Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced his resignation from Congress, effective the end of this year. A special election will have to be held in California to fill his seat.
In other news, the German Interior Ministry has proposed an amendment to the law that would effectively criminalize the migrant-ferry NGOs that operate in the Mediterranean.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
With the Biden administration pushing a $106 billion aid package to primarily fund war in Ukraine and Israel, Tucker Carlson sat down with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Tuesday, where they discussed the push by establishment lawmakers for more Ukraine funding despite it being a ‘war they cannot win.’
When asked why, Massie explained that the military-industrial complex thrives on the sale of “deadly munitions,” which enriches shareholders, “some of whom are congressmen.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Active Shooting Suspect ‘Deceased’ on Gun-Free UNLV Campus
An active shooting suspect has been “located and is deceased,” according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police (LVMPD), after reports of shots fired on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus in Beam Hall Wednesday at 11:46 a.m.
UPDATE: The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department issued an update on the UNLV shooting, noting that three people were killed in the incident and one person was critically wounded.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After Arlington House Explosion, Residents Assess Damage and Cite Suspicious Behavior
“Considering what the Smith family’s going through, we got it easy. We’ve got to clean things up. They don’t have anything to clean up. They don’t have anything,” a neighbor said
After the massive house explosion in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday, residents are assessing the damage and recalling what they described as the suspect’s suspicious behavior.
About a dozen homes were damaged and residents around the destroyed house on N. Burlington Street have had to find someplace else to stay.
Tracy and David Mitchell, who live across from the house, filled up bags with necessities to take to a hotel.
“Just gotta grab whatever you think you need,” David Mitchell said outside on Wednesday.
He said he felt lucky in comparison to the family who lived on the other side of the duplex now reduced to rubble.
“Considering what the Smith family’s going through, we got it easy. We’ve got to clean things up. They don’t have anything to clean up. They don’t have anything,” David Mitchell said.
The family was evacuated from their home before the explosion. News4 spoke with them by phone and they declined an interview right away.
“Everything they have in their life was in that house,” neighbor Cory Jarvis said.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
The personal genomics and biotech firm 23andMe has been grappling with a cybersecurity dilemma that initially came to light on October 6th. And not only has security been revealed as a major issue but the company’s response to the breaches has also been alarming.
Notably, by October 19th, it had been revealed that there was a second breach conducted by the same culprit who took responsibility for the initial one. Astonishingly, they stated that they now had access to over 4 million genetic profile records. In a startling disclosure on December 4th, the overall fallout from this intrusion affected 6.9 million users.
As first discovered on Hacker News, in the midst of this crisis, 23andMe has decided to revise its Terms of Service (TOS), thus requiring users to agree to binding arbitration, a process in which disputes are settled beyond conventional court settings. An arbitrator, a neutral party, oversees the process and issues the final, unappealable settlement. This adjustment to the TOS aims to hasten dispute resolution, a tactic widely employed in situations like consumer contracts, labor disputes, as well as business conflicts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
American Jews Never Learned to Fight Leftist Jew-Hatred
by Daniel Greenfield
After the Holocaust, the American Jewish community, like most liberals, reduced the mass murder of millions of Jews to a problem of intolerance and prejudice. A massive effort was undertaken to educate about what had happened rather than what was happening.
While the first Holocaust museums were being built, the persecution and killing of Jews had mostly shifted over to the Soviet Union and its allies in the Arab Muslim world. American Jews failed to grapple with this shift much as they failed to come to terms with the reality that black nationalist groups were quickly eclipsing the KKK when it came to the domestic hatred of Jews.
These are the key ingredients that led to the current open climate of Jew-hatred in America.
Instead of talking about what the hatred of Jews looked like today, American Jewish liberals insisted on dwelling on what it had looked like decades earlier in America and in Europe. Like the generals who are always refighting yesterday’s war, they were not dealing with the present.
They relied heavily on “antisemitism”: a term invented in the 19th century by a German socialist bigot, Wilhelm Marr, to emphasize the race of the Jews. But post-Holocaust hatred of Jews on the Left was more often cultural than racial. Karl Marx, the progenitor of
Marxism, had been of Jewish descent from a Christian family, and had spread poisonous antisemitic venom. Lenin, who had one Jewish grandfather, oversaw the oppression of Jews while denying they were a distinct people. The Soviet expectation was that the Jews would disappear as a people, but, aside from Stalin’s final years, avoided any plans for the racial extermination of the Jews.
The Marxist and the Islamic position, unlike the Nazi racial position, did not require the physical extermination of the Jews at a genetic level, only a cultural genocide. Jews would be allowed to exist under Communism or Islam, as long as they abandoned their religion and national identity. The liberal focus on fighting racial antisemitism left it unprepared to fight such cultural hatred.
Even though the Soviet persecution of the Jews as a people had been underway for generations, American liberal Jews never developed a vocabulary for describing it. Or showed much particular interest in it until a new generation of young activists in the USSR and America finally made it a burning issue that rose to national and international attention in the 1970s…
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Apple Reveals Governments Use App Notifications to Surveil Users
In a chilling revelation that feels all too familiar, Apple has confirmed that governments are using push notifications for the surveillance of users — an imposition on personal freedoms and a glaring example of state overreach.
This unsettling news was disclosed in response to Senator Ron Wyden’s urgent communication to the Department of Justice. Wyden highlighted that foreign officials have been pressuring technology companies for data to track smartphones via apps that send notifications.
These apps, he noted, put tech companies in a pivotal role to assist in governmental monitoring of app usage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
At Least 3 Dead, One in Critical Condition After Shooting at UNLV Campus, Las Vegas Sheriff Says
Three people are dead following a shooting on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus, Las Vegas Metro Police say, and a fourth is in critical condition at a hospital.
“According to our investigators at the scene, we have three deceased victims and one additional victim in critical condition at a local hospital. The suspect in this #activeshooter incident is also deceased,” the department said on X.
At a Wednesday evening news conference, Las Vegas Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill said authorities know the identity of the suspect, but will not be releasing his name until his family has been notified.
McMahill said the shooter was engaged outside of Beam Hall by campus police officers. There was a gathering outside the hall where students were playing games and were building things with Legos, according to the sheriff.
“What happened today is a heinous, unforgivable crime… If it hadn’t been for the heroic actions of one of those police officers who responded, there could have been countless additional lives taken,” he said.
In addition to the four victims who were shot, four people were taken to hospitals due to symptoms of panic attacks, the sheriff said. Two law enforcement officers were injured during the search for victims.
Three patients were taken to Sunrise Hospital, spokesperson Marissa Mussi said.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin Warns of High Terror Threat as FBI Director Says ‘I See Blinking Red Lights Everywhere’
During a Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed that the US is currently facing an unprecedented threat level for terrorism.
“So what I would say that is unique about the environment that we’re in right now in my career is that while there may have been times over the years where individual threats could have been higher here or there than where they might be right now, I’ve never seen a time where all the threats, or so many of the threats, are all elevated, all at exactly the same time,” Wray told the committee.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Delays Menthol Cigarette Ban After Black Leaders Tell Him it’s Racist
The Biden administration has delayed its ban on menthol cigarettes after strategists warned President Biden that it could negatively impact his support among black voters.
Leaders in the black community claim that the ban would foster an underground market and cause police to target black smokers in a disproportional manner, the Washington Post reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Nevada Grand Jury Brings Indictments Against Alternate Electors in 2020 Election
A grand jury convened by Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford has brought felony indictments against six individuals who served as alternate electors after the 2020 election as the Trump campaign worked to secure recounts to verify the results of the election.
Chairman of the Nevada Republican Party Michael McDonald, vice chair Jesse Law, GOP chairman for Clark County Jim Hindle III, Jim DeGraffenreid, Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice have all been indicted on felony charges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
GOP Lawmakers Allege J6 Committee Coordinated With Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis
On Tuesday, GOP lawmakers launched an investigation into Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the prosecutor in the Georgia 2020 election case against 2024 Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, over alleged collusion between her office and the Democrat-led January 6 committee.
A letter from House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan to Willis stated that “although we were aware that your office had coordinated its politically motivated prosecutions with the Office of Special Counsel Jack Smith, we recently learned that your office also coordinated its investigative actions with the partisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harvard, Penn and MIT Presidents Under Fire Over ‘Despicable’ Testimony on Antisemitism and Genocide
The presidents of Harvard, MIT and the University of Pennsylvania faced intense scrutiny on Wednesday from business leaders, donors and politicians following their testimony at a House hearing on antisemitism on campus and calls for genocide in Israel.
The criticism focused on the university leaders’ answers to questions on Tuesday about whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates their respective school’s code of conduct on bullying or harassment.
None of the school leaders explicitly said that calling for the genocide of Jews would necessarily violate their code of conduct. Instead, they explained it would depend on the circumstances and conduct.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hunter Biden Threatened With Contempt of Congress if He Bails on Testimony
Hunter Biden will be slapped with contempt of congress if he skips out on his Dec. 13 closed-door deposition, according to a Wednesday letter from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan to Hunter’s defense attorney, Abbe D. Lowell.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Biden’s Alias Exchanged 5 Emails With Biden Associate Before 2014 Ukraine Trip, 27 Afterward
President Joe Biden’s email alias exchanged five messages with Eric Schwerin — a Biden family associate — immediately before Biden visited Ukraine in 2014 — when Hunter Biden sat on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma — and 27 emails after the trip ended, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) revealed Tuesday.
The timeline of Biden’s alias emails with Schwerin is significant because he was an integral member of the Biden business, Breitbart News previously reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kevin McCarthy’s Departure Triggers Special Election to Fill His Seat
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has announced his resignation, and Republicans are wincing at the long window before his seat is filled.
California law says the governor must schedule a special election for a U.S. House seat between 126 to 140 days after it is vacated.
That means the seat would remain vacant until near Memorial Day, with a general election likely on May 20, 2024.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Left-Wing Pop Sensation Taylor Swift Crowned Time Magazine Person of the Year
Taylor Swift has been named Time Magazine’s person of the year for 2023, following in the footsteps of previous winners including Greta Thunberg, Barack Obama, and Volodymyr Zelensky.
The jet-setting climate change activist, who endorses Democrats, attacks Republicans, and performs for Communist human rights abusing-China’s Singles Day, told the magazine she is “the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of House Democrats Fail to Condemn Anti-Zionism as Anti-Semitism
On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives managed to approve a resolution stating that anti-Zionism is antisemitism, even with the majority of Democrats rejecting the legislation.
The resolution’s principle was the same as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s “working definition” of anti-Semitism, published in 2016 that includes anti-Zionism as antisemitism.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Memorial for Seattle Man Killed While Asleep on the Bus Vandalized
The memorial for a young Seattle man killed while riding the bus has been vandalized multiple times, with the perpetrators even going so far as to remove his photo from the center of the display.
Marcel Wagner, 21, was gunned down by a total stranger as he slept on the Metro RapidRide H Line on his way home in October.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Middle-Aged Black Male’ Vandalized FSU Black Student Union House: Report
Florida State University says a “middle-aged Black male” who is “likely a transient person” vandalized the Black Student Union house.
The vandalism happened sometime between the evening of Nov. 29 and the morning of Nov. 30 according to Her Campus.”FSUPD [Police Department] is in possession of video footage showing a middle-aged Black male, likely a transient person, breaking the glass door at the Black Student Union House,” the university media relations director told the outlet.
“This is an open and active investigation. Classes and events at the BSU House have been relocated [temporarily] due to the damaged door. FSU Facilities is working to have the glass replaced as soon as possible.”
The house is a meeting place for the BSU and other student groups, with a particular focus on black organizations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minneapolis Man Shoots Trans ‘Woman’ Who Made Him Feel ‘Suspicious’ During Sex
A Minneapolis man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a trans-identified male after the two engaged in sexual acts in a courtyard.
Damarean Kayon Bible, 25, was charged by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office with the November 29th fatal shooting of trans-identified male Savannah Ryan Williams, 38, according to the Star Tribune.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A group of brazen thieves walked away with armfuls of PlayStation 5s from a Best Buy without being challenged.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
More NYC Bodega Owners Arming Themselves as Crime Soars in the City
The National Supermarket Association, which represents roughly 600 independent grocers, estimated a quarter of its members in the [New York City] are packing heat, compared to 10% pre-pandemic.
“You see the necessity because the city is getting out of hand with the crime rate,” said one supermarket owner, who purchased a 9mm SIG Sauer handgun two months ago, after thieves cut a hole in the roof of his Ridgewood, Queens, store to steal $3,000 and smash up the registers and camera system.
“I feel safer having a . . . weapon with me,” the 50-year-old said, especially when going to the bank.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nolte: Democrat-Run San Francisco Faces Worst Year Ever of Overdose Deaths
Democrat-run San Francisco is facing its deadliest year in history for drug overdoses. During the full month of August — all 31 days — San Francisco was hit with an overdose death every nine hours.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Defense Secretary Warned Congress U.S. Troops Could be Deployed if Ukraine Aid is Not Sent
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Congress on Tuesday during a private briefing that if they do not pass more aid to Ukraine, it would “very likely” lead to U.S. troops fighting a war in Europe.
“If [Vladimir] Putin takes over Ukraine, he’ll get Moldova, Georgia, then maybe the Baltics,” House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) told The Messenger, after Austin and other senior Biden administration officials briefed House lawmakers on their request for more aid for Ukraine.
“And then the idea that we’ll have to put troops on the ground in Secretary Austin’s word was very likely,” McCaul added. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senate Republicans Block Biden Ukraine Aid Despite Warning Over ‘Direct Conflict With Russia’
Update (1810ET): Nope…
On Wednesday President Joe Biden suggested that if Congress doesn’t send Ukraine more money, now, it may ‘embolden’ Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade a NATO ally, which would precipitate “American troops fighting Russian troops.”
The threat was not persuasive.
In response, Senate Republicans channeled Elon Musk (G…F…Y…), blocking Biden’s $111 emergency supplemental package that would also include aid for Israel, humanitarian aid for Gaza, and a smattering of border funding.
The Senate voted 49-51, failing to reach the 60-vote threshold required to allow the proposal to come up for consideration. Notably, Bernie Sanders (I-VT) voted against the measure, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) flipped his vote to ‘no’ to preserve the option of revisiting the bill at a later date.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Soros’s Foundation Commits $50 Million to Spur ‘Nonpartisan Civic Engagement Among Women,’ Youth
Alex Soros, the son of left-wing billionaire mega-donor George Soros, and his father’s Open Society Foundations (OSF) announced on Tuesday a $50 million investment “to boost nonpartisan civic engagement among women and young people.”
The younger Soros, a frequent guest at the Biden White House, revealed the investment in an article he authored on the OSF website. Despite the “nonpartisan” rhetoric, Soros was critical of former President Donald Trump — the leading Republican presidential candidate — and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taking a firm stand against what some have called one of the most severe infringements on the US constitution’s First Amendment guarantees for freedom of speech and press freedom in the country’s history, the New Civil Liberties Alliance has filed a lawsuit to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on behalf of media outlets, The Daily Wire and The Federalist.
The lawsuit is in association with the State of Texas and its Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The group accuses the US State Department of a clear violation of First Amendment rights through the funding and promoting of the development, testing, and marketing of censorship technology used to quash conservative viewpoints.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump: I Won’t be a Dictator if Reelected, ‘Other Than Day One’
Tuesday, during his “Hannity” televised town hall event on Fox News Channel, former President Donald Trump, a candidate for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, reacted to claims he would be a “dictator” if reelected to the presidency.
Trump dismissed the claim overall but, in a tongue-in-cheek manner, suggested that on his first day, he would be a dictator.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Versailles Man Charged After Allegedly Stabbing Woman, Running Naked Through Street
VERSAILLES, Mo. (KMIZ) — A Versailles man was charged on Wednesday after allegedly stabbing a woman on Tuesday.
Cameron Rogers, 20, was charged with first-degree domestic violence, armed criminal action, resisting arrest, unlawful use of a weapon and two misdemeanors — fourth-degree assault and second-degree property damage. He is being held in the Morgan County Jail without bond. An arraignment was held Wednesday and a bond appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13
According to the probable cause statement, police were dispatched after a man — Rogers — was reported to be running naked on South Fisher Street, covered in blood and that a woman was stabbed. The victim was in the lobby of the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, and stated they lived in a house near the office.
Police found Rogers sitting in the middle of the street cross-legged next to a pile of broken glass, the statement says. Rogers then allegedly ran away from police and tried to get into the Bank of Versailles, which was closed at the time, the statement says.
Police then allegedly gave him commands to get on his stomach, which the statement says he followed. Rogers then allegedly resisted while police put him in restraints. Law enforcement then interviewed the woman in an ambulance — before she was flown to a hospital — and stated she was stabbed in her house and that she had been in a relationship with Rogers, the statement says.
An officer arrived to the house and saw blood on the front of the house, the statement says. Police then obtained a warrant and found a bloody knife inside the house, according to the statement.
A man at a nearby laundromat allegedly saw Rogers earlier try to open a manhole cover, the statement says. Rogers allegedly tried to grab the man, but the man told him to get away, the statement says. A firetruck had arrived in the area and Rogers then allegedly smashed a window, grabbed a piece of glass and tried to stab a firefighter, the statement says.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: RFK Jr Admits to Flying on Epstein’s ‘Lolita Express’ Jet
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. admitted Tuesday that he twice flew on the private jet of pedophile fixer to the global elite Jeffrey Epstein.
Kennedy also revealed that his ex-wife was friends with Epstein’s ‘madam’ Ghislaine Maxwell.
