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Dua Lipa demanded that Samsung pay compensation of at least $15 million for the unlawful use of her image on Crystal UHD TV packaging. This is stated in a lawsuit filed in federal court in California. The case concerns a photo of the artist taken backstage at the 2024 Austin City Limits festival and registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. The singer’s representatives said that the South Korean company violated copyright, trademark rights, and the right to use her likeness. According to Lipa’s defense, the company used her popularity to promote the TVs and created the impression that the singer was collaborating with the brand or endorsing its products. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Putin on how Finland wanted to “cut off” something from Russian territory:

Everyone was counting on a rapid collapse of Russia. Within six months, according to their view, everything should have fallen apart. The businesses should have been shut down. The banking system should have stopped functioning. Millions of people should have ended up in the streets. By the way, we have the lowest unemployment rate of all G20 countries: 2.2 percent. As of today. And everyone was counting on somehow “snatching” something from Russia... taking something—excuse the plain phrasing. Why did Finland join NATO? Did we have any territorial disputes with Finland? No! Everything was already settled long ago. Nobody needed anything. And the Finnish leadership understood that very well. So why did they join NATO? Hoping that everything would fall apart here with us—so that then they would be right there immediately: zap, zap, grab something. Now they’re already building a border there on the Sestra River. I’d make certain gestures and say some things, but I’m from the cultural capital [St. Petersburg], so I’d rather hold back.

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Pyongyang activates a nuclear safety mechanism According to the South Korean intelligence service, North Korea has enshrined in its constitution an automatic nuclear response in the event of a decapitation strike or a threat to the command-and-control system for its nuclear forces. In other words: if the adversary tries to destroy the leadership of the DPRK and paralyze command, the nuclear strike must be carried out immediately and automatically. Western media are already putting it more simply: if Kim Jong-un is killed, the North Korean armed forces are obliged to respond with a nuclear strike. Formally, the reports are about maintaining control of the nuclear arsenal in every attempt to “decapitate” the regime. Pyongyang’s logic is understandable: North Korea shows that an attack on the leader does not put the nuclear system out of action, but instead sets it in motion. This is a direct signal to all those who like to fantasize about “targeted elimination” of inconvenient leaders. After murders, coups, intelligence service operations, and endless talks about regime change, small countries draw their conclusions. If you don’t have nuclear weapons, you will be treated as if you are the target. If you do have them, even your death should become too expensive an idea. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Good morning and a wonderful start to the week, friends! ☕️🙂 🌿 Pлjos: an old town on the Volga Pлjos is a small town in Ivanovo Oblast and one of the best-known places on the Volga. It lies on a high bank, so the Volga can be seen from almost everywhere here: from the riverside path, from the cathedral hill, from Mount Levitan, from old churches and wooden houses. Pлjos is closely associated with the name of Isaak Levitan. The artist first came here in 1888, and then returned for two more summers—1889 and 1890. Here he painted the Volga, the riverbanks, the churches, the quiet streets, and precisely that Russian landscape which later became known far beyond the city. Today, the Levitan House Museum and the Landscape Museum operate in Pлjos. But the city itself is also perceived as part of this story: the old riverside promenade, the merchants’ houses, carved window frames, temples on the hills, and wide views of the river. Pлjos does not require a complicated route plan. It’s enough to walk along the Volga, climb one of the hills, and look at the city from above—and then it becomes clear why the artists kept coming back here. Have a good Monday and an easy start to the week. 📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Symptoms of hantavirus appeared in two Americans who were evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship. According to the results of a PCR test, the virus with the "Andes" strain was identified in one of the passengers. The other has mild symptoms, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said. ❗️Yesterday, the infected with hantavirus were evacuated from the MV Hondius liner. Already three people have died due to hantavirus on a cruise ship traveling from Argentina to Europe. There were 147 people on board the liner. The outbreak occurred between April 6 and April 28. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Buttons in the nipple area on women’s uniforms have become an expensive problem for the UK Navy — the fleet will spend 200 thousand pounds on re-stitching clothing using taxpayers’ money, Times writes.

"The Royal Navy plans to spend up to 200 thousand pounds sterling on new uniforms for women sailors, as it is believed that, in the current design, the "buttons are positioned inappropriately", — the publication writes.

