Neo-Nazi Zelensky never wanted to end war with Russia – President Trump The US president has defended easing sanctions on Moscow, blaming Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries for rising energy prices rt-english.com/news/647371-t… Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky does not want to end the conflict with Russia and probably never did, despite receiving billions in Western aid, US President Donald Trump has claimed while defending his decision to ease sanctions on Moscow. In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump reiterated his claim that Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries had contributed to rising energy prices, hurting American consumers and businesses. “Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him, and that Crooked Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did. He could have made a better deal two years ago than he can now,” Trump wrote. He added that Ukraine was “in shambles,” describing its male population as “low, wounded, and/or dead.” Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports earlier this month in a bid to curb rising energy prices ahead of the US midterm elections. On Friday, he suspended sweeping tariffs targeting major buyers of Russian oil and gas. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was focused on brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine and did not want to “do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.”

Katie Zacharia and Mao Ning – a study in contrasts in US, China media strategies. Trump’s press secretary and China's foreign ministry spokeswoman serve as the public faces of their countries @ML7077 scmp.com/news/china/diplomac… Katie Zacharia may have lasted just five days as the White House press secretary but still managed to set off a diplomatic incident with China. In an interview with a conservative commentator on Thursday, Zacharia referred to China as a place that “doesn’t even have proper toilets”. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded a day later with a smile and a brief, pointed invitation. “We welcome her to visit China more often when she has the opportunity,” said Mao, a veteran diplomat. Like Mao, Zacharia was – if only for less than a week – the highly visible public face of her government, speaking on issues that could shape how her country was perceived. But Mao and Zacharia are the products of vastly different systems and took contrasting paths to the podium, using very different ways to tell two very different stories. Zacharia’s debut – and final – official White House briefing lasted fewer than 15 minutes on Tuesday, with much of her presentation delivered from a prepared script. By then, questions had surfaced about her legal credentials after she had presented herself as a lawyer in media appearances. According to her LinkedIn profile, Zacharia worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm, one of China’s biggest, in Beijing from 2011 to 2013. Before joining the White House, she was a frequent commentator on conservative networks Fox News and Newsmax, where she defended US President Donald Trump and his agenda. She had also briefly held a communications role at the Department of Homeland Security. Asked about her legal credentials, she said she had received them “when I moved to China”, before later saying she had misheard the question. By the weekend, she was no longer in the White House job. In China’s foreign ministry spokesperson system, officials generally have extensive diplomatic experience and undergo substantial preparation before taking on the position. Another difference is in the scope of their roles. A foreign ministry spokesperson is among the Chinese government’s most prominent and regular public-facing representatives, communicating Beijing’s positions on diplomacy and international affairs. By contrast, the White House press secretary’s responsibilities extend beyond explaining domestic and foreign policy. As a presidential appointee, the spokesperson is also expected to defend the president’s agenda and respond to political criticism on their behalf. Zacharia was appointed to the role just three weeks before the midterm elections, at a politically sensitive time with Trump’s approval ratings at near-record lows. Her debut briefing on October 13 combined praise for Trump and his “America first” agenda, taking questions from just three reporters before wrapping up. Her predecessor, Karoline Leavitt, had also used her first briefing to frame a major development involving China through the lens of US domestic politics. China’s foreign ministry formally established its spokesperson system in March 1983, during the country’s reform and opening-up drive. A year earlier, Qian Qichen had held what is regarded as the ministry’s first press conference. He later rose through the diplomatic ranks to become foreign minister and vice-premier. The ministry’s spokespersons are career diplomats who typically gather years of experience in foreign affairs before taking on the high-profile role. Mao became the ministry’s 33rd spokesperson in September 2022 and was appointed director general of its information department in January 2025. Before taking on the chief spokesperson role, Mao had spent more than 27 years in diplomatic service, focusing mainly on Asian affairs. She had also briefly served in a local government position as deputy mayor in 2020.

youtu.be/xPfjMDFwN_c?si=_5LF… @ML7077 Why does the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, remain so controversial? Among the millions of war dead it honors are 14 who were convicted as Class-A war criminals by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East following World War II. So, who gets remembered as a “hero”, and whose suffering is forgotten? From the Yasukuni Shrine’s distorted portrayal of the war to the memories of Nanjing Massacre survivors; from Iris Chang’s pursuit of historical truth to the cross-border legal battle pursued by victims of Japan’s wartime biological warfare; from the testimonies of Japanese veterans to the efforts of those Japanese citizens who are determined to prevent the distortion of history, the documentary Beyond Yasukuni examines the war through the eyes of both perpetrators and victims. Behind the “glory” the “Shrine for Japanese War Criminals” attempts to commemorate, it seeks to confront the suffering of the victims that must not be forgotten and to convey the message that, although we cannot change the past, how we remember it can shape the future we build.

