Arthur Engoron, the New York judge presiding over the fraud case against Donald Trump, has posted photos of his naked torso on his high school alumni blog. Mr. Engoron, who apparently edits and publishes the blog, posted torso photos of himself there on multiple occasions.
In other news, a Nigerian migrant was arrested for the rape of a 17-year-old girl in an underground car park in Munich.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, Nash Montana, Reader from Chicago, SS, Vlad Tepes, 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.
The rapid population growth has caused house prices in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to soar by double-digits since January, with capital city rents surging 16 per cent.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
California Middle-Class Families Hit With $26K Cost-of-Living Penalty: Report
Middle-class families in California are getting slammed with an “unreasonable” cost-of-living-penalty for simply residing in the Golden State, according to a new report.
According to data from the Transparency Foundation’s Cost of California Report, a typical middle-class family of three earning $130,000 a year faces a financial burden of more than $26,000 because of higher living expenses.
The nonpartisan group’s report compares costs such as housing, utilities, food, gas, child care and health care, in every major household budget category between California and national averages.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Interest Rates Remain Unchanged Despite Fall in Inflation
Poland’s central bank has opted to retain its current interest rates despite a fall in inflation last month, the bank’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) announced on Wednesday.
The reference rate will remain at 5.75 percent, the Lombard rate at 6.25 percent, the deposit rate at 5.25 percent, and the discount rate at 5.85 percent, the bank’s rate-setting body confirmed in a statement.
Analysts had expected the MPC to cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage points because of better-than-expected inflation figures in the last two months. However, the national bank and the MPC decided that in order to ensure that progress against inflation is maintained, it was better to be cautious.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alabama Pastor, Mayor Kills Himself After Cross-Dressing Photos Emerge
An Alabama mayor and pastor ended his life last week after a conservative news site posted several photos of him dressed in women’s clothing.
F.L. “Bubba” Copeland, 49, was the mayor of Smiths Station and was a senior pastor at First Baptist Church in nearby Phenix City when 1819 News revealed his secret life online as a “transgender curvy girl.”
Two days later, Copeland shot himself in front of deputies after they pulled him over to do a welfare check, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York County Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron, 74, who is currently presiding over a civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump, has a penchant for posting nude torso pictures in the online high school alumni newsletter he apparently edits and publishes, according to several reports.
In an October 7, 2021, online issue of the Wheatley School Alumni Association newsletter, two nude torso pictures are included under the headline “Before and After” according to an archived version of the newsletter.
The first photo is labeled “October 2020” and shows a nude torso flexing. The second photo, labeled “August 2021” shows another nude torso flexing, but with a more muscular physique. The photos appear to be taken in a locker room.
| — Hat tip: Nash Montana | [Return to headlines] |
Arrest Affidavit for Owners of Colorado Funeral Home: Bodies “Stacked on Top of Each Other”
The arrest affidavits for the owners of the Return to Nature Funeral Home in Penrose are revealing some gruesome details about the conditions inside the facility. Jon and Carie Hallford were arrested Wednesday morning in Oklahoma on suspicion of committing the crimes of abuse of a corpse, theft, money laundering and forgery, which are all felonies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Atlanta city council took a step toward establishing a task force to explore reparations for the Georgia capital on Monday.
It was not immediately clear what reparations would look like, but the “City of Atlanta Reparations Study Commission,” would aim “to research the extent of the City of Atlanta’s participation in the legal discrimination of African American residents and to provide recommendations for appropriate reparations,” according to the agenda item.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans are demanding answers after it emerged that Democrat President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) chief invited Chinese Communist Party leaders to inspect a sensitive U.S. nuclear testing site.
A coalition of 18 House Republicans, led by GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY), is pressing Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm for answers over the major breach of national security.
In a letter sent Thursday morning, Stefanik and the other Republicans blasted Granholm for her agency’s invitation for foreign adversaries to inspect a sensitive U.S. nuclear testing site.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bipartisan Letter Calls on Biden to Drop Charges Against Julian Assange
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat, have established an alliance in their mutual objective to liberate the Australian founder of WikiLeaks, journalist Julian Assange.
Together with 14 other US Congress members, this unlikely duo has penned a candid letter to President Joe Biden, appealing for an immediate halt to the US’s extradition and prosecution plans against Assange. The collective voice warns of potential harm to US-Australia bilateral relations if Assange’s prosecution continues.
The letter has been signed by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Paul Gosar (R-Az.), Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (D-Ill.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Matthew Rosendale (R-Mont.), and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Senator Blackburn Subpoenas Jeffrey Epstein’s Estate for Flight Logs
On Thursday, Sen. Marsha Blackburn announced that she had issued a subpoena to the estate of Jeffrey Epstein demanding that Congress be given access to the flight logs for his private plane.
She said her goal was to expose those who spent time with the accused pedophile and human trafficker.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Anti-Israel Protesters Occupy Kirsten Gillibrand’s Office to Demand Ceasefire
On Thursday pro-Palestinian protestors occupied the Capitol office of Sen Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to demand a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the latter of which launched a war in the group after the Palestinian terror group launched an attack against the nation on October 7.
The protestors, who sat on the floor and wore shirts and carried signs that read “veterans against genocide,” chanted “hey hey, ho ho, genocide Gillibrand has got to go,” and “rise up for Palestine.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Douglass Mackey was arrested, tried and convicted over a meme. He’s been sentenced to 7 months in prison for sharing a joke on Twitter about Hillary Clinton, and her voters, leading up to the 2016 election.
While his alleged crime was in 2016, he wasn’t arrested until 7 days after Joe Biden was innaugurated in 2021. The FBI came to his home at 7:30 in the morning, dragged him out of his home in handcuffs, and didn’t even tell him what he was being arrested for until he was arranged at the courthouse. He told all this to Tucker Carlson.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Authorities are investigating after election offices in Georgia and Washington state received letters that contained fentanyl on Tuesday’s election night.
Law enforcement said that four county election offices in Washington state were evacuated on Wednesday after white powdery substances were found in envelopes at the state’s election centers in King, Pierce, Skagit, and Spokane counties. The substances tested positive for fentanyl in King and Spokane, while in at least one other case the substance was baking soda, according to Komo 4 News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Before she was locked up in a Russian gulag last year, WNBA player Brittney Griner was better known for her anti-American protests than her basketball skills.
