Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva said that she was emotionally tired of the doping scandal, in which she found herself at the Beijing Olympics. "These days have been very hard for me, there are not enough emotions. I am happy, but I am emotionally tired. There are tears of happiness and grief a little. But, of course, I am happy to be at the Olympics. I will try to represent our country and I hope that I will be as motivated as possible to show a good result,” said Valieva. According to the athlete, she saw all the good wishes, and even banners in her support in the streets of Moscow.

When flying at full speed, Russia's state-of-the-art Avangard hypersonic vehicle is invisible to radar. “This is the only hypersonic unit in the world that can be used at intercontinental range and has a speed of Mach 28. In a nutshell, this is  a vehicle to deliver conventional or nuclear weapons that flies in the form of a fireball as its surface heats up to colossal temperatures at such speed producing plasma on the surface of the vehicle,” Yuri Knutov military expert, director of the Museum of Air Defense Forces Yuri Knutov told lenta.ru publication.  Plasma absorbs electromagnetic radiation making the unit invisible to radar, the expert added. 

Bones of unknown animals millions of years of age were found in Yakutia.  In the Churapcha region of Yakutia, archeologists found a Paleolithic human site that is believed to be at least 30,000 years old. Bones of unknown animals were found during excavation works.  The radiocarbon research of the finds revealed that the found remains were from the Neogene era - a period that began 23 million years ago and ended 2.58 million years ago.

On Thursday, March 21, the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Soyuz MS-25 manned spacecraft was supposed to blast off from launch pad No. 31 (Vostok) at Baikonur Cosmodrome. The rocket launch was aborted at the last moment. The countdown was stopped approximately 20 seconds before the start time. "Attention at the launch complex. The launch was automatically aborted. Bring the units of the launch complex to their original condition. Prepare to be parked for 24 hours,” the announcer of the broadcast hosted by Roscosmos said. The launch was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut and first man in space Yuri Gagarin.

Residents of the Far East of Russia could observe the movement of a space object in the sky. It is believed that the phenomenon that eyewitnesses filmed on video was Comet Pons-Brooks. This comet nears the Earth once in every 71 years. Huge luminous stripes appeared in the evening sky above the Khabarovsk and other neighbouring regions of Russia. The luminous object split into parts and slowly moved in the sky. Some observers thought they saw a rocket take off, or the passage of a comet or meteorite.

The first launch of the Angara-A5 heavy launch vehicle from the newly built launch complex at the Vostochny Cosmodrome was aborted two minutes before lift off. The rocket with the Orion upper stage and test payload was supposed to take off for the first time from Vostochny on Tuesday, April 9, at 12:00. The launch was postponed. The launch of the Angara rocket was postponed till Wednesday, April 10, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov said.

Astronomers at the University of Warsaw in Poland discovered a new Cepheid variable star. The newly discovered star, designated OGLE-GD-CEP-1884, has the longest pulsation period known for any variable of its type in the Milky Way Galaxy, an article published on the arXiv preprint server says. Cepheids are yellow giant and supergiant stars that change their brightness over time as a result of regular stellar pulsations. Given that their pulsation periods are closely related to their luminosity, astronomers use these stars to measure interstellar and intergalactic distances. Classic Cepheids, also known as Type I Cepheids, pulsate with highly regular periods ranging from a few days to months.

Boston Dynamics presented the new robot. The company refused from the old hydraulic platform to introduce the new electric one under the same name, Atlas. The new robot is completely electronic, there are no hydraulic systems involved. The new robot will be stronger and more maneuverable as all developments of the previous generation of the robot will be improved. The company is ambitious to introduce humanoid robots and create infrastructure for them, including software.

The Bulava sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile was put into service. The works on the missile started in the late 1990s. Several test launches of the Bulava ballistic missile ended with a failure. The Russian Armed Forces have adopted the sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile Bulava, Yuri Solomonov, the General Designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering said, TASS reports. "On May 7 of this year, a decree was signed to bring the Bulava missile system into service,” he said.

The UFL-2M laser system, which is often called the "Tsar Laser" due to its unique technical specifications and power performance, will be fully operational by approximately 2028-2029, Valentin Kostyukov, Director of the Russian Federal Nuclear Center said in an interview with Russia-24 TV channel. "We have launched the first stage of physical foundations associated with engineering systems," Kostyukov said, admitting that the system will yield results in the next four to five years. The UFL-2M laser system was developed at the Sarov Nuclear Center. The system is needed for modeling and designing new types of nuclear weapons. It is used to study the processes that occur at the moment of explosion. There are only three countries in the world that have such technology: the United States, France, and Russia.

Russian specialists designed the Buran cargo drone that can be used to deliver cargo to the front line, developer company Kotlin-Novator told the Izvestia newspaper. The UAV weighs about 80 kilograms and can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. If unloaded, the drone can stay airborne for 45 minutes. The six rotor hexacopter can deliver up to 80 kilograms of ammunition, water, and other cargo to supply troops on the front line.

China has unveiled its latest scientific development — a spheric police robot capable of pursuing criminals. The robot is equipped with artificial intelligence and can operate autonomously. Unlike Western analogues that are mostly used for surveillance purposes, the Chinese robot can effectively operate in a variety of conditions. The new Chinese robot can float and roll both on smooth asphalt and off-road terrain. Even dirt and height will not be an obstacle in its path. It can even fall from a height to continue its mission.  The robot is capable of confronting perpetrators and shooting nets to immobilise them until the human police arrive. It attacks opponents at speeds of up to 35 km/h, and also acts as part of a group with other robots. Its body is very hard to destroy. 

Chinese manned spacecraft Shenzhou-19 with three taikonauts on board was successfully launched into low-Earth orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, UDN Global reports. The spacecraft blasted off on October 29 at 23:27 Moscow time, or October 30 at 04:27 local time. A Long March 2 °F-19 launch vehicle was used for the liftoff. About ten minutes into the flight, the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and flew into orbit. There are three crew members on board the Shenzhou-19. They will conduct 86 scientific experiments in space, including experiments in the field of medicine, biology, fundamental physics of microgravity, materials science and space technology, the agency notes.

Russia will use Buk and Pantsir air defense systems against Israeli Air Force aircraft. Analysts say that Russian officials have repeatedly declared that Israeli aviation poses a threat to the Russian military in Syria. According to British publication Rai Al Youm, Russia may use its complexes to cover the Syrian sky from Israeli air raids. Experts of the publication note that Israel, while striking Iranian groups in Syria, endangers the Russian military.

In the aftermath of a car accident, your actions count. Doing the 'right' things can increase your safety and the safety of the people around you, get you the medical attention you need, and increase your chances of winning compensation. Staying Calm Unfortunately, many people are overwhelmed by the emotional turmoil and trauma of a car accident, rendering them incapable of acting rationally. This is somewhat understandable; after a car accident, you may be in shock, your adrenaline might be surging, and you might be in a great deal of physical pain.  However, it’s important to stay as calm and rational as possible. If you can, take a deep breath, focus on your next objective, and try not to overthink the situation.

Alexander Perendzhiev, a member of the expert council of Russian Officers, candidate of political sciences, gave his assessment to the warning from American analysts about the likelihood of NATO troops entering Ukraine. According to him, the direct intervention of the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance in the Russian special operation in Ukraine will change the course of the operation and provoke a full-scale war with Russia. The presence of American and NATO military personnel on the territory of a neighboring country is a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation as a state, the political scientist explained. In this case, Moscow will resort to nuclear weapons, he stressed.

The United States has been losing its global hegemony. The non-western world is opposed to the concept of global hegemony. Everything will happen within the next decade, Western analysts predict. Nevertheless, the Americans still have a chance to achieve the world order that suits them, if they make certain concessions, Jorgen Erstroem Moeller, former State Secretary of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in an article for The National Interest. Moeller drew attention to Vladimir Putin's announcement of partial call-up of reservists, the referenda and saw a threat of the use of nuclear force. The situation is indeed very alarming, but the United States could now take the world out of chaos that was created by Russia and the United States. At the same time, chances for Washington to demonstrate common sense are slim as the US has contributed greatly to the current crisis as well. 

Well-known editor and journalist, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of India Mobasher Jawed Akbar is confident that India is a bridge for conflicting countries. "The ability to be someone's friend, to help both parties understand each other, is a unique position that we can't give up," he says. Mobasher Jawed Akbar also spoke about the economic prospects for cooperation between India and Russia.

DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui arrived in Vladivostok, Russia, on October 29. From Vladivostok, the minister traveled to Moscow, a message posted on the official Telegram channel of the Russian Embassy in North Korea said. The North Korean Foreign Minister is visiting Russia as part of the strategic dialogue that took place between the leaders of the two countries in the June 2024 summit. Choe Son-hui's visit to Moscow is taking place in the midst of discussions in the West about the alleged involvement of DPRK military personnel in combat operations in Ukraine. On October 18, South Korean intelligence said that 1,500 North Korean soldiers were already at Russian training grounds in the Far East, from where they would be sent to Ukraine. The intelligence service later reported a larger number — 3,000 soldiers.

The statement from former US President Donald Trump about the "destruction" of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should be considered an element of the election campaign, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. After the explosion of the gas pipeline, one thread survived, and Gazprom is ready to immediately start deliveries if Germany agrees to buy natural gas from Russia, Peskov said. "There is a surviving thread of Nord Stream 2, and it is ready to be launched, as President Putin said. Therefore, it is very difficult to guess what Mr. Trump had in mind here," Peskov concluded.

In addition to promises regarding domestic policy, the candidates in the current US presidential elections have released indicative statements about their attitude to major international conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have spoken about Russia as well to outline how they would build future relations with Moscow. Trump has repeatedly stated that he will quickly end the conflict in Ukraine should he return to the Oval Office. "I will literally call two people the same night that I am announced as the winner: Putin and Zelensky. We will make a deal within 24 hours," Trump said.

Last polling stations have closed in the Aleutian Islands in the state of Alaska having thus marked the completion of the 2024 US presidential election. More than 142 million votes have been counted so far. After preliminary counts, most major US media outlets said that Donald Trump was winning by a solid margin. He has received the majority of both popular and electoral votes.

US President Joe Biden may take drastic actions before he resigns, Alexander Yakovenko, a member of the scientific council at the Security Council of the Russian Federation and former Russian Ambassador to the UK believes. "Biden and his administration are still in power as a lame duck. In December 2016, Barack Obama similarly decided to sharply aggravate relations with Russia by expelling 35 Russian diplomats. The same can be expected now, especially in Ukraine,” Yakovenko said. Trump will take up US foreign affairs before his inauguration while trying to push the current administration out of decision-making processes, Yakovenko suggested.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article, which said that the Donald Trump team was discussing a new plan to end the conflict in Ukraine. According to Peskov, the WSJ article about Trump's peace plan was abstract. Peskov believes that the article is more like the WSJ plan. "Everything is impersonal there," he said.

US President-elect Donald Trump allowed for a possibility of talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after his victory in the US presidential election. He has already spoken with 70 world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Putin was not among them, Trump said. "I think we'll talk," US President-elect Donald Trump said. In an interview with NBC, Trump also noted that he had agreed to have lunch with US President Joe Biden in the near future.

In Amsterdam, people with Palestinian flags attacked Israelis after a football match between local club Ajax and Tel Aviv's Maccabi. Masked men waving Palestinian flags attacked Israelis after the Israeli soccer team lost to Ajax in the Europa League. The attackers were chasing and beating Tel Aviv Maccabi fans throughout the night shouting "Free Palestine!" Click here to see more raw videos from Amsterdam

The so-called “Peace Summit” held in Switzerland had an obvious outcome. It didn't lead anywhere. It could, since from the beginning the failure of the alleged negotiations was imminent. Convened at the request of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, the high-level meeting was not attended by Russia. As the Brazilian government rightly argued, a meeting that wants to discuss the steps to end a conflict cannot take place without all sides of the conflict being represented and with the same rights to speak. Russia was not invited. He had also already said that he would not participate in a meeting in Switzerland anyway, since the country abandoned its traditional neutrality status by joining the United States and Europe's campaign against the Russians.

Albania’s football team is to be congratulated on some very entertaining football, taking the game to their powerful opponents in the most difficult group at UEFA 2024 Group B, the Group of Death. Spain, Italy, Croatia, and…Albania, present in the UEFA finals for only the second time (2016 was the first). Along with everyone else, when I saw the group, I groaned and said “Poor Albania, they are going to get thrashed”. Well, they didn’t. The game against Italy surprised and shocked everyone as the reigning champions were outplayed by a spirited Albania for much of the game, managing to hold on to their 2-.1 lead in a game which Albania should have drawn.  Spirit and grit For those who thought this was a fluke, they were wrong. This was already obvious in the first game with Albania’s passing and movement off the ball, the team spirit and what we call grit, saw wave after wave of Albanian attacks, intelligent attacks favouring incursions down both flanks or through the middle, depending on where there were better positioned players with all the Albanian team able to read the game as it developed. The passing was not only intelligent, it was accurate, fast-paced and sophisticated, denoting remarkable maturity.

The big loser in the French elections was not the far right. It's true that if it hadn't been for the spurious agreements between the New Popular Front and the Macronists, the National Regroupment would have grown even more. But the result of the second round is not exactly a victory for the left. After Marine Le Pen's RN led the first round of the elections, the leaders of the NFP fell into the trap of the French press and Emmanuel Macron, abandoning numerous candidates of their own to increase the chances of the neoliberal right linked to the Renaissance party beating the far right.  The French big bourgeoisie called for a "republican front" to create a "cordon sanitaire" made up of the left and the neoliberal right in order to prevent a landslide victory for the RN, which led to agreements in around 220 constituencies for the candidate with supposedly the least chance of winning the RN to abandon the race in favour of the candidate with the greatest chance. Except that most of the abandonments were by the NFP so that Macron's allies could beat Le Pen's allies, even though the NFP came second in the first round, far ahead of Macron's coalition.

By the 2020s, in spite of centuries after the Emancipation Proclamation (in 1863) and decades or generations of Black empowerment, there is still something fundamentally missing in the Black American identity, because the latter has failed to substantially "de-colonize" the violent colonial legacy (like the ruthless importation of Black slaves, not just the near-extermination of Native Americans) in the Thirteen British Colonies (and later the United States) in early American history. A good beginning for a long-term solution (de-colonization) is to understand in what ways the "average" Black American mindset has lost its average Black "African" roots, with the resultant effect of "inferiority complex" among Black Americans (involving both "self-hatred" within the oppressed and "anger" or "hatred" towards the oppressor, which vary in degree from person to person), on "average." Although this essay uses the case of Black Americans for analysis, the logical implication is much broader, since the same reasoning can be applied to Black communities around the world (outside sub-Saharan Africa), be they in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Northern Europe, Southern Europe, North Africa, the Oceania, and the like.

The Russian leadership verbally approves and supports the China-Brazil peace plan for Ukraine. In reality, it is just diplomacy so as not to offend the "allies". China and Brazil peace plan for Ukraine The plan to establish peace in Ukraine called "Common Understandings Between China and Brazil on Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis" will be presented on September 27 in New York with the participation of delegations from 20 countries of the Global South, including Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the UAE. Representatives of European countries and the United States were not invited to the meeting.

London will additionally transfer about a hundred Brimstone missiles, artillery guns and ammunition, British Secretary of State for Defence John Healey said earlier. It was previously reported that the UK would transfer 100 missiles for F-16 aircraft to Ukraine at the end of the summer. The transfer of the fighters has allegedly begun. In the fall of 2022, London transferred Brimstone-2 missiles with increased range and laser guidance to the Armed Forces o Ukraine. In February 2024, the UK announced plans to transfer another 200 homing Brimstone missiles to Ukraine. The Brimstone family includes several modifications of missiles. They are launched mainly from aircraft, helicopters or unmanned vehicles to strike sea and land targets, including moving ones. One Brimstone missile costs about 175,000 pounds sterling ($234,500).

Iran's unprecedented ballistic missile attack on Israel on October 1 shocked the world. Benjamin Netanyahu's hands were shaking shook as he read out the counter threats. This is an important signal for Russia. Iran shows everyone what's what Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran, by striking Israel on the evening of October 1, exercised its right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. He stressed that the attack was carried out only to strike military and security facilities "responsible for the genocide in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon." "Our action is concluded unless Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful. Israel's enablers now have a heightened responsibility to rein in the warmongers in Tel Aviv instead of getting involved in their folly," the minister wrote on X platform.

Did Iran conduct an underground nuclear test on October 5? Iran will build a nuclear bomb anyway, and the US and Israel will have to occupy it not to let it happen. Iran May Have Conducted an Underground Nuclear Explosion An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in the desert of Iran's Semnan province at 10:45 a. m. on October 5, Iranian news agency Mehr reported. The US Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the earthquake was only 10 kilometers below the ground. Iranian sources announced different number — 12 kilometers. What puzzles experts most is that the earthquake had no early warning issued.

The West has been cutting its funding for Ukraine. Next year loans remain doubtful. European heavyweights have announced a reduction in funding for Ukraine. France, which promised 3 billion euros in aid to Ukraine this year, has cut it by 1 billion, or by one-third. This is due to budget problems — budget deficit for 2024 may amount to about six percent of France's GDP, which is unacceptable according to EU rules. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu clarified in an interview with Politico that he did not plan to request additional funds for Kyiv from parliament until the end of this year.

Ukraine is considering a possibility of creating nuclear weapons, Bild said citing a high-ranking Ukrainian official. The republic has the resources necessary to restore its nuclear arsenal, the official claimed. A high-ranking Ukrainian official told Bild that Kyiv has the materials and knowledge to build nuclear weapons. It would take Ukraine "only a few weeks" to make an A-bomb if relevant agreements could be reached quickly. Not too long ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told former US President Donald Trump that Ukraine should have nuclear weapons or become a NATO member.

The October 18 blackout paralyzed Cuba completely. The Cuban government tries to shrug the problem off by making references to the economic blockade, although the leadership of the island of freedom with no electricity should rather look at its own effectiveness. Total blackout in Cuba: three days without electricity and water Blackout, or apagon in Spanish, is a long-standing problem in Cuba that the island nation has been living with since the 1970s. Yet, this is the first time when the country experienced such a large-scale accident. On Friday, October 18, the Cuban electrical system was completely shut down as a result of an emergency at its main thermal power plant Antonio Guteras in Matanzas. This thermal power plant has not been modernized since 1988. The Cubans had to live without electricity and water for three days. All institutions and industries stopped and thus put the country's security in jeopardy.

The fact that President of Brazil Lula is not attending the BRICS summit in Kazan has given rise to rumours of internal contradictions within the bloc. Brazilian sources debunk this myth and explain why there is a queue to join BRICS. According to Western media, Brazil was against the participation of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the BRICS summit in Kazan, since Brazil did not recognise the presidential election in this country. In an interview with the O Globo, Celso Amorim, special adviser to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on foreign policy, said that Brazil's position on Venezuela "is not a moral or political judgment." "I am not concerned about Venezuela's accession, we do not make moral or political judgments about the country itself. BRICS has countries that practice different types of regimes, the question is whether they have the potential to contribute to a more peaceful world, given their political weight and ability to form relationships," Amorim said.

The BRICS summit in Kazan has formalized Russia's leadership in real decolonization and creation of developed economies based on its own strength. First steps have been named and are clear to everyone. Russia accepted as a new leader in the world The fact that 32 heads of state and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gathered in Kazan, Russia, during the times of the special military operation has demonstrated the decline of US influence in the world and the emergence of Russia as its leader. A country with 3.5 percent of global GDP in purchasing power parity was able to withstand harsh sanctions and three years of war with NATO at the hands of Ukrainians. The West that dominates the world economy with 40 percent is clearly losing the game to Russia on all fronts. It is about the ability, desire and readiness to defend one's national interests on the battlefield and mobilize one's economy. This is valued and respected in the world, and no one saw this in the Western camp.

Craw-Dadding. Actually, Craw-Daddin'. The first time I used it the blonde with me had no conception.

Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Walz has led a charmed life. This He-Man has been in more scrapes than a cheese grater and come out for the better. And while I might regale you with innumerable tales of his derring-do, we must stick to the highlight reel of that figure who no doubt would have been Head Coach of the Green Bay Packers had he not nobly sacrificed those ambitions to care for we urchins of a petrifying nation who needed him most.

“Truth is the first casualty of war!” It’s a good line. Not mine. That belongs to George Orwell in the 1940s…or perhaps Arthur Ponsonby in 1928…or maybe United States Senator Hiram Johnson in 1918…or probably Samuel Johnson in 1758…or possibly, as with most things, Aeschylus in 500 B.C. Actually, no one is aware of the origin as even with first documented uses it is referenced as “an ancient proverb”.

America woke up in shock Wednesday morning to maps of a red United States.  Donald Trump had pulled off the unthinkable.  He won by a landslide instead of a tight squeaker.   Think about it, Trump has been indicted 91 times!  We saw him sitting in court and then convicted.  He was impeached twice while president.  Many think he tried to thwart democracy by declaring the 2020 election had been stolen.  He said he had fallen in love with Kim Jong Un.  He openly praised Turkey's Orban.  He hurled defamatory slurs at his opponents that were unthinkable.  He said immigrants were eating cats and dogs.  They accused him of leading an insurrection.  And, this man, Donald J. Trump won the American presidency by a landslide.  What to make of this?  The Democrats need to do some deep soul-searching.   The Democrats hid from the American people the fact that Joe Biden was in cognitive decline. We could clearly see it, yet their media mouthpieces said he was "sharp as a tack" with "energy to spare."  One week before the election, Kamala was asked why she did not say something about Biden's decline, and she replied that he was not in decline. Immigation is a top concern of Americans. When Haris was asked about our southern border, she responded that we had no problem there; it was under control. She lost credibility by playing loose with the truth.  

