After just 44 days in office, British Prime Minister Liz Truss has resigned. Former Prime Minister Boris “BoJo” Johnson is said to be considering making a bid to regain the office.
In other news, the annualized inflation rate in the EU has risen to almost 11%.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, LP, 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.
Empty Shelves in German Supermarkets as Inflation Leaves Products Unprofitable
Supermarkets are being left with empty shelves throughout Germany, as spiralling inflation renders the sale of a wide variety of products unprofitable.
Products ranging from Kellogg’s cornflakes to Coca Cola have disappeared from supermarkets throughout Germany, with many shops being left with empty shelves as products become simply unprofitable to sell due to differentials in inflation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Inflation Rate Soars to New High of 10.9%
The inflation rate in the European Union rose to 10.9 percent in September, compared to 10.1 percent in August, according to the Eurostat statistical office.
The highest year-over-year rate of inflation recorded was in the Baltic countries of Estonia (24.1 percent), Lithuania (22.5 percent), and Latvia (22 percent). Conversely, the lowest inflation rates for September were recorded in France (6.2 percent), Malta (7.4 percent), and Finland (8.4 percent). Also in Germany, inflation rose by 2.1 percentage points compared to August, reaching 10.9 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Watch: Businesses Smashed, Clashes With Cops Seen at Paris Cost of Living Riot
Mayhem broke out at labour union organised protests in Paris against the cost of living crisis befalling the French public this week, with black bloc-clad rioters clashing with police and smashing windows.
An estimated 107,000 people took to the streets of France on Tuesday in protest against the growing economic crisis born out the energy crisis surrounding the war in Ukraine, and self-inflicted economic wounds such as years of lockdown restrictions which spurred rampant inflation, and failures by the government to perform maintenance on the country’s ageing nuclear power plants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany to Cap Electricity Bills by Taxing Producers — Report
Germany plans to cap electricity prices for households and industries to help them cope with soaring energy prices by trimming the profits of some producers, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a draft document from the Economy Ministry.
European power companies have enjoyed record profits this year due to soaring energy prices across the continent.
The proposed scheme would reportedly be funded by a €200 billion ($196 billion) aid package for households and businesses to deal with the cost-of-living crisis, which the German government announced last month, and partly by the new profit tax.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Cost of Living: Frodsham Restaurant Protests Using No Power Dining
A restaurant is to open with no power, offering only candlelit dining and meals cooked over charcoal, as a protest against the rising energy costs for businesses, its owner has said.
Vicki Nuttall said no electricity or gas would be used for a service at Frodsham’s Next Door to highlight the issues facing the hospitality sector.
“We needed to do it to the extreme to see what we can manage,” she said.
The government previously announced a scheme to help with rising costs.
The restaurateur told BBC North West Tonight it had taken “all of our brain power and all of our spare time and logistics to figure out how we can do this safely within modern constraints but also kind of going back in time using some age-old techniques”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2-Year-Old Boy Stabbed by Grandma Inside Detroit Apartment
Detroit police say a 2-year-old boy was stabbed by his grandmother inside an apartment on Thursday morning.
Police were called to the St. Antoine Garden apartments near I-75 and I-94 around 1:40 a.m. Thursday.
Police say the 56-year-old grandmother stabbed the 2-year-old boy.
The child was taken to the hospital in stable condition, and the grandmother was arrested.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Accused Attacker of NY GOP Governor Nominee Rep. Zeldin Being Moved From Jail to Rehab Facility
The man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin will be transferred from jail into an alcohol treatment program, per a court ruling.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian Payson on Wednesday agreed to allow David Jakubonis, a 43-year-old Army veteran, to enter a Department of Veterans Affairs treatment program before being sent to a halfway house, according to the Associated Press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Angry Protesters Crash Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Town Hall in Her Own Home District
Protesters on Wednesday crashed a town hall event for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., which took place in her own backyard of Queens.
Footage shows some protesters chanting “AOC has got to go” while others silently hold signs and stare at the controversial Democrat. Ocasio-Cortez herself sat on the edge of a stage and pretended to dance along with the protesters’ chants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California’s Public Unions Witness Record Opt-Outs in Early October
California’s public-sector unions witnessed an unprecedented uptick in opt-outs in early October.
A total of 450 government employees chose to opt-out of their unions during the first week of the month, according to the Freedom Foundation. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that public-sector unions could not force non-members to cover agency fees.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
College Enrollment Falls for Third Year in a Row, Down 1.5 Million From Pre-Pandemic Levels
College enrollment continued to decline this year, keeping pace with a slump that began amid the pandemic and continues even as most restrictions have been lifted and vaccines have become widespread.
Undergraduate and graduate enrollment “declined 1.1% over last fall, leading to a total two-year decline of 3.2% since 2020,” the National Student Clearinghouse said in a report released on Thursday.
The decline “has slowed to pre-pandemic rates,” the Clearinghouse noted. Yet organization executive Doug Shapiro said in the release that “after two straight years of historically large losses, it is particularly troubling that numbers are still falling, especially among freshmen.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Courts Shoot Down Two Challenges to Biden Student Debt Relief
Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday rejected a request from a Wisconsin group to block President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan on the same day a federal judge rejected a separate bid from Republican states to block its implementation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The CDC’s decision to add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of recommended childhood vaccines without publicizing clinical trial data could cause “unintended harm,” Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor Dr. Marty Makary said Thursday, warning that the move will further fuel vaccine hesitancy surrounding childhood immunizations.
The CDC’s advisory committee on Immunization Practices voted unanimously Thursday to approve the agency’s new recommended immunization schedules for adults and children for 2023, which includes vaccination for COVID-19 for children as early as 6 months old.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DuckDuckGo Opens Mac Browser Beta to All
In April, DuckDuckGo announced that its Mac browser was in closed beta. Now, the browser is available to all Mac users for beta testing before the official launch.
The Mac browser has all the privacy protection in the mobile apps, like DuckDuckGo’s search engine, cookie protection, third-party tracking protection, and the one-click data erasing “Fire Button.”
Since its first beta launch, the Mac browser has added features like Duck Player, which allows users to watch YouTube content without targeted ads. By eliminating targeted ads, DuckDuckGo claims that YouTube videos played via Duck Player have fewer ads.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Plans Deep Layoffs of 75% at Twitter: Report
Tesla Inc. TSLA —6.65% Chief Executive Elon Musk plans deep cuts at Twitter Inc. TWTR, +1.18% should he end up with the embattled company, according to a report in The Washington Post on Thursday. The world’s richest man has informed prospective investors in his deal to acquire Twitter that he intends to slash 75% of Twitter’s 7,500 workers in the coming months, chopping the company’s head count to just over 2,000. And even if Musk’s deal falls through, massive cuts are planned as Twitter’s current management attempts to lop company payroll by about $800 million by the end of next year. That would mean layoffs of about 25% of all employees, the Post reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Says There Will be No Children’s COVID Vaccine Mandate
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis drew a line in the sand Thursday, telling reporters he is against mandatory COVID-19 vaccine shots for children.
On Wednesday, a panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted to add the vaccine to the recommended Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. It would not make the shots mandatory.
“As long as I’m kicking and screaming, there will be no COVID shot mandates for your kids,” DeSantis said during a speech to announce an executive order to provide property tax relief for residents impacted by Hurricane Ian. “That is your decision to make as a parent.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Georgia Breaks Early Voting Records, While Over 4.9 Million Across US Have Already Cast Ballots
Georgia continues to break state records for early voting, while over 4.9 million voters across the U.S. have already cast ballots as of midday Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Narrative Backfire: ‘Mainstream Media’ Most Widely Feared Threat to Democracy in New Poll
Despite persistent efforts led by the Biden administration, House Democrats’ Jan. 6 tribunal and allied media to paint former President Trump as authoritarian, nearly as many Americans view President Biden as a threat to democracy as they do Trump, according to a new poll — and the mainstream media itself looms as the most widely feared threat to American democracy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pastor and activist John Amanchukwu torched a North Carolina school board’s equity initiative during a meeting earlier this month, arguing that the district’s priorities are misplaced as he pointed to declining performance across the spectrum.
“We’re wasting taxpayer dollars putting money toward this diversity office that’s not benefiting those who need it the most,” he said.
Amanchukwu slammed the office by pointing to a majority of Wake County’s Black students in grades 3 through 8 who are “not proficient” in mathematics and alluding to a bigger problem, citing statistics from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Details: Raleigh Police Chief Releases Report on Hedingham Mass Shooting
A week after the devastating shooting in Raleigh that killed five people and injured three people including the suspect, the city’s Police Department released new details about the investigation.
The memo from Police Chief Estella Patterson describes the violent standoff between the teen suspect, unnamed in the report, and law enforcement, as well as the weapons found at the scene: a shotgun, a handgun and a hunting knife.
The report does not provide a motive for the shooting and says the victims had no apparent connection other than being in the same Hedingham neighborhood in northeastern Raleigh the night of the Oct. 13 incident.
The first 911 calls about the shooting came at 5:09 p.m. The first officers arrived on scene 10 minutes later.
After the initial shootings, the 15-year-old suspect fled to a nearby “barn-like structure” on McConnell Oliver Road, the report states. Officers did not locate the suspect in the barn until 6:42 p.m.
“He fired multiple times at the officers as they surrounded the barn,” the report states…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Officers Who ‘Took a Knee’ Rewarded by FBI Agents Association
Active FBI agents from the Washington, DC field office knelt down before Black Lives Matter activists after a protest on June 4, 2020 and the kneelers were then rewarded with a $100 gift card by the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA).
