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Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/left-largest-in-france-national-rally-in-third-place/

World

Left parties biggest in France – National Rally in third place

Updated July 8, 2024, Published July 8, 2024 – By Editorial staff
Jean-Luc Mélenchon's left-wing alliance appears to be the big winner of the election.
3 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The second and decisive round of the French parliamentary elections was by all accounts a minor fiasco for Bardella and le Pen's National Rally, which is likely to win fewer seats than both the left-wing NFP alliance and Macron's center-right coalition.

In the run-up to the election, both the left and the liberals mobilized, and according to Ipsos polls, around 67% of citizens went to the polls - the highest turnout since 1997.

The national conservative National Rally was predicted to be the favorite, but appears to be in third place with 143 seats - according to preliminary results, far from the 289 seats needed for a majority in parliament.

The left-wing NFP alliance looks set to win 182 seats, and Macron's centrist coalition is expected to come in second with 168 seats. Votes are still being counted, but it is considered almost impossible for the National Rally to overtake any of its main rivals.

The most likely scenario is that the left will negotiate with the more liberal party to form a government and keep the nationalists out of power.

At the same time, it should be noted that if one looks only at the number of votes cast, the National Rally together with its allies is by far the largest party, winning just over 37% of the vote - but in practice this matters less, as the candidate with the most votes in a constituency wins the constituency's seats, and the other parties may have joined together in an "unholy alliance" to ensure that the seats do not go to Bardella's party. By comparison, the left-wing NFP alliance has by far the most seats in parliament - despite winning only about 28% of the popular vote.

"Magnificent mobilization"

Acting Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announces his resignation, and National Rally leader Jordan Bardella expresses his disappointment at the result, saying that France is now facing an "uncertain future". At the same time, he promises that the party will instead "strengthen its work in opposition".

Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon instead called it a "magnificent mobilization".

– The president must bow down and admit defeat, and the prime minister must resign, he says.

This year's elections have been marked by the fact that the campaigns of the other parties have been very explicitly about stopping the National Rally through various political tricks and maneuvers, rather than pushing and promoting their own policies.

"Scary moment"

It is also worth noting that it is not only the National Rally that is disappointed with the election results. Several prominent French Jewish figures have publicly accused at least parts of Mélenchon's pro-Palestinian left-wing alliance of being deeply "anti-Semitic" and called for opposition.

"The Left has once again fallen prey to the infamous Mélenchon. Surrounding him now are some of the new faces of antisemitism. A chilling moment indeed. Our sole mission: to persist in the struggle against these individuals", declared the philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy on X, calling Mélenchon's party "the main enemy of all democrats".

French-Jewish journalist Yohann Taieb agrees, arguing that "Mélenchon's victory sends a horrifying message of impunity to all anti-Jewish Islamo-fascists". Similar messages have been delivered by other Jewish figures in the country.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/us-excludes-south-africa-from-g20/

World

US Excludes South Africa from G20

Donald Trump's USA

Published yesterday 4:09 pm – By Editorial staff
South Africa will not receive an invitation to the 2026 G20 meeting if Donald Trump gets his way.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

US President Donald Trump announces that South Africa will not be invited to next year's G20 summit in Miami. The decision follows serious allegations of an ongoing genocide against South Africa's white minority.

Trump claims that systematic attacks and murders of white farmers in South Africa have occurred under the government's silence.

In a post on Truth Social, he writes: "They are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them".

He directly links the allegations to his decision: "At my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year".

Trump adds that the US will also stop all payments and subsidies to South Africa. He also criticizes American media, which he accuses of remaining silent about what he calls genocide.

Among others, the American president singles out The New York Times as particularly complicit through their silence.

Ramaphosa rejects the allegations

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and other representatives strongly reject the picture of an ongoing genocide.

— That is not the government's policy, Ramaphosa said in May this year, when the issue of land seizures and violence against white farmers came up during a meeting with Trump at the White House.

Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump during the spring meeting at the White House. Photo: screenshot/White House

Both politicians and courts in South Africa have consistently denied that there is a targeted genocide against white people in the country.

According to the president's spokesman Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa noted Trump's "regrettable statement" and rejected claims that South Africa does not deserve its place in the G20.

— As a founding member of the G20, South Africa values consensus, collaboration and partnership, Magwenya explained.

The G20 group consists of 19 countries, the EU and the African Union. This year's summit in South Africa was conducted without the presence of high-ranking American representatives, after Trump refused to back down from his allegations.

Next year's G20 meeting will be held at Trump National Doral, the family company's golf resort outside Miami.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/russia-producing-weapons-in-volumes-adversaries-couldnt-have-dreamed-of/

World

Russia producing weapons in volumes adversaries “couldn’t have dreamed of”

The war in Ukraine

Published November 26, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Sergei Chemezov is the head of Rostec, the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Russia's defense industry is now manufacturing more artillery shells and aerial bombs than any other country in the world, according to Sergey Chemezov, head of the state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec. Production has increased dramatically since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in 2022.

In an interview with the news agency TASS, published on Tuesday, Chemezov outlines a significant escalation in weapons manufacturing, writes RT.

— We are supplying aircraft, tanks, infantry vehicles, howitzers, electronic warfare systems, drones and much more in enormous quantities. No country in the world today produces as many shells and aerial bombs, he says.

Chemezov states that he cannot provide exact figures but notes that the production volumes are such that the country's adversaries "could not have dreamed of".

