The French government plans to mobilize 90,000 police officers and other security forces to Paris for New Year’s Eve, due to a “very high terrorist threat”. Meanwhile, the Berlin government has also deployed large numbers of police for New Year’s Eve.
In other news, Russian officials promised to punish Ukraine for airstrikes that left 14 people dead and dozens wounded in the city of Belgorod.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, LP, McN, 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.
Exclusive — Donald Trump: ‘Depression Like 1929’ Looms if ‘I Don’t Win’
PALM BEACH, Florida — Former President Donald Trump told Breitbart News exclusively on Thursday evening that if he does not win the 2024 presidential election, he expects the nation’s economy will spiral into a “depression” like the 1929 “Great Depression.”
Trump, who sat with Breitbart News for more than two hours on Thursday evening at his Mar-a-Lago resort, also said during the interview that recent stock market gains are happening because the polls show him leading Democrat President Joe Biden significantly and that people are betting on a Trump victory in November.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Christmas Eve, 65-year-old Junko Hanafusa was killed on the campus of El Camino College in Torrance, California, while walking her dog and collecting recyclables.
According to the Daily Mail, a 40-year-old homeless man, Jeffery Davis, allegedly brutally assaulted Hanafusa with a sledgehammer before fleeing the scene. A booking record shows his race and age.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boeing, FAA Call for Emergency Inspections of All 737 MAX Jets Over Discovery of ‘Loose Hardware’
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing are calling for emergency inspections after discovering “loose hardware” on a model of aircraft.
There had previously been talk of replacing the presidential Air Force One-designated Boeing 747 jets with the slightly smaller and more cost-effective Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
However, such talk has likely since been completely scuttled due to recurring problems with the planes.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is now urging all airlines that use the 737 MAX jets to conduct emergency inspections for potentially catastrophic loose bolts in the rudder control system, according to Reuters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Law Barring Guns From Most Public Spaces Set to Go Into Effect After Appeals Court Ruling
A federal appeals court on Saturday put a temporary injunction on hold for a California law that would bar most gun owners from carrying guns in many public spaces, including banks, playgrounds and churches, that goes into effect on New Year’s Day.
The Dec. 20 injunction called the law, “sweeping, repugnant to the Second Amendment, and openly defiant of the Supreme Court” after gun owners, the California Rifle & Pistol Association, the Second Amendment Foundation and Gun Owners of America sued over it.
U.S. District Judge Cormac Carney wrote in his Dec. 20 ruling that the law, “turns nearly every public place in California into a ‘sensitive place,’ effectively abolishing the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding and exceptionally qualified citizens to be armed and to defend themselves in public.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CO, ME Just the Start of Trump Ballot-Blocking: These 20 States Have Suits in Progress
As jarring as it’s been to witness the anti-democratic, one-two punch in which a court in Colorado and an unelected bureaucrat in Maine decided Donald Trump cannot appear on primary election ballots, there are many more states where litigation is underway to ban the candidate who’s currently leading the national race.
In addition to Colorado and Maine, there are currently active lawsuits challenging Trump’s eligibility in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, according to a New York Times survey of the situation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Friday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Your World,” Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, reacted to Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot.
DeSantis suggested Florida could remove President Joe Biden from his state’s ballot for his alleged mishandling of border security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The decision to avoid a second trial charging Sam Bankman-Fried with a conspiracy to make unlawful political donations and bribery of foreign officials has many conservatives up in arms.
Federal prosecutors said Friday that they do not plan to proceed with a second trial against Sam Bankman-Fried, citing public interest in a speedy resolution of the case that has seemingly irritated those who were hoping to see the disgraced FTX founder prosecuted to the fullest extent.
In a Friday letter filed in federal court in Manhattan, prosecutors said they do “not plan to proceed with a second trial” as “much of the evidence that would be offered in a second trial was already offered in the first trial and can be considered by the Court at the defendant’s March 2024 sentencing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PALM BEACH, Florida — Former President Donald Trump told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview at his luxurious seaside resort Mar-a-Lago that he expects to face neither incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden nor incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris in November 2024 in the general election.
Trump said that while he does “hope” that Biden hangs on on the Democrat side to win his party’s nomination, he “can’t believe he’s going to be the nominee.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Judge Squashes Attempt to Disqualify Trump From Virginia Ballot
A federal judge in Virginia on Friday dismissed a lawsuit aimed at removing former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 primary ballot citing the insurrection clause of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.
The complaint, filed by activists Roy Perry-Bey and Carlos Howard, alleged that Trump “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the US and should therefore be disqualified from seeking the office he once occupied.
Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, found that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue to get Trump, 77, off the state’s primary ballot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Top Obama Adviser Says if Trump Prevented From Running it ‘Would Rip the Country Apart’
Former top Obama adviser David Axelrod warned Friday that a court decision removing former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot “would rip the country apart.”