Writing for the New York Post, retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent James A. Gagliano said, “Shocking and appalling on its face, looked at in a larger context, this disgusting decision proves the rot and decay at the FBI is not singularly the domain of some senior officials.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Ohio Supreme Court suspended indefinitely and removed from office a Cleveland judge for alleged “unprecedented misconduct” over a two-year period that included “blatant and systematic disregard of due process, the law, court orders, and local rules.”
Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Pinkey Carr, elected to the bench in 2011, “also was repeatedly dishonest, treated court staff and litigants disrespectfully, abused her power to issue arrest warrants and find individuals in contempt of court,” according to statement from the Ohio court system.
In March 2021, Carr was charged with five counts of judicial misconduct. Carr violated rules governing the appropriate dress, order, and decorum for courtrooms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PayPal Facing House Inquiry After $2,500 ‘Misinformation’ Fine Controversy
House Republicans are launching an inquiry into PayPal after the payment processing company sparked major controversy for a policy that would fine customers for “misinformation.”
The controversy began when news broke earlier this month that PayPal would fine customers $2,500 for spreading misinformation. PayPal quickly retracted the policy, saying it was a mistake that “went out in error” but not before “cancelPayPal” was trending and Twitter users boasted of deleting their accounts. The company’s stocks tumbled as the news unfolded.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Portland Antifa Member Who Sued Andy Ngo for Retweet Arrested for Vandalizing Vehicle
Melissa Alexandra “Claudio” Lewis, a member of Portland Antifa who targeted Andy Ngo with a frivolous lawsuit in 2021, was arrested on Thursday for criminal mischief and carrying a concealed weapon after she punctured a police officer’s car tire, and was then quickly released without bail.
Post Millennial editor-at-large Andy Ngo broke the news on Twitter and said that Lewis “was one of two #Antifa members last year who filed a frivolous lawsuit against me that generated press but was withdrawn after a few days. They made the bogus claim that I owed them hundreds of thousands for retweeting their tweets.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rand Paul: “Appalling” That CDC Has Approved COVID Vaccines for Kids
Senator Rand Paul reacted Wednesday to the news that the CDC has approved COVID vaccinations for all children under the age of 19, calling the decision “appalling”.
Paul tweeted a link to a Post Millennial story detailing the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voting by 15-0 to add the Covid-19 vaccine to the Vaccines for Kids program.
Paul urged that the same committee approved booster shots for kids despite there being no scientific evidence that they have any advantages at all.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Win Major Election Integrity Ruling Against Michigan Secretary of State
The Republican Party has won an election integrity lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson over restrictions she imposed on poll challengers.
Benson, per the Republican National Committee, had imposed restrictions on poll challengers, including a new credential form, an “artificial deadline” for appointing them, and limiting the poll workers with whom the challengers may communicate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
San Franciscans Arm Themselves to Walk to Work Past Drug Clinics
June, the SOMA RISE Center, a drug sobering facility, opened in northeast San Francisco and attracted dangerous drug-addicted vagabonds to the area, causing residents of the once peaceful neighborhood to walk with weapons such as baseball bats and tasers for self defense.
According to local news, a 31-year-resident of the neighborhood named Ghis said, “More troublemakers settling in, feeling comfortable doing their drugs, pissing and sh*tting in the street blocking the sidewalks,” all because of RISE.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Scam’: Former Climate Change Alarmist Says Agenda Has ‘No Foundation’
(LifeSiteNews) — A former climate alarmist appeared on Laura Ingraham’s FOX News program las week, calling climate alarmism, the belief that the world will suffer catastrophically as a result of man-made climate change or global warming, a “scam.”
Tom Harris, Executive Director of the International Climate Science Coalition, an organization that seeks to promote a better understanding of climate science, told Ingraham that contrary to the mainstream position, there is not an impending climate crisis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Wants to Repeal Section 230 to Combat Online “Disinformation”
CDA’s Section 230 is constantly criticized from many corners, often for mutually contradictory reasons, and now Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is calling attention to his stance regarding this legislation that protects tech companies from legal liability for third-party content posted on their platforms.
But it also allows them to editorialize, and censor that content, while keeping their liability protections, raising issues around how well, and if at all, Section 230 still plays with First Amendment free speech protections, in a world where small private startups from decades ago have become the de facto digital public square.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sudden Death of Pro-Vax Bodybuilder Highlights Epidemic of Dying Athletes Since Jab Rollout
(LifeSiteNews) — Fitness enthusiast, author and bodybuilding champion Doug Brignole died suddenly on October 13 after offering to be “a test” case for the safety of experimental COVID-19 gene-based vaccines on April 4, 2021.
In the comment thread of one of his own Facebook posts, in which he promoted uptake of the controversial injections, the former Mr. America and Mr. Universe wrote:
Those of you who think the vaccine kills people can use me as a test. If I die, you were right. If I don’t die, and have no ill effects, you were wrong, and should admit it (at least to yourselves).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Sues Google Over User Data Collection
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against Google over its alleged collection of state residents’ facial and voice data without their consent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Majority of People Are Against Big Tech’s Plan to Censor Before the Election
A survey conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, on behalf of The Federalist, found that two-thirds of voters oppose Big Tech’s censorship of political content ahead of the midterms.
Respondents of the survey were asked: “Do you approve or disapprove of Big Tech companies such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google censoring news stories and preventing users from sharing articles and information related to the upcoming election in November?”
66% of the respondents said they oppose the censorship of political content by social media companies. Only 24% said they approve of the censorship, while the rest were undecided or had no opinion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
TikTok Security Issues Would Likely Linger Under Biden Deal: Report
As the Biden administration mulls a prospective deal to retain TikTok in the United States, former national security officials worry the terms would leave the app’s U.S. users open to data leaks, hacking and Chinese espionage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden administration energy advisor Amos Hochstein admitted Wednesday that while the regime wants to increase oil production in the short term, its overall aim is to limit it in order to “accelerate the transition”.
Appearing on CNN, Hochstein proclaimed “I think we have been clear that we want to see the U.S. industry increase oil production.”
Then in the same breath, Hochstein stated that the main goal is to limit production of fossil fuel derived energy now in order to “make sure that we’re in a better footing to accelerate the transition.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Zombie Democrats Run a Zombie Nation
Six months after his stroke and a month before Election Day, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman finally sat down for a disastrous interview in which he offered contradictory responses and responded to closed captions. The Democrat Senate candidate still hasn’t provided his medical records even to a friendly press and social media is filled with awkward videos of his campaign appearances.
Will Fetterman be able to function if he wins? Who knows. Just ask Joe Biden. If he can answer.
Biden, who insists on another term, is barely present and functioning in this one. His attention span varies wildly. He spews incoherent gibberish and lies so wildly that it’s practically a medical condition. Videos show him wandering aimlessly with staff and even a giant bunny acting as handlers for the man who is supposed to be the most powerful figure on the world stage.
The Zombie Democrats aren’t an entirely new phenomenon.
In 1919, two years after he was inaugurated after winning a second term on a promise to keep America out of WWI and to keep segregation in place, Woodrow Wilson suffered another stroke. With the Republicans winning the House and Senate, the Wilson administration launched a ruthless crackdown on political opponents. Wilson had little to do with it. He was incapacitated by a catastrophic stroke. Wilson’s wife had become the first de-facto female president…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — Internal documents have revealed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deputy transport minister felt the “Freedom Convoy” had to be crushed not because it posed a safety risk, but because it was the “spiritual source of the protest movement.”
Per Blacklock’s Reporter, Deputy Transport Minister Michael Keenan told police in a teleconference on February 6 — day 10 of the convoy protest — that while the main “encampment may be contained, it is the spiritual source of the protest movement” and is “acting as fuel for the engagement of others.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taiwanese Canadian Mountie Fatally Stabbed by Homeless Man While on Duty in Vancouver
A Taiwanese Canadian member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was fatally stabbed by a homeless man while on duty at a local park in Vancouver.
Const. Shaelyn Yang, a 31-year-old officer who worked in the Burnaby mental health and homelessness outreach team, was called to accompany a parks employee to advise a homeless man who camped out in a tent at Broadview Park just after 11 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Upon advising him to leave the premises, an altercation took place and Yang was stabbed. The RCMP officer was treated at the scene by first responders and rushed to the Vancouver General Hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries 30 minutes after the stabbing.
“This is an extremely difficult and tragic day for the B.C. RCMP and the members of the Burnaby detachment,” Dwayne McDonald, the commanding officer in B.C., reportedly said. “She was a loving wife, a sister, and daughter. Those she worked with before joining the RCMP and her police colleagues describe Const. Yang as a kind, compassionate person, which makes her loss even more difficult to accept. Yang died bravely. She answered the call to duty, and she paid the ultimate price.”
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Tow Trucks Were en Route Prior to Invoking the Act
Day 6 recap of Emergencies Act hearings
Tow trucks were already on their way to assist in the clearing of downtown Ottawa prior to the invocation of the Emergencies Act, Acting Deputy Chief of Ottawa Police Service Patricia Ferguson revealed at Thursday’s Emergencies Act inquiry hearings.
Both Ferguson and Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) superintendent Craig Abrams testified to a breakdown of trust between liaison teams and convoy organizers throughout the protest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Car Cannibalism’ Latest Crime Wave to Hit England’s Streets
“Car cannibalism” is the latest crime wave to hit England’s streets with parked cars being stripped of components overnight.
According to a report by broadcaster LBC, cars are being broken into and then stripped of body and engine parts, with Yorkshire and the Midlands said to be worst hit.
Most commonly broken into and stripped are Vauxhall Corsas and Toyota Yaris’ according to information obtained by the broadcaster.
Police say the theft is spreading with cases now being reported north of the border, with one such person Victoria Greenwood, from Livingston, telling LBC she’d left her car in a train station car park before heading to Glasgow for a night out.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chess Cheating Row: Hans Niemann Sues Accusers Magnus Carlsen and Chess.Com for Libel
US chess grandmaster Hans Niemann is suing rival player Magnus Carlsen for at least $100m after the Norwegian world champion accused him of cheating.
