Europe

MOSCOW, January 7. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 death toll rose by 787 over the past day to 314,604, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Friday.

For the first time since September 27, 2021, the daily death toll was less than 800.

The relative mortality rate reached 2.96%, according to the crisis center.

In particular, 72 deaths were registered in Moscow, 61 in St. Petersburg, 38 in the Moscow Region, 34 in the Krasnoyarsk Region, 28 in the Chelyabinsk Region and 26 in the Altai Region.

MOSCOW, January 7. /TASS/: Nine Il-76 aircraft of Russian Aerospace Forces with airborne troops and equipment landed at the Almaty airfield, the Russian Defense Ministry reported to journalists.

"Nine Russian military transport aircraft Il-76 with servicemen and equipment landed at the airfield of Almaty in the Republic of Kazakhstan," the ministry said.

On clarifying the situation, the units from the Russian peacekeeping contingent began to carry out their assigned tasks, the ministry added.

MOSCOW, January 7. /TASS/: Some US representatives do not understand what is happening in Kazakhstan and pass it off as the official position of Washington, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

The diplomat commented on the statements of the White House press secretary Jen Psaki that the United States has questions about the legality of the request of the authorities of Kazakhstan to use the forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the country.

WARSAW, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Senior figures in the Polish government indicated on Friday that the country had bought sophisticated spyware developed by the Israel-based NSO Group, but denied that it had been used against political opponents.

Reports from the Associated Press that NSO Group's Pegasus software was used to hack the phones of government critics, including a senator who ran the election campaign for the largest opposition party in 2019, have led to accusations that special services are undermining democratic norms.

STOCKHOLM, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Sweden's security strategy would be entirely undermined if NATO agreed to refrain from expanding further and curb some of its activity in Europe, as Russia has demanded, Sweden's top military commander said.

The Russian demands, listed last month, have unnerved European non-NATO members including Sweden, which has strengthened ties with the alliance even if it has no plans to join at present.

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO foreign ministers on Friday discussed Russia’s military build-up around Ukraine amid skepticism about the credibility of President Vladimir Putin’s offer to ease tensions, ahead of a week of high-level diplomacy aimed at ending the standoff.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts held online talks to prepare for the first meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in more than two years. That meeting on Wednesday in Brussels will give NATO ambassadors the chance to discuss Putin’s security proposals with Russia’s envoy face to face.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s most powerful politician has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group, but denied that it was being used to target his political opponents.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party, Law and Justice, said in an interview that the secret services in many countries are using the Pegasus software to combat crime and corruption.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Hundreds of Novak Djokovic’s supporters gathered at a rally in downtown Belgrade on Friday to protest his confinement in Australia after his entry was denied by border authorities because of COVID-19 vaccination regulations.

The top-ranked Serb, who hopes to defend his title at the Australian Open and win a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title, was denied entry when he arrived at Melbourne’s airport on Wednesday and was still in an immigration detention hotel awaiting a court hearing scheduled for Monday to challenge his deportation.

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s leaders agreed Friday to toughen requirements for entry to restaurants and bars, and decided to shorten quarantine and self-isolation periods as the omicron variant spreads fast through the country.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the 16 state governors built on restrictions introduced just after Christmas that limited private gatherings to 10 people and effectively shut nightclubs.

MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakhstan’s president authorized security forces on Friday to shoot to kill those participating in unrest whom he called “terrorists,” opening the door for a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on anti-government protests that have turned violent.