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Important events of the year in the world. What the media wrote about most - what was discussed most in society

The year 2014 brought several new challenges to the inhabitants of the Earth, including the outbreak fatal disease, which killed several thousand people. A new conflict has appeared on the map, dividing Europe, and civil war in Syria and completely led to the emergence of a previously unprecedented entity called the “Islamic State”. One way or another, the world has entered a new reality that no analysts could have predicted a year ago.

Ebola fever

The first cases of the deadly fever were recorded back in 1979 in the Ebola Delta, where it claimed the lives of 280 people. Subsequent cases did not result in significant casualties, so the new outbreak, which began in December 2013, took the global community by surprise. Thus, it turned out that the development of the vaccine, which was carried out by the doctors of the Institute infectious diseases US Army, was discontinued at the end of 2012. Thus, in March, when it became clear that this time the infection threatened to turn into a pandemic, humanity did not have a vaccine against the virus tested in humans. Only in August, Canadian doctors announced their readiness to provide samples of the experimental vaccine Zmapp, which had been successfully tested on animals. Although the World Health Organization has deemed its use ethical, continued use of Zmapp . Currently, several countries, including Russia, are developing their own vaccines against Ebola, all drugs are at the stage of clinical trials.

The rapid spread of the virus was facilitated by the traditions of African countries, which involve direct bodily contact with the deceased after his death. Thus, the number of infected long time grew exponentially. After Ebola began to infect European and American doctors, who, after being transported to their countries, began to infect their colleagues who were caring for them, in these countries they barely managed to avoid panic by promptly quarantining all patients and people who had contact with them. Although at present the outbreak, through joint efforts, seemed to have been localized in the three states in which it actually began: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, it is too early to talk about victory over the virus - the first case of Ebola was reported on December 29. At the end of December, the number of Ebola victims exceeded 7.5 thousand people, and another 19 thousand people continue to suffer from the disease.

The threat of Islamism

The civil war in Syria has led to an influx of jihadists from all over the world into the country. The loss of control by the Syrian government over large areas on the border with Iraq led to the fact that these territories began to be used by Sunni militants from Iraq as a “reserve airfield”. In the summer, militants launched a large-scale offensive against Syrian and Iraqi forces, establishing control over large areas of those countries. In the occupied territories, the so-called “Islamic State” was formed - a quasi-state entity in which the rule of Sharia was established and the “caliphate” was proclaimed. — in November alone, more than 2 thousand people died at the hands of Islamic State militants.

Another Islamist group that hit the front pages of the world press was the Nigerian sect Boko Haram, which organized primarily women in 2014. Boko Haram is currently the No. 1 threat to the Nigerian government, where hundreds of soldiers are deserting the army to avoid clashes with Boko Haram militants. The Pakistani Taliban also loudly declared themselves, organizing in December, during which more than 140 people died. Islamist attacks were recorded in Egypt, Yemen, the Philippines and others, including Russia, where it was carried out in December. In addition, cases of terrorist attacks in Western countries have become more frequent. So, during the assault of which two people died. A week later, two cases of “vehicle terrorism” were reported in France, during which more than 20 people were injured. The growing threat of Islamism has led to negative reaction Western society: several anti-Islamist demonstrations took place in Dresden, Germany, the number of protesters at which was .

Ukrainian crisis

In February, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was forced to flee the country amid mass protests in Kyiv, and power passed to the protesters. Acting President, Prime Minister -. The forceful nature of the change of power in Ukraine caused massive discontent among the Russian-speaking population in Crimea and the east of the country, which led to and provoked. In turn, the annexation of Crimea and the actions of pro-Russian militias led to Western countries banning the import of food products from these countries.

On extraordinary presidential elections, which took place in May, by the President of Ukraine. The parliamentary elections that took place in October focused on Ukraine's accession to the European Union and NATO. Already on December 23, at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, a decision was made, directly linking this decision with Ukraine’s course towards joining the Euro-Atlantic Alliance. In general, the political crisis has led to a sharp deterioration in relations between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Western countries. International sanctions coincided with a long-term fall in oil prices, a reduction in trade turnover between Russia and the EU countries, as well as increased inflation and stagnation of the Russian economy.

