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What the media wrote about the most - what was discussed most in society. See what "2014" is in other dictionaries The most significant events of the year

2014 is full of events. Wars, revolutions, plane crashes, sanctions. He turned out to be variable. Much has been turned upside down, and this "much" will never be the same again. I want to present you important events for 2014 in a nutshell. I hope I haven't missed anything.

British scientists have introduced Vantablack - the blackest material in the world
The Finnish Academy of Technology awarded the Millennium Technology Award to British scientist Stuart Parkin in recognition of his discoveries that increased the capacity of magnetic disk drives a thousandfold; the amount of the award is 1 million euros.
As a result of the study of the human genome, geneticists found that only 8.2% of human DNA is functional.
The Philae descent module (ESA) landed on the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet. The first soft landing on a comet in history.
Scientists at Harvard University, together with MITER Corporation, created the world's first nanoprocessor, which was called nanoFSM

Nobel Prizes

Medicine and physiology- John O'Keeffe, May-Britt Moser and Edward Moser - "for their work in the cell biology of the brain"
Physics- Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura - "for the invention of efficient blue LEDs, leading to bright and energy-saving white light sources"
Chemistry- Eric Betzig, Stefan Hell and William Mörner - "For the development of superfluorescence microscopy"
Literature- Patrick Modiano - "For the art of memory, thanks to which he revealed the most incomprehensible human destinies and revealed the life world of a man during the occupation."
Peace Prize- Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi - "For their struggle against the oppression of children and youth and for the right of all children to education"
Economy- Jean Tirol - "for the analysis of markets and their regulation"

Latvia adopted the euro, becoming the 18th member of the eurozone.
Flooding kills 40 in Philippines, leaves 5 missing, displaces 160,000
Catherine Samba-Panza is elected President of the Central African Republic, becoming the first female head of state in the history of the country
34th Bandy World Championship (Irkutsk and Shelekhov, Russia). The Russian team won
Shooting at school number 263 in Moscow. First case of school shooting in Russia.
XXII Winter Olympic Games (Sochi, Russia) Victory of Russia in medals 13 (gold) 11 (silver) 9 (bronze)
XI Winter Paralympic Games (Sochi, Russia)
More than 400 people have died from swine flu in Mexico since the beginning of the year.
77 people were killed during clashes between the opposition and police in central Kyiv in February, 16 of whom were law enforcement officers.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution on the self-removal of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych from the performance of constitutional duties and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25, 2014
The duties of the President of Ukraine are assigned to Oleksandr Turchynov.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the new Cabinet of Ministers. Arseniy Yatsenyuk became prime minister, replacing acting Sergei Arbuzov.
The Crimean Parliament adopted a declaration of independence from Ukraine.
A referendum on the status of Crimea was held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. According to the official results of the referendum 96,77 % voters of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and 95,6 % Sevastopol voters chose reunification with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of Crimea.
In Malaysia, while flying over the South China Sea, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board disappeared from the radar screens.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement on the admission of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia. The treaty enters into force on the date of ratification by the Federal Assembly and until then is "provisionally applied" from the date of signing.
population census in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
World Championship figure skating(Saitama, Japan)
April 7 - proclamation of the Donetsk People's Republic
April 27 The Lugansk People's Republic was proclaimed.
In Odessa (Ukraine), there were clashes between supporters and opponents of the Ukrainian authorities, according to official data, 46 people died, 48 are missing. According to unofficial data, 116 people died, including minors.
Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics announced the creation of the Union of People's Republics with the name Novorossiya
Early presidential elections in Ukraine. Petro Poroshenko won
In the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol Russian ruble became the only official currency
Microsoft has ended extended support for Windows XP.
The wreck of the Sewol ferry off the southwestern coast of South Korea. 172 people were rescued, 288 dead were found, 16 were missing.
A mudslide occurred in Badakhshan province in Afghanistan, more than 250 people died, about 2,500 people went missing
78th Ice Hockey World Championship (Minsk, Belarus) The victory was won by the Russian team
As a result of the explosion and subsequent collapse at the Turkish mine, located in the province of Manisa, 301 people died, 485 were saved.
National search engine launched Russian Federation Satellite
Military coup in Thailand. A state of emergency has been declared in the country, power has passed into the hands of the Committee for the Protection of National Security, headed by General Prayut Chan-o-cha
XX FIFA World Cup (Brazil). The German national team became the world champions for the fourth time
The State Duma of Russia adopted a law on the introduction of permanent winter time in Russia.
As a result of the derailment of three train cars in the Moscow metro, 24 people were killed, more than 200 were injured.
The plane of the Malaysian airline Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed and fell on the territory of Ukraine. All people on board (298 people) died
Scottish independence referendum from Great Britain. According to the results of the referendum, Scotland remained part of the UK.
The launch of the last hydroelectric unit completed the restoration of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, where a man-made disaster occurred more than five years ago.
Attack of militants on Grozny. 14 police officers were killed and 36 injured.
First uncrewed test flight of the partially reusable Orion manned spacecraft.
The Taliban militants occupied a school in Peshawar (Pakistan), killing more than 140 people.
Ebola epidemic in West Africa
Smartphones are already used by two billion people around the world
Tablets outsell laptops
Nokia left the mobile phone market
Motorola received a Chinese residence permit
Apple becomes first $700 billion company
Microsoft bought Minecraft
Victory Conchita Wurst at Eurovision
World donation Ice Bucket Challenge
Fire on the ferry "Norman Atlantic" in Italy.
During the week, every day at 00:00, my light is turned off for 5 minutes.

