Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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Belgium forms new government after eight months of negotiations

Published 3 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Bart De Wever's Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie is the country's largest party.

After almost eight months of negotiations, Belgium has a new government. Bart De Wever of the conservative Flemish party N-VA will take office as prime minister on Monday and will lead a five-party coalition.

The new government, known as the Arizona coalition, is made up of conservative N-VA, Christian Democrat CD&V, liberal MR, social liberal Les Engagés and social democratic Vooruit. Together, the parties hold 82 of the 150 seats in parliament.

The outgoing Vivaldi government, which also included environmentalists, is now being replaced by a cross-bloc collaboration.

Bart De Wever, who founded the N-VA and has been mayor of Antwerp since 2013, has led the negotiations which, according to Le Soir, intensified in recent days. The formation of the government means that the liberal Open VLD, the party of outgoing Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, is not part of the new government.

It can also be noted that the nationalist party Vlaams Belang, which became the second largest party in the last elections, will be completely excluded from the new government.

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EU continues to approve insects in food

Published today 14:12
– By Editorial Staff
In the past, mealworms in frozen, dried and powdered form have been approved for human consumption in the EU.

The EU has approved a new mealworm powder for human consumption. It is the latest addition to the Union’s efforts to promote insects in food.

Insects are considered novel foods in the EU, which means they were not widely consumed before May 15, 1997. To be approved, they must be examined by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Only the company that gets its food approved has the right to produce and distribute it, and the authorization is valid for five years.

In recent years, the EU has approved a number of insect species for human consumption: mealworms, buffalo larvae, house crickets and grasshoppers can now be used in frozen, dried or powdered form in products such as bread, crisps and food supplements.

Two companies can sell mealworms

The EU has now approved UV-treated whole mealworm powder for human consumption following an application by the French company Nutri’Earth. Previously, mealworms have been approved for use frozen, dried or in powder form by the company Fair Insects BV. In other words, this means that two different companies are allowed to produce and distribute mealworms.

Under current rules, the list of ingredients must clearly state whether a food contains insects. As they can cause cross-allergies, clear labelling on the packaging is also required.

Viruses and heavy metals

Insects are often promoted as a more environmentally friendly food because they require less land, water and feed. At the same time, there are risks, as studies show that insects can contain heavy metals, bacteria and viruses.

Despite the EU’s efforts to promote insects, countries such as Italy have chosen to ban them completely. The reason is that they do not want insects to be associated with Italian cuisine.

Ursula von der Leyen wants to create EU army

Published today 7:47
– By Editorial Staff
Ursula von der Leyen argues that some form of pan-European army is needed as an alternative to NATO.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calls for an alternative to the US-led NATO military pact, saying Europe must now take greater responsibility for its own security and defense.

During Sunday’s press briefing in Lithuania, she stressed that “NATO remains the foundation of our defense. But it is clear that we need an EU-wide surge in defense”.

Modern warfare requires scale, technology and coordination – too big for any one nation to handle alone, she added, calling for more funding, from both private and public actors.

The Brussels strategy for the future of European defense will be presented to member states’ leaders in mid-March, according to von der Leyen.

The background to the announcement is that the US, under the leadership of Donald Trump, has made clear demands for the EU to increase its defense spending. The US President has also expressed a willingness for the US to significantly scale back its engagement on the European continent.

– it is time – and even high time – to take our security and defense into our own hands, said the EU boss.

Belarus President to British journalist: Your country is ruled by Indians

Population replacement in the West

Published 5 February 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Lukashenko is puzzled by developments in the UK.

When a Sky News reporter recently accused Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of being an “undemocratic” leader who cannot tolerate criticism, he chose to counterattack harshly.

– You used to be an empire, but now your subjects have come in and are ruling you, the president said.

During the press conference, which took place in January, Lukashenko was very clear that he does not pay much attention to the accusations and criticism coming from the British establishment, and that they should focus more on reviewing developments in their own country.

– In your country, you are not only allowed to criticize the government but also to slander it as you please, and you have reached the point where you were recently ruled by an Indian.

– Why am I saying this? Is because when I met the English, I told them that you are doing a great job. You used to be an empire, but now your subjects have come in and are ruling you. Strange of Britain, and our oddity is that the government is not being criticized?

Indians own most property in London

Like many other countries in the Western world, the UK has been hit hard for decades by mass immigration and population exchange policies not least from former colonies in Africa and Asia.

Although Britons of European descent are still in the majority in the country as a whole, the situation is different in many parts of the UK, where cities and neighborhoods are now completely dominated by people with an immigrant background.

According to the BBC, white Britons now make up a minority of the population in the capital, London and in the second largest city, Birmingham, the situation is similar. Just last year, it was also reported that Indians now own a larger share of property in the capital than ethnic Britons and that there is no sign of this trend reversing.

Expected victory for Lukashenko

Published 27 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Alexander Lukashenko.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has won the election and will lead the country for a seventh term.

This extends his three-decade rule of the former Soviet republic for another five years, according to polls after Sunday’s election.

Lukashenko, according to national broadcaster Belta, received around 86.82% of the vote, according to Igor Karpenko, head of the Central Election Commission. According to the same sources, none of the other candidates received more than 5% of the vote.

The result means that Lukashenko will remain in power until 2030. He is Belarus’ first and so far only post-independence president, with a rule that began in 1994 and now spans seven consecutive terms.

Lukashenko faced widespread international criticism after the 2020 presidential election, when several Western governments accused him of electoral fraud – something he himself denied.

Described in the West as a “dictator”

Following the 2020 elections, widespread protests broke out in Belarus. Western-backed opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who lives in exile, still insists she was the rightful winner.

Western media often describe Lukashenko as a dictator and in November he himself admitted that there is a dictatorship in Belarus, but that it is “a dictatorship of stability, security, order, kindness, and hospitality. A dictatorship of justice”.

Lukashenko has previously stressed the importance of elections being conducted properly to avoid what he called “an American-style show”, referring to the violence in the US after the 2020 presidential election. Ahead of this year’s elections, he has stressed that a “correct electoral process” is crucial to avoid criticism from the outside world.

Belarus has been a strategic partner of Russia since 1999. After the conflict in Ukraine escalated in 2022, the relationship between the two countries has further strengthened. Last year, Moscow and Minsk signed a new security agreement in response to the US military build-up in Europe.

The agreement includes, among other things, plans to station the Russian Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic missile system in Belarus by 2025.