US has 'no choice but to accept' Iran's 7 conditions for talks — Iran Iran has delivered its terms to the US government, Iran's Security Council Secretary announced. "If Washington wants to escape the quagmire it has created for itself... it has no choice but to accept Iran's rights and conditions." Conditions include ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian funds, and lifting the naval blockade.

US-Denmark agreement over Greenland is ‘PR stunt’ ahead of midterms “This treaty is mostly for show, but in legal terms it’s much ado about nothing” because “the US already had free access to Greenland and the main responsibility for the defense of Greenland,” military and geopolitics analyst Mikael Valtersson told Sputnik. While the agreement grants the US permanent military access, basing and overflight rights, Washington already had these rights, and it was the US itself that “voluntarily and drastically reduced its own military resources on Greenland” after the end of the Cold War. In other words, the deal is “mainly a PR stunt for the US government ahead of the upcoming midterm elections in November.”

ISS receives control system for Russia’s future space humanoid robot The Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft has delivered a control workstation for Russia’s Teledroid space robot to the International Space Station The exoskeleton-style system will let astronauts remotely operate Teledroid during external missions Teledroid arrives on Progress MS-36 in November, later installed outside the station Cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina are expected to control it from inside the ISS On September 16, Soyuz-2.1b launched Progress MS-35 from Baikonur, showcasing a more powerful configuration for heavier payloads and future orbital station support

Chess Olympiad gets a robotic twist with humanoid dance contest Humanoid robots faced off in a dance battle in Uzbekistan, bringing a futuristic twist to the stage of the World Chess Olympiad. The competition took place alongside the chess tournament, where more than 4,000 champions from around the world are competing from September 15 to 27.

China prepares for a new era of nuclear expansion Two new large centrifuge enrichment plants (CEP) run by China National Nuclear Corporation are set to begin operations as early as late 2026: 🔸 Lanzhou CEP6 in Gansu province 🔸 Hanzhong CEP6 in Shaanxi province Each will add an estimated 1.5–2 million SWU (Separative Work Units) of annual enrichment capacity, bringing China’s total to roughly 14.4 million SWU/year The expansion supports Beijing’s 15th Five-Year Plan target of around 110 GWe of nuclear power capacity by 2030, strengthening the domestic fuel base needed to support the country’s growing nuclear fleet

Pakistan and Iran foreign ministers discuss regional situation by phone Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a phone call, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced. Highlights: 🔸 Dar stressed the importance of uninterrupted energy supplies 🔸 Emphasized unimpeded navigation in the Middle East 🔸 "Dialogue and diplomacy remain the only effective way to ensure peace and stability" 🔸 Both ministers agreed to meet on the sidelines of UNGA 81 in New York

China advances next-generation chip research beyond EUV limits The Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed an early sub-3nm chipmaking process path using DUV lithography, showing a possible alternative route to advanced semiconductor production despite US restrictions on extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) technology. 🔸The institute developed a preliminary gate-all-around (GAA) transistor process using deep ultraviolet (DUV) tools instead of ASML’s EUV machines 🔸 Scientists integrated stacked nanosheet-channel GAA CMOS transistors, an architecture used by leading chipmakers for next-generation nodes beyond FinFET designs 🔸 China is also investing in domestic DUV technology and new chip architectures to reduce dependence on restricted foreign equipment These efforts will help China narrow the gap in advanced semiconductor manufacturing despite continued limits on access to the world’s most advanced lithography tools.

Russia unveils plasma thruster for next generation nanosatellite swarms Engineers from the Moscow Aviation Institute and Samara National Research University have developed a compact propulsion system that could let tiny spacecraft maneuver independently and work together as a single massive instrument. 🔶 The new engine is designed for nanosatellites weighing up to 10 kg and is powered by gas 🔶 Its flexible fuel system allows the tank to be placed anywhere inside the spacecraft 🔶 The valve is designed for more than 1 million actuations, enough for roughly 300 hours of active orbital maneuvers 🔶 In the future, maneuverable nanosatellites could form distributed telescopes and antennas with baselines spanning thousands or even millions of kilometers The technology could open the door to new ways of observing Earth, studying black holes, searching for signs of life on exoplanets, and detecting gravitational waves. The image is AI-generated

India's Chief of the Army Staff Dhiraj Seth fired the traditional cannon at the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg — a rare honor — during his visit to the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy.

Some stars literally ‘sing,' Russian astronomer reveals Some stars generate internal oscillations that propagate outward, causing slight pulsations at their surfaces and emitting acoustic waves — a process comparable to singing, according to Evgeniy Burmistrov, an astronomy expert at Perm Polytechnic, who spoke to Sputnik. “Within a star, there is ceaseless movement: superheated plasma climbs from the depths to the surface, cools, and descends again. These flows produce 'jolts' that cause the star to contract and expand. Such oscillations give rise to acoustic waves that travel throughout the star," he explained. Burmistrov emphasized that this process is crucial for the scientific monitoring of cosmic seismological activity, including the detection of microscopic changes in a star's brightness and surface motion. The image is AI-generated

🇰🇵 Kim Jong-un inspects defense production line Kim Jong-un has inspected major munitions industrial enterprises from September 16 to 18, according to KCNA, reviewing a production line that included air defense systems, one-way attack drones, and large reconnaissance UAVs. "Our artillery should have the most concentrated and destructive, massive and versatile offensive capability and responsibly perform the two missions of deterring and fighting war," he declared. The leader of the DPRK emphasized raising the level of artificial intelligence in offensive and defensive weapon systems.

