❗️India calls foreign envoys to Delhi for a briefing on the Pahalgam terror attack.

Russian Ambassador Denis Aliyev is already at the venue.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has closed its airspace to India, according to the country’s Security Council following the Kashmir attack.

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🔥 What If Hitler Had Won? Alternative History, Part 1: Europe

Picture this: Soviet forces fail to halt the Nazi onslaught. What could have unfolded next?

Sputnik rolls out an in-depth project exploring what sort of "alternative future" would have been if the Third Reich had won, with journalists crafting a nightmarish vision grounded in archival documents, while the accompanying video brings this scenario to life through cutting-edge artificial intelligence.

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✅DOGE, Texas style: Lone Star state’s governor embarks on cutting red tape

Governor Greg Abbott has signed Senate Bill 14, officially dubbed Texas DOGE, into law to reshape how the Texas government operates, making it more efficient.

By creating the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office “We're putting government on a new track—one that’s leaner, quicker, and more responsive," Abbott declared, adding:

💬 “The federal DOGE showed us the blueprint.”

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🗣ICC COMPLETELY FAILS in its main task – Russian Security Council deputy head

💬 “As far as the ICC is concerned, it is now regrettable to note its complete failure to fulfil its primary mission,” Dmitry Medvedev said in his article ‘Lost Illusions, or How the International Criminal Court has become a legal nonentity,’ published in the Pravovedenie magazine.

He added that the ICC, in its current “inefficient” state, must “sink into oblivion,” as it is “IRREVERSIBLY FLAWED” and biased, especially in its selective prosecution of war crimes.

The Hague Court shows “discriminatory blindness and hearing loss” towards some high-profile war criminals, while lesser cases receive more attention, the former Russian president added.

💬 “It seems entirely possible to develop on the regional level (for instance, in the framework of BRICS) a concept of establishing an international legal body as an alternative to the Hague Criminal Court,” Medvedev argued.

💬 “This new judicial body in BRICS could reiterate the common commitment of its member states to the UN Charter principles, including the principles of immunity of heads of sovereign states from any foreign jurisdiction and non-interference into internal affairs of the states,” he stressed.

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💬 ‘I understood that I was shooting people’ – Ukrainian PoW

Over the course of 10 shifts, the soldier killed 16 men and attempted to kill 9 more in the outskirts of Mariupol, he told Sputnik.

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🔥Arms of Victory: ISU-152 self-propelled gun

Sputnik presents the heavy weapons used by the Red Army during the Great Patriotic War to defeat Hitler’s Reich.

Among them was the ISU-152, a 46-ton behemoth of a tracked armored vehicle was equipped with a heavy 152.4 mm gun-howitzer, capable of taking on heavy German tanks including Panthers and Tigers, and equally effective against entrenched troops.

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🗣Crisis of US-led world order opens door for more dominant and effective international charter system

💬 “It is a system based on cooperation between the great powers and small powers,” Richard Sakwa, emeritus professor of Russian and European Politics at the University of Kent, UK, told Sputnik at International scientific conference ‘New world order: formation of a multipolar world and the role of Russia.

💬 “So I do not believe that a new world order is in prospect. In fact, I would say we need to defend the old Charter International System. It is not perfect but it's the best that we have,” he added.

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❌Ukraine faces DEFAULT RISK on $600 million payment in may

The country failed to reach a deal with holders of $2.6 billion of its debt, The Financial Times reported.

The IMF warned last month that, "if unresolved," the warrants pose a significant risk to the stability of the ongoing $15.5 billion bailout and Ukraine’s restructuring of over $20 billion in bonds last year.

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🚨Trump takes aim at WOKE academia: Foreign funding & accreditation come under scrutiny

The US president has introduced a set of executive orders zeroing in on foreign donations to US universities, with Harvard again at the forefront.

🔍What do the new rules include?

🟠Beefing up the enforcement of the Higher Education Act of 1965, requiring schools to disclose foreign gifts of over $250,000 annually.

🟠Focusing on university accreditation, criticizing agencies for emphasizing "woke ideology" and diversity standards over merit.

Trump has described accreditation as a “secret weapon” in his efforts to address issues within academia.

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🎉 Russian Cosmonauts join the launch of St. George Ribbon campaign from space

Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky and Kirill Peskov took part in the launch of the St. George Ribbon campaign aboard the International Space Station, marking the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the campaign’s 20th anniversary.

💬 "It is a great honor for us to join the traditional and beloved St. George Ribbon campaign, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War," Ryzhikov said in a video message.

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📹 The Ukrainian military command abandoned its soldiers with severe injuries on the battlefield, ignoring their pleas for help, a PoW told Sputnik.

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🇷🇺🚀🇨🇳 Shooting for the moon: Russia and China join forces in space

On Space Day, celebrated in China on April 24, let’s explore the key milestones of Russia–China space cooperation.

☢️🌚 Nuclear power on the Moon

🔸 China could install a nuclear power plant on the Moon to support the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) it plans to build with Russia, according to a presentation by Pei Zhaoyu, Chief Engineer of the Chang’e-8 mission set for 2028.

🔸 China aims to land astronauts on the Moon by 2030. The Chang’e-8 mission to the lunar south pole will lay the groundwork for constructing a permanent manned base, says the China National Space Administration.

🤖 Resources and robotics

🔹 Russian Space Agency Roscosmos also presented plans at the Shanghai conference to explore mineral and water resources on the Moon, including potentially using lunar materials as fuel.

