I don't mean to nitpick, but this has most likely more to do with the US dollar's weakness -deliberately(!) brought about by the new boss in the White House- than with the ruble's strengths. Trump and his administration -especially Stephen Miran, the newly appointed chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers- have long communicated the willingness to weaken the dollar to improve the U.S. trade balance. (Some argue Trump's action will rather lead to a higher U.S. budget deficit and the end of the USD hegemony, replaced by some Central Bank Digital Currency, gold, and maybe some other commodities. If interested, Hungarian-American economist Zoltan Pozsar was likely the first who proposed this afaik.)
The currency games have an effect on everyone. China which has been hit hardest by Trump's tarrifs, sees it's yuan at a 17-year low at the moment, at around 7.3 CNH for 1 USD, and the Chinese Central Bank is calling on commercial banks to limit purchases of USD, despite the tariffs conundrum, at least this is what analysts say so far and what we see in the numbers.
It's hard to tell what happens tomorrow, but I wouldn't bet on Russia's currency nor its economy in the long run.
[Edit typo.]
As a side note, Australia's SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) has just started to partner with Euronews.
Le Monde conducted a joint investigation with VSquare, Direkt36 and Espresso. Here is the unpaywalled/archived report by Vsquare.
The EU is to make Temu, Shein, Aliexpress, Amazon & Co. reliable for their unsafe products.
And this move is overdue. Many of this cheap crap is a threat to people's health and the environment. I don't want our children to be confronted with things that pose a threat to their health.
And it is also an important social issue. If you pay a few bucks for a product -with shipment from China to Europe included- it is impossible that workers who manufacture these things receive even a remotely decent pay. In Europe and other democracies, people criticize (often rightfully) a lack of workers' rights and call for better labour protection, unionization, and stuff like that, but the same people are happy when they can get clothing for absurdly little money to 'shop like a billionaire.'
Paris court rules that Ukraine's Naftogaz can start legal proceedings in France for compensation from Russia's Gazprom for assets seized in Crimea
[...]
Before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it seized Crimea in 2014 and annexed the peninsula, triggering sanctions from Western governments.
Two years ago in April 2023, Naftogaz said the arbitration court in The Hague ordered Russia to pay $5 billion in compensation for unlawfully expropriating its assets in Russian-annexed Crimea in 2014.
Paris's main civil law court has recognised The Hague ruling, Naftogaz said in a statement, describing it as "a key legal victory in its global enforcement campaign".
[...]
Naftogaz's CEO Roman Chumak said the company continued to coordinate enforcement efforts across multiple jurisdictions, with successful actions already underway in the United Kingdom and Finland.
"The company remains resolute in its efforts to recover the full value of the award and defend the rights of Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises on the international stage," Chumak said.
I would really like to know what they are negotiating as experts say Ukraine doesn't have minable rare earths deposits, say proposed deal with U.S. makes no sense
Belgrade Syndicate: Dozens of Russian elites with close ties to the Kremlin received Serbian passports after Ukraine invasion with visa-free access to the EU
Russian elites are obtaining Serbian passports with visa-free access to the EU during the war. Among them are an FSB special forces member, a friend of Nikolay Patrushev, nuclear weapons manufacturers, a close associate of Ramzan Kadyrov, and dozens of others
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2468670
...
The Serbian government wanted to launch golden passport programs in 2022 and then significantly simplify the issuance of citizenship to Russians working in the country, reducing the residency period before applying for citizenship to one year. But, as the Financial Times reported, the European Commission put pressure on Belgrade. They threatened to suspend the Serbia-EU visa-free regime, if the granting of citizenship through investor schemes is deemed to pose an increased risk to the internal security and public policy of the Member States of the European Union.
As IStories discovered, European countries still have something to fear. In hundreds of decisions on granting Serbian citizenship for services rendered from 2022 to April 2025, the names of dozens of Russians closely connected to the mili
Belgrade Syndicate: Dozens of Russian elites with close ties to the Kremlin received Serbian passports after Ukraine invasion with visa-free access to the EU
Russian elites are obtaining Serbian passports with visa-free access to the EU during the war. Among them are an FSB special forces member, a friend of Nikolay Patrushev, nuclear weapons manufacturers, a close associate of Ramzan Kadyrov, and dozens of others
...
