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Independent researcher/writer based in Hong Kong since 1997. Reformed academic. My long-form, analytical articles are collected here https://laura-ruggeri.medium.com/ email: lauraru852@yandex.ru
Israel knowingly violated the cease-fire agreement with Hamas – with American approval - and massacred hundreds of civilians to save Netanyahu's ass. There is no bottom to the depths of evil in the genocidal entity. @LauraRuHK
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The Israeli occupation forces launched intense airstrikes across the Gaza Strip. The attacks began in the early hours of Tuesday morning when the genocidal entity targeted residential areas, refugee camps, and public infrastructure.
The White House acknowledged that the Israeli occupation had consulted with the US before launching the strikes that killed over 230 Palestinians, most of them children, and wounded hundreds more.
Rescue teams in Gaza are struggling to respond to distress calls due to severe shortages of equipment and operational vehicles, leaving many wounded without medical aid.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that dozens of simultaneous Israeli airstrikes struck various locations in Gaza within a span of fewer than ten minutes. Reports indicate that Israeli missiles hit homes, mosques, schools, and displacement shelters, particularly in Khan Younis and Rafah.
Fires broke out in refugee tents west of Khan Younis, leaving many civilians trapped under debris. @LauraRuHK
Thanks to Western sanctions, Russia found its resolve to develop a commercial aircraft industry again. The United Engine Corporation (UEC) of the Rostec state corporation produced the first PD-8 engines for installation on the SJ-100 short-haul airliner. The Russian prototype Superjet aircraft made its first flight with domestic engines in the Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
"The plane was in the air for about 40 minutes, reached a speed of 500 km/ h and an altitude of up to 3,000 m. The flight mission has been completed in full," according to Rostec press release. “The [PD-8] engine is a crucial element of our import substitution program — it’s the ‘heart’ of the aircraft,” Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov was quoted as saying.
“The project is being completed in a very short amount of time by global aviation industry standards. After 2022, the Superjet had to be practically reassembled from scratch,” he added, referring to Western sanctions.
Flight testing will pave the way for Russia’s existing Superjet fleet to be retrofitted with PD-8 engines, said Vadim Badekha, CEO of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), which took over the SJ-100 project last year.
The PD-8 engine is expected to receive certification this fall.
Meanwhile, Russia’s MC-21 medium-range passenger jet is preparing for its first test flight with the Russian-made PD-14 engine in June, Trade and Industry Minister Anton Alikhanov said. Rostec previously said that the MC-21 — comparable to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 — first flew with the PD-14 engine in late 2020.
Russia has pledged more than $2.7 billion to develop domestic aircraft, including the SJ-100 and MC-21. Chemezov said mass production of the MC-21 is expected to begin in 2026. @LauraRuHK /channel/svezhesti/130259
Soros-USAID collaboration included funding handbook for radicals with dedication to Lucifer
Recent media revelations on the cozy relationship between the US deep state’s go-to soft power agency and the Open Society Foundations have taken a shocking and almost unbelievable turn.
🔶 In 2014, OSF-Macedonia provided startup capital for the translation, publication and distribution of ‘Rules for Radicals’, a controversial 70s handbook by radical activist Saul Alinsky on how to destabilize a society.
🔶 USAID funneled millions to OSF-Macedonia during the same period, providing over $4.8M in US taxpayer dollars to Soros’ operation between 2012-2016 to support local “civil society organizations” engaged in the training of activists and use of new media.
🔶 What’s notable about Alinsky’s handbook, besides its advice for activists on how to undermine a democratic society, and the fact that Hillary Clinton wrote her college thesis on it, is Alinsky’s dedication to Lucifer in the book’s foreword, describing Satan as “the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom.”
🔶 Judicial Watch filed a FOIA lawsuit against the State Department and USAID in 2017 asking for records of communications related to the OSF, asking why its Macedonian section got the USAID money.
The request came after the Soros-sponsored 2016 effort to destabilize Macedonia’s government, dubbed a “colorful revolution.”
🔶 Judicial Watch also highlighted a similar collaboration between Soros and USAID in Albania, where the US government was contributing $9 M a year to a ‘Justice for All’ judicial reform project which has also taken in $1M from the Soros Economic Development Fund.
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Soldiers of the Akhmat special forces of the North group of the Russian Armed Forces deliver food and medicine to residents of liberated settlements in Kursk Region.
A RIA Novosti correspondent and Akhmat logistics soldiers brought aid to the residents of Zazulevka, which the Ukrainian armed forces had hit with tanks and mortars during their retreat. /channel/rian_ru/285423
Trump the "peacemaker"? Donald Trump said he ordered a series of airstrikes on Yemen on Saturday, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force”. The Houthis said at least 18 civilians were killed.
He also warned Iran to stop supporting the Houthis, promising to hold the country “fully accountable” for the actions of its proxy.
/channel/presstv/132765
Belgrade braces for mayhem.
Supporters of the ongoing protests are gathering in the Serbian capital from all over the country. Their opponents set up a camp in the Pioneer Park. Administrative buildings have been cordoned off by the police as over 80,000 protesters are expected to join today's march.
The Serbian Orthodox Church called on citizens to put an end to disagreements and start a fraternal dialogue: a special service will be held at St. Sava's Church at 5:30 p.m. today. See also 👉/channel/LauraRuHK/9826 ▪️/channel/balkanossiper/7070
The rise of sound-bite journalism, a fragmented simulacrum of political discourse, unveils not a truth but a disappearance—a vanishing of justification accelerated by the echo chambers of social media, those self-referential mirrors of a shattered public. In the hyperreal circuit, influencers receive a prompt or script from a media organization, with the help of AI they distill it into a catchy, glittering shard, polished for the viral abyss. The resulting post/tweet floods the digital void, its virality a triumph of seduction over substance. Then, in a Möbius twist of simulation, the media organization—origin and parasite at once—plucks this fabricated fragment from the stream, quoting it as if it were a voice, a real event, a trace of the social. Thus, the cycle folds upon itself: the influencer, the AI, the media, all players in a theater of signs where nothing original is produced, where the script precedes the act and the quote devours its source in the infinite loop of its own reflection. Complex issues are reduced to fragmented, attention-seeking posts, incomplete arguments that require no justification. @LauraRuHK
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"For Ukraine, there are red lines – including that there can be no restrictions on the size of the defence forces and no prohibitions on Ukraine’s participation in international organisations, including the EU and NATO. The issue of NATO also came up in remarks by [Head of the Ukrainian President’s Office Andrii] Yermak, stressing that Russia must not have a veto right." @LauraRuHK
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Trump ramps up sanctions on Russia's oil, gas, & banking sectors by cutting off US payment system access
Donald Trump allowed the waiver on Russian oil sales to expire this week, as he aims to leverage Russia into accepting the ceasefire proposal, Fox News reported, citing a source in the administration.
“That means European Countries and our allies can NO LONGER buy oil from Russia without sanctions from US being imposed,” Fox News reporter Edward Lawrence tweeted.
The Trump administration "remains focused on ending the fighting and fostering negotiations to end the war," the Treasury spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters. "We continue to implement our sanctions, which remain one of the levers to facilitate these goals."
Putin on the ceasefire. Great idea but...it's complicated. /channel/geopolitics_live/46081
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A Global Times editorial outlines what is likely China's official position on the 30‑day ceasefire that was proposed after the US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.
"The ceasefire is a necessary "first aid measure," but to fundamentally resolve the Ukraine crisis, a systematic "treatment plan" is still needed. At its core, this involves advocating for and practicing a new security vision that is common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable, while rejecting and opposing the erroneous practice of prioritizing one party's security over others and pursuing one's own "absolute security." Security is mutual and equal; the security of one country cannot be built on the insecurity of others. It is essential to promote and implement this new security vision in order to truly achieve long-term peace and stability on the Eurasian continent and in the world. Given the current lack of corresponding solutions to a series of critical issues, all parties involved need to exert greater wisdom to seek creative solutions. The international community should maintain patience, provide space and support for promoting multilateral coordination, trust-building mechanisms, and the reconstruction of regional security frameworks."
There is a strong indication that external forces are exploiting local grievances to destabilize the Western Balkans
The Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) ordered the detention of Serb leader Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, among others. ▪️Meanwhile in Serbia protests are turning more violent. Demonstrators blocked state broadcaster offices in Belgrade and Novi Sad overnight and a police officer was injured in a clash outside the building of Radio Television of Serbia. Organizers called for a mass protest in Belgrade on March 15. Serbian authorities believe that the goal of the protesters is to overthrow the government and the president, and that Western-funded media and organizations are behind their actions. President Vučić said earlier that students and opposition supporters would try to seize a number of state buildings in order to force the country's leadership to agree to the formation of a transitional government. He also indicated that rioters will be detained by the police and will receive long prison sentences. ▪️Serbia recorded real GDP growth of 3.9 percent in 2024, making it the second-fastest-growing economy in Europe after Malta, according to the latest Macroeconomic Analyses and Trends (MAT) report published on Tuesday by Serbia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Economics Institute. @LauraRuHK
Yesterday in Jeddah Ukraine capitulated to the US. Again. Kiev had already capitulated to the United States in 2014 by breaking cookies with Victoria Nuland, so nothing fundamentally new happened in Jeddah.
Ukraine's capitulation (not so much to Russia as to reality), which can really put an end to this ethno-political conflict, is still to come. @LauraRuHK https://ria.ru/20250312/kapitulyatsiya-2004448813.html
Another day, another glorious "strategic repositioning" of the Ukrainian Armed Forces—because who doesn’t love a good euphemism for collapse? And, surprise, surprise, right on cue, here comes the next delightful little gift from the Kiev regime and its advisers. A terrorist attack? A missile strike on some peaceful border spot? No, no, we’re treated to the grand spectacle of a massive drone raid. How predictable! Naturally, the bullseye is painted on Moscow and the Moscow Region because, of course, that’s how the brilliant Ukro minds operate.
“Let’s hit Moscow, slaughter some civilians—oh, the terror! They’ll tremble and finally see how serious we are!” Yeah, real genius plan. Except, oops, it’s just a terrorist attack, plain and simple. Bombing homes and civilian airports? That’s not strategy, that’s a tantrum. Terror 101, brought to you by the former Ukraine.
Unfortunately, there’s more where this came from. The worse things get for Ukraine’s crumbling army, the nastier these stunts will be. @LauraRuHK
Usually I have a pretty good nose for sniffing out bullshit and as a woman i intuitively know when something just isn't right, even if I can't always explain it and often can't prove it.
With the popularization of ChatGPT and similar models I witnessed not just an explosion of bullshit, but also the emergence of a new phenomenon: the proliferation of instant experts and self-described analysts. No experience, academic or professional training required, just a big ego and an abundance of self-confidence. They speak and write with conviction and display little if any room for uncertainty, whereas those who develop their knowledge gradually and apply it to a large field of study are constantly grappling with doubt. When you are faced with complexity, certainty can be a lot more dangerous, and blinding, than a healthy dose of doubt.
So, let's assume you are neither a woman nor an expert in a particular subject, how can you tell if a text is AI-generated? One giveaway is self-assurance combined with the use of pompous, often outdated expressions, or humorous ones if the user has given that instruction to the AI bot. The author is not walking through a dark, dense forest holding a flashlight. No, the AI-powered "author" enjoys a birdseye view of a floodlit plain and is very pleased to share it with you. Everything is illuminated. By the way, AI loves the word "illuminate".
