Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking of underage girls. There’s no word on whether she might be able to get her sentence reduced by committing suicide.
In other news, The French government has decided to restart an idled coal plant after heads of three power companies warned about severe shortages due to the Russo-Ukrainian war.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, MM, 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.
One Year After Biden Touted Saving Americans 16 Cents, July 4th Cookouts Cost $10 More
After the Biden White House touted last year that Americans would save $0.16 on their 4th of July cookout, U.S. consumers can expect to pay $10 more in 2022.
After the Biden White House touted last year that Americans would save $0.16 on their 4th of July cookout, U.S. consumers can expect to pay $10 more in 2022.
A summer cookout for ten people costs nearly $70 on average, or slightly less than $7 per person, the American Farm Bureau Federation observed on Monday.
The Biden administration earned ridicule last year after boasting about saving Americans $0.16 on their July 4th cookouts while prices rose across the country. Costs have only continued to increase since then.
An average cookout will now cost 17% more than last year. The most recent consumer price index shows that prices rose 8.6% in May from 12 months ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Buying Farmland: Bill Gates is ‘Not Welcome’ In North Dakota
The billionaire is considered the largest owner of farmland in the United States. This puts him in a “unique position to harm conventional agriculture,” according to a Spanish newspaper. Resistance is therefore growing in North Dakota.
“Farmer Bill is now the largest private owner of agricultural land in the USA,” the British Daily Mail headlined its article on Gates’ expansion into agriculture in January 2021. The 65-year-old tech billionaire owns 242 000 hectares of agricultural land in 18 states.
The largest lands are in Louisiana, Arkansas, Arizona and Nebraska. In total, Gates owns 268 984 hectares of land of all kinds, including in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, which he wants to transform into a “smart city”, according to Spanish daily Vision Times.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Leaks Personal Information of Legal Gun Owners
A new dashboard from the California Attorney General’s office has leaked the personal information of thousands of the state’s gun owners.
The California Department of Justice launched its 2022 Firearms Dashboard Portal on Monday. The portal featured data on the state’s gun purchases as well as concealed carry license holders.
Users quickly learned that publicly-accessible files — including identifying information of concealed carry permit owners — could be downloaded from the graphics, as The Reload reports. As of Tuesday afternoon, the dashboard appears to have been pulled from the website.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Bill 2273 Would Require Websites and Apps to Verify Visitors’ ID
California’s bill CA AB 2273, designed to enact the Age-Appropriate Design Code (AADC) is just one among the bills raising concerns in terms of how they might negatively affect the web going forward.
Like their counterparts in the EU, legislators in California, according to their critics, present online child safety as their only goal — and a stated desire to improve this is hard to argue with, even when arguments are valid — such as that the proposed bills may in fact do nothing to better protect children, while eroding the rights of every internet user.
Among other things, AB 2273 aims to require sites and apps to authenticate the age of all their users before allowing access. Attempts to introduce mandatory age authentication have also cropped up in other jurisdictions before, but have proven controversial, technically difficult to implement, with a high potential to compromise user data collected in this way, and intrusive to people’s privacy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Defund Boomerang: New Missouri Law Gives Kansas City Police 25% of City’s Budget
A new law requires the Kansas City board of police to receive 25% of Kansas City’s general revenue fund, an increase from the previous amount of 20%.
Senate Bill 678, sponsored by Tony Luetkemeyer, R-Parkville, was signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Monday during a visit to Kansas City Police headquarters.
Throughout the 2022 legislative session, Republicans stated Kansas City was part of the national “defund the police” movement. In 2021, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and the city council attempted to transfer $42.3 million of the police department’s $239 million budget to community services and other public engagement initiatives.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump Makes Series of Scathing Truth Social Posts Denying Jan. 6 Committee Claims
Former President Donald Trump made a series of scathing posts on his platform Truth Social to refute Democrats’ Jan. 6 claims live while the House committee investigating the Capitol riot held a hearing on Tuesday.
“I hardly know who this person, Cassidy Hutchinson, is, other than I heard very negative things about her (a total phony and ‘leaker’),” Trump wrote, beginning his series of statements about the Jan. 6 hearing by attacking witness Hutchinson, who served as a senior aide to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Raids Home of Retired Texas Couple Who Attended Jan. 6 Capitol Rally
Authored by Darlene McCormick Sanchez via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
A retired Texas couple said FBI agents busted through the gate of their rural home, threw flashbangs, handcuffed them, and trained lasers on them before searching their home for evidence connected to the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol.
