Food prices in Italy are projected to rise more than 12% in April and May on an annual basis. Meanwhile, the spring planting of crops in Ukraine is down more than 25% this year, due to the war.
In other news, Bongbong Marcos, the son of the late Ferdinand Marcos, has been elected president of the Philippines in a landslide.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, Insubria, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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.
Breaking: Biden Blames ‘Ultra MAGA, ‘ Putin for Economic Woes
President Joe Biden spoke on Tuesday from his special “press” set on the problem of inflation and the economy. His garbled speech, meandered from recollections of his father to blaming Republicans, who have neither a controlling majority in the House or Senate. Biden also repeatedly attacked Donald Trump, who hasn’t been president since early January 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Industry Faces Economic Ruin With ‘Highly Dangerous’ Gas Ban
A study by the German Hans Böckler Foundation has now calculated that the gross domestic product (GDP) could collapse by up to twelve percent within the first year if Russian gas supplies were to end immediately. It is the latest doomsday prediction for Germany’s industry.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Food Prices Set to Rise 12.7% April-May
March gain was 10.9% on previous year — Unioncamere
(ANSA) — ROME, MAY 10 — Italian food prices are forecast to rise 12.7% in April-May on an annual basis, Unioncamere said Tuesday.
In March the rise was 10.9%, said the union of chambers of commerce.
The April-May gain will be 3.5% on the previous two-month period, said Unioncamere.
Italy is in the middle of a cost of living spiral, partly caused by the Ukraine war.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware Gas Prices Hit ‘All Time Highs’
Democrat-led Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware are experiencing “all-time high” gas prices,WPVI-TV reported on Monday.
“It’s $4.64 a record gallon in Philadelphia, 14 cents above the statewide average,” the ABC News affiliate found. “It’s $4.50 in Pennsylvania, $4.47 in New Jersey and $4.40 in Delaware.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: High Inflation Could Last Years, Admits Former Central Bank Chief Economist
The decades-high level of inflation may last for years rather than be a temporary spike, a former top economist from the Bank of England has warned.
The ongoing cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom, which has seen inflation rise at its fastest rate in 30 years, spurred on by two years of lockdown restrictions, supply chain issues, the global energy crisis, and the war in Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on Russia, is likely here to stay for the foreseable future, according to Andy Haldane, formerly the cheif economist at the Bank of England.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Board Votes to Ban Discussions of Critical Race Theory, Delay Vote on Gender and Sexual Identity
ORANGE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — The Orange County School Board is working to make changes to what can be taught in classrooms by passing a ban on critical race theory.
However, the board also delayed a vote on discussions of gender and sexuality.
It was a packed house Monday night at the school board’s meeting. Parents, students and teachers came to discuss the two resolutions that were incorporated as a way to abide by a state law that was signed by Governor Glenn Youngkin last month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Musk Reveals What Will Happen to Trump’s Twitter Ban
President Trump was permanently banned from Twitter in the wake of the Capitol riot over false allegations that he incited violence. Twitter has stood by that decision, but it looks like Twitter’s potential new owner has something to say about it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Clearview AI, the Manhattan-based developer of a highly controversial facial recognition tool, agreed Monday to stop providing its technology to most private clients and to halt doing business in Illinois for five years as part of a settlement in a lawsuit filed in Cook County.
The suit was brought by the ACLU and its Illinois chapter in May 2020, just four months after the New York Times reported that Clearview had culled billions of photographs from popular websites to create an unprecedented facial recognition app that counted both law enforcement agencies and businesses as subscribers.
The ACLU alleged the technology violated Illinois’ stringent Biometric Information Privacy Act, or BIPA, which protects current and former residents’ facial and fingerprint identifiers from being used without consent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DHS Disinformation ‘Czar’ Jankowicz Pushed Trump-Russia Claims at Center of Durham Case
If the Biden administration is so concerned about disinformation, it may want to take a closer look at its own “czar.”
Nina Jankowicz, who was recently tapped to head the Department of Homeland Security’s nascent Disinformation Governance Board, had no qualms about pushing the since-debunked claim in 2016 that then-presidential candidate Donald Trump had a tie to Kremlin-linked Alfa-Bank — allegations that were raised by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and are now a focus of special counsel John Durham’s investigation.
Jankowicz tweeted about the purported link on Nov. 1, 2016, one day after the connection was explored in a piece on the left-wing website Slate. Her post was initially uncovered by the Washington Examiner.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dinesh D’Souza Accuses Newsmax of Censorship Over ‘2000 Mules’
On Monday, conservative filmmaker and podcaster Dinesh D’Souza took aim at cable news channel Newsmax for allegedly blocking coverage of his new film “2000 Mules.” The film highlights concerns over the use of “ballot harvesting” during the 2020 presidential election, which saw a massive increase in early and absentee voting.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
James Cromwell Superglues Hand to Starbucks Counter in PETA Protest
James Cromwell took a dramatic stand for PETA Tuesday morning by supergluing his hand to a Starbucks counter in protest of the coffee chain’s up-charge for vegan milks.
Appearing on a Facebook livestream, the “Succession” star, 82, rattled off facts about the cons of producing dairy milk from cows as he remained stuck to the Midtown Manhattan shop’s counter alongside other PETA members.
Despite advocating for inclusivity, Starbucks “still discriminates against those who can’t have dairy” by making customers “pay more” for vegan options such as almond milk and oat milk, Cromwell claimed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Josh Hawley has introduced legislation that would strip Disney of it’s special long-term copyright protections that had been granted to the entertainment giant by Congress after the company took a stance against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill.
According to Fox News, the “Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022” would cap copyrights granted to corporations by Congress to 56 years, and would retroactively implement this change on corporations, which would include Disney.
Hawley told Fox that “woke corporations” like Disney had raked in billions of dollars due to these special copyright protections.
“The age of Republican handouts to Big Business is over. Thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, woke corporations like Disney have earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists. It’s time to take away Disney’s special privileges and open up a new era of creativity and innovation,” Hawley said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lightning Bolt Strikes Ground Dangerously Close to Gardener in Florida Yard
A homeowner was stunned when a lightning bolt struck and set his neighbor’s yard on fire, mere yards away from his home in Sebring, Florida, on May 7.
Video recorded by Rodney Murphy’s home security camera shows him in front of his central Florida home when a lightning bolt strikes his neighbor’s yard, igniting a fire and sending Murphy back indoors.
Speaking to Storyful, Murphy said no rain or storm clouds were present when the lightning hit. He initially heard a crackling sound and closed his eyes just as a flash of lightning hit the ground, sending a boom through the neighborhood…
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
New DOJ Notes Reveal FBI Panic After Trump Tweeted He Knew He Was Being Spied On
Authored by Jeff Carlson and Hans Mahncke via The Epoch Times
Newly released notes taken by high-level Department of Justice (DOJ) officials during a March 6, 2017, meeting with FBI leadership expose some of the lengths the FBI engaged in to cover up its spying on the 2016 campaign of President Donald Trump.
The notes were released on May 8 by lawyers representing former Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann as part of an effort to clear him on charges of having lied to the FBI. The notes, in reality, appear to do little to exonerate Sussmann but do provide quite a bit of information on the FBI.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new memo released by the Republican Study Committee has outlined the group of House conservatives’ stance on law-and-order legislation, which would actively fight states that tend towards soft-on-crime actions.
The memo, obtained by RealClearPolitics, was released just six months before the midterm elections, where a large number of Democrat Congress members are retiring from their seats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Revenge of the Based: Thiel-Backed Fund to Take on ‘Woke’ BlackRock Activism
A new financial firm backed by Peter Thiel and Bill Ackman aims to take the ‘woke’ out of corporate America — and is taking aim at BlackRock’s push for ‘stakeholder capitalism’ ESG purity tests with several new funds that instead promote “Excellence Capitalism.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, author of “Woke, Inc,” has raised $20 million to launch “Strive Asset Management,” an activist fund which will urge companies to drop unprofitable social justice issues pushed by BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, which Ramaswamy refers to as the “ideological cartel.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Rand Paul Says He’s Working to Shut Down Biden Admin’s Disinformation Governance Board
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has been an outspoken advocate for free speech and a fervent opponent of Biden’s new Disinformation Governance Board, which many have dubbed the “Ministry of Truth” from George Orwell’s dystopian novel “1984.”
Speaking to Fox News’ Jesse Watters on late Monday, Paul said that he is currently working with fellow lawmakers in Congress to dissolve the agency, which is being run by the Department of Homeland Security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
…and claims he threw her laptop full of sex videos into the Hudson after stabbing her to death — as he appears in court
The handyman lover of a married Queens mom claimed he killed her because he thought she had given him HIV during their two year affair and tossed her laptop into the Hudson river because it had explicit videos.
David Bonola, 44, of Queens, was arraigned on Tuesday on a 13-count indictment for the April 16 murder of Orsolya Gaal, 51, who was stabbed 58 times in her basement and stuffing the body in a duffle bag while her son was upstairs.
According to the court documents, when detectives questions him on April 20, Bonoal allegedly claimed Gaal was cheating on him and that, ‘She gave me HIV,’ the New York Post reported.
‘She lied to me, she used me. She told me that she loved me. She couldn’t be with one person.
‘I took her laptop because she had sex videos on the laptop,’ he added. ‘I threw her laptop in the Hudson River where I used to visit her.’…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Smile! Gleeful NYC Thugs Snatch 400 Bullet-Proof Vests Meant for Ukraine
You can’t walk a block in NYC without seeing the ubiquitous Ukrainian flag, especially in the East Village section of Manhattan. But one thing you won’t find is a bullet-proof vest meant for Ukrainian soldiers — they got “redistributed.”
Six thieves broke into the offices of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, located at 203 2nd Ave. in New York City, and swiped more than 400 bullet-proof vests that were going to be sent to Ukrainian soldiers fighting Russia.
The vests had been donated a couple of months ago by several law enforcement agencies. They were being stored in the offices until they could be sent to Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Speeding SUV Slams Into SEPTA El Station; Driver, 2 People on Sidewalk Die
The deadly wreck cracked part of the wall of SEPTA’s Allegheny Station in the heart of the Kensington neighborhood
A driver and two people on the sidewalk died when a speeding SUV slammed into the base of a SEPTA Market-Frankford Line elevated station early Tuesday morning.
The deadly wreck just before 2:45 a.m. cracked part of the wall of SEPTA’s Allegheny Station in the heart of the Kensington neighborhood and caused SEPTA to bypass the busy station heading into the morning commute.
A Philadelphia police officer on patrol in the area “saw and heard a vehicle traveling eastbound on Allegheny Avenue,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. “The vehicle was obviously travelling at a very, very high rate of speed, according to this officer.”
The SUV then hopped the curb, struck a turnstile and crashed into the building, “doing severe damage” and causing “a large crack in the station,” Small said.
The SUV was badly damaged and partially caught fire.
Along the way, at least three people on the sidewalk were struck, Small said. Two of those people — a man and a woman — died, one of them decapitated…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Talk show host Stephen Colbert has caught COVID for the second time in the space of three weeks after previously thanking the efficacy of the vaccine when he contracted the virus last month.
Yes, really.
The Late Show frontman previously caught COVID on April 21 and was forced to cancel that night’s taping before taking a week off.
The show returned on May 2 with new episodes, although production has been paused again following news of Colbert suffering a “recurrence” of COVID-19.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Senate Passes Bill Aimed at Protecting Families of Supreme Court Justices
The Senate proposal, which was co-sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) passed through a voice vote with no objections. ABC News reports that the legislation will offer the nine justices security protection in line with members of Congress and the White House cabinet.
