A British government minister warned that the West is running out of weapons to supply to Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia launched a new wave of Iranian drones against targets in Ukraine, and also targeted a café in the Kharkiv region with a missile.
In other news, nine African migrants were arrested for piracy after they hijacked a Dutch tug that rescued them. The migrant “rescue” vessel that was transporting them to the Canary Islands had encountered difficulties, and the Dutch vessel was going to return them to Africa.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Caroline Glick, Dean, JW, LP, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Housing Expert: 8% Mortgage Rate ‘Does Not Seem Unlikely’ After Rates Remain at 23-Year High
Mortgage rates jumped again this week — remaining at a 23-year high and increasing the likelihood that rates could soon hit 8%.
The rate on the average 30-year fixed mortgage increased to 7.49% from 7.31% the previous week, according to Freddie Mac, following the yield of the 10-year Treasury, which spiked to a 16-year high this week. Rates are at their highest point since December 2000 for a second week in a row, with few signs of softening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Assaults Against NYPD Cops Have Skyrocketed by More Than 25% Since Last Year: Data
Assaults against NYPD cops have skyrocketed by more than 25% this year, troubling new police data obtained by The Post shows.
So far in 2023, 1,731 assaults on cops have been reported, compared to 1,371 for the same period last year — a 26.25% increase, the NYPD statistics show.
The numbers include attacks on uniformed cops as well as those against off-duty officers who take “police action” — meaning identifying themselves as members of New York’s Finest, the NYPD said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s Dog Commander Leaves White House After Numerous Biting Incidents
Commander Biden, the president’s dog, has reportedly been removed from the White House following at least a dozen biting incidents.
Communications director for the First Lady Jill Biden, Elizabeth Alexander, told Fox News, “The President and First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bob Menendez’s Wife Struck and Killed Pedestrian in New Jersey in 2018
No charges were brought after the crash, which occurred two years before Nadine Arslanian married the now embattled US senator
The wife and co-defendant of the indicted US senator Bob Menendez struck and killed a pedestrian in 2018, according to newly released police records.
Nadine Arslanian Menendez was behind the steering wheel of a car at the center of a fatal crash which took place on 12 December 2018, the New York Times and the Record newspaper of Bergen, New Jersey, first reported.
Arslanian, as she went by before her marriage, never faced charges for the deadly crash in Bogota, New Jersey. In fact, shortly after the wreck, Arslanian and Bob Menendez were given a brand-new luxury car as a gift.
Arslanian struck and killed 49-year-old Richard Koop.
According to police records, Koop was killed almost instantly after being hit by Arslanian.
He was found lying in the road with a number of serious injuries, including “severe head trauma” and “possible fractured legs and arms”, NBC News reported.
Arslanian reportedly hit a parked car after hitting Koop and was “bleeding from her hands”, police records said.
“Why was the guy in the middle of the street? I didn’t do anything wrong, you know?” Arslanian said to police, according to the dashboard camera video obtained by NBC News.
A police report on the crash stated that Arslanian was “not at fault” for the accident because Koop was “jaywalking and did not cross the street at an intersection or in a marked crosswalk,” NBC reported.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Cornel West to Run as Independent, Forgoing Green Party Run
Presidential candidate Cornel West is no longer running under the Green Party banner and will seek the White House as an independent candidate, adding to Democrats’ fear of the impact of third-party candidates in the 2024 election.
West announced his decision to switch to an independent ticket on Thursday in a video posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Education Shock: 200 Maryland Public Schools Have <5% Students Proficient in Math
Investigative journalist Chris Papst of Fox45 News’ Project Baltimore revealed Thursday morning another bombshell report on the massive grade scandal in the progressive state of Maryland:
FACT: Current state of Maryland public schools. More than 200 schools (according to state data) have 5% or fewer students proficient in math. Meaning, in at least 200 schools, at best 95% of students are NOT math proficient. Seems unbelievable, but true.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elizabeth Warren, Josh Hawley Support Bill Calling for Online Digital ID Age Verification
If you were one of few pinning your hopes for Senator Elizabeth Warren to have your back as a user of the free internet — the latest legislative efforts she has been heavily backed might just burst your bubble.
The same goes for those who had the same hopes regarding the activities of Senator Josh Hawley. These two — a prominent Democrat, and a Republican of the same stature — have thrown their weight behind what’s known as the Kids Online Safety Act.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Sued by SEC for Failure to Comply With Twitter Investigation
The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Elon Musk in an effort to force him to testify in an investigation into whether he had broken financial laws while buying X, formerly known as Twitter, for $44 billion.
The SEC filed the suit in the Northern District of California on Thursday. The commission is investigating whether Musk violated securities laws in connection with the October 2022 purchase of X. Musk had been summoned to testify last month, the filing claims, but failed to appear for testimony in San Francisco.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Agent Fails to Show for Congressional Testimony After Lies About Hunter Biden Laptop Exposed
FBI agent Elvis Chan has failed to show up for a congressional testimony before the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH).
Chan’s no-show comes after he was caught in an apparent lie under oath over claims about his role in censoring the Hunter Biden “Laptop from Hell” story.
The FBI agent was scheduled to testify before Jordan and the Judiciary Committee on Thursday but didn’t turn up.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fox News Asks Judge to Compel Soros to Produce Documents as Part of SmartMatic Lawsuit
Fox News is asking a judge in New York to compel billionaire George Soros to comply with a subpoena and produce documents as the network seeks to defend itself from claims of defamation brought by voting systems company Smartmatic.
In a new court filing, Fox’s lawyers assert the network is “entitled to all evidence that is relevant to Smartmatic’s claims and Fox’s defenses, including evidence bearing on the full extent of Smartmatic’s entanglement with the Soros Group.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gates Foundation Wants Help to Create Digital ID and Payments System
“Financial inclusion” seems to be the buzzword that proponents of digital IDs, payments, and data exchange have picked for their PR sloganeering in favor of something that is, objectively, very controversial.
And where better to “test” something of that kind than among those who due to their economic circumstances don’t have much of a say — like a number of African countries.
But don’t expect those behind the effort, juggernauts like Mastercard or the (Bill) Gates Foundation, to ever spell it out in those stark terms. After all, it’s genuine concern for other humans, equity, equality, and kindness that’s been behind the billions, if not trillions of dollars they have amassed thus far, right?
Clearly not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liberal Protesters Ram Car Into Ramaswamy Campaign Vehicle
A group of liberal protesters rammed a car into a campaign vehicle for Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday outside a campaign stop in Grinnell, Iowa.
The scene outside the coffee house where Ramaswamy appeared included a handful of protesters who shouted obscenities at the candidate. One of the protesters inside the blue Honda Civic gave Ramaswamy the middle finger and blared the car horn. The campaign said it could not determine whether the crash was intentional, according to Fox News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: Rising Number of Americans Against Arming Ukraine
The portion of Americans against sending additional weapons to Ukraine is on the rise, growing by seven percent since May, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The poll, published on Thursday, indicates that support for Ukraine is waning, as 46 percent of Americans were in favor of shipping weapons to the country in May, but now only 41 percent would back such an initiative. Conversely, 29 percent of Americans were against sending weapons in May, but that number has surged and now sits at 35 percent. This marks an 11-point swing in the change of public opinion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: OpenAI’s ChatGPT Maintains Blacklist of Websites, Including Breitbart News
A self-professed “Comp Sci, Politics and Finance Nerd” claims to have discovered a list of blacklisted websites that OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4 will not draw from, for reasons such as “conspiracy theories” and “hate speech” — a list that includes Breitbart News and other conservative outlets like the Epoch Times.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Sean Penn Slams Leftists Who Want to End Ukraine War Through Peace Deal With Russia
Hollywood star Sean Penn has turned his righteous anger toward his own side of the political spectrum, slamming fellow leftists who want to end the Ukraine war through a peace deal with Russia.
Sean Penn — who is chummy with Ukraine President Volodymr Zelensky — spoke in an interview with Deadline’s Doc Talk podcast.
The actor singled out leftists who are calling for peace talks with Russia, saying that could jeopardize Ukraine’s freedom.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A suspected member of a violent home invasion gang was stunned when a judge refused to release him.
Video of the courtroom moment shows the Seattle thug appeared confused when the judge didn’t offer him “house arrest” for the disturbing criminal charges.
KOMO News reported that the 16-year-old is charged with three counts of robbery, three counts of burglary, and one theft count.
“I can’t get house arrest?” the robbery suspect asks the judge in the clip.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Striking Auto Workers Warn: Biden’s Green Agenda ‘Going to Wipe Us Out’
Striking auto workers are warning that Biden’s green agenda, including Electric Vehicle (EV) mandates, will eliminate their jobs entirely.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Top Climate Scientist Blows Whistle, Admits ‘Crisis’ is a Hoax
One of the world’s most respected climate scientists has blown the lid off the green agenda narrative that the Earth is facing a “crisis” due to “global warming.”
Dr. Judith Curry is a climatologist who has published more than 140 scientific books and papers.
Curry, who served as former chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has also admitted to pushing fake “climate change” propaganda herself.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former President Donald Trump revealed Thursday that he would accept a short-term role as speaker of the House “if necessary” to unite the Republican Party.
Trump, 77, told Fox News Digital that if Republicans struggle to reach a consensus on a replacement for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), he’d be willing to fill the role for a “30, 60, or 90-day period.”
“I have been asked to speak as a unifier because I have so many friends in Congress,” the former president said. “If they don’t get the vote, they have asked me if I would consider taking the speakership until they get somebody longer-term because I am running for president.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A woman accused Walmart of racism after lobbing food at a state trooper who then restrained her in a New York suburban outlet while she bellowed, “drag me the f**k out.”
In a startling video, the woman — whom police said was suffering from a possible “mental health issue” — is seen screaming at the officer while sitting on a motorized scooter inside a Westchester County store around 6:30 p.m. Monday.
It’s unclear why police were called, but the altercation broke out in a checkout line — and the woman appeared to have an array of fresh produce on the belt, a video posted to Reddit showed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Apologizes for Awarding One of Nation’s Highest Honors to Nazi Soldier
The Office of the Governor-General of Canada apologized on Wednesday after the discovery that a 1987 recipient of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s top honors, was a veteran of Adolf Hitler’s Waffen-SS, stating that honoring Nazi soldiers is not “reflective of Canadian values.”
The discovery that Order of Canada recipient Peter Savaryn served in the Waffen-SS Galicia Division, a Nazi division serving in Ukraine, followed the outrageous standing ovation offered to a soldier from the same unit, 98-year-old Yaroslav Hunka, in Canada’s Parliament in late September.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Andorra Imposes Foreign Property Purchase Restrictions Amidst Rising Housing Concerns
Amid escalating real estate prices, Andorra, a tiny European state tucked between France and Spain, has imposed a temporary restriction on foreign property acquisitions, writes Euronews.
Attracting wealthy expatriates with its ski destinations, comfortable summer climate and substantial tax incentives. Andorra is witnessing a property dilemma, this has been exacerbated by an influx of affluent foreigners, resulting in a surge in housing costs that is sidelining the local population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria to Repeal State Secrets Law by 2025, Granting Citizens Access to Government Information
Austria is planning to repeal the law on state secrets by 2025, which will grant citizens access to government information. Austria’s Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler and Minister of Constitution Karolina Edtstadler announced this during a press conference.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID-19 Shot May be Linked to Unexpected Vaginal Bleeding: Study
Authored by Mary Gillis via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Norwegian scientists have discovered an unusual side effect in COVID-19-vaccinated women who don’t menstruate: atypical vaginal bleeding after injection with the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech President Petr Pavel was criticized by both members of the governing party and political opposition for suggesting that EU member states should be prepared to ditch the veto on key issues related to foreign policy and security in order to create a stronger, more powerful bloc.
In a speech on Tuesday at the Concert Hall in the Belgian city of Bruges, the Czech head of state delivered a pro-EU, pro-NATO address in which he identified the many challenges the European Union is currently faced with, including Russian aggression, an assertive China, the climate crisis, and the rise of illegal migration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Unity for Supporting Ukraine is Crumbling, Argues Journalist in Top German Newspaper
Europe has shown remarkable unity since the beginning of the war, but there are signs that changes may be coming, according to a Süddeutsche Zeitung analysis penned by Hubert Wetzer.
The fact that the EU foreign ministers met for the first time in Kyiv was, according to the author of the article, intended to be a symbol. On the substance, however, there seems to be growing fragmentation regarding European unity. Hungary and Poland, for example, did not send their top diplomatic envoy, which has been interpreted as a snub.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Europe’s Path to Energy Autonomy: A $2.1 Trillion Renewable Push by 2040
Europe could achieve energy self-sufficiency by channeling approximately 2 trillion euros ($2.1 trillion) into renewable sources like solar, wind, hydrogen and geothermal by 2040, a recent study indicates.
The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research spearheaded the study, revealing that to realize this vision, Europe would need an annual investment of around 140 billion euros up to 2030, followed by 100 billion euros annually for the subsequent decade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PARIS (AP) — They creep, they crawl, they feast on your blood as you sleep. They may travel in your clothes or backpacks to find another person worth dining on — on the subway, or at the cinema. Bedbugs go where you go, and they have become a nightmare haunting France for weeks.
The government has been forced to step in to calm an increasingly anxious nation that will host the Olympic Games in just over nine months — a prime venue for infestations of the crowd-loving insects.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne called a meeting of ministers for Friday to tackle the bedbug crisis. The country’s transport minister, Clement Beaune, met this week with transportation companies to draw up a plan for monitoring and disinfecting — and to try to ease what some have called a national psychosis inflamed by the media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Blogger ‘Love Priest’ Fined 11,000 Euros for Satirical Remarks
Tim Kellner, a well-known German blogger also known as the “Love Priest,” was fined 11,000 euros by the District Court of Detmold in North Rhine-Westphalia. The reason for this penalty was allegedly an insult, as reported by Deutschland Kurier.
Kellner appeared in court wearing a pink outfit that reflected his personal style, including a hoodie, shorts and shoes, all in pink. He also wore distinctive mirrored glasses and a rainbow bracelet. Tim Kellner is a former soldier and elite police officer.
The charges against the “Love Priest” were based on videos in which he satirically criticized, among others, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock of the “Greens” and Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the SPD. In one video, he referred to Faeser as a “puffy dumpling,” and in another video, he transformed Annalena Baerbock into “Annalenus Baerbockus” and altered one of her quotes to make it appear satirical: “Germany is a wealthy country. I want to change that.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Household Energy in Hungary Remains the Most Affordable in Europe
According to data from the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority, Szilard Németh, the government commissioner responsible for utility cost reduction, has revealed that Hungary continues to offer the lowest residential electricity and natural gas prices among European capitals. This information was reported by Hungary Today citing Magyar Nemzet.
In a recent social media post, the government commissioner highlighted that Hungarians still enjoy the most economical household energy rates in Europe. He emphasized that, on average consumption levels, each Hungarian household saves approximately HUF 181,000 (EUR 470) per month.
The data from the Hungarian Energy and Public Utility Regulatory Authority indicates that, for households, the highest natural gas prices were observed in Stockholm at 28.31 EUR cents/kWh, whereas in Budapest, it was only 2.69 EUR cents. Regarding electricity for households, Dublin had the highest rates at 47.12 EUR cents/kWh, while Budapest had rates of 9.77 EUR cents and Belgrade 9.76 EUR cents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Parliament Approves Modified Windfall Tax on Banks Amidst Investor Concerns
Italy’s parliament has endorsed a revised version of the contentious windfall tax on banks, addressing concerns that initially alarmed investors. This comes after the tax announcement in August led to a significant drop in market value.
The government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, gained approval for a scheme that taxes bank profits but grants lenders an out: they can forgo the payment if they allocate more to capital reserves. Forza Italia, a smaller party in Meloni’s coalition, heavily backed this amendment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Limited Military Resources: Italy Contemplates Rejecting the Next Military Aid Package for Ukraine
Following the announcement by Deputy Prime Minister Tajani regarding a potential eighth package of military supplies for Ukraine, Defense Minister Crosetto appears to be taking a cautious approach, describing the current statement as an intention rather than a definite commitment. This raises questions about the provision of further military aid to Ukraine, as the Italian government reflects on the matter, as reported by Avvenire.
During ongoing long-distance discussions, the Ukrainian government expressed gratitude to Italy for its consistent military support and requested long-range missile systems and electronic warfare tools. They also invited Italy and Italian companies to invest in the Ukrainian military industry, seeking a closer partnership.
However, the current Italian government seems divided on how to respond to this request.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meta to Placate EU, Charge Users for Ad-Free Access
EU-based Instagram and Facebook users who wish their experience to be ad-free will have to soon cough up €10 for each service (or €16 for both), according to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal.
Sources have told the newspaper that Meta, the parent company of both social media platforms, has already submitted such plans to European regulators in order to comply with the bloc’s stringent new privacy laws.
Under these laws, the harvesting of users’ information to target them through highly personalized ads—to this day, still Meta’s largest source of revenue—will be heavily curtailed.
In order to satisfy EU regulators while maintaining its own revenue, Meta is then likely to offer customers the choice between a free, ad-supported plan and a paid subscription as a mutually beneficial compromise.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban took to platform X to point out what he says is the “Orwellian world” the European Union is creating, including promoting war via a facility meant for peace and attempting to curtail media as a form of freedom.
“Brussels is creating an Orwellian world in front of our eyes. They buy and supply weapons through the #EuropeanPeaceFacility. They want to control the media through the #MediaFreedomAct. We didn’t fight the communists to end up in 1984!” wrote Orban.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Premium Car Sales Surge in Czech Republic Outpacing Market Growth
This year, sales of premium-class cars in the Czech Republic have sharply increased by 39% compared to the previous year, significantly outpacing the overall market growth. This growth is attributed to the introduction of a 2 million Czech crowns limit on the purchase of company cars and the cessation of accelerated two-year depreciation, which was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both changes will come into effect in 2024, as reported by Czech publications.
