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Coronavirus pandemic

Over 80 mln people worldwide infected with coronavirus

According to the Johns Hopkins University, 1,753,313 people have died

© Valentin Bianchi/AP

TASS, December 26. The number of detected cases of coronavirus in the world surpassed 80 mln on Saturday, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University, which uses information from international organizations, federal and local authorities.

According to the university, the number of coronavirus cases in the world now reaches 80,027,056, 1,753,313 people have died, 45,145,454 have recovered. The largest number of infections - 18,771,885 - was detected in the United States. A total of 330,345 people with coronavirus have died in the United States. India ranks second in terms of the number of cases, with 10,169,118 detected cases and 147,343 deaths. India is followed by Brazil, where 7,448,560 people were infected and 190,488 patients died.

Russia, according to Johns Hopkins University, ranks fourth in terms of the number of coronavirus cases. According to the federal operational headquarters for the fight against coronavirus, 3,021,964 coronavirus cases have been detected in Russia, 2,426,439 people recovered, 54,226 died.

Middle East conflict

Israel’s new defense chief sees return of hostages from Gaza as top priority

The goals are also the destruction of Hamas in Gaza and the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel Katz added

Lukashenko says Belarusian KGB has proof of Poland’s interference in Belarus’ affairs

The president stated that Warsaw had carefully monitored the events in Belarus, aiming to create "an artificial crisis" in the country

Trump predictably leads in Kentucky, Indiana — US media

First results give Trump approximately 70%, while his opponent Kamala Harris gets over 27%

US State Department says 10,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s Kursk Region

They "could enter combat in the coming days," Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman said

Situation dire for Ukrainian troops along entire frontline, says DPR head

Meanwhile, the potential of Ukrainian armed forces should not be underestimated, Denis Pushilin cautioned

Russian property seizures not affecting church — spokesperson

On October 29, the Helsinki Court informed TASS that movable and immovable Russian properties in Finland had been seized by a judgment dated August 13, following claims from six Ukrainian companies

Israel hits Hezbollah oil storage facilities on border with Syria

According to the report, at least seven missile strikes were delivered

Man with torch and flare gun arrested on Capitol Hill

Public tours of the Capitol were cancelled for the remainder of the day, while the investigation is ongoing

Russian forces display ingenuity and unconventional tactics in liberating DPR — official

Donetsk People’s Republic head Denis Pushilin also emphasized that the enemy should not be underestimated, so as not to diminish the significance of Russian forces' achievements

Israel’s new defense chief sees return of hostages from Gaza as top priority

The goals are also the destruction of Hamas in Gaza and the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel Katz added

29 settlements in southern Lebanon totally ruined by Israeli army — newspaper

The media cited military analyst General Hassan Juni as saying that such actions reveal Israel’s plans to create a "3-5-kilometer deep lifeless buffer zone in Lebanese territory"

Trump admits he may lose election

The US general election is being held on November 5, 2024

Israel steps up readiness for potential Iranian strike — report

The IDF has not ruled out the possibility of an Iranian response from Syria, Yemen, or Iraq, rather than directly from Iran, the newspaper reported

US election results will bring peace or third world war — Serbian leader

The United States presidential election is set to be held on November 5

Chisinau denies hundreds of thousands of Moldovans in Russia right to vote — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stressed that the Moldovan election was "neither democratic nor fair" and was "fraught with electoral manipulations"

Democrats expect ‘fatigue of Donald Trump’ to affect US election outcome

"Folks are excited about voting, and I just can’t describe the difference in the vibe that’s out there with folks and how hungry they are for something different," Tim Walz, the running mate of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, said

Ukrainian National Guard troops with vehicles deployed on Belarusian Border — General

According to the report, "reconnaissance operations of all kinds continue against Belarus, including mobile signals intelligence teams and drones"

Russian Finance Ministry to use $894.8 mln to purchase currency on November 7 - December 5

The daily volume of transactions will amount to the equivalent of $42.95 mln, the Russian Finance Ministry said in a statement

Harris has 4-point lead over Trump in final PBS election poll

An earlier poll conducted by Research Co. revealed that Harris was ahead of Trump in swing state Pennsylvania by one percentage point

Lukashenko says he will not be Belarusian president under new constitution

Commenting on an initiative to hold parliamentary polls on party tickets and, hence, establish parties, he said such steps are fraught with a split in society

Kiev capable of staging provocation with use of nuclear fuel — Defense Ministry

It is reported that the Kiev regime is capable of launching a provocation directed against Russia's population in order to destabilize the situation

NATO’s aircraft conducts numerous flights over border — Belarusian Defense Ministry

