Court fines Russia for forcing asylum-seekers to live in airport

The intensive care unit in Moscow's Hospital Number 52 feels the pressure as Russia records daily surges in both cases and deaths caused by the coronavirus infection. On Friday Moscow reported 8166 new cases and 79 deaths which brought the capital's COVID-19 deaths rate to 30573. Moscow will reintroduce COVID-19 lockdown measures from Oct. 28 with supermarkets and pharmacies the only shops allowed to stay open.

Can NATO strike the right balance of force and diplomatic fortitude to make the Kremlin back off? Aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, Teri Schultz tees up a key meeting of foreign ministers in Riga.

After 11 months it was closed to traffic, the Toyota-Murtala Mohammed Airport Road link bridge has opened to traffic. Repair works commenced on the damaged bridge after six months of closure and it was meant to open to traffic by the end of September but the government further delayed reopening to carry out additional work.

The situation along the border is growing increasingly unstable as fears of a Russian invasion mount. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russia's foreign minister in an attempt to defuse the tension. Washington wants to limit Moscow's room for maneuver.

Police in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, say dozens of protesters have been killed in attempts to storm public buildings. After a request for help from Kazakhstan's president, Russia is leading an alliance of ex-Soviet states in sending what they call peacekeeping forces.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Russia's Permanent Representative to the European Union denied that the six Russian naval ships in the Black Sea have anything to do with Ukraine. Vladimir A. Chizhov also insisted that Moscow has no intention to make a move on Ukrainian territory and reiterated that the Kremlin is committed to a diplomatic outcome to the crisis.

Diplomacy continues in a bid to resolve the Ukraine crisis. This Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz went to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy. This as a ring of Russian troops tightens around Ukraine.

Germany has urged Russia to come back to the negotiating table as Russian media reported "no concrete plans" were in place for Putin to meet Biden.

The White House is warning that Russia could be planning a chemical or biological weapon attack in Ukraine. Washington says it's "very concerned" about the potential for the war to escalate and the possibility that Moscow may deploy non-conventional weapons. To discuss this and more, we're joined for Perspective by Edward Arnold, a research fellow for European security at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London.

The war in Ukraine continues to rage while Ukrainian and Russian negotiators talk. Experts say that for now neither side is ready for a breakthrough and fear that the war will last a very long time.

Former French colony Mali recently expelled the French ambassador and demanded the withdrawal of the French military. At the same time, the anti-colonialist Yerewolo movement is moving closer to Russia.

Karl Nehammer is the first European leader to visit Moscow since the conflict in Ukraine began. He said the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin gave him "no optimistic impression."