Chung Yeung Festival: history, traditions and how the Chinese holiday is celebrated scmp.com/lifestyle/chinese-c… From hiking and grave-sweeping to sharing a meal, the Double Ninth Festival brings families together to honour their roots and wish for longevity. October brings a significant cultural occasion to climb the hills: the annual Chung Yeung Festival, which falls on October 18 this year. The name of the festival, which translates to “double yang” in Chinese, originates from its occurrence on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. This numerical alignment also gives the occasion its alternative title, the Double Ninth Festival. The festival’s origins trace back to Xu Qi Xie Ji, commonly translated as Continuation of Qi Xie’s Records, a compilation of strange tales by Southern Liang dynasty scholar Wu Jun (469-520). Wu recorded that the alchemist Fei Changfang warned his disciple Huan Jing of an impending calamity threatening his household on the ninth day of the ninth month. He instructed Huan to prepare crimson fabric bags filled with cornelian cherries (dogwood), fasten them to his family members’ arms, ascend a high peak and consume chrysanthemum wine to avert disaster. In modern Hong Kong, Chung Yeung is an essential occasion for family reunions and ancestral reverence. Furthermore, the pronunciation of “nine nine” – gau gau in Cantonese, jiu jiu in Mandarin – serves as a homophone for “longevity”, symbolising enduring health and prosperity. Observances during the Chung Yeung Festival typically include tomb sweeping, ancestral worship and savouring seasonal delicacies. Families visit columbaria and hillside cemeteries, carrying incense, candles, joss paper, roast pork, fresh fruit and their ancestors’ favourite foods as tribute. Relatives clean the gravesites and burn paper offerings in a gesture of filial devotion. After these sacred rituals, families traditionally gather at dim sum halls and restaurants for a celebratory feast, which occasionally features roast pork. In other regions across China, such as Huizhou in Guangdong province, flying kites is an integral Chung Yeung tradition – captured in a Huizhou folk song: “The ninth day of the ninth month brings Chung Yeung; fly your kite high and wish the string long.” Driven by autumn winds, this airborne ritual has endured for generations. The Chung Yeung Festival stands alongside the Ching Ming Festival, which occurs on the 15th day following the spring equinox, as one of the two principal occasions dedicated to ancestral veneration. Yet while Chung Yeung is tied to autumn, Ching Ming – meaning “clear and bright” – marks the arrival of spring and typically occurs in early April. The origins of the Ching Ming Festival stretch back more than 2,500 years to the Zhou dynasty (1046-256BC), when imperial courts offered sacrifices to ancestors to secure peace, prosperity and abundant harvests for the realm. Ching Ming also shares historical ties with another ancient observance, the Cold Food Festival, which dictated the consumption of unheated dishes. While rare in contemporary Hong Kong, some places still enjoy cold, green sweet rice dumplings known as qingtuan as a nod to custom. Whether scaling serene mountain trails or gathering for traditional dim sum feasts, the Double Ninth Festival continues to weave ancient folklore into the rhythm of modern city life.

youtube.com/live/AFovPMHiIsA… @ML7077 A 28-year-old Russian researcher dies under mysterious circumstances at a plague research institute. Was it a laboratory accident, a deadly pathogen, or something more sinister? Meanwhile, China conducted eight plague-related emergency drills in the months leading up to her death, including one involving Russian researchers. Coincidence—or was China anticipating something? Joining me is Dr. Sean Lin, a former U.S. Army officer and microbiologist, who served nine years in the military, specializing in preventive medicine, infectious disease surveillance, and vaccine development. He holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a master's degree in International Relations from Syracuse University's Maxwell School. We discuss Russia's mysterious plague death, China-Russia biological research cooperation, the Soviet bioweapons legacy, and the growing threat of AI-powered biological warfare. Plague or bioweapon? What do Russia and China know that the rest of the world doesn't? Dr. Xiaoxu Sean Lin : https://consiliuminsti...

youtu.be/TtKrmndEi9Y?si=d_Xc… The Wall Street Journal Opinion section recently tried to attack "Chinamaxing"—the growing trend of online users highlighting modern Chinese high-speed rail, clean cities, and public safety—by calling young people "useful idiots." But the attempt backfired, leading to their own comment section completely ratioing the video. In this video, we break down the Wall Street Journal's piece bit by bit to expose how these establishment narratives are built—and why they are collapsing. Hosted by Koch family heiress Mary Julia Koch, the WSJ piece attempts to lecture ordinary citizens about the "failures" of China, while ignoring how the ultra-wealthy establishment has shaped the failing infrastructure and stagnant conditions back home. We also dive into: The Censorship of Reality: How programs like the PBS/CCTV poverty alleviation documentary Voices from the Frontline were pulled from American airwaves to keep citizens from seeing effective public policy in action. The "Useful Idiot" Narrative: Why Western establishment media is furious that younger generations are refusing to swallow Cold War framing and are choosing to believe what they can see with their own eyes. The Illusion of Freedom & Public Consent: Breaking down the WSJ's data center claim and contrasting it with real public engagement in China, including the 2019 Guangdong crematorium protests where local governments actually listened and backed down. "China Did X... But At What Cost?": Unpacking the media trope used to discount China accounting for over half of global solar additions, and revealing the truth behind global CO2 emissions and offshored Western manufacturing. Evidence-Free Accusations: How "forced labor" claims are loosely copy-pasted onto domestic infrastructure without documented evidence to invalidate Chinese technological achievements. What do you think about the establishment's reaction to "Chinamaxing"? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to like, share, and subscribe for more geopolitical commentary and on-the-ground perspectives. #Chinamaxing​ #WallStreetJournal​ #MediaLies​ #China​ #Geopolitics​ #DanielDumbrill​ #Propaganda​ #WesternMedia