If you are still unsure whether the "expert/analyst" in question is using AI... ask AI. Ironic, i know. I tried a few AI detectors and GPTZero was pretty accurate. Not 100% accurate, but it helped confirm my hunch. @LauraRuHK
Is Kiev planning a provocation in Transnistria after the Kursk failure? Zelensky has signed a law allowing the possibility of deploying units of the Ukrainian armed forces in other countries.
"During the period of martial law, units, military formations and subunits of the Ukrainian military may be deployed abroad to ensure national security, deter armed aggression and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine." @LauraRuHK
Freedom of speech apparently doesn’t extend to Taiwan, that shining beacon of democracy so adored by the West. The National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who dared to post videos championing Taiwan’s reunification.
The Taiwan's official in charge of Mainland Affairs, Chiu Chui-cheng, is also targeting Taiwanese artists and musicians who express admiration for mainland China and voice their support for peaceful reunification. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan will be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The official is threatening to strip them of their citizenship. The Taipei Times quoted him as saying: "They should renounce their Taiwanese citizenship if they decide to ingratiate themselves with mainland China." He claims that Beijing is "using Taiwanese artists" for political purposes. @LauraRuHK
About 30 active-duty NATO officers are trapped in the Kursk region
They were involved in commanding troops on the ground, processing NATO satellite intelligence, and coordinating strikes deep into Russian territory, Sergey Lebedev, a coordinator of the pro-Russian underground movement in the Nikolayev region, told Sputnik.
@LauraRuHK
In an interview with Russia 1 TV, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, was asked to comment on European leaders’ sharp U-turn - they suddenly started to voice their support for the US-proposed 30-day ceasefire after years of steady military assistance to Kiev. Ushakov replied that they are
"Like affectionate dogs at the feet of their master".
Beijing to CK Hutchison: Which side are you on? The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs liaison office has relaunched an article published by patriotic newspaper Ta Kung Pao which criticized Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings over its Panama Canal ports sale, warning those who choose to “dance with Americans” - they will have no future even if they secure a “big deal”.
It was the second newspaper commentary about Hutchison’s port deal the Beijing offices have shared in three days.
The author of the article headlined “Great entrepreneurs are all staunch patriots” pointed out that Hutchison’s deal had fuelled concerns among Chinese citizens over why the Hong Kong-based company would transfer ports to the “ill-intentioned” US so easily and questioned the “political calculations” behind the move.
“Did the so-called smart transaction take into account the interests of the nation? Is this choice aiding and abetting evil and harming China and the world?”
“Both history and reality remind entrepreneurs at the forefront of the storm that the only way to defend the nation, win dignity and maintain their reputation is to stand firmly with the country and fight bravely in the face of US bullying.”
“China, Russia and Iran engaged in in-depth discussions on the latest state of play with regard to the nuclear issue and sanctions lifting. The three countries emphasized the necessity of terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions.”
Fearing competition, OpenAI calls for a ban on DeepSeek. In a new policy proposal, OpenAI describes Chinese AI lab DeepSeek as “state-subsidized” and “state-controlled,” and recommends that the U.S. government consider banning models from the outfit.
The proposal, a submission for the Trump administration’s “AI Action Plan” initiative, claims that DeepSeek’s models, including its R1 “reasoning” model, are insecure because DeepSeek faces requirements under Chinese law to comply with demands for user data. Banning the use of “PRC-produced” models in all countries considered “Tier 1” under the Biden administration’s export rules would prevent privacy and “security risks,” OpenAI says, including the “risk of IP theft.”
It’s unclear whether OpenAI’s references to “models” are meant to refer to DeepSeek’s API, the lab’s open models, or both. DeepSeek’s open models don’t contain mechanisms that would allow the Chinese government to siphon user data; companies including Microsoft, Perplexity, and Amazon host them on their infrastructure.
