At least 500 people were killed by an explosion at al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, which is run by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem. The hospital was crowded with refugees from the war between Hamas and Israel. Hamas blamed Israel for the explosion, but the IDF said the blast was the result of a rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad that went astray.
In other news, a female British police officer was raped at knifepoint at the base of the Eiffel Tower by an unknown attacker.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Diana West, 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.
PwC Finds One-Third of Britons Plan to Slash Holiday Spending
A new PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP survey reveals nearly a third of British consumers are expected to reduce spending this holiday season due to a cost of living crisis that continues to wreck household finances, according to Bloomberg.
PwC’s survey indicated that nearly 80% of those planning to cut back on spending are doing so because of elevated food and energy costs. Around 20% attribute it to increased shelter costs, like mortgage or rental payments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Armed Jewelry Store Worker Sends Hammer-Wielding Burglars Running for Their Lives
An armed jewelry store employee in California sent a group of suspected smash-and-grab burglars armed with hammers fleeing when he fired his gun, police said.
“Five suspects, who were described as wearing hooded sweatshirts, used hammers to smash the jewelry showcases, and an employee of the store responded by using a firearm to shoot towards the suspects,” the Manhattan Beach Police Department said in a statement.
The five suspects ran into Prestige Jewelers at about 12:40 p.m. last Saturday, slamming hammers into display cases to steal the jewelry, police said. An armed employee of the store, however, fired off one round in the suspects’ direction, causing them to flee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Armed Female Homeowner Shoots Burglar in the Head With a Shotgun
When a burglar attempted to burst into a California home, the armed female homeowner made sure she wasn’t about to become just another victim.
A crook tried to force his way into the home in the Hollywood Hills on Sunday night, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
However, the criminal made the critical mistake of underestimating those inside the property.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Calls Off Jordan Leg of Mideast Trip After Leader Summit Canceled
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will no longer visit Jordan as part of his Middle East trip this week, after a leaders summit on humanitarian aid for Palestinians was abruptly canceled Tuesday.
The decision was made as unrest across the region swelled, in response to the deadly bombing of a hospital in Gaza.
Biden had been scheduled to meet in with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Palestinian Authority president Mahmound Abbas after first visiting Israel.
“There is no use in talking now about anything except stopping the war,” Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said on state television.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin Hit With Lawsuit Over Offshore Wind Plans as Locals Rise Up
A coalition of stakeholders led by Cape May County, New Jersey, filed a federal lawsuit against the Biden administration Tuesday, challenging the development of a massive offshore wind farm along the county’s coastline.
The lawsuit — which names the Interior Department and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, among other federal officials and agencies, as defendants — argues that the federal government abandoned its obligations to protect the environment “in favor of an inappropriate collusion with Big Wind interests.” Plaintiffs specifically challenge the approval of Ocean Wind 1, an offshore wind project being developed by Danish energy company Orsted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Billionaire Democrat Changes Tune, Admits He Was Wrong About Trump: ‘Did a Lot of Really Great Work’
Billionaire Chamath Palihapitiya, a prominent Democrat voter, has spoken out to admit that he was wrong about President Donald Trump.
Speaking on his “All-In Podcast” Saturday, Palihapitiya admitted that Trump’s America-first policies have actually helped the country.
He also claimed Democrats with Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) have done more harm than good by trying to stop the 45th president.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prosecutors in New Mexico are reportedly planning to refile charges against Alec Baldwin for the fatal Rust movie set shooting from 2021, charging him with involuntary manslaughter.
Two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News that Baldwin’s case will be brought before a grand jury next month, and that there have been recent discussions of a plea deal.
One of the sources said that after further investigation, prosecutors no longer believe that the gun involved had been modified, and have found new evidence that reportedly connects the star to reckless safety standards on the set.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A new poll released on Tuesday has revealed that with Robert F Kennedy Jr now running as an independent candidate instead of a Democrat, he is taking a chunk of Trump support, pushing Biden into the lead.
According to the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll, In a two-way race between Trump and Biden for the 2024 presidential election, 49 percent of registered voters said they would vote for Biden, while 46 percent said they would vote for Trump, with 5 percent being undecided.
With Kennedy thrown into the mix, Biden’s support dropped to 44 percent among registered voters, while Trump’s sunk to 37 percent. Kennedy received 16 percent of support from registered voters, with 3 percent remaining undecided.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The man who was recorded tearing down posters of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas has been identified as University of Pennsylvania library assistant Matthew Carson Wranovics.
In a video posted on social media by the group Stop Antisemitism, Wranovics can be seen ripping posters down on a campus bridge on Oct. 17 as a camera woman speaks to him.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chick-fil-A Bandits Steal Hundreds of Gallons of Cooking Oil in Repeat Heists: Report
The manager of a Georgia Chick-fil-A has had enough of bandits stealing used peanut oil — at least 700 gallons of it — from a store dumpster on a monthly basis.
The thieves have stolen between 700 and 800 gallons of cooking oil valued at $2,000, accorrding to a police report filed by the store’s manager and reviewed by USA Today.
The most recent heist went down around 3 a.m. at the Atlanta Highway Chick-fil-A in Athens Oct. 5 before the oil could be recycled, according to the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Could AI Chatbots Become a Bioweapon?
A recent report has found that large language models (LLMs) can give effective advice on how to conceal the true purpose of the purchase of anthrax, smallpox and plague bacteria.
According to research by a US think tank, the artificial intelligence (AI) models underpinning chatbots could help plan an attack with a biological weapon.
AI’s Role in Biological Attack Planning
On Monday, a report by the Rand Corporation revealed that its findings, achieved by testing several LLMs, demonstrated that LLMs could supply guidance that “could assist in the planning and execution of a biological attack”.
However, the preliminary findings also showed that the LLMs did not generate explicit biological instructions for creating weapons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis slammed President Biden on Tuesday accusing him of prioritizing humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has reportedly been compromised by Hamas in the past, over rescuing American and Israeli hostages.
“Innocent Americans and Israelis are being held hostage by Hamas terrorists, yet Biden is more focused on sending ‘humanitarian aid’ to Gaza that will be commandeered by Hamas terrorists,” the GOP presidential candidate posted on X Tuesday.