While domestic demand for new household cars remains stable, demand from companies is gradually rising, and it is expected to further increase by the end of the year. This growth primarily pertains to inquiries and orders from corporate clients, with the peak of corporate purchases anticipated in October and November. Dealerships of Audi and Volkswagen have already experienced an increase in requests for luxury cars.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scotland: Glasgow Man Kidnapped by Runaway Electric Vehicle Rescued in Daring Police Operation
A Glasgow man experienced a nightmarish journey in his electric car as it refused to stop, compelling him to navigate through busy city streets at a consistent 30 mph, and ultimately requiring a risky police operation to bring the vehicle to a halt.
BBC News reports that Brian Morrison, a native of Glasgow, Scotland, found himself trapped in a perilous situation when his brand new MG ZS EV electric car became completely uncontrollable, cruising at a constant 30mph and resisting all attempts to brake or stop the car. The bizarre malfunction turned a routine drive home into a terrifying ordeal, sparking questions about the safety and reliability of electric vehicles. MG, a famous brand name in the car world, is now owned by Chinese company SAIC Motor Corp.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovak President Calls for Delay in Aid to Ukraine Following Parliamentary Elections
Slovakia’s President Zuzana Caputova has called for the postponement of aid to Ukraine following the parliamentary elections, as reported by Dennik N. Former Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, whose political bloc emerged victorious in the elections, pledged not to supply any military equipment to Ukraine.
President Caputova expressed the view that it is necessary to respect the voters’ decision and wait until the formation of a new government coalition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Plans to Purchase Patriot Air Defense From the USA
Spain intends to acquire four divisions of the Patriot Configuration-3+ missile defense systems from the United States. The potential deal has been approved by the U.S. State Department, as reported by Reuters.
The European country is ready to spend $2.8 billion on the purchase of four divisions of Patriot Configuration-3+. After the potential sale is approved, it will be reviewed by the U.S. Congress within a mont.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Conservatives Vow to Protect Free Speech, Days After Passing Online Censorship Law
It seems the UK’s Conservative Party would like to sit on two chairs when it comes to some key, and very controversial policies — at once appearing to support people’s right to free speech, but then also actively undermining it.
Case in point: while apparently determined to stop the practice of “debanking” UK citizens just because of their publicly expressed political views, the Conservative government is also passing legislation such as the Online Safety Bill, widely criticized as anti-free speech.
On Monday, the country’s Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt announced that banks would have to, going forward, adhere to more strict rules that would prevent them from cutting off customers from services and closing their accounts purely based on these people’s politics.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 800 Climate Spy Cameras Damaged or Stolen as London Revolts Against Green Agenda
London’s Metropolitan Police has revealed that nearly 800 spy cameras installed to enforce far-left Mayor Sadiq Khan’s green agenda car tax have been stolen or destroyed since May.
In August, Mayor Khan expanded the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) — a system of fines and levies originally intended to reduce traffic and pollution in Central London — to the entire greater area of the British capital, thereby taxing thousands of workers driving anywhere in the city, including in suburban and semi-rural areas between £12.50 to £27.50 if their vehicle does not meet the local Labour Party government’s climate standards.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Concern Over Harsh Response to Quiet Tory Conference ‘Heckler’
A man, who happens to be a fairly prominent Tory, was forcibly removed from the Conservative Party conference Tuesday for quietly protesting.
Reports have described Andrew Boff, a London Assembly member and former party leader in City Hall, as a “heckler” or “protester,” but, from the footage that is available online, it would be a stretch to describe his intervention as anything beyond a passionate chunter. According to The Guardian, “nearby attenders said he was speaking relatively quietly, and did not cause any major disruption.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Former Tory PMs Line Up Against Sunak
Every former Tory prime minister of the 21st century has come out against Rishi Sunak’s conference pledges.
His decision to scrap the northern leg of the HS2 high-speed rail link has prompted criticism from David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Theresa May, while Liz Truss has already indicated that she will vote against the proposed smoking ban.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Just Stop Oil: Five Charged After Protesters Disrupt Les Miserables
Five Just Stop Oil protestors have been charged with aggravated trespass after a performance of Les Miserables in London’s West End was halted.
A video shared by the activist group showed demonstrators getting up on to the Sondheim Theatre’s stage and asking the audience to “join the rebellion”.
Audience members can be heard booing and telling the activists to “get off”.
The show on Wednesday night did not resume — organisers instead offered refunds or tickets for another night.
Having arrested five people, aged between 18 and 28, the Metropolitan Police later confirmed that all had been charged.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Prime Minister Says Westminster is Broke
Rishi Sunak has issued what appears to be a fairly radical attack on the British political system, which he said “doesn’t work the way it should.”
In his Tory conference speech on Wednesday, October 4th, the prime minister pledged to do away with the “short-term” focus that he described as having blighted the last 30 years of Conservative and Labour leadership. Sunak concluded that by turning away from this failed approach, Britain, under his continued watch, can expect a “brighter future.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine is a country that is “corrupt at all levels of society” and its immediate accession to the European Union would not be good for the bloc, the former President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has claimed.
In a wide-ranging interview with the German newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine, Juncker expressed his anger at European politicians who he accused of making “false promises to the people in Ukraine who are up to their necks in suffering,” and insisted the country was in need of “massive internal reform” before it could be considered as a viable prospect to join the European Union.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Croatian MEP Calls for Mainstream Media Outlets to be “Declared Terrorist Organizations”
A Croatian official has called for major mainstream media outlets to be deemed “terrorist organizations” due to “fake news and hate they spread.”
Mislav Kolakusic, a former judge and politically independent member of European Parliament (MEP), slammed a variety of prominent media organizations along with European Union bodies in a blistering speech on the floor this week in Strasbourg, France.
MEP Kolakusic shared translated clips from his speech on social media.
“In order to return to normal human values, it is necessary that CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, Deutsche Welle and similar media fanatics and media Taliban be declared terrorist organizations,” Kolakusic said.
“During the so-called pandemics and forced wars, they produce enormous amounts of false information and spread hatred among people and nations, resulting in millions of victims throughout Europe and the world.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Young Homeownership in Portugal Drops by Half in Two Decades Amid Housing Crisis
The number of young homeowners in Portugal has seen a sharp decline over the past 20 years with just over 25% of Portuguese citizens born post-1997 becoming homeowners by the age of 25. In contrast, 55% of those born between 1977 and 1986 had already secured their own properties by the same age.
