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.

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.

Not every serial killer should necessarily be either a social outcast or a sociopath. Some of them are good at disguise and may at times have a reputation of exemplary society members. Biographies of many famous serial killers of the USSR era testify to this. Chikatilo helped to catch himself Andrey Chikatilo, a serial killer from Rostov, committed his first crime in 1973, the last in 1990. Chikatilo killed 53 women and children in all that time. All the crimes were sexually motivated; he would stab and dismember his victims' bodies.

World War Three that may put an end t your existence as a human civilisation, will set off on its destructive march from the Middle East. This is what a number of prominent figures, as well as seers and mystics predicted. Perhaps the most famous modern forecast on the subject came from the late leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky, authors of AZ numerology project said while collecting predictions about the Middle East conflict. Speaking on Vladimir Solovyov Live in 2019, Zhirinovsky voiced an opinion that elections in Ukraine were its last, as "such a country simply will not remain on the map by 2024.” Moreover, the crisis in the Middle East will be so intense everyone will completely forget about Ukraine. 

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

Source: REX/Shutterstock Alexander Rutskoy, Russian Air Force General, was the man who brought Boris Yeltsin to power. Rutskoy has unveiled a few interesting facts from the history of Russia. The general said that Boris Yeltsin was drinking a lot during the coup in 1991 and tried to escape to the US Embassy. Rutskoy also said that after the collapse o the Soviet Union, Yeltsin called George H. Bush to report the news to the USA. When serving as vice president, Rutskoy defended independence and Constitution of the Russian Federation, especially in the days of the State Emergency Committee. Later, however, he changed his opinions. In an interview with the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper, Alexander Rutskoy spoke about the days, when the Soviet Union stopped its existence. He said that there was an urgent need to remove Mikhail Gorbachev from power, appoint Nikolai Ryzhkov as acting president of the USSR, prepare a new candidate and then hold popular elections for the President of the USSR and the Congress of People's Deputies of the USSR.Rutskoy said that he did not have even a shadow of doubt about whom to support in the situation of those days. "I swore as an 18-year-old boy to serve the Motherland and the people, and I have never showed disloyalty to the oath," he said.Today, Rutskoy does not conceal the fact that he had believed Yeltsin's promises about the defense of Russian interests. The vice president of the RSFSR, unlike those, who signed the Belavezha Accords, virtually had no access to the governance of the country. During the interview, Rutskoy said that Boris Yeltsin had tried to escape to the US Embassy. He also said that Gorbachev was not isolated from the world during the days of the State Emergency Committee. Gorbachev could be contacted via secret communication channels, and he was perfectly aware of what was going on. Rutskoy said that Gorbachev simply escaped prior to the signing of the new Unified Treaty. Gorbachev, Rutskoy stated, was executing the mission to destroy the country. It was Rutskoy, who escorted Yeltsin to Minsk,  only to find out later that the USSR would be dissolved. Rutskoy wrote a notice to terminate his powers of the vice president, but his initiative did not move forward. During the ratification of Belavezha Accords, he voted against it. Rutskoy and Yeltsin went separate ways when the latter appointed Gaidar, Chubais and Nechayev for key economic positions in the country. The three officials eventually made Russia experience an economic collapse. According to Rutskoy, the putsch in 1991 took place because Gorbachev betrayed his homeland and the people who were close to him in his team. The State Emergency Committee made a humble attempt to keep the Union afloat. The putsch in 1993 was a coup, which took place with the support of the United States and Europe. "There was an intelligence report saying that the White House in Moscow would be attacked. Yeltsin suddenly decided to go to the US Embassy. I was trying to stop him, I was telling him that he should not be doing it. I was asking him whether he was aware of the things that he was doing.  When they signed the Belovezha  Accorda, the first person, whom Yeltsin informed that the Soviet Union was no more, was George H. Bush," Rutskoy admitted. "Yeltsin was maintaining a contact with the US leadership to inform the Americans about successes of the unilateral surrender in the Cold War," he added.The book of memoirs by George H.W. Bush titled "A World Transformed" also says that Boris Yeltsin was cooperating with the USA for the collapse of the Soviet Union. "On December 8, 1991, Boris Yeltsin from a hunting lodge near Brest, in Belarus. Only recently elected President of the Russian Republic, Yeltsin had been meeting with Leonid Kravchuk, President of Ukraine, and Stanislav Shushkevich, President of Belarus. "Today, a very important event took place in our country," Yeltsin said. "I wanted to inform you myself before you learned it from the press." Then he told me the news: the Presidents of Russia, Belarus and ukraine had decided to dissolve the Soviet Union," George H.W. Bush wrote. According to George H.W. Bush, Yeltsin's tone changed after he finished reading his text. The signed documents, he continued, formulated the provisions that the USA had been advocating. Bush was unwilling to express either his approval or disapproval, so he simply responded with "I understand." 

Source: REX/Shutterstock Boris Yeltsin lied when he said that he had been looking for a successor in the person of Vladimir Putin for a long time, historian Andrei Fursov told Pravda.Ru.Declassified transcripts of Bill Clinton's phone conversations with Boris Yeltsin in 1999 show that the late Russian president says that it took him long to find the man who would be in charge of Russia in 2000. "I came across him eventually, this is Putin. You will work with him," Yeltsin told Clinton promising that Putin would continue his line of Russia's democratic development and expand Russias contacts. Historian and political scientist Andrei Fursov noted in an interview with Pravda.Ru that Boris Yeltsin was reporting his decisions and ideas to Bill Clinton. "He informed his boss about his choice. It brings up the memory of Yeltsin's call to George H. Bush after the decision to disintegrate the Soviet Union. Bush was the first man whom Yeltsin called. Gorbachev was hurt by that. In another episode, Yeltsin tried to assure US Congress that communism would never be back on the Russian territory. This transcript is another evidence to prove the fact that Russia used to be a semi-colony during Yeltsin's presidency," the expert said. "I think that Yeltsin lied when he said that he had been searching for a successor for a long time. From what I know about the events of the late 1990s, Yeltsin did not intend to quit his job, but there were several aspects that forced American masters to put pressure on him. First, there was a conspiracy in the army led by Rokhlin to remove Yeltsin from power. Rokhlin's murder ruined the plan, and people in Yeltsin's team realised that there was serious discontent brewing in the army. "Secondly, not long before that, the parliament had nearly impeached Yeltsin. In addition, Russia suffered a default in 1998. Those three events drew the line under Yeltsin's rule, and he had to quickly search for a successor. Apparently, he counted on Stepashin at first, but then it turned out that the latter was ready to compromise with the Primakov-Luzhkov team, so a need in another candidate arose. "Today, the Russian leadership should give a moral assessment to Yeltsin's rule. In today's Russia, many tend to despise Gorbachev a lot, but they dislike Yeltsin to a lesser degree. Yeltsin was a product of Gorbachev's rule. Yeltsin was working within the corridor of opportunities set by Gorbachev. Gorbachev is still alive, and the man who destroyed the USSR should be held accountable for that. At the same time, I understand that Putin does not want to criticise Yeltsin because it was Yeltsin who made Putin his successor," the expert told Pravda.Ru. 

The Chernobyl nuclear explosion was undoubtedly one of the biggest tragedies that the Soviet Union had seen. Few in the world know that there were other major disasters in the USSR, the scale of which was just as mortifying. The Kyshtym accidentIt is also known as Chelyabinsk-40 accident. Today, this town is called Ozersk; it used to be a secret settlement during the times of the Soviet Union. It was the first man-made disaster that the USSR had seen. In 1957, an explosion of tanks with radioactive waste occurred at Mayak chemical factory. No one was injured as a result of the explosion. However, there were about 270,000 people living in the affected area. The military were evacuated first - they were attracted to liquidation works. Civilian people were evacuated two weeks later.A reserve called East-Ural Radioactive Trace was created on the site of the accident many years afterwards. The site is still closed to the public - the level of radiation there is still high.Krasnoye SormovoThe radioactive accident in Red Sormovo (Krasnoye Sormovo) occurred 16 years before the Chernobyl disaster - in 1970. The accident took place during hydraulic tests on a new nuclear submarine at the plant in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The reactor started up accidentally, and the Krasnoye Sormovo workshop was filled with radioactive vapors immediately. Twelve people were killed on the spot, about 200 others received a huge dose of radiation. The workshop was isolated from external environment, which made it possible to avoid the danger of radioactive contamination of the area. The work to liquidate the consequences of the accident took four months.Only 200 out of 1,000 employees of the factory had stayed alive by January 2012. All of them became first- and second-degree disabled individuals. Explosion at Baikonur CosmodromeMore than 100 people were killed as a result of the explosion that took place on Baikonur Cosmodrome in 1960.Shortly before the accident, Soviet engineers were developing a new intercontinental ballistic missile at the facility. Marshal Nedelin was supervising the tests as the chief commander of missile forces of the USSR. Many safety rules were violated as the team was in a rush to have the report ready for the anniversary of the October Revolution. At one point, the engine of the missile was launched earlier than expected, which caused fuel to explode. The information about this tragedy has long been classified.Kurenyovskaya tragedyThis tragedy took place in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1961. The causes of the accident started forming ten years earlier. The Kiev authorities decided to build a landfill of liquid waste from nearest factories and plants in Babi Yar. In 1961, the dam, which was holding the dump, burst, sending an avalanche of dirt 14 meters high and 20 meters wide. The avalanche turned as many as 81 buildings into ruins. Sixty-eight of those buildings were residential. About 1,500 people became homeless as a result of the disaster, about 200 were killed. The authorities decided not to distribute the information about the accident. The victims were buried quickly. Kiev disconnected itself from international communication the day when the tragedy occurred not to leak any information. These are just a few disasters that the USSR had seen in its history, but there were more.

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."

Mikhail Gorbachev, the first president of the USSR, turned 89 years old on March 2, 2020. Gorbachev is probably the most notorious politician in Russia, and many Russians still have mixed feelings about him. Of course, we all wish him good health to be able to celebrate his 90th anniversary next year. However, as time goes by, he will inevitably become a myth character. When he passes away, he will become the character of the myth about a man, who managed to single-handedly destroy the most powerful empire in history, having accomplished either a heroic feat or a terrible act of betrayal. According to opinion polls, more than 50 percent of Russians share a negative attitude about Gorbachev's role in the history of the USSR. A much smaller amount of Russians - ten percent - are grateful Gorbachev for destroying the Soviet Union that they despised. As many as eight percent of the polled said that they share a neutral attitude towards Mikhail Gorbachev. It was Gorbachev who nailed the USA to the wall It was Gorbachev who reprimanded the West for violating all agreements of his time. It was Gorbachev, who had every right to do so. Not so long ago, Mikhail Gorbachev said: "Crimea is Russia and let someone prove otherwise." When asked whether Putin had "imperialistic ambitions", taking into account the "annexation of the Crimea" and Russia's interference in the Syrian conflict, Gorbachev answered with a strong "no."

During the late 1950s, the Soviet administration decided to design a helicopter with the world's largest carrying capacity. The tests of the new helicopter began ten years later. However, it just so happened that no one wanted to replicate the potential pride of Soviet engineers.The helicopter is known as B-12, and it is unofficially known as Mi-12. Its unsuccessful story has proved that world records may at times be reductive. During the 1960s, the production of helicopters was thriving, and military requirements were getting increasingly demanding. It was during those times when engineers designed the first intercontinental missile. First-generation intercontinental missiles were too heavy to be transported on any means other than trains. A R-7 warhead could only be delivered by plane or train because the warhead without fuel weighed 26 tons. First Lockheed U-2, then B-12 Needless to say that railway transportations could be easily tracked. The USSR found that out after a story with the American reconnaissance aircraft.After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, the United States took every effort to prevent such attacks in the future. Thus, the Lockheed U-2 appeared in 1955. The aircraft was carrying various modules, including those using ray tracing and ultra-precise lenses.The camera of the US reconnaissance aircraft was so powerful that it was possible to count cows in a photograph of a field, taken from an altitude of 18 km.The aircraft was flying quietly over the USSR for more than five years, until one of them was shot down and its pilot was taken hostage in 1960. However, 24 previous flights helped the Americans find out the whereabouts of Soviet military facilities, including missile ranges.It was easy to track down those facilities on the ground with the help of conspicuous railway tracks. The USSR was convinced that it was about time to develop aerial means of transportation for missiles. By 1963, the largest Mi-6 helicopter could lift 12 tons, but it was not good to carry a 26-ton cargo.  This prompted Soviet engineers to start working on the B-12 helicopter. At first they simply wanted to upscale the Mi-6, but it then became clear that one huge rotor could not be adapted to the laws of physics. Soviet designers decided that it would take them too long to stabilise the new technology. They opted for a different variant, in which they took 35-meter rotors with a total capacity of 26,000 horsepower from the Mi-6 helicopter and arranged them to the sides of the hull.The rotors moved in the opposite direction to balance each other, while the rear wing was stabilizing the swing.We can now see this solution in the design of modern-day drones, but there were no helicopter models with this type of rotors in the past. In terms of the size of the hull, it was larger than the Boeing 737, which can house up to 189 people. The B-12 could carry a record 192 passengers. As for equipment, the new helicopter could fit a nuclear intercontinental missile.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev once had to beg Joseph Stalin for mercy. The episode in Khrushchev's biography took place before he came to power in the USSR. Khrushchev had to kneel in front of Stalin, begging him not to punish his son Leonid, who had shot an officer by accident.  Professor, biophysicist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Andrei Malenkov, the son of one of Khrushchev's competitors in the struggle for power, Georgy Malenkov, said in an interview with Lenta.ru that Khrushchev came to Stalin and was crawling on his knees in front of him because his son was supposed to be executed for shooting an officer. Moreover, it was the second time when Khrushchev's son committed such a crime (he was forgiven for the first one), Malenkov said.   With this landmark report at the XX Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union "On the cult of the personality and its consequences" Nikita Khrushchev wanted to take revenge on Stalin for his unfortunate son Leonid, the professor also said, adding that Khrushchev was a "very vindictive little man."

Thirty years ago, on December 8, 1991, the Belovezha Accords, signed in Belarus, led to the collapse of the USSR. Yuri Voronin, Chairman of the Commission of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR on Budget, Plans, Taxes and Prices, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Russian Federation (in 1991) recalls the events of 30 years ago. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the collapse of the USSR was the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. After the collapse of the USSR, as many as 25 million Russian people found themselves abroad overnight.

According to international experts, the world has returned to the Cold War, but this time, the state of affairs is even more dramatic than it used to be. Airplanes with nuclear warheads on board are on duty again, like 30 years ago. The danger of such flights lies not only in the possible use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear bombs may go missing, as it had repeatedly happened in the past. Atomic bombs for Spain Several years ago, a Canadian diver, while diving into the sea near the Haida Gwaii archipelago, was horrified to find something that looked like an air nuclear bomb. The diver was right. In 1950, an American B-36 bomber was forced to jettison an atomic bomb into the Pacific Ocean due to a fire on board.

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.

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.

After Brazil assessed the effectiveness of CoronaVac vaccine by Chinese company Sinovac on the verge of acceptable - about 50 percent, other countries that chose the same drug started showing signs of discontent as well. The Ukrainian population to be vaccinated with CoronaVac In particular, Ukraine's Minister of Health Maxim Stepanov said that the issue was politicized. "All manufacturers in the world without exception that produce vaccines, those that have provided reports, the companies that have registered vaccines ... we have been negotiating with them since May. Just like with COVAX. Therefore, all this is about manipulations - some politicians are trying to intimidate the Ukrainians," he 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.

Guided hypersonic weapons have given Russia absolute leadership in the field of the development of strategic weapons. No other country in the world, save for, possibly, China, has hypersonic missiles in service. Military analysts do not have any reliable data about China's new weapons. Russia has at least three types of missiles capable of causing irreparable damage to any potential aggressor.Reference: Avangard hypersonic system is capable of developing the speed of up to Mach 28. The system currently uses the Stilett silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile as a carrier. In the future, the new prospective intercontinental ballistic missile Sarmat is to be used for the purpose. For the time being, Russia has four such systems on alert. A missile like that is capable of flying from Saratov to New York in 18 minutes. The H-47M2 missile of the Kinzhal (Dagger) complex develops a speed of 12,250 km/h, has a combat range of 3,000 kilometers. Its carrier is the MiG 31K high-altitude fighter-interceptor aircraft. To date, Russia has made several hundreds of Kinzhal missiles. The Zircon is the anti-ship missile. It accelerates to Mach 8. Currently, one Russian warship can carry up to 20 Zircon missiles. At the same time, according to open data, at least several hundred units of these missiles have been produced. During naval exercises held in the White Sea this year, the Admiral Gorshkov frigate launched the Zircon missile that successfully struck the target at a distance of over 350 km. As one can see, all types of Russian hypersonic missiles have already proven their combat effectiveness. At the same time, Russia does not stop here: Russian engineers already work on an air defense system to neutralize hypersonic weapons. Russia's Supreme Commander-in-Chief — President Putin that is — intrigued the world with his words that he said in 2020:

The upcoming UN conference on climate change in Glasgow was supposed to show the world the triumph of the United States and the European Union as trendsetters for everything "green". Unfortunately for them, Europe faced an unprecedented energy crisis, which called into question not only the competence of officials from Brussels, but also the feasibility of the strategy to switch to green energy as soon as possible. Russia, which did not want to dive into the whirlpool of decarbonization, found itself in a more advantageous position. Nevertheless, Moscow has something to show in Glasgow on the climate agenda. China, the United States and India altogether account for more CO2 emissions than all other countries combined. Russia accounts for less than five percent, but the anger of Western politicians and journalists, who propagate environmental slogans, is directed primarily at Russia. Such a biased attitude towards Russia is based on the laws of hybrid war: dirty propaganda should keep citizens in good shape, while raising the degree of hatred. EU demonises Russia and wants more Russian gas When European politicians accuse Russia of the gas crisis, their accusations fit into the anti-Russian agenda just as perfectly. Gazprom strictly fulfills all of its contracts, but this argumentation falls on deaf ears in the EU. For example, EU chief diplomat Josep Borrell saw "deep geopolitical roots" in the rise in energy prices. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reproached the Russian gas monopoly for "not responding to higher demand" in Europe. Her compatriot from the Green party, claiming the portfolio of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Annalena Baerbock, stated that Russia was "playing poker" in matters of gas supplies. She has an ironclad argument: after all, European gas storage facilities are comparatively empty.

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.

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.

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:

Putin's Annual Address to the Federal Assembly is scheduled for September 30. Kremlin sources say it will become even more historic and globally important than the 2014 address for the return of Crimea. Mass media and experts make their own suggestions about the content of Putin's speech that he is going to deliver to the Federal Assembly on September 30. There are a number of versions:

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.

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:

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.

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.

On Thursday, February 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual Address to the Federal Assembly. In the beginning of the speech, he touched on the topics of the special military operation in Ukraine, relations with the West, strategic stability, and later proceeded to announce a number of new national projects, changes in economic and social sphere. About special military operation Putin recalled that 2024 marks the tenth anniversary of the "legendary Russian Spring.” "The love that the people living in Crimea and new regions share for their homeland evokes pride," Vladimir Putin said.

Russia's gold reserves have become the "magic wand” with the help of which Russia easily survived the "hellish” sanctions of the West and achieved economic growth. The West admires Russia's policy of pegging the ruble to gold The Russian economy showed unprecedented growth of 3.6 percent in 2023 against the backdrop of more than 16,000 sanctions, as well as huge expenses for carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine. Russia's GDP is to grow by another 2.6 percent in 2024, the IMF said. Russia has been able to achieve that with the help of its "gold strategy,” The Conversation. com website said. The strategy is about pegging the ruble to gold and liberalising gold trade.

Timur Ivanov, Russian Deputy Defence Minister, was arrested on April 23 in the case of bribery. He will remain in custody before June 2024. A Moscow court sent Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov to a pre-trial detention centre. He was arrested for two months, until June 23. Ivanov was charged under Part 6 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code (receiving a bribe on an especially large scale). According to investigators, Ivanov entered into a "criminal conspiracy with third parties to commit a crime and received a large bribe in the form of property services provided during contracting and subcontracting works for the needs of the Defence Ministry.”

By nominating a civilian such as Andrei Belousov for the post of the Defence Minister, Vladimir Putin continued the tradition that had developed during his service. General Sergei Ivanov was the first minister appointed by Putin. Ivanov came from intelligence (he headed the military department from 2001 to 2007), and was replaced (under President Dmitry Medvedev) by the former chief tax officer Anatoly Serdyukov. Serdyukov served at the post for five years. Sergei Shoigu, a civil engineer by training and the founder of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, chaired the Defence Ministry in 2012 (he left the post of the Moscow region governor). Andrei Belousov is 65 years old. He has been associated with economics all his life. After graduating from the Department of Economics of the Moscow State University, he took up scientific activities — first at the Central Institute of Economics and Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, then at the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of Scientific and Technological Progress of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1990-2006, he served as a senior researcher and head of a laboratory at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

El caso fue dirigido por los investigadores del Departamento de Seguros de Texas (TDI por su nombre y siglas en inglés) y los fiscales trabajando con la Oficina del Fiscal del condado Harris.

This week, a Travis County district court judge convicted Sehgal & Sons Enterprises (Ultra Business Services Inc.) of first-degree felony in a scheme to defraud Texas Mutual Insurance Company (Texas Mutual).

Deputy Commissioner of Hearings Allen Craddock and his staff will continue a series of meetings with stakeholders in the Texas workers’ compensation system. Participants are invited to bring a lunch for these meetings in this Brown Bag Series.

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) presented ACB International with a Lone Star Safety Award at a ceremony at the company’s Hankamer chemical plant on November 18.

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) recognized Global Animal Products with a Lone Star Safety Award for their exemplary workplace safety programs and low rates of work-related injuries and illnesses.

This week, a Travis County district court judge convicted HSC International Ltd. of second-degree felony in a scheme to defraud Texas Mutual Insurance Company.

Registration is open for DWC’s free and updated lunchtime webinar series, including our eight-part boot camp training for those new to workers’ compensation.

Former NFL player Corey Bradford pleaded guilty to submitting fraudulent health reimbursement claims after an investigation by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) Fraud Unit.

A Texas public insurance adjuster accused of stealing more than $268,000 in insurance claims from multiple victims has been indicted by a grand jury in Kimble County.

Un ajustador de seguros público de Texas acusado de robar más de $268,000 en reclamaciones de seguros a múltiples víctimas ha sido acusado por un gran jurado del condado Kimble.

Tras una investigación de la Oficina del jefe estatal de bomberos (State Fire Marshal’s Office, SFMO, por su nombre y siglas en inglés), un gran jurado del condado Jasper acusó a un instalador de equipos de seguridad contra incendios de dos cargos de manipulación de un documento gubernamental.