-
The Hurricane spins around hotspots of tension and conflict. Feel free to suggest your stories, opinions and ideas: UIHEN@protonmail.com
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.”
Shock & outrage over 'shameful' US vote at the United Nations
There's been 'shock' and disappointment among European as well as former US government officials at how the United Nations General Assembly vote went on Monday.
In something unprecedented the United States voted alongside Russia to veto European attempts to strengthen language related to a resolution on the anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
In total 18 countries voted against the Ukrainian-drafted resolution at the UN General Assembly that condemned Moscow and called for a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine. Many observers thought the US would at least simply abstain; instead it opposed the motions alongside nations like Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, and Hungary.
The explanation of US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea was very revealing. Shea referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an “escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war” and said the conflict started “11 years ago,” referring to the war that broke out in Ukraine following the US-backed coup in 2014 that ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych.
The language from Shea marks a significant shift from the Biden administration, which always referred to the war as an “unprovoked” Russian invasion despite the history of US and NATO involvement in Ukraine. Shea said that the many UN resolutions that have demanded a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine have failed to end the conflict. “It has now dragged on for far too long, and at far too terrible a cost to the people in Ukraine, in Russia, and beyond,” Shea said.
Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, ex-U.S. envoy to Kyiv Steven Pifer, Republican Senator John Curtis (R-UT), Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley — this is not a complete list of former and acting US and EU officials who have strongly criticized the American vote, calling it “shameful”, “appalling”, “shocking”, “putting the US on the same side with North Korea” and so on.
#UN #USA #Ukraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
"I'll send you my address": Tucker Carlson responds after Dan Crenshaw death threat
Tucker Carlson responded to Dan Crenshaw's threat to "fuckin' kill' him if he ever sees him.
"Why don’t you come sit for an interview and we’ll see how you do? I’ll send you my address," Carlson posted on X in response to Elon Musk asking why Crenshaw is "homicidal" over the journalist.
Earlier:
Noted neocon Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) threatened to kill journalist Tucker Carlson if the two ever cross paths.
When asked by GB News correspondent Steven Edginton towards the end of an interview if he had ever met Carlson, Crenshaw - aka "Eye Patch McCain" replied: "If I ever meet him I'll fuckin' kill him," adding "No seriously, I would kill him."
It appears that GB News has deleted the video of the interaction!
When asked by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) if he made the threat, Crenshaw lied - replying "lol, no."
#USA #Carlson #Crenshaw #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Pentagon purge: Trump fires Chairman of Joint Chiefs, Navy Chief and other top brass
Making good on a campaign pledge to shake up the senior military ranks to ensure a focus on his policy priorities, President Trump on Friday night took the extraordinary step of firing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and five more senior Pentagon officers. The fired chair, Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., had only served two-and-a-half years of his four-year term.
Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs usually stay in their posts when control of the White House changes hands. Trump's move immediately triggered accusations that he was politicizing the US military. “A professional, apolitical military that is subordinate to the civilian government and supportive of the Constitution rather than a political party is essential to the survival of our democracy,” said Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed in a statement.
To replace Brown, Trump has nominated retired USAF Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Cain. The selection of Cain is highly unusual: Not only had he already retired from service, but he would be the first three-star general to ascend to the highest post in the US military. Cain is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and an F-16 pilot credited with 150 combat hours and two tours in Iraq. From 2021 to 2024, Cain served as the CIA's associate director for military affairs, collaborating on several highly classified initiatives.
#USA #Pentagon #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Marco Rubio rips UN as ‘antagonistic’ on Ukraine resolution
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Breitbart News on Monday that the U.S. voted against a United Nations measure bashing the Russians for the war in Ukraine earlier in the day because it was antagonistic and ran counter to the efforts to bring both sides to the table and end the war.
After the U.S. voted against the broader resolution, which passed the full United Nations, the U.S. later led a narrower resolution that called for an end to the war that did pass the U.N. Security Council.
