459 infections and 178 deaths is the latest information coming out of Angola, where an outbreak of Yellow Fever was first reported in the capital city, Luanda, in December 2015, the first outbreak of the disease in three decades, and has now spread out to ten of the country's eighteen provinces. Worse, the outbreak is reaching neighboring countries, with cases reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Namibia. Other cases in Kenya and the People's Republic of China have been described as travel-related cases with links to Angola. A massive vaccination campaign was launched by the health authorities and the National Response Plan saw 87 per cent of the targeted 6.4 million people at risk vaccinated, as 7.3 million doses of the vaccine were made available with help from countries such as Brazil, the World Health Organization and the International Coordinating Group for yellow fever vaccine provision.

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive If you are a smoker who wants to get rid of the nasty habit, you can bid farewell to cigarettes on May 31, the World No Tobacco Day. This day appeared in 1988 when the World Health Organization set a goal to the international community to root out the problem of tobacco smoking in the 21st century. Needless to say that the noble initiative has not brought any results: tobacco still rules the world and kills people. In Russia, smoking remains the most widely-spread ill habit. Up to 65 percent of Russian males and up to 30 percent of females are smokers. The number of smokers in Russia has increased by 440,000 people during the recent two decades. The growth is based on the involvement of new social groups – women and young people. The share of smoking women in the age group of 20-29 is ten times as much as in the group of women over 60. “This year all those who want to quit smoking will have a wonderful opportunity to quit with thousands of other people who care about their own health. You won’t be alone here – you will quit with thousands of other people,” a message from Russia’s Healthcare Ministry said.

There are contradictory opinions on vegetarianism. This has to do with the lack of accurate knowledge about this unusual diet. However, vegetarianism is more than just a diet and is rather a lifestyle and a certain philosophy. Scientists have their own opinion about this. Below are the latest scientific arguments and views of European and American nutritionists about vegetarianism. Types of vegetarianism: Flexitarianism - a soft version of a vegetarian diet that allows meat and seafood, but only once a month. According to leading experts, this is the best diet at the moment. There is also pescetarianism that allows fish. Lacto-vegetarianism is the standard type that involves consumption of dairy products and eggs.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin introduced serious measures to prevent coronavirus-caused diseases. At the same time, doctors and health officials say that coronavirus is not serious a problem at all. Pravda.Ru correspondents tried to contact infectious hospitals in Moscow in an attempt to receive an expert on the topic of coronavirus in Russia, but it turned out that the Russian Healthcare Ministry prohibited giving any comments to the media. The decree on the introduction of the regime of high alert due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus was published on the website of the Moscow mayor. For passengers arriving from China, South Korea, Italy, Iran, France, Germany, Spain and other countries, where the situation is alarming, compulsory quarantine will be introduced for 14 days upon their return to Russia. Such people will have to:

The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes atypical pneumonia COVID-19, can also penetrate into the brain, disrupt the work of the nervous system and cause other severe complications. The disease may not be limited to respiratory infections only. As practical studies show, in a significant number of patients, the virus affects the nervous system. The mechanism of its impact on nerve cells has not been studied yet, but scientists believe that there is some connection: a temporary loss of taste or smell was recognized as specific symptoms of COVID-19 in the middle of March. To make matters worse, the virus may penetrate directly into the brain from the nasopharynx. In this case, the virus may trigger a series of complications, disrupting the normal functioning of almost any organ. The list of possible concomitant diseases is extensive:

Four coronavirus mutants are rushing to attack humanity: new strains of the virus have been found in the UK, Brazil, South Africa and Japan. What do we know about them? The new British strain According to the report from the British Expert Commission of Virologists and Epidemiologists (The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group/NERVTAG), the mortality rate from British coronavirus B.1.1.7 or VUI202012/1 is approximately 30 percent higher compared to SARS-CoV-2. Its appearance in the United Kingdom dates back to September 2020.There are two stories circulating about the new virus strain. Besides the increased number of deaths, the British strain is much more contagious. Computer simulations have shown that this strain may contribute to the further development of the pandemic. The good news is that vaccines can subdue it and one develops immunity against it. The new South African strain Strain B.1.351 or 501Y. V2 that appeared in South Africa has attacked citizens of at least three dozen countries so far. As of the end of January, as Alexander Gorelov, deputy director for scientific work of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology at Rospotrebnadzor said, the South African strain was not found in Russia.Specialists of the US-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention are confident that this type of pathogen first appeared in early October 2020 in the urban district of Nelson Mandela's Bay (South Africa).Having become dominant in South Africa, the South African strain "traveled" to Australia, and proceeded to terrorize Western Europe:

