US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy has appointed eight new vaccine advisors. Among them is Swedish epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff.
The health secretary recently decided to fire all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the federal government on vaccine safety and effectiveness.
Kennedy has now selected eight new members for the committee, reports The New York Times. They include a psychiatrist, a biostatistician, a pediatrician, and an emergency physician. All of those selected are either doctors or have a doctorate.
Among them is Swedish epidemiologist and biostatistician Martin Kulldorff. Kulldorff is generally described as having a positive attitude toward vaccines, but was strongly critical of vaccine mandates and lockdown policies during the coronavirus crisis. This led to him losing his position at Harvard University, where he was a professor of medicine.
Kulldorff was one of those who spoke highly of natural immunity when it came to COVID-19 and described vaccine mandates as “unscientific and unethical”. He was also one of the main authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, which opposed lockdowns and received over a million signatures from more than 40 countries.
The Swedish epidemiologist was born in Lund but grew up in Umeå, where he also attended Umeå University. He has previously worked at Uppsala University.
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During the night, the Israeli Air Force carried out extensive attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran, killing several high-ranking military officials and scientists.
The operation has provoked strong reactions from both Iran and the international community, and fears of a large-scale regional war have now increased significantly.
According to reports, the Israeli attacks targeted nuclear facilities, residential areas, and military command centers. According to Iranian state media and the AFP news agency, several high-ranking officials were killed, including Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami, Defense Minister Mohammad Bagheri, and six prominent nuclear scientists.
According to a spokesperson for the Israeli military, a total of over 100 targets were hit by around 200 fighter jets. Iranian state television reports that at least five people were killed and 50 injured, including women and children.
Israel is officially attacking Iran right now.
The entire Israel are currently in bomb shelters as the sirens are going off nationwide pic.twitter.com/hkYANFCpBq
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation in a televised speech overnight. He claimed that the attack was “necessary for Israel’s security” and said:
– A targetet military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.
Netanyahu emphasized that nuclear facilities in Iran were the primary targets and that Israel would not back down until the alleged threat was eliminated.
Netanyahu just released a video explaining why he’s now bombing Iran. The official language in Israel is Hebrew, so why is he speaking ENGLISH?
My lucky guess is that this video isn’t for Israelis, it’s propaganda for Americans.pic.twitter.com/R5LlFKz3nJ
The UN’s atomic energy agency, the IAEA, confirmed on Friday that the nuclear facility in Natanz was hit on two occasions. In a statement on X, the organization announced that it is cooperating with Iran to monitor radiation levels. According to Reuters, which cites both the IAEA and Iranian authorities, no elevated radiation levels have been measured. The nuclear power plant in Bushehr was not a target.
Israel has attacked Iran
– I was on the show of Judge Napolitano yesterday expressing doubt that Israel would be crazy enough to actually go ahead with the attack on Iran. It turns out that they are this mad pic.twitter.com/YfVwjnqqV1
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it clear that the US had not been involved in Israel’s attacks.
– Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region, Rubio said, according to ABC News and TT.
He added that Israel had informed the US in advance that the operation was considered an act of self-defense. President Donald Trump is expected to lead a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday afternoon, Swedish time, to discuss the escalating situation.
Iranian drone attacks
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned the attack in a statement on X and promised revenge.
“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see”, he wrote.
With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.
He confirmed that several high-ranking military officials and nuclear scientists had been killed and promised that Israel would face severe punishment. In retaliation, Iran has fired over 100 drones at Israel, according to Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin.
– In recent hours, Iran has launched more than 100 drones toward Israel, all systems are engaged to thwart the threats. Hard times lie ahead, he told Reuters.
The Israeli defense forces are now working to neutralize the drones, partly with the help of defense systems active in Saudi Arabian airspace, according to TV channel Keshet 12.
Iranian attack drones, including Shahed variants, have been launched towards Israel, starting Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
Seen here, an Iranian Shahed-136 flies low over eastern Iraq, heading westward. pic.twitter.com/qEADnoWWly
In response to the risk of further retaliation from Iran, Israel has declared a state of emergency. Prime Minister Netanyahu has warned that civilians may need to spend long periods in shelters. Army chief Eyal Zamir urged Israelis to prepare for a new situation:
– Because the time had come; we’d reached the point of no return
He further claimed that Iranian weapons of mass destruction pose “an existential threat to the State of Israel and a significant threat to the wider world”. Schools are closed and Friday’s pride parade in Tel Aviv has been canceled.
The Danish Parliament has voted through an agreement granting the US access to Danish military bases – including military infrastructure in the autonomous regions of Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Critics warn of a slide in Danish sovereignty, while the government describes the agreement as a necessary step.