“I have very, very strong reservations about all of this,” Axelrod said on CNN on Friday. “I do think it would rip the country apart if he were actually prevented from running because tens of millions of people want to vote for him.”
Axelrod said that the Democrats’ best bet on beating Trump is in the polls.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Free Speech Social Media App Parler Plans 2024 Return
The free speech social media platform, Parler, has slated 2024 for its rebirth following its closure earlier in 2023. Originally championed as a space for all voices, the platform’s minimal content moderation led to forced closure due to alleged violent speech and perceived insufficient regulation of speech by Big Tech giants following January 6th, 2021.
The platform’s banishment from major web hosting services and app stores had a crippling impact, effectively signaling the end of the platform’s operations.
However, with the recent acquisition by PDS Partners, Parler is readying for its renaissance. The company’s new owners, Elise Rhodes-Pierotti and Ryan Rhodes, once served as Parler’s chief marketing officer and will now spearhead this revival effort.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harvard students blasted President Claudine Gay over allegations that she plagiarized other academics’ work, with some calling for her to step down — and seething that they are being held to a higher academic standard than the embattled Ivy League leader.
Irati Egorho Diez told The Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper, she believed Gay should resign after realizing the “breadth and depth” of the plagiarism allegations.
“I do think that the role of the president should be an embodiment of the values of Harvard College,” Egorho Diez said. “And this, to me, seems to be the opposite of that.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hershey Sued, Accused of ‘Deception’ in Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins
A Florida woman is suing Hershey after she says she was deceived by the chocolate brand’s packaging of its holiday-themed items.
In a proposed federal class action lawsuit filed on Thursday, Dec. 28, plaintiff Cynthia Kelly of Hillsborough County, Florida stated she was filing on “behalf of herself and all other similarly situated individuals who purchased a Reese’s Peanut Butter product based on false and deceptive advertising.”
“Hershey’s labels for the Products are materially misleading and numerous consumers have been tricked and misled by the pictures on the Products’ packaging,” said the lawsuit, which was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House, Senate GOP Propose Bills to Penalize States That Bar Trump From 2024 Ballot
House Republicans have proposed a bill to punish states that remove Republican frontrunner Donald Trump from the 2024 primary ballot. Under their plan, states that do this, such as Maine and Colorado, will not have their electoral votes counted when the votes are certified.
“New law,” wrote Rep. Clay Higgins, “If any state in our Union blocks the official nominee of a major political party from the Presidential ballot, their electoral slate will not be counted by Congress on the following January 6th. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jack Smith Disputes Trump’s Presidential Immunity Claim in Appeals Court
U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed an argument disputing President Trump’s claim to presidential immunity amid his 2020 election interference case.
The document was filed Saturday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
The intent of the filing was to ask for the “review of the order of the district court (Chutkan, J.) denying his motions to dismiss based on Presidential immunity and principles of double jeopardy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Sides With California in X’s Challenge Against the State’s Censorship Law
X (former Twitter) has not succeeded in its legal bid to block a controversial law in California.
The law is officially there to help regulate online content moderation, but the social network argued this piece of legislation is just a way to force platforms to censor speech that happens to be deemed as controversial by the authorities.
The legal battle concerns state law AB 587, signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022, while X Corp. now attempted to argue its case in terms of free speech (First Amendment) violations imposed by said law.
But a federal judge in California’s capital Sacramento did not accept this argument, saying instead that AB is above board.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Associated Press (AP) used to be a reliable wire service — that provided actual news, stripped of opinion or interpretation, for news media to incorporate in their own reporting.
But, things have changed. In a piece “warning” that deepfakes have gone “mainstream” the AP also manages to claim, right in the title, that social media “guardrails” are fading. Spoiler: the article’s call to action is basically, “We need (even) more censorship here.”
The footnote to the piece is interesting. Usually, these are simply legal warnings, and other factual information — but here, the agency defines itself as one that “receives support from several private foundations.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Maine Dem Who Booted Trump From Ballot Met With Biden, Called Electoral College ‘White Supremacy’
The Maine Democrat who moved to boot former President Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot visited the White House twice in the past year — meeting President Joe Biden during one jaunt — and reportedly once referred to the Electoral College as a “relic of white supremacy.”
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows visited the White House in March and again in June, visitor logs show.
On March 22, she attended a Women’s History Month event and took a photo with a smiling Biden, putting his left hand and on her shoulder and clutching one of her hands with his right.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Maine Secretary of State’s House ‘Swatted’ Day After Trump Ballot Disqualification Decision
The home of Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was “swatted” Friday evening, police confirmed Saturday.
Maine State Police responded after an unidentified man lied about having broken into the house.
Bellows and her family were away at the time of the hoax call.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michigan House Destroyed in Fatal Whitmore Lake Explosion, Authorities Investigating
Michigan authorities are investigating a fatal house explosion that happened in Whitmore Lake on Saturday.
FOX 2 Detroit reported that the explosion took place on Winters Lane. Police have not released the number of fatalities, but Huron Valley Ambulance spokesperson Marc Breckenridge told MLive Media Group that four people were found dead.
Two others were seriously injured and taken to a hospital in critical condition, the official said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MTA Police: Officers Fatally Shoot Man Who Fired Submachine Gun at Them During Arrest
A man was fatally shot by MTA police officers Friday night after he fired a submachine gun at officers trying to arrest him for groping and harassing a woman near the Jamaica train station.
MTA Police say the 19-year-old female victim approached officers at the MTAPD Jamaica District Office and reported that a man had grabbed her breasts and blocked her path on the sidewalk outside.
The MTA says police located the suspect — 52-year-old Bashe McDaniel. While officers attempted to arrest him, he pulled out a submachine gun and began shooting.
Authorities say the officers shot back at McDaniel, who was hit and later pronounced dead.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
San Francisco Small-Business Owners Calling for Help
Authored by Siyamak Khorrami via The Epoch Times
A long-time small-business owner in San Francisco is on the verge of losing his business because, he says, no bank will make him a commercial loan.
Mark E. Sackett, who owns The Box SF, a meeting and events space in a historic building in the city’s South of Market district, said a loan on his business is due in February, but dozens of lenders are turning him down.
“Six have said [they] are not even willing to make a commercial loan in San Francisco,” he said during a recent one-hour episode of EpochTV’s “California Insider.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seven Key Campaign Promises Donald Trump Publicly Made for a Second Term
Former President Donald Trump is pointing to his record when appealing to voters as he vies first for the Republican nomination and, ultimately, the presidential election — the main event.
While he is looking to build on what he established during his first four years, Trump has also recognized that America now has additional challenges that must be addressed should he win back the White House in 2024.
Here are some of the key campaign promises Trump has publicly made thus far.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
T-Mobile Quietly Updates Its Terms to Fine Commercial Users for “Hate Speech”
Mobile communications giant T-Mobile has on the low updated its terms of service to include fines if content runs afoul of its perceived violations of “hate speech and profanities.”
For now at least — this applies to marketing texts (application to person, A2P — commercial and enterprise service), rather than individual consumers. For example, businesses and campaigns emailing you will be subjected to this type of scrutiny — not messages you send to friends and family.
The changes, however, do come just as the campaign for next year’s election is heating up in the US.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Cardiologist: Vax-Pushers Are ‘Complicit in Crimes Against Humanity’
One of the world’s leading cardiologists has spoken out to warn those behind the push to vaccinate the public with Covid mRNA injections that they are “complicit in a crime against humanity.”
The warning was issued by Dr. Peter McCullough, one of the most published heart specialists in the world.
McCullough has been raising the alarm for some time regarding the shots’ impact on public health.
The top expert has been calling for the injections to be banned over concerns that Covid mRNA shots are responsible for recent spikes in blood clots, strokes, heart failure, and sudden deaths.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Plans Legal Challenges to Colorado, Maine Primary Ballot Removals
Former President Donald Trump is planning to challenge decisions in Colorado and Maine to boot him off primary ballots as early as Tuesday — and is reportedly concerned that some conservative judges on the Supreme Court may rule against him.
Trump’s advisors plan to file legal challenges in response to both states separately ruling the presumptive Republican frontrunner for the 2024 presidential election is ineligible based on an “insurrection” clause in the 14th Amendment and his actions leading up to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021 the New York Times reported.
In Maine, Trump’s camp is expected to challenge in state court the secretary of state’s decision blocking him from the ballot.
However, the Colorado ruling, made by that state’s highest court, will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is expected to face pressure to weigh in on the matter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Wolf of Wall St’: Banning Members of Congress From Insider Trading is the ‘Only Solution’
The infamous “Wolf of Wall Street” stockbroker Jordan Belfort has declared that members of Congress such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) should be banned from profiting from insider trading.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson Belfort argues that politicians “shouldn’t be allowed to trade.”
According to Belfort, banning congressional lawmakers from stock trading is the “only solution.”
Belfort appeared on “The Tucker Carlson Encounter” to discuss his previous experience in stock trading.
During the interview, Belfort highlighted the overlap between politicians and the stock market.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woman and Toddler Killed, 6 Others Injured After Violent Night in Allentown
Gunfire erupted minutes apart in two locations close to one another Friday night;, a triple shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m.
ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — A 1-year-old boy and a 44-year-old woman are dead after a night of violence in the city of Allentown.
