An Antonov turboprop cargo plane operated by a Ukrainian airline crashed in northern Greece tonight, creating a fireball and generating explosions for hours after the crash. The plane is said to have been flying from Serbia to Jordan. Local residents were warned about extremely dangerous toxic substances emitted by the crash, and were instructed to stay indoors with their windows shut, wearing masks. The Atomic Energy Commission is expected to be on the scene after dawn.
In other news, the Canadian government is supplying a cricket production facility in Ontario with an additional $8.5 million of funding.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, JAS, LP, 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.
Indiana Sees 50% Budget Surplus of $6.1 Billion, Considering Tax Refund
Indiana’s surging tax collections over the past year have pushed state government’s budget surplus up more than 50% to about $6.1 billion, state officials announced Friday.
The jump from last year’s record high of $3.9 billion in cash reserves comes as the Republican-dominated Legislature is set to soon consider a proposal from Gov. Eric Holcomb for distributing $225 payments to taxpayers for what he calls “inflationary relief.”
The proposed payments could cost the state about $1 billion, but Holcomb has said they are affordable. Tax collections for the budget year that ended June 30 rose about 9% from the previous year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kraken Commits to Anti-Woke Business Practices
The world of cryptocurrency has been on a steady decline in recent months with the value of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies plummeting. Some, like Luna, have hit rock bottom, with investors scrambling to pull out.
In an announcement on its official blog, Kraken made a commitment to a “crypto-first culture” to state that employees who work for the company must place their commitment to cryptocurrency ahead of all political or woke considerations.
“We will never ask that our employees adopt any specific political ideology as a requirement for our workplace,” Kraken stated. “That said, we ask that our employees respect the individual rights, privacy, and freedoms of others. Crypto is a freedom movement, and Kraken will remain a freedom company.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Akron Mayor to Lift Downtown Curfew Ordered Amid Protests Over Jayland Walker Killing
Mayor Dan Horrigan of Akron, Ohio, will lift the downtown curfew Sunday that he ordered during protests over the police killing of Jayland Walker, some of which became violent.
“The curfew will remain in place tonight and absent additional public safety concerns, the curfew will terminate tomorrow morning,” Akron’s Chief Communications Officer Stephanie Marsh wrote in a press release Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Biden’s cognitive function was so far gone that he was fed pills by staff supervised by his wife Jill to be able to function during the 2020 presidential campaign—and still is to this day, according to a report Friday by Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson.
Tucker Carlson: “How did he manage to get through the campaign? Well, it turned out, we learned later his staff, supervised by Dr. Jill, his wife, was giving him pills before every public appearance—checking the time and at a certain hour giving him a dose of something. Now it’s not a guess, we’re not making that up. We’ve spoken directly to someone who was there and saw it happen multiple times. Now, before taking the medications this person said, Biden was quote ‘Like a small child. You could not communicate with him, he changed completely because he was on drugs and he clearly still is on drugs.’ Someone’s pushing, we don’t know what those drugs are. We should know.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Emails Show FBI Was Looking Into Wuhan Virus Lab at Outset of Pandemic
Newly revealed emails show that at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an inquiry into the Wuhan virus lab at the center of years of speculation regarding the virus’ origins.
The emails, obtained by government watchdog Judicial Watch and reported on by the Epoch Times, refer to “Grant Questions” and an “FBI Inquiry” regarding U.S. taxpayer money funneled to the Wuhan Institute of Virology prior to the pandemic.
The majority of pages in the email chain are redacted, leaving the contents of the inquiry uncertain.
The WIV has been at the center of longstanding speculation regarding its possible role in launching the COVID-19 pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former NASCAR Driver Bobby East Dead After Stabbing at California Gas Station: Reports
(WXIN) — Three-time United States Auto Club (USAC) national champion and former NASCAR driver Bobby East died Wednesday in California after a stabbing at a gas station, according to police and media outlets familiar with the situation.
Police in Westminster, California, said they responded to a report of a stabbing that came in just after 5:51 p.m. PST Wednesday. When officers arrived, they located the victim on the ground suffering from a serious stab wound.
