Ukraine has reportedly started to use cluster bombs supplied by the USA, but promises not to use them on Russian soil. Meanwhile, the private American firm Draken International will be training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in Romania.
In other news, the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee will not endorse Turkey’s entry into the European Union.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, LP, McN, 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.
Staggering Problem With the Australian Economy is Laid Bare by Deloitte Access Economics Report
Unemployment in June remained at a 48-year low of 3.5 per cent, with 32,600 new jobs created. But this was well below the 49,100 increase in Australia’s population, mainly from immigration.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
“I Couldn’t Resist the Children”: What the Hell is Biden Talking About Here?
A Biden gaffe is a Biden gaffe, but what on Earth is this?
He rubs his lips while talking about not being able to “resist” two children in the 70s and taking them to see his office, before apologising and changing the subject.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brandon Sanders has only been charged with one of the murders as detectives scrutinize his background, which includes an arrest in Montana for allegedly pushing his wife into sex work.
Rasim Katanic was a refugee from the Bosnian War who told stories of visiting gymnasiums filled with bodies in a vain search for his brother.
Iman Al-Sarraj, just 18, also had immigrant roots but had lost touch with her father who kept hoping she would come back.
Their lives are now linked by murder.
Chicago police are investigating whether the same man is responsible for their deaths, Brandon Sanders, who was previously arrested in Montana and accused of forcing his wife into prostitution.
Sanders has so far been charged with stabbing Katanic to death in May after a chance encounter on the roof of a restaurant in West Ridge. He hasn’t been charged with the murder of Al-Sarraj, whose beaten body was found in a refrigerator in Sanders’ West Ridge apartment early this month.
Police say the investigation is continuing, and sources told the Sun-Times detectives will likely look into similar missing persons cases given Sanders’ history in Montana.
“I’m hoping it’s just these two bodies,” Katanic’s daughter Aida Sutardio said. “It’s just been a devastating loss that we’re still trying to process as a family.”
Al-Sarrj’s father said he had never given up hope of seeing his daughter again. “They did not give her a chance,” Khalil Sarraj said. “Nobody has the right to do that.”
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Vivek and DeSantis Tied in National Poll
Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is now tied with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for second place in the Republican presidential race, a new poll released Thursday by Kaplan Strategies has revealed.
Ramaswamy has seen his support surge as of late, however he and DeSantis remain dozens of points behind longtime frontrunner Donald Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Chants of ‘USA!’ Erupt at New York Stock Exchange as PublicSq Goes Public
Patriotism was on full display at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday morning as PublicSq went public.
Chants of “USA!” rang out before founder, chairman, and CEO Michael Seifert rang the legendary opening bell, signaling the beginning of a new chapter for the patriotic online marketplace.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: House Dems Attempt to Censor RFK Jr During Censorship Hearing
During Thursday’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing, Democrat representatives attempted to censor 2024 presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Shortly after Kennedy finished his testimony, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz requested a vote to censor him, stating that Kennedy violated Hosue Rule 11 Clause 2.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: NYPD Forced to Pay Out $13.7 Million to George Floyd Rioters for ‘Violating’ Their Rights
On Wednesday, the City of New York settled a class-action lawsuit filed at Federal District Court in Manhattan by George Floyd rioters, agreeing to pay $13.7 million in damages.
The plaintiffs claimed that members of the New York Police Department had “violated” their rights via the use of “unlawful” tactics.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Speaking before during the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government’s hearing on Thursday morning, Breitbart politics editor Emma-Jo Morris spoke on the censorship she experienced in 2020 after publishing the initial story on the now-infamous Hunter Biden laptop at the New York Post.
Morris said the laptop was “some of the most scandalous reporting of the last decade,” but added that “what was more scandalous than the reporting itself though, is the fact that it exposed the unholy alliance between the intelligence community, social media platforms, and legacy media outlets.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a move that raises considerable privacy concerns and fears over this type of invasive technology becoming prevalent, Keyo has launched the Wave+ handheld palm vein scanner, a device that extends biometric identification into numerous aspects of our daily lives including payments, access control, and ticketing.
This encroachment comes amidst a rapid growth of the market for specialized biometric devices, raising further apprehensions about a dystopian, privacy-compromised future.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Congress Will Not Reinstate Pilots Fired Over Biden’s Vaccine Mandate Amid Massive Pilot Shortage
Late Wednesday night the House of Representatives voted not to reinstate airline pilots who lost their jobs for refusing to comply with the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate.
