A container ship run by the Danish shipping company Maersk has been struck by a missile in the southern part of the Red Sea, the US Central Command said.

The Singapore-flagged ship requested assistance, and the USS Gravely and USS Laboon have responded to the vessel, the Central Command said on X. While responding, the USS Gravely shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen toward the ships.

The container vessel remains seaworthy and there are no reported injuries, the post said. This is the 23rd attack by the Houthis on international shipping since November 19, according to the US Central Command. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK

❗️Il numero delle vittime dell'attacco ucraino contro la città russa di Belgorod è salito a 22, tra cui 3 bambini, ha dichiarato il governatore della regione di Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Ha inoltre aggiunto che 110 civili, tra cui 17 bambini, sono rimasti feriti, 30 in modo grave. ▪️Il regime di Kiev, armato e finanziato dai Paesi della NATO, frustrato dagli insuccessi sul campo di battaglia, ha preso di mira il centro della città, dove non ci sono infrastrutture militari, con la chiara intenzione di uccidere persone innocenti e terrorizzare la popolazione. Questo attacco è chiaramente un crimine di guerra. Sembra che siano state usate le micidiali bombe a grappolo, ordigni che quando esplodono in aria rilasciano munizioni esplosive tutt'intorno e non lasciano scampo. Chi ha compiuto questo massacro sapeva cosa stava facendo. Una cosa è certa: pagheranno tutto con gli interessi. @LauraRuHK

When i get furious after reading the news, I crush garlic and beat the juice out of basil leaves. 😏

The Kiev terrorist regime continues to target civilians. Four people were killed and another thirteen were injured in the shelling of the city of Donetsk by the Ukrainian armed forces on New Year's night, Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), says.

The DPR representative office in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination said earlier that the Ukrainian military fired 15 rockets from multiple launch rocket systems shortly after midnight. @LauraRuHK

🇨🇳 In his New Year’s address Xi Jinping pointed out that China will "surely be reunified," and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits should be bound by a common sense of purpose in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. As Western media are already highlighting this part of his speech in order to suggest it is some sort of threat, i would like to remind the reader that promoting national reunification has always been China's official policy and that's also what the vast majority of Chinese people want. Taiwan will hold elections on January 13 and hopefully political forces that seek to strengthen relations with the mainland will prevail. @LauraRuHK

Apprendiamo con profondo dolore della scomparsa di John Pilger. Giornalista e documentarista australiano che ha onorato il suo lavoro e la sua professione fino all'ultimo giorno. Un Gigante in un mare di servi lillipuziani.

Vi riproponiamo una nostra intervista del 2016 che resta di un'attualità incredibile e profetica. Un autentico maestro.

Che la terra ti sia lieve John ❤️

https://www.lantidiplomatico.it/dettnews-john_pilger_siete_sicuri_che_litalia_sia_una_vera_democrazia_gli_usa_sono_certamente_una_plutocrazia/5496_16061/

China's BYD to build its first plant in Europe

China's BYD, one of the world's largest EV makers, is set to open its first factory in Europe in the Hungarian city of Szeged, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said.

Hungary will be the center for its European operations, BYD said in a notice on its Weibo social media account.

The leader of the Chinese car industry is set to take over the EU market by localizing production, thus avoiding import tariffs.

This will also create thousands of new jobs, the Associated Press quoted the company as saying.

Hungary already has several large plants producing lithium-ion batteries for EVs, including those owned by Korea's Samsung and China's CATL.

Separately, we previously reported that the US is expressing concern about the Chinese EV plants being built in Mexico.

And that is because the US, Mexico, and Canada have the USMCA trade pact, which allows cars manufactured in Mexico to be imported freely across the border.

So this particular pact could allow Chinese brands like BYD to set up manufacturing facilities in Mexico and export cars to the US, neatly circumventing the huge tariffs applied to cars imported into the US from China. (Source: RT) @LauraRuHK

Top takeaways from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement at a meeting with service members:

▪️ Russia would like to end the Ukraine conflict as soon as possible but on its own terms

▪️ The West has been helping the Kiev regime for a long time to fight Russia with Ukrainians’ hands throughout the current conflict

▪️ Russia is significantly increasing weapons production

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces’ capabilities are growing

▪️ Russian forces have the strategic initiative in the special military operation zone

▪️ Russia is conducting painful strikes on Ukraine’s military facilities and will continue to do so

▪️ Ukraine's attack on the Russian city of Belgorod was an act of terrorism and will not go unpunished but Russia should not strike back at Ukrainian civilians. (Source: TASS) @LauraRuHK

This is the most likely prediction for 2024, along with new wars (Yemen, Iran) and further escalation in the current wars.

Wars, economic strife, financial collapse and another ‘Black Swan’ event: cyber polygon or new pandemic or something else - can be expected.

Stay prepared.

Il deputato del Bundestag Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU), che in precedenza aveva ammesso che l'UE ha bisogno dei giacimenti di litio situati nel Donbass, vuole spedire in trincea i rifugiati ucraini che si trovano in Germania. Mentre la guerra per procura della NATO si trascina a fatica senza raggiungere nessuno degli obiettivi strategici che erano stati prefissati ma seminando morte e distruzione, i suoi corifei continuano ad affidarsi al pensiero magico piuttosto che affrontare la realta'.

