TikTok social media platform has called the possible US law banning it “unconstitutional” and said it would defend its rights in court.

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What is Project Maven AI and how is it disappointing US?

Project Maven AI is US Defense Department’s flagship project that uses artificial intelligence to make decisions on the battlefield in lieu of humans.

The technology is being tested in the Ukraine conflict area, with Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, Commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, cynically calling Ukraine “our laboratory”.

In theory, the system is supposed to process data from multiple sources, including satellites, drones, and even social media accounts of Russian soldiers, before anticipating, detecting, and destroying enemy targets by generating swarms of GPA-guided missiles with little input from humans.

However, field commanders have complained of the system’s failure in delivering “the picture of the battlefield” to “soldiers in the trenches”, according the New York Times.

In addition, Bloomberg has reported that while soldiers can accurately identify a tank 84% of the time, Project Maven AI is only managing 60%, a figure that tanks to 30% in snowy environments.

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The United States secretly transferred ATACMS operational-tactical missiles to Ukraine in March. They were used twice against Russian targets, according to Politico.

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Australian police arrested seven teenagers in connection with the Bishop Mari Mari Emanuel stabbing

Aged 15 to 17, the youngsters were part of a network that included a 16-year-old boy accused of stabbing the bishop Emmanuel in a Sydney church on April 15, according to the police.

“We will allege that these individuals adhered to a religiously motivated, violent extremist ideology,” the police spokesperson told media.

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Fall of Project Maven? How US target recognition system failed miserably in Ukraine

The deficiencies of the American target recognition system known as Project Maven were exposed by the Ukrainian crisis, veteran Russian military observer and defense tech expert Alexei Leonkov told Sputnik.

While the system, designed to use machine learning to identify targets, managed to gauge Russia’s preparations for the special military operation prior to February 24, 2022, it was overwhelmed as soon as fighting began and the ground situation altered quickly, Leonkov explained.

“Here’s an example. An observation unit – a drone or a satellite – spots a tank. Here’s a question: is it a tank? Is it a real tank? Is it the same tank that was spotted there yesterday, or is it a new tank that arrived there 15 minutes ago?” he asked.

“Basically, when static intelligence data suddenly became dynamic intelligence data, the Maven project faltered, miscalculating the situation on the battlefield.”

According to Leonkov, last year’s Ukrainian “counteroffensive” laid bare one of Maven’s biggest flaws when it failed to account for a “number of factors” in assessing Russian defenses. That botch turned Ukrainians’ projected victory into a crushingly humiliating defeat.

Maven also failed to anticipate Russian attacks at Avdeyevka, Leonkov said, adding that the city’s loss dealt a big blow to the system’s credibility in Pentagon’s eyes.

Project Maven could probably be effective in “low-intensity local conflicts” where the situation on the battlefield does not change as quickly, Leonkov suggested.

He further noted that even US artificial intelligence experts have warned that modern AI operates within the framework of pre-programmed scenarios and algorithms, rendering it rather useless in real battles shrouded in chaos.

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The Pentagon confirmed to Sputnik the transfer of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine for use, as stated, “within sovereign Ukrainian territory”.

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Ukraine's Cabinet has banned the issuance of passports to Ukrainians abroad who are liable for military service.

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🇮🇷🇰🇵 What's known about Iran-North Korean relations?

A high-level North Korean economic delegation embarked on a trip to the Islamic Republic of Iran on April 23, as per the DPRK's state news agency. The trip has prompted groundless speculations in the Western press that the meeting has something to do with bilateral "military cooperation."

However, despite being subjected to tough sanctions, the two maintain cooperation in various spheres, including energy trade, banking, agriculture, hi-tech, and cultural exchanges, to name but a few.

▪️The Islamic Republic of Iran has maintained diplomatic ties with North Korea since 1979, but the Trump administration's derailment of the Iran nuclear deal accelerated further rapprochement between the two;

▪️After US reinstated anti-Iran sanctions in August 2018, DPRK and Iranian foreign ministers met in Tehran to discuss joint efforts to combat US sanctions and their consequences;

▪️The North Korean delegation led by Pak Chol-min, vice chair of the DPRK parliament, made a week-long trip to Iran in 2019 ahead of the coronavirus pandemic.

▪️In September 2020, former head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Hamid Zadboum met with DPRK Ambassador Han Song-u to discuss the expansion of banking and trade ties;

▪️Ebrahim Raisi's presidential win in June 2021 gave further boost to the development of Iran-DPRK relations;

▪️In December 2022, Iran and North Korea agreed to enhance academic, scientific and technology cooperation;

▪️Iran and DPRK are also expected to jointly participate in Syria's reconstruction and rebuilding of the Arab Republic's industrial potential.

Groundless Western accusations are used to justify a tough sanctions regime against Iran and North Korea in a bid to coerce them into submission, but none of those attempts have borne any fruit.

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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez writes on X that he is "suspending all his public duties to stop and reflect on the future and decide whether he wants to continue to be at the forefront of politics."

In a letter to citizens, he wrote that he was considering resigning because of the personal attacks he and his wife have suffered in recent weeks.

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Will the US economy benefit from the ‘Support Ukraine’ bill?

No, US senators say

Despite quickly passing the Senate and immediately being signed into law by President Biden, the $95bn bill for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan was refuted by many senators, since the bill did not enhance either the US security or economy.

Their reasoning against the bill was quite clear:

▪️It was forced through the Senate without due discussion, with some arguments in favor being obvious lies. For instance, Sen. Chuck Grassley claimed: “Ukraine has taken back about half of the territory Russia took in 2022.” A mere look at the map is enough to see that this’s not true and that, in the words of Sen J.D.Vance, Ukraine “has no chance of winning.”

▪️Senators Tommy Tuberville and Bernie Sanders decried the fact that they were forced to vote on the bill “in package.” Sanders said he didn’t want to spend billions to “finance Netanyahu’s war machine” and Tuberville refused to approve $1 bn for Gaza, where, he said, “it would end up in the hands of HAMAS.”

▪️Senators bemoaned the lack of oversight, without which US taxpayers’ money will end up in the pockets of corrupt Ukrainian officials. “Instead of debating the legislation to close our borders and fix the economy, we are about to send money to one of the most corrupt countries in the world,” Sen. Tuberville added.

▪️Several senators refused to buy the explanation of House Speaker Mike Johnson that the aid for Ukraine was “a loan” that would mostly benefit US citizens. “This so called loan to Ukraine will never be repaid, don’t be fooled,” said Sen. Tuberville. “And not one dollar from this bill will be paid, we’ll have to print it or borrow from China.”

▪️In the long run, financed by deficit spending, the bill will benefit the “arms giants” and prolong the conflict, Tuberville said. “We should work with Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to this madness.”

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A Ukrainian tried to float to Moldova on an inflatable mattress but was caught by border guards

This was not the best escape plan. Costing €4,000, the idea was suggested to him by an unknown person in a messenger app, according to Russian media

Border guards noticed the swimmer from a quadcopter and caught up with him on a boat. There are no details about the fate of the fugitive.

Video from social networks

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❗️Riot police disperse pro-Palestine protesters at the University of Texas at Austin

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▪️Gambling with taxpayers' money: Will Ukraine repay its debt to US?

▪️What's known about Iran-North Korean relations?

▪️Fall of Project Maven? How US target recognition system failed miserably in Ukraine

▪️Ukraine attacks 'Valkyrie' Russian ballerina-turned-militia fighter with FPV drones

▪️US Secret Service has started preparing for Trump's imprisonment

▪️Why is China dumping US Treasuries for gold?

▪️‘Tsar grill’: Russian ‘turtle tanks’ defy Ukrainian FPV drones

▪️Kalashnikov's brand new drones presented to Russia’s Defense Ministry

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The United States admits the possibility that Russia could make additional territorial gains in Ukraine over the coming weeks, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

"And it is certainly possible that Russia could make additional tactical gains in the coming weeks," said Sullivan during a press briefing.

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❗️ The UN Security Council failed to adopt an amendment sponsored by Russia and China that would extend a ban on the placement of any type of weapons in space rather than just the weapons of mass destruction sought by the United States and Japan, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

The amendment failed in a 7-7 vote with one member abstaining.

If adopted, the amendment would have required states to "take urgent measures to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space and the threat or use of force in outer space, from space against Earth and from Earth against objects in outer space."

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❗️ Russia blocked a US- and Japan-sponsored draft resolution that would have urged against developing nuclear weapons or other types of WMDs specifically designed to be placed in orbit after its amendment was rejected, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Thirteen UNSC members voted in favor, while China abstained.

Prior to the vote, Russia and China proposed an amendment that would have extended the ban to include the placement of any type of weapons in space rather than just nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction.

The amendment failed in a 7-7 vote with one member abstaining.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said earlier this month that the UN Security Council is not the right body to adopt resolutions on outer space activities that affect all UN members.

He said that the US and Japan were seeking to politicize the matter and use the draft resolution to promote "groundless" allegations about Russia aiming to deploy nuclear weapons in space. At the same time, the US is refusing to take any obligations not to develop other types of weapons specifically designed to be placed in outer space, Nebenzia stressed.

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Hand over them goodies! How European countries ‘volunteer’ to donate arms to Ukraine

Speculation abounds that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may be going to try and pressure German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in supplying Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. However, this would hardly be the first instance of a European country being pressured into arming the Kiev regime, according to numerous reports.

A similar drama unfolded a little over a year ago when the German leadership was proving reluctant to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 main battle tanks, before finally caving in to pressure in early 2023.

As the Ukrainian air defenses today prove to be woefully inadequate in the face of efficient and destructive Russian airstrikes against military installations, European countries that possess Patriot surface-to-air missile systems - such as Spain and Greece – also found themselves urged by other NATO powers to donate these weapons to Kiev.

The recent decision by the US lawmakers to approve yet another multi-billion dollar military package to Ukraine, among other things, has prompted Kiev to insist that the EU states should follow suit and donate more of their money and weapons to their forces.

Yet, the Ukrainian conflict has shown that the respective military-industrial complexes of the United States and its allies apparently cannot churn out weapons and munitions fast enough to satisfy Kiev’s ever-increasing appetites.

The fact that the US and EU's existing military stockpiles have been seriously depleted by Washington and Brussels’ efforts to fan the flames of the Ukrainian conflict does not help either.

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The money allocated to help Ukraine by the Biden administration will be sufficient until the end of 2024, according to the White House.

Moscow has repeatedly warned NATO countries that by supplying arms to Ukraine, they are both prolonging the conflict and dangerously escalating it.

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The United States is still in talks with its European partners about how to use Russian frozen assets to aid recovery in Ukraine, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said.

"Russian assets are going to remain immobilized until they are put to use for recovery in Ukraine. The precise way in which that happens. . .is still a matter of consultation with our European partners," Sullivan said during a press briefing.

Sullivan added that the subject will be a prominent topic at the G7 summit in June.

After the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine in 2022, the EU and G7 froze almost half of Russia's foreign currency reserves amounting to about 300 billion euros ($320.8 billion). The EU is discussing ways to use frozen Russian assets to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine. The European Central Bank warned that this could pose reputational risks to the European currency in the long term, and advocated looking beyond that isolated conflict.

Moscow has on many occasions said that any attempts to confiscate frozen Russian assets are an expropriation of property and a violation of international law. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik that Russia would do everything possible to return the seized assets.

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