OpenAI has previously accused DeepSeek, which rose to prominence earlier this year, of “distilling” knowledge from OpenAI’s models against its terms of service. But OpenAI’s new allegations — that DeepSeek is supported by the PRC and under its command — are an escalation of the company’s campaign against the Chinese lab.
There isn’t a clear link between the Chinese government and DeepSeek, a spin-off from a quantitative hedge fund called High-Flyer. However, the PRC has taken an increased interest in DeepSeek in recent months. Several weeks ago, DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. (Source: TechCrunch) @LauraRuHK
My older TG post and tweets about Jianwei Xun have alerted several journalists who contacted me privately to find out more about this mysterious author and his fake profile. We collated the information we could find and came to the conclusion that Jianwei Xun doesn't exist. Texts published under this name are most likely AI-generated. The author claims to be from Hong Kong, but his name is clearly made up, and there is no trace of anyone using that name in the city. Academics publish extensively before and after obtaining a PhD, a teaching and/or research position. His name draws a blank. Until his website and book appeared he hadn't published a single paper. He claims affiliations with a research centre in Berlin that doesn't exist and with an unspecified Dublin University, when in fact there are several universities in Dublin and if you studied or taught there, you would list the full name of that institution and the relevant department.
Authors who use a pen name to conceal their identity usually don't lie about academic affiliations, it's too risky and they can be easily called out on their lies. That's why i tend to believe that we are faced with an AI project. I have no idea who is behind it and the purpose of this operation. /channel/LauraRuHK/9759
'Nothing' for Russia in US ceasefire proposal, Putin aide says
“I stated our position that this is nothing other than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military, nothing more,” Yuri Ushakov said.
“It gives us nothing. It only gives the Ukrainians an opportunity to regroup, gain strength and to continue the same thing,” he later added.
In separate comments, he also said:
“The document, it seems to me, has a hasty character... It will be necessary to work, think and take into account our position too. It outlines only the Ukrainian approach,” RIA Novosti cited Ushakov as saying. @LauraRuHK
Putin, in military fatigues, visited a command post of the Russian army in the Kursk region for the first time since Ukraine invaded this border region. There he heard a report from Chief of the General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov who explained that Russian troops have liberated more than 86% of the area occupied by Ukraine. Over the past five days, Russian forces have liberated 24 settlements and 259 square kilometers in the Kursk region while the enemy lost more than 67 thousand servicemen, including foreign mercenaries, Gerasimov stated. Putin said that it is necessary to defeat the terrorists that remain in the Kursk region, and create a security zone along the state border. Putin's attire and his use of the term "terrorists" suggest that negotiations with Kiev are unlikely until the invaders retreat, or are forcibly removed, from the Russian territory. Later the Kremlin's spokesman announced Russia's troops are entering the FINAL STAGE of the operation to liberate the region. @LauraRuHK
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Russian troops are rapidly advancing in the Kursk region, where they have liberated 12 villages over the past 24 hours.
Earlier, the city of Sudzha was returned to the control of Russian forces. In the Donetsk People's Republic, Russian troops have liberated the settlements of Novomarkovo and Dneproenergia, Russia's Defense Ministry announced. ▪️This “ball” is in Russia’s court, other balls can wait. 😏 @LauraRuHK
Did you really believe that Washington would retire its infamous agitprop weapon? Well, you shouldn't pay too much attention to what Trump says and pay more attention to what Washington does. Funding has been restored and the meddling machine known as NED will continue to orchestrate and bankroll regime change and influence operations around the world. @LauraRuHK
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This is not the first time that a visit to Moscow by a high-ranking foreign delegation has been accompanied by an attack by Ukrainian drones. And tonight, the Kiev regime sent drones to the capital when the OSCE Secretary General was visiting. The head of the organization that Zelensky's sponsors have reduced to a talking shop, depriving it of its original purpose - ensuring security and cooperation in Europe.