Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida survived an assassination attempt today when a young man attempted to attack him with what appeared to be two pipe bombs. Mr. Kishida’s security detail acted with alacrity to whisk the prime minister out of harm’s way, and no one was injured. The would-be assassin was subdued and detained.
In other news, loud gunfire and explosions were heard during a live broadcast of a TV news program in Sudan today, as the Sudanese army suppressed a violent insurrectionist attack.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Diana West, Fjordman, JW, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Emergency Credit Suisse Rescue Shakes Faith in Switzerland
ZURICH/BERN (Reuters) —Switzerland’s tradition of dependable consensus politics has taken a battering after the government used an emergency law to push through a state-backed mega-merger of UBS and Credit Suisse, sidelining the country’s parliament.
Switzerland’s two parliamentary chambers voted to reject the government’s 109 billion Swiss francs ($122.82 billion) in aid for the deal between the country’s two biggest banks, delivering a slap in the face for government.
The defeat is symbolic as it cannot change the merger, but it is a blow for the government in an election year and makes it harder to build broad support among the population for the biggest corporate rescue in Swiss history.
The use of emergency laws, in which shareholders and parliamentarians have no say, will also damage the standing of Switzerland’s financial industry abroad, analysts have said, especially as it faces rising competition from other financial centres like Singapore.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
11-Year-Old Boy Stabbed Outside Seattle-Area Dollar Tree After Calling Man an ‘NPC’
On March 22, two boys, 13-year-old Joshua Federov and his 11-year-old friend, were attacked by a man with a knife outside of Dollar Tree in Mill Creek, Washington, located about 20 miles Northeast of Seattle, after they called the man an “NPC,” an insult originating from video game parlance meaning “non-playable character.”
Local news reports the 11-year-old, who wants to remain unidentified, was stabbed by the suspect in his lung, which collapsed, and his liver. He was first treated at Providence Regional Medical Center and then moved to Harborview Medical Center’s ICU for three days.
The boy survived his injuries but must continue treatment for his wounds at home.
According to the Urban Dictionary, NPC can be used as a slur to say someone cannot think independently or critically.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A George Soros-bankrolled prosecutor in St. Louis already mired in allegations of negligence and misconduct was hit with more bad news on Friday, when one of the few remaining prosecutors who handles the city’s most violent felonies abruptly resigned, citing a “toxic work environment.”
Natalia Ogurkiewicz, 27, joined the office of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner in 2020 and handled several murder and other felony cases. She initially planned to leave Gardner’s office at the end of the month but announced Friday she was departing early, local media reported.
In her resignation letter, Ogurkiewicz didn’t hold back in lambasting Gardner while explaining her reasons for leaving.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Administration Considers AI Regulation, Looking at Whether AI is Promoting “Misinformation”
The Biden administration is looking to regulate Artificial Intelligence systems to ensure that AI produces approved outputs, including assessing whether AI is promoting “misinformation.”
In a speech at the University of Pittsburgh, Alan Davidson, the assistant secretary of communications and information at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), said that auditing AI systems are one way of building trust in the developing technology.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Gates, Fauci, Schwab Predict ‘Next Pandemic’ is Looming
As the world moves on from Covid, global power elites are already laying out plans for the “next pandemic.”
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former top U.S. federal health official Dr. Anthony Fauci, and World Economic Forum (WEF) Chairman Klaus Schwab are all promising that another major pandemic is coming soon.
In a new video published by The Liberty Daily, Gates, Fauci, and Schwab all separately predict that the “next pandemic” is just around the corner.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Bill Would Criminalize AI-Generated Porn Without Consent
A California lawmaker introduced legislation that would criminalize using artificial intelligence to create pornography while using a person’s likeness without consent.
Assembly member Tri Ta, a Republican representing Westminster, California, introduced the legislation in February that aims to punish people up to $1,000, or a year in jail, if they distribute “deepfake” porn depicting an individual without their consent.
“This bill would make it a crime for a person to knowingly, and without the consent of the depicted individual, distribute to, exhibit to, or exchange with others, or offer to distribute to, exhibit to, or exchange with others audio or visual media that falsely depicts an individual engaging in sexual conduct that would appear to a reasonable observer to be an authentic record of the conduct. By creating a new crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program,” a legislative council’s digest of the bill states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Can There be Any *Good* Reason for This?
