With a severe energy crisis looming, the British government is delaying the shutdown of coal-fired electric plants, and parts of the government are recommending that new nuclear plants be fast-tracked. Meanwhile, Hungary has signed a new deal with Gazprom to assure an adequate supply of natural gas.
In other news, around 22,000 homeowners in Colorado found their “smart” thermostats locked during the emergency caused by the current heat wave, which prompted the electricity utility to take control of home use of air conditioning.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, Fjordman, JW, LP, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, 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.
Buy New Kettle to Save on Energy, Boris Johnson Tells Brits
“If you have an old kettle that takes ages to boil, it may cost you £20 to replace it, but if you get a new one, you’ll save £10 a year every year on your electricity bill,” outgoing UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared in his final policy speech to reporters in Suffolk on Thursday.
Johnson explained that financial assistance for families facing record-high energy bills, which are expected to exceed £3,500 annually on average when the price cap is lifted in October, would be determined by his successor — either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former Chancellor Rishi Sunak. However, he reassured onlookers that it would be plentiful. “Of course, there will be more cash to come, whoever takes over from me, in the months ahead — substantial sums, that’s absolutely clear,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germans Feeling the Pinch as Fuel Prices Soar
Immediately after the government’s tank discount expired, fuel prices in Germany rose sharply again right at a time when inflation is already ravaging households.
The German Press Agency carried out an evaluation of the prices at almost 400 gas stations in Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg on Thursday between 6 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. using the ADAC fuel price data, which prices at many gas stations were significantly higher than in the same period on Wednesday, the Tagesschau news service reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Inflation Hits Record in Eurozone, Surges to 9.1%
Eurozone inflation rose to 9.1 percent year-over-year in August, a new record and more than economists were predicting. In response, the European Central Bank (ECB) is now expected to raise interest rates substantially, most likely by 0.75 percentage points, with expectations of such a move leading the euro to strength against the dollar. On Wednesday evening, the European currency gained about half a percent to hover above $1.0060.
The European statistical office Eurostat announced on Wednesday that the year-over-year growth rate of consumer prices in the euro area accelerated to 9.1 percent in August from 8.9 percent in July. With inflation soaring to a record high, it is now well above the ECB’s 2 percent target.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
IRS Sent Over $1 Billion in Stimulus Checks to Locked Up Criminals, Including Murderers
More than 1.1 million incarcerated individuals received COVID-19 stimulus checks, totaling over $1 billion dollars, according to internal data provided by the IRS.
Roughly 163,000 of those recipients are individuals serving life sentences without the possibility of parole, the IRS told Rep. Don Bacon (R., Neb.) in a letter exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig said that his agency does not possess data on how many of those individuals with life sentences may also be facing the death penalty. A study by the left-wing Sentencing Project found that life sentences are most commonly given to individuals convicted of homicide and rape.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Inflation Hits Yet Another Record, Surprising Many Economists
Prices of consumer goods and services increased by 16.1 percent on a year-over-year basis, according to a report by Statistics Poland (GUS) for August 2022. Analysts were expecting a reading of 15.4 percent, which would be lower than in the previous month. Instead, inflation hit yet another record high.
According to GUS, prices of consumer goods and services increased by 0.8 percent in August, compared to July this year. In August, food and non-alcoholic beverages were 17.4 percent more expensive compared to August last year. Prices of energy carriers increased by 40.3 percent, and fuel prices increased by 23.3 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prices in UK Stores Soar to 17-Year High — Media
Store prices in the UK have jumped 5.1% year-on-year in August from 4.4% in July, posting their highest growth rate since 2005, Sky News reported on Wednesday, citing data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and research company NielsenIQ.
According to the report, food prices surged at their fastest rate since 2008 — to 9.3% from last year. Fresh food prices were 10.5% higher than last August, up from the 8% rise recorded in July, with products such as milk and margarine seeing the biggest price increases.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A white woman is suing e-commerce giant Amazon over a program that gives “Black, Latinx, and Native American entrepreneurs” a $10,000 stipend to launch their own delivery startups, an offer the lawsuit calls “patently unlawful racial discrimination.”
The online retailer delivers packages by contracting with local “delivery service partners”—outside businesses that drive parcels from point A to point B. To “help reduce the barriers to entry for Black, Latinx, and Native American entrepreneurs,” Amazon’s website states, the company has created a “diversity grant” that offers minorities $10,000 to launch their own businesses and become delivery service partners.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bank of America is specifically offering zero closing cost mortgages for first time home buyers in black and Hispanic communities.
According to NBC News, Bank of America’s head of neighborhood and community lending said, “our Community Affordable Loan Solution will help make the dream of sustained homeownership attainable for more Black and Hispanic families, and it is part of our broader commitment to the communities that we serve.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Declares War on ‘MAGA Extremists’
US President Joe Biden has again condemned the large chunk of the American population that supports his predecessor, Donald Trump, saying “MAGA forces” are an existential threat to democracy and must be defeated.
“MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards, backwards to an America where there is no right to choose, no right to privacy, no right to contraception, no right to marry who you love,” Biden said on Thursday in a primetime speech, referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Trump Considers ‘Full Pardons’ of J6 Defendants
Speaking with radio show host Wendy Bell on Thursday, former President Donald Trump said that if he decides to run for president again and wins, he would look “very favorably” about giving January 6 defendants “full pardons.”
“I’m looking at it very carefully … I’ve studied cases,” Trump said. “We have to do it, because they have some good lawyers but even [with] the good lawyers … you get some of these judges that are so, so nasty and so angry and mean.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Project Veritas Exposes NYC Private School Teacher Turning Students Into Activists
On Wednesday, Project Veritas released a video containing an undercover conversation with a student director at New York City’s Trinity School, where the female teacher unveiled how she and other teachers at the school inject activism into their teachings.
Jennifer ‘Gina’ Norris, Director of Student Activities at the Trinity School in New York City, was seen boasting about her teachings to the undercover Project Veritas journalist.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Steve Bannon’s DC Home Reportedly ‘Swatted’ With Fake Shooting Report
On Thursday night, police in Washington, DC responded to reports of a shooting at the location of Steve Bannon’s home.
The scene was later cleared, with no threat to the community reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California to Keep Nuclear Plant Open Amid Energy Grid Failures
As California experiences consistent power shortages and strain on its power grid, the state assembly voted early Thursday morning to keep the the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant online until at least 2030 so it can provide energy to the Golden State
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chatham County Schools Mandates Critical Race Theory Training
Pittsboro, NC — Chatham County Schools recently implemented a required 2-day “white privilege” training for senior administrators, and a mandatory 2.5 hour equity training for all teachers and counselors.
Compulsory racially-focused training takes center stage, under the pretense of “Equity”
Since their “first full group equity team meeting” in April 2016, Chatham County Schools has adopted an ever growing focus on equity and social justice. In the weeks leading up to the start of the 2022-2023 school year, Chatham County Schools took a bold new step in their push to ensure that an “Equity” lens is forced into every classroom in the district.
While current CCS board members and administrators claim that the term “critical race theory” is not spoken aloud directly to students may be technically true, the teachings of critical pedagogy are being infused into every interaction occurring within the CCS organization.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Drives U.S. Life Expectancy Down Nearly a Full Year
Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. declined nearly a year from 2020 to 2021, according to new provisional data from the CDC.
Why it matters: It’s the latest evidence of the toll the COVID pandemic took on Americans’ health and takes the U.S. life expectancy at birth to its lowest level — 76.1 years — since 1996
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis-Led Florida Rated #1 in Fiscal and Economic Freedom
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been taking a lot of heat lately from his Democratic rivals in deep blue states, but the Republican leader got some great news on Wednesday from a noted libertarian-leaning think tank.
According to the CATO Institute, the Sunshine State is No. 1 in both fiscal and economic freedom, and comes in second overall for personal freedom, Breitbart News reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Judge Blocks ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban in Colorado County; Others Agree to Stop Enforcement
A federal judge has handed Second Amendment advocates a major victory in Colorado.
The Reload, a website tracking gun-related issues, reported the federal court action on Tuesday, adding that it was the second in as many months barring enforcement of a ban on certain types of semi-automatic rifles.
Interestingly, the federal judge who blocked the so-called “assault weapons” ban, was appointed by President Joe Biden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Indiana Man Charged With Murder in Dutch Soldiers’ Shooting
INDIANAPOLIS — A 22-year-old Indiana man was charged Thursday with murder in the fatal shooting of a Dutch soldier and the wounding of two others in downtown Indianapolis.
Shamar Duncan was charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and disorderly conduct in the shootings early Saturday, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said. The soldiers had been training at a southern Indiana military camp and were on a night off in Indianapolis when they clashed with Duncan and his friends, according to an arrest affidavit. The affidavit says Duncan told one of his friends that he opened fire on the soldiers because he “just spazzed.”
The soldier who was killed has been identified as Simmie Poetsema, a 26-year-old member of the Dutch Commando Corps.
One of the wounded soldiers has returned to the Netherlands and the other is expected to return Thursday, and both are expected to make a full recovery, Deputy Police Chief Kendale Adams said.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Locals Opens Its First Creator Studio in Miami as Part of Its “Cancel-Proof Ecosystem for Creators”
Locals.com, a subscription-based community platform that’s owned by free speech video sharing platform Rumble, has opened its first video and audio production studio in Miami’s Wynwood art district.