Just before 9 p.m. Friday, police responded to gunshots on the 100 block of Chestnut Street. When police arrived on scene they found three shooting victims with serious injuries. The victims of this triple shooting include a 66-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman and a 1-year-old boy. So far there have been no arrests.
The Lehigh County Coroner confirmed the deaths on Saturday morning. The victims have not yet been identified.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Semitic Crimes in Germany Have Increased Dramatically
In the aftermath of Hamas’ assault on Israel on October 7th, Germany has witnessed a significant surge in anti-Semitic crimes, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of the Jewish community.
Between October 7th and December 21st, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recorded over 1,100 incidents classified as anti-Semitic, as reported by a spokesperson for the authority to the dpa news agency. The majority of these cases involved property damage and the incitement of hatred
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As the New Year Approaches, the Capital of Germany Transforms Into a Fortress
A total of 4,500 police officers will be on duty on New Year’s night. Law enforcement has identified areas in the city where fireworks cannot be ignited: Alexanderplatz, Steinmetzkiez, and Sonnenallee. In addition, dogs trained to detect explosive substances will be deployed on the streets.
“Some scenes are unavoidable. It is likely that more crimes and injuries will be recorded. We have far more colleagues on duty than in previous New Year’s nights,” says Stefan Katte, the head of the operational department of the Berlin police.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech President Petr Pavel Allows 20 Czechs to Join the Fighting in Ukraine
During the initial year of President Petr Pavel’s tenure, he granted permission for 20 Czech individuals to participate in the Ukrainian army. However, the enthusiasm for engaging in the defense of Ukraine, with the accompanying risk to one’s life, significantly waned by the second year of the conflict.
Meanwhile, President Milos Zeman received a total of 477 applications, out of which Pavel reviewed 76, rejecting the majority—56 of them, as cited by 420ON.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Governance is “Anti-Democratic”: European Lawmaker
Authored by Savannah Hulsey Pointer and Jan Jekielek via The Epoch Times
A member of the European Union (EU) Parliament asserts that the EU’s way of governing is “anti-democratic.”
In a recent interview with The Epoch Times’s Jan Jekielek, host of American Thought Leaders, Christine Anderson, a member of the European Parliament representing the Alternative for Germany party, explained how the EU’s model of governance bypasses adequate representation for citizens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France Will Enact Entry Ban on Foreign Imams on January 1st
Effective January 1, France will enforce a ban on the entry of imams trained or financially dependent on foreign entities, fulfilling a contentious promise made by French President Emmanuel Macron in 2020.
The move aims to assert greater control over the training and influence of religious leaders within the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France will mobilise nearly 100,000 police officers, gendarmes and soldiers to Paris on New Year’s Eve amid a “very high terrorist threat”, Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin announced.
Amid heightened security fears across Europe in the wake of the October 7th Hamas terror attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza against Islamist forces, Paris will see over 90,000 police officers and gendarmes, as well as some 5,000 soldiers patrolling its streets on New Year’s Eve.
The police will also be deploying helicopters and drones to monitor the crowds, and police have ramped up fireworks seizures by 45 per cent over last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: AfD Set to Influence Selection of Constitutional Judges
In what is expected to be a crucial year for East Germany, 2024 brings significant electoral decisions that could reshape the political landscape. With three East German federal states—Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg—heading to the polls, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is making waves with over 30 percent support in current surveys across all three states.
The unique challenge arises from the fact that if the AfD secures more than a third of the seats in a state parliament, it becomes a key player in the election of constitutional judges. Failure to include the AfD in this process could potentially block all new appointments to the Constitutional Court, the German press reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greek Officials Collaborate With Europol to Dismantle a Hacking Ring
Coordinated by their Greek counterparts, prosecuting authorities from 17 countries successfully dismantled an international hacking ring that specialized in breaching online stores and pilfering customer account details for sale on the dark web.
This cybercriminal operation saw a notable upswing during the holiday season, capitalizing on increased online shopping. From January to November 2023, a staggering 119 million bank cards worldwide were compromised, resulting in an average charge of 71.5 euros and cumulative losses for banks exceeding €9 billion, reports Ekathimerini.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Roberto Vaquero is a Spanish patriot, historian, writer, political activist, and the leader of the Workers’ Front (Frente Obrero). Established in 2018, the political party defends national sovereignty and Spanish identity, promotes higher birth rates, and is vehemently opposed to mass migration, as well as political, cultural, and economic globalist imperialism.
In this interview with Voice of Europe, Mr. Vaquero discusses, among other things, his party’s platform, Spanish politics, the profoundly dismal state of the modern, so-called ‘left,’ which he contends has betrayed the working class, the corrosive effects multiculturalism and mass migration have on society, and why the traditional right-left spectrum is no longer applicable in today’s world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Climate activists blocked part of the main highway around Amsterdam near the former headquarters of ING bank for hours on Saturday to protest its financing of fossil fuels.
Dozens of Extinction Rebellion protesters were detained by police late in the afternoon after ignoring orders to end their blockade. Police said the operation to clear the road was peaceful.
Activist Sebastiaan Vannisselroy said the protesters were demonstrating “for the safety for us all. The Netherlands is a low-lying country. We’re threatened by ocean rise. So we want to … safeguard the future for all of us.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As the year comes to a close, France is gearing up for a significant deployment of police forces during New Year’s Eve celebrations to counteract a “very high risk” of potential terrorist attacks, as stated by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
The minister aims to deploy a substantial force of at least 90,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country to ensure public safety during the festivities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The inspection of the specified area, involving almost 500 Territorial Defense Forces personnel, concluded on Saturday, as reported by the Operational Command of the Armed Forces Branches (DORC).
As reported by RMF24, the operations have been finalized, and there are no further plans for additional measures. The search aimed to identify potential elements related to the breach of Poland’s airspace on Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The German Government Plans to Cut Benefits for Those Who Refuse to Work
The Minister of Labor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Hubertus Heil, announced that benefits will be completely abolished for those who refuse to work, at least for a period of up to two months.
In this case, for people receiving social benefits, the state will cover only the costs of living and utilities.
After two months, the employment center will have to reassess the situation and offer the benefit recipient a new job. In case of refusal, sanctions may be applied again, according to Bild.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sadiq Khan has been accused of “taking cash from the poorest” with his expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone.
Conservative Mayoral Candidate Susan Hall accused Khan of being “self-centred” and “uncaring”, claiming he is “more concerned with taking cash from the poorest than with saving Ukrainian lives”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: GB News Poll Has Labour Heading for Majority Election Victory
Labour is on course for a thumping victory at the General Election, a major new poll indicates today.
As speculation mounts that Rishi Sunak will call a May vote, the People Polling* for GB News poll has Keir Starmer’s party holding a 22 point lead over the Tories.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: London Mayor Won’t Reveal the Cost of ULEZ Protection ‘Bullies’
London Mayor Sadiq Khan believes it is not “appropriate” to reveal the cost of the security personnel hired to defend London’s controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) because doing so “risks encouraging those intent on carrying out … criminal activity.”
This evasive claim—which follows a 100-word ULEZ sales pitch ignoring a very direct question on the scheme’s cost—likely indicates such high security costs that they are seen as capable of provoking “criminal activity”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Nigel Farage Blasts EU for Unelected ‘Dominance’ as He Reveals Main Reason He Backed Brexit
Nigel Farage has hit out at the EU for unelected political “dominance”, claiming the EU architect Jacques Delors “convinced” him to campaign for Brexit.
While he former Ukip leader praised the politician as an “immense, towering figure”, he questioned why the former European Commissioner “didn’t have to submit himself to the electorate”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Police Rush to ‘Big Confrontation’ in London as 50 ‘Protesters’ Clash
Police officers have rushed to a “big confrontation” in London as 50 supposed “protesters” clashed outside the Lighthouse on Camberwell Road due to tensions among the Eritrean community.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers were at the scene in SE5 after dozens of people gathered outside a private venue.
Additional officers were deployed to the location to assist with the demonstration after Scotland Yard issued a Section 35 dispersal order.
Addressing the impact of the order, the Metropolitan Police said: “Police officers will have the power to exclude a person from the area for a period of up to 48 hours with an inspector’s authority.”
In its overall update, Scotland Yard added: “Officers are on scene in Camberwell Road, SE5 where there is a protest with approximately 50 people gathered outside a private venue.
“Additional officers are on their way to the location to assist with the demonstration.”
The Lighthouse theatre hosts large and small events, holding weddings, themed parties and conferences.
It has been claimed that the Eritrean embassy was in the middle of a meeting when the protesters showed up at the scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Analysis: Has Israel Weakened Hamas Enough to Win the War on Gaza?
As 2023 draws to a close, how strong is Hamas after nearly three months of bombardment and ground invasion?
Almost 23,000 people — the vast majority Palestinian — have been killed since the unprecedented Hamas attacks in southern Israel on October 7, which launched the Israeli assault on Gaza.
As the end of 2023 approaches, the Israeli offensive is showing no signs of any let-up and the death toll is certain to rise on both sides as fighting continues.
Political attempts at peace have failed.
Israel has stated from the outset that its objective is to eliminate Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. To this end, it has continued the aerial bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip almost without pause, since October 7.
While Israel admits it has failed in this mission so far, it claims it is just a question of time before it achieves this goal. But does the situation on the ground support that claim?
