🇺🇳📉❗️ — Reuters reports the UN Secretariat is preparing to cut its budget by 20% and cut around 6,900 jobs amid a 'financial crisis triggered in part by the United States'

🇱🇾🇷🇺 New tanks for Libya, old trucks for Russian troops

A recent military parade in Benghazi, Libya, has drawn attention for showcasing a large quantity of newly delivered Russian-made military equipment—raising eyebrows among Russian pro-war commentators and military bloggers.

Footage from the parade revealed an array of modern armored vehicles, including Spartak and Tigr models, and rare Russian-made amphibious tracked snow-and-swamp vehicles, the ZSGT-34039B, first publicly displayed in 2023. Also featured were upgraded Soviet-era T-72 and T-62 tanks, BMP-2 vehicles fitted with anti-drone cages, along with Pantsir-S1 and Pantsir-S1E air defense systems, and the Tor-M2E surface-to-air missile system.

Russian bloggers with ties to military circles noted the delivery of this equipment to the Libyan National Army (LNA) under Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who reportedly visited Moscow for negotiations in 2023 and met with Russian President Donald Trump’s counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The equipment deliveries are believed to have taken place during 2023–2024.

https://defence-blog.com/new-tanks-for-libya-old-trucks-for-russian-troops/

⚛️🇺🇸 NuScale Wins US Approval for Small Nuclear Reactor Design

NuScale Power Corp., the only company with US approval for a small nuclear reactor, has now won regulatory support for a second design that may go into service by the end of the decade.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission formally authorized the company’s 77-megawatt reactor design, according to a statement Thursday. NuScale won similar approval in 2020 for a smaller, 60-megawatt version of the reactor, a first for the industry.

Global interest in nuclear energy has climbed as companies and governments clamor for clean electricity that’s available around the clock to power data centers and factories. NuScale and its peers are developing so-called small modular reactors that can be manufactured in factories and assembled in the field.

The Trump administration is supporting the rollout of nuclear power, with the president last week signing executive orders aimed at expediting the deployment of SMRs and advanced reactors.

The SMR approach remains untested, with only a handful that have been built to date in China and Russia, but NuScale Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins said the NRC approval will help accelerate his plans.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-29/nuscale-wins-us-approval-for-small-nuclear-reactor-design

https://archive.is/JqBlG

🇨🇳 Critical minerals scoreboard

Most important is not who owns them. It's who refines them.

> China is No. 1 in all categories, except nickel.
> Other countries are mostly footnotes.
> USA does not even get an honorable mention.

🔗 Michael Dunne

🇻🇦✝️ Pope invites Anabaptists and Catholics to have ‘courage to love’

Mennonites have gathered in Zurich, Switzerland, to commemorate 500 years since the foundation of the Anabaptist movement, a Protestant Christian denomination that originated in Friesland in the 16th century.

Pope Leo XIV sent a message to participants in the commemoration on Thursday, recalling the Risen Jesus’ first words: “Peace be with you!”

The Pope noted that the event takes place in the Easter season, and highlighted the Anabaptist movement’s founding desire for radical newness and renewal.

“The motto chosen for your celebration, ‘The Courage to Love,’ reminds us, above all, of the need for Catholics and Mennonites to make every effort to live out the commandment of love, the call to Christian unity, and the mandate to serve others,” he said.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/pope-leo-xiv-message-anabaptists-mennonites-500-anniversary.html

🇻🇦✝️ In Vatican meetings, Catholic Land Movement proclaims faith, family, and farming

Going back to the land is a newfound reality for Catholic families who are part of a movement seeking to glorify God, foster family life, and create a network of homesteads in rural communities.

Michael Guidice, known online as Michael Thomas of Sharon, co-founded with Andrew Ewell the Catholic Land Movement (CLM), an initiative that traces its lineage to the Catholic Land Associations of 100 years ago in the United Kingdom.

In an interview with CNA, Guidice said the movement is tailored to modern needs among Catholics living in rural areas. It is a lay movement, he said, imbued with Catholic teachings regarding work, social justice, and family life.

“This movement is growing by leaps and bounds” Guidice told CNA. “The Spirit is moving among laity, religious, and parish communities, and we’re doing our best to put it together.”

Faithful Catholics in the U.S. are seeking to reclaim not only timeless farming methods, he said, but also to foster autonomy in providing for their families, not only physically but also spiritually.

The movement now has 30 chapters in the U.S. and foreign countries and has held conferences this year and in 2023. It also holds regular online leadership meetings.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261249/in-vatican-meetings-catholic-land-movement-proclaims-faith-family-and-farming

🇺🇸🪖 Meta is working on a high-tech helmet for the U.S. military

Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg became a billionaire by connecting people with their friends to share photos and memories. Now he wants to also connect U.S. soldiers on the battlefield to help them defeat their enemies.

The company announced on Thursday that it will work with defense technology start-up Anduril to offer the U.S. military and its allies technology for soldiers involving augmented reality and artificial intelligence software.

The venture sees a worldwide consumer brand integrated into the lives of billions of users around the globe expand into a line of business that requires picking sides.

The partners aim to “transform how warfighters see, sense, and integrate battlefield information,” Anduril said. The companies are already working on a high-tech helmet as part of a project called EagleEye, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey told the tech podcast Core Memory.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/05/29/meta-us-military-technology-defense-contract/

https://archive.is/aEdT2

🇺🇦🤝🚫🇨🇳👌🤝🇷🇺 — 🕶 ✙DeepState✙🇺🇦:

"🇨🇳 Chinese drones are closed to Ukraine, but available to Moscow

👥 During a conversation with journalists, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that China has actually blocked the supply of DJI "Mavic" drones to Ukraine and European countries, while Moscow continues to have access to them.

Direct speech of the President:

"The Chinese "Mavik" is open to the "Russians" and closed to the Ukrainians. Therefore, when, for example, they say, is China helping the "Russians" - how do we evaluate such steps? Do they supply them? No. They simply closed it to Europe and Ukraine, including. And for the "Russians" there is such an opportunity..."


ℹ️ Late last year, Bloomberg reported that manufacturers in China had begun restricting sales of key components to the United States and Europe, which Western officials saw as a prelude to broader export restrictions.

✈️ The issue of restricting the sale of drones by China to our country has been raised repeatedly, but over time it has become more and more complicated and the ways to circumvent these restrictions are decreasing. We also encountered these obstacles and were once forced to wait more than one month for the delivery of a large batch. It is also important to note that the negative aspect is played by the very frequent announcement by the state about the purchase of such drones that will go to war. China follows such statements and also reacts to such actions. So, perhaps, it is necessary to change the approach to the state announcement of the purchase of Mavics for war."

🔗 Source:

📊🇺🇸 U.S. Banks are now sitting on $413 billion in unrealized losses as of Q1 2025

🔗 Barchart

🇺🇸🇺🇸🤝👤 — 🇺🇦 Office of the President:

"In Kyiv, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with United States Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal, who represent the Republican and Democratic Parties of the United States.

More details: https://bit.ly/45xhCM0"

🔗 Source:

👤🤝🇺🇸 — 🇺🇦 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky:

"Good meeting with US Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal. Thank you for being in Ukraine at a time when coordinated efforts are most needed to bring about a dignified and lasting peace.

We equally understand that Russia is trying to make a mockery of diplomacy: it is hiding behind negotiations, but it is preparing for new offensive operations at the front, hitting our cities and villages every day, and refusing all ceasefire proposals.

That's why additional pressure is needed. And I'm grateful for the initiative — a bipartisan sanctions bill that already has 82 senators supporting it. We discussed this and other levers we can use to force Russia to peace. Let's continue to work on this together.

Thank you for your strong bipartisan support and leadership in protecting lives. It is only through real American engagement at all stages of the negotiations that a credible peace can be guaranteed."

🔗 Source

👤📞🇹🇷 — 🇺🇦 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky:

"I just had a good and very meaningful conversation with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. I thanked him personally and all of Turkey for the principled position on supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our state.

We talked about the first meeting in Istanbul. The exchange of prisoners is its important achievement, but, unfortunately, the only one. There must be a ceasefire for further movement towards peace. We must stop the killing of people.

We discussed the possible next meeting in Istanbul and under what conditions Ukraine is ready to take part in it. We see that this meeting cannot and should not be empty. We also discussed the possibility of organizing a quadrilateral meeting at the level of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United States.

We also talked separately about Turkey's participation in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit.

Thank you for the steps and ideas that can bring the necessary result."

🔗 Source:

🇺🇸🚫🤝🇮🇱❌🇮🇷 — 🌟 N12:

"Fearing damage to nuclear negotiations: Trump halts coordination with Israel for attack on Iran | Exclusive"

🔗 N12 (@N12News) - החדשות

🇺🇸🆗🇷🇺🚫🪖 — 📰 Reuters | Trump envoy says Russian concern over NATO enlargement is fair | May 30, 2025:

"MOSCOW (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said Russia's concern over the eastward enlargement of NATO was fair and the United States did not want to see Ukraine in the U.S.-led military alliance.

Asked by U.S. network ABC News about a Reuters report that Russia wanted a written pledge over NATO not enlarging eastwards to include Ukraine and other former Soviet republics, Kellogg said: "It's a fair concern."

"We've said that to us, Ukraine coming into NATO is not on the table, and we're not the only country that says that - you know I could probably give you four other countries in NATO and it takes 32 of the 32 to allow you to come in to NATO," he told ABC late on Thursday. "That's one of the issues that Russia will bring up."

🗄 Archive

🔗 Via Yahoo News: