German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has proposed the compulsory screening of potential recruits for the German military. Meanwhile, the House Armed Services Committee has proposed to automatically register young men for the military draft when they reach the age of 18.
In other news, police in Huntington, West Virginia are investigating skid marks that were recently left on a Pride crosswalk.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, LP, Reader from Chicago, 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.
Volatile Politics Spooks French Markets Ahead of Snap Election
French equities faced pressure as the Paris Bourse declined by 1.4 per cent early on June 14 as investors expressed wariness amid a growing political crisis.
The CAC 40 index has plunged 4.88 per cent since June 10 following the unexpected dissolution of the National Assembly and French President Emmanuel Macron’s June 9 call for snap national elections.
According to Le Capital, a French financial news site, the CAC 40 was on track for “its worst week since June 2022”, reflecting heightened market volatility due to the political turmoil.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
13-Year-Old Boy Shot in Head, Killed in Lawndale Shooting, Chicago Police Say
CHICAGO (WLS) — A 13-year-old boy was shot and killed Friday evening on Chicago’s West Side.
Police said the teen was standing on a sidewalk on South independence Boulevard near West 13th Street about 8:30 p.m. when he was shot in the head.
The teen was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead, police said.
Police said the shooter was a male, but he got away. No arrests have been made. Chicago police continue to investigate.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
538 Now Projects Trump Winner of 2024 Election
Trump is now favored to win the election in November, with 538’s simulations using polling, economic, and demographic data show a four-point lead over Biden.
In the early afternoon, 538 projected Trump winning 50 out of 100 times with Biden winning 49 out of 100 times in their simulations. In a 2 pm update, Trump’s lead grew, with the former president winning 52 out of 100 times and Biden winning 48 out of 100 times the simulation was run.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
8-Year-Old Girl Dies Suddenly on Flight From Missouri to Chicago
An 8-year-old Missouri girl has died suddenly after suffering an “unknown ailment” as her family was flying to Chicago for vacation.
Sydney Weston, described as a “beautiful little light,” was flying on SkyWest Flight 5121 when she was killed by an unknown “medical emergency.”
The commercial flight made an emergency landing but the young child was confirmed to have died when the flight was grounded.
Little Sydney received “aggressive resuscitative efforts” after falling sick mid-flight, according to officials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York Attorney General Letitia James is getting behind an effort to change state law that could ban face coverings at protests — following a surge in hateful attacks involving masked antisemites.
In an exclusive statement to The Post, a spokesperson for James said that the state’s top attorney is “in discussions” with Gov. Kathy Hochul and lawmakers over the push to bring back New York’s mask ban — which she supported scrapping during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, right before the George Floyd demonstrations began to rage.
“This is a complex legal matter and we are currently in discussions with lawmakers on this issue,” the statement from James’ office reads.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A federal judge ordered the liquidation of Alex Jones’ personal assets Friday — but is still deciding on his company’s separate bankruptcy case, which threatens to shutter Infowars.
“This is probably the end of Infowars here very, very soon,” the popular Infowars host said on his way into a Houston, Texas federal bankruptcy court hearing Friday morning. “If not today, in the next few weeks or months. But it’s just the beginning of my fight against tyranny.”
Texas federal Judge Christopher Lopez during the hearing approved Jones’ proposal to convert his bankruptcy case into a Chapter 7 liquidation to streamline selling off his assets to help pay the $1.5 million in judgments for falsely calling the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting a hoax.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A scathing new report slams former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for botching the state’s COVID-19 response — saying he erred by bumping state health officials out of the way so he could micromanage the pandemic from the executive office.
Cuomo made an “a significant and unnecessary mistake.” when he ignored established health department protocols set up to address the virus and took the initiative away from local communities, according to the 262-page report by The Olson Group, a consulting firm.
“The state had the plans but did not follow them because the executive chamber wanted to do their own thing,” said one official interviewed by the authors. “If the state had used the plans that were available and written, then, yes, they would have had the proper plans in place.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Watched Dog Commander Bite Secret Service Agents Multiple Times, Kicked, Punched Pets: Report
It has been revealed that Joe Biden was present on at least three instances when his former dog, Commander, bit Secret Service agents. Biden reportedly treated the dogs poorly, kicking and punching them at times. The german shepherd and his predecessor, Major, are believed to have been responsible for around three dozen attacks before they were removed from the White House earlier this year and in 2021, respectively.
Documents obtained by Judicial Watch via a Freedom of Information Act request showed that agents were not fond of working with Commander. They would, on occasion, wish each other a “safe shift” if they knew they’d be in close proximity to the animal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boeing Faces FAA Probe Over Fake Titanium Found in Plane Parts
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether false or incorrect documents were used to verify the authenticity of titanium used in some recently manufactured Boeing jets, the agency said.
The New York Times, which first reported the issue on Friday, said the FAA is also investigating the authenticity of titanium used in some Airbus jets.
Aircraft manufacturers are facing strong demand for new planes due to a surge in post-pandemic travel. However, supply-chain problems and component shortages are limiting their ability to meet this demand.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Conservative Media Outlet Faces Contempt Over Publishing Excerpts From Covenant Killer’s Journal
A state court judge over its publication of leaked excerpts from the journal of Covenant School killer, Audrey Hale.
Star News Digital Media, the owner of the Tennessee Star, published a series of articles containing several passages from the school shooter’s journal, which Nashville police had so far refused to turn over to the outlet.
According to the Star‘s reporting, Audrey Hale wrote about her “torture” as a girl who identified as a boy and how she would “kill” to get puberty blockers. The Daily Mail, paraphrasing the Star, said “Hale wrote about anger toward her parents, how she hated her conservative Christian upbringing, and how she had suffered because hormone blockers were not available when she was as a child.”
The judge who is in charge of determining whether the journal should be released to the public, I’Ashea Myles, reportedly summoned the media outlet’s editor-in-chief Michael Patrick Leahy to appear in court to explain how the Star‘s reporting doesn’t violate her court orders. The outlet could face contempt proceedings or sanctions, the Associated Press reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Dishes on ‘Growing Alliance’ With Trump: ‘Huge Fan of the Cybertruck’
Tesla CEO Elon Musk discussed his relationship with former President Trump during the electric vehicle giant’s shareholder meeting on Thursday, confirming that the pair have had conversations and revealing some of what they have discussed.
“He does call me out of the blue for no reason,” Musk said of Trump. “I don’t know why, but he does.”
Musk said that Trump is “very nice when he calls,” and he recalled telling the former president that EVs are “pretty good for the future” and that “America’s the leader in electric cars.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hit Delete: Hunter Biden Drops Laptop Lawsuit Against Rudy Giuliani
Hunter Biden is dropping a lawsuit against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani that accused him of manipulating data found on the first son’s laptop.
Hunter’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, filed the stipulation for dismissing the case Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Lowell requested the lawsuit be dismissed “without prejudice, with each party bearing its own attorneys’ fees, costs, and expenses,” according to the New York Post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 75-year-old man suffered a stress-induced heart attack after finding his Arkansas home had been invaded by a couple of squatters who used Google for tips on how to get away with claiming somebody else’s home out from under them.
Kelly DeShields, 54, and Matthew Villagran, 46, had been squatting in Gary Brankel’s Maysville home for at least a month, claiming they believed it to be unoccupied for years, local outlet KNWA reported.
Brankel, however, had been staying at a treatment facility recovering from a medical issue only to return on May 30 to find the couple illegally occupying his residence.
DeShields allegedly claimed ownership of the house after following instructions she found via Google, according to a probable cause affidavit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Indiana Cop Used Facial Recognition Scans to Preform Non-Work-Related Searches
The use of Clearview’s facial recognition tech by US law enforcement is controversial in and of itself, and it turns out some police officers can use it “for personal purposes.”
One such case happened in Evansville, Indiana, where an officer had to resign after an audit showed the tech was “misused” to carry out searches that had nothing to do with his cases.
Clearview AI, which has been hit with fines and much criticism — only to see its business go stronger than ever, is almost casually described in legacy media reports as “secretive.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
James Carville Melts Down as Biden and Democrats Shed Support From Latino Voters
Veteran Democrat Strategist James Carville is outraged after discovering that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party are shedding support from a loyal demographic — Latino voters.
Carville, the senior advisor on Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign, shared his concern about Democrats losing minority voters.
He specifically blasted Democrats for losing support from Latino Americans ahead of the 2024 election cycle.
The longtime political consultant points fingers at “preachy females” in the Democrat party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Johnson Says House Will Take Garland Subpoena to Court After DOJ’s Response to Contempt Vote
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed disappointment Friday in the Justice Department’s (DOJ) decision not to prosecute Attorney General Merrick Garland after the House voted to hold him in contempt for not fulfilling a subpoena, but said he plans to move forward by taking the subpoena to federal court and certifying the contempt reports.
The DOJ said Garland’s refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena does not “constitute a crime.” The subpoena instructed Garland to turn over an audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents. The House voted to hold Garland in contempt on Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump announced Friday from behind a podium in a Detroit suburb that she and the RNC are working to raise a veritable army of “over 100,000 poll watchers and over 500 lawyers” to “deploy” at election sites across the country in November.
These volunteers will have three missions: Watch people vote, watch people count votes, and sue anybody who gets in the way.
“I believe if we have a free, fair and transparent election that there’s no question we’ll all be going to bed early on November 5,” she said.
“And we’ll go to bed knowing Donald Trump is our next president.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lawmakers Move to Automate Selective Service Registration for All Men
A new plan from House lawmakers would automatically register men for a potential military draft when they hit age 18, avoiding potential legal consequences connected to failing to file the paperwork at the proper time.
Language included in the House Armed Services Committee’s draft of the annual defense authorization bill would mandate the automatic registration of all males between ages 18 and 26 living in America in the Selective Service System, the federal database used for a military draft in case of a national emergency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leader of Satanic El Salvadorian MS-13 Crime Gang Arrested in Texas
The leader of a bloodthirsty satanic crime gang based in El Salvador has been arrested on terror charges in Texas.
Federal prosecutors said that Cesar Humberto Lopez-Larios was arrested by the FBI and Homeland Security on Sunday.
Lopez-Larios is the top leader of the satanic El Salvadorian MS-13 crime gang dubbed “Twelve Apostles of the Devil.”
He was arrested after being on the run for three years, according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly Half of Voters Expect Biden to Forget Where He is During First Debate With Trump: Poll
Nearly half of voters expect President Joe Biden to forget where he is during his first debate with former President Donald Trump later this month.
According to a new poll by J.L. Partners, 49% of likely voters expect Biden to forget where he is during the June 27th CNN debate with Trump in Atlanta, while 41% believe Biden will walk off the wrong side of the stage.
The poll was conducted June 10-11 and surveyed 500 likely voters, the Daily Mail reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Oakland Reparations Committee Wants $5 Million From Taxpayers — Just to Come Up With a Plan
A California Bay Area committee appointed to design racism reparations for black residents wants two years and $5 million just to write a plan.
The reparations panel for Alameda County, whose largest city is Oakland, made this demand late last month, San Francisco’s NPR affiliate reported, ahead of its looming July deadline to outline how local taxpayers should make their amends. The committee, created in March 2023 with a $51,000 budget, did not meet until last November.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Only Biden Can Keep Russia Out of Moscow
“When Putin decided to go into Russia—I mean, he’s gonna go from Russia into Ukraine,” Biden told Time. “Trump—what he never understood—which is that Russia, he wasn’t just going into Moscow, I mean from Russia into Ukraine.”
If you understood that gibberish, you too are qualified to serve as leader of the free world.
What’s left of it.
In a wide ranging interview showcasing Biden’s foreign policy accomplishments, he confused Iran and Iraq, Russia and Ukraine, South Korea and Taiwan, Putin and Xi, and blamed his misspeaking on a cold, his voice and then claimed that the magazine thought he was crazy.
The Time transcript is notable for its incomprehensibility. The same party that used to mock ‘Bushisms’ has given us a president whom even his own supporters can’t actually understand. At times the Time transcript has no choice but to mark sections ‘unintelligible’ while other sentences just make no sense. And that’s a problem when speaking on a world stage.
Whether or not we end up in a war with China might depend on this sentence about Taiwan.
Ready? Get set, go! “It would depend on the circumstances. You know, by the way, I’ve made clear to Xi Jinping that we agree with—we signed on to previous presidents going way back—to the policy of, that, it is we are not seeking independence for Taiwan nor will we in fact, not defend Taiwan if they if, if China unilaterally tries to change the status.”
Trump was accused of using chaos to confuse and deter foreign adversaries while Biden unintentionally uses chaos to confuse them so that they don’t know what he’s talking about.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Packed Boeing Passenger Jet Malfunctions Mid-Flight, Suffers Terrifying ‘Dutch Roll’
Federal aviation authorities have launched an investigation after a packed Boeing 737 passenger jet suffered a malfunction and entered into a terrifying “Dutch Roll” mid-flight.
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the atypical rolling maneuver that occurred during a Southwest flight.
Southwest Flight N8825Q, a Boeing 737 carrying 175 passengers, experienced a rare “Dutch Roll” at 32,000 feet in the air.
The incident resulted in significant damage to the aircraft that left it out of service, officials said.
The two-year-old plane was traveling from Phoenix to Oakland on May 25 when its tail began to wag left and right.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pentagon Wants to Feed Troops ‘Experimental’ Lab-Grown Meat to ‘Reduce CO2 Footprint’
A Pentagon-funded company is seeking proposals to feed America’s soldiers lab-grown meat in a bid to “reduce the CO2 footprint” at Defense Department outposts.
BioMADE, a public-private company that has received more than $500 million in funding from the Defense Department, announced earlier this month that it is seeking proposals to develop “innovations in food production that reduce the CO2 footprint of food production at … DoD operational environments,” according to an online announcement.
These include “novel cell culture methods suitable for the production of cultivated meat/protein,” or lab-grown meat, a product that is still in its experimental phases. This type of meat is grown in a lab from animal cells with the aid of other chemicals, and has emerged as a flashpoint in debates about the efficacy and morality of manufacturing meat products without slaughtering animals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Renowned Pathologist Raises Alarm Over ‘Runaway Turbo Cancers’ Among Vaxxed
A world-renowned pathologist has raised the alarm over soaring numbers of “sudden deaths,” cases of “autoimmune disease,” and “runaway turbo cancers” he’s seeing among those vaccinated with Covid mRNA shots.
Dr. Ryan Cole spoke out to warn the public that cases of turbo cancer among the Covid-vaxxed are going to continue rising for many years to come.
In a new interview, he revealed that the injections and the spike protein they produce and destroying the human body from the inside out.
Specifically, he says the shots are breaking down the immune system and allowing deadly diseases to develop and spread in ways that have never been seen before.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rumble Finds Video of Google Exec Admitting to Search Engine Bias
YouTube (Google) competitor Rumble has published a video of former Google VP of Search Products Marissa Mayer, showing her addressing recruits and breaking down the very essence of how Google “arranges” results on its search page.
According to what Mayer is heard saying in the video shared by Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski, it’s simple: Google products are always shown on top. That’s regardless of popularity, metrics, or other criteria — it’s based solely on Google’s decision to “make it so.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Soros-Backed DA Called ‘The Media and the Asians’ Her Enemy, Lawsuit Alleges
Pamela Price, the Oakland area’s district attorney once backed by billionaire George Soros, allegedly called “the media and the Asians” her enemy and “fostered and encouraged a racist environment” in her office, according to a lawsuit from her former spokeswoman. She also hid and altered public records she didn’t want released, the suit alleges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Southwest Airlines flight came within just 400 feet of smashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii after aborting a landing due to weather conditions, according to a report.
On a flight in April, the Boeing 737 Max 8 suddenly plummeted several hundred feet in a matter of seconds before the flight crew was able to pull up at the last second to avoid a deadly crash, according to a memo Southwest sent to its pilots last week and obtained by Bloomberg.
No one was injured on the passenger flight, the airline said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stanford Internet Observatory Ditching Outsourced Election Censorship Following Lawsuits, Subpoenas
The Stanford Internet Observatory, the co-leader in a Department of Homeland Security-conceived private consortium to flag and mass-report alleged misinformation for removal in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, will reportedly not “conduct research into the 2024 election or other elections in the future” as its controversial federally tinged work became embroiled in lawsuits and congressional subpoenas.
“Silicon Valley and democracy” newsletter Platformer reports the group is “winding down,” crediting unnamed sources: founding director Alex Stamos left in November, research director Renee DiResta, whom Stamos said has “worked for the CIA,” left last week “after her contract was not renewed,” another staffer’s contract expired and others were told “look for jobs elsewhere.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Strikes Down Bump Stock Ban for Firearms in Major Win for 2nd Amendment Advocates
The Supreme Court on Friday struck down a federal rule put in place during former President Donald Trump’s administration that prohibited bump stocks for guns, handing a major victory to Second Amendment advocates.
In a 6-3, ruling, the court ruled the devices added to semiautomatic weapons to make them fire faster does not convert weapons into prohibited machine guns.
“This case asks whether a bump stock—an accessory for a semi-automatic rifle that allows the shooter to rapidly reengage the trigger (and therefore achieve a high rate of fire)—converts the rifle into a ‘machinegun.’ We hold that it does not,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the majority opinion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump, NY Rep. Anthony D’Esposito Surge 7 Points Ahead in Traditional Dem Stronghold: Internal Poll
Donald Trump and Long Island GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito are 7 percentage points ahead of their foes in New York’s Fourth Congressional District — a traditional Dem stronghold, a new internal poll shows.
A McLaughlin & Associates survey conducted last month and paid for by D’Esposito’s campaign shows the former NYPD detective leading challenger and ex-Hempstead, LI, Town Supervisor Laura Gillen, 45% to 38%, and ex-President Trump beating President Biden, 51% to 44%, in the Nassau County district.
The congressman is currently winning over a majority of independent voters from his opponent (51%-30%) and a plurality of Hispanic voters (45%-31%), with 17% of the entire electorate still undecided, according to poll results obtained by The Post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Leads Biden by Seven Points in the Swing State of Arizona: Poll
Former President Donald Trump is leading President Joe Biden by seven points in head-to-head match up in Arizona, which is a crucial swing state, according to a new poll released Friday.
The poll, which was conducted by Rasmussen Reports, comes after Trump campaigned in the state last week, and shortly after he was convicted of 34 charges related to a hush money payment he made to former porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump is leading Biden with 47% of the vote, compared to the 40% of respondents who said they prefer the sitting president. Roughly three percent were undecided, and nine percent said they would choose someone else.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump, Allied Groups Have Raised $420 Million Since NY Conviction: RNC Chair
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said that former President Donald Trump’s campaign, super PACs, and the RNC have raised about $420 million in aggregate since Trump’s New York conviction.
“All in we’re hearing $400 to $420 million that has come in aggregate,” Whatley said on an episode of the “John Solomon Reports” podcast to be aired next week.
“It is something honestly that we have never seen before,” he continued. “You know since President Trump became our incumbent nominee back in March, we broke the all time record for fundraising in March between the campaign and the RNC.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Praises AI for Rewriting Speech ‘So Beautifully’: ‘I’M Gonna Use This Sucker!’
Former President Donald Trump had one of his speeches “rewritten with AI” — and was so impressed he wanted to jokingly tell his speechwriter, “You’re fired!”
Trump told influencer Logan Paul during their unexpected podcast sit-down that it took the “super duper” artificial intelligence program just 15 seconds to knock his words into great shape.
“What it does is so crazy,” Trump told Paul, calling AI “really powerful stuff” that can “be really used for good.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UCLA Has Not Apologized to Campus Rabbi Assaulted on Camera
UCLA’s Chabad House rabbi was assaulted, called a “f***ing pedophile” and “fake Jew,” and told to “go back to Poland” by campus anti-Israel protesters on Monday. University officials have yet to reach out to him or apologize.
“We haven’t had any communications since then with anyone in the administration,” Rabbi Dovid Gurevich, who has directed the campus Chabad House for the last 18 years, told the Washington Free Beacon. He added that the lack of communication isn’t unusual, noting that parents have been complaining that the university isn’t keeping them apprised on what is happening with the campus protests.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Staten Island squatter freeloading in a dead man’s home for six years will allegedly vacate the property— if the late owner’s family pays his moving costs.
“It’s a really weird story,’’ Donna Kent, whose father owned the Metcalfe Street home before dying in 2012, admitted to The Post on Friday.
“He wants us to pay his moving expenses when he leaves, which is kinda crazy. But I guess it’s cheaper than going the legal route,” said Kent, a mom with two adult daughters.
Kent, 55, said the squatter named Kyle has apparently been living rent-free in the single-family 2.5-story home since around 2018 after a bizarre series of events.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Calls for Intifada on Canadian Streets Discussed in U.S. Congress
Calls for intifada on Canadian streets by radical pro-Hamas protesters have put the U.S. Congress on alert.
U.S. Democrat Congressman Greg Landsman pointed to anti-Israel protesters in Canada as an example of the success of the Islamic Regime in Iran’s plan to control the way that Westerners view the conflict in the Middle East.
“Recently, Canadian protesters gathered and declared, ‘What happened on Oct. 7 was the beginning of the great intifada. It has spread in the minds of people of the free world. When you scream with a loud voice, ‘long live Oct. 7,’ you will understand that these people decided to end their miseries and this nightmare called Israel,’“ Landsman said to Congress.
After Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel, open support for terrorism became increasingly common in Canada.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jagmeet Singh Says MPs Knowingly Participated in Foreign Interference
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he’s even more concerned about foreign interference in Canada’s democracy after reading the unredacted report from Parliament’s national security committee.
Singh opted to read the unredacted version of the report released last week by NSICOP and said he was “alarmed” by its contents.
“There are a number of MPs that have knowingly provided help to foreign governments, some to the detriment of Canada and Canadians,” said Singh. “Some of this behavior absolutely appears to be criminal, and should be prosecuted.”
While Singh did read a version of the NSICOP report with more information than the publicly available report, Singh still did not get access to the full report given to members who are a part of NSICOP.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tax Freedom Day is Here: Most Canadians Earned Enough to Pay Their Annual Tax Share
The average Canadian family can now celebrate Tax Freedom Day.
If Canadians were made to pay all their yearly taxes before paying themselves, Thursday, Jun. 13, would mark the first day that the average family can keep the fruits of their labour.
According to a Fraser Institute report, the average Canadian family earns $147,570 this year and pays 44% of that, an estimated $65,766, in taxes.
If the average Canadian family had to pay all the taxes imposed on them by their federal, provincial, and municipal governments up front, it would take 164 days, ending on June 12.That would be over five months’ worth of income when represented on a calendar.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Middle Way”: Meloni’s ECR Grows to 77 Seats, Eyes Coalition With Centrist EPP
The European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) group, led by Italian PM Giorgia Meloni, is en route to becoming the third largest group in the European Parliament (EP), outnumbering the Macronist liberal Renew group’s 79 seats. After finishing up with 73 seats in last weekend’s EP election, to date, the national conservatives have expanded to 77 by admitting new member parties, the group said in a statement issued late on Wednesday, June 12th
ECR Co-President Nicola Procaccini also outlined the group’s intentions to be part of a “new center-right majority” in parliament—meaning the proposed merger with the ID group is out of the question, along with any close cooperation between the two sovereigntist groups in the next five years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bulgaria’s GERB Party Wins Most Seats in Parliament
Bulgaria’s centre-right GERB party won 68 seats in the 240-seat parliament on Sunday and will need at least two coalition partners to form the cabinet, state election commission results on Thursday evening showed.
The Movement for Rights and Freedom (MRF), mainly representing Bulgaria’s large ethnic Turkish minority, won 47 seats while pro-Western bloc We Continue the Change (PP) had 39 seats.
The ultra-nationalist Revival party won 38 seats.
GERB leader and former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said earlier on Thursday his party will form a negotiating team on Monday to reach out to all parties in the parliament.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cheap Chinese Imports Threat Drives Brussels Protectionism
The European Commission announced a raft of new protectionist measures against Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles (EVs) on Wednesday. Claiming that Chinese companies benefit from ‘unfair’ subsidies, the Commission will introduce a new regime of tariffs, overruling German-led objections. However, manufacturer Tesla appears to have secured preferential treatment to protect itself from elements of the incoming protectionist policies.
Starting on July 4th, Chinese EVs will face tariffs on a sliding scale, topping out at 38.1% —on top of a pre-existing import duty of 10%. Commission spokesmen have warned of a “threat of economic injury” to the European economy caused by the lack of a level playing field for Chinese imports. The sliding scale tariff structure means manufacturers can land a lower tariff through revealing the extent of their state subsidies to the Commission.
Commission hostility towards Chinese EVs is paradoxical, since it would restrict the use of a potential mechanism for achieving Brussels’ (increasingly outlandish) Green Deal ambitions. In real terms, the impact of the new 38.1% tariff rate would increase the price of an “entry-level” EV from €30,000 to €41,450.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Concern in Poland About Reports of Its Patriot Missile System Being Transferred to Ukraine
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. transferred two of its Patriot batteries to Poland to secure the Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport as the main hub for aid for Ukraine and officials traveling in and out of the country.
On Wednesday, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed American senior administration and military officials, that President Joe Biden has approved the transfer of a Patriot missile system to Ukraine from Poland, in order to help Kyiv protect itself from Russian attacks.
The head of President Duda’s National Security Bureau (BBN), Jacek Siewiera, responded to the report by telling commercial broadcaster Radio ZET that “American Patriots should not be transferred from Poland to Ukraine” since Poland is a key country supplying Ukraine and providing deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Shots Destroyed Fertility of Young Men, Study Finds
A disturbing new study has revealed that Covid mRNA shots have caused widespread harm to fertility rates in young men.
The study, conducted by leading researchers in Denmark, analyzed semen samples from 7,000 men aged 18 to 45 years old.
The researchers note that roughly half of the participants were aged 18 to 24.
During the study, the researchers examined the quality of semen in potential donors in Denmark between 2017 and 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Hard-Right Finds Success Among Young Voters
Europe’s hard-right is becoming increasingly popular amongst younger voters, polling surrounding the EU elections has shown.
Hard-right parties Alternative for Germany (AfD) and France’s National Rally (RN) achieved significant gains among young voters during the June 9 vote.
In France, the RN led the youth vote, with its President Jordan Bardella securing 32 per cent of the 18-34-year-old demographic, while Valérie Hayer of the Renaissance party garnered just 5 per cent.
In Germany, 16 per cent of voters under the age of 25 supported the AfD, according to political researcher Institute Infratest Dimap, marking the highest percentage for the party across any age group.
It also recorded the most significant growth — plus 11 points — among under-25s compared to the 2019 EP elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fentanyl Arrives in Poland, Shocking Video Captures Its Devastating Effects
In the Polish city of Poznan, a harrowing video has surfaced online, displaying the grim reality of fentanyl’s reach, a drug that has ravaged the United States and taken hundreds of thousands of lives.
The footage depicts two men in a state resembling zombies: One lies with his head against the pavement, while the other struggles to remain upright above him. Both are believed to have taken the drug fentanyl, a drug that is increasingly infiltrating Europe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Reconquête Leader Ousts Four MEPs Over Strategic Dispute
The frantic wheeling and dealing to prepare for France’s snap parliamentary elections, which President Emmanuel Macron scheduled surprisingly for the end of June, is exacerbating tensions within and between the various parties of the French Right.
After she attempted to negotiate an alliance between Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (RN) and her own party, Reconquête, Marion Maréchal was disowned by leader Éric Zemmour and expelled from the party, along with three other newly elected MEPs.
As our managing editor Ellen Kryger Fantini argued before the European Parliament (EP) elections, the Right should take care not to score an ‘own goal’ by squabbling over political territory.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Internal Reconquête Messaging Tells of ‘Heartbreak, Betrayal and Sabotage’
The split of France’s Reconquête party is now “complete”, insiders claimed in a new internal memo.
According to the document circulated within party group chats, the split between the factions supporting party leader Eric Zemmour and lead MEP Marion Maréchal is now permanent, with there reportedly being no chance of reconciliation.
The memo, written by the pro-Maréchal faction, placed the blame for the division on Zemmour, accusing his side of having sabotaged her European Parliament election campaign and of taking measures detrimental to the party.
It added that Maréchal had allegedly managed to bring most of the senior brass of the party onside, citing the fact that three of Reconquête’s four other MEPs appeared to have defected with her.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Climate Activists: “If You Blow Up Pipelines, Don’t Get Caught”
The German climate protest group “Hungern, bis ihr ehrlich seid” (Starve until you’re honest), whose members have taken turns hunger striking in a Berlin park since March, has ended that form of activism and is now telling members to take more aggressive action.
Adam Lack, one of the activists, called on people to join an environmental group and commit acts of sabotage, Tagesspiegel reports, such as turning off pipelines or blowing them up, slashing the tires of SUVs, and blocking roads.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Rocked by Spate of Brutal Stabbings
Three acts of seemingly random—and certainly horrific—violence on Monday, June 10th, collectively raise the question: what is going on in Germany?
The country, which is about to begin hosting the European football championship, has seen around 60 knife attacks per day in recent years.
One of those which took place earlier this week was fatal. A 23-year-old woman was “suddenly” stabbed by a “previously unknown person” during an evening jog in Schermbeck on the Lower Rhine, according to national media. Officials are still appealing for information about the unidentified attacker.
But the alleged attackers involved in the other two instances of sudden violence, which were not fatal but did result in the victims receiving severe injuries, were caught and have been questioned.
A 32-year-old Turkish citizen was arrested on Monday evening following a knife attack on a regional railway in Saarland. This saw a 21-year-old “suddenly attacked” by a man reportedly unknown to him. He was stabbed in the throat and left “seriously injured.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Faces Terrorism Threat as Euro 2024 Football Championship Kicks Off
As millions turn their eyes to Euro 2024, Germany has geared up for another fight: against terrorism. The 51-match tournament, spread over ten cities and attracting spectators from across Europe, has already been the target of threats from an offshoot of the Islamic State, the terrorist group responsible for the concert hall attack in Moscow in March. The group has issued threats to other large football games, including the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals in April.
“Everyone is going to look at Germany during those couple of weeks when we have the championship here,” Hans-Jakob Schindler of the Counter Extremism Project told DW. “That means our adversaries are going to do whatever they can to disrupt this.”
The fact that the terrorist group openly has threatened Euro 2024 diminishes the risk of a coordinated attack, Schindler said, but serves the purpose of pointing “individual actors”—lone wolf attackers—in the direction of the football games.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Could Soon be Screening 18-Year-Olds to Boost Military Recruits
The war in Ukraine has Europe on edge, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is proposing a new model of military service. He wants compulsory screening of potential recruits to strengthen the army in a context of heightened risk.
Under the draft, presented by Boris Pistorius to the defense committee of the Bundestag, the lower house of Germany’s parliament, young people who have reached the age of 18 will be required to answer a questionnaire on their willingness and ability to serve in the army. Young women will also receive it, but without the obligation to complete it, sources said.
The idea of this screening is both to increase the possible interest of young people and, for the army, to select the most suitable or motivated ones for an interview. According to AFP information, the decision whether or not to perform military service will remain voluntary.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greens and Left Crushed as Ireland Finally Finishes EP Vote Count
The Greens and hard-left have been crushed in Ireland’s European Parliament elections after a lengthy vote count.
Despite the Irish contest having been conducted days earlier than the vast majority of other countries, it took almost a full week for the island nation to figure out who won the vote — due to its relatively complex electoral system.
The final count for all three of Ireland’s EP election constituencies was made available in the early hours of June 14, with the data revealing that it had been a bad result for the country’s left.
The ruling Green Party arguably came off worse, with both of its incumbent MEPs — Ciaran Cuffe and Grace O’Sullivan — losing their seats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Recount Ordered in Budapest Mayoral Election
Hungary’s National Election Commission (NVB) has ordered on Wednesday a recount of the invalid votes cast in the Budapest mayoral election.
Last Sunday’s combined European and municipal elections brought victory for incumbent liberal mayor Gergely Karacsony, but the race was very close: The provisional winner was ahead only by the slimmest of margins, 0.04 percent or 324 votes out of a total of 781,547 votes cast. This prompted his opponent, David Vitézy, to ask for a recount.
After more than an hour of discussion, the committee members decided in favor of the recount by 12 votes to 4. Vitézy filed the request for recount earlier on Wednesday, saying “We have proof that in 20 constituencies valid votes have been counted as invalid.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Protests EU’s Massive Extra Duty on Chinese Electric Cars
Hungarian Economy Minister Marton Nagy has protested against the extra import duty the European Commission has slapped on Chinese electric cars, prompted by massive state subsidies to the companies along the value chain from mining to finished products.
Brussels contacted the relevant Chinese authorities to discuss the concerns raised and possible ways to address them in a way that is compatible with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
The concerns have put China on the spot with the EU threatening to impose duties from July 4 to be determined by the customs authorities of each member state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Le Pen, Wilders, ID Leaders Discuss Potential Right-Wing ‘Supergroup’
Leaders of Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populist Identity and Democracy (ID) have begun negotiating their bloc’s future in the European Parliament, including potentially taking on new members and even creating a sovereigntist super-bloc by merging with Giorgia Meloni’s European Conservative and Reformist (ECR) group.
The closed-door meeting took place in a Brussels hotel room on Wednesday, June 12th. Marine Le Pen of the French National Rally (RN), the ID’s de facto head with an astounding 30 seats, reportedly met with Matteo Salvini of the Italian Lega, which gained eight seats, and Geert Wilders of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV), which secured six seats. Also in attendance were representatives of the Austrian FPÖ (six seats), the Flemish Vlaams Belang (three seats), the Portuguese Chega (two seats), as well as the Czech SPD and the Danish DF (one seat each).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands Among 13 Countries in Global Terrorism Propaganda Busts; Spain Arrests 9
Two major international operations to break up the propaganda and communications channels of terrorist organizations were carried out this week, leading authorities in 13 countries to take action against servers, web hosting services and websites, Europol announced on Friday. The Netherlands was directly involved in one of the police actions, with Dutch authorities seizing computer servers and Spanish police arresting nine suspects, the European agency announced from its headquarters in The Hague.
“This week’s joint operations are part of ongoing efforts and constant vigilance to tackle online terrorist propaganda and communications, including through social media. They targeted key tools and nodes to disseminate radical messages centred on the I’LAM Foundation, which created, operated or supported websites and other communication channels linked to the Islamic State terrorist organisation,” the agency said.
The investigations developed from a 2022 case investigated by the Guardia Civil, the national police service in Spain. They gradually expanded their investigation abroad as they traced a complex web of technological services which were used to distribute propaganda. The casework was divided into two investigations, one focused more on information communications technology, and the other examining channels disseminating propaganda from Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, and al-Qaeda affiliated groups.
This first operation led authorities to take down servers in the Netherlands, Germany, the United States and Iceland this week. Police in Spain arrested “nine radicalized individuals” in Andalusia, the Canary Islands, and Catalunya.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Polish Surveillance Bill Will Give Tusk Government Incredible Access to Citizens’ Private Data
The Polish parliament is in the process of debating a government telecommunications bill, which, according to the Confederation party, will endanger people’s right to privacy. The party has been warning since April that the proposed legislation is a reworking of a bill that the former Law and Justice (PiS) government proposed but recoiled from introducing.
Confederation MP Roman Fritz said that the proposed legislation is “introducing surveillance through the backdoor,” as it forces providers of services to maintain the capacity to store data to which 10 different state intelligence and law enforcement services have direct access.
