According to the latest information released by the Texas Department of Public Safety, heavily armed police were inside the elementary school in Uvalde within three minutes of when Salvador Ramos began his murderous rampage. The conclusion is that the killer could have been stopped much earlier, if police had not waited 78 minutes before acting.
In other news, when discussing President Biden’s recent bicycle mishap, former President Trump pledged that he would never, ever ride a bicycle.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, JAS, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Canada Ranks Second for Highest Debt Accumulated Since 2019
A new study by the Fraser Institute has ranked Canada as having the second-highest spike in debt accumulation from 2019 to 2021 out of 33 other developed nations.
Canada sat only behind Japan for the amount of debt increase relative to gross domestic product.
According to Fraser Institute economist Tegan Hill, despite the serious amount of debt taken on by governments in Canada, the economy actually underperformed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 80,000 People in Brussels Protest High Cost of Living
Around 80,000 people marched through the Belgian capital Brussels on Monday to protest the high cost of living and the lack of a sufficient increase in wages.
At the urging of the largest labor unions in the country, the protesters met in front of the Brussels North railway station.
A giant screen set up in front of the station displayed the words “Life is too expensive, we want higher wages.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Permanent Shortage of Everything
Globalists were wrong… Say what you will about the League of Nations, but it only had 700 employees in Geneva. The UN’s 44,000 employees are just the tip of the iceberg in the huge ranks of multinational organizations who all claim to be upholding the international order while running up the tab.
First it was baby formula, now there’s a tampon shortage. Tampon prices are up 10% due to the rising price of oil affecting the cost of plastic and higher cotton prices due to mask manufacturing and the war in Ukraine. A whole lot of fertilizer comes out of Ukraine and Russia. So does neon, which is used to make semiconductor chips. The chip shortage is shutting down car plants… Russia restricted its neon exports while Ukraine’s neon exports have fallen sharply. Dell’s CEO Michael Dell has warned that the global chip shortage could last for years…
The technocratic new world order of megacorporations consolidating markets and then doling out products with just-in-time inventory systems now flows through a broken supply chain.
| — Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Uvalde Shooting Could Have Been Stopped in ‘Three Minutes’: Texas Police
The head of the Texas State Police Steven C. McCraw spoke to the state’s Senate committee on Tuesday, where he heavily condemned the response by police during the Robb Elementary massacre that saw 19 children and two teachers killed. He also said that officers on-scene could have stopped gunman Salvador Ramos’s rampage within “three minutes,” reports the Associated Press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EXCLUSIVE — A California school official lashed out at a “mixed-race” father and called him a “White male” after he probed the school on its equity curriculum, an administrative complaint filed with the United Poway District Wednesday said.
The Californians for Equal Rights Foundation filed the complaint, which alleged that on two separate occasions the district was “engaged in unlawful discrimination against a parent seeking information and dialogues” about the curriculum at Del Norte High School.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California to Ban Police From Arresting Prostitutes on Loitering Charges
On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom received a bill to sign that was passed through both chambers of the state legislature, which bans law enforcement from arresting prostitutes on loitering charges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Police Change Foot Chase Policies, Won’t Pursue Suspects in Some Cases
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) on Tuesday announced a new foot-pursuit policy that bars officers from chasing people under certain ircumstances.
Chicago officers will no longer be able to chase people because run away during a confrontation or people who give chase over minor incidents, among other circumstances, according to the new policy.
CPD Superintendent David Brown emphasized his hope that the new policy will improve officer safety and accountability, as well as trust between officers and communities, during a Tuesday press conference.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Department of Justice has failed to enforce a federal statute which prohibits protests, pickets, and other forms of intimidation outside the home of judges.
It is illegal under federal law to attempt to influence a judge’s ruling or interfere with the discharge of their duty. However, the Department of Justice has thus far refused to interfere with demonstrators outside the homes of several Supreme Court justices, including Justices Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh. While the DOJ has provided security at the justices’ homes, they have allowed protests and picketing to continue unimpeded.
John Daukas, retired Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, told Fox News that the ongoing pressure from activists for an as-of-yet unreleased decision is a clear violation of federal law.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
McCraw testified before a Texas Senate committee, laying blame on local police officers in Uvalde for not acting faster to save children in school shooting.
Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw told a state Senate committee Tuesday that police could have stopped the shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde three minutes after arriving were it not for the indecisiveness of the on-scene commander, who placed the lives of officers before those of children.
McCraw said the inexplicable conduct by Uvalde school district police Chief Pete Arredondo was antithetical to two decades of police training since the Columbine High School massacre, which dictates that officers confront active shooters as quickly as possible.
“The officers had weapons; the children had none,” McCraw said. “The officers had body armor; the children had none. The officers had training; the subject had none. One hour, 14 minutes and 8 seconds. That’s how long children waited, and the teachers waited, in Room 111 to be rescued.”
Arredondo, who testified in closed session to a House committee on Tuesday, told The Texas Tribune that after he and another officer determined the doors to the adjoining classrooms containing the shooter were locked, the best course of action was to wait for more officers, firepower, keys and a breaching tool.
McCraw laid out a starkly different set of facts: That officers with rifles arrived within minutes and the classroom doors could not have been locked from the inside. Reporting by The Tribune revealed that ballistic shields and a breaching tool, called a Halligan bar, were also quickly on scene.
McCraw said though the state police are a far larger agency than the six-person Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District department, Arredondo was the rightful incident commander because he was the most senior first responder who had immediate jurisdiction over the district’s campuses. He said Arredondo could have transferred command to another agency, such as state troopers who arrived, but never did so…
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Five Major US Cities on Track to Surpass 2021 Homicide Totals
Five major US cities are on track break their homicide totals from 2021, suggesting that the crime wave that began in 2020 will continue to worsen according to Fox News.
The data reveals that Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Atlanta have all seen increased rates of murder, just halfway through the year — with Milwaukee seeing the largest spike at 96 homicides as of June 17, vs. 77 at the same point a year earlier, a 24.7% increase.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov. DeSantis to Sign Bill Declaring All Religious Services ‘Essential’ During Emergencies
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is set to sign a bill which declares all religious services “essential” in the state of Florida.
Senate Bill 254, which passed through the state senate in January, states that an emergency declaration “may not directly or indirectly prohibit a religious institution from conducting regular religious services or activities.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Indiana Man Sentenced in Federal Court for Role in 2020 Portland Protests
Earlier this year, Malik Fard Muhammad, 25, pleaded guilty to throwing Molotov cocktails at police and smashing the Oregon Historical Society’s windows.
A federal judge in Oregon sentenced an Indiana man to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for his violent actions during Portland’s racial justice protests.
During the summer and fall of 2020, Malik Muhammad threw Molotov cocktails at police and smashed the windows of the Oregon Historical Society.
He was charged in both state and federal court. Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty to 14 felonies in state court, including attempted murder. Last month, he pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of possessing unregistered destructive devices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Largest US & NATO Naval Drills in Pacific
While the world’s attention is focused on the brutal Russia-Ukraine conflict, half-way around the world, in the Pacific Ocean, competition/confrontation of the U.S. and NATO toward China and North Korea is taking an increasingly military turn.
In the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific command headquartered in Honolulu, Rim of the Pacific or RIMPAC 2022, military war games, will have 38 ships from 26 countries, four submarines, 170 aircraft and 25,000 military personnel practicing naval war maneuvers in the Hawaiian waters from June 29-Aug. 4. Additionally, ground units from nine countries will come ashore on the islands of Hawai’i in amphibious landings.
| — Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon on Tuesday defended his policies amid criticism following reports that the deceased suspect accused of killing two El Monte, California, police officers, was on probation at the time of the incident.
Justin William Flores, who is accused of fatally shooting El Monte Police Department Cpl. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, had a previous strike conviction and received two years probation for a felony firearm possession charge.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minnesota Court Rules City Failed to Maintain Adequate Police Numbers in Win for Residents
The city of Minneapolis has failed to maintain a police force large enough to meet employment requirements laid out in the city’s charter, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Monday.
According to the nine-page ruling by Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea, Mayor Jacob Frey has failed to “meet his clear legal duty” to maintain a police force with at least 1.7 officers per 1,000 residents — at least 731 sworn officers based on the 2020 U.S. Census.
Gildea’s ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in August 2020 by eight city residents who were concerned about soaring crime and lawlessness in the city.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Authored by Patricia Tolson via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
While there is growing speculation that federal agents and Capitol Police were involved in instigating acts of violence during the Jan. 6, 2021 protests and recording responses for the purposes of entrapment, evidence now proves that “plainclothes” members of a special Electronic Surveillance Unit (ESU) were embedded among the protesters for the purposes of conducting video surveillance. Evidence also points to a day of security deficiencies and police provocation for the purpose of entrapment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new report by the nonprofit Do No Harm found the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has increasingly focused on “diversity, equity and inclusion” efforts in recent years, including incorporating principles of critical race theory into curricula.
“At the institutional level, UCSD’s medical school has created a number of internal bureaucracies dedicated to the ideas of DEI at both the staffing and teaching levels, including in ways that can foster active discrimination and a lower quality in medical outcomes,” writes Do No Harm, a nonprofit focused on stopping the “woke takeover” of health care.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle’s Pike Place Market Virtue Signaling for Juneteenth Invites Social Media Mockery
The sign for Seattle’s iconic Pike Place Market was dimmed for Juneteenth so that only the letters B,L, and M were visible on Saturday.
The official account for the market tweeted, “Today is Juneteenth. In recognition of its significance, we are dimming the lights of our Public Market Center Clock & Sign to show only BLM.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Rules Maine Cannot Exclude Religious Schools From Tuition-Assistance Program
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that it is unconstitutional for Maine to exclude religious schools from a program that provides tuition assistance for students to attend private schools.
The Court, in a 6-3 ruling in Carson v. Makin, found that the program violates the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas School Shooting: Heavily Armed Police With Ballistic Shields Were There ‘Within 19 Minutes’
Timeline published in local news reports suggests police in Uvalde had ability to confront gunman far earlier during May attack in which 21 died
Multiple police officers armed with rifles and at least one ballistic shield were at the site of the Robb elementary school mass shooting in Texas within 19 minutes, earlier than previously known, according to a timeline in documents reviewed by local media.
The information revealed by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV is to be presented to a public Texas Senate hearing in Austin on Tuesday.
Concerns have been raised about how police handled the 24 May shooting in Uvalde in which 19 children and two teachers were shot dead by a gunman. Officers did not confront the gunman for more than an hour, even as anguished parents outside the school urged officers to go in.
According to the outlets, which did not indicate the source of the documents, investigators said the latest information indicated officers had more than enough firepower and protection to take down the gunman long before they finally did…
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Texas GOP Adds Referendum on 2023 Secession From US to Party Platform
Texas Republicans agreed on Saturday to hold a referendum in 2023 on the matter of secession from the United States. The Texas GOP took up the issue of secession during the last day of their State Party Convention held at George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, where they also declared Biden’s presidential win was illegitimate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Impact of Soros-Funded District Attorneys
Over the past few years we’ve noted with increasing frequency that billionaire George Soros has funded or supported far-left political candidates for office around the United States, particularly District Attorneys whose soft-on-crime policies have led to historic crime waves in major cities across the country.
It goes far beyond what we’ve reported, however.
Twitter researcher ‘crabcrawler’ (@crabcrawler1) has assembled perhaps the most comprehensive look at Soros-funded DAs, and how their absolute miscarriages of justice led to a crisis of confidence in the US legal system.
In an impressive Twitter thread that’s too lengthy to feature in its entirety (one can click on any of the tweets to dive in), crabcrawler illustrates how Soros DAs were supremely incompetent while operating under the guise of providing “reforms” that did nothing but create chaos.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Lethality of the Global Monroe Doctrine
This month, as part of its policy to dominate the American hemisphere, the United States government organized the 9th Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.
U.S. President Joe Biden made it clear early on that three countries in the hemisphere — Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela — would not be invited to the event, claiming that they are not democracies.
At the same time, Biden was reportedly planning a visit to Saudi Arabia — a self-described theocracy. Mexico’s President Andre’s Manuel López Obrador questioned the legitimacy of Biden’s exclusionary stance, and so Mexico, Bolivia, and Honduras refused to come to the event. As it turned out, the summit was a fiasco…
Next year, 2023, will be the bicentennial of the Monroe Doctrine… The Monroe Doctrine not only continues but has now been extended by the U.S. government into a kind of Global Monroe Doctrine.
In recent decades, the U.S. launched wars on developing countries such as … Libya and Serbia.
In these campaigns, the U.S. knew it enjoyed overwhelming military superiority and that there was no risk of a nuclear retaliation. However, in threatening to bring Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the U.S. was prepared to risk crossing what it knew to be the “red lines” of the nuclear armed state of Russia. This raises two questions: why has the U.S. undertaken this escalation, and how far is the U.S. now prepared to go…?
| — Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Erupts After Board Endorses Elon Musk’s Bid for Platform: ‘Cue Gnashing of Teeth’
Twitter users reacted in shock and awe Tuesday to the news that Twitter’s board of directors endorsed Musk’s offer to buy the social media company.
Fox Business reported on Tuesday that Twitter’s board “unanimously recommended” that its shareholders vote to approve Musk’s $44 billion bid to buy the company. A SEC filing from Tuesday revealed the board’s recommendation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Uvalde Hires Private Law Firm to Block Footage and Audio From School Shooting
The City of Uvalde does not appear to want to answer questions on the school shooting that occurred on May 24 and stole the lives of 19 children and two teachers. To that end, they have hired a private law firm to argue that they have no obligation to release those records. This comes as journalists and parents were prevented from attending a meeting where surveillance footage from that fateful day was shown.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Biden Snaps at Reporter Who Asked About Coming Recession
Correction: An earlier version of this report suggested Biden referred to his granddaughter as his deceased son. While he has done that previously, a clean up of the audio confirms this time he said “my son Beau’s oldest daughter”.
Joe Biden, who is on the beach in Delaware for some reason, snapped at a reporter who asked him about recent assertions by a host of economists that the U.S. is heading for a recession, and had to be ushered away by members of his family.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Trump Pledges to “Never Ever Ride a Bicycle”
Speaking to a crowd at the American Freedom Tour in Tennessee, President Trump trolled Joe Biden by promising those in attendance that he will “never ever ride a bicycle.”
Commenting on Biden’s weird fall over the weekend, Trump said “I hope [Biden] has recovered, because as you know, he fell off his bicycle. No, I’m serious. I hope he’s okay. Fell off a bicycle.”
Then in typical Trump fashion he quipped “I make this pledge to you today — I will never, ever ride a bicycle.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House Chief COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said Tuesday morning that all children should get vaccinated even if they have natural immunity from a previous COVID infection.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wisconsin Mom Says School District Threatening Legal Action to ‘Bully’ Her Criticism to Silence
A Wisconsin mom alleges that the Oconomowoc Area School District was trying to quell her criticism of materials, such as books, within the district by threatening her with legal action.
After Alexandra Schweitzer, the president of a No Left Turn in Education chapter in the state, raised concerns about the appropriateness of materials in the district, the district responded with a cease and desist letter that threatened the possibility of future litigation if she continued to make “defamatory statements” via meetings or in email. Her counsel, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, responded Friday stating that Schweitzer “will not be revoking any statement she made” and accused the district of using taxpayer dollars to silence a parent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki promised Trudeau’s then-Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that the Nova Scotia mass murders would be used for political gain to help pass gun control laws.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poilievre Encourages Anti-Vaccine Mandate Protests Amid Reports of Canada Day Rally
Pierre Poilievre says he supports “all Canadians who peacefully stand up for their rights” amid reports a second so-called convoy protest is planned for Ottawa.
In a statement Tuesday, Poilievre denied claims the presumptive Conservative leadership frontrunner would greet the potential protest planned for Canada Day in Ottawa.
But he called vaccine mandates “unfair, unscientific bullying” and said he encourages “everyone to keep protesting government attacks on our freedoms.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pierre Poilievre slammed the Trudeau Liberals over how long Canadians are having to wait for passports, a basic government service.
Politicians and citizens have called on the government to fix the problem, but Service Canada has simply continued to blame a “backlog” in applications.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Toronto Propane Explosion Prompts Evacuation of Businesses: Fire Services
TORONTO — Emergency crews are evacuating nearby businesses and around 100 firefighters are responding after dozens of industrial propane tanks exploded in west Toronto.
A fire spokesperson says crews responded around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to reports of a natural gas fire at an industrial rental supply business on Racine Road, between Kipling Avenue and Martin Grove Road.
The spokesperson says no injuries had been reported and about 30 trucks and 100 firefighters were on scene, with “the bulk of the fire” suppressed by 4:30 p.m.
Fire services say crews received reports that around 60 industrial-sized propane tanks had caught fire and exploded.
Spokespeople for police and fire say emergency crews were evacuating nearby businesses along Racine Road…
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Liberals Spent $39 Million to Black Out Documents Requested by Public: Report
A new report has revealed that the Trudeau Liberals spent nearly $40 million paying private contractors to black out documents requested by the public via the Access to Information Act.
The government justified its actions by claiming that documents were blacked out to help deal with a backlog in AIA requests.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Family Attacked by Gang of Knife-Wielding ‘Youths’ on Scooters
A man was hospitalized in critical condition after a family in France was attacked “for no apparent reason” by a mob of ‘young people’ armed with knives and rocks, according to reports.
The shocking incident unfolded at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night in Altkirch, a commune in the region of Alsace.
A family walking along rue du 3e-Zouave was confronted by “a gang of about ten young people on scooters,” a witness told L’Alsace.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Advances Three Places in Global Competitiveness Ranking
Hungary has advanced three places to 39th in Swiss think tank IMD’s 2022 World Competitiveness Ranking, finance minister Mihaly Varga announced on his Facebook page
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times
The Netherlands is following in the footsteps of neighboring Germany and lifting a cap on production by coal-fired power stations in an effort to prevent a winter energy crisis amid a drop in gas supplies from Russia.
“Because the risk of gas shortages has increased, the cabinet has decided today to withdraw the production limitation for coal-fired power stations for 2022 to 2024 with immediate effect,” climate and energy minister Rob Jetten said in a statement announcing the move on Monday.
“This means that the coal-fired power stations are allowed to produce at full capacity again so that less gas is needed for the production of electricity by gas-fired power stations. This reduces the risk of gas shortages and makes it easier to fill the gas storage facilities in the Netherlands and Europe.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the deaths of a woman and five-year-old child found with stab wounds at a house in Barnet, northwest London, this afternoon.
At 1.37pm today, police were called by the London Ambulance Service to an address in Brookside South.
Officers attended with paramedics and the London Air Ambulance.
On arrival, they found a 37-year-old woman and a child, believed to be aged five, with stab wounds.
They were both pronounced dead at the scene and are believed to be mother and daughter…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Would the Swiss Starve if All Imports Were Blocked?
If, in a crisis, all imports to Switzerland were stopped, the Swiss population would still be guaranteed enough to eat — although people would have to tighten their belts.
Each citizen would have to get by on 2 340 calories a day, compared with the current average daily intake of 3 015 calories, according to calculations published recently by Agroscope for the Federal Office for National Economic Supply. This lower amount is still above most recommendations by the Swiss Society for Nutrition.
Self-sufficiency, also known as autarky, would mean people would have to adapt their diets. The biggest change would concern meat: pork and poultry, even eggs, would rarely be seen on plates. Use of sugar and cooking oil would also have to be reduced. Beer and wine would “basically be taboo”, Agroscope said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Russian Tennis Player Circumvents Wimbledon Ban by Becoming Georgian
In a move that highlights the stupidity of Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players, one competitor has changed her nationality from Russian to Georgian and is now being allowed to compete again.
The Times of London reports that Natela Dzalamidze, a 29-year-old doubles player ranked No 44 in the world, managed to switch her nationality to Georgian before the deadline for registering to compete at the grand slam tournament in London.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia-Ukraine War: What Happened Today (June 21)
As Tuesday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland visited Ukraine for discussions with Ukraine’s top prosecutor on suspected Russian war crimes. Garland is launching a war crimes accountability team, which will share expertise in forensics, evidence collection and legal advice. He says the team will play a key role in ongoing war crimes investigations. The U.S. is already sending money to Ukraine to help the country gather, preserve and analyze evidence of suspected war crimes, including the killing of civilians. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova says the country has identified more than 15,000 potential Russian war crimes.
