Russia sees record number of coronavirus deaths again

Russian authorities have rejected the idea of another nationwide lockdown or widespread closure of businesses. Above, pedestrians in central Moscow. (AFP)
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Updated 25 November 2020
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Russia sees record number of coronavirus deaths again

  • A total of 37,538 people have died from the coronavirus in Russia

MOSCOW: Russian authorities have registered a record number of coronavirus deaths for a second straight day.
The government coronavirus task force reported 507 new deaths on Wednesday, the country’s highest daily toll. The previous record of 491 deaths was reported on Tuesday. A total of 37,538 people have died from the coronavirus in Russia, according to the task force.
Russia has been swept by a rapid resurgence of the outbreak this fall, with numbers of confirmed infections and deaths hitting new highs almost daily and significantly exceeding those reported in the spring.
The country’s authorities have rejected the idea of another nationwide lockdown or widespread closure of businesses, even as media reports from Russian regions showed that the health care system was under severe strain.
On Wednesday, officials reported 23,765 new confirmed cases. Russia currently has the world’s fifth largest coronavirus caseload of over 2.1 million.


Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes Japan’s Chugoku region

Cracks are seen on the ground in Wajima, Ishikawa prefecture, Japan Monday, Jan. 1, 2024, following an earthquake. (AP)
Updated 06 January 2026
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Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes Japan’s Chugoku region

  • Japan’s Nuclear ⁠Regulation Authority said there were ‌no irregularities at the plant

TOKYO: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude ​of 6.2 hit the western Chugoku region of Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, followed by a series of sizeable aftershocks.
The epicenter of the ‌first earthquake was ‌in eastern ‌Shimane prefecture, ⁠the ​agency ‌said, adding that there was no danger of a tsunami. Chugoku Electric Power operates the Shimane Nuclear Power Station, about 32 km (20 miles) away.
Japan’s Nuclear ⁠Regulation Authority said there were ‌no irregularities at the plant.
A ‍spokesperson said ‍the utility was checking ‍on any impact on the plant’s No.2 unit, which has been operating since December 2024 after being ​shut down following the March 2011 disasters in Fukushima.
Earthquakes are ⁠common in Japan, one of the world’s most seismically active areas.
The earthquake had a seismic intensity of upper-5 on Japan’s 1-7 scale, strong enough to make movement difficult without support.
West Japan Railway said it had suspended Shinkansen bullet-train operations ‌between Shin-Osaka and Hakata following the quake.