Rumble and Locals creators can use the studio’s state-of-the-art video and audio production equipment, which includes equipment for streaming and editing 4K videos, to produce videos and podcasts.
“The Locals studio is open to creators as their home away from home when in Miami,” Co-founder and President of Locals, Assaf Lev, said. “Providing this resource furthers the Locals’ mission of empowering creators to be independent.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man, 51, Caught Throwing Eggs at Trump Tower, Slapped With Summons: Sources
A man was caught in the act as he flung eggs at the entrance to Trump Tower early Thursday, police sources said.
The 51-year-old man approached the glass door of the luxury Midtown building on Fifth Avenue near East 56th Street around 8:30 a.m. and walloped it with eggs, according to the sources.
Members of the NYPD’s Critical Response Command were on scene and took the vandal into custody, the sources said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Math and Reading Scores Plummeted for Students During Pandemic
Nine-year-old students’ reading and math scores have dropped dramatically over the last two years, according to a new report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the Department of Education.
In 2022 the average reading score for nine-year-old students declined 5 points from 2020, the largest drop since 1990. Average math scores for 2022 fell for the first time in the program’s history, dropping 7 points from 2020. The NCES’s nationally representative report specifically examined student achievement during COVID-19 lockdowns. The center is expected to release a broader report later this year as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation’s Report Card.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No Whites Allowed: Pfizer Fellowship Flagrantly Violates the Law, Lawyers Say
The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer offers a prestigious fellowship that bars whites and Asians from applying. Trumpeted on the company’s website as a “Bold Move” to “create a workplace for all,” civil rights lawyers are characterizing it in a different way: as a blatant violation of the law.
“This Pfizer program is so flagrantly illegal I seriously wonder how it passed internal review by its general counsel,” said Adam Mortara, one of the country’s top civil rights attorneys.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
North Carolina Student Dead, Another Injured in High School Stabbing
One student has been arrested following a stabbing incident at the Northside High School
One student has been killed after a stabbing “incident” at the Northside High School in Jacksonville, North Carolina police officers said Thursday.
A spokesperson from the Jacksonville Police Department said in a news conference that two minors were sent to the hospital after sustaining injuries in an apparent stabbing.
The incident is still being investigated, and one student has been arrested.
One teacher was also injured during the incident but is not believed to have been stabbed or taken to the hospital.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Oath Keepers’ Lawyer Kellye Sorelle Arrested in Connection With Jan. 6
WASHINGTON — A lawyer for the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group has been charged with conspiracy in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said Thursday.
Kellye SoRelle — general counsel for the antigovernment group — was arrested in Texas on charges including conspiracy to obstruct the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral college victory, the Justice Department said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Power Company Seizes Control of Thermostats in Colorado During Heatwave
Around 22,000 households in Colorado lost the ability to control their thermostats after the power company seized control of them during a heatwave.
After temperatures soared past 90 degrees, residents were left confused when they tried to adjust their air conditioning and found locked controls displaying a message that said “energy emergency.”
Xcel confirmed to local news station Denver7 that “22,000 customers who had signed up for the Colorado AC Rewards program were locked out of their smart thermostats for hours on Tuesday.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
San Jose: Man Charged Again With Explosives Crimes After Maiming Himself
Andrew Page White, on probation for previous bomb-related conviction, attracted new police attention after he “blew his hand off” in April, investigators say
SAN JOSE — A South San Jose man convicted of a bomb-making crime two years ago is in jail again facing similar charges, after touching off a new police investigation when he “blew his hand off” with an explosive device earlier this year, according to authorities and court documents.
Police confirmed that Andrew Page White, 36, was arrested Aug. 25 at a home on Montalban Drive in accordance with an arrest and probation violation warrant served by San Jose police and their bomb squad, which was summoned because of their past encounters with White.
White was charged earlier in the summer with three felony counts: possession of a destructive device in a private habitation, possession of a destructive device, and possession of a destructive device on a private street or highway. The third charge names a 49-year-old man described as his friend as a co-defendant.
The charges stem from an April 29 incident at his girlfriend’s home in which White lost his left hand in an explosion with an M-80 firecracker, according to a police report. Neighbor accounts stated that the sound of the blast suggested a more intense explosive.
One nearby resident recalled hearing the explosion and knowing immediately it was not a gunshot, and upon going outside, saw White screaming for help and repeatedly saying, “It was an M80. It was an M80.” But the resident told police he was skeptical of that, and “thought that whatever had gone off was stronger than a typical M80.” Other neighbors told police that “it was far louder” and “significantly louder” than the firecracker.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle’s Awful August Shows the City Continues to Backslide on Crime
A good August is when nothing happens. But this one has been more like the devil’s month, as some call it in South America.
During a time that, one hoped, was going to mark some summer recovery from the social dislocations of the pandemic, Seattle is instead continuing to slide backward — dangerously so in the areas of street crime and drugs.
Seattle has seen 11 homicides this month — making this the deadliest single month in the city as far back as the police’s crime dashboard has records (to 2008). The previous high for any month was nine homicides, and for any August before this one, six.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sotomayor Throws Out NYPD Challenge to City Vaccine Mandate
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejected a bid to block New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Sotomayor rejected a request from New York Police Department detective Anthony Marciano, who asked the justice to reinstate a temporary restraining order against the city regarding its mandate for city workers.
Supreme Court justices are in charge of overseeing one of more circuit courts in the country. Sotomayor, an Obama appointee, received the application because she handles applications from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which includes New York.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter, Facebook Regularly Coordinated With Biden Admin to Censor Users
Newly released internal emails from Facebook and Twitter show an extensive effort to coordinate with the Biden administration to censor users, according to a Thursday release of information by GOP Attorneys General Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Jeff Landry of Louisiana.
Throughout the emails, officials within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) emailed Facebook and Twitter employees with instructions on flagging instances of alleged misinformation, and guided them with talking points to counter allegedly false narratives on the platforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Allows Editing of Posts, For a Fee
After years of pleading from its userbase, Twitter is finally rolling out an ‘edit tweet’ function, the company revealed in a blog post on Thursday. However, ordinary users need not apply.
“Tweets will be able to be edited a few times in the 30 minutes following their publication,” Twitter explained in the post announcing the new feature, adding that edited tweets would be clearly marked with an “icon, timestamp, and label so it’s clear to readers tag the original tweet has been modified.” The label will include a Wikipedia-style ‘edit history’ depicting all previous versions so as to “protect the integrity of the conversation,” the platform reassured users.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Air Force Sets New Diversity Targets
Facing rising tensions with China and a proxy war with Russia, the US Air Force has concluded that having the correct mix of skin colors, ethnicities and genders in its officer ranks is crucial for enhancing its abilities to deter competitors.
“Diversity and inclusion are an essential part of our society and key to the success of any organization,” Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and other top leaders said last month in an internal memo. “As such, it is imperative that the composition of our military services better reflect our nation’s highly talented, diverse and eligible population.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Plans to Censor Election “Misinformation” That Doesn’t Break Any Rules
YouTube has detailed how it will scale up its censorship efforts in the run-up to the 2022 US midterm elections by removing election “misinformation” and suppressing content that doesn’t break any rules but is considered to be “borderline.”
YouTube claims that its election misinformation policy applies to any past US presidential election, the 2021 German federal election, and the 2014 and 2018 Brazilian presidential elections. Under this policy, alleging that “widespread fraud, errors, or glitches” occurred in these elections or claiming that “certified results of those elections were false” is banned.
Despite YouTube’s claim that this policy applies to any past US presidential election, numerous videos questioning the 2016 US presidential results and alleging that Russia hacked the election are still on the platform. By contrast, the policy was used to remove more than 8,000 channels for making “harmful and misleading” claims about the 2020 US presidential election. And YouTube said it’s already removed several videos related to the 2022 US midterms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saskatchewan’s Healthline Offers Assisted Suicide
Saskatchewan’s 811 HealthLine offers doctor assisted suicide — including to some callers which are dialling in for mental health concerns.
The revelation comes as People’s Party of Canada (PPC) leader Maxime Bernier posted a video of himself calling the hotline with a friend.
An automated voice on the end of the line gives the caller five options: to deal with COVID-19 concerns, to speak with a registered nurse, to speak with a mental health and addictions clinician, to speak with poison control, and finally, an offer for an assisted dying program.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As Energy Crisis Looms, UK Delays Closure of Coal Plants, Looks to Fast Track New Nuclear
With a potential decade of “terrible winters” and years of economic pain ahead, European nations are looking to ease the pain, with the United Kingdom arranging for coal power stations to no longer shut down to meet green goals, and calls within government to fast-track new nuclear.
The British government could change planning rules to allow itself to fast-track new energy generation, minister Greg Clark has said, previewing potential medium-to-long term fixes being eyed by the government to mitigate the predicted years of annual energy shortages under the coming new government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In September and October, Gazprom will deliver a maximum of 5.8 million cubic meters more natural gas per day to Hungary via Serbia than the amount specified in the long-term contract, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjartó announced on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
“The increased amount also contributes to the security of Hungary’s energy supply and to the fact that there is no need to introduce restrictions in the country due to a lack of natural gas,” he wrote, emphasizing that there will be enough natural gas in Hungary this coming winter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Climate Crazy Scotland Rejects Plans to Drill More Oil to Alleviate Energy Crisis
Scotland’s climate crazy local government has openly rejected proposed plans aimed at alleviating the ongoing energy crisis by drilling for more oil in the North Sea.