I want it again, or rather the third time. Congratulate everyone on HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015. I hope that all the consequences in 2014 will result in positive aspects in the new year 2015.

The global agenda of 2014 was full of events taking place in Russia and along its borders.

Of course, against the backdrop of the annexation of Crimea, the war in Donbass and the fall of the ruble, many other things that happened in Russia did not make it to the front pages of world newspapers. But the first disaster in the Moscow metro or the collapse of the domestic tourism industry did not become less significant events for people living in Russia. RBC presents its view on the main Russian events of this year.

Falling oil prices

After the events of the "Crimean spring" and the severe sanctions of the West, an even greater misfortune fell upon Russia - the fall in oil prices. OPEC's decision not to reduce production completed the job - the decline in oil prices turned into a collapse. The price settled at the end of the year at $60 per barrel. in 2015 threatens the Russian economy with a decline of almost 5%.

Sanctions

The year 2014 passed under the sign of sanctions aimed at the international isolation of the Russian economy. new type Cold War, according to the Ministry of Finance alone, costs Russia $40 billion a year. Together with falling oil prices, Western sanctions remain the main risk factor for Russia next year.

Counter-sanctions

Russia's main response to international sanctions has been to close its giant consumer market to foreign products. But which of the parties lost more, the question is: the reduction in imports dispersed the already high inflation, and the retired goods replaced the parmesan and shrimp of “Belarusian production”.

Economic recession

An ideal storm is moving towards Russia, it will cover the country in 2015. At one point, all possible crises coincided - from financial to demographic. good time for reforms, economists say, but expect the authorities to move further away from market methods of governance.

"A business« Bashneft

In 2014, the state, which already controls more than 50% of oil production and refining, continued to consolidate in the oil market. Following Yukos, Sibneft and TNK-BP, Bashneft also came under state control. Under the conditions of the economic crisis and low oil prices, the expansion of the state will stop, market participants and experts believe. But the sale of state assets in the near future should not be expected.

Olympics in Sochi

In early 2014, the Winter Olympics in Sochi had every chance of becoming the main event of the year in Russia, but then they were pushed aside by other, more bleak events. True, the Olympics is an event too large-scale to be able to give it an unambiguous assessment.

Attack on the media

In 2014, the Russian media experienced major upheavals: in addition to high-profile resignations of top media managers, business media faced losses to newsmakers in courts, the emergence of new laws, including those restricting the influx of foreign capital and advertising income. However, already at the beginning of the outgoing year, 56% of the media industry belonged to the state or businessmen close to it.

Withdrawal of pension savings

In 2015, the Russian pension system will face serious challenges. The main risk is the abolition of the funded part of the pension. The selection of non-state pension funds into the guarantee system: they will have to create a special fund for payments to clients of bankrupt NPFs.

Turn to the East

If in the western direction things did not go well for Russia this year - sanctions, the closure of capital markets, mutual accusations and threats, then in the East everything was exactly the opposite. Gazprom managed to conclude a record contract for gas supplies to China for $400 billion, Rosneft actively invited Asian investors into its Russian projects, and also agreed on oil supplies to India. Experts timidly expressed that many announced contracts with Asian partners could be politically motivated, but the authorities and state-owned companies claim that they are guided only by economic expediency. However, this does not prevent them from dreaming about gas pipelines to India and a high-speed highway from Moscow to Beijing.

Yukos wins in court against Russia

On July 18, the permanent court of arbitration in The Hague decided that Russia should pay former Yukos shareholders led by Leonid Nevzlin $50 billion. This is a record compensation for the bankruptcy and sale of the oil company's assets. The arbitration decided that Russia violated the Energy Charter and in 2004 actually expropriated Yukos from its rightful owners. The plaintiffs argued that the state benefited directly from the bankruptcy of Yukos, since the key asset of the company - Yuganskneftegaz - came under the control of the state-owned Rosneft. The claim was only partially satisfied - the amount of claims was $ 114 billion. In November, Russia challenged this decision in the district court of The Hague, but it is not yet clear whether the court will meet the Russian authorities, said Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov. The appeal will begin on January 28, 2015. In the event of a final victory, former Yukos shareholders are going to seize Russian state assets around the world. Nevzlin also did not rule out that the amount of claims could be reduced in exchange for "some other things that we could achieve within the law"; by this he meant, among other things, the termination of criminal cases against himself and other shareholders and top managers of Yukos.

Accident in the Moscow metro

This summer, the largest accident in its history occurred in the Moscow metro - three train cars derailed on the stretch between Park Pobedy and Slavyansky Bulvar stations on the Arbatsko-Pokrovskaya line. The accident claimed the lives of 23 people, 159 were hospitalized with various injuries. The head of the metro Ivan Besedin lost his post, and the foreman of the road tracks Valery Bashkatov and his assistant Yuri Gordov are still under investigation, who, according to the preliminary version, violated safety rules when working in the metro tunnel.

Russia without smoke

On June 1, for the first time in history, there was not a single person with a lit cigarette in Russian restaurants and cafes. The provisions of the “anti-tobacco law” adopted a year earlier, prohibiting smoking in public places, came into force. Despite the fact that before the introduction of the ban, almost half of adult Russians considered themselves active smokers (42%, according to a VTsIOM poll in 2013), the absolute majority of citizens supported the ban.

Bank sweep

The Bank of Russia has done most of the work to clean up the banking sector, the first deputy chairman of the Central Bank, Alexei Simanovsky, announced on December 24. In 2014, the Central Bank revoked 84 licenses: 71 from banks and 13 from non-bank credit institutions. During the cleanup, various schemes for drawing balances surfaced and people who, by coincidence, regularly found themselves in problem banks. RBC has compiled a small encyclopedia of such concepts and heroes.