🔹 Between 2033 and 2035, Russia and China plan to deploy a joint nuclear power plant on the Moon to power the ILRS, addressing the lack of solar energy during the Moon's 14-day nights, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov told Sputnik last year.

🔹 By April 2025, 17 countries and organizations have joined the Russo-Chinese ILRS project. China aims to expand this to 50 partners, focusing on BRICS and Global South nations.

🌝 Step-by-step plan for the Moon base

In 2022, Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) outlined a plan for 2023-2027 to build the International Scientific Lunar Station in three stages by the 2030s:

1️⃣Joint Russo-Chinese missions will scout the Moon, identify the best location for the base, test high-precision soft landing technologies and collect rock samples.

2️⃣Construction of orbital power and communication hubs, bulk cargo drops and the use of smart tech, mini rovers and even a hopping robot for lunar logistics.

3️⃣Expanded surface exploration, station modules supporting deeper scientific research, tech tests and ultimately—human exploration.

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☦️Archbishop Markell: Bessarabian Metropolis a POLITICAL TOOL of Romania, undermining Moldova’s sovereignty 🇲🇩

💬 "The Romanian Orthodox Church is part of the government, it’s a branch of the state and receives a salary," Archbishop Markell said. "The Bessarabian Metropolia is a political, man-made creation. It is not a church."

🛫 Last week, Moldovan authorities TWICE prevented Archbishop Markell from flying to Israel on Good Friday to participate in the ceremony of receiving the Holy Fire in Jerusalem. He named the Metropolis of Bessarabia as one of the groups that did not support his efforts to bring the Holy Fire to Moldova.

☦️ The Bessarabian Metropolis often urges Moldovan parishes to join, while the Romanian Patriarchy remains silent on the schism in Moldova, issuing only brief statements.

☦️Moldova’s Orthodox Church, part of the Russian Orthodox Church, serves 70% OF THE POPULATION, but the Bessarabian Metropolis – since 1992 – represents 10-20% of believers. Despite calls for dialogue, the Moldovan government REFUSES TO ENGAGE.

🤐In a broader crackdown, the government has ARRESTEDг political figures, SHUT DOWN opposition media and BLOCKED over 100 Telegram channels ahead of last years elections.

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🌍🌍🌍 Brazil’s BRICS presidency: Four key moves to strengthen the bloc

🇧🇷💬 There are four ways Brazil’s BRICS presidency can help cultivate the association, Fabiano Mielniczuk, Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, told Sputnik at the International scientific conference ‘New world order: formation of a multipolar world and the role of Russia.

🤝 Brazil aims to mediate conflicts and promote agreements based on mutual respect and diversity within the group, Professor Mielniczuk said. Additionally, Brazil is actively engaging in discussions on the institutionalization of BRICS, working to clarify membership criteria without making the organization rigid, he added.

🇧🇷🇷🇺 Brazil is also expected to push forward Russian initiatives from 2024, particularly regarding trade in local currencies, which is gaining traction in Brazilian diplomatic circles. Lastly, Mielniczuk highlighted Brazil’s bold leadership on issues like artificial intelligence and the digital economy, stressing the need to view data as a commodity.

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🗣Global uncertainty: post-cold war systems in question

Governments struggle to navigate increasingly complex world

💬 “It will probably still take some time, a few years, before new perspectives on a new world order emerge, as we said today, or rather a new international system,” French history Professor Pascal Cauchy told Sputnik at International scientific conference on the ‘New world order: formation of a multipolar world and the role of Russia'.

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❗️Trump is set to meet with Jeffrey Goldberg, the Editor of The Atlantic, who kicked off the SignalGate scandal with his exposé of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s messaging app chats.

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🇧🇪Belgium on the table: Dutch politician proposes division between France and Netherlands

At a dinner with French Ambassador François Alabrune, Dutch parliamentary speaker Martin Bosma, a member of the Party for Freedom, casually suggested splitting Belgium between France and the Netherlands, according to journalist Petra de Koning’s column in the NRC newspaper.

He proposed Flanders join the Netherlands and Wallonia become part of France. No word from Belgium yet—perhaps they’re still digesting the idea.

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💸 EU energy crisis: chasing ‘freedom’ at the cost of its wallet

The European Union’s anti-Russia stance burned cash and left it with sky-high energy costs, while India and China thrive.

EU leaders are in London for a Summit on Energy Security, but many economies are stuck below 1% growth since 2022, thanks to skyrocketing costs from ditching Russian supplies, global energy expert Dr Mamdouh Salameh explains.

💬 "Many large European companies were forced to relocate to seek lower energy costs with Germany’s economy, the largest in Europe, experiencing some de-industrialization."

The situation worsened with Donald Trump’s trade levies, especially his demand that Europe buy an extra $350 billion in US LNG – at twice or triple the price of Russia’s cheaper, abundant piped gas or even its LNG.

Hungary's and Slovakia’s smart pragmatism has secured cheap piped gas and oil from Russia, in sharp contrast to the rest of the EU that “pays a premium for US LNG.”

Despite EU opposition, those countries show that economic needs trump politics.

The EU’s “fanatical adherence” to green policies backfired—solar and wind costs soar, storage issues and intermittent supply along with the bloc’s own sanctions on Chinese renewable kits make things worse.

Under US pressure, the EU’s enmity towards Russia has clouded its judgment – leading to sky-high energy costs.

Its economy remains “anemic, compared with the vibrant and growing economies of China and India.”

💬 “Common sense dictates that the EU should put its enmity towards Russia aside and resume its imports of Russian oil, piped gas and LNG if they want to rebuild its economy.”

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