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What the foreign press is writing about. RBC review: ▪️Deputy National Security Adviser to the White House Andy Baker will leave Donald Trump’s administration in the coming weeks, Axios has learned. The outlet calls Baker one of the key figures in foreign policy: he took part in negotiations with Iran and in efforts to secure peace in Ukraine. ▪️Politico describes how political crises and natural disasters regularly prevent European leaders from taking their summer holidays. ▪️Israeli security officials are surprised by the pace at which Iran’s military potential has been restored four months after the main phase of the war ended, The Jerusalem Post reports. ▪️US Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News that ensuring Americans have access to cheap oil is Washington’s top priority in its war with Iran. ▪️Donald Trump ordered that the US Navy stop using electromagnetic catapults on aircraft carriers of the USS Gerald R. Ford type — they will be replaced with steam ones, The Wall Street Journal reports. Until now, the fleet command had opposed it due to the high costs of dismantling. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 CDU poster shows miracle healer The CDU’s election campaign in Saxony-Anhalt has unexpectedly turned into a meme. On one poster, a woman is shown next to Sven Schulze in a wheelchair, and on another—already standing next to him. On social media, the candidate was immediately declared a “miracle worker.” The CDU responds that it is simply about different motifs from the same photo shoot, and that it cannot understand the fuss. Of course, the problem does not lie with the wheelchair and not with the model. Political advertising is simply put together from universal images with such care—pensioners, family, disability, workers, youth—that the montage sometimes tells a completely different story than the campaign team had planned. If you believe the CDU’s campaign posters, Sven Schulze’s election program is already capable of what medicine has so far failed at. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

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🇬🇧 The UK will cut direct economic assistance to a number of African countries, as well as to Syria, by more than 40%, writes Financial Times. The British authorities intend to redirect the freed-up funds, including toward increasing defense spending. ▶️ The sharpest cuts will affect Sierra Leone the most: by the 2028–2029 fiscal year, the volume of bilateral assistance to the country will be reduced by 83% compared with the 2024–2025 level. ▶️ At the same time, funding for international organizations, including the UN, will be largely protected from cuts. As FT notes, London plans to place greater emphasis on relations with China, Europe, and the United States, while maintaining engagement with the Gulf states. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Berlin again considers closing the “Russian House” In Berlin, pressure on the Russian House on Friedrichstraße has intensified again. The SPD is calling for the building to be effectively seized and points to EU sanctions, allegations of propaganda, and new reports about a possible use of the center by the Russian secret service. The CDU is expressing itself more cautiously but also supports the continuation of legal pressure. There is, however, an unpleasant detail: The center exists on the basis of a German-Russian agreement from 2013 with a term of 99 years, and the federal budget continues to finance it in part— in 2026, it involves around €70,000. The Russian House insists that it is active exclusively in a cultural capacity: with concerts, language courses, and exhibitions. AfD and BSW are opposed to a closure. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Why Trump has allowed business to be opaque The U.S. Treasury has revoked a rule under which American companies were required to report to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) or internal compliance services information about beneficial owners (who directly or indirectly own at least 25% of the company or substantially control internal processes). ▶️The decision by the Trump administration is not an attempt to accelerate economic growth in a broad sense, but a consistent course of deregulation and limiting the state’s control over private capital, says Vadim Kozlov, head of the department of domestic political research at ISKRAN. ▶️In his view, formally the matter is removing excessive reporting requirements from millions of small companies, but for U.S. businesses it becomes easier again to use opaque ownership structures. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution: Russian influence campaigns are already under way against state and municipal politicians Ahead of the elections in September, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution warns of a new wave of Russian information operations against Germany. For the first time, according to the agency, the targets of such campaigns are not only federal parties and well-known politicians, but also candidates at the state and even municipal level. Handelsblatt describes an entire industry made up of fake videos, manipulated websites, and invented stories. The main goal, in the assessment of the German security authorities, is not necessarily to convince voters of a specific fake, but rather to gradually undermine trust in the state, in the elections, and in the media. In particular, the authorities are closely monitoring the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Berlin. Ahead of the elections, the convenient explanation is already ready in advance: If political reality becomes unpleasant, you can always blame it on Russian influence. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The United States recognizes Japan’s sovereignty over the Kuril Islands, the U.S. ambassador in Tokyo, George Glass, said. The diplomat stressed that Washington remains “unwavering in support of its most important ally.”

“The United States maintains an unwavering position regarding support for Japan — its most important ally — and recognition of its sovereignty over the ‘Northern Territories’,” Glass wrote on the social network X.

