Russians

• Every May 8, thousands of people celebrate White Lotus Day, commemorating a remarkable and controversial Russian American woman: spiritual leader Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who died in 1891.
• HPB, as followers affectionately call her, is remembered as a co-founder of the Theosophical Society.
• Aiming to create a universal brotherhood of humanity, theosophy claimed that its tenets came from spiritual masters in the Himalayas.

The ‘veiled years’

• Blavatsky was born into a noble family in the Russian Empire, within the territory of modern Ukraine.
• As a child, she read occult literature at her grandfather’s home, sparking a lifelong desire to unlock secrets of the universe.
• Together with other leaders who later joined the theosophical movement, they popularized Buddhist and Hindu ideas in the West, introducing concepts such as karma and reincarnation.

Universal religion

• All objects, animate and inanimate, share the same essence, and the goal of human evolution is spiritual liberation, which might be attainable after many reincarnations.
• Styling itself as a universal “wisdom religion,” theosophy aimed to merge knowledge from philosophy, religion and science to explain secret laws governing the universe.
• To this day, the society’s official motto is “No Religion Higher Than Truth,” and the main objectives are “to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity,” to “encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy, and science,” and to “investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity,” according to the Theosophical Society in America.

Lasting stereotypes

• English translations of ancient Indian texts and popular books about Buddhism fostered such interest and created fertile ground for theosophy to gain popularity in the West.
• Her descriptions paint an idealized picture of religious and philosophical traditions she portrayed as superior to materialistic Western modernity.
• In some ways, these ideas echoed common stereotypes in “Orientalist” art and writing of the era, which often depicted Asian cultures as unchanging and exotic.

Complicated legacy

• Unlike many other scholars of India in the 19th century, however, she spent considerable time there, and in her writings from that period she often expresses outrage at British colonial injustices.
• But her legacy is complex.
• It is Blavatsky’s role in popularizing Eastern spiritual traditions abroad that has been her most lasting impact – even if her ideas were often unorthodox.

• The rising mercury has fuelled speculation that Ukraine’s much discussed spring offensive is just around the corner, the only questions being when and where Ukraine’s military planners intend to make their big push.
• Some observers have noted that Ukraine has achieved a bridgehead on the eastern side of the Dnipro River, which could foreshadow a major push southwards towards Crimea.
• You can also subscribe to our fortnightly recap of expert analysis of the conflict in Ukraine.
• Moscow’s political objectives, Harink warns, might be as much about involving the west in a lengthy and debilitating conflict.

The Russian front

• One of the centrepieces is the march of the Immortals Regiment in which thousands parade with pictures of loved ones who gave their lives in defence of the homeland.
• Dina Fainberg, an expert in modern history at City, University of London, tells the story of how Victory day become Russia’s biggest national celebration.
• Imagine if thousands of people turned up to march carrying pictures of loved ones killed in Putin’s “special military operation”.
• Read more:
  'Stalin-style' show trials and unexplained deaths of opposition figures show the depth of repression in Putin's Russia

Further afield (and on sea)

• The "Hypersonic Weapons - Market and Technology Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
• This comprehensive report examine the various types of guidance systems, technologies, platforms, end-users of hypersonic weapons.
• In the military domain, hypersonic technology is used to develop fast, highly maneuverable weapons that can strike targets quickly and with little warning.
• Based on rigorous study of the capabilities of supersonic and hypersonic weapons and the growing impact this technology has caused in military environments, we've researched the market and technologies for Hypersonic Weapons.

• The Government of Canada will stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.
• Today, the Prime Minister announced new measures to continue supporting the people of Ukraine, including with new military equipment and additional sanctions.
• Instead, the brave people of Ukraine, in their heroic resistance, are ensuring that Ukraine will survive, and democracy will prevail.
• Canada stands with Ukraine, and we will continue to do so for as long as it takes."