Russia

MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/: The Russian Industry and Trade Ministry has signed special investment contracts (SPICs) with automobile companies Volkswagen, GM-Avtovaz, PSA, Volvo, Toyota and Avtotor, the ministry said in a statement.

"The SPICs that were signed will allow to attract over 100 billion rubles to the Russian economy in the form of private investment by the world’s leading automobile concerns and to localize the production of key elements: engines, transmissions and car control systems," the statement quoted Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov as saying.

MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/: A full-fledged discussion on reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO) within the framework of the G20 group of nations will be possible only after a ‘position paper’ is prepared by the G20 chair country, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak has told TASS in an interview.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday it had not notified the Norwegian authorities about a ‘gas explosion’ on board a Russian Navy research submersible.

"Thanks to self-sacrificing actions of the crew, the fire at the submersible vehicle was put out. No notifications regarding the Russian deep-sea research submersible have ever been sent to the Norwegian side," the ministry said.

MOSCOW, July 3. /TASS/: Engines of Russia’s Zvezda module of the International Space Station have been switched on to raise the orbital outpost’s average altitude, a spokesperson for the Central Research Institute of Machine-Building (TsNIImash), which is in charge of the Mission Control Center, told TASS on Wednesday.

"The orbit adjustment proceeded normally," the source said.

Earlier, a TsNIImash source said the average altitude of the station was to be raised by 900 meters, to 413.7 km.

MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/: Russia hopes its reaction to the anti-Russian campaign in Georgia has brought to reason those seeking to earn political points, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoty Karasin said in an interview with the Kommersant daily posted on its website on Monday.

"They seem to have forgotten in Georgia that Russia has its own concept of honor and dignity. We are not in the habit of swallowing impudence and threats toward our nationals," Karasin said. "We have to anticipate possible risks in advance and block them."

MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) facilitates safe return of Syrian refugees in cooperation with Moscow and Damascus, UNHCR's regional coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Mohamed Amin Awad Abubakir told TASS in an interview.

"UNHCR is continuing its engagement with the Government of Syria, the Russian Federation and all other stakeholders to ensure that everyone is aware of, and applies, international standards to return planning," Abubakir said.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: Firefighters are working on extinguishing over 100 wildfires on the territory of around 50,000 hectares, the press service of the Aerial Forest Protection Service said on Tuesday. On Monday, forest fires covered around 40,000 hectares.

"As of 12am on 2 July 2019, 116 forest fires are reported on the territory of 49,941 hectares, with active firefighting efforts underway," the press service said.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: Three earthquakes have rocked Russia's Far Eastern region of Kamchatka over the last 24 hours, with the strongest one reaching 5.1 magnitude, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Tuesday.

"According to Obninsk urgent reports , three earthquakes were registered in Kamchatka over the last 24 hours. None of them generated tsunamis, and none were felt in local settlements. Residents did not report anything to regional emergency services," the ministry said.

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/: Russian Aerospace Defense Forces have tested a new anti-ballistic missile at the Sary-Shagan training range in Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

"The new anti-ballistic missile, after several trials, has reliably confirmed its characteristics and successfully fulfilled the task by striking an assigned target with precision," the defense ministry cited Colonel Pavel Kuzmin as saying.

Anti-ballistic missiles are used to counter ballistic missiles.

MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/: The Russian and US military held inspections under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) last week, the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported on Monday citing data provided by the Russian Defense Ministry.

Russian specialists also held two inspections in Turkey and Romania in accordance with the Vienna Document of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).