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

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."

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.

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:

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.

Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, the head of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, published an article in August of this year, in which he casually referred to Russia's state-of-the-art development in the field of hypersonic weapons — the X-95 aircraft missile (also can be spelled as Kh-95). Why would Russia need yet another hypersonic missile given that the country already has Zircon and Kinzhal missiles? According to Vladimir Zarudnitsky, Russia needs to strive to achieve the dominant role of the Russian aviation in the field of aerospace, and it would be impossible to achieve the goal without the effective use of fighter and strike aircraft. Needless to say that the successful destruction of anti-aircraft, aviation and nuclear missile groups of a potential enemy is crucial for victory in any military operation. To achieve military superiority, it is vital for Russia to always be prepared to:

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:

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.”

Andrei Belousov, who held the position of First Deputy Head of the Cabinet of Ministers, will now become Russia's new Defence Minister. The Federation Council will discuss his candidacy on May 13 and 14. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was important to integrate the economy of the power bloc into the country's economy so that it meets the dynamics of the current moment. "The one who is more open to innovation wins on the battlefield," Peskov said. "The Ministry of Defence must be absolutely open to innovation, to all advanced ideas the purpose of economic competitiveness. Apparently, this is why the president picked the candidacy of Andrei Removich Belousov," he noted.

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 Departamento de Seguros de Texas (TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés) anunció a Dan Paschal como el Comisionado Adjunto de la recién creada división de Relaciones Externas. Esta división incluirá Comunicaciones (actualmente Asuntos Públicos) y Relaciones Gubernamentales (actualmente Asuntos de la Agencia).

El Departamento de Seguros de Texas anuncia un nuevo liderazgo para la Oficina del Jefe Estatal de Bomberos.

Texas Workers' Compensation Commissioner Jeff Nelson has announced the appointment of Dan LaBruyere as DWC's new Deputy Commissioner for Compliance and Investigations, which includes Audits and Investigations, Enforcement, the Fraud Unit, and the Fraud Prosecution Unit.

Texas Workers' Compensation Commissioner Jeff Nelson has announced the appointment of Matthew Posey as DWC's new Deputy Commissioner of Operations and External Relations.

Barry Jay Glenn, the founder and CEO of Houston-based Salvasen Health, surrendered to authorities in Harris County Tuesday. Glenn is facing charges of unauthorized insurance for collecting premiums and selling health plans without a license or authorization from the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI).

Barry Jay Glenn, fundador y director ejecutivo de Salvasen Health, radicada en Houston, se entregó el martes a las autoridades del condado Harris. Glenn se enfrenta a cargos de seguro no autorizado por cobrar primas y vender planes de salud sin licencia, ni la autorización del Departamento de Seguros de Texas (Texas Department of Insurance, TDI, por su nombre y siglas en inglés).

Frances Hall, former co-owner of Bill Hall Jr. Trucking, has been sentenced for her role in a scheme to avoid $9 million in workers’ compensation premiums.

The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) recognized Tyler Beverages with the Lone Star Safety Program Award on July 19, 2024, for its exemplary workplace health and safety programs and low rates of work-related injuries and illnesses.

Septiembre se considera la etapa cumbre de la actividad ciclónica, pero es importante recordar que la temporada de huracanes se extiende hasta noviembre.

New exhibition entitled “Art of Islam” begins today in the halls of the State's Hermitage Museum in London's Somerset House. 75 items from the Hermitage's Eastern Art Collection will be displayed. “Exhibition of Islamic art with a few pieces from Hermitage had taken place in London nearly 40 years ago. However, this art collection of the world’s famous Hermitage is taking place in London for the first time on such grand scale,” stated senior staff scientist of the Department of Eastern studies of Hermitage, Adel Adamova, reports RIA ‘Novosti”. Museum halls will showcase various pieces from different countries of the Islamic world; the earliest dating back to the Middle Ages. Visitors could witness the best examples of Muslim bronze work, Turkish and Iranian weapons, jewelry items, a series of Persian miniatures, chasubles of Russian priests made from Turkish and Persian fabrics, as well as velvet fabrics made in Iran in XVI century.

