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Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Category: World
June 2, 2025
Jack Montgomery
World

Globalists Defeated in Poland.

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❓ What Happened: Center right Karol Nawrocki has triumphed in the Polish presidential elections, dealing a significant setback to globalist Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the European Union (EU) establishment.

👥 Who’s Involved: Karol Nawrocki, Donald Tusk, outgoing President Andrzej Duda, failed liberal candidate Rafał Trzaskowski, the EU, and U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

📍 Where & When: Poland, with Nawrocki’s win confirmed on June 1, 2025, following the second round of the presidential elections.

💬 Key Quote: “My Poland is a Poland without illegal migrants… where, instead of integration centers, there are deportation centers.” — Nawrocki.

⚠️ Impact: Nawrocki’s presidency will strengthen Poland’s conservatives, despite losing control of the legislature in late 2023, and challenge the agenda of the EU and Prime Minister Tusk, a former President of the European Council.

IN FULL:

Karol Nawrocki, the Law and Justice (PiS) Party-aligned center right candidate in the Polish presidential elections, has defeated Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, aligned with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s globalist government. Nawrocki, 42, defeated Trzaskowski, 53, 50.89 to 49.11 percent. Trzaskowski prematurely declared victory after initial exit polls projected he would win the contest, only for late polls to reverse the candidates’ fortunes.

Nawrocki’s triumph is a body blow to Prime Minister Tusk, a former European Union (EU) president, who ousted Law and Justice at the head of an unwieldy coalition of globalist and left-wing parties in legislative elections at the end of 2023. Despite this victory, Tusk’s freedom of action had been limited by the outgoing conservative president, Andrzej Duda, wielding veto and pardon powers. Now, with another conservative candidate replacing Duda, the presidency will continue to constrain Tusk’s government for the remainder of its term.

Nawrocki is a colorful character. As a younger man, he participated in a prearranged brawl in a forest—which he described as “noble combat”—between two roughly 70-strong groups of soccer hooligans. He also pursued a career as a boxer, winning national tournaments, before switching career paths and earning a doctorate as a historian.

Currently, he is President of the Institute of National Remembrance and Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes Against the Polish Nation, commemorating and investigating the crimes of the former Nazi and Communist occupation regimes. Contrary to insinuations from politicians such as Tusk that he is a Kremlin stooge, Nawrocki has had a Russian arrest warrant issued against him for his role in demolishing Soviet monuments in Poland.

Trzaskowski is unlikely to make another bid for the presidency now, with his failed run against Nawrocki following a failed attempt to unseat Duda, who is term-limited, in 2020.

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May 30, 2025
William Upton
Health
World

This European Country Is Banning Most Outdoor Smoking.

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❓What Happened: Smoking in most outdoor spaces will be banned in France starting July 1, 2025.

👥 Who’s Involved: French citizens, tourists, children, the French government, and Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, Catherine Vautrin.

📍 Where & When: The ban was announced in the French press on Thursday, May 29, 2025 and will take effect on July 1, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “Tobacco must disappear where there are children, the freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins,” said Catherine Vautrin, France’s Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, in an interview on May 29, 2025.

⚠️ Impact: Almost a third of France’s population is believed to be regular smokers. Violators of the new ban will face a €135 ($153) fine.

IN FULL:

France will ban the smoking of tobacco in outdoor spaces where there are children present starting on July 1, 2025. These locations include public parks, beaches, public gardens, outdoor areas near schools, bus stops, and sports venues. However, the outdoor areas of bars and cafes, will be exempt from the smoking restrictions.

In 2023, it was estimated that nearly 30 percent of the French population were regular smokers, equating to about 14.5 million people in the country with a total population of 68.29 million. Violators of the new ban will face a significant financial penalty, with the fine set at €135 ($153). Notably, electronic cigarettes and other vaping products are exempt from the ban, though French officials have indicated they will soon announce legal limits for the amount of nicotine these devices can contain.

“Tobacco must disappear where there are children,” France’s Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, Catherine Vautrin, said in an interview in French media on Thursday. She added: “The freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins.”

In 2007, France implemented a ban on indoor smoking in workplaces, entertainment venues, bars, and restaurants, among other locations. While self-reported compliance suggests the ban has largely been obeyed, actual observance of the law, especially in the country’s many dining and drinking establishments, appears to be less strict.

