Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian ex-presidents’ immunity from criminal prosecution could be extended to any offences committed in their lifetimes, not merely while in office, under a bill submitted to parliament on Thursday.

The bill, published on a government website, is one of several being introduced following constitutional reforms that, among other things, allow President Vladimir Putin to run again when his term ends in 2024.

MOSCOW, November 4. /TASS/: Bitcoin increased by 2% and climbed above $14,000 for the second time in less than a week, according to CoinDesk data.

It was noted that the cryptocurrency also exceeded the $14,000 mark on October 31, 2020.

From 04:00 to 08:00 Moscow time, bitcoin was within the range of $13,700 - 13,900. By 08:13 Moscow time, the cryptocurrency was at $13,932.

Bitcoin rises in price amid expectations of the outcome of the US presidential election. Bitcoin last traded above $14,000 in mid-January 2018.

MOSCOW, November 4. /TASS/: The number of coronavirus cases in Russia increased by 19,768 over the past day, this is the maximum figure for the entire run of the pandemic. The total number of cases has risen to 1,693,454, according to the operational headquarters for the control and monitoring of the situation with coronavirus.

In relative terms, according to the headquarters, the growth rate rose to 1.2%.

MOSCOW, November 4. /TASS/: Moscow will do everything possible to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with religious leaders on Wednesday.

"You know that Russia is doing everything in its power to make sure that the conflict in the South Caucasus ends as soon as possible, as well as to protect the lives of people who are unfortunately looking at each other down the barrel of a gun and are using weapons against each other," Putin pointed out.

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/: Initial superficial deliberations on causes of the terrorist act in Vienna on Monday are inappropriate, an investigation is needed, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Tuesday in an interview with the Russia-24 TV channel.

"No initial and superfluous deliberations are appropriate. An investigation is necessary which is actually conducted now by Austria's competent bodies," the diplomat said in response to a question on causes of this terrorist act.

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/: Russia’s inter-agency commission approved the crew of the 65th long-term expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), the State Space Corporation Roscosmos announced on its website on Tuesday.

The next expedition will blast off aboard a Soyuz MS-18 crewed spacecraft from the Baikonur spaceport to the International Space Station in April 2021, Roscosmos specified.

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/: The world is going through a critical stage of the coronavirus pandemic, and the situation will be complicated in the next few months, the World Health Organization's representative to Russia Melita Vujnovic told TASS.

"Globally, we are at a critical stage of the pandemic, especially in the northern hemisphere. The next few months will be very difficult, and some countries are in a difficult situation," she stressed. "The COVID-19 incidence continues to grow, while the number of new deaths has remained relatively stable recently."

MOSCOW, November 3. /TASS/: Russia’s coronavirus cases grew by 18,648 in the past 24 hours reaching 1,673,686, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Tuesday.

According to the crisis center, the growth rate has stood at 1.1% for two days.

The lowest growth rates were recorded in Chechnya, Tatarstan and Dagestan (0.5% each), the Moscow Region, Chuvashia (0.6% each), the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District and the Krasnodar Region (0.7% each).

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/: Russia will complete rearming its Strategic Missile Force with Yars silo-based and mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by 2024, Chief Designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology (the Yars developer) Yuri Solomonov told TASS on Monday.

Solomonov who is also an Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences will mark his 75th birthday on November 3.

"I believe everything is moving towards the situation that the old grouping will be fully rearmed with Yars missile systems by 2024," the chief designer said.

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/: Russia’s Defense Ministry will get the first serial-produced Su-57 fifth-generation fighter in December, a source in the defense industry told TASS on Monday.

"The Defense Ministry will get the first serial-produced Su-57 with the operational first-stage engine on the single military output day in December this year and four more such planes in 2021," the source said.

The new fighter’s delivery rate will eventually grow to 15 aircraft a year, the source said.