Data released by Portugal’s central bank on Wednesday indicates the profound impact of the nation’s real estate crisis. Despite Portugal traditionally being a low-income country, there’s been a significant surge in house prices over the last decade. This makes homeownership increasingly unattainable for the younger populace.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: “We the People” Begin to Speak
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family packed their bags Monday night for their vacation on the Golan Heights.
The police also made their routine preparations. They set up a water cannon outside the hotel where the Netanyahus are staying to prevent leftist rioters from getting near the premier and his family.
On the face of things, the left’s insurrectionists are as strong as ever. They have unlimited funds to spend on their activities. They are guided by Israel’s most talented PR executives. They receive wall-to-wall support from 95% of Israeli media outlets. And, acting on orders from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the police are prohibited from enforcing the law against them.
The insurgents’ current target is religious Judaism and religious Jews.
On Sunday night, a group of leftist male bullies stormed a movie screening for ultra-Orthodox girls and women in Jerusalem to block them from watching a film without males in the room.
Haaretz reporter Yael Freidson cheered them on, writing on X/Twitter, “Neighborhood men appeared at a [film] screening that was organized for women and girls, and prevented the same-sex event from taking place. For those who didn’t understand from the events of recent weeks, the contract has been reopened.”
Freidson’s allusion to “the contract” relates to Israel’s social contract, which permits autonomy and use of public spaces for various religious and social sectors in Israel’s multicultural society. The leftist insurrection now demands that freedom of access be blocked for people who aren’t like them.
Freidson’s mention of “the contract” was also an allusion to a new political party. In August, the heads of Brothers in Arms, the insurgency’s habitually violent paramilitary force, formed a political party called “New Contract.” It will run candidates in the municipal elections scheduled for Oct. 31. The goal is to win enough seats on municipal councils to prevent mayors from forming governing coalitions or otherwise cooperating with religious parties and Likud.
Public spaces
By making mayors dependent on Brothers in Arms and their shock forces-turned-city-councilmen, the hard leftists are certain they will be able to prevent the practice of traditional Judaism and ban traditional Jewish lifestyles from public spaces.
They may be right. To date, no liberal or leftist politician has given Brothers in Arms and its comrades from the Kaplan Brigades and the left’s other anti-government groups a reason to fear failure. When Brothers in Arms and its comrades rioted at Yom Kippur services in central and northern Tel Aviv, in Givatayim, Rishon Letzion, Zichron Yaakov and Haifa last week, no center-left or leftist politicians condemned them.
On the contrary, most leftist politicians supported the rioters and condemned the Jews who were trying to pray publically. Opposition leader Yair Lapid’s underling Orna Barbivai, who recently left the Knesset to fun for the Tel Aviv mayor, said in a radio interview last Wednesday that if she is elected, Orthodox Jewish outreach will be banned from the public square, and that anyone who doesn’t get with the program will be shown the door.
“I think that every resident of Tel Aviv needs to be asked what happened that in the base of liberalism, there is such a large group of Torah communities that managed to root themselves and come in from outside with agendas.”
If she is elected mayor, Barbivai pledged, “Anyone who doesn’t abide by the standards that I as a liberal mayor will lead—won’t be here.”
With that kind of support, and with an endless pile of cash to spend, what could go wrong for the insurgency?
It works out that plenty can—and has—gone wrong…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Britain Warns West is Running Out of Weapons to Give Ukraine
After over a year of supplying the high-intensity Ukraine war “stockpiles are looking a bit thin” and supplies of some key items have “run dry”, Britain tells the world in apparently coordinated statements on the matter.
Western states like the United Kingdom saved money after the Cold War — the ‘peace dividend’ — by making military stocks much more efficient, but decades of slimming down suddenly meeting an unexpectedly long-lasting and intense war in Ukraine means some weapons have simply run out. This news comes in remarks from Armed Forces Minister James Heappey at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, as well as from an anonymous “senior military source” briefing on empty stockpiles to a British newspaper on the subject at the same time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky addressed some 50 European leaders at a major summit in Spain on Thursday, warning those present Russia is already sizing some of them up to invade, saying the West must keep supporting the war effort to stop that from happening.
A meeting of the European Political Community, a forum of 44 states founded after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and involving every European state, as well as Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, but except Belarus, Russia and the Vatican, saw leaders meet in Granada, Spain, on Thursday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to the event and in remarks published after the round table, he stated his warning of the violence European cities could expect if their leaders didn’t stand behind him to military defeat Russia now.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Media Coverage of Ukraine War Dwindles
Authored by Kalev Leetaru via RealClearPolitics.com
As the Russia-Ukraine war grinds on more than a year and a half after the initial invasion, U.S. economic and military support for Ukraine has become increasingly embroiled in domestic politics. How is the media covering Ukraine as the war continues?
The timeline below shows total daily mentions of Ukraine across BBC News London, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News since the start of last year. The initial early January 2022 jump in mentions captures the growing fear of an invasion, leading to a vertical surge in coverage as Russian troops surrounded and then poured into the country. Remarkably, peak coverage lasts only a single day (February 25, 2022) before immediately falling. Coverage remained elevated for about two weeks, but then began declining the week of March 14, eventually reaching levels in May 2022 at which it has remained ever since.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Putin on Prigozhin Death: Wagner Leaders Got Drunk, High, & Played With Grenades Aboard Plane
President Vladimir Putin just floated the most interesting — and let’s say, colorful — theory to date on why Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane went down outside Moscow on August 23. While much of Western reporting and even Russian media itself have described the Wagner chief’s death as due to either an anti-air missile or a planted bomb being detonated, Putin told an annual meeting of the Valdai Club in Sochi on Thursday that Prigozhin and his men likely got drunk or possibly high, and were playing with grenades.
Bloomberg, which picked up on the unexpected public comments, wrote: “Russian President Vladimir Putin said pieces of grenade were found in the bodies of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and other mercenary leaders who died in a plane crash, as he hinted that the man who led an armed revolt against the Kremlin’s military leadership had been a drug user.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Has Tested a Nuclear-Powered Missile and Could Revoke a Global Atomic Test Ban, Putin Says
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has successfully tested an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, while also warning that the country’s parliament could revoke its ratification of a treaty banning nuclear tests.
