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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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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 9 October 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Devastation in Florida after hurricane Helene.
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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/mcdonalds-cheeseburgers-used-to-recruit-soldiers-for-ukraines-army/

World

McDonald’s cheeseburgers used to recruit soldiers for Ukraine’s army

The war in Ukraine

Published today 17:01
– By Editorial Staff
Using fast food to attract young people to the army has provoked many.
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A Ukrainian recruitment campaign on TikTok is enticing young men to sign military contracts with the promise of buying thousands of McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

The campaign has caused controversy and faced harsh criticism, while raising questions about the authorities’ recruitment practices during the ongoing war.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has launched a recruitment video on TikTok, which appears to primarily target young men between the ages of 18 and 24. An age group that is currently excluded from the country’s mobilization.

The video emphasizes that those who sign a military contract will receive one million hryvnia (approximately €22,000) – a sum that, according to the video, is enough to buy 15,625 cheeseburgers at McDonald’s.

In the video, a man stands outside a McDonald’s restaurant and asks the question “How many cheeseburgers can be bought for 1,000,000 hryvnia?”, before presenting the figure of 15,625, based on a price of 64 hryvnia per cheeseburger.

The strategy of using McDonald’s fast food as an incentive has generated strong reactions from, among others, former Ukrainian diplomat Andrey Telizhenko.

He says the strategy shows desperation and a lack of respect for the citizens of Ukraine.

– Anyone who would fall for the promise of 15,625 cheeseburgers is not going to receive that money anyway, he says, pointing out that many soldiers do not survive long enough to use the money.

Creative desperation

The criticism is amplified by social media, where users express both surprise and anger. Many call the campaign bizarre and inappropriate, especially given the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Previous reports from the Associated Press and others in January 2025 show that the country is planning reforms to include younger age groups in recruitment, which the video in question appears to be part of.

The recruitment campaign also reflects a broader trend of Ukraine trying to reach younger generations through social media, but using cheeseburgers as bait during a war creates a contrast that many find offensive.

The debate highlights the problems Ukraine faces in balancing military needs with public trust. While some see the video as a creative way to reach young people, others see it as a sign of desperation in a time of crisis.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented publicly on the criticism.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/nato-warns-climate-crisis-threatens-military-pacts-capabilities/

World

NATO warns: “Climate crisis” threatens military pact’s capabilities

Published today 14:06
– By Editorial Staff
NATO member states are urged to adapt their military forces to climate change as quickly as possible.
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NATO is facing a serious threat, according to James Appathurai, the organization’s Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid and Cyber Affairs.

This time, however, it is neither the Russians nor the Chinese who are said to be threatening the US-led military pact’s operations – but alleged climate change.

According to the Canadian NATO chief, the climate has changed dramatically in a short period of time and Europe’s military forces have not yet been able to adapt satisfactorily to these new conditions.

The NATO Climate Change and Security Impact Assessment report, for example, paints a picture of increased heavy rainfall, making it difficult for radar systems to function as intended.

Other problems identified include the negative impact of warmer air on aircraft performance and higher water temperatures making it more difficult to track enemy submarines. According to James Appathurai, it is therefore high time for NATO countries to focus on adapting their defense to climate change.

– We need to look at the climate in terms of its impact on military effectiveness, he tells state broadcaster SVT.

“Sweden will be affected”

Since 2022, the US Army has been actively working on “climate adaptation”, which means, among other things, that all non-combat military vehicles will be electrified, and that solar and wind power will be used extensively to secure the energy supply.

– Novel materials, new materials that we can generate for military equipment and uniforms. Better modelling using AI so we can see what temperature changes take place in the future, Appathurai explains, pointing out that lighter and more efficient aircraft engines are also being built to carry more cargo and consume less fuel.

James Appathurai and Major General Dimitrios Sigoulakis. Photo: NATO/ CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

– We are looking at all kinds of innovative technologies and better planning to be able to meet these challenges in the future and maintain our military effectiveness, he says, emphasizing that climate adaptation is being driven by purely military strategic reasons, rather than activist motives.

He further emphasizes that it is up to the individual member states to decide on climate adaptation, but that the leadership hopes to “forge consensus and give non-binding voluntary guidelines to member states”.

– As I have outlined, Sweden will be affected by this, he states.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/biden-and-harris-lose-security-clearance/

World

Biden and Harris lose security clearance

Donald Trump's USA

Published today 7:24
– By Editorial Staff
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are two of the half-dozen former officials who will now lose access to classified information.
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On Friday evening, President Donald Trump revoked the security clearances of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton and a number of other former US political figures.

Trump justifies the move by saying that it is “no longer in the national interest” for the individuals in question to have access to classified information.

Former US President Donald Trump has revoked the security clearances of several former Democratic political opponents, including Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, as well as people linked to Joe Biden’s administration and family. This is according to a memorandum published on Friday, May 24.

The decision follows Trump’s statement in February that he would “immediately” withdraw Joe Biden’s access to classified information and stop the former president’s daily intelligence briefings. The document now formalizes the revocation of security clearances for Biden, as well as his family members and several former officials previously named by the White House in the context.

Among the more than dozen people affected by the action are former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Biden’s Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and two former Republican members of Congress – Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger – who served on the House committee investigating Trump’s alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021 protests and occupation of the Capitol.

Denied “unescorted access” to Government Facilities

In the memorandum, Trump justifies the decision by stating that he has “determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information”.

According to Trump, he has instructed heads of government agencies to take all necessary steps to “revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information”.

This means that Biden, Harris, Clinton and others concerned will no longer be able to access classified government information – or access classified information from US intelligence agencies. They will also be prohibited from “unescorted access” to sensitive government facilities, according to the document.

Trump has previously pointed to Joe Biden’s long history of confusion – arguing that even when he was younger and healthier, the ex-president was not fit to be entrusted with sensitive information.

The incumbent’s opponents see the decision as a kind of revenge for the Biden administration revoking Trump’s security clearance after the events at the Capitol in January 2021.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-withdraws-half-a-million-residence-permits/

World

Trump withdraws half a million residence permits

Donald Trump's USA

Published yesterday 11:34
– By Editorial Staff
A majority of those who lose their residence permits come from Haiti.
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The US administration under Donald Trump has announced that around 530,000 citizens from Haiti, Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela will have their temporary residence permits in the United States revoked. According to the decision, affected individuals have 30 days to leave the country.

The decision, announced on Wednesday 24 April, applies to individuals previously granted temporary protection in the United States under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. This program has previously granted residency to nationals from countries deemed unsafe due to crises such as war, natural disasters or exceptional circumstances.

In its statement, the Trump administration justified the decision by saying that conditions in the countries concerned had improved enough for citizens to return and Homeland Security officials point out that TPS was meant to be a temporary solution – not a path to permanent residency.

For Nicaragua and Haiti, the changes will take effect from June 1, while for Venezuela and Cuba the decision will apply from July 1. Those who do not leave the country by the deadline risk deportation and face restrictions on future entry to the US.

Statistics from the US authorities show that around 300,000 Haitians, 140,000 Venezuelans, 60,000 Cubans and 30,000 Nicaraguans are affected.

In use since 1990

The TPS program, introduced in 1990, has previously been used to fly citizens from over a dozen countries, including El Salvador and Syria, into the US. During Trump’s previous term (2017-2021), there were several similar revocations of TPS status, decisions that his opponents tried unsuccessfully to appeal in court.

According to Homeland Security, individual waivers will be considered for people with pending applications for permanent residence or asylum.

The announcement has also led to loud protests from migrants and immigration activists who accuse the Trump administration of “racism” and of violating the rights of asylum seekers.

It can also be noted that a large majority of those who now lose their residence permits are Haitians – and that Trump as recently as last fall accused Haitians of killing and eating Americans’ dogs and cats.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com
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