Russia

12 Sep 2022; MEMO: Head of Hamas' Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in the Russian capital Moscow on Saturday accompanied by a senior delegation from the movement's leadership.

In a statement, Haniyeh's media adviser, Taher Al-Nono, said the Hamas leader "arrived in Moscow on a visit during which he intends to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a number of Russian leaders and officials."

MOSCOW, September 11. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 52,829 over the past day to 20,066,610, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Sunday.

As many as 2,185 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day. The number of hospitalized patients declined in 70 regions, while in 1213 other regions the figure increased. A day earlier, 3,977 people were rushed to hospitals.

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, September 11. /TASS/: Russia does not reject negotiations with Ukraine, but their further delay by Kiev will complicate the possibility of reaching an agreement with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Rossiya-1 TV channel.

MOSCOW, September 11. /TASS/: Austria continues to support all anti-Russian sanctions because of the situation in Ukraine, but not all nations want to participate in restrictions, Austria's former Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said in an interview with TASS.

MOSCOW, September 11. /TASS/: It is necessary to establish a nuclear safety and security protection zone around the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant as soon as possible, consultations on this matter have already begun, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said on Sunday.

KALININGRAD, September 11. /TASS/: Voting at various elections in Russia is over as polling stations were closed in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad region.

"At 20:00 local time (21:00 Moscow time), 558 permanent and six temporary polling stations closed in the Kaliningrad region. Remote electronic voting was finished as well," the press service of the Kaliningrad region election commission told TASS on Sunday.

Sept 11 (Reuters) - The presidents of Russia and France held talks on Sunday regarding safety at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine, with Vladimir Putin blaming Ukrainian forces while Emmanuel Macron pointed the finger at Russian troops.

Conditions at Europe's biggest nuclear power plant continue to cause global concern. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of shelling around the Zaporizhzhia plant and thereby risking a catastrophic release of radiation.

MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/: Online vote is a very reliable and convenient form of voting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday after casting his own vote online from his office in the Kremlin.

"September 11 is the Single voting day in Russia. But it is also possible to cast a vote in advance and remotely, which is exactly what I did now. It is a very convenient, reliable form of vote. To those who can and want to use it - I recommend," the Russian leader said.

MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/: In the past 24 hours, a total of 53,486 new Covid cases were registered in Russia, with 97 fatalities, the federal coronavirus prevention crisis center reported Saturday.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Russia registered 20,013,781 cases and 385,262 fatalities.

The recovery count increased by 46,023, bringing the total count to 19,023,718.

A total of 3,977 Covid patients were hospitalized in the past 24 hours versus 3,621 one day earlier (a 9.8% growth).

MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/: Media reports claiming that Russian tourists were banned from entering the EU are false, the embassy of Finland in Moscow told TASS Saturday.

Earlier, the media reported citing European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson that entry to the EU will be allowed to Russian citizens traveling for family and humanitarian reasons as well as to Russian journalists. The reports did not specify if they were talking about the already negotiated suspension of the simplified visa regime or some additional restrictions.