An Arab activist group shut down the Bay Bridge in Oakland to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas supporters harassed supermarket staff and vandalized a Jewish market in New York City.
In other news, a Russian artist named Sasha Skochilenko has been sentenced to seven years in prison for putting anti-war messages on price tags in stores.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Dora, DV, JW, 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.
European Commission Expects Polish Economy to Grow Faster in 2024 and 2025
According to a forecast produced by the European Commission, the Polish economy will enjoy a significant boost in its GDP in 2024 and 2025, despite slower-than-expected growth in 2023.
The European Commission cut its GDP growth forecast for Poland to 0.4 percent for 2023, slightly down from its previous estimate of 0.5 percent, while it maintained its estimate for 2024 at 2.7 percent and expects growth to reach 3.2 percent in 2025.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Antony Blinken Winces as Joe Biden Brands Xi Jinping a ‘Dictator’
Antony Blinken appeared to let his frustrations get the better of him during a Joe Biden news conference as he seemed to wince and shake his head at a remark made by the US President.
Just moments after a significant meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden risked the wrath of his counterpart by branding him a “dictator”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Appeals Court Temporarily Lifts Trump Gag Order in NY Civil Fraud Case
The gag order barring Donald Trump from speaking publicly about the staff of the judge overseeing his New York civil fraud trial has been temporarily lifted over free speech concerns.
Judge David Friedman, of the state’s Appellate Division, First Department, issued the ruling from the bench Thursday afternoon, finding that the order could be a violation of Trump’s constitutional right to free speech.
He issued a stay of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron’s gag order from the first week of trial — putting it on hold while the appeal case plays out.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Apple Plans Support for RCS Messaging Standard for Imessage as Antitrust Scrutiny Grows
Facing antitrust scrutiny, Apple has revealed plans to support the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging standard, reciprocating messages from Android phones beginning sometime next year.
Developed by the GSM Association — a group that Apple has been actively collaborating with — the RCS standard alters messaging across various mobile devices, elevating it universally. This is quite a change for Apple which, until now, had firmly resisted incorporating RCS standards into iPhones, preferring users to instead be locked into its iMessage system.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Not Expected to be Charged in Classified Document Probe: Report
President Biden is likely to be let off the hook and not face criminal charges over his retention of classified material dating back to his time as a US senator from Delaware.
Special counsel Robert Hur’s team is crafting a report on its monthslong probe, but isn’t expected to charge anyone over the matter, CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bin Laden Letter Trending Shows Education System Failed Gen Z, Can Destroy US ‘From Within’: Critics
After the sudden online trend of dead terrorist Usama bin Laden’s “Letter to America” led a major U.K. newspaper to remove the text from its news archive as TikTokers praised the man whose attack killed 2,977 people on September 11, 2001, several critics said the U.S. education system deserves much of the blame.
The Guardian quickly removed text of the letter from its website after it reportedly became the top Google search result amid the TikTok storm.
On FOX News, Washington Times opinion editor Charles Hurt said the entire situation highlights the issues of social media and Chinese-owned TikTok, remarking how much of what is pushed from the latter is intentionally meant to hurt America.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Far-Left BLM Activist John Sullivan Convicted on All Charges in Jan 6 Case
Infamous Black Lives Matter activist John Earle Sullivan has been found guilty on all counts for his role in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Sullivan, 29, of Utah, has been officially charged on seven counts: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding; Civil Disorder; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building; Aiding and Abetting, per the Department of Justice.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: David DePape Convicted in Assault on Paul Pelosi
David DePape was convicted in a San Fransciso court on Thursday on federal crimes. He was accused of breaking into the home of Nancy and Paul Pelosi in 2022, and assaulting Paul Pelosi with a hammer. Nancy Pelosi was in Washington, DC at the time serving as Speaker of the House.
The trail concluded after four days and the jury deliberated for about 8 hours. DePape, who is 43, awaits sentencing, but could face decades in prison for his crimes. Paul Pelosi also testified at the trial.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Arab Activist Group Shuts Down Oakland’s Bay Bridge to Demand Ceasefire in Gaza
Pro-Palestinian organizers shut down the Bay Bridge during the morning commute in Oakland on Thursday. The group was organized by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) in the Bay Area. The group blocked the roadway of the bridge with cars, lined up across the width of the bridge, and chanted “What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now.”
They brought signs with them, reading “No US military aid to Israel” and “Stop the genocide.” The cars were outfitted with signs calling for a ceasefire. Some of the participants wore medical masks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cheney Police: Child in Custody After Police Find Explosive Devices Following Threat to Bomb School
A child was arrested after police found three improvised explosive devices he claimed to have made to bomb a local school, according to the Cheney Police Department.
Police received a report at about 2:50 p.m. Wednesday of a bomb made by the child, police said in a news release.
With the help of other local law enforcement agencies and Fairchild Air Force Base, all three explosive devices were recovered, police said. Two devices were retrieved from a Cheney residence and the third was located at a Spokane County residence.
In response to the threat, police and a military dog specializing in explosives detection searched and cleared WIN Academy, a high school program that’s part of Cheney Public Schools.
The release said Cheney Middle School and transportation facilities were also searched and deemed free from any threats. Law enforcement authorities confirmed Cheney schools were safe to resume normal operations.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
‘Doxxing Truck’ Blasts Names and Faces of Yale’s ‘Leading Antisemites’ Near Ivy League Campus
A pro-Israel “doxxing truck” broadcasted the names and faces of “Yale’s Leading Antisemites” near the university’s New Haven campus on Thursday, according to the school newspaper.
The Ivy League college is the latest school to be visited by one of the trucks — sponsored by Accuracy in Media [AIM] as part of its “Campus Accountability Campaign.” The shame machine had previously driven around Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania.
The truck was spotted around different parts of campus between roughly noon and 4 p.m., according to the Yale Daily News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida’s Anti-Drag Law — and Ron DeSantis — Dealt a Blow in Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Thursday prevented Florida from temporarily enforcing a law that would punish venues for allowing children to attend drag shows.
The ruling is a blow to Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who championed the so-called Protection of Children Act — a law that makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to admit children to sexually explicit adult live performances, such as drag shows.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lying Long Island Rep. George Santos leveraged “every aspect” of his successful 2022 House campaign for personal profit, according to a damning new report from the House Committee on Ethics released Thursday.
An hour after the report came out, the 35-year-old announced he would not seek re-election next year, writing on X that “my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.”
“I will not stand by as I am stoned by those who have flaws themselves,” Santos wrote.
The ethics panel did not make specific recommendations on action against the already indicted Santos, but it did refer its evidence to the Justice Department.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Convicted criminals in New York will now have their records sealed after Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law the “Clean State Act” on Thursday.
The controversial proposal would seal old criminal records as long as the perpetrators remain out of trouble for a certain number of years.
Under the new law in New York, a person’s felony records would be sealed eight years after conviction or release from prison; three years for a misdemeanor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 100 Harvard professors have sent a letter to university president Claudine Gay, condemning her for issuing a statement opposing antisemitism on campus — claiming she was bowing to the interests of wealthy donors and alumni, and was infringing on the free speech of students.
“As Harvard faculty, we have been astonished by the pressure from donors, alumni and even some on this campus to silence faculty, students and staff critical of the actions of the State of Israel,” the open letter reads.
“It is important to acknowledge the patronizing tone and format of much of the criticism you have received, as well as the outright racism contained in some of it.”
The letter went on to urge university officials to “affirm its commitment to the freedom of thought, inquiry and expression in light of the extraordinary pressure being brought to bear upon critics of the State of Israel and advocates of the Palestinian people.”
“There must … be room on a university campus for debate about the actions of states, including of the State of Israel,” it said.
“It cannot be ruled ipso facto antisemitic to question the actions of this particular ethno-nationalist government, any more than it would be ipso facto racist to question the actions of Robert Mugabe’s ethno-nationalist government in Zimbabwe,” the professors argued.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Never before seen footage from the set of Rust obtained by NBC shows Alec Baldwin discussing gun safety with his colleagues just days before he pulled the trigger and fired a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in New Mexico in 2021.
In one of the videos, the actor can be heard warning one of the crew members, believed to be Hutchins, to get behind the camera so that he did not hit her while shooting a prop gun.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pathogens Labeled ‘HIV’ and ‘Ebola’ Found Inside Secret, Illegal Chinese-Owned Biolab in California
Thousands of vials of biological substances — including some labeled “HIV” — and a freezer marked “Ebola” were found inside a secret Chinese-owned biolab in California which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and FBI initially refused to investigate, according to a House committee report released Wednesday.
The illegal lab was operated in the city of Reedley, Calif., and the potential public safety risk it posed only came to light in December 2022 when Jesalyn Harper, an observant code enforcement officer, noticed a green garden hose sticking out of a hole in the side of a warehouse that was thought to be vacant for more than a decade.
Once inside, Harper discovered laboratory equipment, manufacturing devices, medical-grade freezers, lab mice and vials labeled in Mandarin, English and in a code that remains undeciphered.
She also encountered several individuals in lab coats who identified themselves as Chinese nationals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Hamas Professor Arrested for Killing Jewish Man Paul Kessler in California
A pro-Hamas California college professor has been arrested for killing Jewish man Paul Kessler during a November 5 protest.
As Slay News reported, 69-year-old Kessler was killed after he was struck in the head with a megaphone by 50-year-old Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji.
The impact of the blow knocked Kessler unconscious, causing him to collapse and subsequently strike his head again on the ground.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Harassed NYC Supermarket Staff, Defaced Israeli Section: Jewish Owner
The Jewish owner of the New York City-area supermarket chain Morton Williams said his cashiers were intimated by pro-Palestinian protesters who defaced their Israeli product section following a call to protest their store near Columbia University.
Morton Williams co-owner Avi Kaner told The Post it was painful to see one of the stores his family has operated for decades become the target of hate from two women who entered the supermarket on Broadway in Morningside Heights on Wednesday.
“You have a right to your opinion. You don’t have a right to deface private property,” Kaner said. “These actions are blatantly antisemitic. They have to be called out.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: DOJ Asked Court to Hide Surveillance of Congressional Investigators
The former congressional investigator Jason Foster has exposed a five year secret surveillance operation conducted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on members of congress and their staff. According to Foster, who now heads the Empower Oversight whistleblower center, the DOJ managed to obtain a federal court’s approval for this covert spying, largely centered on personal communication data of the targets.
Just The News reports that in his role as the chief investigative counsel for Senator Chuck Grassley on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Foster worked vigilantly to discern wrongdoings within the government. However, his communications were closely monitored as part of a federal leaks investigation, the evidence which has been recently unveiled to him by Google’s lawyers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy Hold Backstage Chat on ‘Military Industrial Complex’ During Crypto Event
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. met with Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and the “military industrial complex,” a person familiar with the meeting told The Post.
The two White House hopefuls met backstage at the North American Blockchain Summit, where both candidates were slated to speak at the two-day Fort Worth, Texas, conference.
The forum offered to host them in a fireside chat, but Kennedy declined, The Post learned.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Ron Johnson is demanding an interview with a key health official, saying he is “deeply concerned” government officials may have “destroyed responsive records” on the origins of COVID-19.
Johnson (R-Wis.) demanded the Department of Health and Human Services make Dr. David Morens, a former aide to Dr. Anthony Fauci, available for an interview with his staff, and urged the HHS watchdog to take the matter seriously.
“I am deeply concerned that HHS officials may have intentionally removed or destroyed responsive records on the origins of COVID-19 or on other aspects of the pandemic,” Johnson, 68, wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra Wednesday obtained by The Post.
