyond the country’s borders

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Washington has no plans of updating nuclear posture after Russia’s test of new missile

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Col. (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson confirmed to TASS that the launch of ATACMS missiles would be impossible without "US/NATO satellite feeds and/or personnel"

Japanese lawmaker praises Putin's restraint amid decision to strike deep into Russia

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ATACMS missiles unlikely to keep Kiev from losing conflict — American expert

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Russia interested in security of Baltic undersea infrastructure — embassy in Denmark

"It is important to ensure a thorough investigation and clarify the reasons why underwater cables in the Baltic Sea are now out of order," embassy said

Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

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Wu Qian stated that the United States must immediately correct its mistakes, "honestly respect China’s main interests, and seek to create favorable conditions for high-level contacts between the military of the two countries"

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Russian forces successfully advancing in all areas in special military op zone — Putin

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Xi Jinping calls for unification of more voices for peace in Ukraine

"We need to bring together more voices of peace and pave the way for a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis," Chinese president said

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The Israeli side's objections concerned the court's jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine in general and Israeli citizens in particular, as well as the right of states to conduct investigations independently before referring cases to the ICC

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Russia’s re-election to UNCITRAL confirms its global reputation — Foreign Ministry

Russia got the support of 129 countries in a November 20 vote in New York at the 40th plenary session of the UN General Assembly

Ukraine has around 50 ATACMS missiles — The Times

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Russian stock market indices in the red on Thursday — market data

The mood in international markets was mainly neutral

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Trump to rely on forces that brought him to power — Russian presidential aide

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Trump may soon start talks with Russia following Biden’s decision on ATACMS — news agency

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US sanctions against Gazprombank will not affect gas supplies to Hungary — Ministry

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China slams US nuclear policy for undermining global stability

The United States continues to modernize its nuclear triad, Lin Jian noted

US provides temporary carveout for Sakhalin-2 related transactions with Gazprombank

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Russian troops advance in areas north, south of Velikaya Novoselka in DPR — official

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FACTBOX: What is known about UAV attacks on Russian regions

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Putin sends message to those seeking to 'add fuel to fire' before Trump’s return — expert

The likelihood of a direct armed conflict with NATO is increasing because some individuals in the alliance are ready to raise the stakes ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Andrey Bystritsky emphasized

US, NATO decision on strikes continues policy of escalation — Putin

"Experts are well aware - and the Russian side has repeatedly underscored this - that it is impossible to use these weapons without direct participation of military specialists from the countries that produce these weapons," the president said

US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention