Day: December 16, 2023

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been put on a criminal wanted list by Ukraine’s Interior Ministry. The document identified the Patriarch by his secular name and described him as “an individual hiding from the bodies of pre-trial investigation” and deemed him responsible for violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, said that a criminal case had been opened following the announcement and that measures will be taken to identify the Ukrainian special service officials who are seeking to prosecute the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly called on his parishioners to support the participants of Russia’s military operation against Ukraine, who were “sacrificing their lives to protect our Orthodox people in the Donbass.”

Source

As the sun approaches the peak of its roughly 11-year solar cycle, with maximum sunspot activity projected for 2025, this latest event serves as a reminder of the dynamic and sometimes disruptive nature of our star.

In a spectacular display of cosmic power, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory has recorded the most significant solar flare seen in years, causing widespread radio signal disruptions on Earth.

The intense solar activity led to a two-hour-long disturbance in radio communications across various sunlit regions of the globe, including parts of the US.

Aviation professionals were among the first to report the impact, as pilots experienced notable disruptions in communication. The Space Weather Prediction Center, a key government body monitoring space weather, confirmed the widespread effects of the flare across the country.

Source