Increasing the tax burden

The threat of a serious increase in the tax burden became one of the main leitmotifs of 2014, although in early April, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov promised that it would not increase until 2018. Shuvalov then stated that proposals to increase taxes, including the tax on dividends from 9 to 13%, were not supported, as well as the proposals of the expert community to increase VAT. This principle was fixed in the "Main Directions of Tax Policy for 2015-2017". However, already presenting the document at parliamentary hearings in the State Duma in May, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov called for an audit of tax incentives for federal taxes, due to which the regions receive less money. Almost immediately after the adoption of the document, the Ministry of Finance proposed introducing a sales tax in Russia, which was canceled in the early 2000s. Business and the Ministry of Economic Development opposed it, the discussion in the government continued until autumn. And although in mid-September the Ministry of Finance abandoned this idea, the actual increase in the tax burden could not be avoided.

Closing the global financial market for Russia

In 2014, the access of Russian public and private companies to the global financial market turned out to be covered. The reason for this was the sanctions imposed on Russia by the world's leading creditors - the United States, the EU, Canada and Japan. The sanctions had a negative impact on the entire economy of the country. Even those companies that were not on the sanctions list suffered from the most serious cooling in relations between Russia and the West in several decades.

Deoffshorization and declared amnesty

For big business, 2014 began under the slogan of the fight against offshore companies, and ended with the promise of a full-scale capital amnesty.

Russia's first school shooting

On February 3, 2014, the first case of shooting at a school with civilian weapons “according to the American scenario” took place in Moscow. A student of class 10 "A" of school No. 263 in the Otradnoye district came to a geography lesson with a hunting carbine and a rifle, shot the teacher Andrei Kirillov, took his classmates hostage and managed to shoot the first police officers who arrived at the signal of the alarm button. The response to the tragedy was the tightening of legislation on the storage and carrying of weapons

The collapse of the tourism industry

2014 was a black year for the tourism industry. In July-September, several large tour operators went bankrupt at once, the number of affected tourists was tens of thousands. The industry legislation reformed two years ago failed to protect consumers.

Each photo tells its own story, and taken together, they will give us a complete picture of the events that took place in 2014.

Ice Age in the USA. In the first days of the new year, a cold air front from the Arctic came to the United States. In several regions, a 20-year minimum temperature was broken, at least 21 people died. Frosts have affected territories that are home to more than 200 million people out of more than 300 million people in the United States.

The culprit was the Arctic storm Hercules. In some northern states, the thermometers dropped to -44 Celsius.

"Akademik Shokalsky" and the rescue operation in Antarctica. On December 24, 2013, the scientific vessel "Akademik Shokalsky" was blocked in Antarctica by fragments of an iceberg. There were 74 people on board the scientific vessel "Akademik Shokalsky", including the crew, scientists and tourists. It was on a cruise from New Zealand to visit several places off the Antarctic coast. Several powerful ships came to his aid at once. First, the 3-meter ice was not mastered by the Chinese and French icebreakers, and then the Aurora Australis, with which the main hopes for rescue from ice captivity, could not break through.

On January 7, the Russian ship Akademik Shokalsky was released from ice captivity. It was not icebreakers that saved him - they could not get through to the ship - but the weather. The wind changed direction and a wide crack formed in the ice.

The death of a friend. A motorcycle racer from Portugal, Paulo Gonçalves, caught fire on a motorcycle at one of the stages of the Dakar Rally, January 9, 2014. Racing in the desert is an activity for real extreme people. On January 5, over 450 teams from all over the world began their two-week adventure in South America as part of the annual Dakar Rally 2014.

Americans and space. On January 9, 2014, the Antares rocket with the Cygnus (Swan) private space truck successfully launched from the spaceport on Wallops Island in the United States. This was already the second flight of the Lebed to the International Space Station. So the United States is systematically moving towards the use of its spacecraft and the abandonment of the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Until recently, only they could deliver astronauts and the equipment the Americans needed to the ISS. Americans are focusing on private companies.

Fire Mountain. In the north of Sumatra in Indonesia, a new eruption of the Sinabung volcano, the highest volcano on the Indonesian island, has occurred. "Fire Mountain" threw volcanic ash into the air to a height of up to seven kilometers. On January 4, 2014, the volcano produced 30 ash eruptions and sixty lava eruptions, forcing more than 20,000 residents of Sumatra to flee their homes.

Every year in January, in the Spanish village of San Bartolome de Pinares, located 100 km from Madrid, traditional celebrations are held in honor of St. Antonio, the patron saint of pets. On the night before St. Antonio's Day, which falls on January 17, the most colorful part of the celebration takes place - riders ride horses through blazing fires to cleanse the animals.

Gifts of the Magi in Moscow. In mid-January, all the media for several days in a row wrote about kilometer-long lines in Moscow, in which people lined up who wanted to get into the Temple to the shrine "Gifts of the Magi".

The Gift of the Magi is one of the few relics associated with the earthly life of Jesus Christ that has survived to this day. According to legend, more than 2,000 years ago, the Star of Bethlehem pointed out to the magi the place where the future Messiah would be born. They brought Jesus gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense - all these gifts have deep meaning. Gold symbolizes an offering to the king, myrrh is used for the burial of people, incense is used during worship.

