Syria Veto
Russia vetoed the extension of an investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Syria for a third time at a UN Security Council meeting on Saturday. The move was met with criticism from the US Ambassador the UN.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in turn accused Haley of “lying” and “fake diplomacy” during the negotiations.
Backdoor Meeting
Deputy chair of the Bank of Russia Alexander Torshin reportedly attempted to set up a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in May 2016. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, at that time a campaign aide, rejected the proposal.
Selling Out
Nearly 160,000 tickets for the World Cup next year — 98 percent of the quota for that phase — sold out by Friday, 24 hours after going on sale. Fifty-one percent were purchased by Russians and 49 percent by fans from other countries, according to FIFA. The remaining tickets in the phase will be available only for disabled persons.
Flight Demand
A surge in demand for flights to Russian cities hosting the World Cup has reportedly forced the cost of tickets to rise between 5 and 40 percent for some destinations. Earlier this year, Russian state airline Aeroflot hiked prices to host cities by as much as six times the normal price, but doubled down following an outcry.
Lost Dividends
Rosneftegaz, the government holding for energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom posted losses on the privatization of 19.5 percent of its shares in September and may not pay out dividends this year.
The 167-170 billion ruble ($2.82-2.87 bln) loss after the 692.4 bln sale was attributed to sale costs and overvaluation of the stock.
Moscow Shootout
Six bodyguards were injured in a shoot-out between a private security company and Russian National Guardsmen at the star-studded birthday celebration of alleged underworld boss Dmitry "Pavlik" Pavlov.
The dispute began over an improperly parked black Mercedes belonging to Russian billionaire Gavriil Yusvayev, police told the RBC business daily.
Journalist Attacked
Journalist Maria Semenyachenko working for the pro-Kremlin REN TV network said she was attacked by a guard at a firing range when she went to report a fire there.
Semenyachenko filed a police complaint alleging a guard hit her in the face and broke her cell phone.
Tree-Chopping Rally
The coordinator of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s campaign in Izhevsk was charged this weekend with illegally chopping down a tree to prepare a site for a Nov. 10 rally.
Sergei Urban denied the charges, saying the tree had already been downed before the rally, and activists just moved it out of the way.
Navalny Campaign
A businessman in the Siberian town of Irkutsk businessman, Dmitry Tomachyov, was jailed Saturday for 5 days for renting space in his shopping center to opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