The state services that would have such access include the police, border guards, the prison service, the Internal Security Agency (ABW), counterintelligence, the military police, and the Anti-Corruption Agency (CBA).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Online Porn Giants Ordered to Provide EC With DSA Conformity Details
The European Commission has demanded details from porn websites over their adherence to the Digital Services Act (DSA).
In a press release published on June 13, the EC said it had contacted Pornhub, Xvideos and Stripchat for information on how they abide by the European Union’s new censorship rules, especially regarding the protection of minors.
“The Commission is requesting the companies to provide more detailed information on the measures they have taken to diligently assess and mitigate risks related to the protection of minors online, as well as the to prevent the amplification of illegal content and gender-based violence,” the EC wrote.
“Among others the Commission is requiring details on age assurance mechanisms adopted by these pornographic platforms.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Military Spending Billions Abroad Despite Promises to Support Domestic Industry
The Polish military is on a spending spree, yet a notable detail has drawn expert scrutiny: The bulk of these expenditures are flowing to foreign companies rather than supporting local production.
“We are paying two to three times more abroad than we would at home,” General Waldemar Skrzypczak, former commander of the Polish Land Forces, told financial news outlet Forsal.pl. This year’s spending abroad has already been substantial.
Upon assuming the role of defense minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz vowed to shift the philosophy behind military procurement, aiming to keep half of the defense budget within Poland. Although it is clear that Poland cannot independently produce tanks or fighter jets, significant funds were intended to remain domestically.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Warns Humanity is ‘Turning Into an Enemy of Itself and the Planet’
Liberal Pope Francis has warned that the human race is becoming an “enemy of itself and of the planet.”
The papal issued the warning before world leaders during the first-ever papal address at a G-7 conference on Friday.
He made the comments while raising the alarm about the ethical pitfalls of artificial intelligence (AI).
The pope told the council of world leaders in Fasano, Italy, that AI offers immense benefits to the human race.
However, he also asserted that the technology threatens to dehumanize society.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Surge of Right-Wing and Anti-Establishment Parties in Czech EU Elections
Enough! — the name of a Czech party and a word that sums up the mood not only in the Czech Republic but all around Europe as right-wing and anti-establishment parties made substantial gains at this year’s European elections.
In the Czech Republic, voters punished the five-party coalition which has been perceived as being soft on issues that concern the country’s citizens, such as migration and the European Green Deal. The centrist government did not follow in the footsteps of its Central European partners (Hungary, Slovakia and Poland) to reject the EU’s recently adopted Migration Pact—which makes it compulsory for member states to either accept migrants or pay a fine—but merely abstained.
The Czech economy has also been in a dire state for the past few years, with high inflation reducing consumer purchasing power.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘The Urban Miner’ — Polish Entrepreneur Pioneers Multibillion-Dollar Metal Recycling Empire
Pawel Jarski, the innovative mind behind Elemental Holding, has become a leading figure in the global recycling industry, specializing in the sustainable recovery of precious metals from electronic equipment. Founded just 14 years ago, Jarski’s company, Elemental, swiftly ascended to become one of the top players in its field, focusing on extracting platinum group metals from used automotive catalysts and other valuable metals like silver, copper and gold from electronic waste.
Starting his entrepreneurial journey by assembling computers, Jarski quickly grasped the potential in deconstructing them for recycling. Inspired by his father-in-law’s scrap business, Jarski conceived the idea of Elemental towards the end of the 1990s.
Today, the company operates across 35 international markets, employing approximately 1,100 people and boasting revenues of 7 billion Polish zloty ($1.7 billion), with ambitions to grow even further.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovak Defense Minister Robert Kalinak denounced as treason his predecessor’s decision to donate MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine last spring and has filed a criminal complaint that could result in prosecution and prison time.
“To weaken the armed forces in such a way against the constitution can only be called treason in our political vocabulary. There is no other term for it,” said the Slovak deputy prime minister and defense minister.
Former Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad responded to the criticism by saying he would make the same decision again.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UEFA Bans ‘L’Amour Toujours’ Song at Euro 2024 Over ‘Misuse’
Football body UEFA has banned a popular song from the European Football Championships in Germany due to its association with xenophobic sentiments.
The move followed a fad by German youths, who adapted the 24-year-old Eurodance hit L’amour Toujours. The additional lyrics included “Germany for Germans” and “foreigners out” during parts of the tune.
The song was initially chosen by the Austrian national football team to be played after their matches. The hit, often a staple at so-called apre’s-ski party events, had seemed a suitable way to celebrate.
But the newly associated anti-migration messaging clearly makes it unpalatable for both the International Football Association, which prides itself on its “progressive” and “inclusive” values, and national football federations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Congress Honors Polish Diplomats Who Saved Hundreds of Jewish Families During the Holocaust
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to 60 diplomats for their courageous efforts in saving Jews during the Holocaust.
The bill, titled “The Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust,” honors diplomats from 28 countries, including five from Poland.
Four of them: Aleksander Lados, Konstanty Rokicki, Stefan Ryniewicz, and Juliusz Kuhl, were members of the so-called Lados Group based in Switzerland under the leadership of Aleksander Lados, who headed Poland’s diplomatic mission in the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Italian PM Corrals Biden After He Wanders Off at Summit
President Joe Biden wandered away from a group of foreign leaders at the G7 summit in Italy on Thursday, only to be corralled back to the group by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
Video of the incident shows foreign leaders visibly confused as Biden turns and walks away from them during a demonstration of Italian Army parachuters. After Meloni led Biden back to the group to pose for a photo, Biden slowly donned a pair of sunglasses.
The G7 summit is taking place in Italy just days after massive shifts in the European Union Parliament. The agenda will focus on global conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine war.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Floating Gaza Pier Dismantled Again for Raging Seas: CENTCOM
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday that the floating pier the United States constructed off the coast of Gaza was temporarily dismantled for a second time, because high winds were causing rough seas.
The pier, which was first constructed on May 17, was temporarily damaged by rough waves last month, which caused it to break apart. It was repaired and reopened last week. This time, CENTCOM said it towed the pier to Israel for safety, and officials will quickly re-anchor the pier when the weather has improved.
“The decision to temporarily relocate the pier is not made lightly but is necessary to ensure the temporary pier can continue to deliver aid in the future,” the agency said in a statement, CBS News reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kremlin Chief Targets West While Ukraine Rejects Putin’s Ceasefire Demands
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president of Russia, called for the mass mobilisation of Russian society to inflict “maximum harm” on the West.
He said he wanted infrastructure and civil society targeted in order to create “chaos”.
The statements on June 13 came in response to the tough sanctions against Moscow imposed by the US and its allies, which forced Russia’s main stock exchange to halt trading in dollars and euros.
Action needed to be taken “not only by the authorities, the State, but all our people in general because [US and allies] have declared a war without rules”, Medvedev said on his Telegram channel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Putin Names Two Conditions for Ending the War ‘This Very Minute’
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Friday speech addressed the West’s efforts to host a major Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland this weekend. Though scores of world leaders will be there, Russia has not been invited, and China has snubbed the event citing that it’s pointless without Moscow’s representation given it is a party to one side of the war.
Putin outlined his “conditions” for peace. He said for the military operation to be halted Ukrainian forces would have to withdraw from the four regions annexed by the Russian Federation. “Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Luhansk People’s Republic, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions,” Putin saidin a televised address.
Russia held referendums in late September 2022 for these war-torn oblasts, and the overwhelming majority of voters were in favor of being absorbed into Russia, which Kiev and the West called a “sham” election.
Putin also stipulated a second main condition for ending the war: Ukraine must reject ambitions to join the NATO alliance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
World Leaders to Seek Solutions to Ukraine War Without Russia or China
A number of world leaders will meet in Switzerland to look for possible solutions to the conflict in Ukraine, but without Russia.
Representatives from China will also not attend the gathering on June 15-16.
Those who will make an appearance include India, although it is one of the countries that has deepened its economic relationship with Moscow, helping Russia circumvent the blockade imposed by Washington.
The US continues to strengthen Ukraine militarily to confront Moscow. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin announced at NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 13 that Washington was to sign a bilateral agreement with Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: Rajasthan: In Fear Hindu Families Mount Posters — “Stop Migration” — in Their Jaipur Colony
Upendra Bharti | HENB | Jaipur | June 14, 2024:: There has been a fear of migration in the minds of Hindu families in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Posters have been put up outside their houses in Shivaji Nagar area of ??Bhatta Basti police station in Jaipur city.
The posters put up outside houses read — Stop migration, do not sell houses to non-Hindus.
It is noteworthy that earlier in the capital Jaipur, first in Kishanpol, then Brahmapuri and now Bhatta Basti…these are the colonies in which Hindus have been pressurized to migrate elsewhere. Hindus have accused Muslims of harassing them in those colonies. They say that they are getting harassed by the excesses of the Muslim community. They are forcing Hindus to sell their houses in different ways. Troubled by this, Hindus have left or are leaving the colonies. The remaining Hindus here are also being forced to migrate. They have demanded from the government to stop non-Hindus from buying houses here.
Now, these Hindus have put up posters appealing to not sell houses to non-Hindus. It is written in that appeal to Sanatanis, stop migration. All Sanatani brothers and sisters are requested not to sell their houses to non-Hindus. Sarva Hindu Samaj, a body of local residents who reached the local police station with their complaint alleged that their sisters and daughters are not safe. People of a particular community are occupying the lands and getting them occupied including spreading anti-social activities including drug peddling. The rowdy youths from Muslim community are misbehaving with Hindu girls and giving treats of abduction.
Residents of the colony allege that no one is listening to them. They have complained earlier also. Now the police are saying that they will take appropriate action. The Hindu people in fear allege that Muslims have created an atmosphere of fear in the area. The police should take appropriate action and provide them a safe environment and peaceful situation.
Taking to TV9 Rajasthan some people says, they will organize a big protest at Bhatta Basti police station, if their demands are not fulfilled to stop the illegal sale and purchase of the colony lands and houses…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Bangladesh: Hindu Harijans Are Evicted Without Rehabilitation in Dhaka
Sabita Biswas | HENB | Dhaka | June 13, 2024:: In a time when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared that no one in Bangladesh will be homeless, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is evicting residents from a part of the Miranjilla Sweeper Colony on Agha Sadeq Road, Banshal, Old Dhaka, without providing them with any alternative housing. These residents are known as Harijans of Hindu faith.
This Hindu Harijan community, brought from the Telugu region of India during British rule, has been living in this colony for several centuries. They were brought here to serve the sanitation of the city’s population. They did not voluntarily settle in Dhaka.
The DSCC has failed to fulfil any of the promises it made to the city’s residents. The City Corporation is partly responsible for the traffic congestion but has done nothing to solve it. Even an hour of rain floods a large part of the southern area, but the DSCC has not recovered the occupied canals to address this. It also failed to protect citizens from mosquitoes and dengue fever. But, in the name of planning and beautification, the DSCC is ruthlessly evacuating the poor Harijan people from their homes without any rehabilitation package.
Under the pretext of building a market to be owned by Muslims, the City Corporation is demolishing part of the Harijan colony. The DSCC mercilessly treat the poor people as ‘unwanted’, who keep the city clean! These poor Harijans are residents of this city, voters of the City Corporation, and citizens of Bangladesh. The Joint Editor and Poet Shorab Hassan has voiced his protest on this in Pratham Alo Bengali daily,
About four thousand people live in the Miranjilla Sweeper Colony, which includes a temple and a school. People evicted in Monday’s operation by the City Corporation have taken shelter in the nearby temple, school, and community center. Many are living in miserable conditions with children and the elderly…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
What Could India Have Done to Prevent the Deaths of Its Citizens in the Ukraine War?
February is when the first report emerged of Indians getting killed while fighting on behalf of Russia in the Ukraine war. The Hindu reported that a 23-year-old man from Gujarat who had been hired as an “army security helper” in Russia had perished in a Ukrainian air strike.
Days later, on March 6, media reports said that a Hyderabad man who was allegedly forced to fight alongside the Russian military was killed in the country.
The Indian government confirmed these deaths and said it was pursuing all “relevant cases of Indian nationals for an early discharge from the Russian army”.
But this seems to have had little impact.
This week, India’s foreign ministry acknowledged that two more Indians recruited by the Russian Army had been killed in Ukraine.
This time, the foreign ministry adopted a more stern tone. In a press note, it claimed India had “demanded that there be a verified stop to any further recruitment of our nationals by the Russian Army” since “such activities would not be in consonance with our partnership.”
Nearly 100 Indians have been recruited by the Russian military over the past year, according to The Hindu. At least 30 Indians have contacted the foreign ministry and the Indian Embassy in Moscow, seeking their help to return home, the newspaper reported on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Police Rush to Campbelltown Sports Stadium After Man Stabbed
A man has been taken to Liverpool Hospital after being sttacked at a sporting event.
Emergency services were called to Campbelltown Sports Stadium at around midday on Saturday after reports of a stabbing.
Paramedics worked on his man in his 20s who was taken to Liverpool hospital in a stable condition, with stab wounds to his back and abdomen.
Crime scene investigators are currently on the scene and have urged anyone with any information to contact Crimestoppers.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Now check if a violent enclave has sprung up in YOUR neighborhood…
A brutal Venezuelan sex-trafficking gang is now in America’s biggest cities.
Chinese organized crime syndicates are running drug farms with slave labor in half a dozen US states.
Mexican drug cartels are operating vile human smuggling operations over the southern border with near impunity.
And on Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended eight alleged ISIS operatives in Los Angeles, New York City and Philadelphia.
The thread tying all of these imminent public safety and national security threats together is a runway illegal immigration crisis exposing America to an invasion of ‘ghost’ criminals, paramilitary foot soldiers and potential terrorists.
This new foreign menace has infiltrated the country hiding among millions of desperate migrants.
Now, more than three and a half years after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, DailyMail.com is revealing the full devastating — and perhaps, irreversible — impact of his administration’s systemic dismantling of U.S. national security and the groups that have thrived off the lawless border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria’s FPÖ Pushes for EU ‘Remigration’ Commissioner
Following their European parliamentary election victory, Austria’s national conservatives have renewed calls for an appointed European Union “remigration” commissioner.
While the Austrian government will send the country’s next representative to the European Commission, the Freiheitliche Partei Österreich (FPÖ) says its first nationwide win at the ballot box gives it the right to appoint someone to the role and to assign their portfolio of responsibilities.
“What I have noticed in the last few weeks during the election campaign is that there is above all a need for sensible migration policy, that there is a need for remigration,” FPÖ secretary general Christian Hafenecker told a press conference.
“We need a remigration commissioner,” he added, putting forward an FPÖ official to fill the proposed role. However, he did not specify exactly what this commissioner would do.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bosnian Immigrant Convicted in Kentucky for Training With ISIS
A Kentucky man has been convicted on multiple terrorism charges after a federal jury found him guilty on Tuesday of joining the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, of Bowling Green, had been accused of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and receiving military-type training from ISIS, according to the Department of Justice. Ramic is a dual US-Bosnian citizen.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch PVV Party Candidate to Lead Migration Barred After Security Check
The Netherlands’ Party for Freedom (PVV) suffered an awkward setback after its preferred candidate for Minister of Asylum and Migration was turned down over a problematic security screening.
On June 13, PVV leader Geert Wilders announced that Gidi Markuszower, who was shortlisted to become vice-minister and minister of migration in the new centre-right Dutch Government, had been dropped as a candidate.
Instead, the post will be for his PVV colleague, MP Marjolein Faber.
“The content of the reference about Gidi Markuszower was reason for me to withdraw his candidacy,” Wilders wrote on X.
“I just informed the lead negotiator of this. I have now nominated Marjolein Faber, Member of Parliament and previously PVV-fraction leader in the Senate, as candidate Minister of Asylum and Migration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Welfare offices and other agencies in 49 US states are providing voter registration forms to migrants without requiring proof of citizenship, leading Republicans and conservatives to call for swift federal action to stop the handouts.
Every state but Arizona — which recently passed a law barring the practice on state but not federal forms — gives applicants for either welfare benefits, driver’s licenses, or in some cases, mail-in ballots voter registration forms without demanding proof of citizenship.
There is currently no requirement on federal voting forms to provide proof of US citizenship, though it is illegal to falsely claim one is a citizen or for a non-citizen to cast a ballot in a federal election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
National Rally’s Bardella Vows to End France’s Birthright Citizenship
The president of France’s National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, announced his party’s intention to end birthright citizenship in France.
Campaigning for the upcoming French general elections, on June 14 he outlined his party’s plans on immigration, security and pension reform.
In an interview with BFMTV, Bardella stated: “Within the first few weeks, I’ll have parliament vote on an immigration law designed to facilitate the deportation of foreign Islamic criminal offenders by lifting administrative constraints, and above all, I’ll abolish birthright citizenship.”
This proposal echos one put forward by French President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: PVV MP Accused of Bigotry and Racism Will Still be Named Asylum & Immigration Minister
Controversial PVV politician Marjolein Faber will still be put forward as the intended Minister of Asylum and Immigration, said Richard van Zwol, who is leading the discussion between the four parties forming a new coalition government. Van Zwol held crisis talks with the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB party leaders and the expected prime minister, Dick Schoof. Opposition parties expressed their disappointment about the decision on Friday evening.
Schoof would not comment after the meeting, other than saying it was a “useful conversation.” The party leaders from the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB refused to comment. From next Monday to Wednesday, Van Zwol will receive all candidate ministers who have been officially nominated. Faber’s name was missing from the overview shared on Friday by the press office for the Cabinet formation, but Van Zwol later said Faber will also be invited for an interview.
Faber was under fire because of earlier statements she made during her 12-year political career, and the manner in which she was appointed frustrated the VVD and NSC. She advocated for the abolition of Islam when she was a member of the Senate and a member of the Tweede Kamer. She also said migration was “repopulation,” a term which Prime Minister Mark Rutte said originated from Nazism. She also once said Rutte’s Cabinet was like a “fifth pillar” meant to undermine the Dutch State.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sirens from police cars, fire trucks, and border guard vehicles wailed out across Poland on Wednesday at noon in honor of Mateusz Sitek a 21-year-old soldier knifed to death on the border with Belarus, an incident that sparked criticism of the Tusk government’s handling of security.
On behalf of the family, the military had requested that the public respect their grief by avoiding the family’s residence and not attending or documenting the vigil and funeral ceremony.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Social Democrats: Mandatory Preschool From Age 3 to Improve Integration
The Swedish Social Democrat opposition is proposing to make full-time preschool education mandatory for all children, starting at age 3. The idea, part of the preliminary steps of the party’s 2030 action plan, would also outlaw private preschools.
The proposal is an effort to mitigate the effects of the mass migration that the party not only allowed but encouraged during their time in government from 2014 to fall of 2022. The thinking is that getting young children out of the home and into a Swedish-speaking (and Swedish-culture) environment would improve their ability to integrate, minimizing the risk of alienation and the appeal of criminal gangs and radical Islam.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A female former college swimmer has demanded an apology after she was “forced to undress” in front of her male teammate “Lia” Thomas.
Paula Scanlan says she was forced to share a locker room “with him 18 times a week.”
The male swimmer, real name William Thomas, was able to compete on the female team and share changing facilities with teenage girls because he claims to be a “transgender woman.”
After failing to compete on the men’s team, Thomas switched to compete against females and became a “champion.”
However, as Slay News has reported, many of his real female teammates were upset about having a naked man in their locker room.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LA Neighborhood Removes No U-Turn, No Cruising Signs Deemed ‘Offensive’ to LGBTQ Community
A Los Angeles neighborhood has removed a number of “no U-Turn” signs from the streets after claims that the signs targeted the LGBTQ community in the area.
According to NBC 4, “No Cruising” and prohibited U-turns signs were installed in a Silver Lake neighborhood in 1997 after neighbors reportedly complained about gay men in residential areas outside gay bars looking for dates. The No Cruising signs were removed after a vote in 2011 by the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, and some of the no U-turn signs have remained up since.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meloni Has ‘Abortion’ Removed From G7 Statement
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni appeared to have successfully quashed an element of a contentious G7 statement by removing the word “abortion” from the group’s final text at this year’s meeting of the organisation’s leaders.
The move appeared designed to defuse an issue that risked distracting from the high-profile summit she is hosting in her home country.
Italy holds the current G7 presidency and Meloni is presiding over the June 13-15 G7 gathering of heads of the world’s largest economies in Italy’s southern city of Bari.
A senior Italian diplomat confirmed to Reuters the word “abortion” would not appear in the final communique.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Investigate After Truck Driver Does ‘Burnout’ on West Virginia Pride Crosswalk
Police in Huntington, West Virginia are investigating skid marks that were left on a Pride crosswalk on the street. After an LGBTQ organization painted the colors on the street, a truck peeled out the left the marks on the rainbow-colored street painting. Now police are investigating.
According to a report from Eyewitness News, police in Huntington have begun looking into the case and are “investigating the circumstances.” The driver in the truck did a burn out, leaving marks and creating a cloud of smoke.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Grand Tour’ Presenter Stands Ground After Calling Rows of Pride Flags “Oppressive”
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news
British TV presenter James May, most famous for being a part of motoring shows The Grand Tour and Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, is under fire for pointing out that the uniform rows and rows of Pride flags installed every year in central London look “oppressive.”
May made what was supposed to be a tongue in cheek comment on X, noting that while he has “observed and admired” the Pride movement for years, the recent displays are guilty of “Too Much Bunting,” which “may be seen as authoritarian, and therefore oppressive.”
May added, “Please remember that some terrible things, with which you would not wish to be allied, began with TMB. World War Two, for example. Nice flag, though.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |