Orban e' andato a prendere il caffe' su invito di Scholz in modo da non bloccare l'avvio dei negoziati di adesione con l'Ucraina, ma si e' opposto al pacchetto di aiuti, 50 miliardi di euro. Questo permette all'UE di continuare ad illudere Kiev, ma a basso costo. In fondo Orban ha fatto un favore all'UE: i soldi nel pozzo senza fondo non ce li vuole piu' mettere nessuno. Del resto neppure il Congresso degli Stati Uniti era stato in grado di trovare un accordo sugli aiuti all'Ucraina. Bruxelles ha salvato le apparenze e puo' continuare a fare promesse che non verranno mantenute. @LauraRuHK

Fearing a Trump presidency may lead to the US disengagement from NATO, the US Congress passed a bill limiting the president's ability to withdraw from the alliance. For such a decision, the US president will now need the consent of two-thirds of the total number of senators or an act of Congress. @LauraRuHK

During Jake Sullivan's upcoming visit to the West Bank, Washington is also trying to deal with the Gaza crisis because "Israel is losing ground in Gaza", Ayman Yousef, Professor of political science and international relations at the Arab-American University in Palestine, told Sputnik.

"The whole agenda is grounded. The overall objective is to deal with the current confrontation. Israel is losing the ground in Gaza. Israel is really not in control. On a daily basis, they lose approximately 7 to 10 soldiers, many of them are colonels and high-ranked officers. So in my own view, [the] Biden administration is trying to balance now its previous strict pro-Israeli policy by showing more overstatements by Jake Sullivan. Even Kamala Harris and William Burns are representing a new political strategy, which indicates the willingness to put more pressure on Israel," he said.

Subscribe to @geopolitics_live

There was much horse-trading in Brussels before yesterday's vote on the Ukraine aid package and EU accession talks. Earlier this week, the EU Commission unfroze €10.2 billion in cohesion funds earmarked for Hungary. Allegedly Scholz had invited Orban to "go and have a coffee", that is leave the room where voting on accession talks was underway. That's how much the Hungarian coffee cost. But Orban demands more for his country and won't back the €50 billion aid package for Ukraine until he gets what he wants. Of course, promising Ukraine that one day in the very distant future it will become an EU member doesn't cost anything. Talk is cheap and no one knows what Ukraine will look like in ten or twenty years from now. Scholz expressed optimism that a deal on a revamped EU budget and financial aid for Ukraine could be agreed at the extraordinary EU leaders’ summit next month even if Hungary maintain its opposition. He is ignoring that other leaders are already following Orban's example and will likely demand something in return for a yes vote. Some countries like France and Italy may demand extra funds to handle the immigration crisis, other countries are struggling with budget deficits and will seek Brussels' help as a condition to greenlight aid to Ukraine. The EU pie has shrunk and it’s only natural that the scramble to get a slice will intensify. @LauraRuHK

Shipping companies halt Red Sea shipments due to Houthi attacks

The world's two largest container shipping lines said Friday they were suspending transit through the Red Sea after their ships were attacked.

A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, the world’s second-largest owner of container ships, said in a statement on Friday that it has instructed its vessels heading for the southern entrance of the Red Sea to pause their voyages.

Its vessel Maersk Gibraltar was attacked.

Shortly after Maersk’s announcement, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd AG announced a halt until Monday, “then will decide for the period after.”

Over the past few days, the Houthi attacks seem to have intensified and the links of individual ships to Israel have become less obvious.

At least three container ships have been attacked or disabled near Yemen in the past 24 hours.

Disruptions in the area suggests that the risks to the industry as a whole are increasing and the cost of insurance is rising.

Follow us on Telegram and Twitter

The EU failed to agree on a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at the European Council meeting in Brussels, European Council President Charles Michel said. @LauraRuHK