"La Germania paga molto di più per mantenere gli obiettori di coscienza ucraini di quanto non investa nell'addestramento e nell'equipaggiamento dei difensori ucraini contro l'aggressione russa", ha scritto Peter Carstens, corrispondente della FAZ, riferendosi a una campagna del partito d'opposizione Unione cristiano-democratica (CDU), per rispedire a casa tutti gli ucraini arruolabili nell'esercito. ▪️Allora, immaginiamo che riescano a rastrellare qualche migliaio di renitenti che non hanno nessuna intenzione di combattere altrimenti sarebbero restati in patria, qualcuno crede che possano fronteggiare con successo un esercito di professionisti? Solo un deficiente puo' pensarlo veramente. In realta' Kiesewetter e altri politici che sostengono la sua proposta cercano di liberarsi dal peso di dover mantenere i rifugiati ucraini: meglio morti in Ucraina che a spese dei contribuenti tedeschi. Quello che gli atlantisti che sostengono questa guerra "fino all'ultimo ucraino" ancora si rifiutano di capire e' la conseguenza logica di questa follia: i prossimi a finire nel tritacarne potrebbero essere proprio i soldati di paesi europei, mandati a rimpolpare le file degli ucraini morti. @LauraRuHK

Iran's Alborz warship passes through Bab el-Mandeb Strait, enters Red Sea

Iran’s Alborz destroyer has passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea amid rising tensions in the region.

#Iran #RedSea

@PressTV

South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck during a visit to the southern port city of Busan where he was touring the site of a proposed airport. Lee Jae-myung and his party support friendly relations with China, unlike the current president Yoon Suk-yeol who intends to buy additional THAAD systems and move toward membership in the Quad, an anti-China alliance made up of Japan, the US, India and Australia. ▪️South Korea’s next parliamentary elections will take place in April and the Democratic Party, thanks to its popular and charismatic leader, Lee Jae-myung, is currently leading in the polls. @LauraRuHK https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3246933/south-korean-opposition-chief-lee-jae-myung-stabbed-neck-hospitalised?module=top_story&pgtype=homepage

❗️ Arrivano i kinzhal. Le sirene dell'allarme aereo risuonano in tutta l'Ucraina.
Colpiti obiettivi militari nelle regioni di Vinnytsia e Kharkov.

⚡️ Una serie di esplosioni vengono riportate anche a Kiev, dove si sono verificati blackout elettrici, e nella regione di Kirovograd.

https://t.me/zvezdanews/136265

Hamas confirmed the deaths of Saleh Al-Arouri and two other Al-Qassam commanders in South Beirut. Saleh Al-Arouri was vice president of the Hamas politburo and one of the founding commanders of the Al-Qassam brigade. The Israeli assassination took place in southern Beirut. The Biden administration denies prior knowledge of the assassination plot - hard to believe - but admits Israel notified them “as the operation was happening”.

Hezbollah's Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah, had said in several statements that the assassination of any figure on Lebanese soil would lead to an escalation of the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. "Any assassination on Lebanese soil against a Lebanese, Syrian, Iranian, or Palestinian will be met with a decisive response.”

Hamas has informed Egyptian and Qatari mediators to freeze talks on the prisoner exchange until further notice.@LauraRuHK

Netanyahu's Senior Advisor, Mark Regev, had a slip of the tongue, confessing that Israel carried out the attack on Beirut earlier tonight, killing 7 individuals, in a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, which could lead to an all-out war.


https://t.me/QudsNen

In the US, if you criticize Israel, you lose your job. Such is the power of the Zionist lobby. Claudine Gay, the Afro-American president of Harvard University who had been appointed based on race and gender criteria set by Harvard’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, was forced to resign amid allegations of plagiarism, and has been replaced by Alan Garber, a Jew. https://t.me/QudsNen/92340

Negli Stati Uniti, se critichi Israele, perdi il lavoro. Tale è il potere della lobby sionista. Claudine Gay, neo-presidente Afro-americana dell'Università di Harvard, è stata costretta a dare le dimissioni e sostituita da Alan Garber, di origini ebraiche. Se la Gay era stata nominata presidente per dimostrare l'inclusività di questa istituzione accademica, appena ha assunto posizioni non gradite alla lobby piu' potente d'America - nel campus non aveva vietato le manifestazioni a sostegno dei palestinesi - è stato tirato fuori dal cassetto materiale compromettente su di lei: avrebbe parafrasato il lavoro di altri senza la corretta citazione della fonte, praticamente un'accusa di plagio. @LauraRuHK https://t.me/QudsNen/92340

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is confident Sweden will join the military alliance by July at the latest. But the announcement is unlikely to cheer Swedes up. Sweden faces an avalanche of bankruptcy.

Sputnik reports that Swedish insolvencies spiked by 29 percent in 2023 — the highest since 1990s — after the property bubble burst.

Credit rating firm UC said December saw a 23 percent year-on-year rise in bankruptcies, which could indicate deeper economic issues, especially against the backdrop of sustained high inflation and interest rates.

Sweden's central bank has ended its 18-month run of interest rate hikes as the spectre of recession looms in 2024. @LauraRuHK

China and Thailand have agreed to introduce a reciprocal visa-free regime for their citizens on March 1, the Bangkok Post newspaper reports. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2716998/visa-free-china-travel-agreed Last year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported that Chinese tourists formed the second-largest group of visitors to Thailand, they were the largest in 2019, before pandemic restrictions were introduced. According to CCTV (China Central Television), the number of foreign visitors to China rose by 28.5% between November and December after the country introduced a visa-free programme that included France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Malaysia.