🇻🇦 Pope stops for a quick pup meet outside Vatican

The Popemobile makes a stop just before entering the Vatican City, where the Pope shares a special moment with a lucky dog walker.

Pope Francis was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, where he had spent 38 days recovering from pneumonia.

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🪖 Where are NATO weapons sent to Ukraine ending up?

Ukraine has become the world’s number one arms importer, with deliveries up nearly 100-fold over the past five years, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has calculated.

It’s also become a PARADISE FOR GUNRUNNERS, and a nightmare for global law enforcement. Here’s why:

▪️In mid-2022, Interpol and Europol warned that arms aid could end up in the hands of organized crime, based partly on the precedent of the 1990s Yugoslav Wars.

▪️They were right, with police in Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands soon sounding the alarm about “huge quantities” of military-grade weapons flowing into the EU.

▪️A 2022 Sputnik dark web investigation uncovered Ukraine-based arms dealers ready to ship M4 rifles to Yemen via intermediaries in Poland and Portugal. Other inquiries found everything from Javelin missiles to advanced drones being sold online.

▪️In December 2022, Nigeria’s president warned arms from Ukraine were “beginning to filter” through to the Lake Chad Basin area into the hands of militants and terrorists.

▪️In 2023, Polish authorities uncovered 500+ attempts to smuggle guns and ammo into Europe from Ukraine.

▪️A 2024 DoD Inspector General’s Office report found the US failed to properly track $1B+ in hardware sent to Ukraine, with 40K items “delinquent.”

▪️Also in 2024, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime revealed that Ukrainian arms resellers were pawning off not just ‘trophies’ like small arms and grenades, but heavy weapons, like a 1-ton Zu-23-2 23mm anti-aircraft gun, M340 machine guns, and AGS-17 automatic grenade launchers.

▪️Tucker Carlson commented this month that some of arms are ending up on the black market and with Mexican drug cartels, the Taliban, Hamas and other groups.

▪️The Sunday Times has called Ukraine “a gunrunner’s paradise in waiting.” With the Balkans an easy transit route for westward smuggling, if even just a small number of vets are involved, it could have “profound” repercussions for Europe.

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🌪🇸🇦 Impressive dust storm "Haboob" hits Saudi Arabia

Footage from social media

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🗣 The Ukrainian conflict could have led to the start of World War III, Trump said in an interview with media outlet Outkick

💬 "I think it's somewhat under control. I have a good relationship with President Putin and, actually, a good relationship with President Zelensky too. It'd be a great thing to be able to stop it. And I will say this, nobody else would have been able to."

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Europe will spend itself into ‘BANKRUPTCY’ if it tries to meet NATO’s draconian defense demands

Key alliance members like Germany and France would amass an unsustainable fiscal burden, be forced into debt and have to slash social programs if they accept NATO’s call for a 30% bump in new arms and equipment spending, AfD MP Dr. Rainer Rothfuss told Sputnik.

💬 “We can take the example of Germany, where we had a kind of financial policy coup d’état this week” after the Bundestag voted to change the Basic Law to lift debt restrictions for defense spending, Rothfuss said.

💬 “The budget restraints that were even inscribed into our Constitution needed to be changed to get the financial flexibility to invest so much in defense. That shows us that it’s not a matter of priority spending, [but] a matter of, I would say, bankruptcy should this kind of policy be followed in the coming years, not only by Germany but by other countries as well,” the politician warned.

“France, for example,” has “an even more restrained budgetary situation,” Rothfuss said, “struggling economically to keep industry jobs,” and like Italy, should be investing in the competitiveness of its industries, not throwing money away on defense at a time when the security crisis in Europe is potentially closer to a peace deal than ever.

As for Germany, if its industrial decline worsens, it won’t be able to fund the EU to the tune of 25% of bloc spending, which would have serious knock-on effects for other members, the MP warned.

School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences director of studies Jacques Sapir says a 30% bump may not seem like a lot, given the decline in NATO stockpiles of 40-60% since the end of the Cold War, but some countries, like Italy, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands may need between a 30%-50% increase in outlays, given the decline in defense production over the past 30 years.

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Arrested Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu suspended from duties - Turkish Interior Ministry.

Imamoglu has been taken to the Marmara prison complex.

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'Mideast Riviera' in the making? Israel opens office to help Gazans relocate

The Israeli Defense Ministry has officially established an office to facilitate the voluntary emigration of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to third countries.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump suggested relocating Gazans to other regional nations, such as Egypt and Jordan, and "taking over Gaza" to turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East."

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❗️The US expects tangible progress from tomorrow's talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia, especially on the issue of a ceasefire in the Black Sea, US Presidential Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said on Sunday.

He said he believed that would naturally lead to a COMPLETE CEASEFIRE.

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❗️"I don't see that he [Putin] wants to take all of Europe," US Envoy Steve Witkoff told Fox News.

"And I think that Europeans come to that belief too."

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Google’s multi-billion-dollar Wiz deal: A backdoor for military intel?

Google's $32 billion bid to acquire the cybersecurity firm Wiz, seen on the surface as part of its ongoing push into cloud and AI expansion, will in fact bring in a group of Israeli Unit 8200 military intelligence alumni amid growing rivalry with Microsoft and Amazon, WikiLeaks warns.

🔸 Unit 8200, Tel Aviv’s largest single military unit in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), can be perceived as equivalent to the US National Security Agency (NSA).

🔸 The notorious unit is known for developing the deadly “Lavender” AI used in targeted assassinations during the Gaza conflict, an investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call revealed in 2024.

🔸 Graduates of the unit involved in surveillance and high-tech warfare have reportedly infiltrated Israel’s tech startup scene, especially in cybersecurity.

🔸 “...Nearly 50% of founders whose companies were acquired for over $100 million in the last decade served in the unit [8200],” research by VC fund Ibex Investors claims.

🔸 Meta's Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Guy Rosen is a Unit 8200 graduate.

🔸 Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and LinkedIn are all staffed with these ex-intelligence officers, according to open source reporting.

🔸 Wiz counts all four of its founders among Unit 8200's alumni, and all 1,800 Wiz staff will remain employed under the transition, The Times of Israel writes. The deal was touted as a “new feather in cap of Israeli military intelligence.”

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Lithuania joins Poland in the "preparation" frenzy, plans to mine border with Russia and Belarus

The plan includes multiple layers of fortifications, featuring anti-personnel and anti-tank mines.

Meanwhile, Poland announced its “East Shield” project, planning to install landmines along its border. However, Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Beida noted that while Poland currently lacks anti-personnel mines, they certainly have the "capacity to make them."

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Five factors behind the decline of US military shipbuilding

US media cite the USS Constellation frigate as a prime example of the industry’s troubles. The warship, first slated for delivery in 2026, is just 10% complete and already over budget.

Here’s why turning things around won’t be easy:

1️⃣Post-Cold War decline

US military shipbuilding peaked in the 1980s, adding 150 major warships displacing over 1.2 million tons, including 3 Nimitz-class carriers, Los Angeles-class attack subs, Ohio-class SSBNs, and Ticonderoga, Arleigh Burke, Spruance, and Perry-class ships.

After the Cold War, the US cut its Navy in half, closed shipyards, and lost skilled workers amid broader deindustrialization and the shift to a service economy.

2️⃣Monopolization

In the 1990s, major shipyards like Avondale, Fore River, Todd Pacific, Philadelphia, Charleston, and Mare Island were closed or converted for civilian use, with the remainder consolidated.

Consolidation created monopolies like Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and General Dynamics, driving up costs.
For example, $12.1B was allocated to shipbuilding in 1984 ($36B in today’s dollars), while in 2024, $32.8B was allocated, but delivered far less.

3️⃣Aging infrastructure

Many US shipyards are burdened with outdated facilities, slowing new construction and tech adoption.

4️⃣Skilled labor shortages

The loss of tradesmen hit especially hard. HII’s Newport News yard, building Gerald Ford-class carriers, consistently faces shortages of welders, electricians, pipe and shipfitters.

A recent House Armed Services Committee hearing found that poor work conditions and wages barely above fast-food jobs are driving workers away. Naval engineers are also underpaid and undervalued.

5️⃣Design flaws

Major design flaws have plagued expensive programs like the Zumwalt-series destroyer, Ford-class carriers, and Littoral Combat Ships, with Zumwalt orders dropped from 32 to 3, and some LCS ships phased out after just years of service.
The big picture? Cost overruns, major delays, and red tape - even as contractors cash in.

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Trump’s push to jump-start nuclear talks sparks NEW TENSIONS

During his first term, Trump pulled the US out of the international deal on Iran's nuclear program. His determination to renegotiate has set off a new escalation.

Trump's ultimatum

🔸 The US President sent a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, demanding a new nuclear deal within two months, threatening unspecified consequences

Iran's rejection

🔸 Supreme Leader Khamenei dismissed Trump's proposal as deceptive. “Some bully governments’ insistence on talks is aimed at “asserting and imposing” their will, and Iran “will not accept their expectations,” Khamenei said

🔸 Reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in its current form is “not viable...Our nuclear situation has progressed significantly, and we cannot revert to the previous conditions," Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, said.