Lora DeWolfe and Darrel Kennemer, who live on seven acres near San Marcos, Texas, told The Epoch Times they attended the Jan. 6 rally at the Capitol but did nothing wrong. They believe the FBI mistakenly identified Kennemer as someone else.
The FBI didn’t arrest them, they said. Agents eventually produced a search warrant saying Kennemer was suspected of “assaulting, resisting or impeding” officers and “entering restricted building or grounds.”
Both said they went no further than the Capitol steps on Jan. 6 and did not harm anyone or damage anything. They said the allegation of assault was false, and the FBI kept showing Kennemer a blurry photo of a man who looked similar but wasn’t Kennemer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking
A judge on Monday sentenced Ghislaine Maxwell to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking and other charges in connection with her recruiting and grooming minors for the pleasure of then-boyfriend financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Judge Alison J. Nathan also imposed a $750,000 fine on the British socialite.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Hit by Car While Crossing Street Run Over Two More Times, California Police Say
A 38-year-old man pushing his belongings across a Fullerton street died after he was hit by three vehicles within minutes early Monday, June 27, California police said.
None of the drivers stopped to assist the man after the 1:30 a.m. incident, a Fullerton Police Department news release said.
The man was pushing a cart with his belongings across Harbor Boulevard against a red light in a crosswalk, police said.
A white Dodge Charger struck the man, knocking him down, police said. Seconds later, a black Jeep Wrangler hit the man lying in the street, followed minutes later by a white Honda Civic.
All three drivers continued southbound on Harbor Boulevard, police said.
Officers responding to reports of the accident found the man, surrounded by his scattered belongings, in the street, police said. He died a short time later at a hospital.
The man was later identified as Kenneth Edward Wassennar II, KTLA reported. A friend told the station he was a good man with many friends. The incident was captured on surveillance video, the station said.
Police ask that anyone with information or video call 714-738-6812 or email jfeaster@fullertonpd.org.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
The Amtrak derailment has killed four people and injured many more as of Tuesday after it struck a dump truck near Mendon, Missouri, officials said
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are focusing their attention on the crossing where an Amtrak train in Missouri struck a dump truck before the locomotive flipped onto its side, killing four people and injuring many more.
In the coming days, they will download information on the speed of the train, when the engineer blew the horn, the brakes and camera footage, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters Tuesday.
“I do not have concerns about mechanical failure about the train,” she said. “We do not have concerns about (the) track. Our concerns are very focused on this grade crossing.”
The derailment occurred just before 12:45 p.m. near Mendon on an Amtrak Southwest Chief traveling to Chicago from Los Angeles. A dump truck was transporting material to a nearby Army Corps of Engineers project and was struck in the back by the train, which comprised two locomotives, six coach cars and separate cars for a café and baggage.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Revived by Appeals Court, Lawsuit Against FBI Informant Illuminates Russia Probe’s Weakness
A federal appeals court has breathed new life into a lawsuit brought by a London-based academic against one of the FBI’s confidential informants during the Russia collusion probe, litigation that is likely to focus new attention on the quality of evidence that led the bureau to investigate former President Donald Trump and his cohorts during the 2016 election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RSBN Partners With Rumble to Exclusively Livestream Trump Rallies
Independent news network Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN), which has become a go-to destination for live streams of former President Donald Trump’s rallies, will be bringing exclusive featured coverage of these rallies to neutral video sharing platform Rumble.
The live streaming agreement is part of an exclusive partnership where RSBN will stream featured portions of its live political coverage on Rumble until the end of 2022. RSBN will begin coverage of live events on other platforms and then switch to exclusive streaming on Rumble for the featured or main portion of the event.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rudy Giuliani Assaulted Inside Supermarket While Campaigning for Son
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was assaulted Sunday inside of a Staten Island ShopRite while he campaigned for his son’s gubernatorial bid.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms in Charge of Security During Jan 6 Riot Dead at 71
Michael Stenger, the Senate sergeant-at-arms responsible for securing the upper chamber of Congress during the January 6, 2021 riot, has died at the age of 71.
There has not yet been an official cause of death released to the public.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Military Facing Increasing Recruitment Struggles
The US military is facing what some have called the “most challenging recruiting year ever,” as every branch struggles to bring in new members.
Officials have blamed lack of ability and desire among American youth for the shortage in applicants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
3 Dead, Including Suspect, After Woman and 2 Daughters Stabbed in South Ottawa
Suspect, stabbing victim shot by police when assailant refused to drop knife, police watchdog says
Three people are dead, including the suspect, after a man stabbed a woman and her two daughters before being shot by police in a hail of gunfire that also struck one of the victims.
