EU country arrests 26 people for celebrating Victory Day.
Marking anything other than “Europe Day” in Latvia is now a crime against democracy.

More than two dozen residents of Latvia were arrested on Tuesday for violating a law against celebrating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. The EU and NATO member's police even seized a “Russia” jacket from a man in a wheelchair, and arrested another for wearing Soviet medals in public.

By 11:30 pm local time, Latvian police reported a total of 26 arrests, 38 misdemeanor citations and four criminal cases, according to the news outlet Delfi.

While most of the cases were recorded in Riga, the capital, multiple arrests also took place in Daugavpils.

Five people were arrested for laying flowers with “symbols of military aggression” at the Freedom Monument in the Daugavpils Victory Park. They were charged with “public use of symbols glorifying militaristic aggression and war crimes.” In the same park, police forced a man in a wheelchair to remove his jacket because it said “Russia.” Two Russian-speaking men were detained at Dubrovinsky Park in Daugavpils after giving an interview to TV3. Their offense was expressing the opinion that fascists had returned to power in Ukraine, with EU support.

Last month, the Latvian parliament banned Victory Day celebrations as “belittling and undermining the values ​​of Latvia as a democratic and national state, including the division of society, the glorification of war, military aggression and totalitarianism, as well as a false interpretation of historical events.”

Latvians nonetheless turned out in droves to lay flowers at cemeteries and memorials. Most of the arrests and citations involved placing flowers at “prohibited places,” where Soviet monuments once stood before the government in Riga had them destroyed.

Along with its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Lithuania, Latvia joined the EU and NATO in 2004. About a quarter of its 1.8 million residents are Russian-speakers, who often face discrimination. The Baltic states used to be part of the Russian Empire until 1918, and of the Soviet Union in 1940-41, and again between 1945 and 1991. The Baltic republics have insisted that the Soviet period amounted to illegal occupation, and have glorified those who collaborated with Nazi Germany as patriots. (Source: RT) @LauraRuHK

President Putin Lifts Russian Airline Ban On Flights To Georgia, reports Izvestia.

The Russian leader also canceled the visa regime for Georgian citizens from May 15, 2023.

Yesterday the presence at the Victory parade of the leaders of 6 neighbouring countries showed that Russia has managed to improve relations with former Soviet countries, despite the West's attempts to sabotage these relations. Belarus and the Russian Federation are rapidly moving towards the finalization of the Union, the main goal of which is a common economic space. In 2022, trade between the two countries reached a historical record of $50 billion, and it is planned to double over the next three to five years. 28 union programs are being actively implemented, covering all spheres of the economy, including finance, transport, energy, industry, agriculture, as well as certain areas of state regulation and control. Payment systems are fully integrated and no longer dependent on Western ones.
In relations with Kazakhstan, a record has also been reached - for the first time in the history of relations between the two countries, the trade turnover between them reached $26.1 billion. This figure is planned to be increased to 30 billion in the near future. Russia is the main trade and economic partner of Kazakhstan, and according to the statements of the top officials of the state, strategic cooperation with Moscow is a priority. There is a large-scale implementation of Russian-Kazakh projects in the field of nuclear energy, gas, transport and logistics.
Relations with Uzbekistan, which is called one of the growth engines of Central Asia: at the end of 2022, Russia became the largest trading partner of Uzbekistan, and trade turnover is growing steadily: $9.28 billion against $6.9 billion in 2021.
Armenia is the only country from the South Caucasus in the CSTO. Last year, Russia became Armenia's main market; the volume of trade doubled and reached five billion dollars, while the countries completely switched to settlements in rubles.
With Kyrgyzstan bilateral trade also reached an all-time high of $3.5 billion. According to Vladimir Putin, "over the past year trade turnover increased by 37%, Russia is the largest investor, in terms of direct investment, we occupy the first place and we are confident that this trend will only gain strength, gain momentum."
With Tajikistan trade turnover increased by 18% and amounted to one and a half billion dollars - a record for the last 20 years. Russia, one of the key investors, is modernizing the armed forces of the republic and pursues a coherent security policy. Russia's largest military facility abroad, the 201st base, is located in Tajikistan.
Russian-Turkmenistan relations are also experiencing a renaissance: the trade turnover is about a billion dollars. At the highest level, there are plans to implement projects in about 20 areas, one of the key projects is the development of the North-South transport corridor. (Source: RIA Novosti) @LauraRuHK

🇭🇺🇷🇸 Hungary and Serbia agreed to build an oil pipeline to supply Russian oil

Hungary and Serbia have agreed to build an oil pipeline through which Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline will be able to transit through Hungarian territory to Serbian consumers.

This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto, after negotiations in Belgrade with the Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade of Serbia, Tomislav Momirovic.

According to TASS, a new 128 km long oil pipeline will be built between the Hungarian city of Aldio and Serbian Novi Sad.