Referendums

The whole of 2014 was marked by referendums. It all started with Ukraine - as a result of which the peninsula became part of Russia - more than 96% of the population supported this. On the same day, the Italian region of Veneto began discussing the feasibility of re-establishing the Venetian Republic. 89% of respondents voted to secede from Italy, but the referendum had no legal force. And on May 11, they refused to recognize the change of power in Kyiv. According to official results, 89% and 96%, respectively, supported the creation of independent Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) people's republics. The results of these referendums were not recognized by any country in the world, including Russia.

On September 18, Scotland held a referendum on secession from the United Kingdom, during which 55% of those polled voted. And on November 9, a referendum was held in Catalonia on the “political future” of the region, during which 94% of voters supported the idea of creating a new state that is part of the EU. However, formally on this day a “consultative poll” was held, which has no legal force, since the Constitutional Court of Spain recognized the referendum as contrary to the laws of this country.

Cuban deal

One of the main events of the outgoing year can rightfully be called the historic decision of Barack Obama and Raul Castro. Thus, for the first time in more than fifty years, there was a real prospect of lifting the embargo that had destroyed the Cuban economy. In addition to the opening of embassies, Obama ordered the removal of Cuba's status as a "country sponsoring terrorism" as soon as possible, and significant relaxations were made to the rules for visiting Liberty Island. Thus, the list of those allowed to enter Cuba was expanded to include artists, athletes, doctors and participants in professional conferences. In addition, the amount of the maximum transfer to Cuban citizens was increased and the list of goods allowed for delivery to this country was significantly expanded.

However, it is not yet possible to talk about the final restoration of relations. Main problem is that the embargo must be lifted by Congress, where Obama has a very weak position, while many Republicans, including presidential candidate, Cuban-born Mark Rubio, are confident that by making concessions to Castro, Obama betrayed national interests. According to critics of the restoration of relations, it was in no way linked to either democratic changes or the protection of human rights. These contradictions mean that the process of finally lifting the embargo, as has already happened with other landmark initiatives of Obama, first of all, with the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba, the ban on the sale of assault rifles or the introduction of a free health insurance system.

Malaysian airliner crashes

Malaysian aircraft have been the focus of global media attention three times this year. The first incident occurred on March 8, when a Boeing 777, flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing an hour after departure, suddenly veered off course. Despite lengthy searches, they have not yet brought any results. Although the main version is considered to be the depressurization of the plane and the subsequent slow death of passengers and crew, the version of its hijacking cannot be ruled out. In any case, at the end of December about the location of the plane or its crash.

Another crash occurred on July 17, 2014, in the skies over Donetsk while flying over rebel-controlled territory from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Immediately after the disaster, DPR and Ukrainian officials were quick to blame each other for the disaster. An investigation was launched at the crash site by an international team of experts, who issued a preliminary report in September, from which it follows that the plane was flying normally and was most likely shot down. The publication of the final results was postponed to August 2015; the investigation into the causes of the disasters is currently ongoing. On December 22, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper published an interview with a witness who allegedly spoke about the involvement of a Ukrainian military aircraft in the crash. The Investigative Committee of Russia questioned the witness and stated that his testimony was credible.

At the end of the year, on December 28, another Malaysian plane crashed - an Airbus A320-200 belonging to AirAsia near the island of Belitung. At the time of the crash, there were 162 passengers on the plane, which was heading from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore, and the bodies of 40 of them have now been recovered. The search operation is greatly hampered by stormy weather in the crash area - it is expected that the bodies of the first victims of the disaster will be delivered to shore no earlier than January 1.

Police brutality

A wave of mass protests against police violence in the United States has caught the world's attention. The first high-profile incident occurred in New York on July 17, when in a clash with a police squad. It subsequently turned out that the cause of death was a chokehold, which one of the police officers used after Garner resisted arrest. After hearing testimony from Officer Pantaleo, who used the technique, the jury declined to prosecute, sparking protests across the country. People began to come out to rallies with banners that read " " - these were Garner's last words upon arrest. In a short time, the hashtag #icantbreathe became one of the most frequently mentioned in American social networks.

Less than a month later, on August 9, a police officer in the city of Ferguson. As in the case of Eric Garner, the jury fully acquitted the officer who shot him, Darren Wilson, finding that his actions were in accordance with official instructions. After this, which forced the state authorities to declare a state of emergency in the city. Protests took place in many cities across the country, including New York. The incident also provoked a kind of protest flash mob, which was called “Hands up, don’t shoot!” Football players, artists and even members of Congress began to appear in public with their hands raised, thus protesting against police brutality. The culmination was the murder of two police officers in New York on December 20: after shooting the patrolmen sitting in the car, their killer went down to the subway and committed suicide. According to his posts on social networks, the motive for the massacre was revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. After this incident, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a moratorium on all protests in the city.

Awakening China

All year, the world has watched China emerge as a new superpower, gradually strengthening its position on the world stage. After Russia lost access to many goods and technologies due to Western sanctions, China expressed its readiness to expand cooperation in the high-tech field. Thus, the conflict between Russia and Western countries became an impulse that pushed the development of Chinese-Russian relations. In May, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President for the entire history of bilateral relations. , which should connect the fields of Western Siberia with China, will cost more than 400 billion dollars. According to the agreement, Russia will supply China with 38 billion cubic meters of gas annually over the next thirty years. A few months later, the Russian leadership announced the abandonment of the construction of the European gas pipeline South Stream, which was supposed to run under the Black Sea, thus emphasizing the reorientation to the East.

China's increased influence became evident at the November APEC summit in Beijing, where US President Barack Obama spent the lion's share of time talking with his Chinese counterpart. In addition, the summit featured a long-awaited meeting between Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Soon after, a decision was made to create a crisis mechanism to quickly resolve conflicts around the disputed Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands in the South China Sea. However, this did not prevent Beijing from moving in close proximity to the islands in December. And already in December, China finally achieved the title of the first economy in the world, overtaking the United States in terms of purchasing power parity - China's GDP according to this indicator amounted to 17.6 trillion dollars versus 17.4 trillion for the United States.

Olympics and World Cup

The most memorable sporting events became the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Olympics in Sochi, for which Russia has been preparing for seven years, not only transformed the Black Sea coast of the Krasnodar Territory, but also brought the Russian national team: Russian athletes received 13 gold, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals. One of the main “stars” of the competition was the young figure skater Yulia Lipnitskaya, who won the hearts of millions of fans around the world with her performances.

Another memorable competition that managed to attract billions of television viewers was the FIFA World Cup, which was held in the stadiums of Brazil in the summer. Although the Russian team initially showed good results, it never managed to leave the group, just as the famous “red fury” - the Spanish team - failed to do so, suffering a crushing defeat from the Netherlands with a score of 5:1. But the German team led by Jochim Löw made a real splash, defeating the Championship host team with a score of 7:1. As a result, Germany became the world champion, scoring Argentina's only goal in extra time. The best player of the Championship is quite expectedly Lionel Messi, who managed to almost single-handedly lead his team to the final.

Kidnapping of Mexican students

One of the most shocking tragedies of 2014 was the mass abduction of 43 students in Mexico. The incident occurred at the end of September in the state of Guerrero: students were heading to the city of Iguala to protest against education reform, but were stopped along the way by police officers who forced them into trucks, after which the trace of the students was lost. A large-scale investigation made it possible to reconstruct the subsequent events: it turns out that the police did not take the detainees to the department, but handed them over, who took the students to a landfill, where they tortured them for some time, and then killed, dismembered and burned their corpses.

It subsequently emerged that the collusion between the police and the bandits was made possible thanks to close family ties between the mayor of Iguala and his brother-in-law, who headed the cartel. The brutal massacre prompted large-scale purges of the police and state administration, and also provoked rallies of thousands that shook the authority of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. During the search, dozens of mass graves were discovered, but the remains in them did not match the DNA of the missing students - only in December by charred bones found in a nearby river. Mass graves discovered throughout Mexico have demonstrated that in one of the most developed countries Latin America is experiencing atrocity comparable in scale to the atrocities of the Islamic State.

2014 was a year of many incredible achievements that could significantly impact the science of the future. They took place on earth, underground, in heaven and in Space. And in this review we will talk about the 10 most significant scientific events of 2014 in different industries.

First spacecraft landing on a comet

On November 12, 2014, an epoch-making event in the history of space exploration took place. For the first time, a man-made spacecraft was landed on the surface of a comet using remote control.

The Rosetta spacecraft was sent towards comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko back in 2004. During this time, he managed to fly millions of kilometers across the Solar System, making several revolutions around the Sun.

Philae spacecraft on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko

The Philae module, separated from the Rosetta spacecraft, worked on the surface of the comet for about sixty hours, sending back to Earth a huge amount of information about the structure of this celestial object.

Artificially created chromosome

In 2014, science approached an incredibly important milestone - the creation of complex artificial life according to predetermined parameters. American scientists from New York medical center were able to create a chromosome that can fully function in yeast.

