Active - news - kbin.social

"Weaponising threat of mass migration": Putin aims to "make life really impossible in Ukraine so that there would be migration pressure to Europe", Estonian PM says (www.theguardian.com)

‘Adversaries know migration is our vulnerability,’ says Kaja Kallas, spelling out negative consequences to Europe of Ukrainian defeat...

France declares state of emergency, bans TikTok in New Caledonia amid deadly riots (www.scmp.com)

Slovakia: Suspect in court as Putin’s friends capitalise on shooting of prime minister Robert Fico (www.theguardian.com)

Media is barred from hearing as 71-year-old man appears in closed session over attempted assassination of prime minister....

Estonia ‘seriously’ discussing sending troops to ‘rear’ jobs in Ukraine, official says (breakingdefense.com)

Archived link...

China-Russia relations: Putin and Xi no longer have a partnership of equals (www.bbc.com)

TLDR:****- China’s president Xi wants to maintain an alliance with Putin’s Russia, while also knowing that close ties with a pariah puts at risk his stable ties with the West which he needs to help his ailing economy....

Spain denies port of call to ship carrying arms to Israel (www.theguardian.com)

Syrians Facing Expulsions at Home and Abroad (unicornriot.ninja)

How is China supporting Russia after it was sanctioned for Ukraine war? (www.bbc.com)

Note: There are diagrams I can’t post here, it may be worth clicking the link....

'A big mess is brewing’: Thousands of Russian fighters are flooding into Libya, raising concerns over what the Kremlin might be planning (meduza.io)

Archived link...

Arab League calls for UN peacekeepers in occupied Palestinian territory (www.aljazeera.com)

The Israeli Defense Establishment Revolts Against Netanyahu (www.theatlantic.com)

cross-posted from: beehaw.org/post/13856220...

Reports on China’s Bad Lending Data Disappear on Chinese Social Media (www.bloomberg.com)

- Total credit demand in China fell in April for first time since 2005*- China has increasingly hidden negative data in recent years*...

Research and espionage: an institute staffed by Russian intelligence officers is recruiting students and scientists abroad (theins.ru)

Archived link...

How the Kremlin launders disinformation around the globe, attempting to sow division and undermine democracy (www.info-res.org)

Archived link...

Which German websites help disseminate pro-Russian narratives (insightnews.media)

Alternative link...

Austrian weapons continue to flow to Russia despite EU sanctions and Austria's stance of neutrality, which Vienna uses to justify its refusal to officially supply weapons to Ukraine (theins.ru)

Archived link...

China's anger grows as Myanmar has chosen Russia for the construction of a strategic seaport, despite Beijing's interest in the project (swarajyamag.com)

Archived link...

Putin in China seeking support for Ukraine war effort (www.dw.com)

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing Wednesday for two days of meetings with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Putin’s second trip to China in six months will focus on military and financial assistance....

How Chinese AI turned a Ukrainian YouTuber into a Russian (www.bbc.com)

"I don’t want anyone to think that I ever said these horrible things in my life. Using a Ukrainian girl for a face promoting Russia. It’s crazy.”...

Concerns grow about the wellbeing of Chinese journalists Zhang Zhan after supposed jail release as she failed to make contact with the outside world (www.theguardian.com)

Zhang Zhan, 40, a lawyer turned citizen journalist, was detained in May 2020 after she travelled to Wuhan to report on the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. Her videos and social media posts drew attention to the government’s stifling of information about the spread of the disease and the harsh lockdowns that were being...

U.S. warned Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) access to dollar system could be curbed over Russia (www.reuters.com)

TLDR: RBI, the largest Western bank in Russia, has been warned by the U.S. Treasury about financial system access in a letter voicing concerns over its Russian business. Concerns remain even though RBI dropped plans to sell its Russia-business to sanctioned billionaire Deripaska. Austrian finance ministry says it assumes RBI...

Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico ‘in life-threatening condition’ after shooting – Europe live (www.theguardian.com)

A Ukrainian recon commander in Kharkiv said its first line of defense was missing, in a 'betrayal' that allowed Russian troops to just walk in (www.yahoo.com)

The Hill: US Army intel officer resigns in protest of US-Israel policy; IDF abuse of Gazan prisoners exposed (thehill.com)

A segment on The Hill that cites The Intercept and Democracy Now, and calls out the media downplaying credible accusations of IDF mistreatment of prisoners, including prior to Oct 7? Did I wake up in upside-down world today?