The British electricity authority Ofgem has warned that the UK may face blackouts this winter as a result of natural gas shortages. Meanwhile, Sweden is also preparing for power outages.
In other news, the United States government wants the EU to provide $1.5 billion in monthly funding for Ukraine.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, 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.
Energy Crisis: Europe Told to Prepare for Long, Cold Winter Ahead
Wrap up and keep warm. Consumers across Europe were given a bleak warning Monday the winter ahead will be long, cold, and uncomfortable given challenges to global energy supplies.
They were told to lower their thermostats accordingly and make all necessary “behavior adjustments” as the region faces “unprecedented risks” to global natural gas delivery networks.
The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its quarterly gas report European Union (E.U.) countries would need to reduce use by at least 13 percent over the winter in case of a complete Russian cutoff amid the war in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gas Price Hits Record High $6.466 in Los Angeles; Soars Past June High
Gas prices hit a record high in Los Angeles County of $6.466 per gallon on Monday morning, soaring past the previous record set during the nationwide price surge this past spring.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FIRST ON FOX — The Biden administration and Democrats in Washington have been pushing for millions in funding for a union-backed model of schools that included some critical race theory concepts.
Biden’s 2023 fiscal budget calls for $468 million for a “community schools” program. “Community schools” are focused on embedding “culturally relevant” pedagogy and “restorative justice” practices within its structure, according to the Coalition for Community Schools. The Department of Education promotes the coalition — which includes the American Federation of Teachers union — on its community schools webpage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“President Joe Biden on Friday personally called to thank a Coast Guard rescue swimmer — who is facing discharge over Biden’s vaccine mandate — for saving people’s lives during Hurricane Ian,” Breitbart reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The latest video in Project Veritas’ “Secret Curriculum” series highlights high school teacher Tyler Wrynn, who advocates for “anarchy” and had resigned from his previous position at another school after being exposed by Libs of TikTok.
Tyler Wrynn, who also went by Tyler Parks, teaches English at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa Oklahoma. An undercover Project Veritas journalist captured Wrynn stating that he wants to”burn down the entire system,” but that a state bill is preventing him from doing so because he would be fired for being “too woke.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Dangerous Precedent’: SCOTUS Rejects Gun Rights Group’s Challenge to ATF Bump Stock Ban
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition from Gun Owners of America (GOA), which challenged a Trump-era policy that redefined the term “machine gun” to effectively ban bump stocks.
The organization argued in the court filing that this new definition for a machine gun is “politically driven.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Waukesha Christmas parade attack suspect Darrell Brooks was placed in a separate room Monday as the court attempted to begin the jury selection process in a trial over his alleged November rampage that killed six and injured dozens of innocent revelers.
Brooks, now 40, allegedly plowed an SUV through a procession down Main Street in Waukesha last November, fatally striking six and injuring dozens more. He asked to represent himself last week.
The judge ordered him removed from the court multiple times during the proceedings, in which Brooks complained about paperwork, claimed he didn’t recognize his own name and claimed to be a “sovereign citizen” not subject to the court’s jurisdiction, according to FOX 6 Milwaukee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fatal Stabbing Suspect Calls 911 and Requests “Clean Up Crew, “ Brother Witnesses Attack
(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A 31-year-old Colorado Springs man, who is facing a charge of Second Degree Murder after fatally stabbing his mother and an unidentified man, said his brother witnessed the entire incident, court documents show.
According to the arrest affidavit for Cody Parker, the stabbing, which happened on Sept. 22 in the 1200 block of Dancing Horse Drive, resulted from an argument between Parker and his mother, 68-year-old Deborah Parker-Lykins.
Parker stated to a detective with the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), that the argument stemmed from his mother’s “verbal abuse,” and that the two were arguing because he had been in the bathroom for an extended period of time.
According to arrest documents, Parker told his mother that their arguments were having an effect on him, and that she should know people with mental health issues are prone to becoming violent because she “watched investigative shows.” The argument escalated, and the unidentified man threw a pipe from a guinea pig enclosure at Parker.
Parker said he became upset and went into the kitchen, where he grabbed a serrated knife from a butcher block and returned to where his mother was laying down, before stabbing her multiple times. Parker sustained injuries to his hand because he was holding the knife by the blade instead of the handle as he stabbed her. Parker also said his brother was in the kitchen and witnessed the entire incident and “was screaming for [him] to stop.”
Parker called 911 after the stabbing around 7:15 p.m., and told dispatchers that he had stabbed his mother and the unidentified man, and that police should bring a “clean up crew.” When police arrived, they heard screaming from inside the house and had to force their way in, where they found Parker standing with a knife in his hand. Parker also had self-inflicted injuries to his wrists, and stated to police on the scene that it was “in an effort to end his life.”
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Court Dismisses $10B Mexican Lawsuit Against US Firearms Manufacturers
The Mexican government cannot keep its military firearms out of the hands of desperados in their nearly failed state, but they thought they could sue American gun makers for a king’s ransom. Their plan, sort of like their attempts to shut down the drug cartels, failed miserably. A federal court judge rejected their lawsuit on a host of grounds on Friday.
Now our neighbors from south of the Rio Grande say they will appeal, but talk is cheap. Especially on a lawsuit with more problems than Hunter Biden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FEMA Chief Responds to Kamala Harris Claim About Prioritizing ‘Communities of Color’
Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that the administration will “support all communities” following a remark by Vice President Kamala Harris that “communities of color … are most impacted” by hurricanes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Pentagon Advisor Says US Likely Attacked Nord Stream Pipelines to Isolate Germany
A former Pentagon advisor says the most likely culprits behind the Nord Stream pipeline blasts are the United States and Britain, and that the attack was carried out to prevent Germany from bailing on the war in Ukraine.
Retired US Army colonel Douglas Macgregor made the comments during an appearance on the Judging Freedom podcast.
Macgregor said a process of elimination rules out Germany, because they are dependent on Nord Stream for their energy security, while it also served no benefit for Russia to have sabotaged its own infrastructure.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Google Quietly Backtracks on Racial Quota for PhD Fellowship Program: Report
Google has reportedly reversed its racial quota for its PhD fellowship program, which sought to limit the number of Whites and Asians admitted.
Google launched the PhD Fellow Program in 2009 “to recognize and support outstanding graduate students pursuing work in computer science, related disciplines or promising research areas.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds of Virginians Have Had Firearms Confiscated Through Red-Flag Laws
Hundreds of Virginians have had their guns confiscated from them through red-flag laws since those rules went into effect more than two years ago, according to data in the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center.
Red-flag laws allow police to seize firearms from a person if a judge deems him or her to be a threat to himself or others, even if that person has not been convicted of a crime, charged with a crime or even accused of a crime. The laws passed the General Assembly when Democrats had control of both chambers and were signed by former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam. The legislation received staunch opposition from the Republican minority at the time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joseph Mercola Sues Google for Breach of Contract After YouTube Censorship
Joseph Mercola, a Florida doctor known for his promotion of natural health solutions, has sued Google and its parent company Alphabet for banning him from YouTube without advance notice. Mercola wants the court to order YouTube to reinstate his account and award an unspecified amount in monetary damages.
Mercola promotes alternative treatments and supplements. He is one of the most prominent figures in this movement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Major Medical Orgs Demand That the DOJ Prosecute People Who Share ‘Misleading’ Information Online
The American Medical Association (AMA) sent Attorney General Merrick Garland a letter Monday calling on him to “investigate the organizations, individuals, and entities coordinating, provoking, and carrying out bomb threats and threats of personal violence against children’s hospitals and physicians across the U.S.”
“The attacks are rooted in an intentional campaign of disinformation, where a few high-profile users on social media share false and misleading information targeting individual physicians and hospitals, resulting in a rapid escalation of threats, harassment, and disruption of care across multiple jurisdictions,” the AMA, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) said in the letter. “Our organizations have called on technology companies to do more to prevent this practice on digital platforms, and we now urge your office to take swift action to investigate and prosecute all organizations, individuals, and entities responsible.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man in Work Release Program Dead in Police Shooting on Bus
AURORA, Colo. (AP) — A man accused of causing a disturbance at a work release program for jail inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues died after being shot by police on a public bus in suburban Denver on Sunday, police said.
No one else was injured, interim Aurora police chief Dan Oates said in a briefing after the shooting of the 35-year-old inmate, whose name has not been released yet. The man was reported to be armed with a large knife, he said.
Oates declined to say whether the man had threatened passengers on the bus, saying that would be part of the investigation of the shooting by a team led by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Officers deployed a stun gun and a dog in unsuccessful attempts to arrest the man, Oates said. Two other officers then fired their handguns at him, hitting the man, Oates said. He declined to provide more detail about what led up to the shooting, saying why the officers decided to open fire would also be part of the investigation.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
More People Seeking Concealed-Carry Insurance as Gun Ownership Booms
The market for concealed-carry insurance is booming because Americans are worried about rising crime rates and the Supreme Court forced blue states to loosen strict restrictions on who can pack heat in public.