In a speech at a forum of foreign policy experts, Putin announced that Russia has effectively completed the development of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile and will work on putting them into production.
“We conducted the last successful test of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered global-range cruise missile,” he said without elaborating. His statement was the first announcement of a successful test of the Burevestnik, which translates as “Storm Petrel.” It was first mentioned by Putin in 2018.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Launches Fresh Wave of Iranian Drones Against Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia targeted Ukraine with drones in another massive attack early Thursday as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Spain to rally support from Western allies at a summit of some 50 European leaders.
Ukraine’s air force said that the country’s air defenses intercepted 24 out of 29 Iranian-made drones that Russia launched at the southern Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kirovohrad regions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Prepares for WWIII as Public Receives ‘Nuke Incoming’ Warnings
The Russian public has been taking part in nuclear attack drills across the country as the nation appears to be preparing for World War III.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, sirens blared out across Russia as part of a bone-chilling drill for an incoming nuclear attack.
Children at every Russian school donned gas masks while civilians flocked to bomb shelters and workers hid under benches.
The eerie siren could be heard across the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Missile Strike on Cafe and Shop Kills 51 in Ukraine, Kyiv Says
KYIV, Oct 5 (Reuters) — A Russian missile slammed into a cafe and grocery store in a village in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing at least 51 people as they held a memorial service, Ukrainian officials said.
The cafe and shop were struck and reduced to rubble early in the afternoon in Hroza village in the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said, adding that many civilians had been there at the time.
Officials posted footage of dazed-looking rescue workers clambering through smouldering rubble. Some photos showed bodies lying alongside slabs of concrete and twisted metal, and others showed rescue workers carrying away bodies.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said residents of the village of about 330 people had been holding a memorial service in the cafe that was hit, and local officials said they had been sitting down to a meal.
“From every family, from every household, there were people present at this commemoration. This is a terrible tragedy,” Klymenko told Ukrainian television.
The attack was the deadliest in the Kharkiv region since Russia’s invasion more than 19 months ago, a spokesperson for the Kharkiv regional military administration told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.
It also appeared to be one of the biggest civilian death tolls in any single Russian strike since the start of the war.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Has Functionally Defeated the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Says Britain
The Russian Black Sea Fleet has scattered to escape repeated Ukrainian strikes and consequently is now too far away from the war to be able to engage in it, a functional defeat, the British Armed Forces Minister said on Tuesday.
While Ukraine had considerable successes in the land war in 2022 these were not forthcoming in 2023, but that doesn’t mean they are without progress in pushing Russia back, the British Armed Forces Minister told a conference. James Heappey pointed to Ukraine’s strikes against the Russian navy as a clear measure of their progress at the Warsaw Security Forum on Tuesday, arguing the force is no longer able to function to support the war and therefore has been functionally defeated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Transgender Spokesperson Returns to Duty After Suspension, Announces Book Deal
Ukraine’s controversial transgender spokesperson Sarah Ashton-Cirillo has claimed to have been reinstated in the role representing the Territorial Defence Forces (TDF) after being suspended last month.
“I continue in the role of TDF spokesperson. Truth, trust, and humanity will always prevail over accusations, allegations, and artificial intelligence,” Ashton-Cirillo said on Tuesday.
The American citizen, born as Michael John Cirillo before ‘transitioning’, went on to claim to have signed two book contracts with Potomac Books publishing, with the first volume set to be released in the summer of next year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine ‘Freaking Out’ Over McCarthy’s Removal: ‘It is a Disaster’
Ukraine is reportedly “freaking out” after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed as House speaker this week.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, an MP who chairs the committee on Ukraine’s integration into the EU, warned that America needs to be “getting things sorted out so American democracy can function.”
“We are freaking out,” Klympush-Tsintsadze told Politico in a report published Wednesday.
“For us, it is a disaster,” the top Ukrainian official said of McCarthy’s ouster.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Has Lost 90,000 Men Since June — Putin
by RT
The Ukrainian military has lost more than 90,000 troops since its counteroffensive against Russian forces began in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday.
“Since June 4 alone, Ukrainian units have already lost over 90,000 people,” Putin told a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, noting that this number includes both deaths and incapacitations.
Ukraine has also lost 557 tanks and almost 1,900 armored vehicles in the same timeframe, Putin added.
The counteroffensive began on June 4 with a series of Ukrainian advances along the frontline between Kherson and Donetsk. The operation quickly ran into trouble, however, as Ukrainian units advanced headlong through minefields to meet multiple layers of Russian trenches, tank traps, and gun emplacements. With no air support to cover the repeated Ukrainian assaults, Kiev’s troops were exposed to attacks by Russian artillery, helicopters, and drones.
After adjusting their tactics several times, Ukrainian units managed to capture a handful of villages near Zaporozhye in August, although losses remained high. Western-supplied tanks were destroyed from afar by Russian drones and missiles, and Ukraine lost 17,000 men in September alone, according to figures from the Russian Defense Ministry.
Western officials have publicly acknowledged that the counteroffensive did not proceed as they would have hoped, and media reports suggest that the operation is viewed as a failure in the US and Europe. Even though heavy autumn rains will soon make progress on the battlefield extremely difficult, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has vowed to keep the offensive going into the winter.
The Ukrainian military does not publish its own casualty figures, although some estimates have leaked out. Back in December, the European Commission published and swiftly deleted a video and its associated transcript in which Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the Ukrainian military had suffered 100,000 fatalities in the first nine months of the conflict.
“We understand where and what we need to do,” Putin said on Thursday. “We are calmly moving towards achieving our goals, and I am confident that we will achieve them.”
Putin emphasized that Russia’s goal in Ukraine was not to expand the territory of the Russian Federation, but to build a “new world order” in which NATO or other military blocs were no longer able to impose their will on civilizations that resist. Putin also highlighted Kiev’s repression of Russian-speakers in the Donbass region as a key factor behind his decision to launch the military operation in Ukraine last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: NATO Minister Suggests Ukrainian Lives Are “Cheap”
In yet another instance of a Western official speaking the quiet part out loud, the Netherlands’ defense minister issued some controversial remarks on Wednesday wherein she referred to supporting Ukraine as a “cheap” way to ensure Europe’s security.
“There are of course reasons to worry,” Dutch defense chief Kajsa Ollongren began at the Warsaw Security Forum when asked her view on if the West can keep up the level of support needed for the Ukrainians to drive back Russia. She went on to speak of the 20-month old conflict raging on Europe’s eastern doorstep in cost-effective terms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Azerbaijani Arrests in Nagorno-Karabakh Sour Relations With EU
Azerbaijan confirmed on Thursday, October 5th, that it had detained an ex-president of its recently captured separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which agreed to reintegrate with Azerbaijan in the wake of Baku’s lighting offensive last month. Azerbaijan’s prosecutor general and security service said in a joint statement that Arayik Harutyunyan was detained on Tuesday on “suspicion of waging an aggressive war” against Azerbaijan and alleged war crimes. The 49-year-old headed the separatist government during the 2020 armed conflict between Baku and Yerevan for control of the mountainous enclave and stepped down in early September, shortly before Baku’s offensive.
Separatist authorities in the breakaway region agreed to disarm, dissolve their government, and reintegrate with Azerbaijan following Baku’s one-day military operation in late September. The central government in Baku is holding “re-integration” talks with separatist leaders, but Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev has said criminal investigations have been initiated into crimes committed by 300 separatist officials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
– draws pundit outrage as western nations spend BILLIONS to push citizens to reduce carbon footprint
As Western nations spend and impose restrictions on citizens in the name of climate change, China is plowing ahead with its coal-powered plan for global dominance.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Tokyo’s Shibuya District Urges Tourists to Avoid Halloween Celebrations Amid Overcrowding Concerns
Tokyo’s bustling Shibuya district, known for its shopping and entertainment hubs, has sent out a strong message urging people to avoid celebrating Halloween there.
The district’s mayor, Ken Hasebe, expressed deep concerns that the massive influx of revelers, especially after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, could lead to potentially disastrous situations, drawing parallels with last year’s tragic crowd surge in Seoul, South Korea, during Halloween.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Aussie Gemco Miners Attacked With Axes in Terrifying Siege on Groote Eyelandt
A remote Northern Territory mine has been targeted in terrifying armed incidents, one of which turned into a violent siege which saw three shift workers treated for eye and chest injuries.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Lidia Thorpe has savaged Anthony Albanese over the Voice referendum after she was threatened by a neo-Nazi in a vile online video.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Why So Many People Are Fleeing Sydney — And Where They Are Going
Tens of thousands of Sydneysiders are flocking to live on the Gold Coast. An ex-Sydney tradie and single dad told Daily Mail Australia why he went and how life is different in Queensland.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Due to a Mysterious Illness, 106 Schoolgirls Have Been Hospitalized in Kenya
In Eregi, western Kenya, a girls’ middle school named St. Teresa’s has been partially closed after 106 students were hospitalized due to a mysterious illness that led to leg paralysis, as reported by the Kenyan publication Star.
According to the latest information, a thousand students have been sent home with 106 of them currently in the hospital. The Kenyan Ministry of Education has decided to temporarily close the school pending a thorough assessment of the situation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nine migrants have been arrested on suspicion of attempting to hijack a Dutch cargo ship in Morocco.
The suspects were part of a group of migrants rescued by the VOS Pace vessel after the boat they were using to migrate to Europe got into difficulty a few kilometers off the Moroccan coast.
The offshore supply ship, which is registered in the Netherlands, brought on board 79 migrants from two boats in distress on Monday night.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Parliament Votes to Limit State’s Right to Control Borders
The European Parliament’s left-wing majority has adopted the Schengen reform proposal which explicitly aims to ensure member states cannot reinstate internal borders within the Schengen Area except “as a last resort.”
In a plenary vote on Thursday, September 5th, the Left defeated the conservative parties’ challenge of the package, which will restrict member states’ ability to protect their borders and therefore violate their fundamental sovereignty.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Wednesday, Brussels rushed through another pro-migration legislative step that will reshape Europe and allow the left-liberals to relocate migrants across the continent, especially to those countries in the east that have been most resistant to mass immigration.
Hungarian Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior Bence Rétvari wrote that the draft text was distributed to participants five minutes before the vote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU-Tunisia Relations Strain Over Migration Deal, EU Suggests Return of Aid
Amid escalating disagreements over a July agreement concerning migration control across the Mediterranean, the European Union (EU) has implied that Tunisia could give back the €60 million ($63.1 million) it received as budget support earlier this month.
Tunisian President Kais Saied recently declined an EU assistance package of about €127 million that was tied to a migration control deal unveiled by the European Commission in September.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian P.M. Viktor Orban: ‘We Will Not Become a Migrant Ghetto’
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has reasserted his nation’s sovereignty, standing up to “the Soros empire, the Brussels bureaucrats and the Democrats in America.”
“This autumn, Hungary’s opponents are expected to come forward to make their demands simultaneously,” Orban stated in an October 3 speech in Budapest. “What the Soros empire, the Brussels bureaucrats and the Democrats in America want from us is what we cannot — and I think do not want to — give them.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Authorities Keep Arrivals Out of Sight
LAMPEDUSA—We finally spotted the Coast Guard ship entering the bay just after 1 a.m. on Thursday morning. Several police and civilian cars were lining the street outside the gates marked Zona Militare by the time it docked at the closed-off pier on the southwestern end of the harbor. What’s usually a desolate place at night was now teeming with police officers, Red Cross workers, and a handful of volunteers to help distribute water, blankets, and first aid—if anyone needed that.
Ever since the ‘flotilla’ of over a hundred migrant boats sailed into the Lampedusa harbor in full view of locals and tourists over the course of a single day in September, authorities seem to be spending considerable effort to hide their activities as much as they can.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: ANM Considering Intervention Over Catania Judge Video
(ANSA) — ROME, OCT 5 — Magistrates union ANM said on Thursday it will “assess, together with the person directly concerned, whether and how to intervene” in relation to a video posted by Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini on X dating to August 2018 and allegedly featuring a Catania judge at the centre of a political storm after she ruled that parts of two recent government decrees on migrants were illegitimate.
