🇦🇹 Raiffeisen will take nearly a quarter of Strabag from Rasperia in Russia
After a years-long history with Russia, Raiffeisen Bank International has moved on to a counteroffensive. The bank has filed a lawsuit in Vienna for 3.15 billion euros against Rasperia and wants access to its frozen stake in Strabag — 24.1 percent of the construction group’s shares. The trigger is 2.4 billion euros that RBI had to write off after a decision by a Russian court; the remaining amount is attributed to interest and court costs.
If the Austrian court supports RBI, the frozen package could be released and sold with approval from the financial regulator. This is also relevant for the German market: Strabag is one of Europe’s largest construction groups, with an enormous business in Germany, and a change of ownership involving almost a quarter of the shares could alter the power balance within the group. The proceedings have already become one of the largest civil cases in Austria’s history, and the court fee alone was 41 million euros.
💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN
After a years-long history with Russia, Raiffeisen Bank International has moved on to a counteroffensive. The bank has filed a lawsuit in Vienna for 3.15 billion euros against Rasperia and wants access to its frozen stake in Strabag — 24.1 percent of the construction group’s shares. The trigger is 2.4 billion euros that RBI had to write off after a decision by a Russian court; the remaining amount is attributed to interest and court costs.
If the Austrian court supports RBI, the frozen package could be released and sold with approval from the financial regulator. This is also relevant for the German market: Strabag is one of Europe’s largest construction groups, with an enormous business in Germany, and a change of ownership involving almost a quarter of the shares could alter the power balance within the group. The proceedings have already become one of the largest civil cases in Austria’s history, and the court fee alone was 41 million euros.
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Vandals vandalized a memorial to participants of the Second World War in Washington, NDTV reports.
Neon graffiti was sprayed on the Atlantic Pavilion, and the fountains filled with soap bubbles because soap was poured into them. The U.S. Department of the Interior is investigating the act of vandalism. The memorial was closed off to allow law enforcement to carry out work.
📸 In the photo—graffiti reading "Clean hands, dirty money" on the memorial.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
Neon graffiti was sprayed on the Atlantic Pavilion, and the fountains filled with soap bubbles because soap was poured into them. The U.S. Department of the Interior is investigating the act of vandalism. The memorial was closed off to allow law enforcement to carry out work.
"The World War II Memorial is a sacred place where we honor the service of our servicemembers and more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives during the war. The vandalism that occurred is a flagrant disgrace and unacceptable. Our U.S. Park Police are on the scene, and the investigation is ongoing. The public should know that we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act", — the department said.
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The White House has accused more than 40 countries of helping China bypass U.S. trade tariffs, The Financial Times writes.
They included Canada, Mexico, Israel, Switzerland and Japan. Beijing allegedly used third countries to make minor changes to goods in order to create the appearance of local production.
The accused countries contributed to evading the payment of trade tariffs totaling $60 billion, according to a White House report titled “The Great Transshipment Robbery.” It also cited other U.S. government reports that estimated the range of the “deception” volumes at $40 to $303 billion.
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They included Canada, Mexico, Israel, Switzerland and Japan. Beijing allegedly used third countries to make minor changes to goods in order to create the appearance of local production.
The accused countries contributed to evading the payment of trade tariffs totaling $60 billion, according to a White House report titled “The Great Transshipment Robbery.” It also cited other U.S. government reports that estimated the range of the “deception” volumes at $40 to $303 billion.
“For years, a major transshipment scam has allowed communist China to launder its exports in more than 40 countries, deprive our treasury of tens of billions of dollars, and steal paychecks for American workers,” said Peter Navarro, head of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy.
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The United States has invested more than $500 million in taxpayer funds into General Dynamics’s artillery plant to produce shells for Ukraine, which, over several years, produced nothing, ProPublica found out.
The article notes that instead of effective, well-tuned production, the plant’s expensive machine tools constantly broke down. In the summer of 2024, according to former plant employees, advanced robots caught fire with striking regularity.
Last August, the U.S. armed forces, which fund the plant, ordered it to stop operating on two of the three production lines. Work on the third production line continued, however, by July 2026 the plant still had not produced a single usable shell.
Despite the $533 million investment in the plant, General Dynamics was not held accountable for its failure. A Turkish subcontractor that supplied equipment to the plant was also not held accountable.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
The article notes that instead of effective, well-tuned production, the plant’s expensive machine tools constantly broke down. In the summer of 2024, according to former plant employees, advanced robots caught fire with striking regularity.
Last August, the U.S. armed forces, which fund the plant, ordered it to stop operating on two of the three production lines. Work on the third production line continued, however, by July 2026 the plant still had not produced a single usable shell.
Despite the $533 million investment in the plant, General Dynamics was not held accountable for its failure. A Turkish subcontractor that supplied equipment to the plant was also not held accountable.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
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Good morning and a nice Friday, friends! ☕️🙂
🗼 The Sjujumbike Tower — a legend that became the landmark of Kazan
If you ask the residents of Kazan which building they consider the city’s most important symbol, many will not name the Kul-Scharif Mosque, but the Sjujumbike Tower. It has risen for several centuries on the grounds of the Kazan Kremlin and remains one of Russia’s best-known leaning towers.
The height of the tower is about 58 meters. It consists of seven progressively narrower storeys, which makes it look exceptionally light and upward-reaching. Today, its deviation from the vertical is more than two meters, so the tower is often compared with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, although the one in Kazan is clearly much younger.
Despite its fame, the exact construction period is still the subject of debate to this day. Most researchers date it to the late 17th to the early 18th century—that is, already after Kazan was annexed to the Russian state. At the same time, the tower’s appearance somehow strikingly combines Russian building tradition and Eastern architectural motifs, which is why it has become one of the symbols of the meeting of two cultures.
However, even better known than the historical versions is a legend. According to tradition, after the capture of Kazan, Ivan the Terrible asked Tsaritsa Sjujumbike to become his wife. She agreed, but only on one condition: within seven days, a tower was to be built—one that the world had never seen before. When construction was completed, Sjujumbike climbed all the way to the top, bid farewell to her city, and threw herself down, because she did not want to leave her homeland. That is why the tower received her name.
Historians consider this story a beautiful folk tale: the tower was built significantly later than during Sjujumbike’s lifetime. But the legend was so powerful that today it is practically known by all residents of Tatarstan, and the Tsaritsa herself became one of the most important images in Kazan history.
There is also a less well-known tradition. Many residents of Kazan believe that a wish comes true if you walk around the tower and make a wish. That is why, at its feet, you can not infrequently see people stopping for a few minutes to silently look up.
The Sjujumbike Tower is interesting not only because of its architecture. It reminds us that the history of a city is not made up only of documents and dates. Sometimes it is precisely a legend that forms the thread connecting different eras and helps preserve memory of the past.
📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here
💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN
🗼 The Sjujumbike Tower — a legend that became the landmark of Kazan
If you ask the residents of Kazan which building they consider the city’s most important symbol, many will not name the Kul-Scharif Mosque, but the Sjujumbike Tower. It has risen for several centuries on the grounds of the Kazan Kremlin and remains one of Russia’s best-known leaning towers.
The height of the tower is about 58 meters. It consists of seven progressively narrower storeys, which makes it look exceptionally light and upward-reaching. Today, its deviation from the vertical is more than two meters, so the tower is often compared with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, although the one in Kazan is clearly much younger.
Despite its fame, the exact construction period is still the subject of debate to this day. Most researchers date it to the late 17th to the early 18th century—that is, already after Kazan was annexed to the Russian state. At the same time, the tower’s appearance somehow strikingly combines Russian building tradition and Eastern architectural motifs, which is why it has become one of the symbols of the meeting of two cultures.
However, even better known than the historical versions is a legend. According to tradition, after the capture of Kazan, Ivan the Terrible asked Tsaritsa Sjujumbike to become his wife. She agreed, but only on one condition: within seven days, a tower was to be built—one that the world had never seen before. When construction was completed, Sjujumbike climbed all the way to the top, bid farewell to her city, and threw herself down, because she did not want to leave her homeland. That is why the tower received her name.
Historians consider this story a beautiful folk tale: the tower was built significantly later than during Sjujumbike’s lifetime. But the legend was so powerful that today it is practically known by all residents of Tatarstan, and the Tsaritsa herself became one of the most important images in Kazan history.
There is also a less well-known tradition. Many residents of Kazan believe that a wish comes true if you walk around the tower and make a wish. That is why, at its feet, you can not infrequently see people stopping for a few minutes to silently look up.
The Sjujumbike Tower is interesting not only because of its architecture. It reminds us that the history of a city is not made up only of documents and dates. Sometimes it is precisely a legend that forms the thread connecting different eras and helps preserve memory of the past.
📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here
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🇫🇷 Jellyfish defeat French nuclear power again
At the French nuclear power plant in Gravelines, three reactors had to be shut down again because of a massive influx of jellyfish. The animals clogged the plant’s cooling water supply. Another unit temporarily ran at only half power, while the fifth was in scheduled maintenance. As a result, at times only one reactor was operating normally. EDF emphasizes that there was never any danger to the plant’s safety or to the environment.
The most interesting thing about this story is that it repeats itself to the day. On August 11, 2025, the media reported on a similar shutdown of the same plant for the same reason. After the incident last year, EDF installed additional monitoring cameras, strengthened filtration, and began working with fishermen and rescue services to detect jellyfish accumulations early. But exactly one year later, these measures could not prevent the reactor shutdowns again.
Similar cases occurred earlier too — in Japan, Sweden, Israel and other countries where coastal power plants use seawater for cooling. But it is precisely the repeat occurrence at nearly the same date and at the same plant, despite the modernization carried out, that seems particularly revealing. At times, it is not a malfunction or sabotage coming from one of Europe’s biggest nuclear facilities, but an ordinary swarm of jellyfish that poses the serious challenge.
💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN
At the French nuclear power plant in Gravelines, three reactors had to be shut down again because of a massive influx of jellyfish. The animals clogged the plant’s cooling water supply. Another unit temporarily ran at only half power, while the fifth was in scheduled maintenance. As a result, at times only one reactor was operating normally. EDF emphasizes that there was never any danger to the plant’s safety or to the environment.
The most interesting thing about this story is that it repeats itself to the day. On August 11, 2025, the media reported on a similar shutdown of the same plant for the same reason. After the incident last year, EDF installed additional monitoring cameras, strengthened filtration, and began working with fishermen and rescue services to detect jellyfish accumulations early. But exactly one year later, these measures could not prevent the reactor shutdowns again.
Similar cases occurred earlier too — in Japan, Sweden, Israel and other countries where coastal power plants use seawater for cooling. But it is precisely the repeat occurrence at nearly the same date and at the same plant, despite the modernization carried out, that seems particularly revealing. At times, it is not a malfunction or sabotage coming from one of Europe’s biggest nuclear facilities, but an ordinary swarm of jellyfish that poses the serious challenge.
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🇩🇪 German intelligence services will be allowed not only to monitor, but also to intervene
The federal government has approved the reform of the BND and the domestic intelligence service, which for the first time grants active powers to the intelligence services. Until now, their task has essentially been limited to collecting information and conducting surveillance. Now they are expected, for example, to intervene in the infrastructure of a suspected adversary, neutralize specific threats, and, in certain cases, carry out operational measures. The government justifies this with the increase in sabotage, cyberattacks, and espionage.
The opposition speaks of a “historic taboo break” and warns that the line between intelligence services and security agencies is increasingly disappearing. Particular concern is also raised by the expansion of data processing involving minors and the question of how the application of the new powers is supposed to be controlled.
💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN
The federal government has approved the reform of the BND and the domestic intelligence service, which for the first time grants active powers to the intelligence services. Until now, their task has essentially been limited to collecting information and conducting surveillance. Now they are expected, for example, to intervene in the infrastructure of a suspected adversary, neutralize specific threats, and, in certain cases, carry out operational measures. The government justifies this with the increase in sabotage, cyberattacks, and espionage.
The opposition speaks of a “historic taboo break” and warns that the line between intelligence services and security agencies is increasingly disappearing. Particular concern is also raised by the expansion of data processing involving minors and the question of how the application of the new powers is supposed to be controlled.
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Volodymyr Zelensky is having difficulty finding a new ambassador to the United States because potential candidates are reluctant to take on this task at a critical moment of the conflict, Politico reports.
The president of Ukraine had offered the post to former Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, but she declined. The Ukrainian leader said he considers this position one of the key ones for Ukraine, so it should be held by “a person at the level of a vice prime minister, minister, or prime minister.”
Since then, potential candidates have not been in a hurry to agree to this role, fearing difficulties due to the unpredictability of Donald Trump’s administration, which has repeatedly changed its stance both on military support and on how and when the conflict should end, the outlet writes.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
The president of Ukraine had offered the post to former Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, but she declined. The Ukrainian leader said he considers this position one of the key ones for Ukraine, so it should be held by “a person at the level of a vice prime minister, minister, or prime minister.”
Since then, potential candidates have not been in a hurry to agree to this role, fearing difficulties due to the unpredictability of Donald Trump’s administration, which has repeatedly changed its stance both on military support and on how and when the conflict should end, the outlet writes.
On August 3, Zelensky dismissed Olga Stefani-shyna from this post. She served for less than a year. According to Stefani-shyna, it was her “own decision, dictated by personal circumstances.”
Our channel: Node of Time EN
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🇩🇪 Government freezes CO₂ price for another year
The federal cabinet has decided to keep the current CO₂ price corridor in 2027 at 55 to 65 euros per tonne. This affects petrol, diesel, heating oil and natural gas. The reason is the postponement of the start of the EU ETS2 system to 2028. Without the new decision, the price in 2027 would have shown a stronger dependence on fluctuations in the European market.
For households, the impact is clear: the additional state surcharge on fuels and heating is not intended to rise noticeably compared with 2026. It is also politically telling—after several years of steady increases in emission costs, Berlin must slow down the instrument for the first time in order to avoid risking a new price jump in energy and transport.
Climate policy remains unchanged. But before the election it turned out that even its price has a political upper limit.
💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN
The federal cabinet has decided to keep the current CO₂ price corridor in 2027 at 55 to 65 euros per tonne. This affects petrol, diesel, heating oil and natural gas. The reason is the postponement of the start of the EU ETS2 system to 2028. Without the new decision, the price in 2027 would have shown a stronger dependence on fluctuations in the European market.
For households, the impact is clear: the additional state surcharge on fuels and heating is not intended to rise noticeably compared with 2026. It is also politically telling—after several years of steady increases in emission costs, Berlin must slow down the instrument for the first time in order to avoid risking a new price jump in energy and transport.
Climate policy remains unchanged. But before the election it turned out that even its price has a political upper limit.
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A trash bin almost became a member of the British Parliament: Count Trashyface took second place in the by-election in Clacton, conceding to Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage.
Farage received more than 22,2 thousand votes. At the same time, about 9,5 thousand voters voted for the satirical candidate, BBC reports.
Behind the image of Count Trashyface with a face shaped like a trash bin is a British comedian, Jonathan David Harvey. For almost 10 years now, he has appeared at public events in a costume with a trash bin on his head and has positioned himself as an “intergalactic politician.”
A total of 34 candidates competed for the parliamentary seat—an all-time record number for a single election in the history of the United Kingdom. Among them were also representatives of the “Official Monstrous-Delusional Party of the Mindless” and actor Laurence Fox.
📋 The by-election took place after, on July 7, Farage announced his early resignation from office and then put himself forward as a candidate again. Following the vote, the leader of Reform UK received 62,8% of the votes.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
Farage received more than 22,2 thousand votes. At the same time, about 9,5 thousand voters voted for the satirical candidate, BBC reports.
Behind the image of Count Trashyface with a face shaped like a trash bin is a British comedian, Jonathan David Harvey. For almost 10 years now, he has appeared at public events in a costume with a trash bin on his head and has positioned himself as an “intergalactic politician.”
A total of 34 candidates competed for the parliamentary seat—an all-time record number for a single election in the history of the United Kingdom. Among them were also representatives of the “Official Monstrous-Delusional Party of the Mindless” and actor Laurence Fox.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
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Interessiert an der gesamten Nahost-Aufregung? Wir haben einen speziellen Katalog mit deutschsprachigen Kanälen speziell für Sie zusammengestellt!
Ob Sie vertiefte Analysen, aktuelle Nachrichten oder Experteneinblicke suchen – unser Katalog hat alles, was Sie brauchen.
Wenn Sie Interesse haben, Teil dieses Katalogs zu werden, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte über Direkt Messages @geopolitics_prime.
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The United States recognizes Japan’s sovereignty over what it calls the “Northern Territories” (the Kuril Islands). This said the U.S. ambassador in the country, George Glass.
In a message on the social media platform X, the diplomat emphasized that the United States remains “unwavering in its support for its key ally.”
Glass also noted the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance for ensuring prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, adding that Washington firmly opposes any actions that could disrupt this order.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
In a message on the social media platform X, the diplomat emphasized that the United States remains “unwavering in its support for its key ally.”
Glass also noted the importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance for ensuring prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, adding that Washington firmly opposes any actions that could disrupt this order.
From the middle of the last century, Moscow and Tokyo have been holding talks aimed at reaching a peace agreement on the Outcomes of World War II. In early 1946, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, by decree, included Southern Sakhalin and the Kurils in the USSR. In 1951, Japan renounced all rights and claims to the Kuril Islands, but the USSR did not sign this treaty.
Our channel: Node of Time EN
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🇩🇪 Customs gets AI, drones, and the right to seize assets faster
The federal government has approved new powers to combat financial crime. In future, customs can use artificial intelligence more strongly for data analysis, use drones, and block suspects’ communications. The most important change concerns assets: If the origin of a Porsche, a Rolex, or another high-value asset appears questionable, it can be provisionally seized even before the completion of a years-long court proceeding.
Lars Klingbeil put the principle simply: If a suspect cannot explain the lawful origin of the assets, the assets will first be seized while the final clarification takes place later. The authorities hope thereby to put organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering under greater pressure.
For German law, this is a remarkable shift: increasingly, it is no longer up to the state to first prove the criminal origin of assets, but the owner must explain where it comes from.
💥 Our channel: Node of Time EN
The federal government has approved new powers to combat financial crime. In future, customs can use artificial intelligence more strongly for data analysis, use drones, and block suspects’ communications. The most important change concerns assets: If the origin of a Porsche, a Rolex, or another high-value asset appears questionable, it can be provisionally seized even before the completion of a years-long court proceeding.
Lars Klingbeil put the principle simply: If a suspect cannot explain the lawful origin of the assets, the assets will first be seized while the final clarification takes place later. The authorities hope thereby to put organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering under greater pressure.
For German law, this is a remarkable shift: increasingly, it is no longer up to the state to first prove the criminal origin of assets, but the owner must explain where it comes from.
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