Early this morning an 82-foot-high aquarium (some reports say 46-foot-high) exploded in a hotel in Berlin, sending a million liters (roughly 260,000 gallons) of water cascading into the lobby and the street. All 1,500 tropical fish housed in the aquarium were killed. Two people were injured by glass splinters; there’s no word yet on whether they had been vaccinated.
In other news, a Michigan cannibal has been sentenced to life in prison for killing, dismembering, and eating a man he met on the Grindr dating app.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Caroline Glick, Daniel Greenfield, Dean, 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.
Germany Unleashed Half-Trillion Dollar ‘Energy Bazooka’ To Keep Lights on
Western sanctions on Moscow have backfired, failed to paralyze Russia’s economy, and ultimately sparked financial pain for ordinary Europeans and the largest economy in the block.
According to Reuters calculations, Germany has hemorrhaged cash to the tune of 440 billion euros ($465 billion) in energy bailouts and schemes, as well as keeping energy supplies flowing while it lost access to inexpensive natural gas from its leading supplier Russia in 2022.
“How severe this crisis will be and how long it will last greatly depends on how the energy crisis will develop,” said Michael Groemling at the German Economic Institute (IW). He added: “The national economy as a whole is facing a huge loss of wealth.”
Reuters said the “cumulative scale” of energy bailouts and other schemes employed by Berlin equates to 1.5 billion euros per day since Russia invaded Ukraine, or about 12% of national economic output, or 5,400 euros for each German.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
International Energy Agency: Oil Price Could Rise Dramatically in 2023
The IEA is also increasing its forecasts for global oil demand this year and next, which will also push oil prices higher. For 2023, the forecast was raised to 1,7 million barrels per day. Global crude oil consumption should then average 101,6 million barrels per day.
An import ban on Russian crude oil deliveries by tanker to the EU has been in effect since December 5, 2022. From February 5, 2023, all oil products will also be affected in general. Oil mixtures from third countries are also subject to the import ban if they contain Russian crude oil. The embargo is said to affect around two-thirds of Russian oil exports to Europe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Westpac chief economist Bill Evans is now expecting the Reserve Bank to slash interest rates by one percentage point in 2024 as high interest rates cause an economic slowdown.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona Judge Approves Lake Request to Examine Ballots
A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has approved Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake’s request to have ballots inspected as she prepares for trial in her ongoing challenge to the state’s gubernatorial contest.
Judge Peter Thompson on Thursday issued the ruling, which allows the inspection of random ballots in the county ahead of the trial date. The Republican had previously filed a request to do so and Arizona law provides for a candidate challenging election results to demand ballot inspections to prepare. The ruling became public on Friday.
Thompson granted three of Lake’s four demands, allowing the inspection of 50 random “ballot-on-demand” printed ballots, 50 random early ballots, and 50 random BOD ballots marked spoiled. The judge denied her bid to inspect 50 random early ballot envelopes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Augustans Meet to Discuss Secession of Summerville
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WFXG) —Sunday was the first of many meetings to discuss the Summerville neighborhoods becoming a separate entity from Richmond County. It was standing room only as many Augustans came out to explore the possibility of forming a new city and share their concerns about the idea.
Frustration with the current city government is the reason Summerville residents are asking for a new city within the city of Augusta. The proposed Village of Summerville would be a smaller government, similar to what existed a century ago. Only this time they would combine with other surrounding neighborhoods. Those in support of the idea say the goal is a more efficient government, lower taxes and increased public safety. They also hope that it can reverse the migration of people moving to Columbia County and North Augusta.
[Comment: Article dated December 5, 2022.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s Twitter Account Reinstated
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell was reinstated on Twitter on Friday after a suspension that began on May 2 after he opened a second Twitter account following a ban stemming from January 26, 2021.
Lindell tweeted after being reinstated, “I’m back!! Thank you @elonmusk and by the way MELT DOWN THE ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES AND TURN THEM INTO PRISON BARS!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NBC News has temporarily benched reporter Ben Collins from covering Elon Musk on NBC and MSNBC for his controversial attacks on the Twitter owner, who recently suspended the accounts of left-wing journalists who doxxed him.
According to two sources that spoke with Semafor, the network gave Collins the bad news earlier this month. Apparently, his criticisms of the tech mogul were “not editorially appropriate.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Project Veritas Founder James O’Keefe’s Twitter Account Reinstated
On Friday, Project Veritas Founder James O’Keefe was reinstated on Twitter after a suspension that began in April 2021, following a series of stories on outlets such as the New York Times and CNN that revealed their anti-conservative bias.
On Twitter, Project Veritas tweeted, “BREAKING: @JamesOKeefeIII has just been RESTORED on Twitter!!! Thank you Elon”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter CEO Elon Musk explained why he suspended the accounts of left-wing journalists in a Thursday night post.
“Same doxxing rules apply to ‘journalists’ as to everyone else,” Musk responded to a thread by venture capitalist Mike Solana questioning the suspensions.
He added, “They posted my exact real-time location, basically assassination coordinates, in (obvious) direct violation of Twitter terms of service.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk joined a Twitter Spaces on Thursday and told journalists that despite their noble and storied profession they will get “no special treatment” when it comes to policies on doxxing, or sharing real-time location information of others.
“As I’m sure everyone who’s doxxed would agree,” Musk told listeners to the Spaces, “drawing real time information about somebody’s location is inappropriate, and I think everyone on this call would not like that to be done to them.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California’s Fifth-Largest County Votes to Study Secession Amid Crime Crisis, Soaring Costs
Residents of San Bernardino County, California, have voted to research the possibility of secession from the state.
Voters approved a ballot measure directing officials to look into the legal realities of separating from California to establish a new state.
However, even with approval from voters and officials, a separation from the Golden State is a long shot proposal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cannibal Gets Life Sentence for Eating Grindr Date
A Michigan cannibal who murdered and dismembered a man he met through a dating app was sentenced to life in prison, according to a report from the New York Post.
Mark Latunski, 53, pleaded guilty in September for the butchery for Kevin Bacon, a 25-year-old hairdresser whom he met on the gay dating app Grindr.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Expects Florida to Pass Permitless Carry Gun Law in 2023
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he expects lawmakers during the 2023 regular legislative session to pass a major change in Florida gun laws.
The change would allow what supporters call “constitutional carry.”
Under current law, people who want to carry guns must get concealed-weapons licenses from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Constitutional carry would allow people to carry guns without the licenses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Disgraced Crypto Bro Sam Bankman-Fried Donated $5.2 Million to Biden’s 2020 Campaign
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced that FTX co-founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried had been charged with “conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission and commit campaign finance violations” following revelations that he misappropriated customer funds to make donations to US political candidates.
Among those at the top of the list was then presidential candidate Joe Biden, whose campaign received over $5 million from Bankman-Fried and FTX in 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An F-35B Lightning II fighter jet crashed during a vertical landing at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Arrests Chinese National for Allegedly Stalking Anti-Communist Activists
The FBI on Thursday arrested a Chinese national attending Berklee College of Music for allegedly stalking and harassing an activist who expressed support for democracy in China.
“Today, the FBI arrested Xiaolei Wu for repeatedly threatening and infringing on the rights of a civic activist who spoke out against the ruling Communist Party of China,” read a press release from the bureau. “We believe Mr. Wu stalked, harassed, and reported the victim’s support for democracy to law enforcement in the People’s Republic of China so it would launch an investigation into the victim and her family.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Flagged Jokes and Satirical Accounts to Twitter for Censorship
The sixth batch of Twitter Files, published on Twitter by journalist Matt Taibbi, has revealed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were regularly flagging content to Twitter for censorship between January 2020 and November 2022 and that some of the flagged content contained jokes and satirical comments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Responds After Revelations it Flagged Tweets for Censorship
Following the evidence that the FBI routinely flagged jokes and satirical content to be removed from Twitter, the FBI has responded.
“The FBI regularly engages with private sector entities to provide information specific to identified foreign malign influence actors’ subversive, undeclared, covert, or criminal activities,” the FBI said in a statement. “Private sector entities independently make decisions about what, if any, action they take on their platforms and for their customers after the FBI has notified them,” the agency added, without commenting on the fact that many of those targeted for censorship were US citizens.
The list of targeted accounts included Billy Baldwin, the brother of actors Alec and Stephen Baldwin, as well as several satire accounts and the conservative news outlet that covers many live broadcasts, the Right Side Broadcasting Network.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former President Trump’s Digital Cards Sell Out Within One Day
Former President Donald Trump’s digital trading cards sold out within 24 hours of him announcing their availability.
The site selling the Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) stated on Friday that the cards are sold out and the links to purchase the digital cards are no longer available.
According to an OpenSea Data report, 45,000 of the Trump cards were initially made available for purchase for $99 each. The cards were the No. 1 trending item on the website.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Four Defendants Charged With Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS
Defendants Collected and Transferred Approximately $35,000 through Cryptocurrency and Other Electronic Means to Bitcoin Wallets and Accounts They Believed to Be Funding ISIS
A criminal complaint was unsealed yesterday in federal court in Brooklyn charging Mohammad David Hashimi, 35, of Potomac Falls, Virginia; Abdullah At Taqi, 23, of East Elmhurst, Queens, New York; Khalilullah Yousuf, 34, of Ontario, Canada; and Seema Rahman, 25, of Edison, New Jersey, with conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Hashimi, Taqi and Rahman were arrested on Dec. 14 in Virginia, New York and New Jersey, respectively. Yousuf was also arrested on Dec. 14 in Canada by Canadian law enforcement pursuant to a provisional arrest request from the United States. Taqi and Rahman made their initial appearances in federal court in Brooklyn before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl L. Pollak. Hashimi made his initial appearance in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ivan Davis and was ordered detained pending trial.
According to court documents, Hashimi and Yousuf were members of a group chat (referred to in the complaint as Group Chat-1) on an encrypted social media and mobile messaging electronic communication service that facilitated communication between and among supporters of ISIS and other groups that adhered to similar violent jihadist ideologies. In early April 2021, members of Group Chat-1 discussed posting donation links that purported to be for humanitarian causes but that were in fact intended to help the “mujahideen,” an Arabic term that translates to “holy warriors” that is used by ISIS supporters to refer to ISIS fighters. Yousuf provided a link to a specific Bitcoin address and another member of Group Chat-1 posted a link to a PayPal campaign, both of which were controlled by an individual identified in the Complaint as Facilitator-1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Government Watchdog Alleges CDC Has ‘Refused’ To Track Down Side Effects of the COVID-19 Vaccine
Government watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust filed a complaint Friday alleging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committed scientific integrity violations by not tracking down the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“According to published reports based upon documents obtained from via Freedom of Information Act requests, the CDC apparently refused to track known serious side effects to COVID-19 vaccines,” the group says in a statement.
The complaint is addressed to Health and Human Services Inspector General Christi A. Grimm and calls for a CDC investigation regarding these alleged scientific integrity violations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Group Pushing Secession From Illinois Says Madison County is a Key Target
Lori Fuller started to consider the idea of seceding from Illinois when state legislators doubled the gas tax in 2019.
“A lot of people started getting really angry,” said Fuller, a retired high school English teacher.
Fuller, who lives in Highland on the eastern edge of Madison County, is one of five local residents who’ve volunteered to collect signatures for a symbolic petition to put on Illinoisans’ ballots. It’s a tough but worthwhile move for everyone, Fuller said.
“If we separate from that, the people in Chicago can get what they want,” she said. “And the people in southern Illinois can have a community that more accurately represents us.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hubble Telescope Reveals ‘Water Worlds’ In Nearby Star System
Data from the Hubble space telescope has revealed what scientists say are likely two ocean-covered planets in a star system relatively close to our Solar System.
The planets, dubbed Kepler-138 c and Kepler-138 d, were examined using data from both Hubble and NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.
The European Space Angecy said in a release that though “water wasn’t directly detected” from available data, “by comparing the sizes and masses of the planets to models,” scientists were able to determine that “a significant fraction” of the volume of the planets “should be made of materials that are lighter than rock but heavier than hydrogen or helium.”
“The most common candidate material is water,” the ESA said.
University of Montreal astronomer Björn Benneke said the data present “the best evidence yet for water worlds.”
Such words, Benneke said, are “a type of planet that was theorised by astronomers to exist for a long time.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liberty Counsel Lauds DeSantis Request for Probe Into COVID Vaccine, Calls it ‘Historic’
Gov. Ron DeSantis requesting that a grand jury be convened to investigate what he called the “biggest vaccine fraud in history” is historic, the Orlando-based religious freedom legal foundation, Liberty Counsel, says.
On Tuesday, DeSantis held a “Public Health Integrity Committee” live roundtable conference with medical professionals and individuals who said they were injured by the vaccine. DeSantis also said he filed a “petition with the Supreme Court of Florida to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate any and all wrongdoing in Florida with respect to the COVID-19 vaccines.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Musk Blasts ‘Twitter Files’ Journalist for ‘Virtue-Signaling’ on Doxxing Suspensions
Twitter CEO Elon Musk on Friday blasted one of his own hand-picked “Twitter Files” journalists for “virtue-signaling” against his suspension of journalists whom he says violated the company’s policy on “doxxing.”
Musk suspended several left-wing journalists on Thursday evening in connection with their reporting on Musk’s ongoing spat with a college student who operates an automated service that tracks the location of his private jet in real-time.
Jack Sweeney, who ran the @elonjet account, had several of his automated tracking accounts suspended, along with his personal account this week. Musk has asserted that the company does not allow the publication of someone’s location in real-time but that doing so on a delayed basis would be acceptable. Sweeney previously turned down an offer of $5,000 to take down the account.
Musk’s suspension of several journalists, including reporters for CNN, the Washington Post, and the New York Times, drew considerable scrutiny, including from former New York Times Editor Bari Weiss, whom Musk tapped to help release the “Twitter Files,” an ongoing project wherein journalists steadily release internal communications from Twitter detailing its censorship operations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Newest ‘Twitter Files’ Release Reveals Platform’s ‘Constant and Pervasive’ Dealings With FBI
The latest “Twitter Files” release, on Friday evening, details the social media platform’s relationship with the FBI and outlined communications between the federal agency seeking takedowns of select posts.
The most recent release is from independent journalist Matt Taibbi, one of several individuals to whom new Twitter CEO Elon Musk has granted access to the company’s internal communications in a bid to highlight the prior management’s efforts to stifle posts that didn’t agree with their world view.
“Twitter’s contact with the FBI was constant and pervasive, as if it were a subsidiary,” Taibbi wrote early in the Tweet thread. “Between January 2020 and November 2022, there were over 150 emails between the FBI and former Twitter Trust and Safety chief Yoel Roth.”
Taibbi also wrote: “a surprisingly high number are requests by the FBI for Twitter to take action on election misinformation, even involving joke tweets from low-follower accounts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pennsylvania County to Recount 2020 Election Results
Pennsylvania’s Lycoming County will conduct a recount of its 2020 presidential election results amid mounting pressure from residents on officials to provide transparency on their handling of the contest.
The county commissioners made the decision following the submission of a 5,000-name petition demanding the recount, according to the Epoch Times. The county has approximately 70,000 registered voters and the petition’s size was a motivating factor in securing the recount, officials told the outlet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Philadelphia Public Schools Requiring Students, Staff Wear COVID Masks After Winter Break
Philadelphia public school students and staff will be required to wear a COVID-19 mask when they return from winter break.
The School District of Philadelphia made the announcement Thursday, saying the move is an attempt to reduce the spread of COVID and other respiratory illnesses and to maintain in-person learning, according to WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.
The masks must be worn for the first 10 days after the break — Jan. 3-13, 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study: Vaccines ‘Barely’ Neutralize Newest COVID Variants
A scientific study is sounding an alarm bell regarding the latest COVID-19 variants, claiming that vaccines and boosters offer little protection against the newest mutations of the virus.
The study, published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Cell, claim that the BQ and XBB variants of COVID are “barely susceptible to neutralization by sera from vaccinated individuals.”
The lack of vaccine effectiveness against the virus was observed in patients “with or without prior infection,” the scientists said, including in “persons recently boosted with the new bivalent mRNA vaccines.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Arizona GOP Midterm Candidates Sue Katie Hobbs Over Abuse of Power
On Friday, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Melissa Julian heard a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought forth by two former Arizona GOP candidates who ran in last month’s midterms, Mark Finchem and Jeff Zink, against Democrat Governor-elect and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs that alleged illegal voting affected the November election.
According to local news, “The lawsuit claims Hobbs abused her power by failing to have the tabulation machines properly certified and threatening the board of supervisors in Mohave and Cochise counties with criminal charges if they didn’t certify the election.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Students Killed, Two Other Wounded in Shooting Outside Juarez High School on West Side
According to police, a 14-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy were both shot in the head and transported to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
United Nations Condemns Twitter’s Banning of Journalists, EU Threatens Sanctions
Both the European Union and the United Nations have criticized Twitter’s decision to temporarily suspend some journalists that Twitter alleges linked to information showing the whereabouts of Elon Musk’s private jet in real-time.
Reporters from large outlets such as New York Times and CNN were among those who were suspended.
The UN took to the social media platform to say that press freedom is “not a toy.”
The UN’s under-secretary general for global communications, Melissa Fleming, said she was “deeply disturbed” by journalists being “arbitrarily” locked out of the platform.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University Pays $25k, Enacts ‘Viewpoint Neutral’ Student Fee Distribution to Settle Suit: Lawyers
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will pay $25,000 in attorney’s fees to the Alliance Defending Freedom to settle its viewpoint discrimination lawsuit on behalf of the Christian apologetics club Ratio Christi, ADF said Friday.
The settlement also includes $1,500 already awarded by a court to be paid by two university officials for denying Ratio Christi’s funding request, ADF said. The university has additionally changed its student fee distribution policy “to promote the availability of diverse viewpoints to UNL students” and ensure the “viewpoint neutral” allocation of funding.
ADF posted the stipulated dismissal and shared the official settlement terms with Just the News for verification.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul Slams “Emasculated Republicans” For Accepting Bloated Spending Bill
Senator Rand Paul has blasted Republicans who are going along with a huge bloated $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill without even reading it.
“The Omnibus will be 3000 pages. We’ll get it two hours before they want to pass it. No one will read it,” Paul told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow.
“If 41 of us said no and held our ground until there was a compromise we could force Democrats to reduce spending,” Paul urged.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Virginia Gov. Youngkin Bans TikTok, WeChat on State Devices
Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday issued an executive order banning Chinese social media apps TikTok and Weibo amid mounting concerns that such apps present security threats.
“TikTok and WeChat data are a channel to the Chinese Communist Party, and their continued presence represents a threat to national security, the intelligence community, and the personal privacy of every single American,” Youngkin said in a statement. “We are taking this step today to secure state government devices and wireless networks from the threat of infiltration and ensure that we safeguard the data and cybersecurity of state government.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wisconsin Rep. Steil Says the Timing of Sam Bankman-Fried’s Arrest is Incredibly Suspicious
Wisconsin GOP Rep. Bryan Steil said that the timing of FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s arrest was highly suspicious since he was set to testify before the House Financial Services Committee the following day.
“Sam Bankman-Fried should have been before the United States House of Representatives,” Rep. Steil said on Thursday’s edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “Just 24 hours before he was to appear and testify under oath to spill the beans as to what happened in this fraud — he was arrested at the request of the United States Department of Justice. The timing of that arrest is incredibly suspect.”
FTX declared bankruptcy last month following reports that the exchange was in financial trouble, which resulted in investors rushing to take out their money followed by the collapse.
On Monday evening, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas, where he lives, at the request of the U.S. government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wyoming Joins Growing List of States Prohibiting TikTok
Wyoming is the latest state to prohibit the use of TikTok on state-issued devices.
Republican Gov. Mark Gordon issued a memorandum to all state employees on Thursday citing cybersecurity concerns surrounding the Chinese-owned social media platform.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Lawmaker Lisa Hepfner Says News Outlets Sharing Links to Facebook is Somehow Theft
Canada’s Liberal MP Lisa Hepfner is making headlines again with her statements in the context of the process of adoption of the country’s controversial Bill C-18, the Online News Act.
Hepfner recently went after online media to disparagingly say they are not news outlets but “opinion publishers.” This immediately caused widespread criticism from the media industry and was also quickly proven to be a fine example of misinformation, as reports listed legitimate online news sites to prove her wrong.
Hepfner had to apologize for that statement, and for a while maintained radio silence as Bill C-18 was considered by the Heritage Committee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
City of Oshawa Threatens Fines Over Event Giving Food, Clothing to the Homeless
You can’t feed and clothe the homeless without a permit, the City of Oshawa is telling a group of community volunteers.
The Ontario city’s bylaw enforcement division is threatening to fine organizers if they proceed with their “Christmas Stockings for the Homeless” event planned for Sunday afternoon at the city’s downtown Memorial Park.
The event is hosted by Communities for Freedom, a loose association of friends who met during the Freedom Convoy and wanted to “rebuild” their community.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Right to Confiscate Guns is “Well-Settled” by Supreme Court, Claims Mendicino
Liberal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said during a Friday morning media scrum that the federal right to confiscate and regulate firearms was “well-settled” by the Supreme Court despite Alberta’s refusal to dedicate policing resources towards Ottawa’s gun grab.
Mendicino made the statements in response to a question from a journalist about the sweeping Liberal gun ban legislation, Bill C-21.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mr Fraser’s closest friends came too, gathering for a little party at which he enjoyed one last beer and urged the others not to waste the food in the fridge and take it home with them.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau’s Remarks Signal a Potential Return of Canada’s Online Censorship Bill
Critics of the Canadian government’s approach to regulating the internet are worried that remarks made several months ago by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — who pushed for more forcefully “countering hate rhetoric” online — might mean that one of the contentious proposed laws, Bill C-36, tabled and dropped in 2021, could make a comeback.
The memo reportedly said that Trudeau believes social media has created a “new way to foment anger and hate that is different from anything we have seen before…and it is destabilizing our democracy.”
It also states that Trudeau says he “believes in free speech,” but that he also “emphasized the need for governments to take online rhetoric seriously.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Do as We Say, Not as We Do: UK Govt Jet Emissions Up Significantly
The Cabinet Office of the green-obsessed British government has had to report a spike in carbon emissions — much of it, ironically enough, a result of jet use associated with the climate-focused G7 and COP26 summits.
The 2021/22 annual report for the Cabinet Office, the “corporate headquarters for government”, disclosed that the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) hosted in Glasgow, Scotland, which ex-prime minister Boris Johnson tried hard to make a signature moment in his premiership, cost Britons now facing cutbacks and tax hikes some £250 million — and saw greenhouse gas emissions spike to 6,442 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, according to The Telegraph.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Europe’s Largest Bank to Halt Financing of New Oil and Gas Projects
Multinational investment bank HSBC announced that it will no longer finance new oil and gas projects in order to meet the green agenda goals of globalist elites.
The largest bank in Europe, which has nearly three trillion dollars in assets, has said that it will no longer finance new oil or gas fields to supposedly meet its commitments to achieving the UK government’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by the year 2050.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-French MEP Claims He Was Victim of Corruption Plot Involving Current Moroccan PM
A former French MEP has accused the current Moroccan prime minister of attempting to bribe him during his time in the European Parliament, as the ongoing corruption scandal rocking the EU legislature deepens.
José Bové, told the France Inter news outlet on Friday that he himself had been a victim of an attempt at corruption during his time as a “rapporteur for the Foreign Trade Commission between 2009-2014.”
Bové, who served two terms as a member of the European Green Party claimed the current Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, had attempted to bribe him over his opposition to specifics of a negotiated free trade agreement between Morocco and the European Union.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Man Shouting ‘Allah Akbar’ Cuts Down Town Christmas Tree in Bordeaux
A man yelling Islamic slogans was arrested after he sawed through a public Christmas tree in France this week, according to reports.
The disturbing incident unfolded at around 1 p.m. on Wednesday in Lormont, a commune in the suburbs of Bordeaux.
Residents alerted authorities about a man who was cutting down a Christmas tree erected near the town hall while shouting “Allah akbar.”
The suspect had “arrived discreetly with the tools necessary to bring down the Christmas tree,” Sud Ouest reports.
He was apprehended at the scene and taken into custody.
He has been identified merely as a 39-year-old man who does not “seem to enjoy all of his mental faculties.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Huge Aquarium in Berlin Bursts, Resulting in Fish Dying and Two People Being Injured
A 46-foot-high aquarium in Berlin burst Friday morning, resulting in the death of multiple fish and injuring two people.
“In addition to the unbelievable maritime damage […] two people were injured by glass splinters,” Berlin police tweeted.
Investigators as of Friday after had yet to determine what caused the incident.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German States Oppose Construction of Poland’s Nuclear Plant
The German states of Brandenburg, Saxony, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have objected to the planned construction of a new nuclear power plant in Poland, it has emerged.
Warsaw plans to start the construction of the plant in 2026 with the first reactor estimated to be up and running in 2033. The Polish government selected U.S. firm Westinghouse as its technology partner.
However, formal objections have been sent to Warsaw by multiple German states just before the deadline of Dec. 13 for mandatory consultations required by law prior to construction of the nuclear power plant.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A huge aquarium explosion inside a German hotel today narrowly avoided ‘terrible human losses’ when it unleashed a ‘tsunami’ of water and caused ‘unbelievable maritime damage’ at the major tourist attraction.
The 82ft-high tank, located in the foyer of the Radisson Blu hotel in central Berlin, burst at around 5.50am, killing all of the 1,500 tropical fish housed there.
The shattering of the AquaDom aquarium sent one million litres of water gushing into the lobby and cut off electricity in the hotel. Two people were injured from glass shards and received treatment at hospital.
However the toll could have been far deadlier had the freak accident occurred an hour later, when the hotel lobby is usually packed with visitors.
Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey told broadcaster RBB: ‘If this hadn’t happened at 5.45 am but even just one hour later, then we would probably have had terrible human loss to report.’
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
‘Last Generation’ Climate Extremists Block Entrances to German Parliament After Police Raids
Far-left climate change activists blocked off two entrances to the German parliament buildings in Berlin on Thursday morning following a series of police raids on the group earlier this week.
Members of the radical Letzte Generation (Last Generation) green activist group staged protests outside the Reichstag building, the home of the Budenstag (German Federal Parliament) on Thursday morning.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mildly Dead? German Autopsy Study Undercuts Feds’ Dismissal of COVID Vax Heart Inflammation Risks
Federal public health officials and medical pundits have often written off the heart inflammation that sometimes follows COVID-19 vaccination as “mild” and temporary, but a new study in a peer-reviewed journal finds that the consequences can be severe and permanent.
In standardized autopsies of 25 patients without preexisting illnesses who were “found unexpectedly dead at home” within 20 days of vaccination, Heidelberg University researchers found five had “cardiac autopsy findings consistent with (epi-)myocarditis,” according to their study in Clinical Research in Cardiology, the German Cardiac Society’s official journal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish President’s Intervention Delays Judicial Legislation to Unlock Billions in EU Funds
Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) has decided to delay pushing forward with legislative proposals agreed upon with the European Commission as part of a deal to unlock the country’s share of EU recovery funds after President Andrzej Duda expressed concerns over their content.
The party’s deputy speaker and head of the PiS parliamentary caucus, Ryszard Terlecki, confirmed on Thursday that it will respect the wishes of Duda and will delay the beginning of deliberations over legislation to change the court that is responsible for disciplining judges until January.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Swedish Police Lacked Competence During Easter Qur’an Riots
A report into the Easter riots earlier this year sparked by anti-Islam activists has determined that Swedish police lacked both the proper skills and the manpower to deal with the violence.
An external investigation into the riots by adherents of the Islamic faith, which took place over several days at Easter and which saw several cities rocked by violence after burnings of the Islamic Qur’an by the anti-Islam group Stram Kurs led by Danish activist Rasmus Paludan, has concluded.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sparks Fly in German Parliament as Leftists Push for Populist Party to be Declared Illegal
Harsh words were exchanged in the German parliament amid calls from various leftist politicians to ban the country’s most successful populist party.
Leftists in Germany are now openly calling for the populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party to be outright banned over alleged links to the so-called “Reichsbürger” movement in the country which questions the legitimacy of the current German state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Social media giants have reportedly censored a speech by U.K. Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen in which he used parliamentary privilege to claim a senior member of the British Heart Foundation has covered up a report that shows the Covid-19 vaccine increases inflammation of the heart arteries.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, the North West Leicestershire MP claimed he had been in contact with a whistleblower of a senior medical research center who holds a prominent role at the British Heart Foundation charity; this source told him that research showing a clear link between Covid-19 vaccines and harmful cardiac side effects had been deliberately suppressed over fears that research facilities would lose out on key funding from Big Pharma.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It is time to drain the swamp in Brussels, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a video posted on Facebook upon his arrival at the Dec. 15-16 EU summit, with the Hungarian leader referencing the growing bribery scandal that has rocked Europe.
“We are now finally here in Brussels, at the European Union summit,” Orban said on his social media page. He said that this EU summit was marked by the arrest of the left-wing vice-president of the European Parliament, Greek Socialist MEP Eva Kaili, on corruption charges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
One brother is facing jail while another was cleared of sharing Islamic extremist propaganda on social media.
On Friday, a jury at the Old Bailey found construction worker Ayub Khan, 20, not guilty of three charges of disseminating terrorist publications and one of possessing a 12-inch knife for a terrorist purpose.
Khan, 20, allegedly sent WhatsApp videos and messages glorifying the activities of Al-Qaeda and IS between May 1 and 3, 2020.
The jury, which deliberated for half a day, was not told that his older brother Mohammed Khan, 22, who worked in security, had admitted eight counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication before the trial.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian ‘Gift’ Explodes in Polish Police Headquarters in Warsaw, Hospitalizing Top Cop
The Polish Ministry of the Interior has confirmed that on Wednesday there was an explosion at Warsaw’s Police headquarters resulting in the collapse of the ceiling on the ground floor of the building
It is understood that General Jaroslaw Szymczyk was injured in the explosion and was transferred to hospital.
Reports indicate that a gift Szymczyk received during a working visit to Ukraine detonated, with the damage from the blast also hitting a number of offices in the building, including Szymczyk’s office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Up to 60 MEPs May be Involved in EU Corruption Scandal
As many as sixty members of the European Parliament, mainly socialists, could be in the crosshairs of investigators as the European Parliament corruption scandal involving Qatar appears to be growing.
The ongoing corruption scandal in the European Parliament may involve far more MEPs than Greek socialist Eva Kaili and former Italian MEP Pier Antonio Panzeri, who were both arrested last week and had 1.5 million euros seized from their homes by Belgian investigators.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: Ayman Odeh and Coalitions of Hate
On Dec. 9, MK Ayman Odeh met in New York with U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The meeting was arranged by the PLO’s mission to the U.N. Odeh heads the Hadash Party and is a co-leader of the five-member Joint Arab List Knesset faction, along with MK Ahmed Tibi. During the course of their meeting, Odeh reportedly delivered a petition to the U.N. Human Rights Council.
In his petition, Odeh requested that the council condemn Israel for failing to adequately fight the rising levels of violent crime in the Israeli Arab community. While the text of Odeh’s petition has yet to be made public, its underlying purpose is obvious. Odeh’s purpose was to delegitimize Israel by proclaiming it both incapable and unworthy of asserting its sovereignty over its Arab citizens.
Odeh’s meeting demonstrated that the elected representatives of Israel’s Arab community believe that it is reasonable and desirable to make common cause with Israel’s enemies and to delegitimize Israel’s very right to exist. The PLO mission at the U.N. is waging an all-out diplomatic war against Odeh’s country with just that end in mind. Earlier this month, the PLO mission led the successful passage of a General Assembly resolution that declared Israel’s founding a “catastrophe.”…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands Protest in Turkey After Istanbul Mayor, And Erdogan Rival, Banned From Politics
Thousands of protesters marched across Turkey this week after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a political rising star and major rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison and banned from participating in politics.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Parliament Votes to Recognise Soviet ‘Holodomor’ Genocide
The European Parliament voted on Thursday to recognise the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 — frequently known as the Holodomor — as a state-sponsored genocide committed by Stalin’s Soviet Russia.
Elected representatives within the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to recognise the Ukrainian famine of 1932-1933 as a genocide committed by Soviet Russia against the Ukrainian people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Warns of New Ground Attack on Kyiv as Fresh Missile Barrage Causes Widespread Power Cuts
Ukraine is warning of another Russian offensive towards Kyiv (Kiev) in early 2023 as a fresh missile barrage causes power outages across the Eastern European country.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, General Valery Zaluzhniy, and General Oleksandr Syrskiy warned of Russian forces making another thrust towards the Ukrainian capital — the northern front was abandoned relatively early in the war following a failed attempt to encircle the city and a hair-raising battle for notorious Chernobyl nuclear zone, which was briefly under Russian control — as early as January in an interview with The Economist magazine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Energy Companies Declare Emergency After Russian Missile Strikes
Ukraine’s national energy company, Ukrenergo, has declared an emergency after Russia launched missile strikes on the cities of Odesa, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv on Friday.
While Ukraine’s air defences shot down 60 of the 76 missiles fired by invading forces, the country’s critical infrastructure was hit, affecting half of its energy supplies.
US-based think-tank the Institute of the Study of War says Russian President Vladimir Putin’s objectives in Ukraine have not changed and that he might be preparing for a renewed offensive this winter.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Uganda: Hippo Swallows a Two-Year-Old Boy Whole… Then Spits Him Back Out Alive
Paul Iga, pictured, was gulped down and spat back out by a hippo on the edge of Lake Edward, Uganda. Although he was taken to hospital for treatment, he has been discharged.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
1 in 10 Somali Nationals Were Considered Suspects in Crime Across Germany in 2020
More than one in 10 Somali nationals resident in Germany were considered suspects in criminal cases in 2020, according to official government figures reported on by the Junge Freiheit news outlet.
Somalis were five times more likely to be involved in criminal proceedings than German nationals, where just 2 percent were suspects in an act of crime.
The figures came to light as a result of the federal government’s response to an information request from AfD politician Harald Weyel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Amnesty: Crack and Other RINO Senate Sellouts
by Daniel Greenfield
It’s December. The cold winds are blowing and darkness comes early. Worker productivity drops across the board except for the one class of workers who don’t work any other time of the year.
Congress.
With the midterm elections in the rearview mirror, the Senate is a furious hive of activity, dirty deals and furious negotiations as its small membership uses the opportunity created by the incoming House Republican majority to rush legislation through the lame duck session.
A dozen Senate Republicans already voted to abolish the Defense of Marriage Act, eliminating both marriage and religious freedom in one fell swoop, just as the Supreme Court was moving to protect it. Some of the senators then had the chutzpah to claim that they did it to protect religious freedom. The betrayal is bad enough, treating voters like bamboozled idiots is worse.
And that’s just the beginning of the lame duck sellout session…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Denver has declared a state of emergency after 600 migrants descended on the city in two weeks, putting an ‘immense strain’ on its resources.
Democratic Mayor Michael Hancock made the announcement after the city became unable to cope with the surging numbers due to limited space and numbers of staff.
The city has seen 900 migrants arrive over the past few months, 600 of whom have come since December 2.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After just two and a half years in prison for gang rape, Afghan Mukthar N. is back out on the streets of Illerkirchberg, but this time he enjoys taxpayer-funded police protection. The fact that he is in Illerkirchberg is also notable, given it is on the outskirts of Ulm, a city that made national headlines recently after an Eritrean migrant murdered the 14-year-old girl Ece S.
Authorities say they are “concerned” for the gang rapist’s safety due to growing resentment in Illerkirchberg, which has a troubled asylum home where gang rapists and murderers have menaced the small community.
The police protection detail reportedly began on the same day of the funeral for Ece S.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 400 Hotels Being Used to House Illegal Boat Migrants in UK
Over 400 hotels in the UK, some of which are four and five star rated, are being used to house illegal boat migrants in the UK, it has been revealed.
According to Home Office statistics, 419 different hotels are being used to accommodate asylum seekers, that vast majority of whom are economic migrants, at a cost of £7 million pounds per day.
The figure represents the number of hotels being used for such purposes in mid-November, so the real number is probably even higher now.
Nigel Farage responded to the revelation by remarking, “It is out of control, there are very very few towns now unaffected by this.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over One Third of Ukrainian Refugees Want to Remain in Germany
Over one-third of Ukrainian refugees in Germany said that they do not want to return to their homeland anytime in the near future, with just two per cent claiming that they plan to return in the next year.
A survey of over 11,000 Ukrainian refugees in Germany, conducted by the Research Center of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) and the German Institute for Economic Research, found that over a third want to stay in Germany for at least several years, while 26 per cent of those said they would like to remain in the country forever.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas AG Paxton Launches Border Crisis Probe Into Texas Bar Foundation Fund Recipients
(The Center Square ) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday launched an investigation into three Texas Bar Foundation fund recipients to determine if the money was used to facilitate the border crisis.
The foundation, a separate entity from the State Bar of Texas, is governed by its own board and solicits donations to provide a range of services.
The investigation expands on one his office launched in May, to determine if the foundation was “possibly aiding and abetting the mass influx of illegal aliens” into Texas and the U.S.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A segment of my chat with film maker and YouTuber Richard Vobes about how mass migration is changing the identity of Britain.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Appeals Court Continues to Allow Connecticut Transgender Athletes to Play on Girls Teams
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that the organization overseeing essentially all high school sports in Connecticut can proceed with a policy allowing biologically male athletes to compete on female teams.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that not allowing transgender women to compete on female teams was discrimination and in violation of Title IX.
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives federal funding.
The ruling for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference is being considered a victory for supporters of males who identify as females and play in women’s sports. Critics argue such athletes have an unfair biological advantage and are limiting such possible achievements of girls as setting records and playing in college.
[Comment: This is one of the worst court rulings this year.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
I’m Sorry, But This is Hilarious
Wow, suddenly the media cares about Big Tech censorship, after previously lobbying for it for years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Oklahoma Transgender Student Charged With Assaulting Female High School Classmates in Bathroom
A transgender student in Oklahoma was charged with assault after the student allegedly punched two female students in the girls’ restroom at a high school in late October, police reports show.
According to the report filed Oct. 26 and obtained by Fox News Digital, the transgender student listed as student “A” entered the restroom and spoke to a female student. After some contentious words were exchanged, a fight broke out.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘White Supremacy’: Presentation at Washington Governor’s Summit Condemns Objectivity, Individualism
During Washington’s “2022 Governor’s Equity Summit,” the action director of the state’s Professional Educator Standards Board gave the controversial PowerPoint presentation, “Internal Transformation: How an Education Agency is Transforming Itself in the Name of Justice.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
At the South Pole One Cold Weather Record After Another is Being Pulverised
The winter of 2020-2021 in Antarctica was the coldest since measurements began in 1957. You would expect the mainstream media to report on it extensively, but nothing of the sort has been done.
It has been a bad year for climate fanatics. In the Great Barrier Reef, coral growth has never been better. This is despite journalists and “experts” warning just a few years ago that it was likely to disappear.
According to the latest satellite data, global temperatures have remained virtually unchanged for more than eight years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
We’ll have right to carry to ptec us from crazies like jt or js. .. other werewolves R out there…
Over 400 Hotels Being Used to House Illegal Boat Migrants in UK
x
In the meantime, british people freeze on the streets, beg for change and get no help from the local councils
Germany: Huge Aquarium in Berlin Bursts, Resulting in Fish Dying and Two People Being Injured
x
Should have happened during the arrival of new asylum seekers to the Country.
did you think of piranhas?
“Early this morning an 82-foot-high aquarium (some reports say 46-foot-high) exploded in a hotel in Berlin, sending a million liters (roughly 260,000 gallons) of water cascading into the lobby and the street. All 1,500 tropical fish housed in the aquarium were killed. Two people were injured by glass splinters; there’s no word yet on whether they had been vaccinated.”
Free Sushi
Dont give them any ideas.
I wouldnt be surprised if they soon will anounce that being vaccinated will protect against car accidents, falling from a skyscraper etc.
If God had meant us to eat raw fish, he wouldn’t have given us cookware. But then, the Japanese are weird (interesting, polite, but weird- just look at their anime and manga).
Of course, they’d likely say the same about the rest of us, and I have no problem with that.
I think the German aquarium is an apt metaphor for our society. Superficially it looks OK, but the pressure is building up, tiny cracks are forming, and one day it will just explode.