During the interview, RFK Jr. was asked by Jesse Watters if he’s ever flew on Epstein’s notorious ‘Lolita Express’, to which he responded “I was on Jeffrey Epstein’s jet two times,” adding “I was on it in 1993, and I was on it in— and I went to Florida with my wife and two children to visit my mom over Easter.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After Hungary Threatens to Veto €18 Billion in Ukraine Aid, EU’s Left-Liberal Elite Go Into Meltdown
Hungary’s threat to veto €18 billion in Ukraine aid has sent shockwaves through the Western liberal bloc, with Berlin, Brussels and Washington going into panic mode. Left-liberal leaders across Europe are now hurling accusations at the Hungarian government.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock claimed during a speech in Slovenia that this move amounted to blackmail, and accused Hungary of playing “poker” and using its “bag of tricks.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Baltic States and Germany Side With Ukraine in Trucker Dispute
The European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean has taken a firm stance against reinstating the requirement of transport permits for Ukrainian operators in a victory for the Ukrainian government. This decision was supported by Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Germany during the EU Council meeting on transport in Brussels, which was reported by RMF FM.
Poland, advocating for the return to a permit system, has requested a joint committee meeting between the EU and Ukraine to address this issue. However, Commissioner Valean declared that the committee would convene only after the lifting of blockades, highlighting 13 practical and technical proposals currently under consideration to resolve the dispute.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brussels Shooting: 4 Injured on Major Shopping Street, Gunman on the Loose
Four people were injured in a mass shooting in central Brussels on Wednesday evening by a gunman who remains at large.
Authorities were dispatched to Avenue de la Toison d’Or at around 7:30 p.m. local time following reports of gunshots fired on the major shopping street in the Belgian capital.
“Our services immediately went to the scene. A perimeter was set up. We are currently making the determinations,” said Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keerse.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ECB’s Lagarde Warns Tusk That Legal Action Against Head of Polish Central Bank May be Illegal
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has said that the Polish central bank head, Adam Glapinski, is protected by EU law in the event that the next Polish government wants to suspend him and bring him before the State Tribunal.
In late November, Donald Tusk, leader of Poland’s largest opposition grouping, the Civic Coalition (KO), and a candidate for prime minister, announced that the opposition coalition is considering bringing Glapinski before the State Tribunal “for delaying the process of increasing interest rates in response to inflation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Warns of ‘Huge Risk’ of Terror Attacks in Run Up to Christmas
“Polarization” caused by the Israel-Hamas war is leading to a “huge risk of terrorist attacks”, the European Union’s Home Affairs Commissioner has warned.
European Union Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has made a warning about terrorism in the run-up to Christmas — what she calls the “holiday season” — and although not citing any specific intelligence or threat, nevertheless saying the risk level is “huge”.
Speaking before a meeting of European Union interior ministers, Johansson said: “With the war between Israel and Hamas, and the polarization it causes in our society, with the upcoming holiday season, there is a huge risk of terrorist attacks in the European Union”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Media Hide True Identity of Paris Attacker
The dark series of crimes inflaming French public opinion continues with a murder in the heart of the capital on Saturday night, December 2nd. Once again, controversy has erupted over the identity of the assailant, which the media and the political class were at pains to conceal in order to avoid facing up to the harsh realities of Islamism and immigration.
The attack took place in southwest Paris, not far from the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. A German tourist was killed, and two other people were injured. The German tourist suffered several blows to the head, back, and shoulders. Two other people were injured in the attack. One of them, an English tourist, was hit in the eye with a hammer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
One of the richest men in Germany is now openly meeting with the Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the move has led to calls for a boycott from left-wing Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the country’s main establishment parties.
Theo Müller — who owns some of the most popular food brands in Germany, including Mülllermilch, Weihenstephan, and Landliebe — stated that he held talks with AfD co-chairwoman Alice Weidel several times. He is considered one of the first major business figures to openly make contact with the AfD, and Germany’s establishment parties, including the Christian Democrats (CDU) and Free Democrats (FDP), are backing calls for a boycott.
Müller is estimated to be worth over €4 billion, and his meeting could pave the way for other business leaders to openly back the AfD.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greens Commence Deforestation of Germany’s Enchanted Forest to Make Way for Wind Turbines
The deforestation of parts of the central German Reinhardwald forest has begun as the woodland, famously featured in the Grimms’ fairy tales, is to be cut down to make way for wind turbines.
The forest, which contains trees that are up to 200 years old, is now being cleared for highway-wide construction roads to facilitate the erection of 18 wind turbines around Sababurg Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Nine of the eleven mayors from the neighboring municipalities, including the mayor of Wesertal, Cornelius Turrey (SPD), are campaigning against the construction of the wind turbines.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Heavily Pregnant Woman Stabbed Multiple Times in Welsh Village, Knifeman on the Loose
A manhunt is underway in the Welsh village of Aberfan after a heavily pregnant woman was stabbed multiple times in the back as she took her children to school on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. near the Ynysowen Nursery School and involved a 29-year-old woman who was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
South Wales Police urged residents to stay indoors and schools were locked down as officers conducted a mass search for the knifeman.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Withdraws From China’s New ‘Silk Road’ Initiative
(ANSA) — ROME, DEC 6 — Italy has officially withdrawn from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive globe-spanning infrastructure scheme aiming to build a modern-day ‘Silk Road’, sources told ANSA on Wednesday, confirming a report in il Corriere della Sera.
Italy formally exited the BRI with a letter delivered to Beijing a few days ago, the sources said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LOT Polish Airlines Ranked 3rd Best Airline in 2023
LOT Polish Airlines is the world’s third-best airline for 2023, and Europe’s second-best, according to the ranking by air passenger rights organization AirHelp Score.
LOT trailed only Qatar Airways and Lufthansa Group’s Eurowings in the ranking, which was based on three factors: punctuality, passenger reviews, and fair treatment when problems arise. LOT managed to improve its standing by 12 places compared to 2022.
LOT Polish Airlines outperformed Etihad Airways (4th), United Airlines (10th) and KLM (16th). Germany’s Lufthansa came 57th, while British Airways placed 82nd.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Hungarians Support Higher Military Spending
An overwhelming majority of Hungarians agree with the government’s decision to ramp up defense spending in light of the ongoing conflict in neighboring Ukraine, according to a poll conducted by Real-PR 93 for Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet.
Three-quarters of the population support the purchase of modern military equipment and an increase in soldiers’ salaries, while more than two-thirds support increased military recruitment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Orban: Ukraine’s EU Membership Has “No Place” on European Council Agenda
The European Commission’s recent recommendation to begin accession negotiations with Kyiv is “unfounded and poorly prepared,” failing to assess the enlargement’s true consequences, and therefore Hungary cannot support it during the next European Council Summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orban wrote on X on Sunday, December 3rd.
Ukraine’s EU membership “does not coincide with the interests of many member states, certainly not with Hungary’s,” Orban said.
This matter should not be put on the [EU Council’s December] agenda, and the Commission should understand that it is their responsibility that the meeting was poorly prepared. Take it back, prepare it properly, and come back when an agreement has been reached!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mario Roggero shot at three thieves in Grinzane Cavour in 2021 after they entered his store, bound his daughter’s, threatened to kill his wife and helped themselves to jewellery
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Parenthood Certificate Up for Vote in EU Parliament
The controversial proposal for a certificate of parenthood goes to vote in the plenary of the EU Parliament next week.
Though the measure, which would facilitate surrogacy abroad by Europeans, is unlikely to be approved by member states in the EU Council, pro-family groups point out that even the proposal sets a dangerous precedent.
Last year, the Commission proposed an EU-wide certificate recognizing a parent-child relationship, in principle, to ease the administrative burden for families caught in cross-border situations where legal documents certifying the relationship of a minor to a parent may not be easily recognized between member states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PM Orban: Hungary Must Pursue a Radical Foreign Policy to be Its Own Master
Hungary must pursue a radical foreign policy with major goals and valid visions, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at a conference commemorating 50 years of the Hungarian Institute of Foreign Affairs.
“Hungary does not want to be a disciple of another power, but a master of itself,” Orban said. “To be successful, we must also take a radical tactical stance because that is how we can give ground in a negotiation. Radical in the Hungarian language is perhaps different from most Western languages, it means to take a radical position that gets to the heart of the matter: Hungarian radicalism is a phenomenon of an intellectual nature.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Intelligence Services Held 100 Secret Meetings With Russia’s FSB During Tusk Government
The previous Donald Tusk government (2007-2015) had around 100 secret meetings between Poland’s intelligence services and Russia’s FSB, and no substantive reports were ever produced as to what was discussed at these meetings, according to new findings from a commission looking into Russian influence.
Prof. Przemyslaw Zurawski vel Grajewski, who was a member of the commission, revealed the findings yesterday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Signs Declaration Affirming ‘Global Climate Crisis’
ROME — Pope Francis has signed an interfaith statement asserting that humanity faces a “global climate crisis” that demands phasing out fossil fuels.
The Abu Dhabi Interfaith Statement for COP28 manifests the signers’ “shared concern for the escalating climate impacts that imperil our cherished planet, as well as our common commitment to jointly address this global crisis.”
“Our faith instills in us a sacred duty to cherish not only our human family, but also the fragile ecosystem that cradles us,” the text states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Proposes Financing Ukraine With Frozen Russian Assets
Spain, which is currently serving as president of the Council of the European Union, is keen to push through its proposal that the EU could finance Ukraine from the profits generated by frozen Russian funds. However, the European Central Bank (ECB) and several member states, including France and Germany, have serious doubts about the plan.
As the EU summit approaches, tensions are mounting over a Spanish proposal that the EU should use profits from frozen Russian money to finance reconstruction in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Teens Distrust Government; Fine With Limits on Civil Liberties
Spanish teens have lost confidence in their government.
Only 44% of Spanish 13-year-old students trust completely or somewhat in the government of Spain. The figure shows that trust has dropped 18 percentage points compared to 2009, when 62% of secondary school students claimed to have high levels of trust in the executive branch of the Spanish government.
The numbers come from the latest International Study on Civic and Citizenship Education (ICCS 2022) conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The report spans 22 countries, mostly in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. ICCS researches how young people prepare to assume their roles as citizens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
This Polish Tradition Just Got Added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, during its 18th session held in Botswana, accepted Poland’s submission of the Polonaise dance to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Crack’ Removed From Christmas Crackers to Save the Planet
The ‘crack’ from Christmas crackers is being removed for environmental reasons and to turn Christmas into a “celebration of responsibility,” defeating the entire purpose of pulling one in the first place.
Yes, really.
Joyless eco-mentalists, committed in their mission to eliminate all fun, have lobbied for the introduction of ‘crackless crackers’, and their efforts are already coming to fruition.
“Alliance National, one of Britain’s biggest catering suppliers, has announced it will offer only environmentally friendly “crackless” crackers to its customers, which include dozens of care homes, hotels, pubs and restaurants across the country,” reports the Telegraph.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris Johnson Considered Military Action in the Netherlands
No shortage of commentators noticed that Boris Johnson saw COVID as his ‘Churchill moment’; his chance to lead Britain to victory against a deadly (in this case, viral) tyrant. But none can claim to have guessed that he actually considered military action against an EU member state to secure vaccines.
Two diplomatic sources claimed over the weekend that the former prime minister asked security services to draw up plans for a raid of a Dutch COVID vaccine factory. He was left “infuriated” after Brussels moved towards restricting exports of AstraZeneca vaccines, which Britain had already paid for, because of the EU’s own rollout troubles.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jenny Darling, 23, from Bishopsgate, London , revealed her ‘non-negotiables’ for pregnancy to make it ‘worth’ the toll on her physical and mental health.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
London mayor Sadiq Khan has admitted it was an error for his mayoral office to claim that knife crime in the U.K. capital has fallen under his watch after the country’s independent statistics regulator revealed it had actually risen by 40 percent.