“Biden should work with Israel to free all American and Israeli hostages, not shower Hamas with money.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Rips ‘Politically Correct’ Haley, Refuses to ‘Import’ Gazan Refugees Taught to ‘Hate Jews’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tore into 2024 GOP rival Nikki Haley for “trying to be politically correct” amid the war in Israel, insisting he would not “import” Gazan refugees taught to “hate Jews.”
Speaking to NBC News Now, DeSantis responded to Haley’s comments on CNN over the weekend when the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said, “There are so many of these people who want to be free from this terrorist rule. They want to be free from all of that. And America’s always been sympathetic to the fact that you can separate civilians from terrorists. And that’s what we have to do.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Touts Israel Evacuation Effort as Florida ‘Fills the Void’ With Americans Landing in Tampa
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis touted an evacuation operation his administration supported that led to nearly 300 American citizens evacuated from Tel Aviv, Israel, who landed Monday at Tampa International Airport.
DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, told FOX News he saw a lack of actionable leadership on the part of the Biden administration and decided to see what Tallahassee could do to execute what he claimed Washington could not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harvard Gets More Bad News as Another Billionaire Cuts Ties Over Pro-Hamas Remarks
Authored by Tom Ozimek via The Epoch Times
The Wexner Foundation, a nonprofit founded by billionaire Leslie Wexner and his wife Abigail, has broken ties with Harvard University over the school’s response to the Hamas terror attacks against Israelis and to an anti-Israel statement issued by student groups.
“We are stunned and sickened at the dismal failure of Harvard’s leadership to take a clear and unequivocal stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians by terrorists last Saturday,” the Wexner Foundation’s leadership wrote to the Harvard board of overseers, in an Oct. 16 letter obtained by The Epoch Times.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jim Jordan Falls Short on Votes in First Round of Balloting for House Speaker
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has fallen short of the number of votes required to secure the speakership in the first round of voting.
The House of Representatives is voting on Jim Jordan’s nomination for speaker two weeks after the chamber ousted Kevin McCarthy from the top spot.
Jordan has been scrambling to shore up the votes needed to clinch the speakership in the closely divided chamber.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joran Van Der Sloot to Reveal Details of Natalee Holloway’s Death: Lawyer
Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway, is expected to take a plea deal after being charged in an extortion plot involving the Holloway family.
Natalee Holloway was 18 years old when she took a senior trip to Aruba in May 2005 with Mountain Brook High School. Natalee Holloway was last seen leaving a bar with van der Sloot, but she was never found. In January 2012, a judge legally declared Natalee Holloway dead after a request from her father.
Van der Sloot is facing charges of extortion and wire fraud in the U.S. after allegedly attempting to sell Beth Holloway, Natalee’s mother, information about the location of her daughter’s body.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Murder Rates 60% Higher in Democrat-Run Counties, Study Finds
A bombshell new study has found that murder rates are a staggering 60 percent higher in Democrat-run counties in comparison to those led by Republicans.
The study, conducted by the Heritage Foundation, debunked the popular talking point among several high-profile liberals that red states have the highest homicide numbers.
According to a report on the study, authored by the Heritage Foundation’s Kevin Dayaratna, murder rates have been higher in “blue counties” than they have been in “red counties” since 2002.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dr Dana Diab, an ER physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, shared a video showing the attack on the Nova music festival near Gaza where 260 people were killed on October 7.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Biden Admin to Ask Congress for $100 Billion in Ukraine, Israel Aid
The Biden administration plans to ask Congress for $100 billion in Ukraine and Israel aid, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
The outlet reported:
President Joe Biden is considering a supplemental request of approximately $100 billion that would include defense assistance for Israel and Ukraine alongside border security funding and aid to nations in the Indo-Pacific, including Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter.
Biden has pledged support for Israel in the wake of the deadly attack earlier this month by Hamas, a group designated by the US and EU as a terrorist organization. Aid for Israel enjoys broad bipartisan support in the US Congress.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White Democrats must drop out of California’s Senate race, or they aren’t actually committed to diversity, a guest essay in the Washington Post argued.
Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff have already thrown their hat in the ring in the Senate race to fill the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat. But author and podcast host Steve Phillips urged them to step aside and allow U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. a Black woman, to take the lead instead, to prove they “care about diversity.”
“Time and again it has been shown that Black women are the heart and soul of the Democratic Party. Democrats across the country agree that Black women are badly underrepresented in our nation’s leadership. Schiff and Porter are White; Lee is a Black woman. The right course is clear, isn’t it?” he wrote in his opinion column.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Soros-Backed Louisiana District Attorney Carjacked at Gunpoint With His Mother: Reports
The George Soros-backed Orleans Parish, Louisiana, district attorney and his mother were carjacked Monday night in New Orleans by two suspects who allegedly pointed high-powered automatic rifles at them, according to reports.
FOX 8 in New Orleans reported that district attorney’s office spokesperson Keith Lampkin confirmed DA Jason Williams, and his mother were carjacked at gunpoint as he was helping her into a car.
“DA Williams and his mother were unharmed, and both thank the [New Orleans Police Department] for their hard work tonight and every night responding to crime victims,” Lampkin told the station.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Squatters, Homeless Camps Ravage Neighborhood, Leaving Paid Cleaners Physically Ill: Report
A community in Escambia County, Florida, is seeing an increase in squatting activity as homeless people camp on private property with little repercussions, according to witnesses.
“There are so many people going back and forth it’s ridiculous,” Brent resident Gwen Gibson told the Pensacola News Journal. “I’ve been on the phone with code enforcement and the sheriff’s department. There are at least 15 to 20 people constantly walking down my driveway to get to their [camp] to buy drugs, prostitution, whatever they’re doing back there.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump: ‘Incompetent Fool’ Biden ‘Will Drop to His Knees & Beg Iran for Mercy’
President Donald Trump has issued a warning to the American people about the mounting nuclear threat from Iran.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump blasted Democrat President Joe Biden’s foreign policy.
Trump predicts that Biden will “beg Iran for mercy” once the Iranian regime amasses nuclear weapons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Calls NY Fraud Trial ‘Election Interference’ as Proceedings Enter Third Week
On Tuesday, the third week of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial kicked off in Manhattan Supreme Court, with the former president making his first appearance in two weeks.
He maintained that the trial was nothing more than “election interference,” and slammed Judge Arthur Engoron as “highly political.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Says it Was a “Mistake” to Delete Clip of Senator Rubio Calling Hamas Terrorists “Savages”
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has made a defiant stance against YouTube’s censorship, following the removal of a video wherein he referred to Hamas terrorists as “savages.” YouTube later retracted its decision, labeling it a “mistake.”