When the news of the crash of Ebrahim Raisi's helicopter arrived, the first thing that came to mind for anyone with a modicum of critical thinking was: "Is it Israel's doing?" This is an absolutely legitimate speculation. However, the journalists and commentators who work directly or indirectly for the imperialist propaganda apparatus categorically dismiss it. This is pure hypocrisy. It is they themselves who love to make the most idiotic speculations about everything - when it suits their bosses, of course. When Evgeny Prigozhin's helicopter crashed, for example, the first speculation made by these propagandists was that the Russian government was responsible. After all, the former Wagner Group leader had spoken out against Vladimir Putin. That was the great fact that underpinned the logic of this argument. He was an opponent of Putin, so Putin would most likely have ordered his elimination. Even if he had reconciled and received a pardon from the Russian president, even if the helicopter had crashed near the Ukrainian border and the Russians had assured him that it was Ukrainian sabotage.

LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky managed to get revaccinated. For the first time, the politician chose Sputnik V; for the repeated procedure, he opted for CoviVac. As Zhirinovsky explained, "the level of antibodies is gradually decreasing, I wanted to strengthen the defense of my body." Mass vaccination against coronavirus, which is now taking place in all countries, including Russia, still raises a huge number of questions. This is not surprising, given the fact that the coronavirus infection with which we are dealing has not been thoroughly studied yet, and the vaccines for it have not gone through all the required stages of clinical trials. Pravda.R asked most burning questions related to the topic of vaccination to Professor of Virology, Chief Researcher at the Gamaleya Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology Anatoly Alshtein.

Despite their rabid cynicism, the media of the collective West are forced to disavow the most odious manifestations of Nazism, extremism, and terrorism practiced by the Ukrainian security forces. Foreign instructors have not only trained the Nazis in military skills, but have also revived old colonial techniques to insult their opponents. After materials appeared on the Web with torture and murder of civilians and Russian servicemen, a report from Bucha was immediately concocted in response. Information about biolaboratories with pathogens of the most contagious diseases turned into accusations that Russia used chemical weapons, and much more. When calling Russians Nazis, lying experts are careful not to notice either the ISIS*-inspired video made by Ukrainians or the Wolfsangel stripes worn by Nazi Einsatzgruppen during World War II. The West has forgotten all about honor and dignity Extremism researcher Cynthia Miller-Idriss apparently has an eyesore that prevents her from seeing the real picture. She dictates that "among the foreign fighters going to Ukraine, the vast majority have nothing to do with the extremism of white supremacy advocates."

McDonald's new Bandera burger, which was introduced at restaurants of the chain in Oslo, Norway, sparked criticism on social media in Norway itself, in Ukraine, and in Russia. McDonald's sells Bandera burgers in Europe Many assumed that the fast food chain that suspended its businesses in Russia has thus expressed its support for Ukraine, where Stepan Bandera* is considered a national hero. However, it turned out that the Bandera Burger has nothing to do with the Ukrainian Nazi collaborator.

Spring arrived late. Much later than usual. It was already mid May. However, the numerous narrow streams of clean cool mountain water atop the blacktop, confirmed the season’s arrival. Those rivers of water were everywhere. This was normal. It was time. Lift the aluminum garage door. First, strip the tarp. Then roll the British Twin from its hibernation. This was its first season under covers, tucked away from the Old Man Winter. Kind of like a debutante’s arrival.

On October 5, SpaceX Crew Dargon blasted off to the International Space Station. Anna Kikina, a woman cosmonaut from Russia, was on board the SpaceX spacecraft. "A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelled the Dragon Endurance spacecraft into orbit carrying NASA astronauts Nicole Mann as mission commander, and Josh Cassada, pilot. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Koichi Wakata and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina, also aboard the Dragon, will serve as mission specialists for their science expedition in microgravity aboard the space station," NASA wrote. The participation of a Russian cosmonaut in the launch launch was made possible owing to the cross-flight programme: a Russian cosmonaut boarded SpaceX, and an American astronaut flew to the ISS on board a Soyuz spacecraft.

The name of the Indian astrologer Ajai Bhambi, who has the reputation of a prophet in his homeland, is known all over the world. No wonder, his predictions always come true. An interesting point: Bhambi always makes forecasts for the year. He always does it in March. In his opinion, it is during this time of the year, when everything comes true with an accuracy of 99 percent. In March 2021, the Indian doctor of astrology predicted that the planet would begin to forget about the "malicious coronavirus" by the end of February 2022. He said that the disease would still periodically come and go, but people would treat it like common cold.