The answer is a cautious no.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Israeli PM Netanyahu: War Will Continue for Many Months
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Saturday, December 30, that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, now entering its 13th week, will persist for several more months.
Speaking at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu emphasized the determination to eliminate Hamas and secure the release of hostages, stating, “We guarantee that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
First-Ever Extradition From the UAE to Belgium
Federal prosecutors have confirmed the extradition of Franc G., an Albanian national, from the United Arab Emirates to Belgium, in connection with a drug-related murder in Brussels in 2020. This marks the first-ever extradition between the UAE and Belgium.
According to The Brussels Times, born in 1992, Franc G. arrived in Brussels on Saturday morning and is scheduled to appear before an examining magistrate later in the day. The magistrate will then determine whether to issue an arrest warrant, as stated by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lindsey Graham Urges Biden to Blow Iran “Off the Map” Over Red Sea Attacks
The recent spate of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthis has resulted in more and more Congressional calls for the US military to act. Even after dozens of incidents, which have effectively closed the vital waterway to regular ship transit, the US Navy has not been authorized by the Biden administration to hit back directly on Houthi launch positions.
Some Republican hawks are clamoring for confrontation with Tehran, also at a moment that Iran’s most powerful poxy in the region — Lebanese Hezbollah — is engaging in daily fire at Israel’s northern border. Sen. Lindsey Graham is leading the charge, urging for the Pentagon bomb Iran directly in response to the Houthi Red Sea attacks. In an appearance on Fox & Friends days ago, he went so far as to say Iranian bases and oil fields should be blown “off the map”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian officials vowed revenge against Ukraine for a series of airstrikes that left 14 people dead and dozens wounded Saturday, according to reports.
Russia called a meeting of the UN Security Council to accuse Ukraine of targeting civilians in the city of Belgorod with drones and missiles. The attack would “not go unpunished,” the Kremlin said.
The airstrikes came a day after Ukraine said it shot down dozens of Russian missiles on nearly 120 cities and villages, leaving 39 dead and wounding 159 people, according to Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky, who announced the casualties on X Saturday.
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Russia Claims to Have Thwarted 32 Drone Strikes From Ukraine on Saturday
(AP) — Thirty-two Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia on Saturday, Moscow officials reported, a day after an 18-hour aerial barrage across Ukraine killed at least 32 civilians.
Drones were seen in the skies over Russia’s Moscow, Bryansk, Oryol, and Kursk regions, the country’s defense ministry said in a statement. It said that all of the drones had been destroyed by air defenses.
Russian drone strikes against Ukraine also continued, with the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reporting that 10 Iranian-made Shahed drones had been shot down across the Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, and Mykolaiv regions on Saturday.
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Russia Vows ‘Punishment’ After Strike on Belgorod Kills 14
Russia called a meeting of the UN Security Saturday, accusing Ukraine of having targeted civilians in the city of Belgorod with missiles and rockets, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens more
It was an attack, said Moscow, that would “not go unpunished.”
The attack came a day after Ukraine said a barrage of Russian missile strikes on several cities had killed at least 39 people, wounding dozens more.
Belgorod lies about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border with Ukraine and has been repeatedly struck by what Moscow says is indiscriminate shelling by Kyiv’s forces.
Unverified footage showed debris strewn across the street and smoke billowing from burnt-out cars in the city’s center. A large blast can be heard in dashcam footage posted on social media.
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India: Instagram Love Triangle: 20-Year-Old Delhi Man Stabbed 50 Times After Date Goes Wrong
A 20-year-old man was allegedly stabbed to death at least 50 times by an 18-year-old accused in Delhi’s Bhagirathi Vihar on Wednesday night in a suspected case of deadly rivalry over a common woman friend.
The victim identified as Mahir alias Imran and the accused, Arman Khan found themselves engulfed in a love triangle with a woman on Instagram which led to the murder of Mahir, reported NDTV.
The victim, who worked at a flex printing shop in Delhi’s Paharganj befriended a 21-year-old woman on Instagram. The friendship between the two embroiled Arman, who was allegedly in a relationship with the woman.
Arman’s jealousy reached peak when he found the two on a video call. Enraged with the call, the accused confronted Mahir and accused him of interfering in their relationship. Khan snatched the woman’s phone and asked not to contact Mahir.
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Anger is mounting after 80 councils decided to scrap citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day with the move exposing bitter divisions around the national day.
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Noel Pearson — one of the architects of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament — has broken his silence about the referendum’s failure almost three months after Australians voted No.
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Nigeria Massacre Sees Over 100 Christians Dead: ‘Killed for Sport’
A never-ending massacre of Christians being “killed for sport” is reportedly happening in Nigeria, yet the world appears to be largely deaf to the matter.
While much of the world this week has been celebrating a beginning — Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ — in Nigeria they are mourning the end of life — the deaths of more than 100 Christians — as the world remains virtually silent.