Salvini posted the footage of a protest demonstration in the port of Catania against the government’s then closed-port policies against NGO rescue ships after Catania lawmaker Anastasio Carrà, a member of his right-wing League party, claimed he recognised Judge Iolanda Apostolico among the people present.
Salvini was deputy premier and interior minister at the time.
Last weekend Apostolico overturned detention orders against four Tunisian nationals being held at the newly-opened pre-removal centre (CPR) at the Pozzallo first reception centre, or hotspot, in Sicily under a new law providing for the detention of asylum-seekers from so-called safe countries of origin during the assessment of their claim.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lampedusa: Are Smugglers Exploiting Pregnant Migrants to Make Rescue More Likely?
LAMPEDUSA —The Red Cross in Lampedusa has confirmed that among the women who come illegally to the southern Italian island, a disproportionate number are pregnant, seeming to confirm prior fears that pregnant women are being exploited by traffickers.
The European Conservative spoke to Serena Corniglia of the Italian Red Cross (CRI), who manages the hotspot, the migration reception facility on the island that has been administered by the CRI since June of this year.
According to Corniglia, the number of women who arrive on migrant boats only makes up around 10-12% of the migrants overall, but she claimed the number of women who were pregnant was a startlingly large number.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NY Times: ‘Life in America is Staggeringly Shorter’
Americans are dying at younger ages while the government fills jobs with healthy migrants, according to data published by the New York Times.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Moves to Cut Financial Aid to Ukrainian Refugees, a Move Backed by 60% of Poles
Poland will begin to scale back financial assistance for Ukrainian refugees in 2024, according to Polish government spokesperson, Piotr Müller. Müller emphasized in an interview with the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that the decisions made to grant financial assistance after the war’s outbreak were of a temporary nature.
The move comes as polling shows declining support among the public for paying social benefits to Ukrainian refugees and amid growing tensions between Poland and Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was grilled by reporters over President Biden’s claim that the wall along the United States-Mexico border doesn’t work.
Members of the press asked why the commander-in-chief had contradicted members of his own administration, who have stated that a barrier is necessary, and questioned why he was violating his campaign promise by allowing a section of the wall to be built.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Prime Minister secured a series of new deals to combat illegal migration yesterday.
Rishi Sunak joined forces with Italy’s hard-Right PM Giorgia Meloni to force the issue of illegal migration up the list of priorities at the European Political Community summit in Spain.
But an agreement which will allow Britain access to European intelligence on migrant crossings failed to materialise.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Illegal Migrants Arrested for Piracy
The Guardia Civil, Spain’s national police force, has arrested nine illegal immigrants who stand accused of threatening at knife-point sailors of a Dutch tugboat who had just rescued them from two boats in the Atlantic, forcing them to change course for the Spanish Canary Islands, sources from the interior ministry said.
The nine mutinous migrants had been a part of a larger group of 78 people who on the morning of Monday, October 2nd, departed from the North African coast in two separate boats in an attempt to reach the Canary Islands. The incident began after the Dutch ship “Vose Pace”—after realizing the precariousness of the two ships—rescued both, only to have some of those on board the second one threatening them with deadly weapons, El Debate reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Successful Border Controls: Nine Syrian Nationals Apprehended in Poland-Slovakia Border Checks
Border controls between Poland and Slovakia are yielding results: After a pursuit, nine Syrian citizens were detained. The overall tally of these checks is 5,837 individuals and 2,262 vehicles screened, according to Rzeczpospolita.
In the last 24 hours, checks were conducted for 4,848 individuals and 2,173 vehicles with no cases of illegal migration reported. Organized groups involved in human trafficking are closely monitoring the situation and are aware of the controls being introduced, according to Major Dorota Kadziolka, spokesperson for the Border Guard in the Carpathian region. In the area protected by the Silesian Border Guard Unit, 249 individuals and 149 vehicles were inspected. In one instance, a vehicle with German license plates evaded inspection in Zwardon but was eventually stopped after a pursuit. The driver was transporting nine illegal immigrants and held a German residence permit himself.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An Iraqi-born bomber originally entered the UK on a temporary visa to go to a taping of a reality television show but remained in the country for seven years as the government failed to deport him before he attempted to launch an attack against a hospital.
A two-year investigation into the November 2021 bombing at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital by Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, has found that while he had a history of mental illness, the attack was likely motivated by Britain rejecting his claims for asylum.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leftist Backfire: Women’s Tech Career Fair Swamped by Men Claiming to be ‘Non-Binary’
The Grace Hopper Celebration, which bills itself as a the world’s largest conference for women in computing, was recently swamped by men claiming to be “non-binary.”
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Transgenderism: Report Says 602 Underage Canadian Girls Had Breasts Cut Off
A staggering 602 underage girls have reportedly had their breasts surgically removed in Canada for transgender-related reasons.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Virginia Swimmers Unite, Speak Out After Biological Male Pulls Lia Thomas, Tries to Join Team
ROANOKE, VA — The battle Penn swimmer Lia Thomas started nearly two years ago when the biological male swimmer proudly held firm to a NCAA women’s swimming national championship trophy took a twist Thursday in Virginia where 10 members of the Roanoke College women’s swim team stood up as a group to speak out for fairness in sports after a biological male attempted to join their team.
With their parents, supporters and the advocates in this fight — Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan, a former teammate of Lia Thomas — in the crowd inside a downtown Roanoke hotel, the 10 members became the first group of college teammates to speak out as a unit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An activist opposed to the public school system’s sexualization of children read racy content from two books available for students in the Plano Independent School District, underscoring how they’re highly inappropriate for children.
In a viral video of the event, “The News & Why It Matters” host Sara Gonzales confronted the Plano, Texas, school board reading explicit pornographic excerpts from the books, “A Court of Mist and Fury,” and “Collateral,” both of which are available for students at the school.
The passages are too graphic to print here, but rest assured she got her point across.
**Warning: Graphic sexual content. Viewer discretion strongly advised.**
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hi Baron..
Do you Remember own comment regarding Dutch Queen ?
Nazi party membership card of Dutch royal confirmed as authentic..
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/06/nazi-party-membership-card-of-dutch-royal-prince-bernhard-confirmed-as-authentic
They all Nazi , in Netherland and Germany..