Ontario’s police watchdog said Ottawa police received a 911 call from a home on Anoka Street near Grasmere Crescent, just south of Heron Road, to report that someone had stabbed someone else.
It was about 10:30 p.m. ET.
“Screaming could be heard” during the 911 call, Special Investigations Unit (SIU) spokesperson Monica Hudon said Tuesday. The independent agency investigates deaths involving police, as well as serious injuries, allegations of sexual assault and incidents in which police fire weapons at people.
Ottawa police officers arrived at the house on Anoka and saw a man stabbing a woman in the road near the house, Hudon said.
Suspect, stabbing victim shot by police, SIU says
When the suspect did not drop his knife, three of the responding officers fired their weapons and killed him, Hudon said.
The woman he had been stabbing was also shot and was taken to hospital for treatment, she added…
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Additional Security Measures in Place Ahead of Canada Day Freedom Events
Security efforts have been beefed up in front of the Supreme Court of Canada and Parliament Hill ahead of freedom events planned for Canada Day.
Freedom organizers had planned events to welcome Canadian Armed Forces Veteran James Topp and in celebration of Canada Day, including a family picnic and music concert in front of the Supreme Court and a dance party on Parliament Hill.
Some attendees were also planning on camping outside of Parliament Hill.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Two Suspects Dead, Six Officers Shot in BC Bank Robbery
Two suspects are dead, and six officers were shot and wounded during a shootout at bank robbery in Saanich, British Columbia on Tuesday morning.
Law enforcement authorities have issued a shelter-in-place order as they attempt to locate a possible third suspect, according to CP 24.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Renters Don’t Believe They Will Ever Own a Home in Their Own Country: Survey
Nearly half of all Canadians who rent say they will continue to do so indefinitely, and do not know if they will ever be able to enter the housing market, a new survey shows.
According to the survey by insurance firm Canada Life, renters said that they lacked the cash to buy, and said that there was fear and uncertainty at play. Almost three-quarters of respondents said that it was a bad time to buy a house, and 17 percent said that they believe they will never own a home.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bomb Threats Hit Austria After Islam Terror Trial Begins
On Monday, a number of bomb threats were delivered to courts in Vienna, Graz and St. Pölten as well as the Austrian Jewish community and schools in the capital, the Austrian interior ministry said. According to law enforcement, the bomb threats are believed to be related to ongoing criminal proceedings and police measures against Islamists.
In addition to overt antisemitism, the bomb threats also mention the conflict in Ukraine, the ministry said.
“We will avenge them for their help to Ukraine and for killing our brothers from Chechnya,” quoted the Austrian news agency APA from the messages.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Royal Family Demands YouTube Remove Video
The British Royal Family is battling it out with YouTube over a video where Prince William confronts a photographer. The Royals want YouTube to censor the video.
A video was made of William confronting a photographer who he felt invaded their privacy.
Since then, over 20,000 people have viewed this video that the 40-year-old Duke considers an invasion of his privacy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechs Earn Higher Wages Than Poles, Hungarian and Slovaks
The average monthly wage in Czechia is the highest among the Visegrad Group countries and has enjoyed year-over-year growth of 12 percent, according to the annual study by Mazars.
The consulting company compares the tax systems of 22 countries across Central and Eastern Europe to ascertain the current level and annual growth of wages on the continent.
The average wage in Czechia is €1,533, topping Hungary at €1,369, Poland at €1,301 and Slovakia at €1,185, respectively.
Germany has retained the highest average wage in Central and Eastern Europe at €4,130, with Austria following closely behind at €3,818.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France Moves Back Toward Public Mask-Wearing as COVID Cases Continue Two-Week Rise
Authorities in France this week indicated the country may be moving back toward widespread public mask usage, with the nation’s top health official asking citizens to begin wearing face coverings on public transport as COVID cases continue to rise.
Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon said she was “ask[ing] the French people to put the mask on in public transport,” calling it a “civic duty.”
“I’m not merely advising it, I’m asking for it,” noting that she was “not saying it should be mandatory.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Energy Crisis: Government to Restart Coal Plant After Power Company Tsars’ Warning
After a warning from the head of three power companies, France’s government has announced that it will restart a coal-fired plant this winter.