According to Major General Vladimir Kupriyanyuk, significant numbers of effective troops are already stationed in Eastern Europe, including in Poland and the Baltic states

Granddaughter of Cold War-era Soviet leader dies after being hit by train near Moscow

The woman attempted to cross the rail tracks away from the established safe crossing

Trump ahead of Harris in most of swing states — RealClearPolitics

According to the portal, Trump is ahead of Harris in Arizona (by 2.8 percentage points), Georgia (by 1.3 percentage points), North Carolina (by 1.2 percentage points), Nevada (by 0.6 percentage points) and Pennsylvania (by 0.4 percentage points)

Americans were on the Moon but footage may have been filmed in advance — Russian cosmonaut

Sergey Prokopyev pointed out that the fact that US astronauts did land on the Moon "is confirmed by automatic probes and cannot be subjected to doubt"

Georgian opposition has no resources to achieve success via protests — PM

On the contrary, in the past 4 years, their support has decreased compared to the previous elections, Irakli Kobakhidze said

FBI detains man threatening mass shooting in case of Trump’s victory — report

The FBI detained him in Canton, Michigan, but has not been charged yet

Russia says Т-80 tanks of battlegroup East disrupt Ukrainian attack in South Donetsk area

According to the statement, following the combat mission, the tank crews quickly left their firing positions and returned to the waiting area to evade retaliatory fire by enemy artillery

Presidential election voting kicks off in most American states

Some swing states, including Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania have already begun voting

Kremlin spokesman denies Russia ships explosives across EU

"We have never heard any official accusations," Dmitry Peskov said

West seeking to entangle Georgia in war with Russia — expert

Vaso Kapanadze predicted that the situation could change if the ruling party secures victory in the parliamentary elections in Georgia on October 26

Musk to keep Trump company while following US election results — NYT

According to the report, Musk plans to spend some of the evening in a small group of people in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, following election results as they come in

China expects US to develop bilateral relations under next president — embassy

"Developing China-US relations is in the fundamental interest of our two peoples and two countries and meets the expectation of the international community," Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US, said

Press review: Lavrov embarks on EU visit and Russia permits individual crypto mining

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, November 1st

AI predicts Harris’ victory over Trump

The forecast predicts Trump has a 73.3% chance of winning Arizona, a 62.1% chance in North Carolina, and a 61.8% chance in Georgia

Ukraine admits number of deserted soldiers from Armed Forces of Ukraine surpasses 100,000

Earlier, military lawyer from the Center for Support of Veterans and Their Families Roman Likhachev said that more than 100,000 servicemen had voluntarily left their units

This year's US election 'will be the last real election' if Trump loses, Musk says

The entrepreneur further added that the US has ceased to be a "real state" because of its lack of border security

Dollar-based system cannot be reformed — expert

According to Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr., "BRICS needs to join forces with other countries to build alternatives to the system"

Nearly 90 people missing following Spanish floods

So far, 211 deaths have been reported

US authorities brace for ‘little fires everywhere’ if Trump loses — WP

"Collectively they could become a massive firestorm that is more difficult to contain because the embers have been burning throughout the nation," said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson

Two children were inside when their apartment caught fire after drone attack on Belgorod

Ukrainian troops staged a drone attack on a residential area in the borderline city of Belgorod

NYSE trading session closes in the green amid US presidential election

The Dow Jones gained 1.02% (or 427.28 points), reaching 42,221, the S&P 500 added 1.23% (70.09 points), to 5.782.77 points, the Nasdaq index surged by 1.43% (259.2 points), to 18,439.82 points

Mass fraud reports not confirmed by Philadelphia police — TV

According to the CNN report, Donald Trump "has for years made baseless claims about election cheating in Philadelphia"

Prosecutor's Office deems activities of US-based business society undesirable in Russia

The international company incorporated in the United States has been engaged in promoting the policies of unfriendly states regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and actively supports the LGBT community, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office explained

Vote count in Iowa may take longer due to voting machine malfunction

"It is not stopping anyone from casting a single ballot," Ashley Hunt Esquivel, a spokesperson for Iowa Secretary of State’s Office, said

Man threatens to burn down voting station in New York

When the man was turned away, he got angry and started threatening to burning the station down and to return with a firearm

Court fines Apple $36,810 for failure to delete banned information

This is not the first time when Apple is fined for failures to remove the prohibited content

List of BRICS partner countries agreed, Putin says

According to the Russian leader, the list of potential candidate countries was also agreed upon