Come alcuni di voi avranno notato, occasionalmente scrivo qualcosa sul mio passato. Lo faccio in risposta a domande che mi vengono rivolte e per chiarire alcuni malintesi. Uno dei malintesi e' che io sia una giornalista. Ho fatto la corrispondente una sola volta nella mia vita, in Irlanda del Nord nel 1981, come ho spiegato in un post precedente. Da allora non ho mai piu' mostrato interesse per questa professione. Ho fatto altro, ho insegnato in varie universita' di Hong Kong, scritto e pubblicato saggi accademici e libri sia di narrativa che di saggistica. E' vero che le mie analisi e opinioni sono state e vengono condivise da media sia stranieri che italiani, ma questo non significa in nessun modo che io lavori come giornalista. Giornalisti sono coloro che mi intervistano non chi risponde alle loro domande. A chi invece mi scrive per chiedermi come emigrare in Cina o in Russia, e sono in tanti a farlo, rispondo con un'altra domanda, "cosa sai fare?" Le opportunita' di lavoro sono tante, ma vanno cercate prima di partire. E' vero che io sono arrivata a Hong Kong per amore, senza un'offerta di lavoro, ma per ottenere un visto di soggiorno mi sono sposata con una persona del posto; avevo comunque delle competenze linguistiche e dei titoli accademici che poi mi hanno permesso di trovare un'occupazione in linea con le mie aspirazioni. Non e' stato facile, neanche per me che ero gia' abituata a vivere e a lavorare all'estero. Non esistono scorciatoie, contano la serieta' e le competenze, anche saper fare le pizze e' una competenza. Un altro malinteso che circola e' che io sia un'esperta di Cina. Non lo sono, nonostante abiti a Hong Kong da 26 anni, per il semplice motivo che non leggo il cinese. Leggo invece il russo e varie lingue europee ed e' quindi naturale che nei miei articoli mi occupi soprattutto di paesi di cui parlo la lingua in quanto posso accedere alle fonti originali. Nessuno puo' dirsi esperto di un paese di cui non conosce la lingua. Spero di aver risposto a tante delle domande che mi sono state rivolte. Se ne avete altre, potete scrivermi. A chi mi ha chiesto di fare previsioni su qualcosa, ad esempio come finira' il conflitto in Ucraina, dico solo che non ho mai lavorato come veggente o cartomante. I miei articoli lunghi sono il frutto di mesi di ricerche, se uno non trova il tempo di leggerli mi dispiace, ma se non lo fa e' inutile che mi rivolga domande nella speranza che io li riassuma in tre righe. Li trovate qui https://medium.com/@laura-ruggeri

A proposito di esperti senza le necessarie competenze linguistiche, non posso non pensare alla satira sferzante che ne fece Don De Lillo nel suo romanzo White Noise. Il protagonista e' un professore di "Hitler Studies" che insegna da anni in un'universita' americana, pubblica saggi e partecipa a conferenze internazionali in qualita' di esperto di storia della Germania nazista. Peccato che non conosca il tedesco. Solo quando teme che qualcuno scopra la verita' inizia a prendere lezioni in segreto, con risultati abbastanza ridicoli. Le universita', non solo americane, pullulano di tali "esperti", come le redazioni dei giornali, i centri studi, per non parlare di Internet, dove e' sufficiente essersi fatti una foto sulla Piazza Rossa o a Piazza Tiananmen per passare da fini conoscitori del paese. @LauraRuHK

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the hawkish think tank funded by the military industry, has warned that the United States could pay a "much higher cost" than most people imagine if they allow Russia to win in Ukraine.

Its analysis comes as Washington remains at an impasse over continuing to fund Kiev, with Democrats and Republicans at loggerheads over the issue.

The ISW said that if Russia was allowed to win, it would result in the US having to deploy "a sizable portion of its ground forces" and "a large number of stealth aircraft" to Eastern Europe.

The institute argues that this decision would likely lead to Washington having to make a "terrible choice" between defending its NATO allies in Europe ( no one is threatening them!) and protecting Taiwan (protecting China from China??)

"The entire undertaking will cost a fortune, and the cost will last as long as the Russian threat continues—potentially indefinitely," the ISW says.

It adds: "Helping Ukraine keep the lines where they are through continuous Western military support is far more advantageous and cheaper for the United States than allowing Ukraine to lose." Yep, Ukrainians are deemed useful only as cannon fodder.

"Freezing the conflict is worse than continuing to help Ukraine fight—that would simply give Russia time and space to prepare for a renewed war to conquer Ukraine and confront NATO.
Helping Ukraine regain control of all or most of its territory would be much more advantageous, as it would drive Russian forces even further to the east.
Supporting Ukraine to its victory and then helping it rebuild would put the largest and most combat-effective friendly military on the European continent at the forefront of the defence of NATO, whether Ukraine does or does not ultimately join the alliance." This analysis was brought to you by the Kagan-Nuland family and their trusted friends, the Defense contractors. @LauraRuHK

☠️ Two of the three Israelis found alive and killed with gunfire by the Israeli army were identified as Yotam Haim and Samer Fouad Al-Talalka.

📝 Read this well

Just understand what exactly happened here. Israel found 3 unarmed individuals in a house in Gaza, thinking they are Palestinians and killed them. Only after, were they identified as Israelis.

