The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine is on fire, raising concerns of a possible nuclear accident. Russian shelling has prevented firefighters from entering the plant to control the fire.
In other news, France and Ontario have abandoned their respective “vaccine” passport requirements.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, EV, Fjordman, Reader from Chicago, SS, 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.
9th Circuit Dismisses Twitter Lawsuit Against Texas Over Trump Ban
A federal appeals court has dismissed Twitter’s lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, which accused him of retaliating for the social media platform’s ban of former President Donald Trump.
Twitter’s procedural defeat on Wednesday allows Texas’ investigation into Twitter to proceed, though the probe may still get slapped down in the future.
Mr. Paxton launched an investigation into Twitter after it expelled Mr. Trump last year and the Texas Republican issued a civil investigative demand for information about the company’s content moderation policies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arrest of Feces-Smearing Felon Prompts Calls for Bail Reform From Adams
A felon arrested for a vile subway attack, accused of smearing human feces on a woman sitting on a bench, was released without bail on Wednesday, which sparked new calls for bail reform in New York City from Mayor Eric Adams.
Adams said, “This individual should not be out on the streets of New York and his release shows the scope of changes that we need to make in order to keep New Yorkers safe. It is the result of a failed mental health system, a failed housing and support system, and failing criminal justice laws that allow someone with a history of violence who poses a clear threat to public safety to just walk out of court.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s SOTU Speech Tanks — Lowest First Address Ratings in Thirty Years
President Biden’s performance on Tuesday earned him the designation of lowest rated first State of the Union address of the past thirty years. On Tuesday, President Biden delivered the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress.
His performance was watched by just over 38 million Americans, giving him the the lowest rating for a president’s first State of Union in thirty years, according to Nielsen Research.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brett Hankison, Ex-Cop in Raid That Killed Breonna Taylor, Acquitted
Brett Hankison, the former Louisville police officer who is the lone officer charged in connection with the raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor, was found not guilty on all charges Thursday.
Hankison, 45, was charged with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots that went through the wall of Taylor’s apartment and into the home next door, and his trial went to the jury Thursday around noon, according to the Associated Press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Censored: Twitter Suspends John Solomon’s Account for Story on Peer-Reviewed COVID Study
Twitter on Thursday suspended the account of Just the News CEO and Editor John Solomon for tweeting a story about a peer-reviewed study on COVID vaccines published in a respected medical journal by a research university that has worked with the both National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization.
The platform claimed the story was “violating the policy on spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19” even though the story quoted federal agencies’ context for the issue raised by the story.
The offending @JohnSolomonReports post was a link to a Just the News story posted Thursday morning with the headline “Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine converts to DNA inside human liver cells, according to new study” and the url: https://t.co/q4PfQSa6TD.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
D.C. Braces for Trucker Convoys Expected This Weekend, as Pentagon Deploys National Guard
Inspired by the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” that protested Prime Minster Justin Trudeau’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions, several trucker convoys are heading across the U.S. to Washington, D.C., as local officials prepare for their arrival.
One of the largest convoys, “The People’s Convoy,” started in Adelanto, Calif., on Feb. 23, and is planning on arriving in the D.C. area on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the convoy was estimated to have grown to about 1,100 vehicles, according to WePatriot, which provides regular updates on the convoy through contacts with many of the organizers.
As of Tuesday, The People’s Convoy website reported over $1.5 million donated to the caravan. Non-financial donations are also being accepted.
In Fredericksburg, Va., a restaurant owner is collecting food donations for the convoy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
D.C. Mayor Threatened With Religious Freedom Lawsuit for Keeping Mask Mandate on Catholic Schools
One might think the COVID-19 pandemic is over in the nation’s capital.
Most lawmakers and Biden administration Cabinet officials were seen shaking hands without masks during the president’s first State of the Union address Tuesday. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser ended indoor mask requirements this week for places where adults gather for entertainment, commerce and recreation.
But it’s not over for children in the District’s public and private schools.
Bowser is now facing a potential legal battle with parents of parochial school children and political scrutiny from House Republicans, including members of the Oversight Committee, which has jurisdiction over D.C. issues.
The Archdiocese of Washington, which oversees Catholic schools in D.C. and nearby Maryland counties, went mask-optional under its own policy Feb. 21 and told Washington parents it’s pressing the city to end the school mandate.
Working with the organization ADWParents.org, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) threatened to take D.C. to court if it didn’t grant mask exemptions to parochial school children, citing the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and First Amendment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
(LifeSiteNews) — According to a survey of 20 U.S. life insurance corporations, excess death claims spiked 37.7% in the third quarter of last year over a pre-pandemic baseline. This figure includes an approximate 50-50 split between claims related to COVID-19 and those caused by other factors.
The Society of Actuaries Research Institute (SOA) issued a report in January that showed non-COVID-19 death claims spiking 19% over the 2017 to 2019 baseline, as compared with an 18.7% increase in COVID-related death claims.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
First Big U.S. City Hits $5 Gas Price Average a Week After Russian Invasion
Citywide average prices for regular unleaded gas hit $5 per gallon in San Francisco, making it the first major city to reach that threshold, experts at GasBuddy said on Thursday.
“San Francisco just made history as the first ever U.S. city to reach an average of $5 gas,” GasBuddy head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan said in a Thursday news release. The city’s record is “likely just the beginning of a larger trend” in California as gas prices continue to rise across the nation, he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida: Mandatory Lessons on Communism’s Tragedies Earn Unanimous Senate Approval
The bill enjoys bipartisan support.
A bill that proposes public school students learn about the suffering inflicted by communism received unanimous approval from the Senate Wednesday
The legislation (CS/HB 395) will next head to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis to await his signature. Sen. Manny Diaz introduced the Senate version (SB 268) but switched to the “identical” House version Wednesday.
If the Governor approves, he and succeeding Governors would declare Nov. 7 “Victims of Communism Day.” That is the anniversary of when Vladimir Lenin stormed the Russian capital to overthrow the government, thus igniting a worldwide movement.
In explaining the bill, Diaz said it would “honor the more than 100 million victims of communist regimes across the world.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illinois Governor Confirms He Cooperated With Bribery Probe Involving Ex-Speaker Madigan
Gov. J.B. Pritzker denied any wrongdoing Thursday after the indictment of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
The governor took questions from the media Thursday that revolved around the federal indictment handed down against Madigan the day before.
The longtime Illinois House speaker was charged on Wednesday afternoon with 22 counts of corruption, including racketeering and bribery while he was a member of the Illinois General Assembly and a Democratic Party of Illinois chairman. Madigan lost his speakership in January 2021 and resigned from office shortly after. He was then replaced as chairman of DPI.
Pritzker was asked Thursday about speaking with federal investigators back in February at his home.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new lawsuit filed on Tuesday alleges that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot blocked a deal reached between the Chicago Park District and an Italian American group regarding a Christopher Columbus statue, and that she berated lawyers with obscene remarks in a meeting.
The lawsuit, obtained by the Chicago Tribune, was filed by former Chicago Park District deputy general counsel George Smyrniotis, naming Lightfoot and the City of Chicago as the defendants. The statue of Christopher Columbus in Grant Park was the subject of frequent protests during the summer of 2020, when the US saw civil unrest grip many major cities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RT America to Shut Down Production & Fire Most Staff
CNN reports the outlet Russia Today America will be ceasing all productions and firing the majority of its employees “as a result of unforeseen business interruption events.”
T&R Productions, the production company behind the Russian-funded network, said the layoffs and office closures in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC will be permanent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senate Passes Resolution to End Federal COVID State of Emergency
Senate lawmakers passed a resolution Thursday to end the federal COVID state of emergency, voting strictly along party lines 48-47 with Republicans voting in favor of the measure and Democrats against.
The resolution was introduced last month by Sen. Roger Marshall, Kansas Republican and co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Ted Cruz of Texas, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rick Scott of Florida and Steve Daines of Montana.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘The People’s Convoy’ Passes Into Ohio; Supporters Line Overpasses Along I-70
MIAMI VALLEY — People travelling on I-70 through the Miami Valley may see a large convoy of truckers who are part of “The People’s Convoy” that left California last month for a cross country trip to Washington D.C.
The convoy entered Ohio around noon.
“This convoy is about freedom and unity,” organizers said in a prepared statement. “It’s time for elected officials to work with the blue collar and white-collar workers of America and restore accountability and liberty — by lifting all mandates and ending the state of emergency — as COVID is well-in-hand now, and Americans need to get back to work in a free and unrestricted manner.”
Ohio has been without a mask mandate and health orders since last Spring, when Gov. Mike DeWine lifted them. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, mandates have been a hot topic for people across the country and as the COVID-19 situation is improving other places are now lifting mask requirements…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Wisconsin Special Counsel Bombshell: 91 Nursing Homes Had 95-100% Voter Turnout in 2020
The special counsel investigating suspected irregularities in Wisconsin’s 2020 election has found that 91 nursing homes in the counties of Milwaukee, Racine, Dane, Kenosha, and Brown had voter turnout rates ranging from 95% to a 100% in 2020 — as compared to overall nationwide participation rates of 67% in 2020 and 60% in 2016.
The nursing home data only reflects voting at the facilities that the special counsel “has been able to vet to this juncture,” according to the report compiled by retired state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman for the state Assembly. “There are more facilities in these counties, and after auditing the votes from other facilities, the above percentages may change.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2018 Video of Top Canadian Banker Pushing Digital IDs Goes Viral After Trudeau Freezes Bank Accounts
TORONTO (LifeSiteNews) — A video from the Canadian Bankers Association outlines how they have teamed up with the World Economic Forum implement a nationwide digital identification system.
