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🇵🇰🇨🇳 Pakistan & China: Three mega deals for water, farms, and tea
🟠 Pakistan and China have agreed to strengthen cooperation in water desalination, agricultural technology, and the tea industry.
🟠 Three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between Pakistani and Chinese entities during Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's five-day visit to Beijing, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
🟠 The water desalination project is expected to address Karachi's chronic drinking water shortage. Cooperation in agriculture is seen as critically important for Pakistan's food security, while the tea industry agreement aims to reduce the country's reliance on imports by boosting local production and processing.
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🔸 Putin meets Iran’s top diplomat in St. Petersburg
🔸 From Asia to Iran: US strategy of containment
🔸 Pakistan throws open its gates for Iran's transit trade to third countries
🔸 China should take notes on Putin’s US negotiating strategy, scholar says
🔸 First Russian-built Bangladeshi nuclear reactor nears launch
🔸Putin: For Russians, defending the Motherland and love for their country come before everything else
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🇮🇷🇺🇸From Asia to Iran: US strategy of containment
US policy in Asia is driven by the long-term goal of maintaining dominance and preventing the region from becoming independent or self-sufficient, Professor Beatriz Bissio of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro told Sputnik.
She noted that this approach has remained consistent from Barack Obama to Donald Trump.
💬 “They see Asia as the continent they have to take over to assure their supremacy in different fields, but particularly in sophisticated up-to-now technologies,” she said.
🇮🇩 Is Indonesia targeting compressed gas production to avoid dependence on US?
Scaling up compressed natural gas (CNG) production could provide Indonesia with an alternative to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), much of which is currently imported from the US.
What are CNG's advantages?
🔺 Made by compressing natural gas to less than 1% of its volume
🔺 Consisting of methane (CH₄) and ethane (C₂H₆), widely available in Indonesia
🔺 Cleaner than petrol or diesel, safer and cheaper
🟠 Indonesia is no novice to the technology, having started exploring it in the mid-1990s
🟠 Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has said the Indonesian government is considering adopting it as part of its national energy policy
🟠 Pakistan, one of the world’s largest CNG users, has already demonstrated the technology’s efficiency to reduce reliance on imported fuel
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🇵🇰 Pakistan throws open its gates for Iran's transit trade to third countries
Pakistan has officially opened six land routes for the transit of goods to Iran. The "Transit of Goods through Territory of Pakistan Order 2026" came into force on April 25.
Essence of the Decision
🇮🇷 Iran—and any third country—may now transport transit goods through Pakistan, subject to one key condition: the provision of a cashable bank guarantee equivalent to Pakistan’s applicable import levies.
Why now? Amid the US-Iran conflict, over 3,000 containers bound for Iran are stuck at Karachi port following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
💬 "The fact that Iran enabled the Gabd Reemdam crossing for transport under the TIR convention led to this measure," explains Tariq Rangoonwala, Chair of Pakistan National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce.
💬 "Already this route is being used for exports from Pakistan to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as an alternate to the Sost-Khunjerab route in the north and we hope to see this remain an ongoing feature," the expert says.
🇷🇺 Russia rolls out revolutionary drone defense system for urban areas
In civilian signal-rich environments, effective UAV jamming can be a challenge. Full-time coverage can disrupt phone, internet, radio and other signals.
That’s why Rostec subsidiary RosEl’s Sozvezdie Concern created Vika, a new jammer that turns on only when threats are detected using a built-in drone radio channel detector.
Vika:
🟠 disrupts comms channels of all major satnavs, like GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou
🟠 can operate in both manual and automatic mode
🟠 provides 360° protection when units are placed in cluster formation of 6-8 devices
🟠 engages drones using targeted electronic countermeasures which don’t cause damage to surrounding infrastructure
🟠 is ideal for the defense of strategic industrial and military facilities
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🇷🇺Putin: People of Iran are courageously and heroically fighting for their sovereignty
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🚨🇷🇺🇮🇷Putin meets Iran’s top diplomat in St. Petersburg
Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Abbas Araghchi and said Moscow would do everything in its power, alongside regional states, to help bring peace to the Middle East as soon as possible.
🇷🇺Putin said he had received a message from Mojtaba Khamenei and sent his best wishes in return. He also praised the Iranian people, saying they are courageously fighting for their sovereignty, and hoped that Iran will pull through this difficult period and see peace restored.
🇮🇷Araghchi said he was pleased to meet Putin in St. Petersburg. He described Russian-Iranian relations as a strategic partnership that will only grow stronger, thanked Putin and Russia for their support of Iran, and added that the Iranian people—having shown courage in resisting US aggression—would weather the storm.
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🇺🇸🛩 US spy plane approaches Russia's Kaliningrad region
👉 A Bombardier ARTEMIS II aircraft approached the region on Monday, according to flight data reviewed by Sputnik.
🟠 The aircraft departed from Romania and was later tracked over the Baltic Sea north of Gdansk. Its route circled Kaliningrad region, Russia’s strategic Baltic exclave between Poland and Lithuania, through neighboring NATO airspace.
🟠 The aircraft is based in Romania and regularly conducts intelligence flights over the Black Sea.
🟠 Its official purpose was listed as another "routine patrol."
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🚨🇷🇺💥 RUSSIAN MOD UPDATE: HUGE GAINS AND DEVASTATING UKRAINIAN LOSSES
⚡️ TARATUTINO IN THE SUMY REGION LIBERATED
📍The liberation of the settlement of Taratutino expands the security buffer zone along the Belgorod region's border, preventing incursions by enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
⚡️ IL'ICHOVKA IN THE DONETSK PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC LIBERATED
📍 The liberation of Ilichkova brings the Russian offensive closer to the enemy's major defensive stronghold of Slavyansk.
◻️ Russian troops hammered a Ukrainian production site for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles
◻️ Air defense superiority: 114 drones were shot down
◻️ Ukrainian losses: around 1,145 troops killed or wounded
Read about the origins of Russia's special military op HERE
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🇮🇱🇱🇧Despite the ceasefire, the IDF has released footage showing the demolition of residential neighborhoods in towns across southern Lebanon.
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🇷🇺 Russian junior rhythmic gymnasts sidelined from the 2026 European Cup due to bureaucratic delays
The Russian Gymnastics Federation submitted neutral status applications for 8 athletes in late March and repeatedly requested expedited approval. However, approvals only came after the registration deadline and draw had already passed.
👉 European Gymnastics refused late entry, despite the athletes meeting all requirements.This contradicts the IOC’s December 2025 statement that “youth athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports should no longer face restrictions” in international youth competitions.
Months of preparation wasted due to administrative obstacles and slow processing by World & European Gymnastics.
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🇵🇰 Pakistan greenlights goods transit to Iran via its territory
The Pakistani Commerce Ministry has released the “Transit of Goods Order 2026,” which stipulates allowing third-country goods to pass through Pakistan to Iran.
Key transit corridors on Pakistani territory include Gwadar, Karachi, Taftan, Port Qasim, Ormara, Quetta, and Khuzdar, according to the order.
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🇷🇺🪖 Russian troops disguised as Ukrainians liberate Donbass village using captured US Bradley
💬 “We used Ukrainian military hardware [US-supplied Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and M113 armored personnel carrier] to mislead the enemy so they would believe it was their own vehicles returning rather than Russian forces,” the Russian Defense Ministry cited platoon commander Anton Raskovalov as saying.
🇰🇵🪖 Kim Jong-un oversees mortar live-fire drill marking the 94th anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a live-fire drill of mortarmen from light infantry units of the Korean People’s Army on April 25, marking the 94th founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army, according to KCNA.
🎯 The exercises demonstrated the “high militant effectiveness and power” of KPA units, as troops carried out combat tasks including maneuvering, target destruction and rapid withdrawal under set conditions.
