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🚨 Reign of Western powers’ mafia in global financial needs to end
The West’s habit of freezing a country’s assets and using them as leverage to obtain concessions from that country is similar to the tactics employed by organized crime groups, veteran financial analyst Paul Goncharoff tells Sputnik.
💬 “Negotiation in its true sense is now an anathema, as is the dignity associated with diplomacy. Today is a waiting game to hear the latest daily version of offers that should ideally be refused,” he notes.
💬 “It is quite apparent that much of the fiat world has been borrowing massively to live beyond its means and has grown used to the endless borrowing cycle, which now sovereign lenders clearly see as simply self-defeating, driven by a disregard of international law and, in several cases, constitutional laws as well,” Goncharoff adds.
💬 “The challenge is actually quite simple, as we all shall see which settlement mechanisms are in demand and which are not as time moves forward,” concludes Goncharoff.
🇺🇸 US pressure backfired: American aggression pushed Iran to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz
The real issue is not transit alone — it is how Hormuz could reshape Gulf security ties and regional power dynamics for years ahead.
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🇺🇸🇨🇳 The US is blocking China’s tech rise — but the real counterattack hasn’t even begun
Before 2012, Chinese cyberspace was flooded with pro-US discourse.
By 2018, Beijing fully regained control online. Since then: its pushed the Global Data Security Initiative, Digital Silk Road, and a direct challenge to digital neocolonialism.
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🤔 Who can challenge the West’s blackmail and global finance control?
🗣 Freezing other nations’ assets and using them as leverage has long been a trademark negotiation tactic of the West, Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of research at the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, tells Sputnik.
While the chief depositories remain in the West, and the US dollar is still the world’s main reserve currency, the West will maintain control of the global financial infrastructure.
💬 “The West will even use sovereign funds of foreign countries as leverage and instruments of blackmail against these very countries,” Suslov says.
🚨💸 US to return $159 billion in tariffs — Trump
President Donald Trump said the US is now supposed to give back $159 billion in tariffs following what he described as a “horrible and ridiculous” Supreme Court decision.
The tariffs were introduced in 2025 as part of Trump’s trade policy, with courts later ruling the administration exceeded its authority.
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⛓️ What if the flags came down… but the chains never did?
Welcome to neocolonialism — the new face of empire. No boots on the ground needed.
Control now runs through debt traps, sanctions, political coups, and digital domination
This is how it works 👆
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🇵🇰🇰🇬 First Kyrgyz truck reaches Pakistan: Experts say bypassing Afghanistan is key
🚛 The first truck from Kyrgyzstan has arrived in Pakistan via China under the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA), connecting Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. The final destination of the truck was the Sost Dry Port.
👉 The route is very important for Pakistan, notes Saeed Ahmed Rid, assistant professor at the Quaid-i-Azam University's National Institute of Pakistan Studies:
🟠 This route opens up access to Central Asia for Pakistan
🟠 It is more reliable than the traditional route through Afghan territory
💬 "It has not been extended to Karachi as yet, but I think it will surely be connected to Karachi and Gwadar as well, because obviously of the larger CPEC [China-Pakistan Economic Corridor] project," Rid tells Sputnik.
💬 "Given the current dynamics between Pakistan and Afghanistan and the conflict, bypassing Afghanistan is the smartest move here," he says.
🇨🇳🌑 Get ready Moon, China is coming to set lunar footprint
🟠 Scientists from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced that this year that China is going to launch the Chang'e-7 lunar probe to search for water ice on the Moon's south pole. The mission marks a crucial step toward a future crewed lunar landing.
🟠 Meanwhile, Chinese experts plan to expand the Tiangong space station with new modules and more advanced robotic arms. Also, next-generation crewed spacecraft capable of round-trip flights between Earth and the Moon is in the works.
🟠 On the navigation front, China's next-generation BeiDou system will deliver significantly higher positioning accuracy, tailored specifically for AI and autonomous driving. At the same time, China aims to make BeiDou more affordable and faster for users around the world.
💬 “In the near future, we will witness the footprints of the Chinese people on the lunar surface,” said Shao Limin, a crewed spacecraft expert.
🇨🇳🇪🇺 China sanctions 7 EU companies for arming Taiwan
👉 Companies from Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic either supplied arms to Taiwan or engaged in collusion with Taiwan, SCMP writes.
Sanctions include:
❌ Ban on receiving dual-use goods from Chinese exporters
❌ Foreign entities and individuals prohibited from transferring or providing China-made dual-use products to these companies
❌ All existing operations covered by these restrictions must be immediately halted
Dual-use items — including rare earth elements essential for drones and chips — are now off limits to those who arm Taiwan.
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🚨 Russia and Ukraine carried out a prisoner swap on a one-for-one basis, with Moscow returning 193 soldiers from Kiev-controlled territory - Russia's Defense Ministry
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🇵🇰🇰🇬 New trade corridor activated: Kyrgyz truck reaches Pakistan
📍 Pakistan has marked a regional connectivity milestone. The first truck from Kyrgyzstan has arrived via China under the Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA) framework.