In the latest move in a scandal that has rocked the chess world, Niemann is also suing website Chess.com, which published a report saying he likely cheated in more than 100 online games.
Niemann says the defendants colluded to destroy his reputation and livelihood.
Lawyers for Chess.com said there was “no merit” to Niemann’s allegations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris Police Warn Tourists Against Fake Petition Scams
The Paris police prefecture has warned on its Twitter account against scams with false petitions, particularly targeting the many French and foreign tourists in the capital. These scammers sometimes ask for money.
The prefectural services have called on tourists to be wary of “people who cannot claim to be from a recognised association and who approach you, petition in hand, to make you sign a document or ask for money”.
Particularly popular with these scammers, are some of the capital’s most touristy spots, such as the Champ-de-Mars or the Champs-Elysées, are often the target of large-scale police operations aimed at reassuring Parisians and travellers against street sales, theft and crime in general.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Great Reset: Outrage as German City to Force Meatless Meals on Elementary School Children
All school meals are to be meatless from now on in the German city of Freiburg, with authorities mandating vegetarian-only menus from 2023.
Children going to primary school or daycare in Freiburg will no longer be able to have meat for lunch, with authorities in the city ruling that all meat and fish offerings will be stripped from school meals starting in 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Orban: They Tell Us Russian Gas is Bad But Not How to Replace It
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has criticised those clamouring to scrap Russian gas, saying it’s easy to make such calls without having a plan to replace that lost energy with an affordable, reliable substitute.
Prime Minister Orban made his comments on his recently created Twitter account on Wednesday saying, “They tell me Russian gas is bad. They tell me we should stop buying it. But nobody tells us how to replace Russian gas.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liz Truss Announces Resignation as British Prime Minister
U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her resignation on Thursday after less than two months in office.
She replaced former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in September.
Her resignation comes amid heightened economic stress in the U.K. following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Major Supermarket in UK Planning to Sell BUGS as Food to Help Poor People Through Winter
A major supermarket chain in the UK is finalising plans to stock insects on its shelves and market them as a cheap food source for people struggling to afford to feed their families amid soaring inflation and the cost of living crisis.
The Daily Mail reports that Aldi is considering stocking ‘edible’ bugs and providing recipe kits for parents to prepare worms and crickets for their hungry children.
Potential products in the range include ‘sustainable’ cricket burgers, as well as ‘nuggets’ and ‘mince’.
Yummmmmy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In 2014, a scandal broke out in Poland when a news outlet started to publish records of conversations illicitly recorded in fashionable Warsaw restaurants. These conversations involved prominent politicians from the Civic Platform (PO) government: the ministers of the interior, finance, and foreign affairs as well as the head of the central bank. The colorful language used and intrigues revealed were highly embarrassing to the then ruling PO.
Even more embarrassing was the fact that top officials were recorded by a bunch of waiters without the intelligence service’s knowledge.
An investigation eventually uncovered that the recordings were organized by a businessman who was involved in the coal trade. Now, allegations have surfaced that the businessman involved sold the recordings to the Russians.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The new ‘Green Energy Corridor’ pipeline will connect the Iberian peninsula to the rest of Europe.
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister, announced today, Thursday, October 20, that an agreement had been reached between Spain, Portugal, and France to construct a pipeline between the Iberian peninsula and the rest of Europe. This decision sees a huge U-turn by French President Emmanuel Macron, who had until recently refused to admit the need for such a pipeline to be built.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Teen Stabbed in Mob Ambush Near UK School
A teenage boy was stabbed during an attack near a school in England by a large group of assailants, at least one of whom was wielding a machete, according to reports.
The disturbing incident unfolded on October 3 in Walsall, a town in West Midlands.
Footage purportedly shot at the scene surfaced on social media this week, prompting a response from local authorities.
Warning: Distressing Content
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Commons Passes Bill to Electronically Tag Protesters That Haven’t Been Convicted of a Crime
The UK House of Commons passed the controversial Public Order Bill by 276 to 231 votes. The bill aims to give police and courts more power to prevent protests and the ability to electronically monitor protesters with an ankle tag before they’ve even been tried in a court of law.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Could Have New Prime Minister as Soon as Monday as Leadership Competition Gets Underway
Anyone hoping to become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will have to convince nearly a third of Tory MPs to back them just to get into the election, and if only one candidate achieved this they will automatically be crowned winner on Monday, it has been revealed.
The officers of the 1922 Backbench Committee — in other words, the body which represents the majority of Conservative Members of Parliament who do not hold government posts, and which among other roles runs Tory leadership challenges — met Thursday afternoon to decide the rules of the coming competition to replace Liz Truss. Speaking to the press on the steps of the Palace of Westminster shortly afterwards, committee chairman Sir Graham Brady and party chairman Sir Jake Berry explained the revised rules they had devised.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The heiress to a billion dollar oil company’s riches, Aileen Getty, is funding the radical climate change group Just Stop Oil through the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF).