A plan formulated by PM candidate Liz Truss to drill for more oil in the North Sea to help alleviate the ongoing energy crisis has been emphatically rejected by Scotland’s climate crazy government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Govt Refuses to Budge on Green Agenda Timeline in Second Meeting With Farmers
The Dutch government said that the timeline for the implementation of draconian climate standards is not up for discussion in the second meeting between the cabinet and representatives of farmers’ organisations on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s handpicked “mediator” between the government and the Dutch farmers, former Hague mayor Johan Remkes said that the proposed timeline of cutting nitrogen emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 is not on the table, according to public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Energy Crisis: Homes Left Without Heating Will Kill British Children, Experts Warn
Warnings have been made that homes being left without heating as a result of surging energy prices will kill British children.
Children in the United Kingdom may be killed as a result of their parents or guardians being unable to afford heating for their homes this winter, experts have now warned, with many other children who do manage to get through this year’s coming cold winter to be left with a myriad of health problems.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Responds After Poland Demands $1.3 Trillion in WWII Reparations
Germany has responded after Poland demanded $1.32 trillion in reparations over losses suffered during WWII.
On Thursday, Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said that Warsaw would officially demand reparations from its largest trade partner and a fellow member of both the EU and NATO.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Horror: 89-Year Old Woman Knocked Unconscious, Robbed by ‘Teens’ In France
An 89-year-old woman is recovering from injuries suffered when she was knocked unconscious and robbed by a pack of ‘teens’ in France this week, according to reports.
The horrifying incident unfolded just after noon on Monday in Cannes, a city on the French Riviera.
The victim was returning from a shopping trip to her residence in the Cannes-la-Bocca neighborhood when she was ambushed by young thieves.
Surveillance footage of brutal attack was shared on social media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Britain’s milk deliveries could be under threat from a group of vegan campaigners who are threatening to disrupt supplies.
Up to 500 activists could take part in plans to block dairy depots over two weeks while demanding a switch to plant-based alternatives.
Protest group Animal Rebellion — an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion — has vowed to carry out the protest in an effort to promote its vegan agenda.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Celebrates EU Visa Restrictions on Russians
Poland, which aggressively backed a complete ban on Russian visas, is expressing its satisfaction that the EU has agreed to suspend the current agreement with Russia on how the EU issues visas to Russian citizens.
Poland’s foreign affairs minister, Zbigniew Rau, said the EU ended up adopting Poland’s view on the issue. Although the EU did not place complete restrictions on Russian visas, they are expected to be more costly and much more difficult to obtain.
“The point of view adopted is the one favored by the Baltic states, Finland, and Poland,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Streets, Not Tweets: ‘Woeful’ UK Police Ruining Public Trust With Wokeness, Says Report
British police forces have been told to “police streets, not tweets” after a damning report found that “failing” forces across the country have a dismal record of solving crimes such as burglaries, robberies, and theft.
A report authored by former Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector David Spencer for the centre-right Policy Exchange think tank, laid out suggestions for the next prime minister to implement to restore the public’s trust in those who are meant to protect and serve them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Army Runs Out of Winter Uniforms After Sending All Supplies to Ukraine
The Spanish army is urgently seeking to purchase winter clothing after depleting its own stock of uniforms due to sending large amounts of winter gear to Ukraine.
The Spanish Ministry of Defence announced it would be launching a new 5.8 million euro (£5 million/$5.8 million) contract to procure winter clothing due to running out of stocks. The announcement comes just a week after the ministry stated that it had shipped a large volume of cold weather clothing and gear to Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tesla Owners Go on Hunger Strike in Norway in Protest Over Multiple Faults With Their Electric Cars
The Norwegian Tesla owners are demanding action after they found a series of faults with their vehicles, from the car not starting to loose front seats and rust on paintwork.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
There Are Thousands More UK Deaths Than Usual and We Don’t Know Why
Since April, there have been 22,500 more deaths than expected in the UK. Health experts are concerned but unsure of the causes — which could include covid-19, population ageing and NHS problems
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
UK Spy Agency Tried to Stop the Guardian Publishing Snowden Reports, New Book Details
The Guardian writes that the National Security Agency (NSA) back in 2013 tried to ban it from publishing stories based on the Snowden revelations.
The UK-based paper was one of the media outlets that Edward Snowden chose to inform the public worldwide about global surveillance programs carried out by the US and its allies, notably the UK.
NSA’s counterpart in that country is GCHQ and it was via this spy agency that the Americans attempted to censor information appearing in the Guardian, according to the report.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British mothers have taken to patrolling the streets themselves as police fail to prevent or meaningfully punish youth gangs battering children as young as 11.