Work on this project lasted seven years. Scientists involved hundreds of students from around the world in creating the artificial chromosome, who actually manually assembled 273,871 DNA base pairs. Moreover, in a real chromosome this number is equal to 316667 pairs, but among them there are many so-called. "junk" and "jumping" genes that do not produce any specific proteins or cause uncontrolled mutations.

As a result, yeast with an artificially created chromosome became more resilient and resistant to external influences.

New tribe discovered in the Amazon jungle

There are still a huge number of places on planet Earth where the “white man” has not yet set foot. And much of this unexplored space is located in the Amazon jungle. There are even a number of so-called “uncontacted” tribes living there - communities of Indians who have never met with civilized people or have deliberately refused such meetings.

Finding such a tribe is a huge success for modern scientists. And in 2014 they succeeded. Usually, when such nationalities are discovered, one has to work hard to win them over and force them to let strangers into their world. But this time the Indians themselves turned to the authorities.

A tribe living on the border of Brazil and Peru asked to be protected from illegal loggers who began to cut down the jungle in the habitat of this people. But in this situation, for the Indians, it is not only the destruction of their living space that is dangerous, but also the consequences of direct contact with the outside world - potential epidemics of simple diseases, flu or colds, which could kill a significant part of the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon who are not immune to them.

Telepathy has been scientifically proven

2014 opened a new page in the scientific debate about whether remote transmission of thoughts from one person to another, that is, telepathy, is possible. And if earlier it was considered quackery, now everything has become less clear-cut.

After all, an international group of scientists was able to create a technology that allows people located at a distance from each other to communicate without words using mental processes. During the experiment, one participant was in France and the other in India. Special devices were attached to their heads that could read the brain's electroencephalogram. Subsequently, this information can be transmitted via the Internet to the brain of another person using robotic transcranial magnetic stimulation.

The people participating in the experiment were able to communicate in simple words and concepts: “Hello”, “Bye”, “Good”, “Bad”, etc. Statistics show that the number of matches in this case reaches approximately 90 percent.

When the author of these lines was in school, one hundred and eleven positions were noted in Mendeleev’s periodic table. But since then, chemists and physicists have been able to create several more chemical elements. Including, in 2014, the existence of the 117th of them was confirmed.

The 117th chemical element Ununseptium was discovered

Back in 2010, scientists from Russia and the United States announced that they had jointly identified a new chemical element. However, according to scientific rules, such a discovery must be confirmed by two independent groups. It took four years. It was only in May 2014 that the existence of ununseptium (the temporary name of the element) was officially recognized by the scientific community.

It is interesting that the existence of elements 113, 115 and 118, discovered at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna (the same place where ununseptium was discovered), has not yet been proven by independent researchers.

New exoplanet discovered

For decades, astronomers around the world have been studying distant solar systems in search of planets that would be similar to Earth in all respects. However, out of almost two thousand currently known exoplanets, only one meets these requirements.

The exoplanet Kepler-186f (named after the Kepler orbital telescope) is located 492 light years from Earth. Its opening became known in the spring of 2014. Kepler-186f was discovered along with four other planets that orbit the star Kepler-186. But only this object is similar in size to the Earth, although not completely; it has a radius 10 percent larger than the radius of our planet.

Preliminary data suggests that life is possible on Kepler-186f. However, the data that scientists know about this planet is not enough to state this unambiguously.

World's largest dinosaur discovered

In the spring of 2014, paleontologists during excavations in Argentina discovered fossils of a giant dinosaur, the largest prehistoric lizard and possibly the largest animal that ever lived on Earth.

The giant reptile measured up to 40 meters in length and 20 in height, which is comparable to a seven-story building. The dinosaur weighed 77 tons, which is approximately equal to the mass of fourteen elephants.

Dreadnoughtus schrani - the world's largest dinosaur

The new species of dinosaur is named Dreadnoughtus schrani. It is believed that these lizards lived on Earth 66-88 million years ago.

In the permafrost of Siberia, scientists occasionally find frozen mammoths. In the future, this makes it possible to one day clone this animal in order to bring a long-extinct species back to life. However, in 2014, scientists managed to literally resurrect a life form that lived in Siberia 30 thousand years ago.

As a result of research, scientists even managed to bring back to life this ancient virus, which had been frozen for about thirty thousand years. It is also interesting that this is the largest virus described by scientists in history.

