On September 11, 2026, in the Romanian city of Turda, located in Transylvania near Cluj-Napoca, the ancient Roman castrum of Potaissa—one of the most significant military fortresses of Roman Dacia—was officially opened to the general public. Prior to this, following the completion of restoration work, the site had been accessible primarily to organized groups.
The castrum was built around 168–170 CE for the 5th Macedonian Legion, which was deployed to Dacia during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The military base covered an area of about 23.4 hectares, measured approximately 573 by 408 meters, and was designed to house several thousand Roman soldiers.
In 2024, Potaissa was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the serial site “Frontiers of the Roman Empire—Dacia.” The entire Romanian complex comprises 277 individual sites of the ancient Roman defensive system, stretching over 1,000 km.
The project to restore and adapt the castrum for tourism has been in the works since 2016; the agreement for European funding was signed in 2018, and the main work was completed in 2024. According to the Turda City Hall, the final cost of the restoration work amounted to 22.97 million lei excluding VAT, while the total investment, including other expenses, was estimated at approximately 30 million lei, or about 6 million euros. Most of the funding came from European funds.
For visitors, the remains of the Principia Legion command building, Roman roads, bastions, gates, and thermal baths have been restored and preserved. The tour of the ancient baths is organized in a particularly unusual way: a protective structure has been built over the archaeological remains, featuring a system of suspended walkways with a total length of about 230 meters, allowing visitors to view the ruins from above without damaging them.
At the same time, a significant portion of Potaissa still remains underground. Archaeologist Sorin Nemeti told Romania’s ProTV that of the nearly 24 hectares, about 1 hectare has actually been excavated to date. Archaeologists already have an idea of the complex’s underground layout, but a complete study of such a site could take many more decades. Thousands of artifacts related to the daily life of Roman soldiers have been discovered during the excavations.
For Ukrainian tourists, Potaissa is relatively close. From the Romanian side of the Porubne–Siret border crossing to Turda, it is about 338 km by road. The distance from Lviv is approximately 480 km, and from Kyiv—about 830 km by road. Travel time depends significantly on border crossing wait times.
The most practical route from Ukraine is by car via Chernivtsi and the Porubne–Siret border crossing, then through Suceava toward Transylvania and Turda. Without a car, you can take a bus via Suceava and Cluj-Napoca. The nearest major international airport is in Cluj-Napoca, about 39 km from Turda; buses run from the airport to the city, and the trip takes about 20–40 minutes. Since Ukrainian airspace is currently closed to civilian aviation, this option is primarily relevant for travelers arriving in Romania from other European countries.
In August 2026, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) fined PJSC “USG Insurance Company” 30.8 million UAH for violating legal requirements regarding the prevention and counteraction of money laundering and terrorist financing. According to the regulator, the violations concerned the improper organization and conduct of initial financial monitoring.
In particular, the NBU identified shortcomings in the company’s internal documents regarding financial monitoring, the conduct of due diligence on customers, and the application of a risk-based approach.
The regulator also pointed out shortcomings in the additional screening of politically exposed persons (PEPs), as well as in the provision of information and documents to the National Bank upon its requests.
In addition to the fine, the insurance company received a written warning for violating requirements regarding the preparation and submission of statistical reports on financial monitoring.
The enforcement actions against SK “USG” were part of a series of measures taken by the NBU in August against one bank and four non-bank financial institutions. The total fines imposed by the regulator on the five companies exceeded 50 million UAH.
Specifically, the NBU simultaneously fined the state-owned “Ukrgasbank” 17.6 million UAH, “Max Credit” LLC 1.08 million UAH, “FC Goal” LLC 391,000 UAH, and “Zaporizhsvyazservis” PJSC 255,000 UAH.
USG Insurance Company has been operating in the Ukrainian insurance market for over 20 years. The company was founded in 2000 and has been part of the international Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) since 2008. The company is 100% foreign-owned and operates in the main segments of non-life insurance, including auto insurance, property insurance, liability insurance, travel insurance, and corporate risk insurance. Pavlo Nelga serves as Chairman of the Board.
In January–August of this year, Ukrainian companies increased their imports of copper and copper products by 13.3% in monetary terms compared to the same period last year—to $139.044 million.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, exports of copper and copper products rose by 22.7% over the eight-month period, reaching $75.529 million.
In August, copper imports totaled $15.771 million, while exports totaled $9.646 million.
As previously reported, in 2025, Ukrainian companies increased imports of copper and copper products by 23.2% in monetary terms compared to 2024—to $173.453 million—while exports of copper and copper products rose by 17.7%—to $103.848 million.
Copper is widely used in electrical engineering, in the manufacture of pipes, for creating alloys, in medicine, and in other industries.
Previously, the Experts Club information and analytical center released a video on global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa
According to Fixygen, there are still no signs of a broad shift of capital from Bitcoin to alternative cryptocurrencies, despite periodic rallies in individual tokens and Ethereum’s strengthening.
According to CoinMarketCap data as of September 12, 2026, the Altcoin Season Index stands at about 40 points out of 100, which is significantly below the 75-point threshold at which the market is considered to have entered a full-fledged altseason. Bitcoin’s dominance stands at about 58.7%, while Ethereum’s is 11.6%.
CoinMarketCap defines altseason as a period when at least 75% of the top 100 cryptocurrencies—excluding stablecoins and certain asset-backed tokens—have outperformed Bitcoin over the past 90 days.
BlockchainCenter’s alternative index also does not yet indicate an altseason: its value stands at around 33 points, while the required threshold is 75.
According to CoinGecko, the total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market stands at approximately $2.76 trillion. Bitcoin remains the largest asset with a market cap of about $1.55 trillion.
Bitcoin’s high market share indicates that a significant portion of new capital continues to be concentrated in the largest and most liquid crypto asset. This trend is driven by U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, corporate BTC purchases, and investor caution regarding less liquid tokens.
However, this situation differs from the classic cryptocurrency cycles of previous years, when, following strong growth in Bitcoin, capital would sequentially flow first into Ethereum, then into major altcoins, and finally into more speculative assets with smaller market capitalizations.
Certain altcoins have periodically outperformed Bitcoin significantly in the current cycle as well; however, so far these have been isolated instances rather than broad-based growth across the entire segment.
Ethereum has strengthened its position in recent months: its market share has grown from about 9% three months ago to around 11%, but this is not yet enough to trigger a full-scale rotation of capital away from Bitcoin.
Regular consumption of very hot tea or coffee may increase the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus by about three times, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, based on the results of a study by researchers at the University of Oxford published in the International Journal of Cancer.
The researchers analyzed data from 977,282 adult residents of the United Kingdom from two large projects — the Million Women Study and UK Biobank. The average follow-up period was 14.2 years in the first group and 11.1 years in the second. During this time, 2,348 cases of esophageal cancer were identified, including 1,045 cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 1,303 cases of adenocarcinoma.
Participants themselves indicated the temperature at which they preferred to drink tea and coffee — warm, hot or very hot.
Compared with those who preferred warm drinks, people who regularly drank them “very hot” had a 3.17 times higher risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. For the “hot” category, the risk was also elevated, although to a lesser extent. The scientists found no association between beverage temperature and the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
The number of drinks was a separate factor. Among people who consumed six or more cups of hot tea or coffee per day, the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was approximately 71% higher than among those who drank fewer than six cups, even after taking preferred beverage temperature into account.
At the same time, the study does not mean that coffee or tea themselves are carcinogens. The authors consider repeated thermal damage to the lining of the esophagus to be the most likely mechanism.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the consumption of beverages above 65°C as “probably carcinogenic to humans” — Group 2A — back in 2016. This refers specifically to the high temperature, not to the composition of the beverage.
The Oxford researchers note that approximately 13–17% of participants in the two British cohorts preferred their beverages “very hot,” while around 43–44% consumed six or more hot drinks daily.
According to the authors’ calculations, around 14% of cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in the United Kingdom could potentially be prevented if people who prefer very hot drinks reduced the temperature at least to the “hot” category.
At the same time, the results should be interpreted cautiously. The study is observational and shows a statistical association rather than proving a direct cause-and-effect relationship. In addition, beverage temperature was determined on the basis of participants’ self-assessment rather than measured with a thermometer.
The authors also emphasize that the absolute risk of the disease remains relatively low. Among nearly 1 million participants, 1,045 cases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma were recorded over more than a decade of follow-up. Therefore, a threefold increase in relative risk does not mean that the disease will develop in every third person who regularly drinks very hot tea or coffee.
The most practical conclusion of the study is simple: there is no need to give up coffee or tea, but the drinks should be allowed to cool slightly before consumption.
The main proven risk factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma also include smoking and alcohol consumption. The International Agency for Research on Cancer emphasizes that these remain among the main causes of the disease in many countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ranked 21st in the 2026 ranking of the 50 most influential Jews in the world, compiled by the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post.
In the overall table, The Jerusalem Post calls Zelensky “the Jewish face of Ukrainian resistance,” while a separate article about the Ukrainian president is titled: “The Jewish president who became the face of Ukraine’s resistance.”
The authors of the ranking note Zelensky’s role in leading the country during the full-scale war with Russia, advancing Ukraine toward membership in the European Union, and developing new approaches to warfare, in particular drone technologies.
The Jerusalem Post also draws attention to the Jewish origins of the Ukrainian president and repeated attempts by the Russian authorities to combine accusations of “Nazism” against Ukraine with the fact that its president is Jewish.
The publication recalls that Zelensky’s relatives were killed during the Holocaust, while his paternal grandfather fought against Nazi Germany during World War II. Zelensky himself has repeatedly said that his Jewish background is part of his biography but does not define his political activity.
Zelensky has repeatedly appeared in The Jerusalem Post’s annual ranking. In 2022, after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he took first place, and the publication then named him the most influential Jew of the year. In the 2024 ranking, the Ukrainian president was in 23rd place. Thus, in 2026 he rose by two positions compared with the ranking two years earlier.
The Jerusalem Post gave first place in its 2026 ranking to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Every year, the publication includes politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists, public figures, representatives of the technology industry, culture and religious organizations who, in the editorial board’s assessment, exert significant influence on global processes.
Primary source — The Jerusalem Post, 50 Most Influential Jews of 2026 ranking.
