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Independent researcher/writer based in Hong Kong since 1997. Reformed academic. My long-form, analytical articles are collected here https://laura-ruggeri.medium.com/ email: lauraru852@yandex.ru
If you are interested in covering the BRICS+ summit in Kazan, send your application asap. I can't go, but will be there in spirit. /channel/RussiaGeneva/1629
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The Zionist entity is so morally corrupt that it's pimping women to garner support. @LauraRuHK
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But there is a problem with this plan /channel/LauraRuHK/9183 It would widen and escalate the conflict well beyond Ukrainian and Moldovan borders, a scenario that very few EU countries are ready and willing to accept. @LauraRuHK
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Moscow has published a list of 47 countries whose citizens can seek asylum in Russia. The list includes the following countries and territories: Australia, Austria, Albania, Andorra, the Bahamas, Belgium, Bulgaria, the UK, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Micronesia, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Romania, San Marino, North Macedonia, Singapore, the US, Taiwan (territory of China), Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, Estonia and Japan. According to Putin’s decree from August, foreigners who share Russia’s traditional values and disagree with the neoliberal/woke agenda of their country are eligible to seek temporary residence in Russia without having to satisfy the standard immigration requirements, such as national quotas, Russian language proficiency, and knowledge of Russian history and laws. The initial permit is valid for 3 months. @LauraRuHK
http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/document/0001202409200036?index=1
Rinson Jose, the Indian-Norwegian owner of the Bulgarian company involved in the sale of the pagers that exploded in Lebanon, is missing. Oslo police have opened an investigation into his disappearance. According to Hungarian news outlet Telex, the pagers, which were allegedly sold by BAC Consulting KFT, a shell company registered in Budapest, were imported into Lebanon from Bulgaria by Norta Global Ltd., another shell company located in a residential building. Bulgaria's National Security Agency has launched an investigation, saying that there was no approval for the relevant sales. The only documented transaction was a transfer of 1.6 million euros to Hungary. 🔺Rinson Jose had a profile on Founders Nation, a site connecting entrepreneurs with Israeli start-ups. Jose was looking for like-minded people to start a venture. Founders Nations is supported by Mamram, the Israel Defense Forces' central computing system unit. @LauraRuHK
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La maggiore compagnia aerea tedesca, Lufthansa, intende sospendere i voli da Francoforte a Pechino a causa della forte concorrenza delle compagnie aeree internazionali che continuano a utilizzare lo spazio aereo russo con notevole riduzione del tempo di volo e quindi dei costi. Lufthansa chiede il sostegno delle autorità tedesche ed europee.
"Le compagnie aeree europee soffrono la concorrenza della Cina, così come quella delle compagnie aeree del Golfo Persico e della Turchia", ha spiegato Lufthansa in un comunicato. Lufthansa ha aggiunto che le compagnie aeree dell'UE devono affrontare condizioni geopolitiche che hanno indebolito la loro competitività, oltre a tasse elevate, norme restrittive legate alla politica sul clima e infrastrutture inadeguate. Chiedono che i leader tedeschi ed europei rispondano alla situazione di squilibrio con nuove politiche industriali. "Politiche industriali"? Buona fortuna. Sento invece odore di misure protezionistiche come l'aumento delle tasse per le compagnie aeree straniere e alcuni falchi potrebbero persino proporre sanzioni secondarie per chi vola sopra la Russia. È improbabile che l'UE sotto il secondo regno di Ursula abbandoni le assurde politiche che stanno distruggendo la competitività europea. L'UE non si preoccupa neppure del rischio di un conflitto nucleare. Forse a Bruxelles pensano che faccia bene al pianeta. @LauraRuHK
⚡️ Russia’s Investigative Committee identifies suspects in murder of Sputnik’s Russell Bentley
The Russian Investigative Committee has wrapped up the preliminary investigation into the murder of Russell Bentley, 64, a US-born Donbass volunteer and Sputnik correspondent.
Suspects involved in the criminal case were identified as Russian Armed Forces servicemen Vitaly Vansyatsky, Vladislav Agaltsev, Vladimir Bazhin, and Andrey Iordanov. The individuals have been accused of felonies under Russia's Criminal Code, including the use of physical violence and torture, which resulted in the death of the victim through negligence, as well as the concealment of an especially grievous crime.
On April 8, Russian military servicemen Vansyatsky, Agaltsev, and Iordanov used physical violence and torture against Russell Bentley in Donetsk, which led to the correspondent's death. On the same day, Vansyatsky and Agaltsev blew up a VAZ 2115 car with Bentley's body with TNT explosives.
On April 9, Bazhin, a serviceman from the same military unit removed Bentley's remains from the scene on the instructions of Vansyatsky in a bid to conceal the heinous crime. The accused have been provided with the materials of criminal case. Subsequently, the case will be transferred for the indictment approval and court hearings.
Bentley went to Donbass in 2014 and joined the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) militia using the call sign Texas. He said that he admired the courage of the Donbass defenders and called Donetsk his home. The US-born volunteer was granted Russian citizenship and began collaborating with Sputnik as a correspondent. He was known as an outspoken supporter of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
In mid-April, Bentley went missing in Donetsk. On April 19, Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group, announced that the 64-year-old had died. An investigation into the circumstances of Bentley's death was launched by the Russian Investigative Committee.
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These members of the EU parliament abstained. @LauraRuHK
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WARMONGERS - Members of the European Parliament who voted for immediately lifting all restrictions on Kiev's strikes deep into Russia. Now you know who to thank when the shit hits the fan. @LauraRuHK
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On Wednesday Pakistan and Russia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral economic and trade relations, said Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk.
During the event, Pakistan also announced its accession to a crucial regional agreement, the MoU on the Creation and Development of the International Transport Corridor, which links Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
The corridor is expected to enhance connectivity and trade flows across the region, said the foreign ministry.
Speaking at the event, Dar emphasized the significance of the agreements in strengthening Pakistan's economic ties with Russia and enhancing regional trade routes.
Overchuk stressed that the cooperation would pave the way for increased economic activities and mutual benefits for both countries.
Dar also held delegation-level talks with the Russian counterpart, where the two sides agreed to pursue robust dialogue and cooperation in areas of trade, industry, energy, connectivity, science, technology, and education. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin is expected to visit Islamabad next month. @LauraRuHK
State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, commenting on the explosions of electronics in Lebanon,
Unsafe means of communication.
What's next?
A series of explosions of various electronic devices – pagers, phones, walkie-talkies - took place in Lebanon. As a result, more than 3,000 people were injured and several dozen died. (...)
The very fact that household electronic devices were used as explosive devices requires appropriate investigation.
The possibility of mass production of such "weapons" takes terrorism to a new level.
This is a global threat to all countries.
International institutions should work out measures against such crimes.
Otherwise, no one will be able to feel safe.
What do you think?
"Any device that runs on the Internet can be turned into a weapon” - David Ignatius, foreign affairs columnist for the Washington Post. @LauraRuHK
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The Taiwanese firm whose branding was on the pagers that exploded said on Wednesday that they were manufactured in Hungary.
But Budapest-based BAC Consulting KFT, which was authorised to use its brand as part of a three-year-old licensing agreement has no production lines in Hungary and the Hungarian government says that the devices have never been on the country’s soil. Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, the CEO of BAC Consulting and sole employee, is an Italian national who studied in Britain, at LSE and SOAS, worked for Unesco and with the European Commission as an “evaluation expert”, according to her LinkedIn page. BAC is obviously just a cover. /channel/rtnews/70375
"Israel" chose to detonate the booby-trapped pager devices in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday fearing that Hezbollah may have uncovered its covert plan, Axios reported citing three US officials.
"It was a use it or lose it moment," one US official said, explaining the rationale that the occupation offered to the US regarding the timing of the terrorist attack.
A former Israeli official familiar with the operation stated that Israeli intelligence had intended to trigger the pagers as a surprise opening strike in a full-scale war against Hezbollah.
In recent days, Israeli leaders grew worried that Hezbollah might uncover the pagers, the report said.