A mayoral press release published back in July praised Khan’s leadership in reducing knife crime across the city since he took charge of City Hall in 2016.
However, the Labour politician was left red-faced after Ed Humpherson, director general at the Office for Statistics Regulation, said the claim was “incorrect” and had the ability to seriously mislead the public.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rotherham Abuse Survivor Set to Sell Rapist’s Home in £450,000 Court Win
A Rotherham child abuse survivor has obtained a High Court Charging Order on her rapist’s Rotherham home in preparation for the forced sale of the property.
Liz, not her real name, was awarded £425,000 in damages in a “landmark” legal win over her rapist Asghar Bostan in March.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What Sanctions? Russian LNG Exports to Europe at an All-Time High
Despite EU attempts to impose sanctions and wean itself off Russian energy dependency, Russian exports of liquified natural gas (LNG) to Europe hit an all-time high of 1.75 million tons in November. The largest November volumes were shipped to France and Belgium.
The figure is even larger than in December 2022, when Russia exported 1.74 million tons of LNG to Europe, according to data and analytics firm Kpler.
In contrast with coal and oil, Russian gas has not been placed under sanctions by the EU but the European Commission has said member states should rid themselves of Russian fossil fuels by 2027. EU policymakers have defended the continuation of imports from Russia as being due to long-term contracts agreed before the war. Nevertheless, Ukraine has added Belgian gas operator Fluxys to its list of “international sponsors of war” because of its dealings with Russian producers of LNG. Fluxys has a 20-year contract with Russian company Yamal that ends in 2039.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
IDF: We Broke Through Hamas Lines; Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar is Underground
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Wednesday evening that it had broken through Hamas lines in both northern and southern Gaza, and that it had surrounded Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, whom it said was hiding in an underground tunnel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said earlier, in a statement, that the IDF had surrounded Sinwar’s house, which had been found vacant: “Last night I said that our forces could go anywhere in the Gaza Strip. They are currently surrounding Sinwar’s house. His home is not his castle, and he can flee, but it is only a matter of time until we find him.”
IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari then clarified that the military had surrounded Hamas positions in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, not Sinwar’s house specifically. He added, however, that Sinwar was underground, and implied that Israel knew where he was.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Battles Hamas Militants Inside South Gaza City
Israeli troops battled Hamas fighters Thursday in the heart of southern Gaza’s main city where a top militant leader is believed to be hiding, while pressing their offensive across the besieged territory.
Breaking through Hamas’s defences of Gaza’s second largest city, Israeli troops, tanks, armoured personnel carriers and bulldozers rolled into Khan Yunis, forcing already displaced civilians to flee again, witnesses said.
Hamas said late Wednesday on Telegram its fighters were engaged in fierce battles against Israeli troops “on all axes of the incursion into the Gaza Strip”, as it claimed they destroyed two dozen military vehicles in Khan Yunis and Beit Lahia in the north of the territory.
Earlier, the Israeli army said it had pierced defensive lines and carried out “targeted raids in the heart of the city”, where they found and destroyed 30 tunnel shafts.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Won Mankind’s First Ever Space Battle by Destroying Houthi Missile Outside Atmosphere
Israel deployed its Arrow long-range air defence missile for the first time last month, shooting down a ballistic missile in outer space, which is being called the first space battle.
Houthi terrorists launched an Iranian-made Ghadr-110 ballistic missile at Israel last month which was intercepted by an IDF Arrow 2 missile. Incredibly, the interception took place well out of Earth’s atmosphere above the 100km (62 mile) Karman Line, which denotes the boundary of outer space.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COP28: Nuclear Energy, Hot Air, and Hypocrisy
More than 20 countries have signed a declaration to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050 at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
Countries including the U.S., UK, France, and Hungary signed the pledge recognising the “key role” of nuclear energy in reducing carbon emissions.
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said the world cannot achieve ‘net zero’ without building new nuclear reactors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rebels clambered aboard the Galaxy Leader commercial ship in the Red Sea on November 19 with the ship now appearing to have become some-what of a tourist attraction.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Vladimir Putin said he could not greet the UK’s top representative in Russia, and other top foreign diplomats in Moscow, but a day later flew to greet officials from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Putin Trots Around Middle East, All Smiles With MbS, While US Can’t Secure Ukraine Funding
It was no mere awkward fist bump, but instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reception in Riyadh Wednesday was clearly very warm and enthusiastic.
From the moment Putin walked out onto a royal purple carpet-bedecked airport tarmac to later being officially greeted by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), it was chummy handshakes, back slaps and smiles all the way around.
“Nothing can prevent the development of our friendly relations,” Putin told MbS, and invited him to visit Moscow in return.
“It is very important for all of us to exchange information and assessments with you on what is happening in the region. Our meeting is certainly timely,” Putin said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Assassinates Former Politician Who Criticized Zelensky: ‘Traitor, Collaborator’
Ilya Kiva, who was a Member of Parliament in Ukraine until the war started and dissenting lawmakers were purged, was shot in the head in an assassination claimed by the Ukrainian intelligence service.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) confirmed they were responsible for the killing of a former Member of Parliament of the nation who was found dead in Moscow, Russia, Ukrinform reports. The report from the Ukrainian state news outlet described Ilya Kiva as a “top traitor, collaborator and propagandist… criminal” and stated he was “liquidated” with “small arms”, or gunfire.
The BBC reports a spokesman for Ukraine’s military intelligence not only confirmed the state-sanctioned assassination but said more would follow.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Funding Fight Stokes New Fears Over US Reliability
The latest jockeying between President Joe Biden and Republicans in Congress over Ukraine aid is fueling fresh concerns over Washington’s commitment to support Kyiv’s fight against Russia as the 2024 US election nears.
On Wednesday, Biden accused Republicans of “playing chicken with our national security” as he delivered a speech, again urging them to approve $106 billion to support Ukraine and Israel. It was a message intended to heighten the urgency around US support, which could run out in the coming months and leave Ukraine without crucial munitions to repel Russian forces.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Bombing at Catholic Mass in Philippines
Security remains heightened in the Philippines following an attack at a Catholic Mass on Sunday.
An explosion during the Sunday liturgical celebration in a gymnasium at Mindanao State University in Marawi City killed at least four people and left more than 50 others injured. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying on its Telegram channel that its members had detonated the bomb.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australian students have fallen almost two academic years behind those who attended high school in the early 2000’s, a new report on academic performance has found.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A 158-year-old church in Brunswick, Melbourne, hides inside it a contemporary home peppered with historical charm and original details.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Perth Construction Company Collapses Leaving Behind Millions of Dollars Worth of Debt
Simsai Construction Group in Perth has been forced to give up nearly 100 projects after being hauled to Federal Court by the Australian Tax Office on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The footage shows groupings of tents pitched along the Brisbane river between the William Jolly and Go Between bridges in the inner-city suburb of South Brisbane.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The House of Representatives on voted 68 to 59 in favour of the laws, which will deal with freed detainees who pose an unacceptable risk of committing a serious violent or sexual offence.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A convicted paedophile released from immigration detention by a High Court ruling is back behind bars after using his freedom to get back on social media and allegedly using it to contact minors.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Andrew Giles and Clare O’Neil have held a press conference in an attempt to quell community concerns about the High Court decision which saw 148 asylum seekers walk free from detention.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A fourth asylum seeker has been arrested following a controversial High Court ruling, as Anthony Albanese faces a full-blown crisis.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Aliyawar Yawari, 65, is a convicted sex offender who was branded a ‘danger to the Australian community’ after he attacked three women and kicked down the door of one ageing mother.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
An illegal migrant, who despite 28 criminal convictions was never deported from France, has been convicted for beating a father and his godson after they refused to give him a soda while traveling on public transport in Le Mans.
Police say the 30-year-old suspect attacked the victims on Nov. 18 after the man and his godson refused to give him a soda. The defendant admits to being drunk at the time, and said: “I wanted to scare them.”
The police state the suspect beat the victims with his fists and strangled the minor, although the defendant disputes that he severely assaulted them, according to French publication Actu.fr.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany to Criminalize Migrant-Ferrying NGOs
The German Ministry of the Interior has proposed a draft amendment to its Residency Act to redefine what constitutes human trafficking into the EU—a move which could criminalize the work of ‘search and rescue’ NGOs operating on the Mediterranean Sea, EU Observer wrote.
Existing German laws already prohibit facilitating irregular entries into the EU for the sake of financial gain or personal advantage, which means NGOs can ferry migrants from the Libyan and Tunisian shores to Europe under the term ‘rescue’ unobstructed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Iraqi migrants will remain in Sweden after serving their custodial sentences for the gang rape of a Swedish woman onboard a cruise ship after a court rejected deportation requests by the public prosecutor because the duo were deemed to have “integrated” into Swedish society.
Mazin Al-Sharash, 36, and Akar Bajorani, 32, were sentenced to six years and five years and three months respectively for aggravated rape of a woman during a 24-hour cruise between Stockholm and Mariehamn on Sept. 10 this year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrant encounters at the open southern border hit their highest ever single day total on Tuesday, as an astounding 12,000 people flooded across the border into the US.
Fox News reported that Customs and Border Protection agents said that more than 10,000 of the encounters were Border Patrol agents coming into contact with illegal crossers at various ports of entry.
On Wednesday morning, CBP had more than 22,000 migrants in custody as several of the agency’s sectors overflowed with people outpacing their capacities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands Spent €400 Billion on Migrants Between 1995 and 2019, According to New Landmark Study
A new study from the University of Amsterdam reveals the enormous costs of mass immigration to the Netherlands over a nearly 25-year timeframe, with the 278-page report adding to the growing list of evidence refuting claims that migrants contribute to national budgets in the West, create jobs, and prop up faltering pension systems.
The landmark study, entitled “Borderless Welfare State: The Consequences of Immigration on Public Finances,” shows that net costs of immigration to the Dutch public sector over the period 1995-2019 were an astounding €400 billion, averaging €17 billion a year, with a peak of €32 billion in 2016 due to the 2015 “refugee crisis.”
To put these figures in perspective, the Dutch government spent around €30 billion on education in 2016, €2 billion less than it spent on migrants in the same year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Somalian asylum seeker who sexually assaulted a nurse in Northern Ireland, and then sexually assaulted the policewoman who arrested him, did so as a “cry for help” because he was suffering from mental health issues, the man’s lawyer has claimed.
Abdullahi Hidig Salaad, a 22-year-old Somalian national living in the country for the past six months, was arrested at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine on Nov. 29 after being accused of approaching a pregnant nurse from behind and groping her.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Asylum Applications Down 26% Under SD-Supported Government
The policies of Sweden’s national-conservative-supported coalition—which has held the reins of power for a little over a year now—appear to be bearing fruit, resulting in far fewer migrants filing asylum claims in the country.
In an op-ed penned by the leaders of the center-right government—Ulf Kristersson (M), Jimmie Åkesson (SD), Ebba Busch (KD), and Johan Pehrson—for Dagens Nyheter, the group writes that, under their leadership, Sweden witnessed 26% fewer asylum applications in 2023 than had been filed the previous year under the left-liberal government.
The center-right leaders also underscored that the significant reduction of asylum claims seen this past year in Sweden has taken place as the asylum applications across the European continent rose by 30%
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A notorious Syrian vandal who is accused of smashing the windshields of over 200 cars, robbing and injuring a pensioner, and setting fire to a bus, remains a free man after a German court revoked an arrest warrant applied for by the authorities.
The 31-year-old suspect, known as Firas A., has wreaked havoc in the port city of Hamburg for months and is believed to have smashed around 245 car windshields in the space of just two months from May to June.