“On the broader resolution, we think the UN needs to get—if it’s going to be useful in the 21st century—the UN needs to get back to its charter mission, which is the prevention and ending of war and conflict,”
“We didn’t feel it was conducive, frankly, to have something out there at the UN that’s antagonistic to either side. We’re trying to get these guys to the table. Unfortunately, Ukraine didn’t agree and they wanted to move forward on theirs. …We then went to the Security Council with our compromise, which I think is very fair language and it basically says ‘war is a terrible thing.’ …way too many people have died, this war needs to end in a way that’s enduring—reminding the United Nations that the purpose of the United Nations was the ending of war and the prevention of conflicts, not making it harder to end conflicts,”
Germany is treading water, France is paralyzed. Will northern Europe step in?
The results of the Bundestag elections show that Berlin faces the prospect of a fractured and weak coalition government. Europe's leading economy will continue to be dragged down by internal political divisions: the CDU/CSU, which won the election, will find it difficult to establish a stable government, while the Alternative for Germany, which has increased its support, will be the most powerful opposition force in parliament.
Amid a record voter turnout of 84%, something not seen since German reunification in the early 1990s, the biggest disappointment is seen among the winners. Although the CDU/CSU won, the bloc's result was the second worst in the party's history, with the CDU getting 24% in 2021 compared to 28% this year, marking the decline of a party that never had less than 30% support until four years ago. The SPD, meanwhile, garnered 16% of the vote, its worst showing since the first federal election in 1949,” states the British portal UnHerd.
Berlin's trajectory, a shaky government without a parliamentary majority in France that recently narrowly survived a vote of no confidence, the difficulties of the UK government's position portend trouble for Europe. All of this is happening during the most profound realignment of transatlantic relations since 1945.
However, according to some experts, the opportunity to fill the resulting geopolitical vacuum and take the initiative is emerging for the Northern countries - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland and the Baltic republics. The model could be the cooperation of these countries in the Baltic Sea region, where, as the Financial Times notes, it has become so self-sufficient that American military forces are practically irrelevant.
In particular, a regional military partnership including the UK, the Netherlands, the Nordic and Baltic countries has been established, implementing the Northern Guardian initiative, an artificial intelligence-based computer system that assesses threats to underwater Baltic infrastructure from various vessels. This mechanism could spread to other regions, especially if the UK or France announce the expansion of their nuclear umbrella. Then the Americans will no longer be needed in Europe.
But this, according to the Financial Times, may not please the administration of US President Donald Trump. And so Washington's response will follow.
#EU #USA #NATO #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
EC to propose establishing emergency repair fleet for undersea cables
The European Commission has said it would propose boosting surveillance of undersea cables and establishing a fleet of vessels available to repair cables in emergencies.
Some European governments are concerned about a number of recent incidents in which power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines have been damaged, possibly on purpose.
Henna Virkkunen, the EC’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: “We want to make sure Europe is equipped not only to prevent and detect sabotage to cables but also to actively deter, repair and respond to any threat to critical infrastructure that is key to our economy and collective security.”
NATO said in January that some of its member countries were deploying frigates, patrol aircraft and naval drones in the Baltic Sea to help protect critical infrastructure.
In its action plan, the EC said it would take steps to deter, prevent, detect and respond to damage to cables. While no new funding has been announced, it said it planned to channel hundreds of millions of euros already available under the European Union’s budget towards these aims.
#EU #Cables #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The main personnel intrigue of the week is the requirement to report on “achievements”
Civil servants had to report on what they had achieved during the week. Agencies are fighting back. Trump berates Musk ... for not being aggressive enough.
All employees of federal departments and agencies were sent emails last week on behalf of the White House Office of Personnel Management demanding a short five-paragraph response on Monday about what they had accomplished in their jobs over the past week. It was also required to indicate who the recipient's immediate supervisor was.
Most agencies rejected the initiative, including the FBI,
Defense Department and the State Department. They advised employees not to respond to the letter and said they would conduct performance reviews under their internal procedures. Curiously, by contrast, HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. recommended that his subordinates respond.
