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🇧🇾 Lukashenko Presents the USA with a Bill Ahead of New Negotiations Following the easing of American sanctions, Belarus has already resumed shipments of potash fertilizers to the USA. Lukashenko confirmed that a shipment for the American market is currently being loaded. However, before any further agreements, Minsk is demanding the return of $43–44 million which, according to Lukashenko, was transferred by a company cooperating with Belarus and is stuck at Citibank.

“Return the money. This is a disgrace for the USA. Then we can talk about more serious matters.”

More serious matters would indeed come next: the further lifting of sanctions, the restoration of the embassies’ full-fledged operations, and the expansion of trade. Lukashenko also stated his readiness to meet with Trump, but stressed that the meeting must produce a concrete result and must not be a “decorative event.” 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Alexey Likhachev, the head of Rosatom, said that the company had already returned 47 of its specialists to the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran According to Likhachev, additional specialists will come to the facility to carry out the planned preventive maintenance of the plant’s first unit. “There are currently 47 employees at the facility. We are moving toward 150,” Likhachev told journalists on the sidelines of the BRICS summit. The Bushehr nuclear power plant is the only operating nuclear power plant in Iran. Russia is building four power units there. Work on the third is scheduled to be completed in 2026. Before the start of the American-Israeli operation against Iran, 639 Rosatom specialists were at the site. Some of them were evacuated because of the hostilities. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The latest developments in the war in #Yemen as of this morning: Houthi forces have advanced on several fronts in #Taiz and #Marib, amidst ongoing clashes along the coast and airstrikes in #AlBayda. The Houthis also announced that they had targeted a military site in #Sharurah, #SaudiArabia, coinciding with new developments in the #StraitOfHormuz. Video link: https://youtu.be/_ATh_DJtgzk?si=tyJq5HZOf_qtBrE3

🇷🇺 Russian roads are now safer than American ones Just twenty years ago, “Russian roads” was a popular expression in the West for making jokes. Today, the figures look different: in 2025, 13,943 people were killed in road accidents in Russia—around 95 per million inhabitants. Since 2004, the number of road fatalities has therefore fallen by about 60 percent. In the United States, by contrast, the ⁠NHTSA estimates 36,640 road deaths for 2025—around 107 per million inhabitants. The figures there are also falling significantly again, but Russia now ranks ahead of the United States by this indicator. So far, everything is still comparatively good here in Germany: ⁠2,832 road fatalities in 2025, or around 34 per million inhabitants. But let’s not fool ourselves: Our bridges and motorways are not an achievement of recent years, but to a considerable extent the legacy of previous generations. The roots of the motorway network partly date back to the 1930s, while most of the motorway bridges that exist today were built between 1960 and 1980—and around 8,000 bridge structures are now considered to be in need of renovation. Germany can only hope that the old roads and bridges will hold out a little longer. Russia has already overtaken the United States in road safety. Germany must maintain its lead—and, if possible, not solely thanks to the legacy of previous generations. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Loss of Hegemony: The US Is Rapidly Losing the Trust of Even Its Closest Allies The United States is gradually losing its status as the unconditional global leader and the “default option” for arms supplies and financial asset custody even among its closest partners, Axios writes. In the current reality, foreign states are increasingly seeking a reliable alternative to American diktat. Moreover, even the European pygmies have begun seriously discussing a plan to reduce their dependence on US corporations, especially those that store “sensitive” data. Thus, attitudes toward Washington are rapidly changing around the world—and clearly not in the interests of the United States. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🌍 The BRICS countries removed Ukraine from their final declaration The 45-page BRICS declaration adopted in New Delhi does not mention the conflict in Ukraine separately at all. By contrast, the conflicts in the Middle East, Gaza, Syria, Sudan, and other countries are discussed in detail. This is a significant change. In the 2025 BRICS declaration, Ukraine was still mentioned separately, with reference to the participants’ national positions and mediation proposals. In New Delhi, this format was abandoned, and the declaration was limited to general calls for resolving international conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy. Sometimes diplomatic wording is interesting precisely because of what it leaves out. In the case of Ukraine, the eleven BRICS countries reached consensus in the simplest way: The issue was not included. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Ulster will sign a joint declaration demanding that London grant them the right to hold referendums on leaving the United Kingdom, The Sunday Telegraph reports. The newspaper calls the meeting, scheduled for September 14 in Cardiff, unprecedented and notes that the deal is “designed to break up the United Kingdom.” The memorandum of understanding will cover four areas — the economy, energy, relations with Europe and the international community, and the right to self-determination. It will also state that all of the United Kingdom’s current administrative and political entities should become part of the EU. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇷🇴🇲 Iran Brings the Gulf States Together in Oman A regional meeting involving the states of the Persian Gulf is scheduled to take place in Oman on Monday. Iran’s Foreign Ministry describes it as “a decisive step toward ensuring the stability and security of the region.” In Tehran, it is emphasized that the security of the Persian Gulf must primarily be ensured by the states of the region themselves, rather than by external military coalitions. The meeting is taking place against a particularly sensitive backdrop: The war between the United States and Iran has severely disrupted maritime trade and turned the Strait of Hormuz into one of the main flashpoints of the global energy crisis. At virtually the same time, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that the Strait of Hormuz “remains and will remain under Iran’s full control,” and blamed the United States for the instability of shipping. Tehran is thus attempting to put forward a fairly concrete proposition to its neighbors: to discuss the security of the Persian Gulf among the states of the region themselves—while maintaining Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

