Russian hackers mounted a DDoS attack on Lithuanian government networks in response to Lithuania’s blockade of Kaliningrad. Meanwhile, the Russian government expelled eight Greek diplomats in retaliation for a similar action by Greece.
In other news, in the wake of last weekend’s terror attack in Oslo, the King of Norway spoke out in support of diversity.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, LP, Reader from Chicago, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
New Bill Would Mandate Federal Reserve to Promote “Racial and Economic Justice”
A new bill would extend the Federal Reserve’s mandate to promote “racial and economic justice,” prompting concerns as to whether this would lead to discrimination.
“H.R. 2543 would expand the Federal Reserve’s existing dual mandate of maintaining price stability and full employment to focus on promoting “racial and economic justice in borrowing, housing, and lending,” reports Valiant News.
If the bill is passed, the Fed would be responsible for maintaining “racial equity,” which would potentially create a two tier economy, one for white people and another for non-whites in America.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A registered nurse who posted on Twitter about treating patients based on their political beliefs has resigned after her statement was brought to the attention of the hospital.
“I prescribe meds,” the nurse, Shawna Harris, wrote, “I can also choose not to prescribe them. So… from now on. if you are a white male who votes conservative, your penis needs to ask God for the power to rise. No more Viagra.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Democrat Mayoral Candidate Rips Lightfoot on Crime Surge: ‘Handcuffing Our Police’
Democrat mayoral candidate and Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez slammed Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Monday, accusing her of “handcuffing” law enforcement and “gaslighting” residents as crime continues to spiral out of control. Lopez blasted Lightfoot on “America’s Newsroom” as another bloody weekend comes to a close in Chicago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Clarence Thomas Slams US Defamation Laws, Says He Wants Individuals to be Able to Sue in SPLC Case
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas indicated on Monday that the court should perhaps reconsider libel rulings that increase the difficulty in an individual suing a media company for defamation. He disagreed with the Court’s ruling not to take up the case Coral Ridge v. SPLC, which would have brought New York Times v. Sullivan into question.
In his dissent, he said “I would grant certiorari in this case to revisit the ‘actual malice’ standard. This case is one of many showing how New York Times and its progeny have allowed media organizations and interest groups ‘to cast false aspersions on public figures with near impunity.’“
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Clearwater, Florida Woman Shoots and Kills a Neighbor Who Attacked Her in Her Own Bedroom
You’re allegedly more likely to be shot by someone you know. One good way to reduce that risk, of course, is to avoid breaking into an acquaintance’s home in the middle of the night. That’s a lesson a Clearwater, Florida man failed to learn.
A woman who lived next door to 26-year-old Justin William Wright woke up to find him standing in her bedroom after he broke in through a window. Then he attacked her.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook is blocking links to the official class action claims page for a lawsuit settlement for users affected by privacy concerns. The page helps users receive their payout from Facebook and Facebook is marketing the page as “spam” or “abusive,” which prevents people from learning about how to claim.
“If you are a person who, between April 22, 2010, and September 26, 2011, inclusive, were a Facebook User in the United States who visited non-Facebook websites that displayed the Facebook Like button, you may be eligible for a payment from a Class Action Settlement,” the website reads.
Reclaim The Net was alerted to the censorship by a reader and was able to confirm with David Strait, a partner at the DiCello Levitt Gutzler law firm, a party litigating the case, that fbinternettrackingsettlement.com is the official page for users to see if they’re eligible for a claim.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fact Checkers Demand YouTube Censor Competitors Because No One is Watching Their Content
‘Fact checkers’ are demanding that YouTube censor more videos for “misinformation,” with one of the reasons being that no one is watching their content.
Well, this is awkward.
The censorship demand was made during the GlobalFact 9, a fact-checking conference organized by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Historic West Virginia Catholic Church Burned to Ground by Arsonist, Police Say
A historic Catholic church in West Virginia burned to the ground this weekend, and police are now investigating the incident as arson.
St. Colman Catholic Church was already a smoldering ruin when firefighters from the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department arrived to the scene Sunday morning. The church was built in 1878 and was declared an official historical site in 1984.
Authorities have not released information about potential suspects.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Biden Inadvertently Helped Hunter Pay Russia-Linked Escorts: Report
Joe Biden inadvertently financed his son Hunter’s dalliances with a Russia-linked escort ring, according to a report Monday.
President Biden wired his 52-year-old son $100,000 to help him pay bills from December 2018 through January 2019, the Washington Examiner reported, citing records from a laptop Hunter Biden left behind at a computer repair shop in Delaware.
Hunter Biden, meanwhile, had spent more than $30,000 on sex workers between November 2018 and March 2019, records show — including many linked to Russia-based email addresses and connected to an “exclusive model agency” called UberGFE, the outlet reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Libs of TikTok Says Washington Post, Taylor Lorenz Responsible for ‘Unnerving’ Post-Doxxing Threats
The woman behind social media sensation Libs of TikTok is “always nervous going out in public” after receiving threats following a Washington Post story that publicly identified her, and she holds the paper responsible.
“I feel like I constantly look over my shoulder. Every time I have to give my name for something, my heart skips a beat. It’s unnerving,” she told Fox News Digital.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massive Shipment of Baby Formula From Germany Arrives in America Amid Biden Supply Crisis
A cargo plane carrying enough baby formula for 1.5 million bottles touched down at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas Sunday morning.
The shipment came from Germany and contained over 150,000 pounds of product, destined for a Nestlé distribution center in nearby Forth Worth.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Than a Million Voters Have Switched to Republican Party in Last Year: Report
More than a million voters have shifted to the Republican Party over the past year, including tens of thousands of swing voters — with some declaring they can no longer support the Democratic Party’s policies, according to a report Monday.
The move to the GOP is occurring in every part of the country, in Democratic and Republican states and cities since President Biden defeated former President Donald Trump, an analysis of voter registration data by the Associated Press found.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Multiple Dead, At Least 50 Injured After Amtrak Train Carrying 243 Passengers Derails in Missouri
An Amtrak train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed after colliding with a dump truck in Missouri on Monday afternoon — leaving at least three people dead and dozens injured.
The train crashed into a dump truck at a public railroad crossing in Mendon, Missouri, 100 miles east of Kansas City, at 1:42 p.m. local time, Amtrak said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NY Supreme Court Strikes Down Law Allowing Noncitizens to Vote
The New York Supreme Court ruled Monday that a New York City law that allowed noncitizen residents to vote in municipal elections is illegal.
The law, passed in December 2021 by the New York City Council, created a class of voters called “municipal voters,” comprised of noncitizens who reside in the city for at least 30 days before an election and register or pre-register to vote. Under the law, municipal voters were granted the right to participate in elections for mayor, public advocate, comptroller, borough president, and council member.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police: Man Stabs 2 Fellow Hospital Patients, Killing 1
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5/Gray News) — A man accused of stabbing two hospital patients in Las Vegas was identified by police.
Michael Earl, 48, was booked on charges of open murder, battery with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon after the June 23 incident, KVVU reports.
According to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department homicide detectives, Earl was being held at University Medical Center for a Legal 2000 evaluation, which is when someone who is possibly suffering from mental illness is held for observation for 72 hours. Police said Earl exited his room with a knife and stabbed a victim who was restrained in a nearby hospital room before stabbing another man in the hallway…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Parents around the United States are being charged tens of thousands of dollars, including some fees into the millions, for public records requests in their school districts, Fox News Digital has learned.
Fox News Digital spoke with parents around the county — such as in Michigan, Oregon, and Rhode Island — as well as with public records experts who said they believed schools were using exorbitant fees in order to price parents out of the information they are legally entitled to, such as those related to curriculum.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Uvalde Mom Handcuffed for Trying to Save Her Kids Faces Alleged Police Harassment
A Uvalde, Texas mother who saved her own children during the Robb Elementary School Shooting on May 24 says she’s being harassed by police.
According to local news, Angeli Rose Gomez said “the other night we were exercising and we had a cop parked at the corner like, flickering us with his headlights.” Gomez said she moved her sons out of the house so they wouldn’t be harassed by cops constantly “passing by, stopping, parking.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: CNN’s Tapper Tries and Fails to Get British PM to Trash America
CNN’s Jake Tapper acted shocked when British Prime Minster Boris Johnson refused to agree that U.S. “democracy is on life support,” with Johnson instead insisting that America is actually “a shining city on a hill.”
In the interview from the G7 gathering aired Sunday, Tapper stated “When I talk to friends in Canada, the U.K., Australia and elsewhere, people express concern about the United States.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Voicemail Indicates Joe Biden Knew of Hunter Deals With ‘Spy Chief of China’
Joe Biden called his son Hunter in late 2018 to discuss a New York Times article detailing the younger Biden’s dealings with a Chinese oil tycoon accused of economic crimes — telling him, “I think you’re clear,” according to a report Monday.
The voicemail, discovered on a cell phone backup contained on Hunter Biden’s infamous discarded laptop, would appear to contradict President Biden’s continued denial that he ever talked with his disgraced 52-year-old son about his overseas business transactions — and was aware they could be improper.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Will George Gascon be the Next Soros-Backed DA to Fall?
It’s been just under three weeks since San Francisco voters recalled their radically progressive District Attorney, Chesa Boudin, and already Californians look poised to take down another radical DA just to the South — Los Angeles top prosecutor George Gascon. Gascon assumed office 11 months after Boudin thanks in large part to massive donations from progressive megadonor George Soros, but is now facing his second recall effort in as many years. If polls are correct, he may not survive this time around.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
78.5% of Conservative Members Rank Poilievre as First Choice for Leader: True North Survey
A True North online survey of 5,228 Canadians who identified themselves as Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) members found that leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre was the first choice to become leader.
In total, 6,394 people responded to the web survey which was open www.tnc.news for two weeks from Jun. 8 to Jun. 22.
Results show that among active members, Poilievre had the overwhelming lead on the first ballot with 78.5% of the vote. Poilievre was followed by fellow MP Leslyn Lewis who scored in at 11.8% and then Roman Baber who received 8.7%
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Freedom Convoy Organizer Tamara Lich Arrested in Alberta
Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich was arrested in her home town of Medicine Hat, Alberta on Monday.
Lich was reportedly arrested after criticizing the government, which was one of the conditions given to her upon her release.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Eat the Bugs: Canadian Company to Produce 9000 Tons of Crickets for ‘Human and Pet Consumption’
Aspire Food Group, which has facilities in both Canada and the United States, has announced that it has completed its construction of the world’s largest cricket production facility.
The facility will be able to produce 9,000 metric tonnes of crickets every year for “human and pet consumption,” amounting to roughly two billion crickets.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Increasing Number of Products Made With Child Labour Imported Into Canada: World Vision
Canadians are largely unaware of the growing number of everyday imported products that are made with child labour, according to World Vision Canada (WVC).
According to the non-governmental organization, Canada imports annually $43 billion worth of products that may have been made using child or forced labour.
“Girls and boys as young as five years old could be involved,” said WVC in a news release.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netflix, YouTube Preferred Choice Over CBC for Canadians
Canadians are far more likely to rely on Netflix and YouTube to watch documentaries than the CBC, a government study reveals.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, a Canadian Heritage study titled Canadian’s Awareness and Perception of the NFB (National Film Board) found that only 2% of Canadians said they rely on the public broadcaster for their documentary watching.
25% of those polled picked Netflix as their top destination to watch documentaries while 12% picked YouTube. Amazon Prime and Disney were each preferred to 4% of respondents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police to Restrict Access to Downtown Ottawa Ahead of Canada Day Freedom Events
Police will be restricting access to Ottawa’s downtown core this week ahead of planned freedom events for the arrival of Canadian Armed Forces Veteran James Topp and Canada Day.
The City of Ottawa announced a “motor vehicle control zone” limiting access to downtown — it will be in effect from Jun. 29 at 8:00 a.m. ET until Jul. 4. at 6:00 a.m ET.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Winnipeg Faces Backlash After Changing Canada Day to ‘New Day’
The city of Winnipeg’s Canada Day festivities are being “reimagined” by organizers, who have changed the day’s name to “New Day.”
The event, organized by The Forks, will be going forward without fireworks and without acknowledging Canada Day, with organizers saying: “We are reimagining a Canada Day, a new day, that includes a reflective, inclusive and fun day for everyone to come together,” reports Post Media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
90% of Czech Republic Suffering From Drought
Czechia is experiencing a drought that affects nearly the entire country, but experts say it is not necessarily due to a lack of rainfall. Instead, they say that the unusually warm winter means there was little snow to melt in the country.
This year, precipitation totals do not differ significantly from the long-term average. Nevertheless, the drought has affected the vast majority of the Czech Republic, with extreme drought befalling 20 percent of the country, according to the Intersucho project. Scientists have observed significantly lower than normal values in soil moisture, river flow, and groundwater supply.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin Will Try to Block UK Plan to Swap Biofuels for Food Crops to Fight High Prices
U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada are reportedly blocking a British plan to fight food shortages and inflation by cutting back on biofuels in favour of edible crops, claiming it endangers their “net zero” ambitions.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a comparatively recent but enthusiastic convert to the cause of the “green agenda”, broke with his usual stance to propose that land currently used to grow so-called green fuels should be repurposed for food production, as shortages of Russian and Ukrainian grain and fertilisers, along with soaring fuel costs, leave much of the world facing exorbitant price rises and even famine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Accession Status for Ukraine — Brussels to Tackle the Impossible
The decision to grant Ukraine accession status raises numerous questions: Ukraine (and Moldova) were officially granted this status at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday evening. This decision had been extremely controversial and contested for weeks. But all previous critics — above all Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, the Netherlands and France — have surprisingly caved in and have cleared the way for the two countries to join the EU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Climate Activists Block IMF Paris Office Doors
Paris (AFP) — Climate activists on Monday blocked entry to the International Monetary Fund’s Paris office with some gluing their hands to its doors, demanding developing countries’ debt be scrapped to help tackle climate change.