The move comes as the United States’ aviation industry continues to suffer due in large part to a shortage of captains in cockpits.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Representative Dan Goldman made quite the statement on Wednesday and accidentally confirmed to Congress that President Biden was aware of Hunter Biden’s alleged shady foreign business dealings during the House Oversight Committee meeting regarding the Biden family’s alleged corruption overseas.
Goldman made the comments as he questioned IRS whistleblower Gary Shapely about the notorious WhatsApp message exchange between Hunter Biden and Chinese energy officials, in which Hunter insisted on a $5 million payment from the CCP, and attempted to persuade the associate to send the cash because his father, President Biden, was in the room with him. President Biden has repeatedly denied knowing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MSNBC Blames Trump for Deep State Refusal to Prosecute Hunter Biden
During a segment of MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday, host Joe Scarborough says the “so-called” whistleblowers testifying before Congress this week told the Department of Justice under Donald Trump about the Hunter Biden tax violations, but it didn’t “see anything there either,” and that Republicans are now “just throwing things at the wall because they’re so desperate,” to distract attention away from former President Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Wednesday, Police in Hoover, Alabama, said they “pretty much know exactly what took place from the time [Carlee Russell] left work until the 911 call,” but could not verify her claims of being abducted after stopping to help a toddler she saw walking on the interstate.
Hoover Police Chief Nicholas C. Deriz said in a press conference, “What we can say is we’ve been unable to verify most of Carlee’s initial statements made to investigators. And we have no reason to believe that there is a threat to the public safety related to this particular case,” according to AL.com
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The highly-anticipated internal FBI form that allegedly links Joe and Hunter Biden to a $10 million criminal bribery scheme has been released by Republicans.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Sheryl Crow Takes Brunt of Backlash Defending ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Song
Singer Sheryl Crow has found herself on the end of a wave of backlash after she joined in with leftists attempting to smear country star Jason Aldean as some kind of bigoted racist over his song ‘Try That In A Small Town’.
CMT pulled the video for Aldean’s song, which has since hit number one on the iTunes chart, after leftists complained that it featured footage of BLM riots and Antifa violence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spending Bill Proposals Include Provisions to Limit Elements of the Censorship Industrial Complex
There is currently an unprecedented legal battle raging in the US between several state attorneys general, a judge who is siding with them, versus a court of appeals that is reluctant; and there’s the activities of the White House that prompted it all.
It’s the case of serious accusations leveled at the Biden administration and major social platforms of colluding to suppress free speech; and even though the developments in the lawsuit so far give some reason for optimism, those in Congress who are vocal about the need to separate the state and “the Church of Big Tech,” as it were, are not resting easy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stanford DEI Dean Resigns After Protesting Trump-Appointed Judge
On Thursday, Stanford Law School announced that Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tirien Steinbach is leaving the school to “pursue another opportunity” after she fueled protests against Trump-appointed Fifth Circuit Appellate Judge Kyle Duncan in March.
An email to students, obtained by the Daily Mail, from Stanford Law School Dean Jenny Martinez said, “I write to share that Tirien Steinbach has decided that she will be leaving her role as Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Stanford Law School to pursue another opportunity.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stanford President Resigns Over Manipulated Research, Will Retract at Least Three Papers
Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne will resign effective Aug. 31, according to communications released by the University Wednesday morning. He will also retract or issue lengthy corrections to five widely cited papers for which he was principal author after a Stanford-sponsored investigation found “manipulation of research data.”
According to Jerry Yang, chair of the Stanford Board of Trustees, Tessier-Lavigne will step down “in light of the report and its impact on his ability to lead Stanford.” Former Dean of Humanities Richard Saller will serve as interim president. In a separate statement, Tessier-Lavigne defended his reputation but acknowledged that issues with his research, first raised in a Daily investigation last autumn, meant that Stanford requires a president “whose leadership is not hampered by such discussions.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In newly unveiled testimony, Laura Dehmlow, section chief of the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF), disclosed that the FBI was aware of the authenticity of Hunter Biden’s laptop as early as 2019. However, the Bureau declined to affirm its legitimacy to major tech companies during the 2020 election period.