Armed bandits ran amok, according to Amnesty International, in some 20 communities across central Nigeria, killing more than 140. In a country where accurate statistics are traditionally hard to come by, some sources have put the death toll closer to 200.
The Christians were killed in a wide swath across an invisible line that separates the mostly Muslim north and the predominately Christian south in the country’s Plateau State. According to multiple sources, Christians represent 46% of Nigeria’s
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Biden’s Migrant Crisis Overflows Tax-Funded Shelters in Detroit, Sends Migrants to Private Homes
Joe Biden’s border crisis has sent so many illegal border crossers to Detroit that activists are calling on members of their community to step up to house them in their private homes.
The African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs — an NGO that settles and cares for African migrants trying settle in the U.S. — is heading up the effort to find places for illegals to shelter in the Motor City. The group’s founder, Senegalese native Seydi Starr, told the Detroit News that Detroit has been working since last year to implement a support network for illegals. And this year the crisis is worse than ever.
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Germany: Migrants 4K as Likely to be Involved in Sex Crimes, BKA Figures Reveal
A recent special evaluation by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has shed light on a concerning trend: refugees in Germany are implicated in sexual crimes at a rate four times higher than the rest of the population.
The data, spanning from 2015 to 2022, highlights the significant impact of illegal and irregular migration on public safety, particularly for women and girls, according to a report from Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
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— with latest buses due just as Times Square NYE ball drops
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has defied NYC Mayor Eric Adams demands on when migrants can arrive in the city — with the latest busload set to be dropped off just as the Times Square ball drops on New Years Eve.
Last week Adams issued an executive order that buses could only arrive at Port Authority to drop off migrants between 8:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. from Monday to Friday unless given permission to do otherwise.
Despite this a bus headed to the Big Apple filled with around 50 asylum seekers left El Paso, Texas around 11a.m. on Saturday morning.
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An ISIS fanatic who MI5 warns poses a terror threat to Britain has been granted the right to live in the UK after sneaking into the country illegally, the MoS can reveal.
Judges have ruled that the Sudanese man can remain here on human rights grounds, despite evidence from the Security Services that he may be a danger and might encourage other extremists to launch attacks in the UK.
The judges’ ruling was based on the risk that if he was sent back to Sudan, he might be detained and tortured.
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Italy: Migrant Arrivals Up 50% in 2023
In 2023, the number of migrants who landed in Italy increased by 50 per cent compared to the previous year, the interior ministry said Saturday.
Some 155,754 migrants landed in the last year, including more than 17,000 unaccompanied foreign minors, while in the same period in 2022 there were 103,846.
The peak of landings was reached in August, when 25,673 migrants arrived during the entire month, said the Viminale.
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Ocean Viking Arrives at Bari With 244 Migrants Aboard
The Ocean Viking rescue ship on Saturday arrived at Bari with 244 migrants aboard.
The boat chartered by Italo-Francio-German-Swiss migrant rescue charity SOS Medterranée had picked up the migrants, including 18 unaccompanied minors, tow disabled and two pregnant women, in the Libyan SAR (Search And Rescue) zone in recent days.
Their health condition was said to be good.
Some of the migrants will be distributed among Puglian migrant centres while others will go to Calabria.
The migrants were said to have come from Eritrea, Sudan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Syria.
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Since opening the gates to unfettered mass migration in 2015, at least 7,000 women have been raped or sexually assaulted in Germany by alleged asylum-seeking illegal migrants, an analysis of government figures has found.
A report from the Swiss-German paper of record, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, claimed that statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) show that more than one thousand women — mostly Germans — have been sexually assaulted by migrants seeking refuge every year since 2017.
Extrapolating from this figure, the paper calculated that therefore at least 7,000 women have been raped or sexually assaulted by asylum seekers since former German Chancellor Angela Merkel ushered in the European Migrant Crisis in 2015 by unilaterally opening the gates of Europe to massive waves of migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
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Texas Fire Department Spending $21M on Migrant Emergencies Each Day, More Than $2M Since September
The fire department in Eagle Pass, Texas, has been burning an eye-popping $21,000 a day — more than $2.2 million since mid-September — as it deals with emergencies stemming from the influx of migrants crossing the southern border, according to an official in the beleaguered border city.
Almost every hour, first responders from the town’s fire department are being dispatched to the Rio Grande or US Customs and Border Protection holding facilities to address migrant-related emergencies, according to Eagle Pass Fire Chief Manuel Mello.
“There’s not a day where we don’t go to the river’s edge to transport patients, and the city swallows the cost,” Mello told Fox News.
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Elon Musk red-pilled users on X, allowing them to visualize “the immense and growing size of illegal immigration” pushed by radical progressives in the White House that have flooded the nation with millions of migrants.