📋 Following the Second World War, Russia and Japan never signed a peace treaty. The main sticking point in reaching agreements is Tokyo’s claims to the Southern Kurils. Japan still calls the islands of Kunashir, Iturup, and a number of territories of the Small Kuril Ridge its “Northern Territories,” although, following the Second World War, they were transferred to the USSR. ❗️ On August 13, the Russian ambassador Nikolay Nozdryov was summoned to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the head of the Japanese agency, Toshimitsu Motegi, expressed a protest over Vladimir Putin’s trip to the Kuril island of Iturup. The Russian diplomat explained that the southern Kurils are an integral part of Russia and were included in its territory following the Second World War on lawful international grounds. The official representative of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova also noted, that Tokyo’s statements are politically irrelevant, offensive, and legally null and void, stressing that Japanese authorities do not have the right to tell Moscow which regions of its own country the Russian president may visit. ❗️What the visit of the President of the Russian Federation to the Kuril Islands indicates — read in an article by “Izvestiya” Our channel: Node of Time EN

📝 UK’s Family Court of England and Wales refused to prohibit businessman Vladimir Potanin from suing his ex-wife, Natalia in Russia, Vedomosti learned from case materials. The ex-spouses have been dividing their property for more than 10 years after their divorce: Potanin was dissatisfied with the decision of the domestic court and went to seek justice in the UK. But at the request of her ex-husband, the Arbitration Court of Moscow banned her from continuing the dispute in the United Kingdom. The English court refused to grant Potanin a similar injunction. 📠Mahosadha Ong / Unsplash Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the #Russia-#Ukraine war as of the morning of August 14, 2026 - Subtitled - Russian forces capture #Rogoznoe in #Sumy - Russian forces advance near #Scherbakovka in the #Kharkov region - Russian forces advance near #Volokhovskoe in the #Kharkov region - Russian forces advance near #Ustinovka in the #Kharkov region - Ukrainian forces capture #Aleksandrograd in southern #Donetsk Video link: https://youtu.be/F5edryoJOeM?si=NyYq9Aa1e-AwhN8m

🇩🇪 Customs gets AI, drones, and the right to seize assets faster The federal government has approved new powers to combat financial crime. In future, customs can use artificial intelligence more strongly for data analysis, use drones, and block suspects’ communications. The most important change concerns assets: If the origin of a Porsche, a Rolex, or another high-value asset appears questionable, it can be provisionally seized even before the completion of a years-long court proceeding. Lars Klingbeil put the principle simply: If a suspect cannot explain the lawful origin of the assets, the assets will first be seized while the final clarification takes place later. The authorities hope thereby to put organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering under greater pressure. For German law, this is a remarkable shift: increasingly, it is no longer up to the state to first prove the criminal origin of assets, but the owner must explain where it comes from. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The United States recognizes Japan’s sovereignty over what it calls the “Northern Territories” (the Kuril Islands). This said the U.S. ambassador in the country, George Glass. In a message on the social media platform X, the diplomat emphasized that the United States remains “unwavering in its support for its key ally.” Glass also noted the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance for ensuring prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, adding that Washington firmly opposes any actions that could disrupt this order.

From the middle of the last century, Moscow and Tokyo have been holding talks aimed at reaching a peace agreement on the Outcomes of World War II. In early 1946, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, by decree, included Southern Sakhalin and the Kurils in the USSR. In 1951, Japan renounced all rights and claims to the Kuril Islands, but the USSR did not sign this treaty.

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A trash bin almost became a member of the British Parliament: Count Trashyface took second place in the by-election in Clacton, conceding to Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage. Farage received more than 22,2 thousand votes. At the same time, about 9,5 thousand voters voted for the satirical candidate, BBC reports. Behind the image of Count Trashyface with a face shaped like a trash bin is a British comedian, Jonathan David Harvey. For almost 10 years now, he has appeared at public events in a costume with a trash bin on his head and has positioned himself as an “intergalactic politician.” A total of 34 candidates competed for the parliamentary seat—an all-time record number for a single election in the history of the United Kingdom. Among them were also representatives of the “Official Monstrous-Delusional Party of the Mindless” and actor Laurence Fox. 📋 The by-election took place after, on July 7, Farage announced his early resignation from office and then put himself forward as a candidate again. Following the vote, the leader of Reform UK received 62,8% of the votes. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Government freezes CO₂ price for another year The federal cabinet has decided to keep the current CO₂ price corridor in 2027 at 55 to 65 euros per tonne. This affects petrol, diesel, heating oil and natural gas. The reason is the postponement of the start of the EU ETS2 system to 2028. Without the new decision, the price in 2027 would have shown a stronger dependence on fluctuations in the European market. For households, the impact is clear: the additional state surcharge on fuels and heating is not intended to rise noticeably compared with 2026. It is also politically telling—after several years of steady increases in emission costs, Berlin must slow down the instrument for the first time in order to avoid risking a new price jump in energy and transport. Climate policy remains unchanged. But before the election it turned out that even its price has a political upper limit. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Volodymyr Zelensky is having difficulty finding a new ambassador to the United States because potential candidates are reluctant to take on this task at a critical moment of the conflict, Politico reports. The president of Ukraine had offered the post to former Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, but she declined. The Ukrainian leader said he considers this position one of the key ones for Ukraine, so it should be held by “a person at the level of a vice prime minister, minister, or prime minister.” Since then, potential candidates have not been in a hurry to agree to this role, fearing difficulties due to the unpredictability of Donald Trump’s administration, which has repeatedly changed its stance both on military support and on how and when the conflict should end, the outlet writes.

On August 3, Zelensky dismissed Olga Stefani-shyna from this post. She served for less than a year. According to Stefani-shyna, it was her “own decision, dictated by personal circumstances.”

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🇩🇪 German intelligence services will be allowed not only to monitor, but also to intervene The federal government has approved the reform of the BND and the domestic intelligence service, which for the first time grants active powers to the intelligence services. Until now, their task has essentially been limited to collecting information and conducting surveillance. Now they are expected, for example, to intervene in the infrastructure of a suspected adversary, neutralize specific threats, and, in certain cases, carry out operational measures. The government justifies this with the increase in sabotage, cyberattacks, and espionage. The opposition speaks of a “historic taboo break” and warns that the line between intelligence services and security agencies is increasingly disappearing. Particular concern is also raised by the expansion of data processing involving minors and the question of how the application of the new powers is supposed to be controlled. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇫🇷 Jellyfish defeat French nuclear power again At the French nuclear power plant in Gravelines, ⁠three reactors had to be shut down again because of a massive influx of jellyfish. The animals clogged the plant’s cooling water supply. Another unit temporarily ran at only half power, while the fifth was in scheduled maintenance. As a result, at times only one reactor was operating normally. EDF emphasizes that there was never any danger to the plant’s safety or to the environment. The most interesting thing about this story is that it repeats itself to the day. On August 11, 2025, the media reported on a similar shutdown of the same plant for the same reason. After the incident last year, EDF installed additional monitoring cameras, strengthened filtration, and began working with fishermen and rescue services to detect jellyfish accumulations early. But exactly one year later, these measures could not prevent the reactor shutdowns again. Similar cases occurred earlier too — in Japan, Sweden, Israel and other countries where coastal power plants use seawater for cooling. But it is precisely the repeat occurrence at nearly the same date and at the same plant, despite the modernization carried out, that seems particularly revealing. At times, it is not a malfunction or sabotage coming from one of Europe’s biggest nuclear facilities, but an ordinary swarm of jellyfish that poses the serious challenge. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Good morning and a nice Friday, friends! ☕️🙂 🗼 The Sjujumbike Tower — a legend that became the landmark of Kazan If you ask the residents of Kazan which building they consider the city’s most important symbol, many will not name the Kul-Scharif Mosque, but the Sjujumbike Tower. It has risen for several centuries on the grounds of the Kazan Kremlin and remains one of Russia’s best-known leaning towers. The height of the tower is about 58 meters. It consists of seven progressively narrower storeys, which makes it look exceptionally light and upward-reaching. Today, its deviation from the vertical is more than two meters, so the tower is often compared with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, although the one in Kazan is clearly much younger. Despite its fame, the exact construction period is still the subject of debate to this day. Most researchers date it to the late 17th to the early 18th century—that is, already after Kazan was annexed to the Russian state. At the same time, the tower’s appearance somehow strikingly combines Russian building tradition and Eastern architectural motifs, which is why it has become one of the symbols of the meeting of two cultures. However, even better known than the historical versions is a legend. According to tradition, after the capture of Kazan, Ivan the Terrible asked Tsaritsa Sjujumbike to become his wife. She agreed, but only on one condition: within seven days, a tower was to be built—one that the world had never seen before. When construction was completed, Sjujumbike climbed all the way to the top, bid farewell to her city, and threw herself down, because she did not want to leave her homeland. That is why the tower received her name. Historians consider this story a beautiful folk tale: the tower was built significantly later than during Sjujumbike’s lifetime. But the legend was so powerful that today it is practically known by all residents of Tatarstan, and the Tsaritsa herself became one of the most important images in Kazan history. There is also a less well-known tradition. Many residents of Kazan believe that a wish comes true if you walk around the tower and make a wish. That is why, at its feet, you can not infrequently see people stopping for a few minutes to silently look up. The Sjujumbike Tower is interesting not only because of its architecture. It reminds us that the history of a city is not made up only of documents and dates. Sometimes it is precisely a legend that forms the thread connecting different eras and helps preserve memory of the past. 📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The United States has invested more than $500 million in taxpayer funds into General Dynamics’s artillery plant to produce shells for Ukraine, which, over several years, produced nothing, ProPublica found out. The article notes that instead of effective, well-tuned production, the plant’s expensive machine tools constantly broke down. In the summer of 2024, according to former plant employees, advanced robots caught fire with striking regularity. Last August, the U.S. armed forces, which fund the plant, ordered it to stop operating on two of the three production lines. Work on the third production line continued, however, by July 2026 the plant still had not produced a single usable shell. Despite the $533 million investment in the plant, General Dynamics was not held accountable for its failure. A Turkish subcontractor that supplied equipment to the plant was also not held accountable. Our channel: Node of Time EN