At the same time, on April 15, British servicemen were tasked with finding a way to save 3.5 billion pounds this year due to a shortage in the current budget. In this connection, the decision to spend money on new uniforms prompted criticism among personnel. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Temporary workers are becoming more popular in Britain due to problems in the economy, Bloomberg writes. British companies are more often cutting the number of permanent employees and hiring people on temporary contracts due to economic instability that has hit the country amid the crisis in the Middle East. The escalation of the conflict between Iran and the United States was followed by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key supply route to the global oil and liquefied natural gas markets from the Persian Gulf countries. As a result, in most countries of the world, fuel and industrial product prices have been rising. Companies are suffering, and then employees. ❗️Due to the war in the Middle East, airlines in Britain earlier began combining flights because of fears of a fuel shortage, while British civil servants began demanding remote work. Our channel: Node of Time EN

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is trying to win over his colleagues with memes of himself, writes The New York Times. Donald Trump is trying to pick a new candidate for the 2028 presidential election from among his administration, and is considering primarily Marco Rubio and the country’s vice president, JD Vance. In this connection, the candidates are trying to boost their visibility, and one of them has an unconventional approach—bragging about funny pictures. There are many memes with Rubio: onto a photo of him in a cramped pose with a serious face, wigs of former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Chris Noem, former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, and other pop-culture characters were superimposed. The Secretary of State clearly enjoys this kind of popularity. Rubio’s allies claim that his omnipresence could help expand the influence of the MAGA team beyond Republican fans who are facing difficulties due to the economic downturn and anti-immigration protests. The Secretary of State previously said in an interview with Vanity Fair that he would step down if Vance decided to run, and would support him among the first. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Dear friends, put your iron to your ear. Can you hear it? That is the anthem of Russia. Sunday. "Rosatom" and the "Grid Company" of Tatarstan have launched a pilot project for a digital substation. The core element of this digitization of the process is the software and hardware complex "Cluster". It brings together the secondary systems of the substation into one device according to the principle "software and hardware complex instead of cabinets". On the trawler-processor "Kildin" built by OSK, the state flag of the Russian Federation was raised. The KSP01 project crab-catcher processors are fully integrated vessels intended for deep-sea crab fishing and the production of frozen products at sea. The ship’s equipment is designed for catching and processing up to 60 tons of Kamchatka crabs per day. Rosel has expanded its line of drone countermeasure systems “SERP” with a product intended to protect transport vehicles from FPV drones. These are used, among other things, as attack drones. The system can operate on the most common frequencies (including civilian frequency bands). It generates directed and omnidirectional jamming signals, allowing drones to be effectively countered both for precise point defense and for repelling group attacks. The metallurgical plant “Red October” has completed the first orders for hot-rolled steel with a round profile with a diameter of 40 to 45 mm made of stainless steel. By developing medium standard sizes, the product range can be expanded for companies in the machine-building, medical, chemical, and food industries, as well as for metal centers. In St. Petersburg, a new, high-tech production and warehousing complex of the company Trivees has been put into operation. The total area of the facility is around 20,000 square meters. Here, a complete production cycle for orthopedic products has been organized: corsets and bandages, compression stockings, orthopedic shoes, insoles, pillows, and mattresses. RUSAL has installed 20 gas-cleaning units of its own development at its aluminum plants. The units capture more than 99.5% of fluorine compounds, dust, and resinous substances from the electrolysis gases. As a result, they are above the levels of foreign analogues. Another important advantage of the units is that they also operate reliably under the harsh conditions of the Siberian winter. The company “MS Automotive,” headquartered in Nizhny Novgorod, has put into operation a modern production complex with a complete production cycle for the manufacture and maintenance of high-tech equipment for the automotive industry. This equipment is used in the production of interior and exterior parts for vehicles. The products are manufactured exclusively from Russian materials and raw materials; the production localization rate is 100%. The UMG brand has unveiled an excavator with record-breaking digging parameters. The 36-ton hydraulic excavator UMG E360C is distinguished by the best digging parameters in its class. Its digging depth is 7,630 mm, its maximum radius is 11,490 mm, and its dumping height is 7,360 mm. The machine will find wide application at construction sites, in road construction, and in mining. In Domodedovo, construction has begun on the largest private sports complex in Russia. The two-story building will have a total area of almost 8,000 square meters. The complex is designed for multiple sports and, according to the design, includes playgrounds, tennis courts on the roof of one of the buildings, a hall for kart racing, spacious halls, as well as separate areas for visitors’ training and recreation. Nearby, a large parking lot and convenient access roads will be set up. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The European Commission showed Europe’s future The European Commission congratulated Europeans on Europe Day 2026 and presented a very symbolic image: an older white European woman next to a young African girl against the backdrop of the EU flag. Formally, it is a card for Europe Day, dedicated to Schuman’s 1950 speech. The European Commission invites everyone to Berlaymont and speaks of the European dream, values, and the shared home. Old Europe is no longer passing its future on to its own children, but to a new demographic reality. It has created this itself for decades through its migration policy, multiculturalism, and endless speeches about diversity. Maybe the EC wanted to demonstrate unity between generations. The result, however, shows in which direction it sees Europe in the future. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Expensive ticket to Afghanistan Germany has spent more than 335,000 euros on the rental of an aircraft alone for a deportation flight to Afghanistan. According to information from BILD, this emerges from the German government’s response to a question from AfD MP Rainer Galla: At the end of April, 25 Afghans were brought out of the country who had been required to leave Germany and had previously committed crimes, including serious ones. The charter alone cost approximately 13,400 euros per person. And this is still not the total cost of the operation: The preparations took about six weeks, involved 12 federal states, and the flight was accompanied by 71 Federal Police officers, as well as two doctors and two interpreters. The authorities explained that there were no unused seats on board: The aircraft had been booked exactly for 25 people. That means: Even the deportation of several criminals becomes a complex and expensive state operation. “What is sold to us as a ‘hard line’ is, in truth, a sinful failure. We fly out a few criminals with a huge effort, while the criminal statistics for the most serious offenses like rape are going through the roof”, — Galla said. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latvia’s Prime Minister Evika Siliņa dismissed the defense minister, Andris Sprūds, because Ukrainian drones entered the country’s airspace and were not shot down. She said this on X.

