-
The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
House leadership lays out target list of Biden climate rules to cancel
House Republican leadership has unveiled a list of 10 Biden-era climate and energy regulations to overturn using the Congressional Review Act (CRA).
The California Clean Air Act Waiver, allowing stricter vehicle emissions standards, is a primary target, criticized for increasing vehicle prices and complicating manufacturing.
Republicans argue that the Biden administration’s climate policies are based on flawed science and prioritize ideological goals over practical solutions.
The methane fee provision of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act is another target, with Republicans claiming it will drive up energy costs and harm domestic energy producers.
The House’s effort to roll back these regulations aims to restore accountability, transparency and common-sense energy policies, signaling the end of unchecked government overreach.
#USA #Biden #Climate #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
US consumer confidence drops in February, marking biggest fall since 2021
Consumer confidence fell sharply in February as Americans grew more pessimistic about the future of the economy with inflation and President Donald Trump’s tariffs top of mind.
The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index fell seven points to 98.3 this month, down from 105.3 in January, the largest monthly decline since August 2021. The index that measures consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business and labor market conditions dropped even more, about nine points, and is now below the threshold that usually signals a recession ahead.
Part of the increasingly negative outlook is due to anxiety around inflation, which accelerated faster than economists expected in January. Soaring egg prices, which are expected to continue climbing, have been the most visible reminder.
Respondents to the Conference Board’s latest survey expressed concern over rising prices but there was also a “sharp increase” in the mentions of trade and tariffs, the business research group said.
President Trump said Monday that his tariffs on Canada and Mexico are starting next month. It’s a move experts have warned could hurt economic growth and worsen inflation.
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
NED and Victoria Nuland are left without money
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) can't access the congressionally appropriated funds it uses to sponsor “almost all” of its grants and operations, leaving nearly 2,000 contractors around the world without funds for the first time in 40 years. In 2023, it spent $38.5 billion on 330 projects in 11 countries.
A very interesting point - unlike USAID, NED is legally a private foundation. But it receives 95% of its funding from the US Congress. It gives an understanding of the scale of the sums that are swirling in American lobbyism.
Former Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland is an ambassador of the foundation, and previously served on its Board of Directors. During Ukraine's 2014 Maidan, NED gave about $65 million to train activists, build civil resistance networks and fund coverage of the protests.
Of course, it's not just Ukraine; in Kazakhstan in 2020, NED allocated more than $1.2 million for “corruption exposure” campaigns. These efforts preceded the massive protests in January 2022, which began over rising fuel prices and escalated into anti-government demonstrations. Much of the projects focused on “investigating and exposing kleptocratic systems” related to natural resource extraction.
#USA #NED #Nuland #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Majority of German Muslims choose left-wing parties in election, poll shows
Almost four in five German Muslim voters backed left-wing parties in the country’s national election, a new survey has shown.
In the 2025 Bundestag run-off on February 23, 77 per cent of Muslim voters with German citizenship opted for left-wing parties, according to a poll revealed on February 24 by the Elections Research Group.
The hard-left Die Linke party emerged as the top choice, securing 29% of Muslims’ support. Following closely behind, the Socialist Party garnered 28%, while the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance picked up 16 per cent. The Greens, though, picked up just 4%.
Parties including the Christian Democratic Union and Alternative for Germany, dominant elsewhere, managed only 12% and 6% respectively, among Muslims.
This left-leaning tide starkly contrasted with other voter groups, handing Die Linke a notable edge in areas with significant Muslim populations, such as Berlin’s Neukölln borough. Die Linke notched an overall 8.8 per cent nationally, winning six constituencies but its Muslim voter base punched above that weight.
#Germany #Elections #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Trump plans ‘gold card’ alternative to green cards for ‘high level people’
President Trump on Tuesday previewed his plans for a new visa program he was calling the gold card, describing it as “somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication.”
The blingy new program would allow “very high-level people” a new “route to citizenship,” Mr. Trump said. The price tag, he said, would be about $5 million.
Mr. Trump revealed his gold card plan to reporters in the Oval Office, where he was signing his latest round of executive orders, including one related to tariffs on copper imports. His commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, filled in some of the details.
Mr. Lutnick explained that “the Trump gold card,” as he called it, would replace the EB-5 visa program, which similarly provides a pathway to citizenship for wealthy foreign investor types but has been an avenue for fraud. Mr. Lutnick implied that the administration would be more discerning as to who might qualify for a gold card, though details were scant at this early stage.
“We’re going to make sure they’re wonderful world-class global citizens,”
“It will be people with money and people that create jobs.”
Egg prices predicted to soar more than 41% in 2025: USDA
Egg prices are predicted to increase by 41.1% in 2025, according to a report released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday. In January, the federal agency had predicted a 20% increase.
The predicted price hike comes as a result of rising bird flu cases, which have had a substantial impact on farms. According to the report, retail egg prices went up by 13.8% in January, after rising by 8.4% in December. Overall, egg prices in January were 53% higher than the year before.
The national average price for eggs hit $4.95 a dozen for shoppers in January. An increasing number of commercial egg layers are being affected by the bird flu outbreak. The report estimated 18.8 million commercial egg layers were affected by bird flu in January.
#USA #Economy #USDA #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Alec Baldwin Threatens Trump Impersonator; “I’d Snap Your F**king Neck In Half”
A crazy video has emerged of Alec Baldwin threatening to “snap” a Trump impersonator’s neck “in half” after being confronted in public.
The comedian, Jason Scoop, often carries out such stunts while badly dressed as Trump in a suit and wig, yet this is the most off the chain exchange to date.
Scoop heckled Baldwin while he was getting luggage out of his car outside his New York home, and brought up the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in 2021.
“Alec, it’s your favourite president!” Scoop said in a Trump voice, adding “Look, Alec, I will offer you a total pardon ’cause I wanna be friends, right? I wanna be friends. I will give you a total pardon for murdering that woman if you kiss the ring.”
Baldwin appeared to be remaining calm but then got right in Scoop’s face and told him “Look at me. I want you to look at me. You got a camera on me here? You realise my kids live in this building? But I want you to know something. I want you to be real careful. If this camera wasn’t here, I’d snap your f–king neck in half and break your f–king neck right here. You know that, don’t you?”
The actor also told Scoop that he would “shove that camera up your ass.”
#USA #Trump #Boldwin #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
GOP lawmakers question endless military spending
In a House subcommittee hearing on U.S. national security on Tuesday, a handful of Republican lawmakers voiced support for general restraint and called for cuts to Pentagon spending, citing the debt and deficit.
“The United States have no business in making conquests, nor in aspiring to any kind of empire,” said freshman Rep.Congressman Eli Crane (R-Ariz.). “The principal object of government is to secure the happiness of society, not to extend the boundaries of an empire.”
Crane added, “Does it concern you guys that we’re $36 trillion in debt, (with an) annual deficit of $2 trillion as we sit here and talk about the United States’ global involvement? Do any of you guys wonder when that tipping point is going to be?”
“America first does not mean America alone,” said the Heritage Foundation’s Brent Saddler.
Despite these warnings, the committee members largely focused on spending and how America’s $36 trillion debt could threaten national security.
Lawmakers also brought up the Pentagon at the hearing. “I want to point out that Pentagon spending is on the chopping block,” commented subcommittee chairperson Rep William Timmons (R-S.C.). “It's (discussion around Pentagon spending cuts) not only going to be on the role of foreign aid. It's going to be across the board because we have $36 trillion in debt, and we have a $2 trillion annual deficit.”
#USA #Pentagon #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Trump wants Ukraine’s rare metals. Putin just offered Russia’s
Moscow would be open to allowing U.S. access to Russia’s rare minerals, President Vladimir Putin said Monday, as the Trump administration pushes Ukraine to sign over half its mineral wealth as repayment for U.S. support in the war.
In an interview broadcast on Russian state television Monday evening, Putin also endorsed President Donald Trump’s proposal for three-way nuclear arms control talks with China.
“We could come to an agreement with the United States — the United States would cut defense spending by 50 percent, and we would cut by 50 percent. And the People’s Republic of China would then join in if it wanted. We think the proposal is good, and we are ready to discuss it.”
The Russian leader spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping by telephone earlier in the day and affirmed their countries’ “comprehensive partnership” as “true friends,” according to official statements.