“Trying to scare federal judges into ruling a certain way is far outside the bounds of normal First Amendment speech or protest,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) ahead of the vote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alberta Gov’t Receives Legal Clearance to Join Challenge to Trudeau’s Use of Emergencies Act
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced that his government was given intervenor status on legal cases fighting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act (EA) to crush the trucker Freedom Convoy.
“This court granted Alberta’s application to be an intervener in the constitutional and legal challenge of the Trudeau government’s application of the emergency act earlier this year. We believe that was unjust, unjustified, unnecessary, disproportionate to the challenge that was being faced in February and March of this year,” Kenney said Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alberta Judge Rules Chief Medical Officer’s Order on Gathering Limits Not Applicable to Protests
This week in Alberta, a potential landmark legal win for those who have been protesting COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates was achieved in the courts.
A Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms lawyer defending an individual who was charged with breaching Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Deena Hinshaw’s order by attending a protest successfully argued that the limitations set out by the order only apply to “private social gatherings” per the language of the document, and that the Charter-enshrined right to protest does not fall under the CMOH’s order, as gathering to protest is not gathering for a “social purpose”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Author of Emergencies Act Calls for “Extraordinary Accountability” From Feds
The author of the extraordinary law used by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to crack down on Freedom Convoy protesters in Ottawa is once again raising concerns about government accountability.
Former defence minister Perrin Beatty penned the legislation as a replacement for the War Measures Act in the late 1980s.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Military Vet Out of Work for Refusing to Take Experimental COVID Vaccine
CALGARY, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian military veteran was fired from his job after refusing to take the experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
Jesse De Costa, a husband and father, worked as an airport firefighter for Pro-Tec Fire Services, a private company subcontracted by the Calgary Airport to provide fire protection services. However, he and three other employees lost their jobs after the Trudeau government mandated vaccination for all federally regulated industries.
De Costa told LifeSite that, of the four affected employees, one ended up “caving and taking the jab” against his will after spending a week or two on unpaid leave.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal “No More Pipelines” Law is Unconstitutional, Alberta Court Rules
A majority of judges with the Alberta Court of Appeal has voted to strike down the Trudeau government’s Bill C-69 as unconstitutional.
Alberta premier Jason Kenney — who branded the environmental impact assessment bill the “No More Pipelines Law” — praised the 200-page ruling on Tuesday as a “historic victory” nearly three years after the law first received royal assent.
“An historic victory, and central part of our strategy to fight for a fair deal!” tweeted Kenney.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov’t Aide Fired for Donating to Freedom Convoy Sues Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Reporters
(LifeSiteNews) — A top Ontario provincial government aide fired after hackers leaked a Freedom Convoy donation list showing she donated $100 to the truckers is suing Ontario Premier Doug Ford, his chief of staff, and Toronto Star journalists.
According to a report in Politics Today, Marion Isabeau-Ringuette, the former director of communications for Ontario Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, claims that within minutes after being contacted by reporters about her donation to the Freedom Convoy she was terminated from her job.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Live Updates: ‘Fight Vaccine Passports’ Legal Challenge Being Heard in B.C. Supreme Court
The second of four legal challenges against British Columbia’s vaccine passport system is being heard in the province’s Supreme Court today.
With the help of your generous donations to the Fight Vaccine Passports initiative, Rebel News in partnership with The Democracy Fund was able to launch this challenge.
The plaintiff in today’s case is Leigh Eliason, the mother, wife and daughter who fought hard to rehabilitate from her rare illnesses.
Drea Humphrey will be providing live tweet updates on the hearing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘This is Something I Escaped From’: Former Iranian Political Prisoner Speaks Out During Ottawa Rally
While covering the Rolling Thunder rally in Ottawa last month, we came across an individual by the name of Salman Sima. Salman came to Canada from Iran, after becoming a political prisoner in his very own home country. Mr. Sima came to Canada to live under the freedoms it has to offer, but now he finds himself in similar circumstances as to what he was dealing with in Iran.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Government Gave $3 Million to WEF and $1.6 Billion to UN in 2021
The Liberal government funnelled more than a billion-and-a-half taxpayer dollars into various United Nations bodies, and millions into the World Economic Forum (WEF) last year, public accounts data shows.
According to the transfer payments section of the 2020-2021 Public Accounts of Canada, the WEF received $2,915,095 from Canadian taxpayers in the form of grants and contributions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vaccine-Injured First Nations Health-Care Worker Tells Her Story
Oh, the twisted irony.
While B.C.’s premier, John Horgan, is busy begging the federal government for money to bring in more health-care workers and passing data-grabbing legislation he says is to “fight systemic racism” and “long-lasting effects of colonialism” that have affected job opportunities, I sat down to interview Sonja Laptka, a First Nations health-care worker whose job was snatched away from her by oppressors under Horgan’s government.
It gets worse.
Not only does Laptka belong to the thousands of B.C. frontline health-care workers who the province prevents from working and reliving worker shortages, fully vaccinated Laptka is also one of the Canadians who tried to comply with the province’s inhumane “vax or be axed” mandates and has been suffering from a vaccine injury ever since.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Come Snicker With Me at the ‘Conference on the Future of Europe’
The Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) wrapped up on Monday, marking the finale of a year-long, brand new exercise in consolidating power in an effort to further dissolve borders on the Continent and overrule local, regional, and cultural preferences. You’d think the European Union already had plenty of bureaucracy, but apparently there is never enough to satiate the policy fetishists and power-hungry busybodies of Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new draft law is expected to be published on the 11 May 2022, dubbed “chat control” by the European Union commission, this draft will allow lawmakers to seek AI-based monitoring, bulk intercepting and scanning of all messages and images directly on users devices.
Numerous civil society organisations, 35 in total, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the German Bar Association, the European Digital Rights (EDRi), and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have all been raising awareness about this invasive legislation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: Climate Action Group Announces Series of Protests, Reports Rise in Membership
The Finnish branch of the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion, or Elokapina in Finnish, staged a demonstration on Tuesday in front of the main entrance to energy company Fortum’s headquarters in Keilaniemi, Espoo.