Parents in Chorley, an English town in the county of Lancashire, say police are barely bothering to respond to incidents in which children are being seriously assaulted, with one victim said to have been just one more blow away from “most likely” being killed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris on the Beat: Man Baffled as Prime Minister Joins Police Raid on His Home
A man in London had a morning to remember on Wednesday, after waking up to find Britain’s outgoing Prime Minister raiding his home alongside police.
Footage of an apparently extremely baffled man confronting outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his own home during a police raid has gone viral online, with the man even videoing himself asking Boris Johnson how he is as police search his residence.
While not the first time Boris Johnson has joined in on police raids, the bizarre incident will be one of his final actions as Prime Minister, as the ousted leader prepares to be replaced by either WEF affiliate Liz Truss or WEF affiliate Rishi Sunak.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, the man who videoed the incident reportedly was woken up early Wednesday morning to police raiding his home.
However, upon opening his bedroom door, the man — named by The Independent as Splinter Sales — found that the UK Prime Minister had accompanied officers into the premises.
Sales proceed to ask the premier “wagwan Boris?”, slang for “what is going on?”, to which Johnson replies — rather sheepishly — “Good morning, how are you doing?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Olivia Pratt-Korbel: Police Release Footage of Fleeing Gunman
CCTV footage of the gunman fleeing after the fatal shooting of Olivia Pratt-Korbel has been released.
Merseyside Police revealed the shooter used two guns in the attack that killed the nine-year-old.
Olivia was hit in the chest as her mother Cheryl Korbel tried to stop the gunman from entering their home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on 22 August.
Ms Korbel was also injured, as was convicted drug dealer Joseph Nee, who was the intended target of the attack.
Speaking as the footage was released, Det Ch Supt Mark Kameen warned those who were “shielding” the culprit that officers would do “everything legitimately possible” to bring them to justice.
“It is beyond comprehension how anyone can protect a person who is responsible for killing a nine-year-old little girl,” he added.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Online Platform Could Face Lawsuit for Selling Video Game That Lets You Slaughter Israelis
The online gaming platform Steam could be taken to court for its refusal to take off the market a video game that allows players to slaughter Israeli soldiers and perform acts of terrorism, an international legal group told the Washington Free Beacon.
Steam, which has some 25 million users and is owned by the Valve company, may be “in direct violation of United States anti-terrorism legislation” over its sale of Fursan Al-Aqsa: The Knights of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the International Legal Forum (ILF), an advocacy group of more than 3,500 international lawyers and civil society activists. The video game puts you in control of a Palestinian militant who slaughters Israelis with high-powered weaponry and other munitions.
The game has drawn widespread condemnation in Israel, as well as from international anti-Semitism watchdogs, but remains on sale by Steam for $14.99. While the game was temporarily removed from Steam’s library following an October 2021 Free Beacon report, it reemerged in April 2022 in an updated version that includes “even more gruesome and violent” material, according to ILF chief executive officer Arsen Ostrovsky, who said his organization notified Valve in recent correspondence that it will “consider pursuing all availing legal actions” to get the game removed.
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There was a peace deal in place back in early April, but it was deliberately sabotaged.
They wanted to prolong the war. Now we’re mired in the misery of a cost of living crisis.
This should be the biggest story in the world right now.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Oil Oligarch Who Criticized Ukraine War ‘Falls’ Out of Hospital Window to His Death
Ravil Maganov, the vice president and chair of the board of directors of Russian oil giant Lukoil, died after falling out of a sixth floor hospital window in Moscow on Thursday, state-controlled media reported.
Maganov was in Moscow’s Central Clinical Hospital — reportedly a top-notch medical facility that serves senior Russian officials and other elite clients — when he “fell out of the window” and died from his injuries, an unnamed “informed source” told Russian news agency Interfax.
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Russia Fines Twitch for Not Censoring “Misinformation” About Ukraine Invasion
On Tuesday, Amazon-owned streaming service Twitch received another fine from Russian authorities.
According to Reuters, a Russian court fined Twitch 3 million roubles (approximately $49,000) for refusing to remove a two-hour livestream featuring Ukrainian Presidential Aide Alexey Arestovich.
Russian authorities claimed that the video contained misinformation about its ongoing “special military operation” in the Donbas region in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UN Inspectors Reach Zaporizhzhia Plant Despite Heavy Shelling
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have arrived at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant despite heavy shelling in the area.
Mortar fire forced one of the six reactors at the nuclear plant to be shut down as an emergency precaution earlier on Thursday.
Heavy fighting near the plant, which was occupied by Russia in March, has fuelled fears of a radiation disaster.
