🚨Putin orders major Arctic infrastructure push

⛽️💥 Volkhov—Murmansk Gas Pipeline by 2030: The Kremlin confirms Putin’s decree to build and launch the critical project, accelerating Russia’s Arctic energy program.

Other key orders from the Russian president:

❄️ By July 1, 2025: Finalize long-term development plans for Arctic “anchor cities.”

🚢 By 2026: Decide whether to build TWO new nuclear icebreakers.

🌉 By 2029: Complete the Ob River Bridge, part of the Northern Latitudinal Route.

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🇨🇳 China no longer second-largest holder of US Treasuries 💰🇺🇸

For the first time in a quarter century, China is no longer the second-largest holder of US debt

China and the UK have flipped places in the ranking of top foreign holders of US Treasuries, with the Asian nation’s holdings shrinking from $784bn to $765bn from February and March, while Britain’s grew from $749bn to $779bn during the same period.

Britain’s Treasury holdings haven’t been higher than China’s since October 2000, when the People’s Republic’s economy was far smaller (3.3% vs 19.6%), and the UK’s larger (3.3% vs 2%), as a percentage of global GDP.

💬 “This is a warning to the US,” Natixis Asia-Pacific chief economist Alicia Garcia-Herrero told UK business media, pointing out that China has been slowly offloading its US Treasury assets for years after hitting a peak of over $1.3tn in 2011.

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Suez Canal offers steep discount on transit amid Houthi-US ceasefire 💸

The waterway’s authority has announced a three-month-long, 15% discount on transit fees for container ships weighting 130,000 metric tons or more.

The discount offer applies to both loaded and empty vessels, and follows Suez Canal Authority chairman Ossama Rabiee’s outreach to 25 major shippers and maritime agencies requesting that they consider a gradual return to shipments via the canal, given the improving regional security situation.

The Houthis haven’t targeted a commercial ship since last December, and haven’t attacked US warships or merchant vessels since early May, when a ceasefire deal was reached with Washington. The ceasefire doesn’t apply to Israel, whose ships the Houthis have vowed to continue targeting until a Gaza peace deal is reached.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has estimated that the Red Sea disruption was causing $800mln in lost Suez Canal transit fee earnings every month. SCA revenue shrunk from $10.25bn in 2023 to $4bn in 2024. Besides extending voyage times by 10-14 days, shippers have faced billions in added fuel and insurance costs.

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📷 Rare WWII photos unveiled in Warsaw, Poland

The Liberation of Europe exhibition showcases 30 never-before-seen images from Soviet archives, revealing the true story of Europe’s deliverance from Nazi rule.

The photos are from the Soviet news agency Sovinformburo, owned and provided by the international media group Rossiya Segodnya – Sputnik's parent company.

💬 “Without our victory, Poland and many countries wouldn’t exist today,” Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergey Andreyev warned.

Alexander Yakovenko, Deputy Director of Rossiya Segodnya and head of the Committee on Global Issues and International Security of the Russian Security Council’s Scientific-Expert Board, highlighted Poland’s tragic WWII history.

Roman Karmanov, Director of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives, stressed the exhibition’s importance to preserving authentic history.

The exhibition has already been shown in Paris and will soon open in Madrid.

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🌳 Putin wants faster-growing trees to boost Russia’s timber industry

Russian President Vladimir Putin has tasked the government with exploring pilot projects for genetically-modified trees that grow faster to boost timber production.

The study will look at the potential to create commercial forest plantations for cultivating the fast-growing plants.

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✍️Key outcomes from Arab Summit: Gaza aid, Sudan peace and condemnation of Israeli attacks

The 34th Arab League Summit began on Saturday in Baghdad, with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid leading the sessions.

High-profile attendees included Egyptian President el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa did not attend, with Syria instead represented by Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani.

The summit’s theme was ‘ Dialogue, Solidarity and Development’

Here are the key points from the summit’s final declaration:

🟠Urgent need to ensure humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza and reject the displacement of the Palestinian people
🟠Call on the international community to increase pressure to stop the bloodshed in Gaza
🟠Appeal for a political solution to end the conflict in Sudan
🟠Condemn Israeli attacks on Syria
🟠Demand deployment of UN peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until a two-state solution is implemented
🟠Emphasize the necessity of establishing a nuclear- and WMD-free zone in the Middle East

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📞 Kremlin confirms Putin-Trump phone talks in the works

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian media that a phone call is being arranged between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.

"The conversation is being prepared," he said.