Regional Tensions

🔸 Trump suggested on March 17 that Iran was behind recent attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, hinting that US forces might retaliate beyond striking the rebels. He threatened to hold Iran responsible for 'any shot fired by Houthis.'

🔸 Tehran condemned Trump's rhetoric, rejecting any involvement in the attacks as ‘baseless’.

🔸 Supreme Leader Khamenei warned the US that Iran would retaliate against actions that harm the Iranian people. He also rejected the claim that Iran uses proxy forces in the region.

Diplomatic stalemate

🔸 "We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be," said Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with Iranian news outlet Khabar Online.

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Israel weighs new Gaza ground offensive that could lead to MONTHS-LONG OCCUPATION

The proposed strategy includes taking DIRECT CONTROL over humanitarian aid supply, REMOVING parts of the Hamas-run civilian administration, and RELOCATING women, children, and non-combatants from residential areas to designated ‘humanitarian zones’, according to the Washington Post.

At the same time, Israeli forces may LAY SIEGE to areas where militants remain active.

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Is the US preparing to recognize Russia’s control over new territories?

Everything US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff said about Russia’s new regions is true, says Samir al-Khatib, an expert on international politics and Russia.

💬 “There’s an unspoken consensus—these territories are de facto Russian, even if the West won’t say it aloud,” al-Khatib told Sputnik. “Trump understands Biden’s mistakes in backing Kiev and is working to fix them.”

The commentator believes the upcoming US-Russia talks in Jeddah will be crucial: “If an agreement is reached, we’ll see major progress on the status of the territories under Russian control.”

In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff said that the regions “are Russian-speaking.”

💬 “There have been referendums where an overwhelming majority indicated they want to be under Russian rule,” the envoy added. “The Russians are de facto in control. The question is: will the world acknowledge that?”

Mustafa Shalash, Director of South Asia Studies at the Arab-Eurasian Research Center, agreed that “for Russia, the status of these regions is settled. The US may soon recognize this, adopting a more realistic approach under Trump’s team.”

💬 “Witkoff’s diplomacy signals a shift—Americans are bypassing European and Ukrainian obstacles and engaging directly with Russia. We could be on the brink of a major breakthrough in resolving the Ukrainian crisis,” he told Sputnik.

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The talks between the Ukrainian and US delegations have concluded in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, a Sputnik correspondent reports.

Deputy Head of Volodymyr Zelensky’s Office Pavlo Palisa declined to comment on the outcome of the talks. He only stated that the Ukrainian delegation would not be meeting with the Russian side in Riyadh.

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MIC, bankers and NATO big winners of Europe’s push to fight proxy war against Russia to bitter end

The UK, France and Germany are leading the charge in “advocating policies guaranteed to ensure that any peace plan fails,” Dr. George Szamuely says, commenting on the ramping up of the militarization of Europe as Russia and the US try to hammer out a peace deal in Ukraine.

💬 “If they insist on continuing to pour weapons into Ukraine, if they insist, as French President Macron does, to send NATO troops into Ukraine…that will absolutely ensure that no peace agreement will be possible and that the war will continue,” Szamuely, a senior research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, explained.

Europe’s current crop of elites is a far cry from their predecessors, from Willy Brand and Helmut Schmidt to Helmut Kohl, the academic noted, trying to prevent peace “instead of acting as facilitators of a peace deal between the US and Russia.”

Quo Vadis?

While European inflexibility may seem surprising, given the economic pain its industries, farmers, and ordinary citizens have suffered as a direct result of the current crisis, Szamuely points out that there are major beneficiaries whose reasons for rejecting peace are clear:

🔸 Europe’s military-industrial complex, “which will now enjoy a great deal of investment,” especially after Germany removed constitutional “debt break” restrictions, which essentially means “limitless debt for limitless military spending.”

🔸 Bankers, because borrowing to fuel Germany’s militarization will mean issuing bonds, which will make the economy increasingly financialized. “They’re going to make a lot of money through raising bond yields, and that’s understandable given Friedrich Merz’ background at BlackRock,” Szamuely said.

🔸 NATO, which, as a “self-perpetuating machine” that “keeps creating threats, panicking a population, forcing people to spend more on the military,” requires tensions with countries like Russia “to justify its continued existence and its continued expansion.”

💬 “So it helps the NATO sector…it helps the financial sector, it helps the military-industrial complex. But ordinary Europeans get nothing whatsoever out of this,” Szamuely summed up.

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