The Red Cross has warned that the consequences could be “catastrophic” and warned Russia to “stop playing with fire” as Kremlin forces attacked the nearby town of Energodar with mortars, automatic weapons and rockets.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
India: Bulldozers Demolish Illegal and Jihadi Madrassas in Assam
Sujata Kalita | HENB | Guwahati | Sept 1, 2022:: A private madrassa in the Barpeta district of Assam was demolished on Aug 29 by the administration after it was claimed that the facility was built illegally on government land and was being used as a training camp for terror activities. Confirming the demolition, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said then: “This is the second madrassa we have demolished [in Assam] as these institutions were being used as a hub for terrorism.”
Govt has intercepted many important information through intelligence that many madrasas in Assam run without any academic activities rather to impart anti-national terror training.
In this series of demolishing the Jihadi hubs in Madrasas, the administration took another major action and demolished an illegal madrasa with a bulldozer on Aug 31. This madrasa is also being accused of giving jihadi training. This action is taken against the madrassa after the arrest of a teacher attached to that Madrasa named Markazul Ma’arif Quraniya of Kabaitari pt- IV village.
A bulldozer was pressed into action to raze a madrasa in Assam’s Bongaigaon area. Students were evacuated from the madrasa hostel, where the teacher was also living. Government sources in the know of the matter suspect some Bangladeshi elements were carrying out radical activities at the institution. This is the 3rd Madrasa demolished by the Assam government following the arrests of 37 persons including Imam and Madrasa teachers linked with AQIS (Al Qaida of Indian Subcontinent) and ABT (Ansarul Bangla Team).
For the gross lapses and indulgences from the previous Congress Govt in Assam, the Jihadi activities highly increased in the Mosques and Madrasas (Islamic seminaries) in Assam. These Jihadi modules in Assam are involved in various subversive and anti-Hindu activates.
From source, it is revealed that such action against illegal and subversive Madrasas in Assam will continue to neutralize the Jihadi modules attached to those.
Muslim organizations including AIDUF protested this action against Islamic Educational Institutions.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Australian women aren’t having children because of climate change, overpopulation and simply because they ‘dont’t want to’ — as the birth rate his a new record low.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
CCTV footage showed security guard Hayden Robert Bruce Summers and marine Glen Thomason outside the Monsoons nightclub in Darwin in the early hours of April 11, 2021.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Argentina VP Targeted in Apparent Assassination Attempt
Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Kirchner was threatened by an armed person near her home in Buenos Aires, with a gunman seen pointing a firearm at the VP’s face before she was whisked away to safety. No shots were fired and the official was not injured.
The apparent attempt on Kirchner’s life was caught on film by local news crews on Thursday night as the VP made her way through a bustling crowd near her residence, which gathered to show support amid an ongoing corruption trial.
A hand wielding a pistol is briefly seen in front of Kirchner, who quickly ducks out of the way, though it’s unclear from the footage whether the person tried to pull the trigger.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The surge of Albanian migrants illegally entering Britain includes young men with prison tattoos and haircuts and wearing designer clothing who are paying £4,000 to cross, observers and immigrant experts claimed today.
And the Government’s proposed plans to send migrants to Rwanda are also said to be being used by smuggling gangs as a marketing tool — with them urging people to ‘get over here now’ before the policy comes into place.
A price of £4,000 now appears to be the cost according a recent TikTok post in Albanian and English that offered departures every day — which is a significant reduction on a figure of about £10,000 at the same time last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anthony Albanese’s government the permanent migration intake will rise from 160,000 to 195,000 for 2022-23.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Border Patrol agents have described White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre as “extremely dumb” following her claims earlier this week that migrants are not “walking across” the southern border.
As we highlighted, Jean-Pierre sparred with Fox News reporter Peter Doocy who asked her “Somebody unvaccinated comes over on a plane, you say that’s not okay. Somebody walks into Texas or Arizona unvaccinated, they’re allowed to stay?”
The Press Secretary asserted that “That’s not how it works. It’s not like someone walks over,” to which Doocy shot back “That’s exactly what is happening! Thousands of people are walking in a day.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meloni Launches Manifesto Promising to Halt Illegal Migration and Support Italian Birth Rates
Polls show a steady lead for the right-wing alliance in the September 25 Italian elections, with Meloni’s conservatives promising aid to families to stem falling birthrates, and populist Salvini vowing action on immigration.
Social conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Giorgia Meloni has launched the party’s election manifesto promising to support “Made in Italy” goods, halt illegal immigration, and support the country’s birth rates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An Albanian man who crossed the Channel just three-and-a-half weeks ago is one of 32 illegal immigrants and foreign criminals removed from the UK today on a charter flight to the Balkan state.
Home Secretary Priti Patel recently announced a ‘rapid removal’ scheme in response to the surge in Channel crossings by Albanian migrants.
