Tuesday, January 14, 2025
The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/fbi-raid-on-scott-ritter/

World

FBI raid on Scott Ritter

Published 8 August 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Scott Ritter firmly denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
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FBI agents, along with state police, executed a search warrant at the home of former Marine and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter.

According to Ritter himself, the raid was motivated by unsubstantiated allegations that he was working on behalf of a foreign power.

Yesterday, police and FBI agents were seen carrying dozens of boxes from Ritter’s home just south of Albany, New York. By his own admission, the search was “related to concerns apparently the US government has about violations of the Foreign Agent Restriction Act (FARA)“.

Ritter strongly denies any allegations of wrongdoing and believes that the raid was used by the authorities to try to intimidate him.

An FBI spokesperson also confirmed that “law enforcement activity in connection with an ongoing federal investigation“, had taken place, but would not say more.

Passport revoked

Ritter previously served as a UN weapons inspector in Iraq during the 1990s. He opposed the US invasion in 2003, arguing that there were no weapons of mass destruction in the country – despite US government claims to the contrary. In the end, Ritter was also proved right and no such weapons were ever found.

Today, Ritter devotes a lot of time to advocacy and analysis published on his social media channels – not least on the war in Ukraine and Gaza.

He has also appeared on Russian state broadcaster RT on several occasions and had his passport confiscated by the US government when he was traveling to attend a conference in St. Petersburg in June. Ritter’s alleged close relationship with various actors in Russia is also believed to be the main reason for the FBI raid yesterday.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) is a law that requires persons acting on behalf of or otherwise representing foreign interests to disclose this fact.

Under the law, so-called "foreign agents" - individuals or organizations that lobby on behalf of a foreign power or otherwise work to advance its interests - must register with the Department of Justice and disclose their affiliations, activities, and any financial compensation received.

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We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

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https://nordictimes.com/world/keir-starmer-accused-of-meddling-in-us-elections/

World

Keir Starmer accused of meddling in US elections

US presidential election

Published today 15:26
– By Editorial Staff
Keir Starmer and Joe Biden during a meeting last summer.
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces allegations that the Labour Party influenced the 2024 US presidential election by sending volunteers to assist Kamala Harris’ campaign.

At the same time, criticism of the Prime Minister is growing at home, where he is accused of failing to act against Pakistani grooming gangs and a former Labour politician was arrested in a pedophile scandal days after he took an official stance on Starmer.

A political storm with international ramifications began in October 2024 when Donald Trump’s campaign accused UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party of trying to influence the US presidential election.

According to a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the Labor Party sent volunteers to the United States to assist Kamala Harris’ campaign, which the Trump campaign described as “blatant foreign interference”.

– To protect our democracy from illegal foreign influence, it is imperative that the Federal Election Commission investigate this matter immediately, said Gary Lawkowski, campaign lawyer for Trump.

The complaint specifically pointed to a now-deleted LinkedIn post by Labor Party Chief Operating Officer Sofia Patel, in which she urged volunteers to travel to North Carolina and promised: “We will sort your housing”.

The Labor Party has not denied that volunteers traveled to the US but insists that no law was broken.

– The Labour party has volunteers, who have gone over pretty much every election, said Keir Starmer. They’re doing it in their spare time, they’re doing it as volunteers.

Criticism of Starmer’s domestic policy

Meanwhile, criticism of Starmer is growing at home. Violence against girls has reached record levels and the controversy surrounding grooming gangs continues to dominate the debate. During his time as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Starmer has been accused of failing to act forcefully against these groups, leading to widespread abuse scandals in towns such as Rotherham and Rochdale.

Last August, there was a knife attack in Southport in which three girls were killed. The incident has become a symbol of rising crime in the UK and led to riots in several cities. Four months later, in January this year, Elon Musk tweeted “Prison for Starmer ” in reference to the attack, further increasing pressure on the Prime Minister.

Starmer defender arrested in pedophile scandal

The crisis for the Labor Party deepened recently when former Labor MP Ivor Caplin was arrested after a sting operation carried out by citizen activists. Caplin is accused of trying to arrange a meeting with a 15-year-old boy.

Caplin, who had previously called Musk’s criticism of Starmer “unacceptable” and “unfounded”, was arrested just days after he publicly defended the prime minister. He has been released on bail pending the investigation.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-spreads-video-critical-of-netanyahu/

World

Trump spreads video critical of Netanyahu

Donald Trump's USA

Published today 14:08
– By Editorial Staff
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
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US President-elect Donald Trump has shared a video in which economist Jeffrey Sachs sharply criticizes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In the video, posted on Trump’s Truth Social platform on 8 January 2025, Sachs accuses Netanyahu of influencing US foreign policy in favor of Israel and of pushing for “endless wars” in the Middle East.

Sachs claims that since 1995, Netanyahu has pursued a strategy of weakening Hamas and Hezbollah by destabilizing their supporting governments in countries such as Iraq, Iran and Syria. He describes Netanyahu as “obsessive” and calls him a “deep dark son of a bitch”.

It is unclear why Trump chose to share the video, especially given that he and Netanyahu recently had a “very friendly, warm” discussion about hostage negotiations and Syria, among other things.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-plans-meeting-with-putin-we-are-setting-it-up/

World

Trump plans meeting with Putin: “We are setting it up”

The new cold war

Published yesterday 12:16
– By Editorial Staff
Putin and Trump during their meeting in Helsinki in 2018.
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US President-elect Donald Trump has announced that a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is now being arranged.

– He wants to meet, and we’re setting it up, Trump said at a meeting of Republican governors in Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

Trump described the war in Ukraine as “a bloody mess ” and expressed his intention to end the conflict. During his election campaign, he promised to end the war within 24 hours of taking office, but has recently conceded that a six-month period is a more realistic timeframe.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirms that the Russian president’s line has been firmly established that he is open to talks with Trump and that there are no preconditions for such a meeting.

– The president has repeatedly stated his openness to contact with international leaders, including the U.S. president, including Donald Trump, said Peskov.

Trump’s planned meeting with Putin has raised concerns in Kiev, where there are fears that US military support could be reduced and Ukraine could be pushed into an unfavorable peace deal.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/slovakias-leader-on-zelensky-a-beggar-and-blackmailer/

World

Slovakia’s leader on Zelensky: “A beggar and blackmailer”

The war in Ukraine

Published yesterday 8:03
– By Editorial Staff
Robert Fico and Volodymyr Zelensky have, to say the least, a frosty relationship today.
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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico launched a scathing attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of roaming Europe and engaging in “begging and blackmailing” – something that must stop.

– I’m not here to hold hands with Zelensky, and I’ll admit, I’m sick of him sometimes. He roams Europe begging and blackmailing, asking others for money… This needs to stop, the Slovak declared in Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on Friday.

The outspoken Fico has long been highly critical of the West’s almost unlimited support for Kiev, pointing out that Ukraine is not capable of defeating Russia on the battlefield and must instead seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Shortly after taking office in 2023, Fico also halted military aid to Ukraine and promised to veto the country’s potential accession to NATO, and he has also offered to host peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.

“Slovakia is not at war”

Slovak-Ukrainian relations deteriorated sharply when Kiev refused to extend its transit agreement with Russia’s Gazprom after it expired at the end of the year, effectively cutting off the flow of Russian natural gas to EU countries such as Austria, Italy and Slovakia.

Slovakia, which has no coastline of its own, is said to be particularly dependent on Russian gas, which has previously met around 60% of its total demand. Fico has demanded compensation from Kiev and promised countermeasures, possibly by cutting off electricity supplies and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

– Neither Slovakia nor the EU is at war, we have no reason to tolerate Zelensky’s adventures, especially looking at the aid Slovakia and the EU are providing to Ukraine, the Prime Minister said in a speech earlier this week.

Warned of World War III

On Thursday, Fico also met with EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen to discuss the situation and how to resolve it.

– We have a bloody serious problem, the Slovak leader stated before the meeting.

The Nordic Times has previously reported how Robert Fico warned that the war in Ukraine risks escalating into a third world war.

– In reality, Ukraine is only being used for geopolitical purposes to weaken Russia both economically and internationally. I fear that, in the name of these geopolitical goals, the West will continue to fight with Russia until the last Ukrainian soldier, and we are not far from that, he said.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com