‘Christmas storm’ likely after major solar flare

Vibrant northern lights will likely be on display Wednesday

People in the northern hemisphere will be treated to dazzling displays of the aurora borealis on Wednesday, as a coronal mass ejection from the sun brushes up against our planet, according to Russian scientists.

After two weeks of relative inactivity, the sun experienced a class-M flare on Monday, with a magnitude of 8.9, just shy of making it class-X. The flare happened in the sunspot group 3932, which astronomers have been monitoring because it is due to intersect the sun-earth line over the next 5-7 days.

“Part of the coronal mass ejection could clip our planet in the afternoon of December 25,” Mikhail Leus of the ‘Phobos’ weather center in Moscow said Tuesday on his Telegram channel.

“Forecasts show it might result in a G1 or G2 magnetic storm,” he added.

Monday’s flare was at a 40-degree angle from the sun-earth line, Leus explained, which is why the storm will most likely be mild. Its duration has been estimated at 8-10 hours, but it could last for as long as 30.

In addition to the northern lights, Wednesday’s solar storm may cause some radio disruptions in the high-frequency (HF) band and affect the operation of some satellites. Solar storms also carry a risk of radiation to astronauts in space and people on board high-altitude airplanes.

A X9 flare resulted in a severe geomagnetic storm on October 10. The G4-level event had the potential to disrupt power grids and cause radio blackouts, but ended up being relatively uneventful in terms of technological disturbances. It did cause the northern lights to be observed as far south as the US state of California.

https://www.rt.com/news/609904-solar-storm-christmas-lights/

Russians spent as much on ‘occult services’ as groceries in 2024 – media

End-of-year statistical reports suggest that fortune tellers and other “sorcerers” made 20 times more this year than psychologists

Russians spent almost as much money on “sorcerers” and various “occult services” in 2024 as they did on groceries, the newspaper MK claimed on Tuesday, citing end-of-year statistical reports.

According to the outlet, incomes in the ‘magical’ segment of the economy grew by 20% last year and are expected to exceed that percentage in 2024. Internet traffic to websites providing astrological and numerological forecasts and fortune telling has also grown by 38%. The market for occult services in Russia has reached an estimated 2.4 trillion rubles ($24 billion), which analysts say is comparable to how much the nation spent on food over the past 12 months.

It is noted that much of the data comes from research ordered by psychologists – the closest competitors to numerologists, astrologists and the like. MK reported, however, that while the psychology market has also grown this year, it is still 20 times smaller than its ‘supernatural’ rival.

A recent annual poll by The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTSIOM) also found that every fourth Russian respondent believed in the effectiveness of esotericism and up to 60% of the population has resorted to the help of such specialists at least once in their life.

According to MK, the most popular service among Russians this year was so-called “chakra cleansing,” which costs about 15,000 rubles ($150). People have also paid some 25,000 rubles for “removing negativity” and also employed “supernatural” support for real estate deals, which can cost as much as 1% of the transaction amount.

Russian MP Vitaly Milonov has suggested that fortune telling was a “satanic ritual” and described Tarot cards as “pictures of the devil.”

“All this is categorically unacceptable and should be excluded altogether for any person. If someone stupidly has Tarot cards left, burn them and wash your hands,” Milonov told Gazata.ru earlier this month.

The politician also proposed to sending tarologists, numerologists and other “magicians” to prison for committing acts of a pseudo-religious nature without registering as a religious organization.

https://www.rt.com/business/609951-russian-occult-services-spending/

Satanic Temple outlawed in Russia

The prosecutor general’s office claims the US-based quasi-religious organization supports “members of extremist and terrorist movements”

Russian authorities have designated the US-based Satanic Temple as an undesirable organization, claiming that the quasi-religious group justifies violence and supports extremist and terrorist entities.

Under Russian law, any foreign or international organization which is believed to pose a threat to the country’s security and political system can be labeled undesirable. This status essentially prohibits such entities from operating in Russia; their bank accounts are frozen and local branches are shut down. Those found in breach of the law could face fines or even prison sentences under certain circumstances.

Since the legislation came into force in 2015, numerous not-for-profit organizations have had to close their doors in Russia, including the Church of Scientology and the Jehovah's Witnesses.

In a statement on Wednesday, the prosecutor general’s office said that the “so-called Satanic Temple was registered in the US in 2012” by several Harvard University graduates. According to Russian officials, the group has 23 chapters in the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Finland and several other nations. It is believed to have over 10 million members worldwide.

The Russian authorities claimed that the organization “promotes occult ideologies [and] uses Satanic imagery to discredit traditional spiritual-ethical values.” The Satanic Temple, which allegedly enjoys US government support, also justifies violence and “actively backs members of extremist and terrorist movements,” the prosecutor general’s office explained.

Moreover, the group is said to oppose Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine and to have organized fundraisers to support Kiev’s armed forces.

According to the group’s website, it does not believe in the existence of Satan or the supernatural in general, but rather views its titular figure as a “symbol of the Eternal Rebel in opposition to arbitrary authority, forever defending personal sovereignty even in the face of insurmountable odds.”

The organization headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts says it stands for science-oriented rational inquiry and critical thinking, and opposes archaic “tradition-based superstitions” as well as “all tyrannical impositions.”

The entity, which is distinct from Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan, has been lobbying a number of causes, including abortion rights and bodily autonomy.

https://www.rt.com/russia/608716-satanic-temple-declared-undesirable-russia/

Islamists aim to turn France into caliphate – intel chief

The influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the country is growing, according to Bertrand Chamoulaud

The Islamist movement Muslim Brotherhood has been expanding its influence in France, acting behind the scenes to make the country a caliphate governed by Sharia law, according to the country’s top intelligence official.

Bertrand Chamoulaud, head of the National Directorate for Territorial Intelligence at the French Ministry of the Interior, made the remarks during an interview with Le Monde this week.

He said more than 100,000 worshippers attend mosques run by the Muslim Brotherhood, who spread their ideas through entrenchment and with a “very smooth” discourse rather than resorting to violence.

The movement is effectively using societal tensions to gradually infiltrate some social enterprises and civil society organizations, said Chamoulaud.

“This concerns us because their infiltration affects all sectors: sports, health, education, etc.,” he stressed.

One of their strategy tools is playing a victim role, Chamoulaud said, elaborating that every time a mosque is closed or a separatist imam is expelled, the Islamists denounce a so-called “Islamophobic state.”

The risk is that some moderate Muslims may be convinced by this victim discourse, the intel chief warned.

He cited as an example the non-profit organization Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), which was created in 2003 with a mission to combat discrimination towards Muslims. Dissolved in 2020, the CCIF was repeatedly criticized over its use of the term Islamophobia, and was suspected of having Islamist links.

The CCIF’s ideas, such as the compulsory veil or the rejection of mixed-race groups, are now gradually becoming established in Belgium, Chamoulaud claimed.

The Society of the Muslim Brothers, better known as the Muslim Brotherhood, is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by an Islamic scholar in 1928. It advocates the application of Islamic law in all aspects of society, and is banned as a terrorist organization by many countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron has launched a crackdown on what he calls Islamist separatism and radical Islam in the country following deadly jihadist attacks in recent years by foreign and homegrown militants. The measures aim to limit foreign influence over Muslim institutions in France.

Nearly seven million Muslims live in France, around 10% of the population, according to data by France’s statistics agency. Islam is the country’s second-largest religion after Catholicism.

https://www.rt.com/news/609953-france-islamists-caliphate-sharia/