In a promotional video from 2018 that went viral following the recent freezing of private bank accounts by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal government, Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) then-President and CEO Neil Parmenter explained how Canada’s financial institutions, inspired by the World Economic Forum, are working to create a national and highly regulated digital identification system.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
B.C. Dentist Savages Dr. Bonnie Henry Over Vaccine Mandate for Private Health Care
A British Columbia dentist is speaking out against the province’s looming vaccination deadline for private-sector healthcare professionals, saying his licensing college should tell Dr. Bonnie Henry “to crawl back into whichever hole she came out of.”
Robert Johnson, a dentist in Salmon Arm, B.C. posted a strongly-worded video to social media on Wednesday in an effort to raise awareness and rally opposition three weeks ahead of the March 24 deadline imposed by the province.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
B.C. Health-Care Workers Protest Against New Workplace Vaccine Mandate
How did the new normal take us from banging pots and pans to celebrate frontline workers, to tossing those same heroes to the curb for choosing not to take an experimental vaccine?
Last Friday, a group of health care workers wondering the answer to that question rallied on the corner of Robson and Burrard in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The protest was hosted by a pro-freedom group called “No New Normal”, and was one of four days of demonstrations calling for an end to COVID-19 mandates, including the province’s newest mandate that requires all health-care workers, including those who treat patients virtually, to be inoculated for COVID-19 by March 24, 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bell Canada Hangs Up on Employee Who Just Got Suspended for Refusing to Get Vaccinated
As the saying goes, “Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
And when we say “thee”, we speak of those beleaguered Bell Canada employees who, as of February 1, were suspended from their jobs without pay.
And what egregious sin did these workers commit?
Well, they either told Bell that they won’t be vaccinated for COVID-19 (Feb. 1 was the deadline for compliance), or they simply refused to reveal their vaccination status. And this apparently makes them a bunch of Typhoid Marys, so it is that they’ve effectively been terminated… unless they change their minds and agree to get double (or is it triple?) jabbed.
We recently interviewed a Bell employee on day one of her suspension.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Candice Bergen on Carbon Tax, Vaccine Mandates, And Trudeau’s NDP “Lap Dogs”
Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen joined The Andrew Lawton Show for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of the Conservative party, including its opposition to carbon taxes and vaccine mandates, as well as its efforts to hold Justin Trudeau to account over his invocation of the Emergencies Act to stop the truckers’ convoy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Conservatives to Elect New Leader by September 10
The federal Conservatives have announced that a new leader will be decided by September 10.
On February 2, Erin O’Toole was forced to resign as leader of the Conservative Party after losing a caucus leadership vote, 73 to 45.
Since then, there has been much speculation regarding who will replace him, as numerous potential contenders have emerged.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID-19 ‘Has Been a Mild Disease for Children’ Says Yukon’s Acting Cmoh
The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has “not been a severe illness for children,” according to Yukon officials who went on to say that COVID-19, in general, has been “mild” for that age bracket.
The comments were made during the March 2 COVID-19 update with Yukon Premier Sandy Silver and Dr. Catherine Elliott, Yukon’s acting chief medical officer of health.
During this update, the premier announced the removal of remaining COVID restrictions — mandatory masking and proof of vaccination — on March 18, but that businesses and individual establishments can still require masks and utilize vaccine passports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Feds Ditch Interprovincial COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Truckers
The federal Liberals are scrapping a proposal to require commercial truck drivers to show proof of vaccination when crossing into another province.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Liberal labour minister Seamus O’Regan ruled out the potential policy while being questioned on Wednesday.
“Are we still on with the vaccination mandate for interprovincial truckers?” asked a reporter.
“Interprovincial? No, no. We are listening,” O’Regan answered. “Vaccine mandates are something we continue to listen to stakeholders very keenly with but things change. Public health changes, science changes. Lots of things are changing. It’s very much in flux.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Freedom Convoy Organizer is Still Behind Bars
Freedom Convoy fundraiser Tamara Lich is behind bars until at least Monday, nearly two weeks after she was arrested in Ottawa. A judge is set to make a decision about whether she can be released on bail Monday. True North’s Andrew Lawton breaks it down with criminal lawyer David Anber.
Also, Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano joins to talk about the huge number of Canadians who want to defund CBC.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ontario Lifts Vaccine Passports: Torontonians React
As of March 1, Ontario’s proof of vaccination requirements has officially been lifted throughout the province.
Prior to this date, restaurants, gyms, and various other businesses were required to ask customers to verify that they had received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Although showing proof of vaccination is no longer mandatory, businesses still have the option to require it.
