Hundreds of people protested in Berlin against the continuing rise in the cost of living, and thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris to protest soaring prices. Meanwhile, September’s annualized rate of inflation rose to 17.2% in Poland.
In other news, a woman known as the “Terror Granny” was arrested in Germany for plotting to overthrow the country’s democratic government and restore the Kaiser.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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.
Biden Gets Blasted for Claiming Economy is ‘Strong as Hell’
President Biden got backlash for telling a reporter that the economy is “strong as hell” at a Baskin Robins in Portland, Oregon.
The reporter asked the 46th president if he was worried about the strength of the U.S. dollar in the midst of rising inflation.
“I’m not concerned about the strength of the dollar,” Joe Biden answered the reporter while eating his ice cream. “I’m concerned about the rest of the world. Our economy is strong as hell.”
The president went on to say the inflation is ‘worldwide’ and that it’s impacting everyone.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Thousands Take to the Streets of Paris to Protest Soaring Prices
PARIS (Reuters) — Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest against soaring prices as weeks of strikes for higher wages at oil refineries spurred demands for a general strike.
The leader of hard-left party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), Jean-Luc Melenchon, marched alongside this year’s Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Annie Ernaux. He called a general strike for Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Hundreds Protest in Berlin as the Cost of Living Continues to Rise
Hundreds of people affected by Germany’s cost-of-living crisis gathered outside the Federal Chancellery in Berlin over the weekend to protest what they say is the increasingly worsening situation in people’s lives.
Some demonstrators held signs calling for “immediate help for the poor” while other placards read, “We need healthy food. Abolish poverty!”
In August, inflation in Germany reached a 50-year high, hitting 8.9%. In May, it had reached 8.7% — a figure not seen since 1973 and 1974 during a previous oil crisis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Households 12 Percent Wealthier Than Last Year
Hungarian households’ gross financial assets increased by 11.9 percent last year to 14.8 billion euros (6360 billion forints), but at the same time the growth rate of debt accelerated, expanding at a pace not seen since the 2008 economic crisis, according to the Allianz Global Wealth Report.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Janet Yellen Says CBDCs Are “Certainly Worth Getting Involved in Developing”
At the International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meeting, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stressed there is a need to regulate digital assets.
Yellen used the crush of Terra, a USD-backed stablecoin and the “breaking the buck” of Tether, another stablecoin, to support her argument that the digital assets market should be regulated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s CPI Hits 17.2 pct y/y in September — Stats Office
Prices of consumer goods and services (Consumer Price Index, CPI) increased by 17.2 percent year on year and by 1.6 percent month on month in September 2022, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported on Friday.
The figures are in line with the flash estimate published by GUS on September 30.
In August, the prices of consumer goods and services increased by 16.1 percent year on year and by 0.8 percent month on month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain September Final 12-Month Inflation Revised Down to 8.9%
MADRID (Reuters) — Spanish consumer prices rose 8.9% year-on-year in September, down from 10.5% in the period through August and slightly below the flash estimate of 9.0% released two weeks ago, final data released by the National Statistics Institute showed on Friday.
Spain’s 12-month inflation in September was its slowest rate since May 2022. Analysts polled by Reuters saw the 12-month inflation to September running at 9.0%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Council Goes Cashless, Allegedly to “Support the Switch to the Digital Economy”
The council of Shropshire, a county in England, plans to go cashless by April next year. The council alleged that the move is in response to changes in the behavior of the public.
The council finance and corporate affairs minister Gwilym Butler said: “Post-pandemic business evidence is that fewer and fewer people are using cash and cheques to make their day-to-day purchases and complete larger transactions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona Attorney General Requests FBI and IRS Investigate 2,000 Mules-Linked Group
Arizona’s top state prosecutor requested that the FBI and Internal Revenue Service investigate a conservative nonprofit group featured in the controversial documentary 2,000 Mules.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich, a Republican, claims True the Vote has refused to cooperate with state investigators and won’t share evidence it put forward in the Dinesh D’Souza documentary, which raised ballot-harvesting allegations that have fueled claims of widespread election fraud in the 2020 election. His office also claims that the group has used the claims to raise large sums of money, prompting the call for an investigation by the IRS.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Child Allegedly Stabbed and Killed by Mother in Tomball, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez Says
TOMBALL, Texas (KTRK) — A five-year-old child has died after she was allegedly stabbed by her mother in the Tomball area, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
According to officials, an unidentified 35-year-old woman arrived at HCA Tomball and told hospital employees that she had killed her daughter and that she was currently inside the gray vehicle that she was driving.