Musk commented on a post by X user “~~datahazard~~,” who said: “Since August, there are officially more arriving each month than there are children being born to American mothers. And these are just the official encounters — we don’t know how many avoided detection.”
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2023’s Most Outrageous Examples of Campus Craziness
2023 was another newsworthy year for Canadian campuses, which are reeling from the influence of woke far-left ideologies like “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI), Critical Race Theory and others. Universities and colleges have also seen a concerning rise in antisemitism this year.
True North has compiled the notable stories that took place on Canadian campuses this year — including many that were exclusively reported through the Campus Watch series.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Concerned Parents Set Up Overnight Camp to Protest Gender Ideology 24/7
A group of concerned citizens in Abbotsford, BC have established a multi-day overnight camp to protest gender ideology in schools on a 24/7 basis.
Kanwaljit Singh, 41, is one of the activists who has been spending his week sleeping on a mat in a tent adorned by signs that read “Teach geography not pornography” and “Stop sexualizing our children.”
For over 90 days, the group has been protesting SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) curriculum in schools on a daily basis.
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Netflix Dominated Ultra-Woke Disney in 2023
To close out 2023, Netflix’s streaming service came out on top of the streaming wars as the only company to add more new subscribers than it did last year and added more than $70 billion to its market cap.
According to The Guardian, Netflix will end the year with about 100 million more subscribers than Disney, which has reportedly lost $11 billion in the streaming market.
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Watch: ‘Heresy’: African Bishop Rejects Vatican’s Call to Bless Those in Same-Sex Relationships
Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of Karonga Diocese in Malawi says that he will “reject” and ignore the Fiducia Supplicans, the declaration of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of Faith (DDF) permitting the blessing of same-sex couples.
In a Christmas Eve address to his flock, Bishop Mtumbuka urged Christ’s followers to “forget and ignore this controversial and apparently blasphemous declaration in its entirety.”
Bishop Mtumbuka used his address, given at the Christmas Vigil Mass at St. Anne’s Parish of Karonga Diocese, to walk the faithful through his “honest reflection” of what the Fiducia Supplicans meant and why he had chosen to reject it.
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Antarctica would be a good place to deport all muslims.
There is nobody there to ” persecute” the poor little ragheads …Except for penguins of course.
I don’t know if penguin is halal.
But maybe we can give those little bird/ fish,
Penguins some AK-47s.
Foreign Aid of course…
🙂
Why spend good hard earned tax payer money to deport, when bullets and rope are cheap, besides, haven’t we spent enough on these GD savages?
“Why spend good hard earned tax payer money to deport, when bullets and rope are cheap, besides, haven’t we spent enough on these GD savages?”
“If I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get.” —Milton Friedman
No truer words have been spoken Fred.
I might be eepea6 myself.
Bur, I think we should send all moslems off to Antarctica.
They would have their own continent to worship Satan.
Hopefully they won’t bother us any more.
And, if the head bangers get uppity,
We can send military aid to the penguins.. lol……
AK-47’s for penguins!
Even I would donate to that!
“due to a “very high terrorist threat”. ”
I don’t recall there ever being such a threat 20-30 years ago?
What threat must this be now?
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Migration and Multiculturalism Crisis in Sweden
This problem is entirely created by the Swedish authorities and is probably supported by the banks and the political leadership in that the resulting increase in consumption is paid for by the country being forced to continuously borrow the entire cost mass and transfer it to Sweden’s indigenous population where the “Swedes” are forced to pay in that the growing pie requires its ongoing financing.
The loan pool is increasing all the time and new money is pushed up that way. Money is created through new loans. It would of course have been extremely much better for the Swedish people not to import this massive problem which is that 2 million newly added people have to be supported with all the consequences it has for the country’s economic situation and the functioning of the entire society.
It is pushed on systematically as many take it as a forced holiday stay, perhaps for life. It really is a textbook example of how a country’s economy and future are completely destroyed. Sweden’s and the country’s future has been turned upside down! A failed social experiment over 50 years that now in 2023 the Government and Minister of War Pål Jonsson, through an agreement destructive to the people of Sweden, is handing the country over to the belligerent nation USA to be used as a doormat to access Russian assets.
Complete madness for the people of Sweden and Finland.
https://swebbtube.se/w/aLpNkPjR6DZPDbPAPNY9qa
Terrorists threat in New Year Eve , that’s how we will be celebrating Sny events including New Year Eve. This Muslim parasites want to distract as much as they can our way of living, as long this politicians traitors allow , we are living in the nightmare..
The hoi polloi get to choose between a police state and Jihad. But they fail to read the small-letters part that says they’ll get both anyway.
When the hard ruthless men take over, the voices of the hoi polloi ain’t going to matter.