'Turkish Stream, Akkuyu Nuclear Plant Not Frozen'
The Turkish Stream project and the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant project have not been frozen as part of Russian trade sanctions on Turkey, Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev has said.
"As far as major investment projects are concerned, so far there has been no decision about freezing them or stopping their funding. Therefore we presume that they will operate just as they did before the government adopted this decision," Ulyukaev said.
Ulyukaev's comments followed earlier reports by Reuters and TASS that the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project could be frozen.
The Akkuyu nuclear power plant is under construction in Turkey.
The Mayor of Istanbul's Bayrampasa district is also saying that the explosion in a local metro station was caused by a bomb.
Turkish security sources are now saying that a hand made bomb caused the explosion in an Istanbul metro station this afternoon.
'Russia, Turkey To Freeze Talks About Turkish Stream Project'
Russia and Turkey are to suspend discussions about the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project in the wake of the Russian government's freezing of the work of the joint Russian-Turkish Intergovernmental Commission, a source familiar with the negotiations has told the TASS news agency.
Russia's Energy Ministry and Russian gas giant Gazprom have so far refused to comment, TASS reports.
However, two Gazprom sources told Reuters earlier today that Russia may freeze work on the Turkish Stream project, which is intended to pump gas from Russia via Turkey into southeastern Europe, bypassing Ukraine.
"We're expecting that the head of state, in all likelihood, could declare a freezing of Turkish Stream, or at least some kind of timeout should be announced," one Gazprom source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
One person has been killed and several others wounded at the explosion at a metro station in Istanbul, Turkey. There appears to be some uncertainty about the cause of the blast.
OnlineTambov, a Russian news site, has published photographs from Aviators Square in Lipetsk, where locals and a delegation from the neighboring Tambov Oblast gathered today to pay their respects to Oleg Peshkov, the Russian pilot shot dead by rebels after Turkey downed his Su-24 jet near the Syrian border last week.
Peshkov is to be buried in Lipetsk tomorrow. He is being hailed as a hero in Russia and has been posthumously awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation medal, the highest honorary title in Russia.
The explosion at an Istanbul metro station appears to have been caused by a power transformer, local media say.
There are reports of an explosion and casualties at a metro station in Istanbul.
CNN has tweeted a video of Defense Secretary Carter's announcement that the United States is to deploy a "specialized expeditionary targeting force" to pressurize IS.