The year 2014 brought hope to millions of people who are permanently confined to wheelchairs. After all, scientists have stated that even the most damaged spinal cord- this is not a final guarantee that you will never be able to walk again.

A reason for optimism may be the results of studies in which Swiss scientists first completely cut the spinal cord of a rat in the middle, and then taught it to walk again. They implanted flexible electrodes into the rodent's spine just below the cut line, and then adapted the parameters of the electrical impulse thus transmitted to nervous system animal.

As a result, the rat was able not only to run, but even to overcome various obstacles, including climbing stairs. Scientists promise to begin similar experiments on humans in the summer of 2015.

New evidence for the Big Bang theory

Thanks to the blockbuster "Interstellar", the word "gravity" became one of the most popular in 2014. Moreover, physicists themselves have made a serious scientific breakthrough in this direction. They discovered gravitational waves, which are direct evidence of the Big Bang theory.

According to the currently accepted inflationary model of the expansion of the Universe, approximately 13.7 billion years ago the so-called Big Bang occurred - the almost instantaneous growth of the embryo of the Universe from zero to enormous values. However, such an expansion should have left a certain signal in the cosmic microwave background radiation, which is essentially an “echo” of the Big Bang.

In 2014, the BICEP2 project found gravitational waves that are indirect traces of the signal mentioned above and, therefore, evidence of cosmic inflation.

The global agenda in 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, much more that happened in Russia did not make it to the front pages of the world's 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 harsh Western sanctions, an even greater misfortune befell Russia - the fall in oil prices. OPEC's decision not to reduce production completed the matter - the decline in oil prices turned into a collapse. The price established at the end of the year was $60 per barrel. in 2015 threatens the Russian economy with a decline of almost 5%.

Sanctions

The year 2014 was marked by sanctions aimed at international isolation of the Russian economy. The new type of 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.

Countersanctions

Russia's main response to international sanctions has been to close its gigantic consumer market to foreign products. But which side lost more is the question: the reduction in imports accelerated the already high inflation, and the retired goods were replaced by parmesan and shrimp “made in Belarus.”

Economic recession

A perfect storm is heading towards Russia; it will cover the country in 2015. All possible crises – from financial to demographic – coincided at one point. good time for reforms, economists say, but they expect authorities to increasingly move away from market methods of management.

"Case« Bashneft"

In 2014, the state, which already controls more than 50% of oil production and refining, continued its consolidation in the oil market. Following YUKOS, Sibneft and TNK-BP, Bashneft also came under state control. In the context of the economic crisis and low oil prices, the expansion of the state will stop, market participants and experts believe. But we shouldn’t expect a sale of state assets in the near future.

Olympics in Sochi

At the beginning of 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, bleaker events. True, the Olympics are too large-scale an event to give it an unambiguous assessment.

Attack on the media

In 2014, Russian media experienced major upheavals: in addition to the high-profile resignations of top media managers, business media faced losses to newsmakers in the courts, the emergence of new laws, including those limiting the influx of foreign capital and earnings from advertising. 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 Serious challenges await. The main risk is the cancellation of the funded part of the pension. The selection of non-state pension funds for the guarantee system will continue: they will have to create a special fund to pay clients of bankrupt non-state pension funds.

Turn to the East

If in the Western direction things were not going well for Russia this year - sanctions, 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 worth $400 billion, Rosneft actively invited Asian investors to its Russian projects, and also agreed on oil supplies to India. Experts timidly expressed that many announced contracts with Asian partners may be politically motivated, but the authorities and state-owned companies claim that they are guided only economic feasibility. However, this does not stop them from dreaming about gas pipelines to India and a high-speed highway from Moscow to Beijing.

Yukos's victory in court against Russia

On July 18, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague decided that Russia must pay the former shareholders of Yukos, 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 directly benefited from the bankruptcy of Yukos, since the company's key asset, Yuganskneftegaz, came under the control of state-owned Rosneft. The claim was only partially satisfied - the amount of demands 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 halfway, said Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov. The appeal hearing will begin on January 28, 2015. In case of 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 demands could be reduced in exchange “for some other things that we could achieve within the framework of 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 the Pobedy Park and Slavyansky Boulevard 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 position, and the road foreman Valery Bashkatov and his assistant Yuri Gordov, who, according to a preliminary version, violated safety rules when working in the metro tunnel, are still under investigation.