Florida’s Voice, via a post on X, revealed the video clip censorship — highlighting the apparent policy of YouTube to ban “hate” towards a “protected group.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre went viral this week in clip of him batting away accusations from a local journalist about him being a “populist” and using the “Trump” playbook, all while enjoying an apple.
The exchange happened between Poilievre and Times Chronicle Editor Don Urquhart as the conservative leader traveled to an orchard in Penticton, British Columbia last Wednesday.
While interviewing him, Urquhart confronted the conservative leader on people’s impressions that he’s a “populist” who plays on people’s emotions much like former President Donald Trump did in the United States.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alleged France School Attacker Pledged Allegiance to the Islamic State
PARIS (AP) — France’s anti-terror prosecutor said Tuesday that a suspected Islamic extremist declared allegiance to the Islamic State group before fatally stabbing a teacher in a school attack last week.
The prosecutor, Jean-François Ricard, said an audio recording in the suspect’s phone. In it, the alleged attacker declared allegiance to the Islamic State and expressed “his hatred for France, for the French, for democracy and the education he benefitted from in our country.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Last week I warned Islamist terror was returning to Europe and last night that sadly came to fruition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘At Least Six British Citizens’ Among Israel Dead, Further Ten Missing Says PM Sunak
At least six British citizens dead and ten missing in Israel “pogrom” says UK Prime Minister Sunak as he declares solidarity with Israel, and extra aid money for Palestinian people.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak updated the national parliament’s lower chamber on Monday, giving an update on the numbers of British passport holders known caught up in this month’s terrorist attack, decrying the “existential strike at the very idea of Israel as a safe homeland for the Jewish people”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Backtrack and Double Down! EU to Triple Financial Aid to Gaza Despite Concerns of Funding Hamas
The European Union announced that it will triple financial aid to Gaza despite concerns and allegations that such funding props up the radical Islamist Hamas terror organisation.
At the urging of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged that the bloc would increase its current humanitarian aid by 50 million euros ($53/£43 million) to Gaza, up from the 25 million euros already committed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bulgarian Transit Tax Endangers Region’s Energy Security
Central European and Balkan countries, especially Hungary and Serbia, are outraged at a recent Bulgarian decision to introduce an absurdly high transit fee on Russian gas transported through the country, saying that it could have detrimental effects on the region’s energy security, Euractiv reported on Monday, October 16th.
The new measure is part of a long line of Bulgaria’s strongly Euro-Atlanticist ruling majority’s anti-Russian regulations. It clearly states that only Russian gas would be subjected to the increased transit fees of €10,2 (20 leva) per MWh coming through the Balkan Stream—the Bulgarian section of the larger Turkish Stream gas pipeline.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Burglars and Drug Dealers to Avoid Jail in Britain to Ease Prison Overcrowding
“Low-level offenders” such as burglars, drug dealers, and drunk drivers who are sentenced to less than a year in prison will avoid jail time in new government plans to tackle the overcrowding crisis in British prisons.
The scrapping of short-term prison sentences for most criminals was announced by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk on Monday who told parliamentary colleagues that criminals who may have been expected to serve time behind bars would now be handed community service orders.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Wants to Increase Ukraine Aid by 50 Billion Euros Despite Corruption Concerns
The European Union plans to set up a fund called the Ukraine Facility, under which a new credit line for Ukraine would be opened in the amount of €50 billion for the period 2024-2027, but there are growing concerns about corruption.
The facility would provide assistance to Ukraine in three pillars. The first pillar would provide financial assistance to Ukraine, the second would support and finance investment, and under the third pillar, Brussels would help Ukraine plan the reforms needed to join the European Union. A specific feature of the Ukraine Facility is that frozen Russian assets would be confiscated and incorporated into the assistance model.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The woman, 23, told French authorities she was attacked by a man wielding a knife in the Champs de Mars, a park near the base of the iconic Paris tourist attraction.
The attack took place shortly before midnight on Monday evening, the woman told local police.
She said he pointed the knife at her after she tried to get him to go away.
French police arrested a 35-year-old man about an hour after the woman reported the attack and gave a description of the suspect.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: An Afternoon With Michel Houellebecq
It was not easy to meet with Michel Houellebecq. After a quick initial acceptance, the process of scheduling an appointment dragged on. He had retreated after the uproar surrounding his allegedly Islamophobic statements in a conversation with Michel Onfray and the scandal that erupted after he was filmed having sexual intercourse with two young Dutch women for an artistic project. Both affairs weighed heavily on him, and he decided to wait for the publication of his diary Quelques mois dans ma vie (A Few Months in My Life) before opening up to the press again. When we finally met, we spent a solid five hours together on the terrace of Brasserie Le Coche. Michel Houellebecq was in the mood for conversation even after the exhausting double interview that Ute Cohen from the Tagespost had conducted with him and me.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French School Evacuated Again: Bomb Threat Days After Fatal ‘Day of Jihad’ Knife Attack
The French high school which saw a suspected Islamist terror attack last week was evacuated again Monday morning over a possible bomb threat.
The Gambetta High School in Arras, northern France was not due to have any classes taught on Monday but was open to the public as part of a national day of mourning for two teachers killed in terror attacks in the country, with a minute of silence observed in all schools across France today. Yet the institution was evacuated on Monday morning after a bomb threat was received by internet message, France’s Le Figaro reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Half of Germans Support AfD’s Participation in Government
While every party represented in the Bundestag has so far ruled out governing with the AfD—and as some members inside the ‘center-right’ CDU plot to have the right-wing, anti-globalist party banned outright—nearly half of the German population supports the party participating in government, a new opinion poll suggests.
The survey, carried out by the Civey Opinion Research Institute for the liberal newspaper Der Spiegel, indicated that 47% of respondents nationwide said they would find it acceptable if the AfD were involved in governments at the state level in the future, reflecting a massive disconnect between the opinions held by the German public and those of the country’s political establishment.
At the same time, 47% were opposed to the idea, while the remaining 6% were indifferent to the prospect of the AfD entering into government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary PM Orban Meets With Putin in Beijing
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss ongoing bilateral agreements between the two nations.
The pair were snapped shaking hands in the Chinese capital — the first photographed handshake between Putin and an EU leader since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
Orban told the Russian president that “Hungary has never sought to confront Russia” and has always and will continue to “pursue the goal of building and expanding the best communication,” reported Russia’s state-run news agency TASS.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A leading member of the leftist coalition government in Spain has called for Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the Israeli government to be brought before the International Criminal Court for “war crimes.”
The general secretary of the far-left Trotskyite Podemos party and the acting Minister of Social Rights Ione Belarra called on the caretaker socialist Spanish government of Pedro Sanchez to petition the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged war crimes committed in Palestine by the Netanyahu government in Jerusalem.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meat-Giant Tyson Foods Reveals New Insect Plant in 2025
Tyson Foods Inc. is buying a stake in insect-protein company Protix BV. The two companies will collaborate to establish a manufacturing facility in the US to produce bug-based meal and oil, typically used in fish feed and dog food.
The American meatpacker said Tuesday that it agreed to buy a stake in Dongen, Netherlands-based Protix BV to help fund its expansion. The companies will also form a joint venture to build and operate a US facility that will produce bug-based meal and oil, which are typically used in fish feed and dog food. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. — Bloomberg
“It’s a multibillion-dollar industry opportunity that has tremendous growth potential, and we see Protix as being a leader there,” Tyson CFO John Tyson said in an interview.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NATO Begins Nuclear Weapons Exercise in the Mediterranean
NATO has begun annual military exercises involving nuclear weapons, a NATO spokesman said on Monday, Oct. 16.
Up to 60 aircraft will be involved in the “Steadfast Noon” exercise, which will run until Thursday next week. The craft involved include modern fighter jets, but also surveillance and tanker aircraft, as well as long-range B-52 bombers.
This year’s maneuvers are taking place mainly in the airspace over Italy, Croatia and the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 13 alliance members, including Germany, are taking part in the exercises.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Tusk Government Could be Coalition of Chaos
Opposition parties will most likely form a new government in Poland, according to the official election results announced on Tuesday, October 17th. However, the contender for the prime minister’s job, Donald Tusk, will have an extremely difficult time cobbling together and then maintaining the stability of an ideologically diverse government that will consist of more than a dozen parties.
Although the Law and Justice-led (PiS) conservative-nationalist United Right—in government since 2015—is still the strongest political alliance in Poland and won 35.4% of the votes in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, it lost more than forty seats in the 460-member Sejm, the lower house of parliament. With its current batch of 194 seats, it is unable to form a government on its own or gain a majority with its potential coalition partner, the right-wing eurosceptic-libertarian Konfederacja (18 seats). As the PiS-critical daily Rzeczpospolita points out, the party still has huge support, which has not fallen below 30% for the past eight years, “a phenomenon that cannot be underestimated and a result that no other party has achieved since 1989.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Liberal-Centrist Election Winners May Have Trouble Forming a Government, Says Senior PiS MP
Ryszard Terlecki, head of the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) parliamentary caucus and deputy speaker of parliament, in an interview with conservative news outlet wPolityce.pl, admits that it is unlikely that his party will be able to form a government but that the new liberal-centrist coalition may also face difficulties.
He added that PiS will be a demanding opposition to the new ruling coalition of liberals, centrists and leftists “who have little in common apart from their hostility to PiS.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish President Urged to Make ‘Fast Decisions’ After Opposition’s Election Win
President Andrzej Duda must appoint a new prime minister, which could be former European Council chief Donald Tusk.
The opposition leader who hopes to be Poland’s new prime minister has appealed to the nation’s president for “energetic and fast decisions” so that a new government can be formed quickly.
Three opposition parties that vowed to restore democratic standards in Poland together won over 54% of the votes in the nation’s weekend parliamentary election, putting them in a position to take power, according to the complete ballot count reported on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The hilarious clip shows the nun tackle the protester at the construction site of a Catholic centre in Saint-Pierre-de-Colombier, in Ardèche, on Monday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Reports Damage to Undersea Cable to Estonia as Finland Investigates Its Own Pipeline Damage
Sweden on Tuesday reported partial damage to an undersea telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea running to Estonia that authorities believe occurred at the same time as damage to an undersea gas pipeline and telecom cable from Finland to Estonia.
Finland launched an investigation into possible sabotage after reporting the damage to its gas pipeline to Estonia last week.
Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said Tuesday that the damage to the cable between Sweden and Estonia appeared to have happened at the same time, but that it’s unclear what caused it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Horned Iceball: Giant Comet Hurtling Towards Earth
Scientists have reported that a colossal “horned” comet, known as 12P/Pons-Brooks, three times larger than Mount Everest, has exploded and is now hurtling towards Earth. The explosion occurred on October 5th, originating from a cryovolcanic comet. This comet, measuring a monumental 18.6 miles in diameter, is equivalent to the size of a small city. To put it into perspective, Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth, stands at 29,029 feet, or roughly 5.5 miles high.
This recent explosion marks the second eruption of this interstellar ice cube in the past four months, with the previous event occurring in July. The 12P comet caught the attention of the British Astronomical Association when it appeared much brighter due to the reflection of light from its coma — the gas cloud surrounding its core.
According to Richard Miles of the British Astronomical Association, the comet’s “horns” may be a result of the peculiarly-shaped cryovolcanic vent and a blockage causing material to be expelled in a strange flow pattern. These eruptions happen when a significant amount of gas and ice accumulates and combusts, causing cracks in the nucleus crust and the frozen interior to burst out. In this case, the arctic blast caused the formation of “horns” resembling those of an intergalactic Beelzebub or the Millennium Falcon from “Star Wars.”
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
TikTok Outlines Plans to Curb “Misinformation” After EU Pressure
Recent developments throw a stark spotlight on the fluid relationship between social media platforms like TikTok and the concept of free speech. Following the attacks imposed by the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, on Israel, TikTok found itself intensively mobilizing resources and personnel to stymie what it calls an onslaught of “hate” and “misinformation” ensuing from the conflict.
Responding to the EU industry chief Thierry Breton’s demands, the China-based, ByteDance-owned platform laid out the measures it pursued to combat the escalating issue of disinformation in connection with the Middle East conflict.
