The death toll in the Hamas operation against Israel is now over 300, and some reports put it above 500. Israel is reportedly preparing a ground offensive against Gaza. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “injustice” towards Palestinians is what drives the conflict with Israel.
In other news, a large number of freight cars are reportedly massing at the railway crossing between North Korea and Russia, according to satellite imagery, possibly indicating a major transfer of armaments from the Hermit Kingdom to Russia.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, JW, LP, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, 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.
Rising Cost of Living in Estonia: Food Prices Hit Hard
The cost of living in Estonia continues to rise and this is most strongly felt due to an increase in food prices, as reported by the Postimees publication. According to data from the Department of Statistics, in September of this year, the consumer price index remained at the same level as in August but increased by 4.2% compared to September of the previous year. The cost of goods increased by 5.7%, and services by 1.3%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK ‘Conservatives’ Stealth Tax to Take Tens of Billions More From Families Every Year
The stealth tax raid on working people by Britain’s nominally Conservative government is to take even more money than initially thought, as inflation continues to force higher taxes through a process known as fiscal drag.
The UK government is set to take an extra £40 billion a year in taxes on jobs by 2028 with a stealth tax rise that will see more workers and families dragged into higher tax brackets through frozen thresholds and soaring inflation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
4 Chicago Police Officers Among 10 Injured in Crash, Shooting: Officials
CHICAGO — Four Chicago police officers were injured, three critically, in a crash while pursing suspects wanted for a shooting outside a police station in Woodlawn on Saturday.
Someone fired shots from a car about 3:30 p.m., striking a 24-year-old man in his thigh and grazing a 28-year-old woman’s buttocks, outside the Grand Cross District police station the 7000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue, Chicago police said in a statement. Both people were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
A source told the Sun-Times that both of the people wounded were migrants, 1,000 of whom have been staying temporarily at police stations across the city after seeking asylum in the United States. Many have been loaded on to buses in other states, including Texas, and sent to Chicago. The source said it wasn’t clear if the migrants were the targets of the shooting, or if the shooting was targeting migrants.
Responding officers located the car used in the shooting in the 5400 block of South State Street, but collided with the suspect’s car during a pursuit, police said.
Four police officers had to be extricated from their vehicles, according to police. Fire officials said two officers were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, a third officer was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, and a fourth officer self-transported to a local hospital in an unknown condition.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
All COVID Variants Were Engineered in Biolabs, Study Finds
A bombshell new study has determined that all Covid variants were engineered in biolabs and didn’t occur naturally, as previously claimed.
In America, the corporate media is ramping up reports that Covid cases are on the rise in the run-up to the critical 2024 election.
The media campaign has been promoting the return of masks and vaccines to tackle the claimed spread of new variants EG.5.1 and BA.X.
As Slay News reported, Democrat President Joe Biden’s administration recently approved a new vaccine to tackle EG.5.1, despite the variant having already faded away.
Meanwhile, health “experts” are calling for a return to pandemic-era restrictions due to the BA.X variant.
And while health officials would argue that returning to pandemic tyranny may be unavoidable, a recent Japanese study suggests that it may be part of a sinister plan.
The study found that all previous variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, were not naturally occurring but were, in fact, made in a laboratory.
Presumably, the latest EG.5.1 and BA.X variants were also engineered in a lab, according to the study.
The study was led by renowned Japanese Professors Atsuki Tanaka and Takayuki Miyazawa of Osaka Medical University and Kyoto University.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CME Head Duffy Says Chicago Needs to Get Its Act Together
Last month Cboe Global Markets CEO Ed Tilly warned that if Chicago slaps the financial industry with transaction taxes, amid a crime wave that has employees afraid to come in to work.
“We don’t want to leave… But we cannot be disadvantaged in the world’s most competitive markets,” Tilly said in light of an $800 million tax proposal from Mayor Brandon Johnson aimed at plugging a $538 million budget deficit projected for next year, and increasing costs driven by a cocktail of inflation and rising numbers of destitute asylum seekers.
Now, CME Group, Inc. — which has over a century of history rooted in Chicago, is warning much the same. According to CEO Terry Duffy, they’ll cut bait and drop Chicago like a hot stone — and in fact, have begun the process of uncoupling from the dysfunctional city.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Tennessee Law Restricting Distribution of Absentee Ballot Applications
A panel of federal appeals judges has decided not to revive a challenge of a Tennessee law that makes it a felony for anyone other than election officials to distribute absentee ballot applications.
In a 2-1 decision Thursday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court’s determination that the ban doesn’t restrict First Amendment speech.