That was already known. But it turns out that on the day the New York Post broke its report about the laptop, the FBI confirmed its validity to Twitter, only to retract their statement with a hasty “no further comment” response. From that point forward, the Bureau withheld comment on the laptop’s veracity to other tech giants, leading to widespread confusion and speculation ahead of the 2020 election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Islamization of North Dakota
by Daniel Greenfield
Three blocks from where Mohamad Barakat opened fire on police officers and firefighters, the Islamic Society of Fargo-Moorhead squats across from a school bus company. Nearby are other elements of the new enclave like the Somali Community Development group which offers English and citizenship classes and the Al Hamdi Restaurant from whose vicinity an eyewitness reported hearing the shots that took the life of one police officer and wounded two others.
“The first thing we always want to know in a situation like this is, ‘Why?”Why would somebody do this?’“ Chief David Zibolski wondered. Perhaps he should ask in Fargo’s own Little Mogadishu and inquire of the politicians who turned Fargo into a refugee camp.
It is not even the first Islamic terrorist from Fargo.
In 2016, Dahir Adan, a Somali refugee who penetrated the country along with a massive family that was tragically resettled in Fargo, went on a stabbing spree in a St. Cloud, MN mall. The Somali refugee had gone around the mall shouting “Allahu Akbar” dedicating the violence to his Islamic deity, and demanding to know if potential targets were Muslims before stabbing them.
ISIS claimed credit for the attack after Adam, like Mohamad, was fatally shot and killed, but not until after he stabbed 10 Americans. Fargo Muslims however quickly rushed to play the victim.
“Somali mall workers are afraid to go to their jobs today. I was even afraid to use public restrooms,” Hukun Abdullahi, a local nonprofit leader, had claimed.
Moorhead Mayor Del Rae Williams admitted that her biggest concern from the Muslim terrorist attack was that, “the more we make, you know, these kind of things an issue, the more people are abusive to (refugees) publicly.”…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul Warns “We’re Out of Ammo, We’re Out of Money”
Senator Rand Paul declared Wednesday that the U.S. cannot afford to keep sending money and ammo to Ukraine in order to fight a war with Russia, because the country has run out of both.
Appearing on Fox Business, Paul responded to the almost weekly announcement now that the Biden administration is sending another billion dollars in aid to Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pilot Dead After Helicopter Fighting Wildfire Crashes in Northwestern Alberta
41-year-old victim was from Whitecourt, Alta., RCMP say
Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are deploying to northwestern Alberta after a pilot died in a helicopter crash while fighting a wildfire.
A 41-year-old man from Whitecourt, Alta., died after his helicopter collided with the ground as he worked to deliver water to a fire, RCMP said.
He is the third person to die battling wildfires in Canada this year, the worst wildfire season in the country’s history.
In a deployment notice Thursday morning, the TSB said an investigative team is en route to the scene of the crash near Haig Lake, east of the town of Manning in the Peace River region.
The pilot was the lone person on board when the Bell 205A helicopter crashed into swampy terrain Wednesday, TSB spokesperson Chris Krepski said.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Belgian Police Raid MEP’s Brussels Properties as Qatargate Probe Widens
The Brussels home of a Belgian socialist, MEP Maria Arena, and properties connected to her family were the subject of multiple police raids Wednesday afternoon as authorities seized laptops and documents potentially linking her to the cash-for-influence Qatargate scandal.
While so far not charged, Arena is the fourth sitting MEP to be embroiled in the fast-moving corruption scandal with accusations that she abused her position as chair of Parliament’s human rights subcommittee in exchange for lenient treatment of authoritarian regimes such as Qatar.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Business Group Pours Cold Water on Taiwan Deal Over China Fears
One of Europe’s largest business lobbies has come out strongly against a potential EU-Taiwan bilateral trade deal for fear of upsetting Beijing. This was made clear at a committee meeting in the European Parliament on Wednesday, July 19th.
Representatives of the Confederation of European Business, which represents employers from across the EU and several non-EU states, said that the bloc was prioritising politics over business by seeking greater commercial ties with Taiwan to the detriment of relations with China, which maintains an irredentist claim against the island.
Business representatives were addressing a meeting of the EU parliamentary committee on international trade where MEPs were discussing future European trading relations with Taiwan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch ‘Suicide Powder’ Seller Sentenced
On Tuesday, July 18th, a Dutch court sentenced Alex S. to three-and-a-half years in prison for having sold the suicide drug ‘X’, which at least ten people used to end their lives. Between 2018 and 2021, the offender sold the drug to about 1,600 people.
The judge ruled he will be subject to a probation period of one and a half years on his sentence. The prosecution had requested four years. However, a slightly lighter sentence was given because Alex is autistic and suffers from suicidal thoughts. These conditions persuaded the judge to reduce his sentence.
It marks the first time that a non-licensed civilian has been prosecuted in the Netherlands for aiding people in committing suicide on a large scale.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU ‘Climate Pope’ Timmermans to Run for Dutch PM in November Elections
Following the recent merger of the left-wing Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) and the Greens (GL), European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans has announced he will be stepping down from his role as the EU’s climate change and environment policy chief in a bid to lead the newly merged parties in the next national election.
Timmermans, 62, announced his candidacy on Thursday, July 20th, shortly after it was confirmed by Dutch media that he would be leaving his post in the European Commission, with Timmermans explaining, “I want to become Prime Minister,” De Telegraaf reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Mulling at Slavery Reparations
Europe’s history of slave-trading constituted a “crime against humanity“ and inflicted “untold suffering“ on millions, EU leaders announced on Tuesday in a statement that also referenced a 10-point reparations plan.
The statement was issued in partnership with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States following a two-day summit in Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Parliament Rules Out Turkish Accession to EU
A new report from the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee has downplayed any EU commitment to endorse Turkey for EU membership despite President Erdogan’s agreement, in principle, to greenlight Swedish membership of NATO on the explicit condition that Brussels takes the Turkish application to join the EU more seriously.
MEPs were clear that the EU could not consider moving ahead with the Turkish membership bid until fundamental reforms were made in the rule of law and human rights areas as they overwhelmingly voted 47 votes to zero to endorse the critical report.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Minister: 742 Individuals Face Firm Prison Sentences After Riot Convictions
The riots that rocked France earlier this month saw youths in several different cities commit acts of violence against police as well as set fire to various buildings and loot many shops around the country.
The damage caused by the rioters in their several days of violence was estimated by insurers to total at least €650 Million, more than three times the amount totalled for the three-week-long riots in Paris’ suburbs in 2005.
Thousands were arrested by French authorities during the rioting, which was sparked by the fatal shooting of a teenager named Nahel by a French police officer in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lithuania Speeds Up Deportations of Russian Nationals
After sending a questionnaire to all Russian nationals inquiring about their political views — mainly regarding the status of Crimea and the war in Ukraine — Lithuanian authorities have withdrawn the residence permit of some Russian nationals, citing national security concerns.
Over the entire last year, the number of such deportations was only 38, but that figure has significantly increased this year. The jump happens to coincide with the thousands of Russians who have arrived in Lithuania since the outbreak of the war. Some of them are presumably unsympathetic to the existing government in Russia, while others are simply unwilling to enlist as soldiers or are otherwise trying to stay out of the conflict.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Firefighters Sent to Battle Wildfires Raging in Greece
Polish firefighters will be deployed to Greece to help combat wildfires raging across the country following the recent heatwave that has enveloped Europe, Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski confirmed on Wednesday.
“Greece has again been hit by enormous fires. We are coming to the rescue. In coordination with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, I have asked the State Fire Service chief, Andrzej Bartkowiak, to prepare our firefighters for a mission so that they can help put out fires in southern Europe, just as we did two years ago,” read a statement from Kaminski.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Government Wins Court Appeal Saving Turów Lignite Mine
Poland’s Supreme Administrative Court (NSA) has overturned a decision by a lower court to suspend work at the Turów lignite mine on environmental grounds. The court found in favor of the government, which had called for the mine, which helps to produce 7 percent of the country’s electricity, to remain open.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The mayor of a seaside town in northern Italy has criticized the “unacceptable” practice of Muslims bathing in full Islamic dress at beaches popular with tourists in the area, claiming such behavior is both bad etiquette and unhygienic.
In an open letter to local Muslims, Anna Maria Cisint, the mayor of Monfalcone, which is situated on the Gulf of Trieste, said those visiting the town’s beaches and swimming in the sea should be respectful of Italian customs and not negatively affect the experience of other beach-goers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scott Morton Gives Up Her EU Chief Economist Position
After several days of intense controversy spearheaded by France, the American economist Fiona Scott Morton, who had been chosen by the European Commission to head the directorate-general for competition (DG-COMP), has decided to withdraw.
Her appointment had been announced on Tuesday, July 11th, and had provoked indignation among MEPs due to the significant risk of conflict of interest that could arise given this Yale professor’s past career choices. Having worked for the U.S. administration under Obama, she had also worked for a number of Big Tech companies, including Apple and Meta, leading to fears that her new job might lack impartiality, as she would be expected to interact with these major groups—her former colleagues—but in the interests of the European Union. Furthermore, opponents of her arrival in Brussels pointed to Scott Morton’s non-European status, and more specifically, her U.S. nationality, as an infringement on European sovereignty at a time when an economic war is raging between the EU and the world’s leading economic power.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Fines Amazon and Apple Millions for Collusion
Spain has slapped Apple and Amazon with a massive fine for collusion in the sale of products.
The country’s competition watchdog, CNMC, on July 17th announced fines of €194 million ($218 million) between the two tech giants for unfair competition practices.
The regulator said in a statement that the two firms had agreed to limit the sale of Apple products by third parties on Amazon’s Spanish websites. Under the terms of a 2018 contract between the two companies, only resellers picked by Apple were approved by Amazon to sell Apple products on the online retailer’s website.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Vox’s Plan for Education Reform: Less Ideology, More Parental Rights
Spanish public schools are subject to intense “woke”—as well as, in some regions, separatist—ideological indoctrination.
In this context, and with a general election fast approaching, it is worth taking a look at what VOX proposes by way of reform. The measures laid out in the relevant section of its program, titled ‘Educacion en Libertad,’ hinge on spearheading a new National Education Law that the party says will serve to cultivate personal development and national cohesion, free of ideological imposition, as well as supporting vocational training. The idea of an ideologically neutral education is defended by the centre-right PP (VOX’s potential future coalition partner), but VOX goes further to specify that the public curriculum should promote national identity and history.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of Irish Farmers Protest Nitrogen Cuts
Approximately 2,000 Irish farmers and supporters gathered in the County Cork town of Bandon last week to protest the imposition of stringent new nitrogen emission standards. This is the latest sign that agricultural discontent is spreading across Europe following similar events in the Netherlands.
Farmers are objecting to a recommendation by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency to reduce from 250 kg to 220 kg the amount of nitrogen allowed per hectare of land used for dairy farming. The proposal is currently being reviewed by the European Commission.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nigel Farage had his bank accounts shut down with the high-net-worth bank Coutts after officials decided the former conservative politician’s views did not align with the bank’s values, it has emerged.
The former UKIP and Brexit Party leader went public last month with the difficulties he was having in opening a U.K. bank account after Coutts, an institution he had been banking with for almost a decade, inexplicably closed his accounts and several other banks refused his applications to open a new one.
Coutts briefed the BBC and the Financial Times following the public accusation by Farage that the decision to close his accounts had been politically motivated, insisting that Mr. Farage had fallen below the financial threshold required to be a customer of the private bank.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Oligarch Challenges Russian Sanctions at High Court
A Russian-born billionaire oil tycoon is challenging the UK government’s decision to freeze his assets.
Eugene Shvidler had two of his private jets, worth up to $60m (£45m), detained last March.
He was sanctioned over ties with ex-Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich and a mining company operating in Russia.
In the first such case of its kind at the High Court, the 59-year-old, who moved to the US in 1989, wants the sanctions lifted.
Lord Anderson KC, representing Mr Shvidler, said there could be no doubt his client was “sought to be used as a poster boy for Russian sanctions” in light of comments made by ministers at the time his planes were seized.
He added that other similar challenges are understood to be waiting behind Mr Shvidler’s case, which is due to be ruled on at a later date.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Agricultural Products Will Flood Polish Market, Warns Former Agriculture Minister
Poland will find its food market overwhelmed by Ukrainian products this autumn, warns Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, Poland’s former agriculture minister and a ruling party MP for Law and Justice (PiS).
Ardanowski is now sounding the alarm about Ukrainian agricultural products entering the Polish market once the embargo on Ukrainian grain is no longer allowed by the EU. Ardanowski, who is currently an adviser to Polish President Andrzej Duda, claims that grains, as well as meat and other products, are continuing but that this will get much worse in the autumn.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iraq Expels Swedish Ambassador After Man Desecrates Koran in Stockholm
Iraq has asked Sweden’s ambassador to leave amid fiery protests over the desecration of a Koran at the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm.
The Iraqi government has also recalled its charge d’affaires in Sweden, according to a government statement.
Saudi Arabia also summoned the Swedish charge d’affaires in Riyadh and handed them a note of protest over the “desecration” of the Koran, the Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Iraqi government previously said it would sever diplomatic ties with Sweden if a Koran is burned again, after protesters in Sweden had applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the Koran outside the Iraqi embassy.
Protesters in Sweden kicked and partially destroyed a book they said was the Koran, outside the Iraqi embassy, but did not burn it as they had threatened to do, witnesses said.
In protest of the planned burning, hundreds of people earlier stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and set it alight in a protest.
Online videos showed demonstrators at the diplomatic post waving flags and signs showing the influential Iraqi politician Muqtada al-Sadr.
The Iraqi government has strongly condemned the attack on the embassy, according to a statement from the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
With empty towns and villages, families torn apart, soldiers on the frontline with wives and children abroad who will never return, and birth rates at a record low, Ukraine’s demographic picture is imploding, Italian daily Corriere della Sera reports.
“The population collapse will soon cause very serious economic and social problems. Putin may lose the war, but he could still win the challenge for the future of a stable and independent Ukraine,” the Italian newspaper writes, citing a variety of experts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Reportedly Using US Cluster Bombs, Vows Not to Use Them on Russian Soil
The Ukrainian military has pledged to employ controversial, U.S.-provided cluster munitions exclusively in areas where Russian troops are amassed in temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The assurances, issued at security forum in Vienna this week, came amid reports that Ukraine has begun using cluster bombs to blast Russian troops out of heavily fortified positions along the front lines of the war.
“Ukraine remains fully committed to its obligations under international law,” said Natalia Kostenko, who represented Kyiv at the forum. “Cluster munitions will not be used on the internationally recognized territory of Russia.”
The Ukraine media outlet Ukrinform.net quoted Kostenko saying the military command was carefully assessing the “potential risks” to the civilian population. The Washington Post., citing an unnamed Ukrainian official aware, said the weapons were already being used.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian F-16 Pilots to be Trained by Private US Firm in Romania
The U.S.-based private military contractor Draken International has started recruiting F-16 instructors to train Ukrainian pilots in Romania. In the recruitment notice, the company writes that the military instructors will work at the Borcea-Fetesti military base, according to Ukrainian publication Zerkalo Nedeli.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistani Intruder Seema Haider is Trying to Stay in India With Arousing Hindu Sentiment!
Sandhya Saxena | HENB | New Delhi | July 19, 2023:: Issuing a stern threat to Seema Ghulam Haider, the Pakistani national who illegally crossed the Indian border to meet her PUBG lover in Uttar Pradesh, Karni Sena, a conservative Hindu outfit, said it would throw her at the Pakistan border if no action was not taken against her out of ATS revelations one after another.
UP ATS has already arrested Seema Haider (30 yrs) and her PUBG lover Sachin Meena (22 yrs) with his father for interrogation.
Karni Sena’s national vice-president Mukesh Singh Rawal said that India was not an orphanage where anyone could come at their convenience.
Singh said how Seema Haider entered India was completely “suspicious” and ultimately called her a “Pakistani agent”.
“I would call such an individual a terrorist, as nobody has checked her. She should have been checked. Maybe she has a chip implanted in her body. Our relationship with Pakistan is not good. We will not tolerate this at all in Hindustan,” he said.
“We would welcome UP ATS (Anti-Terrorism Squad) quick action. If no action is taken, we will throw her (Seema Haider) at the Pakistani border,” said the Karni Sena leader.
Mukesh Singh Rawal demanded that Seena Haider be scanned thoroughly in case she had any hidden device implanted.
“August 15 is approaching and there could be some planning related to it. Why has she been given so much attention? Why has she been left out in the open? She should be sent out of India as soon as possible,” he added.
Seema Haider, her lover Sachin and his father were questioned by Uttar Pradesh’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) at an undisclosed location in Noida for around six hours on Monday.
On Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh Special Director General of Police Prashant Kumar said it would not be appropriate to say if Pakistani citizen Seema Haider, who entered India illegally in May and is staying with her partner in Noida, is a spy “unless we have enough proof”.
He evaded a direct reply when asked if Seema would be deported, and also denied any security lapse along the porous Indo-Nepal border through which she admittedly entered India.
Seema (30) and her Indian partner Sachin Meena (22) were questioned by the Uttar Pradesh police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad on Monday and Tuesday. They were arrested by the local police in Greater Noida on July 4 but granted bail by a court on July 7.
On the ATS questioning, the state police said two video cassettes, four mobile phones, five “authorized” Pakistani passports, and one “unused passport” with incomplete name and address, and an identity card have been received from Seema Haider.
Asked whether the entry of a Pakistani citizen in India through the Nepal border was a security lapse, Kumar said, “This is not so. Our border (with Nepal) is porous. No passport is needed there. Nothing is written on anyone’s face.”
Kumar also said no team is being sent to Nepal to probe how she entered India.
But the senior officer evaded a direct reply when asked if Seema could be deported. “The law is there in this regard and it will be followed. Action is being taken as per the legal mandate.”
On the ATS questioning Seema and Sachin, the officer said, “All agencies are doing their work.”
The couple had first got in touch in 2020 over online game PUBG. They exchanged their WhatsApp numbers after 15 days of online gaming, the UP police said in a statement on Wednesday, summarising the findings of the ATS’s questioning of the duo over Monday and Tuesday.
The police said Sachin and Seema met for the first time in person in March this year in Kathmandu, Nepal where they stayed together from March 10 to 17. Seema returned to Nepal from Pakistan — taking the Karachi-Dubai route — on a 15-day tourist visa on May 10.
In Nepal, she reached Pokhara from Kathmandu and stayed the night. Seema then took a bus from Pokhara on the morning of May 12 and entered India from Roopandehi-Khunwa (Khunwa) in border district Siddharthnagar with her four children.
Traveling through Lucknow and Agra, she reached Gautam Buddha Nagar on March 13. Sachin had already taken a rented room in Rabupura where they started living together, the UP police said.
The entire story of Sachin and Seema is still fishy and resembles a different honey trap. During interrogation by UP ATS, Seema changed her version multiple times which increased the suspicion at a large scale. According to News18 India, the probe agency is contemplating a ‘polygraph test’ on Seema to reveal the truth. ‘
Meanwhile, the neighbors of Seema Haider, a resident of Karachi city of Pakistan, exposed their entire truth in front of the camera. Neighbors claim that Seema was preparing to go to India for a long time, which she did not let anyone know. It is also told that one brother of Seema is working in Pakistan Army.
Seema converted herself to Hinduism with her four children and married Sachin to capture a Hindu sentiment and even appealed to UP CM Yogi Adityanath to stay in India forever, but the new revelations like conspiracy fumed the situation against her.
Earlier, she expressed her willingness to marry Sachin in the Ashram of Bageshwar Sarkar in the presence of Dhirendra Krishna Shashtri. All these are nothing but to encash the Hindu sentiments as planned by Seema Haider.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Big W Makes Major Backflip on the Voice After Blaring Out Support for the Yes Campaign in Stores
Big W has scrapped in-store public announcements backing the Indigenous Voice to Parliament after ‘feedback’ from staff and customers.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Auctioneer Tom Panos said recent estimates that Chinese buyers were snapping up $8million of Australian property every day was conservative and that the amount spent was actually a ‘lot higher’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A 22-year-old man who was shot dead by police on a Queensland highway after he stabbed an elderly couple to death was ‘absolutely radicalised’ and held jihadist beliefs, an inquest has heard.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Jetstar Passenger Tasered and Booted Off Flight is Brutally Shut Down by Reporter
Bolic Bet Malou, 30, pleaded guilty to to obstructing an official and behaving in an offensive or disorderly manner on an aircraft causing endangerment in Perth Magistrates Court.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The KIIS FM star was in full flight on Thursday morning, clashing dramatically with newsreader Brooklyn Ross on air over funding for Indigenous Australians.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is calling for a ban on foreigners from buying property in Australia, claiming non-Australian investors are worsening the country’s housing crisis.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Paramedic and delegate of the Australian Paramedics Association Gary Wilson has warned that paramedics will be forced to quit their jobs before they reach the pension age of 67.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
France: Elderly Woman Brutally Attacked by African Jewelry Thieves
An 82-year-old woman suffered serious injuries during a brutal robbery by African migrants in France last week, according to reports.
The disturbing incident unfolded in the city of Nice on July 11 but details of the case have just been made public.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Radical Asylum Reform Proposal Wins Backing of CDU Leader Merz
A proposal to abolish the right to asylum for migrants making the trek into the European Union pushed this week by Thorsten Frei, the deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, has received the support of his party leader Friedrich Merz.
Writing in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung this week, Frei suggested that the best way to prevent further waves of mass immigration was to ban those entering the bloc without permission from applying for asylum; he also urged EU member states to commit to taking refugees directly from war-torn countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Regarding the issue of immigration, parallels can be drawn between Hungary’s struggle with Brussels and the U.S. state of Texas’ ongoing battle with Washington D.C., Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga said in an interview during her visit to the Lone Star State.
Sitting down with The Dallas Express earlier this week, Varga, who will be stepping down as justice minister at the end of July to focus on the upcoming EU elections, described the similarities she sees in how both Texas and Hungary have confronted border security, with conservative administrations in both territories fighting to protect their borders in the face of their respective liberal establishments in Brussels and Washington.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Arrested for Attempting to Smuggle Migrants Through Poland Into Germany
A Ukrainian national has been detained by the authorities after he was caught attempting to smuggle nine Sub-Saharan illegal immigrants into Germany.
A combined effort by German federal police and the Polish Border Guard identified a suspicious vehicle near the Polish-German border crossing at Frankfurt an der Oder on Tuesday morning, Nius reported.
When the vehicle was pulled over, the driver fled the scene on foot and took refuge in a nearby forest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Criticizing the “wealthy elite” is anti-Semitic, according to new speech codes from the “Reframing Race initiative” covered by the Guardian on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The new bizarre viral NPC TikTok trend is just another gateway drug for getting boys hooked on fetish porn.
Another stunning example of TikTok’s wholesome contribution to society.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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SWEDISH FRIDAY AFTERNOON POTPOURRI
Muslim militia group about Swedes:
“Seek Them Out and Kill Them”
An armed military group called Ashab al-Kahf directs sharp threats of violence against Swedes, reports TV4 Nyheterna.
“Kill them wherever you find them,” it says.
“The events of Koran burnings are an act of war and a sign for us to act hard,” writes Ashab al-Kahf on Telegram.
The group urges its members to “search for all Swedish interests and destroy them”, and continues:
“Look for every Swede, they are in fact an Israeli Jew but use Sweden’s identity as a cover. Because everything that is going on now is planned and managed by the International Jewish Home. So the Jews are our enemies, so look for them and kill them wherever you find them.”
Ashab al-Kahf is a Shia Muslim Iranian armed group that, among other things, has claimed responsibility for rocket attacks against American forces, including the attack on the American embassy in Baghdad in 2020, according to TV4.
– It is a small movement that has mostly operated in Baghdad and is considered to be close to Iran. They have carried out a handful of bombings in 2020 in Baghdad against American and international targets, says terrorism researcher Hans Brun to TV4 Nyheterna.
According to Brun, the threat should be taken seriously as there are people who “will take this as a sign that it is legitimate to seek out and kill Swedes”.
– This is probably a threat to more Swedes in general, even outside of Iraq. So we should not just limit this threat to Baghdad. This can encourage solo actors elsewhere, says Hans Brun to TV4.
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The demands of the S profiles: Increase aid to Iraq
“The last few days clearly show the need.”
Jomshof (SD) instead wants to stop the payments.0
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The Koran burner can be deported
Salwan Momika’s residence permit is being investigated.
Iraq has demanded his extradition.
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Turkey calls for Rasmus Paludan
Turkey has issued an arrest warrant against Koran-burner Rasmus Paludan. This is reported by TT with reference to Turkish Anatolia.
The reason for the arrest warrant is Paludan’s Koran burning at the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on January 21 this year.
According to TT, he is accused of having “publicly insulted the religious values”.
The Danish Islam critic himself states that he “laughs” at the arrest warrant.
– I have no plans to come to Turkey. I didn’t have that before either, I can say, says Rasmus Paludan to Expressen.
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Police crack down on aggressive beach gang – accused of ‘ethnic cleansing’
Gang violently attacks other bathers and severely assaults a lifeguard. Environmentalist critical of the police banning the troublemakers.0
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Here, AFA is beaten by the news anchor
Attacked the TV profile in group.
But it ended with the left-wing extremists e.g
ick runs away from the 57-year-old in a panic.
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Girl dressed up as a negress at a masquerade – sentenced for
incitement against ethnic group
Was posted with name and address of Black lives matter-
activists. Apologized immediately – but still sentenced by the district court.
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Angry Koran woman: “Whore, you will be hanged in Iraq”
The wild scenes from the Koran manifestation.
“You little shitimport.”
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Iraq threatens to break ties with Sweden
The Prime Minister’s speech.
If the Koran is burned, diplomatic relations are broken.
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POST SCRIPTUM
https://twitter.com/i/status/1682124450341310464
Per google translation: “Let them die in their madness.”
Sadly, I rather think their madness drives them to kill US. Still, one can hope.