🇺🇸⚡️ - NBC News reports that Pentagon officials are considering a new recruiting campaign centered on honoring Charlie Kirk by enlisting.

🇨🇳🇵🇭⚡- China announces the creation of a "national-level nature reserve" at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

The majority of the reef has already been devastated by land-harvesting.

🇨🇳🇵🇭⚡- China's Shandong aircraft carrier has left the Yulin Naval Base and is heading southwards, likely towards the disputed Scarborough Shoal, South China Sea.

🇧🇫🇳🇪🇲🇱⚡- BREAKING: The three AES states Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali have announced their intention to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, ICC.

The AES states "bias and criticism that disproportionately targeted African leaders while overlooking abuses tied to powerful states" as the reason for withdrawal. The AES have proposed establishing their own local Sahelian court.

🇺🇸🇮🇶🇹🇲⚡- "Iraq's attempt to ease its chronic power shortage with gas from Turkmenistan routed through neighbouring Iran has failed under U.S. pressure.

Under the proposed Iraq-Turkmenistan 2023 deal, Iran would receive the gas and supply it to Iraq, but this risked violating U.S. sanctions on Tehran, thus requiring Washington's approval, which never came," - Reuters.

🇺🇸🇺🇳🇮🇱⚡️- The United States vetoed a motion from the UN Security Council calling for a Gaza ceasefire, release of hostages, and easement on humanitarian aid.

The entire UN Security Council - except for the United States - voted in favor of the motion, 14-1.

🇺🇸🇻🇪⚡- Venezuela has responded to the US military build-up in the Caribbean waters with military exercises dubbed "La Orchila" on the strategic island of La Orchila.

The island's strategic point has in the past attracted Russian interest, where the two countries explored possibilities of deploying Russian bombers on the island.

Rerum Novarum have located all the sensitive sites on the island, which overall is not at all well prepared for defense:

Airstrip: 11.80762, -66.18279.
Military Command Center: 11.81798, -66.13747.
Energy / Solar site: 11.80344, -66.19323 (there are unconfirmed reports of the deployment of TELARs / TELs, in particular the Russian-made Buk system to this location).
Radar: 11.81268, -66.19052.
Anti-ship gun sites (currently empty): 11.81086, -66.20222.
Onshore oil rig: 11.80611, -66.16851.

🇸🇦🇵🇰⚡- Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said the doors are open for other Arab nations to join the Saudi-Pakistan defense agreement.

🇸🇦🇵🇰⚡- "What we have, our [nuclear] capabilities, will absolutely be available under this pact," - Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defense Minister.

🏳🇵🇰⚡- "Afghan soil is being used to stage acts of terrorism in Pakistan," - Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defense Minister.

🇺🇸🏳🇵🇰⚡- "We were swept into two wars in Afghanistan. The US, on both occasions, left the region and we are still dealing with the consequences, be it the Taliban, the TTP, the BLA or anyone else," - Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defense Minister.

🏳🇵🇰⚡- "I say with no ambiguity, Afghanistan is a hostile country," - Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defense Minister.

🏳🇵🇰⚡- "The Kabul [Taliban] government is not innocent in this, I am being categorical. Through these people, we are being blackmailed by them," - Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's Defense Minister.

🇦🇺🇵🇬🇨🇳⚡- "China has warned Papua New Guinea not to sign a treaty that could restrict or prevent it from cooperating with another country, days after Australia failed to secure a defense pact with the Pacific nation," - The Guardian.

🇮🇩🇨🇳⚡- Chinese Coast Guard vessel CCG5402 has been operating within Indonesia's EEZ since the start of the week, in the disputed North Natuna waters.

🇺🇸🇨🇳⚡️- Xi and Trump held a "positive phonecall"

🇺🇸🏳️⚡- The Afghan Taliban government rejects the idea of US military presence at Bagram Air Base.

🇪🇪🇷🇺⚡- Estonia's Foreign Ministry claims NATO jets intercepted 3 Russian MiG-31s inside Estonian airspace.

🇪🇪🇷🇺⚡- BREAKING: Estonia has invoked NATO Article Four, the second this month.

🇪🇪🇷🇺🇸🇪⚡- Sweden reports the three Russian MiG-31s were armed with air-to-air R-73s.

🇵🇱🇷🇺⚡- BREAKING: Two Russian jets performed a low flyby over Poland's Lotos Petrobaltic offshore drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.