Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

X refuses to impose censorship – now the EU wants to punish the platform

Published 15 July 2024
– By Editorial Staff
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Elon Musk, owner of X.
5 minute read

The European Commission claims that X (formerly Twitter) is “in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA)” – and therefore the platform is at risk of millions of euros in fines and other retaliatory measures.

However, owner Elon Musk and other commentators argue that the powers that be are out to punish X because, unlike many other social media platforms, it has refused to secretly impose extensive censorship on the platform.

The Commission’s “preliminary view” is that X is in breach of the DSA because, among other things, the blue checkmarks indicating who has a verified account “does not correspond to industry practice and deceives users”.

“Since anyone can subscribe to obtain such a “verified” status, it negatively affects users’ ability to make free and informed decisions about the authenticity of the accounts and the content they interact with”, it claims.

The Brussels powers-that-be also claim that X “does not comply with the required transparency on advertising, as it does not provide a searchable and reliable advertisement repository”, and are also appalled that X “fails to provide access to its public data to researchers”.

“In particular, X prohibits eligible researchers from independently accessing its public data, such as by scraping, as stated in its terms of service. In addition, X’s process to grant eligible researchers access to its application programming interface (API) appears to dissuade researchers from carrying out their research projects or leave them with no other choice than to pay disproportionally high fees”, it continues.

 

A retaliatory measure?

“If the Commission’s preliminary views are ultimately confirmed, the Commission would adopt a non-compliance decision finding that X is in breach of Articles 25, 39 and 40(12) of the Digital Services Directive. Such a decision could impose fines of up to 6% of the service provider’s total annual worldwide turnover and require the service provider to take measures to remedy the infringement”, it threatens, promising to “force” X to comply in such a scenario.

X owner Elon Musk, however, believes that this is an act of pure vengeance by the powers that be in Brussels, and says that the European Commission recently “offered X an illegal secret deal” to avoid heavy fines – in exchange for introducing extensive censorship.

“The other platforms took the deal. X did not”, he continues.

“Don’t be fooled”

Investigative journalist and author Michael Shellenberger agrees, saying that “the totalitarianism we warned about is now happening”.

“The European Union is at this moment forcing big tech companies to secretly engage in mass censorship. Google and Facebook are, apparently, going along with it. Only Elon Musk’s X, among the major platforms, is resisting”, he writes.

“the EU is preparing to punish X with massive fines — up to 6% of total global revenue. I can’t imagine a more egregious form of foreign interference in our domestic affairs than foreign governments demanding mass secret censorship for ideological and political purposes”, he continues.

Shellenberger says that the “most terrifying” thing is how government intelligence and security services appear to be directly involved in demanding censorship – while those same governments warn daily of Russian censorship.

“Don’t be fooled by what is happening. Governments and former intelligence officials in Europe, Australia, Israel, Brazil, and Ukraine and other nations are not only demanding censorship but also often spreading their own disinformation”, he explains.

“We have to fight back”

He argues that the EU’s claims that there is more false information on X than on other, more heavily censored platforms are simply false. Rather, X has greater and broader freedom of expression, where discussion and dialogue are used “to give context to controversial content” – rather than bans and blocks.

“What the EU wants is for its committees of experts, not Community Notes, to secretly decide what we can read and say online. This is unethical and unconstitutional. Another key part of the EU’s disinformation is that “researchers” should have access to X’s internal data, which Musk cut off when he bought Twitter. But those people who want the data aren’t researchers. They’re censorship activists, many of whom have deep relationships with governments in general and intelligence agencies in particular”, he continues.

Schellenberger warns that if the EU succeeds in censoring X and the other major Internet platforms, there will be no freedom of expression – only government-controlled speech.

“Many people rightly worry about the implications of a single man, Elon Musk, being all that stands between us and foreign governments’ totalitarian censorship plans. I worry about that, too. Our speech is inalienable. It is not something governments give to us”.

“We need to fight back. While we should be grateful to Musk for standing up to the totalitarians in Europe, Brazil, and Australia, we must build a citizen’s movement to fight back”, the journalist urges.

TikTok can also be punished

It should also be noted that X is not the only platform that EU leaders want to punish and “bring into line”. China’s TikTok has long been accused of being a platform for spreading “disinformation” and “hate” and is being investigated to see if it too is in violation of the DSA – if so, it too risks being fined 6% of its global revenue.

In the past, governments in the US and EU have mainly relied on the major platforms to censor controversial and politically incorrect content – such as criticism of mass immigration, feminism, or the LGBTQ movement – on their own initiative, which has happened on a large scale on YouTube and Facebook, among others.

Recently, however, there seems to have been a partial shift in focus, with platforms being more explicitly forced to implement various forms of censorship – and threatened with penalties and fines if they refuse.

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China continues major investment in the new Silk Road

The new multipolar world order

Published today 14:24
– By Editorial Staff
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3 minute read

The new Silk Road, also known as Belt and Road, is not just an infrastructure project but also one of the foremost international meeting places outside the Western bloc that currently involves over 150 countries.

This year’s media forum in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, is the ninth in the series and is attended by media organizations from 87 different countries, including The Nordic Times.

The name of the BRI initiative or less formally “the new Silk Road”, alludes to the famous trade route that for one and a half millennia linked China, Europe and Africa until the 1400s when the Ottoman Empire completely blocked the trade routes.

BRI is an official Chinese economic and diplomatic initiative originally formulated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 with a stated foundation in so-called multilateralism, in simpler terms based on dialogue and voluntary exchanges between independent actors. In a broader sense, BRI’s purpose is described as promoting intercultural communication and exchange between nations and civilizations “to contribute to mutual benefits and understanding” and through this method improve conditions for peaceful development and long-term global stability.

A series of major infrastructural projects have emerged from the initiative, with the long-term ambition to create modern transport and trade routes between Europe, Africa, Asia and America. Among the most well-known infrastructure projects already completed are the railway from China to Laos, as well as on Indonesia’s main island of Java and the ports of Hambantota International in Sri Lanka and Gwadar in Pakistan. Hungary and Serbia have been first in Europe to embrace the initiative on both infrastructural and political levels, where a high-speed railway is currently being built between the countries’ capitals Budapest and Belgrade in cooperation with Chinese engineers. The port of Piraeus near Athens, Greece has also become part of the initiative and is currently one of Europe’s largest ports.

Sweden is among the countries, primarily from the US-dominated Western bloc, that have currently chosen not to join the initiative and primarily describe the project as a Chinese “scam” to put countries in debt. Among Western European countries, the only infrastructural participant is currently Luxembourg, which with its large airport has significant air traffic to China.

The new Silk Road encompasses not only infrastructure but also other forums that constitute the currently most significant official international meeting places in China. This year’s forum with a media theme is being held right now in Kunming in southern China between September 16 and 17 with a total of 165 media channels from 87 different countries present, with many leading media outlets primarily from South America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, from Russia this year including news agencies Ria and Tass.

The Nordic Times is so far one of the few media houses from the increasingly isolated Western bloc that is present, in company with among others Discovery Channel and Warner Bros. From Western Europe, there are otherwise a number of smaller media houses present from countries including Denmark, France, Ireland and Germany.

Alongside the media organizations, representatives of a number of state-owned corporate giants involved in the various projects also participated, such as Energy China, China National Nuclear Corporation, China Changan Automobile Group and China Communication Construction Company.

The Nordic Times was also present at last year’s conference in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

UN investigation: Israel commits genocide in Gaza

The genocide in Gaza

Published yesterday 14:53
– By Editorial Staff
"All States are under a legal obligation to use all means that are reasonably available to them to stop the genocide in Gaza", the commission states.
4 minute read

An independent UN commission concludes that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

The commission has investigated events since October 7, 2023, and finds that Israeli authorities have fulfilled four of five criteria for genocide under the Genocide Convention.

These acts include killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting living conditions calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.

— The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza. It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention, says Navi Pillay, the commission’s chair.

According to the commission, statements by Israeli civilian and military authorities, together with the actions of Israeli security forces, show that the genocidal acts have been committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group.

— The responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinian group in Gaza, continues Pillay.

The commission also finds that Israel has failed to prevent and punish genocide by not investigating genocidal acts and prosecuting suspected perpetrators.

Extensive evidence base

The report is based on the commission’s previous investigations as well as facts and legal findings related to Israeli forces’ attacks in Gaza and Israeli authorities’ actions from October 7, 2023, to July 31, 2025.

To establish genocidal acts, the commission examined Israeli military operations in Gaza, including the killing and serious injuring of an unprecedented number of Palestinians, total siege and blockade of humanitarian aid leading to starvation, systematic destruction of health and education systems, systematic sexual and gender-based violence, direct attacks on children, systematic attacks on religious and cultural sites, and disregard for International Court of Justice orders.

To establish genocidal intent, the commission applied the “only reasonable inference” standard established by the International Court of Justice in the Bosnia v. Serbia case. The commission analyzed statements by Israeli authorities and concluded that these constitute direct evidence of genocidal intent.

By analyzing the actions of Israeli authorities and security forces in Gaza, including the imposition of starvation and inhumane living conditions on Palestinians, the commission found that genocidal intent was the only reasonable conclusion that could be drawn from the nature of the operations.

— Israel has flagrantly disregarded the orders for provisional measures from the International Court of Justice and warnings from Member States, UN offices, human rights organisations and civil society groups, and continued the strategy of destruction of the Palestinians in Gaza, says Pillay.

— The Commission finds that the Israeli authorities had no intention to change their course of actions. On the contrary, Israeli authorities have persisted and continued with their genocidal campaign in Gaza for almost two years now, she continues.

Names Netanyahu and Herzog

The commission states that the State of Israel bears responsibility for failing to prevent genocide, for committing genocide, and for failing to punish the perpetrators of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The report specifically mentions that Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have incited genocide and that Israeli authorities failed to take action against them to punish this incitement.

The commission urges Israel to immediately cease the genocide in Gaza and fully implement the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures orders. Israel must end its starvation policy, lift the siege, and ensure unimpeded access for large-scale humanitarian aid.

Demands on the international community

The commission recommends that member states stop the transfer of weapons and other equipment that could be used for genocidal acts to Israel, ensure that individuals and companies within their territories do not contribute to genocide or incitement to genocide, and take accountability measures through investigations and legal proceedings against individuals or companies directly or indirectly involved in the genocide.

— The international community cannot stay silent on the genocidal campaign launched by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza. When clear signs and evidence of genocide emerge, the absence of action to stop it amounts to complicity, says Pillay.

— Every day of inaction costs lives and erodes the credibility of the international community. All States are under a legal obligation to use all means that are reasonably available to them to stop the genocide in Gaza, she concludes.

Orbán: Swedish leaders have driven the country into “barbarism and collapse”

organized crime

Published yesterday 11:36
– By Editorial Staff
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have a frosty relationship, to say the least.
2 minute read

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán launched a harsh attack against Sweden’s political leadership in a fiery speech over the weekend.

“This is how a country collapses” and “what remains is barbarism”, said the Hungarian prime minister, who also claimed that hundreds of underage girls have been arrested for murder in Sweden.

During a political event in Sátoraljaújhely, Hungary, Orbán once again delivered scathing criticism of Swedish politicians. His message was clear: Sweden’s authorities have betrayed their people and allowed the country to fall apart.

— This news of the week is that in Sweden, 284 underage girls were arrested for murder. Not because they killed one person together, but each one separately, Orbán claimed before the audience.

The Hungarian leader continued by describing how these girls are exploited by criminal networks because they cannot be sentenced in court, and he argued that Swedish authorities bear ultimate responsibility.

— This is how a country collapses, every rule, all order breaks down. What remains is barbarism.

“Deserve better”

Orbán emphasized that this development has been ongoing for fifteen years under different Swedish governments and that the authorities have effectively relegated the country outside European civilization. As a final jab at the Swedish government, he added:

— By the way, these are the Swedes who lecture us about the rule of law.

The statement has spread through a video where images from Orbán’s speech are interspersed with clips of Swedish police and various crime scenes.

“The Swedish people deserve better”, wrote the Hungarian prime minister when he shared the video – a clear indication that his criticism is directed at the country’s ruling elite, not at the Swedish people.

“Outrageous lies”

Orbán’s claims are based on an article from German newspaper Welt. The article reported that approximately 280 girls between 15 and 17 years old were investigated for violent crimes during the previous year – not exclusively murder as Orbán claimed.

The attack comes after a period of diplomatic tensions between the two countries’ governments. Hungary was the last to approve Sweden’s NATO membership, and the Swedish government has in turn directed harsh criticism at what is alleged to be Hungary’s democratic backsliding and restrictions on LGBTQ rights. As recently as August, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson accused Hungary’s leadership of standing “on the wrong side of history”.

The Swedish prime minister chose to respond to Orbán’s statement on X by focusing on the incorrect figures rather than how he and other Swedish politicians have failed to stop the advance of organized crime.

“These are outrageous lies. Not surprising coming from the man who is dismantling the rule of law in his own country. Orbán is desperate ahead of the upcoming Hungarian election”, he claims.

Trump sues New York Times

Published yesterday 10:35
– By Editorial Staff
Now Trump is suing the newspaper for $15 billion
1 minute read

Donald Trump intends to sue The New York Times for defamation. He calls the newspaper “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers” in US history.

Last week, the president threatened to sue the newspaper after it reported on, among other things, a sexual drawing that Trump allegedly gave to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The drawing’s signature resembles Donald Trump’s, but the president firmly denies that he drew it and handed it over to Epstein.

Now the president is suing the newspaper for $15 billion, for defamation and libel.

“The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that stops, NOW!” he writes on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump also sued The Wall Street Journal for $10 billion this summer following their reporting on Epstein and the president. Furthermore, the president writes that the new lawsuit will be filed in the state of Florida.

The New York Times has not yet commented on Trump’s statement.

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