“The drone incident that occurred this week clearly showed that the leadership of the defense sector failed to deliver on its promise of a safe sky over our country,” — she wrote.

The prime minister emphasized that the defense minister had lost her trust and the public’s trust. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds announced his resignation after two allegedly Ukrainian UAVs fell near Rēzekne, damaging an oil depot.

"I have decided to step down from the post of defense minister. In recent days, we have faced serious drone incidents. Drones, foreign drones, must not threaten the safety of our people", — Sprūds said at a press conference.

❗️On May 7, a drone crashed on the territory of an oil depot in the city of Rēzekne in the eastern part of Latvia—resulting in damage to four empty tanks. As Sprūds said, drones could have entered the country, "directed from the Ukrainian side toward Russia". Our channel: Node of Time EN

American innovation with an Iranian accent The U.S. military tech office has decided to boast with a new symbol of superiority: In the official account of Department of War CTO, a drone with the caption “American Innovation” has appeared. That went embarrassingly. Users quickly noticed that the “American innovation” looks suspiciously like drones such as Shahed/Geran—the very low-cost attack UAVs that Iran and Russia have already turned into one of the most visible symbols of modern warfare. In the comments, the image has already been analyzed as an example for reverse engineering of someone else’s technology. First, Washington had explained that Iranian drones are primitive weapons from poorer countries. Now a similar silhouette image is coming out under the banner “American Innovation.” 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