With a broad majority – 94 votes in favor and 11 against – the Danish parliament this week adopted a new defense agreement with the US. The agreement gives US forces the right to use several military facilities on Danish soil, including Karup, Skrydstrup, and Aalborg, as well as access to areas in the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
According to the Danish government, the agreement aims to strengthen Denmark’s cooperation with the US within the framework of NATO. Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen emphasizes that the agreement does not imply a permanent troop presence, but rather logistical capabilities and operational flexibility.
The Ministry of Defense emphasizes that the US military presence is seen as a way to be ready to respond quickly to crises in the Arctic and North Atlantic – areas that have become more important militarily as the security situation has changed.
The agreement has also attracted criticism from several quarters. Particularly controversial is the clause stipulating that US military personnel will be subject to US jurisdiction, even if they commit crimes against civilians in Denmark. Several opposition politicians have pointed out that this undermines the rule of law and goes against Danish legal tradition.
Shortly before the vote, the leader of the Unity List, Pelle Dragsted, said that the agreement is “harmful to the country”.
– It is an agreement that means that we will have areas in Denmark that are under American jurisdiction. Where Danish authorities cannot exercise control. And where mistreatment of prisoners can occur. It is a gigantic failure towards the Danish population.
With the country’s new DCA agreement with the US, Danish soldiers can expect to see a significant increase in the American presence in Denmark. Photo: 7th Army Training Command/CC BY 2.0
Superpower logic guides decisions
Others believe that the agreement represents a step toward Denmark effectively ceding parts of its territory to a foreign power.
Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both of which have extensive self-government, have been formally informed of the agreement, but neither the Faroese Lagting nor the Greenlandic Inatsisartut have had the right to block the decision. This has led to further criticism, as many see it as Copenhagen bypassing local interests in favor of superpower logic.
In the background is also the geopolitical shift underway in the Arctic, where Russia, China, and the US are all trying to strengthen their positions. The US has previously shown interest in Greenland – not least after Donald Trump’s much-publicized proposal to buy the island – and considers it to be of strategic importance for surveillance and control of the North Atlantic.
The Danish government sees the agreement as a necessary adaptation to a new reality.
– The problem is not too much involvement from the US in Europe. On the contrary, the risk is that the US will withdraw and move troops away or stop donations to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this week.
At the same time, there are growing concerns that Denmark is also making itself more vulnerable – both politically and militarily – in the event of a future conflict between major powers.
The Folketing’s decision therefore marks not only a deepening of cooperation with the US, but also a change in Denmark’s attitude toward military alliances and sovereignty—a choice that is far from comfortable for all Danes.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivered a passionate speech on Monday at the Patriots for Europe meeting in Mormant-sur-Vernisson, France.
Before an enthusiastic audience, he called on French voters to support Marine Le Pen and patriotic forces in the fight against the Brussels establishment and the threat of cultural obliteration through mass migration and population replacement.
Orbán began by contrasting France’s superpower status with Hungary’s more limited resources.
– France is a great power and Hungary is a small country with 11 million people, modest GDP, and limited military strength. But what makes Hungary interesting is its politics.
– We are the black sheep of the European Union. Brussels’ nightmare. The hope of Europe’s patriots. And the last bastion of Christians, he continued.
Orbán returned to his own upbringing under communism:
– I was born in a communist dictatorship under Soviet occupation. We had to fight for freedom and democracy… The intellectual bureaucrats in Brussels who criticize Hungary have no idea what it means to fight for your country.
“Besieged” by the media and big business
The prime minister highlighted the historical distance between Hungary and France, but emphasized that the countries are now united in a common struggle. Referring to the authors Victor Hugo and Albert Camus, he portrayed Hungary as a nation shaped by resistance – now once again fighting against ideological occupation.
A large part of the speech was devoted to the EU’s migration policy, with Orbán arguing that Brussels has pursued a line that undermines Europe’s cultural foundations.
He argued that the siege of Hungary began 20 years ago – not by armies, but by global corporations, progressive NGOs, and foreign-funded media that took over the country’s institutions.
– For them, the family, the nation, and Christianity were just a joke.
@PM_ViktorOrban: “What is happening is not migration. It’s an organized exchange of people to replace Europe’s cultural base.
“For us, €1 million a day is a lot of money, but we’d rather pay than let anyone in illegally. It’s the best investment for the future.” pic.twitter.com/AZi3Yqqfl8
He described Hungary’s response as clear and effective:
– In Hungary, the number of migrants is zero. There are no migrant hordes on our streets. No anti-Semitism. No violence. No riots. Hungary is the country of the Hungarians
Orbán attacked the EU’s migration policy, calling it part of a larger plan for a large-scale population exchange.
– This is not migration. It’s an organized population exchange meant to replace the cultural foundation of Europe.
– We will not kneel before Brussels, he continued.
“Don’t want to die for Ukraine”
He also expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine and argued that everyone loses if the war drags on.
– I come from a country that shares a border with Ukraine. Warmongering politicians want us to believe this war must go on. But I warn you: it cannot be won. On the battlefield, there are only the dead, suffering, and destruction.
The national conservative politician also rejected the idea of Hungary becoming involved militarily:
– We don’t want to die for Ukraine. We don’t want our sons coming home in coffins. We don’t want a new Afghanistan on our doorstep, he declared, criticizing the EU’s handling of the conflict.
– We don’t want Brussels using this war as a pretext for federalizing member states’ finances, taking on massive debt, and pushing us into an arms race. We must stop them.
“The weak fall”
According to Orbán, it is of utmost importance that European peoples work together in their quest for independence and freedom – and he believes that France has an important role to play here.
Orbán is a close ally of Marine Le Pen and is calling on the French to support her movement. Photo: Vox España
– We Hungarians need your victory. Without you, we cannot take Brussels. And without you, we cannot save Hungary from the Brussels guillotine
– The weak fall. The cowardly are humiliated. But the brave stand tall. Effort wins. If we unite, we will be strong – and we will win. Marine [Le Pen], lead us, he concluded.
The number of armed conflicts reached a historic high in 2024, according to new statistics from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP) at Uppsala University.
Despite a marginal decrease in the total number of deaths, targeted violence against civilians also increased significantly.
UCDP recorded 61 armed conflicts involving at least one state in 2024 – an increase from 59 the previous year and the highest number since measurements began in 1946. Of these, 11 were classified as wars, which according to the UCDP definition means at least 1,000 combat-related deaths in a year – the highest figure since 2016.
In total, around 160,000 people were killed in organized violence during the year, a slight decrease compared to the extremely deadly year of 2022.
– This is not about the world becoming more peaceful. We are seeing more wars and more conflicts than before, but with slightly fewer deaths than in the exceptionally bloody year of 2022. 2024 is the fourth most violent year since the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, said Shawn Davies, senior analyst at UCDP.
The conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza
The war in Ukraine remained the world’s deadliest conflict in 2024, with around 76,000 combat-related deaths. In the Middle East, Israel’s war in Gaza and against Hezbollah in Lebanon contributed to high death tolls, especially among civilians. The UCDP recorded a total of around 26,000 deaths in these two conflicts, 94 percent of whom were civilians or persons of unknown identity.
– It has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between civilians and members of armed groups, despite improvements in information in many areas over the past 15 years. This is particularly challenging in situations where the line between civilians and combatants is blurred, or where indiscriminate violence, such as aerial bombardments, is used in densely populated areas, says Therese Pettersson, senior analyst at UCDP.
In Gaza, only 2% of deaths could be linked to members of a combatant group, while 48% were classified as civilians. The rest were recorded as persons of unknown identity.
– Reliable information about who is killed is important for investigating suspected war crimes, for the international community to be able to act appropriately, and for knowing what needs society has after a conflict ends, Pettersson continues.
Decade of increasing conflict
Targeted attacks against civilians increased sharply in 2024. The UCDP recorded 13,900 civilian deaths in such attacks – an increase of 31 percent compared to the previous year. For the tenth year in a row, the Islamist terrorist group IS was the deadliest actor, with around 3,800 civilian casualties, mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Since 2010, the number of armed conflicts involving state actors has almost doubled, and the number of deaths has increased fivefold – despite some temporary declines.
– Over the past decade, we have seen an increase in the number of inter-state conflicts, with 2024 recording the highest number since 1987. Conflicts in which states actively support armed groups in other countries have also become more common during this period. This is a worrying development that risks contributing to higher death tolls, explains Davies, adding:
– We are living in a new era with more and more intense and complex conflicts, which places higher demands on international conflict resolution and better protection of civilians. It is also important to continue documenting what is happening in the world’s conflicts.
UCDP defines organized violence as armed confrontations between two organized actors in which at least 25 people are killed in direct combat in a calendar year. It includes three categories: state violence (between state and actor), non-state violence (between two non-state groups) and unilateral violence directed against civilians.
All deaths must be combat-related, i.e. directly caused by armed violence – not indirect consequences such as starvation or disease.