“Officers attempted life saving measures until [Orange County Fire Authority] paramedics arrived and transported the victim to a local trauma center, where the victim succumbed to his injury,” reads a statement from the Westminster Police Department.
Police have identified the suspect as Trent William Millsap. He is described as a white male, 6 feet 5 inches tall, bald, tattoos on his head, face, neck, chest, arms, and hands.
Police said earlier this week that Millsap, who was still at large at the time, was believed to be armed and dangerous.
TMZ reported Saturday that Millsap was shot and killed during a raid on his Anaheim apartment on Friday, citing law enforcement sources familiar with the situation…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
NASCAR star Bobby East, 37, died after being stabbed at a California gas station, with his suspected murderer killed in a SWAT raid just two days later.
East was fueling up in Westminster on Wednesday when he was stabbed to death in the chest. East was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
‘The victim was found on the ground suffering from a serious stab wound to the chest area,’ Westminister Police said in a statement regarding East’s murder. ‘Officers attempted life saving measures until OCFA paramedics arrived and transported the victim to a local trauma center, where the victim succumbed to his injury.’
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nextdoor Censors “God Bless America” Post
Nextdoor, an online platform that helps users connect with others in their neighborhood, censored a post containing a “God Bless America” photo that was posted on July 4.
A screenshot shared by Libs of TikTok indicates that the post was censored for violating the platform’s policies on “spam” and “discrimination.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It may take months or years but every once in a while The New York Times will actually publish a factual report or a partly factual report on the COVID vaccines.
The New York Times reported on a “new” study — the largest to date — that shows how the experimental COVID vaccines may affect menstruation. The NY Times then insists that — based on the findings — there is no cause for alarm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pennsylvania School Board Agrees to $300k Settlement in Lawsuit for Censoring Critics
Philadelphia, PA — Last May, a solicitor for the Pennsbury School Board shouted down and censored critics of a new district policy during public comment time at a board meeting, screaming “you’re done!” Several of the targets of his wrath said, “see you in court.” After almost a year of litigation, the board agreed last night to settle the lawsuit and pay $300,000 in attorney’s fees and nominal damages.
In addition, the district has rewritten its public-comment policy to conform to the First Amendment and the federal court’s preliminary injunction ruling. It also abolished its so-called civility policy and parted ways with the law firm that was advising it during the time it censored comments, including the solicitor who shouted down speakers.
The lawsuit was filed last October by Bucks County residents Douglas Marshall, Simon Campbell, Robert Abrams, and Tim Daly. They were represented by attorneys from the Institute for Free Speech and Michael Gottlieb of Vangrossi & Recchuiti.
“School boards across the country should take note. Rules for public comments must respect the First Amendment rights of speakers. If you are limiting which opinions may be shared, you’ll be held liable for violating First Amendment rights,” said Alan Gura, Vice President for Litigation at the Institute for Free Speech.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Able to Access Amazon Ring Recordings Without Warrant or User Permission
Amazon devices like Ring and Echo are recording footage that is being accessed by police without a warrant, due process, or user consent. The revelation comes after Amazon sent a July 13 response to questions raised by Senator Ed Markey revealing the existence of a web page that law enforcement can use to access a user’s footage under the banner of an emergency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Robber Allegedly Holds Knife to Clerk’s Neck, Gets Shot Dead by Store Customer
A 26-year-old man who allegedly held a knife to a gas station clerk’s neck in St. Charles, Missouri, was shot and killed Saturday morning by a store customer.
FOX 2 Now reports that the incident occurred around 3 a.m. and that police indicated the suspect was traveling in a black SUV that had been stolen on July 15.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In Cook County, near Chicago, the sheriff and chief judge are being sued by the family of a man who was murdered by carjackers who were on electronic monitoring. This is the second suit brought against the county this month, after a second victim was allegedly killed by people who were being tracked with ankle monitors for pending felony cases.
