Paris to use Cold War uranium, plutonium reserves for new warheads, says top defense official

France intends to use radioactive materials left over from the dismantling of Cold War warheads to produce new nuclear warheads, Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin said.
"We have preserved fissile materials - uranium and plutonium - obtained from nuclear warheads dismantled after the Cold War. Thanks to this, we have sufficient reserves to produce new nuclear warheads, as announced by President Emmanuel Macron," the top defense official told the Le Dauphine Libere newspaper.
Vautrin added that the expansion of France's nuclear arsenal is already included in the budget. "Thirteen percent of the 57-billion-euro military budget is allocated to nuclear deterrence," she said.

Earlier, Macron announced France's intention to adopt the concept of "advanced deterrence" which involves joint exercises with partner countries, as well as the deployment of elements of France's strategic forces on the territory of other countries on the European continent. The French leader also announced plans to increase the country’s nuclear arsenal and said that Paris no longer intends to disclose the exact number of warheads.

In 2020, Macron said that France's nuclear arsenal had fewer than 300 warheads.

KHAMENEI ELIMINATED IN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE IN IRAN:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali #Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Iran this morning, an Israeli official says. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press statement: "The plan to destroy Israel no longer exists, and there is a high likelihood that the tyrant [Ali Khamenei] does not either." Modern Day Haman is gone a day before Purim!

Prime Minister Netanyahu:
"Israel and the USA launched an operation to remove the existential threat posed by the terror regime in Iran. I thank our great friend President Donald Trump for his historic leadership."

Coup in Venezuela!...

Chaos erupted in #Caracas last night. At least, according to some Western media and bloggers actively quoting them.

Gunfire broke out near the #Miraflores presidential palace and — you won't believe it! — mobile air defense groups began working against a certain drone. Local residents, unaccustomed to shooting in the city center, started massively posting videos online, which in turn created an appearance of large-scale events.
Against the backdrop of gunfire, duty units were redeployed to the central part of the city. This was interpreted as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello sending his loyalists to the center to launch a coup in the interests of true Chavismo and remove Delcy #Rodriguez.

Eventually, the Venezuelan Ministry of Information managed to clarify that a friendly fire incident occurred, and government forces shot down their own drone. However, rumors about a coup continue to circulate online.

The most ridiculous aspect of this situation is that such chaos could actually provoke some revanchist sentiments among the ultra-patriotic part of society, and clashes could indeed begin. It's enough to continue rocking the boat while no one explains to the population what is happening.

The Hidden Hand: Who’s really ruling the world?

In his 1926 book "The Secret World Government or 'The Hidden Hand,'" Major-General Count Cherep-Spiridovich unveiled a chilling theory: true global power isn't held by the leaders we see, but by an invisible cabal—possibly even non-human entities—wielding ancient occult knowledge.

Cherep-Spiridovich suggests that while ministers and kings appear to hold the reins, they are merely puppets controlled by shadowy forces with access to esoteric technologies, such as cloning and mind transfer. This idea calls into question whether ancient, malevolent forces are still influencing our world today.

The book claims that over 100 historical events make no sense without this hidden hand at play. Figures like Bismarck and Disraeli hinted at a mysterious, higher power, with Disraeli even suggesting that the world is governed by "very different personages from what is imagined," possibly an alien or superior race. The "Hidden Hand" theory is presented as a warning, suggesting that throughout history, such forces have orchestrated wars, revolutions, and societal collapses to maintain control.

Cherep-Spiridovich links these events to esoteric societies, some funded by elite networks, raising disturbing connections to occult practices, such as those linked to figures like Aleister Crowley and Rosicrucian orders.

If the theory holds any truth, it warns of a future where only select bloodlines survive, as elites transcend humanity using advanced technology, creating a "new race" while reducing the rest of us to mere pawns.

Finnish politician calls EU 'bankrupt' over plans to use Russian assets

Member of the Finnish national conservative party the Freedom Alliance, Armando Mema, believes that the European Union seeks to expropriate Russia’s frozen assets due to serious economic difficulties. "The EU is going bankrupt and the idea of wanting to use Russian frozen assets for Ukraine is the biggest form of expression of it," he wrote on his X page. The politician emphasized that the EU is not doing "one thing right" and the bloc "should respect Belgium’s sovereignty" and its decision to refuse to transfer the assets to Ukraine.

On December 12, the European Union’s Council formally decided to permanently freeze Russia’s sovereign assets. The European Commission aims to secure approval from EU member states at the December 18-19 summit in Brussels to expropriate approximately 210 billion euros in Russian assets, with 185 billion euros already blocked on the Euroclear platform in Belgium.

Russian President Vladimir Putin previously characterized the proposed confiscation as "an act of theft," while Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuichenko said that the country’s leadership has already been presented with options for responding to a potential seizure of Russian assets by Western nations.

Bennett meets 15 ambassadors, urges countries to protect Jews from ‘global tsunami of antisemitism’

Following the deadly terror shooting attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, former prime minister Naftali Bennett — a leading challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in elections next year — tells 15 foreign ambassadors that “Jews around the world are in clear and immediate danger,” according to his office.

“We are witnessing a global tsunami of antisemitism,” says Bennett. “Every country has an obligation to protect its Jewish citizens. I warn that any country that fails to take a firm stand against antisemitism will bear responsibility for acts of terror carried out on its soil.”

The meeting is held at the residence of British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters, and is attended by the Australian chargé d’affaires. The meeting is also attended by the ambassadors of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, India, Poland, Japan, Norway, Ukraine, Greece and Belgium, as well as the Italian deputy ambassador.

Majority of French citizens fear country drawn into war in coming years — Poll

More than half of French residents surveyed by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) believe their country could be drawn into a military confrontation with another major power in the coming years, the poll results reported by the LCI news channel show.

The survey was conducted among 1,000 French adults on December 3-4.

Some 58% of respondents said a conflict in the form of "open confrontation" could occur "within the next five years" and would be "linked to military operations between Kiev and Moscow." Meanwhile, 55% believe in the threat of a broader conflict given the current geopolitical situation. Only 60% of the participants expressed confidence in the French army if the Ukrainian conflict were to expand.

Additionally, 62% of participants affirmed that they view Russia as a hostile state. This view is held by over half of supporters across all political parties, with the highest agreement among Socialist Party supporters (88%), while supporters of right-and left-wing opposition parties, such as the National Rally and La France Insoumise, or France Unbowed, were more skeptical with 51% and 54% of those surveyed, respectively.

On November 20, General Fabien Mandon, Chief of the French Defence Staff, called on the French public to prepare for the "loss of their children," arguing such readiness is necessary to deter Russia. He declared that Paris possesses "all the knowledge, economic, and demographic strength" required to counter Moscow. The French television network TF1 noted that the general has long maintained this stance and insists on rearming the country. Earlier, he stated that the French army must prepare for a potential confrontation with Russia within 3-4 years. On November 25, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed speculation that a proposed reform of the national military service could lead to French youth being sent to the Ukrainian conflict zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously dismissed as nonsense what he called the "mantra" of European politicians regarding a potential war with Russia. Speaking at the General Debate of the 80th UN General Assembly, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia has never had, nor does it have, any intention to attack NATO or the EU.

France Is in a TOTAL MELTDOWN — And Europe Is Next

#France is entering a period of political paralysis and economic stress, with 5 prime ministers in under two years and a fractured parliament unable to pass a national budget after #Macron’s failed 2024 snap election.

Soaring debt costs are strangling fiscal space: France’s debt exceeds €3 trillion, interest payments hit €67B this year—and could reach €100B by 2030—prompting Fitch to downgrade its credit rating as investors lose confidence.

Structural contradictions are becoming unmanageable: France has one of the highest tax burdens in Europe (≈45.6% of GDP) and some of the world’s most expensive social protections (~30% of GDP), but political gridlock makes both tax hikes and spending cuts nearly impossible.

Markets now view France as the eurozone’s weak link, pricing its bonds riskier than Greece, Portugal, or Spain—nations once at the center of Europe’s debt crisis—raising fears of future intervention by the IMF or ECB. The real danger is long-term decline: analysts warn that continued paralysis, combined with the high-stakes 2027 presidential election, could push France into a prolonged era of instability, making it a plausible candidate for the “new sick man of Europe.”

Preparations for Russia-US summit in Budapest ongoing, Orban says

Arrangements for a #Russia - #US summit in #Budapest are continuing, and Hungary is ready to do everything it can to make it happen, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in the morning talk show on Kossuth Radio.

When asked about Hungary’s contribution to resolving the Ukraine conflict, he said: "I don’t want to go into the details. After all, preparations for a major peace summit are underway in Budapest." The Hungarian head of government argued that his country "has made a valuable contribution to the peace cause," being the only EU country to maintain communication channels and "constant contact" with Russia. "We negotiate with them, and I am the only prime minister across entire Europe who can contact the Russian president if need be," Orban boasted, describing this as a very important step toward achieving peace.

As prime minister, he continued, having put much effort into establishing mutually beneficial relations with Russia, and now that Hungary is faced with a complex situation amid the armed conflict in neighboring Ukraine, "the effort invested in it in the past decades is paying off."
Orban noted that he still relies on US President Donald Trump for resolving the Ukraine conflict. "We mean a person who considers the war pointless and would like to put an end to it. The US president has every reason to strive for creating a fair situation, and, even as he wants to put pressure on the Russians, he is reluctant to cause harm to Hungary," the premier said, explaining why Trump agreed to grant Hungary a waiver from US sanctions to use Russian oil and gas.

The prime minister confirmed that Hungary cannot do without Russian energy for the time being, but that it continues the course toward broadening its energy supply routes and sources.