Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/30/2023

A suicide bomber detonated himself inside a mosque in a police compound in Peshawar, collapsing the roof and killing at least 59 people while wounding 150 others. The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the carnage.

In other news, French President Emmanuel Macron said that he could not rule out sending fighter planes to Ukraine, but emphasized that they must not be used for attacks on Russian soil.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, Fjordman, LP, 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.

Financial Crisis
» “It’s the Perfect Storm”: More Americans Can’t Afford Their Car Payments Than During the Peak of Financial Crisis
» Dutch Electronics Company Philips to Cut 6,000 Jobs Worldwide
» German Economy Shrank More Than Anticipated Last Year
» Meteoric Rise in Food Prices Slowed Slightly in December But Prices Are Still Up 10% From Last Year — and Dallas, The Twin Cities and Baltimore Suffered the Biggest Increases in the US
» Radio Host Neil Mitchell Demands Answers From Labor as Top Bank Warns Aussies Are Set for a Terrifying Four Interest Rate Rises in a Row as Prices Continue to Soar: ‘Your Honeymoon is Over’
» The Taxman Cometh: UK Households Already Paying Govt $1,000 More This Year, Worse to Come
» US is Heading for a Financial ‘Catastrophe’ US Treasury Secretary Warns
 
USA
» A Judge Ordered the Unsealing of Sam Bankman-Fried’s 2 Anonymous Bail Sponsors — But Says They Have a Week to Appeal
» Americans Name ‘Government/Poor Leadership’ As Nation’s Biggest Problem: Poll
» Chicago Shooting: Man, 80, Seriously Wounds Man Who Forced Way Into Northwest Side Home
» Dem Mayor Accused of Defunding Police Arrested: “I Apologize to My Family, My Staff, And My Constituents, I Am Seeking Professional Treatment for Alcohol Addiction”
» Egg Farm Fire Investigation in Connecticut is Underway
» Elon Musk Wants Twitter Payments System to Accommodate Crypto: FT
» Elon Musk Apologizes for Raising Doubts About Paul Pelosi Attack
» Ex-Marco Rubio Aide Censored Conservatives According to Bombshell Elon Musk Report…
» ‘Full Investigation’ Launched Into New Jersey County’s 2022 Election Results as Double-Counted Votes Emerge
» How the Atlanta Riots Were Funded
» LA Antifa Riot Suspect Revealed to Have Been Featured in Past Libs of TikTok Viral Video
» Lori Lightfoot Criticized for Viral Dancing Video Amid Rising Crime Rates
» NYC Forces All City Employees to Undergo Radical Critical Race Theory Training: ‘Really Unfair’
» NYC Transgender Model Killed Dad, Stabbed Sis Over Laptop: DA
» Philadelphia Would-be Carjacker Shot at by Licensed Gun Owner While Attempting to Steal Car: Police
» Reporter Dooms Lori Lightfoot: “She Didn’t Do Anything to Stop the Looting, She Didn’t Do Anything to Stop the Shoplifting”
» Road Rage Leads to Stabbing, Baseball Bat Attack Outside Seattle Grocery Store
» Texas Salon Owners Consider Closing Shop After Crime Crisis Leaves Them Waiting Up ‘To an Hour’ For Police
» Tom Fitton Drops Hammer, Files Lawsuit for FBI Documents on Big Tech Censorship of Conservatives
» Top MIT Professor Warns: MRNA Shots Cause ‘Unprecedented Harm & Deaths of Young People, Children’
» Trump Fires Back at Bob Woodward, Sues Legendary Reporter for $49 Million
» Tyre Nichols’ Mom Shames Cops: ‘I Hate That it Was Five Black Men That Did This to Another Black Man’
 
Canada
» Canadians Share Their Favourite Memories From the Freedom Convoy
» Exclusive: Documents Reveal Feds Considered Carbon Tax-Like Rule for Farm Fertilizers
» Ottawa City Councillor Tries to Cancel Jordan Peterson Event
» Soldiers, Battle Imagery at Historic Sites May Trigger People, Parks Canada Survey Says
» Toronto Struggles With Wave of Public Transport Violence
 
Europe and the EU
» 370,000 Polish Pupils to Receive Free Laptops This Year
» Bjorn Lomborg Climate Report: Hurricanes ‘Unprecedentedly Weak’ In 2022
» British Army Has ‘Fallen Behind Its Peers and Needs Investment’, Defence Secretary Admits After US General ‘Said UK’s Military is No Longer Regarded as a Top-Level Force’
» British Military ‘Unable to Protect the UK’ Or Allies After Years of Cuts
» Danish Defence Chief Calls for Female Military Conscription, Citing Russian Threat
» Elon Musk Warns Italy is Dying
» France Has Not Ruled Out Sending Warplanes to Ukraine, Says President Macron — But He Insists it Cannot Lead to an Escalation of Tensions or be Used ‘To Touch Russian Soil’
» France: ‘Black Alien’ Who Mutilated His Body Says Restaurants Refuse to Serve Him
» Germans Support Continued Use of Nuclear Power
» Netherlands: Extinction Rebellion Announces Another A12 Highway Blockade in March
» Poland to Ramp Up Defense Spending to 4% of GDP
» Poland: Support for Law and Justice (PiS) is Growing, But Still Not Enough to Form a Government
» President Erdogan Signals That Turkey Could Agree to Finland Joining NATO Ahead of Sweden — as Tensions Grow Between Ankara and Stockholm
» Russia Condemns Denmark Qur’an Burnings: ‘Mockery of Religious Feelings is Not Freedom of Speech’
» UK Government Asked Facebook to Remove a Post That Was Restricted to be Seen by “Friends Only”
» UK: Watch as Extinction Rebellion Eco-Zealots Storm House of Lords as Peers Debated New Protest Laws to Crackdown on Guerrilla Tactics Used by Climate Activists
» US General Warns British Army ‘Is No Longer Regarded’ As a Top-Level Fighting Force and is ‘Unable to Protect the UK and Our Allies’
» W.H.O. Chief: Coronavirus Still a Global Health Emergency, Ignore ‘Pandemic Fatigue’ And Get Vaccinated
» Wales: McDonald’s to Play Classical Music From Speakers in Evening to Deter Anti-Social Behaviour in Area
 
Middle East
» Threats Prompt the Netherlands to Close Its Istanbul Consulate to the Public
 
Russia
» Anti-War Russian Teen Faces Jail for Social Media Posts Criticizing Ukraine War
» Moment Ukrainian ‘Death Ray’ Weapon Wipes Out Russian Soldiers as They Wander Through a Field
» Now Pentagon Top Brass Want to Send F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine in Bid to Crush Putin, Days After West Infuriated Kremlin by Sending Tanks to Zelensky’s Men
» Russian State TV Host Rails Against ‘War Criminal’ Elon Musk
» Russian Military Accuses Pentagon of Transferring Bioweapons Projects Out of Ukraine
» Russian Commander Imposes Restrictions on Military Bloggers
» Ukraine Races Against the Clock to Deploy Western Tanks
» Ukraine Forces Conscription Upon Its Hungarian Minority
» Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Calls for German Submarines to Attack Russian Ships
» Ukraine Confirms Russian Attacks in ‘Annexed’ Kherson, Denies Advances
 
South Asia
» Pakistan Mosque Suicide Bomber Kills 59, Wounds Over 150
 
Far East
» Apple’s Censorship for China is Starting to Leak Into Hong Kong
 
Australia — Pacific
» Another Flag Furore Hits the Australian Open as Novak Djokovic Fan is Seen Brandishing an ‘Ultra-Fascist Symbol’ During Men’s Final
» Eventbrite is Threatened With Lawsuit for Canceling Show With Cardiologist Peter McCullough
» ‘FIFO PM’ Is Torn to Shreds for Scoffing ICE Cream and ‘Chugging Beers’ For Three Days Instead of Helping Alice Springs — After He Flew Into Crime-Ridden Town for Just Four Hours: ‘Kick in the Guts’
» Shocking Moment Youths Lay Siege to Alice Springs Pub Just Days After the PM Vowed to Tackle Crime Wave During Flying Visit to Lawless Outpost: ‘Most Frightening Night of My Life’
» Terrifying Moment an Australian City Centre is Transformed Into an Ethnic Violence Battleground as Sikh Separatists Attack Hindu Protesters With Sticks While Chanting ‘Death to India’
» While Advocating for Julian Assange’s Release, Pamela Anderson Visited His Mother, Who Told Her to ‘Stop Posting Sexy Photos’ To be Taken More Seriously: Book
» Wild Moment Two Women Brutally Punch Each Other in the Middle of Peak Hour Traffic After the Driver Jumped Out of Her Car to Brawl With a Pedestrian
 
Immigration
» Germany Deported Just 13k Migrants in 2022, Numbers Still Well Below Pre-Pandemic Years
» Immigration Hits New Records in Macron’s France and That May be by Design
» Immigration Rose in France in 2022, Driven by Labor Needs and Foreign Students
» Local Residents Protest Plan to Bring 400 Migrants to German Village of 1,600 Inhabitants
» Migrants’ Refusal to Leave New York Hotel Met With Outrage: ‘Absolutely Insane’
» Netherlands Got Most Asylum Applications Since 2015 Last Year
» Why Your Rent is About to Soar: How 50,000 New Chinese Migrants Are About to Flood Australia — Here Are the Worst Affected Areas
 
Culture Wars
» In Blow to Biden DOJ, Jury Acquits Pro-Life Activist of All Charges
 

“It’s the Perfect Storm”: More Americans Can’t Afford Their Car Payments Than During the Peak of Financial Crisis

For over a year, we have been dutifully tracking several key datasets within the auto sector to find the critical inflection point in this perhaps most leading of economic indicators which will presage not only a crushing auto loan crisis, but also signal the arrival of a full-blown recession, one which even the NBER won’t be able to ignore, as the US consumers are once again tapped out. A month ago we said that in our view “that moment has now arrived”; the latest data from Fitch confirms as much.

But first, for those readers who are unfamiliar with the space, we urge you to read some of our recent articles on the topic of car prices — which alongside housing, has been the biggest driver of inflation in the past 18 months — and more specifically how these are funded by the US middle class, i.e., car loans, and last but not least, the interest rate paid for said loans

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Dutch Electronics Company Philips to Cut 6,000 Jobs Worldwide

The Amsterdam-based firm is reeling from a worldwide recall of sleep apnoea machines.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

German Economy Shrank More Than Anticipated Last Year

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s economy shrank by 0.2% in the fourth quarter compared with the previous three-month period, official figures showed Monday. The performance by Europe’s biggest economy was worse than expected.

Gross domestic product shrank for the first time since the first quarter of 2021 largely because of a decline in consumer spending, which had supported the economy in the first nine months of 2022, the Federal Statistical Office said. The drop followed GDP growth of 0.5% in the third quarter and 0.1% in the second quarter.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Meteoric Rise in Food Prices Slowed Slightly in December But Prices Are Still Up 10% From Last Year — and Dallas, The Twin Cities and Baltimore Suffered the Biggest Increases in the US

Dallas, the Twin Cities, and Baltimore are suffering some of the country’s highest rates of inflation for food prices, which rose 14.1%, 13.7%, and 13.5% in those cities respectively.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Radio Host Neil Mitchell Demands Answers From Labor as Top Bank Warns Aussies Are Set for a Terrifying Four Interest Rate Rises in a Row as Prices Continue to Soar: ‘Your Honeymoon is Over’

Deutsche Bank has made the dire forecast with the rate set to rise by a quarter of a per cent in February, March, May and August.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

The Taxman Cometh: UK Households Already Paying Govt $1,000 More This Year, Worse to Come

Personal taxes paid by Britons surged a remarkable 11.45 per cent this financial year, an average increase of over £800 per household, a report claims, underlining the punishing cash-grab underway with the government proceeding with open and ‘stealth’ tax rises.

The British government has seen a considerable increase in the amount of tax it has been able to take this financial year, analysis of government figures suggests, showing tax receipts of all kinds are up by ten per cent year-on-year.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

US is Heading for a Financial ‘Catastrophe’ US Treasury Secretary Warns

On January 19, 2023, the United States hit its debt ceiling of $31.4 trillion. The country faces a recession if it defaults on its debt, the US Treasury Secretary warned in an interview. Her warning underscored the danger of printing money.

The country hit the $31.4 trillion debt limit Congress passed in 2021. The Republican lawmakers who control the House of Representatives said they would not raise the debt limit unless Democrats, who control the Senate, agreed to budget cuts. The US national debt is approximately 122 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), meaning that the government owes more than the population produces.

On Saturday, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US could be facing dire consequences if it did not hike its statutory debt ceiling soon. A default on its debt by summer would lead to a financial crisis, Yellen warned.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

A Judge Ordered the Unsealing of Sam Bankman-Fried’s 2 Anonymous Bail Sponsors — But Says They Have a Week to Appeal

The federal judge overseeing Sam Bankman-Fried’s criminal case said there was no justifiable reason to keep secret the names of the disgraced cryptocurrency mogul’s two anonymous bail sponsors, ordering to unseal their names in court documents.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan said that the sponsors, whose identities Bankman-Fried argued should be kept secret for their safety, knew what they were getting into.

“The non-parental bail sureties have entered voluntarily into a highly publicized criminal proceeding by signing the individual bonds,” Kaplan wrote in his ruling on Monday.

At the same time, Kaplan paused on his own decision until February 7, giving Bankman-Fried and the sponsors an opportunity to appeal because of the “novel” legal issues at stake, he wrote.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Americans Name ‘Government/Poor Leadership’ As Nation’s Biggest Problem: Poll

A plurality of Americans say the government itself is the biggest problem facing Americans, according to a recent survey.

Nearly a quarter, 21%, of respondents in the latest Gallup poll indicated that the “government/poor leadership” is the “most important problem facing this country today.”

Inflation came in second with 15%, followed by immigration with 11% and “economy in general” with 10%. Approval of Congress came in at an abysmal 21%, while President Joe Biden earned a score of 41% .

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Chicago Shooting: Man, 80, Seriously Wounds Man Who Forced Way Into Northwest Side Home

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago police said an 80-year-old man was badly injured in a Northwest Side home invasion after he fought off his attackers.

Now, the two suspects are in police custody.

“This doesn’t happen here. This is a pretty rare event,” said Boris Stojakvoic, who manages a building across the street with his family.

Investigators said it happened at 10:30 a.m. on the 8500 Block of West Catherine in Chicago’s O’Hare neighborhood.

“We’re actively checking that all our doors stay closed, and notifying our residents to make sure not to let anyone in the building they’re not expecting,” Stojakvoic said.

Police said the 80-year-old man was inside a home on the block when the suspects, a man and a woman, knocked on the door. After he opened the door, the suspects entered the home without permission and then a fight broke out.

Police say the 80-year-old, a FOID card holder, shot at the suspects, hitting the man in the chest. The woman was not injured.

One woman, who lives on the block and didn’t want to show her face out of fear for her safety, said she is heartbroken for her neighbor.

“I was in shock when I heard it, because it’s like in the middle of the day, in the morning, and something like that happens so close to your home, it’s really scary to hear,” she said.

The suspects drove to Resurrection Hospital, where the victim is also being treated. The 80-year-old man and the alleged invader he shot are both in critical condition.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Dem Mayor Accused of Defunding Police Arrested: “I Apologize to My Family, My Staff, And My Constituents, I Am Seeking Professional Treatment for Alcohol Addiction”

Upper Darby Mayor Barbara Keffer was arrested Thursday evening in Upper Chichester Township on suspicion of DUI after Keffer was seen driving on Route 322 with a flat tire and a broken headlight.

Keffer was given field sobriety tests on the scene. The police officer determined she was not capable of driving and arrested her. The Police Affidavit of Probable Cause in her arrest said, “defendant had slurred speech, glassy bloodshot eyes, had unstable balance and a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath…refused to be fingerprinted and photographed.”

She issued a statement that said: “On Thursday, January 26, 2023, I was involved in a traffic incident. I have been cooperating fully with local authorities in Upper Chichester. As Mayor of Upper Darby, I realize that I am held to a higher standard and I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Egg Farm Fire Investigation in Connecticut is Underway

An investigation into a blaze at an egg farm in Bozrah, Connecticut is currently ongoing.

Egg producer Hillandale Farms said in a Monday statement published on the company’s website that its team “continues to work closely with the local fire departments and state officials” on the investigation into a recent fire.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Elon Musk Wants Twitter Payments System to Accommodate Crypto: FT

Twitter is designing a system to permit payments through the social-media platform, and although billionaire owner Elon Musk wants it “first and foremost” to be for fiat currencies, he wants the ability to add cryptocurrencies later, the Financial Times reported Monday.

Dogecoin (DOGE) spiked to its 24-hour high after the news broke. Musk has long professed a love of the meme coin

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Elon Musk Apologizes for Raising Doubts About Paul Pelosi Attack

SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk is apologizing for a tweet last October that raised doubts about the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi.

Musk issued the apology after the court released bodycam video on Friday, showing Pelosi getting hit with a hammer by an intruder at his Pacific Heights Home.

Musk had linked an article to his tweet that made claims about Pelosi being drunk and in a fight with a male prostitute the night of the attack.

Neither of those things were true.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Ex-Marco Rubio Aide Censored Conservatives According to Bombshell Elon Musk Report…

“Virtually any conclusion drawn from it will take conversations in conservative circles on Twitter and accuse them of being Russian”

Elon Musk is trying to save free speech in America. It is no surprise the Democrats in Washington won’t help because it is conservative voices that are being targeted for censorship. What the Dems fail to understand is the same system they are applauding now will inevitably be turned on them.

When that happens it will be too late. But what is truly shocking is the Republican Party has been MIA on the latest bombshells from Elon Musk’ss Twitter. It makes no sense why the GOP is looking the other way and putting themselves at risk of losing every future national election.

But now we may have the reason they are turning a blind eye to the biggest scandal in American history. They were in on it. According to the latest Twitter files, one of the founders behind the platform used to falsely smear and censor Americans, but mainly conservatives, is Marco Rubio”s ex-staffer.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘Full Investigation’ Launched Into New Jersey County’s 2022 Election Results as Double-Counted Votes Emerge

A “full investigation” has been launched by authorities in New Jersey after evidence of double-counted votes in the 2022 general election has emerged.

Officials in New Jersey have announced a formal investigation into the general election results from Monmouth County.

The state’s Attorney General Matthew Platkin issued a statement that confirmed a “full investigation” has been launched.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

How the Atlanta Riots Were Funded

by Daniel Greenfield

Even after an ‘Atlanta Forest Defender’ shot a Georgia state trooper in the stomach and his comrades set off race riots in the city, the leftist group at the center of it all is still fundraising.

This comes months after the leftists threw Molotov cocktails at police and nearly burned an elderly driver to death. Multiple members of the ‘occupation’ have been arrested on domestic terrorism charges. And yet the IRS and Georgia’s Secretary of State have done nothing.

Even Twitter suspended ‘Scenes from the Atlanta Forest’, an account calling for a “Night of Rage” and “reciprocal violence to be done to the police and their allies”, but the IRS has yet to take action to stop the ‘Atlanta Forest Defenders’ from taking in tax-deductible donations.

In Atlanta, small business owners are sweeping away broken glass and police have recovered explosive devices from some of the rioters. Yet the ‘Atlanta Forest Defenders’ are still raising money through Open Collective: a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fundraising platform that Front Page Magazine had previously exposed for providing fundraising for assorted ecoterrorists including the ‘Just Stop Oil’ vandals who glued themselves to ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’ painting.

That is despite the fact that Open Collective’s terms of service prohibit illegal activities.

The Open Collective Foundation has received funding for digital infrastructure grants from the Ford Foundation, George Soros’ Open Society and Pierre Omidyar’s Omidyar Network…

           — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield [Return to headlines]
 

LA Antifa Riot Suspect Revealed to Have Been Featured in Past Libs of TikTok Viral Video

Following an attack carried out by Antifa members on businesses in Hollywood, one member of the group, 22-year-old Ezequiel “Zeke” Jorge Riesgo, was arrested. It has been revealed that Riesgo was previously featured on the popular Twitter account Libs of TikTok for talking about Riesgo’s “gender-neutral baby.”

According to a press release from the Los Angeles Police Department, a group began to gather in the 1500 block of Vine Street at around 7:30 pm. The attack was one of many carried out across the country following the release of bodycam footage related to the death of Tyre Nichols.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Lori Lightfoot Criticized for Viral Dancing Video Amid Rising Crime Rates

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has come under fire for posting a video of herself dancing in the streets during a Lunar New Year parade over the weekend, with several critics slamming her for the city’s crime rates that have steadily increased throughout her term.

Lightfoot posted a video on Twitter of herself dancing along to a drum line during the city’s parade on Saturday, which later went viral as critics hit out against the Democratic mayor amid rising crime. The criticism comes while Lightfoot braces for a contentious primary election next month as she seeks reelection to a second term.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

NYC Forces All City Employees to Undergo Radical Critical Race Theory Training: ‘Really Unfair’

EXCLUSIVE — Mayor Eric Adams’ New York City forced all of its employees into a radical critical race theory-inspired training, according to a copy of the training reviewed by Fox News Digital.

The “mandatory” training was sent to all New York City employees with a March 6 deadline. “The training provides all NYC employees with a framework to understand… the importance of racial equity… in the workplace,” the email said.

The controversial lens expressed in the training is called critical race theory, which holds that America is and was always structurally racist; CRT adds that the U.S. was designed from its start to systematically oppress minority groups in order to uphold systems of power for the dominant culture or White racial group. CRT also maintains an oppressor versus oppressed lens of society and classifies people into groups based on supposed “privilege.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

NYC Transgender Model Killed Dad, Stabbed Sis Over Laptop: DA

A transgender fashion model from Brooklyn fatally stabbed her dad and critically wounded her kid sister during a rampage over a laptop, authorities said Monday.

The revelation came as suspect Nikki Secondino, 22, was arraigned on a murder indictment and shipped back to Rikers Island, where she has been held without bail since the Dec. 29 attack in the family’s Bensonhurst home.

Secondino was also charged with assault and weapons possession in the six-count indictment unsealed in court.

“This defendant is charged with brutally killing her own father and then stabbing her younger sister, allegedly following an argument over a laptop,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement.

“My office will vigorously prosecutor this horrific case and seek justice for the victims.”

Secondino is charged with killing her father Carlo, 61, and badly wounding her 19-year-old sister, Liana, during the bloody outburst.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Philadelphia Would-be Carjacker Shot at by Licensed Gun Owner While Attempting to Steal Car: Police

An attempted carjacking in Philadelphia was thwarted by a licensed gun owner who fired back at the would-be thief, police said.

The confrontation occurred just after 11 p.m. Saturday in the 1800 block of Mascher Street. 26th District Officers responded to a person with a gun report of a shooting.

Upon arrival, officers met two men, ages 26 and 29, who said a Black male of a thin build wearing a black ski mask and all-black clothing opened a car door and pointed a gun at them.

One of the men retrieved his gun and fired three shots at the offender. The offender fled the scene southbound on Mascher Street.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Reporter Dooms Lori Lightfoot: “She Didn’t Do Anything to Stop the Looting, She Didn’t Do Anything to Stop the Shoplifting”

The media in Chicago are blowing the whistle on the worst Mayor In America, Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot, as she trails in the polls (not her polls, those show her with a lead) ahead of next month’s election. Chicago reporter William J. Kelly said:

“She didn’t do anything to stop the looting. She didn’t do anything to stop the shoplifting right up to and including today. So, you know, she revoked my media credential. I filed a federal freedom of press lawsuit against Mayor Lightfoot.

“The questions that she didn’t want me to ask her at city hall, I will be asking her under oath. We have arrived at the discovery phase. And I intend to get these answers. And I intend to cover this mayor’s race, and I intend to expose what really is behind the destruction of our city.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Road Rage Leads to Stabbing, Baseball Bat Attack Outside Seattle Grocery Store

SEATTLE — Police are investigating after two drivers got into a road rage altercation in a grocery store parking lot in northwest Seattle Monday afternoon.

The incident was reported just before 3 p.m. in the 9900 block of Holman Road Northwest in the parking lot of the QFC grocery store.

The two drivers engaged in a road rage altercation while driving on Holman Road Northwest, according to Valerie Carson with the Seattle Police Department.

The drivers, one in a Mustang and the other in a van, pulled into the QFC parking lot off of Holman Road. Both got out of their cars and the driver of the van approached the driver of the Mustang. The van driver assaulted the Mustang driver and punched him in the face, according to Carson.

The Mustang driver then pulled out a knife and cut and stabbed the driver of the van. That man was taken to the hospital with stab wounds and his condition is unknown at this time.

During the stabbing attack, the significant other of the van driver got out of their vehicle and assaulted the Mustang driver with a baseball bat, Carson said.

The Mustang driver ended up running away to escape the assault, but later returned when police officers arrived.

           — Hat tip: Roger [Return to headlines]
 

Texas Salon Owners Consider Closing Shop After Crime Crisis Leaves Them Waiting Up ‘To an Hour’ For Police

Texas salon owners Laura North and Erin Mutschler said the crime crisis in Austin is making them consider closing shop. But, unsure of where to turn if they lose their livelihood, they continue to weigh their next steps.

“[Crime] is plaguing our entire city,” Mutschler told Ashley Strohmier Monday on “Fox & Friends First.”

Moving anywhere within the city would be expensive for the duo, who said relocating wouldn’t be “cost-effective” for their small business.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Tom Fitton Drops Hammer, Files Lawsuit for FBI Documents on Big Tech Censorship of Conservatives

Tom Fitton and Judicial Watch announced today that they have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain FBI documents regarding the censorship of conservatives online.

Washington D.C. watchdog group Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the DOJ for records of communications between the FBI and social media companies.

Specifically, the lawsuit is seeking records regarding the Hunter Biden laptop story and the alleged foreign influence in U.S. elections.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Top MIT Professor Warns: MRNA Shots Cause ‘Unprecedented Harm & Deaths of Young People, Children’

A renowned professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has spoken out to raise the alarm about mRNA shots.

On Sunday night, Prof. Retsef Levi posted a video message calling for the immediate suspension of all mRNA Covid vaccines.

Levi is now part of a growing community of experts to speak out against mRNA vaccinations after studying the risk associated with the shots.

Levi has been a faculty member at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 2006.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Trump Fires Back at Bob Woodward, Sues Legendary Reporter for $49 Million

Former President Trump is suing journalist Bob Woodward over interview recordings Trump gave for a book Woodward wrote about Trump and his administration. The lawsuit alleges Trump didn’t agree that Woodward could include the recordings in the audiobook.

The lawsuit was filed in the Pensacola division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. It names Simon & Schuster Inc. and its parent company Paramount Global as defendants along with Woodward. Trump is looking for more than $49 million in damages.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Tyre Nichols’ Mom Shames Cops: ‘I Hate That it Was Five Black Men That Did This to Another Black Man’

The mother of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old man who died after five Black police officers brutally beat him during a traffic stop in Memphis said she will pray for the families of the officers.

RowVaughn Wells told MSNBC in an interview that the five officers involved in the horrific crime “shamed their own families.” She said: “I hate the fact that it was five Black men that actually did this to another Black man. My son probably was their age.

“They just brought disgrace to themselves. I’m not an evil person, my son is not an evil person. I pray for the officers’ families because their families didn’t deserve any of this either.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Canadians Share Their Favourite Memories From the Freedom Convoy

Last weekend marked the first anniversary of the monumental Freedom Convoy and events were held across Canada to commemorate the protest — including in the nation’s capital.

The Convoy was a historic protest as Canadians from all walks of life demanded the government put an end to its extreme Covid measures.

True North’s Elie Cantin-Nantel was on the ground in Ottawa over the weekend and asked people what their favourite memories from the Freedom Convoy were.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Exclusive: Documents Reveal Feds Considered Carbon Tax-Like Rule for Farm Fertilizers

This is part 1 of the Fertilizer Files, a 3-part series on what internal government documents show about the Trudeau Liberals’ push to reduce fertilizer emissions

The federal Liberal government has considered forcing a carbon tax-like “regulatory backstop” onto farmers should voluntary agreements to reduce fertilizer emissions not meet Ottawa’s arbitrary standards — and it could see crop production across the country drastically decline.

The Liberals have been pulling out all the stops in recent months as part of their ongoing efforts to reduce emissions in the name of fighting climate change. Carbon taxes, plastic bag bans and electric vehicle sales rules are just some of their initiatives, but they’ve also set their sights on emissions from fertilizer use by farmers.

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Ottawa City Councillor Tries to Cancel Jordan Peterson Event

An Ottawa city councillor is trying to get a venue to cancel a Jordan Peterson event happening Monday night.

On Friday, Coun. Ariel Troster wrote to the Canadian Tire Centre, asking the venue to reconsider hosting the Ottawa stop of the Canadian psychologist’s Beyond Order tour.

“His hateful rhetoric has no place in our city,” she wrote.

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Soldiers, Battle Imagery at Historic Sites May Trigger People, Parks Canada Survey Says

Last year the federal government dished out over $54,000 on focus groups to seek opinions about an advertising campaign for Canada’s national parks.

The Oct, 17, 2022, Probe Research Inc. study, which was commissioned by Parks Canada, declared that some Canadians reacted negatively to imagery of historic battles because of colonialism and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Targeting mainly people from urban areas like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, researchers concluded that Parks Canada best avoid images of soldiers or cannons at national historic sites.

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Toronto Struggles With Wave of Public Transport Violence

Commuters in Toronto have been navigating the city’s public transport system with growing unease, following a surge of violent incidents targeting both riders and operators.

As of Friday, there were seven reported incidents of violence in the last seven days on the transport system of Canada’s largest city.

This includes a woman who was stabbed multiple times by a stranger on one of Toronto’s iconic streetcars. The next day, a 16-year-old boy was stabbed in the torso on a bus.

In another incident, a bus operator was shot with a BB gun by two teenagers. Four days later, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) said two other employees were chased by a person with a syringe at a subway station.

The wave of seemingly random violence has alarmed residents, and has dominated the conversation in Toronto over the last week.

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370,000 Polish Pupils to Receive Free Laptops This Year

The Polish government will issue laptops to 370,000 fourth-grade students, which will serve them throughout their education, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has announced.

Morawiecki said the government is attempting to address existing inequalities, insisting they are not “the driver of growth, but the cause of lost opportunities and many tragedies.”

He said that around 218,000 students from poorer regions received computers last year. “It is time to finally introduce the Polish school to the 21st century and bring it to the highest level possible,” said Morawiecki.

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Bjorn Lomborg Climate Report: Hurricanes ‘Unprecedentedly Weak’ In 2022

ROME — Climate specialist Bjorn Lomborg revealed Sunday that 2022 was the 2nd weakest year for hurricanes in more than forty years (1980-2022) and yet no mainstream media have reported on this.

Lomborg, who acknowledges the reality of climate change while refuting climate alarmism, noted that the drop in extreme weather events like hurricanes does not fit with the reigning apocalyptic reporting on global warming and thus is swept under the rug by mainstream media.

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British Army Has ‘Fallen Behind Its Peers and Needs Investment’, Defence Secretary Admits After US General ‘Said UK’s Military is No Longer Regarded as a Top-Level Force’

Ben Wallace (pictured) agreed on the need for ‘urgent recapitalisation’, but said the government was already investing £34bn into the army’s equipment plan between now and 2033.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

British Military ‘Unable to Protect the UK’ Or Allies After Years of Cuts

Britain’s armed forces are no longer able to play a full role in NATO or defend the homeland after years of cutbacks, according to British defence sources, with a senior American general warning London that it has a “barely tier two” force.

Broadcaster Sky News reports multiple British defence sources lamenting Britain’s military decrepitude, with one warning that the “bottom line” is that the armed forces are will be “unable to protect the UK and our allies for a decade” despite extremely heightened tensions with Russia and increasingly tenuous relations with Communist China, particularly in the South China Sea, among other dangers.

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Danish Defence Chief Calls for Female Military Conscription, Citing Russian Threat

Women should be open to being conscripted into the military in light of the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Denmark’s defence minister suggested this week.

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the deputy prime minister and minister of defence of Denmark said that at present, the NATO country is unable to defend itself and therefore should seek to expand the ranks of it’s armed forces.

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Elon Musk Warns Italy is Dying

Elon Musk is sounding the alarm again.

The billionaire has made it a habit now: alerting the world to urgent and alarming issues in the hope that there will be collective awareness.

Sometimes, in the face of silence and lack of reaction, Musk offers solutions himself. But these are not often well received. Such was the case with his peace plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has been going on for almost a year now.

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France Has Not Ruled Out Sending Warplanes to Ukraine, Says President Macron — But He Insists it Cannot Lead to an Escalation of Tensions or be Used ‘To Touch Russian Soil’

Asked at a news conference in The Hague on Monday if France is considering sending warplanes, Mr Macron said ‘nothing is excluded’.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

France: ‘Black Alien’ Who Mutilated His Body Says Restaurants Refuse to Serve Him

One Frenchman, who calls himself the “black alien” after mutilating his body with various surgeries, tattoos, and other procedures, now he says restaurants are scared to serve him over his extreme appearance.

33-year-old Anthony Loffredo covered his entire body in tattoos, cut off his ears, fingers, nostrils, and upper lip, and is now eyeing a potential leg amputation.

But, despite claiming that he is just a “normal guy,” he says restaurants are afraid to open their doors for him.

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Germans Support Continued Use of Nuclear Power

The vast majority of Germans support the continued use of nuclear power despite the country’s three remaining nuclear power stations currently expected to close their doors in April.

A study by the Bonn-based Konrad Adenauer Foundation found a total of 71 percent of respondents support the generation of nuclear energy through appropriate systems, while just 29 percent believed nuclear energy should “no longer be used at all.”

The conflict in Ukraine and the consequent energy crisis enveloping Europe have given the German government a headache. The federal government was due to close the doors of the three remaining nuclear power stations in the country at the end of last year, in compliance with the 11-year phase-out process initiated by Angela Merkel’s administration back in 2011.

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Netherlands: Extinction Rebellion Announces Another A12 Highway Blockade in March

Climate group Extinction Rebellion plans to again block the A12 highway in The Hague on Saturday, March 11. That would be the sixth time the climate activists blocked this stretch of highway.

Extinction Rebellion activists blocked the Utrechtsebaan, the stretch of the A12 in The Hague that runs by the temporary parliament building and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, this past Saturday. The highway was impassable for hours.

The police arrested over 700 people at the protest. Many hundreds of people stood above the tunnel pit to express support and cheer the activists on.

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Poland to Ramp Up Defense Spending to 4% of GDP

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawieck on Monday said his country would increase its defense spending to 4% of Gross Domestic Product.

The decision, against the background of Russia’s war in Ukraine, would see the country spending even more as a proportion of its economy than the United States.

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Poland: Support for Law and Justice (PiS) is Growing, But Still Not Enough to Form a Government

Support for Poland’s United Right coalition (PiS and Solidarity Poland) has risen almost a percentage point to 37 percent, but it still falls short of being capable of forming the next government, the latest polling revealed.

The Estymator poll for dorzeczy.pl showed the conservative coalition ahead of its opposition by more than 8 percentage points, with the Civic Coalition (Civic Platform, Modern, The Greens, Polish Initiative) attaining 28.8 percent of the vote, down 0.6 percent.

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President Erdogan Signals That Turkey Could Agree to Finland Joining NATO Ahead of Sweden — as Tensions Grow Between Ankara and Stockholm

Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and need all member countries’ approval to join. Turkey and Hungary are yet to ratify their membership.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Russia Condemns Denmark Qur’an Burnings: ‘Mockery of Religious Feelings is Not Freedom of Speech’

The Russian government’s embassy in Denmark has condemned protests in the Scandinavian country that saw the Qur’an burned, declaring the “mockery” of Islam should not be covered by the freedom of expression.

“On January 27, in Copenhagen, including in front of the building of the Consular Section of the Russian Embassy in Denmark, a series of blasphemous actions took place to burn the Koran, a book sacred to Muslims,” the Russian embassy said of recent demonstrations organised by the controversial Danish-Swedish anti-Islamisation activist Rasmus Paludan.

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UK Government Asked Facebook to Remove a Post That Was Restricted to be Seen by “Friends Only”

The UK government managed to find and report to Facebook a post that was restricted to be seen by “friends only,” asking Facebook the process to remove it.

This is one of the revelations coming out of a report dubbed, “Ministry of Truth: The secretive government units spying on your speech.”

“Ministry of Truth” is “Orwellian” for — “Ministry of Propaganda” — and the report compiled by the privacy and civil liberties group Big Brother Watch is pretty grim, focusing on how UK authorities choose to deal with controlling the pandemic narrative, and who exactly they enlisted to help.

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UK: Watch as Extinction Rebellion Eco-Zealots Storm House of Lords as Peers Debated New Protest Laws to Crackdown on Guerrilla Tactics Used by Climate Activists

Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion have disrupted proceedings in the House of Lords as peers debated new protest laws.

The 12 demonstrators from the activist group were escorted out of the public gallery by doorkeepers and security staff. They were all wearing t-shirts which bore the slogan ‘Defend Human Rights’.

One of the protestors confirmed that they were from the activist group. The upper chamber was adjourned for five minutes.

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US General Warns British Army ‘Is No Longer Regarded’ As a Top-Level Fighting Force and is ‘Unable to Protect the UK and Our Allies’

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has reportedly been told by a senior US general that the British army is no longer considered a top-level fighting force.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

W.H.O. Chief: Coronavirus Still a Global Health Emergency, Ignore ‘Pandemic Fatigue’ And Get Vaccinated

The coronavirus epidemic remains a global health emergency, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) chief warned Monday, telling the world to keep getting vaccinated and boosted, use antivirals, and heed directions from the Switzerland-based instrumentality.

State health bodies have also been cautioned to “continue to monitor individual and public response” to directions.

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Wales: McDonald’s to Play Classical Music From Speakers in Evening to Deter Anti-Social Behaviour in Area

A McDonald’s in the UK has introduced a unique system to deter anti-social behaviour from one particular restaurant following a spate of chaos from youths in the area.

The restaurant, located in the north Welsh town of Wrexham, has decided to begin playing classical music tracks from speakers during the evening time in a bid to stop youths from engaging in anti-social behaviour.

The move comes following a dispersal order being issued by police after problems emerged with gangs of young people in the area. A dispersal order provides UK police with extra powers to break up groups of two or more people.

Among the reasons for issuing the order were allegations of assault, fire extinguishers being set off, and signs and coins being thrown at shop staff.

A police officer in the area got in touch with local businesses following the trouble with youths, with the fast food retailer agreeing to play classical music from 5pm.

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Threats Prompt the Netherlands to Close Its Istanbul Consulate to the Public

The Dutch consulate-general in Istanbul is temporarily closed to the public due to an increased threat of an attack on Western targets. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not say how long people will be forbidden from entering the Dutch mission in the Turkish city.

At a small demonstration in The Hague, a copy of the Quran was torn up by the leader of the radical right-wing anti-Islamist group Pegida. The Dutch ambassador in Turkey was summoned by the government there last week as a result. The national government in Ankara has demanded that the Netherlands put a stop to such “provocative actions.”

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Anti-War Russian Teen Faces Jail for Social Media Posts Criticizing Ukraine War

19-year-old Olesya Krivtsova, from Russia’s Arkhangelsk region, could be imprisoned for years over social media posts that authorities claim discredited the military and justified terrorism.

She was also added to the list of extremists and terrorists, which includes the Taliban, ISIS, and al Qaeda.

Krivtsova posted an Instagram story criticizing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

It was this post that other students at Northern Federal University took a screenshot of, alongside her anti-war comments, and reported her to authorities.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Moment Ukrainian ‘Death Ray’ Weapon Wipes Out Russian Soldiers as They Wander Through a Field

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT: In the video, a group of Russian soldiers can be seen walking through a field with detonated mines in it. But moments later, many are killed.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Now Pentagon Top Brass Want to Send F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine in Bid to Crush Putin, Days After West Infuriated Kremlin by Sending Tanks to Zelensky’s Men

Volodymyr Zelensky seeks US fighter jets, adding to the $30 billion in assistance in military and security assistance since Russia’s invasion on February 24.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Russian State TV Host Rails Against ‘War Criminal’ Elon Musk

Vladimir Solovyov, a Russian state TV host, railed against Elon Musk during a recent broadcast, dubbing him a “war criminal” over his company’s support for Ukraine.

Solovyov’s remarks come more than 11 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his “special military operation” in Ukraine last February. After nearly a year of fighting, Moscow has struggled to attain substantial goals against Ukraine’s stronger-than-expected defense effort, which has been bolstered by Western military aid.

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Russian Military Accuses Pentagon of Transferring Bioweapons Projects Out of Ukraine

Russian military officials have claimed that the Pentagon has been transferring U.S. bioweapons projects out of Ukraine to Asia and other European countries.

Russia’s Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense (RCB) Chief Igor Kirillov claims the Russian military has accumulated a collection of over 20,000 documents related to the U.S. military’s alleged biological program in Ukraine.

RCB Troops first accused the Pentagon of running a U.S. bioweapons program in Ukraine last spring.

Washington initially dismissed the allegations.

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Russian Commander Imposes Restrictions on Military Bloggers

The Russian army’s top commander in Ukraine, General Valery Gerasimov, has imposed restrictions on military bloggers who criticize the army. These bloggers have previously criticized Gerasimov’s strategies and tactics.

The commander has demanded that bloggers should wear blue “press” body armor and adhere to restrictive embedding rules.

As reported by The Telegraph: “The Russian military command may also be attempting to resurrect its previously unsuccessful censorship efforts targeting the critical milblogger community.”

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Ukraine Races Against the Clock to Deploy Western Tanks

The West is in a race against time to transfer new tanks to the Ukrainian front line as Europe risks being drawn into the war with Russia, experts have warned.

Time is running out for troops in Ukraine after several Western countries agreed to send tanks to help it defeat Russia’s army, and one expert says “there is no time to lose.”

Analyst Bruce Jones claimed, “This is absolutely a pivotal strategic moment in the war as the West now faces a severe time compression. Germany has delayed the process for some time… when it most matters.”

Despite the pledges by multiple Western allies to provide heavy-armored tanks to assist President Zelensky’s troops, the transfer of such units may not be realized until the spring at the earliest.

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Ukraine Forces Conscription Upon Its Hungarian Minority

Ukraine’s official national media hides the ugly truth about forced conscription in Ukraine, Magyar Nemzet columnist György Pilhal writes

Kyiv is not changing its minority policy one iota, with Hungarians and other nationalities living in Ukraine being forcibly conscripted en masse to the front. Hungarians have also recently suffered several atrocities. Hungarian flags have been taken down, teachers have been dismissed from their jobs just because they are Hungarian, the Turul statue in the market square of Munkacs Castle was knocked down… We could go on.

In the meantime, convoys are arriving home carrying the fallen at the front. This is not something we are allowed to talk about, and the authorities are not even giving details to the relatives of the victims. Many do not even know when their relative’s coffin will arrive. According to locals, hundreds of soldiers’ bodies are kept in a specially designed refrigerated wagon a few hundred meters from the Hungarian border. The unfortunate ones have been dead for weeks or more, but have still not been buried.

It is also hopeless trying to get a handle on the war news; the only thing that is certain is that both sides are lying big time.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Calls for German Submarines to Attack Russian Ships

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrij Melnyk has expressed his desire for Germany to now provide submarines to the region to help evacuate the Russian fleet from the Black Sea.

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Melnyk proposed using German 212A submarines for the job.

“Hi guys, I know I’m gonna get a new s*** storm, but I have another creative idea. Germany (ThyssenKrupp) produces one of the world’s best submarines HDW Class 212A. The Bundeswehr has 6 such U-boats. Why not send one to Ukraine? Then we’ll kick (the) Russian fleet out of the Black Sea,” Melnyk tweeted.

[Comment: That is insanity.]

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Ukraine Confirms Russian Attacks in ‘Annexed’ Kherson, Denies Advances

The Russian military on Monday claimed it was able to make advances against Ukrainian forces in the Kherson and Kursk regions.

Ukraine disputed these claims and blasted Russia for once again launching missiles at civilian targets, while the Russians accused Ukraine of hitting populated areas with their own artillery shells.

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Pakistan Mosque Suicide Bomber Kills 59, Wounds Over 150

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide bomber struck a crowded mosque inside a police compound in Pakistan on Monday, causing the roof to collapse and killing at least 59 people and wounding more than 150 others, officials said.

Most of the casualties were police officers. It was not clear how the bomber was able to slip into the walled compound, which houses the police headquarters in the northwestern city of Peshawar and is itself located in a high-security zone with other government buildings.

Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on Twitter.

But hours later, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani distanced the group from the bombing, saying it was not its policy to target mosques, seminaries and religious places, adding that those taking part in such acts could face punitive action under TTP’s policy. His statement did not address why a TTP commander had claimed responsibility for the bombing.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Apple’s Censorship for China is Starting to Leak Into Hong Kong

GitLab, a code-sharing website, is no longer accessible on Apple’s browser Safari in Hong Kong. According to The Intercept, the website is inaccessible for “safety” reasons after Apple quietly started applying a blacklist operated by Tencent in Hong Kong.

Tencent operates a browsing filter for users of the Safari browser in mainland China. Apple had said that the Tencent blacklist would only apply to the mainland. However, in late November last year, Apple quietly changed Safari’s privacy policy to note that the Tencent blacklist applies in Hong Kong.

Apple did not say why the blacklist started applying in Hong Kong.

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Another Flag Furore Hits the Australian Open as Novak Djokovic Fan is Seen Brandishing an ‘Ultra-Fascist Symbol’ During Men’s Final

Another flag furore has hit the Australian Open as an apparent Novak Djokovic fan has been seen brandishing an ‘ultra fascist symbol’ during the men’s final on Sunday night.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Eventbrite is Threatened With Lawsuit for Canceling Show With Cardiologist Peter McCullough

Ticketing company Eventbrite canceled tickets to an event organized by the United Australia Party (UAP) that will feature American cardiologist Peter McCullough. The physician has been repeatedly censored for his views on COVID-19 and its vaccines.

UAP national director Craig Kelly shared a screenshot of an email sent by Eventbrite. The ticketing company said that the tickets were canceled because the event violated its community guidelines.

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‘FIFO PM’ Is Torn to Shreds for Scoffing ICE Cream and ‘Chugging Beers’ For Three Days Instead of Helping Alice Springs — After He Flew Into Crime-Ridden Town for Just Four Hours: ‘Kick in the Guts’

Anthony Albanese has been slammed for being more interested in ‘chugging beers’ at the Australian Open than wanting to help Alice Springs.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Shocking Moment Youths Lay Siege to Alice Springs Pub Just Days After the PM Vowed to Tackle Crime Wave During Flying Visit to Lawless Outpost: ‘Most Frightening Night of My Life’

Alice Springs is gripped by a crime crisis over the past few months where gangs of mostly indigenous youths roam the streets looking for trouble, breaking into homes and attacking residents.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Terrifying Moment an Australian City Centre is Transformed Into an Ethnic Violence Battleground as Sikh Separatists Attack Hindu Protesters With Sticks While Chanting ‘Death to India’

Confronting footage shows about 100 people brawling after a group of nationalist Hindus arrived at Fed Square — voting site for the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

While Advocating for Julian Assange’s Release, Pamela Anderson Visited His Mother, Who Told Her to ‘Stop Posting Sexy Photos’ To be Taken More Seriously: Book

While advocating for the release of her imprisoned friend, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, actress Pamela Anderson reportedly said Assange’s mother advised her to downplay her sexy facade to be taken more seriously.

Anderson became a close friend of Assange’s while he lived in political asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the actress recalled their visits, which included vegan meals, talks of the world, and some occasional “frisky” fun, according to her memoir “Love, Pamela,” an excerpt of which appeared in The Sunday Times Magazine.

Anderson started working on “clever ways” to help Assange and advocate for his release, including visiting Assange’s mother, Christine, in Australia. Anderson brought donations to Christine, who she described as “a big-hearted woman” who was “so distraught over her son,” per Anderson’s memoir.

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Wild Moment Two Women Brutally Punch Each Other in the Middle of Peak Hour Traffic After the Driver Jumped Out of Her Car to Brawl With a Pedestrian

A driver stopped their car before getting out to confront a pedestrian along Brighton Road in Elwood, south-east Melbourne, at 6pm on Monday.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Germany Deported Just 13k Migrants in 2022, Numbers Still Well Below Pre-Pandemic Years

Germany has announced just under 13,000 illegals were deported in 2022, around half the number from the year prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry stated that in 2022 the government had deported a total of 12,945 migrants from Germany in response to a request for information. The number is only slightly higher than in 2021, which saw 11,982 deportations.

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Immigration Hits New Records in Macron’s France and That May be by Design

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin has proven much tougher on French nationals staging peaceful protests against the French government’s open border policy than on immigration itself

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Immigration Rose in France in 2022, Driven by Labor Needs and Foreign Students

In 2022, more than 320,000 first residence permits were issued, and 15,000 foreigners were deported from the country. The share of labor immigration has never been so high.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Local Residents Protest Plan to Bring 400 Migrants to German Village of 1,600 Inhabitants

There were tumultuous scenes in front of the district council of Nordwestmecklenburg in Grevesmühlen on Thursday as, according to police estimates, 700 people gathered in front of the administration building to protest against the construction of a container village for 400 asylum seekers in Upahl. The village currently has 1,662 inhabitants.

Despite the loud, angry protests, which could also be heard in the meeting hall, the district council voted in an emergency meeting to erect the accommodation. The situation came to a head when some protesters tried to enter the administration building. Police officers dressed in heavy protective gear managed to prevent the building from being stormed.

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Migrants’ Refusal to Leave New York Hotel Met With Outrage: ‘Absolutely Insane’

The panel on “Outnumbered” blamed the Biden administration’s lax immigration enforcement for chaos ensuing in New York City on Monday, as dozens of migrants being housed on U.S. taxpayers’ dime in a posh Manhattan hotel refused to leave.

A group of illegal migrants who entered into the U.S. through the southern border, are refusing to leave their free NYC hotel rooms for a migrant shelter in Brooklyn, New York, sleeping in the street to protest. The migrants were initially placed at the Watson Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, but their schedule for relocation to a new migrant relief center, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, caused uproar late Sunday night.

“It’s outrageous. I think it’s more to do with the fact there’s going to be all-male [centers],” host Brian Kilmeade said. “They’re trying to break it up.”

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Netherlands Got Most Asylum Applications Since 2015 Last Year

The number of people applying for asylum in the Netherlands increased sharply last year. There were 35,535 first asylum applications, the highest number since 2015. Compared to 2021, the number of applications increased by 43.6 percent. Applications have decreased slightly since September.

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the largest group of asylum seekers came from Syria, like in previous years. More than a third of all applicants are Syrian. Especially in the second half of the year, many Syrians applied for asylum in the Netherlands. Relatively many asylum seekers also fled from Afghanistan, Turkey, and Yemen.

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Why Your Rent is About to Soar: How 50,000 New Chinese Migrants Are About to Flood Australia — Here Are the Worst Affected Areas

Rents are about to soar, with ‘most landlords’ putting prices up by ‘5 per cent’ within weeks, as 50,000 Chinese students rush to Australia after online study was banned.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

In Blow to Biden DOJ, Jury Acquits Pro-Life Activist of All Charges

APhiladelphia jury on Monday found pro-life activist Mark Houck not guilty on both federal charges in relation to an Oct. 13, 2021, altercation with an abortion clinic volunteer.

The Department of Justice pursued charges against Houck, alleging that he “forcefully shoved” Bruce Love, a Planned Parenthood volunteer, in violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

Houck’s defense contended that Love had been “harassing” his son in the leadup to the altercation. The Thomas More Society, which represented Houck, celebrated the jury’s decision.

“Mark and his family are now free of the cloud that the Biden administration threw upon them,” Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation Peter Breen said after the verdict. “We took on Goliath — the full might of the United States government — and won. The jury saw through and rejected the prosecution’s discriminatory case, which was harassment from day one.”

[Comment: Wow.]

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]