The case was filed Wednesday on behalf of the estate of Keith Cooper. The 73-year-old Vietnam veteran was killed during a carjacking in Chicago last summer, CWB Chicago reported.
[Comment: To slightly correct the article: Chicago is entirely in Cook County. Other cities and towns are Cook County also.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Reverses Ban of Epidemiologist After Legal Threat
Twitter has long since banned users under its “misinformation” policy for making truthful statements — and legal challenges to this appear to be having an impact.
When journalist and commentator Alex Berenson settled with Twitter over his wrongful suspension from the platform, it was clear that it could open the way for more lawsuits.
Dr. Andrew Bostom threatened to sue Twitter after he got suspended for sharing a link to a peer-reviewed article published in a respected medical journal about a study that found that Covid vaccines lower sperm counts.
According to legal news outlet Legal Insurrection, he has retained the lawyer who helped journalist Alex Berenson get his account reinstated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The University of South Alabama concluded its investigation and issued final punishments to two professors over costumes they wore to a Halloween party at the campus back in 2014.
The photos of them wearing the costumes were recently posted online, which caused complaints.
The professors, Alex Sharland and Bob Wood were placed on administrative leave in March 2021 after photos from the Halloween party in 2014 resurfaced. Sharland, who is from Britain, was dressed as a 17th Century hanging judge, with a white wig, a black robe, and a noose. Wood had a Confederate General’s costume.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Funnels Another $8.5 Million to Fund Insect Production Facility
Our neighbors to the north are well on their way to becoming a meat-free, insect-based food society, thanks to a new cash infusion from the Canadian government into the “sustainable food production” industry.
According to reports, Agriculture and Agric-Food Canada is funneling $8.5 million into a new insect production facility in London, Ontario, which will soon be churning out billions of crickets that will be ground into dust and served as “food” on people’s dinner plates…
Company co-founder Mohammed Ashour claims that cricket protein from his new cricket factory will require far less food, water, and land than meat cattle, which makes it better…
“We have a massive growth in both population and appetite for protein, while at the same time we’re seeing a significant reduction in arable land and resources to produce food.”
Last we checked, Canada has billions of acres of land and is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. There is nothing even close to a land shortage there, but why let facts get in the way of the narrative, eh?
| — Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Veteran Marches on to Protest Vaccine Mandates, COVID Restrictions
A Canadian veteran who marched across the country to protest vaccine mandates and Covid restrictions will continue his silent protest.
Canadian Armed Forces Veteran James Topp marched from Vancouver to Ottawa in protest of Covid-19 mandates and restrictions. He was met by supporters in Ottawa, Canada’s capital, on July 1, and greeted at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nothing New: Bailout Media Runs PR for Justin Trudeau
Last Sunday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the only Liberal riding in Calgary for a photo-op.
Shortly after his visit, headlines appeared all across the media that Trudeau was mobbed by admirers at the stampede, whereas it was only a dozen liberals at a public library parking lot.
The Stampede is an annual celebration of western lifestyle, the biggest outdoor event on earth, and it takes place here in Calgary, Alberta. The event attracts approximately a million visitors, and a lot of media attention.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Hops Out of Brewery Appearance After Protestors Gather Outside
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled a planned stop at an Ontario brewery on Friday, after protestors gathered en masse to publicly rebuke the divisive PM.
According to Global News, about a dozen protestors gathered across the street from the Brasserie Etienne Brule Brewery in Embrun, Ontario, “including one who was carrying a flag emblazoned with a profanity directed at Trudeau.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Blow for Brussels: Hungarians Are the Most Satisfied With Their Government
The EU keeps trying to challenge the democratic legitimacy of the Hungarian government. But there is little reason for that: not only was the Orban government in Budapest able to clinch a convincing victory in the most recent parliamentary elections, but the Hungarian population is also happier with their conservative government than voters in other EU countries.
This has now been revealed by a survey by the Hungarian Nézöpont Institute in twelve Central European countries. Accordingly, people in Hungary and Serbia are the most satisfied with the performance of their government.
The percentage of “satisfied” is 61 percent in Hungary and 60 percent in Serbia. In both countries, dissatisfaction was 33 percent. According to the researchers, the fact that satisfaction is higher than the extent of electoral victories indicates that political stability is perceived as an asset by voters, which is by no means self-evident from the examples of other countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cargo Plane Operated by Ukrainian Airline Crashes in Greece
An Antonov cargo plane operated by a Ukrainian airline crashed Saturday near the city of Kavala in northern Greece, authorities said. Local residents reported seeing a fireball and hearing explosions for two hours after the crash.
Greek Civil Aviation authorities said the flight was heading from Serbia to Jordan. The An-12, a Soviet-built turboprop aircraft, was operated by cargo carrier Meridian.
Greek media reported there were eight people on the plane and that it was carrying 12 tons of “dangerous materials,” mostly explosives. But local officials said they had no specific information on the cargo and provided varying numbers of people on board.
As a precaution because of a strong smell emanating from the crash site, a coordinating committee made up of municipal, police and fire service officials told inhabitants of the two localities closest to the crash site to keep their windows shut all night, to not leave their homes and to wear masks. Authorities say they do not know if there were dangerous chemicals on the plane, including those contained in batteries.
[…]
ERT reported that army and explosive experts were en route to the site, located on farmland close to two villages that are part of the Paggaio municipality. But they are not expected to start working before dawn. Experts from Greece’s Atomic Energy Commission will join them…
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch political commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek told Breitbart News that her homeland is being used as a “pilot” for the Great Reset agenda.
In an interview with Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow, Eva Vlaardingerbroek said that countries like Canada and the Netherlands are being used as staging grounds for the World Economic Forum (WEF) and other globalist elites to pursue their radical schemes to transform society.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Farmers Block Major Highway Friday Night to Protest Nitrogen Caps
Dutch farmers blocked the 42 km long A37 highway in the northwest of Holland, which connects the Dutch town of Hoogeveen with the German border.
Farmers are protesting punishing nitrogen targets imposed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte which may see farmers forced to abandon their land, cull livestock and limit fertilizer use resulting in much lower yields. Supporters of the farmers are concerned about the effect these restrictions will have on the Dutch economy, which relies heavily on agricultural exports. Others are concerned about food inflation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Mulling Rationing Gas Across Bloc as Public Told to Expect Prices to Triple
The European Union is considering rationing gas across the bloc in the hopes of fighting shortages this winter, with the public being told to expect a tripling of prices.
As supplies go down and prices go way up, the European Union is now seemingly fearing a breaking point may be soon upon its member states, with the Commission now reportedly penning an emergency rationing plan for if Russia decides to cut countries off from its energy exports entirely.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany’s decision to reactivate coal and oil-fired power plants to relieve energy shortages because of the war in Ukraine is only temporary and his government remains committed to doing “everything” to combat the climate crisis.
In a video message Saturday, Scholz expressed regret over Germany’s decision to fire up 16 dormant fossil fuel power plants and extend the operating permission for 11 more amid fears of further cuts in natural gas supplies from Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greek Media Group Targeted by Homemade Explosive Devices
Three homemade explosive devices were detonated at the building of a Greek media group on Wednesday, prompting condemnation from the government and opposition parties alike.
The three explosives were set off at around 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning in the Athens suburb of Maroussi at the building housing the Real Group, a media organisation that encompasses radio broadcaster Real FM and the Real News newspaper.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Are we under attack? Previously, I have written about a series of very strange fires that have occurred at key food production facilities in the United States this year. Authorities insist that each one of those fires was an “accident”, and maybe they are correct. But now the same thing is starting to happen to the energy industry. In particular, we have seen a number of “mysterious explosions” at natural gas facilities in the United States during the past two months. Of course natural gas prices were already spiking dramatically all over the world, and so this string of disasters comes at a really bad time…
Some are suggesting that the Russians could be behind these “accidents”. According to Washington Examiner editor Tom Rogan, the Russians actually have a cyber unit that is fully capable of pulling off such attacks…
“That brings us to the Russian cyber unit involved in the targeting reconnaissance against Freeport LNG.