Ebola. The Ebola epidemic in West Africa began in February 2014 in Guinea and continues to this day, leaving the country and spreading to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, the United States and Spain. The case is unique in that this is the first time that the epidemic of this fever has started in West Africa, and as a result doctors in the affected countries have no experience in dealing with it, and panic and disinformation are possible among the population. According to the WHO Director-General for Health Security, this outbreak is the worst Ebola outbreak in their history. The reasons for the rapid spread of the epidemic in Africa are poor hygiene and sanitation, local burial customs.

Revolution in Ukraine. All the major news stories of 2014 related in one way or another to the events in Ukraine. Mass protests in Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine began on November 21, 2013, when the government announced the suspension of the preparation of an association agreement with the European Union.

On January 19, 2014, clashes began in the center of Kyiv on the outskirts of the government and Parliament buildings. The radicals, armed with shields, cobblestones and rods, fought street battles with special forces, who responded with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets. Cars and tires burned, fire-smoke barricades were erected. These were the most massive and bloody clashes throughout the existence of Ukraine.

The reformatting of all branches of government began on February 22, 2014. At the same time, at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, they reported on the "disappearance" of President Viktor Yanukovych, who had fled the country.

Technology of "color revolutions". By the end of the 80s of the last century, the United States and its allies developed and successfully tested the technology of destabilizing the situation and non-violent change of power in different countries of the world. In the 2000s, this technology proved its effectiveness on the example of a number of former Soviet republics - as a result of the “color revolutions”, Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan were headed by politicians loyal to the West, anti-Russian minded.

The American ideologue of the "color revolutions" Gene Sharp distinguishes 3 main stages:

convincing people of the illegitimacy of the authorities and protests;
public disobedience, riots, clashes with law enforcement agencies;
overthrow of power.

According to Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the RF Armed Forces, the geography of “color revolutions” will expand, since their implementation allows, with rather small funding and limited use of their own armed forces, to crush regional powers.

From the series "it was and became." Kyiv, Maidan Nezalezhnosti. A click will open a high resolution photo.

All "color revolutions" of the late XX - early XXI century in infographics

Consequences of the war in Syria. And here are the fruits of another "color revolution", the so-called "Arab Spring" in Syria. Since the beginning of the war in Syria, about 160 thousand people have lived in the Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk. Since December 2012, the camp has come under the control of Islamist armed groups, thus being isolated from the surrounding cities. As a result, dozens of civilians died of starvation. The delivery of humanitarian aid from the Syrian government, UNRWA and the Red Crescent is hampered by the fact that militants of the Jabhat al-Nusra group fire at humanitarian convoys.

The photo shows residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk lining up for food in Damascus, Syria.

Apocalypse in Rostov. Local residents of Rostov do not remember such snowfalls. At the end of January, a state of emergency was introduced in the region: a monthly rainfall fell in a day. There were shortages of bread in stores.

Killing the giraffe Marius. The zoo in Copenhagen decided to kill the one and a half year old giraffe Marius, who was born as a result of a close crossing. Such wild animals in nature, according to the rules adopted by EU officials, must be killed so as not to create a danger to further reproduction. Marius was an absolutely healthy animal, with a good, friendly character, he was accepted by other inhabitants of the zoo. However, rules are rules and the zoo decided to follow them.

Local animal protection societies opposed this, more than 30,000 people signed a petition to save Marius' life, a Facebook community was opened where people wrote in defense of the giraffe, two zoos in Sweden and England (Yorkshire Wildlife Park) were ready to accept him, private Thus, the zoo was offered about $500,000 dollars to keep Marius alive. However, on Sunday morning the giraffe was called over with a piece of rye bread, and when he ate it, they shot him in the head with a rifle. Here in such a head (picture below). But then it was even more vile - the zoo called the audience to butcher the animal, promising to show what the giraffe is made of. The most interesting thing is that the audience was found.

A Spanish freighter broke in two off the coast of France. In early February, a dramatic rescue operation unfolded off the coast of France after the Spanish cargo ship Luno collided with a breakwater off the coast of France and broke in two.

Shooting at Moscow School No. 263. It was the first school shooting in Russia. On February 3, 2014, at about 11:40, a 10th grade student, armed with a carbine and a rifle taken from his father, went to room No. 2 on the first floor, where a lesson was going on at that moment.

There was a hostage-taking, a geography teacher and one policeman were killed. According to one of the widespread preliminary versions, which appeared almost immediately after the incident, a 10th grade student Gordeev had a conflict with the "geographer" because of the grade.

Olympics in Sochi. The Olympics in Sochi became a real “construction of the century” for Russia, the whole country worked for it. All expenses for the Olympics had absolute priority. Some Western experts estimate that Russia spent about $51 billion on the Olympics, which will take place from February 7 to 23, making it the most expensive Olympics in history.

On February 7, 2014, a colorful and technically ambitious opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games 2014 took place at the Fisht stadium in Sochi. The basis of the show was an excursion into the history of Russia and a ballet performance based on the ball space.

At the XXII Winter Olympic Games, a record number of sets of medals in the history of the Winter Olympic Games was played - 98. In fact, 99 gold, 97 silver and 99 bronze medals were awarded. Russia took the unofficial first place in the unofficial medal standings - 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals.

Riots in Venezuela. While well-known events were taking place in Ukraine, Venezuela was also restless: mass protests against the policy of the authorities began in early February. The riots and chaos have already claimed the lives of more than 50 people. The motives of the demonstrators are simple and common: they are dissatisfied with the shortage of goods, low quality and high cost of living.

In early February, Sapporo hosted the 65th Snow Festival, one of the largest winter events in Japan.

Oscar-2014. On March 2, Los Angeles hosted the main event of the year in the world of big cinema - the 86th Academy Awards 2014. Best movie chose in an American way, it was a movie about American slave owners "12 Years a Slave". Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey won the 2014 Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club.

