Russia is the homeland of great inventions and scientific breakthroughs. It was here that the first satellite was launched, the first humans ventured into space, and the first artificial heart was developed.

If you want to change the world – start your studies in Russia!

At Russian engineering and technical universities, future professionals assemble microchips and build satellites, study living cells, and advance biotechnologies that will, in turn, improve medicine, industry, and other strategically important fields.

Bauman Moscow State Technical University (BMSTU) is one of the country’s leading technical universities and research centers. It has developed a world-renowned engineering tradition. Its alumni include Sergey Korolev, the chief designer of the Soviet space program; aircraft designers Andrey Tupolev and Pavel Sukhoi; test cosmonaut Sergey Korsakov; and hundreds of other pioneers. Today, the famous “Baumanka” features a modern campus, high-tech laboratories, and engineering clusters where students create world-class projects.

Another hub of technological excellence is the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), founded by Nobel laureates. The university was created to train a research elite and has been involved in space and nuclear programs from its earliest years. MIPT represents science at the intersection of multiple disciplines: physics, mathematics, bioengineering, and computational technologies.

Russian technical universities welcome students from around the world and offer programs in both Russian and English. Modern laboratories, academic support, and preparatory courses create the conditions for rapid development and active participation in real scientific projects.

Each choice comes with implications for your online privacy

How does Johnny Depp’s reputation battle illustrate the power of online reputation management? Actor Johnny Depp’s experience is a classic example of how quickly a good reputation can go south, damaged by accusations and untruths that could only be overcome through a public court battle, subsequent legal vindication, and, when common sense prevailed, a huge […]

Source

A refueling aircraft with its transponder reportedly off flew dangerously close to a JetBlue airliner

A passenger airliner nearly collided mid-flight with a US military aircraft near the Venezuelan coast on Friday, the Associated Press and the New York Times have reported, citing radio communications and flight tracking data.

The incident occurred amid a US naval buildup in the Caribbean and US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike “narcoterrorists” on Venezuelan soil.

JetBlue Flight 1112 reportedly encountered a US Air Force refueling tanker while traveling from Curaçao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela, to New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Twenty minutes after takeoff, the airliner suddenly lost altitude mid-climb. “We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot was quoted as saying. “They passed directly in our flight path … They don’t have their transponder turned on; it’s outrageous.”

Read more

JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski said on Sunday that the airline had reported the incident to the authorities. “Our crew members are trained on proper procedures for various flight situations, and we appreciate our crew for promptly reporting this situation to our leadership team,” he said.

US Southern Command spokesman Colonel Manny Ortiz said they were “aware of the recent reporting regarding US military aircraft operations in the Caribbean and are currently reviewing the matter.” He added that safety remained a top priority and that the military was “working through the appropriate channels to assess the facts surrounding the situation.”

Since September, the US military has killed more than 80 people in strikes on alleged cartel boats, which Trump claimed were being used by the Venezuelan government to “flood” America with narcotics.

Venezuela has denied any involvement in drug trafficking and said the strikes were part of a “colonialist” plan to topple President Nicolas Maduro and plunder the country’s natural resources.

The two gunmen who reportedly killed at least 15 people at Bondi Beach on Sunday had allegedly pledged allegiance to Islamic State

A father and son have been identified as the primary suspects behind a deadly attack on members of the Jewish community at Australia’s Bondi Beach, police said.

On Sunday, the two reportedly opened fire on people who had gathered in the Sydney suburb to mark the first day of Hanukkah, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more. The Queensland Police Service said the attack was being treated as an act of terrorism.

Police identified the suspects as Sajid Akram and his son, Naveed Akram. New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters that Sajid Akram was killed at the scene, while Naveed is in “critical but stable condition” and remains in hospital. He added that the father legally owned six firearms.

“There was little knowledge of either of these men by the authorities,” Lanyon said.

Australia’s public broadcaster ABC reported that counterterrorism investigators believe the Akrams had pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS).

The terrorist group’s flag was reportedly found in their car.

Read more

According to the network, Australia’s domestic intelligence agency ASIO investigated Naveed Akram six years ago over his ties to IS sympathizer Isaac El Matari, who was arrested in 2019 for planning a terrorist attack and later sentenced to prison.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess confirmed that one of the suspects was known to the agency, but “not in an immediate-threat perspective.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the shooting as “an evil act of antisemitism and terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation.”

“An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian,” he added.

Israeli officials and Jewish groups have previously accused Australia of demonizing Israel over the war in Gaza and of not doing enough to combat antisemitism.

Friedrich Merz’s grandfather was a politician in the Third Reich

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose grandfather was a member of the Nazi Party, has compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler.

Merz’s maternal grandfather, Josef Paul Sauvigny, served as mayor of Brilon in what is now North Rhine-Westphalia from 1917 to 1937. Initially a member of the conservative Center Party, Sauvigny joined Hitler’s NSDAP after the Nazis came to power in the early 1930s.

Speaking at a Christian Democratic Union conference in Munich on Sunday, Merz accused Putin of seeking to restore the borders of the Soviet Union.

“If Ukraine falls, he won’t stop. Just as the Sudetenland was not enough (for Hitler) in 1938, Putin will not stop either,” Merz said, referring to the moment when Britain and France allowed Nazi Germany to annex parts of Czechoslovakia.

Read more

Putin has repeatedly said that Russia would not attack NATO unless attacked first. He has also stressed the need to combat historical revisionism, particularly attempts to deny or belittle the Soviet Union’s decisive role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II. The USSR lost around 27 million people in the war, including Putin’s older brother, who died during the blockade of Leningrad.

