World News: Myanmar’s military leader visits Russia for discussions on cooperation with Putin

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with Myanmar's military leader.

The talks at the Kremlin on Tuesday mark Senior General Min Aung Hlaing's fourth visit to Russia since Myanmar's military seized power in February 2021, ousting the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

During the meeting, Putin highlighted the increase in trade with Myanmar's military government, and emphasized close cooperation on the international stage. Russia, alongside China, remains a key supporter and arms supplier to Myanmar's military government.

Min Aung Hlaing, in turn, expressed his open support for Russia's military operations in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, according to Russia's TASS news agency, Myanmar officials have been invited to attend Moscow's Victory Day Parade on May 9th.

The euro rose to its highest level in 2025 fueled by expectations of increased European defense spending.

The official currency of 20 European countries rose 0.5% against the U.S. dollar, on Tuesday reaching about 1.05 US dollars, its strongest level since December 10th of last year.

That came after the European Commission announced plans to extend 150 billion euros, or 158 billion U.S. dollars in loans to boost defense budgets across the continent.

Meanwhile, European stock markets tumbled amid concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policies.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 2.1%, hitting its lowest level since August 2024. Investors fear that tariffs recently imposed on Canada, Mexico, and China could further weaken global economic growth and might also be extended to Europe.

SpaceX's massive Starship rocket was set to launch on Monday, local time but the launch was called off due to technical issues just 40 seconds before liftoff.

The rocket was scheduled for a test flight from South Texas, carrying four mock satellites. SpaceX said another launch attempt could be made as early as Tuesday if the issue is resolved quickly.

In its previous test flight in January, Starship exploded over the Atlantic Ocean.

NASA plans to use Starship for future crewed moon landings, while SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sees the rocket playing a key role in colonizing Mars.

Runners with frying pans filled with pancakes took to the streets of central London to celebrate "Shrove Tuesday", also known as "Pancake Day."

Hundreds of spectators gathered at Guildhall Yard, cheering on participants in the annual "Inter-Livery Pancake Race." This event is one of many held across the UK to mark the day before the start of Lent, the 40-day period of prayer, fasting, and repentance leading up to Easter.

In the "Inter-Livery Race," teams representing traditional London guilds with nearly 1,000 years of history competed in costumes.

The winners received a trophy and a frying pan as their prize.

Yoon Se-young, Arirang News