The head of the US company ExxonMobil has become the main contender for the post of US Secretary of State under Donald Trump. Rex Trillerson, the head of ExxonMobile, has the best chance of becoming US Secretary of State under US President Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal writes about this. The publication also notes that Trillerson fits Trump's idea of ​​“breakthrough” politics, which is why his candidacy comes first.

American journalist Maxim Tucker said that he received threats against him because of the preparation of an article about Poroshenko. As Tucker told Ukrainskaya Pravda, he is working on material for The Times about compromising evidence on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. We are talking about a recent statement by deputy Alexander Onishchenko about corruption in the Rada, in which he, in particular, claims that Poroshenko “bought” votes.

At the Billboard magazine awards, American singer Madonna was named “Woman of the Year.” The Billboard website reported that the singer won the Woman of the Year award. “Thank you for recognizing my ability to continue my career for 34 years,” she said upon receiving the prize. As the publication notes, in her speech Madonna touched upon the problems of sexism, male chauvinism and the fight against HIV. She also remembered the deceased artists.

The widow of the first President of the Russian Federation, Naina Yeltsin, responded to criticism of director Nikita Mikhalkov of the Yeltsin Center. Sobesednik.ru previously wrote that Nikita Mikhalkov accused the Yeltsin Center of destroying people’s self-awareness. The Yeltsin Center website published a statement by the widow of the first president of the Russian Federation, Naina Yeltsina.

On the evening of December 10, strong winds of up to 17 meters per second, black ice and a blizzard will come to the capital. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, increased winds with gusts of up to 12-17 m/s are expected until 21:00 Saturday. Rescuers are also forecasting a “blizzard with a short-term decrease in visibility up to 1000 meters” and icy conditions. In addition, the temperature is expected to drop by 8-10 degrees.

Photo: A quarter of a million Russian citizens considered it necessary on December 10, 2011 to leave their comfort zone and express their attitude towards the authorities // YouTube still frame Managing editor of Sobesednik.ru Alexander Minaychev talks about the results of the protest events five years ago.

On December 10, a train carrying 26 tanks of liquefied gas derailed. The tanks exploded. According to the Bulgarian TV channel BTV, the incident occurred at 5:30 am local time (6:30 Moscow time) in the village of Hitrino near the city of Shumen in Bulgaria. A train carrying gas tanks derailed, causing the tanks to explode. The head of the fire brigade, Nikolai Nikolov, told the TV channel that 4 people died as a result of the incident.

Figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva set a world record in her short program at the Grand Prix finals in Marseille. For her performance in Marseille, the 17-year-old figure skater received 79.21 points, thus setting a new world record. Before her, the record was set by Japanese Mao Asade in 2014, receiving 78.66 points, TASS writes. “For me, this is another step forward,” Medvedeva said after the competition. “And this fact just adds to my self-confidence.

Photo: Mel Gibson's new work “Hacksaw Ridge” again answers the question “Why are people so cruel?” // Global Look Press Mel Gibson versus the viewer spoiled by realism: Sobesednik.ru columnist - about the film “Hacksaw Ridge.” The ten-year break in Mel Gibson's career as a director has come to an end.

The WADA commission stated that a member of the Russian youth football team took doping before the 2014 European Championship. Sobesednik.ru previously wrote that Richard McLaren presented the second part of his report on Russia’s doping problems. In particular, according to the results of his investigation, 15 medalists of the Russian national team changed their doping tests.

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Photo: Not only pensioners, but also large families buy “sausage before payday” // Global Look Press In Astrakhan, there are stores where customers can “grab groceries before payday,” Sobesednik.ru has learned. A new city market format was invented by local entrepreneur Vadim Borodin. I spotted the idea in rural stores, where the seller and buyer know each other, and therefore the products are not only sold, but often simply given away on record.

A family of five died in a fire in the Leningrad region on the evening of December 9. As RIA Novosti reports with reference to the Russian Investigative Committee, the fire occurred in the village of Ulyanovka, Tosnensky district, Leningrad region. After the fire was extinguished, the bodies of two adults, a man and a woman, as well as three children aged five, ten and fourteen were discovered. It is noted that one child managed to escape from the burning house.

The CIA compiled a secret report in which it stated that Russia interfered in the US presidential election. As The Washington Post reports, citing a government source, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is confident that Russia interfered in the US presidential election to undermine confidence in the electoral system in the United States. “Intelligence tends to conclude that Russia sought to support one of the two candidates, to help [US President-elect Donald] Trump win.

Photo: Celebrating the main event of the year usually costs a pretty penny // Global Look Press Sobesednik.ru found out which products on the New Year's table you will have to spend more on than in previous years. Celebrating the main event of the year usually costs a pretty penny. This was especially noticeable in 2014–2015. What to expect now? – Three main factors influence the dynamics of food prices: harvest, ruble exchange rate and seasonality.