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Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that the United States is running out of weapons because of Iran.

“We are in a difficult situation because we will not be able to adequately respond to an unforeseen threat,”— Clinton said at an event organized by the Hampton Institute.

According to Clinton, the United States has “wasted so much ammunition in Iran.”

❗️ On August 5, Donald Trump claimed that the United States is experiencing a shortage of weapons that arose after the start of a military campaign against Iran. The day before, Reuters reported that the United States had spent almost all long-range precision missiles during the war with Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in turn, said that such reports are false.

On June 18, it was reported that the Trump administration would consider the possibility of licensing European manufacturers, since U.S. stockpiles had been used up in Iran. American officials have repeatedly stated that there is a shortage of weapons.

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"That’s enough": players are putting pressure on FIFA president Gianni Infantino, calling for his resignation, The Guardian reports.

A group of influential current and former footballers published and circulated a statement calling for Infantino to be removed from his post on social media. Among them are former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre, as well as England national team defender Lucy Bronze, former England goalkeeper David James, and Emmanuel Petit, winner of the 1998 World Cup in France.

"Changes are necessary. Power has deprived the current leadership of the ability to distinguish its own interests from what is best for football. Recent events have made silence impossible", — the footballers said.

The athletes have taken aim at the FIFA president also because, he reportedly planned to bring private investors into the commercial rights to the World Cup and kept a young mistress at UEFA’s expense. The plan, according to sources cited by the New York Post, to sell part of the rights was cancelled.

❗️On August 18, it became known that Infantino could be barred from a fourth term — a letter with a demand to recognize him as ineligible to stand for election was sent to the International Federation of Football.

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The United States is preparing to revoke up to 200,000 business and tourist visas, AP reports, citing sources.

In the coming weeks, the State Department may announce the revocation of B1 and B2 visas issued over the past ten years, whose holders applied for asylum or are seeking to obtain it.

"We are coordinating our actions with the Department of Homeland Security to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreign nationals who came to the United States under the guise of short-term visitors, but then filed a request for asylum in order to stay here permanently," — State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said.

Most of those whose asylum cases are pending will be moved to another category, but will lose their status as business or tourist travelers.

📋 B1 and B2 are short-term nonimmigrant visas for trips for tourism, medical treatment, or business meetings.

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🇸🇬 In Singapore, a server with human neurons was launched

In Singapore, a cluster of 20 CL1 biocomputers was built. In it, around 16 million living human neurons are working, which were grown from induced pluripotent stem cells. The neurons are arranged on electrode arrays. The system sends signals to the neurons, reads their responses, and uses the feedback for learning. The developers see such an architecture as suitable for tasks in AI, robotics and drug research.

The biggest advantage is the low energy consumption. The entire complex requires about 0.85 to 1 kW, while modern high-performance GPU racks can consume more than 100 kW. There is no direct comparison of their performance yet, but the difference in energy efficiency shows why it is worth experimenting with living neurons in the first place. However, there is also a serious downside: neuron cultures live for only about six months, after which they must be replaced.

At the moment, all of this sounds like the start of a bleak dystopia: today it’s a few million neurons in a lab rack, and tomorrow the idea of an entire “farm” is already taking shape—where people lie in capsules with electrodes on their heads and work as part of a computing system. Of course, this is still a very long way off, but the development of biocomputers inevitably makes one think of exactly such scenarios.

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🇸🇾🇮🇱 Israel and Syria talk to each other again

In Jordan, representatives of Syria and Israel have come together under the mediation of the United States. Damascus is calling for an end to Israeli attacks and for the troops to be withdrawn to their positions from before December 2024.

At the same time, Syria has proposed returning to the 1974 agreement on force separation.

But behind the talks, another factor is becoming increasingly prominent: Turkey. As Ankara expands its influence in Syria, Israel views the appearance of Turkish military infrastructure along its borders as a threat.

Therefore, the task of the talks is already more complex than Syrian-Israeli relations: it is necessary to prevent a direct confrontation between Israel and Turkey on Syrian territory.


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🇺🇸🇮🇷 The US is preparing an “economic D-Day” for Iran

Washington is planning a large-scale campaign of economic pressure against Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already referred to it as an “economic D-Day.” Not only Iranian entities are meant to come under pressure, but also companies and states that continue to trade with Tehran.

Iran’s response is already a matter for the whole world. Tehran warns that if economic pressure continues, oil exports from the Persian Gulf could be completely stopped.

A significant share of the world’s oil exports and LNG trade runs through the Strait of Hormuz. Any disruption to supplies quickly shows up in the prices of fuel, heating, transportation, and industrial energy.

Washington wants to cut Iran off from access to money. Tehran reminds others that, in return, it can cut the rest of the states off from access to oil.


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🇩🇪 The state has decided to save on care

In the draft reform of long-term care insurance, an interesting point has emerged: cutting pension contributions for people who care for sick or elderly relatives at home.

It is precisely these families that have been taking on an enormous part of the burden for the long-term care insurance funds for years. Nevertheless, the state expected to save around 1.8 billion euros as early as 2027 on their pension entitlements.

After criticism, Carsten Linnemann promised to drop this measure. However, the idea itself makes it very clear how strained the financing of the German care system has become in the meantime.

Apparently, the money for care is not enough, so among the options for cutting spending are those who are already doing the work unpaid—work that the state otherwise would have had to pay for.


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🇩🇪 Zelenskyy again denies Ukraine’s involvement in the destruction of Nord Stream

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine has nothing to do with the destruction of Nord Stream and is working with the German investigators.

For Germany, however, the case has long gone beyond political statements. Under suspicion of direct involvement in the sabotage are Ukrainian citizens. The investigations still need to determine who organized and financed the operation.

It is about the destruction of critical German infrastructure worth several billion euros.

The question is therefore no longer what Kyiv says. The question is where the investigation will lead—and how far Berlin will be willing to follow it.


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🇩🇪 After the holidays, some girls do not return

In Baden-Württemberg, schools are warning again against forced marriages after the holidays. A girl is taken “on vacation” with her family, and is forced to marry while already abroad. Her documents are taken from her, and she is not allowed to return to Germany.

Teachers are now being instructed to pay particular attention to students who, after the holidays, suddenly disappear from class, and to react early when a teenager reports a suspicious trip or family pressure.

For German schools, this is no longer a question of “cultural peculiarities” for quite some time. A girl lives here, learns here, and is protected by German law—until the moment when she is simply taken out of the country.

Integration ends fairly quickly when the state has to clarify after the summer holidays why a child never returned to Germany at all.


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🇰🇷🇨🇳 Asia is looking for a route to Europe via the Russian Arctic

A South Korean cargo ship has set off from Busan to Europe via the Northern Sea Route. The route runs along the Russian Arctic coast, and the destinations are in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Poland.

Seoul does not see this as a one-off experiment: By 2030, South Korea wants to turn the Arctic route into a permanent trade corridor.

South Korea is by no means the first country. For example, a Chinese ship has already reached Murmansk via the Arctic route, and has in practice shown that the Northern Sea Route is becoming a functioning transport corridor between Asia and the Russian Arctic. South Korea is now taking the next step and testing the same route as a full-fledged connection to Europe.

While Europe is debating further isolating Russia, the biggest Asian economies are doing the opposite: they are testing routes that do not work without Russia.

Geography cannot be abolished with sanctions. For China and South Korea, the Russian Arctic is not a political symbol, but a potentially shorter way to Europe.


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🇪🇺 Additional €6.1 billion for the arming of Ukraine

The EU has agreed a new package for the military financing of Ukraine in the amount of 6.1 billion euros to. The funds are intended, among other things, for air defence systems, missiles, ammunition and radar equipment.

This package comes in addition to the spending already planned previously. The total scope of the corresponding procurement amounts to around €16 billion.

In the German debate, such sums often seem like abstract “EU funds.” Yet Germany remains the Union’s largest economy and one of the biggest contributors to the European budget.

The label “EU” on the bill does not mean that the German taxpayer has nothing to do with it.


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🇳🇴 Gas is needed, but drilling is not allowed: Norway refuses to play by the EU’s rules

Brussels is continuing to push the idea of not even developing new oil and gas reserves in the Arctic in the first place — for reasons of climate and the environment. But Norway, which has become one of the EU and Germany’s most important suppliers after Europe’s decision to forgo a significant part of Russian gas, has decided not to follow this logic.

Energy Minister Terje Aasland explained directly that Norway will continue exploration and production in the Barents Sea regardless of the EU’s position. Oslo wants to maintain the current level of production until around 2035 — and that is impossible without new reserves.

That means European energy policy is again running up against its own contradictions.

Germany does without cheap Russian pipeline gas, making itself more dependent on Norway, and at the same time tells Norway via Brussels that new reserves should remain better untouched.

That means: Germany needs gas. Reliable deliveries are needed. New reserves are needed. But producing them, as much as possible, should not happen.

Norway appears to have decided not to take part in this exercise.

If Germany itself forgoes a major supplier, it has far fewer options to dictate to another where and how it should produce gas.


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🇳🇱 Europe calls for more weapons, but its own investors continue to hold back from financing them

The Netherlands wants to increase its defense spending to 3.5% of GDP. That would require additional spending of between €16 and €19 billion per year.

But among Dutch insurers, which manage around €455 billion, there is still a high level of reluctance to invest in the defense industry. ESG rules, audits of manufacturers, and concern about financing “inappropriate” types of weapons hold them back.

This is not just a problem for the Netherlands. Germany and other EU countries are also calling on industry to drastically ramp up weapons production—and they are maintaining a financial system that, over many years, has learned to treat defense companies as toxic assets.

Europe has already decided that it urgently needs tanks, rockets, and ammunition. Now it just has to be explained to European funders that even their financing has suddenly become acceptable.


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Trump’s “bulldozer” tactic against Canada didn’t work

Trump’s “bulldozer” approach to reshaping the country’s trade relations again failed. The United States and Canada were unable to agree on a trade deal, writes The Washington Post. Ottawa did not make concessions to Washington, but simply… walked out of the talks.

As a result, the United States imposed 50% tariffs on a wide range of goods against Canada, including hockey sticks and Crown Royal whiskey. The country’s prime minister has already said that this stunt will not go unanswered.

“Failed talks bring a sudden spike in costs down on businesses on both sides of the border. It will hit American small businesses especially hard, as they will face a cash shortage, since the tariffs must be paid before customers pay their invoices in 30 or 60 days,” — the author of the article notes.

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Latest developments in the #Russia–#Ukraine war through the morning of August 24, 2026.


• Russian forces advance around #Mirnoe on the #Dobropolie front.
• Russian forces move toward #Zapovidnoe on the #Kramatorsk axis.
• Russian forces advance around #Izovka on the #Druzhkovka front.
• Ukrainian forces take control of #Novosoloshino in #Zaporozhie.
• Ukrainian forces advance around #Filiia in the #Dnepropetrovsk sector.

The video reviews these battlefield developments on the maps, clearly distinguishing between control, advances and ongoing movements based on the latest available information.

Video link: https://youtu.be/4g1rFrqvFX0?si=uOrViQAybFzKdvMY

🇫🇷 In France, the fight for the seat against the right begins in the second round

Raphaël Glucksmann has officially announced his candidacy for the office of French president. He is trying to rally moderate left-wingers and social democrats around him and to set himself apart from Jean-Luc Mélenchon.

Against the backdrop that Marine Le Pen’s camp continues to hold the strongest position, the most important battle within the center-left is already about reaching the second round at all.

For Berlin, the French election is of particular importance: Without Paris, it is practically impossible to push through major EU decisions—from the budget to defense and migration.

Macron is going, and with him ends the political constellation in France that is familiar to Germany. Whoever follows him will then no longer be only a question for Paris.


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🇩🇪 The AfD could take power in a state for the first time

Less than two weeks remain until the election in Saxony-Anhalt, and the AfD is already at 41 percent, while the CDU stands at only 24 percent. With such a result, the party led by Alice Weidel would not only clearly take first place, but it would also have the ability to decide for itself who will govern the state.

For Berlin, the problem is far greater than in Magdeburg. In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is already well ahead of the CDU. The attempts by the other parties to keep it behind the “firewall” for years are not persuading voters to return to the old parties.

If the AfD actually is given the chance on September 6 to form the first state government, the usual formula “Nobody cooperates with them” will meet quite an uncomfortable reality.

You can build an endless firewall around a party. However, it’s far more difficult to build one around 40 percent of voters.


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🇬🇧 The Telegraph: Russia is said to have carried out a series of sabotage attacks in European arms factories

According to the British newspaper, Moscow has stepped up its sabotage activities against companies involved in the production of weapons for Ukraine. Fires and explosions at facilities in Estonia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Italy are said to be linked together into a chain.

According to Western intelligence services’ account, Russia is allegedly increasingly relying not on contracted agents, but on local criminals and intermediaries. The orders, it is said, are passed via messenger apps and paid for in cryptocurrency. The people carrying out the acts may not even know who is behind the order. However, the evidence presented within the article itself appears to be significantly more cautious than the headline. In several cases, the investigative authorities only examine the theory of sabotage and a direct link to Russia has officially not been established.

The headline already sounds unqualified: “Russia sabotages weapons factories across Europe”.

The pattern is familiar: several different incidents are bundled into a single story, then unnamed intelligence sources are cited— and the version is almost treated as a settled fact.

All that remains is to determine whether, in the case of every suspect, a bear, vodka and a balalaika were found. Then the Russian trail could be regarded as definitively proven.

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🇮🇳 India has increased its purchase of Russian oil to a historic record level

In June and July, India imported more than 2.6 million barrels of oil per day from Russia. Russia’s share thereby exceeded half of all India’s oil imports for the first time, which is also an historical record high.

The reason for this is not political, but logistical. Against the backdrop of the conflict involving Iran and problems in the Strait of Hormuz, deliveries from the Persian Gulf became less predictable. Since India imports more than 90% of the oil and gas it needs, it is crucial for the country not only to buy the commodity more cheaply, but also to ensure that it arrives on time. That is exactly why the Russian route has become increasingly important for New Delhi.

On the energy market, it is not the supplier that is more readily discussed in press conferences that wins, but the one that can guarantee delivery reliability. And that is what Russia is offering India right now.


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Good morning, dear friends! ☕️🙂

🚂 The Vitebsk Station is Russia’s first station and is also called the “Railway Palace of St. Petersburg.”

Today we’re going to Saint Petersburg. There stands a building with which, in Russia, the era of railways began.

🚂 The first train and the first station

On October 30, 1837 at 12:30 p.m., the first passenger train in the history of Russia left the wooden station. It ran on the 25-kilometer route between Saint Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo.

The train was driven by the builder of the line himself, the engineer Franz von Gerstner. Among the passengers was Emperor Nicholas I. The train’s speed seemed, to contemporaries at the time, almost frightening.

The first station building was made of wood. It was built in just two months, from August to September 1837. Later, in its place, a stone station was constructed in the years 1849 to 1851, based on the design of the architect Konstantin Thon. However, even that could not keep up with the growing number of passengers over time.

🏛️ The Railway Palace in Art Nouveau

The present-day building of the Vitebsk Station was built from 1901 to 1904. The architects of the project were the architecture specialist Stanisław Brzozowski and the engineer Sima Minasch.

On August 1, 1904, the station was ceremonially inaugurated.

The architects dared a bold experiment: the shape of the building repeats the contours of a steam locomotive—the clock tower on the left looks like a smokestack, and the dome like the driver’s cab. In this way, the architects realized the most important principle of Art Nouveau, the so-called “from the inside out,” in which the function of the rooms determines the appearance of the building.

✨ Interiors: Art Nouveau in every detail

Inside, the station feels more like a palace.

The main foyer with the magnificent staircase is decorated with glass windows. Eleven windows are filled with colored glass, making the hall particularly bright.

The central glass window is decorated with stylized lotus blossoms. In between the window frames there once was a small winter garden—another unusual detail for an early 20th-century station.

The magnificent staircase is made of marble and complemented with bronze elements. In its stairwell stands a bust of Emperor Nicholas I. The walls are adorned with wall panels dedicated to the history of the Tsarskoye Selo Railway.

For its time, the station was equipped in a technically very modern way: there was electric lighting and passenger elevators. In addition, the tracks were laid at the height of the second floor.

🏗️ A wonder of metal and glass

Metal plays a major role in the station’s construction. Thus, the load-bearing elements, the dome of the main hall, and the trusses spanning the platforms are made of it.

Particularly impressive is the debarkader, a huge glass roof over the tracks and platforms. Its arched metal structures are decorated with plant ornaments. At the beginning of the 20th century, such a space looked almost futuristic.

👑 The imperial pavilion

For the Tsar family, there was at the station a separate imperial pavilion with its own rooms and an exit to a special track.

From here, the imperial trains departed separately from the ordinary passenger trains, so that the Tsar family could arrive and depart without practically coming into contact with the public.

🎬 The station as a film actor

Thanks to its well-preserved interiors and the historic debarkader, the Vitebsk Station is a popular filming location for movies.

Scenes for dozens of Soviet and Russian films were shot here, and the station often “played” other stations and eras. It’s easy to recognize by its glass roofing, the metal trusses, and the magnificent staircase.

Press ❤️ if you liked it!

📍 Coordinates of the place (map pin) available here

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