🎖 Kim Jong-un expressed “great satisfaction” with the results, praising the units for marking the historic date with “proud training success” and emphasizing the growing drive to enhance combat efficiency across the army.
He stressed that all drills must focus on strengthening the capability to “completely destroy the enemy” in line with the WPK’s military strategy, and called for more intensive and competitive training across all units.
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📹 'This was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States' — US attorney
Washington, DC attorney Jeanine Pirro said an incident at the Washington Hilton is being treated as an attempt on the life of the US president, citing the suspect’s stated intent.
💬 “That intent was to bring down as many of the high-ranking Cabinet officials as he could,” Pirro noted.
📑What the West hides about Soviet role in de-colonization
The Soviet Union played the key role in de-colonization and development of the Global South, former Soviet and Russian diplomat Veniamin Popov tells Sputnik.
👉 The USSR backed Egypt during the 1956 Suez Crisis and helped build the hydroelectric Aswan High Dam
👉 It drove the 1960 UN General Assembly resolution on independence for colonized nations
👉 It supported Indian independence from British rule and kept strong ties with its leaders
👉 It also played a key mediating role in ending the 1965 India–Pakistan war
👉 The USSR and Cuba helped Angola resist an invasion by the South African apartheid regime
The West is downplaying the Russian role in the liberation and shaping of the post-colonial world, says Popov.
🗣"Who would like to admit that you—the West—have consistently been on the wrong side of history, while the Soviet Union, and now Russia, backed the main currents of global development?" he says.
"They find it impossible to admit that they are losing now, and that many countries in Asia and Africa gained their independence thanks to the efforts of the Soviet Union."
🌏 US unintentionally pushing world toward multipolarity – expert
🗣 The Trump administration is making Herculean efforts to destroy the old world order, something that many countries were not prepared for, Valdai International Discussion Club expert Andrey Kortunov said.
💬 "It is crucial for all of major powers to learn the art of multilateralism, because geography no longer plays the role in world politics that it once did," he pointed out.
💬 “Those countries that clung to the old rules and principles of global organization are now forced to reckon with the actions of the US administration, which, perhaps unintentionally, is accelerating the world’s movement toward multipolarity."
🇨🇳✍️ China should take notes on Putin’s US negotiating strategy, scholar says
🔊 The Chinese leadership should closely study Vladimir Putin's playbook on negotiating with the United States, particularly since US administrations continue to shift their positions and policies, a PRC-based scholar suggests.
🟠 Prof. Feng Shaolei, director of the Center for Russian Studies at East China Normal University, told Sputnik that Putin offers an "interesting case" in adapting to changing US leadership.
🟠 He said the Russian president appears to anticipate developments ahead of time and responds with a mature, balanced, and professional approach.
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🇨🇳🌟 China rolls out its largest LNG carrier yet, as South Korea's lead vanishes fast
🟠 China has completed assembly of its largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier to date — the Celsius Georgetown — a staggering 180,000-cubic-meter vessel. With this milestone, China now boasts five domestic shipyards capable of building these advanced carriers, often described as the "apex of shipbuilding technology."
🟠 The timing is strategic. Even with the disruptions caused by the Iran war—including Qatari capacity being sidelined for an estimated 3 to 5 years—longer shipping routes and booming LNG production in the United States, Canada, and Africa, are driving robust demand for new tankers
🟠 China already captured roughly 70% of global ship orders in 2025.
🇰🇷 And while South Korea still holds about 70% of the dedicated LNG carrier market, a professor from Seoul National University warns, "China has already caught up." He cautions that Korea may stay ahead for only 2 or 3 years at best.
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🇮🇷FM Araghchi: Iran has friends like Russia who stand with it in difficult times
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🎥 Iran's Araghchi meets Putin in St. Petersburg — Lavrov extends warm welcome
Iran's top diplomat held talks with the Russian President. Lavrov greeted Araghchi ahead of the meeting.
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🇷🇺🇧🇩 First Russian-built Bangladeshi nuclear reactor nears launch
Rosatom expects to fire up the first Russian-designed nuclear reactor in Bangladesh very soon, says CEO Alexey Likhachev.