Guterres’ concern over rumors about DPRK soldiers in Russia duplicitous — MFA

"While professing support for peace efforts and referring to the UN Charter, he forgets about the inadmissibility of a discriminatory approach to its goals and principles, which must be observed in their entirety, totality and interrelation," Maria Zakharova stressed

Kursk region will be cleared of Ukrainian forces — Putin

He added that victory is impossible without volunteers who support the fighters at the front

Russia says its troops mined, blocked one route used by Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region

According to the ministry, soldiers of the regiment's reconnaissance company with the call signs Porsh and Pochta destroyed the enemy that was covering the passage in the engineering barriers and moved forward to fulfill the combat mission

Trump says will acknowledge defeat if election is fair

US Republican presidential candidate also called those who believe that he won't concede if he loses this election as "crazy"

Special airspace class to be allocated for drones — Russian regulator

head of the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency Dmitry Yadrov said that the authority is also developing new airworthiness standards making it possible to simply the certification procedure for certain areas of drone use

Hollywood actors face pressure to endorse Harris or risk career setbacks — Elon Musk

The US presidential election is set to take place on November 5, with voters also selecting a third of the Senate, the entire House of Representatives, and governors for 11 states and two territories

No military alliance provided for in Russia-DPRK partnership treaty — senior diplomat

According to Andrey Rudenko, Russia openly tells this to "all North Korea’s neighbors who sometimes and, lately, very often, express certain concerns"

Musk slams Harris for false claim about US troops in combat zones

Earlier, Harris had said, "There is not one member of the US military in active duty in a combat zone — in any war zone around the world"

Russia responds to Western sanctions with benefit for itself — MFA

Maria Zakharova noted that Moscow did everything to fulfil the potential of bilateral economic ties with European countries

Former CIA, Pentagon chief describes incursion into Kursk as Kiev’s ‘strategic mistake’

In Robert Gates opinion, Russia is capable of continuing its special military operation in Ukraine until it decides that its goals are met, and underestimating its ability to carry on "is a huge mistake"

Russian Defense Ministry presents slideshow of Ukrainian plot to capture Kursk nuke plant

Ukraine planned to engage 20,000 troops, 27 tanks, 50 units of armored hardware, 30 units of tube artillery and five multiple launch rocket systems

Malaysia rejects US call to 'stop being friendly' with Russia — PM

Anwar Ibrahim said the call came during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the 19th East Asia Summit in Laos

West itself signed death warrant for dollar, turning it into punishment tool — Lavrov

At the same time, the volume of mutual settlements in national currencies in foreign trade between the BRICS member countries reaches around 65%

Russia does not seek confrontation, hopes Europe begins to cooperate — Putin

"I trust that a rational, balanced approach to cooperation with Russia will prevail once again," the Russian leader stressed

Russia hammers Ukraine’s missile armament workshops, military airfields over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 510 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy ammunition depots in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported

Treaty between Russia, North Korea corresponds to geopolitical situation — senior diplomat

The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the Russian head of state’s visit to Pyongyang in June

West’s trying to polarize society in Moldova — Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova wished the residents of Moldova to find a way out of the deadlock they have found themselves in due to the policies of Maia Sandu and the West

Press review: Trump, Harris clash in swing states as EU likely to keep sanctions on Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, November 5th

For US losing dollar as a standard of settlements would be like losing a war, Trump says

The Republican presidential candidate criticized the current US administration for allowing the unification of Russia, China, Iran, the DPRK and a number of other countries into one group

Trump says confident in his victory at presidential election

The US is holding election on November 5, with voters choosing the president, governors in 11 states and two US territories, a third of the Senate, and all members of the House of Representatives

NATO number one threat to global peace, says French politician

It is stted that NATO considers the EU as "a registration office of its members"

Medvedev says any new uprising in Ukraine would seek to execute current leaders

The Russian politician said the goal of Zelensky and his team is to stay in power in the country as long as possible

White House host, no matter he or she, should focus on US problems — Foreign Ministry

"We wish the American people to overcome the crisis in democracy and the division in society," Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova added

Attempts to capture ZNPP lead to pointless deaths of mobilized Ukrainians — governor

Yevgeny Balitsky noted that the safety of the ZNPP and its perimeter is reliably safeguarded by the Russian military, and that "the power plant's personnel are performing their duties"

Upper house committee supports ratification of Russia-DPRK partnership treaty

According to the document, if either signatory is subjected to an armed attack, the other will immediately provide military and other assistance

US National Guard mobilized in 15 states for Election Day — CNN

Personnel has been mobilized in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia, CNN said