The lawsuit was one of several filed during the COVID-19 pandemic against Tennessee’s vote-by-mail restrictions. A district judge declined to block the ban on distributing the absentee voting form ahead of the November 2020 election, then dismissed the lawsuit in December 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iowa Democrats caved to the Democrat National Committee (DNC) on the party’s new presidential nominating calendar and will allow the state’s 2024 Democrat caucuses to move from one of the first contests in the nation, to an entirely vote-by-mail process with results released on March 5, or Super Tuesday.
The DNC rules panel on Friday approved the plan Iowa Democrats released earlier in the day that would see what has been the country’s first presidential contest since 1972 move to a months-long process where voters have from mid-January until March to mail-in their presidential preference card.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Push to Add mRNA-Vaxxed Animal Meat to U.S Food Supply
A new push is emerging to introduce meat products to the U.S. food supply that have come from mRNA-vaccinated animals.
As Slay News has previously reported, pharmaceutical companies have already been pushing for cattle and pigs used in the U.S. meat supply to receive mRNA shots.
However, this list is expanding amid demands for gene therapy technology to be more widely used in foods for American consumption.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Found 115 Bodies at Colorado ‘Green’ Funeral Home While Investigating Putrid Smells
CAÑON CITY, Colo. (AP) — The awful smell seeped from a neglected building in a small Colorado town for days, followed by a report that made police take a closer look at the “green” funeral operator’s storage facility. Inside, they made a gruesome discovery: At least 115 decaying bodies.
Investigators were tight-lipped Friday about exactly what they found inside the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose, Colorado, but their plans to bring in teams that usually deal with airline crashes, coroners from nearby jurisdictions and the FBI pointed to a grim mess.
A state document, meanwhile, alleged funeral home owner Jon Hallford tried to conceal the improper storage of corpses. He claimed he was doing taxidermy at the facility, according to the state suspension letter dated Thursday.
Hallford acknowledged that he had a “problem” at the property, the Colorado Office of Funeral Home and Crematory Registration letter said. The document did not elaborate on the taxidermy and alleged improper storage of remains, but the facility’s registration has been expired since November.
No one had been arrested or charged. Text messages to the funeral home seeking comment went unanswered. No one at the business picked up the phone and there was no working voicemail.
Funeral home officials were cooperating as investigators sought to determine any criminal wrongdoing, Fremont County Sheriff Allen Cooper said at a news conference where he called the scene inside the building “horrific.”
On Friday, a sour, rotten stench still came from the back of the building, where windows were broken. Coroner’s officials from Fremont County and nearby El Paso County parked their trucks outside and discussed among themselves as they walked around the building.
Some identifications would require taking fingerprints, finding medical or dental records, and DNA testing in a process that could take several months, Fremont County Coroner Randy Keller said. Families would be notified as soon as possible after body identification, he added.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Police ‘Handcuffed’ as Squatters Create ‘Nightmare’ Situation in Florida Neighborhood
Residents of a neighborhood in Florida say squatters have created a “nightmare” situation that police cannot do anything to resolve.
The squatters in Winter Park have not been evicted as residents say the police department is “handcuffed” from doing anything.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Winter Park resident Justin Mielcarek told WFTV 9.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Some Embalmers Say White, Fibrous Clots Showing Up; Others Say it’s a Conspiracy Theory
Authored by Allan Stein via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Embalming a body involves replacing the blood with chemical solutions to preserve it and slow decomposition.
Some embalmers say that starting in 2021, they suddenly began seeing an “anomaly” during that process—a phenomenon of long, rubbery, white masses inside the blood vessels.
Others say they have seen nothing new.
The Epoch Times contacted embalmers and funeral directors from around the world to understand the disparity.
An Oklahoma mortician responded, saying, “Yes, the embalmers at this funeral location have all encountered this phenomenon, each multiple times during embalming in the last two years.” A funeral director in Pennsylvania told The Epoch Times: “We’ve seen this stuff—absolutely. We’ve seen it enough to discuss it within the company.”
The mortician said his company thought the white, fibrous clots were just an anomaly.
“What do I attribute it to? I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it previously,” he said.
“As far as numbers, it’s hard to say. When we first started noticing it in 2021, it was like, ‘Oh, wow, I wonder if their cholesterol was off the charts.’
On the other hand, many of the respondents to The Epoch Times’ survey said that not only had they not seen the fibrous masses in the bodies they embalmed, but they considered the reports from other embalmers and funeral directors to be “nonsense.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study: BLM Kills 15 Times More People Through Increased Crime
A new study has revealed that Black Lives Matter-led efforts to “defund the police” have triggered a sharp increase in the number of people dying as victims of crime.
In the wake of the violent BLM riots of 2020, statistics show a reduction in the number of people shot by police.
The “Defund the Police” movement was a key component of the BLM agenda and resulted in departments in cities across America having their budgets slashed.
The slashed budgets and anti-cop sentiments have resulted in far fewer police officers on America’s streets.