According to Al-Monitor, two Hezbollah Resistance fighters suspected that the pagers had been tampered with and planned to inform their superiors. One found out days ago and was killed, and the other found out days after the first, and planned to alert them as well. It was then that Israeli security apparatuses weighed their options. https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/-israel--detonated-pagers-early-fearing-hezbollah-would-expo
(2/2) Stopping the "uranium stream" from Russia would knock out easily calculated amounts of energy from the generation structure. Because there is physically nothing to replace Russian uranium, the profile market is extremely narrow, and the supply is limited. At first glance, it seems that there are solid advantages. The Russophobic scoundrels will get the full package of joy they deserve, including a sharp increase in tariffs, and in the case of France, widespread rolling blackouts. The problem is that in the modern world, any stone thrown into the pond of the global economy generates waves that affect everyone in one way or another.
Let's imagine that the Americans have a tenth of the energy supply "turned off", and France has a third. In the first case, this would cause subsidence of the second market of the planet, a sharp drop in the competitiveness of national products and services. In the second case, this would result, without exaggeration, in the collapse of its economy. Both processes will lead to an imbalance of the global economic and financial system with unpredictable consequences, while the Russian economy has weathered the storm of sanctions and created the conditions for stable development, which we see today. @LauraRuHK https://ria.ru/20240917/atom-1973063703.html
Brandenburg state election. Exit polls. The SPD, which has ruled Brandenburg for 34 years, is leading by a small margin, AfD is now the second party and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) beat the CDU. BSW will decide the composition of the next coalition. The Free Democrats and the Greens didn't reach the 5% needed to enter the state parliament. I will make a toast to their crushing defeat.
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Overnight Saturday and on Sunday morning, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon launched barrages of rockets toward northern Haifa and the Ramat David Airbase.
The airbase was a target of multiple barrages fired by the Resistance since 1:10 am today.
In the Resistance's Hoopoe special episode, details of this base were shown alongside other significant locations in and near Haifa.
Here's all you need to know about the Ramat David Airbase:https://en.mdn.tv/8322
Russian analyst Elena Panina draws attention to a statement made by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga during a meeting with his Moldovan counterparts on 20 September. He said it was necessary to remove the Russian peacekeeping contingent from Transnistria. An attack on the Russian forces in the breakaway republic could happen after 20 October, that is after the Moldovan presidential elections and the referendum on EU accession. If indeed this is the Ukrainian/NATO plan, the invasion of the Kursk region could have been carried out to draw the Russian Armed Forces forces away from the direction of Nikolaev and Odessa.
Without physical control of the Odessa region, Russia's ability to help Transnistria is extremely limited. Let us recall that, apart from the Russian peacekeeping contingent, some 220,000 Russian citizens live there, the protection and patronage of whom is guaranteed by clause 2 of article 61 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. In the event of aggression, they could all become hostages and end up in prisoner camps. @LauraRuHK
/channel/EvPanina/14961
Hezbollah has confirmed the assassination of its senior commander, Ibrahim Aqil in the latest Israeli attack on southern Beirut.
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Why has the European parliament adopted a resolution calling on EU countries to lift restrictions on Kiev's strikes deep into Russia while Washington hasn't publicly authorized this escalatory step? In an article i wrote over a year ago, I pointed out that after being condemned to geopolitical irrelevance, European countries are called upon to foot the bill of US imperial ambitions and provide military assistance. A report published by RAND Corporation last November acknowledged that the US defence strategy and posture have become insolvent and recommended a different approach: “The tasks that the U.S. government and its citizens expect their military forces and other elements of national power to do internationally greatly exceed the means available to accomplish those tasks.
The United States cannot and should not on its own attempt to develop the requisite operational concepts, postures, and capabilities required to realize this new approach to defeating aggression. The imperative for allied and partner participation is about more than just generating the resources needed for a credible combined defense. Because deterrence is about more than raw military power, solidarity among the leading democratically governed nations is required in diplomatic and economic dimensions as well. And closer cooperation and interdependence in the defense arena will have beneficial spillover effects in other areas, helping facilitate coordinated action to meet common challenges.” Since the US needs all hands on deck to prop up its rapidly waning hegemony, the EU doubled down on its new role of enforcer of the US "rules-based order" by interweaving NATO and the EU into an architecture of control and propaganda — hybrid warfare has been unleashed against the European population under the guise of defending it from Russian disinformation. In such a context more resources are being diverted to the defence and security budget, and to US proxies such as Ukraine. No matter how you spin it, it is obvious that only a handful of well-connected companies benefit from an increase in member states’ military expenditure and R&D.