Medical personnel the found the child, who was said to have had a wound to her neck, and pronounced her dead at 12:10 p.m., Sgt. Ben Beal of the Harris County homicide unit said.
According to authorities, the mother was detained and questioned by Harris County deputies. The women reportedly told deputies that the stabbing happened at Spring Creek Park, officials said.
Units did go to the area but did not find any scene that pertained to the incident.
Officials are unsure if there were any potential witnesses or where the stabbing occurred, according to authorities.
HCSO have said that they confirmed that the child was not killed inside the vehicle.
According to authorities, the woman reportedly has a history of homelessness, but the sheriff’s office has not looked into the matter yet.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Fauci Insists He ‘Had Nothing to Do With’ School Shutdowns
Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, who is gearing up to retire from government at the end of this year, says he had nothing to do with COVID-19-related school shutdowns.
The longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases made the claim in an interview with ABC. When asked by journalist Jonathan Karl as to whether it was a mistake to close schools for as long as they were, Fauci at first appeared to defend the practice, pointing to fatalities from COVID-19 among children, before denying he had anything to do with the policy and even claiming he actively pushed against it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. President Joe Biden has made another diplomatic blunder, publicly denigrating Prime Minister Liz Truss over her attempt to cut taxes.
Biden, 79, perpetrated the gaffe during one of his classic ice-cream-slurping photo-ops in Delaware, after being asked about Prime Minister Truss’s current difficulties in government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jim Acosta Will be Fired From CNN ‘Soon’: Report
On Friday, News Cycle Media President Jon Nicosia took to Twitter to announce that CNN’s Jim Acosta is expected to be fired after accurately predicting Brian Stelter’s termination back in June.
Acosta “did not fit into the ‘middle ground’ vision CNN is being pushed into,” Nicosia said, “Since Acosta was the main Trump lightning rod between the ‘old’ CNN and the new owners future vision he will either go quick, or with a lot of internal pushback. Stay tuned.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
JPMorgan Chase Deplatforms National Committee for Religious Freedom
In an op-ed in the Washington Examiner, the chairman of National Committee for Religious Freedom (NCRF), Sam Brownback, announced that JPMorgan Chase had deplatformed the organization without providing a reason. The bank said it would consider reopening the account if NCRF provided a list of donors and preferred political candidates.
Brownback said that NCRF opened an account with JPMorgan Chase “because of its national footprint and the multigenerational banking relationships our team had with the bank.” He added that the experience with the bank was “initially very positive,” but the bank closed the account after only three weeks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Arrested After Two Hit With Car, One Stabbed, Camper Set Alight
A Naples man assaulted two people with a vehicle, stabbed someone and intentionally set fire to a camper early Sunday morning on Private Road 3454, the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office said.
Jeffery Wade Berry, 23, has been charged with arson, assault family violence causes bodily injury and two counts of aggravated assault family violence with deadly weapon serious bodily injury.
Deputies were called around 2:22 a.m. Sunday to PR 3453 after a caller reported “two people had been assaulted with a vehicle, one person had a laceration from a knife, and a camper had been intentionally set fire,” HSCO said in a press release. “The caller identified the suspect as Jeffery Wade Berry, who had possibly fled in a red Honda Accord.”
Deputies on the scene found Berry near the intersection of Lansing Switch Road and PR 3453 in the car and detained him, HSCO said. EMS provided medical care to all three victims, and the West Harrison Volunter Fire Department put out the camper fire. Two of the victims were taken to Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center in Lnogview, and the third was taken by air to Christus Mother Francis Tyler.
HCSO said investigators executed two search warrants on the property and completed detailed interviews, with the Harrison County Fire Marshal’s office assisting due to the information that the camper fire was intentional.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
OB/GYN Laments COVID Jab’s ‘Massive,’ ‘Unprecedented’ Side Effects for Pregnant Women, Babies
(LifeSiteNews) — The mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna carry “massive” side effects for pregnant women, according to 42-year OB/GYN Dr. James Thorp.
Thorp appeared on Dr. Drew Pinsky’s show this week to discuss what he has seen from recent studies into the situation (linked at Pinsky’s website), starting with a “massive” increase in miscarriages, as well as increases in fetal malformation, fetal cardiac abnormalities, fetal cardiac arrhythmias, fetal cardiac arrest, and severe placental problems causing inter-uterine growth restrictions, and even vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (VAIDS). “It’s way off the charts,” he said.
The rates of these maladies, he says, are both far beyond how they correlate to previous vaccines as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s and Food & Drug Administration’s own criteria for “severe danger signals,” according to the studies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Obama: “People Just Want to Not Feel as if They Are Walking on Eggshells”
In an appearance on the podcast Pod Save America, President Barack Obama criticized the recent trend towards cancel culture and criticized Democrats, saying that they’re sometimes “buzzkills” and that their rhetoric forces people to “walk on eggshells.”
“Sometimes Democrats are [buzzkills]. Sometimes people just want to not feel as if they are walking on eggshells, and they want some acknowledgment that life is messy and that all of us, at any given moment, can say things the wrong way, make mistakes,” the former president said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Only 33% Would Vote to Reelect Biden if Presidential Election Was Held Today: Poll
Only 33% of Americans would vote to reelect President Biden if the 2024 election were held today — and 54% would cast their ballot for another candidate, according to a Fox News poll released Sunday.
The 33% who would vote for Biden — 21% definitely and 12% probably — mark a drop of 3 percentage points since January, while the percentage who would opt for someone else fell from 60% to 54% in that period, the survey found.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The annual elementary school Halloween parades of a Pennsylvania school district have been scrapped due to “inclusivity” and “safety” considerations, leading to an uproar on the part of disappointed parents.
The Lower Merion School District of Southeastern Pennsylvania has canceled its planned Halloween parades due to “inclusivity” and “safety” concerns, according to Philadelphia’s 6 ABC Action News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rep. Comer Backs Panel to Probe FBI, But Focus Remains on Hunter Biden
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said Sunday he would support a commission to investigate the FBI if the GOP wins majority control of the House — but noted the panel’s priority would still be getting to the bottom of the “Biden crime family.”
Comer — expected to be the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee if Republicans are successful in the November midterms — was asked by Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo if he supported the creation of an “outside commission” to probe the FBI.
“I would,” the congressman said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rep. Cori Bush Spent $500k in Campaign Cash on Security While Calling to Defund the Police
A Democratic member of Congress who still supports the “Defund the Police” movement has spent nearly $500,000 in campaign funds on private security, according to a report Sunday.
Federal Election Commission records show that US Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a former Black Lives Matter activist, shelled out more than $100,000 for “security services” during the third quarter of 2022, Fox News said.
The spending pushed Bush’s campaign outlays on private security during the 2020-22 election cycle to more than $490,000, according to the outlet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tales of Ghislaine Maxwell: Fellow Jailbird Once Plotted to ‘Murder Me’
Ghislaine Maxwell is claiming a fellow jailbird once plotted to murder her as she slept in a prison bed at a notorious Brooklyn lockup.
Maxwell, the former gal pal and infamous right-hand woman of pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, told The US Sun she’s learned the hard way that prisons are dangerous.
“There was a woman who made a threat to act in a plan to murder me as I was sleeping. That is real. That happened,” insisted Maxwell, referring to her earlier stay at the Metropolitan Detention Center following her July 2020 arrest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former President Donald Trump on Sunday called on Jews in the US to be “more appreciative” of his administration’s work regarding Israel.
Trump, in a message on his Truth Social platform, said he had “done more” for the Jewish state that any of his predecessors, claiming he was popular enough in Israel to serve as the nation’s prime minister.
“No President has done more for Israel than I have. Somewhat surprisingly, however, our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the U.S.,” he wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — It has now been revealed that statements by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau associating the “Freedom Convoy” with Nazism were unfounded, according to Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documents published by Blacklock’s Reporter.
On January 31, 2022, Trudeau conflated support for the “Freedom Convoy” with “Nazi symbolism” in his first press conference addressing the massive anti-mandate demonstration that captured the world’s attention in the first two months of the year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CBC Overseer Rebukes Outlet for Falsely Claiming Russia Was Behind Freedom Convoy Protests
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — The Ombudsman for Canada’s state-run Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) said he was “disappointed” the outlet ran a story that falsely claimed Russia was behind the Freedom Convoy protests, adding it should have never happened.
CBC’s Ombudsman Jack Nagler wrote as stated by Blacklock’s Reporter that there was no “concrete evidence,” in the station’s story earlier in the year insinuating Russian involvement in the protests.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — As the hearings into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act against the “Freedom Convoy” begin, a convoy inquiry lawyer has said that contrary to the mainstream narrative, the demonstration was not instigated by external factors but was the natural result of a “mass protest movement” that began months earlier in response to COVID-19-related mandates.
“This report is intended to provide some high level context to the very detailed evidence we will hear in the coming weeks,” Stephen Armstrong, the counsel for the inquiry, told the Public Order Emergency Commission on Thursday, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — As the national inquiry into the invocation of the Emergencies Act (EA) heats up in Ottawa, new documents reveal that claims by the RCMP saying “Freedom Convoy” had weapons were unsubstantiated.
As reported by Blacklock’s Reporter: “The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) in a briefing to deputy ministers the very day cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act falsely claimed Freedom Convoy protesters had weapons outside Parliament.”
The false claims of potentially violent weapons present at the non-violent demonstration came from a police memo citing a rumor sourced from unspecified “intelligence information.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
(LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian political commentator said in a Facebook post on Monday that an unidentified school in British Columbia had distributed political pamphlets to students that called Conservatives “an ultra-right-wing party.”
“Disgusted (but not surprised) to see this anti-conservative propaganda being handed out and distributed at a BC school earlier this month,” Aaron Gund wrote in his post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saskatchewan Rejects Trudeau Gov’t’s $111 Billion ‘Climate Change’ Policies
(LifeSiteNews) — The Saskatchewan government has rejected climate policies by Trudeau’s federal government that would cost the province over a hundred billion dollars.
On Tuesday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced that his government will be taking steps to ensure that Canadians in his province are not subject to certain intrusive federal policies regarding the environment that were estimated by Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Finance to cost the province over $111 billion by 2035.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau’s Deputy PM Exaggerated Economic Impact of Freedom Convoy Border Closure: Report
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland massively overstated the potential economic losses associated with the closure of the Windsor, Ontario border during the “Freedom Convoy” movement, according to internal documents.
In sections of government documents published by Blacklock’s Reporter, Freeland — who serves as the nation’s finance minister as well as deputy prime minister publicly exaggerated the economic impact, seemingly as an attempt to pit the public against the protesters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Princess Moved From Student Housing to Palace Over Security Concerns, Crime Gang Threats
Dutch Princess Catharina-Amalia, the future queen of the Netherlands, has moved into a palace in The Hague and “can’t really go outside” in a sharp reversal from her plans to attend college and live like a “regular student.”
“It has enormous consequences for her life,” Queen Maxima said at a news conference Thursday during a state visit to Sweden. “It means that she’s not living in Amsterdam and that she can’t really go outside.”
The princess has made efforts to try and live a more normal life, such as foregoing her entitled allowance when she turned 18, a sum of roughly $1.9 million per year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Farmers Promise Fresh Protests After Govt Backs Plan to Forcibly Seize Farmland
Dutch farmers’ organisations have vowed to launch more protests in the Netherlands in response to advice from the government’s mediator, who has called for the forceable relocation of farming firms and the seizure of up to 600 farms deemed to be the heaviest nitrogen emitters.
Farmers Defence Force leader Mark Van den Oever announced this week that Dutch farmers will once again take to the streets after the government expressed its intentions to adopt the plan presented by former deputy prime minister Johan Remkes to meet the nitrogen standards demanded by the European Union.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Nearly Half of Homes in Paris Region Cannot be Rented Due to Energy Use
Due to a ban in the Paris region of Ile-de-France on renting energy-intensive properties, about half of the homes in the region will not be eligible to be rented out.
A study by the INSEE and the Institut Paris Région that was published this week shows that around 43 per cent of the homes in the Paris region fall into three energy classes that will be banned from being rented out in the next 12 years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French School Closed After Pupils Riot Over Islamic Clothing Restrictions
A high school in Nanterre was closed Friday after pupils clashed with police, demanding a ban on loose clothing, including traditional Islamic clothing, be lifted.
Pupils of the Joliot Curie high school in Nanterre began their protests earlier this week on Monday blocking the entry to school. On Tuesday, the blockade descended into violence as pupils clashed with local police, resulting in 14 arrests as two police were reportedly injured by pupils throwing projectiles.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Climate Activists Disrupt Olaf Scholz Speech, Demand Action
Protesters said they set off a fire alarm to highlight the German government’s failure to address global warming. At the time, Chancellor Scholz was addressing officials attending the World Health Summit in Berlin.
Scientist Rebellion said they disrupted Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s speech by setting off the fire alarm at the World Health Summit in Berlin on Sunday to “draw attention to the climate failure of the German government.”
Members of the environmentalist group said they demand the German government admit to failure in keeping temperatures below the 1.5C mark, to cancel financial debt for the Global South in the name of climate justice and decarbonize transport.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Gardaí Seek Locals’ Help as Investigation Into Creeslough Explosion is Stepped Up
Gardaí have started door-to-door enquiries in the village of Creeslough as part of their investigation into the cause of the horrific Co Donegal explosion.
Ten people were killed when the explosion ripped through the Applegreen service station just after 3.15pm on October 7.
As part of the investigation, locals will be asked if they noticed anything unusual in the moments before the explosion.
A possible gas leak is one theory which is being considered by investigating officers.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: United Right Continue Lead in Latest Electoral Survey
Poland’s ruling United Right camp is still nearly ten percentage points ahead of its main opponent, the centrist Civic Coalition, according to the latest survey from the Estymator pollster.
Were parliamentary elections to be held on Sunday, October 16, the United Right would take 37.1 percent of the vote while the Civic Coalition could count on 27.7 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Terror Granny’ Arrested in Germany Over Alleged Plot to Restore Kaiser
A woman dubbed “Terror Granny” was arrested in Germany over an alleged plot to destroy the modern democratic German state and restore the Kaiser.
Elisabeth R., 75, an evangelical theologian and retired pastor and schoolteacher, was already well-known in German monarchist circles, being dubbed “the countess,” according to T-Online. Due to her advanced age and unassuming nature, the German press has dubbed her “Terror-Oma,” or “Terror Granny,” Bild reported. Prosecutors claim she was the leader of a monarchist cell called “United Patriots” that sought to kidnap the German health minister and destroy the nation’s power grid, which the cell hoped would then lead to civil war-like conditions that would result in the restoration of the Kaiser. The plot was foiled back in April, but she was only arrested on Thursday, T-Online reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A now-former British police officer has been spared prison after being convicted for making and possessing indecent images of children, mere weeks after another ex-cop was locked up for sharing George Floyd memes.
Daniel Babbs, formerly of the Forensic Services department of London’s Metropolitan Police, came to the attention of the authorities after “allegedly uploading an indecent image on a social media platform”, according to an official police statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Just Stop Oil Continues to Protest, Vandalizes Carmaker Showroom
LONDON, England (CBS Newspath/Reuters/WKRC) — Orange paint was sprayed over the showroom of luxury carmaker Aston Martin on London’s Park Lane on Sunday during a protest by Just Stop Oil, a group of climate activists.
Photo showed at least one activist being detained at the scene.
Just Stop Oil has been holding protests for the last two weeks in the British capital, including throwing soup on a Vincent Van Gogh painting in the National Gallery, in a bid to stop government approval of new oil and gas projects.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Decade Later, Obama Admits He Made a Mistake Failing to Support 2009 Iranian Uprisings
Former President Barack Obama is belatedly acknowledging he erred by failing to embrace the Iranian uprising in 2009 known as the “Green Movement” as a new round of protests and strikes rage in Tehran more than 13 years later.
“In retrospect, I think that was a mistake,” Obama, said Friday, referring to his administrations tepid response to the 2009 movement. “Every time we see a flash, a glimmer of hope, of people longing for freedom, I think we have to point it out.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dems Move to Transfer Air Defense Systems From Saudis to Ukraine as Punishment
A group of leading Congressional Democrats are seeking to punish longtime US ally Saudi Arabia for the latest “shock” oil output cuts recently announced by OPEC, which was taken by the Biden administration as a direct slap in the face and shot across the bow.
Senator Chris Murphy and Rep. Ro Khanna are leading the charge to get advanced anti-air missile systems which the Pentagon has stationed in Saudi Arabia removed and transferred to Ukraine. The systems were sent there over the past several years following an uptick in missile and drone attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi cities and energy infrastructure coming from the south.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Dismisses President Biden as ‘Tired, ‘ Condemns ‘Interference’ In Protests
Iran dismissed President Biden as a “tired” politician and condemned U.S. “interference” in Iran’s brutal crackdown on human rights protesters Sunday.
Biden addressed the month-long unrest in Iran on Friday, saying he was “stunned” at how aggressively the Iranian people have risen up against the country’s Islamist regime. Iranian foreign affairs spokesman Nasser Kanani condemned Biden’s statement as “interference” on Sunday.
“Iran is too strong for its will to be swayed by the interference … by a politician tired of years of failure,” Kanani wrote on social media. “We will together defend the independence of Iran.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saudis Announce $400m in Ukraine Aid After Biden Said US ‘Re-Evaluating’ Ties With Kingdom
Saudi state media announced Saturday that the kingdom will provide $400 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, following a Friday phone call between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
SPA stated of the call, “The crown prince expressed the kingdom’s readiness to continue efforts of mediation and support everything that contributes to de-escalation,” in reference to the over seven-month long invasion of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Alarmed After Apparent Inclusion on Well-Known Ukrainian ‘Kill List’
Elon Musk has publicly expressed alarm over his name and profile appearing to have been added to a well-known Ukrainian ‘kill list’, following controversy and outrage from Kiev over his prior “Russia-Ukraine peace poll” and subsequent threats to cut funding for Starlink satellite internet services deployed in the country.
On Friday, the billionaire SpaceX founder responded directly to a viral tweet by independent journalist Eva Bartlett which claimed “Musk added to Ukraine’s Myrotvorets kill list (which includes 327 children!),” in which he asked her “is this list real?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gunmen Kill 11 at Russian Army Base in New Blow to Moscow’s Ukraine Campaign
KYIV, Oct 16 (Reuters) — Russia has opened a criminal investigation after gunmen shot dead 11 people at a military training ground near the Ukrainian border, authorities said on Sunday, as fighting raged in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Russia’s RIA news agency, citing the defence ministry, said two gunmen opened fire with small arms during a firearms training exercise on Saturday, targeting personnel who had volunteered to fight in Ukraine. RIA said the gunmen, who it referred to as “terrorists,” were shot dead.
The incident in the southwestern Belgorod region was the latest blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. It came a week after a blast damaged a bridge linking mainland Russia to Crimea, the peninsula it annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Russia’s defence ministry said the attackers were from a former Soviet republic, without elaborating. A senior Ukrainian official, Oleksiy Arestovych, said the two men were from the mainly Muslim Central Asian republic of Tajikistan and had opened fire on the others after an argument over religion.
Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the comments by Arestovych, a prominent commentator on the war, or independently verify casualty numbers and other details.
“As a result of the incident at a shooting range in Belgorod region, 11 people died from gunshot wounds and another 15 were injured,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said, announcing the criminal investigation. It gave no other details.
Some Russian independent media outlets reported that the number of casualties was higher than the official figures.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
India: AAP’s Leader Tahir Hussain Charged for ‘Anti Hindu’ Delhi Riots in 2020
Delhi Riots: Court frames charges against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, others for their clear involvement in ‘anti-Hindu’ conspiracy to “kill Hindus and harm their properties”.
Upendra Bharti | HENB | New Delhi | Oct 15, 2022:: A Delhi court has ordered the framing of charges against former Aam Aadmi Party councillor Tahir Hussain, his brother and four others, in a matter pertaining to the February 2020 north-east Delhi riots. The court said the accused hatched a conspiracy to “kill Hindus and harm their properties”. Tahir was once very close to the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.
“The facts and evidence of this case show that a number of persons assembled at the house of Tahir Hussain. Some of them were equipped with weapons. Petrol bombs were also arranged,” the court noted. The accused will be tried for various offences including those punishable under Sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
The court is stating that the mob had a clear cut objective to kill and harm Hindu civilian and there is a evidence that the crowd assembled at his residence, some of them were equipped with firing weapons and petrol bombs. Tahir has confessed that he and his Co-conspirators had started collecting stones, bricks and other ammunition in advance so that they could teach those who were in support of the CAA. 2-3 days before the riot broke down, he had got his pistol license released from the police station.
Earlier, many media houses exposed the role of AAP Councilor, Tahir Hossain in the 2020 Delhi Riot in a very indigenous Jihadi module to attack the Kaffirs to kill and enormously harm them.