A coal-fueled power plant in the north-east of France is due to be restarted by the country’s government this winter in order to better combat energy insecurity resulting in part due to ongoing hostilities with Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gas Shock in Slovakia: Largest Gas Company Will Increase Prices for Households by 76%
For households in Slovakia, natural gas prices will increase by a total of 76 percent over the next four years if they enter a long-term contract with the state gasworks SPP, the largest gas supplier in the country.
The highest price hike, by about a third, will occur in 2023, Slovakia’s Economy Minister Richard Sulik said on Monday, adding that the state supports the installation of alternative energy sources, but the limited number of equipment suppliers and installation companies is slowing down the use of subsidies.
“SPP will not earn anything from it; SPP will operate at a loss for the first two years,” said Sulik.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Saxony’s Police Drive Electric Cars — But There Are No Charging Stations
In the future, Saxony’s police officers could use e-cars to hunt criminals. For this purpose, two electric patrol cars from VW will be tested in Dresden for a year. There’s just one catch.
According to the news portal tag24, state police chief Jörg Kubiessa was very open to this. “I’m really excited about the result.”
But his enthusiasm has been short-lived: Law enforcement charging stations aren’t strong enough. The test drivers have to use public charging stations. According to the manufacturer, the process takes 35 to 45 minutes for a quick charging station.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary is Having a ‘Jewish Renaissance’, Deputy PM Says
Hungary has witnessed a Jewish renaissance, and Jewish life is flourishing in Hungary, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén said on Monday at the board of directors meeting of the World Jewish Congress in Budapest.
In his opening address, Semjén emphasized that the Hungarian government had provided €100 million in support of Jewish denominations since 2010. The government has declared zero tolerance for antisemitism and is acting against the double standards that often plague Israel, he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Adding to a chorus of dramatic forecasts for the coming winter, Germany’s association of municipal companies (VKU) is warning that Germany will experience drastic energy price hikes that will drastically increase bankrupt enterprises.
“If there is no more gas coming from Russia for a short time, we will have a real problem in winter. It will be worse than the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Managing Director Ingbert Liebing.
If the gas stops, companies will be forced to shut down in whole or part, and the economy will go into another lockdown. According to Liebing, Germans will have a real problem in winter without Russia’s raw materials. He said that while the bankruptcy rate has remained low up until now, that number is expected to steadily increase.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NATO Must Accept Sweden and Finland’s NATO Bids, Poland Says
Poland expects NATO to be proactive in defending the alliance’s eastern flank by defining Russia as an aggressor and accepting Sweden and Finland’s membership applications, Pawel Soloch, national security advisor to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, told journalists ahead of the Madrid NATO summit.
Poland will demand an increase in the presence of NATO forces on the eastern flank through replacing the enhanced Forward Presence with enhanced Forward Defense and by upgrading battalions to the level of brigades.
Duda held a meeting with members of the government and the military in order to gather views ahead of the NATO summit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No Danish Homes Will be Heated by Gas From 2035, Country’s Parliament Pledges
A broad majority in the the Danish parliament (all parties except the New Right) has agreed that all gas in Denmark must be green by 2030, and that starting from 2035 no homes will be heated with gas.
Earlier this month, the Danish Energy Agency issued an early warning due to uncertainty about the Nordic country’s gas supplies, calling on fellow Danes to save energy. Today, wholly 800,000 Danes live in homes powered by gas, which has cast doubt over the feasibility of the government’s plans to go fully green in a matter of years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Revealed: UK Govt Decided Not to Deport Pakistani Grooming Gang Kingpin Four Years Ago
The British government has been revealed to have decided four years ago to not deport the ringleader of a child rape grooming gang in Rochdale from the UK after he renounced his citizenship in his native Pakistan.
During a deportation tribunal for his fellow child rapists, Abdul Aziz, 51, was revealed to have successfully secured his status in the UK four years ago despite previously losing an appeal against the government stripping of his UK citizenship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon Sets Date for Second Independence Referendum While Taking Swipe at Tories
Nicola Sturgeon opened her highly anticipated independence referendum statement by stressing the importance of the democratic rights of people of Scotland.
The SNP leader maintained her strong stance for a second vote for Scotland, emphasising her determination to leave the UK.
She addressed the chamber saying: “Last May, the people of Scotland said yes to an independence referendum by electing a clear majority of MSPs committed to that outcome.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Supports Finland and Sweden NATO Bid
Nato member Turkey has agreed to support Sweden and Finland’s membership of the alliance.
It had initially opposed the Scandinavian countries’ bids to join.
Turkey was angered by what it saw as their willingness to host Kurdish militants. Sweden and Finland could not join Nato without Turkey’s support.
Russia strongly opposes the two states joining and has used the expansion of the West’s defensive military alliance as a pretext for its war in Ukraine.
But a breakthrough was reached at the ongoing Nato summit in Madrid.
Foreign ministers from the three countries signed a joint security pact that addressed Turkey’s concerns.,,
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Turkey Lifts Its Objections to Sweden, Finland Joining NATO
Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO, ending an impasse that had clouded a leaders’ summit opening in Madrid amid Europe’s worst security crisis in decades, triggered by the war in Ukraine.
After urgent top-level talks with leaders of the three countries, alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “we now have an agreement that paves the way for Finland and Sweden to join NATO.” He called it “a historic decision.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The United Kingdom and its allies are facing a “1937 moment” in light of Russia’s most recent invasion of Ukraine, and therefore must “mobilise” its armed forces to “meet today’s threat and thereby prevent war in Europe,” the head of the British Army said on Tuesday.
Speaking before an annual army conference in London, General Sir Patrick Sanders, who became the head of the Chief of the General Staff earlier this month, warned that while the UK is not officially at war with Russia it must “act rapidly so that we aren’t drawn into one through a failure to contain territorial expansion.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Police Now Investigating Playground Insults
Police in the UK say they no longer have the resources to investigate burglaries.
But you know what they do have time to investigate? Playground insults.
No, this isn’t the Babylon Bee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Wild Brawl on French Street
Multiple men were involved in a vicious brawl on a busy street in France over the weekend, according to reports.
The shocking incident unfolded on Friday in the culturally-enriched city of Lyon.
Video footage shared on social media reportedly shows a man armed with a tire iron smashing the windows of a car stopped in the middle of rue Sébastien-Gryphe in the 7th arrondissement of the city.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chlorine Gas Leak Kills at Least 12, Injures 251 at Jordan Port
The leak came after a tank filled with chlorine gas being exported to Djibouti fell while being transported, officials said.
At least 12 people died and 251 were injured in a chlorine gas leak from a storage tank at Jordan’s Aqaba port, officials and state media reported on Monday.
A video posted on state television’s Twitter page showed a storage tank falling from a winch and slamming into the deck of a ship, followed by yellow-coloured gas rising into the air as people ran away.
Health ministry officials said they expected only a handful of people to remain hospitalised by Tuesday.
Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and water purification agent, but if inhaled, the gas turns to hydrochloric acid, which can lead to internal burning and drowning through a reactionary release of water in the lungs…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Report: More Than 306,000 Civilians Die in Syrian Civil War Since 2011
June 28 (UPI) — More than 306,000 civilians have died in Syria since the start of the country’s civil war from 2011 to last year, the United Nations Human Rights Office said in a report released Tuesday.
The report, which was commissioned by the office to estimate the civilian deaths in the long-running conflict, said 143,350 civilian deaths have been individually documented by various sources with detailed information, including at least their full name, date and location of death.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Destroyed Russian Tanks on Display in Warsaw
People can now visit an exhibition in the center of the Polish capital of Warsaw where Russian tanks destroyed on the battlefields of northern Ukraine are on display, with the exhibit seen as a goodwill gesture from Ukraine.
“This exhibition proves that Russians can be defeated,” Michal Dworczyk, the head of the chancellery of the prime minister of Poland, told reporters. He stressed that if not for Kyiv’s resistance, the tanks that are now on display would instead very likely be on the Polish border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nudes for Ukraine: ‘OnlyFans’-Style Site Raises $700,000 in Three Months to Bolster War Effort
TerOnlyFans, a website wherein members send nude photos to earn cash to aid the war effort in Ukraine, has raised over $700,000 in three months.
The site was modeled after OnlyFans, the “Ter” added to represent the site’s goal of assisting in the “territorial defense” of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia-Ukraine War: What Happened Today (June 28)
As Tuesday draws to a close in Kyiv and in Moscow, here are the key developments of the day:
The death toll climbed to at least 20 after Monday’s missile attack on a crowded mall in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk, which leaders at a Group of Seven meeting called a “war crime.” On Tuesday, emergency responders ended a rescue search for survivors. Russia’s government denied hitting the shopping center, claiming it caught fire after Russia struck a nearby weapons depot. But Ukraine’s president said it was a “calculated” strike against the mall.
As NATO’s Madrid summit got underway, Turkey agreed to support Finland and Sweden in joining the alliance. The foreign ministers of Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding “that addresses Turkey’s concerns, including around arms exports and the fight against terrorism,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters. A formal decision to invite Finland and Sweden to join is expected Wednesday, to be followed by NATO’s ratification process.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations Security Council that Russia is acting like a “terrorist” state, going on a “killing spree” across Ukraine. Speaking via video, he read out names of Ukrainian victims of recent Russian attacks, saying the country has struck schools, a shopping mall and many other civilian targets. He said Russia has no right to remain in the powerful U.N. body.
The U.S. imposed new sanctions to punish Russia for its war in Ukraine. The sanctions include restrictions on 70 Russian defense-related businesses, including Rostec, a state-owned corporation “considered to be the cornerstone of Russia’s defense, industrial, technology, and manufacturing sectors,” the State Department said. The U.S., along with G-7 countries, is also banning the import of Russian gold.
Prominent Russian opposition politician Ilya Yashin was detained in Moscow and sentenced to 15 days in prison on charges of disobeying police orders. As many Russian opposition leaders have fled the country, Yashin stayed and openly opposed the war in Ukraine. His circumstances now parallel the April arrest of a vocal Kremlin critic, Vladimir Kara-Murza, whose 15-day detention has been extended for months.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Fines Threema App for Not Collecting User Data
A court in Moscow fined Switzerland based messenger service Threema for refusing to comply with the Russian “anti-terror” law.
Threema competes with Telegram and Signal.
Threema was found guilty of non-compliance with rules under the anti-terror law. The law requires tech companies to store data, such as calls, messages, emails, photos, and videos, on their servers for at least six months, and allow the government access to that data if requested.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Could Wipe Nearly €200 Billion Off German Economy by Cutting Off Gas Supply — Report
Germany is in danger of seeing its economy lose nearly €200 billion should the Kremlin decide to end its supply of Russian gas.
A study published on Tuesday has found the German economy risks major damage should Russia end the energy exports to the country it has become dependent upon, with a possible near-€200 billion wiped off of its economy within six months should Moscow turn off the tap.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Islamists who had brutally beheaded a tailor in Udaipur for posting a social media message in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma have been arrested. The brutal killers were arrested from the neighbouring district of Rajsamand.
Earlier on Tuesday, 28th of June, the two Muslim men in Rajasthan’s Udaipur murdered a Hindu man, Kanhaiyya Lal, on over his post in support of ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. In the videos that have emerged, the two men entered the tailor’s shop as customers and grabbed to behead him with a knife.
In the horrific crime that has emerged following the Nupur Sharma controversy, it has been learnt that the incident took place near the Bhoot Mahal on Maldas Street in Udaipur. The victim who is a tailor and proprietor of Supreme tailors was killed in broad daylight amidst the hustle-bustle on the adjoining road. The Udaipur Police rushed to the scene after the enraged merchants in the surrounding area complained of the inhumane incident.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Deletes Accounts Protesting India Farming Laws
Twitter suspended the accounts of Kisan Ekta Morcha, a farmers’ collective that led the farmers’ protests against the now-retracted farm laws.
The farmers’ collective ran two accounts, Kisan Ekta Morcha, which had 500,000 followers, and Tractor2twitr, which had 55,000 followers. During the protests, the farmers’ collective used both accounts to spread information and awareness.
The suspension of the accounts means that all information about the protests that was posted is no longer available.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China Suggests it Could Maintain ‘Zero COVID’ Policy for 5 Years
China has suggested it will maintain its controversial ‘zero COVID’ policy for at least 5 years, eschewing natural immunity and guaranteeing repeated rounds of new lockdowns.
“In the next five years, Beijing will unremittingly grasp the normalization of epidemic prevention and control,” said a story published by Beijing Daily.
The article quoted Cai Qi, the Communist Party of China’s secretary in Beijing and a former mayor of the city, who said that ‘zero COVID’ approach would remain in place for 5 years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
S. Korean Office Workers Hit Convenience Stores as ‘Lunch-Flation’ Bites
SEOUL, June 29 (Reuters) — Office worker Park Mi-won had never bought her lunch from a convenience store, until her favourite lunch buffet recently raised prices by more than 10% to 9,000 won ($7) as South Korean inflation soared to a 14-year high.
“After the price rise, I went to convenience stores instead, where I thought the prices were reasonable while food also tasted good,” the 62-year-old said. “So now I go there two to three times a week.”
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Ecuador: Pedophile Destigmatization Activist Arrested for Allegedly Abusing Dozens of Children
Marthijn Uittenbogaard, a Dutch National who has advocated for the destigmatization of pedophilia, has been arrested in Ecuador for allegedly sexually abusing “dozens” of children within the South American country.
According to Reduxx, the 50-year-old man was arrested outside of the town of Canoa after a manhunt was launched to arrest him.
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At Least 46 Potential Victims of Human Trafficking Found Dead Inside 18-Wheeler in San Antonio
46 illegal immigrants were found dead in an abandoned 18-wheeler in San Antonio, Texas Monday night. Over a dozen were hospitalized after authorities located them.
According to Fox News, the tractor-trailer, with up to 100 migrants inside, was located at the 9600 block of Quintana Road, and is believed to be part of a human smuggling operation.
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After rival migrant clans brawled in the German city of Essen, even larger clan groups gathered less than 24 hours later at the same location to fight, resulting in a stabbing that left one man seriously injured. Police officials say the tensions between rival migrant gangs are the main motive behind the clashes, but fears for a more widespread conflict are also growing.
The first mass brawl happened on Saturday and involved approximately 30 people in Essen’s Altendorf district. Police say that during this first incident, a number of arrests were made, but no one was seriously injured and there were no weapons involved. However, over 100 individuals belonging to rival clans then gathered at the same place the next day on Sunday, and this time they were armed with knives and sticks; they also utilized furniture and even plates as weapons during this second melee.
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Spain Blames ‘Mafias That Traffic in Human Beings’ For Death of Migrants Who Stormed Border
Spain has blamed people-trafficking “mafias” for the deaths of an estimated 23 to 37-plus migrants during an attempt to break through border fences.
Melilla, one of two exclaves of Spain lying across from its European mainland on the coast of North Africa, saw around 2,000 migrants attempt to storm its border from Morocco, with 23 deaths officially confirmed as of the time of publication and charities claiming much higher estimates.
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UK: Big Updates About Village of 700 Residents Set to Host 1500 Migrants
Big updates about the plan to house 1500 migrants in a village of just 700 residents.
The government is once again misleading the people who live there.
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[…]as figures reveal 12,312 people have reached the UK in small boats so far this year with 153 making the treacherous crossing yesterday
More people have risked choppy seas in the English Channel to reach the UK by small boats today despite new laws threating to jail migrant captains for life coming into force.
One group of migrants on a black inflatable dingy was filmed this morning by a passenger on board a cross Channel ferry heading between Calais and Dover.
The passenger saw the boat struggling across the Channel at approximately 7.30am. The witness said: ‘It barely seemed to be moving against the speed we were going. Once you see it upfront with your own eyes it hits home just how treacherous it is.’
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“My Body, My Choice” Activists Malfunction When Asked About Vaccine Mandates
A video shows pro-abortion activists who embrace the concept of “my body, my choice” having brain malfunctions when asked about vaccine mandates.
The past few days have seen infinite instances of the same people who called those skeptical of mandatory vaccines every slur in the book suddenly do a 180 and claim the government has no right to have a say over their bodily autonomy.
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FIRST ON FOX: The Biden administration’s sweeping Title IX proposal, which would bring in gender identity, mirrors an action memo from a George Soros-funded advocacy group that quietly works with the administration on policy, according to a Fox News Digital review of documents.
The Title IX proposal, unveiled last Thursday, contains rules on anti-transgender bias in schools, reversing Trump-era guidance. Governing for Impact (GFI), a secretive liberal nonprofit whose board includes a high-level Soros director, prepared a legal memo for the Education Department that is similar in structure and reasoning.
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Child Performs in Drag for Adults at Nebraska Brewery ‘Pride Drag Brunch’
On Sunday, Site-1 Brewing in Omaha, Nebraska held a drag brunch event in honor of Pride Month, which featured amongst its adult guests a child drag performer.
Video of the child had been posted to the brewery’s Instagram story, showing a young child, dressed in a purple wig, rainbow dress, and cape, dancing in front of a crowd of adults.
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Marvel’s New Team of Trans Superheroes
No, I didn’t invent this. I swear.
More surprisingly, Daniel Kibblesmith had nothing to do with it, which I find kind of shocking. It’s just that good.
No artwork yet but I can’t wait to see it.
CBR so don’t click on it.
“The story introduces readers to four new trans characters, all of whom are equipped with their own unique set of skills. The group includes Pity Girl/Nora (she/her), who has the ability to hypnotize people with sad stories; Aphelion/Reed (they/them), who has freezing powers; Good Arson/Rex Ridley (he/him), who can ignite objects with his mind; and Faceshopper/Soph (she/her), who can shapeshift into items she deems “cool.”
Before long, the support group is interrupted when Spider-Man comes crashing through a wall followed by the Sinister Syndicate. The four heroes and D-Man quickly jump into action and apprehend the villains while Spider-Man takes a moment to recover and catch his breath.”
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Pop Singer Pink Mocked After Demanding Pro-Lifers Boycott Her Music: ‘I Accept Your Terms’
“She still makes music?”
Social media users eviscerated pop star Pink for demanding that pro-lifers boycott her music in response to the U.S. Supreme Court overruling Roe v. Wade on Friday. “I accept your terms,” one individual replied.
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Pro-Abortion Militants Target Pregnancy Centers Using Map Created by University Professors
As attacks on pregnancy and pro-life centers continue throughout the US, it has been revealed that many pro-abortion militant groups are finding the addresses of such centers through a map created by university professors.
According to Fox News, these groups, like local Antifa groups or members of the leaderless group Jane’s Revenge, have been using the “Crisis Pregnancy Center Map,” created by two professors at the University of Georgia, to set their targets.
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Reversing Roe v Wade Has Set Left’s Cultural Revolution Back Decades
The Supreme Court overturning Roe vs Wade has set the left’s “cultural revolution” back decades, according to Polish publicist and journalist Pawel Lisicki.
Abortion was sent back to the states after a ruling on Friday last week that prompted an outpouring of anger and outrage from pro-abortionists on the left.
However, Lisicki points out that the original outrage was actually an abuse of law that removed the right to life for an entire category of people.
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Searches for ‘How to Move to Canada From US’ Skyrocket After Roe Decision
Americans googled “how to move to Canada from U.S.” en masse on Friday following the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Google Trends data shows.
Data shows that “how to move to Canada from US” spiked 850 percent after the decision was announced, with “How to become a Canadian citizen” also increasing by 550 percent in the same time frame, Axios reports.
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South Carolina’s Fetal Heartbeat Act Goes Into Effect After Injunction Removed by Federal Court
South Carolina’s Fetal Heartbeat Act is now law after a court ended an injunction against the law, which became law in February 2021.
U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis removed the prior injunction after Planned Parenthood South Atlantic notified the court that it would withdraw its request for a preliminary injunction following Friday morning’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
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Spanish Judge Recognizes Gender Change on Birth Certificate of Eight-Year-Old
A Spanish judge has granted an eight-year-old child the ability to change the gender on their birth certificate, claiming the child was sufficiently mature to make the decision.
A judge for the civil registry in the Spanish city of Ourense granted the child, born female and wanting to be recognized as male, the ability to change their gender on their birth certificate and other government documents.
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UK School Refuses to Release Details of ‘Secret’ Lessons on White Privilege to Parents
A diverse and historic London state-funded school in London is refusing to release details of lessons on gender and far-left concepts like “white privilege” to parents.
Haberdashers’ Hatcham College, known as Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College until Robert Aske, the 1600s-era merchant and haberdasher who served as its benefactor, was deemed problematic for having once invested in a trading company with links to the slave trade, hosts some 1,400 pupils.
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On Sunday, the Twitter account of British former actor, political party leader, and free speech activist Laurence Fox was suspended for “hateful imagery” after he posted a photo of a swastika using LGBT flags. His account was later reinstated but he faced calls for police action by Member of the London Assembly Caroline Russell.
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UK: Rape Victim Sues Charity After Trans Woman Was Permitted to Attend Trauma Support Group
A rape victim is suing a sexual violence charity in the United Kingdom after the decision to include trans women into a women-only crisis support group left her suffering from panic attacks and feeling unable to continue attending meetings.
The claimant, known only as Sarah, had been attending support sessions run by the Survivors’ Network charity in Brighton to discuss the traumatic sexual abuse she had experienced as a child and a rape she had been a victim of in her 20s.
She argues that she has been discriminated against and suffered victimization and harassment because of the charity’s trans-inclusive approach to support groups; she further claims the charity has failed to meet the needs of all victims of sexual violence.
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Videos: Democrats Say They Could Erect Abortion Tents in National Parks, Hand Out Abortion Vouchers
Following the overturning of Roe vs Wade, bringing America into line with much of the rest of the world on abortion laws, the screeching seething desire of leftists to mash up babies in the womb has led to Democrats, who support NO LIMIT abortions, pledging to initiate slush funds to pay for ferrying around those who still want late term procedures, and even the suggestion of erecting abortion tents on federally owned land.
Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren told a Washington Post reporter that she envisages the Biden administration facilitating pop up abortions in national parks.
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