Ukraine’s parliament and various government agencies are working in overdrive to adopt European-style standards, including approving the Istanbul Convention on gender-based violence prevention. A summit later this week will consider Ukraine’s European Union candidacy.
A U.S. citizen was killed fighting in Ukraine. The State Department said Stephen Zabielski died in Ukraine but wouldn’t elaborate on details. According to an obituary in The Recorder newspaper, Zabielski died on May 15, at age 52, while fighting in Ukraine. He is at least the second American confirmed killed in the Ukraine war, following Willy Joseph Cancel, who was killed in April.
Russia says two Americans captured fighting for Ukraine won’t be protected by international law from possibly facing the death penalty. News reports last week said the two former U.S. service members were captured in the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin acknowledged them this week, and spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said they wouldn’t be covered under the Geneva Convention because they’re accused of being mercenaries. Earlier this month, three other foreign fighters received death sentences in a court in Russian-backed separatist territory in Ukraine.
Russian Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov’s award medal sold at auction for $103.5 million, which Muratov is donating to UNICEF to help Ukrainian refugee children. The sale price is a record for a Nobel medal. Muratov, a founder and editor of the independent Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, was jointly awarded the Peace Prize last year with Philippine journalist Maria Ressa. Novaya Gazeta was shut down in March, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Bans Main Opposition Party, Seizes All Its Assets
Ukrainian authorities have banned the country’s main opposition party and seized all its assets, once again undermining the narrative that President Zelensky is presiding over a beacon of democracy.
The country’s Ministry of Justice announced the move via Facebook, revealing that the Opposition Platform — For Life had been shut down and its assets, money and property transferred to the state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Islamist Protesters Attack Yoga Day Event in Maldives
The ugly face of Islam is exposed again….
Sujata Shreemali | Colombo | HENB | June 21, 2022:: Police in the Maldives used tear gas and pepper spray to control a crowd of frenzy Muslim people who disrupted a yoga event organised by the Indian High Commission, or embassy, in the capital Male on Tuesday morning, an organiser said.
The Islamically influenced crowd stormed a stadium where more than 150 people, including diplomats and government officers, were taking part in an event celebrating International Day of Yoga, attacking participants and vandalising the property, one of the organisers, who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak with the media, told Reuters.
Earlier, the protesters brandished placards proclaiming that yoga was against the tenets of Islam. Actually, the protestors wanted to equate Yoga under the discipline of Hindu faith.
Islam is the state religion in the Maldives, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean with a population of about half a million. And the Islamist outfits are growing in Maldives in present times under the influence of hardcore Islamic clerics.
Police responded with anti-riot measures and later used pepper spray and tear gas to control the crowd and secure the area, Superintendent of Police Fathmath Nashwa told Reuters.
Six people have been arrested in connection with the incident, Nashwa said.
Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said a police investigation into the incident had begun.
“This is being treated as a matter of serious concern and those responsible will be swiftly brought before the law,” Solih said on Twitter.
Since the attack, nothing has been expressed from the official twitter account of the High Commission of India in Maldives or from the authorities of the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt of India, so far.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Nepal Police Fire Teargas to Break Up Fuel Price Protests
KATHMANDU, June 20 (Reuters) — Police in Nepal’s capital fired teargas and charged at protesters with sticks on Monday to break up a demonstration by students against fuel price hikes, officials and witnesses said, in a sign of growing public discontent over rising inflation.
State-owned monopoly Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) on Monday raised the price of one litre of petrol and diesel by 12% and 16% respectively, prompting fears of broader price hikes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australia’s Leader Refuses to Publicly Intervene for Julian Assange
CANBERRA, Australia — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday rejected calls for him to publicly demand the United States drop its prosecution of WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange.
The Australian government has been under mounting pressure to intervene since the British government last week ordered Assange’s extradition to the United States on spying charges. Assange’s supporters and lawyers say his actions were protected by the U.S. Constitution.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2 Canadians Stabbed to Death Inside Condo at Mexico Resort of Playa Del Carmen
One victim wanted by Interpol; 3rd person found injured
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two Canadians — one of them sought by Interpol — have been found dead of knife wounds in Mexico’s Caribbean coast resort of Playa del Carmen, the state prosecutor’s office said Tuesday.
Prosecutors in Quintana Roo state, also home to resorts like Cancun and Tulum, said the man and the woman were found dead Monday at a hotel or condominium in the troubled resort, and a third person was reported injured.
There was no immediate information on their names or hometowns. “Global Affairs Canada is aware of the death of two Canadian citizens in Mexico,” the ministry said in a statement.
But prosecutors confirmed the male victim was on an Interpol wanted list for fraud charges.
Playa del Carmen has been hit by several instances of violence involving foreigners, most recently in January, when two Canadians were killed at a local resort, apparently because of debts between international drug and weapons trafficking gangs…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Mexico President Will Ask Biden to Look Into Wikileaks’ Assange Case
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) — Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday he will ask U.S. President Joe Biden to address the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying Mexico would open its doors to him if he were released.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel on Friday approved the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the United States to face criminal charges. Assange’s wife vowed to fight using every possible legal avenue.
“I’m going to ask President Biden to address this issue … humanism must prevail,” Lopez Obrador said at a regular news conference. Mexico could “open its doors to Assange” if he were released, he added.
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Illegal Immigrants Flood Through Gap in Southern Border Wall
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, hundreds of illegal immigrants were seen flooding across the southern border near Yuma, Arizona.
Footage captured by independent journalist Savanah Hernandez showed individuals and families running through a gap in the tall fencing that separates the US from Mexico.
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Protesters at a ‘refugees welcome’ rally were asked to consider housing a refugee.
Suffice to say, they weren’t very welcoming.
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Potential employees working at a controversial refugee center set to be located in a village of just 700 residents in the UK have been told they should prepare to deal with violent situations, anti-social behavior and “death”.
But wait, I thought diversity was a strength?
As we previously highlighted, despite indicating it may back down on the scheme, the government is already hiring staff to work at the facility in Linton-on-Ouse, a small village in northern England.
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A wealthy family is attempting to implement a utopian experiment with the goal of settling 70 refugee families in the quaint French town of Callac, and while no member of the family actually lives in the town, they are willing to invest millions of euros from their fortune to make their vision a reality.
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“Night of Rage” Flyers Spotted in DC Ahead of Roe V. Wade Decision
Any day now (likely Thursday), the Supreme Court could publish its final decision on whether or not to overturn Roe v Wade. If the nine Justices overturn the court case, the decision to ban abortions will become a state matter. It would spur demonstrations as disturbing flyers have already begun appearing across Washington D.C., warning about riots if the case is overturned.
National Reviews’ Ramesh Ponnuru tweeted a picture of a flyer slapped on the side of what appears to be a concrete base of a light pole on the side of a street in D.C. The flyer reads:
“DC CALL TO ACTION NIGHT OF RAGE … THE NIGHT SCOTUS OVD.CTURNS ROE V. WADE HIT THE STREETS YOU SAID YOU’D RIOT.”
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Breaking: Pro-Abortion Activists Arrested After Chaining Themselves to Supreme Court Fence
On Tuesday morning, two pro-abortion activists were arrested outside the Supreme Court after they chained themselves to the non-scalable fencing that has been erected in anticipation of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision.
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Japan Court Says Ban on Same-Sex Marriage is Constitutional
TOKYO — A Japanese court ruled Monday that the country’s ban on same-sex marriage does not violate the constitution, and rejected demands for compensation by three couples who said their right to free union and equality has been violated.
The Osaka District Court ruling is the second decision on the issue, and disagrees with a ruling last year by a Sapporo court that found the ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional. It underscores how divisive the issue remains in Japan, the only member of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations that does not recognize same-sex unions.
In its ruling, the Osaka court rejected the plaintiffs’ demand for 1 million yen ($7,400) in damages per couple for discrimination they face.
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US Navy Releases Bizarre Training Video Urging Recruits to Create Pronoun “Safe Space”
The US Navy has released a training video which looks like a children’s TV show encouraging sailors to announce their pronouns in order to create a “safe space” and avoid “misgendering” people.
No, this isn’t the Babylon Bee.
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