The construction contract between MOL and Transnafta will be signed during the Hungarian-Serbian summit on 20 June. - RT

@DDGeopolitics

The Middle East and the upcoming elections in Turkey

Many Middle Eastern experts are increasingly focused on how the outcome of Turkey's pivotal elections in May could alter the regional order. Turkish citizens will vote in presidential and legislative elections that might be pivotal in the country’s volatile national politics and ambition for regional prominence. At the same time, the May 14 twin elections could determine the fate of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has been in power for more than two decade...

You can read the full version on our website:
https://journal-neo.org/2023/05/10/the-middle-east-and-the-upcoming-elections-in-turkey/?feed_id=1273&_unique_id=645b95ad32f21

#Elections #NATO #Turkey #USA

Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan has previously said that he was ousted from power by a US-led conspiracy because of his refusal to stand with Washington on issues against Russia and China.
In November 2022 Imran Khan survived an assassination attempt during his long march near Wazirabad.
His detention is clearly politically motivated, with the current Pakistan prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, reportedly seeking to discredit his predecessor before the upcoming elections. Khan is far more popular than Sharif and he would therefore pose a challenge to this US puppet.

Abdullah Khan, Director of the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies think tank, has meanwhile suggested that Khan’s arrest is "part of an overall conflict" between the ex-PM and "current rulers who see him as a threat to their politics and power. Khan has also openly challenged Pakistan's powerful military establishment, which, in fact, had supported him to come into power back in 2018. The ruling political alliance is running away from elections because all the opinion polls suggest Khan's party may come into power with bigger margins if immediate elections are held. So we can say the arrest is a politically motivated action," Abdullah Khan said.

He argued that the Imran Khan case is "a weaker one", and that "he may get bail." At the same time, the expert did not rule out that Khan "may remain in prison for some time" because "there are other cases pending."

The expert was echoed by Vladimir Sotnikov from the Moscow-based Higher School of Economics, who said that Pakistan’s internal factors played a significant role in Khan’s detention.
"The matter is that in addition to the fact that he tried to pursue an independent course in [Pakistan’s] foreign policy, there was also a very clear rejection of his domestic policy, primarily from the [country’s] military circles," Soitnikov noted, adding that Khan "challenged traditional political circles."

The Russian analyst suggested that the ex-PM “wanted to move away from US dependence”, something he was not allowed to do.
"Let's see how the developments will unfold. I don't rule out that if there are [more] mass demonstrations in Pakistan, […] then maybe Imran Khan will be able to somehow still participate in political activities. His arrest is actually connected with the fact that they tried (and finally they have succeeded) to prevent him from ruling the country," Sotnikov asserted. The editor of the Pakistan Daily Hamza Azhar Salam added: "Khan's war in Pakistan is no longer against the US conspiracy, but it's against the Pakistani military establishment which perhaps colluded" with America.
"I don't think it will be very easy for Pakistan's political engineers to contain Imran Khan's rage, because the more they try to stop him, the more powerful he is emerging," Salam argued.

@LauraRuHK

US' allegations that China is collecting people's DNA and other biometric information in the Xinjiang and Xizang regions are absurd and pointless except for fabricating sensational news, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at Wednesday's routine press briefing.

The allegation was made by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday when he claimed the collection was a method for monitoring.

Wang noted that China is a country under the rule of law. Chinese nationals, regardless of their ethnicity, have their personal information protected under law. In contrast, the US is a country known for widely collecting and using genetic information.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon has formulated plans to develop gene weapons to strike against rivals. The scope of collection covers Chinese, Aryans in Europe, and Arabs, Wang said.

Wang cited Russia Today which reported in 2017 that US Air Force Education and Training Command once issued recruitment information, specifically specifying the need to obtain RNA and synovial fluid samples from Russians.

Analysts noted the "DNA collection claim" is just a new US tactic to smear China over Xinjiang and Xizang-related topics following repeated lies of forced labor, exposing its devious attempts to crack down on China. It is only because the US is itself engaged in illegal gene collection that it is using this topic to attack China with these groundless accusations. (Source: Global Times) @LauraRuHK

Very seldom politics appear at the top of Hong Kong trends on Twitter. But Imran Khan's arrest has outraged South Asians in Hong Kong and they are actively voicing their opinions on social media.

From China's World

How US fanboy Yoon Suk-yeol planted his country squarely, dangerously on the wrong side of history － by a couple of appalled Koreans.

Instead of making his country a "global pivotal state," the decision will likelier ignite a second Korean War.

"Ultimately, Yoon’s actions are putting South Korea on a dangerous path that further destabilizes inter-Korean relations and antagonizes China, its biggest trading partner.

"The move also forsakes the Korean government’s duty to advocate for reparations from Japan for Koreans exploited under Japanese colonialism and to prevent the discharge of radioactive waste from the Fukushima nuclear reactor, which lies upstream from South Korea."

