Protests continue in Chinese cities as angry citizens take to the streets holding up blank placards to symbolize their opposition to the strict “zero-COVID” lockdowns. Meanwhile, people searching on Twitter using the names of Chinese cities have encountered pornography and tweets about gambling, which have been published en masse by Chinese bots.
In other news, numerous witnesses in London reported seeing a flash and hearing a loud explosion, after which a thick cloud of smoke could be seen over North London.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, Fjordman, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, 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.
American Consumers’ Sentiment on Economy Plummets, New Survey Shows
Sentiment regarding the U.S. economy is plummeting among American consumers, a new survey has revealed.
Consumer sentiment fell this month, despite upwardly revised figures, according to the University of Michigan.
In a newly released survey, the consumer sentiment index for November had deteriorated less than expected and was revised to 56.8 from initial projections of 54.7 percent.
The results were better than most economists’ expectations with the upward revision, but still below October’s reading of 59.9, despite the improved numbers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe has been torn apart by the Australian public after he apologised to mortgage holders for downplaying interest rate rises.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
California Food Stamps Costs Soar to Record Highs (Despite Record Low Unemployment)
California’s participation in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 2022 peaked at 4.9 million people as of July (and then dropped to 4.6 million in August). That was higher than California’s previous highest food stamp participation of 4.8 million people in June 2020.
What is more confusing is that the last time food stamp participation was this high, the Golden State’s unemployment rate was over 16%. Currently, it is at 3.8% — the lowest level since at least 1976.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cheaper Electricity and Gas? There Will be No Lower Price Caps, Says Czechia’s PM
The Czech state cannot afford any lower price caps for electricity and gas, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said during the Otazky Vaclava Moravce show on Czech television (CT).
“No, that can’t happen. The ceiling is set responsibly after a thorough analysis of what we can afford,” Fiala said as he rejected lowering the cap on energy prices during the broadcast.
At the same time, he admitted that it is not an ideal price.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Crypto Firm BlockFi Files for Bankruptcy in Wake of FTX Collapse
Crypto firm BlockFi filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New Jersey bankruptcy court following the collapse of crypto giant FTX, CNBC reported Monday.
The company indicated in its filing that it has over 100,000 creditors with a range of $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities and assets, according to CNBC. BlockFi also reportedly listed a $275 million loan to FTX US, the American branch of former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s fallen empire.
Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy after it collapsed following a report by crypto site CoinDesk about the company allegedly transferring customer funds to backstop affiliated crypto trading firm Alameda Research. BlockFi previously disclosed “significant exposure” to FTX and associated entities, Reuters reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fed President Expects Inflation to Persist Through to 2024
Inflation will likely persist into 2024, St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard warned on Wednesday, suggesting interest rates could likely surge even higher as the Fed battles rising prices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Business Secretary Grant Shapps is planning an £18million public information campaign to offer advice and technical tips to help households cut their energy use while keeping warm.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The Washington Post advised Americans Sunday that instead of a traditional season dinner, which now is unaffordable for a quarter of families, they should instead look to eating bugs.
Yes really.
In an article headlined Salted ants. Ground crickets. Why you should try edible insects, the Post stated “Consumers can already find foods like salted ants on Amazon and cricket powder protein bars in Swiss grocery stores.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
#DinnerGate: Trump Hounded for Having ‘Unacceptable’ Dinner With Kanye West and Nick Fuentes
Former President Donald Trump is being hounded by the media and former allies like David Friedman and Ben Shapiro for having an “unacceptable” dinner with Kanye “Ye” West and Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday.
Friedman, who Trump appointed as the US Ambassador to Israel and gave free reign to do everything possible to advance Israel’s interests, showed his gratitude to our former president on Friday by attacking him for having an “unacceptable” dinner with “human scum” like Nick Fuentes and “an antisemite” like Ye and ordering him to “disavow them and relegate them to the dustbin of history where they belong.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona County Board Supervisors Say They Voted to Certify Election ‘Under Duress’
Two members of the Mohave County, Ariz., Board of Supervisors on Monday voted to certify the results of the Nov. 8 midterm elections “under duress,” claiming he was forced to do so under threat of jail time.
“I vote ‘aye’ under duress. I found out today that I have no choice but to vote ‘Aye’ or I will be arrested and charged with a felony,” Gould said while casting his vote. “I don’t think that that is what the founders had in mind when they used the democratic process to elect our leaders.”
“I find that very disheartening,” he concluded. Video footage of the vote showed Gould raise his objections. Just the News has sought comment from Gould.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s Genderfluid, Drag Queen Nuclear Official Charged With Stealing Woman’s Luggage
The Energy Department’s chief of nuclear waste disposal Sam Brinton, who identifies as genderfluid, has been charged with felony theft after allegedly stealing a female victim’s luggage at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) Airport in September, court documents show.
Brinton, who was hired by the administration in February, was filmed allegedly stealing a woman’s roller bag at the airport’s baggage claim area by security cameras on Sept. 16, according to a criminal complaint filed on Oct. 27. Security footage also showed Brinton taking the woman’s luggage from the baggage carousel and then removing the tags before leaving the scene at a “quick pace,” according to the complaint.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Kanye West (Ye) Storms Off Timcast IRL Show After Tim Pushes Back on Antisemitic Remarks
Tim Pool invited infamous entertainer, fashion designer Kanye West onto his Timcast IRL on Monday night, only to have the celeb, along with his entourage, to storm out of the studio, and leave the premises when questioned about his antisemitism.
While Pool attempted to engage West in a discussion about his recent, controversial dinner with former President Donald Trump, West insisted on airing his grievances against the Jewish people, who he kept referring to as “they,” and claiming that he was a vessel of God, and that his children would be okay because his ex-wife is rich.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Maricopa Poll Worker Says Over 500 Voters Disenfranchised at One Location Alone
At a Maricopa County Board of Supervisors in Arizona special meeting on Monday, a poll worker testified that hundreds of citizens in the county were disenfranchised in the midterm elections.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the Board of Supervisors, I was a poll worker. And what I will say that I’ve seen is voters this cycle have in fact been disenfranchised,” the poll worker said, “Because we as poll workers were not taught how to check out voters at our poll centers. And then at my poll center, where we literally had at 7 pm on Election Day 675 people waiting in line. Out of 675, do you know how many came in? 150.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Buffalo Shooting Gunman Pleads Guilty to Murder and Hate Crime Charges
The white man accused of killing 10 Black people in a racist mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, in May will spend the rest of his life in prison.
A white gunman who targeted a grocery in Buffalo, New York, because it was the city with the most Black residents in closest proximity to his home, will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to murder and hate crime charges in the May 14 shooting at Tops Friendly Market.
Thirteen people, including 11 Black people and two white people, were shot in the massacre, which the suspect had streamed on the social media platform Twitch.
Payton Gendron, 19, on Monday, pleaded guilty to 25 state counts of domestic terrorism motivated by hate, first-degree murder and attempted murder as a hate crime and weapons possession.
The domestic terrorism motivated by hate charge carries an automatic life sentence upon conviction.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
California Releases Thousands of Convicted Pedophiles: Investigation
A Daily Mail investigation has found that pedophiles in California are receiving short prison sentences, even when found guilty of horrific acts such as raping children.
Thousands of child molesters are being let out of prison after just a few months, an analysis of the state’s database of sex offenders shows.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Woman With Concealed Carry Permit Shoots Carjacker in Head
A 23-year-old woman with a concealed carry permit shot a carjacker in the head during a failed hijacking attempt in Chicago last week.
The incident occurred near 89th Street and Kenwood Avenue in the Calumet Heights neighborhood on Chicago’s south side at around 2 am on Wednesday.
The unidentified woman was sitting in her car when four armed men jumped out of a black sedan and approached her car.
When one of the would-be carjackers tried to open her door while flashing his gun, she turned the tables on the mob.
She grabbed her weapon and shot one of the men in the head.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Congressman Details GOP House Investigations to Come
(NewsNation) — Congressman Jim Comer (R-Ky.) said Republicans are preparing for forty to fifty investigations once they have control of the House in January.
“We have the ability to investigate a lot of things,” Comer said.
Comer’s words are the first time we’ve heard the full scope of what Republicans hope to do over the next two years. He is the most likely congressman to run the House Oversight Committee, which is in charge of investigations.
Comer told NewsNation last month that work had already begun.
“Our committee has already done a lot of informative, substantive work,” he said. “Once we get the subpoena power, I think we’ll be able to accelerate and get some answers that every American deserves.”
Among the possible mentioned House GOP investigations are:
- Hunter Biden
- COVID-19 origins
- Ukraine spending
- COVID-19 spending
- Southern border
- Afghanistan withdrawal
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Senator Deals Blow to Biden: Dems Do Not Have Votes for ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) has dealt a severe blow to Democrat President Joe Biden and his anti-Second Amendment agenda.
Biden is trying to ram a so-called “assault weapons” ban through a lame-duck session in Congress.
However, the Democrats do not have the votes, according to gun-grabber Murphy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Reveals Apple Threatening to Ban Twitter From App Store: ‘Who Else Has Apple Censored?’
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has revealed that tech giant Apple is threatening to ban Twitter from its App Store.
Such a move would see Twitter’s app pulled from all iPhone devices.
Musk appeared outraged as he broke the news on Twitter Monday.
He put Apple CEO Tim Cook on notice in a string of posts on Twitter.
