A climate activist threw pink paint on a woolly mammoth exhibit in the Royal Museum of British Columbia to protest the government’s inaction on climate change. Police escorted the young lady out of the building after her action.
In other news, according to the official statistics bureau of the German government, 23% of the population of Germany now consists of immigrants or the children of immigrants.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, LP, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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.
Bankruptcies Across EU Soared to Record Levels Last Year
The number of bankruptcies across the European Union rose to record levels in the fourth quarter of last year, as soaring energy bills and high inflation led to insolvency for thousands of businesses.
A report published last month by Eurostat revealed bankruptcies throughout the bloc increased by 26.8 percent compared with the previous quarter, reaching the highest level on record.
Bankruptcies increased in all four quarters of last year, while registrations of new businesses decreased slightly by 0.2 percent in Q4 compared to Q3 in 2022. New business registrations, however, remained high, surpassing figures recorded before the Covid-19 pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BC’s $4.2 Billion Deficit Budget Splurges on Bike Lanes, Free Contraception
British Columbia’s NDP government is preparing to turn a $3.6-billion forecasted surplus into a whopping $4.2-billion deficit by spending on programs like bike lanes and free contraception.
On Tuesday, finance minister Katrine Conroy presented the Budget and Fiscal Plan 2023/24-2025/26.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
50% of Murders in the US Went Unsolved in 2020
Two separate analyses of data released by the FBI has shown that approximately 50 percent of murders in the US in 2020 went unsolved.
According to the New York Post, “Analyses of FBI data show that 71 percent of homicides were deemed solved in 1980 — dropping to only about 50 percent in 2020, the last time the data were compiled.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arkansas Police Arrest 13 After ‘Riot’ Erupts at High School
Police in Arkansas made 13 arrests at a high school after “several fights” broke out on Thursday, which led to property damage.
The Little Rock Police Department said that officers were called to Hall STEAM Magnet High School on Thursday afternoon at 12:28 p.m. in response to a disturbance call. When officers arrived, several fights were in progress which resulted in property damage.
As a result of the fights, 12 people were arrested for disorderly conduct and one felony arrest was made for inciting a riot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austin Police Department Turns to AI as Staffing Crisis Looms
The defunded Austin, Texas, police department launched a new non-emergency online reporting system on Thursday that is operated with artificial intelligence, or AI.
In an announcement on Thursday, the Austin Police Department (APD) said it partnered with Versaterm Public Safety’s Case Service to launch the new reporting software that communicates with the community through voice, mobile, web and text messaging, instantaneously.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Proposes Sweeping $1.6B Crackdown on Pandemic Aid Fraudsters: ‘You Cannot Hide’
President Biden on Thursday unveiled a “sweeping” plan to go after COVID-19 pandemic aid fraudsters who stole billions of taxpayer dollars, and to help victims who lost their benefits to identity thieves.
The White House proposes to spend $1.6 billion on a three-pronged crackdown investigating and prosecuting systemic pandemic fraud, developing new tools to prevent identify theft, and providing resources to victims who not only lost the aid they needed, but also may have had their credit scores deteriorate or face tax liabilities through no fault of their own.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Attorney General Merrick Garland had to explain before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday how those who vandalize and burn down Catholic churches and pregnancy centers can evade arrest, while abortion activists have their doors kicked in. Garland’s answer was that left-wing criminals typically act at night, whereas pro-life activists are generally acting in the light of day and are easy to identify.
The Department of Justice has also not charged a single protestor under a statute that makes protesting outside of a Supreme Court justice’s home illegal, and a Pennsylvania pro-life activist, Mark Houck, was been charged under federal law.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A faction of the US State Department used its influence to get Americans banned from Twitter under its last ownership, journalist Matt Taibbi reports.
In a new batch of Twitter Files released on Thursday, Taibbi said that the taxpayer-funded Global Engagement Center, whose mission is to “coordinate US Federal Government efforts” to tackle “disinformation,” was actually helping snuff out users that belonged to “state-sponsored blacklists.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bystanders Restrain Suspect, Petworth Library Stabbing Leaves 1 Dead
A man has died after being stabbed in the Petworth Public Library in D.C. Thursday night.
Around 7 p.m., a man seated at a computer in the neighborhood library was followed in by a man who assaulted him. He was stabbed in the neck and has been pronounced deceased, police said.
According to executive assistant Chief Ashan Benedict, two people, known to the department as unhoused, were involved in an altercation with one fatally stabbing the other.
Other people inside the library were able to restrain the suspect until the police arrived.
“They intervened. They stopped this individual from continuing his attack. They disarmed him. They held him until police arrived,” Benedict said.
The suspect is in custody and is expected to be charged tonight.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Cop Shot, Killed While Responding to Domestic Call
A Chicago police officer was shot and killed Wednesday evening on the city’s South Side while responding to a domestic incident.
According to Supt. David Brown, the officer was shot at approximately 4:45 pm in the 5200 block of South Spaulding Avenue in the city’s Gage Park neighborhood.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Maryland Mayor Arrested on 56 Child Pornography Charges
On Thursday, College Park, Maryland’s Democrat mayor Patrick Wojahn was arrested on 56 child pornography charges.
Wojahn, who served as mayor since 2015 and sat on city council for eight years before that, resigned from his post the night before he was taken into custody.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Discover Card to Begin Tracking Gun Purchases in April
Beginning in April 2023, Discover will become the first credit card issuer to track gun purchases made by their cardholders.
On September 11, 2022, Breitbart News noted that Visa caved to pressure from gun control groups and New York Democrats, agreeing to flag gun and ammo purchases via a new sales categorization. The Associated Press observed that Mastercard and other major credit cards also agreed to flag gun sales.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Disgraced Attorney Alex Murdaugh Convicted of Murder in Shootings of Wife, Son
WALTERBORO, S.C. (AP) — Disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murder Thursday in the shooting deaths of his wife and son in a case that chronicled the unraveling of a powerful Southern family with tales of privilege, greed and addiction.
The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding Murdaugh guilty of two counts of murder at the end of a six-week trial that pulled back the curtain on the once-prominent lawyer’s fall from grace.
Murdaugh, 54, faces 30 years to life in prison without parole when he is sentenced, which in South Carolina is typically right after the verdict but can be delayed if a judge chooses.
Through more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, jurors heard about betrayed friends and clients, Murdaugh’s failed attempt to stage his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, a fatal boat crash in which his son was implicated, the housekeeper who died in a fall in the Murdaugh home, the grisly scene of the killings and Bubba, the chicken-snatching dog.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Feds: Pennsylvania Man Admits Packing Explosives in Suitcase
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man admitted packing explosive materials, fuses and a lighter in a suitcase he checked for a commercial flight to Florida and fled the Lehigh Valley airport when he feared being arrested, federal authorities said in a court document filed Thursday.
Marc Muffley, 40, of Lansford, called his girlfriend for a ride and soon switched his phone number, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said in a memo seeking that he be held without bail on the charges. A detention hearing was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
“The baggage also contained a can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue suspected to be methamphetamine, a wireless drill with cordless batteries, and two GFCI outlets taped together with black tape,” the detention memorandum said.
Investigators said the items were in the same bag, greatly increasing the risk of an explosion. The outlets are a type of circuit breaker.
“His actions seriously jeopardized the lives of airport workers and patrons, and if the explosive had not been intercepted, the flight’s passengers and the aircraft,” the memo said.
Muffley was arrested at his home Monday night, hours after he had checked in for the Allegiant Air flight at the Lehigh Valley International Airport. The flight was bound for Orlando.
He is charged with possessing an explosive in an airport and possessing or attempting to place an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft, according to a criminal complaint. A message left Thursday for Muffley’s federal public defender, Timothy Wright, was not immediately returned.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
First Responders Win Major COVID-Linked Free Speech Lawsuit Against New York City
First responders employed by the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), together with their union, won a major legal victory this week in a settlement with the city over allegations that the emergency personnel were unfairly muzzled, punished and intimidated after talking to the press about their experiences on the front lines of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April 2020, four members of the department’s Emergency Medical Services branch, known as FDNY EMS, were suspended — some without pay — or placed on restricted status, under which they couldn’t receive overtime or work for any other emergency medical services in New York City’s 911 system.
The sanctions were punishment after they spoke to the news media to detail their experiences during the early stages of the pandemic as part of a campaign to highlight the struggles they were facing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ford Wants Cars to Lock Out Drivers Who Are Late on Car Payments
A newly published patent application from Ford has revealed that the American automaker wants to be able to lock drivers out of their vehicles for nonpayment and even allow the vehicle to repossess itself.
The patent document, obtained by The Drive, was submitted to the United States Patent Office in August of 2021, but was formally published on February 23. The patent, titled “Systems and Methods to Repossess a Vehicle,” outlines different methods that would be taken if the vehicle owner misses payments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Georgia Senate Votes Against Splitting Neighborhood Off From Atlanta
The Georgia Senate on Thursday voted against a proposal that would have broken away an Atlanta neighborhood to form a new city.
The chamber voted 23-33 against forming Buckhead City out of the state capital’s northernmost neighborhood.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
John Fetterman ‘Co-Sponsors’ Senate Bills Despite Being Institutionalized Since February 15
While Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman continues to be hospitalized for clinical depression, he has been named as a co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill launched in the wake of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
S.576, “A bill to enhance safety requirements for trains transporting hazardous materials, and for other purposes,” was introduced to the Senate on Wednesday by Sen. Sherrod Brown. Listed as co-sponsors of the bill are Sens. John Fetterman, JD Vance, Robert Casey Jr., Marco Rubio, and Josh Hawley.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jussie Smollett’s Lawyers Appeal 150-Day Jail Sentence for Infamous Hate Crime Hoax
On Wednesday, attorneys for Jussie Smollett, the disgraced actor who invented a hate crime hoax and was later convicted for lying to Chicago police, filed an appeal of their client’s December 2021 conviction in hopes of keeping Smollett from serving the remaining portion of his 150-day jail sentence.
Variety reports, Smollett served six days out of the 150-day sentence in March 2022 and was released pending his appeal, which was due for filing by his lawyers back in August 2022. Smollett’s attorneys filed and were granted five extensions through February 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Los Angeles Man Declared Innocent After Decades of Wrongful Imprisonment
A Los Angeles judge has declared a man innocent after he spent over 38 years incarcerated for a 1983 murder for which he was wrongfully convicted.
Officials released Maurice Hastings from prison last year after DNA evidence directed investigators toward a suspect who died in prison in 2020,according to the Associated Press. Judge William Ryan took the additional step Wednesday to declare Hastings “factually innocent” of the murder.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Maryland Man Sues Local Tavern for Kicking Him Out Over Being ‘Old and White’
A 52-year-old man has filed a lawsuit against his local tavern alleging that his race and age were determining factors in the establishment’s decision to ban him from the premises.
Neal Glessner of Boonsboro, Maryland claimed that he and his friend, Judge Joseph Michael, were kicked out of Dan’s Restaurant and Taphouse because they were “old white men.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Northern California High School Student Stabbed to Death in Classroom Fight
15-year-old arrested in connection with Santa Rosa incident
SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) — A 15-year-old student has been booked on suspicion of homicide and other charges in connection with a stabbing at a Northern California high school on Wednesday where one 16-year-old junior was killed and another injured, police said.
The attack shocked Santa Rosa — a community best known for its wineries about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) north of San Francisco — and prompted lockdowns of several nearby schools as officers searched for the teenage suspect. The attack took place in an art classroom full of students at Montgomery High School.
The school remained closed Thursday. Principal Adam Paulson, in a message to parents, students and the school community, called the stabbing “the darkest day anyone can remember at Montgomery High,” according to The Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.
The violence started when the two juniors came into the classroom and started a fight with the freshman, police said. Teachers initially broke up the brawl but the freshman then pulled out a knife and allegedly stabbed the juniors.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
PNC Bank Ends Business Relationship With Donald Trump Jr’s MxM News App Company ‘Without Cause’
EXCLUSIVE: PNC Financial Services Group Inc. abruptly terminated its business relationship with the news aggregation app company launched last year by Donald Trump Jr. and former Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich, Fox News Digital has learned, which the company called the latest move by “woke corporations” to silence conservatives.
MxM News was founded and launched last year by Trump Jr. and Budowich to compete with apps that aggregate news content for readers, like Apple News, Google News and others that conservatives have accused of censorship. The parent company of MxM News is ROCDIGITAL, LLC.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Arrest Man Accused of Shooting Another Driver Following Accident on I-79
Police arrested a man who is accused of shooting another driver following an accident on Interstate 79 in the City of Erie on Monday.
Alexander Peyton, 27, of Erie, faces charges including attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, receiving stolen property, theft by unlawful taking, possession of a weapon, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault, accidents involving damage to attended vehicle, driving without a license and careless driving.
He was arraigned Thursday morning and sent to the Erie County Prison on $150,000 bond.
The shooting happened near W. 12th St. and Lincoln Ave. around 2:15 p.m. Monday.
The victim — a 58-year-old man — was in critical condition after being shot in the neck. He called 911 to report he had been shot, someone had taken his phone and the man left in a Jeep, according to the criminal complaint.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
San Francisco’s panel on reparations revealed on Tuesday that they did not use a “math formula” when calculating its recent recommendation that qualifying black residents should receive $5 million each.
In January, the city’s African American Reparations Advisory Committee unveiled its recommendation, arguing that the city owed compensation to Black residents for decades of discrimination, even though slavery was never legal in San Francisco.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With Guns Now Allowed on College Campuses, WV Governor Pledges ‘Mess With Us, We Can Mess Back’
Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice officially signed a bill into law that allows concealed carry permit holders to carry their firearms on the campuses of state colleges and universities.
“I’m proud to sign the Campus Self-Defense Act, which will strengthen Second Amendment protections in West Virginia. West Virginia now joins 11 other U.S. states, including Texas and Utah, that have had this legislation for years,” Justice said, according to WVNS.
The NRA-backed bill passed the West Virginia House of Delegates last week at a vote of 84-13. The law will take effect on July 1, 2024.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Workers at East Palestine Derailment Site Experiencing ‘Migraines and Nausea’: Report
On Wednesday, a rail union leader penned a series of letters to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Federal Railroad Administration administrator Amit Bose, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, and Ohio governor Mike DeWine, alleging that workers at the East Palestine train derailment site were falling ill.
Jonathan Long, general chairman of the American Rail System Federation of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, claimed that those tasked with handling the disaster were experiencing “migraines and nausea,” and urged the relevant authorities to force Norfolk Southern to ramp up their safety standards.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube CEO Says it’s Developing AI Features With “Thoughtful Guardrails”
In an annual letter, YouTube’s new CEO Neal Mohan highlighted the video-sharing platform’s priorities for the year 2023. Among the priorities is exploring the opportunities that generative artificial intelligence can provide while also setting guidelines for its use.
“The power of AI is just beginning to emerge in ways that will reinvent video and make the seemingly impossible possible,” Mohan wrote, adding that the platform would take time to come up with “thoughtful guardrails” for the use of AI features.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
3 in 4 Canadians Say Families Are Paying Too Much Tax
Three-in-four Canadians think the average family is paying too much in taxes, according to a new report.
The Fraser Institute report released on Thursday shows 74% of Canadians think the average family is paying too much tax to federal, provincial and local governments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alberta Tabling Legislation to Protect Firearms Owners From Federal Program
In the one month the Alberta government will sit ahead of a spring general election, it plans to table firearms regulations to protect gun owners from the federal firearms confiscation program.
On Wednesday, Government House Leader Joseph Schow announced that firearms legislation will be one of three bills the United Conservative Party government will introduce in the next session.
Schow said a number of Albertans have reached out to him and his colleagues to say they feel federal legislation to confiscate legally purchased firearms is “overreaching.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BC Cannabis Company Receives Permission to Process, Sell Cocaine
A British Columbia cannabis company has been granted permission by Health Canada to process and sell cocaine. Adastra Labs, based out of Langley, received approval from federal authorities on February 17.
The decision comes just weeks after the province’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act exemption went into effect, decriminalizing personal possession of up to 2.5 grams of opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, or MDMA.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Campus Watch: U Ottawa Excludes White Scholars to “Combat Systemic Racial Discrimination”
The University of Ottawa is excluding white scholars from professor positions in order to “combat systemic racial discrimination.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China Hearings: CSIS Director David Vigneault Questioned on Foreign Interference
CSIS Director David Vigneault testifies in the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to discuss continuing revelations on reports of foreign interference in Canada’s 2019 and 2021 elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Climate Activist Throws Paint on Woolly Mammoth at Royal BC Museum
A climate activist caused a disturbance at the Royal B.C. Museum on Wednesday morning after throwing pink paint onto the museum’s woolly mammoth exhibit.
Police escorted the protester who was affiliated with the On2Ottawa group out of the building after the incident.
24-year-old climate activist Laura Sullivan staged the affair to launch a “caravan” to the nation’s capital intending to protest the government’s inaction on climate change.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Canadians Believe Chinese Election Interference a “Serious Issue”
A poll conducted in late February has found that a majority of Canadians believe that Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 general elections is an issue to be taken seriously.
The Angus Reid Institute poll conducted between February 23-25, found that 53% of Canadians perceive the allegations of China’s interference in Canadian elections to be a serious issue while 23% of Canadians believe that the situation is being overblown.
Along party lines, 72% of Conservative voters agreed that Chinese election interference is a serious issue, 60% of Bloc voters agree with the sentiment, and a plurality of Liberal and NDP voters agree with 43% and 39% confidence respectively.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Notley Active on TikTok While Federal Counterparts Delete it
While NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is taking a pause from TikTok after a federal review found it posed an “unacceptable” privacy and security risk, Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley is still posting videos on the controversial Chinese platform.
Notley posted her latest video on Tuesday — one day after Singh said he would stop using the site and one day before the Alberta government banned it on government devices.
The federal government banned the app from devices earlier this week following the chief information officer of Canada’s review.
Singh, who had a following of 880,000 on TikTok, announced on Monday he was “taking a pause” from the site.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
School Board Collecting Photo ID, Personal Data of Concerned Parents
A British Columbia school district has quietly changed the rules for those wishing to attend their public board meetings in person and will now require people to submit photo ID and other personally identifiable information.
The move comes after weeks of delegations by parents concerned with the Chilliwack School District (SD33) for allegedly making sexually explicit material available for children.
As reported by Fraser Valley Today on Wednesday, the school district confirmed that anyone wishing to attend a meeting in person will have to submit a valid photo ID, a phone number and fill out a form.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Foundation to Return $200k Donation Potentially Linked to Chinese Communist Party
The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation announced on Tuesday that it will be returning a 2016 pledge linked to the Chinese government. The foundation said in a statement that it would return a $200,000 donation.
The Foundation stated in a release: “The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation has learned in recent days through the media that there was a potential connection between the Chinese government and a 2016 pledge of $200,000 to be received by the Foundation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
10-Year-Old Girl Stabbed by Suspect Yelling ‘Allah Akbar’ In Sweden
A known criminal yelling Islamic slogans was arrested for stabbing a young girl in an unprovoked attack in Sweden this week, according to reports.
The horrifying incident unfolded on Thursday afternoon in the culturally-enriched city of Gothenburg.
Police were called to Brunnsparken, a square in the city center, where they found a 10-year-old girl suffering from serious wounds to her abdomen and “large pools of blood” on the ground, Götesborgs-Posten reports.
A 35-year-old male of “Arab appearance” who reportedly yelled “Allah akbar” before the stabbing was detained by Good Samaritans and taken into custody by authorities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Child Rapist Acquitted by Swedish Court Because Victim Used Child Term for Vagina
A Swedish court of appeal has acquitted a man convicted of raping a ten-year-old girl because the girl used a childish term for vagina during her testimony, claiming the meaning of the word was unclear.
Many have expressed outrage over the court’s ruling, which took place last weekend and saw the Court of Appeal acquit the 50-year-old man in the case after he had been found guilty of raping the ten-year-old girl in 2022 by the Halmstad District Court and sentenced to a paltry three years in prison.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Prime Minister Gets ‘World’s First’ AI Government Advisor
A European prime minister has introduced his Cabinet to what he claims is the world’s first AI government advisor.
Nicolae Ciuca, the Prime Minister of European Union member-state Romania, is said to have caught his own Cabinet off guard on Wednesday after introducing them to their new colleague and advisor — an artificial intelligence named Ion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Army is Incapable of Defending the Country From Attack, Warns Defense Minister
The German army is currently not fit for purpose and would be unable to defend Germany from any substantial attack, the country’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has told his parliamentary colleagues in a devastating critique of Germany’s current military capability.
Speaking at a meeting of the SPD parliamentary group on Monday evening, Pistorius slammed previous German administrations who failed to fulfill the country’s NATO obligations with regard to defense spending and suggested its military would currently fold to any considerable threat by an aggressor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
King Charles Evicted Harry and Meghan Out of Their UK Cottage
King Charles is booting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from Frogmore Cottage — their only remaining UK residence.
The couple is in the process of moving their belongings to the United States, where they currently live.
The eviction, first reported by The Sun, comes at a time of increasingly strained relations between the couple and the royal family.
King Charles’ decision comes after Prince Harry reportedly insulted his relatives with personal details of their lives in his memoir Spare.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Orban: EU Energy Sanctions Costing Citizens Billions
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned that some western states could soon send troops to Ukraine. He also criticized the fact that the EU sanctions against Russia had cost Hungarian taxpayers tens of billions of euros.
Viktor Orban expressed “serious concern” that “all of Europe is slipping step by step into war” as EU countries are sending tanks to Ukraine and are now even considering supplying fighter jets. “If things continue like this, there will soon be countries that might want to send troops to Ukraine,” he said in the Hungarian parliament on Monday.
He stressed that his government insisted on a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict and called on the parliamentary parties to support this position. The West, according to Orban, wants to “drag Hungary into this war”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Considered Mandating Killing of All Pet Cats to Stop COVID
UK health authorities considered ordering the euthanization of all pet cats in the country during the first COVID outbreak, it has been revealed.
Ex-Deputy Health Minister Lord James Bethell made the admission while trying to argue that governments were caught unawares in how to respond to the virus, remarking, “We shouldn’t forget… how little we understood about this disease.”
“There was a moment we were very unclear about whether domestic pets could transmit the disease,” he said. “In fact, there was an idea at one moment that we might have to ask the public to exterminate all the cats in Britain. Can you imagine what would have happened if we had wanted to do that?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Government Has Lost Track of Hundreds of Sex Offenders Since 2019
Hundreds of sex offenders in Britain have reportedly been lost by the British government over the last three years, a report on Wednesday has said.
Police forces across the United Kingdom have reportedly lost track of hundreds of individuals guilty of sexual abuse offences, data reportedly obtained through the Freedom of Information Act has revealed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Police Claim 5’5” ‘Neuro-Diverse’ Female Recruit, 18, Can ‘Take Down’ Assailants
England’s Essex Police force has spotlighted a 5’5” female recruit, aged 18 and described as “autistic and dyslexic”, assuring the public she can hold her own against assailants.
In a glowing profile piece highlighted on social media, Essex Police said that “[w]hen it comes to breaking stereotypes” Police Constable Lauren Hooper “wants to shatter” the alleged “glass ceiling”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘It’s All My Fault’ — Boris Johnson Admits Brexit Deals Have Handed Power to EU
Boris Johnson has publicly expressed doubt about Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal with the European Union, adding that his own previous deal also just ended up handing control to Brussels.
Speaking at the Global Soft Power Summit on Thursday, former prime minister Boris Johnson expressed his belief that both the government’s new Brexit deal, as well as his own previous agreement, ultimately just hand over power to the European Union.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK’s Top Intel Agency Slow to React on Info About Suicide Bomber at 2017 Ariana Grande Show, Report
The United Kingdom’s Security Service, also known as MI5, did not act quickly enough on information that could have prevented the suicide bombing that killed 22 people in 2017 at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, according to a report released Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Fines Wikipedia for “Misinformation”
A Russian court has fined Wikipedia owner Wikimedia Foundation 2 million rubles (approximately $27,000) for refusing to comply with requests to take down content related to the invasion of Ukraine that the Kremlin alleges is “misinformation,” according to a report by Reuters.
This is the third time Wikimedia has been fined for Russian military-related content since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Warns NATO, U.S. To Back Off or Risk ‘Catastrophic Consequences’
The United States and NATO were warned by Russia on Thursday they face “catastrophic consequences” if they pursue further involvement in the Ukraine war.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva “the most acute strategic threat is posed now by the U.S. and NATO policy aimed at further fomenting the conflict in and around Ukraine.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US: Russia Hold Highest-Level Talks Since Ukraine Invasion
New Delhi: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have talked briefly in the highest-level in-person talks between the two countries since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But there was no indication of any movement toward easing the intense tensions between their two nations.
The short encounter on Thursday (India time) came as relations between Washington and Moscow have plummeted over Russia’s war with Ukraine and tensions have soared amid a myriad of disagreements, complaints and recriminations on other matters ranging from arms control to embassy staffing and prisoners.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Australia Agrees on Digital ID Rollout and Data Sharing
The federal and state and territory digital ministers in Australia have agreed on a deal that would allow sharing of digital ID and credentials in the new national digital ID scheme, according to a report by the Australian Financial Review (AFR).
The deal will allow the recognition of driver’s licenses and occupational credentials nationally and the data will be stored in a digital wallet that is in compliance with international standards.
New South Wales Digital Minister Victor Dominello credited the agreement to federal Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and called it “world leading.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark: Somali Indicted for Selling Daughter, 12, As Sex Slave in Africa
A 44-year-old Somali-Dane has been indicted by a Danish court for selling his 12-year-old daughter into sexual slavery in Kenya and Somalia and forcibly circumcising her.
The trial against the 44-year-old, who was arrested in January of 2022, began this week on Tuesday at a Danish court and is related to allegations that the man abused his daughter and his son in Africa between June 2017 and December 2021.
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A 25-year-old Senegalese national was arrested in France last month for alleged multiple rapes of an elderly woman who had invited him in off the streets to warm up in her home.
The suspect was arrested and placed in police custody on Feb. 19 after a torrent of sexual abuse against his victim, a 64-year-old woman, which lasted for at least a few days.
It is understood the victim had met the man who appeared to be homeless on the street in Marseille, and had invited him into her home located in the 5th arrondissement of the city to recover from the cold weather.
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German, Polish and Swiss Pro-Refugee Activists Violate Polish-Belarusian Border
According to the Polish Border Guard, five pro-refugee activists violated the “No entry” sign on a part of the road between Poland and Belarus. The individuals, who are being defend by the Border Group NGO, refused to be given spot fines, and as a result, they will now head to court.
The spokesperson of the Polish border force stated that officers responsible for electronic surveillance of the border area noticed several people on the Polish side of the border illegally passing packages onto the Belarusian side of the frontier. A border patrol was sent to the area and identified three Poles, two Germans and a Swiss citizen.
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Many elderly nursing home residents were left in tears after they were evicted to make room for migrants in Berlin. The case has received widespread media coverage and highlights a growing trend in Germany. Adding to the scandal is that the owners of the building and operators of the nursing home are Christian non-profit institutions that belong to the Berlin Diakonie.
The building, located on Müller Street, was meant to house elderly residents for at least another 10 years. Originally, “Wohnen & Pflege Schillerpark” in the Berlin district of Wedding bought the building to house 141 residents and signed a lease for 25 years. The nursing home was run by the Paul Gerhard Foundation starting in 2006 with an option to extend.
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Revealed: 23 Per Cent of German Population Now Migrants or Children of Migrants
BERLIN (AP) — Some 18.9 million people, or 23 per cent of Germany’s population, either immigrated to the country since 1950 or are the children of immigrants, Germany’s Federal Statistics Office said Thursday.
It’s the first time the statistics office has analyzed the country’s population based on migration figures and not just on citizenship, which is a more vague concept since many immigrants — and especially the children of immigrants — have taken on German citizenship in recent years.
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House Judiciary Committee Republicans have launched a probe into the alleged murder-rape of a young autistic woman by a member of the MS-13 gang who was arrested at the US-Mexico border as an unaccompanied minor.
“Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in letters sent late Monday to explain how a known gangbanger from El Salvador was released from custody by both departments and permitted to live in the United States,” The Washington Examiner reported.
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Sweden Increases Money Offered to Migrants to Voluntarily Go Home
Once seen as the most accepting country in the world for refugees, the right-wing Swedish government, elected on a promise to curb immigration, is now enacting reforms to encourage migrants to return to their country of origin.
To accomplish this, the government in Stockholm, together with the Swedish Democrats who support the coalition but are not formally part of the government, is increasing the financial support migrants can receive if they return home voluntarily.
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New laws to tackle the small boats crisis are due to be unveiled next week as Rishi Sunak aims to capitalise on the ‘momentum’ from his Brexit breakthrough.
The long-awaited measures, provisionally titled the Illegal Migration Bill, will set out a wide range of tough laws to combat arrivals across the Channel.
The Bill is expected to be published ahead of a summit between the Prime Minister and French president Emmanuel Macron on Friday.
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Breaking: Canadian Trans Shop Teacher With Massive Prosthetic Breasts No Longer Teaching at School
Kayla Lemieux, a biological male, trans Canadian shop teacher who teaches class wearing oversized prosthetic breasts, has reportedly been placed on leave from Oakville Trafalgar High School.
Board spokesperson Heather Francey told the Toronto Sun in a statement, “While not currently on an active assignment, the teacher remains employed with the HDSB (Halton District School Board).”
Until now, the board had previously supported Lemieux’s right to teach while wearing massive fake breasts despite the backlash.
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Canadian Pastor Arrested After Protesting Drag Queen Story Hour Event at Calgary Library
On Thursday, Derek Reimer, the pastor at Mission 7 Ministries in Calgary was charged and arrested for mischief and causing a disturbance for his protest during a Drag Queen Story Hour event at Seton Library on Saturday.
According to Rebel News, Reimer was “forcibly removed by proponents of a Drag Queen Story Hour event” that was held at the Canadian library over the weekend. Video from the event shows several men pushing Reimer out of the room and shoving him to the ground.
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Erotic Drag Show for Babies, Children in UK Sparks International Outrage
A London entertainment company that puts on events for parents and babies featuring scantily clad drag performers dancing provocatively has become the focus of intense international outrage.
The social media storm began when broadcaster Dominique Samuels shared video footage of a Caba Baba Rave event, in which adult men wearing little more than thongs can be seen cavorting and gyrating in front of an audience made up of adults and infant children.
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Hershey’s Faces Backlash Over Putting Trans Woman on Candy Bar Wrapper for International Women’s Day
Social media users slammed candy company Hershey’s after it debuted a pro-transgender ad for its chocolate bars in honor of International Women’s Day.
Disturbed Twitter users hammered the new ad for presenting a transgender woman as Hershey’s representation of the pro-female celebration.
The ad debuted Wednesday as part of Hershey’s Canada’s “Her for She” campaign in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8. The short spot featured trans woman Fae Johnstone — who it noted is a “2SLGBTQUIA+ Advocate” — promoting Hershey’s new female-themed wrapper.
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Josh Hawley Demands Biden’s AG Answer for FBI Bias Against Catholics
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) criticized the Biden administration’s Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday over the FBI’s raiding of pro-life Christian activist Mark Houck, asking the Attorney General whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) had an “anti-Catholic bias.”
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A Muslim advocacy group told Fox News Digital that an LGBTQ rights bill in Michigan is likely “unconstitutional” due to its encroachment on religious freedom.
The Counsel of American Islamic Relations [CAIR] launched a petition urging lawmakers to add religious protections to proposed amendments to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA), which seeks to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
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Radical Academics Seek to Shut Down ‘Problematic’ Talk at the University of Winnipeg
Trans activists are attempting to shut down a University of Winnipeg speaking event about the “economic interests involved in transgenderism,” claiming it is promoting harmful, hateful and false information, reports CityNews.
University of Winnipeg (UofW) Professor Joanne Boucher is scheduled to give the talk titled, “The Commodification of the Human Body: The Case of Transgender Identities,” on Friday, March 3, but local activists and some university staff are calling for the event to be cancelled, calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”
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Trans Activist Arrested in Oklahoma State Capitol After Allegedly Assaulting Lawmaker, Trooper
On Tuesday, a transgender activist was arrested inside the Oklahoma State Capitol after the protestor allegedly hurled water at a Republican state representative and an Oklahoma State Trooper, and allegedly assaulted the trooper.
The arrest came after the state’s House voted 80-18 to pass HB 2177, which bans healthcare professionals from prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and performing sex changes on minors. The bill now heads to the Senate.
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Washington Moves to Become Latest Sanctuary State for Child Sex Changes
Democrats in the Washington state Senate passed a bill Wednesday night that critics say encourages minors to run away from home to receive “gender-affirming” care and “maternity services” without parental consent and at taxpayer expense.
Senate Bill 5599, sponsored by far-left Democratic state senator Marko Liias would allow shelters or host homes to provide housing for runaway minors without being required to notify their parents if they have a “compelling reason” to keep the information a secret.
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FIRST ON FOX: Nearly one-third of all Defense Department school libraries carry copies of the controversial “racial justice” children’s books that were authored or contributed to by the self-described “woke” diversity chief of the Pentagon’s education wing, according to a new audit from government watchdog OpenTheBooks.com.
Kelisa Wing has worked as a chief of equity, diversity and inclusion at the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) since December 2021, where she is involved in influencing curriculum and hiring at 160 military schools in the Americas and other portions of the world. She faced scrutiny last fall after OpenTheBooks.com auditors looked through the book catalogs of all DOD school libraries and discovered that 11 schools collectively carried 45 copies of children’s books associated with Wing.
Those numbers, according to the watchdog group’s January audit that was shared first with Fox News Digital, have risen 1,200%. A total of 49 schools carry a combined 606 copies of works that were authored or contributed to by Wing.
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Myocarditis German evidence
Dr. John Campbell
https://youtu.be/j_DdSMn55cA
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“I was wrong all that time!”
Masks, the jury returns
Dr. John Campbell
https://youtu.be/S3vY2LyQn1A
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Dr. Bodo Schiffmann:
German Gov. RAIDS Doctor’s OFFICE HOME
For SPEAKING COVID TR
German TYRANNY:
Covid Police Force Doctor To FLEE!
German Gov. RAIDS Doctor’s OFFICE/HOME
For SPEAKING COVID TRUTH
https://rumble.com/embed/v288hua/?pub=4
PETA later broke into the Royal Museum of British Columbia and cleaned the paint off the mammoth and then freed it, leaving it in a nearby forest.
If everyone else can make their own facts, so can I.
For articles behind a paywall check archive.is OR a nifty tool to read only (doesn’t save the article or give a link…) is https://www.removepaywall.com/