The Serbian government wanted to launch golden passport programs in 2022 and then significantly simplify the issuance of citizenship to Russians working in the country, reducing the residency period before applying for citizenship to one year. But, as the Financial Times reported, the European Commission put pressure on Belgrade. They threatened to suspend the Serbia-EU visa-free regime, if the granting of citizenship through investor schemes is deemed to pose an increased risk to the internal security and public policy of the Member States of the European Union.
As IStories discovered, European countries still have something to fear. In hundreds of decisions on granting Serbian citizenship for services rendered from 2022 to April 2025, the names of dozens of Russians closely connected to the military-industrial complex, the Kremlin, oligarchs, state corporations, and ev
‘The platform where bot farms are still effective:’ How Russia is leveraging TikTok's algorithm to try to warp public opinion in Ukraine
Russia has created thousands of TikTok accounts in an effort to influence public opinion in Ukraine, according to Ukrainska Pravda. The strategy takes advantage of TikTok’s algorithm, which allows even new accounts with no followers to go viral — making it the most effective platform in Ukraine for ...
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2468564
Russia has created thousands of TikTok accounts in an effort to influence public opinion in Ukraine, [...]. The strategy takes advantage of TikTok’s algorithm, which allows even new accounts with no followers to go viral — making it the most effective platform in Ukraine for bot farms to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda.
...
Data from the research firm DataReportal shows that TikTok has 17 million users in Ukraine — more than both Instagram (12 million) and Facebook (13.9 million). In April 2024, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation reported blocking several dozen TikTok channels spreading what it referred to as “enemy propaganda.” Among them were pages linked to anti-vaccine activist Ostap Stakhiv, pro-Russian journalist Diana Panchenko, and lawmaker Olek
‘The platform where bot farms are still effective:’ How Russia is leveraging TikTok's algorithm to try to warp public opinion in Ukraine
Russia has created thousands of TikTok accounts in an effort to influence public opinion in Ukraine, according to Ukrainska Pravda. The strategy takes advantage of TikTok’s algorithm, which allows even new accounts with no followers to go viral — making it the most effective platform in Ukraine for ...
Russia has created thousands of TikTok accounts in an effort to influence public opinion in Ukraine, [...]. The strategy takes advantage of TikTok’s algorithm, which allows even new accounts with no followers to go viral — making it the most effective platform in Ukraine for bot farms to spread pro-Kremlin propaganda.
...
Data from the research firm DataReportal shows that TikTok has 17 million users in Ukraine — more than both Instagram (12 million) and Facebook (13.9 million). In April 2024, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation reported blocking several dozen TikTok channels spreading what it referred to as “enemy propaganda.” Among them were pages linked to anti-vaccine activist Ostap Stakhiv, pro-Russian journalist Diana Panchenko, and lawmaker Oleksandr Dubinsky, who is currently in jail awaiting trial on treason charges.
European Commission rolls out plan to promote circular and efficient products in the EU
EU and global regulatory monitoring, documents, policy positions, and data on business, finance, digitization, security, and sustainability.
The European Commission adopted the 2025-2030 working plan for the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and Energy Labelling Regulation.
The plan provides a list of products that should be prioritised to introduce ecodesign requirements and energy labelling over the next five years. This will foster sustainable, repairable, circular and energy efficient products across Europe, in line with the Clean Industrial Deal and the Competitiveness Compass.
The priority products for ecodesign and energy labelling requirements are steel and aluminium, textiles (with a focus on apparel), furniture, tyres and mattresses. These were selected based on their potential to deliver on the circular economy.
...
Future ecodesign and energy labelling requirements for the selected products will cover two elements:
- product performance, such as minimum durability, minimum energy and resource-efficiency, availability of spare parts or minimum recycled content;
- and/or product informatio
Beijing, in its turn, has been opening up sectors such as telecommunications, banking or manufacturing for foreign investment, he said.
What? Beijing has done the exact opposite. The latest brick in China's legal wall took effect just last year with what the party-state calls "anti-espionage law", an opaque regulation that creates new risks for foreign companies, business travelers, academics, journalists, researchers. Its nebulous language allows China significant leeway to investigate and prosecute foreign corporations at will.