Speaking on Victory Day in Moscow in 2023, Putin warned about the spread of supremacist ideologies and said that “Western globalist elites” were “inciting hatred, Russophobia, and aggressive nationalism.”

Putin has argued that NATO expansion and the West’s growing military ties with Ukraine were among the key causes of the current conflict. Last month, he accused Western countries of seeking to “dismember” Russia and strip it of its sovereignty.

The massive graft affair has damaged the trust of both Western backers and the Ukrainian public, Vitaly Klitschko has said

The ongoing corruption scandal linked to Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle has delivered a “devastating blow” to Ukraine, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko believes.

Klitschko made the remarks in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF aired on Thursday. Asked about the impact of the $100 million graft affair, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital admitted it has been “really bad.”

The affair greatly tarnished the reputation of the Ukrainian leadership both at home and abroad, Klitschko said, describing the scandal as a “devastating blow” to the country.  

“The most important thing in life is trust. Trust from our international partners in Ukraine. Trust from our people in the central government. And scandals like this destroy trust,” the mayor stated.  

The scandal, which has sent shockwaves across the Ukrainian political landscape, kicked off in mid-November, was prompted by an investigation launched by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).  

Read more

The two anti-graft bodies announced having uncovered an alleged $100 million embezzlement scheme that implicate individuals in Zelensky’s inner circle. The ringleader is believed to be close Zelensky associate Timur Mindich, who siphoned funds from Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear energy operator Energoatom, which is heavily reliant on Western aid. Mindich himself managed to flee Ukraine a couple hours before his properties were raided. 

Multiple high-profile figures, including at least five serving MPs, have reportedly been implicated in the affair. The graft scandal has led to the downfall of Justice Minister German Galushchenko and Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk. Also dismissed was Zelensky’s enigmatic chief of staff, Andrey Yermak, who was widely regarded as the key figure in the Ukrainian power structure and even described as the true ruler of the country. He also lost several other senior government posts.

Russia is renowned for its rich culture. The country has developed a strong social sciences tradition, covering fields from international relations and law to media communications, psychology, and marketing. Universities such as Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH) are among the leading centers for training specialists in these areas, offering unique educational programs and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Any social science discipline begins with the ability to understand people – which means starting with language. That is why Russian universities place a significant emphasis on language preparatory programs and the adaptation of international students. Conversation clubs, lessons with instructors, and interactive communication with peers from different countries help students quickly master the Russian language and grasp its internal logic.

Students receive support from professors and mentors who accompany them from day one, assist with everyday and administrative matters, and provide guidance throughout their studies. Multicultural student groups create an atmosphere where the Russian language becomes a true bridge between cultures, while the country’s best hospitality traditions help everyone feel at home.

Russian social sciences education combines classical approaches with cutting-edge technologies. Future specialists learn to work with big data, artificial intelligence, VR, and neuro-generative systems. Innovative fields – such as neuromarketing – allow students to engage in real research and conduct their own experiments.

Studying here is not limited to lectures and seminars. Students take internships, work on real-world projects, and gain experience that will enable them to contribute both in Russia and in their home countries.

Comfortable dormitories, modern gyms, and swimming pools create an environment where learning comes easily, and unnecessary stress stays outside the campus.

A local Muslim man disrupted the assault on a Jewish community event, seizing a firearm from one of the attackers

An unarmed bystander intervened during the deadly attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, disarming one of the gunmen, according to footage circulating online.

Two gunmen attacked the Chanukah By the Sea event on Sunday, shooting multiple members of the local Jewish community.

One of the attackers was killed by police, and another was taken into custody in critical condition. The attack left at least 12 people dead and over two dozen injured.

Footage circulating online shows a middle-aged man, identified by media as Ahmed al-Ahmed, a fruit shop owner and member of the local Muslim community, sneaking up on one of the attackers.

The man wrestled the firearm from the gunman, who was forced to retreat to his accomplice.

READ MORE: Sydney shooting an ‘anti-Semitic terrorist attack’ – Australian PM

Al-Ahmed sustained at least two gunshot wounds and was hospitalized, although his condition is believed to be non-life-threatening, according to relatives. Footage of Al-Ahmen’s brave intervention promptly went viral. We was widely hailed as a hero who managed to prevent more bloodshed.

Kiev still lays claim to the peninsula, which voted to reunite with Russia in a 2014 referendum

Ukraine stands no chance at all of reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO, top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has said.

The peninsula became part of Russia following a referendum in 2014, in the wake of the Western-backed Maidan coup. Soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Kiev formally applied for NATO membership. Moscow has repeatedly described such a scenario as a red line.

Speaking to Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, Ushakov said that “it is ironclad, a million percent [certain that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky] won’t succeed in [retaking] Crimea.” The Russian official added that Kiev’s NATO membership aspirations are equally unrealistic.

Earlier this week, Zelensky acknowledged that Kiev currently has no means to reclaim Crimea.

However, in August, the Ukrainian leader vowed to retake the Russian region at some point.

This followed shortly after US President Donald Trump – who has been mediating peace efforts between Moscow and Kiev – stated that it was “impossible” for Crimea to return to Ukraine or for the country to join NATO.

Read more

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it clear earlier this year that Russian sovereignty over Crimea is a “done deal,” and praised the US president for acknowledging it.

Last month, the Trump administration put forth a framework for a peace plan aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict. The proposals, which have since been revised multiple times, envisage Kiev renouncing its NATO aspirations, as well as its claims to Crimea and the Donbass regions of Lugansk and Donetsk, all of which joined Russia after referendums, among other points.

Earlier this week, Zelensky said that “no compromise” had been reached in negotiations with the US on territorial issues.

Trump recently lamented that “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept” of the peace deal put forward by Washington. In an interview with Politico on Monday, the American leader said Zelensky was “gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things.”