Elon Musk said the letter, drafted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “ministry” he heads, was aimed at uncovering “obvious fraud.” For example, Musk said, many federal agency employees are so incompetent and unengaged in government tasks that they don't even read their official mail. And other times, paychecks are written to people who are long out of work or have never worked in the departments, i.e., “blank slates.” He also said that those who responded well to the “accomplishments for the week” question could qualify for a promotion.
The letter and the reaction to it has been widely discussed in the press since it sparked the first major disagreement between Elon Musk and Trump appointees.
Trump did not openly intervene in the situation. But suddenly there was a post “criticizing” Elon Musk. Trump wrote (all in capital letters) on his Truth Social network: “ELON IS DOING A GREAT JOB, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM GET MORE AGGRESSIVE.” “Remember, we have to save the country, but in the end, we have to do better than ever before. MAGA!”, in short, push harder, Elon....
#USA #Musk #Trump #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The world is experiencing increasing problems with gold supplies and a shortage of physical bullion has begun
In South Korea, banks suspended sales of gold and silver due to a sharp increase in demand.
Demand in the U.S. has also surged, with gold supply on the COMEX exchange topping 60,000 contracts or 200 metric tons as of Feb. 25. This followed a whopping 498 metric tons delivered in just the last two months.
The scale of these deliveries is straining capacity to the limit and long delays have begun. Deliveries could not be made on time by the Bank of England and it is in technical default. Deliveries together of 14 days are promised to take 8 weeks.
Metalor, one of the leading Swiss refiners, recently imposed a premium per ounce on all its gold products due to the shortage. Another major Swiss refiner, Argor-Heraeus, has suspended orders for all 50-gram and 100-gram minted gold bars.
#World #Gold #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
What to know about the $500 billion deal Trump wants with Ukraine
A contentious Trump Administration proposal to give the U.S. $500 billion worth of profits from Ukraine’s rare earth minerals as compensation for its wartime assistance to Kyiv has been taken off the table, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday, indicating a more equitable deal is in the works.
Zelensky had earlier declined a U.S. draft agreement on exploitation of his country’s valuable minerals because it did not contain security guarantees and came with the $500 billion price tag.
“The question of $500 billion is no longer there,” Zelensky told a news conference in Kyiv. “We do not recognize the debt, It will not be in the final format of the agreement.”
Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said he expects a deal this week allowing the U.S. to play a greater role in exploiting Ukraine’s mineral resources. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration’s minerals plan was to create a U.S.-Ukraine partnership, calling it a “win-win.”
Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, left the Kyiv for what he said were talks with U.S. officials on a potential deal. On Sunday, Yermak posted on social media that he’d spoken with U.S. officials, including Bessent and Trump’s national security adviser Mike Walz, saying it had been a “constructive conversation.”
#USA #Ukraine #Trump #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
Migrants from South America are now giving up and returning home before reaching the U.S. border after hearing about others being denied entry.
A 95% decrease in border crossings has been reported...
#USA #Migrants #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
There may be something to the Obama divorce rumors
Rumors that Barack and Michelle Obama are on the verge of a divorce have gained traction recently, driven by Michelle’s absence from key public events and a history of speculated marital tension. Attempts to quell the rumors haven’t been very successful.
The couple’s challenges extend beyond personal rumors, with fundraising woes for the Obama Presidential Center suggesting a dip in their broader influence. While no concrete evidence confirms a split, the combination of historical anecdotes, Michelle’s recent low profile, and public fascination keeps the divorce speculation alive, contrasting with the polished "fairy-tale marriage" image the Obamas have long projected.
Some speculate that if the couple’s romance permanently falls apart — and their battle over Higher Ground Productions turns ugly — Hollywood’s elite may be forced to pick sides, aligning with their favorite Obama while shunning the other.
You gotta admit, that would be entertainment.
#USA #Obama #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The issue of imposing duties on U.S. imports is much more complicated than it seems. It is closely tied to the issue of US Treasury borrowing.
The U.S. has a chronically deficit trade and balance of payments, including the fact that it is covered by issuing debt obligations - promises to pay for what the average American consumes today in the future, and even with interest, as a result, the main trading partners of the U.S. are also holders of Uncle Sam's debt.