The Paris protest is part of a “Debt for climate” global campaign calling on wealthy-nation leaders attending the G7 summit in Germany to cancel the debts of poorer and less industrialised countries, known as the global south.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Energy companies in France have told the public that they must “immediately” reduce their energy usage as a result of Europe’s sanction war with Russia.
As a result of a sanctions war between Russia and Europe, the French public must now “immediately” cut back on the amount of energy they use, the heads of three major energy providers in the country have now said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
King of Norway Praises “Diversity” After Islamic Terrorist Shoots Up Gay Bar
The King of Norway responded to an Islamic terrorist shooting up a gay bar in Oslo, killing 2 and injuring 21 people, by praising his country’s respect for “diversity.”
The attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning on the day Oslo celebrated LGBT pride month and was carried out by a “Norwegian citizen of Iranian Kurdish origin” who arrived in Norway as a child migrant.
“Eyewitnesses said the suspect took out a gun from his bag and started shooting indiscriminately at the London Pub, a well known LGBT-friendly venue in the center of Oslo,” reports Remix News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Poles Oppose Closure of Coal Mines
The majority of Poles want the Polish government to keep the country’s coal mines running during the current economic climate, new polling has revealed.
In a survey conducted by Social Changes for the wPolityce.pl news portal, Poles were asked: “In your opinion, what should Poland do with its coal mines in light of rising energy prices?”
Almost six out of 10 respondents (59 percent) called on the government to “defend coal mines from being shut down,” while 19 percent backed the closures, and 22 percent said “it is hard to say.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senior Visegrad Politicians Call for V4 to Lead Europe in Wake of Ukraine Crisis
Four prominent politicians from Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Slovakia have joined forces to publish an article calling for the Visegrad Group to reaffirm Europe as a diverse union of independent states ready to enlarge and defend itself.
Former Slovak Prime Minister and current EU commissioner Jan Figiel; former Speaker of the Polish Parliament and current chair of its Foreign Affairs Committee Marek Kuchcinski; the former Czech Prime Minister and current MEP, Alexandr Vondra; and Zsolt Nemeth, a Hungarian government minister and chair of the Hungarian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, published their remarks on the wPolityce.pl news portal, as well as in Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian media outlets on Thursday, the day that Ukraine and Moldova were approved as EU candidate countries at an EU summit in Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Police Search for Two Men After Male Irish National Raped in Valencia
Spanish authorities are searching for two men “of Arabic origin” in connection with the rape of a 28-year-old Irish male tourist on the last night of his stay in Valencia.
The assault reportedly took place in the early hours of June 18. The victim, who had been partying with a friend in the vibrant El Carmen area of the city, agreed to leave with the two men.
As they walked along the Túria river, the attackers tore the man’s clothes and sexually assaulted him.
The victim took himself to Valencia’s La Fe hospital where a doctor examined his injuries sustained and confirmed they were consistent with rape.
According to a description given to authorities by the victim, the men were “of Arabic origin” and spoke English “with a French accent.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Suspect in Norway Gay Pride Festival Shooting Killings Placed in Pretrial Custody
OSLO, Norway (AP) — The suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting during an LGBTQ festival in Oslo has agreed to be held in pretrial custody for four weeks and will therefore not appear in court on Monday, a Norwegian court said.
Zaniar Matapour, a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran, was arrested shortly after the predawn shooting in Oslo’s nightlife district and was held on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and terrorism. Two people were killed and more than 20 were wounded in what the Norwegian security service called an “Islamist terror act.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Extinction Rebellion Storms Parliament as Eco-Activists Hold Protest INSIDE Building
EXTINCTION REBELLION activists have stormed Parliament in their latest stunt to raise awareness of climate change.
Nearly a dozen eco-zealots occupied the central lobby of the Westminster building. The group sat in the room at the heart of Westminster Palace and unveiled a sign reading “G7 pay your climate debt”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Wimbledon Begins Without #1 Men’s Player, Banned for Being Russian
The Championships at Wimbledon, one of the four most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world, began on Monday without the top-ranked men’s player in the world, who the tournament banned for being Russian.
