❗The EU ambassadors have agreed in principle on the use of extraordinary revenues from Russia’s immobilized assets to provide military support to Ukraine, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU says.

French actress Isabelle Huppert has been chosen the president of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, which will take place from August 28 to September 7, the festival’s press service says.

The Islamabad High Court has approved the petition of former Pakistani first lady Bushra Bibi seeking to be transferred from her residence, where she has been under house arrest, to Adiala Jail, where her husband is currently locked up, the Dawn newspaper reports.

The Adiala Jail administration previously opposed the former first lady’s transfer to the prison, citing overcrowding which could possibly be a threat to her security.

The Indian authorities have arrested four people accused of trafficking Indian nationals to the area of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict “under the guise of better employment and high paying jobs,” the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation says.

⚡ The Russian armed forces have taken full control of the Kyslivka village in the Kharkiv region and the Novokalynove settlement in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry says.

There is no common position in the EU on recognizing the results of the presidential election in Russia, EU foreign policy spokesman Peter Stano says.

"In case of Russia, there is no EU wide position agreed by 27 that would say we do not see [Russian President Vladimir] Putin as a legitimate representative of Russia.”

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has expressed disappointment with the failure of the EU to propose a "meaningful" pathway to a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict.

"The European Union emerged as a peace project, I am disappointed that it cannot offer a meaningful peace plan for the conflict that is currently taking place in Ukraine."

Apple has unveiled new versions of iPad Air and its thinnest iPad Pro, which feature improved technological capabilities.

iPad Pro features Apple's new M4 chip and OLED screen, with a thickness of just a little over 5 mm. Both gadgets will come in 11-inch and 13-inch models, the release says.

The new models will be available in stores starting May 15, the release adds.

#apple #iphone

⚡️ Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken office as Russia's president for the fifth time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is being sworn in as head of state at the inauguration ceremony in the Kremlin.

❗Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pahinyan says that if the process of delimiting the border with Azerbaijan is suspended, a war will begin.

⚡ The ceremony of the inauguration of Russian President Vladimir Putin has started in the Kremlin.

The US Ambassador to Russia has left the country for a certain period and will not attend Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said.

Russia’s moratorium on deployment of medium- and shorter-range missiles is in question due to Washington’s destructive line, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said.

Chinese hackers allegedly carried out a cyberattack on the servers of the UK Defense Ministry, as a result of which the names and bank details of current military personnel and some veterans were exposed, Sky News reports.

At least 492 Palestinian health workers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of hostilities on October 7, with 80% of primary health care centers no longer operating, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health Tlaleng Mofokeng says.

Chinese scientists have created a mutated Ebola virus in the laboratory by adding the virus' protein to an infectious disease of livestock and are studying its spread and treatment options on hamsters, according to a study by researches of the Hebei Medical University published in the Chinese journal Virologica Sinica.

An American solider was detained in Russia's Vladivostok on May 2 on charges of criminal misconduct

Russia notified the Department of State of the detention, the Army said. The US is providing consular support to the soldier.

"Given the sensitivity of this matter, we are unable to provide additional details at this time," the Army said.

An American solider was detained in Russia's Vladivostok on May 2 on charges of criminal misconduct

Russia notified the Department of State of the detention, the Army said. The US is providing consular support to the soldier.

"Given the sensitivity of this matter, we are unable to provide additional details at this time," the Army said.

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that requires TikTok to cut ties with its parent company ByteDance within 180 days or face a ban in the US amid concerns about user privacy and foreign influence.

The platform said it hoped that the US Senate, which is to vote on the bill, “will consider the facts” and “realize the impact on the economy.”

📌 Elon Musk has spoken out against banning the social media platform TikTok in the US, arguing that such a move would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression, even though the move may benefit the X platform.