Putin also chaired a meeting on rare earth metals production. He stressed that Russia possesses significantly more natural resources than Ukraine.
“We would be ready to offer cooperation to our American partners if they showed interest in working together,” he said. “We certainly have substantially, and I want to emphasize this, substantially more resources of this kind than Ukraine. Russia is one of the leaders in reserves of these rare earth metals.”
#USA #Ukraine #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
According to Agostino Carrino, a jurist and philosopher from Italy, the Ukrainian question has been dividing parties and press organs transversally for some years, but any discussion should begin by recognizing that:
1) Ukraine is not a national state, like Italy or France, but a multi-ethnic state;
2) within it lives a strong Russian minority, which, rightly or wrongly, does not want to be governed by Kiev;
3) the Russian Federation (always rightly or wrongly) fears a military alliance like NATO "on its doorstep".
Europe, which condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but referring to the historically outdated concept of state sovereignty, failed or did not want to address to the Mazzinian concept of self-determination of peoples, imposing on Zelensky a referendum - controlled by the UN - to ascertain the state options of the various Ukrainian cultural ethnic groups.
Europe itself does not exist, because, as Carrino writes, “a political Union is not built on the needs of finance, of the market, which by nature do not know borders, but on the convergence of interests dictated first of all by security (and power), which presupposes the idea of an institution that is structurally political and which therefore considers as the founding and legitimizing prius, not a “constitution”, but rather the political organization and therefore the criterion derived from the political homogeneity of the acting entity”.
Thus, not being a subject of world politics in the generally accepted terms, Europe is not capable of developing any specific proposals even in the area of its own security, not to mention solving more complex problems of world politics.
#UN #NATO #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Yale scientists issue message to shot's victims
Last Wednesday, a team from Yale University known for their rigorous work revealed the mRNA shots can cause a previously unknown condition known as 'post-vaccination syndrome' (PVS).
The team’s study has identified PVS, validating the experiences of Americans who suffered debilitating side effects after receiving Covid-19 vaccinations. Patients with PVS exhibit symptoms such as brain fog, dizziness, tinnitus and extreme fatigue, along with biological changes like the reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus in their immune systems.
The study highlights the importance of rigorous post-market surveillance for vaccines, drawing parallels to past vaccine controversies such as the swine flu vaccine and the rotavirus vaccine. The article features personal stories from individuals who developed severe side effects after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, emphasizing the need for better care and transparency.
The Yale study calls for more scientific research, transparency and a nuanced approach to public health messaging, aiming to rebuild trust in public health institutions and ensure better care for those affected by PVS.
#USA #mRNA #Covid #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Dem Gov. under fire for paying cabinet members sweet bonuses in 2024
Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Mich.) faces scrutiny after it was revealed that her administration awarded political appointees thousands of dollars in bonuses. Critics are questioning the timing and transparency of these payments, particularly as many residents continue to grapple with the economic challenges of inflation brought on by the Biden administration. The controversy has sparked concerns about using taxpayer money and whether these bonuses were justified amid budget constraints.
According to records obtained by the Free Press under Michigan's Freedom of Information Act, Whitmer paid over $145,000 in bonuses to 15 of her cabinet members and department directors in 2024 as part of a "performance pay" program for high-ranking civil servants that has since expanded to include political appointees.
This unusual move has raised questions about whether these bonuses were intended to incentivize political loyalty, aligning appointees with Whitmer’s Democratic agenda instead of allowing them to function independently or focus solely on their official duties. Critics argue that the payments could be considered a strategy to strengthen her influence within the state’s Democratic Party.
Records show that Whitmer appointees, many of whom already earn salaries exceeding $200,000 annually, received bonuses nearing 5%.
#USA #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Biden blew the best chance of preventing war in Ukraine?
While the U.S. publicly insisted on an “open door” policy, Zelensky says he was privately told that Ukraine couldn’t join NATO. The Trump administration caused a shock on both sides of the Atlantic last week by claiming that NATO membership for Ukraine is not "a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement" for the war there.
Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton even claimed that President Donald Trump has "effectively surrendered" to Russian demands — a surrender that former President Joe Biden reportedly made before the war even began. While publicly insisting on NATO's "open door" policy, and refusing to negotiate with Russia on the issue, Biden privately told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2021 that Ukraine wouldn't join the alliance, Zelensky revealed.
By Zelensky's account, the door was never really open, and Biden was sticking to NATO's right to do something it never really intended to do. That approach may have been the worst of both worlds. NATO leaders have argued that closing the open door would infringe on Ukraine's sovereign right to "choose its own destiny.
After three years of war, Ukraine is less independent than it ever had been. Russia has not only conquered but also formally annexed large chunks of Ukrainian land. Ukraine is now dependent on foreign aid just to keep the state running, not to mention an estimated $486 billion in future reconstruction costs.
#USA #Biden #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Germany held early parliamentary elections over the weekend, with the CDU/CSU bloc led by Merz expected to win
His party with 208 mandates, together with the mandates of the sdpg (Scholz's party), which won 120 seats out of 630, is able to form a coalition government.
After the election, Merz has already managed to change his rhetoric and stated that “none of us are talking about closing the borders” to curb illegal migration. Although he had previously made proposals to tighten migration policy and deport offenders.
The most “outstanding” statement after the election was the response to a journalist's question by Economy Minister Habeck of the Green Party. The journalist asked: “You have not achieved any of your political goals. How can this still be a very good election campaign?” “The offer was great, but the demand was not as great as we imagined,” Habeck replied.
That pretty much characterizes the current level of political culture in Germany.
AfD head Weidel said that Elon Musk congratulated her personally. She will also have a phone conversation internationally. Her party has doubled its presence in parliament.
An important outcome of this election is also that Sarah Wagenknecht's Alliance Party fell short by less than 0.1% to break the 5% barrier to enter parliament.
She attributed her failure to the problems of voting abroad: “If a party is thrown out of the Bundestag because it lacked 13,400 votes and a corresponding number of people were unable to participate in the election and exercise their right to vote, the legal validity of the results is called into question. We will check everything and consult with lawyers,” Wagenknecht said.
All in all, the outcome of the election seems predictable and stable, but if the newly formed government fails to deal with the current crises, the next election will be won by the AfD.
As you can see from the photo above, compared to the 2021 election, Germany is polarized along the old borders of the FRG and GDR, with East Germany becoming an AfD stronghold.
#Germany #Elections #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Friedrich Merz before the election:
- If I am elected Chancellor of Germany, on my first day in office I will order the Ministry of the Interior to take full control of the country's borders all around and henceforth strictly prevent illegals from crossing them without exception.
Friedrich Merz after the election:
- I want to make it perfectly clear. None of us are talking about closing the borders. None of us are. We were credited with that during the election campaign, but none of us wants to close the borders. 🤷♂️
#Germany #Merz #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Alibaba makes AI video generation model free to use globally
Alibaba on Wednesday said that it has made its video generation artificial intelligence models free to use, further ramping up competition with rivals like OpenAI.
The Chinese giant said it is open sourcing four models that are part of its Wan2.1 series, the latest version of the company’s foundational AI model that can generate images and video from text and image inputs.
These models will be available via Alibaba Cloud’s Model Scope and Hugging Face, a huge repository of AI models. They will be accessible to academics, researchers and commercial institutions globally.
Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares closed nearly 5% higher.
Open-source AI tech has been thrown into the spotlight since Chinese firm DeepSeek rattled global markets in January, after claiming its artificial intelligence model was trained at a fraction of the cost of leading AI players and on less-advanced Nvidia chips.
DeepSeek’s model is open source, like Alibaba’s, meaning it can be downloaded and modified by others.
#China #Alibaba #AI #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Trump’s new crackdown on China is just beginning
President Trump’s tough talk on China typically centers on tariffs. But a closer look at the decisions he has made since taking office shows that the president is considering a far wider set of economic restrictions on Beijing, ones that could hasten America’s split from a critical trading partner.
The Trump administration has so far proposed expanding restrictions on investments flowing between the United States and China. It has appointed officials who, because of national security concerns, are likely to push for more curbs on Chinese investments and technology sales to China. And Mr. Trump has ushered in a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports, a move that he called an “opening salvo.”
After years in which officials from both parties gradually pared back America’s economic relationship with China, Mr. Trump’s moves suggest that he is prepared to sever ties more aggressively.