Carnivals. At the same time, the last celebrations before Great Lent were held all over the world, marking the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Numerous festivals were held throughout Europe and America for almost a month. The culmination was the largest and most famous of the carnivals, held last weekend - the carnival in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro: 6 million residents and 900 thousand tourists filled the streets to see the fun parades and extravagant processions of the best samba schools.

News of solar energy. In California, in the Mojave Desert, the world's largest solar power plant, Ivanpah, was launched with an area of almost 13 square kilometers. The $2.2 billion facility consists of three power plants and nearly 350,000 heliostat mirrors.

At the end of winter in America, the cold again came, and for the second time during the winter, Niagara Falls partially froze.

Strong people. In Sochi, from March 7 to 16, competitions of strong people were held - the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games are international sports competitions for the disabled, which are traditionally held after the main Olympic Games, and since 1988 - in the same stadiums and sports facilities.

Confrontation in Turkey. Protests against the prime minister began at the end of May 2013 with the usual rally in defense of the park - a green island in the middle of Istanbul. At that time, many Turkish cities were engulfed in protests. And on March 12, numerous new anti-government demonstrations took place across Turkey to coincide with the funeral of a teenager who was the victim of those summer protests in Istanbul, where he was accidentally hit in the head by a gas grenade. He was in a coma for 9 months and died on Tuesday in an Istanbul hospital.

The disappearance of the Malaysian liner. It was a Malaysia Airlines flight, Boeing 777-200ER, with which communication was lost on Saturday, March 8, 2014, during a flight from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Beijing (PRC). At that moment, the plane was flying over the South China Sea. Subsequently, it was found that unidentified persons turned off the communication systems on the airliner, but at the same time the aircraft deviated significantly from the course and was in the air for at least 7 hours. As a result, presumably, it crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, and all on board were killed.

This is a Boeing 777-200ER 15 months before the crash:

"Comrade Sukhov" has passed away. On March 7, at the age of 84, a Soviet and Russian actor, People's Artist of the RSFSR Anatoly Borisovich Kuznetsov died as a result of a long illness. The actor's filmography includes 94 films, but Kuznetsov became famous after playing the role of the Red Army soldier Sukhov in the film "White Sun of the Desert" (1969).

Return of the Crimea. On March 1, Putin addressed the Federation Council with a request to send troops to Crimea. The Federation Council allowed President Vladimir Putin to use the Armed Forces in Ukraine.

On March 16, 2014, following the results of the referendum held in Crimea, 96.77% of the inhabitants who took part in it voted for the autonomy to become part of Russia.

Meanwhile, Hindus around the world celebrated Holi 2014 - a festival of spring and bright colors. This is one of the most colorful holidays in India, falling on the last full moon of the lunar month. People take to the streets and throw bright, colored powders at each other.

Dark forces. On the eve of the extraordinary presidential elections in Ukraine, Darth Alekseevich Vader, in the presence of the "emperor", "drones of the empire" and other characters of the legendary Star Wars, was officially nominated as a candidate for the presidency of Ukraine. Against the background of other candidates, the representative of the dark forces was the brightest option.

Fukushima-1. Homecoming. Three years after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima-1, people began to return to their homes near the plant. Previously, numerous checks and examinations were carried out. Experts concluded that the level of radiation in the area is quite low. However, many Japanese have not yet decided whether to return to their homes now.

Earthquake in Chile. On Thursday, April 3, the third earthquake in two days occurred off the Pacific coast of Chile. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at pacific ocean at a depth of 10 km.

On April 8, Microsoft completely ended support for the popular Windows XP system. Interestingly, at that time, about 90% of ATMs in Russia were still running operating system Windows XP.

Bee suit. In April, a 34-year-old beekeeper from Chongqing set a world record - he planted 460 thousand bees on himself, with a total weight of 45.65 kg. The procedure for putting on a “live costume” lasted about 15 minutes. According to the Guinness Book of Records, before that, the world record for the number of bees kept on the body belonged to the American Mark Biancaniello - 39.5 kilograms. This was in 1998.

Fire in Chile. In mid-April, in the Chilean Valparaiso, which is declared a UNESCO World cultural heritage, the worst fire in the city's history continues. The fire destroyed 850 hectares of territory and more than 2,000 residential buildings, killing 15 people. To extinguish the fire, the largest-scale operation in the history of the country with the participation of fire aviation was launched.

Red Moon. On the night of April 15, 2014, the inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere of the planet Earth could observe a unique cosmic phenomenon - a total lunar eclipse. It was notable for the fact that the moon turned blood red.

Protests in southeastern Ukraine. And in the east of Ukraine, since the end of February 2014, protest movements against the new authorities have continued. Having broken out in Donetsk and Kharkov, rallies of supporters of federalization continued in Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Yenakiyevo, Zhdanovka, Luhansk, Krasny Liman, Gorlovka and other settlements. Local self-defense forces seize city councils and police departments, people demand referendums on the status of their regions. Kyiv decided to respond to the protests with force, sending troops and armored vehicles to eastern Ukraine as part of an anti-terrorist operation.

The wreck of the Sewol ferry. On April 16, 2014, the South Korean ferry Sewol crashed off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula. The ferry was carrying 476 people (mostly high school students) on a flight from Incheon to Jeju-do. About 300 people died. The captain was one of the first to leave the ship. Passengers claim that he was unable to assess the danger of what happened in time and delayed too long with the announcement of the evacuation.