Over 4,300 people cross into Syria from Lebanon in past day — Russian military

"Over the past day, as many as 4,315 people crossed Syria’s border from Lebanon via the checkpoints of Al-Arida, Al-Jawasiyeh, Al-Dabousiyah, Jisr Qamar, and Jdaidet Yabous," Oleg Ignasyuk said

West’s erroneous course and preventing major war — what Putin told foreign ambassadors

Russia remains ready for talks with Ukraine, the Russian president noted

Soyuz-2.1b blasts off from Vostochny spaceport carrying 55 Russian, foreign satellites

The Ionosphere-M satellites, which are the main payload, are set to be put into a sun-synchronous orbit within an hour

Enemy plans to seize Kursk NPP, Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Units of the battlegroup continued offensive operations, defeating Ukrainian formations in the areas of the settlements of Daryino, Leonidovo, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Novoivanovka and Plekhovo

Unable to counter Russian tactics, Kiev’s forces may retreat to Dnieper — Ukrainian expert

"The opponents are now using tactical techniques that we still have nothing to counter with," Oleg Starikov said

Press review: Russia strengthens nuclear triad while Ukraine awaits US strike approval

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, October 30th

Putin reiterates Russia’s willingness to engage in talks with Ukraine

Nearly three hours of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on March 29, 2022, yielded principles for a potential agreement, including Ukraine's commitment to maintain a neutral, non-aligned status and its pledge to refrain from deploying foreign weapons, including nuclear weapons, on its territory

Yerevan receives Baku’s response on peace treaty proposals — Foreign Ministry

Previously, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan and Baku have negotiated the peace treaty by 80% and offered Azerbaijan to sign these points

NATO prepares for open armed confrontation with Belarus and Russia — top brass

According to Major General Vladimir Kupriyanyuk, "the collective West continues to demonstrate an increase in the intensity of activities aimed at early preparations for military action"

NATO intends to fight 'defensive battles' thousands of miles from its territory — Lavrov

According to Lavrov, all reasonable observers understand "that this is a road to nowhere"

No difference for Russia who wins presidential election in US — diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, if Washington's policy shifts after the election, Russia will be ready to consider any US proposals that do not contradict its interests

Russian stock indices rising on Tuesday — market data

The ruble-denominated MOEX Russia Index surged by 0.85% to 2,616.51 points

Germany ‘shamefully resigned’ itself to destruction of Nord Stream — Lavrov

Lavrov also drew attention to the fact that "reckless proposals" are being made about strikes with Western long-range systems deep into Russian territory

Kiev reports tense situation for Ukrainian troops in Kurakhovsky direction

In late October, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov informed that the Russian Armed Forces continued to make solid progress in the Kurakhovsky direction

Elon Musk claims war mongers back Kamala Harris’ 'puppet regime'

According to Elon Musk, those within the US administration who support Vice President Harris "profit off of wars," a situation he described as "insane"

SpaceX Cargo Dragon spacecraft docks with ISS

The Cargo Dragon is expected to stay docked until December, when it is supposed to make a splashdown near Florida

Work of two polling stations in Georgia extended amid technical issues — CBS

The extensions are unrelated to bomb threats received by several polling stations in the same state earlier, the report says

Russia’s Rublev joins 2024 ATP Finals in Italy after Djokovic withdraws due to injury

The 2024 ATP Finals is a men's tennis tournament to be played on indoor hard courts at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy, between November 10 and 17, 2024

Voting station in Michigan shut down over gas leak — report

The voting station was closed at noon, and the voters were redirected to another place in suburbs of Detroit, Associated Press said

Russian Railways repaired 4,600 km of tracks year-to-date

The main season of the track repair campaign is close to the end, the company said

Almost 75% of Americans negative about domestic situation — NBC News exit poll

Only seven percent were enthusiastic about the domestic situation and another 19% were satisfied with it

Trump has 61% chance of winning US election — bookmakers

The US general election is being held on November 5, 2024

US entrepreneur Musk casts ballot near SpaceX launch pad in Texas

Musk did not disclose who got his vote, however, he has been actively supporting Republican candidate Donald Trump since summer

Russian structure of X5 says ready to pay compensation to the Dutch holding

In accordance with the requirements established by the law, PJSC X5 Corporate Center is obliged to pay compensation within three months from the date of receipt of the claim, the company added

Trump expects major victory in 2024 presidential election

"Make sure you get through and vote, and we are going to have a big victory tonight," Trump said

Trump's campaign office does not expect election results this night — CNN

The campaign office also views the possibility of Trump’s remarks to the press

US military base in Syria attacked by Iraqi Shiite units

Witnesses say that the Shiite units that are fighting on the part of the Syrian government army used kamikaze drones to attack the US base