According to the Daily Mail, Getty has given over $1 million to CEF, who disperses the funds to groups such as Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. The latter group last week dispatched two activists to the National Gallery in London where they threw cans of tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflower painting before supergluing their hands to the wall next to the piece.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jeremy Hunt, the new “de facto Prime Minister,” is a ‘zero COVID’ loon who lobbied for children to be taken from their parents and put in quarantine camps.
He’s the face of a globalist coup.
Good luck, UK!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris Johnson Considering Bid to Stand in Conservative Leadership Election
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to stand in the Conservative leadership election to be concluded by next Friday following the resignation of Liz Truss, according to The Times’ political editor, Steven Swinford.
Swinford tweeted on Thursday that he had been told the former Conservative leader, still hugely popular among the party’s grassroots membership, is understood to be “taking soundings” and believes his candidacy is “a matter of national interest.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Brexit’s Nigel Farage Hints at Political Comeback to ‘Replace’ Conservative Party
Brexit leader Nigel Farage hinted at a potential political comeback on Wednesday evening following a dramatic evening in Westminster that ultimately precipitated in the downfall of Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Farage, who was instrumental in the downfall of two previous Tory prime ministers, suggested that he may be up for a shot at the hat-trick, as in his opinion, the “Conservative Party is dead” and is in need of replacing.
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EU Pressures Serbia to Sanction Russia But 80% of Serbs Are Opposed
Serbia is under increasing pressure from the European Union due to its lack of sanctions against Russia, President Aleksandar Vucic said. However, Vucic believes that if Serbia were to join the sanctions, it would only result in a five— or six-day period of pats on the back, and then Brussels would come up with new conditions.
The fact that opinion polls show that approximately 80 percent of Serbs are opposed to sanctioning Russia further complicates the situation. According to Vucic, Serbia has never been in such a difficult situation in the last 24 years.
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Nationwide Protests in Iran Continue for 33rd Straight Day
Nationwide demonstrations in Iran following the death of a young woman in police custody continued for a 33rd consecutive day, with overnight protests in Tehran, Sanandaj and Dehgolan, as citizens chanted Death to Khamenei,” and students held rallies at several universities.
U.N. human rights officials denounced the Islamic Republic’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests as a violation of international law and called on Iranian authorities to end their deadly crackdown against peaceful demonstrators.
The protests started in mid-September after the arrest and death days later of 22-year old Mahsa Amini. She had been held by Iran’s morality police for failing to properly cover her hair with a hijab.
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Military Buildup in Belarus Will See Russia Escalate Tensions With NATO, Warns Polish Expert
Last week, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the formation of the regional grouping of Russian and Belarusian forces. He also announced a drill to test the readiness of Belarusian forces and issued a high alert for a “terrorist threat.”
According to Anna Maria Dyner, an analyst from the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), this does not mean that Lukashenko wants to become directly involved in the war in Ukraine.
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Outlived by a Lettuce: Russia’s Medvedev Takes to Social Media to Mock Failed PM Truss
Mocking Liz Truss over her failed premiership on social media, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated a now-famous lettuce for outlasting the outgoing Tory leader’s time in office.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated a lettuce on Thursday after the vegetable managed to successfully outlast the now-outgoing Prime Minister, Liz Truss.
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Ukraine in Direct Contact With Musk Amid Starlink Drama
Top Ukrainian officials are in direct contact with Elon Musk to find a way out of the controversy surrounding payment for SpaceX’s Starlink terminals, which provide critical battlefield connectivity for Ukrainian forces, the country’s defense minister said.
The billionaire mogul and SpaceX founder has said that the more than 20,000 Starlink terminals donated to Ukraine will cost the company around $100 million by the end of this year, adding it wasn’t reasonable for the company to fund Starlink in Ukraine without compensation from the Pentagon.
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Ukraine War: Belarus Offensive ‘Threat’, Russia Attacks in Donetsk, Iran Accused Over Drones
1. Anxiety in Ukraine towards ‘growing threat’ of Belarus offensive
Ukraine’s army said on Thursday it was worried about the “growing threat” of a new Russian offensive from Belarus.
“The aggressive rhetoric of the military and political leaders of Russia and Belarus is intensifying,” Oleksiy Gromov, a Ukrainian military official told reporters.”The threat of a resumption of the offensive on the northern front by the Russian armed forces is growing.”
Moscow and Minsk launched a joint military exercise this week, with thousands of Russian troops gathering in Belarus over the past few days.
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India: Big Momentum in #Halal_Free_Diwali Campaign in Bengaluru
Hindu activists begin door-to-door campaign against halal products in Bengaluru.
B Upendran | HENB | Bengaluru | Oct 20, 2022:: The Hindu activists here on Thursday started a door-to-door campaign in connection with boycotting halal certified products during the Diwali festivities.