As a result, fewer police responding to crimes means fewer people have been shot by cops.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Blames ‘Weak and Ineffective’ Joe Biden for Hamas’ Attack on Israel
Former President Trump put the foreign policy and leadership of the Biden administration on blast after he suggested Joe Biden is “a really weak leader” amid Hamas’ attack against Israel.
Trump’s remarks came during a rally held in Waterloo, Iowa on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The White House was silent this week when asked about resurfaced social media posts from one of the administration’s top communications officials.
The White House didn’t respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital on Friday, asking whether it had any comment or response to past social media posts from Tyler Cherry, the Department of the Interior’s principal deputy communications director and senior spokesperson. Cherry has taken to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to blast law enforcement as white supremacy and boost “Russiagate.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Republic to See Hike in Electricity Prices Following Government Subsidy Cuts
Starting next year, households in the Czech Republic will experience a significant rise in electricity prices, paying approximately 3,000 crowns ($130) more annually, translating to around 250 crowns per month.
This increase comes despite a decline in market prices. Experts attribute this surge to the government’s decision to slash state subsidies for renewable energy sources. Funds amounting to 13.5 billion crowns previously shouldered by the government will now be transferred to the burden of households and firms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Students Call for More Modern History in Curriculum
A recent report by the Czech School Inspection (CŠI) suggests that a majority of primary and secondary school students in the Czech Republic find the teaching of modern history lacking and desire a more thorough coverage.
Tomas Zatloukal, the Chief School Inspector, reported that although 70% of students believe history education helps them comprehend global happenings, contemporary issues are often overlooked by teachers, with less than half of high school freshmen passing a modern history test.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Endorses Expansion Without Set Dates, Emphasizes Reforms and Budget Adjustments
At a recent summit held in Granada, Spain, leaders of the European Union (EU) expressed their support for enlarging the bloc. However, no specific timeline was proposed, and they emphasized that countries wishing to join the EU, including Ukraine, should not expect any shortcuts to membership.
The leaders underscored that the enlargement of the EU serves as an initiative to bolster peace, security, and prosperity in the region. Nevertheless, it was clearly communicated that both the EU and the aspiring members, such as Ukraine, Moldova, and Western Balkan states, need significant overhauls to prepare for this expansion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Political leaders across Europe were quick to condemn what is being described as an “unprecedented” attack on the state of Israel by the Islamist militants from the Palestinian terror group Hamas.
At the break of dawn on Saturday, Hamas waged a multi-pronged assault on the Jewish state as it observed the major religious holiday of Simchat Torah, launching thousands of rockets into Israel as Hamas fighters stormed the country’s borders in air, land and sea attacks. At the time of this reporting, battles are still being waged across the country between the Hamas invaders and Israeli soldiers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Housing Crisis: Skyrocketing Costs and Limited Availability
Across Europe, countries are grappling with a mounting housing crisis, with escalating costs and lack of availability posing severe challenges. Three nations — Portugal, Turkey, and Luxembourg — each with their unique economic situations, epitomize this escalating issue.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Everyone Feels at Risk’ — Legacy Media Catches on to Sweden’s Failed Multicultural Project
The scale of the gang wars in Sweden has grown to such an extent establishment media has seemingly begun to realise multiculturalism has ravaged the country.
“Everyone feels at risk,” declared Charlie Duxbury of the neo-liberal POLITICO website on Tuesday, as he reported that a fourth bombing had occurred in his area of Stockholm since the start of the year. In total, there have been at least 134 bombings across Sweden in 2023, compared to 90 for the entirety of last year. Meanwhile, there have been 289 shootings since the start of the year, following 391 in 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Notre-Dame in Paris Will Reopen in December 2024
Despite a series of serious setbacks in the project, unprecedented in scale and design, the reopening of Europe’s most visited building, which was annually visited by 12 million people before it was damaged by fire, is scheduled for December 8, 2024. By the end of this year, if all goes according to plan, one of the most crucial stages of the cathedral’s restoration will be completed: the installation of the spire’s framework made of massive oak beams, as reported by Bloomberg.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France Mandates €3 Minimum Delivery Fee for Online Book Orders to Safeguard Independent Bookstores
In a move to shield independent bookstores from the prevailing dominance of online retail giants, France has implemented a law that mandates a minimum delivery charge on books purchased online.
Starting Saturday, 7th October, online retailers like Amazon will impose a minimum delivery fee of €3 for books ordered online. This new law, designed to support small-scale booksellers, stands in stark contrast to Amazon’s previous delivery charge: a mere €0.01, regardless of the order’s total value. The new regulation stipulates that this €3 fee will be applicable to all book orders amounting to less than €35.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: State Elections a Test for Beleaguered Berlin Government
State elections in Bavaria and Hesse this Sunday, October 8th, will not just impact local politics but will also signal the mood in the whole of Germany after almost two years of leftist-liberal-green governance in Berlin. The social democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the liberal FDP have been taking a beating in the polls, as people get fed up with the mismanagement of the cost-of-living crisis, the economic effects of the war in Ukraine, and the migration crisis.