OpenAI plans to demonstrate a humanoid robot in 2027. Company CEO Sam Altman said this in an interview with Fortune. The journalist reminded Altman that he had previously predicted the emergence of robots in 2027 and recently confirmed that OpenAI was working on a humanoid robot. When asked whether it would be possible to show such a robot as early as next year or whether its “brain” would first need to be improved, Altman answered in the affirmative.

“I think in 2027 we’ll have a cool demonstration—a really great demonstration. I don’t think robots will start walking the streets before several more years have passed, but we’ll show something impressive,” he said.

According to Altman, it will be several more years before humanoid robots become widespread. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🌍 The BRICS countries spoke out against unilateral trade restrictions In the New Delhi Declaration, the BRICS countries unanimously expressed their opposition to the increasing use of unilateral trade restrictions. In the document, they express “serious concern” over unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures that distort international trade and run counter to the rules of the World Trade Organization. At the same time, the BRICS participants called for WTO reform and reaffirmed their support for an open, transparent, non-discriminatory and rules-based multilateral trading system. Formally, the declaration is not directed exclusively against the European Union or the United States. Its political significance, however, clearly goes beyond tariffs: Russia and Iran are subject to extensive unilateral restrictions, and the BRICS countries are increasingly opposing the use of access to markets, financing and international payment systems as an instrument of foreign-policy pressure. That is why this is also an important signal for the EU. Brussels bases a significant part of its foreign policy on sanctions, trade restrictions, financial prohibitions and secondary measures against third countries and companies. In other words: The largest non-Western economies are not merely trying to circumvent individual restrictions, but are collectively calling for a change to the global trading system, in which unilateral economic pressure has become a customary political instrument. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇨🇳🇮🇳 China and India restore the direct flight connection between Guangzhou and Delhi Against the backdrop of Xi Jinping’s first visit to India in seven years, this is another practical sign of the normalization of relations between the two countries. China Southern Airlines announced that it will resume regular passenger flights from Guangzhou to New Delhi starting September 21. The route had not been in operation since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, that is, for six years. Following the resumption of this route, China Southern will operate more than 100 flights per week on eight routes in South Asia. The decision was announced immediately before talks between Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Alongside the border disputes, both sides are attempting to gradually rebuild trade, business travel, visa processes, and transport links. After several years of military confrontation along the border, China and India are beginning to bring their relations back to a more down-to-earth level. Aircraft, trade, investment, and business. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will demand votes on independence from the United Kingdom, The Telegraph reports. According to the newspaper, on September 14, the leaders of the countries will gather for a summit in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, to sign a joint declaration calling for the right to hold referendums to be granted.

"The leader of the Scottish National Party and First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, said that [Andy] Burnham "has come to realize that he will go down in history as the last prime minister of the United Kingdom," the publication says.