They were obviously unarmed, not in military clothes and hiding in a house. They were killed because the Israeli soldiers are killing anything alive, including Palestinian civilians in their homes.

The didn't have a time to identify themselves.

🔊 Parents of Israeli hostages host an urgent demonstration in front of the Israeli army HQ in Tel Aviv, demanding the end of the war and the release of hostages from Gaza.

They were shocked and in pain by the news that the IDF killed three hostages with gunfire.

Two global shipping companies suspended their vessels’ passage through the Red Sea on Friday: Denmark’s Maersk and Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd. Then on Saturday, the Italian-Swiss giant MSC and France’s CMA CGM also suspended the travel of their vessels through the Red Sea strait.

Since the Palestine-Israel conflict broke out in early October, the Houthis have conducted multiple attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in retaliation against Israel's genocidal war.
▪️West Asia, also known as the Middle East, sits at the cross-roads of Europe, Asia and Africa. For thousands of years it has been vital to trade routes and transport. Today, it sits at the heart of the global economy. Millions of people and billions of tons of freight move through this region. It’s a key node of global trade and also one of the main oil and gas producing regions. The resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, enabled by China and Russia, was a prerequisite for the cessation of hostilities in Yemen.
Both Iran and Saudi Arabia became members of the expanded BRICS bloc and everyone hoped peaceful relations among the two main regional powers would become a driver of future development and have a direct, positive impact on the livelihoods of millions of people. Everyone except the moribund hegemon.
As China and the global economy stood to benefit from peace in the region - a large volume of China's trade with Europe passes through the Red Sea and the Suez canal - guess who doesn't want to see peace in Middle East? @LauraRuHK

◾Israeli forces bulldozed tents housing displaced Palestinians near Kamal Adwan Hospital on Saturday, according to Al Jazeera Arabic's live reporting, resulting in people being crushed alive. Hundreds had sought shelter in these tents after being displaced from their homes.

- Euro-Med Monitor has demanded an independent inquiry into the incident, stating that some displaced Palestinians were buried and crushed alive.

- The organisation cited confirmations from medics in Gaza who witnessed Israeli forces burying and crushing Palestinians before leaving the area.

◾Follow:
t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses

🚢 🇾🇪 🌍 Amidst the maritime chaos unfolding in the Red Sea, here is a simple graphic detailing recent incidents in Bab-el-Mandeb region, this visual encapsulates current challenges faced by one of the globe's busiest shipping routes

📎 Damien Symon

Attempt To Frame Russia For Polish Plane Crash Based On ‘Lies’ – Warsaw

The Polish Defense Ministry has shut down an investigation into a 2010 plane crash that killed President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of Polish lawmakers and officials.

The ministry accused the investigators of wasting taxpayer money to come up with “lies” about Russia’s supposed involvement in the tragedy.

Read the full story here

👉 @RTnews_unc3 RT

A few years ago i read and recommended this book, КРИСТАЛЛ РОСТА by Alexander Galushka, Artur Niyazmetov, Maxim Okulov. The authors analyzed the different economic models that have been implemented in the history of Russia and pointed out that only in the middle of the 20th century, between 1929-55, the planned economy of the Soviet Union grew at a faster pace than any other economy in the world, despite external sanctions and the bloodiest war in world history, setting an economic record which has not yet been surpassed.

If Western proponents of sanctions on Russia, China, Iran etc. had read this book they would have never imposed them. But as we know they are blinded by hubris and wishful-thinking, have a poor grasp of history and most crucially, they believe their own propaganda. Let them think that Russia is just a gas station with a nuclear arsenal. 😏 If you speak Russian, here is an interesting conversation between one of the authors, Alexander Galushka and Valery Fadeev, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation. @LauraRuHK https://vk.com/video/@public212627977

The world chief arsonist, the US, intends to play the role of fire fighter in order to bolster its waning hegemony in the Middle East - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will announce the establishment of the Prosperity Guardian international 🙄operation during his trip to the Middle East that is aimed at "addressing the Houthi rebels' threats to vessels proceeding in the Red Sea", the War Zone news portal reports, citing an unnamed Pentagon official.

US allies will probably join in. Germany is already considering sending the Hessen frigate to the Red Sea to protect merchant ships, German newspaper Bild reports. @LauraRuHK

SERBIA - Aleksandar Vučić looks set to win the election that was held yesterday. The scale of the victory means Vučić, who balances his relations with the West with cordial ties to the Kremlin, will remain the focal figure in the Western Balkans. @LauraRuHK

😂😂😂 The NYT grapples with the law of unintended consequences. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/12/17/world/putin-companies-economy-boycott-elites-benefit-ukraine-war.html