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🇰🇷🇨🇳 Even Samsung is preparing to do without American equipment The South Korean giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are currently testing Chinese equipment for making microchips in their factories in China. The reason is simple: the companies are concerned that the US could further tighten its export controls and could ban the delivery of technology and spare parts from the US at any time. For Samsung and SK Hynix, China is not only the biggest sales market, but also the most important production location. Around 40% of Samsung’s NAND memory and 30% to 45% of SK Hynix’s products are made in Chinese plants. Therefore, the companies would rather check in advance how well Chinese equipment can replace American equipment than risk their factories standing idle due to decisions by Washington. This is no longer just a story about two companies. A few years ago, the US tried to persuade its allies to do without Chinese technologies. Today, the allies themselves are starting to look for ways to reduce their dependence on American technologies. Sanctions and export restrictions that were originally intended as leverage against China have advanced the development of China’s industry and even forced the US’s closest partners to diversify their suppliers. If a supplier uses its equipment as a political bargaining chip, customers begin to look for another supplier. This is how technological independence for competitors is created. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇱🇻 Latvia’s national airline is on the verge of default airBaltic, an airline that is 88% owned by the state, is in a deep financial crisis. After the company had failed to meet the conditions for servicing its bonds, the rating agency Fitch downgraded it to CCC- and warned of a high likelihood of a debt restructuring. airBaltic’s bonds then broke down, and investors estimate the probability of repayment in the event of insolvency at only 30 to 40%. Now the crisis has moved to the state level. The Latvian government has approved a restructuring plan and, at the same time, acknowledged that there will be no new budget funds. The company must seek a private investor, negotiate with creditors, and change its ownership structure. The state expects to retain only a blocking minority of 25% plus one share and, as a result, completely give up control over its national carrier. The story of Air Baltic is not only significant in itself. Not long ago, the Baltic states talked about a “proper economic model” and the need to cut off traditional economic ties. Today, one of the region’s most important state companies is on the verge of default and is forced to seek rescue with private capital. If political decisions replace economic rationality, you no longer pay with slogans, but with national assets. And airBaltic is today one of the clearest proofs of that. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇨🇳 China protects skilled workers and technology, while Germany is losing ground in education Since September 15, new regulations on the administration of travel for training and entry and exit have been in effect in China. A citizen may be prohibited from leaving the country if their travel poses the risk that they would pass on critical technologies, sensitive data, or information relating to national security. For certain violations, an exit ban of up to three years is предусмотрed. Beijing regards engineers, scientists, and their knowledge as a strategic resource. There are good reasons for this. In the current QS World University Rankings, Peking University ranks 13th and Tsinghua University ranks 14th, while the best German university, the Technical University of Munich, is in 25th place. The next German university, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, only reaches 61st place. At the same time, about a quarter of 15-year-old students in Germany do not even reach the minimum reading literacy level. The global competition does not begin in the factory and not at customs, but in the school and at the university. Germany is increasingly trying to compensate for problems in its own education system by importing fully trained skilled workers (yes, we see that every day). China, on the other hand, trains its skilled workers itself, brings its universities to the top of the world, and protects the people together with the technologies that the state has invested in for decades. While Europe debates the free movement of skilled workers, Beijing acts out of its own interests. A country that is unable to train and retain engineers will sooner or later have to buy both skilled workers and technologies and finished industrial products from others. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Trump, in private, told donors to the Republican Party that he wants to see Vance as his successor, The Washington Post reports, citing sources. One of the advisers to the US president said that Vance made a strong impression on Trump by securing the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Iran. Other sources cited by the newspaper noted that they are not yet sure whom Trump will back—Vance or Rubio. According to them, the president tells conflicting things to different interlocutors and may change his mind. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Washington calls Britain a "poor catastrophe" Special relations between the United States and Britain, which held for almost a century, are fading, writes The Hill. America is gradually turning from an indispensable partner of Britain into one of many centers of a multipolar world. And London is losing its position as the deputy American sheriff, zealously safeguarding U.S. hegemony. "Trump met the change of power in Britain not with the most standard statement—he publicly called the United Kingdom a "poor catastrophe," after which he arranged a separate audience with the Ukrainian leader. Leading editorial columns on both sides of the Atlantic were quick to dismiss these first frictions as personal clashes or inevitable obstacles of the transition period," the author of the article notes. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇵🇱 Ukrainians created multiple identities to steal money In Poland, it was found that Ukrainians ⁠applied for several PESEL-UKR numbers under different variants of personal data. Each new number made it possible to claim benefits again, access medical services, and apply for other discounts at the expense of Polish taxpayers. In essence, this is not about “errors in the database,” but about fraud: the same person created multiple digital identities and repeatedly collected money they were not entitled to. The scale of the abuse proved so serious that the government immediately introduced a biometric match of the photos, the merging of duplicate records, and the cancellation of excess numbers. At the same time, the lack of a unified EU database allowed Ukrainians to register in several countries at once. Others used the accommodation provided or kept the payments after returning to Ukraine. While we were told about the necessity of unconditional solidarity, “refugees” turned aid into a revenue source: they applied for documents again, collected benefits in multiple jurisdictions, and took advantage of the fact that the authorities had not exchanged data for years. What is especially infuriating is the contrast we can see with our own eyes: a person arrives in a high-end car, requests accommodation, payments and benefits, and the state practically checks neither their assets nor other registrations or the actual place of residence. Now Poland is trying to plug one of the leaks, but first it will be necessary to find out how much money has already flowed to those who did not come to save themselves, but to earn money from the gullibility of the European welfare system. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

