🇹🇷ELECTIONS - Erdogan has won the first round but has yet to win the presidential race. He is ahead of Kılıçdaroğlu by 4%, the coalition of pro-government parties won the parliamentary elections and this will work in Erdogan's favour in the second round. Oganu, the third candidate received 5% of votes and he is closer to Erdogan than to Kılıçdaroğlu.

Turkish voters know that behind Kılıçdaroğlu stand the US and Britain, so now one of their main fears is chaos as the losing side could switch to colour revolution mode. @LauraRuHK

🇺🇸🇹🇭 US-backed opposition sweeps Thai elections

Overtly anti-China, anti-Russian pro-Western opposition sweep Thai elections. Move Forward Party linked to billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit who pledged to roll back cooperation with China came in first.

There are still several legal and procedural checks and balances that might restrain the complete wrecking of the country by US proxies, but the elections demonstrate Washington's growing influence over media, education, and the political systems of nations in Southeast Asia - starting with Myanmar, Malaysia and the Philippines, and now finally Thailand.

The elections also demonstrate the danger of adopting Western-style "democracy," a system imposed on the region specifically because it is so easy to interfere in from abroad and manipulate the public into "voting" against their own best interests.

More to come as the situation develops...

China exported 1.07 million vehicles in the first quarter of 2023, surging by 58.3 percent year-on-year, data from China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) recently revealed, indicating that China has now become the world's largest auto exporter, outpacing Japan. Last year, China became the world's second largest car exporter by surpassing Germany. (Source: Global Times) @LauraRuHK

The G7 has hinted that at the Hiroshima summit which will be held from May 19 to May 21, the main statement is set to include "a section specific to China" with a list of concerns that include "economic coercion."

If this is the case, it means that after blatantly interfering in China's Taiwan question, the G7 is attempting to expand the front to contain China to a new area where politics and economy are integrated. This mainly reflects the intention of Washington, but Japan, who holds the rotating presidency of the G7 this year, has been more active and radical than the US in promoting joint actions and mobilization to contain China. The G7 is undergoing a functional transformation, and the Chinese people must keep a high degree of vigilance against it. This time, the G7 meeting was held at the door of China, and the Chinese could feel the new Cold War atmosphere emanating from there at close range. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202305/1290704.shtml

If you need any more evidence that geopolitical interests ("containment of China") will trump economic ones at the next G7 Summit to be held in Hiroshima from 19-21 May, look at the strange invitation list. Besides leaders from the G7 countries, the summit will be attended by leaders of Australia, Brazil, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, the Cook Islands and the Union of the Comoros. @LauraRuHK

Radiation patrols on the move in Khmelnitsky & Ternopyl

Experts draw attention to the fact that a fire at the site of a missile attack on a military depot in Khmelnitsky is being extinguished remotely by robots. There are radiation monitoring patrols in the city. Radiation background measurements are taken "in uncharacteristic places". Whereas previously they were taken in the area of the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant (Neteshyn and surroundings), now they are taken in the regional centre, in the west of the region and in Ternopyl. After the strike on the ammunition depot, the wind was blowing in a westerly direction. Authorities are silent on the work of the patrols.

"My acquaintances from Ukraine have reported that the people of Western Ukraine are panicking. They are packing up and moving away from Khmelnitsky, and even from Lvov and Ternopol. Everywhere there are Ukrainian military units, warehouses and repair shops. Locals whisper that the warehouse in Khmelnitsky was full of depleted uranium shells. And this is confirmed by my sources," writes political analyst Yuri Kot.

After the explosion, a rise in gamma-radiation levels was reported in the city. Radiation levels continue to grow. Given the relatively low gamma radiation which can be emitted by depleted uranium, the current spike indicates the destruction of a very large stockpile of ammunition, which has caused uranium dust to rise into the air.

