⚡️🇺🇸🇯🇵 Japan’s Katayama Says Coordinating With Bessent on FX Policy

Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said her team is working well with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the area of foreign exchange policy, after the two met in Tokyo.

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🆕 Finally, texts between Android and iPhone users can be end-to-end encrypted

At long last, Android and iPhone users will be able to send each other end-to-end encrypted text messages. On Monday, end-to-end encrypted messaging is starting to roll out in beta for conversations between iPhone and Android users running the most up-to-date software.

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Hi everyone 👋

🤑 We had an amazing time connecting with everyone at our last Q&A sessions — and we’re excited to invite you to the next Q&A + Meet & Greet Call! 🎉

⚡️ Firstly, you should pass the test and complete the course in → @QSITrainingBot.🔣Then you will get access to the channel. Here you will find a link to Q&A + Meet & Greet Call in Zoom.

We will answer not only beginner questions but also discuss lessons and takeaways you’ve learned from studying Mini Proofs video #2 on BRICS. 💬

❗️This isn’t just a call — it’s your chance to actively participate, share ideas, and gain valuable insights. Make the most of it by showing up prepared and ready to contribute.

📚 How to prepare:
⚫️Watch the video #2 on BRICS in advance
⚫️Take notes and highlight key takeaways
⚫️Come ready with your questions

⚡️ Do your best, be active and get involved!

Don’t miss your chance to join our next call — this is a great opportunity to learn, engage, and be part of the conversation completely free of charge. 🚀

🔘Thursday, May 14 @ 3pm CDT / 1am CET / 9am AEST 🌐

Your involvement matters. We’d love to see you there! 💙

#Stellar

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🇺🇸 Trump calls on Congress to pass Senate’s housing bill

President Donald Trump demanded that Congress pass the Senate housing package, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, amid a stalemate with the House over how to advance housing affordability legislation.

Trump had previously stayed out of the cross-chamber dispute as the House and Senate went back and forth over two similar but rival housing packages. The White House endorsed the Senate housing bill as-is in March.

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🇹🇭 Thailand is poised to overhaul its liberal visa rules

As the government ramps up a crackdown on foreigners who illegally run businesses or commit transnational crimes. Possible measures include reducing the 60-day visa-free stay for tourists to 30 days and reviewing the criteria for categories, including investment, long-term stay, student and digital nomad visas. Visitors from 93 countries currently are eligible for the 60-day waiver.

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⚡️🇺🇸 The U.S. has been holding closely guarded, regular negotiations with Denmark to open three new military bases in southern Greenland.

The new bases would be designated as American sovereign territory. The bases would focus on surveillance of Russian and Chinese maritime activity in the GIUK Gap. The U.S. currently has just one base in Greenland — Pituffik Space Base — down from around 17 during the Cold War.

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🤝 Google in Talks to Use SpaceX to Launch Space Data Centers

Alphabet Inc.’s Google is in talks with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch the search company’s orbital data centers. Google is also exploring deals with other launch providers.

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⚡️🇪🇺 EU in Talks to Join US-Led Alliance to Secure Tech Supply Chains

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, is exploring participation in the so-called Pax Silica alliance, though discussions on the terms are ongoing.

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🤑 Stellar to Power Bermuda's Plan to Become World's First Fully Onchain Economy

Today, the Stellar Development Foundation and the Government of Bermuda announced that Bermuda will begin moving key payment and financial-services activity onchain onto the Stellar network. 🤝

🟠The announcement is the first operational milestone since Bermuda announced at the World Economic Forum in January 2026 that the Island plans to become the world's first fully onchain national economy.

✅ The announcement builds on the regulatory foundation Bermuda established with the Digital Asset Business Act of 2018, one of the world's earliest comprehensive digital-asset regimes.

⚫️Government agencies expect to pilot stablecoin-based payments, financial institutions will be able to integrate tokenization tools, and residents can participate in nationwide digital literacy programs, laying the foundation for a more inclusive, competitive, and resilient national economy. Assets may also be used for government payment systems related to social service disbursements.

"The use of digital dollars can change that, and the Stellar network’s capacity to support public sector initiatives are what make it possible to deliver this responsibly and at the scale Bermuda requires," — said The Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP, Premier of Bermuda.

❗️Stellar is the only blockchain purpose-built for regulated financial services. Public, configurable, and global by design, Stellar pairs a permissionless network with the asset controls institutions require — settling payments in seconds at fractions of a U.S. cent.

#Stellar

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🌐 Threads tests a Meta AI integration that works similarly to Grok

Threads is testing a Meta AI integration that works similarly to X’s Grok. Users with a public account will be able to mention Meta AI in a post or a reply to get more context. The feature is currenty in beta testing in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Argentina, and Singapore.

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⚡️🇺🇸🇨🇳 US President Donald Trump said he would prioritize trade discussions during his summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping

“We’re going to be talking to President Xi about a lot of things. I would say, more than anything, trade,” — Trump said at the White House as he departed for the highly anticipated meeting in Beijing.

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🛒 Amazon launches 30-minute delivery across the U.S.

The online retailer announced the launch of its 30-minute delivery option, dubbed “Amazon Now,” in dozens of U.S. cities. This ultra-fast delivery option will allow customers to shop across “thousands” of items, Amazon says, including fresh groceries, household essentials, and other locally relevant items.

At launch, Amazon Now will be widely available in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia, and Seattle, and is expanding to Austin, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Orlando, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix. By year-end, Amazon expects to bring the service to tens of millions of customers in these and other cities, as the rollout continues across the U.S.

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🇦🇪 Crypto.com Receives UAE Stored Value Facilities License to Enable Virtual Asset Payments for Government Services

Crypto.com today announced that its UAE entity, Foris DAX Middle East FZE, has been granted a Stored Value Facilities (SVF) license by the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), making it the first Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in the Emirates to receive this license.

“To be the first VASP to receive this license is an incredible achievement and proves our strong commitment to compliance and to advancing the regulated digital assets ecosystem in the UAE,” — said Eric Anziani, President and COO of Crypto.com.

Having secured an SVF license, Crypto.com can now activate its partnership with the Dubai Department of Finance, which will provide residents in the UAE with the ability to pay Government fees with virtual assets. 🤝

All financial settlements will be conducted in UAE dirhams or CBUAE-approved dirham backed stablecoins exclusively through the SVF framework, allowing secure payments and supporting the advancement of the Dubai Cashless Strategy.

@QSIMedia

🤖 New self-refueling underwater batteries use marine microbes to generate electricity

The Michigan Tech-led team is testing microbial fuel cells, or MFCs, that use bacteria to convert dissolved organic material and microscopic marine biomass into electrical current. Researchers say the technology could eventually support naval defense sensors, ecological monitoring systems, and underwater acoustic networks.

“There are increasing deployments of all kinds of sensors in the marine environment for observing ecological conditions, organism migrations, and acoustics relevant to naval defense,” — said Amy Marcarelli, distinguished professor of biological sciences at Michigan Tech.

The researchers have already completed a 30-day underwater deployment in Chesapeake Bay, where prototype systems continued producing electricity while fully submerged.

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🇷🇺🇵🇰Russia and Pakistan are set to sign an agreement to simplify visa procedures for their citizens

“We will sign an agreement on simplifying the issuance of visas for citizens of both countries,” — Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said.

Two countries are also preparing to sign an agreement on cultural cooperation, along with a trade and economic cooperation agreement covering the next five years.

“We will sign agreements on Russian investments in the medical sector and in the industrial sector of Pakistan,” — he said.

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🇨🇳 China unveils 220-pound robot ‘construction worker’ to use human tools on moon

China has announced that its planned Chang’e-8 mission will feature a new robotic “Moon mechanic.” This robot, the team behind it explains, will act like a construction worker to help assemble and lug equipment around once deployed.

Developed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the robot weighs around 220 pounds (100kg) and has 4 wheels to move across the rough Lunar surface. Unlike previous moon rover-type robots, this new one comes with a pair of robotic arms for handling and manipulating tools.

#BRICS

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🇺🇬 Uganda’s Octogenarian Leader Museveni Sworn In for Seventh Term

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for another five-year term, retaining his position at the helm of the East African nation as it gears up to become an oil producer.

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🇬🇧 UK Approves Early Power-Project Funding in Race for Grid Parts

The UK approved more early construction funding for power-grid projects, as part of efforts to boost renewables generation and secure equipment amid supply-chain snarls and competition from other nations.

Energy regulator Ofgem granted such funding for power lines and upgrades at some transmission projects in Scotland, taking the number approved in its fast-track grid pipeline to 26, it said in a statement Tuesday. That allows companies to get a head start in locking in things like heavy duty cables and substation equipment, where global bottlenecks have threatened timelines.

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