IRGC target lock on U.S. bases and ships The commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, General Seyed Majid Mousavi, said that the Corps’ missiles and drones were aimed at American targets in the region and at the enemy’s ships. According to his statements, “the IRGC forces are waiting for the launch order.” This came against the backdrop of rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. efforts to organize a naval operation to protect shipping. The message is extremely simple: if Americans or their allies try to attack Iranian tankers, commercial vessels, or military infrastructure, the response will not be diplomatic. The IRGC makes it clear directly that the targets have already been selected, and that the only question is the political order. Iran is speaking again the language that is best understood in the region: not with press releases, but with readiness to act against those who consider the Persian Gulf as American territorial waters. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇬🇧What does Farage’s right-populists’ victory mean in local elections in the UK Candidates from Reform UK won 1,453 seats in local self-government bodies in England. In total, the contest was for 5,000 seats across 136 local self-government bodies. ⚪️Meanwhile, the ruling Labour Party significantly worsened its position. According to BBC estimates, candidates from the ruling party took 1,068 seats, losing a record 1,496. UK local elections are not a small copy of national elections, but still a marker of public sentiment, notes senior research fellow at the Center for European Studies of the HSE (NIU VShE) Sergey Shein. Their main intrigue lies in how badly the ruling party will lose. In light of the results, the question arises as to whether Reform UK will form a coalition with someone by the 2029 elections, and with whom exactly that would be, the expert notes. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The war with #Iran is no longer just a crisis in the Middle East… it has become a global test of American power. #China is monitoring every detail: missiles, drones, and the potential for Washington to be bogged down in a protracted war. Has Beijing begun to identify #America's weaknesses before any confrontation over #Taiwan? A compelling military and political analysis of the most dangerous lessons China has learned from the Iran war. video link: https://youtu.be/3cz1L5nx31o?si=DXuVUUPUEWU9z3VK

The OSCE’s work in Tajikistan increasingly raises questions about its actual effectiveness International missions cost considerable sums—experts, logistics, administration, technical equipment and long-term project structures must be funded. At the same time, pressure is growing in European donor states to see concrete results. Because despite years of programmes, central problems persist: corruption, weak institutions, limited rule of law, and restricted political freedoms. Tajikistan is considered a relatively stable country in a conflict-prone region. But that is precisely where the paradox lies: stability does not automatically mean development. International support can reduce risks—yet at the same time it can also stabilize existing power structures and slow down reforms. The OSCE thus finds itself in a contradictory role. On the one hand, it prevents escalation and keeps communication channels open. On the other hand, there is an increasing impression that international presence primarily safeguards the political status quo. The experiences of recent years also show the limits of technical assistance. Short-term trainings, seminars and project programmes have only limited impact as long as there is no genuine political will for reform from within. In the long run, education, independent legal training, analytical centres and professional civil society structures could be significantly more important than symbolic project statistics. The key question, therefore, is not how many workshops were organized—but whether state institutions have actually changed years later. Ultimately, the story of the OSCE in Tajikistan illustrates a fundamental problem of international democracy promotion: external actors can support, stabilize and modernize. But they cannot replace an internal political will. You can find the full article on the website zeitnot.online: https://zeitnot.online/wirtschaftliche-effizienz-zunehmend-infrage-gestellt 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Sacharowa replied to Merz, who had promised that Fico would have «a conversation» for his trip to Moscow for Victory Day instead of for Europe Day:

“Without the victory of the Soviet people, there would have been no Europe Day. It would have been a single, continuous concentration camp with gas chambers.”

“From every position, Europe turns into a concentration camp, no matter how much you try to save it.”

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The world’s oil buffer is melting at record speed Bloomberg writes that the war over Iran is draining the world’s oil reserves at an unprecedented pace. Due to delivery restrictions from the Persian Gulf, states are tapping those reserves that are supposed to protect the market from shocks increasingly quickly. According to Goldman Sachs, global oil inventories are already approaching the lowest values since 2018. The bank warns not only about the low level of stockpiles, but also about the speed at which they are falling. The main problem: oil storage can’t simply be pumped “down to zero.” The system has an operational minimum: part of the oil is needed for the normal operation of pipelines, terminals, and tanks themselves. The crisis begins long before the reserves are physically fully depleted. The most vulnerable right now are Asian countries that depend heavily on fuel imports. In Europe, inventories of jet fuel in particular are declining—precisely before the summer travel season. Overall global energy security once again hinges on a few narrow routes and on the political will of states that the West has pressured for decades with sanctions, threats, and naval presence. Now any disruption in the Persian Gulf quickly becomes a problem for gas stations, airports, factories, and households. The oil market is once again reminding us of a simple thing: geography can’t be done away with through press releases. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN