Russia

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen in Sochi on May 15, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

"On May 15, Sochi will host talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, who will make a working visit to Russia," the statement reads.

The two leaders are expected to discuss bilateral relations in various areas and the prospects for their future, as well as pressing global and regional issues.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: Russian runner Ksenia Savina has been disqualified for 12 years for violating anti-doping rules, the press service of the All-Russia Athletic Federation (RAF) said on Tuesday.

Her coach Alexey Savin was also disqualified for four years for doping.

Savina's disqualification starts on 6 May 2019. Her coach's disqualification started on 3 April 2019.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: The launch of the last Glonass-M satellite is planned for 2020, and the last Glonass-K spacecraft will be sent into space in 2023, according to the Strategy of GLONASS Development until 2030.

Five satellites will be delivered to the orbit by rocket carriers in 2020 - one Glonass-M, one Glonass-K2 and three Glonass-K satellites. "The last Glonass-M satellite No 61 will be delivered to the orbit by the Soyuz rocket carrier in the second quarter of 2020," the document said.

In 2021, three Glonass-K satellites will be delivered to the orbit.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: A tourist group consisting of nine people got into an avalanche in the Altai mountains on May 6, seven people died, while two tourists survived, the press service of the Russian Emergencies Ministry informed TASS on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: Sri Lanka supports Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to form a global front against terrorism, the country’s Ambassador to Russia Dayan Jayatilleka said in an interview with TASS.

"Everyone can benefit from the initiative that Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward at the UN General Assembly in 2015. He said we needed to establish a truly global, united front to combat terrorism," he emphasized.

ST. PETERSBURG, May 7. /TASS/: Paleontologists from the St. Petersburg State University found in Yakutia’s Suntar Region remains of giant herbivorous dinosaurs, and this finding may change the current view on ancient lizards, the University’s expert Pavel Skuchas told TASS on Tuesday.

The remains are about 130 million years old. Those were very primitive species, and similar animals in southern regions had died much earlier, the scientist said.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: Russia’s 2018 Olympic Champion in figure skating Alina Zagitova tops the ISU (International Skating Union) list of the world’s best female figure skaters, the ISU press service reported on Tuesday.

Zagitova, 16, holds the first place in the ISU World Rankings with 4,510 points. Last season she earned 2,620 points having won the gold of the 2019 ISU World Championship in Japan’s Saitama as well as the silver of the European Championship and the silver of the ISU Grand Prix.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: The investigation has revealed a group of companies that delivered contaminated oil to the Druzhba pipeline, four people have been detained in the case, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak said at a government meeting.

MOSCOW, May 6. /TASS/: Moscow's Presnensky court will announce the verdict in the case of Russian footballers Alexander Kokorin and Pavel Mamaev accused of hooliganism, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom on Monday.

"The verdict will be announced on May 8 at 2pm Moscow time," the judge said.

On Monday, case prosecutor Svetlana Tarasova asked to sentence Kokorin to 18 months in prison and Mamaev to 17 months in prison. Other defendants in the case - Alexander Protasovitsky and Kirill Kokorin - face prison terms of 17 months and 18 months respectively.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: The Syrian government forces' artillery has shelled the positions of armed groups to the south and west of Aleppo, Syrian News Channel reported on Tuesday.

Syrian forces shelled Aleppo's suburbs Kfar-Hamra and Halsa and the Rashidin-5 neighborhood controlled by militants.

Militants earlier opened fire from multiple rocket launcher systems at the Masaqin al-Sabil neighborhood in Aleppo, injuring several civilians.