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May 28, 2025
War
World

EU Plans Escalation in Black Sea With Anti-Russian ‘Security Hub.’

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❓What Happened: The European Union (EU) wants to establish a “maritime security hub” in the Black Sea region to counter Russia’s “shadow fleet” and protect undersea cables.

👥 Who’s Involved: The European Commission, EU members Romania and Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine, and NATO.

📍 Where & When: Black Sea region; proposal released Wednesday, May 28, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “Turkey can play a constructive role on countering Russia’s shadow fleet,” the European Commission argues.

⚠️ Impact: The hub aims to enhance maritime security, monitor ceasefires, and improve EU relations with Turkey, which are strained despite its status as an official candidate for EU membership.

IN FULL:

The European Union (EU) is proposing the creation of a “maritime security hub” in the Black Sea region to confront Russia and protect critical infrastructure, including undersea cables, according to a European Commission document released Wednesday. Despite the appeal to regional security, the move could be seen as a significant provocation against Russia, whose ongoing invasion of Ukraine is in part aimed at securing greater Black Sea access.

According to the European Commission document, the initiative would focus on enhancing maritime capabilities for “real-time monitoring from space to seabed” and establishing an early warning system for potential threats. The hub, which EU officials suggest could be located in member states Bulgaria or Romania, would also support ceasefire negotiations and monitoring efforts in Ukraine and the broader Black Sea region. The proposal comes amid heightened concerns from Black Sea nations, including EU members Romania and Bulgaria, over Russia.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, emphasized the importance of a ceasefire before the hub’s full potential could be realized. “But first, we need to have a ceasefire,” she remarked, referencing a prior U.S.-brokered attempt that failed due to a lack of Russian compliance.

Turkey, which controls maritime traffic through the Bosporus Strait, is identified as a key player in the success of the proposed security measures. The European Commission noted that Ankara could “play a constructive role on countering Russia’s shadow fleet” and contribute to efforts aimed at bolstering maritime safety and energy security. The Russian “shadow fleet” is a collection of aging vessels that the country uses to circumvent oil sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU.

In recent months, Turkey has indicated its willingness to participate in a future European “reassurance force” for Ukraine, which could include maritime assets to monitor a ceasefire. However, EU-Turkey relations remain fraught, with longstanding disputes involving EU members Greece and Cyprus and Turkey’s accession to the EU being stalled for over a decade.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos suggested that the Black Sea strategy could help foster “good neighbourly relations” with Turkey. However, she refrained from addressing the broader issue of Turkey‘s EU membership ambitions.

Image: European Union 2023– Source: EP.

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May 23, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
Immigration
World

1 in 3 Young Adults Now Come From Migrant Backgrounds in Major European Nation.

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❓What Happened: Around one in three young adult Germans now come from migration backgrounds.

👥 Who’s Involved: German government, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), immigrant-background Germans.

📍 Where & When: Destatis released the 2024 demographic statistics on May 22.

⚠️ Impact: The figures reveal the rapidly changing demographics in the European Union’s largest country.

IN FULL:

Around one in three young adults in the European Union’s largest country, by population and economy, now comes from a migration background. Among those aged 20 to 39, at least a third of Germans are either migrants or the children of two migrant parents.

Overall, the country’s migrant-background population stood at 25.6 percent in 2024, according to the German Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), which published the data this week. This figure is an increase compared to 2023, when migrant-background residents comprised 24.7 percent of the population.

In real numbers, migrant-background Germans total over 21.2 million people, increasing by a massive 873,000 since 2023. The German government figures also revealed that since the migrant crisis that began under Angela Merkel in 2015, around 6.5 million people had moved to Germany by 2024.

Between 2015 and 2021, the single largest nationality represented in the figures was Syrians, with over 716,000 moving to Germany. Around one in 20 Syrians worldwide live in Germany, and over 513,000 of them live on some form of government welfare. Nearly half of all welfare recipients in the country are foreigners.

Between 2022 and 2024, however, Ukrainians took the lead, with 843,000 moving to the country amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, with Syrians relegated to second place.

While the number of German residents with migrant backgrounds is high among young adults, it is much lower among those aged over 65, at one in seven.