Named XENOTIME by researchers, the unit has utilized boutique TRITON/TRISIS malware developed by the Russian Ministry of Defense’s Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics. That malware is designed for the seizure of industrial control systems and the defeat of associated safety systems. In 2017, GCHQ (Britain’s NSA-equivalent signals intelligence service) outlined the need for network compartmentalization to protect safety systems against this malware better. In March 2022, the FBI warned that TRISIS malware remained a threat.
XENOTIME is assessed by the U.S. and British governments as a critical infrastructure-focused, advanced persistent threat actor. The unit’s modus operandi involves targeting industrial control systems and supervisory control systems in order to effect unilateral control of a network. XENOTIME has caused specific concern in Western security circles for its targeting of safety systems that would otherwise mitigate threats to life during a cyberattack. XENOTIME’s activity has escalated in 2022.”
| — Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
Italian PM’s Resignation Rejected by Country’s President, Parliament to Decide His Future Next Week
Italy’s brittle coalition government looked to have been shattered after Prime Minister Mario Draghi tendered his resignation Thursday. The Associated Press reported his offer came following a refusal by one of his coalition members not to support a bill that would have helped ease the financial strain on consumers and industries struggling with soaring energy prices.
Hours after his offer to resign Italian President Sergio Mattarella declined the offer and asked Draghi to return to Parliament and look to cobble together enough votes to stay on as prime minister.
With President Sergio Mattarella rejection of his resignation Draghi’s next big test for survival is next week when he will have the chance to make a final pitch to lawmakers before a vote of confidence will be held.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scotland: Glasgow Accused of Plotting to Purge ‘Controversial’ Statues From Public Square
Glasgow City Council has been accused of plotting to purge a number of supposedly “controversial” statues from the city’s main square, despite having previously insisted that rumours of such a plan were “nonsense”.
Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland and once regarded as the Second City of the British Empire, currently plays host to a number of statues of historic Britons in George Square — named for George III, the monarch who lost the American colonies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Defund the BBC: Beeb Lost 270,000 Licence Fee Payers Last Year
Nearly two million Britons have ditched their TV licence fee which funds the nation’s public broadcaster, the BBC, after over a quarter of a million tuned out last year.
The annual statement from the Television Licence Fee Trust revealed that a total of 1.96 million people have said that they no longer need the BBC’s services, with an additional 270,000 people declining to pay the annual £159 licence fee last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Leftist Europhile Accuses Black Female Candidate for Tory Leader of ‘Supporting Racism’
Left-wing anti-Brexit activist Femi Oluwole has accused Kemi Badenoch, a black female contender for leader of the Conservative Party and, by extension, Prime Minister, of “supporting racism”.
Oluwole, who made his name in left-wing circles during the Brexit referendum and subsequent interregnum where Parliament’s execution of the vote to Leave the European Union appeared to be in doubt, chastised Badenoch for not accepting that so-called “systemic racism” is “fact” and should be taught as such in British schools.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The local Labour Party-run council in Oldham rejected a motion to launch a public inquiry into the grooming gang sexual exploitation of children and the failures of local officials and police to protect them.
Following the release of a report on child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Oldham last month, which found that girls were failed by the very social services meant to protect them and failings among the local police and council, the Failsworth Independent Group (FIP) of local councillors introduced a motion to petition the government to establish an independent public inquiry into the failings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Brexit negotiator Lord Frost has received backlash for telling Conservative MPs to rally around Liz Truss, the Remain-voting former Libeal Democrat.
Frost became popular with many among the Conservative Party’s increasingly disenfranchised activist and supporter base due to his having resigned from the Boris Johnson administration over its high-tax, net zero policies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Arabia has a thirst for heavily discounted Russian diesel and other fuel products banned by many countries in the West.
The world’s largest oil exporter more than doubled the amount of Russian fuel oil in the second quarter to supply power generation stations to meet surging cooling demand this summer and allow the kingdom’s crude exports to increase.
