The state of Illinois is located in the Midwestern United States. It is home to the country's third largest city, Chicago. The presence of a metropolis mainly determines the life of this mainly agricultural region. Illinois' official nicknames are the "Land of Lincoln" and the "Prairie State". True, all the prairies have already been plowed and sown with corn or given over to grazing.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has reduced its forecast for Russian GDP growth in 2013 from 2.3 percent to one and a half percent. This is stated in the latest forecast of the OECD, which is also called the “club of rich countries”. The organization lowered the forecast for Russian GDP growth in 2014 - from 3.6 to 2.3 percent. In 2015, according to OECD experts, the Russian economy will increase by 2.9 percent.

In Russia, for the first time in the history of cellular communications, the average price per minute of mobile operator services (APPM) increased. reported this on November 19 Digit.ru with reference to reports from leading mobile operators. The publication compared prices for APPM for the period from September 2012 to September 2013. According to companies that serve 92 percent of subscribers, the APPM indicator for this period increased by 0.5 kopecks to 1.045 rubles.

Japanese researchers discovered that termites of the same species from different colonies build different termite mounds. If the colony is divided into parts and each group is given its own supply of pressed sawdust for construction, then they will create similar buildings independently of each other. details with reference to an article in the journal Insectes Sociaux .

In the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, the body of Nauruz Cherkasov, co-founder of the Stavropol Elit-Stroy LLC, who was kidnapped on August 31, was discovered. This was reported on November 19 on the website of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. The body was found on November 13 near the village of Khusa-Kardonik, Zelenchuk district, and has now been identified by relatives. It was established that the businessman was killed with six shots from a Makarov pistol.

In Denmark, an attack was carried out on the poet Yahya Hassan, who often criticized Muslims in his works. This was reported by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, citing an official statement from the police. The attack took place on the evening of November 18 at Copenhagen Central Station, when Hasan was escorting his girlfriend to the train. The poet was attacked from behind and hit on the head several times. The attacker shouted that the young man was an infidel and should die.

The Russian Air Force has begun to form a new aerobatic team that will fly Yak-130 combat training aircraft, RIA Novosti reports , citing a source in the aircraft industry. According to current plans, the new aerobatic team will take part in the Victory Parade on May 9, 2014. Pilot training is carried out by the Zhukovsky and Gagarin Air Force Academy on the basis of the Borisoglebsk Aviation Training Center for Flight Crew Training named after Chkalov.

Samsung has sold 800 thousand Galaxy Gear smartwatches in less than two months. Reuters writes about this with reference to Samsung representatives on Tuesday, November 19.

The winner of the readers' vote for the Big Book Award was Maya Kucherskaya with her novel Aunt Motya. Lenta.ru was informed about this by the press service of the literary prize. Voting ended on November 19 at 12:00. Kucherskaya’s book received 545 votes, slightly ahead of Sergei Belyakov’s biography of Lev Gumilev, “Gumilev’s son Gumilyov” (528 votes). In third place was Evgeniy Vodolazkin with his novel “Laurel” (240 votes).

American journalist Anthony DeCurtis has begun work on a biography of musician Lou Reed, who died in October at the age of 72. agency reports this The Associated Press . A possible release date for the book has not yet been set, and it also does not have a title. We only know that the biography will be published by Little, Brown and Co.

The prosecutor's office of the Romanian county of Timiş confiscated the palace from the local Gypsy baron, reports Ziare.com. According to investigators, Trifu Novacovici, who had never worked anywhere, could not have purchased such a building. The palace, confiscated from Novakovic, also known as Diamond, is located in the administrative center of Timis, the city of Timişoara. The building, which according to Realitatea.net is worth several million euros, contains dozens of rooms.

The eighth game of the World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen ended in a draw. The meeting ended after the 33rd move with black, which was played by the world champion. This was reported by the official website of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The current draw was the sixth for the rivals. Two more games ended in favor of the 22-year-old Carlsen, who now led the match with a score of 5:3.

“The future belongs to non-cash forms of payment” Lenta.ru found out about the Swedish experience of refusing cash Lars Rutberg The electronic payment market in Russia is one of the most dynamic. Its growth in 2012-2013, according to some sources, will be measured in double digits. At the beginning of November, the National Payment Forum was held in Moscow, where the prospects for the industry were discussed.

The University of East London has awarded Dizzee Rascal an honorary doctorate. This was reported by the NME portal. According to him, the British rapper received this title on November 18. Thus, the educational institution decided to celebrate the rapper’s services to the local community, as well as his contribution to art. As NME notes, Rascal grew up in the Bow area, next to which the university is located.

A new large-scale raid against illegal immigrants has begun at the Moscow Sadovod market. reports this Interfax with reference to the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for Moscow. According to the police, Operation Zaslon-2 is aimed at combating organized crime, illegal migration and combating illegal gambling. The Russian News Service, citing eyewitnesses, reports that people are running away from the police straight along the Moscow Ring Road.