And China makes wide use of this. Last year, even before the new law took effect, Chinese authorities detained staff of Mintz Group, a US due diligence group. They were later released as far as I can remember, but all they did was market research.
As a foreigner it's also impossible to found a subsidiary in China, you need a Chinese partner that would then own the majority of the joint venure. China has been closing down further in recent years.
"We should put our focus on partnership. China will never be a threat or any kind of enemy to the EU," Yao said, praising the bloc's multilateral approach to foreign affairs, as opposed to President Donald Trump's isolationist agenda.
China has no interest in a partnership, not with the EU nor anyone else. They are a constant threat to their neighbours, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, Buthan, and all the others. In addition, China has been engaging in transnational repression, targeting political exiles abroad to silence dissent across the globe, including in Europe.
And this is just a TINY selection of issues with China.
[Edit typo.]
War in Ukraine: Kremlin-run media publishes — then deletes — video showing drone operators directing strikes in Ukraine from Moscow residential high-rise
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City,...
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2458687
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City, the Russian capital’s business district.
The first post claimed that a “combat FPV drone, controlled from Moscow, struck an Armed Forces of Ukraine target in Chasiv Yar at an ultra-long distance for the first time.” The second post said the UAV, piloted remotely from Moscow, had been launched by the drone unit of the Espanola brigade, which was operating near Chasiv Yar — a city in the Bakhmut District of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region, most of which is under Russian control.
A six-minute video accompanied the posts, showing the
War in Ukraine: Kremlin-run media publishes — then deletes — video showing drone operators directing strikes in Ukraine from Moscow residential high-rise
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City,...
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2458687
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City, the Russian capital’s business district.
The first post claimed that a “combat FPV drone, controlled from Moscow, struck an Armed Forces of Ukraine target in Chasiv Yar at an ultra-long distance for the first time.” The second post said the UAV, piloted remotely from Moscow, had been launched by the drone unit of the Espanola brigade, which was operating near Chasiv Yar — a city in the Bakhmut District of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region, most of which is under Russian control.
A six-minute video accompanied the posts, showing the
War in Ukraine: Kremlin-run media publishes — then deletes — video showing drone operators directing strikes in Ukraine from Moscow residential high-rise
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City,...
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2458687
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City, the Russian capital’s business district.
The first post claimed that a “combat FPV drone, controlled from Moscow, struck an Armed Forces of Ukraine target in Chasiv Yar at an ultra-long distance for the first time.” The second post said the UAV, piloted remotely from Moscow, had been launched by the drone unit of the Espanola brigade, which was operating near Chasiv Yar — a city in the Bakhmut District of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region, most of which is under Russian control.
A six-minute video accompanied the posts, showing the
War in Ukraine: Kremlin-run media publishes — then deletes — video showing drone operators directing strikes in Ukraine from Moscow residential high-rise
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City,...
On the morning of April 15, Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti published — and later deleted — two Telegram posts that appeared to show military drone operators directing strikes against Ukrainian territory from a makeshift control center located inside a residential high-rise in Moscow City, the Russian capital’s business district.
The first post claimed that a “combat FPV drone, controlled from Moscow, struck an Armed Forces of Ukraine target in Chasiv Yar at an ultra-long distance for the first time.” The second post said the UAV, piloted remotely from Moscow, had been launched by the drone unit of the Espanola brigade, which was operating near Chasiv Yar — a city in the Bakhmut District of Ukraine’s Donetsk Region, most of which is under Russian control.
A six-minute video accompanied the posts, showing the coordination of the drone strike in detail. Both posts, along with the vid
North Korea is now supplying almost half of Russia’s artillery ammunition, think tank reports
Evidence suggests these containerised munitions are shipped from North Korea’s port of Rajin to Russia’s Far East, then transferred by rail to ammunition depots closer to the frontline. With an estimated cadence of 750 containers per month—equivalent to roughly 600,000 to 783,000 munitions per quarter—North Korean support has likely eased pressure on Russia’s defence industry and extended its capacity to wage high-intensity warfare [...] If left unaddressed, this flow of arms could tilt the battlefield further in Moscow’s favour and accelerate broader security risks across both Europe and East Asia.