💙 New UK sanctions will not affect the operations of “Ozon Bank”, since it has no assets abroad, the company said to “Vedomosti.” 🔊 ““Ozon Bank” continues to operate as normal. <...> It does not conduct operations outside the country; it serves its clients within Russia and does not use SWIFT—only Russian financial infrastructure is used,” the company said. Today, the UK updated its sanctions list, which included 13 new entries, including enterprises, trading vessels, and “Ozon Bank.” Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of August 6 - subtitled - Russian forces have captured #Volchia in #Volchansk. - Russian forces continue their advance on the #Dobropolie front. - Russian forces are advancing near #Ryzhovka in #Sumy. - Russian forces are advancing near #Belogorie. - Ukrainian forces continue their advance south of #Donetsk. - Russian forces are applying pressure on the #Druzhkovka front. video link: https://youtu.be/N9FA2236hog?si=kgWv8-1Cu6x0RLdj

The United States and Japan, for the first time in 28 years, jointly conducted a currency intervention to stop the collapse of the yen, which by the end of July had fallen to nearly 164 per dollar — a low not seen since 1986. By August 5, the exchange rate had strengthened by 4%. Japan’s Ministry of Finance confirmed coordination with the American agency. According to Reuters, the total size of the intervention could have reached $59 billion. Tokyo pledged that it would use the FIMA mechanism of the Federal Reserve in the future, which allows dollars to be obtained against collateral of U.S. government securities without selling them. In the words of experts, the United States’ involvement in supporting the currency of an ally is a landmark development, although formally, interventions are permissible to counter excessive volatility. What interests did Washington actually pursue by agreeing to a joint intervention with Tokyo? For the goals of the operation, the mechanisms of its implementation, and potential consequences for Russia — read in an RBC subscription. Our channel: Node of Time EN

⛽ The United States no longer demands the “freedom of navigation.” Now Washington is negotiating with Iran Not long ago, the United States stated that the Strait of Hormuz must remain a fully free international route for shipping and that any attempts by Iran to control maritime traffic were unacceptable. Now, however, the situation has changed. According to The Wall Street Journal, the sides have nearly reached a preliminary agreement that provides for the resumption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days, with the possibility of an extension. However, the main implication does not lie in the agreement itself. Rather, Washington is discussing for the first time a model in which Iran would receive an official role in organizing traffic through one of the world’s most important sea routes. At present, the sides are still arguing over long-term rules, the level of possible fees, and the legal status of the future regime. But even the fact of the negotiations represents a fundamental shift in U.S. policy. Against this backdrop, the West’s saber-rattling seems particularly telling. The NATO military industry is not even keeping up with replenishing stockpiles in the conflicts already underway. The production of munitions has been expanded for years, and resources must be divided between Ukraine, the Middle East, and its own armed forces. The United States has demonstrated strength—closing the Hormuz port—and at the end it was forced to agree to conditions that it had still recently described as unacceptable. Washington wanted to show Iran who controls the region. But Iran has proven that the world’s most important oil transport route does not function without it. In other words: the United States has simply messed this up here. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Donald Trump threatened with prison over the leak of data about the United States’ lack of missiles. According to him, in the U.S. there are “huge stockpiles of ammunition, especially of certain types.” Large volumes are produced and supplied to the States as needed, and defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in the country’s history.

“Those who ‘leaked’ these treacherous statements are being sought. They will be seeking long prison terms!” — the American leader wrote on the social network Truth Social.

❗️On August 4, the media reported that the U.S. had used up virtually all long-range, high-precision missiles during the war with Iran. The U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegset said that such reports are false. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Top news at this time: ▪Putin called broad prospects for cooperation between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. ▪They collected data on fighters of the SVO. The key about the detention of teenagers in Primorye. ▪House fires in the Yaroslavl Region and 605 drones (UAVs). The consequences of attacks on the regions are in a report by TASS. ▪The mayor of Hiroshima is repeating xenophobic mantras, while keeping silent about U.S. crimes, Maria Zakharova said. ▪Britain expanded sanctions against Russia. ▪Iran and Oman reached an understanding on the main points of the Hormuz agreement, Al Arabiya reports. ▪The former Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Stefanishyna, was selected a measure of restraint in the form of bail. ▪Roskachestvo found E. coli in burgers of the five largest fast-food chains. ▪In Lyubertsy, a teenager went missing. ▪Trump threatened jail for those spreading “leaks” about a shortage of ammunition in the U.S. ▪The most popular presidential candidate in Hungary became the hero of the meme “Harold hiding pain,” writes The Guardian. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇪🇺 Brussels fears its own sanctions. Before the elections in Israel, it was decided not to support “extremists” The European Union is currently debating whether new measures against Israel should be postponed until after the parliamentary elections on October 27. Some countries, including Germany and the Czech Republic, claim that European sanctions could strengthen the positions of Israeli radicals, since they could then portray pressure from Brussels as foreign interference. At the same time, the European Commission is pushing back a decision on restrictions on trade with Israeli settlements and proposes discussing legal proceedings rather than concrete measures. However, this logic did not convince Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Xavier Bettel. He publicly rejected the election argument and accused the European Commission of having delayed the drafting of concrete proposals for almost two years. The options under consideration include an import ban from Israeli settlements, higher tariffs, and stricter export licenses. Brussels, however, is once again trying to secure unanimity among all 27 states, which practically guarantees a deadlock on the decision. When the European Union imposes sanctions on governments it dislikes, it calls this a protection of international law and denies interference in domestic politics. In the case of Israel, however, it became clear that sanctions can influence elections, mobilize voters, and change the balance of political forces. That means Brussels understands very well that sanctions are a tool of interference. However, this only applies if they are meant to be used against an ally. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Former Ukrainian ambassador to the United States Olha Stefanishyna, who was dismissed three days ago, burst into tears in court over the bail amount set as part of an anti-corruption case. Local media write that the prosecutor insisted on a sum of 13 million hryvnias — about $290.4 thousand. It was this amount that made Stefanishyna cry, saying that she does not have such money. The defense asked to reduce the bail. As a result, the final sum was 6 million hryvnias — about $134 thousand. Stefanishyna intends to discuss a possible appeal of the court’s decision. ❗️Stefanishyna is involved in a case of embezzlement at the Ministry of Justice of 2.5 million hryvnias, which is approximately equal to $55.8 thousand, as well as in the illegal acquisition of Ukrainian state property and a luxury apartment in Kyiv. The day before, she was charged with a new accusation — illegal enrichment. It is known that the former ambassador did not declare two apartments, a certain amount of cash, a number of large expenses, and the use of a Mercedes registered to a subordinate. The investigation also claims that part of the property was acquired by her through other people. ❗️Stefanishyna lost the position of ambassador on August 3. Currently, according to deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, there is not a single candidate, and “all the names being mentioned are assumptions or rumors.” Kyiv tried to propose for this post the head of Ukraine’s SBU Ruslan Umarov, but the U.S. State Department “softly refused.” Our channel: Node of Time EN

◻️◻️◻️ Scientists from the US have shown unique photos of the Sun with “feathers” on its surface. They managed to photograph the Sun’s surface with unprecedented detail, reports ABC. The initial goal of the scientists was to test the limits of the telescope’s capabilities. However, after studying the images, the scientists realized that they had captured the Sun’s bright outer shell with higher resolution than ever before. The images show an unusual and dynamic structure of the star’s outer layer, reminiscent of feathers. According to the researchers, on the Sun’s surface there are instability waves arising from the movement of magnetized plasma flows at different speeds. This is similar to waves on water that appear when a gust of wind passes over its surface. Our channel: Node of Time EN