SCO, BRICS are forming actual multilateralism unlike NATO - expert "We see multilateralism as a system where there is no hierarchy, no leaders and followers, and all decisions are made by consensus; this allows us to be cautiously optimistic about the future," Andrey Kortunov, political scientist and Valdai International Discussion Club expert, told Sputnik. He emphasized that "this [SCO, BRICS and APEC format] is not multilateralism centered on a single leader — like, say, NATO, which is formally a multilateral structure but, in reality, is essentially an instrument of American policy."

🇺🇸🇷🇺 Trump signs Russia-Iran sanctions bill — up to 500% tariffs on Russian goods President Trump has signed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 — into law, authorizing and expanding sanctions, tariffs, and prohibitions on both countries. What the bill authorizes: 🔶 Tariffs of up to 100% on the 5 largest purchasers of Russian oil and natural gas, including China and India 🔶 Tariffs of up to 500% on goods of Russian origin imported directly into the US 🔶 Expanded sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors None of the measures take effect automatically — they can only be imposed at the president's discretion.

🇬🇱 Trump announces indefinite Greenland deal — US gets permanent security control Key terms, per Trump's statement: 🔸 US control over Greenland's security — "without any financial cost" 🔸 Pentagon begins deploying a large military contingent immediately 🔸 No US adversary may open a base, station troops, or make sensitive investments without written US approval 🔸 "This is an 'Infinite Life' Agreement, there is no end!" Denmark's PM office confirms signing is expected during the UN General Assembly next week.

🇵🇰Pakistan's LNG crisis: why Russia is the missing piece A recent report by Gastech — the world's largest exhibition and conference for natural gas and LNG — says Pakistan is among the nations worst hit by LNG supply disruptions from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and that the country could future-proof its energy security by focusing more on renewables and coal. At the same time, Pakistan's gas imports come overwhelmingly from Qatar and the UAE — meaning its dependence on a single unstable region is almost absolute. 👉Gulf imports account for only about 30% of consumption, with the other two-thirds covered by domestic capacity, geopolitical analyst Shazia Anwer Cheema reminds us. But domestic production is falling — from 1,053 to 772 billion cubic feet for the comparable July–March period, a 3.7% decline, she says. "Diversification minus Russia is simply meaningless in the Pakistani context. Only a long-term, sustainable, achievable plan with Russia as well as with Iran are the only viable pathways," the expert argues. 🤝An LNG cooperation agreement was signed back in 2017; in November 2025, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said supplies were being explored, and in May 2026, Pakistan's ambassador in Moscow, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, confirmed the "Pakistan Stream" project was still being developed, she notes. Three long-term options remain: the Iran–Pakistan pipeline, stalled by sanctions and legal complications; TAPI, halted by construction issues; and "Pakistan Stream" with Russia. None can replace Qatari or Emirati supply overnight — but that, Cheema argues, is the point: dependency cannot become independence without years of strategic vision, and Moscow is central to that plan.

🇨🇳 China advances laser weapons to bolster its next-gen fighters – report China’s state-owned aerospace giant AVIC displayed a “fighter aircraft laser-weapon tracking and aiming system” weighing under 380kg, with a stated transmission power potentially exceeding 100kW, the SCMP reports. 🔶 The system was presented alongside an image appearing to depict the J-36, China’s large tailless sixth-generation fighter currently under development 🔶 A high-energy laser could provide an additional layer of defense against incoming missiles by blinding or overloading their seekers, potentially strengthening the survivability of future Chinese aircraft 🔶 With the US developing long-range air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-174B, AIM-260 and AIM-424, some believe the emergence of Chinese systems that could potentially counter them is “not altogether surprising” China’s ongoing investment in directed-energy tech highlights its push to develop increasingly sophisticated defensive capabilities for the next generation of military aviation.

🇷🇺Russia’s new EW system leaves enemy drones flying blind The portable electronic warfare complex "Chistyulya" (lit. Neatnik) developed by Rostec, blocks drone data transmission, control channels, and satellite navigation. 🟧 The system weighs around 10 kg, fits into a compact case, and can operate for more than 1.5 hours without recharging 🟧 Even if an enemy UAV breaches a protected perimeter, the Chistyulya will disable the transmission of photos and video, effectively turning the drone into a flying camera with a blank screen 🟧 The complex can be activated remotely from a sheltered position, reducing the operator’s exposure 🟧 The system is already being tested by Russian special and assault units in the Ukraine conflict zone, which allows troops to tackle enemy UAV threats without sacrificing mobility or reaction speed

📉BRICS payments could cut transaction costs by 30% without US dollar - expert Moving away from dollar-based settlements could reduce transaction costs and speed up cross-border trade between BRICS members and their partners, Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian, chairman of BRICS International Malaysia and former Malaysian senator, told Sputnik.

🪖 Russia packs reconnaissance-grade ‘vision’ into a loitering munition The KUB-10ME loitering munition’s distinctive feature is its powerful electro-optical system, which helps it carry out surgical strikes against enemy targets in the Ukraine conflict zone, the Russian state corporation Rostec stressed. 🟡 The system is designed to destroy enemy radio-technical reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems, missile defense facilities, and unmanned aerial vehicles 🟡 Its high-explosive fragmentation warhead can destroy lightly armored vehicles, command posts, as well as aircraft and helicopters at their deployment sites

💥 Russian Geran-4 knocks out Ukrainian radar and EW system The Russian Defense Ministry released footage showing the destruction of a Ukrainian P-19MA radar station and a Kupol electronic warfare system near the settlement of Shirokoye in Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk region.