Breton not only demanded conclusive action within 24 hours from TikTok but concurrently initiated an investigation into X.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Terror Threat Level ‘Highly Likely’ to be Raised by Israel-Hamas War
Speaking to LBC, Chris Phillips, who also served as a Detective Chief Inspector in the Metropolitan Police, outlined the impact that events in the Middle East, teamed with recent acts of terror in Belgium and France, are likely to have on MI5’s assessment of the likelihood of an attack in the UK.
Phillips explained how the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC), which operates within MI5, takes account of these factors when designating the UK’s Terror Threat: “Events such as we’ve seen in Israel and Gaza are a key part of that [analysis], simply because it impacts on people within the UK. Overseas events… can encourage some people, some extreme people to commit acts of terrorism or or certainly get close to it — and that’s what JTAC are looking at.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Greta Thunberg Arrested in London During Climate Protest at Glitzy Oil Forum
Greta Thunberg has been arrested in London during a climate protest at a glitzy oil industry summit.
The Swedish activist joined a large demonstration in central London on Tuesday outside of the Energy Intelligence Forum at the InterContinental Hotel on Park Lane which draws some of the most powerful players in fossil fuels.
Video footage showed Ms Thunberg, wearing a badge with the slogan “Oily Money Out”, calmly listening as two police officers spoke to her, with one holding her arm.
She was then led towards a police van by two officers and put inside.
The Met Police said they have arrested 14 people under the Public Order Act to prevent “serious disruption to the community, hotel and guests”.
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UK: Hundreds Protest Outside BBC Headquarters Over Broadcaster’s Refusal to Call Hamas ‘Terrorists’
Hundreds of people descended upon the BBC’s headquarters in London on Monday evening to protest the British publicly-funded broadcaster’s continued insistence on refusing to refer to Hamas terrorists as “terrorists”.
The left-liberal BBC, which is funded by a licence fee on anyone who watches live television in the UK on pain of prosecution and potential jail time, has come under increasing scrutiny for its editorial decision to label Hamas terrorists in Palestine as merely “militants”, “fighters”, or “gunmen” in the wake of the largest terror attack against the Jewish people in Israel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Just Stop Oil Plan to Stop More London Cars Than Ever in Biggest Protest Yet
Just Stop Oil founder Roger Hallam is preparing for the group’s biggest protest yet at the end of this month, planning to block roads in London on an “unprecedented scale”.
Starting on the last Sunday in October, Just Stop Oil are planning three weeks of action in the capital. They are currently signing up and training activists: a survey on their asks volunteers whether they are prepared to get arrested in the cause.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In the BBC’s Jimmy Savile drama, they race swapped one of the primary victims, erasing her identity entirely.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Egyptian Official Threatens to Send 1 Million Palestinians to Europe
In a report from the Financial Times detailing the Egyptian government’s growing fear of a potential massive refugee crisis, an unnamed official reportedly said he would send 1 million Palestinian refugees to Europe if they were forced out of Gaza.
According to the Financial Times, a senior Egyptian official told a European counterpart: “You want us to take 1mn people? Well, I am going to send them to Europe. You care about human rights so much — well you take them.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
by Diana West
The Kibbutzim/Concert Massacres of October 7 are not an October Surprise but an October Shock Wave — a continuous stream of shock waves that have reset the world. Suddenly — but before the body parts of 1,350 innocents slaughtered in Israel by Hamas terrorists could be gathered by ZAKA — our streets and campuses and internet platforms were flooded with rivers of Jew Hatred masquerading as a historical debate over the very existence of the modern state of Israel, now 75 years old. Suddenly, the 1973 Yom Kippur War was back. Suddenly, the Palestinian “nation,” which never was, was back, too. So was “devilry” of “Zionism” — not that it ever went away. Suddenly, no other disaster, no other crime has the same weight, the same right to exist, if you will, anymore. Bravo, controllers behind the curtain. It is as if the people of the world have been reimagined as pulsating ganglia, emitting cries of “Stand with Israel” or “Israelis Are War Criminals”; “Kill Hamas” or “I’ll Never Support Israel Again.” We are all of us nearly completely fried from having Hamas’s video trophies of murder and blood burned into our brains, and are thus unable to see what is really happening. As usual, you might say, only worse.
What I can’t move from is the origin, the trigger of this fresh, paralyzing madness. I am unable to move from the unexamined and unexplained failure of the Israeli government to protect Israeli citizenry from an extremely well-prepared force of 2,000 Hamas terrorists that crossed Israel’s border fence with Gaza and operated freely across 30 square miles of Israeli territory for six, eight, and even twenty hours. I am left with terrible questions about the ultimate responsibility for the lives lost, the lives shattered, and the sanctity and the way of life that these killers from Hamas have destroyed forever.
As I explore this uneasiness, I am even willing to accept, temporarily, for the sake of argument, the ridiculous explanation for Hamas’s complex series of breaches of all Israeli defenses: the so-called “intelligence failure.” Like magic words, the phrase is supposed to make all questions disappear. OK. I’m not buying, but OK. Let’s turn our faculties of curiosity and reason onto the even more shocking unexamined and unexplained failure of the Israeli government to deploy the Israeli military to defend Israeli towns and cities under prolonged assault by a veritable terrorist army…
| — Hat tip: Diana West | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds Killed in Explosion at a Crowded Gaza Hospital
Palestinian health officials say hundreds of people have been killed in an explosion at a crowded Gaza hospital. The cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed, with Palestinian authorities accusing Israel and Israel saying a Palestinian militant group was responsible.
It comes as Israel and Hamas trade airstrikes and rocket fire and mediators press for an agreement to allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip and refugees with foreign passports out of the enclave.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the organization “strongly condemns the attack on Al Ahili Arab Hospital in north Gaza. Early reports indicate hundreds of deaths and injuries. We call for the immediate protection of civilians and health care, and for the evacuation orders to be reversed.”
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
A Hamas-run hospital that was treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many others in the Gaza Strip was hit by an airstrike Tuesday, killing hundreds of people, though Israel Defense Forces (IDF) blame the strike on the Islamic Jihad.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 500 people were killed at al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, which Hamas said was the result of an Israeli airstrike.
When asked earlier in the day, the IDF said it was investigating the source of the explosion, noting that the hospital is a “highly sensitive building” and is “not an IDF target.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel PM Netanyahu Tells Germany That Hamas ‘Are the New Nazis’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a solidarity trip to Israel on Tuesday where he heard how the Hamas terror attack was the worst assault on Jewish people since the Holocaust and that Hamas are “the new Nazis”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood alongside his German counterpart Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Tel Aviv on Tuesday and declared in their massive terrorist attack against Israel earlier this month, Hamas had become the Nazis of the 21st century.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Calls on Pope Francis to Issue ‘Clear and Unequivocal’ Condemnation of Hamas Terror Attack
ROME — Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has sharply criticized the Vatican’s lukewarm words on the October 7 Hamas terror attack in Gaza, calling for an “unequivocal condemnation” of the lethal aggression.
The Times of Israel reported Sunday that Cohen told the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, that Israel “expects the Vatican to come out with a clear and unequivocal condemnation of the murderous terrorist actions of Hamas terrorists who harmed women, children and the elderly for the sole fact that they are Jews and Israelis.”
“It is unacceptable that you put out a statement expressing worry primarily for Gazan civilians while Israel is burying 1,300 who were murdered,” Cohen added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a moment where the essence of free speech is under scrutiny worldwide, a controversial move by Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi has sparked profound concern among proponents of free expression and the principles of a democratic society. Karhi is in the process of advancing regulations, authorizing the arrest of individuals and seizure of property based on the subjective judgment that their communication undermines “national morale” or aids enemy propaganda.
These proposed rules, known as “Limiting Aid to the Enemy through Communication,” were crafted in coordination with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The huge explosion tore through the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday night while it was being used to treat and shelter thousands of civilians amid the ongoing conflict.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Neither Jordan Nor Egypt Will Accept Refugees Fleeing Gaza Strip
King Abdullah II of Jordan informed a meeting Tuesday with German Chancellor OIaf Scholz in Berlin neither Jordan nor Egypt would be willing to accept any refugees fleeing the Gaza Strip after Hamas terrorists used the West Bank as a base to attack Israel.
The Jordanian king said the humanitarian situation must be dealt with inside Gaza and the West Bank and not be pushed into neighboring countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
by RT
The Israeli military is prepared for a “long war” and will fight until it achieves complete victory over its enemies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday during a speech at the opening of the winter session of the national parliament.
Netanyahu said that Israel was now fighting for its very existence and expressed confidence that his country would eventually win total victory over Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group that launched a surprise assault on Israeli territories near Gaza last week, killing and wounding hundreds of people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The families of Hamas terrorists who died amid skirmishes with Israeli forces will be compensated to the tune of $2.7 million this month as their deaths are viewed under Palestinian Authority (PA) law as martyrdom.
The substantial sums being paid to the terror group are concerning, as they essentially reward the perpetrators for the murder of innocent Israeli civilians.
According to Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the PA will reward the families of 1,500 dead Hamas fighters 6,000 shekels (around $1,500 USD), in addition to a 1,400 shekel-per-month ($353) allowance for life.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters in Jordan, Turkey Descend on Israeli Embassies in Response to Gaza Hospital Attack
Protesters tried to storm the Israeli embassies in Jordan and Turkey after a purported IDF airstrike on a hospital in Gaza killed over 500 hundred people.
The Baptist al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City was reportedly hit by an Israeli airstrike late Tuesday that killed at least 500 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Terror Group Hezbollah Calls for ‘Day of Anger’ Against Biden’s Visit to Israel
President Joe Biden is set to visit Israel tomorrow while the nation is at war with Palestinian terror group Hamas. Lebanese terror group Hezbollah has called for an “unprecedented day of rage” in response.
Hezbollah, which seeks the destruction of Israel, demanded that devotees of their extremist, jihadi Islamist ideology stage a “day of anger.” The group called for violence by Arab and Islamic nations, as well as for international groups to support their cause.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Uses American ATACMS for First Time, Claims Devastating Strikes on Russian Airfields
Ukraine has used U.S.-made cluster-bomb-tipped rockets from the ATACMS system for the first time, it is claimed, with the weapon said to have taken out nine Russian helicopters while they were still on the ground.
Ukraine claims to have taken out nine helicopters and associated support equipment on the ground in a series of coordinated strikes against Russian-occupied airfields overnight. Per a statement from the Ukrainian government the strikes in the early hours of Tuesday morning were against airfields in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine including Berdiansk and Luhansk and as well as the nine military helicopters Ukraine says ammunition stores and an “air defence” system were also destroyed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine used U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike at Russian airfields Tuesday after the U.S. secretly shipped variants of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) in recent weeks, according to U.S. officials.
President Joe Biden promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a meeting at the White House last month that the U.S. would provide the ATACMS that Ukraine has sought for months.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
India: 13-Year-Old ‘Raped’ for Several Months in Bihar’s Saharsa, Finger at Madrasa Teacher
Making the incident more abominable, a panchayat called by the accused tried to stop the victim and her family from approaching police by offering Rs 10,000 as hush money.
A 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped for several months by a teacher in a madrasa (school) in Saharsa town of Bihar and she had to undergo an abortion.
The police have arrested the main accused Muhammad Imtiyaz and were in the process of forwarding him to jail on Tuesday.
The girl stays with her maternal grandparents while her parents work as domestic help and labourers in Delhi.
“The teacher was doing bad things with me for the last three months. He threatened to kill me if I told anything to anyone. I started having a stomach ache and my nani (maternal grandmother) took me to a hospital,” the girl told reporters.
At the hospital in Saharsa, the doctors found that she had become pregnant, but the foetus had died leading to complications. They operated her to surgically remove it.
The girl’s mother came from Delhi after getting to know about her condition and decided to approach the police, but the accused teacher called a panchayat and offered Rs 10,000 to the family to keep quiet.
However, on October 8, the family registered an FIR against the teacher and seven others who were present in the panchayat. The victim is still in the hospital.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
A majority of the states and territories who voted against the Voice to Parliament referendum are set to move ahead with plans to establish their own Voice treaties.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The Country Liberal Senator issued a video message direct to the Australian public explaining the outcome of the urgency motion she tabled in the Senate on Tuesday afternoon.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A Labor senator has slammed Israel’s retaliatory missile strikes, warning that the ‘price tag’ of the Jewish state’s ‘right to defend itself cannot be the destruction of Palestine’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Nazi Salute Set to be Banned in Victoria After Following Anti-Semitic Incidents in Melbourne
Victoria will become the second Australian state to ban the Nazi salute after a series of high-profile anti-Semitic incidents.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
An image of four Greens MP sitting alone in parliament as they refused to back a motion defending Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas , has been called ‘disgraceful’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The Gates Foundation Pushes for Digital ID Systems, Despite Criticism
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, an organization established by the tech titan and his former spouse, is pushing further into the realm of digital identification, this time choosing to further Kenya’s controversial digital ID initiative, “Maisha Namb.”
As explained by the foundation’s CEO, Mark Suzman, the foundation is expected to liaise with integral tech moguls and specialists to ensure the success of the project which mirrors the foundation’s broader commitment towards digital identity enhancement, even as it unveils support for similar initiatives worldwide.
Designed as a unique identifier, the Maisha Namba will be allocated to every Kenyan citizen, effectively becoming their official digital ID, associated with a specially designed Maisha Card.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Centre-Right Businessman Wins Ecuador’s Presidential Election
Thirty-five-year-old businessman Daniel Noboa and his National Democratic Action party emerged victorious after the second round of Ecuador’s presidential election, receiving 52.3% of the vote, which saw the “Citizen Revolution” Movement and its leader, Luisa Gonzalez, fall short.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgian Police Shoot Dead Tunisian ‘Radical’ After ‘Allahu Akbar’ Terror Killings in Brussels
The alleged Islamist perpetrator of Monday night’s terror attack who boasted of sacrificing “souls and blood” was shot dead Tuesday morning by Belgian police at a Cafe in Schaarbeek.
45-year-old Abdesalem Lassoued, a failed Tunisian asylum seeker with a serious criminal history and known to be radicalised was shot dead in the frequently terror-linked Brussels neighbourhood of Schaarbeek on Tuesday morning. Lassoued is the main suspect in what police say was a terrorist attack in central Brussels on Monday night where three Swedish citizens visiting the city for a football game were gunned down.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brussels Terrorist Was Illegal Migrant, Known Islamist
The Tunisian terrorist who shot dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels on Monday night was an illegal migrant flagged as a radical Islamist seven years ago, authorities have confirmed. He gunned down the Swedes, reportedly while shouting “Allahu akbar,” just hours before he was finally due to be vetted by Belgian Federal Police.
Belgian police shot and arrested the gunman Abdesalem Lassoued (45) on Tuesday, October 17th, after a citywide manhunt. The man died in hospital later that morning, RTBF reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brussels Attacker Stayed in Italy After Failed Belgian Asylum Claim
The alleged Islamist terror attacker who killed two Swedish nationals on Monday, October 16th in Brussels before being shot on Tuesday morning in Schaerbeek by police, is believed to have spent an extensive amount of time in Italy before settling in the Belgian capital despite having his asylum claim rejected in 2020.
Abdesalem Lassoued, who is originally from Tunisia, has been known for his radical Islamic beliefs since at least 2016 when he was flagged by Tunisian authorities and first arrived in Belgium in 2019 where he applied for asylum.
According to the newspaper 7sur7, he had also previously attempted to claim asylum in Italy, Norway, and Sweden but was rejected by all of the countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Passes Law to Give Mexican Citizens Taxpayer-Funded College Benefits
California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom has signed new legislation into state law that will allow Mexican citizens to receive taxpayer-funded college tuition benefits.
Under the new law, certain Mexican citizens will qualify for in-state tuition at community colleges within California.
Low-income Mexican residents living within 45 miles of the California—Mexico border will now be eligible to apply for a pilot program in the Golden State.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Residents in a small village-like district of Munich, which is located near the rural outskirts of the city, are rebelling openly against more migrants in the neighborhood which is already struggling with 400.
In a story that is playing out across Germany, the Johanneskirchen district is fighting against the demographic transformation. The movement against mass migrant resettlement in the small district is being led by a cardiology doctor, Alexander Leber, who has three daughters, along with dozens of citizens from the area.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Spending on Migrants in Hamburg to Exceed €1 Billion This Year as Costs Spiral
Germany is spending a fortune every single day to cope with its massive and growing immigrant population, and in individual cities like Hamburg, those costs are becoming unbearable.
The budget committee for the city is now looking to increase its funding for the reception of migrants by €212.8 million, after having already raised it by €118.7 million earlier this year. Now, with the latest increase, the total amount of money for housing and caring for migrants in 2023 will total €1 billion.
This hardly covers all the costs for migrants either, with schooling, daycare centers, and healthcare all not factored into that €1 billion figure. The state alleges that the amount being spent on schooling cannot be calculated either.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Monday, dozens of illegal immigrants who had been housed on Staten Island were told they had to leave St. John’s Villa academy, a former school turned shelter, the use of which has been widely criticized by residents of the borough.
The move came after months of protests and court battles, however it was the New York Fire Department that declared the site a fire hazard because of how many people were being housed there. The capacity of the building had been greatly breached.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lampedusa 2: Canary Islands See 550 Illegal Arrivals Daily
The Spanish Canary Islands, which lie off the western coast of Africa, have seen record numbers of illegal migrant arrivals this month, with an average of 550 migrants landing on the islands every day.
So far this month, around 6,200 people have arrived on the islands, often aboard small boats unfit for the dangerous voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The figure makes up around 30% of the 21,000 migrants who have arrived on the islands throughout 2023, the newspaper El Mundo reports.
Should the rate of landings continue, some of which have seen over 1,000 illegals arrive in a single day, the Canary Island migration route may be set to break its all-time record of 31,678 arrivals, which was set in 2006. The local government has revealed that this month’s numbers are higher than those from October 2006.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Massachusetts governor Maura Healy has announced the state is ‘on the verge of reaching capacity’ and will not guarantee accommodation for migrants, as over 7,000 are currently living in shelters.
The Democrat warned on Monday the statewide emergency family shelter system will hit capacity by the end of the month, saying it has been expanding at an unsustainable rate to handle the demand from newly arriving migrant families.
As many as 40 families entered the system in just 24 hours, and combined with a slower exit of families already in long-term shelters, it means the state is on track to hit its capacity of 7,500 families — or about 24,000 people — by the end of October.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 26,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year, new figures revealed today.
Six dinghies carrying 185 men, women and some children were intercepted by Border Force yesterday.
They were the first to make the crossing in a week due to poor weather conditions, and were brought onshore at the Port of Dover.
