7 events in the world that are important to know about today
25.03.2015Seven of the most important events in the world, which it is desirable to learn about today, in our opinion.
Opportunity Rover
1. Opportunity Rover long-time employee set the record on Tuesday by walking 42 km (26,219 miles) the first marathon in the history of Mars. He spent 11 years and 2 months on the Red Planet. In its mission, "Opportunity" found evidence of running water and ground water on most of the barren planet.
Curiosity rover
2. "Curiosity rover" by NASA, the second rover discovered nitrogen on the surface of Mars – an important discovery that testifies that the Red Planet could once have been a carrier of life. Drilling Martian rocks, Curiosity found evidence: nitrates, nitrogen-containing compounds that can be used by living organisms.
However, "there is no evidence to suggest that the fixed nitrogen molecules found by the team were created by life," warns NASA.
"The surface of Mars is inhospitable to known life forms."
Mars rover "Curiosity" at a cost of $2.5 billion also seeks to study the Martian environment in order to prepare for a possible human mission there in the coming years.
3. Russia wants to keep pace with Cuba regarding the American embargo.
The beginning of Lavrov's "diplomatic" tour started from the Island of Freedom, where, under the guise of a meeting with officials, to develop a joint position on the US embargo, negotiations on armed versions of the interaction most likely took place. Including the possibility of effective use of the island's infrastructure military intelligence purposes и expansion of the Russian military presence.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega during a meeting in Managua
4. After all, in the next point Lavrov's "diplomatic route" to Nicaragua, where he will arrive from day to day, already openly declare the need to purchase Russian MiG-29 fighters for "fight against drug trafficking". Details of the transaction are not announced.
The USA and Russia recognize each other the two largest arms exporters in the world, including 31% and 27% of the world arms trade, respectively. The two countries generally provide weapons to different countries in an attempt to strengthen their global influence.
"Because of the presence of the United States in countries adjacent to Russia, Russia may look for an opportunity to do the same in our region," said Carlos Rivera Bianchini, president of the Peace and Democracy Foundation of Costa Rica.
Russia also negotiating with Nicaragua in efforts to create military facilities for refueling long-range bombers and military vessels.
Nicaragua, along with Cuba and Venezuela, was one of the eleven countries that voted in favor of Russia against the UN resolution, declared the referendum on the independence of Crimea in March 2014 invalid.
5. It looks especially interesting in this context Russia's statement today, on Wednesday against sending the US anti-missile defense systems to South Korea.
"In a region where the situation is already extremely difficult from the point of view of security, this may serve as another impetus to the arms race in Northeast Asia and further complicate any solution to the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.
China has also already warned that the deployment of the system will undermine peace and stability in the region.
But "totalitarian concern" from the mouth of militarists sounds somewhat grotesque in the current conditions of the escalation of arms competition. And this is unlikely to stop South Korea and the United States, which will begin large-scale landing exercises on March 28 as the culmination of ongoing joint military exercises, which North Korea views as a rehearsal for an invasion.
6. It was made public in the States preliminary rates in the upcoming presidential elections in 2016. The undisputed favorite is Hillary Clinton, representing democratic forces. Her closest opponent, Jeb Bush, is leading among Republican candidates. But overall, he has an indicator of 4/1 against Mrs. Clinton's 6/5 - 20% of bets are far behind compared to 60% of the total number of Mrs. Hilary.
7. After the slowdown, oil prices continued their fall again, as experts note, due to increased demand from China for cheaper raw materials. True, the reserves of Podnebesnaya are almost filled to the limit, which pushed the price down 18 cents to $54,93 per barrel at 0812 GMT. And by 36 cents to $ 47,15 per barrel of US WTI.
"Although the market should have already expected that the demand from China's SPR (strategic fuel reserves) would not last forever, it is difficult to predict when that time would come. So, now that this has happened, the markets are just reacting to it with factoring (deferred payment trading),” said Daniel Eng, an investment analyst at Singapore-based brokerage Philip Futures.
Oil stocks in the US have already reached record levels over the past eleven days.
