It feels like we're closer than ever to the brink of World War III, and as the USA tries to navigate the troubles waters of the Russia-Ukraine war, it looks like President Donald Trump might only be making matters worse.
There was a pretty disastrous meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenksky, with Elon Musk branding the Ukrainian President as 'evil' in the aftermath.
Now, France is reportedly working on a 20-page 'survival guide' that includes 63 measures on how civilians can protect themselves and their families from natural disasters, nuclear leaks, and armed conflicts. The latter is especially important considering the Doomsday Clock has never been closer to midnight.
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The survival guide includes a list essentials that you might require in an emergency, including a torch, batteries, paracetamol, bandages, six litres of water, and canned food.
There will also be a list of emergency numbers, radio channels, and reminder to close doors and windows if there's a nuclear threat. For those who want to defend their community, there's also information of how to sign up for reserve units and firefighting groups.
The Europe 1 radio station reported the story and included a spokesperson from Prime Minister François Bayrou's office saying: "The purpose of this document is to ensure the resilience of populations in the face of all types of crisis, whether natural, technological, cyber or security-related."
It still needs to be approved by Bayrou, but if rolled out, the guide will be split into three parts that tell citizens how to protect "yourself and those around you."
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France's booklet is seemingly based on Sweden's "Om krisen eller kriget kommer" ("In case of crisis or war") that was given to households in 2018. There's no title yet, although it's thought it could be called "French Resilience" or "All Resilient."
French newspaper Le Figaro claimed that it could be France "reacting to the unstable international situation," although it's insisted it's not in response to Vladimir Putin's recent warnings.
The survival guide manual has supposedly been in the works since 2022 and was originally planned in the aftermath of the pandemic.
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The General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) reiterates the manual is supposed to cover 'all types of crises'.
Still, timing is convenient considering the recent words of President Emmanuel Macron. He said that a 'united Europe' should stand up to Russia and highlighted France's importance: "We have the most effective army in the whole of Europe, and nuclear capacity. We have been developing our army since the Second World War.
"Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it’s complete, sovereign, French through and through. But, responding to the historic call of the future German Chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our (nuclear) deterrence."
Even if not focused on the potential threat of WWIII, the survival guide is due to be published in June. Hopefully, WWIII won't have broken out by then.