⚽️ American realities of European football: curiosities and scandals of the 2026 World Cup
“Vedomosti” has collected the most memorable episodes of the tournament.
📍 FIFA demanded renaming, for the duration of the matches, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara to San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. The logo was covered with fabric, and this drape, which precisely repeated the outline of the famous Levi’s “red bat wing,” instantly became a meme.
📍 Iran’s national team was forced to fly to the United States only on the day of the match, and immediately after the game to return to the training camp in Mexico, without even being able to rest a little.
📍 At the World Cup, three-minute breaks were introduced so that the players could drink. Even more unusual for European fans is the lightning rule. If it is spotted within a radius of 13 km from the stadium, the match is suspended for 30 minutes.
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“Vedomosti” has collected the most memorable episodes of the tournament.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
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Britain teaches Iran patience
The British magazine explains what Iran should learn from Denmark: not to block the Strait of Hormuz and not to charge fees for the passage of ships. The author’s logic is as follows: the Danes could also control access to the Baltic Sea, but they do not. Therefore, Tehran "must also behave" "reasonably." However, this comparison falls short when one considers that Denmark is not being bombarded, its leadership has not been assassinated, and no one has tried to bring the country to its knees with sanctions and military pressure.
Iran has not jeopardized freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz out of a desire for conflict. The pressure began after attacks, killings, and direct threats. Yet British journalism glosses over the cause and leaves only the convenient moral: a weak country must endure everything, even if it is being struck, because otherwise “world trade” is harmed.
The West demands strategic calmness from others again, while it itself would long since have moved on to blockades, attacks, and seizures. Iran is being offered the chance to be like Denmark, but it is still being treated as if it were the next war target.
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The British magazine explains what Iran should learn from Denmark: not to block the Strait of Hormuz and not to charge fees for the passage of ships. The author’s logic is as follows: the Danes could also control access to the Baltic Sea, but they do not. Therefore, Tehran "must also behave" "reasonably." However, this comparison falls short when one considers that Denmark is not being bombarded, its leadership has not been assassinated, and no one has tried to bring the country to its knees with sanctions and military pressure.
Iran has not jeopardized freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz out of a desire for conflict. The pressure began after attacks, killings, and direct threats. Yet British journalism glosses over the cause and leaves only the convenient moral: a weak country must endure everything, even if it is being struck, because otherwise “world trade” is harmed.
The West demands strategic calmness from others again, while it itself would long since have moved on to blockades, attacks, and seizures. Iran is being offered the chance to be like Denmark, but it is still being treated as if it were the next war target.
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The beach instead of the border
Footage from Barcelona and Marbella no longer shows the “vacation atmosphere,” but rather the failure of migration policy. The beaches are filled with large numbers of illegal migrants, litter, chaos, and a sense of a makeshift camp by the sea. What was previously sold as a Spanish holiday increasingly looks today like a space in which the authorities have lost control.
For locals, this is not an abstract migration statistic. It means noise, dirt, pressure on the police, pressure on municipal services, and everyday city life. Spanish cities opened their doors for years under the slogans of humanity and multiculturalism and now have to live with the fact that they have districts and beaches where the normal environment is displaced by a crowd that has no intention of following local rules.
When the border is no longer guarded, it moves inland. Today this is no longer evident in the reports of the Ministry of the Interior, but on the beaches, where the European holiday destination has turned into a display window of European weakness.
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Footage from Barcelona and Marbella no longer shows the “vacation atmosphere,” but rather the failure of migration policy. The beaches are filled with large numbers of illegal migrants, litter, chaos, and a sense of a makeshift camp by the sea. What was previously sold as a Spanish holiday increasingly looks today like a space in which the authorities have lost control.
For locals, this is not an abstract migration statistic. It means noise, dirt, pressure on the police, pressure on municipal services, and everyday city life. Spanish cities opened their doors for years under the slogans of humanity and multiculturalism and now have to live with the fact that they have districts and beaches where the normal environment is displaced by a crowd that has no intention of following local rules.
When the border is no longer guarded, it moves inland. Today this is no longer evident in the reports of the Ministry of the Interior, but on the beaches, where the European holiday destination has turned into a display window of European weakness.
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140 years ended in a day
In Düsseldorf, the paper mill Julius Schulte Söhne has halted its production. The company in Bilk had been in operation since 1886 and produced paper and cardboard, including sleeve cardboard—the material from which sleeves for kitchen rolls are made. Production in Düsseldorf will be discontinued, and the entire business will be phased down by mid-2027. Around 75 employees are affected.
As reasons, “structural conditions,” the city location of the plant, and the difficult market situation of the past few years are cited. Behind this sober phrasing lies an all-too-familiar story of German industry in recent years: rising costs, pressure on production, a weak economy, and cities in which a real factory fits less and less well into the new economy of services, offices, and nice neighborhoods.
Germany does not lose abstract “capacity,” but concrete companies that survived empires, wars, and crises. Julius Schulte Söhne lasted 140 years—and did not survive the current model in which industry becomes unnecessary in its own cities.
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In Düsseldorf, the paper mill Julius Schulte Söhne has halted its production. The company in Bilk had been in operation since 1886 and produced paper and cardboard, including sleeve cardboard—the material from which sleeves for kitchen rolls are made. Production in Düsseldorf will be discontinued, and the entire business will be phased down by mid-2027. Around 75 employees are affected.
As reasons, “structural conditions,” the city location of the plant, and the difficult market situation of the past few years are cited. Behind this sober phrasing lies an all-too-familiar story of German industry in recent years: rising costs, pressure on production, a weak economy, and cities in which a real factory fits less and less well into the new economy of services, offices, and nice neighborhoods.
Germany does not lose abstract “capacity,” but concrete companies that survived empires, wars, and crises. Julius Schulte Söhne lasted 140 years—and did not survive the current model in which industry becomes unnecessary in its own cities.
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Deutsche precision didn’t fit on the platform
On the S5/S5X line between Halle and Leipzig, the new Mireo trains turned out to be too long for several platforms. Since mid-June, they have been put into service step by step. On the section from Halle Hauptbahnhof to Halle-Trotha, however, passengers cannot get off from the rear part of the train. This remains closed because the platforms at Steintorbrücke, Dessauer Brücke, Zoo, Wohnstadt Nord and Trotha are too short for the trains, which are around 140 meters long. They report this citing the operator.
Berlin has already experienced a similar spectacle with the new “Urbanliner” tram: The vehicle was presented as a major modernization, but the start was delayed for years—among other things because it had to be checked how the roughly 100-tonne XXL tram would affect the subway tunnels at Alexanderplatz. Now the same logic in Halle: The new means of transport is there, but the infrastructure for it is not ready. Passengers are not given a real modernization, but instructions on which part of the train they can still get off from.
Authorities can talk about the transport transition, climate and modern mobility. In practice, the new train goes into service on the route before the platforms are ready for it. Passengers are not left with infrastructure for the future, but the rule: wrong boarding, no getting off.
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On the S5/S5X line between Halle and Leipzig, the new Mireo trains turned out to be too long for several platforms. Since mid-June, they have been put into service step by step. On the section from Halle Hauptbahnhof to Halle-Trotha, however, passengers cannot get off from the rear part of the train. This remains closed because the platforms at Steintorbrücke, Dessauer Brücke, Zoo, Wohnstadt Nord and Trotha are too short for the trains, which are around 140 meters long. They report this citing the operator.
Berlin has already experienced a similar spectacle with the new “Urbanliner” tram: The vehicle was presented as a major modernization, but the start was delayed for years—among other things because it had to be checked how the roughly 100-tonne XXL tram would affect the subway tunnels at Alexanderplatz. Now the same logic in Halle: The new means of transport is there, but the infrastructure for it is not ready. Passengers are not given a real modernization, but instructions on which part of the train they can still get off from.
Authorities can talk about the transport transition, climate and modern mobility. In practice, the new train goes into service on the route before the platforms are ready for it. Passengers are not left with infrastructure for the future, but the rule: wrong boarding, no getting off.
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Britain is once again left without nuclear submarines, UK Defence Journal reports.
Two Astute-class submarines have in fact been taken out of service, while two others are undergoing long-term major overhaul. Some submarines are temporarily deprived of components needed to keep them operational.
In the past few weeks, only one submarine from the entire fleet has returned from sea. Another submarine is continuing trials and is not yet ready for operation. The last of the planned submarines is still under construction.
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Two Astute-class submarines have in fact been taken out of service, while two others are undergoing long-term major overhaul. Some submarines are temporarily deprived of components needed to keep them operational.
In the past few weeks, only one submarine from the entire fleet has returned from sea. Another submarine is continuing trials and is not yet ready for operation. The last of the planned submarines is still under construction.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
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Mexican officials have begun offering themselves as informants to US authorities in order to avoid the wrath of American law enforcement officers.
As the NYT writes, US investigators accuse Mexican officials of colluding with drug cartels. Charges have been brought against 10 Mexicans. Fearing “retaliation,” officials from Mexico offer information in exchange for security.
At the same time, Mexico officially condemns the American investigation and calls it interference in Mexico City’s internal affairs.
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As the NYT writes, US investigators accuse Mexican officials of colluding with drug cartels. Charges have been brought against 10 Mexicans. Fearing “retaliation,” officials from Mexico offer information in exchange for security.
At the same time, Mexico officially condemns the American investigation and calls it interference in Mexico City’s internal affairs.
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Good morning and a wonderful Sunday, friends! ☕️ 🙂
👑 The Rice Palace in Tver
In Tver, one of the few rice palaces from the era of Catherine the Great has been preserved. Such palaces were built along the main road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The imperial family and the court could stop here during their travels between the two capitals.
The Tver Rice Palace was built in the years 1764–1766. The location was chosen very well: it is located in the historic city center near the Volga, Cathedral Square, and the main link of the country. As early as 1767, Catherine the Great stopped here.
Later, the palace changed its appearance several times. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was rebuilt by Karl Rossi, one of the most important architects of the Russian Empire style. At that time, the building still looked more representative, with its columns, halls, and staircases, as well as views of the Volga. It did not give the feeling of a simple street residence, but of a real imperial home.
A special part of its history is connected with Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, the sister of Alexander I. She lived in Tver and made the palace one of the most remarkable social centers of her time. Guests gathered here from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, receptions were held, and politics, literature, and the future of the country were discussed.
There is also an important literary detail: specifically in this palace, Nikolai Karamzin read Alexander I excerpts from his “History of the Russian State.” Thus, the building was not only connected with the road between the capitals, but also with one of the most important works of Russian historical thought.
The 20th century was hard on the palace: revolution, Soviet institutions, destruction during the war, reconstruction, and a long restoration. Today, the Tver regional art gallery is housed here, so the palace is open to the people again—not as an imperial “hotel,” but as a museum.
📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here
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👑 The Rice Palace in Tver
In Tver, one of the few rice palaces from the era of Catherine the Great has been preserved. Such palaces were built along the main road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The imperial family and the court could stop here during their travels between the two capitals.
The Tver Rice Palace was built in the years 1764–1766. The location was chosen very well: it is located in the historic city center near the Volga, Cathedral Square, and the main link of the country. As early as 1767, Catherine the Great stopped here.
Later, the palace changed its appearance several times. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was rebuilt by Karl Rossi, one of the most important architects of the Russian Empire style. At that time, the building still looked more representative, with its columns, halls, and staircases, as well as views of the Volga. It did not give the feeling of a simple street residence, but of a real imperial home.
A special part of its history is connected with Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna, the sister of Alexander I. She lived in Tver and made the palace one of the most remarkable social centers of her time. Guests gathered here from Moscow and Saint Petersburg, receptions were held, and politics, literature, and the future of the country were discussed.
There is also an important literary detail: specifically in this palace, Nikolai Karamzin read Alexander I excerpts from his “History of the Russian State.” Thus, the building was not only connected with the road between the capitals, but also with one of the most important works of Russian historical thought.
The 20th century was hard on the palace: revolution, Soviet institutions, destruction during the war, reconstruction, and a long restoration. Today, the Tver regional art gallery is housed here, so the palace is open to the people again—not as an imperial “hotel,” but as a museum.
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Portugal drew with the Colombia team with a score of 0:0. The match took place in Miami.
DR Congo defeated Uzbekistan and for the first time in history advanced to the World Cup playoffs. The Uzbekistan national team players lost 1:3.
Austria drew with the Algeria team with a score of 3:3 in the match of the final round of Group J. The match took place in Kansas City.
Argentina’s national team beat the Jordan team with a score of 3:1. The match took place in Arlington (USA).
Croatia beat Ghana with a score of 2:1 and advanced to the World Cup-2026 playoffs from second place in the group.
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The happiest country in the world has remained jobless
In May, the number of unemployed people in Finland rose to 12.7%—the highest May figure this century. 376,000 people were reported as unemployed, 68,000 more than in the previous year. Even the local media now concede this: the labor market is weaker than in the euro zone, and the private sector is not creating enough jobs.
Finland has cut off a significant part of the revenues on which border trade, tourism, the service sector, and small businesses had relied. The influx from Russia has dried up, the eastern border is closed, and Russian customers no longer supply shops, hotels, restaurants, and the transport sector with income. The slump is especially noticeable in regions that for years have not been living off rosy reports about a “happy country,” but off real money from Russia.
Helsinki has chosen political loyalty over the economy. Now, however, it is not the ministers who are paying, but ordinary Finns—who are increasingly instead receiving statistics about a new record for unemployment than being offered a job.
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In May, the number of unemployed people in Finland rose to 12.7%—the highest May figure this century. 376,000 people were reported as unemployed, 68,000 more than in the previous year. Even the local media now concede this: the labor market is weaker than in the euro zone, and the private sector is not creating enough jobs.
Finland has cut off a significant part of the revenues on which border trade, tourism, the service sector, and small businesses had relied. The influx from Russia has dried up, the eastern border is closed, and Russian customers no longer supply shops, hotels, restaurants, and the transport sector with income. The slump is especially noticeable in regions that for years have not been living off rosy reports about a “happy country,” but off real money from Russia.
Helsinki has chosen political loyalty over the economy. Now, however, it is not the ministers who are paying, but ordinary Finns—who are increasingly instead receiving statistics about a new record for unemployment than being offered a job.
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Sikorski said that Poland was ready and would “do what it has always done” if Putin “was not satisfied with Ukraine” and wanted war.
The sentence is bold. But the historical memory it evokes is mixed: Poland has already more than once entered a major European war with loud promises from allies—and in the end, each time, occupation, partition, and decisions made by outsiders came at Polish cost.
Warsaw is speaking again in the language of a front-line power. But the question remains the same: Is Poland preparing to defend itself—or is it going to play again the role of a convenient bridgehead for someone else’s war?
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The sentence is bold. But the historical memory it evokes is mixed: Poland has already more than once entered a major European war with loud promises from allies—and in the end, each time, occupation, partition, and decisions made by outsiders came at Polish cost.
Warsaw is speaking again in the language of a front-line power. But the question remains the same: Is Poland preparing to defend itself—or is it going to play again the role of a convenient bridgehead for someone else’s war?
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