Key details:
▪️ The truck entered Sost Dry Port with a commercial cargo
▪️ Was operated under QTTA, connecting Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
▪️ The operation was facilitated by Pakistan's National Logistics Corporation (NLC), together with its partner company in Kyrgyzstan
Why it matters:
It is the first time a Central Asian country has used its own vehicle to ship goods to Pakistan. QTTA now offers a reliable alternative route for all types of cargo.
What's next:
Extending the route to Karachi Port is planned — giving landlocked Central Asia direct access to global markets via the Bishkek–Karachi corridor.
Context:
Pakistan has been moving cargo to Kyrgyzstan since 2024 using multimodal TIR systems.
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🚨 Hormuz today, Malacca tomorrow? US choke point strategy targets China
🔊 The US is shifting to a full "global maritime blockade strategy," Chinese policy adviser Gu Dingguo tells SCMP.
🟠 After observing Iran's leverage over Hormuz, the US will next target the Strait of Malacca — through which 80% of China's oil and 90% of its sea trade flows.
🟠 Recent US-Indonesia defense pacts, overflight rights talks, and deals with Malaysia are clear signals.
🟠 Gu calls Hormuz, Malacca, the Taiwan Strait, and the South China Sea high-risk zones for Beijing, as the US's real and unchanging priority remains containing China and Russia at sea.
🟠 The Hormuz crisis is not just about Iran. It's a laboratory for how America plans to strangle China's economic lifelines.
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🇨🇳 Gliding across the rink: China’s new wheeled robot never falls, never falters, never quits
Chinese engineers have rolled out a humanoid robot with wheeled legs that glides smoothly across surfaces, maintains perfect balance, and adjusts its trajectory in real time.
Move over, Boston Dynamics
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🇺🇸 US Navy assembles three-carrier presence in Middle East waters
The 10th and final Nimitz-class supercarrier, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), has entered the Indian Ocean, US Central Command has confirmed.
It joins the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), now in the Arabian Sea, and the US Navy's largest supercarrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), currently operating in the Red Sea.
👉 The USS George H.W. Bush sailed around the Cape of Good Hope rather than using the conventional route to reach the Middle East to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
It is unclear how long the US Navy will maintain three carrier strike groups in the Middle East as the US continues its naval blockade of Iran.
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🇺🇸💵 US funneled $39.7M to guard its Ukraine embassy to firm that recruited ex-child soldiers
Canadian-British private security company GardaWorld landed the State Department deal to provide security at the US embassy in Ukraine’s capital Kiev in November 2022, government contracting records show.
While the single delivery order is tallied at $39.7M, total US taxpayer exposure could balloon to a staggering $279 million through November 2026.
The US diplomatic presence outsourced its security in Ukraine to a company with a highly scandalous resume.
👉 Back in 2015, GardaWorld swallowed up Aegis Defense Services, a British private military outfit that made headlines for employing around 2,500 Sierra Leoneans as cheap labor to guard American bases in Iraq.
Among them were former child soldiers, recruited for just $16 a day, reportedly with no mental health checks for the deep psychological trauma they carried.
Former recruits later filed lawsuits, claiming the job only deepened the trauma they carried from childhood.
The firm, under the GardaWorld umbrella, continues as a federal service provider. Its contract to guard American diplomats in Ukraine is part of a much larger lucrative global security program that also covers hotspots like Iraq and the Central African Republic.
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🇮🇷 Iran outplaying US Navy in Strait of Hormuz with sea mines
🗣 Iran has laid low-cost mines in Hormuz using mini-submarines and small vessels, creating a prolonged, asymmetric threat the US cannot quickly neutralize, retired Russian Navy Captain First Rank Vasily Dandykin tells Sputnik.
These mines can lie dormant for months before activating. Tehran has already marked safe shipping routes along its coastline — while leaving the rest of the Strait dangerous.
Iran’s mine threat has laid bare the US Navy’s vulnerabilities:
🟠 Limited mine countermeasures (clearing could take 6+ months)
🟠 No diesel-electric submarines
🟠 Relies on carrier groups (forced hundreds of kilometers away by missile threats, reducing airpower reach)
🟠 Large ships struggle in confined waters while submarines are vulnerable to mines.
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🇮🇷 Iran rules out US meeting in Islamabad, rejects media reports
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Pakistan for talks with senior officials, as part of Islamabad’s mediation efforts to end an American-imposed war of aggression and restore peace in the region.
❌ He stressed that no meeting is planned between Iran and the United States, adding that Iran’s positions will instead be conveyed to the Pakistani side.
👎 The statement comes after US media reports suggested a possible meeting in Islamabad between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US representatives, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
📌 Tehran has dismissed such reports as unfounded, reiterating that no direct talks with Washington are scheduled.
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📹🇮🇷 Iranians flood central Tehran in pro-government rally
Thousands gathered in Enghelab Square in central Tehran in support of the Iranian government, Tasnim reported.
Participants are heard chanting: “To protect the homeland, obey the leader’s orders.”