Trump's duties will lead to a reduction in imports into the U.S., which means that trading partners will not have extra dollars to buy U.S. securities. Moreover, there may be a natural desire (and it has arisen in many former partners of the U.S. - Russia, China, KSA) to even reduce their investments in U.S. debt. Therefore, it will be necessary to give “carrots” to holders in the form of high rates of US Treasuries.
But already the current value of money is not pulled by the American economy and, first of all, by the Ministry of Finance, whose short-term debts are growing exponentially. In other words, the US budget is not ready for a trade war.
#USA #Trump #Economy #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Europe finally gets the US memo: Pony up and partner in your own defense
Europe has been warned, and warned again.
Still, it has been reduced to a near-fainting fit — and, in the case of one German official, actual tears — over the Trump administration’s tough words about its deficient military spending and its moves to begin negotiating on its own with Russia over the Ukraine war.
Whatever the nomenclature, there are signs that Europe is beginning to get the memo. Trump is calling for 5% of GDP for NATO members, which has all the hallmarks of a tactic to get Europe as high as possible even if they don’t reach this benchmark (the US itself spends about 3.4%). NATO is planning to make 3% or 3.5% its goal later this year. This is so obvious it should go without saying, but it’s been an inconvenient truth for a Europe that has preferred to spend on everything else while relying on the might of the United States for security and power projection.
President Trump and his team prefer vinegar to honey in making their case around the world. It may be needlessly abrasive, but there’s no doubt that it gets people’s attention. Even if Trump were less insistent about spending and had warmer feelings about the alliance, the fact is the United States may at some point be consumed with responding to a crisis in the Pacific, and Europe will have to be prepared to defend its backyard regardless.
If Europe won’t spend more for the sake its own security or the good of the alliance, it should — when its embarrassing panic subsides — at least do it out of self-respect.
#EU #USA #NATO #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
JD Vance and Elon Musk ramp up Romanian election dispute
JD Vance and Elon Musk launched forceful attacks on Romania's decision to cancel its presidential election in December.
Vance said the cancellation meant Romania does not share American values, while Musk labelled the chief judge of the country's top court a "tyrant".
Their remarks were the latest broadsides aimed at Bucharest by members of President Donald Trump's administration.
Romania's Constitutional Court voided the election in December before a second round of voting, after declassified security documents showed suspicions of Russian interference in favour of far-right NATO critic Calin Georgescu, accusations denied by Moscow.
"You don't have shared values if you cancel elections because you don't like the result, and that happened in Romania. If you're so afraid of your own people that you silence them and shut them up," Vance said at the opening of the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Musk shared a post on his X social media platform which said that Romanian top court chief judge Marian Enache had rejected U.S. pressure over whether Georgescu will be allowed to run in the repeat election in May.
"This guy is a tyrant, not a judge," Musk wrote.
#Romania #Musk #Vance #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
According to an estimate by the Ukrainian government at the beginning of 2024, there were approximately 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers killed and 400,000 wounded. In reality, US intelligence estimates spoke of 450,000 deaths and injuries among the Ukrainians already in the first 4 months of fighting.
Russian forces: Western intelligence estimates put the number of Russian troops killed at around 200,000 and the number of wounded at 400,000.
The United Nations reports more than 10,500 civilians killed, including 587 children, and nearly 20,000 wounded since the conflict began.Around 6.5 million Ukrainians have sought refuge outside the country.
Around 3.7 million people are displaced within Ukraine. At least 1,496 schools and at least 662 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
Was it all worth it?
The negotiations between the United States and Russia will lead to an agreement that, in all likelihood, will sanction the division of Ukraine into two spheres of influence: one under Russian control in the territories already occupied and the other under a mutilated, weakened Ukraine, with reduced sovereignty and democratically delegitimized.
