Just before news feed time last night my internet went out. A rainstorm came through about 10pm — no lightning, no wind, but the rain was apparently enough to take out my internet connection for 24 hours. The phone company works in mysterious ways.
The internet came back on a little while ago. I haven’t gathered any news from today, so the news posted below is just from what came in as of last night.
The Russian government said yesterday that Ukraine peace talks planned for Switzerland in June make no sense if Russia is not a participant. Meanwhile, Russia seized the assets of the Dutch agricultural holdings company AgroTerra Group, because it is owned by an “unfriendly country”.
In other news, Polish border guards prevented hundreds of illegal immigrants from crossing into Poland via the border with Belarus.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Apollon Zamp, Daniel Greenfield, Dean, Insubria, JW, LP, McN, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Fed Posts Record Loss of $114.3 Billion in 2023
March 26 (Reuters) — The Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that it officially saw a net negative income of $114.3 billion in 2023, a record loss tied to expenses related to managing the U.S. central bank’s short-term interest rate target.
The loss last year follows $58.8 billion in net income in 2022, the Fed said. The numbers released were an audited tally following preliminary numbers reported earlier this year. The Fed has stressed repeatedly that net negative income does not impede its ability to operate or conduct monetary policy.
By law, the Fed hands over any profits after covering operational expenses to the Treasury. The Fed earns income from services it provides the financial system and from interest income on securities it owns. It has earned significant profits over recent years amid very low rates and large levels of bond holdings.
| — Hat tip: Apollon Zamp | [Return to headlines] |
Rooke: Secret Tapes Reveal the Fed Throws Americans Under the Bus to Serve Biden
The U.S. Federal Reserve could have fixed inflation a while ago but refused to do the hard work because the results could hurt President Joe Biden’s re-election efforts, putting former President Donald Trump back in the White House, according to hidden camera footage.
Despite Biden’s insistence that the U.S. economy is stronger than ever and inflation is controlled, Americans can feel the pinch at every turn. Principal economist at the Federal Reserve, Aurel Hizmo, told an undercover reporter that the Fed stopped raising the rates to tackle inflation because it could cause a recession. Something like that would likely end Biden’s 2024 campaign.
Moreover, he said that chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell “hates” Trump and thinks of himself as someone “who held the line against … Trump,” adding that under his first term, Powell refused to help stimulate the economy by lowering interest rates simply because Trump wanted him to.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
SEC Moves Against Decentralized Finance, Targets Uniswap
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delivered an enforcement notice to Uniswap, a decentralized cryptocurrency exchange.
Known as a Wells notice, the enforcement wrangle points toward a future legal dispute between the regulatory body and Uniswap, reflecting its reputation as a precursor to enforcement actions.
The enforcement notice is seen as a move against decentralized finance (DeFi) for several reasons. First, this action signifies increased regulatory scrutiny on DeFi platforms, which fundamentally operate on principles of decentralization and less regulatory oversight. The SEC’s focus on Uniswap, particularly on issues surrounding the classification of its native token UNI and its operation as a potential unregistered securities market, suggests an attempt to apply traditional financial regulatory frameworks to DeFi.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“No Great Loss”: Ron Goldman’s Family React to the Death of O.J. Simpson
Following the news that O.J. Simpson died at 76 from prostate cancer, the family of Ron Goldman — stabbed to death along with Nicole Brown Simpson — took some time to publicly react to the death of the man who will forever be linked to their family member’s murder, acquitted or not.
In a statement from Ron’s dad, Fred Goldman, and his sister, Kim Goldman, they write, “The news of Ron’s killer passing away is a mixed bag of complicated emotions and reminds us that the journey through grief is not linear. For three decades we tirelessly pursued justice for Ron and Nicole, and despite a civil judgment and his confession in ‘If I Did It,’ the hope for true accountability has ended. We will continue to advocate for the rights of all victims and survivors, ensuring our voices are heard both within and beyond the courtroom. And despite his death, the mission continues; there’s always more to be done.”
Having fought for justice in the murder of his son for years, Fred Goldman phrased the above a little firmer in a quote to NBC News on Thursday, saying, “It’s no great loss to the world. It’s a further reminder of Ron’s being gone.”
The Goldmans’ attorney, David Cook, issued an additional quote on the family’s behalf, saying, “O.J. died without penance.” Adding that the family is still owed more than $100 million as part of a previous judgment, which they hope to recoup from Simpson’s assets.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
5 Times Squatters Were Busted After Taking Over Homes: What to Know
Legal loopholes are leaving landlords and homeowners nationwide without recourse when squatters take up residence at their properties.
Oftentimes, police tell exasperated homeowners their hands are tied when they discover an unwelcome resident living rent-free on their properties.
But in these five cases, squatters got their comeuppance and, in some instances, landed themselves new beds behind bars.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Activists Arrested at U.S. Custom House While Protesting John Fetterman’s Position on Israel
Around 50 protesters converged on the Custom House in Old City at 9 a.m. Thursday to demand for a ceasefire in Gaza. Around a dozen of them volunteered to enter the building’s lobby, where they marched and chanted against U.S. Senator John Fetterman’s stance on the siege in Gaza.
Eventually the volunteers sat down in front of the doors, blocking the entrance. Police officers gave them five minutes to disperse. When they didn’t, several officers entered the lobby with zip ties and handcuffed the activists. Everyone cooperated except one man who lay down limply, forcing the officers to carry him. They were then all taken into the building.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A group of students at a prestigious university took to Instagram on Wednesday to threaten to begin a hunger strike if the university does not divest from weapon manufacturers they claim contribute to “Israel’s assault on Palestine.”
The students at Yale University have set a deadline for their demands by the morning of April 12, 2024, according to a letter addressed to Yale President Peter Salovey, as posted on Instagram. In their communication, the students express their willingness to risk their health to draw attention to the issue, accusing Yale of being complicit in what they describe as “genocide.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Audit Reveals California Hasn’t Been Tracking Effectiveness of Homeless Despite Billions Spent
Governor Newson’s California has spent more than $24 billion over five years to try and address the Golden State’s massive homelessness problem but did not track the results of the effectiveness of its efforts, according to a new report.
On Tuesday, a state audit was released on the effectiveness of California’s homeless and housing programs during the 2018-2023 fiscal years that revealed despite the billions spent, the problem only got worse.
Rep Kevin Kiley (R-CA) said, “In summary: California spent $24 billion on homelessness, no one bothered to ask if it was doing any good, and the problem got much worse.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Wyoming teenager who was attempting to protect his girlfriend was tragically stabbed to death at a mall.
The incident occurred when 14-year-old Ronter Dean Maher and one of his friends went to Eastridge Mall in Casper, Wyoming after receiving a call from his girlfriend saying her group of friends were being followed by two individuals at the mall wearing hooded, balaclava-style masks.
According to the Daily Mail, Maher and his friend rushed to the scene to assist Maher’s girlfriend and her friends, intending to ensure their safety. However, a confrontation ensued between Maher and the two teenagers, identified as Dominique Antonio Richard Harris and Jarreth Joseflee Sebastian Plunkett, both aged 15.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Makes Pitch to Voters: ‘Elect Me — I’m in the 20th Century’
Democrat President Joe Biden has just publicly humiliated himself with yet another gaffe in front of a foreign leader.
Biden gave a press conference at the White House on Wednesday alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Gates’ Digital ID Linked to ‘Payments’ & ‘Health Records’ Spreads Globally
Several nations around the world have begun to roll out a new global digital ID system that is being heavily pushed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
Gates has been traveling to several different countries to push the idea onto world leaders.
However, the system does not only enable a person to prove their identity.
According to Gates, his “inclusive” system supports “digital payments,” “health records,” “tutoring for kids,” “advice for farmers” such as “registering their land,” as well as a “biometric digital ID.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Military Companies Have Spent Over $24 Million Lobbying the US Gov’t in Recent Years
Entities the Pentagon classifies as “Chinese military companies” have spent more than $24 million lobbying the U.S. government since 2020, a Daily Caller News Foundation review of lobbying disclosures found.
Some of the biggest spenders on lobbying included corporations directly tied to human rights abuses and Chinese military research, like telecom giant Huawei, facial recognition software developer Megvii and genomics company BGI Shenzhen. Chinese military corporations cast a wide net across the American government, lobbying the House, Senate and various parts of the executive branch, including the office of the president, often setting their sights on proposed policies that would impact their U.S. operations, according to a DCNF review of congressional disclosures and legislative records.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cruz Challenger ‘Proud’ of Endorsement From Soros-Funded Group That Called to Defund Police
The Texas Democrat running to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz says he’s “proud” to accept an endorsement from a George Soros-funded group that supports defunding the police.
Rep. Colin Allred touted his endorsement from Reproductive Freedom for All, a Soros-funded nonprofit organization. In a statement released last Wednesday, Allred said he was “proud to earn the endorsement” and that he looks forward to working alongside the group.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Rashida Tlaib Refuses to Condemn ‘Death to America’ Chants in Her District
Radical anti-Semitic Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) has declared that people asking her to condemn “death to America” chants are using “racist tropes.”
Tlaib made the comments on Thursday while refusing to condemn recent chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” from protesters in her district.
The protests in Michigan have caused outrage as one speaker smeared America as one of the “rottenest countries” in the world.
Protesters chanted “death to America” in agreement followed by “death to Israel.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: China-Backed Activists Storm GOP Sen. Josh Hawley’s Office After He Called Out China Ties
Members of the Code Pink group stormed the office of Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley Thursday, the Daily Caller learned.
In a video first obtained by the Daily Caller, the activist group affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, according to the New York Times, can be seen occupying the front office of the Senator. The activists are heard calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and denying accusations of their ties to the Chinese regime.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: Jim Banks Demands Pentagon Hand Over Stats That Could Debunk COVID-19 Vax Argument
Republican Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana demanded the Pentagon give updated data on diseases rates that could show whether COVID-19 or the vaccine caused the illnesses to spike as side effects, according to a Thursday letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Internal Department of Defense (DOD) medical data showed a spike in eight medical issues linked to the COVID-19 disease in 2021, but the same information for previous and subsequent years is not publicly available, Banks noted when he first requested the data at a March hearing. The updated data requested could clarify whether the increases in illnesses stemmed from COVID-19 infection, itself, or were more likely to stem from the vaccine, which was widely accepted in the military after a secretary of defense mandate in late 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A federal agency did not reappoint a former Trump advisor to an elections advisory board after a left-wing activist group threatened to launch a public criticism campaign, according to emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who is now the senior legal fellow at the Conservative Partnership Institute, was appointed to the advisory board for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in November 2021. After months of badgering United States Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) officials to oust Mitchell from the EAC board of advisors, Free Speech for People president John Bonifaz threatened to launch a “public campaign” criticizing the agency if it did not drop Mitchell at the end of her two-year term, emails obtained by the DCNF via public records request show.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gun Groups Slam Biden Admin Over New ATF Rule: ‘Weaponizing Every Tool’
Second Amendment advocates are slamming a new rule from the Biden administration that will require thousands of additional firearms dealers across the nation to run background checks on buyers at gun shows or other places outside brick-and-mortar stores.
The rule aims to close a loophole that has allowed tens of thousands of guns to be sold every year by unlicensed dealers who do not perform background checks to ensure the potential buyer is not legally prohibited from having a firearm.
The National Association for Gun Rights told Fox News Digital the new rule will “outlaw virtually all private sales of firearms between individuals.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harvard Defends Return to Old Policy Requiring SAT/ACT Test Scores for Admission
After being one of many schools that dropped testing requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, Harvard is making national headlines by reinstating them for new applicants in the next admissions cycle.
According to the Harvard Crimson, this return to the old standard will begin with the Class of 2029, “a surprise reversal that could leave some students scrambling to take SAT or ACT tests ahead of application deadlines in the fall.”
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Hopi E. Hoekstra defended the policy shift in a statement, arguing standardized testing like the SAT or the ACT is the more meritocratic path.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Will Try Again on Reauthorization of US Spy Program After Republican Upheaval
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will try again Friday to advance a bill that would reauthorize a crucial national security surveillance program, a second attempt just days after a conservative revolt prevented similar legislation from reaching the floor.
Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to bring forward a Plan B that would reform and extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act known as Section 702 for a shortened period of two years, instead of the full five-year reauthorization first proposed, in hopes that the shorter timeline will sway GOP critics.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Idaho Mom, 85, Committed ‘Justifiable Homicide’ by Shooting Armed Home Intruder, Prosecutor Says
An 85-year-old Idaho mother who shot and killed a home intruder committed a “justifiable homicide” that is “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have heard of,” Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jolley stated in an incident review.
The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Derek Condon, entered the home Christine Jenneiahn shares with her disabled son around 2 a.m. March 13. Condon was “dressed in a military jacket, black ski mask, and pointing a gun and flashlight” at Jenneiahn, according to the document.
Jolley says Condon placed Jenneiahn in handcuffs and took her into the living room of her home, where he took her at gunpoint and handcuffed her to a wooden chair.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Investigators Focus on Electrical System of Ship in Baltimore Bridge Collapse
BALTIMORE (AP) — During the initial stages of a federal probe into the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, investigators are focusing on the electrical power system of the massive container ship that veered off course.
Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, said her agency is gathering data with assistance from Hyundai, the manufacturer of equipment in the ship’s engine room. Testifying before a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday morning, she said investigators have also requested assistance to examine its circuit breakers.
“That is where our focus is right now in this investigation,” she said. “Of course, that’s preliminary. It could take different roads, different paths as we continue this investigation.”
Homendy said they’ve zeroed in on the electrical system. The ship experienced power issues moments before the crash, as evidenced in videos showing its lights going out and coming back on.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
JP Morgan Chase Cashes in on Customer Data
The largest US bank, and the world’s largest by capitalization, JP Morgan Chase, is going forward with another way to monetize their clients — by giving access to their spending data to be used for targeted ads.
One would have thought that something of the kind was already in full swing. But given the glacial speed at which giant financial institutions move when it comes to introducing any new features, it’s perhaps not entirely surprising that only now, Chase is allowing businesses to make ad money directly off of the data belonging by the bank’s 80 million customers.
To make this possible, a platform called Chase Media Solutions is now available to brands who want to utilize transaction data the bank harvests from customers, to “fine tune” campaigns, such as “personalized” offers and incentives.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Residents of a Minneapolis neighborhood have asked city leaders to shut down a recently installed homeless encampment following a series of concerning incidents, including an explosion.
Phillip West neighbors and the Minneapolis police said the homeless encampment was set up on March 27 on the 2900 block of Fifth Avenue South, according to 5 Eyewitness News.
“We’re scared out of our minds. I’ve had people on my porch at 2 a.m. and there’s needles on the ground,” one resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said. “There’s broken glass everywhere, and we have a ton of kids that live on this block.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rand Paul: ‘Smoking Gun’ Documents Show ‘Alarming’ Extent of ‘Great COVID Cover-Up’
Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has declared that he has obtained “smoking gun” documents that expose a “cover-up” of the Covid pandemic at the highest levels of government.
The senator is going on the attack over the origins of the pandemic with an exposé on federal government agencies that conspired with labs in Wuhan, China.
Paul says top federal health officials colluded to engineer a “highly transmissible” form of the virus which was later unleashed on the public in the form of COVID-19.
Sen. Paul took to his X account on Tuesday to bring attention to his charges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
State Department Wants to Use Video Games to Tackle Ukraine “Disinformation”
The US State Department has made moves to utilize eSports as a tool in their fight against so-called “misinformation” in Ukraine, as evidenced by a recent grant listing.
The plan involves training Ukrainians in competitive video gaming while concurrently enhancing their skills in counteracting foreign propaganda and disinformation within these online gaming spaces.
This new agenda seemingly fits into a broader strategy implemented since President Joe Biden took office in 2021. The State Department, under his leadership, has increasingly focused on tackling perceived disinformation, resorting in some instances to funding entities known for censorship pressure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FIRST ON FOX — House GOP Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., penned a scathing letter to the leaders of Harvard University, alleging that by slow-walking its investigation into the assault of a Jewish student on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, the Ivy League school will effectively allow one of the perpetrators to graduate “despite having committed a well-documented antisemitic hate crime.”
The letter, addressed to Dr. Alan Garber, interim president of Harvard University, and Penny Pritzker, senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation, referenced how on Oct. 18, 2023, Harvard’s Palestine Solidarity Committee staged a “die-in” at Harvard Business School where students protested Israel’s efforts to defend itself following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, displaying a sign stating, “From the river to the sea.”
“During this event, an Israeli Harvard Business School student recorded the act and was quickly surrounded by a mob of anti-Israel protesters, who assaulted and harassed him,” Stefanik wrote. “These assailants blocked his path, repeatedly grabbed him, and shouted ‘Shame! Shame! Shame!’ at him. This assault is well documented and was denounced by many alumni who were rightly outraged by the actions of these protesters and called for accountability.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Justice Department has uncovered “inconsistencies” in a $480,000 federal grant used by Fulton County DA Fani Willis, two years after she fired a whistleblower who warned against misusing it to pay for “swag,” computers, and travel.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, the grant is riddled with reporting discrepancies from Willis’ office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trans Antifa Member Arrested Over Bombing at Alabama Attorney General’s Office
A trans person with links to Antifa was arrested and charged with the February detonation an improvised explosive device, a nail bomb, outside the Alabama attorney general’s Montgomery office.
Kyle Benjamin Douglas Calvert, 26, of Irondale, Alabama, was indicted on Wednesday and charged with malicious use of an explosive and possession of an unregistered destructive device.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Campaign Demands Earlier, More Frequent Debates With Biden
The Trump campaign is calling for earlier and more frequent debates against Joe Biden as the November election inches closer.
In a letter from co-campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, obtained by Fox News, they told The Commission on Presidential Debates co-chairs Frank Farenkopf Jr and Antonia Hernandez they were writing “in agreement with the pending letter” from “television networks advocating for presidential debates to occur in 2024.”
“While the Commission on Presidential Debates has already announced three presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate to occur later this year, we are in favor of these debates beginning much earlier,” they wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Donald Trump has shared a signed statement from Stormy Daniels in which she denies receiving “hush money” or ever being involved in an “affair.”
Trump shared the documents on Truth Social on Wednesday.
“Look what was just found!” Trump wrote in the post alongside the statement.
“Will the fake news report it?”
The document is titled “Official Statement of Stormy Daniels” with a date of January 30, 2018.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Granted Appeal Against Sweeping Gag Order in New York ‘Hush Money’ Case
President Donald Trump has been granted an appeal that could lift the sweeping gag order imposed by the Biden-supporting judge in his politically motivated “hush-money” case in New York.
The order prevented Trump from speaking about New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan or his family’s ties to Democrats.
As Slay News has previously reported, Merchan and his family have worked for and donated to the campaigns of several high-profile anti-Trump Democrats, including President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris, and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video Footage Reveals Dexter Reed Opened Fire on Chicago Police First Before Cops Killed Him
Body cam footage released from the Dexter Reed shooting in Chicago has revealed that Reed shot at police first and struck one in the arm before officers killed him at a traffic stop.
After the shooting, many outlets jumped on the story with headlines focusing on the 96 rounds that were shot at Reed, killing him in the process. According to the footage and Block Club Chicago, Reed shot at the officers first, striking one in the arm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WA GOP Chair Moves to Roll Back Sanctuary State Law, Squatters Rights, Natural Gas Ban
Following the success of 6 voter initiatives to overturn failed Democratic policies in Washington, the chair of the state’s Republican Party is attempting to get three more on the November ballot.
State GOP Chair Jim Walsh, who is also a state representative, told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that the three new initiatives, which were filed in late March, will attempt to reverse the Evergreen State’s “sanctuary” status, repeal efforts to ban natural gas, and end squatters’ rights.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Aosta Femicide Suspect Arrested in France
Body of 22-year-old victim found in church ruins last week
ROME, 11 April 2024, 11:06 A man suspected of the femicide of a 22-year-old French woman near Aosta at the end of last month was arrested in Lyon late on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old man, Teima Sohaib, had been seen with the woman days before the probable date of the crime.
Her body was found last Friday in a ruined church above La Salle, in the Aosta Valley.
An autopsy on Tuesday showed she had bled to death from deep stab wounds to the neck and abdomen.
She was identified by family members and named as Auriane Nathalie Laisne on Thursday.
The man was said to have been born to an Egyptian immigrant family in Italy but lives near Grenoble.
The victim was from the town of Saint-Priest, on the outskirts of Lyon, French media said.
The suspect is already on trial in Grenoble on suspicion of physically abusing the victim, French media said Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Brexit 2.0? Farage Calls for Referendum on UK’s Membership in Deportation-Blocking European Court
Brexit leader Nigel Farage argues the British people should be called upon again to decide whether the United Kingdom remains under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) or fully take back control over its borders.
In light of the refusal by successive Conservative governments in Westminster to remove the UK from the bounds of the Strasbourg Court — despite compelling arguments made at the time, that it should have been discarded with the European Union — a referendum should be held now, Nigel Farage said. The vote would allow the people of Britain to decide whether judges in France have any say over the deportation of migrants or other issues, he remarked this week during a discussion with subscribers of The Telegraph newspaper.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brussels Big Guns Fire Up Nuclear Energy Option
The European Commission has thrown its weight behind nuclear energy just ahead of the European Parliament elections in June.
Top Commission officials praised the technology at a high-level event in Brussels on April 11, ending a policy that had seen the Brussels executive sit on the sidelines.
Speaking at the ‘Powering Tomorrow, Inspiring Today: Nuclear Energy 2.0’ event, two leading Commissioners went “all nuclear”.
Maros Šefcovic, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, and Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, both heaped praise on what they said were the positives nuclear energy had to offer for the future of Europe.
The European Union is striving to reach an economy with net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050. At the same time, the need for electricity is expected to skyrocket in the near future.
To achieve this, the Commissioners said nuclear was the way to go.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Willem Engel of Covid conspiracy organization VirusWaarheid, his brother Ja, and their lawyer Jeroen Pols will soon be leaving the Netherlands for good, they revealed to BN De Stem and AD. They’re going to build a new life abroad. “Respect for human rights is gone here,” they told the media. Pols and Jan Engel are heading to Paraguay. Willem Engel is aiming for Portugal or Spain.
The Engel brothers and Pols are in the midst of a lengthy legal battle with the municipality of Zundert over their former campsite, Fort Oranje, which the municipality shut down in 2017. Jan Engel and Jeroen Pols are also clashing with the German authorities and Dutch Tax Authority over prostitution windows they operate in Bremerhaven, Germany. That is one of the reasons they’re leaving Europe behind, Jan Engel said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Do European Citizens Know Who They Are Voting for This Summer?
For Europeans heading into EU elections this summer, Roberta Metsola — the European Parliament (EP) president — is less well known and less recognised by the bloc’s voters than even Spanish MEP and Catalan separatist Carles Pugidemont.
So found a new survey of 5,200 citizens of France, Germany, Denmark, Lithuania and Slovenia. For what it’s worth, the survey was commissioned by the delegation of the party Junts Per Catalonia, the separatist party of Puigdemont, and focuses on attitudes towards nationalist movements in Europe. Nevertheless, it also reveals additional attitudes of Europeans towards the EU that may be important in determining the outcome of EU elections.
Eurosceptics could argue that the widespread non-recognition of EP party leaders speaks to the institution’s lack of political legitimacy among their wider electorate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ECJ Rules in Favour of Russian Oligarchs and Removes EU Sanctions
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that the European Union has to remove Russian oligarchs Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven from the EU sanction list.
The ECJ, the highest European court, ruled that justification for the sanctions was not sufficient, thus deciding in favour of the mens’ removal from a list of individuals subject to restrictive measures between February 2022 and March 2023.
Fridman and Aven were alleged to have been closely connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin and court papers appeared to confirm that. They are prominent players in Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest non-state lender.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France Sees Increased Violence During Islamic Ramadan Celebration
The last few weeks of Ramadan and the feast of Eid-el-Fitr have been accompanied in France by an upsurge in violence and intimidation. Its targets are people accused by members of the Muslim community of not respecting the principles of the Quran, such as its dietary or dress restrictions. In Bordeaux, a man accused of drinking in defiance of Islamic rules was attacked and killed with a knife.
In schools, there have been a number of recent incidents of violence, insults and harassment against children or adults who have been targeted and criticised for not respecting the rules of Islam.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
At the same time that French President Emmanuel Macron is threatening to send troops to Ukraine to fight against Russia, his country is fueling the Russian war effort by purchasing €600 million worth of natural gas from Moscow in the first three months of 2024.
According to new data, France is quietly paying more and more for Russian gas, even as France uses increasingly harsh rhetoric towards Russia.
In fact, the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) think tank indicates that Russian liquefied natural gas shipments saw a bigger increase in France than any other EU country last year. The €600 million France paid will undoubtedly help fuel Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Mother Sues After Daughter Interrogated for AfD Support
The mother of Loretta, a 16-year-old student recently removed from class and interrogated by police after she allegedly expressed support for Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and posted right-wing content online, has filed a lawsuit to overturn the actions of the school leadership and local police.
Explaining the reason she and her daughter are seeking clarification from a Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania court, Annett B. said:
It is important that my daughter receive justice here because she hasn’t done anything criminal. Both the Interior Ministry and Education Ministry have repeatedly defended the actions of the police and the principal.
What Loretta had to endure “must not go unchallenged,” she continued, adding that the filed lawsuit was also “in the interests of all future children and their parents.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s opposition parties have come out against marijuana legalization under the left-liberal government, citing study after study showing that the drug can cause psychosis, other mental health problems, and life-long cognitive impairment, especially for young people.
Although Germany decriminalized cannabis possession and home cultivation effective April 1, the Bavarian government remains committed to restricting it as much as it can within the law, vowed regional Prime Minister Markus Söder of the Christian Socialists (CSU).
Söder said his country will not be a “pot smokers’ paradise.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Moves to Ban Energy Drinks for Children
Hungary’s junior coalition partner, the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), has submitted to parliament an amendment to the consumer protection law putting energy drinks under the same restrictions as alcohol and sexual products, effectively resulting in a ban for minors.
KDNP MP Lorinc Nacsa explained that the proportion of children who drink energy drinks is increasing and that most young people see energy drinks as fashionable and consume them almost as sports drinks.
He added that in recent years, there have been hundreds of cases of young people, mostly boys, aged between 12 and 18, who have needed medical attention because of overconsumption of energy drinks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: No Major Decisions Made in Formation Talks Yet; Finances Making Things Complicated
PVV leader Geert Wilders said he was “reasonably positive about the progress of the Cabinet formation but acknowledged that it will be “a job” to provide a definitive answer by mid-May. “No major decisions have been made yet,” he said after meeting between the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB negotiators and the formation leaders. The fact that all the parties are still at the negotiating table “is already good news,” he thinks.
Finances make this period of formation negotiations more complicated than previous times, say the formation leaders. “Because money is no longer free,” said one of the two, Richard van Zwol. And the PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB are discussing important issues that come with a price tag, such as social security, purchasing power, and housing construction.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: A Scheduled Death: The Depressing Case of Zoraya Ter Beek
Physically, 28-year-old Zoraya ter Beek, who lives in a small Dutch town near the German border is, if not a picture of perfect health, fairly close to it.
Yet, she has scheduled her death, citing her debilitating depression, autism, and borderline personality disorder as her motive.
According to a The Free Press exposé, the 28-year-old Zoraya will undergo euthanasia—that is, be killed with the help of doctors—in May. According to ter Beek, her psychiatrist told her “there’s nothing more we can do for you. It’s never gonna get any better.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Willem Christiaan Engel (born 15 March 1977) is a Dutch activist who founded the controversial organization Viruswaanzin (loosely translated: Virus Madness), and leads it under its new name Viruswaarheid (loosely translated: Virus Truth). The organization regularly protests against governmental measures on COVID-19 and also often promotes alternative theories (about COVID-19). He for example believes that reported cases and risks of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands have been exaggerated, and the theory that measures against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 are used to restrict fundamental rights. He is also against vaccination against COVID-19 and believes the SARS-CoV-2 escaped from a lab in Wuhan. In March 2022, Engel was arrested for incitement after nearly 23.000 people had pressed charges of inciting violence, spreading medical misinformation, fraud, making statements with terrorist intent, and threats. While released under the restriction of no social media interaction at 30 March, at 3 April he was arrested again because he breached the terms of his release.
On 20 January 2023 he was convicted of inciting breaking the law (he urged people to attend a forbidden demonstration). His sentence was one month imprisonment, with deduction of time served. The sentence is probationary for 2 years and suspended.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Optimism Grows in Poland as Living Standards Improve, Survey Reveals
According to a newly published survey, more than half of the respondents (52 percent) describe their household financial management as moderate, indicating they have enough for daily needs but must save for significant expenses.
One in three people (29 percent) believe they live well and can afford many things without the need to save up. A minority of 4 percent stated they live very well, enjoying a certain level of luxury lifestyle. Conversely, 14 percent of those surveyed pointed to a modest lifestyle requiring very frugal financial management, and 1 percent reported living very poorly, with insufficient means even for basic needs.
The Center for Public Opinion Research (CBOS) noted an improvement in living standards over the past year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Head of Law and Justice (PiS) party Jaroslaw Kaczynski was joined by other PiS dignitaries in commemorating the 14th anniversary of the Smolensk air disaster at a memorial in the center of Warsaw.
He took direct action against a wreath laid by some anti-PiS activists, which claimed his brother President Lech Kaczynski had caused the crash by insisting the pilot landed the plane in Smolensk despite poor visibility at the airport. There is no evidence that Lech Kaczynski had taken such action.
Warsaw police reported the incident, and Kaczynski removed the offensive wreath. The police had cautioned Kaczynski against doing so, as legally it constituted an offense, but the PiS leader responded by saying: “Don’t tell me I cannot act against something that is extreme and outrageous, repeating Putin’s lies and offending the memory of my brother.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Privacy Company Proton Acquires Standard Notes
The Switzerland-based firm, Proton, known for its focus on privacy, has made a key addition to its suite of applications by acquiring the note-taking app Standard Notes. Originally founded in 2017, Standard Notes has since been offering its users an equally robust privacy promise through the use of end-to-end encryption (E2EE).
The acquisition was announced in a press statement where Proton stressed the shared values that aligned both firms. These fundamental business principles include not only the use of E2EE, but also a commitment to open-source technology. Both companies have notably managed their growth independently of venture capital. E2EE ensures that service providers do not have access to encryption keys and cannot decrypt user data — offering users the gold standard in digital security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Rule-of-Law’ Attacks on Hungary Should be “Maintained,” Brussels Says
The European Commission believes its Article 7 procedure against Hungary “should be maintained for as long as the issues that triggered it are not solved.” European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders made these comments on Wednesday, April 10th during yet another debate in the European Parliament (EP) on the ‘rule-of-law’ situation in Hungary.
The conservative Hungarian Fidesz government has repeatedly been in the crosshairs of Eurocrats for reasons of ideological differences rather than—as the EU claims—violations of “common European values.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Nationalists Call for Declaration of War on Gangs After Father Shot Dead in Front of Son
A father was shot in the head by a gang of youths in front of his 12-year-old son in Sweden on Wednesday evening — an inexplicable attack that has brought the rise in criminal gang activity to the forefront of the country’s political discourse.
The man in his 40s and his son were cycling towards the local swimming pool in Skärholmen, southern Stockholm, when they were confronted by a gang of young people near an underpass.
An altercation ensued and the father was shot in the head by one of the youths in broad daylight.
According to the Expressen, the gang threatened the man and his son, leading the protective father to ask his son to keep his distance while he returned to the gang and confronted them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK’s Labour Party in a Quandary Over EU Ahead of National Elections
Leader of the UK’s Labour Party opposition Sir Keir Starmer came under fire after being forced to deny claims he planned to re-enter a customs union with the European Union should he win the next general election in the country.
A report by the Eurasia Group, a political-risk consultancy based in New York, cited unnamed senior Labour figures as saying the party would seek “a de facto customs union by another name”, an arrangement similar to former British prime minister Theresa May’s 2019 proposal for a post-Brexit UK-EU customs-market union.
Reviving May’s plan would require unpicking subsequent trade deals with Australia and the other 10 members of the 2018 Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which includes Canada, Mexico, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Untold Story of Israel After October 7th
The story of what happened after Oct 7 has played out in the international media as a montage of bombs and rubble. And while Israel’s campaign against the Hamas perpetrators of the horrific massacres, rapes and kidnappings is an important part of the story, it is not the only one.
From the men who grabbed their guns and drove south in the hours after the attack began to the warehouses quickly set up to provide food and clothing for the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who were forced to leave their homes after the attacks from Gaza, inside Israel, the real story has been defined by a country coming together not only to fight, but to support each other.
In the month after the attacks, one survey estimated that the majority of Israeli Jews were volunteering in one form or another at everything from baking cookies for soldiers to standing guard at potential terrorist targets. With hundreds of thousands of soldiers mobilized and hundreds of thousands of people stranded, even the most ordinary things became a problem.
Like laundry…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Tensions Rise Amid Expectations of Iran Retaliation Against Israel
Iran’s mission to the United Nations has suggested that any Iranian military response to a deadly Israeli air raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus could have been averted if the UN Security Council had denounced Israel’s attack.
The Iranian statement on Thursday comes amid a growing number of media reports that an Iranian attack on Israel or Israeli interests is imminent.
“Had the UN Security Council condemned the Zionist regime’s reprehensible act of aggression on our diplomatic premises in Damascus and subsequently brought to justice its perpetrators, the imperative for Iran to punish this rogue regime might have been obviated,” the Iranian mission said in a social media post.
Iran has promised to carry out a “decisive” response to the Israeli attack that killed seven members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including two generals, in Damascus on April 1.
The Israeli assault and anticipated Iranian retaliation have raised fears of an all-out regional war in the Middle East amid the raging conflict in Gaza, intensifying tensions and a chorus of calls for de-escalation.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Peace Talks on Ukraine War That Don’t Include Russia ‘Make No Sense’, Kremlin Says
The Kremlin on Thursday said Ukraine peace talks expected to be held in Switzerland in June made “no sense” unless Russia took part.
Switzerland on Wednesday announced that a high-level conference on the Ukraine conflict would be held on June 15 and 16, but without Russia.
Ukraine and up to 100 countries would attend the conference at the luxury Burgenstock resort near the central city of Luzern, hosted by Swiss President Viola Amherd.
“We said many times that the process of [peace] talks without Russia makes no sense,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Putin Says Russia Forced to Respond to Ukraine Energy Attacks
Russian PresidentVladimir Putinsaid his forces launched an attack that destroyed the largest power generating plant in the Kyiv region in retaliation for assaults against his own country’s energy sector.
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier Thursday that it had conducted a “massive strike” in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russia’s oil and gas facilities. The overnight bombings targeted power plants and underground gas-storage facilities in five regions across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Putin Mocks Planned Ukraine Conference and Says Russia Won’t Accept Any Enforced Peace Plans
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Thursday mocked a scheduled round of Ukraine peace talks in Switzerland, warning that Moscow will not accept any enforced plans that ignore its interests.
Switzerland’s government said Wednesday it will host a high-level international conference in June to help chart a path toward peace in Ukraine after more than two years of fighting, and expressed hope that Russia might join in the peace process someday.
Putin charged that Russia hadn’t been invited to join June’s talks, while pointing at Swiss recognition that a peace process can’t happen without Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a significant escalation of its retaliatory measures against “unfriendly” states amid heightened geopolitical tensions, Russia has seized assets of the agricultural holdings company AgroTerra Group. The move, announced on April 8, 2024, has sent shockwaves through the agricultural sector and raised concerns over food security and international trade relations.
President Vladimir Putin’s decree places Dutch-registered firms AgroTerra Investments B.V. and AgroTerra Holdings B.V. under the “temporary management” of Rosimushchestvo, Russia’s federal property management agency. This action follows a series of similar asset seizures targeting Western companies, including multinational brewer Carlsberg and dairy giant Danone, which have sought to divest their Russian operations in response to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Passes Divisive Conscription Law Which Aims to Bolster Forces by 500,000
Ukraine’s parliament on Thursday passed an ultra-controversial military mobilization law aimed at drastically boosting the number of its troops at a moment forces are facing severe manpower shortages amid the unrelenting Russian onslaught.
It passed with a clear majority supporting, with 283 votes in favor in the 450-member parliament. The NY Times writes in the wake of the much-anticipated vote, “The law passed by legislators on Thursday addresses the issue of mobilization broadly, and includes provisions that lawmakers said were aimed at making the conscription process more transparent and equitable. The full text of the law was not immediately available.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Zelensky Says Kyiv Has Invited Donald Trump to Visit Ukraine in Push for More Military Aid
Volodymyr Zelensky said that his government has reached out Donald Trump, inviting him to visit Ukraine in order to impress upon the presidential frontrunner of the need for more American military aid as he hyped the prospects of another counteroffensive, despite last year’s failures to move the line against Russia.
“Yes, we have a plan for a counteroffensive,” President Zelensky assured in an interview with Germany’s Bild tabloid newspaper this week as he continued his pleas for more weapons and money from Western powers, namely for House Republicans in Washington D.C. to bow to the Biden administration’s demands for another $64 billion in American taxpayer dollars for Ukraine, on top of the $113 billion already committed to the conflict.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: Huge Muslim Infiltration From Bangladesh is Changing the Hindu Demography in Jharkhand
Jharkhand High Court seeks clarification from Central Govt on action against illegal Bangladeshi immigrants under CAA.
Jharkhand HCUdaypratap Singh | HENB | Ranchi | April 10, 2024:: The Jharkhand High Court takes strong cognizance during hearing on illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators destroying demography of state, asks Centre to file affidavit on GOI stand & solution after state govt shreds responsibility.
Jharkhand govt accepts 13-15 lakh illegal infiltrators in the state. As per petitioner, major infiltration in 5 districts is causing law and order situation, increase of Love Jihad at rapid pace with tribal Hindu girls including the establishment of Madrasas at a rampant pace.
In a significant development, the Jharkhand High Court has requested a response from the Central Government regarding the applicability of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) towards the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand. This inquiry was made during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the court, which demanded action against the illegal immigrants from Bangladesh living in the state under the provisions of CAA.
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which was recently implemented, aims to provide citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan who entered India on or before December 31, 2014, without proper documentation. The bench comprising Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai was addressing the PIL, which raised concerns about the infiltration of Bangladeshi nationals into the state.
The petitioner of the PIL, Danyaal Danish, highlighted that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have been residing in the districts of Godda, Jamtara, Pakur, Dumka, and Sahibganj within the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand. He alleged that these immigrants have established madrasas and settlements in five districts of Jharkhand, causing distress to the local tribal population.
Speaking to News 18 Bihar-Jharkhand, Petitioner Danish said, “The State of Jharkhand accepted that there are 13-15 lakh illegal infiltrators in the state. And, the responsibility to take action mainly lies on the Central Govt who holds the power to exert upon Passport and CAA matters.”
Most infiltrators from Bangladesh are from Muslim community. It is also alleged that a good number of Rohingya Muslims also took refuge in Jharkhand. The Hindu demography is at a stake in Jharkhand.
The next hearing of the case is fixed on May 2, 2024.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Top Japanese Professor Issues Global Warning: Pandemic Was a Hoax to ‘Drive Vaccinations’
A world-renowned Japanese professor has issued a stunning message to people all over the globe, warning that the Covid pandemic was a hoax designed to “drive vaccinations” across the general public.
The chilling warning was issued by Masayasu Inoue, MD, PhD, and Professor Emeritus at Osaka City University Medical School.
According to Inoue, the “false” pandemic was orchestrated by the United Nations health agency — the World Health Organization (WHO).
The professor accuses the WHO, its parent agency the UN, and other globalist organizations and world governments of an “extreme violation of human rights.”
The respected medical doctor argues that the global vaccination agenda was a fraudulent use of “experimental gene therapy” that was pushed onto “healthy people.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vietnam Real Estate Tycoon Sentenced to Death Over Massive Fraud Amounting to 3% of GDP
Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death by a court in Ho Chi Minh City in the country’s largest financial fraud case ever, state media Vietnam Net said. The 67-year-old chair of the real estate company Van Thinh Phat was formally charged with fraud amounting to $12.5 billion, or nearly 3% of the country’s 2022 GDP.
Lan illegally controlled Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank between 2012 and 2022 and allowed 2,500 loans that resulted in losses of $27 billion to the bank, reported state media VnExpress. The court asked her to compensate the bank $26.9 million.
Despite mitigating circumstances — this was a first-time offense and Lan participated in charity activities — the court attributed its harsh sentence to the seriousness of the case, saying Lan was at the helm of an orchestrated and sophisticated criminal enterprise that had serious consequences with no possibility of the money being recovered, the AP reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pogust Goodhead founders Thomas Goodhead and Harris Pogust have made no secret of their plans to make their lawyers some of the highest paid on the planet.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Says Congress Has Inquired About X’s Actions in Brazil
Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times,
Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has received an inquiry from the U.S. House of Representatives regarding alleged illegal actions it took in Brazil, Elon Musk said on Wednesday.
In a post on the social network, the owner of X said the platform had “just received an inquiry from the House of Representatives regarding actions taken in Brazil that were in violation of Brazilian law.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joran Van Der Sloot Attacked in Peruvian Prison
Joran van der Sloot was wounded in a violent fight in a Peruvian jail, according to the New York Post. The 36-year-old Dutch man is currently sitting out a 28-year prison sentence for the murder of Peruvian student Stephany Flores.
He was reportedly attacked by two other prisoners in the common area of the infamous Challapalca prison. More prisoners joined the fight until the correctional officers separated the men and regained control over the situation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
54% of Americans Think Biden’s Open Borders Aimed at Creating Permanent Democrat Majority: Rasmussen
A new poll from Rasmussen finds that 54% of likely voters believe Joe Biden to be “encouraging” illegal aliens to enter the United States in order to “create a permanent majority” for the Democrats, the National Pulse reports.
According to the poll, 43% “strongly agree” that the border crisis is being facilitated for political advantage, while 14% “somewhat agree.” 29% “strongly disagree,” while 8% “somewhat disagree.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Afghan Sex Offender Won’t be Deported From UK Over Fear of “Mob Violence”
A judge ruled that a convicted Afghan sex offender should stay in the UK because his crimes meant he could face “mob violence” if he returned to his home country.
An immigration tribunal judge awarded the 31-year-old offender refugee status after agreeing with lawyers that his mental illness meant he would likely offend again—something that would expose him to “ill treatment” if he were deported to Afghanistan.
The Telegraph reports that the asylum seeker, named only as DH, was jailed for 12 weeks in 2017 by a central London magistrates court for “outraging public decency and exposure.” He was considered to have met the criteria for deportation as a threat to the public, but appealed on the grounds of deteriorating mental health.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Migration Pact Passed in Parliament — But Strong Opposition Remains
Fortress Europe and the “Barbed Wire Right”
The European Parliament’s grand alliance of left, liberal, and centre-right rallied Wednesday afternoon as Eurocrats rejoiced at the passing of the EU Asylum and Migration Pact, a landmark piece of legislation meant to solve the bloc’s decade-long migration crisis through the centralisation of asylum policy across Europe.
Rejected by conservative MEPs as merely enshrining open border policies at an EU level, the Pact could radically limit the ability of future right-wing governments to constrain mass migration after the law comes into effect in approximately two years.
Included in the ten-part Pact is a ‘mandatory solidarity’ clause, obligating member states to either take in a certain quota of migrants or pay €20,000 per rejected migrant into a common fund; a central database where biometrics, including fingerprints, of migrants will be stored; and measures for quicker deportations of asylum seekers unlikely to be approved as well as migrants deemed to be security risks. Most importantly—and controversially—it relocates decision-making regarding migration from individual member states to Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU: Left and Right Trade Insults as Migration Pact Passed
MEPs rowed over allegations of “Nazi” rhetoric in the halls of the European Parliament before narrowly voting in favour of the Migration and Asylum Pact on April 10.
Passed by just 32 votes, it was evident that neither the Left nor the Right appeared satisfied with the final version of the pact, with some left-wing representatives even attending a demonstration against the bill outside Parliament.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive Fox Video Shows Illegal Immigrants, Smugglers Swarming New Mexico Hotspot: ‘It’s Theirs’
EXCLUSIVE: Fox News video from the southern border shows a flood of illegal migrant activity in New Mexico, while elsewhere along the border agents are catching sex offenders and other criminals attempting to enter the United States.
Footage taken by Fox’s team in New Mexico showed men walking around the border wall in Sunland, New Mexico, before one takes off into the United States. Elsewhere, coyotes and scouts could be seen monitoring Fox’s crew and Border Patrol agents.
Separate footage showed Border Patrol busting migrants in the desert after they crossed into the United States. One Border Patrol agent told Fox Border Patrol has lost control of nearby Mt. Cristo Rey to human smugglers, “It’s not ours. … It’s theirs,” the agent said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
First Texas, Now Iowa: State, Local Cops to Start Arresting Illegal Migrants in July
Following a path blazed by the once and future Republic of Texas, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday signed into law a measure making it a state crime to enter the Hawkeye State after being deported or denied entry into the country. As an “aggravated misdemeanor,” it would subject illegal immigrants to imprisonment for up to two years.
Reynolds raced to sign the bill just one day after it cleared the state legislature. In a statement issued after the signing, she said President Biden’s neglect of border security made it imperative for Iowa to step up and fill the void:
“The Biden Administration has failed to enforce our nation’s immigration laws, putting the protection and safety of Iowans at risk. Those who come into our country illegally have broken the law, yet Biden refuses to deport them. This bill gives Iowa law enforcement the power to do what he is unwilling to do: enforce immigration laws already on the books.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Refuses to Submit to EU’s Migration Pact
The European Parliament approved on Wednesday the EU’s controversial New Pact on Migration and Asylum, but Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjartó was quick to reiterate Budapest’s opposition to its implementation and vowed to maintain existing border restrictions.
“This pact would give the green light for tens and hundreds of thousands of migrants to come to European countries and would extend to Central Europe the problem of Western Europe, which started when they gave up the protection of their own identity, their own culture, and their own society, letting in illegal migrants, creating a double society, and increasing the threat of terrorism,” Szijjartó warned.
“We will not allow this in Central Europe. We Hungarians, no matter what pressure we are under, no matter what kind of migration pact the MEPs vote for, we will not give up on the physical border. We will protect the border,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ICE Arrests Illegal Migrants Released Without Bail After Alleged Assault on NYPD at Target
Four illegal immigrants who were part of a group arrested and then released after allegedly robbing a New York City Target store — an incident during which two police officers were attacked — have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and likely face deportation, the federal agency tells Fox News.
On Wednesday, ICE picked up Venezuelan citizens Michael Jose Sanchez Mayo, 31, Henry Omar Zambrano Zapata, 19, and Yusneibi Yohana Machado Avila, 23, along with Sebastian Jaramillio Balanta, 22, who is from Colombia, about a week after the crew allegedly raided the Upper East Side store.
“All four unlawfully present noncitizens were arrested without incident due to the violation of their DHS release conditions and are in custody pending removal proceedings,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British-funded French police have been filmed standing by and watching as dozens of migrants sprinted across beaches to board small boats and cross the English Channel.
The shocking events occurred despite a staggering £500million investment from the UK government as part of a three-year contract with France — which is meant to put a stop to the dangerous crossings.
The large injection of money is set to be used on vehicles and surveillance equipment, including drones, that will help control the area.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than a quarter of Britain’s foreign aid budget was spent housing refugees and asylum seekers across the country, new figures show.
Data released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) showed £4.3 billion was diverted to support the groups last year — equivalent to 28 percent of the total budget.
The provisional statistics published on Wednesday showed spending on ‘in-donor refugee costs’ rose by £600 million in 2023, while the overall aid budget increased by around £2.6 billion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: One in Six Ukrainian Refugees Do Not Have a Job and Are Not Enrolled in Education
Nearly one in six Ukrainian refugees are not participating in an education program in the Netherlands and also do not have a job. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) said it concerns about 17 percent of the refugees between 4 and 23 years old.
Roughly one-third of those between 18 and 22 are unemployed and not enrolled in a study. The data from October was analyzed and released as part of a new report from the statistics bureau on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Shame on You’ — Former PM Morawiecki Slams Polish MEPs Voting for Migration Pact
Former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki condemned the current ruling coalition for sending representatives to Brussels who voted in favor of the controversial migration pact, which conservative politicians have warned could result in as many as 75 million new migrants to Europe.
Responding to the issue, Morawiecki criticized the current governing coalition, accusing it of betraying Poland by supporting the migration pact.
“The current ruling coalition sent people to Brussels who voted for the migration pact today. Shame on you, you are harming Poland and Poles,” he wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: 220 Illegal Migrants Storm Polish Border With Belarus
Polish Border Guard and the army have yet again prevented an attempt at a mass illegal crossing of the border with Belarus, with a video showing a group of 220 migrants attempting to race into Poland. According to the officers, the illegal migrants were very aggressive, throwing stones and tree branches at them in order to clear their way through the border. Officers also confiscated dangerous tools made from wood and nails.
A video recording of the incident shows some of the migrants holding ladders while others were throwing projectiles at the border guards. After realizing they could not cross, the illegal migrants retreated back into Belarus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A man who claimed to identify as a woman to use the female locker room at Planet Fitness was arrested after fellow members called the police.
In a recent incident at a Planet Fitness gym in Gastonia, North Carolina, Christopher Allan Miller, aged 38, was arrested after he stripped naked in the women’s locker room.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Arizona AG Says She Will Not Enforce 1864 Law Banning Most Abortions
Arizona’s Democrat Attorney General says she will not enforce an 1864 law that was upheld by the state Supreme Court on Tuesday banning nearly all abortions.
“The decision made by the Arizona Supreme Court today is unconscionable and an affront to freedom. Make no mistake, by effectively striking down a law passed this century and replacing it with one from 160 years ago, the Court has risked the health and lives of Arizonans,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (pictured above) said in a statement. “The Arizona Court of Appeals decision, which the Supreme Court has struck down [on Tuesday], was well reasoned and aligned with how courts harmonize different legislation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Parliament Votes to Enshrine Abortion as Fundamental Right
MEPs have voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, contradicting Article 2 of the same document stipulates that “everyone has the right to life.”
On Thursday, the European Parliament voted 336 to 163 in favor of the motion that also calls for the EU to stop funding pro-life groups, which the text calls “anti-choice.”
The amendment, put forward by the Left, the liberals, and the social democrats, was mainly rejected by MEPs from the right-wing ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists), ID (Identity & Democracy), and EPP (European People’s Party) blocs. Aside from the obvious moral objections, these parties argued that the matter is not part of EU jurisdiction but falls to member states to determine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“The phone company works in mysterious ways.”
You know how how hard is it to close a sealed waterproof/rainproof connection box? Some people can’t do it! 🙂
Voice of Europe’s website is back.
Ok Baron, it’s time to put that tin cup on the screen so we can get GOV on Starlink.
Today’s Rhetorical Question: Why do you think they’re called “commie-TODDLERS”?
“It seems like almost every day there’s a story about protestors who superglue themselves to the pavement in order to block traffic. Or deface an art museum. Or interrupt a public sporting event. Recently they even glitter-bombed the Constitution in Washington DC… because apparently the Founding Fathers caused climate change. Bear in mind that EVERYTHING THESE INSPIRIED IDIOTS USE TO ‘PROTEST’ IS DERIVED FROM OIL.
The adhesive they use to glue their [fundaments] to the pavement is derived from oil. The plastic bottle that the glue comes in is derived from oil. The plastic glitter they use is derived from oil. The paint they use to deface buildings and artwork is derived from oil.
They travel to their protest sites by some means of transportation that, in some way, is powered by oil. Even the food that they eat is grown from oil-based fertilizers and harvested with tractors which use oil-based fuels.
Not to mention everything they consume is transported by planes, ships, trains, and trucks, which typically run on oil-based fuels. But in addition to their blatant ignorance, their chosen tactics are laughably hypocritical.”
https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/these-powerful-inspired-idiots-will-take-us-back-to-the-stone-age-150693/
Re AgroTerra of Netherlands. Can anyone explain why the netherlands destroys its own farmers but wants to farm in Russia? Is it just about money? Destroying a small family owned Dutch competitor and taking over their market in Holland with imported Russian food?
They planned the same with Ukraine. Grow everything in Ukraine and destroy European farming families and businesses. Cheaper than buying them. Once they are broke they can be picked up for “nothing”.