The elections in the southern state of Bavaria and the western state of Hesse will be the last meaningful votes in Germany before the European elections next summer, so they provide a chance for citizens to voice their opinion, as Olaf Scholz’s ever-bickering coalition reaches the halfway point of its term in office. Polls indicate that there won’t be meaningful changes, but that Germany has indeed shifted somewhat to the right.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Liberal-Globalist Extremists Call for More Syringe Attacks Against AfD Politicians
Graffiti with a threat against AfD politician Beatrix von Storch was found on the facade of an AfD constituency office in Berlin. The graffiti was signed with an Antifa abbreviation and referenced the recent needlestick incident involving AfD chairman Tino Chrupalla, Apollo News reported.
During the night from Thursday to Friday, the constituency office of the AfD Berlin-Pankow district association was vandalized with graffiti that read, “First Tino, then Trixi.” The number “161” was also sprayed nearby, which is a numerical code commonly used by Antifa. Beatrix von Storch shared a photo of the graffiti on Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: The Police Reported 32 Arrests of Underage Climate Activists to Child Abuse Hotline
The police reported the arrests of 32 children involved in the A12 blockade in The Hague to the child abuse hotline Veilig Thuis. The climate action group Extinction Rebellion is upset and sees this action as a violation of the right to demonstrate, De Volkskrant reports.
The climate group is appalled by this and fears that this will have a negative impact on the participation of young protesters in the future. “I am shocked by this figure,” said Extinction Rebellion spokesman Roel Kessels. He said he was dismayed by the police action and claimed that the report to Veilig Thuis was a deterrent to underage protesters and their parents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rising Animosity Toward the Greens in Bavaria Reflects Shift in German Politics
As reported by Financial Times, the Greens, a political party in Bavaria, are feeling an unprecedented rise in hostility, culminating in extreme incidents like stone-throwing at public events.
Katharina Schulze, the leading candidate for the Greens in the region, expressed her concern over the increasing antagonism, attributing it partly to political rivals who exacerbate the negative sentiment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scholz Champions EU Overhaul and Ponders Inclusion of Ukraine
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has advocated for discussions on critical European Union reforms during an informal summit in Granada. According to Deutsche Welle, Scholz emphasized the need to reconsider the current unanimous decision-making process in favor of a majority vote system.
The Chancellor also broached the topic of reshuffling seats in both the European Parliament and the European Commission in anticipation of potential EU expansion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study Reveals Europe’s Middle Class Malcontents
Europe’s middle classes are increasingly dissatisfied with governing institutions and establishment political parties, while skepticism of the war effort in Ukraine is more widespread than many thought, a new study has found.
The report by the Martens Centre, the think tank of the centrist, pro-EU European People’s Party, acknowledged that mainstream parties and governments are losing support, but claimed the solution was more European integration.
“There is no denying that representative institutions and traditional political parties are in crisis. Our results only confirm that,” the study stated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Nigel Farage Rules Out Rejoining Conservative Party… for Now
Nigel Farage has — for the time being — shot down the idea of rejoining the Conservative Party in order to save it from the expected electoral whiteout.
Amid widespread speculation about the Brexit leader’s political future, Mr Farage reaffirmed his support for the Reform UK party, which was born out of his Brexit Party, and declared that he has no interest in joining “a Tory party in denial about immigration”.
“I believe the Tories have as good as lost the next general election,” Farage predicted in The Telegraph on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Would Receive €186 Billion for Joining the European Union: Report
The fervent push from Brussels to admit Ukraine into the European Union would see €186 billion transferred to Kyiv from other member states in addition to the billions poured into the country to subsidise the war effort against Russia.
According to leaked internal assessments from the secretariat of the EU Council of the cost of admitting nine new countries into the bloc, many states that hitherto were net beneficiaries of wealth transfers would need to begin sending their limited resources abroad and wealthier economies such as France, Germany, and The Netherlands would need to significantly increase their foreign contributions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Abbas Tells Blinken Injustice Towards Palestinians Driving Conflict to ‘Explosion’
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “injustice” towards Palestinians is driving the conflict with Israel to an “explosion”, Palestinian news agency WAFA said on Saturday.
In a phone call, Abbas also said the ongoing escalation is down to the “practices of the colonialists and the Israeli occupation forces, and the aggression against Islamic and Christian sanctities,” according to WAFA.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Diversionary Tactics and Unexpected Maneuvers: A Detailed Look at Recent Attacks on Israel
BILD’s military expert, Julian Röpcke, shed light on the recent unexpected sequence of events that unfolded in Israel. According to his analysis, the attacks were meticulously orchestrated to divert Israeli defense’s attention.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared on Saturday that it’s time to “eradicate” Hamas after the terrorists infiltrated areas of the country, killing and kidnapping Israeli civilians.