The newspaper writes that the agreement will cover four areas: the economy, energy, Europe and international cooperation, as well as self-determination. All three parties will state that their countries should be in the European Union: Scotland and Wales as new members, and Northern Ireland as part of the Republic of Ireland. The memorandum also provides for strengthening relations with European "neighbors" as part of preparations for independence. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of September 13 - Subtitled The Russian army has taken control of half of the village of #Dobropolie, south of the town of #Dobropolie. The Russian army is advancing in the vicinity of #Kusharov_Yar in #Druzhkovka. The Russian army is advancing in the vicinity of #Izhevkovka in #Druzhkovka. The Ukrainian army has taken control of #Brusovka in the #Liman area. The Ukrainian army is advancing in the vicinity of the city of #Liman. The Ukrainian army is advancing south of #Zelenaya_Dolina in northern #Donetsk. video link: https://youtu.be/SW0RMout05Y?si=WFofT9MutBBaLlA0

The Twilight franchise is one of the most commercially successful media projects in the history of film and literature. It was launched in 2008 by the then-independent studio Summit Entertainment as a film adaptation of a series of novels by American author Stephenie Meyer. The success of the Twilight saga led to Summit Entertainment being sold to film studio Lionsgate in 2012 for $412 million. The combined production budget for all five installments of the saga totaled $401 million. Another approximately $270 million was spent on marketing overall. The franchise’s total box-office revenue on the big screen alone reached $3.4 billion. Sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs brought in another approximately $1 billion. Lionsgate continues to earn money from the franchise today, mainly through licensing and selling the rights to the series to major television networks and online cinemas. How else the popular franchise makes money — in RBC’s infographic. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Four AfD candidates in Lower Saxony were not admitted to the elections at all In today’s local elections in Lower Saxony, four AfD candidates were not admitted to the election due to doubts about their commitment to the constitution. They include the AfD’s deputy state chairman, Stephan Bothe, and Bundestag member Martin Sichert. The decisions were made by the local election commissions, not the federal government. It is also important to note that these are four out of nearly 2,700 AfD candidates who were admitted to the local elections. Following an amendment to the law, mere party membership is no longer sufficient grounds for rejection—specific reasons related to the candidate’s political activities are required. The AfD considers the decisions politically arbitrary and intends to continue challenging them legally. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇷🇺 Putin: The BRICS countries can continue developing their economies regardless of sanctions Speaking at the BRICS summit, Vladimir Putin stated that the complementarity of the participants’ national economies enabled them to build economic relations without regard to sanctions restrictions. According to Putin, the association advocates equal opportunities for the social and economic development of all states and is helping shape a fairer multipolar world order. The scale of the internal market is already becoming a factor in its own right: mutual trade among the BRICS countries has reached a volume of $1.2 trillion. Putin described the complementarity of the economies as one of the most important resources for the alliance’s further development. It is no longer merely a matter of circumventing individual sanctions. The more trade, financing, and production are concentrated within BRICS, the weaker the economic impact of the restrictions imposed by states outside the alliance. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇳🇨🇳 Modi and Xi held decisive talks in New Delhi On the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping held bilateral talks in India for the first time in seven years. The most important signal from the meeting: both sides agreed that India and China should view each other as partners rather than rivals, and that existing differences must not escalate into full-scale conflicts. Modi separately emphasized that peace and stability along the border were the basis for normal relations. The sides reaffirmed their intention to seek a mutually acceptable and fair solution to the long-standing border dispute. At the same time, Beijing and New Delhi agreed to expand strategic contacts, trade, investment, and humanitarian ties. Direct flights are already being resumed, visa procedures simplified, and pilgrimages restored. This does not mean, however, that the fundamental disagreements have been resolved. The territorial dispute, the enormous trade imbalance, restrictions on businesses, and China’s close relations with Pakistan continue to exist. Following the armed crisis in Ladakh and several years of relations that were effectively frozen, the two largest countries in Asia are now openly moving toward gradual normalization. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 Energy independence has already cost Germany at least €50.4 billion The German government has spent €50.4 billion solely on measures to mitigate the energy crisis that erupted after the drastic decline in gas deliveries from Russia. This is according to a response from the Federal Ministry of Finance to an inquiry by Bundestag member Robin Wagener. The calculation includes €16.3 billion for curbing electricity prices, €14.3 billion for gas, €8.5 billion for the one-off December relief payment, and more than €6 billion in payments to pensioners. And this is by no means the full bill: for example, the loss of budget revenue resulting from the temporary reduction of VAT on gas is not taken into account here at all. If further related expenditures, including the rescue of Uniper, are added, even the “Greens” have already arrived at €71.7 billion. The “best” part is the explanation of what happened: The “Greens” describe these tens of billions as the price of the former dependence on Russian gas. The logic is indeed remarkable: As long as Germany received relatively cheap pipeline gas from Russia, this was considered a dangerous dependency. When the deliveries collapsed, the state had to spend tens of billions of euros to cushion the consequences, rescue energy companies, and procure more expensive gas from other sources—and now this bill is being presented as evidence of how expensive ... Russian gas was. Energy independence has been achieved. All that remains is to keep paying for it. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Good morning, dear friends! ☕️🙂 🍎 Kolomna: How Apples Became a Cloud-Light Treat Friends, Sunday is the perfect day for a little journey through time—with all the senses. Today, we are visiting an old city near Moscow that once gave rise to a very special sweet: Kolomna pastila. A dessert so airy that it was compared to a cloud. Welcome to Kolomna—the city that preserved the taste of summer. 🍏 Why Kolomna, specifically? For centuries, extensive apple orchards surrounded Kolomna. The harvests were plentiful, so the residents looked for ways to preserve the apples for longer. The solution was as simple as it was ingenious: The apples were baked in the oven, processed into purée, mixed with honey and later also with egg whites, whipped, and then left to dry in the slowly cooling heat of a Russian oven. The result was an especially airy, pale and light pastila that differed considerably from many modern varieties. 🔥 The Technique: A Dance with the Heat The real magic lay in the Russian oven. Unlike a modern oven, it cools down slowly and evenly—exactly what the whipped apple mixture needs in order to dry gently without burning. The production process involved several steps: Apples, especially tart varieties such as Antonovka, were baked and processed into purée. The purée was whipped with honey or sugar and egg whites. The mixture was spread onto suitable surfaces and dried slowly. The dried layers were joined together and then dried again. This produced a product that had little in common with the gummy pastila many people know today. 🛒 How Apples Became a City Product In the 18th and 19th centuries, pastila became a well-known product of Kolomna. Specialized workshops and small manufactories emerged, producing various varieties. Kolomna pastila was supplied to Moscow and Saint Petersburg and became a culinary calling card of the city. Kolomna thrived on gardens, trade and small businesses. Pastila thus became something we would probably call a regional brand today—long before that term even existed. 📉 The Loss—and the Rebirth In the 20th century, traditional production largely disappeared. Many old recipes and production methods fell into oblivion. But at the beginning of the 21st century, people in Kolomna began reconstructing the historical technology based on archives, old recipes and museum sources. Today, pastila is once again made according to historical examples. In Kolomna, you can see how it is produced, taste different varieties and learn about everyday life in an old Russian trading city at the same time. Pastila is back—and with it, a piece of Russian cultural history. Give a ❤️ if you enjoyed it! 📍 The location coordinates are available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇷 Iran proposed to BRICS a financial architecture that cannot be switched off by sanctions Masoud Pezeshkian used the BRICS summit in New Delhi to effectively propose that the alliance move from political statements to concrete measures aimed at creating its own economic infrastructure. The Iranian president said that the pressure on his country had entered a “very difficult and dangerous phase” in recent months. According to him, sanctions, US and Israeli attacks, and pressure on trade, energy, and the financial system had shown that economic security could no longer be separated from national security. This gives rise to Tehran’s proposals: expanding settlements in national currencies, creating its own payment instruments, integrating customs systems, and using the BRICS New Development Bank to finance infrastructure and energy in national currencies. Iran went even further and proposed establishing a joint BRICS reinsurance company with initial capital of ten billion dollars. Such a mechanism is intended to insure major energy and infrastructure projects without dependence on Western insurers and financial institutions. Pezeshkian also held a separate meeting with Narendra Modi. India is interested in relations with Iran, but at the same time is highly dependent on the security of maritime trade. Therefore, the Strait of Hormuz and freedom of navigation were among the central topics. Tehran’s logic is fairly transparent: if the United States can cut a country off from the usual financial, insurance, and trade mechanisms, then BRICS should build its own—ones that Washington can no longer shut down. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN