The funeral of the Soviet Union’s last leader Mikhail Gorbachev will be held on September 3 (Saturday), a report by the Interfax news agency on Wednesday said. The funeral will be held at the Hall of Columns inside Moscow’s House of Unions. This is the same place where former premier of the Soviet Union Josef Stalin’s body was put on display after his death in 1953, the report added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov had said that a decision would be taken on whether Gorbachev would be given a state funeral. Peskov added that the Kremlin would also announce later whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend the funeral.
Gorbachev died on Tuesday at a hospital in Moscow at the age of 91. According to the Central Clinical Hospital, the reason for his death was a long illness and the hospital refused to give further details.
Also Read| ‘Played crucial role to bring down Iron Curtain’: Tributes for Mikhail Gorbachev
Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985 and sought to reform communism, and introduced the concepts of openness and change. In 1989, he was elected as the executive president of the Soviet Union and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his role in ending the Cold War.
However, Gorbachev was in power for less than seven years and spent his last months in the office watching republic after republic declare independence until he resigned on December 25, 1991. On December 26, 1991, the Soviet Union wrote itself into oblivion.
Gorbachev’s death was mourned by leaders across the globe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had a complicated relationship with Gorbachev, said that the former Soviet leader had a huge impact on the course of world history.
Gorbachev led the country during “a period of complex, dramatic changes,” Putin said in a Telegram message.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
Nearly 65% of Britons dislike, feel no ‘sympathy’ for Prince Harry, Meghan
Prince Harry and Markle’s popularity among the former’s home nation took a massive dip following the couple announcing their decision to step down as working royals and move to the US. The situation worsened even further after their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, and the announcement of Harry’s memoir the same year.
-
Researchers in Canada developing oral treatment for diabetes
A team of researchers in Canada has claimed to be developing an oral treatment for diabetes where insulin absorption is similar to that for injected doses. The first part of the study was also published in the journal Scientific Reports. The inspiration for the research, Indo-Canadian principal investigator, Dr Anubhav Pratap-Singh, who is UBC’s faculty of Land and Food Systems said, came from his father, a diabetic who has required three or four insulin injections each day over the past 15 years.
-
US life expectancy dropped for the second consecutive year in 2021: Report
Life expectancy estimates can change with the addition of more data and further analysis. For example, the CDC initially said life expectancy in 2020 declined by about 1 year 6 months. But after more death reports and analysis came in, it ended up being about 1 year 10 months. Life expectancy for men dropped a full year, from about 74 years to 73. COVID-19 deaths were the main reason for the decline.
-
Gorbachev’s 1989 China visit—a flicker of hope for Tiananmen Square protesters
Official Chinese news agency Xinhua’s report on the death of former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev on Wednesday morning was terse. China’s uneasiness with Gorbachev’s legacy is understandable, given that he is seen to be responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union, the other Communist stronghold. China looks at Gorbachev and his legacy as a lesson on what not to do in the name of reform.
-
US Army grounds workhorse Chinook helicopter after engine fires
The US Army has grounded its fleet of workhorse H-47 Chinook helicopters, an icon of US wars from Vietnam to the Middle East, after several experienced engine fires, the Army said Tuesday. The Chinooks, originally known as the CH-47 and in service across the US armed forces as well as in Britain and nearly 20 other countries, are made by Boeing. They are frequently used in disaster relief missions as well.