May 10th Qingqiao News | Lebanon holds its first local elections in nine years
Release time：2025-05-11 Source: Qingqiao Number of views：
Without relaxation, both civil and martial arts are capableToday in history:37 years ago, Chinese literary giant Shen Congwen passed away. This' local poet 'constructed a poetic world of Xiangxi with works such as' Border Town', using simple and rustic language to resist the noise of modern civilization. His brushstrokes are both realistic and dreamlike, extracting the simple essence of life from the rough and rustic countryside.01Lebanon holds its first local elections in nine years
Qingqiao's viewpoint:
- In 1990, Lebanon established a Christian Islamic power distribution mechanism through the Taif Agreement to balance domestic religious power, but in recent years, the agreement has gradually collapsed under the dual impact of the increasing proportion of Muslim population and the expansion of Hezbollah's military power. 18 sects including Maronite, Sunni, Shia, etc. have formed a "political fiefdom", making it difficult for the central government to issue decrees outside the capital, and the balance of sects has long been above local governance.
- The current President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, was officially inaugurated through parliamentary elections on January 9, 2025, ending the country's two-year presidential vacancy since October 2022. He vowed to address the stubborn problem of "weak center strong tribe".
- The true value of this election may not lie in changing the power structure, but in tearing open a gap - a weak sense of civic consciousness is sprouting under the iron curtain of sects. History has shown that any transformation begins with quantitative accumulation. Lebanon must break free from the millennium curse of "weak center strong tribe", and this local election may only be the first footprint of a long struggle.
Military strategy and tactics01Russian military plans to establish 'safety belts' in Sumy region
Qingqiao's viewpoint:
Sumy Oblast is located in northeastern Ukraine, bordering Bryansk Oblast, Kursk Oblast, and Belgorod Oblast of Russia. The border is 560 kilometers long and is one of the longest border areas between Ukraine and Russia. The region serves as a strategic transportation hub from Kursk, Russia to Kharkiv, Ukraine, with a network of intersecting railways and highways, and is a key node in controlling the supply lines in northeastern Ukraine. At the same time, its geographical location adjacent to the core facilities of the northeastern power grid in Ukraine endows the region with special energy strategic value.
As the main battlefield of the Russia Ukraine war (accounting for 63% of the war losses in 2022-2024), Donbass has long dominated global media headlines. The Russian military's actions in Sumy at this time are precisely taking advantage of the "visual blind spot" of international observers. Historical data shows that out of the six major tactical breakthroughs by the Russian military, four occurred on the secondary front with the lowest public attention. Controlling Sumy=cutting off the railway supply artery in the northeast of Ukraine, threatening Konotop substation=shaking the EU's power aid system to Ukraine. Sumy's 560 kilometer border is the "seven inch" of Russia Ukraine infrastructure.
01UK and India sign free trade agreement
India and the UK have signed a landmark free trade agreement that reduces tariffs on goods such as whisky, advanced manufacturing components, as well as food such as lamb, salmon, chocolate, and biscuits. The UK side claims that this is the most important trade agreement after Brexit.
Qingqiao's viewpoint:
After Brexit, the UK economy continues to be under pressure, with official data showing a 0.5-1 percentage point slowdown in average annual GDP growth and a 4-5% contraction in the total economic output in 2023 compared to expectations of remaining in the EU. In this context, the UK India Free Trade Agreement was launched in January 2022 and has become a symbol of hope for an independent trade policy after Brexit, with bilateral trade between the two countries expected to increase by £ 25.5 billion by 2040.
This agreement is essentially a carefully designed risk exchange: the UK trades market access for geopolitical influence, while India protects its core industries with limited openness. Brexit is not the end, but the beginning for Britain to relearn independent participation in the game - this time it has chosen a partner who happens to be the inheritor of its former colonies, and there is no greater irony in history than this.
01France reports three times more measles cases in 2024 compared to the previous year
According to data from the French Public Health Agency, a total of 483 measles cases were reported in France in 2024, a threefold increase from 2023. Medical experts point out that the decline in measles vaccination rates is the direct cause of the outbreak of measles. According to the medical registration in France, out of 300 eligible cases with known vaccination status, 64% of patients did not receive the measles vaccine.Qingqiao's viewpoint:
- Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the measles virus, mainly transmitted through droplets. Symptoms include fever, cough, rash, etc. In severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia or even death. The incubation period of this virus is 1-2 weeks, making it one of the most contagious viruses known to humans.
- According to data released by the World Health Organization and UNICEF in March this year, the WHO European Region reported approximately 127000 cases of measles in 2024, which is twice the number reported in 2023 and the highest since 1997.
- This epidemic is essentially a test of civilization's immunity: when the vaccine defense line established by humans over a century is easily undermined by pseudoscience and short-sighted policies, what we lose is not only control over a certain virus, but also the rational foundation for maintaining modern society. Without the synchronous evolution of collective cognition, technological progress is ultimately just fragile armor. Even more concerning is that measles is just the beginning. When cracks appear in the basic immune network, ancient killers such as diphtheria and poliomyelitis may also make a comeback. The threefold increase in cases in France is actually a warning bell sounded by civilized society.
Riot Platforms, a large mining company in the United States, restarted its Bitcoin sell-off and cashed out nearly $390 million in April.Qingqiao's viewpoint:
Riot's sale of 6500 BTC (approximately 390 million BTC) could have triggered a price crash, but the BlackRock ETF had a net inflow of 580 million funds (approximately 9300 BTC) on the same day, forming a new balance of "institutional takeover miners". When the $580 million ETF funds can easily digest miners' selling, the fate of Bitcoin is also more tied to Wall Street's capital game.
When the Russian military exploits the "blind spots" of the international community, when the measles virus breaks through cognitive defenses, and when capital giants digest market fluctuations, all participants know when to bow and when to loosen their strings. History never cheers for straight-line sprinters, only rewards dancers who maintain a sharp rhythm between advance and retreat.
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