As Slay News reported earlier, Musk also revealed that Apple has stopped advertising on Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk: Apple ‘Hates Free Speech in America’
Twitter boss Elon Musk has suggested that tech giant Apple “hate[s] free speech in America.”
In a Monday post on Twitter, Musk stated that “Apple has mostly stopped advertising” with his recently acquired social media company.
“Do they hate free speech in America?” Musk then asked.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Despite warning of a “massive drop in revenue” due to an advertiser exodus earlier this month, new Twitter owner Elon Musk said Saturday that sign-ups on the platform are at an all-time high.
There were more than two million new sign-ups per day on average in the week that ended Nov. 16, a 66% increase over the same time frame last year, according to slides from a recent company talk that Musk tweeted out on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Teases Twitter Files on Free Speech Suppression: ‘Public Deserves to Know’
Elon Musk on Monday teased forthcoming files that will reveal how and why Twitter suppressed certain accounts at the expense of free speech.
“The Twitter Files on free speech suppression soon to be published on Twitter itself,” Musk tweeted Monday, without elaborating. “The public deserves to know what really happened…”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fauci Says Evidence ‘Strongly’ Points Away From COVID-19 Lab Leak Theory
Dr. Anthony Fauci said during an interview on Sunday that he has a “completely open mind” regarding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, but believes the scientific evidence “strongly” points to it not being leaked from a lab.
During an appearance on CBS’s Face the Nation, host Margaret Brennan asked the outgoing Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases about China’s transparency regarding the origins of COVID-19 and their response to calls for investigation from around the world, Fox News reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
George Soros’ NYC Prosecutor Downgrades Over Half of Felonies to Misdemeanors
New York City’s District Attorney Alvin Bragg, one of the many prosecutors installed by radical billionaire George Soros, has downgraded over half of all felony cases to misdemeanors, according to reports.
According to data published on the DA’s website, Bragg downgraded 52% of all felony cases so far in 2022 to misdemeanors.
The number is a big increase compared to the 39% downgraded in 2019.
In 2021, District Attorney Alvin Bragg ran a campaign in favor of criminal justice reform.
He promised voters that he would uphold changes to the law that allows cash bail for violent crimes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Group of Teens in Chicago Committed 13 Armed Robberies in Five Hours, Police Say
A group of teenagers is responsible for 13 armed robberies across Chicago within a span of five hours, police said Monday.
The Chicago Police Department said the teens exited a vehicle and approached victims on foot while displaying firearms. The victims were robbed and the suspects fled to an awaiting vehicle, police said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How GOP State Supreme Court Wins Could Change State Policies and Who Runs Congress
In the next year, state courts around the country will weigh in on abortion rights, redistricting and voting access.
Unlike U.S. Supreme Court justices, who are appointed, many state supreme court justices just went through an election. The midterms resulted in few shakeups, but GOP wins in Ohio and North Carolina Supreme Court tee up changes to the legal landscape in those states.
Looking ahead, here’s how those wins will influence state policy decisions, as well as the balance of power in Washington.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sam Brinton, 34, the Biden DOE’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Disposition is accused of taking a suitcase from Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Liberals Go Nuts Over Elon Musk’s Bed Stand Guns. Turns Out They’re Fake
Elon Musk sparked outrage from liberals after he tweeted a photo of two fake handguns and four Diet Coke cans laying on his nightstand.
Musk, who officially took over Twitter on Oct. 27, tweeted the photograph Monday with the caption, “My bedside table.” The image featured a wooden handgun in a box containing an image of the painting “George Washington Crossing the Delaware” inside a velveteen box. The other handgun laid near the edge of the nightstand.
Liberals immediately raged over the post and criticized Musk for allegedly failing to practice proper gun safety protocols.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The New York Times and four other major media outlets sent a letter on Monday to federal prosecutors urging them to stop prosecuting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The letter said:
“Twelve years ago, on November 28th 2010, our five international media outlets — The New York Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, El Pais and DER SPIEGEL — published a series of revelations in cooperation with Wikileaks that made the headlines around the globe.
“Cable gate”, a set of 251,000 confidential cables from the US State Department disclosed corruption, diplomatic scandals and spy affairs on an international scale. In the words of The New York Times, the documents told “the unvarnished story of how the government makes its biggest decisions, the decisions that cost the country most heavily in lives and money”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC Woman Charged With Fatally Stabbing 2 Small Children in Bronx Apartment
NYC woman was allegedly suffering from postpartum depression
A mother has been charged with murder in the stabbings of two small children in a Bronx apartment, police said Monday.
Dimone Fleming, 22, is accused of killing 11-month-old Octavius Fleming-Canada and 3-year-old Dashawn Fleming, who were found with multiple stab wounds on Saturday in the apartment in the Mount Hope neighborhood were the family had been living. The children were pronounced dead at a hospital.
Fleming, the boys’ mother, was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and arrested there Sunday, police said in a news release. It wasn’t clear if Fleming had an attorney who could comment on the charges against her.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Pennsylvania County That Ran Out of Paper Ballots Doesn’t Certify Election
Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County has failed to certify the results of the Nov. 8 midterm elections by the Monday deadline.
The Board of Elections split 2-2 on certifying the results, with one abstention. The county attracted national attention after it ran out of paper ballots on Election Day. Two Republican board members opposed certification, while two Democrats backed it, and one Democrat abstained, the Epoch Times reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Portland Sets Another Record High in Homicides
With just over a month left in 2022, Portland has already had a record 93 homicides eclipsing last year’s record of 92 homicides, which shattered the city’s previous record of 70 homicides in 1987.
According to the Oregonian, 78 of the victims have died in shootings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Are Gaining Twitter Followers All of a Sudden — and it’s Not Exactly Clear Why
Republican politicians have gained Twitter followers in the hundreds of thousands while Democrats saw plummeting followers after billionaire and Tesla founder Elon Musk took over the social media platform, according to The Washington Post.
Republicans gained 8,000 followers on average while Democrats lost 4,000 in the weeks after the takeover, according to the Post’s analysis of ProPublica data. The shift began abruptly the week of Musk’s Oct. 27 Twitter takeover; accounts analyzed by the Post had been fairly stagnant from Sept. 30 to Oct. 24.
Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan both gained more than 300,000 followers in the three weeks after the Musk takeover, while Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff and Democratic Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders all lost about 100,000, according to the Post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Likely to Toss New York Corruption Convictions
The often-fractious Supreme Court displayed unusual consensus Monday as it signaled an appetite to overturn fraud convictions in two New York corruption cases involving developers with ties to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration.
Conservative and liberal justices strongly suggested both cases brought by anti-corruption crusading former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara relied on faulty legal premises. Much of the debate during oral arguments Monday centered on how broadly the court would word opinions rejecting the theories prosecutors used to win guilty verdicts from juries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Suffers From “Ridiculous” Number of “Psy Ops”, Elon Musk Says
Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times
Twitter owner Elon Musk said Monday that the platform suffers from a “ridiculous” number of professional psychological operations (or, “psy ops”), a concept that typically refers to the dissemination of propaganda or, when used by state actors like the military, psychological warfare tactics meant to manipulate one’s enemies.
“The amount of pro psy ops on Twitter is ridiculous!” Musk wrote in a post on Twitter.
He added jokingly that “at least with new Verified, they will pay $8 for the privilege—haha.”
Musk later qualified his statement, responding to a Twitter user’s comment that the psychological operations are “mid”-level rather than professional. Musk conceded that “it’s mostly basic.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Bans Multiple Antifa Accounts After Threats and Attempts to Burn Down Tesla Dealerships
Elon Musk’s Twitter has suspended several accounts belonging to extreme leftist Antifa groups following years of incitement to violence culminating in threats to commit arson against Tesla facilities.
Journalist Andy Ngo tweeted the details, noting that while some accounts are suspended, others remain active.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Former Oxford School Board Members Speak With Victims of School Shooting
OXFORD, Michigan (WNEM) — Two former Oxford school board members met with the victims and family members of the Oxford High School shooting Sunday to share information they plan on revealing ahead of a Monday afternoon news conference.
Their attorney Bill Seikaly says, “Their entire goal is to be as transparent with the community as they had promised they would be right after the shooting.”
Tom Donnelly and Korey Bailey, both of whom resigned nearly two months ago, are now trying to keep that promise…
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Fauci Blames Trump for China’s COVID Cover Up
The overlord of science Anthony Fauci blamed President Trump Sunday for China’s continued obfuscation of the origins of COVID, claiming that it was Trump’s “anti-China approach” that encouraged the Communist state to be non-cooperative.
Now that he has retired, Anthony Fauci is devoting even more time to his favourite hobby, appearing on the news, shilling for China, and telling people to get booster shots.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha Blames Social Media for “Misinformation” Spread
During a press briefing, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha blamed the spread of misinformation about the virus on social media users.
Last week, Jha asked the public not to “trust” social media users who challenge narratives about the virus that go against the government’s narrative.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cabinet Bureaucrats Fretted Over CAF Support for the Convoy
Heavily redacted documents obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter published Monday show senior cabinet staffers passing around an enemies list of past and present Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel who supported the Freedom Convoy in February.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Desjardins Group Tattled on Customers to Police Over Convoy Support
Records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter published today show Desjardins reported one couple who deposited $20,000 after the credit union determined the money was used to pay for supplies to make signs for the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa in February. Other customers were reported for making large purchases of fuel or simply withdrawing cash in the Ottawa area or buying hotel rooms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Justin Trudeau is not telling the truth
What do you call someone who says something that isn’t true under oath?
On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the stand at the Emergencies Act inquiry. Trudeau was the final witness to testify in the 4-week long process, which resulted in the total unravelling of the government’s narrative surrounding the invocation of the never-before-used Emergencies Act.
Trudeau testified that he never insulted the unvaccinated. If you put aside calling the unvaccinated “racists” and “misogynists,” well then maybe he didn’t insult the unvaccinated. We will leave that up to you to decide.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woman Injured by the AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine
On April 11, 2021, Carole Avoine, decided to take the AstraZeneca vaccine because her mother was vulnerable to COVID-19. Twenty days later, Mrs. Avoine developed stage 6 Bell’s palsy. Mrs. Avoine was joined by Rebel reporter, Alexa Lavoie to help share her story.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Government to Seize and Close 3,000 Farms to Comply With EU Environmental Rules
The Dutch government is planning to buy and close down up to 3,000 farms near environmentally sensitive areas to be in compliance with EU environmental rules.
It comes after farmer protests erupted this summer following a government plan to reduce nitrogen emissions by 50% by 2030, The New York Times reported. Farmers believe the measure unfairly targeted the agricultural sector, which is responsible for the largest portion of nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands, the Times added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Europol Seize 30 Tonnes of Drugs in ‘Super-Cartel’ Bust
Dozens of suspects believed to be part of a notorious drug cartel, controlling around a third of the cocaine trade in Europe, have been arrested following two years of investigation into their criminal activities, Europol said on Monday.
The European Union’s law enforcement agency said 49 key suspects — of what they’re calling a ‘super cartel’ — were arrested between November 8 and 19 across Europe and the UAE.
Those arrested are believed to have overseen a massive criminal network that was responsible for “flooding Europe with cocaine,” the law enforcement agency said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Involuntary celibates have been responsible for a series of terror attacks in recent years. Now researchers from Rome have found similar personality traits that band incels together.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
German Police Warn of Future Eco-Extremist Terror Attacks in Secret Memo
Police in Germany reportedly now fear the possibility of a leftist or eco-extremist terror attack occurring in the country.
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has warned of an increasing risk of a leftist or green extremist terror attack occurring in the country, a report from a national newspaper has claimed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germans Don’t Want a Return of Merkel: Poll
The vast majority of Germans do not want former German Chancellor Angela Merkel to become chancellor again, German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported, citing the latest Civey institute poll.
Specifically, 71 percent reject a return of Merkel, while 23 percent of respondents would like to see the veteran politician at the helm of Germany again.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Rejects US Interference
Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjartó has emphatically forbidden lectures by the new US ambassador in Budapest, David Pressman, on Hungarian foreign and energy policy.
In an interview with the US political magazine Politico, the US ambassador criticized that he was concerned when he saw “rockets flying from Moscow to the playgrounds in Kiev, while Hungary’s foreign minister flies to Moscow for live Facebook conferences “from Gazprom headquarters”.
Szijjartó reacted by stating that as Hungarian foreign minister he could only look after Hungary’s national interests. “I understand that the US ambassador assumes US interests, but I am acting in Hungary’s interests. Therefore, I think it is right that we do not comment on each other’s steps on the basis of mutual respect,” said the Hungarian foreign ministry chief. After all, he does not comment on the trips of the US Secretary of State and therefore expects the American ambassador not to comment on Hungarian political questions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Parliament Installs Free Tampon Machine in Men’s Bathroom
A vending machine distributing free tampons has been installed in at least one men’s bathroom in Ireland’s parliament building.
Free tampons are now reportedly available in at least one men’s bathroom in Leinster House, the parliament building for the Irish state, after a machine distributing the sanitary product was installed in recent days.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Than 700 Shootings in Last Three Years Near Swedish Primary Schools
Over 700 shootings have taken place near primary schools in Sweden in the past three years, according to data from the Swedish broadcaster SVT in collaboration with Infostat.
SVT’s mapping reveals that 196,000 (16 percent) of Swedish primary school students currently attend a school where one or more shootings have taken place within a 500-meter radius in the last three years.
Naturally, this figure is lower among the country’s rural population, while in urban areas such as Stockholm and Malmö, the figure skyrockets to close to 50 percent.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Poles Invest Very Conservatively and Half Do Not Invest at All
Half of Poles who have a financial surplus do not invest this money, and if they do, it is mainly in bank deposits, this year’s edition of a study by Assay Group and Maison & Partners shows.
The report also indicates that about 57 percent of Poles have savings, the average value of which is €7,621 Euro (35,809 Polish zloty),
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stores in Denmark Call for Digital ID Age Verification
Doctors and stores in Denmark have proposed digital IDs under the premise of preventing the sale of alcohol to minors.
Presently, employees have to guess a person’s age by appearance before deciding whether to ask for an ID.
Professional organizations and interest groups representing businesses and doctors have proposed making digital IDs mandatory when buying alcohol.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Three Runners Suffer Heart Attacks at Spanish Half Marathon
Three runners suffered sudden heart attacks during a half marathon in Spain, while dozens more participants were hospitalized or in need of medical assistance.
Following the 2022 Behobia-San Sebastian half-marathon, 33 runners were reportedly hospitalized while 125 others required medical assistance.
The Behobia to San Sebastian half marathon is held each year in November
The historic 15-mile running race takes place in Spain’s Basque Country.
The Behobia-San Sebastian race has a very rigorous route with two high points, Gaintxurizketa (4 miles) and Miracruz (10 miles)
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Five Extinction Rebellion activists accused of trespassing while blocking an Amazon distribution centre in Essex with bamboo towers on Black Friday last year have appeared in court.
Julie Hermann, Sarah Michel, Nicholas Onley, Emily Robinson and Luke Whiting all pleaded not guilty at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
However, prosecutor Micaila Williams said they all face individual charges of aggravated trespass contrary to section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Huge Clouds of Smoke After ‘Explosion’ In London
Londoners described a huge ‘explosion’ before massive clouds of smoke could be seen rising into the sky above north London.
Huge rumbles of thunder could be heard across parts of Hackney Wick, and the incident could have been related to the weather.
Witnesses described a ‘huge flash of light’ followed by the sound of a ‘massive’ bang in Hackney Wick.
The light was seen by residents all the way in Bow.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Just Stop Oil Protesters Slow Traffic on the Strand in London
A protest by a small group of Just Stop Oil activists has slowed traffic on a central London road, causing tailbacks.
About 12 climate change activists walked along the Strand carrying banners, slowing cars and buses.
Another demonstration was held in Shepherd’s Bush Green, west London, at the start of what is expected to be two weeks of action.
It comes as National Highways was granted an injunction by the High Court to try to prevent protests on the M25.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Crisis-Hit Moldova is Now Importing 90% of Its Electricity Supplies From Romania
Moldova has major electricity supply problems after Russia bombed Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure and Ukraine was unable to export electricity to Moldova, said Bogdan Aurescu, the foreign minister of neighboring Romania.
These attacks have been labelled “war crimes” by Aurescu, who said that Romania now supplies Moldova with between 80 and 90 percent of its total electricity needs. The Republic of Moldova, with a population of 2.55 million, has an 82 percent Romanian majority who call themselves “Moldovans.”
Bogdan Aurescu told news television Digi 24 on Sunday evening that Russia’s targets on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are not just terrorist attacks, but war crimes.
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Despite War Losses, Russian Military Might Remains Largely Unchanged, Says Estonian Minister
Russia’s military has not been critically weakened during the first nine months of the war in Ukraine, says Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
“We have to be honest and clear: The Russian navy and air force are more or less the same size as before the war,” Pevkur told German news agency dpa during a visit to Berlin. Although the Russian ground forces have suffered significant losses, “sooner rather than later” they will be restored to the size they had before the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war on Feb. 24 or made even larger, he said.
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Morawiecki and Zelensky Reaffirm Solidarity During Polish PM’s Visit to Kyiv
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Kyiv on Saturday where he held a Lublin Triangle (Ukraine, Lithuania, and Poland) meeting with the Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal.
He also attended the “Grain for Ukraine” international conference, which discussed a Ukrainian initiative on transporting grain to countries threatened by hunger, which President of Hungary Katalin Novak also attended.
In a joint recording in English with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Morawiecki said that “we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian friends and partners and will always support you.”
Zelensky in return thanked Poland for its help and Morawiecki for his visit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine War Latest Updates: Kyiv Expects More Attacks and Nuclear Plant Still Under Russian Control
1. Zelenskyy warns Ukraine could suffer more Russian attacks this week
Ukrainian officials have warned that they are expecting to face a new wave of Russian missile strikes in the next few days.
“The coming week could be as difficult as last week,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Sunday.
Previous missile strikes on Ukrainian territory have targeted the country’s energy infrastructure, causing massive water and power cuts.
“Our defence forces are preparing, the whole state is preparing,” Zelenskyy said. “And as long as they have missiles, they, unfortunately, will not calm down.”
“We are working out all the scenarios, including with Western partners,” he added, calling on Ukrainians to pay attention to anti-aircraft warnings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The prosecutor-general said his office was investigating reports of more than 49,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression in Ukraine since Putin’s invasion started in February.
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Legacy media is now calling anti-lockdown protesters in China “courageous,” having demonized anti-lockdown protesters in the west since the very beginning.
We haven’t forgotten!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Beijing Police Checking People’s Phones for Social Media Apps Amid Mass Protests: Report
Mass protests against China’s ‘zero-covid’ policy have spread to Hong Kong, after demonstrators on the mainland began demanding that President Xi Jinping resign.
Around 50 students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong were pictured chanting “No PCR tests but freedom!” and “Opposed dictatorship, don’t be slaves!” while holding up blank pieces of paper — which have become a symbol of protest against China’s clampdown on freedom of expression, according to Axios. The blank paper protests were previously seen during the Hong Kong protests in 2020, and earlier this year during demonstrations against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Local governments in China are mobilizing military veterans to cover the worker shortage at Foxconn as violent protests over Covid lockdown measures continue to escalate at the world’s largest Apple iPhone factory.
The combination of the protests and the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing zero-Covid approach has created a shortage of workers Taiwanese company Foxconn has its biggest factory in Zhengzhou city in central China’s Henan Province.
Municipal authorities of Zhengzhou city are now mobilizing ex-soldiers to make up for the shortage of workers caused by the ongoing zero-COVID approach.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Bots Flood Twitter With Porn to Hide Protests
(NewsNation) — Twitter users looking for information on the protests sweeping across China may find unexpectedly racy results.
Searching for major Chinese cities on Twitter is serving up a timeline full of pornography, ads for escort services and gambling. There’s been a significant uptick in this type of spam over the past three days, a China-focused data analyst found, coinciding with a wave of protests across the country.
The protests are aimed at China’s “zero COVID” policy, which has resulted in strict lockdowns over the course of the pandemic. While the rest of the world has opened up, China has continued to impose lockdowns when COVID-19 cases emerge.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The 26-story skyscraper, which resembles a high-rise apartment building, is situated in Ezhou — about 80km east from Wuhan, where the Covid-19 pandemic began.
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Fines worth millions of dollars for Covid public health order breaches could be overturned following a landmark test case in the New South Wales Supreme Court.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan Peterson has slammed Australia’s national carrier for playing a message onboard his flight to Western Australia recognising the land’s traditional owners.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Environmental Activists Glue Hands to Ground at Premier’s Perth Office
Extinction Rebellion members have spray-painted and blocked the entrance of government offices at Dumas House, gluing their hands to the floor and each other, in a protest against Australian fossil fuel subsidies.
The building houses Premier Mark McGowan and his staff, along with state government ministers.
“We’re protesting the lack of government action on climate change, the continuation of fossil fuel subsidies and of gas mining, particularly on the northwest shelf,” member Heath Greville said on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: ‘Migrants Only Ever Lose Their Passports, Never Their Knives’
Against the background of the continuing mass influx of asylum seekers, the Austrian FPÖ presents itself again with a winning campaign to deal with the crisis. At a press conference on Wednesday, three leading FPÖ politicians gave more details — in Traiskirchen, Lower Austria, of all places, which is the seat of a large first reception center and has been a “hot spot” for the mass influx for months.
The ruling ÖVP is driving the “sell out of our homeland at the expense of our own population” and young male migrants are a “massive security risk for our own population”, stated the Lower Austrian FPÖ leader Udo Landbauer.
The asylum center in Traiskirchen is “symbolic of the total failure of the government,” said Landbauer. The FPÖ (Freedom Party) is the only party that stands behind the population on this issue. “When will the border fences that this country so desperately needs be built?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 100 migrants have crossed the Channel so far today despite strong winds and chilly conditions at sea in the morning.
The latest group of mostly male migrants to arrive in Dover, Kent on a Border Force vessel reached the harbour shortly after midday with dozens more migrants on board.
The roughly 40 migrants appeared cold — with blankets wrapped around their shoulders — after facing light showers in the Channel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Returns to Immigration in Test of Biden’s Power to Choose Deportation Targets
WASHINGTON — Four months after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked President Joe Biden’s power to prioritize certain immigrants in the country illegally for deportation, the justices will revisit the issue Tuesday in the first major immigration case of the term.
Biden’s administration wants to focus enforcement on immigrants who pose a threat to national security or public safety. But that approach, which officials announced last year, represents a departure from the Trump administration’s more sweeping tactics. And two conservatives states, Texas and Louisiana, sued over the strategy.
The case is one of several challenging Biden’s authority to make policy without explicit authorization from Congress — an issue likely to become more prominent now that Republicans will control the House of Representatives. Biden’s record at the high court on that question has been spotty, with the 6-3 conservative majority shutting down his COVID-19 eviction moratorium and vaccine-or-testing mandate for large employers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Seeks to Revoke Permanent Residency Permits in Migrant Crackdown
Sweden’s newly elected center-right government is proposing to amend existing migration laws to change permanent residency given to migrants to temporary permits, local media reported on Friday.
The coalition agreement was signed by the Moderate party, the Christian Democrats, and the Liberals, and was approved by the Swedish Democrats, who are not a part of the government but offer a confidence and supply agreement. It pledged to abolish “the institution of permanent residence permits,” with plans plans to convert these to temporary, conditional passes.
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UK Accepts 55% of Albanian Asylum Seekers Compared to France’s 2.3% and Germany’s 0%
The United Kingdom accepted more than 55 percent of the asylum applications it processed from Albanian nationals in 2021, accepting more applications than all other advanced economies combined, new data has revealed.
According to World Data, a total of 4,754 asylum applications were submitted to the British authorities by Albanian nationals, of which 755 were processed — 418 were accepted while 337 applications were rejected. Only Canada surpasses the acceptance rate witnessed in Britain, with a staggering 68.9 percent of asylum applications considered in 2021 being given the green light.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In-House Designer for Balenciaga, Adidas Comes Under Fire Over Disturbing Social Media Posts
While fashion company Balenciaga has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the producers of an ad which featured pedophilic images that included BDSM teddy bears and other disturbing imagery, internet sleuths have homed in one of the company’s in-house stylists, Lotta Volkova, who has a disturbing social media history which was recently made private.
Born in 1984, the Russian-born Volkova — who also designs for Adidas, was described by Vogue as a “super stylist.” But she’s also super into disturbing images of satanism, children in distress, and teddy bears in bondage, based on her now-private Instagram feed, as noted by The Namal, citing a lengthy Twitter thread by internet sleuth @curioslight.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In the background of two other images from Balenciaga’s Spring ‘23 campaign is a book featuring the artist Michael Borremans, whose work includes depictions of naked, castrated toddlers.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Kim & Kanye Address Balenciaga Scandal
Kim Kardashian has finally addressed the Balenciaga scandal, and it appears Kanye convinced her to do so.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Govt Prosecutors Argue Parts of Bible ‘No Longer Appropriate in Modern Society’
Lawyers for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of England and Wales tried to have a Christian street preacher convicted for quoting the Bible to a lesbian couple, insisting that scripture is “no longer appropriate in modern society “.
The extraordinary case, mounted in what is still nominally a Christian church, with an established church in which the head of state serves as Supreme Governor, was brought against armed forces veteran and throat cancer survivor John Dunn, after the police referred him to prosecutors for telling a lesbian couple that it “says in the Bible that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God” in Swindon.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vancouver “Satanix” Drag Queen Story Hour for Kids Faces Protest
A drag queen story hour advertised to 3-10 year olds in a Vancouver, British Columbia neighbourhood last Friday saw both protesters and counter-protesters gather in front of the facility.
The event which took place in Kitsilano featured drag performers Satanix and Tara Beladi.
“Two performers from story telling with Drag Queens will read stories and perform to music for an audience of children and families. There will be room at the end for a Q & A session with the audience,” Kitsilano Neighbourhood House wrote in an event advertisement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Protester With Rainbow Flag Runs Onto the Field During World Cup Game
An activist ran across the field, putting a halt to Monday’s World Cup game between Portugal and Uruguay, waving a Rainbow flag and wearing a shirt with protests against Russia and Iran.
Nearly an hour into the game, a man wearing a blue shirt and carrying a gay pride rainbow flag ran onto the field. He was wearing a blue shirt with a Superman logo and the slogan “Save Ukraine” on the front and “Respect for Iranian Women” on the back.
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Move over Yanny and Laurel, there’s a new auditory illusion dividing the internet.
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WHO Renames Monkeypox as Mpox, Citing Racism Concerns
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization has renamed monkeypox as mpox, citing concerns the original name of the decades-old animal disease could be construed as discriminatory and racist.
The U.N. health agency said in a statement Monday that mpox was its new preferred name for monkeypox, saying that both monkeypox and mpox would be used for the next year while the old name is phased out.
WHO said it was concerned by the “racist and stigmatizing language” that arose after monkeypox spread to more than 100 countries. It said numerous individuals and countries asked the organization “to propose a way forward to change the name.”
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.
DANGER:
“ANTI-VACCINE” THOUGHTS
ARE A MENTAL ILLNESS REQUIRING “TREATMENT”
https://www.bitchute.com/video/1dBT1cQ0E3so/
.
DANGER:
“ANTI-VACCINE”-thoughts, i.e.
you are reluctant to be vaccinated
or just sceptical, indicates that
you have a mental illness, which in
the old Soviet Union was called
“sluggish schizophrenia” and which
required adequate treatment.
Now it’s that time again.
See my last entry!
https://www.bitchute.com/video/1dBT1cQ0E3so/