I wanted to find out how some people in Toronto felt about the mandate being lifted, and if they would be more likely to visit an establishment that requires proof of vaccination versus one that does not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poilievre to Scrap Carbon Tax if Elected Prime Minister
Conservative MP and party leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre announced on Thursday that if elected prime minister, he would scrap the federal carbon tax.
“I am announcing today that a Poilievre government would make life more affordable by eliminating the carbon tax on gas, heat and groceries,” said Poilievre at a press conference in Saskatoon.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Quebec Top Doctor Couldn’t Justify Curfew Hours Before Announcing it — Opposition Reacts
News that Quebec’s former top doctor Horracio Arruda had scrambled to find studies justifying the province’s latest curfew earned scathing reactions from all of Quebec’s opposition party leaders.
Radio Canada reported Wednesday that Arruda’s assistant had emailed the province’s public health institute’s Associate VP for Scientific Affairs and the Senior Strategic Medical Advisor for Public Health asking for evidence to back the curfew at 10:31am on Dec. 30.
That was six hours before Premier François Legault announced he was reimposing a province-wide curfew to deal with the rise in cases led by the Omicron variant.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Inconsistency of Police Checkpoints for Entry Into Ottawa’s ‘Red Zone’
When heading down to the core of Ottawa during the last week of the truckers’ Freedom Convoy, our Rebel News team — Alexa Lavoie, Guillaume Roy, David Menzies, Lincoln Jay, Mauricio Pacheco — had numerous encounters with police checkpoints. Most of these checkpoints had no consistency in regard to who they determined should have access to the empty streets surrounding Parliament.
Our team was checked to see if we were legitimate media multiple times; some police officers did not acknowledge that we were press. In a particular incident while our team was trying to reach their hotel, a group of police officers not only had high skepticism for our press legitimacy, but talked among themselves and accused the team of being a part of the protest — asking questions such as “do you have protest gear?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Windsor LCBO Cites ‘Technical Issues’, Goes Into Lockdown During Ambassador Bridge Blockade
You would think that with the number of Ambassador Bridge demonstrators that recently converged in Windsor, Ont., that there would be terrific business opportunities for local merchants. And indeed there was business to be had — well, at least for those merchants that decided to remain open. And every store in the bridge area did stay open… except, that is, for a certain purveyor of beer, wine and spirits.
Indeed, the one joint that closed its doors was none other than the government-owned booze monopoly, otherwise known as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (such a feel-good moniker, eh?)
And so it was that all weekend long, the LCBO store located at a plaza about 3km away from the Ambassador Bridge remained in lockdown mode.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“I won’t perish for their motherland,” says a man belonging to the Hungarian minority in Ukraine as he offers a lift to a foreign journalist in his car towards the Trans-Carpathian town of Beregovo. Yet, he also concedes that if they call him in to the Ukrainian army currently fighting the Russian invasion, he will not run away and will face the common enemy.
His conflicted attitude should give pause to all journalists reporting about the plight of Ukraine, who are painting an over-simplified, black-and-white picture about the situation, as that view could not be farther from the truth. Many of these journalists seem to be somehow convinced that it is their moral duty to give support to a nation under siege, but they are doing so by abandoning the basic tenets of professionalism, and they are making no effort to understanding the “fifty-shades” of Russo-Ukrainian relationship that have led to the current crisis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
AfD Party Faces Internal Divisions Over Germany’s Response to Russia’s War in Ukraine
Germany’s conservative Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is facing internal party conflicts over Germany’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with some politicians, particularly those from what was formerly East Germany, asking for Germany to stay out of the conflict and reminding of Russia’s decision to peacefully withdraw from communist satellite countries at the end of the Soviet Union.
This position — somewhat sympathetic to Russia — was delivered by a leading figure in the AfD party during a special session of parliament. AfD co-chairman Tino Chrupalla’s speech at the special parliamentary session on the Ukraine war drew sharp criticism from some within his party, especially those from the west of Germany, according to a federal official in the party speaking with German newspaper Junge Freiheit.
“It must not be our goal these days to identify the one culprit. Right now, we must not forget Russia’s contribution to Germany and Europe,” party leader Chrupalla said during his Sunday speech.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Czech right-wing party Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) is criticizing the blocking of eight websites that the Czech government has targeted for alleged disinformation. The CZ.NIC association, in consultation with the Czechia’s security services, pushed for the sites to be closed. However, the SPD party, known for its strong anti-immigration, nationalist stance, considers the closure to be censorship.
Party members also rejected the government supplying weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, but at the same time, the party condemns Russia’s invasion of the country. According to the SPD, the weapon supplies are aimed against efforts to negotiate peace with Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Backlash Over Munich Orchestra Conductor Being Fired for Failure to Denounce Putin
There is a growing backlash in Germany over a famous Munich Orchestra conductor being fired because he failed to respond to the Mayor’s demand that he denounce Vladimir Putin.
As we highlighted yesterday, the Russian-born chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Valery Gergiev was dismissed from numerous positions after he didn’t respond in time to Mayor Dieter Reiter’s demand that he condemn Putin’s “brutal war of aggression.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liberté! France Announces ‘Suspension’ of Vaccine Pass Regime
After a short yet controversial reign, France’s vaccine pass regime is set to be “suspended” by mid-March.
First introduced in January, France’s pass system was controversial even before implementation, with the country’s president — Emmanuel Macron — explicitly stating that the purpose of the new measures was to “piss off” the nation’s unvaccinated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A majority of Swedes are prepared to fight to defend their homeland if faced with an invasion, but the enthusiasm to take up arms differs significantly based on the respondent’s political party affiliation, new polling has revealed.
On average, six out of 10 of those asked would be willing to defend the country, according to an opinion poll conducted by Novus and published by the newspaper Fokus.
This figure, however, rose to 73 percent of respondents who support the conservative Swedish Democrats party, and dropped to 55 percent among left-wing Social Democratic party voters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Romania Creates Humanitarian Aid Hub for Ukraine
Romania will set up a hub to to collect and transport international humanitarian aid to Ukraine, President Klaus Iohannis announced at the end of Tuesday’s meeting of the country’s defense council.
The Romanian president also argued that it is necessary to support Moldova, which is facing an influx of refugees from Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RT News Broadcasts in the UK Have Now Been SHUT OFF BY THE EU
RT News broadcasts have been completely cut off in the UK following the European Union’s move to ban the network, despite the fact that the UK isn’t even in the EU anymore.
The BBC reports that RT has disappeared from all platforms in the UK, with access “affected by a ban imposed by the European Union.”
The report notes that “Although the UK is no longer in the EU, the bloc applied sanctions to satellite companies in Luxembourg and France, which provided the RT feed to Sky, Freesat and Freeview,” networks that supply the UK’s feed.
In other words, the actions of unelected EU bureaucrats in censoring information they deem to be harmful has directly impacted people in the UK.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Huddersfield Girl Was Sexually Abused by ‘Up to 300 Men’ By the Time She Was 17
A teenage girl was groomed and abused by up to 300 men in Yorkshire by the time she was 17.
The girl was targeted by the sick men from being 14-years-old and would regularly climb through windows after her parents had locked her in the house in an attempt to keep her safe.
Leeds Crown Court heard on Wednesday her family contacted social services after she returned home, often under the influence of drinks and drugs, and dishevelled. During one incident she returned to her family home naked from the waist down.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial “Unscathed” According to Israeli Journalist
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Russia had attacked the Babi Yar Holocaust memorial in Kiev in an attempt to “erase our history,” an Israeli journalist visited the site to discover that it was in fact “unscathed.”
Narrative fail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chechnya’s Kadyrov Makes Sinister Reference to ‘Beautiful Girls’ in Ukraine, ‘Especially Kharkov’
Vladimir Putin’s Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov made a sinister reference to Ukraine’s “beautiful girls”, particularly those in embattled Kharkiv (Kharkov).
Kadyrov, who has reigned as Head of the Chechen Republic in the Russian Federation since 2007, asserted during a live broadcast that “Ukrainians love me [and] I love Ukrainians” — but that he was opposed to the “shaitans” (devils) who run the country, claiming he was “against them to protect the Ukrainian people.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Broadcast aficionados will be familiar with the mysterious radio station UVB-76, aka “the Buzzer,” which since at least the 1970s has been broadcasting an eerie monotone buzz 24 hours a day, with the broadcast intermittently punctuated by inscrutable Russian broadcasts. It’s believed to be a spy station from the days of the USSR.
Well, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, hackers have apparently started muscling onto the frequency to play a variety of popular musical selections for anyone who might be listening:…
| — Hat tip: EV | [Return to headlines] |
Europe’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant Reportedly on Fire in Ukraine
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine is reportedly on fire while a gunfight between Ukrainians and Russian invaders rages on early Friday morning.
Located in Enerhodar in southern Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and has six reactors. It generates about a quarter of Ukraine’s power.
“Active firefight is going on inside a facility that is already on fire and controls 6 reactors,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., tweeted. “Firefighters unable to fight the fire because they are in the middle of a combat zone.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba warned that if the plant “blows up,” it will be far worse than the Chernobyl nuclear crisis. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists estimates the 1986 disaster directly killed at least 6,000 people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Europe’s largest nuclear plant was on fire early Friday after enduring heavy shelling from Russian forces in the southern Ukrainian city of Enerhodar, raising concerns about a nuclear accident.
Plant spokesman Andriy Tuz told Ukrainian television that shells were falling directly on the Zaporizhzhia plant and had set fire to one of the facility’s six reactors. That reactor is under renovation and not operating, but there is nuclear fuel inside, he said.
Tuz said it’s urgent to stop the fighting so the flames can be extinguished.
“We demand that they stop the heavy weapons fire,” Tuz said in a video posted on Telegram. “There is a real threat of nuclear danger in the biggest atomic energy station in Europe.”
A government official told The Associated Press elevated levels of radiation are being detected near the site of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which provides about 25% of the country’s power generation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not yet been publicly released.
The mayor of Enerhodar, a southern city on the Dnieper River, said Ukrainian forces were battling Russian troops on the city’s outskirts. Video showed flames and black smoke rising above the city of more than 50,000, with people streaming past wrecked cars, just a day after the U.N. atomic watchdog agency expressed grave concern that the fighting could cause accidental damage to Ukraine’s 15 nuclear reactors.
Enerhodar is one of the southern cities taking the brunt of Russian power. The previous day, Russian forces claimed control of the port city of Kherson.
On Thursday, Ukraine said it has agreed with Russia to create safe corridors backed by cease-fires to evacuate civilians and deliver aid as the parties engaged in a second round of negotiations amid Russia’s ferocious assault on its neighbor.
Officials from both nations met in Belarus as the war entered its second week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine disarm, declare itself neutral and drop its bid to join NATO before agreeing to halt the Russian attack.
Also Thursday, the Biden administration extended its pressure campaign against Putin’s government with a new round of sanctions on Russian oligarchs and a freeze on their possessions…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
International Cat Federation Bans Russian Cats From All Competitions
An international cat federation has banned all Russian-owned and bred cats from competing in international competitions, in a move that’s sure to stop Putin’s attack on Ukraine.
No, this isn’t a Babylon Bee story.
The Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) issued a statement saying it “cannot just witness these atrocities and do nothing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In Ukraine: Russia deepened its military offensive in southern Ukraine, penetrating the city of Kherson and pushing toward Zaporizhya, as another round of talks failed to reach an agreement on a cease-fire. The two sides agreed to organize humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from besieged cities and deliver food and medication. Early Friday local time, Ukrainian officials said Russian troops had fired on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Ukrainian forces have managed to stymie Russia’s advance on the capital, Kyiv, and the second-largest city, Kharkiv. The strong resistance, however, has pushed the Kremlin to shift to a strategy of indiscriminate attacks, shelling civilian areas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Than 6,000 Arrests in Russia During Protests Over Ukraine War, Says Human Rights Group
Demonstrators have been prepared to risk being taken away by police on a daily basis since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last Thursday.
The protests show little sign of abating despite a police crackdown.
The OVD-Info human rights group that tracks political arrests says there have been 6,440 detentions in anti-war demonstrations in different cities across the country.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov sought to downplay the scale of the protests, saying that while Putin “hears everyone’s opinion”, he also knows “the share of those who have a different point of view and those who are sympathetic to such a necessary operation”.
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NASCAR Legend Richard Childress to Donate One Million Rounds of Ammo to Ukraine
Legendary NASCAR driver and team owner Richard Childress said Wednesday that he hopes to donate one million rounds of ammunition for Ukraine’s defenders as Vladimir Putin’s forces continue their attacks.
“I was listening the other day and heard President Zelenskyy say he didn’t want out, he wanted ammunition,” Childress told Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade.
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The pro-Russian mayor of a city in eastern Ukraine who welcomed President Vladimir Putin’s invasion was ‘shot dead’ after being kidnapped from his home, it has been announced.
Vlodymyr Struk, of Kreminna in Luhansk, was killed on Tuesday and suffered a ‘gunshot wound to the heart’ after he was ‘abducted from his home’, according to his wife.
Announcing the news on Facebook, the adviser for Interior Minister of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko claimed Mr Struk was a ‘Luhansk People’s Republic supporter’ (LPR) and actively pursued a ‘pro-Russian position’ in the last week by ‘communicating with the Russian Federation’.
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Putin Warns Saudi Crown Prince Against Politicizing Energy Issues
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman against politicizing global energy issues, following a coordinated effort by the U.S. and other major oil-consuming nations to counter Moscow.
Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, has rebuffed U.S. requests to pump more oil to help tame surging crude prices, which briefly topped $116 a barrel amid concerns over supply after Russia invaded Ukraine. A senior U.S. official has told The Wall Street Journal that high-level talks with the Saudis and others were aimed at coordinating and understanding each other’s actions.
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Russian oligarch Igor Sechin’s $120 million superyacht was reportedly seized in France on Thursday, as western nations look to punish Russian President Vladimir Putin and his business allies for the Ukrainian war.
Sechin, the CEO of Russian oil giant Rosneft, was sanctioned earlier this week by the European Union. The tough measures included seizing his superyacht in the French Mediterranean port of La Ciotat, CNN reported.
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Russia Claims Pentagon ‘Biological War Labs’ Developing ‘Pathogens’ In Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minsiter Sergey Lavrov claims the United States has secret labs developing bio-weapons in Ukraine.
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Russian Chess Grandmasters Slam Invasion of Ukraine in Joint Appeal to Putin
Nearly three dozen top Russian chess players, including a recent challenger for the world crown, a former women’s world champion and a grandmaster who has won the Russian national title eight times, have issued an “official appeal” to President Vladimir Putin condemning the invasion of Ukraine and calling for the fighting to cease.
Chess is the country’s national game, and players from Russia, and before that the Soviet Union, dominated international competitions for much of the 20th century. Even today, Russia boasts more grandmasters by far than any other country.
“We oppose military actions on the territory of Ukraine and call for an early cease-fire and a peaceful solution to the conflict through dialogue and diplomatic negotiations,” the letter published on a Russian chess website read in part. “It is unbearably painful for us to see the catastrophe that is happening these days to our people.”
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Russia Invokes Trump’s Stolen Election Claim in U.N. Speech
Russia tried on Wednesday to delegitimize United Nations criticism of its invasion of Ukraine by calling into question the actions of other countries, including the United States’ “overthrowing” of former President Donald Trump.
The U.N. passed a resolution Wednesday that condemned Russia’s invasion and called for an immediate and complete withdrawal of all military forces from Ukraine. Russia forcefully rejected the resolution, calling claims the country was targeting civilians “fake” and saying other countries were hypocritical for supporting the resolution. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the U.N., even said the United States, which supported the resolution, was “where the legitimately elected president of the country was overthrown.”
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Rumors are swirling Russian troops are surrendering en masse.
The tanks are turning around as Putin’s war machine is vanquished.
Why?
Because Milan University cancelled a course on Dostoevsky.
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Steward of Internet Domains Punts on Ukraine’s Request to Punish Russia
The global nonprofit that coordinates the maintenance of internet addresses has said it can’t act on a request by Ukraine’s deputy prime minister to revoke specific domains operated from within Russia, saying such a move isn’t within its power.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as ICANN, disclosed its stance by posting a letter on its website Wednesday from its president and chief executive, Göran Marby, to Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov.
In the letter, Mr. Marby said he was responding to a plea from Mr. Federov for ICANN to help internet users who seek reliable information online and prevent the spread of propaganda and disinformation.
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Ukrainian Forces Account: Surrendering Russian Artillerymen Will be ‘Slaughtered Like Pigs’
A verified Ukrainian military account warned that Russian artillerymen trying to surrender would be “slaughtered like pigs” in a now-edited Facebook post after reports of heavy shelling in some cities.
In a bombastic post initially uploaded to a verified social media account on Wednesday, the Ukrainian account sent sarcastic greetings to “Russian artillerymen” who they said had been targeting “our peaceful cities, our relatives, children, loved ones” with “severe shelling”.
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War in Ukraine to Hit Poor Countries’ Food Supply, Could Lead to Major Crises
The war is causing a humanitarian catastrophe not only in Ukraine, but also in African and Asian countries that have met much of their demand with Russian and Ukrainian wheat. The current war has had a further impact on price increases caused by the coronavirus epidemic, making bread a luxury item in several countries.
Several countries in North Africa and the Middle East are also afraid of a food crisis due to the loss of wheat, maize and sunflower oil supplies due to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Both Ukraine and Russia account for 29 percent of world wheat exports, 19 percent of maize exports and 80 percent of sunflower oil exports.
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Wheat Prices Close on All-Time High
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven wheat prices near record levels.
The most-traded wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade gained 7.1% to $11.34 a bushel early Thursday, hitting the exchange’s limits for how much the price can move in a session for the third-straight day. Wheat futures have climbed around 22% this week.
Wheat prices are trading at their highest levels since March 2008. They are also only $1.50 per bushel away from their all-time highs, also set in March 2008.
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‘You Will Repay Us Everything’: Zelensky Demands Russia Pay ‘Reparations’ For War
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an address to the Russian people on Thursday, according to state media, in which he announced that Russia would pay “reparations” and rebuild “everything” the ongoing war has destroyed in Ukraine.
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95% of Poles Support Providing Refuge to Fleeing Ukrainians
An overwhelming majority of Poles want their country to offer as much support to Ukrainian refugees as possible, with 95 percent in favor of providing refuge and offering aid to those fleeing the conflict, new polling revealed.
In the latest IBRiS survey commissioned by Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, nearly 60 percent of all respondents believed that “all fleeing people must be admitted” to Poland, with a further 35 percent still supporting admission of “the most needy” and most at risk.