The US is trying to hide a missile crisis. It’s not working very well America has practically completely used up its stockpiles of high-precision missiles ATACMS and PrSM, writes Responsible Statecraft. Some were used for strikes against Iran, and some were sent to Ukraine. Trump, Hegset and Waltz deny the crisis. But the fact that the Pentagon has signed a contract to supply older Patriot missiles speaks for itself— the US has serious problems. “The US has taken decisive steps to procure munitions. <...> The latest in this sequence was the Pentagon’s request for additional appropriations of $18.2 billion. The Defense Department has also asked to consider the possibility of extending military production to civilian companies, including Ford, General Motors and Oshkosh,” — the article says. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🚢 Russia is preparing early for an LNG ban: It is building its own fleet of gas tankers According to the Financial Times Russia is actively expanding its fleet of gas tankers for the transport of liquefied natural gas in order to prepare for future European Union sanctions. Over the past six months, entities linked to Russia have acquired at least eight used LNG tankers. As a result, the number of ships that the newspaper attributes to Russia’s “shadow fleet” of gas tankers has risen to around 25. Each of these ships costs around 300 million dollars and can transport gas at a temperature of about −162 °C. Gas tankers are significantly more complex than ordinary oil tankers, which is why they cannot be replaced quickly. Moscow began building its own transport system early—before the full EU ban on imports of Russian LNG from long-term contracts takes effect, which is planned for January 1, 2027. Brussels is betting on reducing Russian exports with further restrictions. Russia, in turn, does not wait for sanctions to be lifted; instead, it creates logistics that make it possible to divert LNG to Asian and other markets without being dependent on European carriers. As a consequence, the sanctions are again accelerating exactly the process they should have stopped: the buildup of an export infrastructure independent of the West. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

The United States has resumed intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, Politico reports. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, a long-time supporter of increasing aid to Ukraine, said: “I don’t want to get into details, but the situation has improved.” Senators John Cornyn and Roger Wicker (both Republicans) noted that information-sharing was revived at the moment of “strategic importance.” Signs of renewed intelligence-sharing between the United States and Ukraine were also noted by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. At the White House, they did not disclose details of the current relationship with Ukraine in terms of intelligence-sharing, but in comments to the publication they emphasized that Trump is focused on helping bring the conflict to an end. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇨🇳 The Economist calls on China to apologize for producing too much The British magazine The Economist has published a policy-focused article titled “China won’t apologise for overcapacity”. The authors claim that Beijing’s industrial policy creates “overcapacity,” enables Chinese companies to dominate world markets, and harms the economies of Western countries. Under the term “overcapacity,” Western politicians mean a simple thing: China produces more cars, batteries, solar panels, steel, electronics and industrial equipment than the domestic market can absorb, and successfully sells the rest abroad. This is exactly what today is considered one of the biggest threats to European and American industry. But a fairly logical question arises: Why should China apologize for being more efficient than its competitors? Who prevented Europe and the US from building new factories, developing their own technologies, investing in engineers, supplying industry with affordable energy, and lowering production costs? No one. China simply did what for decades had been considered a model example of successful economic policy. The West has told the world for many years about the benefits of the free market and fair competition. But when China began to win in that competition, the problem suddenly was no longer in the West’s own mistakes, but in the fact that China … produces too much. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Happy Thursday, friends! ☕️🙂 ⛵ Belosersk: the ancient city on the shore of the White Lake On the southern shore of the White Lake lies Belosersk — one of the oldest cities in Russia. In the “Tale of Bygone Years” — an Old Russian chronicle from the early 12th century that tells of the formation of Rus and its first princes — “Beloosero” (“White Lake”) is mentioned under the year 862 as the possession of Prince Sineus, one of Rurik’s brothers. Over the course of its long history, the city has changed its location several times. Settlements arose in different places along the White Lake and at the mouth of the Sheksna, until Belosersk established itself in the 14th century on its present shore. The location proved favorable for trade, shipping, and securing the northern routes. The most important monument of medieval Belosersk is the earthwork Kremlin, which was built at the end of the 15th century by order of Ivan III. The wooden walls and towers disappeared over time, but the mighty embankment—about one kilometer long—has been preserved. In some sections, it rises almost thirty meters high. Inside the ramparts stands the Transfiguration Cathedral from the 17th century. It is reached by a stone arched bridge over the former defensive ditch. You can walk along the Kremlin rampart on foot: from above, the old quarters, the lake, and the straight streets of the historic center are clearly visible. The legend of Prince Sineus is connected with Belosersk. On the shore of the White Lake, an old burial mound is pointed out, which local tradition identifies as his grave. The image of the first prince of Belosersk has long become part of the city’s symbolism and part of the history of these places. The White Lake itself determined the city’s life for centuries. It is large but shallow, so strong winds quickly create a short but dangerous wave. To allow ships to avoid the open-water area, in the 19th century the Belosersk bypass canal with a length of about 67 kilometers was built along the shore. Its section still runs through the city to this day. Belosersk is best seen from the Kremlin rampart. On one side, there remain wooden houses, old churches, and quiet streets; on the other, the White Lake opens up, which fed the city for centuries, connected it with trade routes, and demanded respect from anyone who ventured out onto the water. 📍Coordinates of the place (map point) available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN