Marine Le Pen has stepped down as the leader of National Rally in France in order to be able to focus on her new parliamentary group after the party’s success in last week’s elections. Also in France, a high school teacher has been subjected to death threats after insisting that a female student remove her face veil for the purposes of identification before taking her baccalaureate exam.
In other news, Uvalde School District Police Chief Peter Arredondo has been put on administrative leave after recent revelations about the apparent shortcomings of his response to the massacre at Robb Elementary School. He is expected to be replaced.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, JAS, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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 Calls on Congress to Suspend Federal Gas Tax for Summer Months
In a speech issued on Wednesday, President Biden called upon Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for the next 90 days, spanning through the busy summer travel months, and called on states to either suspend their state gas taxes, or find other ways to provide relief at the pump.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Food Inflation Hits 13-Year High in Britain, Shoppers See £380 Price Hike
Inflation for groceries has risen to the highest level since the 2008 financial crisis in Britain, meaning that supermarket shoppers will see an average of £380 tacked on to their annual bills.
The spiralling cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom has seen supermarket inflation hit 8.3 per cent in the past month, the highest level in 13 years, according to an analysis from Kantar.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pathetic: Only 11 Per Cent Believe Biden Narrative That Putin is to Blame for Record Gas Prices
Only 11 per cent of Americans believe the Biden administration’s narrative that Vladimir Putin is to blame for record high gas prices, with the majority blaming Biden’s poor energy policies instead.
A Rasmussen poll finds that 52 per cent of respondents think unaffordable gas prices are the fault of the president, with the vast majority rejecting the ‘Putin price hike’ excuse.
The survey also found that 80 per cent of Republicans blame Biden for the energy crisis, while 54 per cent of Independents also say responsibility lies with the occupant of the Oval Office.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sri Lanka’s Economy Has ‘Completely Collapsed’: PM
Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Sri Lanka’s prime minister is increasing efforts to revive the country’s “completely collapsed” economy amid a lack of foreign exchange reserves and severe shortages of essential items.
“We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity, and food. Our economy has faced a complete collapse,” Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament on June 22.
“It is no easy task to revive a country with a completely collapsed economy, especially one that is dangerously low on foreign reserves,” he said.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Liberals Not Willing to Cut Gas Tax for Now, Says Resources Minister
Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson said on Tuesday that the Trudeau government has no plans of cutting gas taxes at the pump to relieve Canadians.
Instead, he said, that Canada was looking to help stabilize global oil prices by increasing supply, which he says has already started. Instead of cutting gas taxes, he said that relief for Canadian families will come from areas focused on by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland during her speech last week, including increases to federal benefit cheques such as GST rebates and the Canada Child Benefit, as well as cuts to child care costs.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: More Emergency Services Not Responding to 911 Calls Due to Soaring Gas Prices
More emergency services in the U.S. are having to limit the amount of 911 calls that they are responding to in person because of record high gas prices in Joe Biden’s America.
NBC News reports that responders are cutting key services in order to save on costs.
Those services include patrol reductions, postponing building inspections, delaying training courses for staff and even not physically responding to emergency calls.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2024 Poll: DeSantis Edges Trump in New Hampshire, Which Holds the First Presidential Primary
DURHAM, New Hampshire — A public opinion survey in New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in presidential race, indicates that Florida Gov. Gov. Ron DeSantis has a razor-thin margin over former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 GOP primary match-up.
According to polling numbers released on Wednesday by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 39% of likely Republican primary voters in the Granite State would support the first-term Florida governor, with 37% backing the former president. Respondents were provided a list of potential contenders for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and DeSantis margin was well within the survey’s sampling error.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After Getting Stabbed With Scissors, Victim Fights Back With Machete, Police Say
After being stabbed multiple times by a man with scissors, a man and a woman armed themselves with a machete and fought back, New Orleans police said.
Police responded to the aggravated battery by cutting at around 7:35 p.m. Tuesday in the 1700 block of Richland Road in the Berhman area. They said a man stabbed a woman and a man multiple times before one of the victims (police did not specify which) grabbed a machete and struck the suspect.
Emergency Medical Services took the suspect and the woman to the hospital. Their current condition was unavailable.
— Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Texas DPS released new information in the investigation into the police response to the Uvalde school shooting of May 24, which left 19 children and two teachers dead. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw’s reference materials were made public on Wednesday, showing transcripts of a call made by school police chief Pete Arredondo, an updated timeline of events, and maps and photographs of the school.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Uvalde School District Police Chief Peter Arredondo has been placed on administrative after failing to provide investigators with an accurate timeline of the events that occurred from within Robb Elementary School.
The decision was announced in a statement released on Wednesday from Independent School District superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell, Daily Mail reports.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Andrew Gillum, who ran against Governor Ron DeSantis for Florida’s governorship, has been charged with 21 felonies related to that election bid. The charges came down on Wednesday, and Gillum reportedly told associates that he expected the indictment to come down.
Gillum, whose aspirations were dashed after he was found heavily intoxicated in a Miami Beach hotel room with methamphetamines in 2020, released a statement on the indictment, saying that the case against him was political in nature, and that “There’s been a target on my back ever since I was the mayor of Tallahassee.” He further stated his innocence of the charges.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Defendant in San Diego Antifa Riot Case Had Allegedly Beat a Cop on the Head Four Months Prior
Alleged Antifa rioter Joseph Austin Gaskins, then 19, was arrested almost two years ago during a violent left-wing protest in downtown San Diego, Calif. on August 24, 2020.
Local news media reported that the number of protesters grew to about 100 before they dispersed around 11 pm that night.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Woman Shot and Killed Intruder That Attacked Her in Bedroom: Police
The right to bear arms came in handy on Tuesday morning when a woman shot and killed an intruder in her bedroom in Clearwater, Florida.
According to the Clearwater Police Department, the victim woke up to find suspect Justin Wright in her bedroom around 9 a.m. and fired a single gunshot that killed Wright after he attacked her, WFLA reports.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Shuts Down Attempt to Use Copyright Law to Unmask a Billionaire’s Critic
The United States District Court for the Northern District of California has ruled that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not override the First Amendment’s anonymous speech protections.
We obtained a copy of the decision for you here.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Gets Prison for Vegas Police SUV Fire Amid 2020 Protests
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The first of three men who have admitted setting fire to a Las Vegas police vehicle during a May 2020 racial injustice street protest was sentenced Wednesday to two years in federal prison by a U.S. judge who said he was giving him a “do-over” to reset his life.
Devarian Jamal Haynes apologized to the court, his family and “the city of Las Vegas” before U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon also sentenced him to three years of post-release supervision, 100 hours of community service and about $4,250 in restitution following his guilty plea in March to a reduced charge of civil disorder.
Co-defendants Tyree Walker and Ricardo Densmore also took plea deals in March that avoided trial on conspiracy and arson charges. Each charge could have gotten them five to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kansas isn’t called the Wheat State for nothing. It produced nearly one quarter of all American wheat harvested last year.
But this year’s Kansas wheat crop has been through a lot of hardship since seeds went into the ground this past fall…
The US Department of Agriculture says 41% of Kansas wheat is in “very poor” or “poor” condition. That’s up from just 14% at this time last year…
To the west in Colorado, projections say nearly one-third of wheat fields won’t produce enough to bother harvesting. In Texas, around three-quarters of the crop will likely be abandoned…
On top of that, the world’s other leading wheat producers, India and China, have seen their crops damaged by blistering heat and overwhelming rains, respectively. Just last month, India sent wheat prices climbing yet again when officials stopped exporting the grain altogether because of worries about having enough for its domestic population.
Roughly half of the wheat harvested in Kansas in a given year gets exported abroad.
— Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
New Movie Asks is Alex Jones a “Dangerous Lunatic” Or a “Patriotic Hero”?
A new film by acclaimed director Alex Lee Moyer set to be released in theaters next month asks the question, “Who is Alex Jones? Is he a dangerous lunatic or a patriotic hero?”
Moyer, who previously directed TFW NO GF, a fascinating insight into the incel sub-culture, has returned with a new documentary movie about one of the most controversial men on the planet today.
A trailer for Alex’s War has just dropped on YouTube, teasing viewers with the promise of taking them on a rollercoaster ride showing Jones’ rise from local radio talk show host to national attention and infamy.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Paramount Says it Won’t Censor Old Content to Please Modern Audiences
Paramount CEO Bob Bakish has said its back catalog will not be censored to conform with modern sensibilities in its subscription streaming service Paramount+
Some streaming services, including BBC’s iPlayer, Netflix, Disney Plus, and more, have removed, censored, or put up trigger warnings on old shows and films that are deemed inappropriate by some in the modern era.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A police officer whose wife, a teacher at the Uvalde school, was murdered during the Robb Elementary school shooting, tried to rush into the building to save her after she called to tell him that she’d been shot. The officer was stopped by colleagues from entering, however, who also took away his gun. Eve Mireles died from her wounds.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Chief Who Delayed Assault on Uvalde Mass Shooter is Put on Leave
o teachers.
June 22 (Reuters) — The Texas school district police chief who has come under withering criticism for the police response to the Uvalde school massacre has been placed on administrative leave by the district and could lose his position on the Uvalde City Council.
Chief Pete Arredondo was in charge of the massive, multiagency police response to the May 24 rampage, officials have said, when a man armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle slaughtered 19 school children aged 9 to 11 and two teachers.
As many as 19 officers waited over an hour in a hallway outside classrooms 111 and 112 before a U.S. Border Patrol-led tactical team finally made entry and killed the shooter.
Police practice generally is to immediately confront a school shooter, even if it puts officers’ lives in danger. The director of the Texas Department of Public Safety said Arredondo made “terrible decisions” that cost valuable time…
— Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Rochester Man Sentenced for Actions in 2020 Protests
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Dallas Williams-Smothers, 20, was sentenced Wednesday for his actions during the Black Lives Matters protests in fall 2020, according to officials.
The 20-year-old was arrested at a protest for the felony Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 1st degree and misdemeanor Rioting in the 2nd degree.
The fall protests occurred over released footage showing the death of 41-year-old Daniel Prude at the hands of the Rochester Police Department.
Williams-Smothers was sentenced today to five years of probation, according to a representative from Monroe County.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Challenge to Florida’s Social Media Censorship Ban is Likely to Head to the Supreme Court
Attorneys for the state of Florida hope to appeal to the US Supreme Court over a ruling on a Florida law that is aimed at curbing online censorship on Big Tech Platforms.
The Florida Legislature passed a law to regulate how internet platforms like Facebook and Facebook-owned Instagram work with advertisers and more.
The law was signed by Governor Ron DeSantis and targeted large platforms such as Facebook and Twitter which were banning and censoring users — and even politicians.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Claims Credit for Ron DeSantis Getting Elected as Florida’s Governor
Former President Donald Trump said on Monday that he’s “very responsible” for Ron DeSantis being elected governor of Florida in 2019, as attention grows around the possibility of the two facing off for the Republican presidential nomination.
In a phone interview on Newsmax’s “The Balance,” Trump was asked for his thoughts on DeSantis running for the White House.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Videos: White House Has Given No Updates on Baby Formula Crisis for Over a Month
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has repeatedly told reporters for over a month that she has no updates or knowledge on the ongoing baby formula shortage crisis.
Jake Schneider of RNC Research posted the following thread of videos that shows Jean-Pierre struggling to provide any information on what is going on at all.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Threatens to Bring Back Vaccine Passports
Canada may not have seen the last of the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine passports. Proposed restrictions could even be harsher than before, likely to require three to four inoculations in order to travel.
It’s worth noting that the mandate is not set in stone, but the government is preparing for the possibility of introducing the measures in the Fall. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement during a press conference. The vaccine passport mandate for federal employees and other travelers might be over for now, but Duclos made it clear that it’s likely to return this fall.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada’s Bill C-11, Harmful for Independent Online Creators, Just Passed in the House
Canada’s internet censorship legislation, Bill C-11, passed the House following a vote on Tuesday. The bill will now move to the Senate.
In the House, the bill passed by 208 to 117. Only members of the Conservative Party of Canada did not vote for it.
The bill gives the Canada Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) the authority to regulate “the internet and social media in the same way that it regulates national broadcasting,” according to former Heritage Secretary Steven Guilbeault.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poilievre Pledges ‘Pay as You Go Law’ That Would Make Government Save a Dollar for Every One Spent
Conservative Party leadership front runner Pierre Poilievre announced his plan to cap spending with aims to make government more affordable with a “Pay-As-You-Go Law” that will make it so that the government find a dollar of savings for every dollar of new spending measures.
A statement released by Poilievre on Wednesday highlights that inflation in Canada has hit 7.7 percent, the highest rate seen in 39 years.
“JustInflation means Canadians are paying for a massive increase in the cost of government through wild inflation and taxes — and they can’t afford it anymore,” the statement says.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On a sunny Thursday afternoon in Vancouver’s Jonathan Rogers Park, across from a group of women doing yoga and a French bulldog playing a feverish game of fetch, the peace was pierced by an older man hurling insults at a group of climate activists.