Many of the Germans with migration backgrounds come from Muslim-majority countries such as Syria or Turkey. Last year, the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony (KFN) discovered that nearly half of young Muslims in grade nine favoured the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate in Germany.

Image by Rasande Tyskar.

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OnlyFans
May 21, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
News
World

This European Country Just Outlawed OnlyFans.

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❓What Happened: The purchase of sex acts online has been banned in Sweden, leading to sites like OnlyFans being essentially outlawed.

👥 Who’s Involved: Swedish parliament, OnlyFans, Social Democrat lawmaker Teresa Carvahlo, Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson.

📍 Where & When: Sweden, the Swedish parliament passed the legislation on May 20.

💬 Key Quote:  The online sex industry “serves as a gateway for young girls from the digital world to physical prostitution.” — Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson.

⚠️ Impact: The law cripples sites like OnlyFans in Sweden and could see those who try to purchase sex acts online be sentenced to a year in prison.

IN FULL:

Sweden, once synonymous with leftist progressivism, has banned the sale of sexual acts online, essentially outlawing the popular pornography website OnlyFans. Swedish lawmakers voted on May 20 to make it illegal to purchase sexual acts remotely online, which will affect webcam pornography sites as well as OnlyFans.

The law prohibits people from purchasing sex acts online and also makes it illegal for anyone to promote or financially exploit someone to perform sexual acts as well.

“This is a new form of sex purchase and it is high time that we modernize the Sex Purchase Act, and that we also include purchases that take place remotely on digital platforms such as Onlyfans,” Social Democrat lawmaker Teresa Carvahlo said following the bill’s passing.

Those found to violate the law could face up to a year in prison if found guilty, and the new rules are set to come into force on July 1 of this year. Minister for Gender Equality Nina Larsson argued that the online prostitution “serves as a gateway for young girls from the digital world to physical prostitution.”

OnlyFans has had legal troubles in other European countries, including the United Kingdom, where it was fined $1 million. The fine stemmed from the site refusing to provide information on how it accesses the ages of those using it.

OnlyFans has been accused of allowing children to access pornography and failing to provide adequate age verification measures. Some have also found the site has hosted child pornography at times, though it has removed offending material when alerted.

Sweden’s new law, which is an extension of the country’s strict anti-prostitution laws, comes as several states in America have also enacted their own laws to keep children away from pornography by demanding age verification of users. As a result of the laws, major websites like Pornhub have shut down some of their operations.

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May 20, 2025
News
World

Portugal’s Populists Are Surging. Here’s Why…

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❓What Happened: Portugal’s Chega Party achieved its best-ever election result, securing a record vote share and challenging the country’s long-standing two-party establishment.

👥 Who’s Involved: Chega Party, led by André Ventura; Socialist Party, led by Pedro Nuno Santos; Democratic Alliance (AD), led by Luís Montenegro.

📍 Where & When: Portugal, during snap parliamentary elections concluded in May 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “The system has been shaken,” said Chega lawmaker Pedro Pinto. “And we represent a governing alternative.”

⚠️ Impact: The result signals a shift in Portugal’s political landscape, with Chega emerging as a significant populist force in the European Union (EU). The election outcome leaves the AD coalition short of a majority.

IN FULL:

Portugal’s populist Chega Party has achieved its strongest electoral performance to date, securing 22.56 percent of the vote in the nation’s recent snap parliamentary elections. This result, confirmed Monday, marks the end of decades-long two-party dominance in Portuguese politics.

Led by André Ventura, Chega campaigned on an anti-immigration and anti-corruption platform. Ventura described the outcome as “historic,” emphasizing a voter rejection of mass immigration policies under the sitting government. The election was the third in as many years, triggered by political scandals involving former prime ministers.

The governing Democratic Alliance (AD), led by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, emerged as the largest party with 32 percent of the vote but fell short of an outright majority. Meanwhile, the Socialist Party, under Pedro Nuno Santos, finished second with 23 percent. The Socialists’ poor showing prompted Santos to announce his resignation, as the party’s vote share drew nearly level with Chega.

Despite Chega’s strong performance, Montenegro has ruled out forming a coalition with the populist party. He has instead expressed hopes of leading a minority government. The election result leaves Portugal’s political future uncertain, with overseas votes yet to break the tie between Chega and the Socialist Party.

Chega’s rise mirrors a broader populist surge in neighboring Spain and across Europe as a whole. The party had already made significant gains in last year’s elections, and its continued momentum highlights growing dissatisfaction with the political establishment.

Chega lawmaker Pedro Pinto remarked, “The system has been shaken. And we represent a governing alternative.” The results underscore a shift in Portuguese politics, with populism gaining ground against traditional parties.

Image via Vox.

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May 19, 2025
UK
World

Hot on the Heels of the U.S.-UK Trade Deal, Britain’s Labour Govt is Selling Out to Brussels Again.

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❓What Happened: A new post-Brexit trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU) was announced, with claims it will boost the British economy by £9 billion by 2040.

👥 Who’s Involved: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, Reform Party leader Nigel Farage, and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.

📍 Where & When: The deal was unveiled at a UK-EU summit held at Lancaster House, London, on Monday, May 19, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: Sir Keir Starmer described the agreement as a “win-win,” stating it “delivers what the British public voted for last year.”

⚠️ Impact: The deal is being criticized for its alignment with EU rules and concessions on EU access to British fishing waters, with opponents labeling it a “surrender” of British sovereignty.

IN FULL:

A controversial post-Brexit trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union was unveiled on Monday, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailing it as a “win-win” for both sides. The deal, announced during a UK-EU summit at Lancaster House in London, is projected by the Labour Party government to boost Britain’s economy by £9 billion by 2040.

Key provisions include relaxed trade rules allowing more British food exports to the EU, while reducing port delays. However, the agreement requires adherence to EU food standards, a condition criticized by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch as making Britain a “rule-taker.”

Meanwhile, Reform Party leader and Brexit champion Nigel Farage is warning that the 12-year fishing agreement in the deal could devastate the British fishing industry. The agreement reportedly allows the EU continued access to British fishing waters under current arrangements. Farage warns, “If true, that will be the end of the fishing industry.” Farage has pledged that if he becomes Prime Minister, he and Reform UK will scrap the deal and protect British fishing waters from EU predation.

Others have pointed to a potential return of Free Movement immigration, with Badenoch claiming the policy is being re-established “by the back door.” Under the agreement, a “youth mobility scheme” will allow younger EU nationals broad access to the British labor market.

Additionally, the deal establishes a defense and security pact, granting British firms access to a €150 billion EU defense fund, though Britain’s financial contributions remain unspecified. Further talks are planned to expand criminal data-sharing arrangements, including access to EU facial recognition databases.

Prime Minister Starmer, speaking alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said: “This is the first UK-EU summit. It marks a new era in our relationship.”

Von der Leyen called the deal a “historic moment,” stating it opens “a new chapter” in UK-EU relations. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who wants Britain to rejoin the EU, urged against revisiting past Brexit debates, dismissing Farage and Badenoch as “dinosaurs fighting old battles.”

Election polling shows Farage and Reform either close to or outright overtaking the Labour Party, suggesting the Brexit leader’s resistance to renewed integration with the EU remains highly popular among the British electorate. Earlier this month, the United States and the United Kingdom signed a landmark bilateral trade deal aimed at “bring[ing] the United Kingdom into economic security alignment with the United States,” according to U.S. President Donald J. Trump.

Image by Tim Hammond / No 10 Downing Street.

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May 16, 2025
Christopher Tomlinson
News
World

‘We Don’t Need a Lesson in Democracy’ — German Leader Slams Vance, While Arresting Citizens Traveling to ‘Remigration’ Conference.

PULSE POINTS:

❓ What Happened: German Chancellor (Prime Minister) Friedrich Merz slammed Vice President J.D. Vance, saying Germany does not need lessons on democracy, while it is arresting activists trying to attend a conference on “remigration.”

👥 Who’s Involved: Friedrich Merz, J.D. Vance, German anti-mass migration activists.

📍 Where & When: Merz’s comments were published in the German newspaper Die Zeit, while the arrests of activists occurred in Munich on May 15.

💬 Key Quote: “Of course, we are not on the way to a ‘tyranny’ as we hear from the USA. We really have to reject such statements.” — Friedrich Merz.

⚠️ Impact: The comments of Merz greatly contrast with his government’s actions on the same day, lending further strength to Vance’s comments.