Your author is a peculiar individual and not only for his love of Loly Hardcore. (Incidentally, VLAD, you keep giving speeches about repopulating Russia but no Loly on my doorstep yet…it was my understanding Russian shills were compensated spectacularly!?!…*sigh*…) Anyway — as your Humble Correspondent was reminiscing — the more I exist the more unusual I become.

Perhaps my view on the victory of Donald Trump is unorthodox for Europe and certainly for a Leftist but hear me out Contrary to the flow here in Europe and certainly contrary to the flow of the Leftist Group, I am not dismayed or even surprised at the astonishing victory of Donald Trump in this 2024 Presidential election of the United States of America. In fact, I have been predicting it for the last year. And come to think of it, Donald Trump’s victory is not that astonishing. It is a remarkable political comeback, that is true, for an able politician, a man with tremendous political skills and enormous capacity in communication and political marketing, which will write his epitaph as one of the most extraordinary Presidents of the United States of America in the years to come.

Olaf Scholz's nerves gave out after Trump's victory. By saving Ukraine, the German Chancellor has ruined the ruling coalition of Germany and will now build it with the CDU, putting Germany's problems aside. Scholz ruins ruling coalition by saving Zelensky Germany's ruling coalition fell apart on Wednesday, November 6, after which Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) fired Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who represented the Free Democratic Party (FDP) in the "traffic light" coalition. Three other FDP ministers resigned soon afterwards. Scholz plans to hold early elections in March, and his government will operate in a minority until then. The leader of the opposition CDU party, Friedrich Merz, demands that elections be scheduled for January.

In October 2024, Russia announced plans to significantly increase year-round shipping through the Northern Sea Route (NSR), aiming a boost in cargo volume to over 200 million tons annually by 2030 — a critical step in transforming the Arctic into a global trade corridor. With 2023's cargo volume already reaching 36.254 million tons, despite a slight dip this year so far mainly due to delays in launching major raw material projects like Arctic LNG 2, the route continues to demonstrate its growing role in Russia's trade and energy strategy. The Northern Sea Route, stretching across Russia's Arctic coastline, has long been eyed as a potential alternative to the Suez Canal for connecting Europe and Asia. With shorter transit times — promising to reduce the distance between Asia and Europe by 10 to 14 days compared to the Suez Canal route — and bypassing congested chokepoints, the NSR offers the promise of a more direct, efficient maritime route between the two continents. This October's decision is only the latest in a series of strategic moves by Russia to establish the NSR as a primary passage for international sea-based trade, catalyzed by Russia's growing ties with both China and India, who are actively seeking reliable access to the Arctic. Amid escalating tensions, particularly the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, which has the potential to severely disrupt sea trade along the Suez Canal, the NSR's strategic importance becomes even more pronounced.

A Russian man who had been drifting for two months in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk with the bodies of his relatives was rescued. His boat was discovered by the crew of the fishing vessel "Angel". When the fishermen found the boat, the man was conscious and was even able to shout a few words. The first phrase spoken by the survivor was: "Not enough strength." In response, the crew of the vessel that found the man, a Sakhalin resident, said that they had taken this information into account and promised to save him quickly.

In Kazan, employees of several companies were asked not to use their old cars during the days of the BRICS summit. People were also asked to minimize the use of personal cars, since "their old, rusty and excessively loud cars will tarnish the look of the city," 116.ru reports. According to an unnamed employee of one of the companies, the management suggested that employees should use public transport and leave their personal cars in garages or at least park them further away. In addition, students of one of Kazan technical schools were advised not to drive their "rattlers with loud music on not to disgrace the city."

As many as 100 armed men tried to seize the Archangel Michael Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the city of Cherkassy. The attackers smashed windows, broke doors, played songs about Stepan Bandera and threatened parishioners who were standing inside during the liturgy. One of the priests was injured. The invaders were wearing military uniforms. They managed to get to the altar in an attempt to force the believers out of the church, but the people fought back fiercely.  Metropolitan Theodosius of the UOC arrived to the cathedral with parishioners, the situation calmed down for a while, but the fights resumed soon. Theodosius was hurt during one of them.