Western sanctions forced Russia to discount fuel oils on spot markets, which has increased demand in the East, not just from the Saudis but also from China and India.
Energy trade data provided by Reuters shows Saudis imported 647,000 tons (48,000 barrels per day) of fuel oils from Russia in the second quarter — up from 320,000 tons in the same quarter last year.
The surge in the Russia-Saudi energy trade (also detailed in “Middle East Ramps Up Imports Of Shunned Russian Fuels”) comes as BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa] International Forum President Purnima Anand told Russian newspaper Izvestia that Saudis are planning to join. That would boost multilateral cooperation between BRICS, including Saudis, meaning they wouldn’t cave to the US demands to restrict Russian energy imports.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has unleashed a barrage of financial sanctions against Russia to isolate it from the global trading system to reduce trading revenue — all of which have backfired — and allowed Moscow to reap record oil revenues.
President Biden will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) without Saudi King Salman on Friday (the same day Anand announced Saudis are preparing to apply for membership). It’s expected that no public announcements on increasing oil supply will be made, according to Bloomberg sources. Biden’s meeting with MbS appears to be a waste of time and more for optics.
| — Hat tip: JAS | [Return to headlines] |
Around Half of Ukrainians Who Fled to European Union Have Now Returned
Around half of the Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion of their country have now returned to Ukraine as the number of Ukrainians entering the European Union has fallen to levels seen prior to the war.
European Union home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson announced that the situation has largely stabilised and that the number of Ukrainians coming into the EU has fallen to levels seen before the February invasion by Russian military forces.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Steps Up Attacks Across Ukraine’s North, East, South
KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces fired missiles and shells at cities and towns across Ukraine on Saturday after Russia’s military announced it was stepping up its onslaught against its neighbor. Ukraine reported at least 17 more civilians killed.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu gave “instructions to further intensify the actions of units in all operational areas, in order to exclude the possibility of the Kyiv regime launching massive rocket and artillery strikes on civilian infrastructure and residents of settlements in the Donbas and other regions,” his ministry said Saturday.
Russia’s military campaign has been focusing on the eastern Donbas, but the new attacks hit areas in the north and south as well. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has seen especially severe bombardments in recent days, with Ukrainian officials and local commanders voicing fears that a second full-scale Russian assault on the northern city may be looming.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China’s Debt Bomb Looks Ready to Explode
Many warning signs suggesting that a debt reckoning is imminent
Confidence in the safety of Chinese banks has been badly shaken by the failure of several small banks in Henan Province in April this year. In terms of their assets of about 40 billion yuan ($6 billion) and the number of customers, roughly 400,000, the shuttered rural banks are minions in China’s financial system.
The implosion of these poorly supervised and likely corruption-ridden financial institutions should not be surprising. But how local authorities handled the fallout is shocking even to the most jaded observers of China’s political scene.
Instead of compensating the depositors, who are entitled to up to 500,000 yuan, according to government regulations, officials in Henan have done everything imaginable to silence them.
They initially restricted the movement of the depositors by turning the COVID test code on their smartphones red, which effectively made it impossible for them to take public transportation or even drive their own cars. A public outcry forced the Henan government to abandon this abusive tactic.
But when several hundred depositors unable to gain access to their savings in the failed banks gathered on July 10 to protest in front of the People’s Bank branch office in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, local officials sent in a large number of thugs who viciously assaulted the depositors, with uniformed police officers looking on…
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Taiwan Charges 14 Over Chinese Theft of Technological Secrets
Taiwanese prosecutors said on Friday that they have charged 14 people in connection with their efforts to step up law enforcement against what they call illegal and underhanded activities by Chinese companies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No More Accommodation: Open Borders Ireland Sees Asylum System Crumble Under Migrant Surge
After promising to take in a limitless number of arrivals from Ukraine, Ireland’s asylum system has crumbled under a massive migrant surge, with the country announcing that it has run out of accommodation on Wednesday.