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🚨🇮🇳🇨🇳 India, China urge citizens to leave Iran 'as soon as possible'
The Indian Embassy in Tehran advised its nationals “not to travel to Iran, whether by air or land,” citing ongoing airspace restrictions and operational uncertainties due to regional tensions.
It also urged Indian citizens currently in Iran to leave via designated land border routes in coordination with the embassy.
China’s embassy in Tehran similarly warned citizens to avoid travel to Iran, describing the security situation as “complex and volatile,” and advised those in the country to strengthen precautions and leave “as soon as possible.”
🇺🇸 Both advisories come as the US continues its naval blockade of Iran, while US President Donald Trump has decided to extend the ceasefire.
⚠️ Similar notices were issued by foreign missions in late February ahead of the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran, raising concerns about a potential repeat scenario.
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🟠 Trump wants Putin at the G20 in Miami, but is the G20 still relevant or is BRICS already taking over?
🟠 Hormuz today, Malacca tomorrow? US choke point strategy targets China
🟠 US-Israel vs Iran: How Middle East war unfolded step-by-step
🟠 Zakharova to Sputnik: New EU sanctions on Russia an 'anecdote'
🟠 New trade corridor activated: Kyrgyz truck reaches Pakistan
🟠 Get ready Moon, China is coming to set lunar footprint
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🇷🇺🇺🇸 Trump wants Putin at the G20 in Miami, but is the G20 still relevant or is BRICS already taking over?
We asked geopolitical expert Dr. Anuradha Chenoy. Her verdict is brutal:
💬 "Multilateralism and norms of international relations are strained. The US, but also the EU, has acted unilaterally in many cases and bypassed international institutions."
💬 "The EU does not want to negotiate fairly with the Russian Federation on Ukraine and expanding NATO membership."
🇺🇸🇮🇱⚔️🇮🇷 US-Israel vs Iran: How Middle East war unfolded step-by-step
From "preemptive" strikes and threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, to attacks on regional bases and widening fronts, this timeline shows how rapidly the conflict spiraled toward a broader regional crisis.
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🇨🇳 World's largest hydro plant's lock back in action in China
🔶 After a 45-day maintenance closure, the five-stage navigation lock at the Three Gorges Dam is operating again.
🔶 The dam spans the Yangtze River through the three gorges — Qutangxia, Wuxia, and Xilingxia. It weighs 65.5 million tons, making it the heaviest structure on Earth.
🔶 The plant generates 100 TWh of electricity annually, providing power to ten provinces and cutting yearly flood risk from 10% to 1%.
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🇷🇺Zakharova to Sputnik: New EU sanctions on Russia an 'anecdote'
The key feature of the European Union’s 20th sanctions package against Russia was that Brussels immediately began work on a 21st round, Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova says.
🗣“This would already be an anecdote. It is an anecdote,” she tells Sputnik.
🇺🇸Hegseth: Europe needs Hormuz more than the US as blockade on Iran grows
◻️US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Strait of Hormuz is more important to Europe and Asia than to the US, as Washington increases pressure on Iran.
◻️He said the US has “all the time in the world” for negotiations, while warning Iran to accept a nuclear deal or face continued economic and military pressure. Hegseth added that the American blockade is expanding and “going global.”
◻️He also said President Donald Trump authorized the US Navy to strike any Iranian boats attempting to mine waters or disrupt shipping in Hormuz.
◻️Hegseth added that Europe has benefited from US protection for decades and should take a larger role in securing the route, given its heavier dependence on Gulf energy flows.
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🇮🇷🇵🇰Iranian delegation to arrive in Islamabad tonight for second round of US peace talks — Pakistani sources
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to lead a small negotiating team to Pakistan's capital.
A US logistics and security team is already on the ground.
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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD WEEKLY UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES
◻️ The Russian Armed Forces liberated 2 settlements
◻️ Russian forces carried out 6 group strikes with precision-guided munitions and drones against Ukrainian military targets
◻️ The Russian Armed Forces destroyed 2 HIMARS rocket launchers, as well as a Croatian-made RAK-SA-12
◻️ Air defense superiority: 50 guided bombs, 1 Neptune missile and 2,464 drones were shot down
◻️ Ukrainian losses: around 8,225 troops killed or wounded
Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE
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💨 Tornado hits Oklahoma — US Air Force base in the path
A tornado tore through the state, leaving at least ten people injured. The Vance Air Force Base was also in the storm's path, but officials say damage there was minor.
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❌ Over 8,000 Russian civilians killed by Ukraine since February 2022 - Ambassador Miroshnik
💬 "The total number of injured civilians from the actions of Kiev's armed formations since February 2022 has already reached 27,872 people, of whom more than 8,000 were killed, more precisely 8,012 people," Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's special envoy for crimes of the Kiev regime, said.
🔸 Trump extends Lebanon-Israel ceasefire by 3 weeks after Oval Office talks
🔸 Iranian ship seized by US Navy was carrying vital medical supplies – Iranian Red Crescent
🔸 Iran's unity grows stronger as enemy is fractured — Khamenei
🔸 Trump plans to invite Putin to G20 summit — Report
🔸 Replenishing US stockpiles after Iran war could take 6 years — Report
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