Russia, when signing documents for the sale of Alaska to the United States, was realizing her objective benefit, deputy director of the Historical and Documentary Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Doctor of Historical Sciences Artyom Rudnitsky said.According to him, the deal between Russia and the United States on selling Alaska was fair and aligning with international norms of that time.Rudnitsky noted during the Russian-American international conference "Dialogue of Fort Ross - Meeting in Russia" that the sale of Alaska by Russia was due to several reasons, including the fact that the colony was unprofitable. There were objective difficulties in protecting it in the event of an attack, he added. At the same time, Russia expected to make $5 million from the sale, but managed to obtain more $7 million in the end, which was considered a great achievement for that historical period. Moreover, the Alaska deal became an expression of relations between Russia and the United States. Strengthening relations with the US was important for the Russian Empire, which was in international isolation after the lost Crimean War."Do you think Russia would concede part of its territory to a country that was aggressive and hostile agains it? They treated the Americans well back then and believed that this would in no way infringe upon Russia's interests," concluded Rudnitsky. Also read: If US wants Crimea returned to Ukraine, Russi wants Alaska backPravda.Ru Read article in Russian

US pilots told a story about Soviet pilots of MiG aircraft that took off to intercept enemy aircraft at the height of the Cold War. Soviet pilots were making jokes during the operations, Theaviationgeekclub website wrote with reference to a collection of stories dedicated to the Douglas F3D Skyknight air missions. "The first time we were intercepted, they reported that we were taking pictures of them, as we were carrying 35 mm hand-held cameras. Normally, it would be on the pilot's side where the interceptors were, and the ECMO would lean across and snap some pictures of them. And the Russians would report, "They're taking pictures of us. What should we do?” One of the Russian controllers had a sense of humour and said "Smile”. Who would have thought the Russians had any sense of humour at all?" Skyknight pilot Chuck Houseman said. The book also said that US pilots, who were collecting reconnaissance data near the Soviet borders in the Far East, thought of Soviet pilots as friendly individuals compared to pilots from other communist countries. According to the author of the book and aviation expert Joe Copalman, the midair encounters had always been quiet as the United States had not violated state borders and performed its tasks within international space.

Admiral Vyacheslav Popov, the former commander of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, said that the Kursk submarine (nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk) sank in 2000 as a result of the collision with a NATO submarine. The name of the Western submarine is known almost for sure, Popov said in an interview with RIA Novosti. The ex-commander-in-chief of the Northern Fleet suggested that the submarine that collided with the Kursk was tracking the sub. The Western submarine could not ensure the required level of safety under the conditions of the sea and other circumstances, so it came too close to the Kursk. According to the admiral, the sub was later found off the coast of Norway. Popov added that the manoeuvre of the Russian nuclear submarine could also lead to the "loss of contact." According to the admiral, he can reveal the name of the NATO submarine with almost 100 percent certainty, but said that he would not do it for a number of reasons.

Kamila Valieva's doping test revealed the presence of three substances to improve the heart function, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said. According to The New York Times, these drugs can be aimed at increasing endurance, if used in combination. According to USADA's chief Travis Tygart, Kamila Valieva's doping test revealed the presence of trimetazidine, L-carnitine and hypoxen. Of these three drugs, it is only trimetazidine that is included in the list of drugs prohibited for athletes. "It's a trifecta of substances — two of which are allowed, and one that is not allowed. The benefits of such a combination "seem to be aimed at increasing endurance, reducing fatigue and promoting greater efficiency in using oxygen," Travis Tygart said.

Kamila Valieva, Russian figure skating phenomenon, failed her performance and was ranked fourth in the free skating program at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. When Kamila finished her performance, Tutberidze asked her why she stopped fighting during the performance. "Well, why did you let go of everything? Well, explain, you let go somewhere after the axel,” said the coach to her 15-year-old athlete.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced its stance  on the case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. The text is available on the website of the agency. WADA believes that the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which allowed 15-year-old Valiyeva to participate in the individual tournament at the Beijing Olympics, was made contrary to the Code of the agency. This will have consequences and may lead to the recurrence of similar cases in the future, WADA said.  The WADA statement stressed out that CAS had rewritten the Code of the agency, when it decided to allow Valieva to participate in the individual tournament. 

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has launched a disciplinary investigation into the behavior of Turkish fans at the match of the second qualifying round of the Champions League between Fenerbahce (Turkey) and Dynamo (Kyiv). The football match, which took place on Wednesday in Istanbul, ended with a score of 2:1 in extra time in favor of the Ukrainian team. After the Ukrainian team scored the first goal, Turkish fans started chanting the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "In accordance with Article 31(4) of the Disciplinary Regulations, the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will conduct an investigation into the alleged misconduct of Fenerbahce fans during the Champions League second qualifying round second leg against Dynamo Kyiv," the statement said.

Russian federal TV channels may refuse to broadcast the 2018 Winter Olympics from South Korean Pyeongchang should the Russian delegation be suspended, the Vedomosti newspaper wrote. For the time being, Russia's three major TV channels - Channel One, Rossiya-1 (part of VGTRK) and Match TV (part of Gazprom Media) plan to broadcast Winter Olympics from South Korea. Yet, if the Russian national team is excluded from the Games, Channel One and Rossiya-1 will most likely refuse to broadcast the Olympics. Naturally, Russian people watch Olympic Games to support Russian athletes in the first place. If no Russian athletes take part in the Games, the audience of the major sports event of this winter will decease sharply, representatives of the above-mentioned channels say. It makes no sense for major channels to pay millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast the Games, if they make no money from advertising because of low ratings.

The opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang is to begin on Friday, February 9, at 14:00 MSK. One hundred and sixty-eight athletes from Russia will take part in the Games for sure, but their quantity may increase. The second hearing of the panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was held on Feb. 8. For the time of the Olympics, judges stay in Pyeongchang. Today, they looked into the cases of 45 athletes and two coaches from Russia, who still have a chance to perform at the Games.They received such an opportunity after the first meeting, at which the CAS issued a decision that came contrary to the position of the IOC, but the decision was consistent with common sense. Having not heard any evidence to establish the guilt of several Russian athletes, the CAS sustained their appeals. Afterwards, the Russian athletes appealed against the non-admission to the Olympics.During the second hearing, CAS arbitrators considered the cases of 13 athletes and two coaches who had been acquitted. They also looked into the cases of 32 athletes who had never been suspected of violating anti-doping rules. None of them have received invitations from the IOC. They are stars of Russian sports - Anton Shipulin (biathlon), Victor An (speed skating) and Sergei Ustyugov (skier). Which abbreviation is worse: CAS, WADA, or IOC? Head coach of the Russian national luge team, Albert Demchenko, Tatyana Ivanova (sleigh) and Elena Nikitina (skeleton) had an opportunity to speak at the hearings. They told reporters later that they could not say anything about the hearings, and expressed a hope that common sense would prevail. According to Albert Demchenko, CAS arbitrators have listened to all arguments of the Russians.Earlier, skeletonist Elena Nikitina expressed the general idea of the outcast athletes. In an interview with R-Sport, she said that CAS made an independent and fair decision at first hearings contrary to that of the IOC, which gave the Russian athletes more confidence. The athlete also said that she would not mind moving into the Olympic Village even on the opening day of the Games.The head of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation, Sergei Parkhomenko, said that Russian bobsleighers would fly to South Korea as soon as they are allowed to do so. Nick Butler of Inside The Games shared insider information on Twitter. A reliable source, he wrote, informed him that the lawsuits from the Russian athletes would be sustained partially - some would be allowed to take part in the Games, but some others would not. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the IOC remain dissatisfied with the decision that CAS made during the first hearing. WADA officials said that the CAS verdict may cause anxiety and disappointment among athletes.However, it was only the Germans, who publicly supported the decision of the International Olympic Committee not to admit even acquitted Russian athletes. The head of the German delegation, Dirk Schimmelpfennig, told Munchner Merkur that the IOC rightly sticks to its original opinion, and this comes as "an important signal about the equality of all athletes - a signal about the ongoing struggle against doping."IOC President Thomas Bach stated that one needs to reform the CAS. All of a sudden, it turned out that the court in Lausanne makes the decisions that the IOC does not like, because the attacks against the Russian athletes were unfounded. Vice president of the Curling Federation of Russia, Andrei Sozin, said that the IOC behaves like a feudal lord who chooses whom of his slaves can be admitted to the Olympics. Yet, the Russians do not agree with that role that someone wants them to play. Evgeny ShurshakovPravda.Ru Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru

Fans from all over the world continue coming to Russia for the World Cup. In Moscow, football fans paralyzed many pedestrian streets having arranged mass festivities there. Most fans gathered on Nikolskaya Street, which is adjacent to Red Square. Crowds of football fans gathered on Nikolskaya Street to support their national teams. Russia is welcoming fans of all ages - one can see elderly people holding hands, young people partying and even young parents with children. Light garlands above the street created a very special atmosphere of a football carnival against the background of facades of historical buildings covered with flags of the countries participating in the championship.Representatives of Latin and South America predictably turned out to be most active football fans, for whom football is a religion. Peruvians and Mexicans attracted people's attention by performing  national dances and playing traditional musical instruments. Fans from Argentina gathered the largest number of fans around themselves as they were singing the national anthem in unison, infecting everyone around with football fever.The Moscow police were behaving in a very friendly way with foreign guests, but were firmly suppressing all attempts of the latter to drink alcoholic beverages in public places. Of course, unpleasant incidents are unavoidable, and foreign football fans already appear in crime reports. In St. Petersburg, a fan from Morocco was robbed after visiting the festival of FIFA fans on Konyushennaya Square. On the way back, the man found that he lost 2,500 euros and his iPhone 7. The loss was evaluated at about 200,000 rubles. The Moroccan fan could only speak Arabic, and it took police officers a lot of time to understand what he was trying to say.On June 11, a Chinese woman reported the loss of a designer backpack and an amount of money worth 3,000 dollars. The same day, an American man addressed the police saying that he was left without cash. A 25-year-old Egyptian reported the loss of his luggage. The young man could not overcome the language barrier and resorted to the help of his friend, who could speak English. It turned out that the men forgot about their bag with tickets inside as they were stunned with views of St. Petersburg. In Kaliningrad, Nigerian football fans asked local authorities permission to bring live chickens to the stadium. The authorities had to decline. For Nigerian fans, a chicken is their mascot that they bring to every venue.  They did not specify what they needed the chickens for, although it is generally believed that African football fans usually practice various magic rituals during football matches, and chickens are widely used in Africa for sacrifice. Nigeria will play against Croatia in Kaliningrad on June 16. World Cup 2018 scheduleJune 14thGroup A. Moscow, "Luzhniki". Russia - Saudi Arabia 18:00June 15thGroup A. Ekaterinburg. Egypt - Uruguay 15:00Group B. St. Petersburg. Morocco - Iran 18:00Group B. Sochi. Portugal - Spain 21:00June 16thGroup S. Kazan. France - Australia 13:00Group D. Moscow, "Spartacus." Argentina - Iceland 16:00Group S. Saransk. Peru - Denmark 19:00Group D. Kaliningrad. Croatia - Nigeria 22:00June 17Group E. Samara. Costa Rica - Serbia 15:00Group F. Moscow, "Luzhniki". Germany - Mexico 18:00Group E. Rostov-on-Don. Brazil - Switzerland 21:00June, 18thGroup F. Nizhny Novgorod. Sweden - South Korea 15:00Group G. Sochi. Belgium - Panama 18:00Group G. Volgograd. Tunisia - England 21:00June 19Group H. Saransk. Colombia - Japan 15:00Group H. Moscow, "Spartacus." Poland - Senegal 18:00Group A. St. Petersburg. Russia to Egypt 21:00June 20thGroup B. Moscow, "Luzhniki". Portugal - Morocco 15:00Group A. Rostov-on-Don. Uruguay - Saudi Arabia 18:00Group B. Kazan. Iran - Spain 21:0021st of JuneGroup S. Samara. Denmark-Australia 15:00Group C. Ekaterinburg. France - Peru 18:00Group D. Nizhny Novgorod. Argentina - Croatia 21:0022nd of JuneGroup E. St. Petersburg. Brazil - Costa Rica 15:00Group D. Volgograd. Nigeria - Iceland 18:00Group E. Kaliningrad. Switzerland - Serbia 21:00June 23Group G. Moscow, "Spartacus." Belgium - Tunisia 15:00Group F. Rostov-on-Don. South Korea - Mexico 18:00Group F. Sochi. Germany - Sweden 21:00June 24Group G. Nizhny Novgorod. England - Panama 15:00Group H. Ekaterinburg. Japan - Senegal 18:00Group H. Kazan. Poland - Colombia 21:00June 25thGroup A. Volgograd. Saudi Arabia - Egypt 17:00Group A. Samara. Uruguay - Russia 17:00Group B. Kaliningrad. Spain - Morocco 21:00Group B. Saransk. Iran - Portugal 21:00June 26thGroup C. Moscow, "Luzhniki". Denmark-France 17:00Group S. Sochi. Australia - Peru 17:00Group D. St. Petersburg. Nigeria - Argentina 21:00Group D. Rostov-on-Don. Iceland - Croatia 21:0027th of JuneGroup F. Kazan. South Korea - Germany 17:00Group F. Ekaterinburg. Mexico - Sweden 17:00Group E. Moscow, "Spartacus." Brazil - Serbia 21:00Group E. Nizhny Novgorod. Switzerland - Costa Rica 21:00June 28thGroup H. Volgograd. Japan - Poland 17:00Group H. Samara. Senegal - Colombia 17:00Group G. Kaliningrad. England - Belgium 21:00Group G. Saransk. Panama - Tunisia 21:00Playoff schedule30 June1/8 finals. Kazan. C1-D2 17:001/8 finals. Sochi. 1A - 2B 21:00July 11/8 finals. Moscow, the Luzhniki Stadium. B1 - A2 17:001/8 finals. Nizhny Novgorod. D1 - C2 21:002 July1/8 finals. Samara. E1 - F2 17:001/8 finals. Rostov-on-Don. G1 - H2 21:003 July1/8 finals. St. Petersburg. F1 - E2 17:001/8 finals. Moscow, "Spartacus." H1 - G2 21:006 July1/4 finals. Nizhny Novgorod. (A1-B2) - (C1-D2) 17:001/4 finals. Kazan. (E1 - F2) - (G1 - H2) 21:00July 7th1/4 finals. Samara. (F1 - E2) - (H1 - G2) 17:001/4 finals. Sochi. (B1-A2) - (D1-C2) 21:0010 July1/2 finals. St. Petersburg. 9pmJuly 11th1/2 finals. Moscow, the Luzhniki Stadium. 9pmthe 14 th of JulyMatch for third place. St. Petersburg. 5pmJuly 15The final. Moscow, Luzhniki 18:00

Does Russia want its athletes humiliated at the Olympic Games again? Will Russia boycott the Games this time? Olympic alternative to Russian national anthem In December 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) prohibited Russian athletes from performing at world championships and Olympic Games under the national flag and deprived them of the right to perform the Russian national anthem. To crown it all, Russia was deprived of the right to host such sports events too.A number of active Russian politicians started looking for an alternative to the Russian national anthem and picked up the idea for the Russian athletes to perform ​​the famous WWII song "Katyusha." Some of them were not even embarrassed by the fact that the IOC requires not to include any mentioning of any war or any war-related topic in the Games, including in opening and closing ceremonies. They apparently assumed that the rest of the world should accept World War II as an excuse for Russia's current problems. On March 13, 2021, CAS rejected the request from the Russian Olympic Committee to use the "Katyusha" song as a replacement for the Russian anthem at the upcoming Olympic Games in the summer of 2021 in Tokyo and in February 2022 in Beijing. The court clarified that the concept of "any anthem associated with Russia" applied to all songs associated with Russia. However, the court decision did not close the discussion in Russia anyway, and the search for the replacement for the Russian national anthem continues. Does Russia need the white flag in sports? This is strange indeed: if Russia can stand up against the world supremacist state in Syria, return territories in Europe, ignore the work in the Council of Europe and make harsh statements about its readiness to terminate relations with the European Union, then why not slam the door to the IOC?Why should Russia should feel humiliated to participate in the Olympics? Those who believe that one needs to think about the athletes and their most important sports competitions, may forget to think that it goes about Russian athletes being Russian citizens. Does Russia need athletes that do not want to sacrifice their achievements and victories for sake of their country's dignity? Or does Russia need to live up to the interests of a handful of athletes to the detriment of its own national interests and interests of millions of other Russian citizens, who are not thrilled at the whole idea of Russia's sports humiliation?