#source

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Tallinn Security Conference ‘Pours Gasoline on Fire’ of Russia-NATO Proxy War in Ukraine. Over 100 senior Western defense and foreign policy officials and experts gathered in Tallinn, Estonia May 12-14 to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Giving Sputnik an exclusive inside look at the event, academic Joseph Siracusa said that with few exceptions, decision makers expressed support for a further dangerous escalation of tensions with Russia. The Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn wrapped up Sunday after three days of discussions on NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine, maritime security, cyber threats, the push to continue the expansion of NATO and the EU, sanctions, and the threat of a nuclear war.
The conference featured multiple big names, including US European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Christopher Cavoli, David Cattler, NATO’s assistant secretary general for intelligence and security, former US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, European Council on Foreign Relations Co-Chairman Carl Bildt, former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, French presidential advisor Xavier Chatel, and the prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. A keynote lecture was provided by former US National Security Council director and presidential advisor Fiona Hill, a prominent Russia hawk in the Trump administration.
The event was also attended by Dr. Joseph M. Siracusa, a renowned US professor of history and international diplomacy who serves as dean of Global Futures at Curtin University, and is the author of more than 30 books on diplomacy and international security. Dr. Siracusa provided Sputnik with detailed impressions on the event, saying that from his vantage point, it consisted mostly of “hardline anti-Russian types” not in the mood for any sort of dialogue with Moscow or any desire to put a stop to the bleeding wound that is modern-day Ukraine.
“I was hoping that when I came here, there would be a number of sessions on how peace might be achieved – that is, how a ceasefire might be achieved and what can be done about it,” the scholar said.
Unfortunately, the academic, who spoke at the conference’s session on nuclear risks, said the event proved unforgivingly and unrelentingly anti-Russia, with most speakers operating under a “Ukraine can do no bad, Russia can do no good,” “Russia is…the total aggressor” principle, and “pouring gasoline” on the conflict by cheerleading its continuation and calling for an expansion of the US military footprint in Eastern Europe.
“They have intellectuals here from Oxford University, Timothy Ash, who is for retribution. He said that Russia must be defeated, Putin must be taken down, and the Russian nation should be subjected to the same kind of treatment as Nazi Germany after World War Two ‘so that it could never conduct aggression again,’” Siracusa said. “No one is interested in dialogue with Russia. No one is interested in a peaceful solution…They all endorse Zelensky’s 10-point ‘peace program,’ which includes the removal of Russian troops from Crimea and the Donbass. And of course, that is just a fantasy, that’s never going to happen.” (1/2) Continues below

(2/2) “If they adhere to Zelensky’s ceasefire, the war in Ukraine will go on for years,” the scholar warned. Even if the conflict continues for just six more months, that’s going to mean thousands more dead, the academic said. “I regard the loss of Russian lives as equal to the loss of Ukrainian lives. When you start losing lives over something that could have been solved diplomatically, what we have here is criminal negligence,” he added.
“There are very few people here who are looking to the future. They have entire sessions on expanding NATO. They see the next expansion of NATO to include Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and they believe that it’s very necessary. And as I say, no one’s looking for the way out of this,” Siracusa said.
The academic agreed with Sputnik’s assessment of the Tallinn conference being a kind of preview of the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania scheduled for July, and said that unfortunately, there is “unanimity” of support for the alliance’s expansion, “of bringing in more American troops in this part of the world,” and for bringing Ukraine in as a formal member after years of de facto, “invisible member” status.
The alliance’s attitude is very dangerous, Siracusa said, since the conflict in Ukraine started in the first place “because of the failure of the United States and the Russian Federation to have a serious discussion about the expansion of NATO.” “I think it was a failure in diplomacy which caused the crisis. It’s a failure in diplomacy that’s prolonging the crisis. And nobody’s really looking for a way out here. They see Ukrainian victory as very important and inevitable. Now, that’s not going to happen. So they have sort of an unrealistic expectation about what Ukraine could do,” the academic believes.
Pointing to “delusional” notions expressed at the Tallinn conference about Kiev being “on the cusp of victory,” Siracusa warned that Kiev today is not in such a position, and that the only thing a continuation of the conflict will do is result in more death and destruction.
“Zelensky’s policy – and I regard him as a failed politician – the idea that they’re ‘holding out for a victory’ just means more deaths both on the Ukrainian side and on the Russian side. And I decry all these people who are dying for things that could have been solved last year [through diplomacy, ed.]. It seems to me that this is a profound, unnecessary waste of lives. I do not like the idea that people are more interested in further conflict than in resolving the problem. They live in a world of make-believe. They don’t know when it’s going to end or how it’s going to end. But what they’re dreaming about is a Russian defeat and a regime change and crushing rearrangement of Russian society,” the scholar said. (...) The most significant thing that stood out to Siracusa at the event in Tallinn was the casual way in which the potential use of nuclear weapons was discussed. In one of the talks, featuring Chatham House Rules (which prevent Siracusa from explicitly naming or identifying the speaker), a senior former US official was asked how the US might respond if Russia used a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
“He said, and I think he didn’t mean to say this, [that] ‘the American response, which has been delivered to Russia through back channels, is that there would be a major conventional attack on Crimea and the Russian Fleet,” Siracusa said.
“That would be to me not only a major escalation, but it would be one that cannot be called back. It would create far more problems and prepare the road to World War III,” Siracusa summed up. (Source: Sputnik) @LauraRuHK

Nathalie Tocci e Daniel Fried al sabba anti-russo di Tallinn, in preparazione del vertice NATO di Vilnius. https://lmc.icds.ee/conference-2023/agenda/ Fried, membro di spicco di Atlantic Council e National Endowment for Democracy, nel corso della sua carriera, non tutta alla luce del sole, ha svolto un ruolo chiave nell'attuazione della politica USA in Europa. In qualità di assistente speciale e direttore senior del Consiglio di Sicurezza per i presidenti Clinton e Bush, ambasciatore in Polonia e assistente del Segretario di Stato per l'Europa, Fried ha contribuito alla politica di espansione della NATO nell'Europa orientale. Daniel Fried ha contribuito a guidare il coinvolgimento dell'Occidente in l'Ucraina a partire dal 2014: in qualità di coordinatore del Dipartimento di Stato per le sanzioni, ha elaborato le sanzioni statunitensi contro la Russia, il più grande programma di sanzioni del mondo, e ha negoziato l'imposizione di sanzioni simili da parte di Europa, Canada, Giappone e Australia. @LauraRuHK

La mano dei servizi britannici dietro la visita di Zelensky in Vaticano? Premesso che Zelensky non è cristiano, che l'Ucraina non è un paese cattolico, che il regime ucraino non ha mai mostrato nessun interesse nei confronti di un possibile ruolo di mediazione del Vaticano, che senso ha questa udienza con il Papa? Ha solo un valore mediatico in quanto offre un palcoscenico internazionale a Zelensky, con una platea potenziale di circa un miliardo di cattolici nel mondo. L'incontro tra Zelensky e il Papa è stato fortemente voluto da Paul Gallagher, arcivescovo inglese che dal 2014 è Segretario per i Rapporti con gli Stati presso la Santa Sede. Gallagher un anno fa si era recato in Ucraina e aveva visitato anche Bucha, dando credibilita' alla narrazione del massacro, altra psyop ucro-britannica. Zelensky oltre a incontrare Bergoglio ha avuto anche un incontro privato con Gallagher, che alcuni vaticanisti sospettano da tempo essere parte di una rete di influenza britannica. @LauraRuHK

Did the MI6 facilitate Zelensky's visit to the Vatican? Given that Zelensky is not a Christian, Ukraine is not a Catholic country, and the Ukrainian regime has never shown any genuine interest in the Vatican's mediation role, what was the point of Zelensky's audience with the Pope? It had both a symbolic meaning - a defiant Zelensky showed up at the Vatican wearing a black sweatshirt with a Nazi symbol - and a media impact, it aimed to provide validation for his warmongering rhetoric. The meeting between Zelensky and the Pope was orchestrated by Paul Gallagher, a British archbishop who has been the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States since 2014. Gallagher had travelled to Ukraine a year ago, visited Bucha, thus lending credibility to the massacre narrative, another Ukro-British psyop. Zelensky after the papal audience had a private meeting with Gallagher, who some Vatican insiders have long suspected of being part of a British influence network. @LauraRuHK

🇹🇭 + 🇺🇸vs🇨🇳 NEW VIDEO: US Proxies Win Thai 2023 General Elections - Thai-Chinese Relations at Risk, Instability Looms…

▪️US interference in Thailand’s media & information space, education system, and political system has reached critical mass, allowing US-sponsored opposition parties to sweep elections;

▪️so-called “pro-democracy” parties are led by corrupt billionaires including a convicted criminal and fugitive behind the worst human rights abuses in Thailand’s history;

▪️the US-backed opposition is openly anti-China, has called for canceling arms deals, infrastructure projects (including the high-speed railway), and rolling back ties with Beijing in favor of pivoting to the West;

▪️the West offers no alternatives to China’s tangible contributions to Thai and regional development as well as economic prosperity. Instead, the US offers increased involvement in regional affairs and “military cooperation” which equates to antagonizing China, the region’s most important economic player;

▪️the US is involved heavily in transforming Asia into a united front against China in the same self-destructive way it has transformed Europe into an anti-Russian block, serving US interests at the expense of the European people’s best interests;

▪️Thailand has suffered cycles of political instability similar to this before and prevailed, and could possibly prevail again. Efforts across multipolar institutions and blocs to aid nations like Thailand in uprooting US interference could help spare Thailand and the region from otherwise inevitable instability and violence;

https://youtu.be/5WJOFH7yNkU

Questa immagine mette i brividi.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230515/pepe-escobar-us-empire-of-debt-headed-for-collapse-1110374196.html

I'm VERY pleased to announce that my Sputnik column is BACK.

That was the top read column on Sputnik International from 2015 to 2017. I had to stop it under pressure by the American bankers controlling Asia Times in Hong Kong in those years.

The star of the show in this inaugural column is the indispensable Michael Hudson.

Do read his book, The Collapse of Antiquity.

Twitter shadow bans look like this. In 14 hours this tweet hasn't received a single like or comment. It was shared once, most likely as a way of flagging it for the shadow ban. I have 5,646 followers on that platform. @LauraRuHK

"Recently, the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) agreed to add the port of Vladivostok in Russia as a transit port for domestic transportation of goods in Jilin Province, which has attracted attention and interpretations from both domestic and international public opinion from different perspectives. This is certainly good news, as it makes contributions to the development of China, Russia, and the East Asian region.

Heilongjiang Province and Jilin Province do not have sea ports and have long relied on the Dalian Port in Liaoning Province for sea transportation of goods. If they transit through the port of Vladivostok in the future, it will shorten the land transportation distance by more than hundreds of kilometers, and the cost will be greatly reduced. For Vladivostok and the wider Far East region of Russia, a deeper and closer connection with the northeastern region of China will undoubtedly bring more development opportunities. These all have strong certainty, and worth expectations by both China and Russia.

However, things are not that simple. According to reports from some media, this means that Russia has reopened Vladivostok to China after 163 years. This naturally evokes historical memories and emotions among many Chinese netizens. Some foreign media outlets have taken the opportunity to claim that "Russia may be becoming a vassal state of China," in an attempt to stir up concerns about China in Russian society and add materials to the special version of "China threat theory" tailored for Russia. This is a deliberate denigration of Russia and a malicious intention to sow discord in the new type of major-country relationship between China and Russia." @LauraRuHK https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202305/1290769.shtml