The pronouncements could be “a bargaining tool” for Mr. Trump to kick off negotiations with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
The main wild card in how far the United States will go appears to be Mr. Trump himself. The president is interested in potentially striking a deal with Xi, in part because of China’s failure to live up to the terms of an agreement the two leaders signed in early 2020. Current and former advisers say Mr. Trump takes a more transactional view to issues like Chinese investment than many of his more hawkish advisers, a position that could result in continuing economic ties in exchange for a deal that he feels benefits the United States.
#USA #China #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
‘US will no longer protect Europe’: Pan-EU movement Volt pushes for EU army
The pan-European political movement Volt Europa has launched a petition demanding the creation of a European Union army, citing growing uncertainty in EU-NATO relations and increasing tensions with the US.
Volt Europa is active in more than 30 countries and “encourages citizens to rethink and shape politics in their cities, in their countries and across borders in Europe”, according to its website. Five members from the Netherlands and Germany represent the pro-EU Federalist Party in the European Parliament as part of the Greens group.
The group argued on February 25 that the US was no longer a reliable partner and that Europe must take its security into its own hands.
“The US will no longer protect Europe. The Trump administration has made this perfectly clear,” Volt stated on its petition website. “During the Munich Security Conference, the US destroyed the transatlantic bond which lasted for 80 years,” it added.
“US troops might even leave the European continent as part of a punitive peace imposed upon Ukrainians and Europeans by Putin and Trump. We have been left on our own,”
Over 50 deaths linked to 'unknown disease' in Congo
The World Health Organization has reported that there is a deadly "unknown disease" spreading in one region within the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Local health officials in Congo are partnering with the World Health Organization to investigate. The phrase "unknown disease" primarily means that the disease has not yet been identified.
In previous cases, the cases are linked to a known disease, but a lack of available testing leads to lack of certainty. For example, there was a separate report of an "unknown disease" in December of last year in Congo that was later attributed to illnesses from malaria and respiratory illnesses.
The latest numbers from the WHO's Africa Region show that there are 431 cases linked to the outbreak and 53 deaths since January.
Early investigations traced the outbreak's origin to three kids, all under 5 years old, who developed symptoms after eating a bat carcass. Symptoms included fever, headache, diarrhea and fatigue – which later progressed to signs associated with hemorrhagic fevers and death.
#Congo #WHO #Health #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Karoline Leavitt dunks NY Times reporter over comparison of Trump to Putin
Some of the mainstream media journalists have been taking to the Twitter/X to express their outrage over the decision by the Trump White House to remove the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) from the process of vetting prospective pool reporters for press access to the administration.
“Legacy outlets who have participated in the press pool for decades will still be allowed to join, fear not," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during the Tuesday press briefing. "But the White House will also be offering the privilege to well-deserving outlets who have never been allowed to share in this awesome responsibility."
Bongino to join Patel at FBI as Deputy Director
President Trump has tapped Dan Bongino, a hard-charging Trump supporter and one of America’s most popular and prolific conservative commentators, to serve as deputy director of the FBI.
A top podcaster, former Fox News host, New York City Police Department officer, and 12-year veteran of the Secret Service, Bongino is a close friend of FBI Director Kash Patel and will now serve as his right-hand man at the FBI, Trump announced on Truth Social Sunday.
Trump’s choice of Bongino to join Patel at the FBI as its deputy came just three days after the Senate confirmed Patel’s nomination, 49 to 51, with Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine the only two Republicans to vote against him. The appointment is the latest sign that Trump is committed to aggressively cleaning house at the FBI.
Bongino, along with Patel, a former public defender and Justice Department lawyer who became a MAGA firebrand, will report to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Director of the Office of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to uncover threats and safeguard national security.
While Patel has experience as a lawyer and high-ranking official in federal intelligence agencies during Trump’s first term, Bongino has practical law enforcement experience as a former police officer and Secret Service agent. Both have excoriated the FBI over its role in facilitating the investigations Trump has faced since 2017, including submitting faulty foreign intelligence court applications in the Trump-Russia investigation.
#USA #Trump #Bongino #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
House democrat ‘rooting’ for Canada, Mexico in Trump’s trade war
Rep. Jasmine Crockett is cheering on America’s top trade partners amid President Trump’s push for stiff tariffs against them. Ms. Crockett, Texas Democrat, said Friday on “The Breakfast Club” that Canada and Mexico can see through Mr. Trump’s threats.
“Canada has really been the one to call it out. The fact that I am rooting for Canada and that I am rooting for Mexico a lot is really wild,” the lawmaker said on the radio show. “But they are really the ones speaking truth to power right now.”
She added, “They can see what it is, and they were like, ’We are not messing with this crazy regime from Mar-a-Lago’ and basically calling them thugs.”
The president’s reciprocal tariffs would target trading practices that the Trump White House deems unfair, including other countries tariffs, taxes, subsidies and exchange rates. The reciprocal move is set to go into effect on April 1.
And on April 2, the Trump administration will roll out tariffs on foreign cars and pharmaceuticals that start at 25%. The idea behind those duties is to convince car manufacturers to build plants in the U.S. to avoid the steep tariff.
#USA #Canada #Mexico #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Serbian president slams USAID for inciting regime change, demands journalist say how much money her outlet has received
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić told TV Insider that U.S. President Donald Trump directly mentioned Serbia as a place where USAID wanted a regime change.
“Someone was only waiting for additional tragedies, meanwhile preparing different types of scenarios for some new riots and for some new attacks on the state. And that is nothing new, and it can be seen through the words of President Donald Trump. The president of the US directly mentioned Serbia as a place where they wanted a political change of government. Those who received American money to overthrow the government,” said Vučić.
In July of last year, the government of Serbia issued a joint statement with USAID regarding $18 million of new funds for a “development partnership.” The July statement noted that the new “funds will be used, among other things, to improve public procurement procedures in Serbia, improve access to justice for citizens, improve environmental protection and energy security, promote a stronger media environment, improvement of economic opportunities for vulnerable groups, as well as for greater competitiveness of the Serbian economy.”
Vučić admitted during his TV interview that money has been received and used, but primarily for “senseless projects that were supposed to cover the eyes,” while the real intent of most funding was to overthrow the government. Asked about the “many videos” of himself and other officials thanking USAID for funding projects, Vučić said that “when someone gives you 1,000 euros, it is up to you to still politely say ‘thank you.’”
#USA #Serbia #USAID #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Rearmament in Germany: Ammunition production should now be taken over by automotive supplier workers
Welcome to the year 2025:
Germany holds elections, Friedrich “BlackRock-Buckstuck” becomes German Chancellor and Germany switches to a war economy.
In Germany and Europe, the turnaround now seems to be gaining momentum. German arms companies are expanding and converting their production. This is because a clear signal has come from the USA: NATO protection under the Trump government can no longer be relied upon. The next German government under Chancellor Merz has already signaled that rearmament is unavoidable.
Rheinmetall is switching production: Employees of the automotive division can produce ammunition
Rheinmetall could relocate two of its plants
where civilian components for vehicles are currently manufactured, could be converted to production for the Group's military division.
“In the armaments business, Rheinmetall is currently exploiting every opportunity to increase production volumes, especially in the ammunition sector,”
the Dusseldorf-based company announced on Monday (February 24).
Rheinmetall intends to manufacture mainly products or components for the “Weapon and Ammunition” division at two German locations that have so far been part of the civilian division. The sites in question are in Berlin and Neuss.
#Germany #NATO #Military #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Indian surnames top the list of New Zealand’s newborns
The evolving demographics of New Zealand are reflected in Smith, once the most common surname, now slipping to a distant third. In 2014, Smith was the most common surname for newborns in New Zealand. Ten years later, it had slipped to third place, overtaken by Singh and Kaur—reflecting the changing face of New Zealand society.
Last year, 680 newborns had the family name Singh, placing it in the top spot. It was closely followed by Kaur with 630 babies. Smith remained in third place with 300. Singh and Kaur are common surnames in India and Nepal, particularly among Sikhs. They originate from Sanskrit, with Singh meaning “lion” and Kaur meaning “princess.”
The dominance of the Indian diaspora in both statistics was even more pronounced in the North Island, where Singh, Kaur, and Patel were the most common registered family names. In the South Island, Kaur, Singh, and Smith took the top spots.