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 ban was introduced, almost half of adult Russians considered themselves active smokers (42%, according to a 2013 VTsIOM survey), 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, 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 cleaning they surfaced various schemes drawing balance sheets and people who, by coincidence, regularly ended up in troubled 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 back 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 proposals from the expert community to increase VAT. This principle was recorded in the “Main Directions of Tax Policy for 2015–2017.” However, already presenting the document at parliamentary hearings in the State Duma in May, the head of the Ministry of Finance Anton Siluanov called for an audit of tax breaks on federal taxes, due to which the regions are not receiving enough money. Almost immediately after the adoption of the document, the Ministry of Finance proposed introducing a sales tax in Russia, which was abolished in the early 2000s. Business and the Ministry of Economic Development opposed it, and the discussion in the government continued until the fall. And although the Ministry of Finance abandoned this idea in mid-September, an 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 was blocked. The reason for this was the sanctions imposed on Russia by the world's leading creditors - the USA, 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 lists 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 with the slogan of fighting 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 from a civilian weapon “according to the American scenario” occurred in Moscow. A student of class 10 “A” of school No. 263 in the Otradnoe district came to a geography lesson with a hunting carbine and rifle, shot teacher Andrei Kirillov, took his classmates hostage and managed to shoot the first police officers who arrived at the signal of the panic button. The response to the tragedy was the tightening of legislation on storing and carrying weapons

Collapse of the tourism industry

2014 was a dark year for the tourism industry. In July–September, several large tour operators went bankrupt; the number of affected tourists numbered in the tens of thousands. The industry legislation reformed two years ago failed to protect consumers.

2014 is busy a huge amount events. Wars, revolutions, plane crashes, sanctions. It turned out to be variable. Much has been turned upside down, and this “much” will never be the same again. I want to introduce you to important events over the whole of 2014, in short. I hope I didn't miss anything.

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

Nobel Prizes

Medicine and physiology- John O'Keefe, May-Britt Moser and Edvard Moser - "For their work on the cellular biology of the brain"
Physics- Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura - "For the invention of efficient blue LEDs, which led to the advent of bright and energy-efficient white light sources"
Chemistry- Eric Betzig, Stefan Hell and William Moerner - "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 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 switched to the euro, becoming the 18th member of the eurozone.
In the Philippines, 40 people died as a result of flooding, 5 residents went missing, 160 thousand lost their homes
Catherine Samba-Panza was elected president of the Central African Republic, becoming the first female head of state in the country's history.
34th Bandy World Championship (Irkutsk and Shelekhov, Russia). The Russian team won
Shooting at school No. 263 in Moscow. The first case of school shooting in Russia.
XXII Winter Olympic Games (Sochi, Russia) Russia's victory in medals 13 (gold) 11 (silver) 9 (bronze)
XI Winter Paralympic Games (Sochi, Russia)
In Mexico since the beginning of the year from swine flu more than 400 people died.
During clashes between the opposition and the police in the center of Kyiv in February, 77 people were killed, 16 of whom were law enforcement officers
The Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution on the self-removal of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from fulfilling constitutional duties and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25, 2014
The duties of the President of Ukraine are assigned to Alexander Turchynov.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved a 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 % voters in Sevastopol 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 radar screens.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an agreement on the admission of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia. The treaty comes into force on the date of ratification Federal Assembly and until then “temporarily applied” from the date of signature.
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 is proclaimed.
In Odessa (Ukraine), clashes between supporters and opponents of the Ukrainian authorities occurred; according to official data, 46 people were killed, 48 are listed as 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 The Russian ruble became the only official currency
Microsoft has ended extended support for Windows XP.
The Sewol ferry wreck off the southwest coast of South Korea. 172 people were rescued, 288 dead were found, 16 were missing.
In Afghanistan, a mudslide occurred in the Badakhshan province, killing more than 250 residents and missing about 2,500 people.
78th Ice Hockey World Championship (Minsk, Belarus) The Russian team won
As a result of the explosion and subsequent collapse at a Turkish mine located in the province of Manisa, 301 people were killed and 485 were saved.
National launched search engine 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-ocha
XX FIFA World Cup (Brazil). The German team became world champions for the fourth time
The Russian State Duma adopted a law introducing permanent winter time in Russia.
As a result of the derailment of three train cars in the Moscow metro, 24 people were killed and more than 200 were injured.
A Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 plane crashed on Ukrainian territory while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. All people on board (298 people) died
Referendum on Scottish independence from Great Britain. As a result of the referendum, Scotland remained part of the UK.
The launch of the last hydraulic unit completed the restoration of the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, where a man-made disaster occurred more than five years ago.
Militant attack on Grozny. 14 policemen were killed and 36 were injured.
First unmanned test flight of a partially reusable manned aircraft spaceship Orion.
Taliban militants seized a school in Peshawar (Pakistan), killing more than 140 people.
Ebola epidemic in West Africa
Two billion people around the world already use smartphones.
Tablets have overtaken laptops in sales
Nokia left the market mobile phones
Motorola received Chinese registration
Apple became the first company with a capitalization of $700 billion
Microsoft bought Minecraft
Victory Conchita Wurst at Eurovision
World donation Ice Bucket Challenge
Fire on the Norman Atlantic ferry in Italy.
For a week, every day at 00:00 my lights are turned off for 5 minutes.

