🇯🇵🇷🇺 Japan Considers Sending Officials to Russia as Soon as End-May

Japan may send government officials to Russia as early as the end of May to maintain communications with Moscow to support its companies that are still operating there, the trade ministry said in a post on X. Japanese government officials are currently arranging a trip to Russia and, depending on the situation, representatives of relevant companies may also join.

#BRICS

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🚀 SpaceX successfully conducted a full-duration, full-thrust static fire test of all 33 Raptor engines on its Super Heavy V3 booster (Booster 19) at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas

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🤑 Stellar expands role in crypto payments stack as Mesh selects it for settlement layer

Mesh has integrated the Stellar network as a core settlement layer, strengthening its push into stablecoin-based global payments infrastructure. The move deepens alignment between the two platforms, with Stellar now handling final settlement across parts of the Mesh ecosystem.

🔣 Mesh focuses on payment orchestration rather than settlement. It connects exchanges, wallets, and financial platforms into a unified network that routes transactions across systems. By integrating Stellar, Mesh adds a reliable settlement layer to its stack. The platform can now route payments through its network and settle them on Stellar with low fees and near-instant finality.

This setup reduces reliance on fragmented infrastructure. Enterprises can access routing and settlement through a single integration, simplifying cross-border payment flows. The deal highlights how crypto payments are evolving into layered systems. 🤝

In this model:
🟠orchestration layers like Mesh manage transaction routing
🟠settlement layers like Stellar finalize transactions

This separation allows each layer to specialize. It improves efficiency while enabling broader interoperability across networks and jurisdictions. Enterprises benefit from faster settlement, lower costs, and better access to global payment rails.

#Stellar

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🇨🇳🇫🇷 China Urges France to Help Keep EU Markets Open Through Dialogue

China said it hopes France will play an active role in encouraging the European Union to keep its markets open as well as resolve economic and trade disputes through dialogue. Beijing is willing to work with France to boost bilateral investments and provide a fair business environment for companies, the Ministry of Commerce said.

#BRICS

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🤝 Elon Musk visited with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to discuss deepening collaboration, building on their April 2026 announcement of Intel joining the Terafab project.

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🆕 Senate Banking Committee plans to hold key market structure hearing on Thursday

The Senate Banking Committee plans to hold its long-awaited markup hearing for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (otherwise known as the Clarity Act) on Thursday, May 14 at 10:30 a.m.

The Clarity Act was largely in limbo after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced the exchange was pulling its support over stablecoin yield and other provisions in January. Last week, Senators Thom Tillis and Angela Alsobrooks released a compromise text addressing yield, which would prohibit crypto companies from offering yield on static stablecoin reserve holdings but allowing rewards for stablecoins involved in activities, seemingly resolving one of the key issues blocking the bill from advancing.

The committee did not release the full text of the updated bill publicly as of press time.

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🔥 Money Doesn’t Move Like It Used To

AI in finance isn’t really showing up the way many expected. The system just starts feeling lighter. 🤪
Payments move faster. Fewer unnecessary steps. Processes that used to require support tickets or manual verification quietly fade into the background.
And that’s usually the signal.

📱 Watch the video on YouTube, Rumble

#Stellar

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🇨🇦 Carney Signals Openness to Deeper Trade Ties With US and Mexico

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada is open-minded to building closer trade connections with the US and Mexico in certain industries to create greater economic prosperity on the continent.

“Like Mexico, Canada remains open to deeper integration, including options for ‘Fortress North America’ in selected sectors,” — the prime minister said in a speech to a political conference in Toronto on Saturday.

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🤝 Apple reportedly strikes deal for Intel to make some of its chips

Sources close to both Apple and Intel have said that the two companies have reached a preliminary agreement for Intel to manufacture processors for Apple. The two parties have been in talks for over a year, and they’ve been finalizing a formal deal over the past few months.

Apple is reportedly looking for alternative fabs to TSMC, as it wants to diversify its supply chain in the midst of ongoing chip shortages, and it seems that this latest development is a confirmation of this report.

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🇨🇳 China unveils 200-qubit Hanyuan-2 dual-core quantum computer, consumes less than 7kW of power

Chinese researchers claim that the launch of Hanyuan-2 represents a major step forward for the country’s quantum computing ambitions, with state media describing the system as evidence that China’s quantum technology is moving into a new phase of development.

Unlike many existing quantum computers that require enormous energy consumption and ultra-cold environments near absolute zero to function, Hanyuan-2 is built around neutral atom technology, which is considered more energy efficient and easier to operate and maintain. The system’s most notable feature is its dual-core architecture, which allows the two quantum processing units to work simultaneously, similar to two interconnected brains.

The paired cores can split computational workloads between them while also helping identify and correct errors during processing, potentially improving both speed and reliability.

#BRICS

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🇨🇳 China’s Zeekr unveils EV with CATL’s ultra-fast charging battery, 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds

Chinese EV maker Zeekr has confirmed that the refreshed Zeekr 009 will officially launch on May 19, expanding the company’s push in the premium electric MPV segment.

Buyers will be able to choose between three configurations, including the seven-seat Ultra, the seven-seat Ultra+ Qijia, and the six-seat Ultra+ Executive variant. The new lineup is expected to bring upgraded performance, advanced battery technology, and additional luxury-focused features aimed at high-end family and business users.

#BRICS

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⚡️ UK, France to Host Multinational Meeting on Mission to Escort Ships Through Hormuz

More than 40 nations will meet Monday to outline their military contributions to a European-led mission to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz once there’s a stable ceasefire.

The countries are expected to offer demining, escorting and air policing capabilities as part of a defensive naval mission led by the UK and France, designed to reassure commercial ships attempting to pass through the waterway.

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🔥 Kraken parent Payward applies for national OCC trust charter following Ripple, Coinbase

Payward, the parent company of Kraken's crypto exchange, has applied for a national trust company charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, according to a statement. The application seeks to establish the Payward National Trust Company, or PNTC.

"PNTC expects to serve institutional clients and individual customers seeking regulated, bank-level custody and trust services for digital assets, leveraging Payward's existing infrastructure, risk management, compliance programs, and regulated affiliates to deliver services in a secure and compliant manner," — Payward said in a statement.

Payward's application for an OCC charter follows Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based crypto exchange, receiving a conditional approval for its own national trust company charter about a month ago. Ripple has also received a conditional approval.

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