Easter in Greek. There are so many incredible traditions in the world! For example, on Easter in the Greek city of Vrontados on the island of Chios, rockets are launched. This is how two local competing churches celebrate the holiday. The purpose of the event is to hit the bell of the opposite parish more times than the opponent does.

At the end of April, snow fell in the Urals. The height of the snow cover was 10-20 cm, the wind speed reached 21 m/s. Heavy snowfall and wind led to a blackout in 124 settlements, where about 67,000 people live.

Bob Hoskins is gone. On April 29, the famous English film and television actor, winner of the BAFTA and Golden Globe awards in the Best Actor category, Bob Hoskins, died. He is best known for his film Who Framed Roger Rabbit by Robert Zemeckis.

Deaths in the USA. Although tornadoes can occur anywhere in the world, they most often occur in the United States. As a result of tornadoes that hit the central part of the United States at the end of April, several dozen people died.

Let's finish the review of the first four months of 2014 on a positive note. Thousands of bluebells carpet a forest in southern Brussels, Belgium on April 15, 2014.

From the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan to the first space tourists

A lot of interesting things will happen in 2014. In particular, 138 million children will be born. If the warning of fugitive NSA contractor Edward Snowden is to be believed, the current generation of children will not have privacy - but there will be many interesting gadgets. What can we expect in 2014?

Politics

In 2014, preparations for the 2016 presidential election will begin to gain momentum in the United States.

After Republican ratings plummeted due to government shutdowns in October 2013 due to a conflict over health care reform, it was the Democrats' turn to suffer a fall in popularity due to the problematic implementation of that very reform.

According to a December CNN poll without mentioning personalities, 49% of voters in the election today would support a Republican candidate, 44% a Democrat. When it comes to potential candidates in the 2016 presidential election, 48% are ready to vote for Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and 46% for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (two percent difference within the poll's margin of error).

Technology

Google glass

"Smart watch"

With the help of "smart watch", you can surf the Internet, check mail, listen to music or news - the device communicates with your smartphone via Bluetooth. Cons: limited amount of information, and the eternal curse of modern gadgets is the battery. With the introduction of Apple's iWatch, and its competitor from Google, some analysts believe that 2014 could be the year of the smartwatch's breakthrough to the mass market... if manufacturers can convince consumers they really need it.

3D printers

In the past year, with the help of three-dimensional printers, a metal pistol, a fully functional plastic pistol capable of withstanding up to 11 shots, and a gun were “printed”. In the new year, Siemens will start using 3D printing technology to produce parts for industrial gas turbines. In 2014, a 3D printer will also appear on the International Space Station, where it will be used to make parts and tools.

At the same time, Microsoft released an application for Windows 8.1 last fall that allows users to create and print three-dimensional objects, thereby simplifying the process of three-dimensional printing for ordinary people. According to Forbes magazine, much safer items can be made on a home printer than guns, for example, eyeglass frames, wedding rings and busts of himself.

Tablets

Information technology market research and consulting firm Gartner predicts that by 2015, tablets will outsell personal computers. With this development, the American organization One Laptop Per Child, created under the auspices of the UN to provide educational opportunities for children from developing and poor countries, will have to switch from laptops to tablets.

Processors in 14 nanometers

Chips continue to shrink: in 2014, Intel is going to start releasing 14nm Atom processors. Expected that energy efficiency new processors will increase the battery life of portable devices.

Drones instead of postmen?

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits the commercial operation of drones. However, by 2015, Congress required the FAA to prepare a plan to integrate drones into US airspace. In 2014, regulations on the use of drones weighing less than 25 kilograms will be published. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced that within 4-5 years, his company intends to provide customers with a new service: automated home delivery of orders using drones. Bezos expects that the delivery time of the order within the city will not exceed 30 minutes.

Smart cities

The trend of "smart cities" continues to develop around the world - the efficient allocation of resources through planning and implementation innovative technologies. The concept of "smart city" is broad enough to include interactive maps of the movement of vehicles to unload traffic jams, payment for parking using mobile phones, monitoring of urban crime, optimization of construction in order to create more "green" buildings with reduced energy consumption.

However, critics of the trend ask logical questions: who will be responsible for the "brains" of the city, whether all segments of the population will be able to use smartphone applications, and whether this will make citizens passive consumers of a limited set of "optimal" options in education, healthcare, transport, and so on. further, while limiting the occasions for communication with other townspeople?

Mobile wallets, virtual currency

The widespread use of mobile phones is turning them into a popular way to pay for services. Used in different countries different systems"mobile wallets", but their turnover will only grow. The virtual currency - bitcoin - launched into circulation on the Internet in 2009, is becoming so popular that they even held hearings in Congress on this topic, concerned that bitcoins could weaken the influence of the dollar, as well as that the cryptocurrency was appreciated by specialists in shadow transactions.

War and Peace

Espionage reforms

In January of the new year, US President Barack Obama promises to make a statement about reforms in the intelligence gathering policy of the US secret services. The impetus for the revision of policy was a series of scandals over the exposure of NSA activities, including the collection and storage of information on the location of billions of telephones around the world and wiretapping of foreign leaders.

A special commission has prepared a list of 40 recommendations for changing the policy of surveillance. However, at the final press conference in 2013, President Obama warned: “we need intelligence, we cannot lay down arms unilaterally,” so the changes are likely to be quite cosmetic. Telecommunications companies will continue to lobby to limit the ability of intelligence to collect information about their customers, but it is worth remembering that 2014 is the year of the midterm elections in Congress, and in the run-up to elections, politicians tend to try to refrain from voting on sensitive topics.

Withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

By the end of 2014, the military operation in Afghanistan should end with the withdrawal of NATO troops. The operation began on October 7, 2001 in retaliation for the September 11 attacks and without the approval of the UN Security Council, like the subsequent war in Iraq. The Taliban left Kabul, but to this day it is difficult to call the results of a long-term war a victory.

Using the tactics of guerrilla warfare and the weakness of the Afghan government, the Taliban managed to regain de facto control over many territories. Since 2004, the war has spread to the border areas of Pakistan, where the Americans used mainly drones for targeted eliminations of militant leaders. Barack Obama, promising to switch attention from the war in Iraq to the war in Afghanistan, ordered to increase the American contingent in Afghanistan to 100,000 troops. However, the tipping point was reached not by an additional 30,000 troops, but by the assassination of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden during a sting operation in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

After the withdrawal of the main contingent from Afghanistan, the US intends to leave several thousand soldiers to train Afghan troops and participate in small operations against the Taliban in order to prevent al-Qaeda from re-establishing itself in Afghanistan. However, President Hamid Karzai is still unable to sign an agreement on the deployment of foreign troops in Afghanistan after 2014, despite the fact that the agreement was already approved in November by the Council of Elders (Loya Jirga). At the same time, Karzai himself should leave the presidency in 2014 - new elections will be held in Afghanistan in April.

Iran

2014 will be a year of testing the interim agreement on Tehran's nuclear program, signed in November in Geneva between Iran and six world powers. Within six months of the agreement, the parties must come to an agreement on the final settlement of the issue of the Iranian nuclear program. However, on this stage According to State Department officials, "technical negotiations" are still ongoing on the terms of the implementation of the interim agreement - that is, even this interim agreement has not yet entered into force.

Society

Trial of a lone racist

In January 2014, the trial of prominent racist Craig Cobb will begin in North Dakota. In 2012, Cobb began buying up cheap lots in Leith, a town of 19 (including one black resident), with the goal of turning Leith into Cobbsville, an Aryan enclave with an Adolf Hitler theme park dedicated to the history of racism. Purchased sites Cobb with like-minded people marked with swastikas, and began to patrol the streets of the city with weapons in their hands, shouting curses and terrorizing local residents, who soon began to complain to the police about such "guardianship". In November this year, 62-year-old Cobb was arrested along with 29-year-old neo-Nazi Keenan Dutton.

If Cobb is convicted, he faces up to 35 years in prison. Three state-appointed public defenders have already declined to represent a preacher of a "racist religion," as he himself defines it, at trial.

Internet vs TV

A number of studies conducted in the past year have shown that Americans spend less time in front of the TV and more in front of the screens of tablets and smartphones. The number of streaming company subscribers is growing, the number of new cable TV subscribers is steadily declining. Residents in developing countries also get more news from the Internet than from newspapers, radio or television.

Education

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

The New York Times declared 2012 the year of Massive Open Online Courses as one after another, prestigious universities began offering free open courses. distance courses for an unlimited number of Internet users around the world. In just a few years, MEPs on platforms like coursera.org, udacity.com or edX.org began to reach millions of audiences, and the teachers participating in them could boast of truly world-wide fame - in certain circles of interest in knowledge, and not in a formal diploma. Some platforms have even begun offering a certified course completion certificate for a nominal amount.

Sobering up came when it turned out that, despite the convenience of learning (lectures can be viewed at any convenient time, as well as doing homework), in the absence of incentives, such as money paid for tuition, a meager percentage of those enrolled complete these courses - around 5%.

In addition to motivation, the language barrier can become a problem for international students ( most of courses are offered in English), as well as the fact that employers still prefer a formal “crust” when hiring. However, with private colleges in the US costing tens of thousands of dollars per year, the development of cheaper alternatives may become inevitable.

Bo and Yana

Do not drag the child by the ears from the tablet? The creators of two cute robots, nicknamed Bo and Yana, decided to turn children from passive users of technology into little programmers. In the summer of 2014, Bo and Yana will go on sale. With the help of a special program, children from five years old will be able to control them, forcing them to perform simple commands.

Ecology

Fifth IPCC Report on Climate Change

In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) plans to release its fifth State of Knowledge Report on climate change and possible effects global warming. The previous part, released in 2007, warned of a 6.4 degree Celsius rise in global temperatures by the end of the 21st century. The organization was founded in 1988, and each subsequent report painted an increasingly alarming picture of the impact of man-made factors on global warming.

According to the Pew Research Center, 69% of Americans are convinced that global warming is a real phenomenon, but only 42% believe that it is due to human activities. According to a Gallup poll, six out of ten Americans believe that global warming will not become a risk in their lifetime, and only 18% are convinced that this issue should be a top priority for the US administration.

Milestones

Completion of the construction of the World shopping center

On September 11, 2001, the main element of the World Trade Center complex in New York, the 110-story twin towers, were destroyed in a terrorist attack by al-Qaeda. At the time, US President George W. Bush promised that the complex would be restored. In 2014, the first and fourth towers will be put into operation (the first tower is considered the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere), and in the spring of 2014 the museum is scheduled to open on September 11th.

space tourism

In 2014, it will be possible to fly on a ship of Virgin Galactic, the first company to offer space tourism services. A flight into space will cost those who wish a symbolic 250 thousand dollars (the owner of the company, Sir Richard Branson, has already announced that he is ready to accept payment in bitcoins). The spacecraft will launch from a brand new spaceport in New Mexico.

Next super food?

Fashion for organic and hypoallergenic food does not go away (numerous mobile applications only spur an obsession with counting calories and nutrients). Quinoa seeds have been replaced by kale, kale has been supplanted by chia seeds, and in 2014 chia is likely to lose the title of “superfood” to cereals such as Ethiopian tef, which is high in iron and calcium, and Middle Eastern freekeh. The capital's Washingtonian magazine predicts the popularity of Korean soybean paste with red pepper - gochujang.