In contrast, just 3 percent favored only supporting refugee camps located in Ukraine and just 1 percent of respondents were against any help for the refugees.
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EU May Grant Ukrainians Residency Rights With Access to Welfare and Labour Market
The European Commission has proposed to grant Ukrainian refugees residency rights that would include access to member states’ labour markets and welfare benefits as refugees continue to flee the conflict.
The Commission has proposed to grant automatic protection for Ukrainians over a three-year period, which would give refugees the ability to work in the European Union as well as have access to welfare benefits.
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Hungary Opens Largest Budapest Hotel to Ukrainian Refugees
The largest hotel in Hungary has reopened its doors to welcome Ukrainians seeking refuge from the Russo-Ukrainian war, it has announced.
Located at the Eastern Railway Station and closed for months, the Danubius Hotel Hungaria will now host refugees exclusively, following its reopening on March 1.
In a statement, the hotel’s managing company explained that while the establishment’s reopening was originally planned for a few months’ time, it had decided to open early for the benefit of refugees in an “extraordinary collaboration” and mobilization of the company’s staff.
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Judge to Face Trial for Allegedly Blocking ICE Arrest in Courtroom
A Massachusetts judge is being accused of impeding an arrest after she allegedly prevented an undocumented immigrant from being deported.
Newton District Court Judge Shelley Joseph and courtroom Deputy Wesley MacGregor are facing a trial after a federal appeals court declined to dismiss their case on February 28. They are accused of blocking an agent from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency from detaining a man that left the courtroom through a rear door, Reuters reported.
Joseph claimed that she had an appropriate level of immunity as a judge to allow the man to leave the courtroom, Reuters added. However, the three judges on the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not agree, prompting them to send the case to trial.
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Migrants Try New Mass Break-in at Spanish Enclave
Around 1,200 migrants tried to storm the border separating Spain’s Melilla enclave from Morocco in the second such attempt in 24 hours, a government official said.
The incident occurred a day after an unprecedented 2,500 migrants made a mass run at the border with almost 500 getting across in what the Spanish government’s local delegation said was “the biggest entry attempt on record”.
Thursday’s incident began around 6:00am (0500 GMT), when Spanish police noticed a huge group of migrants approaching the fence, a delegation spokesman said in a statement.
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Opinion: Your Solidarity is Problematic if You Leave Africans Behind in Ukraine
The world is in solidarity with people fleeing war in Ukraine — but discrimination against people of color has sparked outcry under the hashtag #AfricansinUkraine. Solidarity must be inclusive, writes DW’s Wafaa Albadry.
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Trudeau Liberals Say They Will Welcome ‘Unlimited Number’ of Ukrainian Refugees Fleeing War
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has announced the creation of two new programs for Ukrainians escaping war to come to Canada.
Amid rising tensions in eastern Europe, Canada has opened its doors to Ukrainians fleeing Putin’s invasion of their homeland.
On Wednesday, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced that two new programs would be created to assist an “unlimited number” of refugees planning on leaving Ukraine.
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Ukraine Refugee Count Tops 1 Million; Russians Besiege Ports
The UN called it the swiftest refugee exodus this century.
More than 1 million people have fled Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, in the swiftest refugee exodus this century, the United Nations said Thursday, as Moscow said it was ready for more talks to end fighting even as its forces pressed their assaults on the country’s second-largest city and two strategic seaports.
The tally the U.N. refugee agency released to The Associated Press was reached Wednesday and amounts to more than 2% of Ukraine’s population being forced out of the country in seven days. The mass evacuation could be seen in Kharkiv, a city of about 1.5 million people where residents desperate to escape falling shells and bombs crowded the city’s train station and pressed onto trains, not always knowing where they were headed.
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Up to 80 more migrants arrived in the UK today as the total for the year climbed above 1,750 a day after 230 people made the perilous boat crossing.
Dozens of people, wrapped in emergency foil blankets, hats and scarves, were seen being escorted to the port of Dover by UK officials shortly after midday.
As they disembarked from a Border Force boat, the group of mostly men were spotted clutching their belongings in clear plastic bags at around 12.20pm.
[Comment: Article dated March 2, 2022.]
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Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas has defended competing in the female category and claims she does not care about winning, despite regularly wiping the floor with opponents who were born girls.
Lia transitioned from male to female and is now competing for UPenn’s women’s team.
Her participation in the team has been widely criticized by people who say she has an unfair physical advantage.
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Iowa Becomes 11th GOP-Run State to Ban Transgender Women in Sports
Iowa passed a law Thursday banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports at the high school and college levels.
Under the new law signed by Governor Kim Reynolds, sporting events will have required designations of male, female or coed, and only those whose birth certificates say they are female will be allowed to play in the female events.
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The nuclear power plant has been secured and RT can be watched on Odysee live streamed. Street footage, real time.