Underpinning Johnson’s concerns is a June 17, 2021, email sent by Morens, a 25-year National Institutes of Health veteran, to his colleagues about a request days earlier by Johnson for a tranche of documents about the NIH’s handling of the COVID-19 respiratory illness.
“I have tried to make sure I have retained no documents that might lead other members of [American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene] to be approached for similar document production,” Morens wrote.
“In other words, I don’t think there is anything to worry about because there is no ‘there’ there.”
Morens also stressed his desire to receive correspondence on his private Gmail address. His email had the subject line, “CONFIDENTIAL WITHIN OUR SMALL GROUP, PLEASE.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top FDA Officials Took High-Paying Big Pharma Jobs After Approving COVID Shots
Several former officials with the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) took high-paying jobs with pharmaceutical companies after playing key roles in pushing those Big Pharma firms’ Covid shots through the regulation process.
The “revolving door” was exposed during an investigation by the renowned peer-reviewed British Medical Journal (BMJ).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Make America Great Again Inc., the super PAC backing former President Donald Trump, has spent a magnitude more on ads targeting 2024 rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis than on President Biden — despite Trump leading the GOP field by over 40 points on average.
MAGA Inc. has spent over $23 million funding ads opposing DeSantis and over $6.7 million against Biden, according to data published by Rob Pyers, research director for the California Target Book.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Warns Jack Smith and Other Leftists Will ‘End Up in a Mental Institution’ if He’s Re-Elected
President Donald Trump has warned that Special Prosecutor Jack Smith and other leftists pursuing politically motivated cases against him will “end up in a mental institution” if he’s re-elected next year.
Trump is currently making full use of the pause in a gag order Judge Tanya Chutkan and Special Prosecutor Jack Smith tried to impose on him last month.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Smith, Andrew Weissmann, and Lisa Monaco were a “team of losers and misfits.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Blasts Biden for Staged Interactions With Reporters
2024 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump criticized Joe Biden on Wednesday, calling out the president’s preplanned lists of reporters to call on at press conferences and the answers he reads out in response.
“Biden calls on a specific reporter, gets a question, then reads the answer off a card. In other words, he knows the question, then reads the answer. What is going on here,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The University of Florida has banned a graduate student teaching assistant from its Gainesville campus for three years after he allegedly vandalized a pro-Israel sign at a Jewish fraternity late last month.
Simon Nicolas Lowry, 24, is facing two misdemeanor criminal mischief raps for cutting through the word “Israel” on a banner reading “AEII stands with Israel” hanging in front of Alpha Epsilon Pi.
Lowry, a graduate teaching assistant in the school’s Department of Astronomy, was reportedly captured in the act on surveillance cameras outside the fraternity house.
Campus cops said Lowry admitted to the vandalism late last month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Weapons Expert Accused in Deadly ‘Rust’ Shooting Faces New Gun Charge in Unrelated Case
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was indicted on a felony charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm in a licensed liquor establishment.
The weapons expert for “Rust,” who faces an involuntary manslaughter charge in the deadly on-set shooting, also faces a separate gun charge in an unrelated incident weeks before the film’s cinematographer was fatally shot.
Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who has pleaded not guilty to the “Rust” charge, was indicted Thursday in New Mexico on a charge of unlawfully carrying a firearm in a licensed liquor establishment on Oct. 1, 2021.
An attorney for Gutierrez-Reed called the new charge baseless.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
X Legally Supports Student Punished by the University of Illinois for Online Posts
In a new development underscoring the debate around free speech on social media, Elon Musk’s company X has stepped in to defend Juan David Campolargo, a University of Illinois student embroiled in a controversy over his posts on the platform.
The issue centers on Campolargo’s promotion of an event on X, which he described as open with free food, but was, in fact, a private conference. This led to allegations against him for breaching the university’s code of conduct.
Facing potential disciplinary actions like conduct probation and expulsion from campus housing, Campolargo found an ally in X. Lawyers from Schaerr Jaffe, backed by X Corp, cautioned the university in a letter dated November 14 against any punitive measures, arguing that such actions would infringe on the student’s First Amendment rights. According to The Financial Times, which claims to have seen the letter, they warned of a possible lawsuit if the university upheld its preliminary findings, indicating a violation of Campolargo’s rights to free expression.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Jewish Community Shocked Over Anti-Semitic School, Synagogue Attacks
(AFP) — Many in the majority-Jewish Canadian town of Hampstead worried about the potential for unrest tied to the Israel-Hamas war, but residents of the small Quebec community have been startled by the scale of the outbreak of anti-Semitic incidents in recent weeks.
Lorne W., who preferred not to give his last name, told AFP he is “very, very, very much” concerned about the sudden uptick in hate directed at the province’s Jewish community, which is one of the oldest and most populous in Canada.
“Myself and my neighbors, we’re very cautious and we’re very hyperaware of what’s going on in the streets. It makes us nervous,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Could Donald Tusk Ditch Poland After a Year to Head Up the European Commission?
Donald Tusk, widely considered to be the next prime minister of Poland, could be set to abandon the post to succeed Ursula von der Leyen as president of the European Commission in a year’s time, according to reports circulating in the Polish media.
Broadcaster Radio Zet ran a story, citing sources close to the negotiations over the formation of the new coalition government, that Donald Tusk told his allies the government he was forming may only be for a year, as he may return to Brussels to head up the EU’s executive body.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Drunk Ukrainian Captain of Merchant Vessel Detained in Polish Harbor
A Ukrainian ship captain has been apprehended by Polish authorities after steering his Luxembourg-flagged vessel on an “improper course” into Kolobrzeg port while under the influence of alcohol.
The incident occurred on Nov. 13, as the ship arrived from Gdynia. The Vessel Traffic Service and the Kolobrzeg Port Harbour Master alerted the Border Guard to the merchant vessel’s improper navigation path.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Introduces 12th Round of Russian Sanctions But Growing Opposition Could Scupper Plans
The European Commission, in collaboration with the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell, has submitted its proposal for a 12th round of anti-Russian sanctions for consideration by EU leaders.
The European External Action Service (EEAS) confirmed in a press release on Wednesday that the submissions would see the bloc “adopt new bans on imports and exports, as well as measures to tighten the price ceiling for oil and also in the fight against the circumvention of EU sanctions.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU to Member States: Prioritize Ukraine Deal in Ammo Production
Despite the apparent lack of political will from member states to provide more ammunition to Ukraine, the EU will continue to push for meeting the target of one million rounds of artillery shells delivered by March next year, the bloc’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell said after meeting the 27 defense ministers on Tuesday, November 14th, asking member states to prioritize support for Kyiv over their own economic interests.
“We are doing a lot, but … we have to do more and faster,” the high representative said during Tuesday’s press conference. “The objective of one million rounds of ammunition remains the political goal. … It’s ambitious, but it remains our goal and we continue to push for it.”
The meeting of the defense ministers came under the shadow of news that Russia, after a respite of weeks, again had started missile attacks on Kyiv.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
— as eco group tells 290 eco-activists they should ‘dress smart’ to blend in
Extinction Rebellion is planning to infiltrate an advertising awards raising money for a disabled children charity this evening, MailOnline can reveal.
The controversial environmental group told 290 of its eco-activists to ‘dress smart’ to blend in with people invited to the Campaign Big Awards at the five-star Londoner Hotel, in Leicester Square.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) London organiser Cynthia told the XR London Actions group on WhatsApp their protest would last for an hour and a half and there would be a ‘low chance of arrest’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Authorities Raid Suspected Pro-Hezbollah Mosque in Nationwide Sweeps
German police raided 54 properties in seven states on Thursday morning, November 16th, all belonging to the Islamic Center of Hamburg (IZH). The raids came at the direction of the Federal Ministry of the Interior which has long had suspicions that the IZH has ties to the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah and its sub-organizations.
More than 500 police officers and security investigators from the Federal and State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) searched properties in Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, and North Rhine-Westphalia at around 6 a.m.
The primary property of interest searched by authorities was the Hamburg Islamic Center, also known as the Blue Mosque, which is run by the IZH, the daily Die Zeit reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Industry Moving Abroad Amid Rising Energy Prices
Europe’s largest economy, which is already in choppy waters, appears to be headed for worse times as it rapidly loses its attractiveness as an industrial location. Germany’s sky-high energy prices, precipitated by a lack of cheap natural gas and improvident anti-nuclear and ‘green’ energy policies enacted by the left-liberal government, have had a devastating impact on the country’s industry, according to a new study.
The study, carried out by the consulting firm Deloitte with the support of the Federal Association of German Industry revealed on Tuesday, November 14th, that two-thirds of German companies surveyed had already relocated parts of their value-added chain abroad, the Berlin-based daily Die Welt reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Not a single political guest to feature on one of the Netherlands’ most-watched late-night talk shows in the lead-up to Wednesday’s general election has come from the country’s two largest right-wing parties, according to data published by an unofficial TV watchdog.
The “Diversity Watch” organization, which claims to “monitor political diversity on talk shows” published on Thursday the number of guests to have been invited onto Op1, a regular talk show on the Dutch public broadcaster NPO, since the fall of the Dutch government back in July.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Make St. Nicholas More Moroccan, Says Belgian Mayor
The mayor of the Saint-Gilles neighbourhood in Brussels has said he would like to make Saint Nicholas, the Christian saint associated with Christmas, more Moroccan in order to connect with the residents of his area.
Saint-Gilles Mayor Jean Spinette stated that he would be open for Saint Nicholas to embrace Moroccan culture during the annual December 6th event in which a man dressed as the saint visits local schools in the area, Sudinfo reports.
Spinette stated that his government has relations with the Moroccan city of Berkane and that many of the residents of his area originate from the region. “It’s a way to find a connection with the Muslim community in the town,” he said. “You should know that many people living in Saint-Gilles are from this region of Morocco.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Net Zero: The EU’s Economic Deathwish
Not science, nor facts, but blind ideology guides the EU Commission in its aim to bring the entire bloc into the ‘net zero’ era.
This was the sobering conclusion reached by MEP Paolo Borchia and energy expert Samuel Furfari at this week’s event on “Emissions: Will Net Zero Crash Europe’s Cars?” hosted by The European Conservative.
Significantly reducing and, finally, wholly doing away with car emissions is one important part of that aim.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No Surprises as Sanchez Forms Spanish Government
Unfortunately, there were no surprises Thursday morning in Madrid in the Congress of Deputies. Pedro Sanchez, acting Prime Minister, formed a government for the third time in a row, with 179 votes in favor coming from his own party PSOE, plus those of Sumar, Junts Per Catalunya, Esquirra Republicana, Bildu, the Partido Basco National, the Galician Nationalist Party, and Coalición Canaria.
The 171 deputies of the Partido Popular, VOX, and Unión del Pueblo Narrava voted against Sanchez. He, in turn, promised during his speech to put up a “wall” of “democracy, coexistence, and tolerance,” against his opposition, which, despite having garnered significantly more votes in the July elections, were not able to form a government because of separatist and regionalist parties siding with Sanchez.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Norway Announces Record Air Defense Purchase
Norway has announced its largest-ever investment in air defense as European nations continue to shore up their own security.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told NRK on Wednesday his administration would invest 12.5 billion kroner ($1.15 billion) on procuring short, medium, and long-range ground-based NASAMS missiles, as well as launchers and firing control centers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Official: Make Jesus Christ King of Slovakia
The State Secretary of Slovakia’s culture ministry promised to make Jesus Christ the king of Slovakia during a speech at a Catholic basilica during a Mass and called on the Slovakian Catholic Church to support his proposal, angering critics.
State Secretary Štefan Kuffa, a member of the nationalist-conservative Slovak National Party, which is a junior partner in the current government of Prime Minister Robert Fico, stated that he wanted to see Jesus Christ installed as king and promised to make the proposal a reality, the Slovakian newspaper Pravda reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Academic Sued Over Alleged Vilification of IVF Babies
The trial in the case brought against Prof. Wojciech Roszkowski began on Tuesday in Kraków. A family of a child born via IVF treatment is suing the professor for a passage in a history textbook written by him, which they feel demonizes children born through IVF treatment.
The textbook is for a new subject, History and the Present, introduced to high school students in Poland last year.
In the textbook, Prof. Roszkowski raises the issue of whether the state should be “producing children,” who may then be deprived of the parental love that every child needs. The plaintiffs argue that this passage could harm IVF kids reading it, as they would feel that they were not loved. The publisher has since removed the controversial passage from the textbook.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Truckers Call for Reintroduction of Permits for Ukrainian Drivers
Road blockades and demonstrations by Polish truck drivers who believe current competition rules favor their Ukrainian counterparts have continued into their second week as union leaders call for the reintroduction of permits for Ukrainian drivers to level the playing field.
Polish road carriers protesting at the border crossings with Ukraine in Korczowa, Dorohusk, and Hrebenne are not backing down. “This is a matter of our survival,” they say.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Anti-Christian Hate Crimes in Europe Leapt by 44 Percent in 2022
ROME — Religiously motivated hate crimes against Christians in Europe jumped by 44 percent in just one year, reveals a sobering report by a prominent Christian persecution monitoring group.
On Thursday, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) released its Annual Report 2022/23, which documents a sharp rise in violent incidents and social hostility against Christians, as well as in vandalism and arson attacks on churches.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Romanian Senator Accused of Stirring Up Ethnic Conflict Against Hungarian Minority
A Romanian senator in the country’s upper parliamentary chamber launched a fresh attack on Romania’s ethnic Hungarian minority on Tuesday, claiming the historic region in the heart of Transylvania doesn’t even exist.
Firebrand nationalist Diana Sosoaca, known for her extremist rhetoric, claimed that “Szeklerland does not exist” and “Romania is indivisible.”
Szeklerland is a recognized region of Transylvania in Romania and is home to a majority ethnic Hungarian population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Law Enforcement Spokesman Sanctioned for Opposing Separatist Amnesty
Spain’s Ministry of Interior has confirmed that the director of the country’s Civil Guard, Leonardo Marcos, has decided to sanction Agustin Leal, the spokesman for Justice for the Civil Guard (JUCIL), an advocacy group representing a majority of the country’s civil guards. Leal is facing a possible three-month suspension for using social media to express views contrary to the government’s amnesty for separatist Catalan politicians.
JUCIL has described this as “an attempt to silence the civil guard” in its mission of “defending the rights and freedoms of Spaniards,” as well as in its struggle to “achieve better working conditions.”
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Spain: Union Calls for General Strike Over Catalan Amnesty
A Spanish union affiliated with the populist-conservative party VOX has called for a general strike of all workers on November 24th to protest a law that would grant amnesty to Catalan separatists who attempted an illegal referendum in 2017.
The amnesty law is a concession to the Catalan separatist parties that are supporting the investiture of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. It will effectively grant amnesty to the plotters of the referendum along with those charged with terrorist offences. It will also include other concessions, such as approval of a new independence referendum and cancelling Catalonia’s debt.
On Monday, the union Solidarity called for a general strike for Friday, November 24th, which will be supported by VOX and its leader Santiago Abascal, El Mundo reports.
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Sweden Goes All in on Nuclear Power, Promises ‘Massive’ Rollout of Reactors by 2045
Sweden’s center-right government has reaffirmed its commitment to widescale investment in nuclear power, announcing a rollout of up to 10 nuclear reactors across the country by 2045.
During a joint press conference by several government ministers on Thursday, Energy Minister Ebba Busch told journalists that the government would share the costs involved in unveiling two new conventional nuclear reactors by 2035, and facilitate the construction of several more reactors over the next two decades to ensure that Sweden is self-sufficient when it comes to energy production.
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UK: Anti-ULEZ Protester Left on Crutches After Being Hit by Camera Van
An anti-Ulez protester has been left on crutches after being hit by a mobile camera van.
The vehicle, which was patrolling the area to capture drivers entering the extended low emissions area, rammed into activist Heather Watts.
Watts joined a group of anti-Ulez protesters on a quiet lane in Biggin Hill in Bromley.
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UK: London Police Claim They Were Powerless to Act as Palestine Protesters Stormed War Memorial
A British government minister said “I will not stand idly by” and that he wants to see those disrespecting war memorials “in handcuffs” after footage emerged of police failing to intervene as Palestine protesters scaled a major London war memorial.
Protesters climbed one of central London’s key war memorials on Wednesday night, straddling the stones, shouting, and waving flags while police appeared to look on, sparking criticism that officers failed to act when they could have. Responding to the footage gaining traction and critique mounting, the Metropolitan Police issued a statement where they apologised, but ultimately claimed they were powerless.
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This is the moment that a furious driver’s brand new electric car was bashed during the latest Just Stop Oil stunt after a passerby tried to clear the eco-mob off the road.
The disruptive group, which aims to pressure the Government into abandoning fossil fuels once and for all, have boasted today of marching in west London for 45 minutes without police showing up.
The Met Police confirmed that when they did arrive, all 17 Just Stop Oil activists slow marching in Holland Park Road were arrested.
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UK: Sunak Enrages the Right, But Where Can They Go?
Rishi Sunak has hailed his reshuffle for bringing about “unity” in the cabinet. But beneath the surface, chaos is ensuing.
It is not just the ousted Suella Braverman who, with her mind on the top job, believes the prime minister lacks “the qualities of leadership that this country needs.” One MP, seemingly representing the view of many, said they were so fed up with the current state of the party that “we may as well try to see what would happen with a different leader” (emphasis added).
One backbencher has already submitted an angry (and terribly written) letter of no confidence against Sunak. It is reported that another six could follow.
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Sadiq Khan is facing calls to resign as London Mayor if an independent investigator upholds a number of complaints about statements he made during Ulez’s consultation period.
Khan was accused of breaking City Hall’s code of conduct on multiple occasions when discussing the expansion of the carbon-cutting levy last year.
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UK: Tories Warn Khan Will Wage New War on Motorists After ULEZ With ‘Pay-Per-Mile’ Charging System
Sadiq Khan will wage a new war on motorists by introducing a Singapore-style pay-per-mile scheme, Conservative Assembly Members have warned.
Tory AMs in City Hall cautioned the capital’s car-owners about a potential new levy which the London Mayor could introduce.
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UN Condemns France Over Homeschooling Ban
Since 2021 and the law on Muslim separatism, homeschooling has been banned in France. This ban has been reported to the UN. The international organisation condemned France for this serious infringement of the fundamental right of parents to choose how their children are taught.
Under the guise of combating Islamist communalism, the French government, in its law “reinforcing respect for the principles of the Republic”of August 2021, has decided to severely restrict family education—in defiance of studies showing that it is in no way a breeding ground for radicalisation. Previously subject to a declaratory system, homeschooling now requires prior administrative authorisation. Since the law was passed, a growing number of families have been banned from homeschooling by the authorities, even though some of them have been successfully practising it for many years.
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The Hamas terrorist who spat on and paraded the naked body of fun-loving tattoo artist Shani Louk through Gaza has been killed by Israeli forces, according to a rabbi who said the “monster is now roasting in hell forever.”
The 22-year-old German Israeli woman’s mother told a top rabbi that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had killed the terrorist who defiled her daughter, who became the face of the Oct. 7 massacre.
Ricarda Louk revealed “in her public conversation with me that the Hamas terrorist monster who parades her naked body around Gaza, defiling her in the name of Islam, and screaming Allahu Akbar, was killed by the IDF,” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach wrote on X.
“That monster is now roasting in hell forever as will the other Hamas savages who perpetrated this massacre,” added the TV host and author, who has been dubbed “America’s most famous rabbi.”
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Israel ‘Not Successful’ in Bid to Minimize Gaza Civilian Casualties, Netanyahu Says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Israel is doing all it can to get civilians out of harm’s way as it battles Hamas in Gaza, including dropping leaflets warning them to flee, but its attempts to minimize casualties were “not successful”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.
Netanyahu was asked by U.S. television’s CBS News whether Israel’s killing of thousands of Palestinians as it retaliates for the Oct. 7 attack by Gaza’s ruling Hamas militants would fuel a new generation of hatred.
“Any civilian death is a tragedy. And we shouldn’t have any because we’re doing everything we can to get the civilians out of harm’s way, while Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way,” Netanyahu said.
“So we send leaflets, (we) call them on their cell phones, and we say: ‘leave’. And many have left,” Netanyahu said.
Israel has said the goal of its military campaign is to destroy Hamas.
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East Jerusalem — Just to enter the driveway of his own home in East Jerusalem, Sa’adat Gharib must pass through a gate controlled remotely by Israeli security forces. Gharib’s home is on his family’s ancestral land, but it has been surrounded by an imposing metal fence, sitting within a cage encircled by Israeli settlements.
Gharib said the settler communities were built around his home — illegally — when he was a child. He said the settlers have offered to pay him whatever he wants to leave, but he has refused. He told CBS News that his family, including his young children, have been threatened.
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It’s not just on the frontlines that fighting is raging in Ukraine, there is also a war between Volodymyr Zelensky and the army leadership, according to a frank testimony by former Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.
Arestovych has accused Zelensky of persisting with a military strategy that is ineffective and blamed him for the failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive operation this autumn. He also revealed that there is a conflict between his former boss and army generals over how to proceed.
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Russian Artist Gets 7-Year Sentence for Anti-War Message
Sasha Skochilenko had been held for nearly 19 months before her trial
TALLINN, Estonia — A Russian court on Thursday convicted an artist and musician for swapping supermarket price tags with antiwar messages, sentencing her to seven years in prison in one of the highest-profile cases involving the recent crackdown on free speech.
Sasha Skochilenko was arrested in her native St. Petersburg in April 2022 and charged with spreading false information about the military after replacing price tags with ones that decried Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The Russian army bombed an arts schools in Mariupol. Some 400 people were hiding in it from the shelling,” one read. Another said, “Russian conscripts are being sent to Ukraine. Lives of our children are the price of this war.”
A customer at the supermarket who found the slogans reported them to authorities.
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The US is at a “key decision point” in its involvement with Ukraine’s war in Russia, experts are cautioning, as Kyiv’s long-awaited summer offensive has sputtered to a halt and foreign aid is dwindling.
About 96% percent of the roughly $110 billion the US has allocated to Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022 has been spent, the White House National Security Council announced last week, leaving the nation’s ability to continue its fight against Russia in jeopardy without further support.
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Zelensky Tells Britain: ‘World Not Focussed’ on Ukraine Any More, ‘Divided’ by Middle East
Volodymyr Zelensky leader gave particularly keen thanks to the new British foreign secretary as he visited Kyiv on Thursday morning as he lamented “the help of the world” had been divided by events in the Middle East, meaning the focus is no longer on Ukraine.
Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, unexpectedly back on the political front line after he was brought back into government after seven years to serve as Foreign Minister in the struggling Rishi Sunak government made his first foreign trip in post on Thursday, visiting Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Before private talks the pair engaged in remarks for the cameras, where Lord Cameron expressed his appreciation for the fighting spirit of the Ukrainians, and Zelensky thanked the British politician for having taken the time to come.
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Child Faces Court After Fatal Stabbing of Woman in Melbourne
A 12-year-old girl has faced court accused of murdering a woman found dead at an inner Melbourne property.
A 12-year-old girl asked a magistrate “where am I going?” as she faced court charged with the murder of a 37-year-old woman.
The girl was arrested and charged with murder after the body of a 37-year-old woman
was found in an apartment in Melbourne’s inner suburb Footscray at around 2am on Thursday.
She faced a children’s court on Friday where her lawyer said her incarceration at a juvenile centre was inappropriate.
He said she would face a raft of challenges while in custody due to her intellectual disabilities and anxiety.
She will be assessed while she remains in custody, the court was told.
The defence lawyer said he planned to apply for bail at the Supreme Court and would explore more appropriate housing options, including community housing and boarding.
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Kenya Expands Its Controversial Digital ID System
Taking a decisive move towards embracing dystopian technology, the Kenyan government has formally published legislation redecorating its digital ID system. The new modality builds upon its existing infrastructure for biometric citizen registration, allotting provisions for the issuance of a digital ID card, a comprehensive digital register of individuals, and a unique personal identifier.
The proposal includes the UPI, making the process of generating birth certificates simpler by directly assigning them to newborns.
Without abandoning its traditional modality, the Kenyan government has modernized its ID verification requirements. Building upon already controversial fingerprint biometrics, they introduced advancements in facial recognition and iris biometrics to their verification repertoire.
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— as Tories warn Rishi he ‘can’t afford to fail’ in his bid to send asylum seekers to Rwanda
Migrants continued flowing to Britain today as two boatloads arrived in the UK after being escorted across the English Channel by French ships — as Tory MPs warned Rishi Sunak he cannot afford to fail in his bid to start deportation flights to Rwanda.
Just 24 hours after the Supreme Court ruled the Government’s Rwanda plan illegal, more migrants were intercepted by Border Force as footage showed an overflowing dinghy with at least 40 people on board almost disappearing beneath the choppy waves.
The mostly male group, who were clad in warm clothing after battling chilly conditions at sea, were accompanied by a private vessel employed by the French authorities before being passed over to a British catamaran when they reached UK waters.
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Commuter car parks, highway upgrades and fast rail projects across the country will have their funding slashed.
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In fiery scenes in the Senate on Thursday evening, Senators Sarah Hanson-Young, Nick McKim, David Shoebridge and Mehreen Faruqi all unloaded on government and Opposition.
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Austria: Escaped Afghan Defies Police With Mocking Social Media Post
A prisoner who escaped from police custody in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, has shared photos of himself consuming cannabis on social media.
The 16-year-old Afghan was due to be taken from the Gerasdorf juvenile detention center to a hospital in Wiener Neustadt on Monday for a routine examination but escaped on the way there.
Two prison officers were unable to capture the handcuffed teenager. Even using helicopters for the manhunt did not lead to his capture. The suspect would have been released from custody in two months.
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EU Criminal Agency Detains Members of International Migrant Network
Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, has detained 11 members of a criminal network smuggling illegal immigrants by air into Belgium, Greece, and Sweden, the agency said in a statement.
According to the agency, the network mainly transported Iraqi migrants with forged or stolen documents from Greece to Brussels International Airport and Charleroi Airport. From there, they were transported to other EU countries or Norway by car or also by plane, using further false documents.
The migrants were charged at least €5,000 to €6,000 per person for each of these trips.
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EU Launches Online Platform to Attract Millions of Labor Migrants
To address the continent’s growing labor shortages, the European Commission unveiled “the first ever EU framework for organized mobility towards Europe” on Wednesday, November 15th, aiming to bring in millions of third-world migrants in the coming years.
“The skills and labor shortages … are starting to become endemic,” Commission Vice-President Margaritas Schinas said during Wednesday’s press conference, adding that the pressure for a central recruitment system has never been higher, both from member states and businesses.
The new proposed framework will have three components, making it easier for migrants to enter Europe legally.
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The Finnish government will do everything in its power to ensure the country’s security after accusing Russia of facilitating migratory pressure at its border.
According to Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, his administration will not rule out the introduction of a full border closure following an increase in traffic at its Russian border by undocumented migrants from the Middle East.
Almost a year ago, Finland closed its 1,300-kilometer border with Russia to Russian tourists, but border crossings remain open for business, health, education, and family visits. They can therefore still be crossed for humanitarian reasons.
However, in recent days, the number of non-Russian refugees has increased, with 63 arrivals from Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Turkey, mainly on bicycles, on Wednesday morning alone.
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French Senate Toughens Immigration Bill
The French Senate has amended proposed reforms to the country’s immigration system, making the language of the document tougher in areas of birthright citizenship, family reunification, and welfare benefits.
The largely conservative French Senate adopted the new immigration bill on its first reading by a vote of 210 to 115, following around a week of debate and amendments to the bill, Le Figaro reports.
Among the amendments described by Les Républicains Senator François-Noël Buffet as “beefing up” the text of the bill were abolishing state medical aid, introducing quotas for migrants, more powers to facilitate the expulsion of illegal immigrants, and restrictions on the ability of migrants to bring their family members to France.
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A ‘gay’ Nigerian asylum seeker who went on to father three children by three different women in Britain was the mastermind behind a £220,000 (€252,000) Facebook and eBay parcel fraud scam, a U.K. court has heard.
Saheed Azeez, 33, was granted asylum in Britain after telling authorities he faced persecution by the Boko Haram terrorist organization for being homosexual but has since fathered three children and married a woman in the U.K.
He now faces up to six years in jail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation. He is accused of establishing a parcel scam in collaboration with other Nigerian conmen to defraud individuals selling goods on Facebook Marketplace and eBay.
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German City to Keep Mum on Locations for Asylum Accommodation Due to Locals Thwarting Plans
The German city of Cologne will refrain from divulging the location of new asylum accommodation until the final stages of its construction due to the discontent felt by locals who then attempt to thwart the process.
The city government’s Head of Social Affairs Harald Rau revealed that the area was under pressure to accommodate greater numbers of migrants, needed to expedite new housing initiatives, and simply couldn’t afford for local residents to hold up their development.
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Hungary Builds New Prison to Relieve Overcrowding Fuelled by People Smuggling Crackdown
The Hungarian National Command of the Penitentiary Service (BvOP) is building a new maximum-security prison in Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg County, with a capacity of 1,500 prisoners.
The facility will provide jobs for almost 700 people in a settlement near the Romanian border.
“In Csenger, from January, the salary of a prison warden will reach HUF 400,000 a month (€1,060), and the minimum requirement for applying is a vocational qualification,” György Makula told Index.
The communications director of the BvOP added that the prison service has been prioritizing the expansion of accommodation for years.
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A young French woman who was strangled and raped by an illegal immigrant in Paris on Saturday afternoon has spoken about her horrific ordeal live on French television.
In a poignant testimony shared on Thursday’s broadcast of the TPMP talk show, the 27-year-old victim known as Claire admitted she has trouble sleeping and is scared to leave the house on her own after being subjected to a vicious sexual assault in the communal courtyard of her apartment building on rue Vézelay in the 8th arrondissement of the French capital.
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Italian Leftists Move to Block Albania Migrant Outsourcing Deal
Members of the leftist Italian Democratic Party and their allies are attempting to block or hinder the migration outsourcing deal recently signed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart, with some leftists comparing Albanian migrant camps to Guantanamo Bay.
The Democratic Party has demanded the agreement be put to a vote in the Italian parliament but has claimed not to have heard a response from Prime Minister Meloni or her government, while others have promised to filibuster the policy as soon as they are able, Il Giornale reports.
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Italy: Terms of Up to 6 Yrs for Migrant Centre Riots — Piantedosi
(ANSA) — ROME, NOV 16 — The government’s new security package includes prison terms of up to six years for for riots in prisons or migrant processing pre-removal centres (CPRs), Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told a press conference after the measures were approved by cabinet Thursday.
He recalled that in the past facilities for the detention of migrants have often been the scene of fires and acts that have endangered the safety of the detainees themselves.
Rioting in Italian prisons increased in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mayor Eric Adams is being forced to slash New York City’s budget to cope with the migrant crisis — after inviting 120,000 desperate people to his ‘sanctuary city.’
Adams warned New Yorkers on Thursday the migrant crisis would cause ‘painful’ budget cuts as he announced his administration’s budget for next year.
The mayor announced a $110.5 billion budget, claiming cuts across all departments were necessary after the city spent $1.45 billion in fiscal 2023 on the migrant crisis.
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The Opposition leader has been critical of the government for not imposing tough legislation to bypass the High Court ruling, which it stridently opposed, after 84 detainees were released.
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Police Officers Under Investigation After Shooting Migrant Knifeman in Germany
German police officers who shot and neutralized a knife-wielding attacker are under investigation for possible criminal offenses after two bystanders were also hit with bullets and hospitalized during the chaos.
Authorities were dispatched to a supermarket in the town of Gummersbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, on Tuesday afternoon after reports of shoplifting.
A 30-year-old German citizen of Moroccan descent stole several cans of beer from a store in the town center and assaulted a female employee when confronted before fleeing, reported the Focus news outlet, citing the public prosecutor’s office in Cologne.
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UK: Sunak Still Can’t Commit to Rwanda Flights Before Next Election
New emergency legislation will save the perpetually humiliating ‘Rwanda Plan’ from total failure, Rishi Sunak has announced. But the Tory leader is still unable to say when the deportation of illegal migrants will begin.
Sunak updated the country on Wednesday evening after the Supreme Court ruled that the plan to fly illegal migrants to the African nation was unlawful. Judges unanimously agreed that the flagship policy could not go ahead in its current form because it would put asylum seekers at “real risk” of being sent back to their country of origin, where they could face injustice, and because it is in breach of both national and international law.
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Breaking: Bud Light Paid $185,000 to Dylan Mulvaney for Disastrous Marketing Campaign
Steven Crowder revealed on Louder with Crowder on Thursday that beer brand Bud Light paid trans TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney $185,000 for a marketing campaign. That campaign cost the company millions of dollars as beer drinkers revolted against the ad campaign and took their dollars elsewhere.
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Trans Runner Takes First Place in California Girls Cross Country Championship
A biological male has taken first place in California’s Coastal Mountain Conference Championship, leading Sonoma Academy to a team victory.
Using the female name Athena Ryan, a senior at Sonoma Academy, a private school 50 miles north of San Francisco, placed first in the women’s 2.97 miles varsity cross country race with a time of 18:56.98, coming around 15 seconds faster than second-place finisher Josie Hill.
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‘Woke’ Christmas Range at Popular US Retailer Sparks Outrage
A popular American retailer has sparked outrage from conservatives over its woke Christmas range.
Target released its festive decorations range which includes Santas of various ethnicities in wheelchairs and a toy soldier carrying the LGBTQ+ Pride flag and wearing a rainbow hat.
The company suffered losses when shoppers boycotted Target for stocking Pride month merchandise and transgender-friendly swimwear earlier this year.
Social media user @endwokeness said: “Target outdid itself this year for Christmas.”
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Woman Boxer Withdraws From Quebec Championship Fight Rather Than Face Trans Competitor
A Canadian female boxer withdrew from the provincial championship in Quebec after finding out one hour before the match that she would be competing against a trans-identified biological male.
Dr. Katia Bissonnette of Saguenay refused to compete against transgender fighter Mya Walmsley, citing safety concerns, which resulted in the biological male winning the 2023 Provincial Golden Glove Championship by default.
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