By Diana West
It’s about 7am on an April morning in rural New England — and when I say “rural,” I mean the closest village (pop. 150) is 8 miles away. More jets have gone by overhead than pickup trucks down the road, and the sky is already tracked and dimmed by chemtrails. Why?
Not that the jets are finished yet. Notice a new chemtrail a-borning in the upper right-hand corner. Why?
Roughly three and a half hours later, this is the sky over the Interstate. Why?
Here we are at a town parking lot. What should be a beautiful, cloudless spring sky is a hazy, mess of blurry paralleling chemtrails. WHY? Could there be any *good” reason for this frantic jet activity, artificially “clouding” our skies, every day, all over the United States and Europe, and probably elsewhere?…
| — Hat tip: Diana West | [Return to headlines] |
Colorado School District to Introduce Biometric Scans of Kids for Free School Meal Access
The Poudre School District, in Colorado, will be piloting a controversial biometrics program to make the distribution of free lunches more “efficient.”
The pilot program will launch by May 25, 2023 in elementary, middle, and high schools, if it doesn’t go contested.
According to the school district, the biometric scans would take around two seconds. The program will use identiMetrics scanners, which will replace the current system where students have to enter their ID number on a keyboard to access their free school meal.
The fingerprints will be stored locally by the school district.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Court Rules Against Online Snitch Portal in Loudon County Schools, Cites First Amendment
The US Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled that a program asking students to report alleged discrimination through an online portal in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) might violate the First Amendment.
In 2021 parents filed a lawsuit to challenge two programs introduced by the LCPS to address what it called discrimination and systemic racism. The first program was a bias-reporting system, dubbed the Bias Incident Reporting System, which allowed students to anonymously report incidents of bias and request administrators to investigate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dump Truck Backs Up, Fatally Striking Pedestrian Lying in the Alley in SE DC
A 27-year-old man is dead after police say a dump truck ran him over while collecting trash early Friday morning.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, at 5:41 a.m., the driver a Volvo dump truck was dropping off an empty dumpster and picking up a full dumpster in the alley in the 1800 block of Q Street, Southeast.
As the truck backed up, investigators claim it struck a pedestrian who was laying in the middle of the alley.
DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and after finding no signs consistent with life, the pedestrian was pronounced dead.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Starts New Artificial Intelligence Organization Called X.AI
Twitter owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently announced the creation of a new artificial intelligence company called X.AI, according to a Nevada business filing from March.
The filing occurred March 9 and lists Musk as the company’s sole director, and Jared Birchall, his family office manager, as its secretary.
Musk has been very openly skeptical of AI, even to the point that he wrote an open letter to AI developers, asking them to pause it temporarily.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida OnlyFans Model Courtney Clenney Sued by Family of Slain Boyfriend for Funeral Expenses
Miami social media star Courtney Clenney has been sued for negligence for fatally stabbing boyfriend Christian Obumseli with a kitchen knife in their luxury apartment more than one year ago.
The victim’s father, Chio Obumseli, filed the wrongful death suit against Clenney, the owners of the high-rise building where the altercation occurred and the exclusive property’s management and security companies.
Chio, as the representative of Christian’s estate, alleges Clenney failed to “maintain the subject premises in a safe and danger-free manner” when she stabbed her lover to death on April 3, 2022, during an altercation in their 22nd-floor apartment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
George Soros’ Army of Lieutenants Get Easy Access to Biden White House
Far-left billionaire George Soros has a legion of loyal lieutenants who’ve racked up over two dozen meetings with top officials at the White House since President Biden took office, The Post has learned.
The progressive kingmaker’s unrivaled access into the Biden administration extends well beyond his 37-year-old son Alexander, who chairs the powerful, liberal grant-making network Open Society Foundations founded by his dad, and as The Post reported on Page 1 last week, has taken on the role of a de-facto White House “ambassador” by making at least 14 visits there.
At least four other past or present leaders at Open Society Foundations have amassed a combined 33 private meetings and other confabs in less than two years, according to recently updated White House visitor logs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kristi Noem Blocks South Dakota Agencies From Banks That Shun Firearms Manufacturers
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has signed an executive order banning the state from making contracts with banks that won’t do business with firearms manufacturers.
Noem announced the executive order at the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum, where she was a guest speaker.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Friday, Kyle Rittenhouse announced he was countersuing Gaige Grosskreutz, the man injured by Rittenhouse after he was shot during the 2020 Kenosha riots and who announced in February that he was suing Rittenhouse for emotional distress.
Rittenhouse posted on Twitter, “Today I have filed a counter lawsuit against Mr. Grosskreutz-for assault and emotional distress we look forward to holding him accountable in court” and linked to his GiveSendGo.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leaked Documents Reveal US Officials Were Aware of More Chinese Spy Balloons, Report
Leaked documents reveal that U.S. officials were aware of up to four additional Chinese spy balloons, in addition to the one that flew over the continental U.S. and was shot down in February off the coast of South Carolina, according to a report on Friday from the Washington Post.
The Post report was based on documents allegedly leaked to a Discord chatroom by Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who was arrested on Thursday and charged on Friday with “unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents,” according to the Post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mike Pompeo Stuns Supporters, Says He Will Not Run Against Trump in 2024
In a surprising announcement, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that he will not run against President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.
After months of publicly bashing Trump, Pompeo was widely expected to throw his hat into the ring.
Pompeo served in the Trump administration as director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2017 to 2018 and as the 70th United States Secretary of State from 2018 to 2021.
He is the first person to have held both of those positions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minneapolis Becomes First Major U.S. City to Allow All Five Muslim Daily Prayer Calls
A change to the city’s noise ordinance ensures that the call to prayer, or adhan, can be broadcast from speakers year-round, five times a day.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Pentagon Leak Suspect Jack Teixeira Didn’t Act Solo, Says Former Trump Intel Official
Accused Pentagon leaker Jack Teixeira could not have acted alone — suggesting the 21-year-old is merely the patsy in a much wider intelligence breach, according to one of former-President Trump’s top national security aides.
“It’s just not possible” for a low-level Air National Guard information technology specialist like Teixeira to have access to the trove of highly sensitive US intelligence he allegedly revealed, according to Kash Patel, Trump’s former deputy director of national intelligence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Plus-Size Air Travelers Petition for Free Extra Seats and Other Accommodations
A Change.org petition is calling on airlines to allow overweight passengers to get free additional seats.
“Plus-sized” blogger and content creator Jae’lynn Chaney posted the petition to push the Federal Aviation Administration to require airlines to help large passengers.
As of Saturday morning, the petition had more than 4,000 signatures.
“Air travel should be comfortable and accessible for everyone, regardless of size. As plus-size travelers, my partner and I have unfortunately experienced discrimination and discomfort while flying,” Chaney wrote in her petition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Redfield Warned Fauci Not to ‘Give Terrorists Recipe’ to Modify Bird Flu to Kill 5%-50% of Infected
Former CDC Director Robert Redfield’s biggest fear for a future pandemic is a genetically manipulated bird flu, given that NIH-funded scientists in 2012 published instructions for making such a pathogen cross the “species barrier” to humans, a highly unlikely result from viral evolution.
“I didn’t think we needed to give terrorists a recipe” for modifying a bird flu to kill 5%-50% of people it infects, Dr. Redfield told “Just the News, No Noise,” recalling his argument to then-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci — his future antagonist on COVID origins and gain-of-function research — against publishing the research.
“I think it’s a miracle that no one’s used that yet,” Redfield said. “But I do think we’re at high risk for laboratory-created bird flu that will have high pathogenicity for man,” given the “highly inadequate” biosecurity of dozens of labs handling dangerous pathogens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Move to Defund Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s Office
Republicans have fired back at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg by moving to defund the George Soros-installed prosecutor’s office following the politically motivated indictment of President Donald Trump
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) has introduced two bills to defund the DA’s office in response to Bragg’s get-Trump case.
Trump was indicted in early April on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
But critics have called the case “weak,” suggesting political motives behind the move.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Robin Hood in Reverse: Biden Green Agenda Raising Prices for Consumers, Profits for Dem Donors
President Joe Biden announced plans on Wednesday to require that two-thirds of all U.S. car sales by 2032 be electric vehicles and impose the “strongest-ever” emissions restrictions on gas cars. Like much of the Biden green agenda, the proposals stand to raise costs for everyday Americans while swelling profits for Democrat megadonors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
San Francisco State University claims it cannot drop its investigation of a history professor who showed a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in class, but says it will attempt to conclude the investigation swiftly. FIRE and SFSU’s faculty academic freedom committee have criticized the investigation into the professor’s First Amendment-protected academic speech. SFSU must immediately end its investigation.