The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service accused Britain, France and Germany of escalating the war in Ukraine
The Belarusian and Russian security services are preparing to take “preemptive” measures against Nato member states, the Kremlin’s spy chief has said.
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, accused Nato of an increase in military activity near the borders of the two countries. Belarus is Russia’s strongest ally in Europe and the Kremlin has used its territory for attacks on Ukraine. Moscow also says it has transferred tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.
...
Naryshkin, a reputed former KGB officer, gave no other details or evidence for his claim of a Nato build-up near the Belarusian and Russian borders.
Western security officials suspect that agents from both countries have orchestrated dozens of arson and sabotage attacks in Europe since President Putin ordered tanks into Ukraine
War in Ukraine: Has Sumy attack destroyed all hope of peace?
The war in Ukraine looks set to escalate again. Sunday's deadly Russian rocket attack on the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine has made it more challenging than ever to find common ground between the two sides, to form the basis of a ceasefire or peace negotiations.
"Russia is waging deliberate war on the civilian population," Wilfried Jilge, a Ukraine expert and historian of Eastern Europe at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), told DW.
"Sumy is a new extreme, but it's not the first. I think we still haven't grasped just how brutal this regime is, both at home and abroad."
Despite recent ceasefire talks, Putin’s programme of terror in Ukraine continued with a Palm Sunday attack on Sumy. Europeans need to maintain a “wartime mindset” and persuade the US that Russia’s hostility is not at an end
Archived
On April 13th, two Russian ballistic missiles struck Sumy in northern Ukraine, killing 35 people and injuring 117. This attack, the deadliest in Ukraine so far this year, came after one on Kryvyi Rih—a city far from active front lines—which killed 20 people, including nine children. Despite Ukraine responding positively to America’s proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire, Russia has openly refused to halt its attacks.
Russia’s current strategy, though seemingly contradictory given ongoing ceasefire talks, is designed to showcase its ruthless commitment to Ukraine’s destruction. Vladimir Putin remains determined to escalate the war on the frontline—where Russian forces are making slow and costly advances—and through terror against civilians, which will pressure the US to push Ukraine into making concessions “to stop the killing”.
[...]
Europeans must now take three decisive steps:
First, they need to accept that Putin has no intention of agreeing to a ceasefi
There are also articles about this. Feel free to apply the whataboutery also there. (s/ just to be safe, it would indeed be better to stop whataboutering and stay on topic.)
Critical minerals, green energy, and 'certainly an opening for other markets:' European delegation seeking ‘better relations with Canada’
Critical minerals and green energy: two subjects Germany’s ambassador to Canada plans to explore during his first Manitoba visit. Matthias Lüttenberg touched down in Winnipeg late Sunday. He arrived a...
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2450773
Critical minerals and green energy: two subjects Germany’s ambassador to Canada plans to explore during his first Manitoba visit
[German Ambassador ] Matthias Lüttenberg [...] arrived ahead of 18 colleagues; a group of European ambassadors and high commissioners, part of a European Union delegation, landed in the keystone province Monday.
...
The European Union delegation has [...] discussions with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and ministerial roundtables on trade, clean energy and raw materials.
...
The brief trip occurs as U.S. President Donald Trump slaps tariffs on countries globally and talk of market diversification intensifies. However, the EU ambassadors’ visit was planned beforehand, Lüttenberg said.
“I think it’s just underlining the importance of that mission that we are doing,” he continued. “We feel that, with all these changes going on … (this trip is) a very strong signal to say th
Critical minerals, green energy, and 'certainly an opening for other markets:' European delegation seeking ‘better relations with Canada’
Critical minerals and green energy: two subjects Germany’s ambassador to Canada plans to explore during his first Manitoba visit. Matthias Lüttenberg touched down in Winnipeg late Sunday. He arrived a...
Critical minerals and green energy: two subjects Germany’s ambassador to Canada plans to explore during his first Manitoba visit
[German Ambassador ] Matthias Lüttenberg [...] arrived ahead of 18 colleagues; a group of European ambassadors and high commissioners, part of a European Union delegation, landed in the keystone province Monday.
...
The European Union delegation has [...] discussions with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and ministerial roundtables on trade, clean energy and raw materials.
...