The activists said that they were also planning to distribute ‘Halal Jihad’ handbook to the people to create awareness among them. The campaign will be taken up in Jayanagar and Basavanagudi Assembly constituencies of Bengaluru.
Jayanagar Assembly constituency is represented by Congress MLA Sowmya Reddy and Basavanagudi constituency is represented by BJP MLA Ravisubramanya. There are sensitive pockets, especially the Jayanagar locality and the police are closely monitoring the situation.
The campaign has been taken up by the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Sri Rama Sena, Raastra Rakshana Pade and Vishva Hindu Sanatana Parishat…
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India: Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh): Five Members in a Muslim Family Returned to Hinduism
Became Muslims 8 years ago, now the whole family returned to Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar.
Five members of a Muslim family in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar have returned to Sanatan Hindu Dharma. The members of this family have now been given a new Hindu name. The family, a resident of Bijnor, had left Hinduism under pressure and converted to Islam eight years ago. However, with the passage of time, they remembered their root-faith, customs and rites while realized the hollowness and discrimination in Islam. Hence, they returned to Sanatan Dharma again. Sandeep Saini, the head of the family who returned home to Hinduism, says that earlier also their family was Hindu and now they are very happy for returning to their origins.
As per reports, in the Yog Sadhana Yashveer Ashram (YSYA) located at Baghra in Muzaffarnagar district, five members of the same family were re-converted to Hindu fold with ‘Dharmik Sanskar’ rituals. During this, Mohammad Ahmed was renamed as Sandeep Saini, and Sania was again named Seema Saini, Muskan as Puja Saini, Arman as Himangsgu Saini and Alina as Jhanavi Saini as all the family members were given their old names back. Sanyasi Yashveer of YSY Ashram has informed that the Saini family of Bijnor, who became a Muslim, adopted Hinduism on Wednesday (October 19, 2022). Along with chanting of the Veda mantras, Swamiji conducted the Suddhi-Yajna (fire sacrifice for re-conversion) according to the scriptures after maintaining all holy rituals…
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India: Geyser Explosion Kills Man, Wife at Their Home in Hyderabad
By Apoorva Jayachandran : A geyser explosion resulted in the deaths of a man and his wife at their home in Hyderabad on Thursday night, October 20. Police officials have registered a case and are conducting investigations.
The incident took place in the Khadar Bagh area under the Langar Houz police station limits. According to preliminary investigations, the geyser in the bathroom exploded due to a short circuit. Two people, Nisaruddin and his wife are said to have died on the spot.
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China Recruiting Retired Royal Air Force Pilots, UK Says
As many as 30 retired Royal Air Force pilots have been recruited by China to train People’s Liberation Army pilots, according to the United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry.
A senior British defense official said the ministry is concerned about implications the practice may have on national security, The New York Times reported Monday.
China is offering about $270,000 a year to retired pilots who are recruited through a private flying academy based in South Africa.
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Australia’s Commonwealth Bank Begins Tracking Transactions, Links it to Carbon Footprint
Australia’s Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has added a new feature to its online banking software that tells customers their carbon footprint based on monthly spending. The move follows a partnership between the bank and CoGo, a company that provides carbon footprint management solutions.
According to the bank, the national average of carbon emitted is 1,280 kilograms, while a sustainable figure is 200. The bank has provided the option to “pay a fee” to offset the carbon footprint.
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New South Wales Plots Facial Recognition Tech for Pubs and Clubs
The Australian Greens, the third largest political party by vote, has criticized plans to install facial recognition technology in all pubs and clubs in the state of New South Wales. The technology is aimed at keeping people with self-imposed gambling bans from gambling.
The ClubsNSW and the Australian Hotels Association NSW said a state-of-the-art facial recognition system will be installed in all hotels and clubs in NSW next year. The system will scan the faces of everyone entering the gaming area and check them against a list of people who have registered in the self-exclusion system.
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New Zealand Farmers Hit Streets to Protest Cow-Burp Tax Plan
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Farmers across New Zealand took to the streets on their tractors Thursday to protest government plans to tax cow burps and other greenhouse gas emissions, although the rallies were smaller than many had expected.
Lobby group Groundswell New Zealand helped organize more than 50 protests in towns and cities across the country, the biggest involving a few dozen vehicles.
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Arizona Gov Ducey Won’t Comply With Biden Administration Request to Remove Stopgap Border Wall
Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey reportedly will not comply with a Biden administration request to remove rail containers put along its southern border to fill gaps in the U.S.-Mexico wall and stop the flow of illegal migration.
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ICE Arrests Over 170 Illegal Immigrants With Multiple DUI Convictions as Part of National Op
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that it has nabbed 175 illegal immigrants who had multiple DUI convictions — as part of a national operation through August and September.
The nationwide law enforcement push began on Aug. 20 and ended at the end of September, and hauled in those with multiple DUIs as well as additional criminal histories that included assault, child cruelty, domestic violence, homicide by vehicle, and hit-and-run, the agency said in a release.