Last week, FIRE wrote SFSU after news broke of the university’s investigation of professor Maziar Behrooz for showing a drawing of Muhammad while teaching a class on the history of the Islamic world last fall. We criticized SFSU for violating Behrooz’s academic freedom right to determine what pedagogically relevant materials to use in his course. The university quickly responded the same day, claiming that because the university had already begun investigating, it had “limited ability to dismiss” the investigation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Thursday, six people were arrested in Washington County Oregon for luring of a minor and online sexual corruption of a child in the first degree; both felony charges. According to the Sheriff’s office, two of the men had jobs working with children.
26-year old Te’Vari Jenkins, of Gresham, was the Director of Childhood Development Programs for the Club K program in the Wilsonville area. The second was 29-year old Sean Baba, of Portland who was the Director of Music Ministry at St. Pius X Church and School in Cedar Mill.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
SEC Sides With Conservatives Over Launching PayPal Discrimination Probe
Authored by Kevin Stocklin via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sided with conservative investors this week in their request to investigate what they say is PayPal’s systematic political and religious discrimination against customers.
Over the objections of PayPal’s management, the SEC allowed a proposal by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) to go to a shareholder vote at the company’s next annual meeting. This decision follows a similar decision on March 29, in which the SEC green-lighted a proposal regarding alleged political and religious discrimination at JPMorgan Chase, America’s largest bank.
In an April 10 letter to PayPal’s attorneys, the SEC stated that NCPPR’s proposal “requests that the board conduct an evaluation and issue a report within the next year evaluating how it oversees risks related to discrimination against individuals based on their race, color, religion (including religious views), sex, national origin, or political views, and whether such discrimination may impact individuals’ exercise of their constitutionally protected civil rights.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Indictment Fuels the Former President’s 2024 Campaign Fundraising
Donald Trump and his 2024 White House campaign are cashing in on the former president’s indictment and recent arraignment in New York City.
Trump brought in nearly $18.8 million in the January-March first quarter of 2023 fundraising, according to figures provided by his campaign on Saturday.
But the campaign also points out that Trump hauled in nearly as much — $15.4 million — in the two weeks following March 30, when news broke of Trump’s indictment, making him the first former president in U.S. history to be charged with a crime.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Vows to Put Federal Bureaucrats ‘Back in Their Place,’ Establish Civil Service Exam
Former President Donald Trump on Friday vowed to rein in unelected federal bureaucrats and to tighten oversight of regulatory agencies to prevent them from becoming a “fourth branch of government.”
Trump made the remarks as part of his Agenda47 video series in which he has begun to articulate his policies across issues in detail.
“As I work to quickly save America from Joe Biden’s ‘economic disaster’… I will restore my famously successful executive order requiring that for every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated and I will ask Congress to make it permanent,” he said.
“We will again implement a regulatory budget, putting a hard cap on the costs of regulations to the U.S. economy,” he went on. “Instead of growing the size and scope of the federal government… we will shrink it every year with aggressive cost reduction targets for each federal department.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Child Porn Charges Stayed Against N.S. Man Because of Judge Shortage
A Nova Scotia man has had child pornography charges against him stayed because his case took too long to make it through the justice system.
Most of the delay has been attributed to having no judge available to hear the case.
Nathaniel Matheson, 38, was charged in January 2021 with two counts of distributing child pornography and two counts of possessing it.
In provincial court in Antigonish on Wednesday, Judge Bryna Hatt ruled that Matheson’s rights under the Charter had been violated, leading to the stay.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Canadians Have Unfavourable Views of Latest Liberal Budget
Despite the Trudeau government’s best attempts to showcase its latest budget, the majority of Canadians have an unfavourable view of it and believe the budget doesn’t address their concerns.
According to a recent survey from Nanos, only 19% of Canadians feel that the latest Liberal budget addresses their concerns while nearly 40% say it does a “poor” or “very poor” job of tackling issues Canadians are worried about.
The survey conducted for CTV News found that 20% of the population says the budget is “very poor” at addressing their worries while another 19% feel that it is “poor.” One-third of Canadians said that the budget is “average.”
17% answered that the budget was “good” and only 2% said it was “very good.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: MEP Denounces Appointment of ‘Woke Extremist’ to Historic City Top Culture Role
Cruel irony looms as “woke extremist” accused of racial statements and of campaigning against culture and history has been appointed to an important cultural position, prompting concern.
Tom Vandendriessche, an MEP for the Flemish Vlaams Belang party, has derided the appointment of Dalilla Hermans to a leadership position in the city of Bruges, describing the progressive activist and writer as a “woke extremist” who deals in “blatant anti-white racism”.
Originally from Rwanda, Hermans has made a number of extremely provocative statements in the past, once claiming that “whites have always been on the wrong side” of history.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Famously Neutral Switzerland Pledges $2B to Ukraine Under Global Pressure
Switzerland says it will spend about $2 billion to help Ukraine with humanitarian and development assistance over the next six years, ponying up financial aid for Ukraine as Western critics press Bern to do more to help it defend itself against Russian invaders and squeeze Russian interests.
The Swiss government confirmed Friday comments from Washington this week by Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis that the Swiss government will provide 1.8 billion Swiss francs (about $2 billion) through 2028 — adding 1.5 billion on top of 300 million already set aside for this year and next.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Finland Unveils 1st Section of Russian Border Fence After Joining NATO
Following Finland’s April 4th entry into NATO, the Scandinavian country has this week unveiled completion of its first section of a 200-km long border fence with Russia.
The nearly half-billion dollar fence is expected to be completed by 2026, and is topped with barbed wire and has a height of three meters (or nearly 10-feet tall).
“We started work on the site about a month ago. We have built a road and foundations,” a representative of the construction company GRK told the AFP.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Shutters Last Nuclear Power Plants Amid European Energy Crisis
Germany finally pulled the plug on its final three nuclear power plants Saturday, amid an energy crisis ravaging Europe.
As of midnight, Germany’s smoking towers of Isar 2, Neckarwestheim 2, and Emsland have been closed. They comprised roughly 4,055 megawatts or 6% of Germany’s total energy generation, forcing Berlin to hunt for alternatives as energy costs remain high across much of Europe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany to Extend Its Online Censorship Laws
Germany plans to further its crack down on “hate speech” and harmful content by blocking users and forcing online platforms to reveal the identity of users who spread hate.
Currently the Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG) holds social media companies responsible for removing content containing alleged hate speech.
But it is up to the companies to decide whether or not to block the users, The Local reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Long COVID’ is Caused by Masks, New Study Finds
A group of renowned researchers is raising the alarm after a new study determined that so-called “long Covid” is actually caused by prolonged mask-wearing.
The new study, conducted by a German research team led by surgeon Kai Kisielinski, found that mask-wearing was associated with a 62 percent increase in various illnesses.
When combined, masking induced what the authors called Mask-Induced Exhaustion Syndrome (MIES).
The German researchers published a meta-analysis of 2,168 studies on adverse medical mask effects, the largest of its kind.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Marine Le Pen: Macron is a ‘Pyromaniac’ Who Set French Democracy on Fire
Former populist presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has branded Emmanuel Macron as a “pyromaniac” who has set fire to French democracy after the globalist president signed his controversial pension reforms into law in the middle of the night.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nigel Farage Accuses Joe Biden of ‘Deliberate Snub’ Against UK During Ireland Visit
Arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage has accused President Joe Biden of snubbing the United Kingdom during his four-day visit to Ireland.
President Joe Biden has been accused of deliberately snubbing the Union Flag of the United Kingdom by Brexit leader Nigel Farage in what amounts to the latest scandal from the commander-in-chief’s gaffe-prone adventure on the island.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Bans Ukrainian Food Imports to Protect Local Farmers From Price Crunch
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s government said Saturday that it has decided to temporarily prohibit grain and other food imports from Ukraine as it seeks to soothe the rising anger of Polish farmers, who say they are losing huge amounts of money to a glut of Ukrainian grain on the market.
Ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczy’nski said at a party convention in eastern Poland that the Polish countryside is facing a “moment of crisis,” and that while Poland supports Ukraine, it was forced to act to protect its farmers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: More Than 100 Arrested as Animal Activists Protest Grand National Horserace
Police in Liverpool, England, said they made 118 arrests as animal-rights activists protested the Grand National Festival, a world-famous horse racing event, at Aintree racecourse on Saturday, April 15.
Merseyside Police said “a large number of protesters attempted to gain entry” to the racecourse and that the “majority were prevented from breaching the boundary fencing.”
This demonstration was led by Animal Rising, an animal-rights group affiliated with Extinction Rebellion, an organization which has led numerous climate-change protests in the UK and other countries.
This footage from Animal Rising shows police arresting a member, Claudia Penna Rojas, according to BBC News. Further images released by the group show protesters scaling fences at the site.
Activists also got onto the racing track a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start, according to Animal Rising.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Serial Protester Given Small Fine for Throwing Eggs at King Charles
A man has been found guilty of a public order offence for throwing five eggs at King Charles in 2022.
23-year-old Patrick Thelwell threw five eggs and shouted “the King is a paedophile” at the British monarch on November 9th 2022 as he met with members of the public in one of the first walkabouts of his reign. All of the eggs missed their intended target, possibly because the would-be assailant was wearing high-heeled shoes at the time of the throwing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Digital Prison Camp’ — Putin Signs Electronic Conscription Notice Bill Into Law
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Putin on Friday signed a bill allowing authorities to issue electronic notices to draftees and reservists amid the fighting in Ukraine, sparking fears of a new wave of mobilization.
Russia’s military service rules previously required the in-person delivery of notices to conscripts and reservists who are called up for duty. Under the new law, the notices issued by local military conscription offices will continue to be sent by mail but they would be considered valid from the moment they are put on a state portal for electronic services.
In the past, many Russians avoided the draft by staying away from their address of record. The new law closes that loophole in an apparent effort to create a tool for quickly beefing up the military ahead of a widely anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive in the coming weeks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Identifies NATO-Member Norway as a ‘Hostile’ State After Expulsions, Vows ‘Tough Response’
Russia has dismissed as “fake news” claims the country is spying on NATO neighbour state Norway, saying it now considers the country a hostile over the decision to expel 15 diplomats accused of spying.
Norway declared 15 Russian diplomats persona non grata on Thursday, foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt (above, left) saying it had discovered the individuals were actually “intelligence officers” that were either handlers running other spies, or were “specialists” actively intercepting communications. Removing the group had considerably impacted Russia’s ability to spy on Norway, the government said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Bans National Sports Teams Participating in Events With Russians
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian government has barred its national sports teams from competing at international events which also include athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus.
The decree published by the Ministry of Youth and Sports follows opposition from Ukraine to efforts by the International Olympic Committee to reintegrate Russian and Belarusian competitors into events as neutrals without national symbols.
It could pressure global sports bodies to choose between admitting Russians and Belarusians or risking a Ukrainian boycott.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wagner Chief Calls on Putin to Declare End of War, “Gain Firm Foothold” on Held Territories
Head of Russia’s most prominent mercenary firm Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has issued an unexpected call for the Kremlin to declare an end of the war in order to consolidate territory already gained.
A Friday statement by Prigozhin released by his press service suggested it’s time to declare ‘victory’ and to focus on fully establishing Russian control over the occupied territories of Ukraine.
“For the authorities [of the Russian Federation — ed.] and for society as a whole, it is necessary to put some kind of bold full stop in the ‘special military operation’,” the Wagner chief said [emphasis ours].
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Another Hindu minor girl Nilan Kolhi forcefully abducted from Haji Sultan Tangri, Naukot, Sindh by four Islamists and finally married to one Altaf Tingri after converting to Islam. Other stories of abduction and forced conversion of Hindu girls and women in Pakistan during Ramadan.
Rana Ranjeet | HENB | Karachi | April 15, 2023:: The abduction, forceful conversion, and marriage of minor Hindu girls in the Sindh province of Pakistan are all-time high in this Ramadan session.
Another Hindu minor girl Nilan Kolhi forcefully abducted from Haji Sultan Tangri, Naukot, Sindh by four Islamists and finally married one Altaf Tingri after converting to Islam.
The kidnapping and abduction case of Nilan Kolhi, a 12-year-old minor Hindu girl kidnapped from Naukot, has been registered against four accused. The parents said that the girl’s age is hardly 12-13 years, but the Police have mentioned her age as 17-18 years in FIR to help the perpetrators.
In many cases, Pakistani Police used to help the Muslim perpetrators by increasing the age of the Hindu victims (girls and women) in the FIRs so that the perpetrators ( who abduct, convert and forcefully marry) get the advantage from not doing the offense against any minor.
As per the report, the minor Hindu girl Nilan Kolhi was abducted by Altaf Tingri and his accomplices from the village of Haji Sultan Tangri near Naukot just two days back. After the parents and neighbors of Nilan were protesting for a long time, the police registered an FIR for the abduction.
But, now it is confirmed that the innocent minor Hindu girl Nilan was converted and married to Altaf Tingri at the residence of Pir Agha Jan Sirhandi, with the alleged help of Pakistan Police.
In an Islamic fashion of Pakistan during Ramadan, minority Hindu girls and women are being abducted, converted, and married to Muslim persons under pressure and force. But, afterward, the perpetrators post the videos that the minority girls did all these ‘with ‘goodwill and for their love for Islam’.
As per the Twitter post of Pakistani Human rights activist Narain Das Bheel in the last couple of days,
A minor Hindu girl Soorath D/o Chandiram Meghwar, a resident of near Islamkot, Thar was converted to Islam by Pir Agha Jaan Sirhandi, and after conversion to Islam and was married to one Araz Muhammad Adhijo.
One Suman Lohana from Diplo, Tharparkar, Sindh got married off to a Muslim man named Sajjad Maher but she didn’t know what was his husband’s family name. The conversion was made in the Bhurchundi Dargah Sharif of Mian Javed Ahmad Dharkito and converted Suman Kumari Lohana as Kaynat Bibi.
On April 12, Muslim miscreants kidnapped two innocent children, including their mother and aunt Komal and Sapna from Khamisa village of New Karachi. The case has been registered to the police yielding no results.
During this Ramadan, such abduction of Hindu girls and women, forceful conversion, and nikah to them reached a peak in Pakistan.
Experts say, after a long fast during the day, servants of Allah need more sex at night after consuming plenty of food and drinks in a fest.
But, the brute Human Rights agencies like Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, UN Human Rights, etc, and Arab boot licker media houses like BCC, Reuters, CNN, AFP, AF, DW, New York Times, Washington Posts, etc., all are enjoying the left out of Iftar parties during this Ramadan.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Japanese Prime Minister Unhurt After Explosive Was Thrown Toward Him During a Campaign Event
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was rushed to safety Saturday after someone threw an explosive device in his direction during a campaign event where he was set to speak in Wakayama, Japan.
Police wrestled the suspect to the ground while people in the audience scrambled to get away as smoke filled the air.
Kishida was rushed to a vehicle and was evacuated to the Wakayama prefectural police headquarters.
One police officer was injured, according to the Associated Press, but no one in the crowd was hurt. Kishida was able to make his speech after things had settled down.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Japan: Suspect’s Home Raided as Police Probe Explosive Used in Kishida Speech Attack
Police on Sunday raided the home of the suspect in the attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida the previous day, as authorities said they believe the object thrown prior to his speech in Wakayama may be a pipe bomb.
Ryuji Kimura, the 24-year-old suspect, was also carrying a knife at the scene, investigative sources said.
Kishida was unharmed in the attack, with his security detail taking him to safety shortly before the sound of an explosion rang out and Kimura was subdued. One police officer suffered minor injuries on his left arm.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Leaked Pentagon Docs Reveal Taiwan Unready for China Strike: Report
Secret military documents reportedly included in the mass Discord leak posted by Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira reveal critical weaknesses in Taiwan’s air defenses.
The classified Pentagon assessments of the island nation’s military readiness state that Taiwan officials themselves question their ability to “accurately detect missile launches” from China, the Washington Post reported Saturday.
US analysts found that only half of Taiwan’s aircraft would be “fully mission capable” in the event of a Chinese attack — and suggested that Beijing could successfully control Taiwan’s airspace if it chose to invade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The federal minister said her staff tried to help the 51-year-old woman after she entered the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Darwin.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A tweet from One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts likening the Voice to Apartheid, which was South Africa’s system of racial segregation, has drawn a furious response online.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Loud Gunfire and Explosions Heard on Air During Sudan News Program
Loud gunfire and explosions interrupted the live broadcast of a news program from Sudan TV on Saturday, as a power struggle between Sudan’s army and a paramilitary force has rocked the country, killing at least 30 people and injuring hundreds.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
The governor of Colorado on Friday signed three bills aimed at protecting access to abortion and what transgender activists have dubbed “gender-affirming care,” even as other neighboring states are cracking down on the practices.
Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed three bills relating to the procedures just as Republican-led states are limiting access to abortions and placing restrictions on gender transition surgeries and other related treatments, including the use of puberty blockers, for minors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump Jr. Opposes Bud Light Boycott, Citing Company’s Donations to Republicans
Donald Trump Jr. defended beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch on his podcast Thursday, urging listeners not to continue boycotting the company.
Trump claimed that the company was too “iconic” to continue boycotting, and that the executives have learned a lesson.
“So here’s the deal. Anheuser-Busch totally sh*t the bed with this Dylan Mulvaney thing. I’m not, though, for destroying an American, an iconic company for something like this,” Trump Jr. said.
The beer company has faced intense criticism in recent weeks following the announcement it was partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“When I actually look into it, I’m not gonna blame the whole company for the inaction or the stupidity of someone in a marketing campaign that got woke as hell,” Trump said of the collaboration on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Goldman Sachs Hands Out ‘Pronoun’ Pamphlets as it Fights Sex Harass Suits
Rainbow-colored pamphlets advising “bring your authentic self” have lately appeared over cubicles at Goldman Sachs, coaching employees on the proper use of gender pronouns — and some bankers are reeling over the hypocrisy.
The pamphlet advises in addition to “she/her/hers/herself,” “he/him/his/himself” and the gender-neutral “they/them/their/themself” that another set of gender neutral pronouns is “ze/zir (zem) / zirs (zes) / zirself (zemself).”
Examples in a column to the right: “Ze went to the store. I spoke with zir / zem. The apple was zirs / zes.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leftists Triggered by Bud Light Target Practice Joke Sign at BC Business
Some British Columbia residents are up in arms after a local business put up a joke sign referencing Bud Light’s controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The Sooke business has a sign outside of its premises that reads: “Get them woke Bud Lights out for target practice.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Oregon Pushes Bill to Let ‘Minor of Any Age’ Have Abortion Without Parental Awareness or Consent
The Oregon state legislature introduced bill in March that would allow minors of any age to have an abortion without parental knowledge. An attorney for the legislative office, Lori Anne Sills, claimed in an April 13th Ways and Means committee meeting, that “under the current law it is not entirely clear at what age a minor can make the determination to have an abortion without parental consent.”
She said, “under HB 2002A, however, a minor of any age can make that determination.” When asked by State Senator Tim Knopp, “so a 10-year old can make that decision on their own,” she responded with, “yes.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protest Against Riley Gaines Turns Violent, Mob Chants ‘Silence Equals Death’ & ‘Jesus Was Trans’
Protests against female swimming champion Riley Gaines turned violent with at least one protester arrested by police, according to reports.
The mob gathered at the University of Buffalo (UB) on Thursday night to protest against a conservative speaker event featuring Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer.
Gaines, who competed against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas during the 2022 NCAA championships, was invited to campus to speak about efforts to “Save Women’s Sports” by the Turning Point USA chapter, according to The Spectrum.
As the protesters grew increasingly violent, the mob chanted “silence equals death” and “Jesus was trans.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bosses at the £20,000-a-year school told the teacher to deliver the mea culpa after her class complained that she said ‘good afternoon, girls’ at the start of a lesson.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The corruption of language to dodge truths
I had trouble initially understanding the headline “Dump truck backs up, fatally striking pedestrian lying in the alley in SE DC” (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/dump-truck-backs-up-fatally-striking-pedestrian-lying-in-the-alley-in-se-dc/ar-AA19T8nR).
The term pedestrian, after all, refers to someone who is walking, not lying down.
Then it occurred to me: This is what the corruption of language does. It misdirects.
When you hear ‘pedestrian’ you think ‘person walking’, not person lying on the ground.
This is a case of the wrong word used – on purpose.
To hide truths.
The truth here, is that the truck accidentally ran over not a pedestrian, but someone lying down where it was unsafe to lie down. If one reads the brief article to the end, one finds: “The victim was identified as 27-year-old Joshua Richmond, of no fixed address”.
Of no fixed address. In other words, he was homeless.
He was not a ‘pedestrian’ at the time of the accident – he was merely making his home out of an alleyway, right in the path of truck traffic that services a business, in this case, by hauling its trash, and so got run over, as one would expect of someone deciding to sleep where trucks go.
The cause of the crash was not the truck or its driver; it was a man lying down in the path of a truck.
But to report that clearly would indicate the problem is homelessness in the area.
Now, instead, the credulous who read the article will no doubt walk away thinking the problem is pedestrian safety or maybe even truck drivers.
A criminal case was opened in Moscow after the burning of the Koran in the east of the capital, TASS was told in the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the city. “Police officers are carrying out a complex of operational-search measures aimed at clarifying all the circumstances, identifying and detaining the suspect,” the Interior Ministry said. A video showing the burning of the Muslim holy book was posted on social media this week, captioned “Moscow for Russians. Know your place.”