Gun carriers obtain the insurance in case they end up using their weapons and find themselves facing legal fees or need to pay for an attorney because of criminal accusations.
Delta Defense, which runs the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA), told Fox News that its membership more than doubled from 300,000 in 2020 to 700,000. Its CEO said the surge is due to the “millions of brand-new gun owners there are in the wake of primarily all the riots that happened in early 2020.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With muggings skyrocketing in New York City, victims who fight back could be exposed to legal consequences under the city’s “murky” self-defense laws, according to experts.
One recent case prompted Curtis Sliwa, a longtime public safety advocate who has led the Guardian Angels volunteer group for decades, to call on the Empire State to follow Florida’s example and implement a “stand your ground” law to enhance a citizen’s right to self-defense.
A would-be robber died over the weekend after demanding cash from two men and waving “an imitation firearm,” according to the NYPD.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police: Bull City United Worker Died in Targeted Shooting Along I-85 in Durham
Reshaun Cates, who was found dead in a car on Sunday on the side of the highway, was an employee of the Bull City United group.
DURHAM, N.C. — A man working to stop violence in Durham has lost his life to it.
On Monday, a balloon memorial was visible on the side of the road where Cates was found dead.
The shooting occurred along an off-ramp of Interstate 85 at the Hillandale Road exit.
Shortly after the shooting, two sources told WRAL that Cates was an employee of Bull City United. The group receives funding from the city and county to stop violence.
So far, Durham County officials have not confirmed that to WRAL. Durham Police are saying this was not a random act.
The area where the shooting happened is part of a busy intersection. A woman who discovered the bullet-ridden car called 911. The woman asked to not be identified for safety reasons.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Police: Man Stabs Woman to Death in Roswell, Then Steps in Front of Semi on I-285
Investigators in north Fulton County believe a man stabbed a woman to death and then killed himself by stepping in front of a semi-truck on I-285, police said Monday.
Both Roswell and Sandy Springs police departments are investigating the incidents, which began shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday.
A 911 caller reported a person had been injured at the Midwood Roswell Apartments on Mimosa Boulevard, according to Roswell police spokesman Officer Tim Lupo. Inside an apartment, officers found Rosa Evaristo Perez dead from an apparent stab wound, Lupo said. She was 31.
Family members told investigators they went to check on the woman after receiving confessional messages from a man she knew, police said.
While Roswell investigators attempted to locate the man, Sandy Springs officers responded to a deadly crash on I-285. Investigators determined the man killed was the suspect in the fatal stabbing, Lupo said.
“The preliminary investigation has shown that this person exited from a parked vehicle on westbound I-285, and intentionally stepped into the path of an oncoming semi-truck,” police said in an emailed statement.
The man’s name was not released pending confirmation by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Report: White House Fears Hunter Could Doom Joe Biden’s Potential 2024 Campaign
Aides in the Biden administration fear Hunter and President Joe Biden’s shady business activities could doom the president’s potential campaign in 2024, Politico reported.
The Republicans’ investigations into the Biden family upon retaking the House in November could derail any hope of Joe Biden’s returning to the White House after 2024.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Rejects Candace Owens’ ‘Fact Check’ Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Claims
The Supreme Court announced Monday it would not hear a challenge brought by conservative commentator Candace Owens over her complaints against “fact checkers” on Facebook and her opinion about the COVID-19 death count.
Ms. Owens uses Facebook as a platform for her career as a political commentator. She sued Lead Stories and USA Today, who work with Facebook as “fact-checkers” and have the ability to cancel or suspend certain pages and posts.
The fact checkers labeled Ms. Owens’ posts as “false” and a “hoax” when she commented on the government’s COVID-19 death count, suggesting the deaths were over-counted because of tabulation methods she criticized.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Rejects 10 States’ Challenge of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Healthcare Workers
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge from 10 states over President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers in facilities that receive federal funding.
The high court blocked the enforcement of a vaccine or testing mandate for large employers in January, but permitted, in a 5-4 ruling, a vaccine mandate to remain in place at healthcare facilities that receive federal funding through Medicare and Medicaid.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court to Look at Online Platforms’ Immunity
The US Supreme Court has agreed to take on two cases that could reshape the liability protections apps, websites, and online platforms currently receive under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA).
Currently, Section 230 of the CDA classifies apps, websites, and online platforms that host user-generated content as “interactive computer services.” Section 230 (c)(1) prevents providers of interactive computer services from being treated as the publisher or speaker of content posted by their users and Section 230 (c)(2) gives providers of interactive computer services immunity from civil liability if they act in “good faith” to moderate content.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tech Platforms Contemplate How to Deal With Texas’ Anti-Censorship Law
Tech companies are considering several options in response to the Texas social media law that prohibits them from political viewpoint-based censorship. The law was recently upheld by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
According to a report by The Washington Post, one of the options that has been suggested is a pop-up that says: “The content you are about to see contains graphic violence, white supremacist imagery and other objectionable material. If you don’t want to be exposed, click here.”
Another option, which is highly unlikely, is for the tech companies to shut down their services in Texas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The US Edges Closes to Passing Digital ID Legislation
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Committee has approved the Improving Digital Identity Act, a legal framework for digital ID systems for US citizens.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee already voted to pass the legislation in July.
The Improving Digital Identity Act is a bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). It aims to create a public-private digital identity task force tasked with “improving” digital ID verification systems in government agencies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The suit alleges Trump has been a “long-time critic” of CNN, “not because CNN does a bad job of reporting the news, but because CNN seeks to create the news.”
“CNN’s campaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slander against the Plaintiff has only escalated in recent months as CNN fears the Plaintiff will run for president in 2024,” the suit reads. “As a part of its concerted effort to tilt the political balance to the Left, CNN has tried to taint the Plaintiff with a series of ever-more scandalous, false, and defamatory labels of ‘racist,’ ‘Russian lackey,’ ‘insurrectionist,’ and ultimately ‘Hitler.’“
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Prominent Conservatives Say They’re Considering Legal Action Against the Gov’t for Censorship
Two prominent conservatives say they might take legal action against the government and private entities who censored social media accounts in 2020 during the election.
Last week, Just the News reported that the federal government used private entities to target millions of social posts in 2020. The report stated that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) worked with four private groups to censor massive numbers of social media posts they considered to be misinformation during the 2020 election, and those groups then received millions of federal dollars from the Biden administration. Among those accounts that were targeted were Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
50,000 People Protested Iranian Regime in Richmond Hill
Canadians have come out in droves to protest the brutal Iranian regime after the death of 22-year-old Maha Amini while in police custody.
According to police estimates, over 50,000 people turned out for a protest in Richmond Hill on Saturday.
Protests in Iran have been raging for weeks after Amini died shortly after being arrested for violating the Islamist theocracy’s mandatory veiling laws.
The protest in Richmond Hill was put together by the group Iranian-Canadians for Justice and Human Rights in front of Richmond Hill Central Library.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was also in attendance at the protest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadians Dissatisfied With Trudeau’s Handling of Freedom Convoy: Internal Polling
As parliament continues to investigate Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s use of the Emergencies Act to quash Freedom Convoy protestors in February, internal focus group polling shows that many Canadians remain disappointed with how the government handled things.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, a Privy Council Office survey titled Continuous Qualitative Data Collection of Canadians’ Views found that respondents were upset with how little the federal government engaged with protestors.
“Participants were generally dissatisfied with the response of the Government of Canada,” analysts wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Canadian Armed Forces Veteran named James Topp, who has become a freedom favorite for his peaceful march across Canada to end coercive COVID-19 vaccine mandates, has taken legal action against Global News for defamation
After months of taking what he referred to as rumour mongering, insinuations, and being guilty by association with “dignity and grace,” Topp told Rebel News that an article published by the Legacy media outlet on August 18 had him saying “enough is enough.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Experts Highlight Mental Health Crisis in Youth Caused by Lockdowns
Experts say government lockdowns and Covid-19 mandates have left children with unprecedented psychological and social scars.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, testimonies by pediatricians at the House of Commons health committee reveal how severe mental health among youth has become.
“We found older youth were statistically more likely to report severe difficulties in the psychiatric domain,” said University of British Columbia Department of Pediatrics clinical scientist Dr. Quynh Doan.
According to Doan, a survey of 424 youths found that a majority were experiencing “psychological difficulties” as a result of pandemic measures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Major Canadian Bank Admits Woke ‘Diversity Trainers’ Told Employees Not to Vote for Conservatives
(LifeSiteNews) — Canada’s TD Bank admitted that one of its diversity trainers did indeed suggest to employees to not vote Conservative.
In late August, LifeSiteNews reported about an audio recording the news outlet Western Standard says it obtained on which a woke TD Bank trainer named Carol can be heard telling workers the Conservative Party does not care for Canada’s indigenous people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Quebec Elects CAQ to 2nd Straight Majority Government, CBC News Projects
François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec has now won back-to-back provincial elections, CBC News projects, and the party seems headed toward a landslide victory and an even larger majority government.
As of 9:50 p.m, the CAQ was projected elected or leading in 92 ridings.
The CAQ is the first party other than the Quebec Liberals or the Parti Québécois to win back-to-back majorities since 1956.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A court recently ruled that Western University’s collection of data on students’ vaccination status is not a breach of their privacy rights.
The ruling about the Ontario public research university states that the court did “not accept that the Policy will ‘force’ members of the university community to disclose their personal information.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meloni Becoming Italian PM is Bad for Women Because She Represents ‘White’ Feminism: MSNBC
Giorgia Meloni being likely to become Italy’s first-ever woman prime minister is “anything but a win” for women because she represents “white feminism”, according to MSNBC.
In an article titled ‘Giorgia Meloni’s feminism is a wolf in sheep’s clothing’, MSNBC Opinion Columnist Natasha Norman argues in no uncertain terms that the Italian conservative breaking the proverbial glass ceiling is the ‘wrong’ kind of win for women in politics, claiming that she “pursues a violently anti-feminist agenda.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Kaczynski Calls for Vote Counting Modification Ahead of Crucial Next Election
The leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, argued during a visit to western Poland over the weekend that the counting of the votes at the next election should be carried out in front of cameras.
Kaczynski also called for a modification in how votes are counted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Can Rely on Meloni, Says Italian Commentator
The victory for Giorgia Meloni in Italy is a turn away from the post-politics of the Five Star era or the scandal-ridden Berlusconi times, Italian commentator Enrico Buscema claimed in an interview with Polish weekly magazine Tygodnik Solidarnosc.
It is also a turn away from the populism of promising cash handouts for all.
According to Buscema, Meloni wants to concentrate on policies to protect and support families, institutional reform, the curbing of migration, and the end of surrender to international corporations.
These policies are remarkably similar to those pursued by the conservative governments in Poland and Hungary.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shocking Letter Reveals UK Blackout Fear as NatGas Supplies Could be Cut in “Emergency”
A letter from Ofgem, the UK’s power regulator, warned about the “significant risk” of a natural gas shortage this winter because of disruptions to energy markets following the war in Ukraine and undersupply of Europe.
Bloomberg Opinion’s Javier Blas tweeted a photograph of the letter focusing on technical changes in the UK electricity market. Blas highlighted the critical parts of the letter in the “background” section that detailed a dark and cold winter for the UK could be just ahead.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Svante Paabo: Swedish Scientist Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for ‘Groundbreaking Discoveries’
Swedish scientist Svante Paabo has been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his “groundbreaking discoveries” around human evolution.
His work helped reveal key insights into our immune systems and what makes humans unique compared with our extinct cousins, the award’s panel said.
Paabo spearheaded the development of new techniques that allowed researchers to compare the genome of modern humans and that of Neanderthals and Denisovans.
“Svante Paabo’s groundbreaking discoveries have provided important new knowledge regarding our evolutionary history,” said Anna Wedell, chair of the Nobel Committee.
While Neanderthal bones were first discovered in the mid-19th century, only by unlocking their DNA have scientists been able to fully understand the links between species.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Braces for a Winter of Power Shortages
Emergency scenarios are being prepared in Sweden in case of power cuts. The Scandinavian country has had a dry and windless summer, which has resulted in less electricity being produced from renewable energy, while its nuclear power plants are not ready to supply consumers. Meanwhile, the economic situation is worsening as inflation skyrockets and housing costs continue to rise.
Falling energy prices, a worsening economy, and a change of government have all contributed to the declining economic situation in Sweden, according to a recent study by the Hungarian Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation. Consumer inflation hit an all-time high in August, reaching 9.8 percent, the highest in 30 years. The biggest increases were in housing and transport costs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Just Stop Oil’ Climate Protesters Blockade Downing Street
Climate extremist group Just Stop Oil has blockaded Downing Street, site of the Prime Minister’s official residence, and say they will not leave “until their demands are met”.
Climate activists have declared Westminster “a site of non-violent civil resistance until the government commits to end new oil and gas”, according to local media — although Prime Minister Liz Truss and other key members of government are not even in London at the moment, due to the annual Conservative Party conference taking place in London.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Prime Minister Liz Truss was pushed into what the FT called a “humiliating” U-turn forced by growing discontent from members of her own Conservative Party, when she ditched her plan to slash taxes for the highest earners just over a week after announcing her shocking “mini-budget” which set off an avalanche of selling in the sterling and gilts and nearly wiped out the UK pension system.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng tweeted, “I’m announcing we are not proceeding with the abolition of the 45p tax rate. We get it, and we have listened.” He added that “It is clear that the abolition of the 45p tax rate has become a distraction from our overriding mission to tackle the challenges facing our country.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Makes First Direct Plea to Putin to Stop Violence
Pope Francis addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time on Sunday, “imploring” him to “stop the spiral of violence” in Ukraine, citing the risk of escalating the conflict on a global scale.
Before the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, the pope addressed “the president of the Russian Federation, asking him to stop, also out of love for his people, this spiral of violence and death,” according to AFP.
It is the first time the pope has directly addressed the Russian president during a speech since the conflict began on Feb. 24. The pope also spoke for the first time about Moscow’s annexations of Ukrainian territory, deploring the “new actions contrary to the principles of international law.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Admits Borders of Two Annexed Regions Are Unclear
Russia has admitted it does not know exactly where its new borders are as Ukraine continues its counter advance into annexed territories.
Moscow claimed Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — along with Donetsk and Luhansk — as Russian territory last week after holding ‘sham’ referendums in which voters there apparently voted overwhelmingly to join Russia.
But on Monday it said it was still trying to determine how to properly define its newly-annexed land.
“As for Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, we will continue to consult with the people who live in those regions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The admission looks set to further undermine how Russia can practically exert sovereignty over the region as Kyiv ignores the results of the referendum and pushes on with its advance into the Donbas.
On Monday Ukrainian forces achieved their biggest breakthrough in the south of the country since the war began.
They burst through the front and advanced rapidly along the Dnipro River, threatening supply lines for thousands of Russian troops.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Enraged by Elon Musk’s Poll Tweet on the Russian Invasion: ‘F*** Off’
Tesla CEO Elon Musk lit a firestorm Monday morning with a tweet suggesting that Ukraine should give up some of its territories and hold new elections in regions Russia has annexed.
Musk tweeted out a poll, asking respondents to weigh in on a series of proposals to obtain Ukraine-Russia peace: redo elections of annexed regions under UN supervision and Russia leaves if that is the will of the people, Crimea remains part of Russia, water supply to Crimea is assured, and Ukraine remains neutral.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine War: Kyiv ‘Makes Biggest Advance in the South Since War Began’
Key developments to know about from Russia’s war in Ukraine:
1. Ukraine ‘makes biggest advance in the south since war began’
Kyiv made a major military breakthrough in south Ukraine on Monday, Reuters reports.
Ukrainian troops recaptured villages along the banks of the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, creating a large front that is forcing Moscow to abandon ground it annexed only days ago.
The advance into the Kherson region was the biggest Kyiv has made since the war began in February, according to Reuters.
It comes off the back of similar breakthroughs in the east that have turned the tide of the war in recent weeks, prompting Russia to mobilise hundreds of thousands of reserve troops.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Wants EU to Support Ukraine With $1.5 Billion Per Month
The United States has laid out a long-term civilian funding plan for Ukraine — not for military spending, but for infrastructure, health, and education — for its allies, the Bloomberg news outlet has reported. Under the plan, the U.S. is committing $1.5 billion a month in aid, but is also asking for the same level of support from its European allies.
They added that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates Ukraine would need $5 billion a month to carry out basic state functions and keep the economy running. Meanwhile, in September, the Ukrainian budget only had aid income of $2 billion in September, down from $4.7 billion in August, according to Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The brother of rising Australian soccer sensation Garang Kuol helped broker a lucrative Premier League deal for him while on the run from Australian authorities.
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‘Eyesore’ Solar Farm Planned for Picturesque NSW Town Sparks Outrage
Residents of a scenic village voted Australia’s top tourism town for the second-year running are furious at plans to build a huge solar farm on their doorstep.
A proposal to install 25,000 solar panels on the road leading into Mudgee, in central NSW, has everyone from the local mayor to, to businesses and celebrity residents upset.
Mudgee is famous for its stunning countryside and attracts tourists from around the state keen to sample its food and wine.
But a local family’s decision to install thousands of glass panels which would be boarded by a three-metre high, 1.5km-long dirt mount on the side of the road leading into the sleepy hamlet has created a storm.
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New Zealand Considers Digital Driver’s Licenses That Form Part of a Larger Digital ID Framework
New Zealand’s Transport Agency says it is considering introducing a digital driver’s license that people can store on their phones.
In response to an Official Information Act request, the Transport Agency said that it has been looking into the operational and legislative requirements for a digital driver’s license. Privacy and risk assessments have also not been done, NZH reported.
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Senior Officials Among Nine Dead in Somalia Car Bombings
Mogadishu (AFP) — Nine people, including senior regional officials, were killed in twin car bombings claimed by Al-Shabaab in central Somalia on Monday, police said, as the government escalates an offensive against the Islamists.
Two cars packed with explosives were detonated minutes apart outside local government offices in Beledweyne, a city at the heart of recent offensives against the Al-Qaeda-linked militants who control swathes of Somalia.
“The initial information we have received confirms the death of nine people” including a state minister and a commissioner, said Mohamed Moalim Ali, a local police commander.
…
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Austria, Hungary, Serbia Cooperate to Deliver Border Control in Face of Rising Migrant Numbers
BERLIN (AP) — The leaders of Hungary, Austria and Serbia met Monday in Budapest to find solutions on how to stem the increasing number of migrants arriving in Europe, among them many young men from India.
The three leaders agreed to take joint action to control the new arrivals along the migration route that leads through Serbia.
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NYC Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference on Monday that the far left wing of his own Democrat party is “doing nothing” when it comes to the border crisis.
According to the New York Post, Adams spoke outside of City Hall and said, “The far right is doing the wrong thing. The far left is doing nothing. I mean, the silence — I don’t believe the silence I’m hearing.”
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EU Asylum System Has Failed — Austrian Chancellor
Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer declared on Monday that the European Union’s asylum system has failed, after his country saw a record 56,000 refugee applications this year. Together with Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic, Nehammer proposed tightening border security.
“Austria is currently heavily burdened by illegal migration. The solidarity contribution that we are making in Europe is disproportionately high,” Nehammer stated at a summit with Orban and Vucic in Budapest, according to Austria’s Kronen Zeitung newspaper.
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Border Patrol saw an almost 600% increase in fiscal year 2022 in the number of illegal migrants flagged as “special interest” over national security concerns, according to internal U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
A “special interest” migrant is someone who isn’t a U.S. citizen who frequently travels in areas designated as national security concerns due to terrorist activity or other types of “nefarious activity,” according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Border Patrol agents encountered 25,627 “special interest” illegal migrants compared to the 3,675 encounters in fiscal year 2021, according to the data.
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Israel Approves Plan to Take in Russian Jews
The Israeli government has immediately allocated 90 million shekels (€25.6 million) to aid refugees from the war in Ukraine, particularly as many of the migrants are arriving in Israel in an unconventional hurry and have left home without prior preparation. The program will ensure the integration of the new wave of immigrants from Russia in the areas of housing, employment, education, and healthcare.
“Under my leadership, the Ministry of Finance will spare new resources to implement the emigration to Israel of Jews eligible for the Law of Return (people with at least one Jewish grandparent). This is Israel’s strategic asset and the biggest engine of growth since the state’s establishment,” Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman said, explaining the government’s decision.
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Migrants Housed on Luxury Cruise Ship in Netherlands Gloating on TikTok
Outrage is building in the Netherlands as ‘asylum seekers’ living on a luxurious cruise ship are gloating about their new digs on social media, according to reports.
The municipality of Velsen has begun moving up to 1,000 migrants onto the Silja Europa, a cruise ferry now being used as an asylum shelter.
Velsen Mayor Frank Dales posted about the arrival of the initial busload of migrants at port last week.
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More than 33,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, official government figures have revealed.
Data released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said 33,001 people have been intercepted making the dangerous journey across the 21-mile Dover Straits in 2022.
A total of 7,961 of those migrants arrived in September alone and this figure is expected to increase as a further 400 people crossed the Channel today.
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Gay Men Sue New York City to Gain Access to Women’s Bodies, Claim Surrogacy is ‘Fertility Treatment’
A gay New York City couple is fighting for the right to get in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy covered by the city’s “discriminatory” insurance policy that does not fund fertility treatments for homosexual male couples.
Corey Briskin and Nicholas Maggipinto filed a class-action lawsuit against the city back in April, after learning in 2017 that Briskin’s insurance policy from his government job did not provide IVF benefits for gay men, reported NBC.
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Gay Rom-Com Bombs at the Box Office, Billy Eichner Blames the Audience
Actor and screenwriter Billy Eichner blamed “homophobic weirdo[s]” after his gay rom-com bombed at the box office.
The film “Bros,” which released Sunday, has been touted as “historic” for its all-LGBT cast and its depiction of a homosexual couple in a romantic comedy. Eichner is also the first openly gay man to co-write and star in his own studio film, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
“Even with glowing reviews, great Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore etc, straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros,” Eichner wrote on Twitter. “And that’s disappointing but it is what it is.”
“Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast! And it *is* special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often,” he added. “I love this movie so much. GO BROS!!!”
“Bros” cost $22 million to make and opened to just $4.8 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Germany: Berlin Gets Its First Gay and Lesbian Day Care Center
Pedophiles are jubilant as the capital is to get the first gay and lesbian day care center in Germany. Children up to five years old should be taught there what it’s like to be gay.
“In itself, our concept is the same as that of other daycare centers. The LGBTI* way of life should simply be a little more visible,” said the manager of the planned facility. The German Bild newspaper reported that 60 of the maximum 93 places had already been booked.
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Nolte: Planned Parenthood to Park Mobile Abortion Clinic at Red State Borders
As you read the piece below, never forget that the pro-baby-killing fanatics at Planned Parenthood receive hundreds of millions of your tax dollars every year…
Imagine being so demonic and desperate to butcher unborn babies that you create a mobile baby-killing machine to park on the borders of red states that have restricted or outlawed the barbaric, obscene and medically unnecessary act of elective abortion…
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Viewers React: Protests Erupt Over Transgender Teacher With Enormous Fake Breasts
On Friday’s episode of Rebel Roundup, David Menzies examined viewers’ reactions to the curious case of Kayla Lemieux, a transgender shop teacher at Oakville Trafalgar High School who has been wearing massive fake breasts to class.
One viewer wrote in saying, “I asked my 22-year-old son if this kind of abuse in high school would have affected him, when he was in shop class, he replied that at a young age it would have left a scar on him mentally, get your young boys out of that class!”
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‘Women’s Sports Are Being Robbed’: Female Track Athletes Sue Connecticut Over Transgender Policy
Four former Connecticut high school female athletes are suing the state for its policy allowing transgender students to participate in women’s sports.
Selina Soule, one of four track athletes at the center of the lawsuit, told Fox News that Connecticut’s transgender athlete policy is “unfair” and disadvantages female athletes.
Connecticut’s Department of Education has protected transgender students from discrimination since 2017, arguing that they are protected under Title IX, a law prohibiting schools that receive federal funding from discriminating based on sex.
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This was an unusually detailed report.
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Swedish discovery could lead to sharply slowed Alzheimer’s
Published 4 October 2022 at 08.51
Preliminary results of a so-called phase III clinical trial show that the antibody lecanemab significantly slows deterioration in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease
– If the antibody is approved as a drug, it could represent a real breakthrough in treatment early after the onset of the disease. Being able to slow down the progression of the disease would save patients and their families a lot of suffering, says Lena Kilander, senior physician and professor of geriatrics, Uppsala University Hospital.
Alzheimer’s disease accounts for about 60% of all cases of dementia. The disease causes brain tissue to gradually deteriorate as nerve cells begin to atrophy and die at an abnormal rate. This leads to a decline in memory and cognitive skills, such as intellectual ability, language, orientation, recognition and learning.
Unlike previous therapies, this antibody targets the process that causes the disease rather than the symptoms. It has been developed to reduce the amount of harmful amyloid beta in the brain; a misfolded protein that is thought to cause the disease. The antibody, originally named BAN2401, was developed by a molecular geriatrics research group at the Rudbeck Laboratory in Uppsala, led by Professor Emeritus Lars Lannfelt.
The current phase III study (CLARITY) has been conducted globally. A total of four Swedish university hospitals have participated where memory clinics recruited patients with early disease: the University Hospital of Stockholm, Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg and Skåne University Hospital in Malmö. 1,795 patients with early Alzheimer’s disease were included and received either lecanemab or placebo.
– In the group receiving lecanemab, clinical deterioration on the global cognitive and functional scale CDR-SB was reduced by 27% after 18 months of treatment.
Based on the results so far, the effect on cognition and function is comparable to current drugs, known as cholinesterase inhibitors. The big advantage is that lecanemab has a disease-modifying effect, not just symptom relief. The drug may therefore have a greater effect in long-term treatment over several years,” says Lena Kilander in a press release.
All the results will be presented at an Alzheimer’s congress in the US on 29 November and then peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal.
– We will then also find out if the drug is particularly effective in certain individuals, such as those with a specific risk gene for Alzheimer’s that interacts with amyloid-beta. The risk of side effects in the form of brain oedema has been shown to be low (2.8%). In the study, the antibody was administered as an intravenous infusion every two weeks. This is both costly and impractical. Studies are underway to administer the drug less frequently and eventually the effect of subcutaneous injections will also be evaluated, says Lena Kilander.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to make a decision in January 2023 and marketing authorisations in the EU and Japan are due to be submitted in the first quarter of 2023. According to Lena Kilander, it will probably take until later in 2024 before it is known whether the drug will be registered for clinical use in Europe. After that, the Danish Agency for Dental Care and Drug Benefits (TLV) will make its assessment.