The organization managing Wimbledon, the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, announced in April that it would ban players of Russian nationality from participating in the tournament in protest of the Russian government’s expanded invasion of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan: Toxic Gas Explosion Kills 10, Over 200 Injured in Aqaba Port
Aqaba health director Jamal Obeidat called on residents to “stay in their homes and shut all windows as a precaution”, stating that the chemical substance is very dangerous
Ten people were killed and more than 200 injured Monday in a toxic gas explosion in Jordan’s Aqaba port, authorities said. Footage on state TV showed a large cylinder plunging from a crane on a moored vessel, causing a violent release of a yellow gas.
The force of the blast sent a truck rolling down the harbourside, while port workers could be seen running for their lives. Nearby areas were evacuated and residents told to stay indoors.
The death toll rose to 10, government spokesman Faisal al-Shaboul told AFP, revising an initial toll of five killed. Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh and interior minister Mazen al-Faraya headed to the site of the accident, state media reported. Civil defence spokesman Amer al-Sartawy earlier reported that 234 people were injured after the tank filled with toxic gas fell.
“Specialists and the hazardous substances team in the civil defence are dealing” with the incident, Sartawy added.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
‘Kremlin’s Next Act of Hostility’ — Polish Flags Removed From Katyn, Mednoye Memorials in Russia
Russia has removed the Polish flag from a war memorial in Katyn, near Smolensk, in what Polish authorities have called the latest act of hostility by the Kremlin.
The site commemorates Poles killed in what is known as the Katyn massacre, a series of executions by the Soviet Union of approximately 22,000 Polish police and military officers taken prisoner following the communist regime’s invasion of Poland in 1939.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lithuania Hit by Cyberattack as Russian Hackers Warn More Coming Until Kaliningrad ‘Blockade’ Lifted
On Monday a major DDOS attack has targeted Lithuania’s national network infrastructure, more than a week after EU sanctions took effect for Kaliningrad, and neighboring Lithuania took the dramatic step of banning land transport of goods, including transport of steel and ferrous metals to the Russian exclave.
The group now claiming responsibility for the cyberattack, called “Killnet”, has expressly stated it’s in retaliation for the Kaliningrad ‘blockade’. “Lithuanian state and private institutions were hit by a denial-of-service cyber attack on Monday, the Baltic country’s National Cyber Security Centre said in a statement released by the defense ministry,” Reuters reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Expels 8 Greek Diplomats, Asks Them to ‘Leave Country’
Russia has declared eight Greek diplomats “personae non gratae” and has given just eight days for them to leave the country, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. It also summoned the Greek ambassador to raise objection to the amrs supply and confrontational rhetoric against Moscow. The move by Russia was in retaliation to Greece’s declaration of Russian diplomats as “personae non gratae”.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Russia-Ukraine War: What Happened Today (June 27)
As Monday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
A Russian missile hit a crowded shopping mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. The regional governor said at least 13 people were killed and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to sabotage people’s normal life, targeting a site with over 1,000 people believed inside that posed no military threat. Monday also saw deadly attacks in other Ukrainian cities including Kharkiv and Lysychansk, Ukrainian authorities said. More than 50 Russian missiles hit cities across Ukraine over the weekend.
NATO aims to increase the strength of its rapid reaction force from 40,000 to 300,000 troops, the alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Stoltenberg called the change part of the “biggest overhaul of collective defense and deterrence since the Cold War.” NATO allies will meet this week in Madrid and are also expected to approve additional aid to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy met via video with Group of Seven leaders at their summit in Germany, and urged them to approve more military help for his country. The G-7 leaders pledged in a statement to “continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.
Russia appears to have defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in over a century, after sanctions blocked the country’s efforts to pay interest to its overseas creditors. Russian officials reject the designation as artificially forced by the West, because Russia has the money but the U.S. Treasury in May closed the last pathway for American investors to receive debt payments. In practical terms, little impact is expected immediately as Russia already faces many punishments that might befall an economy in default.
A Russian court set a July 1 start date for the trial of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner, her lawyer told NPR. Russian authorities arrested the WNBA player for allegedly carrying cannabis vaping products in February, days before President Biden announced sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. The U.S. government says Griner is wrongfully detained and it assigned a hostage affairs envoy to work to get her released. The Russian judge ordered Griner to remain in detention throughout the trial, according to her lawyer. She could face 10 years in prison if convicted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Declining Minority Hindus in Islamic Pakistan
Huge downfall of numbers of Hindus in Pakistan. Only 22 lakh Hindus exist there now: National database report.
Vandana Kaneria | HENB | Karachi | June 27, 2022:: Hinduism is the second largest religious affiliation in Pakistan after Islam.[1] While hundreds of years ago Hinduism was the dominant faith in the region,[2] Hindus account for 2.15% of Pakistan’s population or 4.5 million people according to available data in 2017 by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, although Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) had claimed that there are 8 million Hindus living in Pakistan at the same time period, making up 4% of the country’s population.[3][4][5] This claim of PHC was never supported with any authentic proof.
Before the partition, according to the 1941 census, Hindus constituted 14% of the population in West Pakistan (now Pakistan) and 28% of the population in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).[6][7][8] After Pakistan gained independence from the British Raj, 4.7 million of West Pakistan’s Hindus and Sikhs moved to India as refugees.[9] And in the first census afterwards in 1951, Hindus made up 1.6% of the total population of West Pakistan (now Pakistan).[10][11][12]
Hindu Population in Pakistan 2017
In 1956, the government of Pakistan declared 32 castes and tribes, the majority of them Hindus, to be scheduled castes, including Kohlis, Meghawars, and Bheels.[13][14] The Pakistan Census separates the members of scheduled castes from Hindus and has assessed that they form 0.41% of the national population in 2017 census (up from 0.25% in 1998 census).[15][16][17] However, the actual population of Scheduled Caste Hindus is expected to be much higher, as the Scheduled Caste Hindus categorise themselves as Hindus in the census rather than as Scheduled Castes.[18]
The official number of Hindus living in Pakistan is about 4.5 million or approx. 2.15% as per 2017 census conducted by Pakistan government authority.[19]
But, a recent data reveals the great downfall in the numbers of Hindus in Pakistan under severe repression upon Hindu minorities there.
Pakistan HindusNow, Pakistan has become a home to 22,10,566 people from the minority Hindu community, comprising only 1.18 per cent of the country’s total registered population of 18,68,90,601, according to a report by the Centre for Peace and Justice Pakistan.
The report, based on data collected from National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), says that minorities constituted less than five per cent of the total population of Pakistan, with Hindus being the largest minority community.
According to NADRA data till March, the total number of registered people stood at 18,68,90,601 of whom 18,25,92,000 are Muslims.
The report that collected data on the basis of minorities that have obtained Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) from NADRA confirmed 17 identities of different faiths and religions, including 1,400 atheists.
The registered Hindus figure 22,10,566, followed by Christians 18,73,348, Ahmedis 1,88,340, Sikhs 74,130, Bhais 14,537, and as many as 3,917 Parsis, said the report, based on three national population censuses held in Pakistan.
There are 11 other minorities in Pakistan, accounting less than 2,000, who have been issued CNICs by the NADRA.
The Buddhists are 1,787, Chinese 1,151, Shintoism followers are 628, Jews 628, African religions followers are 1,418, Kelasha religion followers 1,522, and about six followers of Jainism.
From Ahmadis to Christians to Hindus, minorities in Pakistan face consistent harassment, with less than two per cent Hindus — 95 per cent of them living in the southern province of Sindh.
Minorities, including Hindu population, in Pakistan are poor and have negligible representation in the legislative system of the country.
The majority of Pakistan’s Hindu population is settled in Sindh province where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents. They often complain of harassment by extremists.
The clear downfall in the numbers of Hindus and other religious minorities in Pakistan obviously shows the perpetrating nature of Pakistan to eliminate non-Muslims from the soil of that Islamic country. Religious persecution, paramount poverty, forced conversion, targeted Hindu killings, absolute discrimination and gross violation of Human Rights…. are the declining causes of marginal Hindus in Pakistan.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Sydney Climate Protests: Activists Block Streets and Harbour Tunnel
Climate protesters have brought parts of Sydney to a standstill, blocking key roads and a tunnel during rush hour.
The Blockade Australia activists began disruptions on Monday in protest of “Australia’s ecological destruction”.
Police said the protesters were “violent” and “erratic” while marching through the city and blocking streets with barricades and bins.
Their actions angered some motorists, with one filmed driving through the protest and colliding with people.
New South Wales Police said more than 10 people had been arrested so far.
They included a woman who used a car to block the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.
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Immigration into the European Union has almost doubled this year compared to 2021, with the number of asylum applications across the bloc totaling 339,984 as of June 14 — 92 percent more than in the same period last year, according to figures published by the EU asylum agency, EUAA.
Despite the Ukraine war, which began in February this year and triggered a wave of refugees, only a fraction of the asylum seekers — 22,700 or 6.7 percent — are from Eastern European countries. A special rule enables Ukrainians to be recognized directly and temporarily as refugees from the war without an asylum procedure.
Most asylum seekers arrived from Islamic countries — 42,900 Afghans and 34,900 Syrians sought asylum in the EU in the first five and a half months of this year. According to the EUAA, many swiftly head to Germany. The 22,900 Venezuelans, on the other hand, mostly wanted to go to Spain.
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A 23-year-old Somali migrant has been accused of stealing a van on Wednesday morning in Nice, near the Promenade des Anglais, and hitting a 76-year-old man, who remains in the hospital with his life hanging in the balance.
The suspect, Anouar Omar Said, remains in custody after he hit his victim at high speed, leaving his leg torn to the point that it needed to be amputated. The incident took place around 8 a.m. at Quai des États-Unis, a point on the Promenade des Anglais, which runs along the seafront.
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Mass Stabbing at German Asylum Center
One person was killed and at least five others injured when a resident at an asylum center in Germany went on a stabbing rampage on Sunday, according to reports.
The disturbing incident unfolded at around 10 p.m. last night in Kressbronn, a commune on Lake Constance in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.
A man staying at an accommodation center for migrants “knocked on several rooms and then stabbed those present indiscriminately,” police explained in a press release.
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Nearly 100 migrants have crossed the English Channel by small boat today — after last week saw the total number of arrivals so far this year exceed 12,000.
Despite windy conditions, around 90 people were escorted into in Dover, Kent on board Border Force catamaran Typhoon shortly before 9am.
Several migrants raised two fingers in a ‘V for victory’ sign as the vessel approached the shore, while another waved at onlookers.
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A Man Cannot Just Call Himself a Woman, Says Leader of Poland’s Ruling Conservative Party
Poland must defend the model of the traditional family as being composed of a man, a woman, and children against the ongoing cultural revolution, said Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, during a keynote speech at a party rally in Grudziadz, northern Poland.
Kaczynski told party members that the defense of family values does not mean discriminating against anybody as “we have never discriminated against anyone; that is not a Polish tradition,” but he added “that does not mean we have to agree to everything either.”
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Abortion Protests in Portland Turn Violent, Businesses Vandalized
A group of black-clad marchers turned violent Saturday night in Portland, Ore., smashing windows and scrawling graffiti on downtown businesses as protests continued to rage across the nation against the US Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
Several banks and coffee shops had their windows broken, a van belonging to Portland Public Schools was spray-painted, and a pregnancy resource center was vandalized, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement Sunday.
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Arizona Lawmaker Says She Armed Herself With Scissors During Riot by Abortion Protesters
An Arizona state lawmaker is calling for an investigation after a pro-choice riot broke out outside the State Senate building, forcing lawmakers to take refuge in the basement.
Arizona State Senator Michelle Ugenti-Rita joined “Fox & Friends First” to describe the traumatizing incident, which she, alongside others in her caucus, are calling an attempted “insurrection.”
“They were screaming there, they weren’t stopping, they had to be stopped,” Ugenti-Rita told co-host Carley Shimkus. “And the sad part is when you exercise your displeasure, your despair, your dissatisfaction in that way, your message is lost, and we keep seeing more and more events where people think they can vandalize property, they can intimidate and scare you and hurt you.”
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Protests turned violent in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday and police officers were forced to deploy tear gas on a mob of individuals rioting outside the state’s Senate building in response to the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion landmark ruling Roe v. Wade.
The riot escalated into a “hostage situation” as lawmakers were trapped inside the building after being told by authorities not to exit for their own safety, Republican Senator Kelly Townsend said, who referred to the protest as an “attempted insurrection.”
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BBC Hired Pronoun Consultants Who Told Staff There Were 150 Different Genders
License fee-funded state broadcaster the BBC hired “trans and nonbinary inclusion” consultants to train its staff that there were at least 150 different genders.
Yes really.
The Global Butterflies consultants were hired to provide diversity training revolving around the proper use of pronouns.
During the brainwashing sessions, staff were told, “people can self-identify themselves in over 150 ways, and increasing!”
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Czechs Can Now Consent to Sex With New App
There are thousands of victims of sexual aggression in the Czech Republic every year, but unfortunately, false accusations do occur from time to time. Now, the new XPASS mobile application seeks to reduce the number of sexually-motivated crimes and bring awareness to the area of sexual and legal protection. According to its creators, the app should serve, among other things, to confirm that people will engage in sexual acts voluntarily.