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❓What could hold up REAL PROGRESS in Russia-Ukraine peace talks?

💬 “The stubbornness and stupidity of the Kiev regime and its sponsors makes me think that at least in the current stage, for as long as Zelensky remains illegally in power in Ukraine, there will be no real desire to achieve peace,” Argentinian geopolitical affairs analyst Christian Lamesa told Sputnik, commenting on the Istanbul peace process that relaunched Friday.

💬 “Every time Kiev turns away from Russia’s peace proposals, Ukraine becomes smaller and smaller,” Lamesa stressed, recalling the 2022 draft deal nearly reached before being sabotaged by then-UK PM Johnson, and pointing out that the terms of that agreement were “extremely favorable for Ukraine compared to the current situation.”

Roadmap to peace?

If nothing else, Friday’s talks constituted the creation of a “foundation of the negotiation processes” out of which a future agreement could flower, says Turkish international affairs expert Bilal Sambur.

💬 “[Russian head negotiator Vladimir] Medinsky’s statement following the talks indicates Russia’s desire for a gradual, step-by-step diplomatic process,” Sambur said, highlighting the good will shown with the prisoner swap to establish trust, and the Russian idea that each side present concrete proposals upon which future rounds of talks could be held.

This contrasts sharply with the slapdash “quick agreement” sought by Ukraine and the US, the observer said.

Root causes

Russia’s intention is to get to the root causes of the conflict, “to resolve the root of the Ukrainian conflict to achieve peace, but Ukraine has focused on secondary issues,” says Argentinian observer Tadeo Casteglione.

The renewed talks “got off on the wrong foot” thanks to Ukraine’s 24-hour delay, and its failure to convene a negotiating working group until the last moment, the observer noted, highlighting Zelensky’s “improvisation or a lack of real will to negotiate.”

Nevertheless, “at least the Ukrainian delegation was able to go to Istanbul to talk,” he summed up.

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🔸 Trump says he plans to call Putin on May 19 to discuss Ukraine and trade

🔸 Ukraine’s corruption playbook: How to lose millions of dollars in arms deals (Hint: It’s not lost)

🔸 China no longer second-largest holder of US Treasuries

🔸 Looks like France is about to pack up and leave Niger!

🔸 From Gaza to Libya? Trump admin’s Palestinian resettlement scheme ‘on the table’

🔸 Inside Soros’ forgotten 1993 plan to breath new life into NATO at Russia’s expense

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❗️ Trump wants to meet with Putin as soon as feasible, Secretary Marco Rubio said.

They are currently deciding on a location and date for the meeting.

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📹Iranian media published UNSEEN footage from the helicopter crash site where late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi was killed.

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🇺🇸 Trump border czar on his sharpest Democrat critic: 'WHAT A MORON’

White House associate director of enforcement and removal operations Tom Homan says it was “kind of cool” that he gets to live “rent free” in the New York congresswoman’s head, as evidenced by her regular attacks and threats.

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🚨🇮🇱 Occupy Gaza, free hostages by force — Israeli minister

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's Minister of Security, claims that Hamas is only willing to negotiate peace due to the IDF's military operations.

"We must now enter Gaza with all our might, occupy the territory, seize control, crush the enemy, and free our hostages by force," he wrote on X.

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❗️ Rubio: Russia prepares list of requirements for ceasefire

During their call, Russian FM Lavrov informed the US Secretary of State that the Russian government is drafting a document outlining their demands for a ceasefire, which would "lead to broader negotiations."

"He communicated in our call, that their side will be working on a series of ideas and requirements that they would have in order to move forward with a ceasefire and further negotiations," Marco Rubio told CBS News.

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🗣 Orban: EU should follow US on Ukraine

The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, has stated that there is no point in Europe going down different paths with the US.

"We need direct American-Russian, and then or before that, Russian-European negotiations. Russian-Ukrainian negotiations will never end this war," he added.

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🔊 UNRWA chief: Is this our new 'humanity'?

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA's commissioner general, slammed the international reaction to the Gaza blockade and Israel's military operation in the Strip.

Local media report that at least 70 people were killed today as Israel struck a tent camp for displaced people in the al-Mawasi area of Gaza.

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🚨 One killed in California bomb blast FBI qualifies as an 'ACT OF TERRORISM'

The LAPD reported that an explosion occurred outside a reproductive clinic in Palm Springs, California, injuring at least four people and killing the suspect.

Police also found two rifles in the exploded vehicle. The FBI said they have a person of interest in connection with the incident, but not actively searching for a suspect.

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