The Covid-19 emergency offered the US the perfect opportunity to rehearse and advance the full capture of Europe. The appointed Gauleiter, Mistress Ursula, cracked the whip and achieved the vertical consolidation of power that the task required and EU countries sleepwalked into an abusive and exploitative relationship that denies them the freedom to choose friends, allies and business partners. Read more here https://lauraruggeri.substack.com/p/the-united-eunuchs-of-europe
Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, plans to stop operating flights from Frankfurt am Main to Beijing amid intense competition from international airlines that continue to use Russian airspace resulting in shorter routes and lower costs. Lufthansa is calling for support from German and European authorities.
"European airlines are in an extremely unequal contest with China, as well as airlines from the Persian Gulf and Turkey", it said. Lufthansa explained that EU airlines are struggling with political conditions that have weakened their competitiveness, including rising taxes and fees, high regulatory requirements, climate policies and inadequate infrastructure.
German and European leaders must respond to the imbalance with new industrial policies, it argued. "Industrial policies" ? I smell protectionist measures such as higher taxes on foreign airlines to keep the nonsensical, self-destructive EU regulations in place. @LauraRuHK
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech that the deadly device explosions across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday are a "major terrorist operation, an act of genocide and massacre," amounting to a "declaration of war."
"There is no doubt that we were subjected to a major blow on a security and humanitarian level that is unprecedented in the history of our Resistance," he said. "We were dealt a major blow, but that is war. We acknowledge that the enemy has technological supremacy, especially as it is backed by the United States and the collective West."
"We will grow more steadfast and determined to overcome all perils, and it is of great importance that such blows do not undermine our will," he said. He also praised the effectiveness of the Lebanese front in pressuring the Israeli occupation, as evidenced by its recent actions and statements.
During Nasrallah's televised speech, Israeli jets flew low over Beirut and carried out bombings in Lebanon as they broke the sound barrier, sending birds flying in panic and people in their houses and offices rushing to open the windows to avoid the glass shattering.
The Israeli military announced Thursday that "plans for the continuation of the war" in Lebanon against Hezbollah were approved, as it launched a new wave of bombings in southern Lebanon. @LauraRuHK
These members of the EU parliament voted against lifting restrictions on Kiev's strikes deep into Russia. @LauraRuHK
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⚡️The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on EU countries to immediately lift all restrictions on Kiev's strikes deep into Russia.
425 deputies voted for, 131 voted against, and 63 abstained. @LauraRuHK
A C919 passenger aircraft operated by China Southern Airlines took off from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on Thursday, marking the Guangzhou-based airline's maiden C919 commercial flight.
Flight CZ3539 carried a full load of passengers and headed for Shanghai's Hongqiao Airport. So far, China's three major airlines have all started commercial operations with the country's first domestically produced large passenger aircraft. In April, China Southern Airlines signed a deal to buy 100 C919 aircraft from the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).
COMAC has delivered nine C919 aircraft to three Chinese airlines. China Southern and Air China received their first C919 aircraft in Shanghai on Aug. 28. China Eastern Airlines, the launch customer for the C919, has reported consistent operational performance with seven C919 aircraft since May 28, 2023. (Source: Xinhua) @LauraRuHK
According to the New York Times,
BAC Consulting was a Hungary-based company that was under contract to produce the devices on behalf of a Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo. In fact, it was part of an Israeli front, according to three intelligence officers briefed on the operation. They said at least two other shell companies were created as well to mask the real identities of the people creating the pagers: Israeli intelligence officers.
BAC did take on ordinary clients, for which it produced a range of ordinary pagers. But the only client that really mattered was Hezbollah, and its pagers were far from ordinary. Produced separately, they contained batteries laced with the explosive PETN, according to the three intelligence officers.
The pagers began shipping to Lebanon in the summer of 2022 in small numbers, but production was quickly ramped up after Nasrallah denounced cellphones.
New explosions are reported in numerous areas in Lebanon as radio receivers (walkie-talkies), seemingly ICOM V82s, detonated. The explosions caused massive fires in cars, motorcycles, apartments, and stores all over Lebanon.
One device even exploded during a funeral procession for a person killed by the explosion of a pager on Tuesday. 📌Security sources explained to Al Mayadeen News that the material used in this terrorist operation could bypass all scanning equipment available even in countries and airports around the world as the explosive material is undetectable. In other words, the explosive material is "specially designed for this mission."
Contrary to initial assumptions, it was not the pager batteries that caused the explosions, but the lithium within them that caused the detonation. The blast was triggered through advanced technology, which transmitted a message activating the explosives. It was noted that pager units that were either turned off or located in areas without coverage did not explode, as well as older pager models. The sources then expanded by explaining that the pagers had been "rigged from source via their IC (Integrated Circuit) units," where the explosive material was contained. @LauraRuHK
The genocidal Zionist entity was founded by terrorists and has been a terrorist state since its inception. Planting explosives in pagers is consistent with its terrorist nature. "Israel" cannot be reformed. The only solution is its dissolution. @LauraRuHK
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Israeli terrorists aka Mossad likely infiltrated the supply chain for Hezbollah's pagers to plant an explosive charge that was later detonated - Images of destroyed pagers showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo, a Taiwan-based pager manufacturer. Taiwan and Israel have long enjoyed a close industrial and technological cooperation and the Taiwanese administration, controlled by the US, is a staunch supporter of the Zionist entity.
Mossad has previously placed explosives in the personal phones of his targets. @LauraRuHK
Bombs are not needed, Russia has more powerful weapons, by Sergey Savchuk
According to official data, among the countries that are hostile to Russia, France, South Korea and the United States remain the most dependent on Russian uranium.
The French nuclear industry has paid $428.6 million for the supply of reactor fuel from Russia over the past year and a half (the whole of 2023 and through June of this year). Such generosity, despite open support for the war in Ukraine, allowed Paris to cover 60% of its own uranium needs. Seoul also quietly bought more than a third of the total volume needed to ensure the smooth operation of eight national nuclear power plants. The Americans lagged slightly behind them: in their nuclear energy balance, imports from Russia amounted to 26.7%. But here it is necessary to keep in mind the fact that if there are 25 reactors operating in South Korea, then in the United States the number of actively used reactors is one hundred and three. That is, in proportion, Americans bought four times more than their Korean counterparts.
Let's think about it: Americans, who have absorbed the axiom of the superiority of the United States with their mother's milk, are suddenly informed that of the 18 thousand tons of uranium spent annually on lighting and heating truly democratic homes and factories, almost five thousand come from "backward" Russia. Moreover, at a time when the White House was ruled by a team of ultra-Russophobes from among the Democrats, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lobbied for the sale of the Canadian division of Uranium One to Rosatom. This topic was carefully retouched, but Trump, who replaced Obama as president, initiated an investigation by his order, which involved the intelligence Committee and the oversight committee of the House of Representatives. Madame Clinton was charged, for a moment, with betraying national interests. With the next change of the ruling team, the matter was hushed up, but we remember. And some Americans remember it too.
Therefore, Washington, with the face of a stone idol, ignoring all the screams from Kiev, silently bypasses the topic of sanctions against the Russian nuclear industry, which will have to include the fuel division of Rosatom.
By the way, the citizens of Ukraine are well aware of all these facts and continuous purchases. In a country where in the capital, on the central flower bed of the city, the space for flags for each dead at the front has already run out, such knowledge does not cause a surge of loyal feelings. Of course, Ukrainians understand that they are still holding the front solely thanks to Western military assistance and exorbitant human losses, but this definitely does not add love for sponsors who continue to trade with Moscow in key areas.
In France, the opposition was able to win the local elections in many ways thanks to highlighting the fact of cooperation with Russia. Macron's pathetic bleating that nuclear power allows France to have the cheapest electricity in Europe (at 13 euros per megawatt hour), didn't impress ordinary people: during his reign, electricity for the population has already become three times more expensive.(...)
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The United States accounts for a quarter of the global nuclear sector: 63 nuclear power plants, 103 reactors, 102 gigawatts of capacity and almost 19% of the country's electricity production. France has 19 nuclear power plants, 58 power units, 65.8 gigawatts of installed capacity and a record 65% of the energy mix. (1/2)