Palestinian militants invaded areas of southern Israel as rocket barrages launched from the Gaza Strip struck the country on Saturday in an attack the terror group Hamas is taking responsibility for.
Bennett enlisted in the Army reserves just hours after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced a call-up of reservists in wake of the terrorist attacks.
The former PM says this is one of the hardest days in Israel’s history and his family is currently in a shelter as sirens wail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iran-Funded Terror Proxies Launch War Against Israel Amid Surprise Invasion Against Jewish State
JERUSALEM, Israel —The Islamic Republic of Iran-a key military and strategic partner of the Palestinian Hamas terrorist movement in the Gaza Strip-is the driving force in the war launched Saturday against the Jewish state, said Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Middle East experts.
Just this week, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, about Israel: “The usurper regime is coming to an end. Today, the Palestinian youth and the anti-oppression, anti-occupation movement in Palestine is more energetic, more alive, and more prepared than ever during the past 70 or 80 years. God willing, the movement will achieve its goals.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel’s Military Says Force is ‘At War’ With Hamas as IDF Hits Back at Terror Targets
Israel’s military forces have opened up fighting in nearly two dozen locations along the Gaza border after Hamas terrorists launched thousands of rockets into Israel Saturday morning.
“There is no community in Southern Israel where we do not have forces in all the towns,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a statement Saturday evening. “There are communities that have been rid of terrorists, but we want to finish additional scans of the area before declaring so.”
Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists invaded areas of southern Israel as rocket barrages launched from the Gaza Strip struck the area Saturday, killing at least 250 Israelis and wounding at least 1500 others, according to The Associated Press.
A senior Hamas military commander, Mohammad Deif, announced the start of the operation, calling on Palestinians everywhere to attack the Israelis, saying in a broadcast on Hamas media that the group launched thousands of rockets and calling the attack “the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli Military Reveals Details About Fight to Push Hamas Out of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed plans to push the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas out of their territory after Hamas fired thousands of rockets and armed fighters poured into several Israeli towns.
Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, outlined in detail to the Washington Examiner that they are fighting in 22 locations in southern Israel as of Saturday afternoon.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Preparing for Ground Offensive in Gaza, Says Military Expert
Israeli military analyst David Gendelman, in a recent discussion with the “BBC”, indicated that Israel is possibly gearing up for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Gendelman explained, “The currently declared ‘Iron Swords’ operation seems centered on clearing any residual HAMAS militants from Israeli settlements and launching airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Parallel to this, we’re witnessing a reserve mobilization and a buildup of ground troops along the border, signaling potential groundwork.”
However, the expert voiced concerns that any hostages held might hinder the execution of such an operation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Live Updates: High-Ranking IDF Commander Among Those Killed
This is the first surprise attack on Israel in 50 years.
At least 300 people have died and over 2,000 have been injured in Gaza and Israel after rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel by Hamas militants, Israeli authorities said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 232 are dead and 1,790 others are injured in Gaza. According to the Israeli Health Ministry over 100 people are dead and over 900 others are injured.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Netanyahu Tells Gaza Residents to Clear Out, Says IDF “Will Use All Its Strength” to “Destroy” Hamas
Update (1835ET): Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned residents of Gaza to “leave now, because we will operate forcefully everywhere.”
Hamas wants to murder us all. This is an enemy that murders children and mothers in their homes, in their beds, an enemy that abducts the elderly, children and young women, that slaughters and massacres our citizens, including children, who simply went out to enjoy the holiday.
What happened today is unprecedented in Israel — and I will see to it that it does not happen again. The entire government is behind this decision.
The IDF will immediately use all its strength to destroy Hamas’s capabilities. We will destroy them and will forcefully avenge this dark day that they have forced on Israel and its citizens. As Bialik wrote: ‘Revenge for the blood of a little child has yet been devised by Satan’.
All of the places which Hamas is deployed, hiding and operating in, that wicked city, we will turn them into rubble.
I say to the residents of Gaza: Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere.
At this hour, the IDF is clearing the terrorists out of the last communities. They are going community by community, house by house, and are restoring our control.
I embrace and send heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families whose loved ones were murdered today in cold blood and endless brutality.
We are all praying for the well-being of the wounded and all those who are being held hostage. I say to Hamas: You are responsible for their well-being. Israel will settle accounts with anyone who harms one hair on their heads.
I appeal to the residents of the south: We all stand alongside you. We are all proud of your heroism and your fighting.
To our beloved IDF soldiers, police officers and security forces personnel, remember that you are the continuation of the heroes of the Jewish people, of Joshua, Judah Maccabee and the heroes of 1948 and of all of Israel’s wars.
You are now fighting for the home and future of us all. We are all with you. We all love you. We all salute you.
To the medical and rescue teams, and the many volunteers in a long list of places, the people of Israel salute you. With your spirit, we will overcome our enemies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans in the House and Senate are tearing into the Biden administration for unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian assets months before Hamas terrorists launched a deadly and massive attack on Israel early Saturday — criticism that the Biden administration called “false and misleading.”
“Just weeks ago, the Biden administration handed over $6 billion to Iran, and today, innocent Israelis were murdered by Iran-backed terrorists,” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement. “We must continue to support our strongest ally in the Middle East and their right to defend themselves against these unprovoked, horrific attacks.”
Blackburn spoke after Hamas terrorists invaded areas of southern Israel. Thousands of rockets were fired into Israel and dozens of fighters infiltrated through the border. Local Israeli media reported that at least 100 people have been killed in the assault.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Accidentally Doxes Its Own Spies, Undercover Buildings, by Publishing Wrong Documents: Report
An investigative group opposed to the Putin regime claims the Moscow city authority accidentally uploaded a sensitive document listing “special” buildings in the area, inadvertently revealing the locations of military intelligence operatives, safehouses, and undercover buildings.
A 434-page document of “special list” addresses across Russia, meaning they should continue to receive electricity even during power cuts, has revealed the locations of large numbers of sensitive state employees, spies, and hidden government buildings, the Dossier Centre investigative group claims. Among those ‘doxed’ by their own government in the middle of a war are officers of the army intelligence branch GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate), locations of offices of KGB successor the FSB (Federal Security Service), and even newly built border posts near Ukraine, they say.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Says Ukraine Missile Attack Over Crimea Thwarted
Russia’s defence ministry says the country’s air defence systems has “detected and destroyed” a Ukrainian S-200 anti-aircraft missile deployed in an attempted attack on the Crimean Peninsula.
Reuters could not verify the report by the Russian defence ministry, which did not say where exactly the missile was shot down.
Ukraine in recent weeks has stepped up attacks on Crimea, which was occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014.
“On October 7, at about 6pm Moscow time, the Kyiv regime attempted a terrorist attack on the territory of Crimea with an anti-aircraft missile of the S-200 air defence system that had been converted to an attack version,” the defence ministry said in a Telegram post.
“Russian air defence systems promptly detected and destroyed the Ukrainian missile in the air,” it added.
Meanwhile, a party official in the Russian-held town of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine’s Kherson province was killed by a car bomb on Saturday, the provincial governor said.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ten-Year-Old Boy Killed in Russian Missile Attack on Kharkiv
KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile strike killed a 10-year-old boy and injured two dozen other people Friday in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, officials said, a day after a strike in the same region killed at least 51 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks in the war in months.
Associated Press reporters saw emergency crews pulling the boy’s body from the rubble of a building after the early morning attack. He was wearing pajamas with a Spiderman design.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Village Decimated as Precision Missile Strikes Funeral for Dead Soldier
HROZA, Ukraine (AP) — The cafe had been closed throughout the war but reopened especially for a dead soldier’s wake, and almost every household in the village sent someone to mourn the native son.
When the gathering to honor Andrii Kozyr was struck by a precision missile that Ukrainian officials said was fired by Russia, almost every household in Hroza in eastern Ukraine lost someone. The cafe was obliterated. Entire families perished in an instant. In all, 52 people died out of a population of 300. Many villagers now suspect that a local may have tipped off Russian forces.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reporters Uncover China’s Hidden Electric Vehicle Graveyards
As green agenda advocates continue to push for the end of gas-powered cars and trucks, reporters have uncovered a site in China that may pour cold water on the Democrats’ electric vehicle (EV) dream.
Reporters from Bloomberg News tracked down one of China’s fabled electric vehicle (EV) graveyards.
The secret vast lot is near the city of Hangzhou.
In the lot, hundreds of discarded failed EVs are rotting away, covered with weeds and cobwebs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Train Cars Massing at North Korea, Russia Border
SEOUL: Train traffic between North Korea and Russia has spiked dramatically following a recent summit between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin, indicating a “likely” transfer of arms, according to a new report by Washington-based analysts Beyond Parallel.
High-resolution satellite imagery reveals at least 70 freight cars at North Korea’s border Tumangang Rail Facility, the group said, a number described as “unprecedented” even when compared to pre-Covid levels. No more than 20 cars had been seen in the railyard over the previous five years, the report said.
The flurry of activity “likely indicates North Korea’s supply of arms and munitions to Russia”, the report concludes, while adding that tarps covering the shipping containers made it impossible to “conclusively identify” their contents.