Sport

Reinvent the wheel

In 2014, FlyKly and Superpedestrian plan to start selling smart wheels designed for cycling to work. AT rear wheel a built-in battery with a rechargeable battery (weighing 4 kg), which can be controlled via a smartphone. The electric wheel-bicycle generator reduces the load on the muscles, and also acts as a charger for the gadget.

In addition, in 2014, eight other cities in the US, including Seattle, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Austin, are set to introduce a municipal bike-sharing program.

Mobile fitness devices

In 2014, the popularity and variety of mobile fitness devices will continue to grow, such as bracelets that measure how many calories we actually burned, which will be harder to deceive than ourselves.

British scientists have introduced Vantablack - the blackest material in the world
The Finnish Academy of Technology awarded the Millennium Technology Award to British scientist Stuart Parkin in recognition of his discoveries that increased the capacity of magnetic disk drives a thousandfold; the amount of the award is 1 million euros.
As a result of the study of the human genome, geneticists found that only 8.2% of human DNA is functional.
The Philae descent module (ESA) landed on the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet. The first soft landing on a comet in history.
Scientists at Harvard University, together with MITER Corporation, created the world's first nanoprocessor, which was called nanoFSM

Nobel Prizes

Latvia adopted the euro, becoming the 18th member of the eurozone.
Flooding kills 40 in Philippines, leaves 5 missing, displaces 160,000
Catherine Samba-Panza is elected President of the Central African Republic, becoming the first female head of state in the history of the country
34th Bandy World Championship (Irkutsk and Shelekhov, Russia). The Russian team won
Shooting at school number 263 in Moscow. First case of school shooting in Russia.
XXII Winter Olympic Games (Sochi, Russia) Victory of Russia in medals 13 (gold) 11 (silver) 9 (bronze)
XI Winter Paralympic Games (Sochi, Russia)
More than 400 people have died from swine flu in Mexico since the beginning of the year.
77 people were killed during clashes between the opposition and police in central Kyiv in February, 16 of whom were law enforcement officers.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution on the self-removal of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych from the performance of constitutional duties and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25, 2014
The duties of the President of Ukraine are assigned to Oleksandr Turchynov.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the new Cabinet of Ministers. Arseniy Yatsenyuk became prime minister, replacing acting Sergei Arbuzov.
The Crimean Parliament adopted a declaration of independence from Ukraine.
A referendum on the status of Crimea was held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. According to the official results of the referendum 96,77 % voters of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and 95,6 % Sevastopol voters chose reunification with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of Crimea.
In Malaysia, while flying over the South China Sea, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board disappeared from the radar screens.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement on the admission of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia. The treaty enters into force on the date of ratification by the Federal Assembly and until then is "provisionally applied" from the date of signing.
population census in the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
World Figure Skating Championships (Saitama, Japan)
April 7 - proclamation of the Donetsk People's Republic
April 27 The Lugansk People's Republic was proclaimed.
In Odessa (Ukraine), there were clashes between supporters and opponents of the Ukrainian authorities, according to official data, 46 people died, 48 are missing. According to unofficial data, 116 people died, including minors.
Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics announced the creation of the Union of People's Republics with the name Novorossiya
Early presidential elections in Ukraine. Petro Poroshenko won
In the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol Russian ruble became the only official currency
Microsoft has ended extended support for Windows XP.
The wreck of the Sewol ferry off the southwestern coast of South Korea. 172 people were rescued, 288 dead were found, 16 were missing.
A mudslide occurred in Badakhshan province in Afghanistan, more than 250 people died, about 2,500 people went missing
78th Ice Hockey World Championship (Minsk, Belarus) The victory was won by the Russian team
As a result of the explosion and subsequent collapse at the Turkish mine, located in the province of Manisa, 301 people died, 485 were saved.
The national search system of the Russian Federation was launched Satellite
Military coup in Thailand. A state of emergency has been declared in the country, power has passed into the hands of the Committee for the Protection of National Security, headed by General Prayut Chan-o-cha
XX FIFA World Cup (Brazil). The German national team became the world champions for the fourth time
The State Duma of Russia adopted a law on the introduction of permanent winter time in Russia.
As a result of the derailment of three train cars in the Moscow metro, 24 people were killed, more than 200 were injured.
The plane of the Malaysian airline Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed and fell on the territory of Ukraine. All people on board (298 people) died
Scottish independence referendum from Great Britain. According to the results of the referendum, Scotland remained part of the UK.
The launch of the last hydroelectric unit completed the restoration of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, where a man-made disaster occurred more than five years ago.
Attack of militants on Grozny. 14 police officers were killed and 36 injured.
First uncrewed test flight of the partially reusable Orion manned spacecraft.
The Taliban militants occupied a school in Peshawar (Pakistan), killing more than 140 people.
Ebola epidemic in West Africa
Smartphones are already used by two billion people around the world
Tablets outsell laptops
Nokia left the mobile phone market
Motorola received a Chinese residence permit
Apple becomes first $700 billion company
Microsoft bought Minecraft
Victory Conchita Wurst at Eurovision
World donation Ice Bucket Challenge
Fire on the ferry "Norman Atlantic" in Italy.
During the week, every day at 00:00, my light is turned off for 5 minutes.

I want it again, or rather the third time. Congratulate everyone on HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015. I hope that all the consequences in 2014 will result in positive aspects in the new year 2015.