Home Office officials say more than 6,000 Albanians have arrived so far this year in sub-standard dinghies and rigid inflatables, compared with less than 900 in the previous three years combined.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An academic in Belgium has come under fire for an unearthed “research” paper in which he admits to being a paedophile and argues that society should be more tolerant of “minor-attracted persons” and that the LGBTQ+ community should accept peadophiles as a “sexual minority.”
An academic paper published earlier this year on the website Controversial Ideas by “Brecht Vaerwaeter” — a pseudonym apparently used to protect the author from criminal prosecution — argues that paedophilia should be classified as just another sexual orientation and that “minor-attracted persons” (MAPs) should be accepted by society.
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German Government Plans Measures Against ‘Queer Hostility’
The German government’s “queer” commissioner, Sven Lehmann (Greens), has presented a catalog of measures against “queer hostility”. Lehmann sent a relevant draft to associations and ministries of the federal government for further coordination.
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Illinois Library Defends ‘Drag Queen Bingo’ Event for Teens
After coming under fire for promoting an upcoming “Drag Queen Bingo” event for teenagers, an Illinois library released a statement Monday to defend its decision and “identify misconceptions that are being spread through various outlets.”
The Downers Grove Public Library (DGPL) statement comes after the anti-woke parents group Awake Illinois publicly called for DGPL to cancel the event, which is set for ages 12-18 on October 11 “in celebration of National Coming Out Day.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Indiana Supreme Court Upholds Firing of Catholic School Teacher Over Same-Sex Marriage
The Indiana Supreme Court this week issued a ruling that is not likely to go over well on the left.
On Wednesday, the justices ruled 4-0 in favor of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis in upholding the firing of former high school teacher Joshua Payne-Elliott in 2019 due to his same-sex marriage.
The justices agreed with the archdiocese that the Catholic Church is protected in its action under the First Amendment’s freedom of religion guarantee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Major League Baseball Backs Medicalized Gender Transition for Kids
In recent years, many Major League Baseball teams have hosted Pride Nights to support the LGBTQ+ community.
It has since been revealed that many of the organizations involved in these themed events go far beyond fighting for equal rights, with many actively promoting medicalized gender transitions for children.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: California School District Textbook Claims There Are Eight Genders
Schools in California are teaching children that there are not just two genders, but that there are eight or nine, according to a report highlighting the claims made in a textbook.
Fox News reports that the textbook titled “Comprehensive Health Skills for High School,” which also makes reference to ten sexual preferences, was ordered by the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
The different ‘genders’ that the book lists include agender, androgynous, bigender, cisgender, gender fluid, gender non-conforming and gender questioning.
The book also lists sexual preferences as hetero, homo, and bisexual as well as androsexual, polysexual, skoliosexual, demisexual, pansexual, gynesexual, and asexual.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Art imitates life in Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s new novel, which features a character who is doxxed, threatened, and ultimately murdered after social justice warriors accuse her of transphobia.
The Ink Black Heart, which is part of Rowling’s Cormoran Strike crime series that she writes under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, depicts a character named Edie Ledwell, who is the creator of a popular YouTube cartoon, according to multiple reports. Edie’s existence turns into a living hell when social justice trolls accuse her transphobia over a sequence about a hermaphrodite worm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Tucker Carlson Slams Hospitals “Performing Horrifying Experiments on Children”
During his Wednesday evening show, Tucker Carlson highlighted how hospitals around the country are performing so called ‘gender-affirming’ “experiments” on kids as scientific journals confirm hysterectomies are being carried out on teenagers expressing a desire to ‘transition’.
“In recent weeks, we’ve learned a lot about what is actually happening inside children’s hospitals around the country,” Carlson noted, adding “Most people trust children’s hospitals implicitly. They just didn’t know the details but thanks to the internet we now do.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Are you connected too, little friend?
How fun would it be if just a fraction of all this
turned out to be true – then damn things would
start happening…… hopefully!
Absolute Brain
https://youtu.be/Bzz6LTDfeJw
20 aug. 2022
The documentary Absolute Brain deals with the science of cybernetics and its political development with brain-computer technology and manipulation …
US men die at 76, women at 81 years of age.
After following baseball since the early 60s, it is now dead to me.
For those who speak French… Here is a lovely parody on the energy crisis…
Where leaders propose “solutions” to the energy crises such as Carpooling, heating-sharing, electricity/ light-sharing, etc and the parody ends with as solutions:
“Co-foutage de gueules” literally meaning : ” foolish-pooling”/”bull [ordure]-sharing…”
Les Guignols de l’Info, scène d’anthologie.
Ça ne date pas d’hier !
Link to the video:
https://crowdbunker.com/v/VYJw1BNNXy