I want it again, or rather for 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.

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 have no privacy - but they will have many interesting gadgets. What can we expect in 2014?

Policy

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

After Republicans' ratings fell due to the government shutdown in October 2013 due to conflict over health care reform, it was Democrats' turn to suffer from a decline in popularity due to the problematic implementation of that same reform.

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

Technology

Google glass

"Smart watch"

Using a smartwatch, you can surf the Internet, check email, 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 - the battery. Some analysts believe that with the launch of Apple's iWatch and its rival from Google, 2014 could be the year the smartwatch breaks through to the mass market... if manufacturers can convince consumers that they really need it.

3D printers

In the past year, a metal pistol, a fully functional plastic pistol capable of withstanding up to 11 shots, and a shotgun were “printed” using 3D printers. In the new year, Siemens will begin using 3D printing technology to make 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 3D objects, thereby simplifying the 3D printing process for ordinary people. As Forbes magazine reports, a home printer can produce much safer items than guns, such as eyeglass frames, wedding rings and busts of yourself.

Tablets

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

14 nanometer processors

Chips continue to get smaller: in 2014, Intel is going to start producing Atom processors measuring 14 nanometers in size. It is expected that the energy efficiency of the 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 for integrating drones into US airspace. In 2014, regulations will be published on the use of drones weighing less than 25 kilograms. General manager Amazon online store 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 an order within the city will not exceed 30 minutes.

Smart cities

The trend of “smart cities” continues to develop throughout the world - the efficient distribution of resources through planning and the introduction of innovative technologies. The concept of a “smart city” is broad enough to include interactive travel maps vehicles to relieve traffic jams, pay for parking using mobile phones, monitor urban crime, optimize construction 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, will all segments of the population be able to use smartphone applications, and will this not make citizens passive consumers of a limited set of “optimal” options in the field of education, healthcare, transport, etc. further, while limiting the occasions for communication with other townspeople?

Mobile wallets, virtual currency

The widespread use of mobile phones makes them a popular way to pay for services. Different countries use different mobile wallet systems, but their turnover will only grow. The virtual currency, Bitcoin, launched on the Internet in 2009, is becoming so popular that Congress even held hearings on the topic, concerned that Bitcoin could weaken the influence of the dollar, as well as the fact that the cryptocurrency was appreciated by specialists in shady transactions.

War and Peace

Espionage reforms

In January of the new year, US President Barack Obama promises to make an announcement regarding reforms to US secret service intelligence collection policies. The impetus for the policy review was a series of scandals involving the disclosure of NSA activities, including the collection and storage of information about the location of billions of telephones around the world and wiretapping of the phones of foreign leaders.

The special commission has prepared a list of 40 recommendations for changing surveillance policies. However, at his 2013 final press conference, President Obama warned, “We need intelligence, we can't unilaterally lay down our arms,” so the changes are likely to be fairly cosmetic. Telecommunications companies will continue to lobby to limit intelligence's ability to gather information about their customers, but it's worth remembering that 2014 is a congressional midterm election year, and in the run-up to elections, politicians typically try to abstain 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 response to the September 11 attacks and without the approval of the UN Security Council, like the subsequent Iraq War. The Taliban left Kabul, but to this day it is difficult to call the results of the many years of war a victory.

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

After the withdrawal of the main contingent from Afghanistan, the United States intends to leave several thousand soldiers to train Afghan troops and participate in small operations against the Taliban in order to prevent al-Qaida from re-establishing itself in Afghanistan. However, President Hamid Karzai has been 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 must leave the presidency in 2014 - new elections will be held in Afghanistan in April.