The protest lasted until 11:00am and was attended by around 70 people. Ainomaija Mikola, Elokapina’s media liaison officer, told Yle that the demonstrators chanted, shouted demands, and wrote slogans on the door and windows of the company’s headquarters.
The activists are demanding that Fortum and other state-owned companies drop Russian oil and gas, while also curbing the general use of fossil fuels in Finland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Rape Convict Arrested After Escaping During Day Trip to the Zoo
French authorities have recaptured 43-year-old Ahmed B., an inmate in the prison, who used a trip to the zoo to escape from custody after spending six days on the lam.
Last week, an inmate known as Ahmed B. took advantage of a short moment of solitude in the park toilets to flee, right in front of the Valence prison officers. The inmate had been on the run for almost a week before being apprehended near his partner’s home in the Lyon region of the country on Monday.
Despite Ahmed B. being convicted for raping a woman at gun point and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and already escaping from prison in 2017, the man was approved to attend a “cultural” day trip to a zoo, ostensibly a location where children are routinely located.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Ministry’s Woke Definition of ‘Being White’ Removed After Public Backlash
A newly minted website of the German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth triggered consternation in the country after it defined White people as benefitting from White privilege and claimed that “being White” means benefitting from racism.
Regenbogenportal (Rainbow portal in German) was created to promote the concept of “rainbow families,” in which at least one parent is a member of the LGBTQ social group.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Far-Right Politician Proposes Chemical Castration of Pedophiles
The leader of Hungary’s far-right Jobbik party, Péter Jakab, has called on the government to consider chemical castration of pedophiles after claiming its child protection law does not go far enough.
“When it comes to combating pedophiles, the means of chemical castration will have to be considered for introduction,” said Jakab.
The Hungarian parliament approved a child protection law last summer that came under heavy criticism from the European mainstream, with Hungary claiming the legislation was the primary reason why the European Union launched infringement procedures against the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Bureaucracy! Macron Calls for a New Europe-Wide Political Org on Top of the European Union
French President Emmanuel Macron wants to see a new Europe-wide political organisation created that would exist in parallel with the European Union.
Seemingly not content with the bureaucracy of the European Union, France’s newly returned president Emmanuel Macron has called for the creation of another Europe-wide political organisation that would run in parallel with the EU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nigel Farage has said he is “so relieved” to no longer be an MEP after a dancing video emerged from the European Parliament.
The video shows a troupe of interpretative dancers taking to the gangways in the chamber as a four-day conference on the future of Europe drew to a close.
Speaking on GB News, former Brexit Party MEP Nigel Farage said he would have “struggled” to deal with the events were he still in European Parliament.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that shortages of Ukrainian and Russian grain caused by the war and associated Russo-Western sanctions class will likely cause famine and new migration waves.
“The embargo against Russia will exclude Russian grain from the world market, the war will exclude Ukrainian grain, there will be famine in many parts of the world from which migrants have already arrived in Europe, and this pressure will increase,” warned the Hungarian prime minister, who recently matched Germany’s former leader, Angela Merkel, by winning a fourth consecutive term.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shock Video: Female ‘Beggars’ Throw Poop at Each Other in Sweden
Two rivals identified as “Roma women” threw their own feces at each other during a dispute on street in Sweden, according to reports.
The shocking incident unfolded in broad daylight in Hammarby, an “exclusive” district of Stockholm, Fria Tider reports.
Two women in gypsy-style garb can be seen yelling at each other in front of riders at a tram stop and appearing to grab handfuls of excrement from under their skirts.
Video of the ‘poop war’ surfaced on Tik Tok and was spread on other social media platforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Five Pakistan-Linked Men Accused of Glorifying Terror Attacks
Spanish authorities have arrested and placed under investigation five young men, all linked to a radical party in Pakistan, who are believed to have glorified terrorist attacks, including the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty.
All five of the young men are said to be linked to the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party, a far-right extremist party in Pakistan and are believed to have praised various terrorists in Europe over social media platforms such as Instagram, Tik Tok and Facebook.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Fashion Designer: Embrace Multiculturalism or Face Civil War
Famous Swedish fashion designer Johan Lindeberg has asserted that Sweden must embrace its new multicultural identity because “civil war” is the alternative.
Lindeberg, known for his collaborations with Diesel and Absolut, made the comments in an opinion piece published in Sweden’s national newspaper Expressen.
Calling on readers to “embrace the New Sweden,” Lindeberg urged Swedes to celebrate “the most progressive country in the world,” warning that chaos and disorder would ensue otherwise.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Majority of Hungarians Reject a One-Sided Interpretation of Ukraine Conflict
It seems that an unintended side effect of Hungary’s constant political and ideological tussles with the EU and some of its neighbors is that the Hungarian population seems better informed about current affairs than the average European citizen. At least, this is what a recent poll suggests, and it is worthwhile to contrast these results with April’s parliamentary elections.
The poll conducted by the Hungarian research think-tank Szazadvég asked Hungarians about their opinion concerning the Ukraine conflict. Their answers demonstrated that they are aware of some of the subtleties of the historic and political circumstances that have led to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and are able to avoid one-sided simplifications.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tommy Robinson’s ‘The Rape of Britain’ Episode 2 Premieres in Telford
The Series
The second episode of Tommy Robinson’s docu-series “The Rape of Britain“ follows allegations from a grooming gang survivor (identity protected) in Telford, England, where a group of middle-aged Islamic men prostitute and rape her.
In episode two, titled “The Family Business“, the unidentified survivor feels her speaking up about these allegations have been dismissed, neglected by the local council, the police force and by the politicians for not addressing her case and the continuing issue of grooming gangs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Von Der Leyen Wants to Lift Unanimous Decision-Making in the EU, Calls for Treaty Change
The heads of European institutions promised on Monday to implement some of the citizens’ suggestions to have emerged from a year-long EU-wide debate, including the abolition of the need for unanimous decision-making by all 27 member states of specific issues, and the implementation of a new common EU defense and healthcare system.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen hinted that the radical reforms to the bloc could be achieved through treaty change.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Global Food Crisis: Ukraine Crop Planting Down by Quarter as Nation Struggles to Export Last Harvest
Food planting in Ukraine is down between 25-30 per cent as the country struggles to export already harvested produce.
Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to cause havoc for the country’s vital agricultural sector, with crop sowing falling by 25-30 per cent thanks to the ongoing conflict.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Latest News in the Russia-Ukraine War
Ukraine: Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t scaled back his long-term goals in Ukraine, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Tuesday in a stark assessment of the war. Russian missiles struck the port city of Odessa overnight, the city’s government said, killing one person and wounding others. A shopping mall and a consumer-goods warehouse were hit, according to Ukraine’s southern military command.
Russia pursued its campaign to seize the entire Donbas area of eastern Ukraine. The only part of the Luhansk region in Donbas still under Ukrainian rule continued to resist the onslaught.
United Nations monitors said they have corroborated the deaths of 3,381 civilians and 3,680 injured in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, adding that the total is far greater than the over 7,000 casualties confirmed so far.
Ukraine’s economy is forecast to decline 30% this year, much more sharply than previously expected, Europe’s leading development bank said, citing continued damage from the Russian invasion.
Ukraine has nearly run out of gasoline for civilian use, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.
Washington: The House of Representatives plans to vote late Tuesday on a nearly $40 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine, but Republican objections in the Senate could slow the path of the legislation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sky News Interview Cut Short After Mention of Zelensky Posting Soldier With SS Insignia
A Sky News interview with Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy was cut short after mention was made of President Zelensky posting an image of a soldier wearing SS insignia.
Zelensky posted his Victory Day statement along with a collection of images of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
However, after it was revealed that one of the Ukrainian soldiers was wearing a symbol of the Totenkopf division of the SS, the post was hastily deleted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sri Lankan Forces Ordered to Shoot Protesters After PM is Ousted Amid Deadly Uprising
Sri Lanka’s Defense Ministry ordered security forces to shoot protesters on sight Tuesday after the country’s prime minister was ousted amid a national uprising that has left at least eight dead and hundreds injured.
Clashes started Monday after mobs supporting the government began beating peaceful protesters who camped out near Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s home demanding his ouster during the worst economic crisis in Sri Lanka’s history.
Rajapaksa finally resigned Monday after the violence spread across the country, with at least eight dead — including a ruling-party lawmaker and two police officers — and 219 people injured and more than 100 buildings and 60 cars burned, according to the official tally.
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‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Son of Notorious Dictator, Wins by Landslide in Philippine Presidential Vote
Among the most contentious elections in decades in the Philippines has just ended with the son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marco, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — known as “Bongbong” — winning a landslide victory.
As of Tuesday afternoon (local time) it’s looking like an absolute blowout, with 64-year-old senator Marcos Jr. gaining more than 97% of the votes, with closest contender current Vice President Leni Robredo not even close, and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao in a far distant third.
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China: Beijing Orders ‘Stress Test’ As Fears of Russia-Style Sanctions Mount
Exclusive: exercises are to prepare China for the possibility of similar embargos from the US and its allies
Concerned about sweeping Russia-style sanctions from the west, Beijing has ordered a comprehensive “stress test” to study the implications of a similar scenario for its economy, the Guardian has learned.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, an extensive exercise began around late February and early March when western allies imposed unprecedented sanctions against Moscow. Several key Chinese government agencies — from banking regulation to international trade — have been asked to come up with responses if the west imposed the same embargos on to China.
“Those involved in this exercise use how Russia was treated as a baseline for China’s own policy response should it be treated in a same fashion by the west,” the person added. “This stress test involves a range of methodology, including modelling.”
Beijing did not specify why it had asked its vast bureaucracy to carry out such an exercise, the person said. They said that it was a “natural reaction” from Beijing given its close relationship with Moscow. A second source, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that Chinese diplomats had in the past few weeks also been meeting experts to understand the trajectory of this conflict…
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1 in 4 Ukrainian Refugees of Working Age Are Now Legally Employed in Poland
Poland has now assigned 400,000 Ukrainians of working age a Polish personal identification number (PESEL) and over a quarter of them are now legally employed across Poland, revealed Poland’s Deputy Minister of the Interior Pawel Szefernaker.
The government minister responsible for the administration of war refugees from Ukraine highlighted the need to create a systemic solution that is being worked on by the Polish government with other partners, to ensure that people fleeing the war in Ukraine can adapt and become independent in Poland.
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380 Illegal Attempts of Crossing Polish-Belarusian Border in May Already, As Year Total Near 5,000
Last Sunday, 24 foreigners from Tunisia, Algeria and Somalia, among others, tried to illegally enter Polish territory from Belarus, Poland’s Border Guard has revealed.
According to a statement tweeted by the force early on Monday morning, the incidents took place in the Podlaskie region. In May, there had already been recorded 380 attempts to cross the Polish border illegally from Belarus with 4,799 being recorded for the year to date.
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Czechia Warns of Return of Polio Due to Migration From Ukraine
Although polioviruses have long been eradicated in the Czech Republic by vaccination, which began in 1957 and continues to this day, experts warn that there may be a recurrence of the infection following the influx of refugees into the country due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
According to experts, there is no reason to panic, but they recommend protecting children through vaccination. The disease can lead to permanent disability or even death.
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The EU’s border chief has quit after a row with ‘pro-migrant politicians and NGOs’ who wanted to quash his attempts to strengthen the continent’s borders.
Fabrice Leggeri, 54, stepped down as head of Frontex, the bloc’s border control and coastguard agency.
Under his hardline management, it became the first uniformed EU agency with officers allowed to carry handguns paid for by the central budget.
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EU Pledges Nearly $1.6 Billion in Humanitarian Aid for ‘Syrian Refugees’ in Both 2022, 2023
The European Union has pledged to increase humanitarian assistance to Syrians up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.58 billion) for 2022 and to allocate an equal amount following year, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday.
“I am pleased to announce that an additional 1 billion euro pledge for a calendar year of 2022 and this will make collated our contribution to more than 1.5 billion euros. For 2023, the EU will provide the same financial support — 1.56 billion euros. This funding will be for the benefit of Syrians in Syria and for the benefit of refugees in their host communities in the region,” Borrell said, addressing the ministerial meeting.
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Surge in Illegal Border Crossings Into US From Canada is 90% Non-Canadians
Border guards are seeing a 47% spike in people crossing into the US from Canada illegally, and only one in ten of those migrants is a Canadian citizen.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics show that the first six months of the fiscal year to date saw a 47% increase in illegal border crossings in comparison to the year before.
Between Oct. 2021 and Mar. 2022, CBP officers encountered 625 people attempting to leave Canada illegally. Only 63 of those people held Canadian citizenships.
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(Trailer) The Great Reset: A Docuseries by Rebel News
Since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, a highly-influential organization known as the World Economic Forum has been under scrutiny for using the global crisis as a means of advancing their own agenda.
Chaired by its founder Klaus Schwab, the WEF aims to influence governments across the world to implement its vision and shape policies to comply with the organization’s agenda.
In this docuseries, we will be exploring the book The Great Reset, co-authored by Schwab and published in June 2020, just a few months after COVID-19 began shaping our world, along with those collaborating with the WEF to push its globalist agenda.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Far-Left Group Claiming Responsibility for Attack on Pro-Life Org Warns of More Violence
A pro-abortion group calling itself “Jane’s Revenge” has both claimed responsibility for a Molotov Cocktail attack against a pro-life organization in Madison, Wisconsin, and vowed to continue acts of violence if pro-life groups across the nation don’t disband.
A “first communique” was sent to far-left activist journalist Robert Evans on Tuesday morning.
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Chicago’s Mayor Issues ‘Call to Arms’ Against Supreme Court After Abortion Decision Leak
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is keenly aware of what she did when she issued a “call to arms” to fight the Supreme Court. With all the violence in her own city, maybe it is just background noise like gunshots on a Saturday night.
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DOJ, AG Silent on Possibly Illegal Abortion Protests at SCOTUS Homes
While the pro-abortion demonstrations outside the homes of several conservative Supreme Court justices could be illegal under federal law, the Department of Justice has remained silent on the issue.
Since the weekend, hundreds of protesters have gathered outside the homes of Justices Samuel Alito, John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh to protest the leaked draft opinion striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion ruling.
Monday night saw the latest demonstration outside Alito’s home, where approximately 100 people gathered, held signs and chanted “Our bodies, our voice!” as well as “Alito is a coward.”
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Glenn Youngkin Slammed for Lackluster Response to Protests Outside SCOTUS Justice’s Home
Pro-abortion activists took to the streets outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday night to protest the draft decision that was leaked last week in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which would effectively overturn both Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin allowed the protest, chanting, and disruption to continue, saying that he was “monitoring” the situation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liberals Refuse to Say if Unvaccinated US Women Would be Permitted to Have Abortions in Canada
After declaring that US women would be welcome to have abortions in Canada if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Liberal minister of families, children, and social development Karina Gould is now refusing to say whether the policy includes unvaccinated women.
In an interview with CBC, Gould proclaimed last week that American women prevented from obtaining an abortion would be able to undergo the procedure in Canada.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Looks Like Facebook is Fact-Checking Pro-Life Memes Now
On Saturday, activist Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., shared a pro-life meme that tells people their grandmothers carried part of them inside their wombs, and Facebook’s fact-checkers flagged that meme.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York Times Apologizes for Wordle of the Day
The New York Times posted an apology one minute after midnight on Monday: “At New York Times Games,” the Paper of Record announced sonorously, “we take our role seriously as a place to entertain and escape, and we want Wordle to remain distinct from the news.” Yes, you know how determined the Left is to avoid the politicization of everything, right? Wordle, the massively popular daily puzzle that has people guess a five-letter word every day, had crossed the line: Monday’s word (spoiler alert!) was “fetus,” and the Times felt it necessary to give the world a trigger warning.
[Comment: I’m getting pretty good at Wordle.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Notorious ‘Trans’ Child Molester Arrested on Murder and Robbery Charges
Hannah Tubbs, the trans-identified biological male who began to identify as transgender after being arrested on suspicion of child molestation, has been charged further with murder and robbery.
These charges stem from a robbery and homicide that occurred in Kern County, Calif. in 2019, and Tubbs is in the custody of law enforcement officials in that county. Tubbs is being held on a $1 million bond. Tubbs continues to serve time on the LA charges while being housed in Kern County and facing charges there.
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Oregon Pro-Life Headquarters Firebombed in Targeted Attack
The Oregon Right to Life building in Keizer, Oregon was damaged on Sunday after two Molotov Cocktails were thrown toward the building in a targeted attack following the SCOTUS draft leak ruling that could overturn Roe v. Wade.
Although the damage to the building was minimal, Lois Anderson, executive director of Oregon Right to Life, said that she was “thankful” no one was hurt during the firebombing, according to KOIN 6.
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Pelosi Encourages Protesters’ ‘Righteous Anger’ In Marching Illegally in Front of Justices’ Homes
U.S. Code § 1507 states that “any individual who “pickets or parades” with the “intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer” near a federal court or “near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer (emphasis mine)” will be fined, or “imprisoned not more than one year, or both.”
It’s no surprise that Joe Biden’s Department of Justice hasn’t lifted a finger to arrest anyone obviously trying to interfere with a Supreme Court decision. It’s also not particularly surprising that Joe Biden’s U.S. Marshals Service hasn’t been tasked with protecting the homes of conservative justices who are under threat.
But the biggest non-surprise of all is that Biden doing nothing about prominent Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) all but encouraging and justifying violence against the justices.
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Pro-Abortion Rally in Los Angeles Questions Democrat Leadership
With the recent leak of the draft in the United States Supreme Court looking at the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, protesters gathered throughout the country.
Rebel News went undercover to one of the protests in Los Angeles organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
When I was in high school I worked at my local library (I know — nerd alert). I loved being able to be one of the first to see new books when they came in and learning about new authors, but one nice advantage as a teenage boy was to get to see the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue before most subscribers received it in their mailboxes.
For nearly 60 years, Sports Illustrated has entertained millions of men with its yearly swimsuit edition. Readers anticipate the swimsuit issue for the beautiful women, but I’d wager that they don’t approach it for a nuanced discussion of the issues facing our society at large.
But that’s not what Sports Illustrated thinks.
Instead, Outkick reports that the magazine is crowing over this year’s issue, which hits newsstands this month, because the 2022 swimsuit edition features the women of the WNBA.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taco Bell Goes Woke: Launches ‘Drag Brunch’ Events at US Locations
Taco Bell is the latest company to embrace woke activism by rolling out “Taco Bell Drag Brunch” at select Taco Bell Cantinas across the US.
“Each show will be hosted by the fabulous drag performer and taco extraordinaire, Kay Sedia, and feature performances from local queens and kings that will transform any morning from Mild to Fire!” according to a recent press release from the largest fast-food Tex-Mex restaurant chain.
“As a brand that brings people together, the Taco Bell Drag Brunch experience is rooted in celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and creating safe and welcoming spaces for all,” the press release continued.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Pledges to Pass ‘Parent’s Bill of Rights’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised to pass a “parent’s bill of rights” which would ban some LGBT content and possibly defund public schools if he’s re-elected.
The Republican candidate’s bill of rights would also give parents the choice to take their students and state funding to private schools.
“The way the system works in Texas already is that the money follows the students,” the governor said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Navy Admiral Quietly Removes ‘Woke’ Books From CNO Reading List
by John Konrad (gCaptain)
The US Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Mike Gilday released an update to the CNO Professional Reading Program. Gone from the list are socially progressive books that ignited conservative anger last year. Books like Ibram X. Kendi bestseller How to Be an Antiracist and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.
The CNO-Professional Reading Program consists of 12 books and is a mix of writing genres including fiction, non-fiction, military, strategy, management, and technology, among others.
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Time of winding up from here
Strategic objectives , reached..
Orks from both side , are to each other throats like there is no tomorrow :-))
They do what they like and know the best..Killing , burning, destroying..
Blood of my Forefathers murdered in Katyn, Starobielsk also Volynia Lwow , and Podole fully avenge !
Other Islamic Orks from Chechnya , Kirgistan , Tajikistan, Syria & other unshaved ..( you name it ) got they Historical experience and test of Catholic and Anglican Church Man Iron, and sweetness of Dead Dance at the Day of the Red Sun Blood..
All in the name Our Lord and Salvatore Mundi, REAL and only GOD !
Christian, Latin Europe spook ..with the Power and Authority..
NO Islam or other Ideological Abominations Enemies will live or exist in this part of Europe !
There are the winners from this Orks War..
Poland, US , UK and CEE..
Message for facilitators and enablers of this War west of Oder river is clear..
Thery will be NOT another marriage between Berlin and Moscow !!
There will be NOT IV Reich ( German Empire ) and Russian Empire in Europe !
Potsdam Treaty still valid and in place…as 26 military US, UK bases in Germany.
Ramstain Base will protect Germany from being Itself .
Spring coming..Time to be back Home..to Enjoy simple Life of Father, Husband, Head of 387 years Family of Polish Noblemen with Ancien Crest and Coats of Arms of Rohatyn-Nalecz, Lords of Buczacz and Stanislawow..
For your service Christian Brothers and Sisters ( no Protestant Heretics ! ) in original my Anchestor Stanislav-Ludwik Golski , Knight Armor , from the time when King Sobieski was preparing his army in Buczacz for Vienna rescue..
https://studiomelon.pl/2017/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/a-wiktor-aw35-920×1380.jpg
Little about my Family city :
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buczacz#I_Rzeczpospolita
Sweden will be without British security guarantees – get platitudes instead
Content of the document in brief
No promise of military support in case of Russian attack
Not even arms supplies promised
The paper is entirely ceremonial, has no practical meaning and is called a “political declaration of solidarity”
“This document constitutes a political statement and is not a legally binding agreement under international law” it says
Published 11 May 2022 at 15.13 in Fria Tider
There will be no British security guarantees for Sweden. That’s clear after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited Harpsund on Wednesday and signed a “political declaration of solidarity” instead – which contains nothing but platitudes. However, both Swedish and Finnish media are lying about what the document says.
The road to NATO
World predicts war over Swedish NATO application
Defence chief of operations: possible Russian attack on Sweden
Sweden and Finland to apply to NATO at the same time
SD also says no to referendum on NATO
No security guarantee from US in Swedish NATO application
Nowhere in the sloppily written document does the UK commit to contributing militarily in any way in the event of a Russian attack on Sweden. Not even arms supplies of the type sent to Ukraine are promised.
Yet all the Swedish media report that Sweden has been given a proper war guarantee.
“Britain will assist Sweden militarily in the event of an attack. This is clear after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson at Harpsund”, for example Aftonbladet falsely claims today.
In fact, military support is only mentioned at one point in the document. Namely through the following wording:
“Should either country suffer a disaster or an attack, the United Kingdom and Sweden will, upon request fromt he affected country, assist each other in a variety of ways, which may include military means.”
May is an English word that means “may”, and not “will” as Aftonbladet, DN, SvD and TT have mistakenly translated it into. The document thus has no military significance whatsoever, but only a ceremonial one.
Boris Johnson is expected to leave similar platitudes when he visits Finland later, as both Finland and Sweden are planning to join NATO.
Russia has warned Finland and Sweden of military consequences if they join Nato, saying such a move threatens stability in Europe.
The platitudes, which are intended as a guarantee of security for the people of Finland and Sweden, are formally a Swedish-Finnish initiative, but in practice the initiative probably comes from the United States, which has itself been unwilling to enter into any agreements of this kind.
Atlantic Council researcher Robert Nurick has previously explained the US considerations to the Financial Times.
According to him, a distinction must be made between what Sweden and Finland would really need and what they need to “reassure their domestic opinion”. He says it has been a “balancing act” for the Americans, who have to weigh any promises against the threats Russia has made to the US and other states.
– One question will be: do we want to make this worse? he says.
One way that Finnish and Swedish leaders could use to reassure domestic opinion was suggested at the time was to claim to have received “secret” security guarantees and cite a desire to keep them secret from Russia, in effect avoiding telling their own voters the extent of them. But this was rejected in Finland.
– On the one hand, we need to send a message to Russia that they can read and understand. On the other hand, we are not served by unnecessary provocations. In this case, clarity is probably a better solution than creating ambiguity,” Henri Vanhanen, foreign policy spokesman for the Coalition Party, told the Financial Times.
Instead, it has now chosen to openly publish the completely vacuous document, while its own media portray it as containing military security guarantees.
Why so many media are lying today is unclear. One reason may be that it is not possible to rely on the usual slant this time, since the document is after all very clear.
“This document constitutes a political statement and is not a legally binding agreement under international law,” it says at the end of the document, for example.
Looks like Britain throwing the Finns under the bus like they did before WW2 that sent Finland to the Germans for aid against the bloody Russians.
Russian and German Commie-Fascist rats in USA..
On June 26, a group of 50 prominent foreign policy experts that included former senators, retired military officers, diplomats and academicians, sent an open letter to President Clinton outlining their opposition to NATO expansion. Stanley Resor, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arms Control Association, spoke at the press conference announcing the letter, focusing on the arms control implications of expansion.
..”Dear Mr. President,
We, the undersigned, believe that the current U.S.led effort to expand NATO, the focus of the recent Helsinki and Paris Summits, is a policy error of historic proportions. We believe that NATO expansion will decrease allied security and unsettle European stability “..
..”Because of these serious objections, and in the absence of any reason for rapid decision, we strongly urge that the NATO expansion process be suspended while alternative actions are pursued. These include:
—closing the economic and political doors of the European Union to Central and Eastern Europe;
—developing an enhanced Partnership for Peace program;
—supporting a cooperative NATO-Russian relationship.
Russia does not now pose a threat to its western neighbors and the nations of Central and Eastern Europe are not in danger. For this reason, and the others cited above, we believe that NATO expansion is neither necessary nor desirable and that this ill-conceived policy can and should be put on hold.
Sincerely,
George Bunn Townsend Hoopes Sam Nunn
Robert Bowie Gordon Humphrey Herbert S. Okun
Bill Bradley Fred Ikle W.K.H. Panofsky
David Calleo Bennett Johnston Christian Patte
Richard T. Davies Carl Kaysen Richard Pipes
Jonathan Dean Spurgeon Keeny Robert E. Pursley
Paul Doty James Leonard George Rathjens
Susan Eisenhower Edward Luttwak Stanley Resor
David M. Evans Michael Mandelbaum John Rhinelander
David Fischer Jack F. Matlock Jr. John J. Shanahan
Raymond Garthoff C. William Maynes Marshall Shulman
Morton H. Halperin Richard McCormack John Steinbruner
Owen Harries David McGiffert Stansfield Turner
Gary Hart Robert McNamara Richard Viets
Arthur Hartman Jack Mendelsohn Paul Warnke
Mark Hatfield Philip Merrill James D. Watkins
John P. Holdren Paul H. Nitze
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft, and others, including the group of 40 plus,they ask Clinton to suspend the NATO expansion effort.
As Susan Eisenhower, head of a private Washington policy study group, and one of the signers, said at a press conference Thursday, the purpose of the letter is to “encourage the public and our elected officials to ask some hard questions and get the answers they need before the ratification process is set in motion.”
The senators in their letter posed questions such as “why the rush to expand NATO when it is widely agreed that Russian conventional forces are weak and will likely be so for many years.”
They too asked about the new NATO’s mission and “how far into Central and Eastern Europe will the expanded NATO finally reach and how will this affect nations in the region which are not admitted into the alliance?”
Signers of the second letter predicted a dark and dire outcome to these and other aspects of NATO enlargement, saying it will draw “a new line of division in Europe between the ins and the outs of a new NATO, foster instability” and diminish the security of those left out.
Jack Matlock, former ambassador to the Soviet Union said NATO itself will be weakened and distracted from its security purpose.
He said the alliance is still in the process of restructuring and adapting to the post-Cold-War era and not ready yet to accept new members.
He said that decisions on who to admit first have already divided the alliance and will continue to occupy center stage, to the exclusion of more important issues.
Matlock warned that “higher priorities are being undermined by the effort to move eastward at this time,” adding that, as he put it “if this process continues…we are going in the next decade to see a NATO that will not be capable of fulfilling the purposes for which it is needed because it will be preoccupied watching its own navel and expanding waistline and debating whether a diet is necessary or permissible or not.”
Matlock said the biggest current threat is not a risk of Russian aggression but the risk posed by Russian nuclear weapons. He made the familiar argument that NATO expansion has hardened Russian resistance to disarmament and will delay negotiation and implementation of critical arms control agreements.
Another signer Michael Mandelbaum, a scholar and writer on Russian and Central European affairs, said the cost of expansion and the problem of the Baltic states risks destroying NATO.