“What’s going on here?” he shouted. “Everyone wants to save the damn trees, but you’re in my way!”
He began grabbing at their green and gold banners emblazoned with the words, ‘SAVE OLD GROWTH’.
Yet the activists did not respond. They sat. They stared. They smiled.
Just as they were being trained to do in an actual protest event.
In recent weeks, Metro Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo and Revelstoke have seen protests along major highways, where activists from the group Save Old Growth have been blockading rush-hour traffic in hopes of permanently stopping old-growth logging in B.C.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech PM: “We See No Reasons for Government Reconstruction” In Light of Latest Scandal
The ruling coalition leaders in Czechia do not see any reason for remaking the government because of the ongoing corruption scandal, known as the “Dosimeter case,” Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday.
Education Minister Petr Gazdik of Fiala’s coalition partner, STAN, resigned earlier this week due to his connection to the case, while Interior Minister Vit Rakusan reportedly retains the trust of the Czech prime minister. STAN wants to present the new candidate for the education minister by the end of the week, according to Rakusan.
“We have agreed that we see no reason to rebuild the government and take steps like that,” Fiala said. Interior Minister Rakusan has the “absolute confidence” of the coalition leaders when it comes to the impartiality of the investigation of the case and its fair result, the prime minister added
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Le Pen to Step Down as National Rally Leader to Focus on New Parliament Group
French populist Marine Le Pen has announced she will be stepping down as leader of the National Rally to focus on her new parliamentary group after the RN outperformed expectations at last week’s elections, winning 89 seats.
Ms Le Pen announced that she would not be resuming her position as president of the National Rally (RN), which she initially stepped away from to run for the French presidency earlier this year, following an election performance Sunday that outperformed prior polling projections.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Teacher Faced Death Threats for Requesting Student Remove Islamic Veil to Sit Exam
A teacher was subjected to death threats and accusations of Islamophobia after asking a student to remove her Islamic veil to perform an identity check before sitting an exam in a French high school.
The incident occurred on Thursday before the student’s baccalaureate exam at the Charlemagne High School in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, according to French newspaper Le Figaro.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s Finance Minister has called for the country to keep using nuclear power to ease the ongoing energy crisis, despite one energy tsar in the country labelling it “backwards”.
Christian Lindner, an elected representative who serves as Germany’s Finance Minister, has called for his country to keep using its remaining nuclear power plants for some time, despite the fact that they are scheduled to be shut down by the end of this year.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary and its government have constantly been targeted with claims of antisemitism over the years, from both the media and politicians opposed to Viktor Orban’s conservative government. Now, a new study from the Brussels-based European Jewish Association shows that Hungary is the second “friendliest” nation to Jews in Europe, further discrediting one of the key smears directed at Hungary.
News of the study was released around the same time that (EJA) honored Hungary’s Interior Minister Sandor Pintér for “his work on improving public security and fighting antisemitism,” the Association of Hungarian Jewish Communities (EMIH) announced on Tuesday.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Parliament Rejects Global Minimum Tax With Overwhelming Majority
The Hungarian Parliament passed a resolution against the planned European Union directive on a 15 percent global minimum tax on Tuesday with 118 yes votes versus 32 no votes and 8 abstentions.
Erik Banki (Fidesz), chairman of the economic committee sponsoring the bill, said that the proposal to reject the introduction of a global minimum tax would increase the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy. He recalled that the countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) initially wanted to prevent tax evasion by large technology companies and agreed on a uniform 15 percent tax on tech giants.
At the same time, however, the European Parliament has begun work on a second pillar that would extend the 15 percent tax not only to technology companies but to all multinationals.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former U.S. Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher has chastised the European Union for its attacks on Poland and praised the nation for its response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in neighboring Ukraine.
Mosbacher, appointed the U.S.’ top diplomat in Warsaw by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018, accused Brussels of falling victim to “a disinformation campaign” against Poland, calling the accusations of rule of law breaches “a wave of fake news and propaganda from Russia.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Duda Leads Ukrainian Approval Ratings as Scholz and Macron Struggle to Impress
Polish President Andrzej Duda is the most popular foreign leader in the eyes of Ukrainians, the latest polling revealed.
