LabFarm, the only company in Poland that produces lab-grown meat, will receive tens of millions of zlotys in government grants to expand its operations. The grant will help the company increase its capacity and “scaling up” production.
Founded in 2022, the company claims to produce “clean, genuine meat” that is “also safer (than traditional sources) as it is free of antibiotics and contaminants”. The main focus has been on chicken products, with chicken meatballs being introduced this year.
In short, lab-grown meat involves taking stem cells from animals and “growing” them into various meat products. The method has been praised by some who claim it is more environmentally friendly than today’s meat production, while many others have sharply criticized the method for, among other things, threatening the activities of traditional farmers. In Italy, for example, and in the state of Florida, lab-grown meat has been banned.
LabFarm will receive nine million Polish zlotys, equivalent to just over €2 million, in funding from the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR).
“Obtaining the grant means that LabFarm can implement a research plan consisting of increasing production capacity and scaling up production, optimising bioprocesses, working on proprietary recipes for nutrients, structuring the food product and increasing employment”, the authority writes according to Notes from Poland.
LabFarm also writes that it will use the grant to, among other things, increase the number of employees and create a prototype of soft animal feed, according to its Facebook page. The company also plans to expand its operations to sell products throughout Europe.
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Over the weekend, the Russian president announced that the entire Kursk region had been liberated and that all remaining Ukrainian troops had been forced out of Russian territory.
At the same time, Moscow also confirmed that North Korean troops had participated and played a significant role in the fighting.
It was on Saturday that Putin announced that the last Ukrainian forces had been driven back from Kursk in connection with the capture of the small community of Gornal, 1 kilometer from the border.
– The defeat of the armed formations of the Ukrainian armed forces that invaded Kursk Region has been completed, confirmed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, adding that Kiev’s plans to “create a so-called strategic bridgehead and to disrupt our offensive in Donbass have failed”.
It was in August last year that Ukraine launched a large-scale and initially successful offensive in the region, forcing Russia to focus on trying to slow it down.
Over time, however, the roles were reversed, with Ukraine finding it increasingly difficult to gain new ground and Russia instead regaining previously lost territory. The latest Russian counteroffensive began in early March, and it is this that is now said to have led to the collapse of the last Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
“Huge losses”
– The enemy’s complete rout in the borderline Kursk Region creates conditions for further successful operations by our troops in other major frontline areas and brings the defeat of the neo-Nazi regime closer, declared Russia’s leader, who has long argued that the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine is of utmost importance to Russia.
– The Kiev regime’s venture has failed completely while the huge losses suffered by the enemy, in particular, those among the most combat-fit, best prepared and equipped Ukrainian army units, including the formations provided with Western equipment – and these are assault units and special operations forces – will undoubtedly have their impact along the entire engagement line, he continued.
According to Russian figures, 76,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded during the offensive and thousands of tanks and other military vehicles have been lost.
Praise for North Korean soldiers
It is also noteworthy that Russia officially acknowledged that North Korean troops played a significant role in the fighting – and special thanks were extended to them.
According to Gerasimov, the North Koreans distinguished themselves and “demonstrated high professionalism, courage, and heroism in battle”.
Although the fighting in the region is over, the Russian army’s work in Kursk is not finished. The focus is now on searching for “individual Ukrainian armed forces service members attempting to hide on Russian territory”, according to reports.
Five European countries – Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania – have announced plans to withdraw from the 1997 Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines.
However, the decisions have been met with strong criticism from human rights organizations and survivors, who warn that it is civilians who will suffer the most.
In mid-April, Latvia became the first country to formally vote to leave the treaty, which has over 165 signatories. The decision is described as a historic step backwards by those working to combat the use of mines.
– It feels like a punch to the face, said Zoran Ješić in an interview with The Guardian. He lost his right leg to a mine during the Bosnian War and now heads UDAS, an organization for landmine survivors.
– Antipersonnel landmines do horrible things to innocent people. They belong to a small group of weapons, including chemical and biological weapons, that are so abhorrent they must never be used again, he continues.
Ješić was 21 years old and a soldier in the Bosnian army when he stepped on a mine in a forest.
– As I later heard, it was our mine. The point is that when you put a mine in the ground, you never know what will happen. Will it wait for your soldiers, your civilians or the enemies? Usually, it hurts your people.
“It’s about the norms of war”
And the statistics confirm his claims. Every year, 70-85% of all those killed or injured by mines are civilians. Almost half of the victims are children – a reminder of the weapons’ inability to distinguish between combatants and innocent people.
Alma Taslidžan from Humanity & Inclusion, an organization working with disabled and vulnerable groups, expresses concern that the decisions could create a dangerous domino effect:
– This is really a tipping point for us. It’s not only about landmines. It is about the norms that are written for the situation of wartimes – we’re afraid this is going to create a wave of weakening the international humanitarian law that has the first obligation to protect civilians.
In March, the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland published a joint declaration referring to the war in Ukraine and increased security threats.
– With this decision, we are sending a clear message: our countries are prepared and can use every necessary measure to defend our security needs, the statement read.
Lithuania, Poland, Latvia and Estonia have announced their withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines. pic.twitter.com/cwrgTYZRTl
Finland, which shares a border with Russia stretching over 1,300 kilometers, later joined the group, with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo saying that withdrawal would give the country “the opportunity to prepare for changes in the security situation in a more versatile way”.
However, Taslidžan emphasizes that even if the threat were real, the choice of weapon is still wrong – precisely because it is civilians who will suffer the most.
– Choosing the most indiscriminate weapon amongst all to say that you are going to defend your country, that is wrong. Security cannot be built on a weapon that kills indiscriminately, that remains in the ground long after the conflict has ended and that specifically maims civilians.
She also warns against myths about “smart mines” with self-destruction mechanisms and claims that these are safe for the civilian population.
– That’s bizarre information. There is no smart mine that can think for itself and say, ‘Oh, civilians, we won’t explode now’.
American soldiers with mines in Iraq. Photo: U.S. Army/SPC Derek Gaines
Red Cross: “Extremely alarming”
Maya Brehm, legal advisor at the International Red Cross, describes the development as “extremely alarming”.
– From our perspective – and this is also a perspective shared by military authorities – whatever limited military value anti-personnel mines may still have in today’s conflicts, it is vastly outweighed by the appalling and long-lasting humanitarian consequences, she emphasizes.
Norway, which also borders Russia, has chosen to remain in the treaty, and Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has expressed regret over Finland’s decision:
– This particular decision (by Finland) is something we regret. If we start weakening our commitment, it makes it easier for warring factions around the world to use these weapons again, because it reduces the stigma, he commented.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, an estimated 3 million mines remain in the ground since the 1990s war and continue to kill and maim men, women, and children.
– This is not something you can just put in the ground and then pick up again when the war is over, Zoran Ješić explains grimly.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is calling for an immediate halt to state purchases of COVID-19 vaccines.
Fico refers to a domestic research report claiming that the experimental mRNA vaccine contains very high levels of DNA and other substances not disclosed by pharmaceutical companies.
The Prime Minister points out that a commission, led by orthopedic doctor Peter Kotlar of the ruling Slovak National Party (SNS), submitted a report in October suggesting that mRNA vaccines can affect human DNA and that they have not been adequately tested.
The report initially led to consideration of a total ban on the vaccines in Slovakia. Kotlar, who also described the COVID-19 pandemic as an “act of bioterrorism” and a “fabricated operation”, accuses vaccine manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer of turning vaccinated people into “genetically modified organisms”.
In a video clip posted on X, Robert Fico says it would be “extremely irresponsible” to ignore the Commission’s findings. He says that in March he instructed the Ministry of Health to set up a working group to investigate the claims made in the report, but admits that this process could take time. Therefore, he now wants the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) to also conduct a comprehensive quantitative analysis of DNA levels and other substances in the vaccines.
– Peter Kolar’s research team states that the vaccine samples used in Slovakia contain extremely high levels of DNA and other substances whose presence was not disclosed by the manufacturer.
–Although vaccination rates against COVID-19 are extremely low in Slovakia, the population deserves to be warned about these serious findings, Fico continued, underlining that the government should also inform the public about the report’s findings.
To ignore the expert findings on the quality of COVID-19 vaccines used in Slovakia would be extremely irresponsible. pic.twitter.com/3xBVHVhLak
“Should not procure or pay for additional vaccines”
The Prime Minister also points out that under a 2023 agreement, Slovakia is obliged to purchase nearly 300,000 doses of vaccine in 2025 and 2026, at a cost of almost €6 million. However, he wants the government to postpone any new purchases and payments until further analysis is completed.
– Until the results of the additional quantitative analysis are delivered, the government should not procure or pay for additional vaccines from this manufacturer.
It should be noted that the report has faced fierce criticism from the country’s opposition parties – and former Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova has questioned both the report’s conclusions and the authors’ competence. In the end, Dolinkova chose to resign from her post, citing the government’s support for ‘anti-vaxxers’ and lack of prioritization of healthcare as reasons for the decision.
Mr. Fico stresses that it is important not to jump to conclusions – but it is also crucial to take the report’s findings seriously:
– It is about protecting the health of the population and ensuring transparency, he says.
Members of the Board of Directors of the infamous World Economic Forum confirm the launch of a formal investigation against founder Klaus Schwab.
Whistleblowers accuse the globalist forum’s frontman of widespread corruption, including using the organization’s money for private cash withdrawals, massages, nights in luxury hotels and expensive trips abroad.
Yesterday, Schwab resigned with immediate effect after having led the powerful organization in Davos since 1971. The reason, reportedly, is a letter from a whistleblower raising alarm about serious financial and ethical misconduct – in which the 87-year-old and his wife are accused of systematically funding their exclusive private lifestyle with the organization’s donations.
For example, the Villa Mundi, located near the WEF headquarters in Geneva, was allegedly used privately by the Schwab family – even though it was purchased for the equivalent of €50 million of the organization’s money.
In addition to luxury consumption, Schwab is also said to treat his employees unacceptably – women close to him have reportedly been treated particularly badly.
The allegations have been deemed so serious that Schwab is now being investigated by the organization he himself once founded – and the board confirms that it has called in several legal experts for the purpose.
In a statement, the WEF says it “takes the allegations seriously” – but is careful to stress that these are as yet unproven and that it “will await the outcome of the investigation to comment further”.
Threatens to sue the board
Klaus Schwab himself denies all the allegations and claims they are completely unfounded. He claims that he has not misappropriated the forum’s assets at all and has also threatened to sue the board if they choose to proceed with the investigation.
In this context, it should be mentioned that Schwab is generally considered one of the world’s most high-profile globalists and technocrats – and The Nordic Times has over the years highlighted his activities in a series of articles.
He has often been recognized as a horror example of the international elite’s plans for the world – for example, when he proclaimed that his disciples are “penetrating the cabinets” of world’s governments or that “the fourth industrial revolution will lead to a fusion of our physical, digital and biological identities“.