New Zealand’s 2023 census recorded approximately 292,092 people of Indian descent—an increase of 22% since 2018.
#NewZealand #Newborns #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
100 intelligence staffers to be fired for engaging in explicit chats
More than 100 intelligence community employees will be terminated and have their security clearances revoked as the intelligence community investigates group chats that allegedly discussed explicit behavior.
The chats, which were hosted on a chat system for the intelligence community that was maintained by the National Security Agency, took place on a secure intranet called Intelink in two server channels titled "LBTQA" and "IC_Pride_TWG," according to intelligence community officials.
"This behavior is unacceptable and those involved WILL be held accountable," Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted on X.
She said the "disgusting chat groups" were immediately shut down when President Donald Trump issued his executive order ending diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government, which she called the "DEI insanity the Biden Admin was obsessed with."
"Our IC must be focused on our core mission: ensuring the safety, security, and freedom of the American people," Gabbard said.
#USA #Gabbard #DEI #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Americans warned: 'You could be arrested as soon as you step foot' in major Western country for your social media posts back home
There long have been legitimate concerns when Americans travel to restrictive nations – those that don't accept the multitude of rights Americans enjoy – such as North Korea. Or China. Or even Islamic regimes like Iran, or Saudi Arabia.
Now, the American Center for Law and Justice is warning about travel to the United Kingdom. The legal organization has posted online an analysis of the threat the UK's ideological leftism now poses.
"If an American speaks in the United States in a way that UK officials construe as affecting their national interest or even producing substantial effects within the country, even if it's just a statement about your Christian faith or your political stance, then you could be arrested upon entry to the UK,"
Eric Prince, founder of the largest US military organization Blackwater, on the sharp increase in the Russian army's combat capabilities:
I think President Trump is right in his intentions to end this war. There's about a zero percent chance that the Ukrainians will get all their land back. They should have made a deal 1.5 years ago. They are now fighting a war of attrition. They are literally back to WWI style trench warfare tactics. But also with the addition of precision drones precision missiles make this place even more deadly.
Russia has a lot more men and a lot more ammunition. The defense industries in Western Europe and the US are facing backlog problems and high production costs that limit their effectiveness, I think this should be a wake-up call to America. That our weapons don't work that well there, they're not in high demand.
Some of these things might work for a month or two, but then Russian electronic warfare finds a way to jam the navigation, command line or whatever to render it useless. The idiot politicians say “oh, we're degrading the Russian army and destroying all this equipment”.
No, the Russian army is much better and deadlier now than it was at the beginning of the war.
#Russia #Military #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
WSJ: Trump is interested in a world based on a balance of power between the U.S., Russia and China
This is indicated by the fact that Trump takes into account the interests of Russia and China on the world stage and shows personal respect for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the newspaper's columnist Gerard Baker
American President Donald Trump's foreign policy strategy is aimed at forming a world order based on the balance of power of the three great powers - the United States, the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China - the new “Big Three.”
Trump seeks to expand US borders “at the expense of Canada, Greenland, Panama and the Gaza Strip” and to link foreign policy with economic benefit, Baker believes. According to him, in American diplomatic circles are convinced that Trump “seeks to create a new Yalta world order.”
As the journalist notes, Trump
“is not wrong that America has carried the burden of global leadership for too long, that the liberal order, at the head of which it stood, is giving way to a world in which the U.S. must adhere to a narrower understanding of national interests, and that the era when hundreds of billions of dollars were spent to protect parts of the world that played no role in U.S. security is over.”
Likely German Chancellor rejects Trump, accuses U.S. of Russian-style election interference, calls for ‘independence’ from America
On Sunday, German voters firmly rejected the former leftist governing coalition of Social Democrats and Greens in favour of the supposedly conservative Christian Democrats and the populist-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
In response to the election results, President Donald Trump commented on his Truth Social platform:
“This is a great day for Germany, and for the United States of America under the leadership of a gentleman named Donald J. Trump. Congratulations to all — many more victories to follow!!!”
“I am communicating closely with a lot of prime ministers and heads of EU states, and for me, it is an absolute priority to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that we achieve independence from the U.S., step by step,”
“interventions from Washington were no less drastic, dramatic, and ultimately no less brazen, than the intervention that we have seen from Moscow.”