The brief trip occurs as U.S. President Donald Trump slaps tariffs on countries globally and talk of market diversification intensifies. However, the EU ambassadors’ visit was planned beforehand, Lüttenberg said.
“I think it’s just underlining the importance of that mission that we are doing,” he continued. “We feel that, with all these changes going on … (this trip is) a very strong signal to say that, yes, we hear you when you say, ‘We want to diversify our trade routes.’
“We also w
... indicating that [China's] BGI units’ “collection and analysis of genetic data poses a significant risk of contributing to monitoring and surveillance by the government of China, which has been utilised in the repression of ethnic minorities in China”. It also claimed “the actions of these entities concerning the collection and analysis of genetic data present a significant risk of diversion to China’s military programs”.
Chinese researchers can access medical information from half a million UK GP records through UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
Medical information will be available from UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2449681
Researchers from China are to be allowed access to half a million UK GP records despite western intelligence agencies’ fears about the authoritarian regime amassing health data, the Guardian can reveal.
Preparations are under way to transfer the records to UK Biobank, a research hub that holds detailed medical information donated by 500,000 volunteers. One of the world’s largest troves of health data, the facility makes its information available to universities, scientific institutes and private companies. A Guardian analysis shows one in five successful applications for access come from China.
For the past year, health officials had been assessing whether extra safeguards were needed for patient records when added to the genomes, tissue samples and questionnaire responses held by UK Biobank. Personal details such as names and dates of birth are stripped from UK Biobank data before it is shared but experts say tha
Chinese researchers can access medical information from half a million UK GP records through UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
Medical information will be available from UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2449681
Researchers from China are to be allowed access to half a million UK GP records despite western intelligence agencies’ fears about the authoritarian regime amassing health data, the Guardian can reveal.
Preparations are under way to transfer the records to UK Biobank, a research hub that holds detailed medical information donated by 500,000 volunteers. One of the world’s largest troves of health data, the facility makes its information available to universities, scientific institutes and private companies. A Guardian analysis shows one in five successful applications for access come from China.
For the past year, health officials had been assessing whether extra safeguards were needed for patient records when added to the genomes, tissue samples and questionnaire responses held by UK Biobank. Personal details such as names and dates of birth are stripped from UK Biobank data before it is shared but experts say tha
Chinese researchers can access medical information from half a million UK GP records through UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
Medical information will be available from UK Biobank, despite western intelligence agencies’ security fears
Researchers from China are to be allowed access to half a million UK GP records despite western intelligence agencies’ fears about the authoritarian regime amassing health data, the Guardian can reveal.
Preparations are under way to transfer the records to UK Biobank, a research hub that holds detailed medical information donated by 500,000 volunteers. One of the world’s largest troves of health data, the facility makes its information available to universities, scientific institutes and private companies. A Guardian analysis shows one in five successful applications for access come from China.
For the past year, health officials had been assessing whether extra safeguards were needed for patient records when added to the genomes, tissue samples and questionnaire responses held by UK Biobank. Personal details such as names and dates of birth are stripped from UK Biobank data before it is shared but experts say that in some cases individuals can still be identified.
...
Just read the article. The Moscow Times is referring to numbers provided by Rosstat, Russia's official Statistical Office. This is official data by the Kremlin.
According to data released by the state statistics agency Rosstat, 195,400 children were born in Russia during January and February 2025 — a 3% drop compared to the same period in 2024.
The decline was even steeper in February alone, with births falling 7.6% year-over-year to 90,500 — 7,400 fewer than in the same month last year.
Some regions saw even sharper drops. Births fell by 18.7% in Arkhangelsk, 19.4% in the republic of Karelia, 18.6% in the Oryol region, 21.6% in Kostroma and 26.6% in Smolensk.
British Steel tries to reverse ‘sabotage’ of Scunthorpe furnace in the UK: Chinese companies should be blocked from critical infrastructure, MPs told
Chinese companies should be blocked from critical infrastructure, MPs told
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2449273
British Steel should be the “canary in the coalmine” that forces ministers to remove Chinese companies from critical infrastructure, they have been told.
The government was forced to take direct control of the company amid concern that its Beijing-based owners would not keep the plant running at Scunthorpe. Ministers feared the company planned to “sabotage” the site to increase British reliance on cheap Chinese imports, The Times understands.