“More than 11,000 people in the U.S. died as a result of crashes involving a drunk driver in 2020. An enforcement operation focusing on individuals who have previously been convicted of DUI — some resulting in death or serious bodily harm — is vitally important to public safety,” said Corey A. Price, ICE enforcement and removal operations (ERO) executive associate director.
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Illegal Migrants Paying Up to €10,000 to Jet Ski From Morocco to Spain
What may look like a well-off tourist enjoying a jet ski ride off the coast of Spain may actually be an illegal immigrant with enough money to afford the trip.
The use of jet skis by migrants to enter Spain illegally from Moroccan shores has gained momentum in recent months. According to the Bladi news outlet, the country’s security forces have difficulty detecting these devices on radar, which makes it difficult to apprehend migrants and human smugglers.
“In recent weeks, the arrivals of Moroccans to the peninsula using jet skis have multiplied. These devices are used by criminal organizations dedicated to human trafficking that charge up to €10,000 euros per ticket,” Civil Guard sources told El Confidencial.
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New Data Shows Immigrants Are Driving Down Wages for German Workers
The left-liberal German government’s immigration policy is depressing wages for skilled German workers, says Alternative for Germany (AfD) social affairs expert René Springer. He adds that even though the government poses as a left-wing champion, its actual economic policy is aggressive neo-liberalism.
“The state is now only a vicarious agent of a neo-liberal policy to lower wage costs on the backs of employees,” the member of the Bundestag told German news portal Junge Freiheit.
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UK: PM Truss Had 90-Minute ‘Shouting Match’ With Ex-Home Secretary Over Immigration Betrayal
Prime Minister Liz Truss reportedly had a 90-minute “shouting match” with the now-former Home Secretary Suella Braverman over broken promises, particularly on controlling immigration, before the latter was forced from office.
Braverman, who along with Kemi Badenoch — now Trade Secretary — was seen as the “right-wing” candidate by grassroots conservatives during the race to replace Boris Johnson, as a Brexit supporter who put a focus on tackling illegal migration, reducing legal mass migration, and taking on social justice leftists in British institutions over the course of her leadership campaign.
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Biden Admin Funding Drag Shows in Ecuador to ‘Promote Diversity and Inclusion’
Under President Biden, the Department of State is funding drag shows in Ecuador to the tune of $20,600. The grant was handed out to the Centro Ecuatoriano Norteamericano de Cuenca, also known as the Abraham Lincoln Cultural Center, as part of the United States’ public diplomacy programs.
“It’s telling that the US State Department is using drag queens to do cultural transformation in other countries,” author James Lindsay told The Post Millennial, “which is an act of political warfare, because they’re doing the same thing on America’s schoolchildren.” Lindsay was hounded by leftists on Twitter for his critique of drag have been adopted so prominently by mainstream culture.
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Instagram to Automatically Censor “A Predefined List of Offensive Terms”
Meta-owned Instagram plans to introduce new features that will censor “offensive” direct message (DM) requests and Story replies and warn users before replying to comments that “could be offensive.”
The feature that censors DM requests and Story replies that are deemed to be offensive is called “Hidden Words.” It was introduced last year but was only enabled when creators turned it on and only applied to DM requests. Instagram now plans to test automatically turning on Hidden Words for all creator accounts and expanding it to Story replies.
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The pornographic content of This Book is Gay, the controversial book by Juno Dawson which sparked the heated parent protest at a Michigan school board meeting earlier this week, has been shared on social media.
Christopher Rufo tweeted two pages from the book which show a diagram of a naked man along with tips on how to pleasure him sexually, as well as an accompanying page titled Doing the Sex which contains descriptions about what makes a good “handie,” a bad “handie,” and how to perform oral sex.
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More Than 100 Pro-Life Orgs, Churches Attacked Since Dobbs Leak
More than 100 crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), pro-life organizations and churches have been attacked, some more than once, since the May 2 leak of the Supreme Court draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.
Fox News Digital previously reported that while more than a dozen attacks have been claimed by the left-wing pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge, not a single member of the underground group has been arrested.
According to a list updated this month by the Family Research Council (FRC), a Christian nonprofit, at least 38 churches across the country have been firebombed, smashed, ransacked or vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti and threatening messages since the May 2 leak.
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Texas AG Urges Prosecution Over “Grotesque” ‘Child-Friendly’ Drag Show Near Dallas
Following what’s probably the single most horrifying and egregious example of a so-called “child friendly drag show” that we’ve ever seen, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has called for legal prosecution against those involved.
The event took place on Saturday in Plano, Texas — a large suburb of Dallas (of all places) — and involved a drag performer simulating a sex act in front of children at what the venue dubbed an “all ages” show.
“This is grotesque, disturbing behavior. Under Texas law, local district and county attorneys are charged with taking up the mantle to protect Texas kids by prosecuting these types of totally inappropriate acts,” Paxton was quoted as sayingafter viewing disturbing footage of the event.
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