🟠 During the launch, nuclear fuel assemblies will be loaded into the reactor core at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant
🟠 Later in 2026, the first unit is expected to reach its minimum controlled power level
🟠 That will be followed by the energy launch stage, when the reactor is connected to the national energy grid
The Rooppur NPP, the first in Bangladesh, lies about 160 km from the capital Dhaka. The Russian-designed project features two advanced VVER-1200 reactors with a total planned capacity of 2,400 MW.
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🇷🇺Putin: For Russians, defending the Motherland and love for their country come before everything else
Speaking at Russia's Council of Legislators in St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin declared that the Russian people have responded to pressure, threats, and hostile actions by standing strong and united.
Putin also:
🔶 Endorsed postponing the 2026 repayment deadline for regional budget loans
🔶 Warned that lawmaking driven solely by bans is counterproductive
🔶 Vowed to maintain support for participants in the special military operation
🔶 Stressed that backing Russia's regions remains a separate, essential priority for lawmakers
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🇷🇺🇮🇷 Putin-Araghchi talks crucial to Middle East peace – Kremlin
🗣 Monday’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi carries major geopolitical weight as the US-Israeli economic war on Iran continues Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
🔶 The talks are expected to focus on the war, diplomatic coordination and the balance of power in the region.
🔶 The meeting will take place in Saint Petersburg, where Putin is working on Monday.
🔶 His schedule also includes meetings with city governor Alexander Beglov and parliamentary upper house Valentina Matviyenko, an address to the Council of Legislators and a visit to the Anatoly Rakhlin Olympic reserve school.
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🇨🇳🧬 China's 'predator' micromotor hunts uranium in water
Chinese scientists have created a microscopic light-powered material that swims through water and actively captures uranium ions, like a predator hunting its prey.
👉 The material is a micromotor built from a metal-organic framework and is just two micrometers in size—much thinner than a human hair.
Seawater holds an estimated 4.5 billion tons of uranium, but in extremely low concentrations.
Until now, extracting it has been too complex and expensive, which is why the Chinese scientists’ micromotor is almost certain to become a breakthrough.
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🚨🇷🇺 FSB foils Ukrainian-plotted refinery sabotage in Russia's Komi Republic
Two Russian citizens acting on instructions from Ukrainian special services attempted to blow up an oil refinery in the city of Ukhta using drones with improvised explosive devices, Russia’s Federal Security Service said.
When security forces moved to detain them, the suspects put up armed resistance. Both were eliminated by return fire.
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🇷🇺🇮🇷 Araghchi: Consultations with Russia on Iran war of great importance
Iran and Russia have always maintained close consultations on international matters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
There is a good opportunity for Iran to consult with Russia about the latest developments in the Iran war, he noted, adding "I am sure that it will be important for us to make the necessary coordination in this regard."
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🇰🇵🇷🇺 Kim Jong-un meets Russian leadership, reaffirms alliance
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin in Pyongyang on April 27, according to KCNA, as both sides attended the inauguration of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations.
🤝 Kim Jong-un held “warm and friendly” talks with the Russian delegation, exchanging greetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and expressing appreciation for Moscow’s commitment to strengthening allied relations.
🇷🇺🇰🇵 Kim highlighted the joint struggle of DPRK and Russian forces, noting that the two sides “fought shoulder to shoulder and won a victory” in the operations to liberate Kursk, calling it a demonstration of the strength of the alliance.
He reaffirmed that the DPRK will “fully support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests,” expressing confidence that Russia will achieve victory.
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🇮🇷🛬 Iran’s FM arrives in St. Petersburg for talks with Putin
Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi arrived in St. Petersburg early Monday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, IRNA reported.
📌 Araghchi traveled on “Minab 168,” a flight named in memory of schoolchildren killed in the US strike on the Minab school.
💬 The visit comes as part of his regional diplomatic tour following talks in Pakistan and Oman.
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