There is alarm over Chinese involvement in other areas of critical infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
...
UK Government insiders believe that steps taken by Jingye, the Chinese owner of British Steel, were intended to stop Britain producing its own virgin steel and force it to rely on imports from C
British Steel tries to reverse ‘sabotage’ of Scunthorpe furnace in the UK: Chinese companies should be blocked from critical infrastructure, MPs told
Chinese companies should be blocked from critical infrastructure, MPs told
British Steel should be the “canary in the coalmine” that forces ministers to remove Chinese companies from critical infrastructure, they have been told.
The government was forced to take direct control of the company amid concern that its Beijing-based owners would not keep the plant running at Scunthorpe. Ministers feared the company planned to “sabotage” the site to increase British reliance on cheap Chinese imports, The Times understands.
There is alarm over Chinese involvement in other areas of critical infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants.
...
UK Government insiders believe that steps taken by Jingye, the Chinese owner of British Steel, were intended to stop Britain producing its own virgin steel and force it to rely on imports from China. The steps included refusing to order new raw materials, selling the materials
One of the more elaborated news on that topic:
Chinese officials have implicitly acknowledged responsibility for a series of sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.
During a high-level meeting in Geneva with American officials, representatives from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs indirectly linked years of computer network breaches at U.S. ports, water utilities, airports, and other critical targets to increasing U.S. policy support for Taiwan [...]
Wang Lei, a top cyber official with China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the comments after U.S. representatives emphasized that China appeared not to understand how dangerous prepositioning in civilian critical infrastructure was, and how such actions could be viewed as an act of war [...]
The admission is considered extraordinary, as Chinese officials have typically denied involvement in cyber operations, blamed criminal entities, or accused the U.S. of fabricating allegations.
Dakota Cary, a China expert at cybersecurity firm SentinelOne, noted that such an acknowledgment, even indirectly, likely required instructions from the highest levels of President Xi Jinping’s government.
[Edit to insert archived source link.]
'It’s all about raw, exaggerated emotion:' How Russia's propaganda shows went from demonizing America to praising Trump without blinking
Three years into the full-scale war in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s propaganda machine is still hard at work telling Russians that the invasion is justified, Ukraine and the West are to blame, and Vladimir Putin is acting in their best interests. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s first two months back in ...
cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/2447669
Three years into the full-scale war in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s propaganda machine is still hard at work telling Russians that the invasion is justified, Ukraine and the West are to blame, and Vladimir Putin is acting in their best interests. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s first two months back in office have complicated this narrative. His efforts to rebuild ties with Moscow have led Russian state media and officials to swing from cursing the U.S. over the war to praising its president for his kind words about Putin and his dismantling of institutions like USAID. To unpack how Russian propagandists have handled this about-face,
[In an Q&A session, the independent journalist] Ilya Shepelin, who tracks pro-Kremlin media and formerly hosted the show “Fake News” on TV Rain, u
They are fighting on European soil against a European country.
That's a fearmongering clickbait title.
The number of those who 'abuse the social system' is so small that they are economically irrelevant.
At the moment i think China is the lesser of two evils. Yeah, its not a democracy and China does things that benefits China, but it has one thing that the OTHER evil has lost recently: Predictability.
This is satire, right? Just because the US is becoming ever more like China does not mean that China becomes better. Europe must diversify and gain more independence without one or two large trading partners. Countries like Spain or Hungary are heading in the wrong direction, but there is much underway in Europe to achieve a higher level of autonomy.
“We want to work on issues of common interest [...],” Sanchez told Xi.
Did they talk also about China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine? The transnational repression of exiled dissidents by China across Europe? The secrecy of agreements that leads to disaster like the one in Novi Sad, Serbia, that should make it impossible to held someone accountable?
The Chinese government is not interested in someone else's interest. Even Mr. Sanchez will have to recognize that China is a threat to Europe, and it behaves so, not matter how much investments his country receives.
That decision came after the Chinese government privately told automakers to pause big investments in European countries that backed extra European Union tariffs on Chinese-made EVs ...
Seems to be another incident illustrating that China is not a reliable partner for Europe ...