Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

High acceptance of violence against women in Germany

Published 19 July 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Approximately 115 000 women in Germany suffer violence from their partners every year.
2 minute read

A new survey by the children’s rights organization Plan International Germany shows that one-third of young men in Germany think it is acceptable to use violence against their partners – figures that are enraging German feminists.

The survey, published in the newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, asked 1,000 men and an equal number of women between the ages of 18 and 35 about their thoughts on masculinity and violence. 34% of the men admitted to having been violent towards their partners in the past in order to “gain respect”. Almost as many – 33% – said it was acceptable for some violence to be used in arguments and fights with their partners.

The German group Federal Organization for Equality calls the responses “shocking” and says they can only be interpreted as meaning that one in three young men in Germany considers violence against women “acceptable”.

“This must change immediately”, they wrote on Twitter.

Karsten Kassner, of the feminist group Bundesforum Männer, also says the findings are deeply problematic and that a change in attitudes is needed very quickly.

According to the German Federal Police, 115,000 women were subjected to violence by their partners in 2021. Germany also has a very high rate of femicide by European standards.

Otherwise, 52% of men said they wanted to provide for the family. Women focused more on children and housework, but only a third of them were interested in this. It is also worth mentioning that 48% of respondents also said that they dislike or are “bothered” by displays of homosexuality in public spaces.

There is speculation on Reddit and social media as to whether Germany’s high proportion of young men from Muslim backgrounds influenced the unexpected results of the survey. Many argue that young men from non-Western backgrounds are far more likely to be homophobic and accept violence against their partners than secular ethnic German men.

Others suggest that the shocking figures may instead be due to the vague wording of the questions, a skewed sample of respondents, or too few people being asked.

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Trump suggests possible deportation of Elon Musk

Donald Trump's USA

Published today 11:22
– By Editorial Staff
The relationship between tech entrepreneur Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump appears to oscillate between frosty and outright hostile these days.
3 minute read

US President Donald Trump recently suggested the possibility of deporting his former ally and advisor Elon Musk, while hinting that the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) might review the government subsidies received by Musk’s companies.

The unexpected statement came during a press conference on the White House lawn, where the president was directly asked about the possibility of deporting the Tesla and SpaceX CEO.

– We’ll have to take a look, the president responded.

Musk, who was born in South Africa, has been a US citizen since 2002. Under current law, deportation would require a criminal conviction. Trump elaborated on his comment with a sarcastic attack aimed at his former friend:

– We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible? He gets lots of subsidies, he said.

Escalating conflict

The conflict between Trump and Musk has escalated in recent weeks, particularly regarding the comprehensive “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, which forms the core of Trump’s domestic policy agenda. Musk has called the bill “completely insane” and “political suicide”.

The president responded to the criticism with a post on his Truth Social platform:

“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa”, he wrote.

“No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”

The background to these statements is Musk’s repeated attacks on the bill, which he claims threatens both jobs and future technology. In a post on X on Saturday, he wrote that “The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!”

“Insane and destructive”

“Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future”, he continued.

On Monday, he intensified his rhetoric:

“Anyone who campaigned on the PROMISE of REDUCING SPENDING , but continues to vote on the BIGGEST DEBT ceiling increase in HISTORY will see their face on this poster in the primary next year”.

Musk also described the political climate in the US as “a one-party country – THE PORKY PIG PARTY!!” and called for the formation of a new political party.

Electric vehicle dispute

On Tuesday, Trump emphasized that his previous support from Musk didn’t change his stance on electric vehicle policy:

“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate”, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one”.

Trump threatens to sic DOGE on his former ally. Photo: facsimile/Truth Social//Donald Trump

With Tuesday’s Senate approval, where the bill passed with a 51-50 vote, the conflict between Trump and Musk deepened further. Recently, Musk also expressed support for impeachment proceedings against the president, though he later retracted this and apologized.

Musk resigned from his position at DOGE on May 29, in accordance with the 130-day limit for special government employees.

Trump’s top diplomat compares Syria’s jihadist leader to George Washington

The escalation in the Middle East

Published today 10:17
– By Editorial Staff
Ahmed al-Sharaa and America's first president George Washington (1732-1799).
3 minute read

The US government is considering removing Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – a former jihadist leader within the terrorist group al-Qaeda – from its global terrorist list. Meanwhile, American top diplomats are comparing him to America’s first president George Washington.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order dismantling major parts of the comprehensive sanctions program against Syria. Simultaneously, he has ordered a review of the terrorist classification of Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the Islamist terrorist leader who now governs the country after Bashar al-Assad’s secular government was overthrown by Islamist groups.

According to the order, which was made public on Monday, broad financial restrictions against Syria are lifted, while targeted sanctions against Assad and his former government remain. HTS – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – and other militant groups involved in Assad’s fall are not directly affected, but the order opens the door for changes.

Trump instructs Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review both HTS’s status as a foreign terrorist organization and al-Sharaa’s designation as a “specially designated global terrorist”. Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, implemented in 1979, will also be reconsidered.

Historical parallels

The decision comes in the wake of Trump’s notable meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh in May. The focus then was on Syria’s reconstruction and a possible normalization of relations with Israel. Trump described the new leadership in Damascus as deserving “a chance at greatness”.

To lead contacts with Damascus, Trump has appointed Thomas Barrack as Special Envoy for Syria. Barrack is a former ambassador to Turkey and longtime confidant of the president.

On Monday, Barrack commented to reporters about the “controversy here, of somebody who had been al-Nusrah and had been considered a bad guy who all of a sudden becomes the leader” – and drew a historical parallel between Syria’s political transformation and the early years of U.S. independence.

“And in thinking through it, if you remember, we had a revolutionary war that lasted 14 months.  And we had brutality.  We had the Battles of Concord, the Battle of Lexington.  And from 1776 when we declared independence, it was 12 years until we got a president.  And who was the president?  The president was a general.  Who was the general?  It was George Washington”.

The American Revolutionary War actually lasted over eight years, between 1775 and 1783.

“And in those 12 years, we were defining everything.  We were defining a constitution, we were defining the framework, we were defining a judiciary – trying to figure out where we’re going before we ever had the election”, Barrack continued.

Trump: “Young attractive guy”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously warned that Syria has become “a playground for jihadist groups, including ISIS and others”. He also admitted that the new leadership in Damascus “didn’t pass their background check with the FBI”, but emphasized that the US must still support the development to counter greater regional instability.

“The US is taking further actions to support a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors”, Rubio wrote in a post on X on Monday.

Donald Trump has previously caused some controversy when he described the Syrian Islamist leader and terrorist as a “young, attractive guy, very strong past” and a “fighter”.

The Nordic Times has in several previous articles highlighted al-Sharaa’s/al-Julani’s background as an Islamist terrorist and how, after Assad’s overthrow, he was suddenly being promoted by Western powers as a legitimate political leader.

Majority of Ukrainians want peace through compromise

The war in Ukraine

Published yesterday 13:54
– By Editorial Staff
It was previously often claimed that Russia would be defeated on the battlefield - today the picture is different, and more voices are advocating for peace through negotiations instead.
2 minute read

A majority of Ukraine’s population now indicates they are willing to accept compromises or make concessions to end the war with Russia.

This is shown in a new opinion poll conducted by the Ukrainian think tank Janus Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts, the polling institute SOCIS Centre for Social and Marketing Research, and the publication Barometer of Public Opinion, which compiles and disseminates opinion data.

According to the survey, 55.7 percent of respondents now support a solution through compromise with the involvement of international leaders. An additional 16.6 percent advocate for a temporary freezing of the war, with a ceasefire along the current line of contact.

Photo: facsimile/socis.kiev.ua

In total, this means that over 70 percent of respondents are open to some form of settlement or pause in the hostilities.

Meanwhile, 12.8 percent want to continue the war until Ukraine’s borders from 1991 are restored, while 8.6 percent indicate they prefer continued fighting until the borders from February 23, 2022 – the day before the Russian invasion began – are restored.

1.2 percent chose another option, and 5 percent of respondents refused to answer or could not take a position.

Photo: facsimile/socis.kiev.ua

The survey also shows that 57.6 percent believe elections should be held in Ukraine if peace negotiations with Russia lead to a temporary cessation of hostilities and an end to the state of war.

The opinion poll was conducted between June 6-11, 2025, and included 2,000 respondents aged 18 and older who were interviewed in person across Ukraine. The survey did not include residents in temporarily occupied areas or in areas where active fighting was ongoing at the time of data collection. The statistical margin of error is stated as ±2.6 percent.

US approves $510 million weapons sale to Israel

The situation in Gaza

Published yesterday 11:42
– By Editorial Staff
Crew aboard USS John C. Stennis prepares to move MK-82/BLU 111 bombs.
1 minute read

The United States has approved a $510 million weapons sale to Israel, including thousands of bomb guidance systems, the Pentagon announces. The deliveries come as Israel faces repeated accusations of committing genocide in Gaza, partially carried out using American bombs.

In a statement, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said the sale includes 3,845 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance systems and additional guidance systems for the MK 82 bomb.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel”, the DSCA stated, adding that the sale “is vital to US national interests”.

The prime contractor is Boeing, based in St. Charles, Missouri.

The deal comes at a time of increased international scrutiny of US military support for Israel, as civilian casualties in Gaza continue to rise due to Israeli bombing campaigns.

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