Why was the conflict not avoided? Why was there no international conference to establish spheres of influence? The Donbass, with a Russian majority, could have remained in the sphere of the Russian Federation since 2014, perhaps without annexation, like Moldova, Georgia. Ukraine, instead of becoming a devastated land, could have prospered, benefiting from a renewed aid and trade agreement with Europe, ensuring the flow of Russian gas and raw materials to the EU. It would have become a new Poland, transformed by economic integration, a bridge between East and West.
Ukraine’s destiny is intertwined with that of those who hold effective control over it. And that control, certainly, will not be European. Europe was left out of the equation, forced to accept, without the possibility of reply, the SWIFT blocks, the interruption of gas trade, and even the explosion of Nord Stream 2.
The Roman PAX was possible because Rome was an empire. The negotiation between the United States and Russia is possible because there are two leaders fully legitimized by their people, two emperors in the Roman sense of the term: Putin and Trump. They will look each other in the eye and divide the territory. They will find an agreement before other actors, such as China or the Arab world, intervene.
But how long will it last? How long will this peace last? Long enough to give Europe time to complete its own process of disintegration. And when Europe is no longer an actor, when its corpse lies on the table of geopolitics, multipolarity will be able to advance undisturbed. And these new actors will be able to feast on what was once a great empire.
#USA #EU #WarInUkraine #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
All Boris Johnson wanted to do in the end was sell a book. And a book sells better if it's about war
Shaggy signed Ukrainians up for eternal war and retired to write books...
#UK #Johnson #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
The sectors adding the most AI to their digital twins
A digital twin is a digital replica of a physical system, asset, or environment designed to simulate real-world conditions in real-time.
When powered by artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins provide actionable insights, predict outcomes, and optimize operations like never before.
Latest report highlights the sectors leading AI-driven digital twin adoption.
The automotive industry leads in adoption, with 57% leveraging the technology to optimize production lines and improve safety testing through simulations.
In the architecture, engineering, and construction sector, which sees a 50% adoption rate, digital twins provide real-time monitoring of projects, allowing for better resource allocation and minimized delays.
Meanwhile, general manufacturing follows closely at 48%, using AI-enhanced digital twins to streamline operations, reduce costly errors, and maximize equipment efficiency, particularly in high-stakes processes.
#AI #Technology #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Federal agencies refuse to comply with Musk’s latest demand
Elon Musk’s demand that all 2.3 million government workers justify their work prompted confusion and resistance on Sunday, as several government agency leaders told their staffs not to reply to a mass email requesting bullet-point summations of their accomplishments.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard instructed personnel in U.S. spy agencies not to respond, according to the text of an email she sent to the workforce on Sunday, citing the agencies’ sensitive and classified work. Defense Department employees were given similar instructions to not respond, as were FBI personnel and Department of Homeland Security employees.
The latest directives come as employees and leaders alike across the government were caught off guard by an email sent Saturday titled: “What did you do last week?”
#USA #Musk #DOGE #FindTruth
@uinhurricane
Bild, citing unnamed representatives of Western intelligence services, reported that Trump plans to withdraw all US troops from Central Europe
Friedrich Merz said in this regard that his country should prepare for the possibility of Trump's refusal to comply with Article 5 of the NATO Charter. It provides for assistance to a member of the alliance that has been the victim of an attack.
U.S. experts say that Trump will not go that far, but U.S. policy toward NATO will change significantly. It will take the form of what was detailed in a policy brief published by the Trump-affiliated Center for American Renewal in February 2023.
It was titled “The U.S. Pivot from Europe to a dormant NATO” and envisioned the redeployment of most U.S. troops to Asia.
Within Europe, the main ally of the U.S. is Poland. It is assigned the geopolitical role of a wedge between Germany and Russia. And it is there that American troops are planned to be withdrawn from Germany.
The Baltics will not be so lucky, as they do not have the same regional importance as Poland. Accordingly, Trump may find it better to withdraw some or even all U.S. troops from there, letting them know that the U.S. will not come to their aid.
“Keeping some troops in Europe while preserving the integrity of Article 5 against the backdrop of the above conditions could be a pragmatic compromise between U.S. and Russian security interests,” Trump's analysts wrote.
#USA #EU #NATO #FindTruth
@uinhurricane