Iran

2014 will be a year to test the strength of the interim agreement on Tehran's nuclear program, signed in November in Geneva between Iran and six world powers. During the six months of the agreement, the parties must reach an agreement on a final settlement of the issue of the Iranian nuclear program. However, at this stage, according to State Department officials, “technical negotiations” are still ongoing on the terms of 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 notorious racist Craig Cobb will begin in North Dakota. In 2012, Cobb began buying up cheap lots in the town of Leath, population 19 (including one black resident), with the goal of turning Leath into Cobbsville, an Aryan enclave with an Adolf Hitler theme park dedicated to the history of racism. Cobb and like-minded people marked the purchased plots with swastikas and began to patrol the city streets with weapons in their hands, shouting curses and terrorizing local residents, who soon began to complain to the police about such “guardianship.” In November of this year, 62-year-old Cobb was arrested along with 29-year-old neo-Nazi Keenan Dutton.

If convicted, Cobb faces up to 35 years in prison. Three state-appointed public defenders have already refused to represent the preacher of what he calls a "racist religion" at trial.

Internet vs television

A number of studies conducted in the past year have shown that Americans spend less time in front of television and more time in front of tablet and smartphone screens. While the number of subscribers to streaming companies is growing, the number of new subscribers to cable TV companies is steadily declining. People 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 once declared 2012 the “year of massive open online courses,” when one after another, prestigious universities began offering free open distance courses to an unlimited number of Internet users around the world. In just a few years, MOOCs on platforms like coursera.org, udacity.com or edX.org began to attract millions of audiences, and the teachers participating in them could boast of truly global fame - in certain circles interested in knowledge, and not in a formal diploma. Some platforms have even started offering a certified course completion certificate for a nominal fee.

Sobering came when it became clear 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 training, a tiny percentage of those who sign up complete these courses - around 5%.

In addition to motivation, a problem for international students can be the language barrier (most of the 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 to attend, the development of cheaper alternatives may be inevitable.

Bo and Yana

Can't pull your child away from the tablet by the ears? The creators of two cute robots, nicknamed Bo and Yana, decided to turn children from passive technology users into little programmers. Bo and Yana will go on sale in the summer of 2014. With the help of a special program, children from five years old will be able to control them, forcing them to carry out simple commands.

Ecology

IPCC Fifth Report on Climate Change

In 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) plans to release its fifth report on the state of knowledge on climate change and possible effects global warming. The previous part, released in 2007, warned of a global temperature rise of 6.4 degrees Celsius 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 believe global warming is real, but only 42% believe it is caused by human activity. According to a Gallup poll, six out of ten Americans believe that global warming will not be a risk in their lifetime, and only 18% are convinced that the issue should be a top priority for the US administration.

Milestones

Completion of construction of the World shopping center

On September 11, 2001, the centerpiece of the World Trade Center complex in New York, the 110-story tall Twin Towers, were destroyed in an al-Qaida terrorist attack. At the time, US President George W. Bush promised that the complex would be restored. The first and fourth towers will be commissioned in 2014 (the first tower is considered the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere), and the 9/11 Museum is scheduled to open in the spring of 2014.

Space tourism

In 2014, it will be possible to fly on a ship from Virgin Galactic, the first company to offer space tourism services. A flight into space will cost those interested 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 ship will launch from a brand new spaceport in New Mexico.

The next super food?

The fashion for organic and hypoallergenic food does not go away (numerous mobile applications only fuel the obsession with counting calories and nutrients). Quinoa seeds have been replaced by kale, kale will be replaced by chia seeds, and in 2014, chia will likely lose the title of “super food” to cereals: Ethiopian teff with high content iron and calcium and Middle Eastern frikeh. The Washingtonian magazine predicts the popularity of Korean soybean paste with red pepper - gochujang.

Sport

Reinvent the wheel

In 2014, FlyKly and Superpedestrian plan to begin selling smart wheels designed for those who commute to work by bicycle. The rear wheel has a built-in battery with a battery (weighing 4 kg), which can be controlled via a smartphone. The electric wheel-cycle generator reduces the load on the muscles and also performs the function charger for a gadget.

In addition, in 2014, eight more cities in the US, including Seattle, Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Austin, are going to introduce municipal bike-sharing programs.

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 have actually burned, which will be more difficult to deceive than ourselves.