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/05/10/south-koreas-pivot-to-conflict/

Turkey's Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu has lashed out at the United States for leading a Western media campaign to manipulate the country's upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

“The US media campaign has intensified," Soylu stated during a press briefing on Wednesday, arguing that "the reason for Western media’s interference is the realization of America's plans in Turkey.”

He made the remarks in an apparent response to an intensifying media campaign by a number of American and European news outlets describing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a "dictator and tyrant," resembling similar efforts used during elections in other countries where Washington has a favorite candidate of its own. @LauraRuHK

🇵🇰⚖️The Supreme Court of Pakistan after two days of mass protests in the country found the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan illegal

The Censorship-Industrial Complex: Top 50 Organizations To Know | ZeroHedge
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/censorship-industrial-complex-top-50-organizations-know

ABSOLUTE MUST READ

AND TO KEEP AS REFERENCE

It's impossible to fight the enemy properly if we don't know how it is structured.

Now let's get to work.

Neo-Nazi terror threat grows as Ukraine fighters jailed in France

The jailing of two heavily armed French neo-Nazis returning from Ukraine highlights a looming problem for NATO states sponsoring the proxy war, and their conspiracy of silence on the nature of the threat. Both were on the radar of French domestic spying agency DGSI, which held files on them for endangering state security. One was a veteran of Chasseurs Alpins (Alpine Hunters), France’s elite mountain infantry force. The other is a notorious local far-right activist.

It is likely the pair were planning to bring the terror of Ukraine’s battlefields back home with them. Last November, Italian police arrested five members of the local neo-Nazi group, Order of Hagal, which maintains operational ties to Azov Battalion. A sixth member, then-fighting alongside Azov in Ukraine, remained wanted.

Given the US almost undoubtedly intends to throw Ukraine under the bus in the near future, it raises the almost inevitable prospect of vast scores of fascist fighters fleeing the country to elsewhere in Europe, bringing with them battlefield experience, and in many cases elite Western military training. High-end weapons and ammunition will be available in abundance on the black market, due to the massive wellspring of arms shipments to Kiev over the course of the conflict. Buckle up!

https://thegrayzone.com/2023/05/09/neo-nazi-terror-threat-grows-as-ukraine-fighters-jailed-in-france/

THE US IS SEEKING CHINA'S HELP TO CLEAN THE MESS IT CREATED BUT LACKS SINCERITY - Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, had a 10-hour meeting in Vienna on Wednesday and Thursday.

The two sides exchanged views on major topics, including on bilateral relations, the Taiwan question, Asia-Pacific situation, and the Ukraine crisis. The Chinese side noted that the overall China-US relationship cannot be simply defined by "competition" and the US cannot ask for communication and dialogue while harming China's core interests. It remains to be seen if the US can honor its promises to China, regain rationality in its China policy and stop provocations. The Wang-Sullivan meeting took place against the backdrop of frozen China-US relations that continue to decline, with confrontations raised to a level that is rarely seen. Chinese analysts note that it is the US' common tactics to press China for dialogue when it needs China's cooperation in dealing with some serious domestic and global problems. For instance, the US government could default on its payment obligation as soon as early June, which will severely destabilize the global financial system, destroy the US credit and strike a huge blow to the US' position in the global economy. .

Some observers also noted that the US' "eagerness" to seek dialogue with China seems more like opportunism, adding that US' sincerity remains questionable as it still continues the game of saying one thing but doing another. The US might be trying to play "good cop" with China, after outsourcing to role of "bad cop" to its allies. But China can see through this strategy. After all, actions speak louder than words. @LauraRuHK

The goal of this initial phase of the Ukrainian offensive is still to find the weak spots in the Russian armour. The main event will not begin in earnest until we see:

— a real and sustained artillery barrage against the Russian positions across the entire (or most) of the frontline;
— long-range missile and MLRS strikes at the rear of the Russian groupings, at depots, and command and communications infrastructure;
— the deployment in significant numbers of the stored-up drone arsenal; and,
— massive information warfare fud about Russian troops allegedly leaving positions.

This is still the first stage. Nothing has happened so far that gives cause for immediate concern. Even minor retreats and withdrawals would mean very little. Any such maneuvers will generally have been prepared in advance to lure the Ukrainian forces into artillery fire bags.

For those inclined to panic, I would recommend taking a break from media for a couple of days, then return to watch history happen. Those of hardier constitution are welcome to follow our reports.

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Carlo Rovelli sul suo profilo Facebook ha denunciato un fatto grave: la cancellazione del suo intervento (in rappresentanza dell'Italia) alla Fiera del libro di Francoforte a causa delle dichiarazioni contro il ministro Crosetto durante il concerto del Primo Maggio. Nella foto che riportiamo trovate la mail inviata a Rovelli con le motivazioni del commissario della fiera.

🔴 Contro le censure di guerra, entra nel canale Telegram de @lafionda