To get his ultimate Jihadi inspiration under Islamic tenets, Tahir Hussain completed his Haj and Umrah some years back.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
In Groundbreaking Speech, Xi Vows to Guide China to “Incomparable Glory”, an Alternative to the US
Flanked by party leaders past and future, President Xi Jinping on Sunday took center stage to present his grand vision for China, and in a speech running almost two hours, Xi let the world know that China wouldn’t change course and that by rallying around the party center — of which Xi is the core— they would be able to ride out the storms and guide the country to “incomparable glory” as China restores the country to the forefront of global powers even as he highlighted the challenges and risks faced by the country and warned party members to brace for “dangerous storms” ahead. Instead, he declared the “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is now on an irreversible historical course” and as Bloomberg notes, forcefully offered China up as an alternative to the US and its allies as he laid out the ruling party’s priorities on everything from Covid Zero to its ambitions on Taiwan and goals for tech sufficiency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Japan Will Link Health Insurance and Drivers Licences to Digital ID
The Japanese government has announced plans to integrate health insurance cards into the My Number digital ID infrastructure. The existing health insurance card system will be phased out by the fall of 2024.
Integrating the health insurance cards into MY Number will allow people to access healthcare services via facial biometrics and make it easier for healthcare professionals to access a person’s medical history.
However, only 30% of medical institutions have My Number readers and only 20% of the population have registered My Number for use with health insurance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twelve Shot Dead in Mexico Bar Attack in Gang-Plagued State
MEXICO CITY, Oct 15 (Reuters) — Unidentified gunmen opened fire in a bar in the central Mexican city of Irapuato on Saturday evening, shooting dead six women and six men, local authorities said, the second mass shooting in the state of Guanajuato in less than a month.
Three people were injured in the attack in the south of Irapuato, the city government said in a statement, adding that security officials were trying to track down the assailants.
The motive behind the shooting was not immediately clear. An initial statement by the city had put the death toll at 11.
Guanajuato, a major manufacturing hub and production site for many of the world’s top carmakers, has been convulsed in recent years by brutal turf wars between rival drug gangs.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Plans to Resume Migrants Flights to Democratic Areas, Rep Says
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to resume sending migrants to Democratic strongholds once the Sunshine State finishes dealing with the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian, his spokeswoman said.
Two charter flights — to Delaware and Illinois — were scheduled to take place before Oct. 3, according to documents made public on Friday.
But they were postponed after Ian struck late last month, DeSantis communications director Taryn Fenske told The Associated Press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Frontex: Illegal Migrant Arrivals in EU Are at Their Highest Since 2016
Frontex, the European Union border agency, has announced that so far this year nearly 230,000 migrants have arrived illegally in the EU, the largest number since 2016.
According to the agency, the number of migrants who are known to have illegally entered the European Union between January and the end of September of this year totalled 228,240, with 33,380 arriving in the month of September alone.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minsk Still Forcing Migrants Across Polish Border Says Defence Minister
Belarus is still forcing migrants to illegally cross the border with Poland as the Minsk government tries to destabilise its neighbour, the Polish defence minister has said.
Mariusz Blaszczak made the claim after a meeting with his eastern European peers under the Bucharest Nine format on Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 7 Mln Refugees Have Entered Poland Since War in Ukraine Started
Since February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine, 7.05 million people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Border Guard (SG) tweeted on Sunday morning.
According to the SG, on Saturday Border Guard officers carried out around 26,000 border checks on people entering Poland from Ukraine, and by 7:00 a.m. on Sunday the number of arrivals had reached around 8,200 people.
The Border Guard also said that over 5.25 million people had left Poland for Ukraine since the beginning of the war. On Saturday, around 25,000 people crossed the border from Poland to Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prominent Legal Scholar Says Mayorkas Should Resign for Lying About Migrants Being Whipped
Prominent legal scholar Jonathan Turley says that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should resign for perpetuating a false narrative about Border Patrol agents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Sheriff Declares Undocumented Migrants “Crime Victims” to Secure Visas
Authored by Jonathan Turley
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar made national headlines by opening a criminal investigation into the recent flights arranged by Florida of undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. I have previously written about the dubious claims of kidnapping and human trafficking made by figures like Hillary Clinton.
Now, however, Salazar is certifying the roughly 50 individuals as “crime victims” despite the lack of any criminal charges in order to qualify them for visas. While this is clearly not human trafficking, Salazar is working with immigration advocates to use a law designed to protect victims of human trafficking and other crimes, even before any such charge is brought by prosecutors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Border Force Warns Increase in Illegal Migrants Poses National Security Risk
The massive influx of illegal migrants to Britain via the English Channel represents a “significant risk” to the national security of the country, the Border Force union has warned.