The Syrian national, who arrived in Germany back in 2015, was arrested for the mass vandalism but a court refused to sanction his pre-trial detention.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK to Receive Refugees From Rwanda and Foreign Criminals Will be Deported Back to Britain
Rwanda can pick and choose which asylum seekers it wants, resettle an indeterminate number of its own people in the United Kingdom, and send all criminals convicted of a serious offense back to Britain in the revised asylum agreement between the two countries.
U.K. Home Secretary James Cleverly met with Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Vincent Biruta in Kigali on Tuesday to hash out new terms after the U.K. Supreme Court declared sections of the previous agreement unlawful and contrary to international obligations on human rights.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Afghan, Iranian and Turkish Nationals Most Common Small Boat Arrivals This Year
The number of small boat arrivals so far this year is down 34% on the total at the same point last year.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A long-brewing civil war within the Conservative Party over immigration broke out on Wednesday as ousted Home Secretary Suella Braverman warned that the party is facing “electoral oblivion” while warning that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s legislative attempt to save the plan to send illegal migrants to centres in Rwanda is doomed to fail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Queen Nikkolah, an African alternative to the Belgian Santa Claus, Sinterklaas, was also set to be draped in the colours of a Palestinian flag.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Belgians Reject African Female ‘Santa Claus’
A city in Belgium has cancelled a scheduled Christmas event in which a black female ‘Santa Claus’ was set to reeducate attendees about “colonial ideology” and how “generations of Flemish people are racists.”
The Telegraph reports that people in Ghent have pressured the mayor to call off the appearance of one Queen Nikkolah, a character created by artist Laura Nsengiyumva, who would have ‘reworked’ Christmas fables about Santa for children at the event.
The report claims that the character was set to be dressed in the colours of the Palestinian flag (for some reason) while handing out gifts to children.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Meet the model who’s putting all the other e-girls to shame.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Polish Parliament Approves Pro-LGBT Children’s Ombudsman
Conservative and right-wing parties have criticised the new left-leaning Polish parliament for electing an ombudsman for children’s rights who advocates the promotion of LGBT ideology in schools. Monika Horna-Cieslak, a 32-year-old lawyer and social activist, was approved by the lower and upper house of parliament last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President of LGBTQ Advocate Group Says Women Should ‘Learn to Lose Gracefully’ to Trans Competitors
The president of the National Women’s Law Center said on Tuesday during congressional testimony that women should “learn to lose gracefully” to transsexual competitors.
Fatima Goss Graves spoke during the hearing on “The Importance of Protecting Female Athletics and Title IX” held by the House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services. “Trans students participate in sports for the same reasons as [other] kids,” Graves claimed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Transgender Activist Threatened to Target Christian Girls in Bathrooms and Rape Them to Death
“Transgender” people pose no threat to girls in girls’ restrooms, they say. Gender ideology is not a threat to Christianity, they say. The rhetoric of “trans genocide” does not inspire hatred or violence, they say.
One grand jury indictment debunks that entire narrative, however, and news about it appears to have gone under the radar.
Jason Lee Willie, a male who says he “identifies” as a female and goes by the name “Alexia Willie,” faces 14 counts of threatening to injure people across state lines. Willie, a resident of Nashville, Illinois, allegedly threatened to rape girls in girls’ restrooms, carry out a mass shooting at schools, and bomb churches. He seems to have taken inspiration from the female who identified as male who slaughtered three adults and three children at Nashville, Tennessee’s Covenant School in March.
A Benton, Illinois, grand jury indicted Willie on Nov. 28. In a legal document giving evidence in support of a motion to detain Willie, prosecutors quoted the man who lives with Willie. That document put Willie’s threats into context.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: This Literal Pile of Rubbish Just Won a Major Art Award
A pile of bent metal and other assorted rubbish has been awarded one of the most prestigious art prizes in the world, and the ‘artist’ happens to be transgender.
“The Turner Prize has named its first transgender winner,” reports the Telegraph, adding “Jesse Darling has been handed the £25,000 prize for work which included metal tracks bent into the shape of a woolly mammoth.”
The work was said to evoke “the vulnerability of the human body and the precariousness of power structures” by ‘judges’.
The work apparently “questions dominant narratives about the world” and represents “unspeakable violence in the privatisation of literally everything the UK” according to its creator.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK’s Cash Strapped NHS Wastes Money Asking Old People if They’re Gender Fluid
The UK’s National Health service is spending inordinate amounts of money on asking patients, mostly elderly people, what gender they identify as.
The British public has had it drilled into them repeatedly for years that the NHS is on the brink of collapse due to underfunding, yet its resources for pushing THE MESSAGE seem to be endless.
The Telegraph reports that The Royal Brompton, operated by Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Trust has instituted a digital form on its system that invites patients to choose from multiple genders including “Agender, Another gender not listed here, Choose not to disclose, Demiboy, Demigirl, Female, Gender fluid, Male, Non-binary, Other, Questioning, Transgender male or Transgender female.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Greens Commence Deforestation of Germany’s Enchanted Forest to Make Way for Wind Turbines” – the “green agenda” in a nutshell
It’s become obvious that they are not about “protecting the nature” but about something else entirely. They like to close “nature” from walking people and their dogs, picking up blueberries in a protected zone is a crime, but at the same time they are ok with heavy machinery going into the deep forrests and destroying whatever they can… in order to build giant “bird killers” that are otherwise not very useful from the cost-benefit point of view…
A little late for this?
I wonder how many Germans in elected office or their relatives have investments in these windmill making firms?
I reckon as most here’ve come to realize: So called “green” energy has NOTHING to do with “saving the planet”, it has everything to do with ‘toddlerism and its [increasingly infantile and hysterical] quest for [more] CONTROL.
Denmark’s parliament has banned the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts – with a bill widely known in the country as the Quran law.
Offenders now face a fine or up to two years in jail after a 94-77 vote.
It follows a series of burnings of Islam’s holy book that led to uproar in Muslim countries.
Denmark and neighbouring Sweden have recently seen a number of street protests over such incidents, raising security concerns in Scandinavia.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67651580.amp
That didn’t take long. Denmark didn’t give an inch during the Motoon incident in 2006. Oh, how times have changed.