Production multiplied many times over

Russian officials have repeatedly highlighted the increased defense production over the past three years. In May 2024, President Vladimir Putin stated that ammunition manufacturing had increased fourteenfold since the military operation began, while drone production had quadrupled and the production of armored vehicles increased 3.5 times.

Russia has consistently condemned Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, arguing that they only prolong the conflict without affecting its ultimate outcome.

Kremlin open to negotiations

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated on Tuesday that Russia wants to achieve its goals "through political and diplomatic means" and that the country remains "completely open to a negotiation process". At the same time, Moscow accuses Kiev of wanting to continue the fighting, backed by its Western allies.

Russia has also accused the EU and Britain of obstructing ongoing peace efforts.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/american-academics-propose-nuclear-weapons-for-us-allies/

World

American academics propose nuclear weapons for US allies

Published November 24, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Professors Mark Raymond (left) and Moritz Graefrath write in a joint opinion piece that US allies should be allowed to acquire their own nuclear arsenals.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The American journal Foreign Affairs has published a debate article by two professors at the University of Oklahoma that challenges prevailing security policy principles. The professors suggest that the United States' closest allies should consider acquiring nuclear weapons themselves.

The article, authored by professors Moritz S. Graefrath and Mark A. Raymond, has received extensive international attention and sparked controversy, though no Western country has yet officially endorsed the proposal.

In the widely discussed text, the duo argues that countries such as Canada, Germany, and Japan have both the technical capacity and security interests to develop nuclear weapons themselves – thereby reducing their dependence on US military protection.

The article states that "America’s allies should go nuclear. Selective proliferation will strengthen the global order, not end it".

The text highlights that these countries already participate in advanced military cooperation with the US and have access to the resources required for developing nuclear weapons.

The authors continue: "What the three allies would need – and what the United States can and should provide – is public support and diplomatic cover for their transition to becoming nuclear-armed states, as well as technical and doctrinal guidance to ensure robust command and control safeguards".

The debate surrounding the article has quickly gained momentum, and so far none of the countries mentioned in the text have officially endorsed the proposal, instead maintaining strong support for international disarmament and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Critical reactions

Germany, for example, based on official statements, policy decisions and debate contributions, stands firm in its policy against nuclear proliferation and emphasizes that the country has no plans to change this principle.

Government representatives have expressed that Germany's position continues to support international disarmament agreements and that they reject all proposals to develop their own nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, American and European experts have criticized the authors' reasoning as risky and have warned that such a development could trigger a new global arms race.

The background to the Foreign Affairs article is the increased geopolitically tense situation, where US commitments regarding the so-called nuclear umbrella are being questioned in several places in Europe and Asia.

Several European leaders have recently requested discussions about independent deterrence and nuclear weapons cooperation within NATO.

The US and other nuclear powers have so far rejected such discussions, continuing to insist on diplomacy and disarmament as the fundamental strategy.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/marjorie-taylor-greene-leaves-congress-after-conflict-with-trump/

World

Marjorie Taylor Greene leaves Congress after conflict with Trump

Donald Trump's USA

Published November 23, 2025 – By Editorial staff
Marjorie Taylor Greene explained her withdrawal in a video on X.
3 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Marjorie Taylor Greene, formerly one of Donald Trump's most loyal allies in Congress, announced on Friday that she is resigning from the House of Representatives. She said she refused to be "a battered wife hoping everything goes away and gets better" and face a primary campaign against a Trump-backed challenger.

The resignation marks a dramatic turn for the Republican congresswoman from Georgia, who was once among Trump's closest allies and a vocal advocate for his "America First" agenda. The relationship between the two has deteriorated sharply in recent months, primarily due to disagreements over the release of investigation documents linked to American-Jewish sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a ten-minute video on social media, Greene explained that the decision to resign was due to the prospect of facing a Trump-backed Republican challenger in the primary and the risk of Democrats taking over the House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections. She also complained that Congress has largely been "sidelined" since Trump returned to the presidency in January.

— I have too much self-respect and dignity, love my family way too much, and don't want my sweet district to have to endure a hurtful and hateful primary against me from the president we all fought for, only to then fight and win my election while Republicans likely lose the midterms, Greene said.

— I refuse to be a ‘battered wife’ hoping it all goes away and gets better, she added.

Trump's reaction and internal concerns

In an interview with ABC News, Trump called Greene's resignation, which takes effect on January 5, "fantastic news for the country".

The conflict between Trump and Greene has raised concerns among some Republicans that Trump's "Make America Great Again" base could split ahead of the midterm elections, when Democrats hope to regain control of Congress.

Greene's resignation will reduce the Republican majority in the House of Representatives to 218 members versus the Democrats' 213. In the Senate, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.

Growing independence from Trump

Recently, Greene has shown increased independence from Trump. She joined an initiative in the House of Representatives to force the release of Epstein documents despite Trump's objections, criticized party leadership for poor handling of healthcare costs during the recent government crisis, has demanded that the US stop sending American taxpayer money to the Ukraine war, and called Israel's attacks on Gaza genocide.

Trump, in turn, became increasingly critical. Before the House voted overwhelmingly to release the Epstein documents, he called her a "traitor" and "disgrace" to the Republican Party. He withdrew his support and called her a "ranting lunatic".

In her video, Greene defended her Epstein vote.

— Standing up for American women who were raped at 14, trafficked and used by rich powerful men, should not result in me being called a traitor and threatened by the President of the United States, whom I fought for, she said.

Greene said she was proud of her conservative voting record and added, in a jab at Trump, that "loyalty should be a two-way street".

Greene won her district in northwestern Georgia with 64 percent of the vote in 2024.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com