In a letter to Home Secretary Suella Braverman, the ISU union, which represents the United Kingdom’s Border Force, wrote that it has observed a “substantial” change in the demographics of illegals being brought ashore after crossing the Channel in people-smuggler boats from France.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Mosque Denounces Call Against LGBTI+ Violence by the Municipality of Amsterdam
The board of the Blue Mosque in Amsterdam is angry about a letter from the municipality. In it, Mayor Femke Halsema asks mosque authorities to sign a statement of support calling for the condemnation of violence against LGBTI+ people. The Blue Mosque called it “absurd, discriminatory and accusatory.”
“The fact that only mosques are asked to explicitly condemn violence is a direct accusation against the Islamic community,” the mosque said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Choice Vandals in Michigan Caught Spray-Painting Catholic Church
A Catholic Church in Michigan was vandalized with spray paint by three vandals last weekend.
Security footage shows three vandals dressed in black approach the Church of the Resurrection in Lansing, Michigan, on foot.
“Our hope and our prayer is that those who did this to our parish church are not just brought to justice but are also brought to conversion, brought to an encounter with the love of Jesus, brought to a realization that anger corrodes the soul while life in Christ brings only freedom, peace and healing. That’s our hope. That’s our prayer,” parish pastor Fr. Steve Mattson said Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protests Against Peace Church Hosting Drag Bingo
(ABC 6 News) — What was meant to be a family friendly event, turned into a heated protest.
Dozens of people gathered to protest the Peace Church in Rochester to voice their frustration about a drag event going on in a church.
For over four hours, protestors stood outside the church, blasting music and heckling those who decided to attend the event.
The protestors main concern was to protect children from being exposed to explicit and sexual content. Claiming that drag shows are “too sexual” and are “corrupting the youth of America.”
One of the drag queens emceeing the event, Ms. Anita Tiara says this show was specifically designed to be family friendly with no sexual or explicit language.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Christians who are caught “praying”, “reciting scripture”, or “crossing themselves” near an abortion centre could be sentenced to up to six months in jail in the United Kingdom.
British officials are pushing to have Christians who practice their faith too close to abortion centres jailed under revamped crackdown rules aimed at curbing protests against the practice.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Va. Dem State Delegate Backs Down From Bill That Would Charge Parents for Not Affirming LGBT Child
Virginia Democrat State Delegate Elizabeth Guzman has backed down from introducing a bill that would have expanded the definition of child abuse to include parents inflicting “physical or mental injury” on children due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Wild Ride’ Begins With Court Clash Over First US Law to Ban Child Transgender Surgeries
Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
When America’s first law banning “gender transition procedures” for minors was passed in Arkansas last year, it spawned a wave of similar legislation.
But legislative proposals in a dozen other states withered on the vine, while the Arkansas law faced an immediate court challenge that temporarily blocked the law from taking effect in July 2021.
Since then, Alabama and Arizona moved forward and passed their own versions of the Arkansas act, while California took a 180-degree turn to counteract the bans. Last month, California became the nation’s first “sanctuary” state welcoming out-of-state youths who seek puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries.
And now, the Arkansas law, called the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act, remains closely watched from all sides as it heads to trial in Little Rock starting Oct. 17.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Yes, those terror grannies , in this case a 75 year old retired teacher, must not be underrated: when her home was searched, the authorities confiscated materials to build molotow cocktails: one unit of 75% proof cologne and a quart of salad oil, and kitchen towels that were to serve as fuses. Also was she in possession of a pair of scissors with sharp blades. ( irony off)
Lets assume for five minutes that she is guilty of what she is accused:
I think then we would find a letter of ransom stating: “Either you pay me EUR 2.000 per month or I release him.”
This is beyond ludricous.
A 75-year old granny wants to take down not only a politician who is 2/3 her age but also his wel-trained bodyguards who are at least only 1/2 her age.
Is she Super-Granny, Superman`s granny, or what?
I like this Super Granny, imagine if she is deemed such a threat, it is the ones they don’t know about that should concern them, but then again, those men are in deep.
(irony on) While the power grid may not be taken down by the terror granny, the German government plans to contribute to civil war conditions with it’s energy policies this winter. I don’t know the impact of kidnapping the terror granny will have toward civil unrest. Maybe granny will be warm in prison.
The sooner the civil war starts, the quicker we can rebuild, so let it rain, nothing like freezing and starving to get people off their azzes and get busy.
Marcus Aurelius would agree?
Hundreds protest in Berlin… That’s a drop in the ocean. Nothing will change before the shoe drops for real.