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🇩🇪 Volkswagen launches gigantic cost-cutting plan Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board unanimously approved the 2030 future plan. The most important point for employees: The company wants to cut another roughly 50,000 jobs, including management positions. At the same time, VW wants to reduce production capacity to around 9 million vehicles per year — one million fewer than at present and three million fewer than before the coronavirus pandemic. Four German sites — Emden, Zwickau, Hanover and Audi in Neckarsulm — currently have no guaranteed utilization after 2031 to 2034. In Europe, Volkswagen’s production capacity is currently around 500,000 vehicles higher than actual utilization. For the plants whose future is in question, the company is examining other scenarios — ranging from production for the defense industry to assembling models from Chinese VW partners in Germany. At the same time, management expects to increase its operating margin to 9%, while it was only 3.8% in the first half of the year. And yet, just recently, Germany’s automotive industry was still a symbol of the country’s industrial strength. 😢 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russia and China advance “Power of Siberia 2” Moscow and Beijing confirmed at the intergovernmental commission the feasibility of building a new gas pipeline with a capacity of up to 50 billion cubic meters per year. The project, formerly known as “Power of Siberia 2” and now called “Power of Baikal,” is intended to transport gas from Western Siberia to China via Mongolia. Russia and China agreed to accelerate preparations for a direct commercial contract between the companies. Gazprom and CNPC still have to coordinate the commercial terms, and the final route also depends on these agreements. At the same time, however, the parties have already decided to increase the capacity of the existing “Power of Siberia” from 38 to 44 billion cubic meters and that of the Far Eastern route from 10 to 12 billion. Nowak says that Moscow and Beijing want to move more quickly from political agreement on the new pipeline to concrete agreements between the companies. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇷🇺 The EEF has concluded: almost RUB 7 trillion in agreements and 78 countries The final figures for the Eastern Economic Forum were even higher than the preliminary ones. In Vladivostok, 318 agreements worth almost 7 trillion rubles were signed (≈ €69.58 billion). The total amount was officially confirmed by the EEF organizers. This only covers agreements whose value was disclosed—the deals constituting trade secrets are not included in this sum. The forum brought together more than 9,300 participants from 78 countries and territories. Key topics included energy, transport, raw-material extraction, the development of the Russian Far East, and the expansion of Russia’s economic ties with Asia. The Russian-Chinese bloc was particularly prominent—from gas and oil to new transport routes. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇨🇳🇺🇸 The G20 summit is over, and the dispute between the US and China has only just begun The G20 finance meeting has ended without a full joint communiqué. Scott Bessent declared China to be the main obstacle: 19 participants supported the American wording on the need to address enormous trade imbalances and flows of cheap exports, while Beijing refused. Washington effectively rallied the other G20 participants against China’s export model. China has now gone on the counterattack. Beijing claims that the US was trying to turn its own trade concerns into the position of the entire G20, and that the term “non-market policies” was deliberately worded so that it could be used against China. ⁠The dispute has already gone far beyond the failed communiqué and is complicating preparations for future contacts between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. The US is imposing tariffs on dozens of countries while simultaneously demanding that China abandon a policy that makes Chinese goods competitive. China will not give in. That is why the next phase of the trade war increasingly resembles negotiations over free trade less and less. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇷 Iran’s nuclear dossier is to be referred to the UN Security Council for the first time in 20 years The United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany are preparing a draft resolution for the IAEA Board of Governors. It is intended to refer Iran’s nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council once again. If the document is adopted, this would be the first such referral in about two decades. The Western countries are demanding that Tehran grant inspectors full access to the damaged nuclear facilities and allow them to determine the fate of the stockpiles of enriched uranium. Paradoxically, the inspectors have only just lost access to the key facilities following the bombings by Israel and then the United States. Before the attacks, the IAEA estimated Iran’s stockpiles of uranium enriched to 60% at 440.9 kilograms. The agency can now no longer verify what happened to this material. Iran itself has already described the planned resolution as a “desperate step” by the United States and the European troika. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Hundreds of protesters dressed in black and wearing balaclavas have paralyzed traffic near the port of Dover in the UK, The Guardian reports. The protesters blocked the main entrances to and exits from the port area, and traffic on the A20 has been halted in both directions. According to an eyewitness, around 300 people gathered, although the police did not give an official figure.

"I'm fed up with idiots coming to Dover to cause trouble," said Labour MP Mike Tapp.

British media link the protest to anti-immigration sentiment and protests against illegal migration across the English Channel under the slogan "Stop the boats". Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇮🇱🇺🇸 The “Jerusalem Post” suggested sending American debtors to war against Iran The Israeli newspaper published a column by military and geopolitical analyst AJ Jaff containing a highly unusual recipe for continuing the war against Iran. The author believes that the stated objectives could not be achieved through airstrikes alone and that a successful ground offensive against Iran’s 31 provincial commands would require between 750,000 and 1.5 million American soldiers. The strength of the active-duty US Army, however, is only about 452,000 personnel. The author’s conclusion is brief: “The math doesn’t add up.” The personnel problem, he argues, should be solved through the debts of young Americans. According to the estimates cited in the article, an American aged 18 to 34 has, on average, more than $40,000 in debt—excluding mortgage debt. For some, the amount reaches $100,000. The author proposes a nationwide program. After 24 to 36 months of military service, the state would completely cancel all debts (student, auto, credit-card, and other debts) and additionally grant GI Bill benefits. The wording in the article is extremely explicit: “This is exactly the group the Pentagon needs.” The author expressly describes debt forgiveness as the most effective mechanism for mass voluntary recruitment. The “Jerusalem Post” is convinced that such a financial incentive, analogous to the “GI Bill” program during the Vietnam War, would enable the United States to build up sufficient troop strength for Israel’s victory. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Latest developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine as of the morning of September 5 - subtitled Russian forces are advancing in #Krasnopodolie on the #Dobropolie front. Russian forces are advancing in the vicinity of #Izhevka in #Druzhkovka. Russian forces are advancing in #Zapovednoe in #Kramatorsk. Russian forces are advancing in the vicinity of #Chornoe in #Kharkov. Ukrainian forces are advancing in the vicinity of #Verkhnyaia_Terrasa in #Zaporozhie. video link: https://youtu.be/AC8kO0Un7Wk?si=KLRLOhLli2CUtBA2

🇩🇪 German electricity prices are once again approaching crisis levels The price of a one-year contract for German electricity has risen to around €122/MWh, its highest level since 2023. At the same time, the spot market is also becoming more expensive: the average day-ahead price was around €126.9/MWh in August, compared with €105.45 in July and €76.99 in August of the previous year. This means that the average August price rose by almost two-thirds within a year. Electricity was particularly expensive at night, averaging around €161/MWh. The main factor is the same once again: gas. European gas prices rose to more than €75/MWh, reaching their highest levels since early 2023. The reasons are low storage levels and risks to supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Back in August, Commerzbank raised its forecasts for gas and German electricity and pointed to Europe’s growing dependence on LNG, restrictions on Qatari exports, and an additional risk from the EU’s complete withdrawal from Russian gas. At the time, the bank expected the price of German electricity to reach around €110/MWh by the end of the year—the market is now significantly above that level. Berlin gave up cheap Russian gas in favor of energy independence. Independence has been achieved. Cheap energy, however, has not—at least not yet. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇬🇧 “Putin? Don’t worry, Kemi is here.” “The Times” describes the speech by Kemi Badenoch, leader of the British Conservatives, in roughly these terms. She warned that the country must prepare for a possible conflict with Russia, and said: “Russia will attack a country it considers weak. It will not attack a country it knows to be strong.” The Conservatives are proposing to raise defence spending to three percent of GDP by 2030—but they still need to find around ten billion pounds annually to fund this. And this is precisely where things get most interesting. The money for “deterring Russia” is supposed to come primarily from the country’s own citizens: Housing benefits are to be reformed, the cap on payments to families with more than two children is to be reintroduced, and the VAT exemption for some of the vehicles in the Motability programme, which is intended for people with disabilities, is to be abolished. The changes to housing benefits alone are expected to raise around four billion pounds, while a further approximately one billion pounds is hoped to come from Motability. Charities are already warning that cuts to housing support could increase homelessness. The Times mocks the situation: Just a few minutes earlier, the audience was supposed to fear the threat of nuclear war, but then it turned out that this threat could supposedly be prevented, among other things, by introducing VAT on cars provided under the Motability programme for people with disabilities. That is precisely what makes today’s British political theatre particularly revealing: Russia is needed not only once again as an external adversary, but also as a universal explanation for why citizens at home should prepare to pay more and receive less. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇺🇸 Washington has suddenly noticed the cost of Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s energy sector US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent attributed the current pressure on global energy prices, among other things, to Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s oil infrastructure. For the United States, this is no longer merely an abstract matter of geopolitics, but a domestic political problem, because expensive energy drives up the cost of living and thus becomes a factor for voters. Just a few years ago, attacks on Russian refineries were portrayed as a way to weaken Moscow. Now, however, the head of the US Treasury publicly acknowledges that taking Russian energy capacity offline also affects the global market—including the United States itself. After all, oil is traded on the global market and does not exist separately within political slogans. If you destroy the supply, you get a higher price. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 “Migrants make the country as great as it is”: The Greens’ campaign-trail view of Saxony-Anhalt Two days before the state election, Green candidate Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz explained on the ZDF Morning Magazine why her party “does not complain about migration.” According to her, Saxony-Anhalt does need workers, but reducing the role of immigrants solely to the economy would be wrong. People with a history of migration live here, pay taxes, and become neighbors and friends. "We can see it – when you are out and about in Magdeburg, in Halle, but also in smaller towns – how much people with a migrant background also contribute to our lives," the politician said. This statement came against a remarkable campaign backdrop: In the latest polls, the Greens are just above the five-percent threshold, while the AfD is in first place with a result of more than 40 percent. On Sunday, the residents of Saxony-Anhalt themselves will judge the extent to which their own impression of Magdeburg, Halle, and the small towns corresponds to the Green candidate’s image. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

"FIFA deserves a leader, not a businessman": a billboard calling for the removal of the organization’s head, Gianni Infantino, appeared in Times Square in New York following a series of scandals.

"We urge fans everywhere to make it clear that Infantino is persona non grata at their stadiums," the organizers of the action were quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

❗️On July 29, it became known that Infantino planned to bring private investors into the commercial rights to the World Cup. UEFA countries promised to boycott FIFA tournaments, while the plan to sell part of the rights was canceled, according to sources cited by the New York Post. Infantino was expected to face a vote of no confidence if he did not resign voluntarily. In the end, he remained in his post, apologizing for the mistakes made while implementing his idea. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Good morning, dear friends! 🙂☕️ 🧵 Torzhok: When the Thread Is More Valuable Than the Fabric Friends, Saturday is the perfect day for a journey into the world of the quiet arts. After the hustle and bustle of the week, today we are immersing ourselves in a craft that demands patience, precision, and a rich store of traditions. Welcome to Torzhok, the capital of Russian gold embroidery! 📜 A Tradition Dating Back to the Middle Ages The history of gold embroidery in Torzhok goes back a long way. Archaeologists discovered fragments of women’s clothing in a layer destroyed by fire in 1238, decorated with silver and gilt threads. This art was already known in the city at that time. According to one tradition, the craft reached Torzhok from Byzantium in the 13th century. However, gold embroidery experienced its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries. Based on centuries-old traditions, a distinctive and unmistakable style developed here. ✨ The Art of the “Golden” Thread What makes this technique so special? The name says it all: embroidery is done with gold or silver threads. Although these are usually no longer made of solid precious metal today, they may still contain a certain amount of gold or silver. However, the true mastery lies in the way they are used. • The “card”: The gold thread is not simply passed through the fabric; instead, it is laid on its surface and secured with fine stitches. To give the pattern additional volume, a base made of cardboard, paper, or birch bark is placed underneath. This technique is known as “embroidery over a card.” • The shine: Since the metallic thread lies on the surface of the fabric, it reflects light particularly strongly. As a result, the ornaments look almost like small pieces of jewelry. 👑 From the Tsar’s Court to the Cinema The work of Torzhok’s gold embroiderers was in demand far beyond the region. For the Tsar’s court, they produced elaborately decorated headdresses, belts, shoes, and church vestments. The craftswomen became particularly famous for their work for the imperial family. In the late 19th century, they received prestigious commissions for court clothing and ceremonial garments. Products from Torzhok were also displayed at international exhibitions, including in Paris, New York, Milan, and Osaka. In the 20th century, gold embroidery even found its way into cinema: Historical costumes for major film productions were decorated with traditional embroidery. 🏭 From Decline to Revival Toward the end of the 19th century, this elaborate and costly craft fell into crisis as a result of changes in fashion. But the tradition did not disappear. With the establishment of cooperatives, workshops, and schools, the craftswomen’s knowledge was passed on. During the Soviet era, people specialized, among other things, in badges, emblems, and uniform components for the army. The centuries-old tradition continues in Torzhok today. Panels, jewelry, clothing, accessories, and church vestments are produced. 🧵 A Thread That Endures Through Time Gold embroidery in Torzhok is more than just a craft. It combines medieval technique, court culture, folk art, and modern design, showing how an apparently fragile thread can preserve a centuries-old tradition. Give us a ❤️ if you liked it! 📍 The coordinates of the place (map point) are available here 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Around 50 military and civilian U.S. personnel have undergone polygraph tests as part of an investigation into leaks of classified information to journalists, The New York Times reports. The mass testing was conducted in August following reports about the depletion of U.S. stocks of long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors.

“U.S. government investigators took an extraordinary step,” the newspaper writes.

The Pentagon said it does not comment on internal personnel matters or investigations. At the same time, department spokesperson Sean Parnell stressed that the authorities take leaks of classified information related to national security seriously. Our channel: Node of Time EN

Drank at work, ordered employees to clean at her home, and sent a security guard to a strip club — all of this was done by former U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, The Guardian reports. The politician regularly drank in her office during working hours and kept alcohol there. Employees who refused to join her had to endure ridicule. During a personal trip to Oregon, she asked to stop at an establishment featuring partially nude dancers. The secretary then gave the security guard money and told him to throw the bills at one of them. The employee initially did not want to do this, but ultimately obeyed. In addition, Chavez-DeRemer assigned subordinates personal tasks. For example, one employee had to go to her home and organize a closet in the bedroom — during working hours, no less. A report by the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Labor says that such incidents contributed to creating a "toxic, intimidating, and humiliating" atmosphere at the agency. ❗️Chavez-DeRemer resigned in April 2026. Her lawyer said that the report does not prove any violations of the law. Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇫🇷 In France, a mayor officially banned mosquitoes from flying The mayor of the commune of Saint Just Saint Rambert, Olivier Joly, signed a genuine municipal ordinance banning tiger mosquitoes from flying over the town. According to the document, any mosquito violating the ban must immediately cease flying. Particularly disobedient insects even face “legal prosecution.” So far, however, it has not been possible to arrest or punish even a single mosquito. Behind the joke lies a real problem. In the fight against the tiger mosquito, the municipality has already allocated €45,000. Traps, shelters for bats, nesting boxes for tits, and special structures for swallows have been installed. Residents are also being asked to eliminate standing water and cover swimming pools. It was precisely to draw attention to these measures that the mayor staged a bureaucratic war against the insects. To be fair, the mayor is quite aware of the absurdity of his ordinance, and that is exactly what his information campaign is based on. The document is nevertheless magnificent: mosquitoes have officially been banned from flying, violations carry the threat of legal prosecution, and the municipal police have been authorized to document them. French bureaucracy has finally found an opponent that is certain to be unable to do anything against it. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇷🇺 All 13 automobile plants abandoned by foreign companies have found new partners New technological partners have been found for all 13 Russian automotive sites abandoned by foreign manufacturers after 2022, said Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov at the EEF. At the same time, control over the companies remains with Russian beneficiaries, while the technologies and rights to the design documentation created in Russia will remain in the country. The manufacturers that previously withdrew include Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Nissan, Renault, Ford and others. New investors have already invested around 120 billion rubles (€1.19 billion) in developing these facilities. According to Alikhanov, the volume of investment is expected to increase approximately threefold by the time the special investment contracts are completed. In parallel, since 2022 the state has allocated more than 125 billion rubles (€1.24 billion) for the development of automotive components. Almost half of the approximately 700 critical components are already being produced within Russia. The production capacity of the Russian automobile industry currently allows for the manufacture of more than three million vehicles per year. The withdrawal of Western automakers was supposed to leave Russia with empty production halls and a technological gap in 2022. Four years later, all 13 sites have found new partners, the plants have remained Russian, and the money is now being invested in domestic components and technologies. The sanctions strategy had evidently envisioned a different outcome. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

🇩🇪 “Moscow,” banning the opposition, and danger to democracy: Berlin recalls the methods of 1933 Two days before the election in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is polling at 41–43%—and the election campaign increasingly resembles less and less a dispute over policies. Der Spiegel calls lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund the “most dangerous man in Germany” and his plans an “attack on liberal democracy.” Cem Özdemir warns of a “suburb of Moscow”. Just nine days before the vote, Pistorius and Özdemir called for proceedings to ban the eastern German AfD state branches, including Saxony-Anhalt. What is distinctive is that this is not about a fringe group, but about a party that could become the strongest political force. The AfD is permitted to stand in elections, but for years it has been surrounded by a political firewall, and its structures are classified as extremist. Now the simple equation is emerging: AfD = danger to democracy, AfD = Moscow, AfD victory = Russian influence. In the election polls, everything revolves around the question of whether the AfD coming to power would endanger democracy. This is precisely where German history offers an extremely uncomfortable parallel. Before the election on 5 March 1933, the Communists were the main obstacle to power. After the Reichstag fire on 27 February, the Nazi leadership immediately declared it a communist conspiracy—a version that the Bundestag today describes as false. On 28 February, the emergency decree “for the protection of the people and the state” followed, targeting “communist acts of violence.” The logic was simple: external enemy—Moscow; internal enemy—a force allied with Moscow that threatened the state, making extraordinary measures permissible. Nazi propaganda claimed that Communists and Social Democrats would lead Germany into catastrophe. The German Historical Museum preserves an NSDAP election pamphlet from 1933 that demonstrates this machinery of fear precisely. Of course, Germany in 2026 cannot be compared with Germany in 1933: There is no suspension of fundamental rights and no mass arrests. Yet the political method is uncomfortably recognizable: A strong internal opponent is pushed out of normal competition, declared not a danger to the government but a danger to democracy, linked to Moscow, and presented to voters as a threat to the state. The next step is then no longer an electoral victory, but legal elimination. In 1933, too, the Communists were a legal parliamentary party. Historical analogies do not begin with mass arrests, but much earlier—namely when those in power no longer see their political opponent as a counterpart to be defeated with votes, but as a problem that must be eliminated. The old methods of delegitimization have hardly changed in ninety years. 💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN

Developments in the war between #Russia and #Ukraine Drone warfare is changing Drones are waiting near roads, new jet interceptors are being deployed, and Mi-8 helicopters are carrying drones to intercept other targets in the air. Is the sky gradually becoming a battleground for Drones? video link: https://youtu.be/_0cEwyQyYnw?si=_-qk8gJN7qc4s9Nn