Rose has always been considered one of the most beautiful and popular flowers, belonging to the queen of flowers. However, there is a rival in the world that has won the hearts of many beauty connoisseurs, and that is the peony. Cultivated varieties of peonies are well known to florists, gardeners, and landscape design professionals. At the same time, wild peonies, which are no less impressive, are not as well known and not as popular. As for Russia, 15 species of wild peonies can be found here. Peonies have been famous for their unique beauty for many centuries and are often mentioned in legends and myths. One such legend is associated with the goddess Flora. The legend says that when the goddess was preparing to go on a long journey, she ordered her subordinates to find a worthy replacement for her. Many thought that the only possible substitute for Flora could be the beautiful rose. It was to her that the goddess entrusted the leadership of the plant kingdom. But only the peony opposed this divine decision, not recognizing the rose as its superior competitor. In response to the protests and disrespectful behavior of the peony, the goddess expressed her anger in a rage: "Let butterflies and bees never visit you!" In Russia, peonies grow in the Far East, Transbaikalia, the middle strip, and the Caucasus. In May-June, peony flowers begin to bloom, emitting a sweet substance that attracts ants and other insects. Ants often protect the plant from pests, acting as its defenders. Thus, peonies were able to bypass the curse of the goddess Flora!

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of private military company Wagner, was killed in a plane crash on August 23. His Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy 600 plane crashed in the Tver region. Prigozhin was 62. Prigozhin was born in 1961 in Leningrad. He lost his father in his early childhood, and was raised by his mother and stepfather. Yevgeny Prigozhin received his first criminal record when he was 18, the second and third one followed soon afterwards. After he was released from prison, Prigozhin decided to open his own business. He and his stepfather started selling hotdogs in Leningrad.

Pilot Viktor Belenko, who hijacked a Soviet MiG-25 interceptor fighter to Japan and sought political asylum in the United States, died in the US. He was 76. The pilot, who literally brought USSR's advanced technology to Western specialists, died on September 24. A routine notice of his death appeared in the obituaries section of The Washington Post two weeks later. The New York Times published an article about Viktor Belenko's life in November. Belenko's sons Tom and Paul were staying with their father at the time of his death. The pilot got married in the USA, but later divorced. He is survived by two children and four grandchildren. They decided not to hold a memorial service.

On December 7, a girl student, an eighth-grader, went on a shooting spree at Bryansk School No. 5. Five people were injured, two were killed, including the girl shooter herself. The girl's motive for the attack is yet to be established. According to unconfirmed reports, the girl suffered from bullying at school. This is the first time in the history of school shooting incidents in Russia, when the shooter was a girl. No incidents of school shooting were known in Russia before 2014. Before 2014, many in Russia believed that the phenomenon of school shooting was inherent with the United States. After 2014, however, episodes fo school shooting began to occur throughout Russia on a regular basis. 2014, Moscow

On April 16, Pavel Durov announced that he had given an interview to American journalist Tucker Carlson. He explained that he chose Carlson because of his conservative views. At the same time, Durov announced another interview that he was going to give to a journalist of liberal views. What Pavel Durov is known for Aside from creating Telegram and VK services, Pavel Durov is known for his intricate and mysterious behaviour. He has hardly given any interviews.  In 2021, Forbes named Pavel Durov the richest person in the United Arab Emirates. At that time, his fortune was estimated at $17.2 billion.

The third Easter that the Orthodox world celebrated on May 5, 2024, is believed to be a victorious one for Russia, Elder Jonah of Odessa predicted. Victorious Easter in 2024 Elder Jonah of Odessa, the confessor of the Holy Dormition Monastery, who died in 2012 at the age of 87, warned long before the coup in Kyiv about the war that would erupt between a "small state” and Russia. The war, he predicted, would sow "chaos” in the world and spread "spiritual sprite” around Ukraine: "Ukraine and Russia do not exist separately — there is one Holy Rus'. Our enemies decided to divide us in order to destroy Orthodoxy in Little Rus'. God will not let that happen.”

Liya Zaurbekova, a young woman who escaped from her family in Chechnya and took refuge from her relatives in the police department in Moscow, left Russia, the woman's lawyer Natalia Tikhonova said adding that she could not disclose any other details for her client's safety. Adam Delimkhanov, an associate of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, believes that Zaurbekova will be returned to her family in the republic. In turn, Alexander Ionov, a member of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia, who reported her escape, urged not to exaggerate the degree of the threat for the Chechen woman who left her home due to mental and physical violence. Adam Delimkhanov, Kadyrov's adviser and State Duma deputy, believes that Liya Zaurbekova was misled after she found herself under someone's influence. The girl is being manipulated, Delimkhanov believes.

The Kemerovo regional court ruled to send Alexander Spesivtsev, a resident of Novokuznetsk, to compulsory treatment, the regional Office of the Public Prosecutor said. The defendant, Alexander Spesivtsev, is a serial killer, who killed at least 34 victims and ate them during the 1990s. Spesivtsev will undergo treatment at a special psychiatric hospital.

US rapper Kanye West (Ye) made a surprise visit to Moscow to congratulate a friend of his, fashion designer Gosha Rubchinsky on his birthday. Rubchinsky heads West's Yeezy brand. The US musician walked around the capital, had black caviar at Beluga restaurant and took a ride with friends on a luxury yacht. The American rapper arrived at Vnukovo-3 airport on a private flight on Saturday, June 29. It was reported that the artist decided to visit Russia to celebrate his friend and business partner's birthday as Gosha Rubchinsky turned 40 on June 29. West's Russian fans created a number of groups on Telegram to exchange messages about the rapper's whereabouts in the Russian capital. A crowd of onlookers gathered near Four Seasons Hotel, where the musician allegedly stayed in the presidential suite.

Oh, boy… Have to go back a spell to expound with clarity on this one. Those of you that follow the ‘beautiful game’ – as in futbol – the name Zindedine Zidane, should always conjure up some fine sentiments. At a bare minimum – ‘Zizou’ – as he was affectionately known to legions of fans spanning the earth, just saying his name would bring a pleasant smile. Algerian

Russian people will be able to learn more about the vehicles used by top officials of the country. A new book titled "First Persons' Cars" is to be released under the auspices of the Federal Guard Service (FSO). According to the author of the foreword, FSO Director, Lieutenant-General Dmitry Kochnev, readers will learn exclusive details not just about cars, but also about most protected vehicles that the Soviet Union and Russia have ever seen. It stands the reason that the vehicles that top officials use for their work play a very important role in the security of the state leader. The cars that are used today for officials taking top positions in the country were developed on the basis of decades of experience. The book is illustrated with pictures taken in the Kremlin, in the Dacha of Joseph Stalin and other prominent locations. The authors wanted to place every vehicle in the entourage for which it was created. However, the FSO director believes, all the cars that one can see in the book have one common feature: they look majestic.

It is an open secret that the Russian Empire, holding the position of benevolent neutrality, provided enormous assistance to the United States during the Civil War. What kind of role was it exactly, though?One should recollect here the person, who contributed a lot to Russia's decision to support Abraham Lincoln, rather than his opponents from the Confederation. It goes about Cassius Marcellus Clay. That was an outstanding person indeed. Clay, who owned plantations in Kentucky, liberated his slaves, but allowed them to continue working for money. His act was unprecedented for that time, and Cassius Clay instantly made a huge amount of enemies. They attacked him several times. At one point, Clay had to fight six Turner brothers and he won the fight having killed one of the brothers. Russian Emperor II saved Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln found such an ardent abolitionist to be suitable for the post of US Ambassador to Russia. Clay had not had time to leave when the Civil War broke out. He did not leave Washington, but started forming a group of volunteers to defend the White House. Cassius Clay left for St. Petersburg with his family only after the federal army arrived. The Russian Empire was going through the abolition of serfdom right at that time. One may say that the Russian leadership was sympathetic to what Abraham Lincoln was doing in the United States. Clay was pleased to report to Washington that Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Gorchakov hoped for an early suppression of the "revolt in the south."Russian Emperor Alexander II ordered to send warships to the East and to the West coast of the United States. Their captains received secret instructions in case Britain and France decide to take the side of the Confederation. The Russian fleet was ordered to support the US government.Washington appreciated Russia's move. Upon the arrival of Russian ships in New York's harbor, U.S. Navy Secretary Gideon Wells wrote in his diary: "The Russian fleet has come out of the Baltic and are now in New York, or a large number of the vessels have arrived. They are not to be confined in the Baltic by a northern winter. In sending them to this country at this time there is something significant. What will be its effect on France and the French policy we shall learn in due time. It may moderate; it may exasperate. God bless the Russians."

Since 1478, Russia has taken part in 138 wars and suffered defeat in 18 of them. Three of those wars led to most severe territorial and human losses for Russia.  Livonian War (1558 - 1583) The conflict sparked after the Livonian Confederation refused to pay tribute that Russia had imposed  since the previous war in 1481. The Livonians actively obstructed the development of Russian trade in the Baltic Sea and concluded an offensive-defensive treaty with Poland and Lithuania. Having realised that the war with the Baltic would be inevitable, Ivan the Terrible organised a crusade to Livonia. At first, Russia was winning, and both Livonia and Lithuania were completely defeated. However, the European countries joined their forces in the face of the threat from the Russian army. 

The Russians love to win. Unfortunately, other countries often take advantage of our victories, whereas we easily forget about our military prowess. Today, during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, few people in Russia may remember that it was the Soviet army that put an end to the worst war in the history of mankind - World War II, or the Great Patriotic War, as it is known in Russia. It was on September 3rd, when it happened.  September 3rd is the official date of the end of World War II in the Soviet Union. It used to be celebrated as a non-working day and had been officially called the National Day of Victory over Imperialist Japan until 1947. One can still find posters at history museums in the Far East of Russia that say: Victory Day over Japan - September 3rd. The day of September 3rd was officially approved as the red date of the calendar by the decree from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 2, 1945. USSR's first and, unfortunately, the only parade of victory over Japan took place on September 16, on the territory of Harbin, where the Chinese still take care of Soviet burials.

At the beginning of the last century, the news about the death of Afghan Emir Abdur-Rahman made headlines all over the world. It was reported that his death could lead to most unpleasant consequences for both Russia and England, and, consequently, for the whole world politics. Kabul - Russia - Kabul Everything flows, but nothing changes. The topic of the Afghanistan crisis has become important again, especially for Russia. England is no longer the same, and the successor - the United States - is a far cry from the current rulers of Afghanistan. After Shir Ali Khan's accession to the throne in 1864, Abdur-Rahman participated in the troops of his father, Afzul Khan, and uncle Azim Khan in the fight against his other uncle, the powerful Emir Shir Ali. He conquered Kabul in 1866, where his father established himself.

Queen Elizabeth II died peacefully in Scotland on September 8. The crown passed to her son, Prince Charles, who took the throne name Charles III. His name is translated into Russian as Karl III, which is due to historic peculiarities of name translations. Elizabeth II and Boris Yeltsin Despite the fact that Elizabeth II ascended the throne back in 1952, the Queen was in no hurry to pay an official visit to the Soviet Union and then Russia. Her historical trip to Russia took place only after the collapse of the USSR. On October 17, 1994, Elizabeth II landed in Moscow. First deputy chairman of the government, Oleg Soskovets, welcomed the Queen. Directly from the airport, they went to the Kremlin in a royal Rolls-Royce, where Russian President Boris Yeltsin was waiting for them.

Russia has a very extensive history of military operations and wars. Russia has been successful in most of its wars, but the price was too high as too many lives had been lost. Therefore, our descendants need to remember the lessons that our ancestors left for us as a legacy. Most of the threats that Russia had to deal with were coming from the south and the southwest. One of those campaigns took place in 1827-1828, when France and England pushed Russia into the flames of another war with Turkey. General Nikolai Yepanchin combined his service in the army ranks with extensive scientific and teaching activities. He was also a member of the Military Historical Commission of the General Staff for compiling a description of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. He repeatedly criticised the military component of the Russian Empire, dwelling in detail on how the Russian army was prepared for military campaigns.

A major crisis broke out in Russia in the beginning of October 1993. It was the most serious crisis in post-Soviet history. Disagreements between President Boris Yeltsin and parliamentary leaders led to bloody massacre on the streets of Moscow.  The number of victims of the Black October crisis remains unknown even 30 years after. According to various departments and commissions, the number of victims varies from 124 to 158 people. Witnesses say, however, that hundreds were killed and thousands of others were injured.  After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR was still in force vesting supreme powers on the Supreme Council and the Congress of People's Deputies.

Political tensions in the world have reached the stage when many start wondering whether the human civilization may survive a nuclear catastrophe. One may hear many expert opinions about post-apocalyptic topics.According to the authors of Telegram channel Mayday. Chronicles of Nose-Diving, pandemics of various deadly infections, abrupt climate change, and disasters at nuclear and chemical facilities remain most important threats to mankind, not to mention the worst scenario of a global nuclear war. As for the issue of reviving human civilization per se, researchers believe that a little more than a hundred people with an equal gender balance would be enough for humans to survive. The set of genes in descendants will allow the new human civilisation to survive and develop (the example of the Maori is indicative here).One should also take into account the offensive of nature. If urban development is not supported by life support systems, nature will take its toll very quickly.Plants will take over all ruins in just a few years, like it happened in Abkhazia. For example, the Tkuarchal regional power plant in Abkhazia used to be a state regional power plant that supplied energy to the industrial city of Tkuarchal and its environs. It was built in the 1950s and was the main consumer of coal mined from Tkuarchal.Later, in the late 1980s, the regional power station switched to natural gas. During the 1992-1993 Georgian-Abkhaz war, it was demolished, and still remains in deplorable condition beyond repairs. People will survive and find something to do. Villagers will find it easier to survive because they will be able to return to farming, agriculture and cattle breeding. They will need primitive agricultural tools to ensure the survival of villages. The main problem will be the preservation and revival of scientific knowledge. Gadgets and appliances, like other technologically complex products that require advanced production, cannot be reproduced from scratch. The people themselves will be busy with completely different problems. Descendants of scientists and professors, forced to engage in hunting and gathering, are unlikely to be able to convey their knowledge about the structure of the solar system to their descendants. One needs to think about such a development of events before the very fact of the end of the world. Otherwise, the world will plunge into another stone age.Analysts of the "Older than Edda" project believe that the possible replenishment of the nuclear club does not seem to be something unprecedented. Technically, a third of UN member states are capable of creating a nuclear bomb. It is more difficult to develop vehicles to deliver nuclear bombs, but there is nothing particularly complicated in the very creation of a nuclear weapon.In fact, the only thing that protects us from the mass production of weapons of the Apocalypse is the dilapidating system of the post-war world order and the hegemony of the United States, which has been rapidly losing its relevance lately.

It is not the melting of permafrost that causes giant gas bubbles to erupt, geophysicists found. This crater in Yamal is the 17th such crater that was found in the region.Vasily Bogoyavlensky, geologist and geophysicist, said that there are many of such "black holes" in the north of Russia. Many of those craters have emerged during the past ten years.The very first crater, which was discovered in 2014, became the famous one. It was a hole about 50 meters deep and 40 meters in diameter. Geologists quickly established that the giant hole in the ground was just a hole, from which methane was bursting out.A cavity is formed in the layers of underground ice as it melts due to the influence of a local anomalous heat flow. This cavity is then filled with gas, and it grows larger, causing the surface on the ground to swell until the frozen rock reaches its ultimate strength and eventually explodes in a pneumatic explosion. Extraterrestrial cryovolcanoes found on Earth Some scientists assumed that the Yamal crater was the first cryovolcano on planet Earth - a volcano that appears in permafrost and spews out jets of gas instead of melted magma. Until recently, such cryovolcanoes were observed only in space - on Neptune's satellite Triton, and on Titan or Enceladus (the moons of Saturn). According to Vasily Bogoyavlensky, the Yamal gas eruptions can be referred to as volcanoes only to a certain degree, although several craters can be defined as such. "I believe that many of these objects can be categorised as ordinary mud volcanoes, but they have their own peculiarities, because the near-surface soil is frozen. It additionally restrains the gas, and the pressure in the cavity can reach high values. As a result, the gas still breaks through the rock," the researcher said.

Back to normal. Back to a spike in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Politics before the People, it’s the economy, stupid! The UK heads for Hades. In the midst of this latest global pandemic, common sense seems to have flown out of the window, however incredible it may seem given all the collective knowledge we have gathered over the years. If we look at the history book, we are practically where we were one century ago with so-called Infuenza A H1N1 (Spanish Flu, which was not from Spain but from the USA) and if we turn back just one page, we see that we are back where we were at this time last year. We are going round and round in circles because policymakers are failing us. Common sense, not conspiracy theories Talking about common sense, forget all the conspiracy theories that this is a master plan to cull those members of society more dependent on the State, such as pensioners. It just so happens that their defences are weaker and so they are more susceptible to the illness. Forget the theories about injecting micro-chips with the vaccine. It just so happens that this is one of the main means we have to control the spread of the virus, not the only one but an important one. Forget the denial theories which say the disease does not exist. Go ask the families of those who have died from it. Mine included.

On September 15, 2021, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered all military personnel, Defense Department civilian officials and contractors to report any symptoms of Havana syndrome, a mysterious disease that affected US diplomatic missions in many countries around the world. Reference: The mysterious disease manifested itself for the first time in 2016 in Havana, Cuba, where it literally wiped out the staff of the US Embassy. The victims reported that at first they heard strange grinding and ringing sounds, and then they either lost consciousness, or began to experience severe migraines, dizziness and disorientation. The diplomatic mission had to be closed, and the personnel had to be repatriated. At least 59 Americans in Cuba and China have been screened or treated for the unknown illness. The total number of patients amounts to at least 130 people.

Regarding my choice for the first part of my titular line, it is what it is: The weather. Nothing more. All else, is buell sheet. Let us leave it at that. Besides, have not we all had enough of the progressive Wokies and Fake News Media the world over waxing on ad hominem about it already? Climate hysteria has been going on for decades now. Even with their newest iteration, ‘The Green New Deal’ this climate hoax still comes up smelling of  well, sulfur. It really stinks. What is the adage again? Right: Lipstick on a pig… It does not hide the fact that a real pig, still resides behind the shiny lip-gloss. Climatologist progressives As of this writing, the dog whistling climatologist progressives are attending their annual gas lighting meeting in Scotland. As usual Sweet Child of Sweden, Great Thunberg is there. No surprise either that the pudgy yute girl, now teenager, is leading the “How dare you!’ vanguard charge. No big surprise either, that the world’s billionaire oligarchs attended. All, without exception arrived in their own private Lear jets; leaving their biggest carbon footprints in their wake. As many of you know, that is the wealth mongers’ signature move.

Green New Deal are three words that have acquired great notoriety in recent times and seem to finally be the answer to the increasingly pressing requests coming from the variegated environmental world. The fear that our planet will undergo an ecological collapse that makes it an uninhabitable hell for humanity and the rest of living creatures, be they animals or plants, has prompted a part of Western society to reconsider its priorities and way of living. A part that is not very large, to be honest, but that has received a lot of attention from media, celebrities, no-profit foundations and now also from some governments. Apparently, the new green revolution will guarantee us a bright future. Drastically reduced industrial pollution, zero-emission cars, super-efficient homes and workplaces, heated and powered by the energy of the sun: these are just some of the promises, written with fire on the rock, the realization of which will give us a new Garden of Eden planetary in size. But will it really be like this? Some of the visionary benefactors who are heralds for these fabulous ideas continue to insist that the Earth is overpopulated and that it would be better to return to the situation of the early twentieth century, when the population on our planet was about a quarter of what it is today. The question then arises spontaneously on how to get back to that level quickly, with what methods and with what results.

Reconnaissance and strike-reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles pose one of the biggest problems for fighters in the 21st century is. There were more than 12 million of them on the planet in 2020. Drones can be dangerous in civilian life as well. They can be used for massive attacks on government facilities and infrastructure. Traditional air defense systems are unable to handle this challenge. A large number of flying mechanisms may overload computers of any air defense system, making it easier for attack drones to break through to the target.

About 4,500 people have been injured as a result of explosions of communication devices that took place in Lebanon. It was Hezbollah members' pager devices that started blowing up first on September 17. The following day, explosions continued, although it was not just pagers, but walkie-talkies, laptops, radios, smartphones, fingerprinting devices and solar-powered units that started exploding. Israel was not the first state to have used remote detonation of communication devices. In fact, a description of such a technology can be found in Pentagon documents from 50 years ago. Israel previously used remotely detonated communication devices in its military operations. For example, one of the leaders of Hamas movement, Yahya Ayyash, received a phone with an explosive planted in it. The devices that exploded in Lebanon were from a new batch These and other cases have one thing in common: the devices that exploded in Lebanon on September 17 and 18 had explosives installed in them in advance.

Chechnya should send volunteers to the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine more frequently, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said. Kadyrov made this announcement after a Ukrainian drone struck the building of the University of Special Forces in Gudermes. "I urge real men to volunteer to fight to defend our land, our state and our people. We need to show that you can't play around with Chechnya and its people," Ramzan Kadyrov said. Airplanes with volunteers should be sent to the front lines every day, not just once a week, as is happening now, he added.

Volodymyr Zelensky's demand to transfer American Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine gave Washington the jitters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on the sidelines of the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security. "We know that his demand for Tomahawks caused bewilderment in Washington," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. The Americans will "slap Zelensky on his hands" to ensure their security if he continues to try to drag them into the war against Russia, Lavrov noted.

Mikhail Gorbachev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU in 1985-1991, the first and last president of the USSR, died on Tuesday evening, August 30, 2022. Gorbachev personifies a lot of things for both Russia and other nations of the world: perestroika, glasnost, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Warsaw Pact Organization, a bloc created as a counterweight to NATO. Gorbachev took a course to improve relations with the West and contributed to the unification of Germany. At the same time, there was a series of bloody conflicts in the USSR during his rule. Many hold Gorbachev accountable for the violent dispersal of the rally in Tbilisi in 1989, when 21 people were killed. The same applies to events in Vilnius in January 1991. The results of Gorbachev's era still raise a lot of questions and debates. Some hold him up for the democratization of the regime, while others blame the politician for the collapse of the USSR. It is worthy of note that all the world leaders, with whom Mikhail Gorbachev had worked are now dead:

The accession of new territories to Russia is justifiable from the economic point of view and will not have a negative impact on the Russian budget, the Kremlin said. As Russia readies to grow even larger, experts try to calculate how much it will cost the Russian budget to rebuild cities and restore peaceful life in the new territories. Some others try to find out how much profit the new territories will bring. The Washington Post announced the approximate cost of mineral deposits in the new regions — about 12.4 trillion dollars.

On October 19, Putin signed a decree to implement martial law in four regions of Russia. He explained this by the fact that Ukrainian forces continue shelling the new Russian regions and committing acts of sabotage. According to the Russian authorities, the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge was carried out by the special services of Ukraine, he also said. "In this regard, let me remind you that in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, as well as in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, before they joined Russia, martial law regime was already in effect. Now we need to formalize this regime within the framework of Russian legislation,” Putin said. Martial law shall be introduced starting from October 20 midnight. The government, as well as the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Federal Security Service and the National Guard, must submit proposals on measures that are planned to be applied in the territories where martial law has been declared within three days.

An expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defenсe was held in Moscow on December 21. During the meeting, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu delivered a keynote speech. President Vladimir Putin also spoke at the meeting. Below are key remarks that Shoigu and Putin made about the army, the special operation and priority tasks for 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin: Of course, the hostilities and military operations are always associated with tragedy and loss of lives. We understand this very well, we are aware of this. But since this [conflict] is inevitable, better today than tomorrow. I think that everyone present in this auditorium perfectly understands what I am talking about. I still consider the Ukrainian people our brotherly nation. What is happening now is a tragedy, but it does not come as a result of our policy. We need to study NATO's experience and tactics in order to include that in the troops training programme and equipping the army. NATO weapons must be analyzed and used to build the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Russia will continue to develop the nuclear triad. This is the main guarantee of maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. As many as 150,000 of the 300,000 mobilised are now undergoing training at training grounds. The other half is in the zone of hostilities. This is enough for the special operation. The past mobilisation has revealed certain problems. To eliminate them, we need to modernise the system of military commissariats. The hostilities have identified issues that need to be worked on, including communication issues. The Ministry of Defence should be attentive to criticism. The ministry should respond to it in a timely manner. Everything a fighter needs must be modern and reliable. Officers and sergeants who have gained experience in the special operation should be assigned to new positions as a matter of priority. It is necessary to develop and use drones in the army — they must be everywhere. We need to expand the arsenal of modern attack weapons. Sarmat intercontinental missiles will be put on combat duty in the near future. The Admiral Gorshkov frigate with state-of-the-art Zirkon hypersonic missile systems will enter combat service in early 2023. We need to saturate the troops with everything necessary — from modern first-aid kits to sights. Everything is important on the battlefield. There are no restrictions to finance the Russian Armed Forces. The country gives the army everything they ask for. We've got everything. We look forward to constructive and meaningful negotiations with a visible end result that would ensure equal security for all, within a certain timeframe. We will not engage in the militarization of the country and economy. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu:

The West has prepared a "Russia after Putin" plan and already chose its actors in the face of Garry Kasparov* and Mikhail Khodorkovsky*, who suddenly developed an affection for the Russian people. They are waiting for the "window of opportunity" to open. The anti-Russian "Action Committee" published an article in Foreign Affairs magazine under the telling title Don't Fear Putin's Demise. This committee is represented by two good old chaps who were recognised as foreign agents in the Russian Federation. They are Garry Kasparov* and Mikhail Khodorkovsky*. The article in Foreign Affairs says that the West needs to continue to supply Ukraine with modern weapons until Russia's military defeat and the collapse of the Putin regime. The committee also declared its readiness to take the reins of power in its hands afterwards.

Starting from May, Russia may start buying foreign currency for its reserves again. The country's budget has stabilized thanks to the growth of oil and gas export revenues, Bloomberg reports. The growth in revenues from the sale of energy products is already close to the target level. Since February of this year, the Russian Ministry of Finance has been selling reserves in Chinese yuan to cover the budget deficit. In April, sales collapsed by 50 percent compared to the beginning of the year. From May, purchases are likely to begin, Bloomberg notes. Such purchases can be relatively small at first — an equivalent of about $200 million in yuan. For the time being, Russia currently replenishes the National Welfare Fund only by purchasing Chinese currency.

On Tuesday, October 17, the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, gave the first reading to the draft law to revoke the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Commenting on the vote on the bill, Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin wrote that the withdrawal of the ratification should "contribute” to ensuring Russia's security against the backdrop of the US refusal to ratify the CTBT. "Washington should finally understand that hegemony on their part does not lead to anything positive. There is a need for dialogue on the principles of mutual respect, absence of double standards, and non-interference in the affairs of sovereign states. The Russian Federation will do everything to protect its citizens and ensure that global strategic parity is maintained," Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on Telegram.

Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov gave an interview to the MGIMO 360 news channel, in which he answered questions about the presidential election, Russia's nuclear rhetoric and enemies. According to Peskov, Russia's next president should be "the same as [Vladimir] Putin… or different, but the same." "Putin has not announced his intention to run. But I sincerely want to believe that he will do it. I have no doubt that he will win the election, I have no doubt that he will continue to be our president. We'll see," Peskov said.

In 2023, central banks around the world purchased significant amounts of gold. China's activity in this area was particularly noticeable as the nation's gold reserves increased by 225 tons over the year. An article published on Chinese Internet platform Baijiahao says that Russia actively participated in the gold rush to increase its precious metals reserves. As a result, Russia's gold reserves reached a record 2.36 thousand tons. Russia is thus ranked fifth following the USA, Germany, Italy and France.