Open borders Ireland has run out of places to house would-be migrants and asylum seekers after the country saw the number of new arrivals surge far beyond what its Europhile government mandarins expected.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Liz Truss Says Migrants May be Sent to Turkey as Well as Rwanda if She Becomes Prime Minister
Liz Truss will expand the controversial Rwanda migrant deportation plan to countries such as Turkey if she becomes Prime Minister, it has been claimed.
The foreign secretary has told MPs privately that she will open negotiations with more countries to get them to take refugees arriving in Britain if she wins the leadership, the Times said.
While sources close to Ms Truss poured cold water on claims by Sir Christopher Chope that this would include Spain, Turkey was accepted as a possible destination despite already having the world’s largest refugee population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Judge Throws Out Trans Activist’s Defamation Lawsuit Against Rebel News
Judgment day has come! Jessica Simpson, the B.C. trans activist and repeat criminal offender with a self-admitted hate for Rebel News reporters, is officially a loser.
By loser, I’m referring to the outcome of the defamation law suit that Simpson filed against Rebel News in April 2021. *Spoiler alert*, the judge just ruled that the case be tossed out like yesterday’s trash!
Simpson, formally known as Johnathan Yaniv, was seeking damages, costs, and to have us banned from publishing reports about Simpson’s criminal and allegedly predatorial behaviour on our social media sites and dedicated website, YanivTrial.com.
In other words, after Simpson’s physical attacks on my colleague David Menzies and former colleague Keean Bexte didn’t shut Rebel News up, this bogus lawsuit sought to have a judge do Simpson’s bidding instead.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A federal court has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s interpretation of federal law to conflate gender identity with biological sex, and in doing so, has protected female athletes who would be forced to compete against males in 20 states.
The court issued the order Friday to stop the administration’s illegitimate reinterpretation of federal law, Alliance Defending Freedom, a group intervening in the lawsuit, reported Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: A Basic Biology Course Protected by Police
At Humboldt University in Berlin, police officers sat in squad cars in front of the large entrance on Dorotheenstraße. Invitees waited patiently to have their bags checked by university staff inside the building. A doctoral student who is actually researching fish, got entangled in the gender debate.
Dangerous objects, bottles and large backpacks were prohibited. Only after passing a security check were those who had previously registered via the internet allowed into the lecture hall on the third floor. The reason: a biology lecture.
Marie-Luise Vollbrecht, a doctoral student in the subject, made it clear from the start that she would not answer any questions from either the audience or the press. Vollbrecht’s central thesis is that in humans there are only two sexes and it remains so for life.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Bill Gates-Backed ‘Frontrunner’ Mordaunt Flounders on Trans Issue in Tory Leadership Debate
Bill Gates-backed media darling Penny Mordaunt MP has once again drawn criticism for muddled positions on transgenderism and even faced accusations of not telling the truth over her stance on people being able to self-identify their gender in Friday evening’s Conservative leadership debate.
Junior trade minister and former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt, the current frontrunner in the contest to succeed Boris Johnson as the leader of the Conservative Party and therefore Prime Minister, once again tried to make a distinction between biological women and “legal women” in the five candidate debate on Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woke curators at the Royal Collection Trust (RCT) are reviewing over 2,500 artworks and photographs to ensure they conform to politically correct language codes and emphasise any supposed links to slavery and imperialism.
Curators at the RCT, which manages the royal art collections held at royal residences like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, among other locations, have revealed that they are trawling the works entrusted to them ensure they have a “woke” spin.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
There are rumours circulating that the Ukrainian cargo plane crashed in Greece carrying tons of ammunitions was actually headed for Bangladesh. And starting from Serbia, which makes it implausible that the payload was destined for use in Ukraine anyway. Saw people claiming to be from Bangladesh responding to this uneasily, which seems plausible as this country has its own folk rising up in rage. If anyone knows how to verify that?
Edit: The source for this information is claimed to be the Serbian Ministry of Defense, but I can’t find it on their website http://www.mod.gov.rs/eng right now. Maybe it takes some time to update.