According to a survey carried out by Rating Group Ukraine, the Polish president was assessed favorably by 92 percent of Ukrainians, with 76 percent of respondents viewing him very favorably. Duda was closely followed by both U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, both of whom were viewed positively by 89 percent of those polled.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were next up, being positively viewed by 73 percent and 71 percent respectively.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Leader of Ruling Party Jaroslaw Kaczynski Leaves Government
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) party, resigned from his role as deputy prime minister on Tuesday to focus on the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
“I have no role in the government at the moment,” Kaczynski told the Polish Press Agency (PAP). “I have already submitted the appeal to the prime minister and it has been approved. As far as I know, the president also signed it.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Opposition Paper Mocked for Publishing Poll Debunking Its Own Myth That Poles Are Xenophobic
The prominent liberal newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza published polling data on Polish help for refugees, and conservative commentators can’t help pointing out that the newspaper guilty of creating the myth of a xenophobic Poland has now written about a poll proving that to be false.
The poll, carried out by the Kantar polling agency, shows that 73.5 percent of all Poles have participated in some form of assistance for Ukrainian refugees.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Safety and Use of 5G Questioned
“Putting tens of millions of 5G antennas, without a single biological test of safety, has to be about the stupidest idea anyone has had in the history of the world” — Professor Martin Pall
Professor Pall is wrong, Mark Steele said in a 15-page report: “It is not a stupid idea but a heinous crime if one understands the motive behind this deployment.” …
Mark Steele is a British engineer, inventor, patent writer and weapons research scientist. He has written an extensive biography in the introduction of his February 2022 report on 5G in the context of nanometal-contaminated vaccines…
Wikipedia … has as its opening gambit: “Mark Steele is a British conspiracy theorist.”
Steele prepared his February 2022 report at the request of “international lawyers.” His report is packed with information, detailing a wide range of 5G-related topics including radiation-induced Covid-19 symptoms, vaccines, augmented humans and a broad range of risks associated with 5G including risks to health, infrastructure and national security.
— Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Man With Prior Bombing Conviction Arrested for Malmo Knife Killing
A 22-year-old man with a prior conviction for an explosive attack has been arrested in the Swedish multicultural city of Malmo in connection to the killing of a 20-year-old.
The 22-year-old was arrested this week in connection to the stabbing attack on two men in their 20s that took place on Tuesday of last week and saw a 20-year-old killed and another 20-year-old injured as a result of the attack.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish City Police Warn of Increase in Shootings Due to Underworld Instability
Police in the Swedish city of Uppsala have warned that the city may face an increase in shootings due to a power vacuum among criminal gangs as several prominent gangsters are currently behind bars.
Uppsala police intelligence director Jale Poljarevius stated that the city may be facing a new wave of shootings this summer as many of the leaders or prominent members of criminal gangs are currently in custody, presenting a power vacuum in the city.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The UK Online Safety Bill Has Laughable Free Speech and Privacy “Protections”
The UK government’s latest push to censor online speech, the 225 page Online Safety Bill, has been roundly criticized by rights groups and proponents who have branded it a “censor’s charter” and “an attack on free speech.”
UK Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) Secretary of State Nadine Dorries, one of the main proponents of the bill, has pushed back against this criticism by pointing to the bill’s “duties to protect free speech.”
However, these duties and the duties for platforms to protect user privacy are so weak that they have no impact when platforms comply with the bill’s obligations to tackle “harmful” content.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Sent to ER After Stabbing Spree at Swedish Mall
A man has been arrested by authorities after a knife attack at a Swedish mall saw at least two people rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, according to local media.
The attack took place at around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning at the Kvarteret Igor mall in Västerås, a city in central Sweden around 100 kilometers west of Stockholm.
Local police responded to the incident, cordoned off the crime scene, and now have one individual in custody, whose identity has not yet been reported.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK National Incident Declared: Vaccinations Urged as Polio Virus Detected in London Sewage
Parents living in London have been told to ensure their children are fully immunised against polio after traces of the disease were found in the capital’s sewage system.
The news comes just two weeks after the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) observed coronavirus vaccination infrastructure should stay in place to ensure other diseases such as polio can be countered in the future.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK police are no longer dispatching officers to respond to burglaries.
They failed to solve a single burglary in nearly half of the country’s neighborhoods over the past three years.
But they have plenty of time for interrogating and arresting people who make ‘offensive’ social media posts.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Grooming Gang Leader Served as a Council Welfare Rights Officer While Raping Young Girls
The head of an infamous Pakistani child sex grooming gang has been revealed to have been serving as a welfare rights officer for the local government council, a major child sex abuse report has revealed.
Shabir Ahmed, who led the Muslim Rochdale child rape gang, has been identified as “Offender A” by Sky News in a child sexual exploitation in Oldham report this month, which showed that while he was abusing children, he was employed by the local Labour-run council. Despite the Greater Manchester Police force being aware of allegations against Ahmed and his position as a welfare officer for the council, the police force failed to notify the council.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rowan Atkinson Slams Cancel Culture and Claims ‘The Job of Comedy is to Offend’
Rowan Atkinson has hit out at modern-day cancel culture and claimed a society is only free if one is at liberty to make jokes about “absolutely anything.”
The actor, 67, best known for Mr. Bean and Blackadder, made the comments in an interview with the Irish Times in which he lamented the current trajectory of comedy and free speech limitations, arguing that the whole point of comedy is that it has “the potential to offend.”
“It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential. Every joke has a victim,” he told the newspaper.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Problems with crime, traffic, and even trash have put enormous pressure on residents of the troubled multicultural Guillotière neighborhood in the French city of Lyon; according to one community leader, many people are turning to antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication just to continue living in the area.
“People take sleeping pills, anxiolytics, antidepressants […] the mental health of the inhabitants is impaired,” said Nathalie Balmat, the founding president of the association “the Angry Guillotière” which represents thousands of residents who are fed up with the neighborhood’s decay and crime. She notes that many residents have decided to leave.
“Before we were used to them attacking each other with a knife, we could move away […] Now we are afraid of stray bullets,” Nathalie added.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pfizer’s COVID Jab Affects Concentration and Mobility of Sperm
The total number of motile sperm is reduced by more than 20 percent three months after the injection, a new study from Israel has found.
Because of concerns about the possible harmful effects of the Covid “vaccines” on male fertility, Israeli researchers have examined the Pfizer preparation on the sperm parameters of sperm donors. Their study has now been published in the journal Andrology.
The authors found an average 15,4 percent decrease in sperm concentration for 75 to 120 days after the injection, meaning that motile sperm decreased by 22,1 percent. A general recovery had taken place 5 months after the injection; sperm volume and mobility were then no longer affected.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia-Ukraine War: What Happened Today (June 22)
As Wednesday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
The most intense battles in Ukraine are still taking place in the east, but fighting has been picking up in the north and south of the country as well. Ukraine’s military says it carried out strikes against Russian positions on Snake Island, an outpost in the Black Sea, suggesting the use of longer-range weapons recently provided by Western countries. In northern Ukraine, Russia has stepped up shelling of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, where Ukrainian officials say long-range Russian shelling has killed at least 15 civilians this week. Ukraine pushed back Russian troops from the outskirts of the city more than a month ago.
Ukrainian officials are gearing up to receive candidate status for the European Union. In their latest comments, Ukrainian leaders including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they expected unanimous support of all EU members for Ukraine to be put on the lengthy path toward potential membership in the bloc. An EU summit begins in Brussels on Thursday.
The Kremlin threatened to retaliate against Lithuania for blocking some goods headed to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the retaliation wouldn’t be diplomatic but practical, raising fears of a confrontation between Russia and NATO. Kaliningrad is a part of Russia that’s surrounded by Lithuania and Poland — both NATO and EU members. Lithuania said it was banning the movement of goods like steel and other metals to the Russian territory as part of EU sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia commemorated the 81st anniversary of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in World War II. Activists held candle-lighting ceremonies across the country and, according to Russian RIA new agency, also in the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol. President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin in honor of the estimated 27 million Soviets killed in what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created the largest refugee crisis since that time.
Microsoft reported that Russian state-backed hackers have targeted organizations in 42 countries allied with Ukraine. The report identified the U.S. as the top target, followed by Poland, a key logistics hub for aid to Ukraine. Hackers succeeded at infiltrating networks 29% of the time, and at least a quarter of those intrusions resulted in stolen data. Microsoft said the key targets were governments, but also included think tanks, humanitarian groups, IT companies, and energy and other critical infrastructure suppliers.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India Shuts Down WhatsApp Groups in a Bid to Crush Protests
In an alleged bid to get its citizens to do more “research” on the information they see online, the Indian government has rolled out new measures. In effect, 35 WhatsApp groups have been banned based on reports that they may have been disseminating “misinformation” about the newly introduced Agnipath scheme within the groups.
The Agnipath scheme is a new military scheme to recruit new members to the military between the ages of 17.5 to 21-years only, without pension provisions for those released early — unlike an older scheme that allowed older members and had a 15+ year tenure with lifelong pension. The Defense Minister went on to say that only 25% of the new recruits will be “regularized” at the end of their four year contract, based on their performance. The remaining 75% of recruits will be dismissed at the end of their term without receiving pensionary benefits. Critics have been protesting the changes and protests have broken out in various regions.
Recent reports have claimed that various social media channels and communications platforms, such as WhatsApp, have been utilized to stir and organize protests in states such as Bihar.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Presumed Jihadists Kill 3 Christians, Abduct Dozens in Nigeria Church Attacks
Armed terrorists raided two Christian churches during worship services in northern Nigeria Sunday, killing three and kidnapping several dozen.
The presumed Fulani Muslim raiders targeted faithful from the Maranatha Baptist Church and Saint Moses Catholic Church in the Rubu general area of the Kajuru local government area of Kaduna State.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium: Police Looking for Migrant Youths Who Filmed Themselves Abusing a Fish
A disturbing video of young people abusing a large carp for fun outside the Belgian city of Ghent has sparked outrage from web users, and led to reports of animal cruelty.
Belgium has experienced an intense heat wave in recent days, with many citizens escaping to lakes and streams to cool off. On Saturday, an estimated 10,000 people descended on Blaarmeersen, a recreational area not far from Ghent where a video shared on TikTok sparked outrage among social media users and drew police attention.
The video shows a group of laughing young people lifting a large carp and sliding it down a slide. Right now, it is still not known if these images were filmed on Friday or Saturday, but the police are trying to identify those responsible for this act which was described as “animal abuse” in a report.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brexit, Finally? UK to Override European Court’s Jurisdiction on Illegal Migrant Deportations
The British government will finally be able to overrule European judges on the deportation of illegal migrants under reforms to the UK’s human rights rules to be introduced to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Following the “scandalous” intervention by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent a deportation flight of illegal aliens to Rwanda earlier this month, Boris Johnson’s government will publish its long-awaited Bill of Rights to the Parliament, which among other issues, will empower ministers to reject rulings from judges in Strasbourg, notably on the deportation of illegal migrants.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Fears New Crisis as Algeria Threatens Spain With Gas Supply Cut and Refugee Wave
Europe is facing another down another major foreign policy debacle, as Algeria, like Russia, is turning against the European Union. The government in Algeria, supported by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, has decided not to renew a key partnership treaty with Spain and unilaterally frozen trade relations with Europe. In addition, the North African country could cut natural gas supplies to Spain, a move that could send already rising gas prices and inflation even higher for Europeans reeling from sticker shock.
On top of all these issues, there is the threat of illegal immigration from Algeria, which is a major launch point for migrants from Africa seeking to reach Europe. On June 8 alone, 113 migrants from African countries landed on the island of Mallorca, a record number this year. Madrid fears that Algeria is using illegal migration as a political means to negotiate with Spain and the European Union.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Large street battles broke out in the troubled Guillotière district, in the 7th arrondissement of Lyon involving dozens of individuals.
“Ethnic clashes at La Guillotière (Lyon) between Algerians and Malians,” wrote Reconquête candidate in the legislative elections, Damien Rieu.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Video: Mass Migrant Brawl in Berlin Outdoor Pool Triggers Huge Police Response
The security personnel at an outdoor pool in Berlin struggled to restore order on Sunday after a mass brawl broke out between approximately 100 foreign nationals at the facility, German media reported.
Disturbing amateur footage was captured at the time of the incident and posted to social media channels, which showed an initial altercation between several dozen individuals which soon descended into chaos with young males attacking each other.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Migration Surging in Balkans
The Balkan Peninsula is seeing a major surge in illegal migration, according to reports.
Migrant traffic and border pressure are increasing across Europe, as Infowars has previously reported.
Serbian authorities say more than 7,000 ‘refugees’ are known to be in the country right now, up 55 percent from a year ago.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Student Kicked Out of UK College for Supporting Deportation of Illegal Immigrants
A student in the UK has been kicked out of his college for tweets which expressed support for deporting illegal immigrants.
Yes, really.
“Today my college has refused to take me on for a second year because I made some tweets they didn’t like about Rwanda,” tweeted Liam O’Malley. “That is the state of Modern Britain.”
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Iraqi Convicted for Transporting Migrants Claims Smuggler Made Him Drive
A 19-year-old Iraqi national who was sentenced to two years in prison for transporting illegal immigrants claimed that he was offered passage to the United Kingdom by a people smuggler in return for driving the migrants.
19-year-old Ali Mohamad was arrested by police in northern France earlier this month when the vehicle he was driving, full of migrants, was seen on the A16 motorway near the Eurotunnel.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Antifa Celebrates Firebombing of Buffalo Pregnancy Center
In the wake of a firebombing at a Buffalo, New York pregnancy center earlier this month, an Antifa group was found celebrating the attack on Twitter.
The group, Antifa Sacramento, took footage posted to Twitter earlier this month by local WGRZ reporter Dave McKinley, and dubbed the first 17 seconds of ACDC’s song “Thunderstruck” over the footage of the burned out building’s interior.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australia: Transgender Former Rugby Player Calls Participation Ban ‘Punishment’
A transgender former rugby player in Australia has hit out at moves to ban participation at international level, saying a new generation of players is being “punished” for being themselves.
Caroline Layt turned on rugby league’s world governing body after it announced a ban Tuesday on transgender players in international fixtures while it undertakes research to finalise a new policy in 2023.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Biology Trumps Gender’ — World Athletics President Hints at Trans Ban in Women’s Matches
The president of World Athletics has suggested that biologically male transgender athletes could be prohibited from competing in females international competitions, declaring that “biology trumps gender”.
Lord Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, the governing body for international track and field competitions, has hinted that the organisation may adopt new eligibility requirements that could see trans athletes banned from facing off against women as he hailed the move by Fina to ban transgender people who experienced male puberty from female swimming matches.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Wednesday afternoon, the Republican-majority Wisconsin legislature quickly rejected a special legislative session called by Governor Tony Evers in regards to overturning the state’s abortion law.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, both the Senate and Assembly meetings regarding the law lasted under 30 seconds, with the Republican majority quickly gaveling out of both sessions.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Court Dismisses Bizarre Case of Gender-Neutral Person’s Demand to Change Birth Number
A Czech court has refused a demand by a non-binary person who was born a man but considers himself to be gender-neutral to change his national identity number to a “neutral” or “female” form.
The complainant sought a change of birth number to ‘neutral’ because he does not consider himself a man and thus does not want a birth number in the form men have in the Czech Republic, despite a Czech national identity number having no relevance to a person’s gender.
The courts did not comply with the request, and a complaint filed by the individual was rejected by the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic (ÚS).
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) — Several demonstrators showed up to the Pine Valley branch of the New Hanover County Public Library during a Pride Storytime event on Tuesday, June 21.
The Pride Storytime featured two children’s books, “Daddy and Dada” and “Heather Has Two Mommies” and an activity for the children to make their own family picture frame.
A New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office release said the demonstrators gathered outside of the library before entering a building. A deputy was called to the library for a disturbance, and it says a sheriff’s office supervisor stood outside the room where the Storytime program was taking place to keep protestors from entering.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
GOP Calls for Members of Jane’s Revenge to be Designated as ‘Domestic Terrorists’ By FBI, DHS
In a letter sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, Republican members of Congress demanded that members of the militant pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge be deemed “domestic terrorists” following their attacks on pro-life centers, and their most recent communication.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Church Offers Public Blessing to Gay Couple Amidst Controversy
ROME — A Catholic church outside Bologna bestowed a public blessing on a gay couple last week with the permission of Bologna’s Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, a leading candidate for the next papal election.
On June 11, Pietro Morotti and Giacomo Spagnoli were joined civilly in the Municipality of Budrio in the province of Bologna, after which they processed from the Town Hall across the square into the Church of San Lorenzo for a special Mass concelebrated by 7 Catholic priests.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reddit Bans r/TumblrInAction and r/SocialJusticeInAction
Reddit has booted two popular communities, r/TumblrInAction (which had over 470,000 members) and r/SocialJusticeInAction (which had over 96,000 members), for supposedly violating its rules around “promoting hate.”
Both communities were critical of the rhetoric of social justice warriors by posting memes and criticism. Before being banned, r/TumblrInAction had attracted the ire of transgender subreddits and the media.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Jubilee Union Jacks Replaced With Gay Pride Flags in London
Jubilee Union Jack flags are being taken down in London.
Only to be replaced with gay pride flags, despite the fact it’s the last week of LGBT pride month.
— Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
and in the wake of Marie’s success Macron is now rather “Le Pen-sive”