The analysis comes a day after CBS News cited an unnamed US official as saying North Korea had begun transferring artillery to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine. Last month’s face-to-face meeting between Putin and Kim sparked widespread concern among Kyiv’s allies over the possibility of a potential arms deal.
North Korea, which the US has previously accused of supplying shells to Russia’s Wagner Group, is a mass producer of conventional weaponry and is known to be sitting on large stocks of Soviet-era war material — albeit in unknown condition.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Inside the sectioned off S3 unit of Wolston jail in Wacol, Brisbane, a prisoner threw boiling water at Ashley Paul Griffith who is accused of the sexual abuse of 91 young girls.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The huge development — estimated to be worth $1billion — has infuriated residents on Sydney’s ritzy northern beaches where the average house costs $2million-plus.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
EU Mediterranean Nations Seek More Resources for Migrant Repatriation Amid Rising Concerns
Migration ministers from five Mediterranean European Union (EU) nations, namely Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Spain, have applauded the new EU migration pact. However, they emphasize the necessity for more resources.
These ministers, members of the ‘Med 5’ group, met in Thessaloniki, Greece. They are pushing for a stringent approach to repatriate migrants entering the EU illegally, warning that if Europe doesn’t address the migration issue, extremist voices might dominate the conversation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Biden-appointed bureaucrat working at the top of an immigration enforcement agency has been accused of undermining its mission from within, letting thousands of illegal migrants off the hook, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Claire Trickler-McNulty, a powerful director in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), previously worked for a nonprofit organization that demanded an end to deportations and was affiliated with an ‘Abolish ICE’ movement during her tenure.
She has now carved out an influential role within immigration enforcement, but is using it to push her own woke agenda, while working remotely more than 2,500 miles away from the department’s headquarters, according to sources on the Committee for Homeland Security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Baerbock Spokesman Denies Stop to NGO Funding in 2024
(ANSA) — ROME, OCT 7 — A German foreign ministry spokesperson on Saturday denied reports by newspaper Bild that Berlin intends to discontinue planned four-year funding of German NGOs conducting migrant search and rescue in the Central Mediterranean next year.
The reported failure to include a two million euro allocation in the 2024 budget is “a technical oversight” that it has been planned to rectify “for weeks”, the spokesperson for Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock of the Green party told ANSA.
“The media reports are incorrect,” he continued.
On Friday evening the newspaper Bild reported that the German government had deliberately omitted the two million euro funding allocation for NGOs operating civilian rescue ships that rescue migrants and refugees and disembark them in Italy on grounds it is the nearest safe port from the 2024 budget following a row with Rome over the issue.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Shifts Toward Stricter Asylum Policies in Anticipation of Elections
Germany was once celebrated for its open-door policy during the 2015 European migrant crisis. Now it is now taking a tougher stance on asylum issues ahead of upcoming elections, reported by Reuters.
In 2015, as Europe faced a sharp rise in migrants, Germany gained international praise for welcoming asylum seekers with flowers and donations. However, eight years later, the political landscape has shifted. Parties from various political spectrums are competing to propose measures to curb irregular migration, including reducing benefits and capping asylum grants.
Recently, the center-left government increased border controls within the European Union’s zone of open travel, calling on Germany’s 16 states to provide material benefits instead of cash to asylum seekers to reduce the country’s attractiveness as a destination.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds of Thousands of People Are Crossing the Darien Gap in Panama to Reach the United States
In Latin America, there is an increase in the movement of illegal migrants who are currently attempting to cross the Darien Gap (or the Darien Break) between Colombia and Panama in order to proceed through Central American countries and reach the United States. The situation in the gap is reported by the UN.
Thousands of migrants are managing to quickly traverse the once-impenetrable Darien jungles on the border of Colombia and Panama. In the United States, pregnant women and men with children on their shoulders are walking. When they cross the waist-deep Tuquesa River, many collapse from exhaustion.
Not long ago, it was unthinkable for most people to pass through the dense jungles. However, special “guides” for migrants have marked a route there with colored ribbons, making it possible to cross in a matter of days.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary’s Foreign Minister Condemns Migrant Violence
The foreign minister called upon the global community to “prioritize the elimination of the root causes of unlawful migration instead of encouraging it,” reports About Hungary.
Péter Szijjartó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, expressed in Geneva that illegal migrants and human traffickers were not only engaging in violence amongst themselves but also targeting Hungarian border guards.
During a panel discussion held by the International Organization for Migration, the foreign minister urged the international community to shift its focus towards addressing the underlying reasons for illegal migration, rather than promoting it. Minister Szijjartó disclosed that Hungary had recorded a total of 275,000 attempts at illegal entry the previous year and approximately 155,000 since the beginning of the current year. He characterized the behavior of the migrants as “extremely aggressive” and stressed that it was imperative to convey that such conduct could not be accepted any longer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis’s Selective Moral Alarmism
In a curious case of cognitive dissonance, Pope Francis has condemned “alarmism” over Europe’s migrant crisis while stoking the most extreme alarmism over the “climate crisis.”