While playing in the 2020 season, Griner stayed in the locker room while the national anthem played and even called on the WNBA to stop playing the “Star-Spangeled Banner” during games.
However, Griner’s un-American position was put to the test when she was arrested in Russia while trying to get on a plane with drugs in her bag.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Senator Joe Manchin Announces He is Not Running for Reelection
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said in a statement Thursday that he is not running for reelection and will instead travel the country to see if there is a movement to mobilize moderates.
“After months of deliberation and long conservation with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I have set out to do for West Virginia,” Manchin said in a video statement. “I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life and decided that I will not be running for reelection.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fact Check: Yes, NBC’s Kristen Welker Promoted Trump-Russia Collusion Hoax
CLAIM: Republican presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday night accused NBC News debate moderator Kristen Welker of previously promoting the conspiracy that former President Donald Trump colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential election.
VERDICT: True. Welker, while she was the White House correspondent for NBC News, routinely promoted reports from her network and other media outlets like the New York Times that falsely suggested Trump colluded with Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Baltimore Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby Found Guilty on 2 Counts of Perjury
Former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby has been convicted on two counts of perjury by a federal jury.
The federal jury reached the verdict Thursday, finding Mosby guilty of perjury after she falsely claimed financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to withdraw money from the city’s retirement fund, prosecutors announced.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
GOP Debate Crowd Chants ‘Trump, Trump, Trump’ During Commercial Break
The crowd at the third Republican primary debate loudly chanted support for former President Donald Trump during a commercial break before the debate began.
The overt support for Trump, the leading candidate in the GOP primary by a wide margin, indicated that none of the five candidates present at the debate had the same amount of support.
“Trump, Trump, Trump,” the crowd chanted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
James Comer Subpoenas 4 Key Biden Family Associates, Including ‘Moneyman’ and Art Dealer
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) subpoenaed four Biden family associates on Wednesday and also requested a transcribed interview with an Americore Holdings, LLC trustee regarding “loans” the Bidens received.
The subpoenas are the second batch issued in two days, signaling Comer’s initiative to cast a wide net around the Biden family business.
The subpoenas and transcribed interview requests include:
- “Moneyman” Eric Schwerin (Subpoena)
- Former top CEFC China Energy Co. official Mervyn Yan (Subpoena)
- Art dealer Georges Bergès (Subpoena)
- Art buyer Elizabeth Naftali (Subpoena)
- Trustee, Americore Health, LLC, Carol Fox
- Associate Joey Langston
- Ukrainian-American businessman and longtime donor to Joe Biden, John Hynansky
- Associate Jason Galanis
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jill Stein Announces 2024 Presidential Bid: Democrats Have ‘Betrayed Their Promises’
Jill Stein, who famously ran in the 2016 presidential election, announced on Thursday that she is running for president yet again with a platform that includes guaranteeing the “right” to a living-wage job, housing, food, health care, education “and more.”
In a video posted to social media, Stein laid out the current state of affairs, contending that “people are tired of being thrown under the bus by wealthy elites and their bought politicians.”
They are “tired of living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to pay the rent, locked in student debt and medical debt, child poverty doubling, rising diseases of despair, growing hopelessness,” she said declaring that “the political system is broken” and pointing directly to what she described as the “two wall street parties” which she said are “bought and paid for.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nolte: Anti-Jewish Hate Crimes Surge 214% in Democrat-Run New York City
Hate crimes against Jews in Democrat-run New York City surged 214 percent last month, the far-left New York Daily News reports.
This is typical.
Most of the gun violence, violent crime, pollution, sexism, racism, and hate crimes occur where Democrats are in charge.
Time and time again, we see this. And yet, in rural MAGA Land, where all the supposed racists live, where we all own guns, where we supposedly don’t care about the environment, our towns and neighborhoods are clean, peaceful, safe, and tolerant.
Funny how that works.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Seamus Bruner’s newest investigation—Controligarchs—peers into the future and provides a haunting and revelatory exposé of the leftist elite’s playbook for the next five years,” Schweizer said.
Preeminent investigative journalist Seamus Bruner has worked with Peter Schweizer for more than twelve years. As Schweizer’s top researcher for over a decade, he led the teams behind runaway New York Times bestsellers Red-Handed, Profiles in Corruption, and Clinton Cash. These findings sparked multiple FBI investigations and congressional probes into the Clintons and the Bidens.
Bruner’s work has been featured on the front pages of every major publication from the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal to the New York Times and the Washington Post and appeared in multiple Fox News investigations and 60 Minutes expose’s.
His last book, Fallout: Nuclear Bribes, Russian Spies, and the Washington Lies that Enriched the Clinton and Biden Dynasties (co-authored with veteran investigative journalist John Solomon), revealed new details about the Biden-Burisma bribery scandal. Furthermore, Fallout accurately predicted that if the Obama-Biden strategy of Russian appeasement—typified by scandals like Hillary Clinton’s Uranium One deal and Obama’s failed “Russia Reset”—were not abandoned, Russia would invade Ukraine.
Now Bruner is taking on his biggest targets yet in Controligarchs: Exposing the Billionaire Class, Their Secrets Deals, and the Globalist Plot to Dominate Your Life.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reparations Architect for Black Asheville Residents Gets Soros Fellowship to Spread Idea
ASHEVILLE — The former city council member behind the city’s groundbreaking reparations initiative has been awarded a fellowship to help other cities implement similar programs.
The Soros Foundation awarded Keith Young the $130,000 fellowship as part of a plan to help other cities start government-based reparations programs for Black residents as well as private programs that work in tandem.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Threaten to Reject Ukraine Aid Unless Democrats Agree to Tighten U.S. Immigration Laws
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans released a proposal for tougher immigration laws Monday while issuing a warning to President Joe Biden that there will be no further Ukraine aid without stricter rules for being granted asylum in the U.S.
The one-page plan — written by GOP Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — calls for a wide variety of changes, including raising the “credible fear” standard for asylum-seekers, curtailing officials’ ability to grant humanitarian parole and toughening penalties for illegal border crossings.
The proposal was met with swift criticism from the White House and Democrats, who urged Republicans not to hold Ukraine funding hostage to a divisive domestic dispute that has bedeviled presidents and lawmakers for the last three decades.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nikki Haley is a complete fraud and Vivek absolutely roasted her beyond all recognition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Signal (Finally) Tests Usernames to Replace Phone Numbers
Signal, the encrypted messaging service, has taken a significant stride in safeguarding user privacy. In a move released recently through a new beta build in their active community forums, the company declared its testing usernames as a fresh way to exchange contact information privately.
This much-called-for move has been unveiled after a series of internal evaluations, according to Jim O’Leary, VP of Engineering at Signal. Acknowledging the critical contribution of the app’s user community, O’Leary noted, “After rounds of internal testing, we have hit the point where we think the community that powers these forums can help us test even further before public launch.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Subway Passenger Opens Fire After Man Allegedly Threatens to Rob Woman
Forty-three-year-old John Rote is under arrest after he allegedly fired two rounds at a man who was reportedly trying to rob a woman on a Manhattan subway platform.
The New York Post reported that the incident occurred Tuesday after Rote saw 49-year-old Matthew Roesch allegedly hold “the emergency gate open” only to demand money before allowing a woman on the subway.
The Post noted that police indicated that the woman tried to sidestep Roesch, who allegedly responded by getting directly in front of her and saying, “If you don’t give me a dollar, I’m going to take your purse.”
After witnessing the incident, Rote screamed, “Get away from her!” He then fired two rounds down the platform.
FOX 5 ran a headline focused on Rote, asking, “Subway vigilante or hero?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thomas Massie Tried, But Failed, to Stop “Kill Switch” Mandate That Could Disable Vehicles
The controversial federal mandate requiring all vehicles from 2026 onwards to embed an auto-disable or “kill switch” technology was met with resistance on Tuesday as it faced potential defunding. Despite efforts by Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, the House chose to reject the amendment that could have seen the mandate dissolved, in a vote of 229 to 201, thereby keeping the future of personal movement under the watchful presence of corporations and government.
The mandate was originally integrated into the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, prompting Massie to attempt defunding it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul Says it’s “Difficult to Imagine Trump Winning” in 2024
GOP Senator Rand Paul says that he thinks it is difficult to imagine Donald Trump winning another term in office because of the magnitude of everything that is being done by Democrats and the establishment to prevent it happening.
“It’s difficult to image Trump winning, but it’s also difficult to imagine anything more unfair they could do to him, and also how pitiful the performance of Biden has been, and how frail and detached that he looked in doing his job,” Paul said during an interview with Piers Morgan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vivek Ramaswamy: DeSantis, Haley Like ‘Dick Cheney in Three-Inch Heels’
Businessman and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy swiped at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) during the third GOP debate on Wednesday night over allegations DeSantis wears lifts in his boots.
Ramaswamy was answering a question about his foreign policy positions when he nodded to “Bootgate,” lumping former U.N. Ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and DeSantis together as warmongering neo-conservatives who resemble “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington Post Censors Anti-Hamas Cartoon After Reader Complaints, Staff Revolt
The Washington Post has taken down a cartoon by conservative artist Michael P. Ramirez that mocked Hamas, after criticisms by readers and a revolt by staff members.
The cartoon shows a Hamas spokesman with several children and a woman tied to his head and body, being used as human shields. The spokesman is seen saying: “How dare Israel attack civilians…”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A brawl broke out Wednesday evening outside the Museum of Tolerance where anti-Israel demonstrators gathered to oppose Gal Gadot’s screening of a film of atrocities committed by the Palestinian terror group Hamas in its October attack.
Breitbart News was among the first outlets in the world to see the film, a 43-minute compilation of footage recorded by Hamas on GoPros and mobile phones, as well as by victims of the attack on dashboard cameras, surveillance cameras, and their own phones.
As this author later recounted, it was ““the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” and “one of the most brutal attacks on civilians that the Western world has ever seen.” Gadot, who is Israeli, held a screening for a select group of Hollywood colleagues, because she wanted to drive home the reality of what happened.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Continues to Censor News Reporting on the Nashville Shooter Manifesto
After removing a video about the Nashville shooter’s manifesto earlier this week, YouTube is back at it again and has taken down another video that discussed both the manifesto and Facebook’s censorship of it.
In the video, which was posted by news, opinion, and entertainment site Not the Bee on Tuesday, host Ashley St. Clair talked about the leaked manifesto being “censored by Big Tech overlord Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook,” criticized Facebook for invoking its rules on “violence and incitement” to censor the manifesto, criticized authorities for withholding the manifesto for months, showed and read the leaked pages from the manifesto, and discussed the manifesto.
But YouTube swiftly censored the video, claiming that it violated the platform’s rules on “violent criminal organizations.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shots Fired at 2 Jewish Schools in Montreal: Police
Shooters targeted two Jewish schools in Montreal Thursday in anti-Semitic attacks.
No one was killed or injured.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria’s Opposition FPÖ Urges Government to Veto Ukraine’s EU Membership
The conservative Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) has urged the country’s government to veto Ukraine’s membership after the European Commission gave the green light for preparatory accession talks to begin.
“It is political madness to seriously want to admit a country at war with another country into the EU,” said FPÖ President Herbert Kickl.
“Now that the elites in Brussels have dragged the EU and Austria into an economic war that is incompatible with our perpetual neutrality and is destroying our prosperity and our economy, to allow the Ukrainians to join would be to drag ourselves straight into that war,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President of Czech Republic Petr Pavel, has expressed concerns about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine during a Diplomacy and Security conference, Novinky.cz reports. Pavel noted that the current battlefield situation does not suggest that Ukraine could achieve a military advantage and time may be working in Russia’s favor.
He highlighted the need for negotiations and the potential start of such talks next year. Russia’s stronger mobilization capacity for human resources and efforts to replenish material resources have given them an advantage. According to Pavel, Russia appears to be prolonging the conflict and may be waiting for the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, which could impact Western assistance to Ukraine, including the provision of weapons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dispute Over History May Block Ukraine’s EU Accession, Says Polish Official
Ukraine will not join the EU if there is no resolution with Poland regarding a dispute over the exhumation of Polish victims of a wartime massacre by Ukrainians, said Deputy Polish Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski.
Between 1943 and 1944, around 100,000 Poles were slaughtered by the ultra-nationalist Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions of pre-war eastern Poland (today part of western Ukraine).
The killings still cast a shadow over Ukrainian-Polish relations despite the close bonds between the two countries forged by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Commission Waters Down Transparency Rules
The controversial requirement for NGOs to disclose third-country funding will remain in the EU’s own upcoming ‘foreign agents act’—the Defense of Democracy Package—but those who are truly concerned with political persecution will have a chance to play by different rules, Values and Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourova revealed in a recent interview with Politico, published on Thursday, November 9th.
The package, aimed at regulating the transparency of political advertising by keeping track of the funding of European political parties and foundations—primarily to weed out Russian and Chinese influence—has been in the works for the better part of a year now.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Pushes CBDC-Linked ‘Digital Identity’ for All Citizens
The European Union (EU) is advancing plans to introduce a new “Digital Identity” that will be directly linked to a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a top Euro official has revealed.
The plan was exposed Wednesday on social media by Dutch Member of the European Parliament Rob Roos.
Roos posted a video on Twitter/X to reveal the outcome of a closed-door meeting between top Eurocrats about the plan to roll out the system to the public.
After leaving the meeting, the MEP took to X to warn the public about the “very bad news.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Far-Right Leader Shot in Spain Amid Race for Premier
A veteran conservative Catalan leader and co-founder of the far-right Vox party was shot on the streets of Madrid, overshadowing a deal earlier in the day by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to form a new government.
Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who briefly led Vox as president about a decade ago, was shot in central Madrid after being approached by two men, newspaper ABC reported. He is in the hospital.
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
French Model Arrested for Mocking Report of Baby Burned by Hamas Terrorists
PARIS, France — A social media influencer was arrested in France on Thursday for making light of the reported killing of an Israel baby by Hamas terrorists, prosecutors told AFP.
In a video, the woman — identified by media as Warda Anwar, a model — commented on remarks by an Israeli first responder who said Hamas gunmen had burned a baby alive in an oven during their assault on October 7.
The report has not been confirmed by Israeli authorities. Eli Beer of United Hatzalah, who first reported the incident, has since said he heard it secondhand. However, there is no dispute that terrorists burned some of their victims, including children and babies.
“I wonder whether they added salt and pepper first, did they add thyme?” Anwar said in the video. “What was the side dish?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Far-Left Party Refuses to Join Cross-Party Protest Against Antisemitism
The leading far-left party in France has refused to join a bi-partisan march against antisemitism in Paris on Sunday amid accusations of siding with the “fifth column” of Islamists in the country.
La France Insoumise (LFI), the far-left parliamentary party founded by socialist Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is often compared to Bernie Sanders in the United States and Jeremy Corbyn in Britain, announced that it will not join a cross-party organised demonstration against antisemitism called by President of the Senate Gérard Larcher of the centre-right Les Républicains and President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet of President Macron’s neo-liberal Rennaisance party.
The leftist party justified its decision to not attend the protest because of the inclusion of the right-wing populist National Rally (RN), which they accused of racism and having a history of “collaboration with Nazism”, Le Figaro reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A former minister in Polish opposition leader Donald Tusk’s previous administration is set to be released from prison in order to take up a seat in the European Parliament, a move that would grant him parliamentary immunity from future jail time unless a parliamentary majority votes to waive it.
Wlodzimierz Karpinski, who served as Tusk’s minister for state assets for seven years until 2014, is currently in pre-trial detention for corruption charges. However, he has revealed he will accept an opportunity to become an MEP, which has arisen as a result of outgoing MEP Krzysztof Hetman winning a seat in Poland’s domestic parliament in last month’s election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Defending Democracy? Two Popular Opposition Parties Targets of ‘Lawfare’
Despite being the state’s most popular party and commanding a third of the electorate’s trust, the conservative, antiglobalist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt has been labeled “extremist” by Germany’s federal domestic intelligence agency, prompting accusations of a politically motivated witch hunt of the party’s leaders.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), which has exhibited a clear anti-AfD bias in the past, on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 7th, told the public broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) that it had classified Saxony-Anhalt’s regional branch of the AfD as an extremist outfit.
Saxony-Anhalt’s BfV chief, in comments given to the news outlet, said that the regional branch of the AfD is “certainly right-wing extremist.” The classification comes after the party was placed under surveillance in 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany to Deploy Long-Term Bundeswehr Brigade in Lithuania Amid Security Concerns
In response to the evolving security landscape and Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz, has announced the deployment of a Bundeswehr brigade to Lithuania on a long-term basis.
The move is aimed at bolstering the security of Germany’s allies and enhancing NATO’s collective defense efforts. Scholz emphasized Germany’s commitment to strengthening the defense capabilities of its allies and praised the diligence of the Bundeswehr in carrying out these tasks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Strengthens Military in Europe Amidst Growing Security Challenges
Germany is gearing up to fortify its military, aiming to position it as the cornerstone of defense and deterrence in Europe. As reported by Reuters, this strategic move comes ahead of the release of new defense guidelines, the first in over a decade.
The forthcoming guidelines, the first since the suspension of conscription in 2011, will delve into the details of the Zeitenwende or the major policy transformation. This marks a crucial step in revitalizing the Bundeswehr, which has faced attrition since the Cold War era. Germany has committed a substantial 100-billion-euro special fund to procure modern weapons, signaling a serious effort to upgrade its military capabilities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Commemorates Kristallnacht as Anti-Semitism Resurfaces
Germany, across various settings including schools, city halls, synagogues, churches and parliament, united to mark the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, also known as the “Night of Broken Glass.” This infamous event saw the Nazis terrorizing Jewish communities throughout Germany and Austria.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Germany’s main Jewish leader, Josef Schuster, were scheduled to address an anniversary ceremony at a Berlin synagogue, which tragically suffered a firebomb attack just last month.
The solemn commemoration coincides with a troubling resurgence of antisemitism in Germany, ignited in part by the recent brutal attack by Hamas, which claimed the lives of 1,400 individuals in Israel on October 7 and triggered an ongoing conflict in Gaza.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: AfD Leader Tino Chrupalla Has Surgery on His Arms After Injection Attack
AfD federal and parliamentary group leader Tino Chrupalla underwent surgery on his right upper arm due to inflammation. The 48-year-old suffered a stab wound during an election campaign event on October 4th, leading to brief intensive care treatment.
Chrupalla had the puncture site cut out by a specialist in Dresden two days after the incident. The tissue sample analysis revealed a puncture channel and inflammatory changes extending into the subcutaneous tissue, FOCUS ONLINE reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Police Ban Another Pro-Palestinian Rally in Budapest
A pro-Palestinian rally has been banned by the Budapest police department due to “reasonable fears that it could lead to violence.”
A private citizen announced a rally in connection with the armed conflict between the Hamas terrorist organization and Israel scheduled for Nov. 22 in the 2nd district of Budapest, the police said on its official website.
The Budapest Police Headquarters banned the rally under Section 13 (1) of Act LV of 2018 on the Right of Assembly. The Budapest Police Headquarters also warned that participation in the prohibited assembly would be subject to sanctions.
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Hungary Frowns Upon German Plans to Legalize Cannabis
Germany’s proposed liberalization of its cannabis laws could see more nationals carrying the drug across the European Union’s borderless zone and into Hungary, Hungarian Deputy Interior Minister Bence Rétvari warned on Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference, the Hungarian minister said the bill proposed by Germany’s liberal federal coalition government would allow Germans to grow cannabis plants at home for personal use and legalize the possession of up to 25 grams of cannabis.
The new legislation still needs the approval of the Bundestag.
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In Polish Stores, Cases of Theft Have Increased by 40 Percent
In Poland, the number of thefts amounting to over 500 zlotys has risen by 40 percent. The majority of crimes are attributed to large stores, which has already been recognized as a social problem.
Since the beginning of October this year, thefts of goods exceeding 800 zlotys have become criminal offenses and in the first nine months of 2023, more than 204,000 cases of offenses have been recorded, which is 20 percent more compared to the previous year.
Experts point to several reasons for the increase in the number of thefts, including rising prices and the development of criminal groups. According to Rzeczpospolita, high inflation and worsening economic conditions can be contributing factors to the rise in crimes.
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Italy Can’t Afford NATO’s Cash Demands — Minister
by RT
Italy has no chance of boosting its military spending to 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, as required by NATO, and won’t likely be able to meet the target within the next five years, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has told lawmakers in Rome.
Speaking to members of the defense and foreign affairs in both houses of Italy’s parliament on Tuesday, Crosetto said bringing military spending to 2% of GDP will be “impossible” in 2024 and “difficult for 2028 as well.” He added, “We are indeed far from 2%, very far.”
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Mystery as EU Pharma Report Disappears, Reappears
A controversial report addressing Europe’s medicine shortage is back online after a week of media fanfare over possible conflicts of interest among MEPs who are also in a romantic relationship.
Pharmaceuticals are a hot topic these days as Europe is in the midst of a chronic medicine shortage. The EU parliament is working on a major reform of pharmaceutical regulations. This initiative comes after the bloc’s recent experience with the COVID pandemic and the Deletegate scandal involving text messages between EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the head of Europe’s major vaccine supplier, Pfizer.
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Netherlands: Record Surge in E-Bike and Car Parts Theft
Theft of components and accessories from e-bikes, scooters and corporate vehicles has reached unprecedented levels in the first nine months of this year in Netherlands, as reported by NL Times.
Law enforcement recorded over 21,000 thefts from vehicles, excluding privately owned cars. This marks a 25% increase compared to the same period in 2022, representing the highest count since 2012, when these statistics were first compiled, according to ANP’s analysis based on police data.
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New Slovak Government Scraps Ukraine Military Aid Package Approved by Previous Administration
In a move signaling a clear departure in foreign policy after the recent elections, the new Slovak government did not approve the delivery of a military aid package to Ukraine that had been prepared by the outgoing Odor cabinet, the Slovak public news agency TASR reported.
The shipment was worth €40.3 million and would have included 4 million rounds of 7.62-millimeter machine guns, more than 5,000 rounds of 125-millimeter artillery ammunition, and 140 rockets for use in Kub air defense systems, as well as mortars and their ammunition.
Slovakia previously approved and delivered 13 military aid packages to Ukraine under the previous government to the value of €671 million, according to official figures.
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Polish Truckers Demand End to EU-Ukraine Deal
The European Union seems to be in no hurry to resolve the plight of Polish truckers who say they have had to endure unfair competition from Ukraine for more than a year. Measures that were meant to help support the Ukrainian economy during the war are now hurting local Polish businesses, according to the protesters.
Truckers started to block three major border crossings with Ukraine on Monday, November 6th, allowing only passenger traffic and transport with humanitarian or military aid to pass through. They intend to uphold the blockade until January 6th if their demands are not met by then.
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Political Storm Swirls as UK Minister Accuses Police of ‘Playing Favourites’ With Protesters
Britain’s interior minister had penned an opinion piece in which she accuses police of giving left-wing protesters an easy ride while cracking down on the right, but her own government has distanced itself from the piece and there are calls for her to step down.
An opportunity to unseat a Home Secretary loathed by the left for her rhetoric over border control and mass migration manifested Thursday after Suella Braverman penned an opinion piece in the United Kingdom’s newspaper of report pointing out perceived instances of preferential treatment of police towards protesters.
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Schengen Enlargement Key Priority of Hungary’s EU Presidency
Romania and Bulgaria had been waiting for Schengen membership for years, hoping to become part of the free movement area by the end of the summer, only to have a few remaining countries stand in the way, seemingly freezing negotiations.
Romania’s Schengen accession, however, is one of the key priorities of Hungarian neighborhood policy, and Budapest will utilize its position as Council president in 2024 to finalize the process, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjartó promised in Bucharest on Wednesday, November 8th.
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Spain: Police Tear-Gas Thousands Protesting Against Socialists in Madrid
Police in Madrid, Spain, deployed tear gas and rubber bullets on Tuesday night against a protest that reportedly attracted 7,000 people to the front of the headquarters of the Socialist Workers Party of Spain (PSOE), objecting to a proposed amnesty for Catalonian separatist rioters and taunting police with anti-Muslim chants.
The protests are a result of several failed attempts by lawmakers in Parliament to form a government, as elections in July did not give President Pedro Sanchez, the head of the PSOE, enough seats in Parliament to govern. Spain’s conservatives are largely split between the establishment center-right People’s Party (PP) and the populist conservative party Vox, which collectively secured more seats than the leftist block of the PSOE and Sumar but also fell short of a governing majority.
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Spain: Veteran Populist Lawmaker ‘Shot in Face’ by Motorcycle Getaway Gunman
A retired Spanish politician, a former leader of the main parliamentary opposition party and founder of the second largest opposition party, was shot in the face as he walked out of church on Thursday.
78-year-old Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a retired politician, appears to have narrowly survived what may have been an assassination attempt at Thursday lunchtime. Local media reported he was shot in the face at close range by a would-be assassin with a handgun as he walked out of Mass in a Madrid church. Vidal-Quadras is said to be in serious but stable condition in the hospital where he was taken after the attack.
Spain’s ABC reports a gunman wearing a motorcycle helmet, a blue coat, and denim trousers approached Vidal-Quadras before fleeing to an accomplice waiting on a black Yamaha TMAX motorcycle, on which they made their escape. No arrests have yet been made. Per the outlet, police do not believe robbery was the motive and are investigating a potential assassination attempt.
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Spain: Vox Founder Miraculously Survives Shot in Head From Point-Blank Range in Madrid
A Spanish politician who helped found the right-wing populist Vox party was shot in the head in broad daylight on Thursday in an upmarket neighborhood in Madrid.
Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a former vice-president of the European Parliament who had also served as leader of the People’s Party of Catalonia, was shot at point-blank range by a gunman who fled the scene on a motorcycle.
The incident occurred at around 2 p.m. local time on 40 Nuñez de Balboa street in Salamanca, police confirmed.
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Spain Vox Leader Denounces Centrist Partido Popular for Attempting to Criminalize Protests
Santiago Abascal, the president of VOX, has criticized the centrist Partido Popular’s efforts to criminalize the protests staged in front of the PSOE headquarters on Ferraz Street, opposing the amnesty for separatist coup plotters, La Gaceta reported.
In a message on the X social network, Abascal expressed disdain for Genoa and its oblivious supporters, highlighting the misguided attempt to favor coup plotters by criminalizing protests against them.
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The European Union is Considering an Alternative Plan for Financing Ukraine
The European Union is considering an alternative plan for financing Ukraine if Hungary continues to block the allocation of 50 billion euros, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.
The new proposal would involve national guarantees from EU member states to attract funding in the markets.
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The European Commission Has Launched an Investigation Into TikTok and YouTube
The European Commission has initiated an investigation into the measures taken by the social media platform TikTok and the video-sharing site YouTube to protect minors, focusing on their “mental and physical health,” reported by France 24.
The Commission, as part of the new EU legislation on digital services (DSA) implemented in late August, has requested additional information from these companies regarding their compliance with obligations related to the protection of minors.
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The curtain has finally called on “Russia, Russia, Russia” in Britain as the Supreme Court shot down the final appeal from Brexit-Russiagate journalist Carole Cadwalladr, who will now have to cover the legal costs of Leave.EU founder Arron Banks for his libel suit against her.
After years of court wrangling, Carole Cadwalladr, of the left-wing Guardian’s sister Observer newspaper, has run out of legal rope. Earlier this year, Brexit’s business tycoon backer Arron Banks partially won a libel case against the establishment reporter, being granted £35,000 in damages over her unfounded assertions that Banks had a clandestine connection to the Russian government.
In addition to the damages, Cadwalladr was also ordered to pay 60 per cent of Banks’ legal costs, which reportedly meant that she would owe the Brexiteer around £1 million, a decision that she launched multiple appeals against.
However, this week the Supreme Court shot down her final appeal, finding that the “proposed appeal does not raise an arguable point of law” and that there was nothing to suggest that the Court of Appeal “erred in principle or exercised its discretion in an unreasonable manner”.
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UK: Thousands Respond to Sunak’s Smoking Ban
One of the more contentious elements of this week’s otherwise mundane King’s Speech was Rishi Sunak’s plan to ban smoking for anyone born after 2009. The Conservative government hopes this will bring about a “smokefree generation,” thus “creating a better and brighter future for our children.”
It is so contentious, in fact, that a consultation on the proposal established by the Department of Health less than a month ago has already picked up more than 12,000 responses. And there is still a month to go.
The government’s consultation asks respondents for their views on its intention to “protect future generations from the harms of smoking” by banning tobacco products for certain Britons and to “crack down” on youth vaping.
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‘Ukraine Belongs to Our European Family’ But Needs to Address Corruption First, Says Brussels
“Enlargement is a vital policy for the European Union”, the Commission’s Von der Leyen says as it announces Ukraine is moving a step closer to becoming a member state.
Ukraine has made progress on fighting corruption but has further to go, the European Union says, as it acknowledged the process towards it becoming a member state will “not be a short path”, but nevertheless the country “belongs to our European family”.
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Unprecedented Rise in Antisemitism Seen on British University Campuses
There has been an unprecedented surge in antisemitic incidents on British universities, according to leading Jewish groups.
The Community Security Trust, a charity that seeks to prevent antisemitic crimes against Britain’s Jewish population, said that in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks on Israel last month, it has recorded a total of 67 antisemitic incidents on UK campuses from October 7th to November 3rd, alone. This is compared to 12 during the same period last year.
The president of the Union of Jewish Students, Edward Issac told the BBC that they have never seen a comparable spike in antisemitic incidents to that seen over the past month.
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Associated Press Cuts Ties With Gaza Freelancer Accused of Being Embedded With Hamas Terrorists
The Associated Press (AP) issued a statement Thursday in response to serious allegations against freelancers who contributed to AP’s coverage of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration is demanding answers from several prominent news agencies after criticism emerged of their photographers and their links to Hamas on the day of its barbaric attack.
As Breitbart News reported Wednesday, AP said that it had no foreknowledge of the attack, even though its photographers appeared alongside Hamas terrorists from the first moments they broke through the Gaza border fence.
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Netanyahu Demands Answers From CNN, NYT, AP, Reuters, on Embedded Hamas Photographers
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration is demanding answers from several prominent news agencies after criticism emerged of their photographers appearing to have been embedded with Hamas terrorists during the October 7 attack.
As Breitbart News reported Wednesday, the Associated Press said that it had no foreknowledge of the attack, even though its photographers appeared alongside Hamas terrorists from the first moments that they broke through the Gaza border fence.
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Posters of Kidnapped Israeli Kids Are Traumatizing Hamas Supporters
by Daniel Greenfield
On city streets and on campuses across the country, posters of kidnapped Jewish families, women and children are being torn down by Hamas supporters. Why are they doing it?
Students for Justice in Palestine at Drew University issued a statement claiming that the posters of abducted children “use triggering and insensitive language” and “delegitimize the need for Palestinian resistance”.
Drew’s SJP chapter had responded to the Hamas massacres, rapes and kidnappings by hailing them as “an act of resistance” against the “Zionist Imperialist Territories” and defending the atrocities by arguing that “every Israeli civilian has served, is serving, or will serve in the Israeli Defense Forces” so that “all Israelis citizens are inherently complicit in the occupation of Palestine”. That presumably includes the Jewish babies and children murdered by Hamas: including Noya Dan, a 12-year-old autistic girl, killed along with her 80-year-old grandmother.
That’s nothing less than a defense for the extermination of the Jews by a campus organization.
The Students for Justice in Palestine chapter finds it “triggering” to actually see posters of its victims and complains that they “delegitimize” Hamas. It’s traumatic for Hamas supporters to see their terrorist organization cast in a bad light for kidnapping kids. Colleges are supposed to be safe spaces for terrorists and their supporters to celebrate their atrocities and cry when their victims fight back. It’s certainly not a place where terrorists should ever be made to feel bad…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Says Risk of Nuclear, Chemical, Biological War Increasing, Blames America
The global security picture including the risk of nuclear, chemical, and biological war, terrorism, and international crime is worsening and this is all America’s fault, Russia claimed on Wednesday.
The United States’ foreign policy is wrecking global security, bankrupting Europe, and risks the outbreak of nuclear war, Russia said in a series of finger-pointing statements while failing to address its own role in the same. Speaking on Wednesday to representatives of Russian-aligned nations in Moscow, Putin ally and Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev made a wide-ranging speech on the many ways in which he perceived America was making the world worse, including fomenting unrest in Eurasia, undermining international arms control, biological experimentation in Ukraine, and pushing the world to the brink of nuclear war.
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Stalemate in Ukraine is the Hesitant West’s Fault
The commander of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, admitted in a recent interview with The Economist that expectations of a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive were, to put it mildly, overly optimistic. The Ukrainians have run into a powerful line of Russian defense, and the war has finally turned into one of attrition. Ukraine urgently needs new solutions, a new strategy and a ready supply of advanced weaponry to advance its position.
This sad situation has not come as a surprise to anyone following the course of the war. The Ukrainian army learned a lot and achieved impressive victories in 2022. Since then, they have been unable to repeat those successes. To a large extent, the problem lies in the chronic under-equipping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which stems from the indecisiveness, and often cowardice, of Kyiv’s Western partners to supply the desperately needed arms and equipment.
As has been said many times — and what Western leaders themselves recognize — President Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine is not a local conflict rooted in territorial disputes between two neighboring states. It is an attack on the very foundations of the existing world order, and an aggressive attempt to rewrite the rules that underpin it.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Claims Responsibility Car Bomb Killing of Russian-Backed Politician
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s intelligence agency claimed responsibility for a car bombing Wednesday that killed a member of the Russia-backed authority in the illegally annexed Luhansk region.
Mikhail Filiponenko was a member of the local legislature and previously served as police chief. He had survived a car bombing on Feb. 21, 2022, three days before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Local officials announced Filiponenko’s death.
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Australia Considers Forcing Smart TVs to Pre-Install Apps From Legacy Media
Australia is coming up with another radical idea that regards the media business, control over what kind of media content people are likely to see/see first, and inclusion of protectionism and favoritism of certain media in actual regulation.
The proposal is pretty comprehensive, as it is supposed to force smart TV manufacturers to have legacy media and state funded outlets’ apps pre-installed on the devices. This, observers say, would give such news outlets a clear advantage over most commercial ones — regardless of which content is more relevant or popular.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jewish Man Hospitalized for Four Days After Brutal Attack by Pro-Palestinian Gang
A Jewish man spent four days in hospital after he was brutally attacked in Sydney, Australia, by a gang of pro-Palestinian supporters.
The Australian newspaper reports the incident took place in broad daylight at a children’s playground on a quiet suburban street.
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Brazilian Influencer Vanessa Mancini Dies Suddenly at 41 After ‘Massive Heart Attack’
Popular Brazilian social media influencer Vanessa Mancini has died suddenly at her home in northwestern Brazil, her family has announced.
The 41-year-old was reportedly in her luxury condo with her parents in the city of Manaus when she suddenly collapsed.
The influencer was found dead in the bathroom of her home.
Medics were called to the scene but when the emergency services arrived, Mancini was showing no vital signs.
Her family later confirmed she had passed away after suffering a “massive heart attack” inside her home on Monday morning.
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Panama: Elderly Lawyer Shoots Dead Two Climate Protesters Blocking Highway
A retired lawyer allegedly shot and killed two men who were part of a protest blocking a highway in Panama.
While he has not been officially named by police, the suspect has been widely reported to be Kenneth Darlington, 77, a retired American lawyer and university professor who lives in Panama.
Police said on X (formerly Twitter) that a man has been arrested at the scene, where he was charged with aggravated homicide and illegal possession of a firearm.
Mr Darlington, who was born in Panama but has US citizenship, was caught up in a traffic jam on Tuesday on a highway 55 miles west of Panama City, caused by protesters campaigning against the recent deal the Panama government made to restart a copper mine.
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25 Kurdish Nationals Discovered in Van on Hungary’s M1 En Route to Austria
On Wednesday, tax and customs authority NAV of Hungary reported the discovery of 25 Kurdish nationals concealed within a van with Polish license plates, as reported by About Hungary.
The vehicle, en route to Austria on motorway M1 near Ács in north-western Hungary, was found to be carrying a group comprising 12 men, 3 women and 10 children tightly packed in the cargo compartment.
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3 in 4 Syrian Criminals Subject to Deportation Orders Remain Living in Sweden
Three out of four Syrian criminals who were issued with deportation orders following the end of their custodial sentences in Sweden remain living in the country, with many receiving new residence permits, a report by the Swedish broadcaster SVT has revealed.
Despite pledges by the center-right government in Stockholm to ramp up the deportation of foreign criminals, those originating from Syria appear to be gaming the system to remain in the Scandinavian country.
A total of 73 Syrian nationals who are subject to deportation orders were released from Swedish prisons upon the conclusion of their custodial sentences by September 2023, yet 52 of these individuals remain in the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Perpetrators of Hamburg School Attack Were Migrants and Have Been Arrested by Police
Civil investigators apprehended four individuals on Wednesday afternoon who instigated a significant police operation, moving between different schools. The group consisted of two twelve-year-old children and a 13— and 14-year-old teenager. Their migration backgrounds include Syrian, Russian, Spanish, and Polish origins, as reported by the Hamburger Abendblatt.
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Nigerian Migrant Arrested for Rape of German Minor in Munich Car Park
A Nigerian migrant has been arrested in Germany for luring a 17-year-old teenager to an underground car park in the Bavarian capital of Munich and raping her.
According to a police statement issued on Wednesday, the incident occurred just after midday on Nov. 1 in the Maxvorstadt district of the city. The German teenager was approached by her 40-year-old attacker near Munich’s main railway station and was persuaded to accompany him to the Old Botanical Garden in the city’s university district.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Taliban Takes ‘Direct Control’ of Migrant Trafficking Gangs
Taliban fighters, coordinated by the Afghan government and intelligence service, are exploiting the frequent infighting between human trafficking gangs and have taken control of most of their operations just outside the EU’s southern border with Serbia, a recent Hungarian intelligence report concluded.
The sensitive report, originally dated October 25th, was first leaked to the Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet, and then declassified on October 31st and published on the government’s website last week.
The document explains that shootouts between trafficking gangs, using assault weapons, have become “almost a daily occurrence” in the past couple of years as the gangs compete for bigger ‘market’ shares and larger segments of the border, recently going as far as shooting at Serbian police officers and Hungarian border guards too. The predominantly Hungarian local population of the border area is terrified of the nightly clashes, but at least the Serbian police appear to be finally beginning to address the full scale of the situation, as over 4,500 arrests were made during recent raids prompted by yet another deadly shooting last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Since the start of the Russian Federation’s invasion, European Union countries have extradited 126 individuals to Ukraine, detained during the illegal crossing of the border. This information is based on data from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Specifically, Poland has extradited 88 individuals, Hungary 20, Romania 16, and Slovakia, two people. The document does not specify whether these individuals were evading mobilization.
Since February 24, 2022, Moldova has extradited 35 Ukrainian citizens to Ukrainian border guards who illegally crossed the state border and ended up on the territory of the republic. Additionally, the newspaper Rzeczpospolita recently reported that Poland is extraditing individuals to Ukraine who are involved in facilitating the illegal smuggling of draft dodgers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas has absorbed 215 acres of land in the Rio Grande in an attempt to stop migrants and gang members from creeping over the border.
The Texas General Land Office announced in April that state troopers could clear out two islands near Eagle Pass.
Five months later, Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham added another in Fronton as part of Operation Flat Top.
Texas pointed to old maps to claim the islands had always been part of the Lone Star State.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nolte: Feminist Disinformation Site Jezebel Shuts Down Because No One Wanted It
The left-wing, feminist misinformation site Jezebel was forced to shut down Thursday because no one wanted to buy it.
Tee hee.
Jezebel’s publisher, G/O Media, let it be known weeks ago that the site was on the auction block and did so via a desperate and sweaty social media post on Xwitter…
“If you’ve seen the news that Jezebel is up for sale, I want to say that this (now, very small) team is brilliant and hilarious and some of the most talented journalists I know,” Jezebel’s interim editor-in-chief Lauren Tousignant xweeted last month, “and we’re very much still working our asses off despite some less-than-ideal circumstances.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UN Agency Unveils Action Plan to Regulate Speech on Social Media Platforms
Yet another United Nations agency — this time the Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) — has joined the contentious efforts to use UN resources in the “war on misinformation.”
UNESCO is not lagging behind some of the veterans of this “war” regarding the kind of alarmist language its leadership is choosing to use to justify the policy.
Thus, Director-General Audrey Azoulay presented an action plan, saying that online disinformation is “a major threat to stability and social cohesion.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican Approves Transgender People Receiving Baptism, Becoming Godparents
The Vatican released a document Wednesday affirming that individuals suffering from gender-identity disorders are allowed to be baptized or be named as godparents under specific circumstances.
The document is an official response to a dubia submitted by Brazilian Bishop Giuseppe Negri of Santo Amaro seeking guidance on the issue. It was propagated by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by Pope Francis.
However, in a somewhat ambiguous clarification, the guidance specifies that in order for individuals with gender-identity afflictions to be baptized, it must not cause “scandal” or “disorientation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A teen girl has spoken out against her school district’s decision to allow boys to join the girls’ cross-country team in Seattle. Meanwhile, parents protesting the transgender athletes have been threatened with arrest.
The freshman and her parents contacted the Daily Mail to voice their frustration that male-born “transgender girls” have been allowed to participate as girls in the school’s cross-country events.
The girl and her parents — whom the paper has refused to name to preserve their safety — say they feel “unsettled” and “cheated” by the trans girls they are forced to compete against.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
15 Reasons Liberal US Jews Shouldn’t Be Shocked by Fellow Leftists’ Siding With Hamas https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/09/american-jews-on-left-are-shocked-by-fellow-leftists-but-shouldnt-be/
Yesterday, the US government tried to borrow $24 billion by selling a bunch of 30 year debt.
It was a huge disaster. https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/status/1722960100569104862
Only a Progressive Intellectual Can be Dumb Enough to Say Men can get Pregnant and Other Destructive Symptoms of TDS https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/only-a-progressive-intellectual-can