IN FULL:

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dismissed Vice President JD Vance‘s critiques regarding German democracy, but is banning citizens from travelling overseas to a conference on remigration at the same time. Vance made his comments earlier this year at the Munich Security Conference.

Vance has criticised the German treatment of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and its supporters, saying, “I think, unfortunately, the will of voters has been ignored by a lot of our European friends.”

Merz slammed Vance in an interview this week in German media, saying, “Of course, we are not on the way to a ‘tyranny’ as we hear from the USA. We really have to reject such statements. Germany has been freed from tyranny by the USA, Germany today is stable, liberal and democratic. We don’t need a lesson in democracy,” he insisted, despite the country’s troubled past.

The interview was given the same day German authorities arrested six anti-mass migration activists at a Munich airport as they were en route to a conference on remigration—the return of immigrants to their home countries—in Milan, Italy. Two of the activists were arrested on the aircraft, as they had already boarded, and were removed.

German police later explained that letting the activists go to the “Remigration summit” could “damage the reputation” of Germany. The activists were later released but banned from travelling to Italy, Austria, or Switzerland until Sunday.

Merz’s comments also come after the German domestic spy agency declared the AfD to be “right-wing extremists“, allowing them to spy on members of the party and use undercover informants to infiltrate it. However, following a lawsuit and pressure from the Trump administration—which described the move as “tyranny in disguise”—the agency has put the classification on hold.

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May 16, 2025
William Upton
Economy
World

Trump Promises Fair Tariff Adjustments for Trade Partners in Coming Weeks.

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❓What Happened: President Donald J. Trump announced that his administration will inform U.S. trade partners as to what tariff rates their exports will face in the next several weeks.

👥 Who’s Involved: President Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and leaders from the Middle East, the United Kingdom, China, and elsewhere.

📍 Where & When: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; May 16, 2025.

💬 Key Quote: “We have 150 countries that want to make a deal—but you’re not able to see that many countries. So at a certain point over the next two to three weeks, I think Scott and Howard will be sending letters out essentially telling people—and we’ll be very fair—but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States,” Trump said.

⚠️ Impact: The administration plans to dictate trade terms to numerous countries in the coming weeks, impacting global trade dynamics and continuing its ‘America First’ agenda.

IN FULL:

President Donald J. Trump announced that his Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, will inform around 150 nations within the next month regarding the U.S. tariff rate on their exports. The comments were made early Friday morning on May 16, as President Trump departed Abu Dhabi—the final leg of his Middle East tour in which he secured more than a trillion dollars in investments into the United States.

“We just reached a fantastic trade deal with the United Kingdom. And we have another big one that we reached with China. At the same time, we have 150 countries that want to make a deal—but you’re not able to see that many countries,” Trump said shortly before he departed from the Middle East. “So, at a certain point over the next two to three weeks, I think Scott and Howard will be sending letters out essentially telling people—and we’ll be very fair—but we’ll be telling people what they’ll be paying to do business in the United States.”

Trump reiterated, “It’s not possible to meet the number of people who want to see us.”

Shortly after announcing a 10 percent global tariff and even higher country-specific reciprocal tariffs in early April, the Trump White House moved to pause the trade duties after most nations around the world scrambled to open talks for bilateral trade agreements. While the higher reciprocal tariffs were set aside for 90 days, the 10 percent global tariff has remained in place for nearly every country that engages in trade with the U.S.

Last week, President Trump finalized a significant bilateral trade agreement with the United Kingdom—a deal that had been sought by the United States ever since Great Britain voted to leave the European Union (EU). Under the terms of the agreement, the United States has been given unprecedented influence over the United Kingdom’s supply chains, with provisions regarding ownership structure and security guarantees appearing to be targeted at excluding Chinese suppliers.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, the United States and China agreed to dramatically lower the trade barriers the two nations had erected against one another for 90 days. Under the agreement, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods dropped from 145 percent to 30 percent, while China reduced its levies from 125 percent to 10 percent. The move aims to de-escalate tensions from the ongoing trade dispute.

While the renewed possibility of higher tariff rates on U.S. trade partners is likely to stoke a new round of market volatility, recent hard data has clearly indicated that the tariffs have had little to no impact on inflation and, in fact, appear to be deflationary.

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