The American financial market is a black hole of speculative capital that devours nearly all of the multi-trillion-dollar annual influx of capital into the US. The financialization of the economy, in the form of deliberately high returns on financial investments compared to investments in the real sector, prevents the much-needed reindustrialization of America.

The reindustrialization of America in the form of a full-scale restoration of many manufacturing industries is a matter of the USA's survival in changing geo-economic conditions. More and more American economists and politicians are leaning toward this view. But it is becoming increasingly clear that reindustrialization is hindered by the existing global financial dollar system.

In previous publications, we showed how China has seized global leadership in shipbuilding and maritime shipping, as well as the US shift to a policy of tough protectionism in this sector to revive its own shipbuilding production. To this end, a new large-scale and comprehensive bill, the "SHIPS for America Act 2025" (SHIPS), is being discussed in the US, aimed at restoring the shipbuilding industry and maritime shipping. However, the US has an existing longstanding legislative act at its disposal.

I wish I had a competent manager right now! How often you hear that. Recently, I caught myself on an unpleasant thought: we discuss employee retention only after the fact, when the person is already tired, when they've received an offer and have mentally quit. We resort to the usual set of measures: urgent promotions, spot bonuses, persuasion.

Allocating your time and making plans is undoubtedly a useful skill. However, the habit of planning for the entire coming year in January may not be all that productive. If at the end of the year you regularly feel that much of what you planned has not been done and you are constantly running out of time, then it might be worth focusing on more short-term planning.

When reviewing the year, we often feel dissatisfied with ourselves. We think that if nothing in our lives has fundamentally improved, then we haven't achieved anything, haven't succeeded, and don't even deserve our own praise. However, in most cases, this is completely unfair. So how do we properly assess our personal results, noticing achievements and learning lessons from failures?

Legendary conductor Vladislav Chernushenko (1936–2026), artistic director of the St. Petersburg Capella, has passed away. The maestro led Russia's oldest choral ensemble for over half a century, reviving its benchmark sound and spiritual music. His era defined the Russian choral school.

The jubilee Epiphany Festival dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Evgeny Kolobov has opened at the Moscow New Opera Theatre. The premiere is Rimsky-Korsakov's The Tsar's Bride in a production by Evgeny Pisarev.

This is not just an exhibition—it's a journey through time, an opportunity to immerse yourself in history and see the world through the eyes of geniuses. It's a dialogue with the past that helps us better understand the present and glimpse the future. As Hermitage Director General Mikhail Piotrovsky notes, "Only an encyclopedic museum on the scale of the Hermitage can create an exhibition that represents all world art and nearly the entire history of humanity through portraiture."

Recently in Accra, at the partner Russian House of the Center for Public Diplomacy, an intensive course was launched to help Ghanaian students of the targeted enrollment program adapt to life in Russia before they soon leave to study at Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU).

An 8% decline in the number of students in India's primary schools over the past two years could lead to serious consequences.

As of January 1, 2025, Russia has 1,115 higher education institutions, with Lomonosov Moscow State University taking first place in the ranking of the best universities in Russia in 2024. But which other institutions train highly qualified specialists?