[Comment: Article dated October 17, 2023.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Protect Europe’s Border!’ — Swedish PM Slams Lax Border Controls That Led to Brussels Terror Attack
If the European Union cannot control its external border and deport those not eligible to remain then the principle of free movement of people must be scrapped, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday.
Responding to the murder of two Swedish nationals who were shot dead in an Islamist terror attack in central Brussels on Monday evening, Kristersson expressed his anger that the perpetrator had been free to roam Europe when he was known to have been radicalized.
“It was not okay that the perpetrator was at large even though they knew he had been radicalized,” told a press conference in Stockholm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tom Cotton Demands Deportation of Pro-Hamas Foreign Nationals: ‘No Place in the United States’
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) has called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to begin deporting foreign nationals who express support for Hamas and the terrorist group’s attacks on Israel.
On Monday, Cotton sent a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, calling for deportations of pro-Hamas individuals, including those in the country on student visas.
Cotton is demanding that the department takes immediate action to remove the pro-Hamas foreign nationals who have “no place” in America.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisian ISIS Extremist Who Killed 2 Swedish Soccer Fans in Belgium Arrived in Europe in 2011
A suspected Tunisian extremist accused of shooting and killing two Swedish soccer fans in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday, has been in Europe since 2011, according to Italian government and security sources.
On Tuesday morning, police in Belgium shot and killed the suspect, a 45-year-old man who posted a video on social media claiming to be the assailant and member of the Islamic State.
The two victims left a private party early, where they were watching the Belgium-Sweden soccer match.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trans Fencer Unseats 14-Time Women’s Champion in Over 70 Category
On Sunday, a trans-identifying biological male took first place in the 70+ category at the FIE Veteran Fencing World Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida.
American Liza Kocab bested 14-time champion and biological woman Marja-Liisa Someroja, with Kocab taking his eight title.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WEF’s ‘Carbon Passports’ Restrict Public Travel to Fight ‘Global Warming’
A new push is emerging from the World Economic Forum (WEF) that seeks to fight “global warming” by placing travel restrictions on the public.
Climate alarmists are pushing a new technology in the form of digital “carbon passports.”
Much like the digital IDs pushed by unelected globalist organizations such as the WEF, “carbon passports” will track individuals’ movements and use the information to set limits on their travel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harvard will just get foreign money to replace domestic and potentially be worse. Not in foreign government influenced donors to instill commonsense and patriotism in the west.
A police officer was raped in Paris
How is it possible this women to be police and know nothing about karate
The fight with the knife and have some protection for Christ sake
For me this is beyond belief
[redacted]
Why was she alone, I am guessing here?!
She is British so presumably off duty, but again, why alone at midnight in the city? Do these people not even read the media? Or maybe just the msm…
Having looked at pictures of the scene in the hospital car park, where it looks as if a few cars burnt out, I would doubt that anyone was killed there. Perhaps a few at most.
The idea that 500 people died is ludicrous. A bomb never kills that many people. If it had, there would have been bodies and body parts everywhere, but we are meant to believe Hamas had cleaned everything up the next morning, with not a drop of blood to be seen? Total BS.
In 1940 the Luftwaffe bombed Coventry all night and virtually destroyed the city. They killed about 600 people. One bomb kills 500? I don’t think so. Hamas would not be shy about showing us the bodies, if there were any.
If the female officer was carrying off duty it could be a different story. When a much larger stronger man armed with a knife attacks an unarmed women if she uses karate it could just insure she will get killed. If anyone gets caught by surprise by a knife attack the odds of you getting mortal wound are high. Life is not the movies very few people have the very high level of training to battle a knife wheeling manic if they are “unarmed” ,and even with great training the odds greatly favor the guy with the knife. There are cases when someone with a knife is within three feet attacks armed police still stabs them many times before the police can even get his gun out of his holster. The knife wheeling idiot is shot and killed the bullet proof vest saves the officers life.
Since 9/11, many of us non-hyphenated “white supremacists” have been warning our ‘toddler rulers against permitting ANY of this [excrement] into our respective (and previously clean, sane and safe) nations. Few listened; and most not only permitted, but eagerly encouraged more and more and more [excrement] with promises of safety and (taxpayers’) money.
I wonder what happens when our collectivist mommies force us to take bad medicine, for bad reasons, from bad people and then lie to us as the [excrement] brew begins to take its toll?
Sorry, Baron, but that report was untrue. The explosion was a Palestinian missle that went awry and hit the parking lot of the hospital.
There were no people killed not even five.
Yes, I know. I mentioned what the IDF said (“the result of a rocket fired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad that went astray”), which by the next day was confirmed by multiple forms of evidence.
What multiple forms of evidence? So far, I’ve only seen reports of Israeli officials claiming such, plus some murky video cited by same of missile tracks in the night sky proving nothing relevant.
I am also still waiting for the definite footage that shows what is true. However, the other side claiming it was an Israeli airstrike has zero evidence at all. The only thing they’ve got is the usual spontaneous outrage. At this point I am half expecting that within days we will see two versions of satellite imagery, both looking credible. It just takes a little time to fabricate even with the latest AI tools.
There were some burnt out cars in the hospital car park. There was a crater a few inches deep. This was not hit by an Israeli bomb, which would have left a huge crater and tossed the cars hundreds of yards.
I have no doubt at all this damage was caused by burning fuel from a malfunctioning rocket, and the idea that it killed 500 people is absolute fantasy.
People say “there was no big crater” or “there was only a small crater” etc. but for the life of me, I can’t see anything from the available photographs clearly enough to be so goshdarned certain. And it’s amusing how many Experts crawl out of the woodwork on social media who know everything about military maneuvers, military munitions, battle zones, weapons — and a thousand other details. When the Pelosis’ house was famously broken into last year, all these Experts popped up who know with Absolute Certitude that “glass doesn’t shatter that way when you hit it from the outside” etc. I only wish I had such amazing knowledge about everything.
Dear Baron , it has since been totally debunked that there was an Israeli Joliet on a hospital in Gaza. Israelis do not do that for one, they have modern laxer guided missiles to take out terrorists.
This has been proven to be an Islamic jihad missile fired from Gaza to Israel that fell short and onto the car park of said hospital. The residual fuel burned the cars. There is no crater nothing and the fragments are not from Israeli missiles. Here a German guy debunks this Big Lie;
https://youtu.be/XYVr0lE4S9o?si=u-B-KRmI7YlYfZWI