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https://nordictimes.com/world/us-hit-by-deadliest-hurricane-since-2005/

World

US hit by deadliest hurricane since 2005

  • The devastating Hurricane Helene is reported to have killed more than 230 people, with 285 still missing, since it began its path across the southeastern United States on September 26.
  • Desperate people in the region strongly criticise the public crisis management and the lack of emergency aid.
  • Several testimonies go so far as to accuse the authorities of sabotaging the relief work organised by volunteers.
  • Meanwhile, another powerful hurricane is expected to hit Florida later today.
Published October 9, 2024 – By Editorial staff
Devastation in Florida after hurricane Helene.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

 

In one of his first comments on the disaster on 30 September, US President Joe Biden told the public service channel C-Span about the government's response that "We've given everything that we have" and that local authorities "haven't asked for it yet".

At the same time, the government's arguably slow response to the hurricane and the general lack of emergency aid is being heavily criticised by those affected.

– Honestly, I don't know how you did not have a formal press conference from either president Biden or Kamala Harris. How do you not say anything for four days, and this is the first day we've heard, said one resident with relatives in the cut-off areas, who she said is in a dire situation and low on water, food and gasoline.

Asheville in particular, with a population of about 100,000, is said to be partially cut off from the outside world, forcing people to flee the city on a massive scale.


Controversial reports: Authorities sabotaging volunteer work

Several witnesses, including Pastor Chadwick Buckland of Legacy Church Global in Greenville, claim that some emergency aid has reached the worst-affected areas, but that this is being done by volunteers. Buckland and several other witnesses go so far as to accuse authorities of sabotaging aid deliveries, information that is echoed by other witnesses who believe that anonymous military helicopters have been flying at low altitudes, including in Burnsville, NC, in a way that has caused chaos for volunteers.

Donald Trump has criticised the FEMA agency in the same way. FEMA Director Deanne Criswell told MSNBC television that the allegations were merely a matter of spreading "disinformation", and reassured that the situation was under control.

– We have over 4500 people on the ground that have been here since before the storm made landfall, working side by side with our state counterparts in the communities with the local officials, and all I hear on the ground is gratefulness and compassion and a level of unity to make sure that we're getting people what they need.

Already, Helene is the deadliest hurricane to hit the United States since Katrina in 2005. Another major hurricane, named Milton, is moving east through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida and is expected to make landfall Wednesday evening.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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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 yesterday 10:06 am – 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

https://nordictimes.com/world/china-brings-taiwan-dispute-with-japan-to-un/

World

China brings Taiwan dispute with Japan to UN

Published November 23, 2025 – By Editorial staff
On October 31, 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was visiting Gyeongju, South Korea to attend APEC, held a summit meeting with Xi Jinping.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

China has taken the recently flared-up dispute with Japan to the UN. In a letter to the UN Secretary-General, Beijing accuses Tokyo of threatening armed intervention regarding Taiwan and vows to exercise its right to self-defense.

China's UN Ambassador Fu Cong wrote on Friday to UN Secretary-General António Guterres that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi committed "a grave violation of international law" when she said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Japan, reports Reuters.

"If Japan dares to attempt an armed intervention in the cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression", Fu wrote according to a statement from China's UN mission.

China vows to "resolutely exercise its right of self-defence" under the UN Charter and international law to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Biggest bilateral crisis in years

Beijing regards Taiwan as part of the People's Republic of China and has not ruled out military action to regain control over the island. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's claims and maintains that only the island's population can determine its future.

Japan's Foreign Ministry confirmed that it had received Fu's letter, which is the sharpest criticism of Takaichi from a senior Chinese official to date. The ministry emphasized that Japan's commitment remains unchanged and rejected China's claims as "entirely unacceptable".

Takaichi, a conservative nationalist who took office last month, abandoned the ambiguity that Japan and the United States have long maintained regarding Taiwan when she said on November 7 that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could be considered "a situation threatening Japan's survival" – a legal designation that allows a Japanese prime minister to deploy the military.

The conflict has spread beyond diplomacy. China claims that trade cooperation has been seriously damaged, while concerts by Japanese musicians in China have been canceled.

Fu demanded that Japan "cease provocations and violations and retract its erroneous statements," which he said "openly challenge China's core interests."

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com