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.

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.

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.

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 current Sinophobia in the 2nd Cold War between the U. S. and China has contributed to the 2nd strategic mistake that the U. S. is making by allying with India against China (without examining thoroughly its long-term consequences) -- just as the U. S. made the 1st strategic mistake by aligning with China against the U. S. S.R. in the 1st Cold War (also without examining thoroughly its long-term consequences). In global geopolitics, a friend of today can become an enemy of tomorrow. Therefore, is it too late for the U. S. to correct this 2nd strategic mistake by handling India with great care, due to the latter's hegemonic ambition as a new world power, which will then lead to the coming of what I call "Indophobia” in the next decade(s)? 1. Introduction: Historical Background In my 1999 book titled "The Future of Human Civilization” (published in 1999), I had already untimely predicted the emergence of China as the dominant global power on Earth in the following decades, as it was based on the untimely prediction made in my 1995 doctoral dissertation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). In my 2007 book titled "Beyond the World of Titans, and the Remaking of World Order” (published in 2007), I had already untimely predicted the emergence of China and India as the two "hyper-empires” in the top (1st) tier of global politics, with the U. S. and the EU falling to the 2nd tier (as the two "meso-empires”).

The recent flare-up of conflict in the Middle East, particularly triggered by the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran by a suspected Israeli airstrike, represents not only a humanitarian and political crisis but also a looming energy crisis ahead. As tensions between Israel, backed by the United States, and Iran, along with its allies like Hezbollah and other Middle Eastern states, intensify, the risks to energy resources and supply routes, both on land and at sea, are becoming increasingly evident. The region's significant oil and gas reserves, crucial to global markets, are now under threat, and any disruption of these supplies could have far-reaching consequences for energy security worldwide. The assassination of Haniyeh, a central figure in Hamas, has ignited a dangerous new phase in the already volatile Middle East. Iran, a key supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, has found itself at the heart of a growing coalition of Middle Eastern countries rallying against Israel. This development risks drawing the entire region into a broader confrontation, with profound implications not just for regional stability but also for global energy markets.

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).

Not that long ago, the Teikovo missile unit (Guards Order of Kutuzov missile division) took mobile ground-based Yars missile systems for exercises. The manoeuvres included marches at a distance of up to 100 kilometers, dispersal and change of positions, organization of combat security and camouflage. The goal of the exercises was to improve the training and coherence of personnel of the Strategic Missile Forces.

The summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was a formality, but the issue at hand is the security of the Russian Federation. Moscow needs to change its attitude towards its neighbours before it is too late. The following leaders attended the CIS summit at the personal invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Moldovan President Maia Sandu did not attend.

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.

It appears that the moment when Israel is going to strike Iran is getting closer. Ten US Air Force KC-135R tanker aircraft are heading towards the Middle East with at least 20 F-16 fighters escorting them. French all purpose landing ship L9013 Mistral arrived in Larnaca, Cyprus. US has transferred new combat aircraft to its base in Qatar. A curious event was noticed in the sky over Cambridge: three US tanker aircraft and a C-5M Super Galaxy military transport aircraft were spotted airborne. According to The New York Times, Iranian leader Ali Khamenei ordered the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic to prepare for a state of war with Israel. Khamenei instructed the army to present several plans of response to Israel's imminent attack on Iran, depending on the scale of the strike.

Robert Fico became the first NATO leader to have given an interview to Russian media after the start of the special military operation and he made some very bold statements in it. The West fails to bring Russia to its knees Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico gave an interview to Russian journalist Olga Skabeeva on the state-run Rossiya-1 TV channel. He started his interview with a Slovak proverb that says that "no one on their knees can be considered defeated — perhaps they are just tying their shoelaces."

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.