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Surge in Migrant Crossing to Canary Islands as EU Leaders Discuss Migration Strategy
As European leaders gathered in Spain to address migration concerns, Spanish coast guards rescued 262 migrants attempting to reach the Canary Islands early on Friday. This rescue operation highlights the increasing challenges faced by nations bordering the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
Both Spain and Italy have raised alarms over the uptick in undocumented immigration to their respective island territories this year. Madrid has expressed that managing the influx of irregular migrants is beyond its capabilities without European Union support. Specifically, emergency services reported the rescue of 103 migrants brought to El Hierro, the smallest and westernmost of the Canary Islands. In just the past week, El Hierro has seen the arrival of over 1,200 migrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-and anti-migrant groups demonstrated today outside a three-star hotel that has been closed, forcing the cancellation of dozens of weddings and parties.
The Chichester Park Hotel on Madgwick Lane in Chichester closed last week after announcing it would do so earlier in September amid uncontested reports that the decision was made so that the building could be used to house migrants.
Outside the hotel, protesters from both sides were seen holding placards, with one reading: ‘Welcome Refugees’.
Another carried the message: ‘£8m Payday Taxpayer’s Expense’.
Some demonstrators were also seen using megaphones as police officers stood by. Images showed the hotel sealed off by a metal fence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Violence Erupts as Boat Refugees Clash With Authorities
In a recent update on October 5th, boat migrants from Tunisia attempting to reach Italy have resorted to wielding machetes and pelting stones at other vessels in their desperate bid to evade interception, reported by Unser-mitteleuropa.
Hungary’s border fence in the south of the country is credited with preventing a potentially overwhelming influx of migrants into Austria and Germany.
Hungarian police reported intercepting 993 illegal immigrants on Friday, 587 on Saturday and 527 on Sunday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As the culture war has raged across the West, one of the most significant battles has been in universities. In the United Kingdom, where the woke takeover of campus life is increasingly undeniable, cancellation campaigns are frequent, whole departments are in hock to radical leftist ideologies, and faculty and students alike—especially conservatives and gender-critical feminists—are ‘self-censoring’ their views for fear of a backlash. The stifling intellectual atmosphere fostered by today’s ruling orthodoxy surely has Milton, Locke, and Mill turning in their graves.
On the front lines of this has been Eric Kaufmann, a professor of politics at Birkbeck University, London, and that rarest of beasts in British higher education: an outspoken conservative academic. Readers may know Professor Kaufmann as the author of Whiteshift: Populism Immigration and the Future of White Majorities (2018); as a perceptive analyst of religion, demographics, and the culture war; and for his appearance at this year’s NatCon in London, where he gave a speech entitled “In Defence of Particularistic Nationalism.” In recent years, Kaufmann has also emerged as a discerning critic of woke ideology, which he defines, usefully, in a single sentence: “The sacralisation of historically marginalised race, gender and sexual identity groups.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biological Males on Transgender Drugs Up to 93 Per Cent More Likely to Suffer Heart Disease
Biological males who take transgender hormone drugs are reportedly up to 93 per cent more likely to suffer from heart disease, according to a study in the European Journal of Endocrinology.
An analysis of the health outcomes of 2,671 self-identified transgender people from Denmark between the ages of 22 and 26 over five years found that men put on transgender hormone drugs to increase oestrogen levels were nearly twice as likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease compared to average men. This was done by comparing cardiovascular disease rates among a control group of 26,700 people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Politician Calls for Euthanasia Boost: ‘Considerable Savings Could be Realized’
A British politician is calling on the government to legalize euthanasia by touting the “benefits” of “assisted suicide.”
Lester Queripel, from the British Channel Island of Guernsey, argues that introducing radical euthanasia laws would save the government money.
As Slay News has been reporting, several Western nations have relaxed their laws regarding euthanasia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As the Israel war takes over media attention from the Ukraine war, here are some forgotten bits of history of American-Russian relations:
https://www-anderweltonline-com.translate.goog/klartext/klartext-20232/dem-vergessensschlund-entrissen-als-russland-amerika-rettete/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
What the terror in Israel has to do with Germany
https://ansage-org.translate.goog/was-der-terror-gegen-israel-mit-deutschland-zu-tun-hat/?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
(there are some errors in machine translation but the gist should be clear enough)
The infiltration by vicious terrorists into Israel has been brutal and monstrous. They have pulled elderly, infants and young women from their beds, slaughtered them and paraded desecrated bodies for the world to see. They are backed by Iran who also wants to wipe Israel off the map.