In practice, this should work very simply. The creators anticipate that both partners will have the XPASS application installed before the actual contact, in which they will enter their consent. It includes such details as which sexual practices are allowed and which are not. In the event of a dispute, the app is supposed to clear up any misunderstandings or accusations.
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Germany: Deutsche Bahn Sentenced for Gender ‘Mistake’
In future, Deutsche Bahn (DB) will no longer be allowed to address its customers as “Mr” and “Mrs”, but must henceforth offer a “gender-neutral” address when booking tickets on the internet. The Frankfurt Higher Regional Court has ordered the railway to do so. The complaint was filed by a person who does not classify himself as either female or male.
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Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong Says He’s Renouncing His US Citizenship: ‘F*** America’
Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong said he is going to renounce his U.S. citizenship and move to England because he is so upset over the Supreme Court overturning landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade.
The “American Idiot” singer made the comments to a crowd at the band’s show in London on Friday. “F*** America, I’m f***ing renouncing my citizenship,” Armstrong said. “I’m f***ing coming here.”
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Portland Antifa ‘Mistakenly’ Attack Pro-Abortion Pregnancy Center During Night of Rage
During the second consecutive night of riots in Portland, Oregon following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Antifa militants mistakenly targeted a pro-abortion pregnancy facility in what is being described as a “violent attack.”
Maura White, the Executive Director of the Mother and Child Education Center, told Fox and Friends that protesters attacked her center on Saturday after they mistakenly believed that they were anti-abortion. White explained that she is a pro-choice liberal democrat.
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Pro-abortion activists thought the ultimate own of Christian conservatives would be to call for abstinence.
Whoops.
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Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Washington Football Coach Who Prayed on Field
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Washington state football coach who sought to kneel and pray on the field after games — a decision he called “great news for the entire nation.”
The court ruled 6-3 along ideological lines that former high school football coach Joe Kennedy’s prayer was protected under the First Amendment.
“The Constitution and the best of our traditions counsel mutual respect and tolerance, not censorship and suppression, for religious and nonreligious views alike,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opin
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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland stated that organizations that provide “dishonest counselling” to expectant mothers will be “ineligible” for charity status.
Her comments came in response to a petition from a group of Canadians concerned that the Trudeau government would be cracking down on pro-life pregnancy centers.
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Turkey: Dozens Arrested at Planned Pride March Banned by Authorities in Istanbul
Dozens of LGBT activists have been arrested ahead of a planned demonstration in Istanbul to celebrate Pride, an event held in many Western nations and which has been banned by Turkish authorities in previous years under the guise of security concerns.
Despite the banning of Sunday’s unofficial pride march, hundreds of supporters with rainbow flags gathered around the planned start, prompting police to intervene before the demonstration had even begun, according to the AFP news outlet.
Dozens of people, including a news station photographer, ended up in custody as police in full gear raided several bars around the central Taksim Square in Istanbul.
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Video: Abortion Laws Worldwide Are More Restrictive Than in the U.S.
In the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade, Joe Biden described the U.S. as “an outlier among developed nations in the world” as far as abortion laws are concerned, a term that was echoed by globalist talking heads and confirmed to by true by so called ‘fact checkers’.
It’s not though.
Fox News anchors Pete Hegseth and Will Cain presented a segment Sunday that outlined how much of the ‘developed’ world actually has more restrictive laws on abortions than America.
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Videos: Democrats Saying They Support Abortions Without ANY Limits
While the over turning of Row vs Wade by the Supreme Court actually brings the U.S. into line with much of the rest of the world on abortion laws, many Democrats are adamant that America should not have ANY limits on abortions.
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‘Women Cannot be Born With a Penis’ — Boris Slammed by LGBT Charity for Defending Women’s Rights
Boris Johnson has been accused of deflection by a leading LGBT charity after he claimed a woman cannot be born with a penis in response to a question by journalists on the restriction of eligibility criteria for trans women in women’s sports.
During his recent visit to Rwanda, the U.K. prime minister was asked to comment on the decision taken by FINA, swimming’s international federation, to ban transgender athletes who have gone through male puberty from competing in women’s events.
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“Czechia is experiencing a drought that affects nearly the entire country, but experts say it is not necessarily due to a lack of rainfall. Instead, they say that the unusually warm winter means there was little snow to melt in the country.” That’s an unlikely cause. In early spring, all of our mountain ranges were over saturated with water. The problem isn’t the lack of snow or rain. The problem is that all of that water quickly runs off through straight riverbeds and over chemical-doused fields that have no capacity of holding water, instead of slowly meandering through the countryside, seeping into healthy fields.