The Malian migrant named Sagou Gouno Kassogue who allegedly stabbed three passengers at the Gare de Lyon in Paris hinted to his followers on TikTok about his planned attack, saying that he hated France. Meanwhile, seven Egyptian migrants have been arrested for allegedly gang-raping a 13-year-old Italian schoolgirl in the Sicilian city of Catania.
In other news, an Italian woman died last night after her car hit a stationary van on a state highway in Puglia after the van had hit a wild boar that was crossing the road.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, Insubria, JW, 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.
Fast-food prices in California are set to rise this spring with businesses responding to the state’s $20 per hour minimum wage law for fast-food workers that will take effect on April 1, 2024.
The law was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom last fall and will require a $20 per hour minimum wage at all restaurants with at least 60 locations nationwide — though the law includes an exception for restaurants that make and sell their own bread.
Several major fast-food franchises, including McDonald’s and Chipotle, have already signaled that prices will have to rise in response to the increased labor costs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Bidenomics’ Falls Flat With Voters as Trump Takes Huge Lead in New Poll
President Biden is having a difficult time competing with former President Trump on issues such as the economy and the border, despite recent job growth numbers and slowing inflation.
Biden trails Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, by 23 points when voters were asked who would be a better candidate to handle the economy, according to the results of a national NBC News poll released Sunday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Biden’s team reportedly is fearing that photos included in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s imminent report on the handling of classified documents could impact his 2024 reelection bid.
Axios reported that Biden’s aides do not expect criminal charges as a result of the investigation, but they are concerned about potentially embarrassing photos included in Hur’s expected report that could be released as soon as this week. The images could show how Biden stored classified materials, which were discovered in late 2022 in the garage of Biden’s Delaware home as well as in a private office. The classified documents were carried over from Biden’s time as former President Obama’s vice president.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Refuses to Follow Obama’s Re-Election Model
Democrat President Joe Biden is refusing to follow the successful re-election model of one of his lead handlers, Barack Obama, according to a new report.
CNN has published a report showing that Biden and his 2024 campaign have decided not to follow the Obama model.
The CNN report is titled, “How the Biden Campaign is Breaking with the Obama Reelection Mode.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dearborn Mayor Calls for Increased Police in Response to Wall Street Journal Opinion Piece
An increased number of police patrols began monitoring the streets of Dearborn on Saturday after an opinion article posted by the Wall Street Journal dubbed the city “America’s Jihad Capital.”
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said Dearborn police would ramp up their presence in places of worship and major infrastructure points in response to swarms of online hate targeting Dearborn.
“This is more than irresponsible journalism. Publishing such inflammatory writing puts Dearborn residents at increased risk for harm,” Hammoud told the Free Press on Saturday evening.
Hammoud, the city’s first Muslim and Arab American mayor, alerted the community to the inflammatory article Saturday afternoon via social media.
[Comment: The WSJ opinion piece is behind a paywall. The op-ed’s title is “Welcome to Dearborn, America’s Jihad Capital
Imams and politicians in the Michigan city side with Hamas against Israel and Iran against the U.S.”]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fetterman Slams Harvard for Hosting Palestinian Professor Who Blamed Israel for Oct. 7 Hamas Attacks
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., is slamming Harvard for hosting a Palestinian professor who has blamed Israel for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
The Democratic lawmaker said he was “truly appalled” that Harvard’s Kennedy School would platform Dr. Dalal Saeb Iriqat, a columnist and associate professor at Arab American University Palestine.
Dr. Iriqat is scheduled to speak at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs on March 7 for a seminar series called “Middle East Dialogues.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Trump Official Mike Gill Dies After Being Shot During Washington DC Carjacking Incident
Former President Trump administration member Mike Gill recently died from injuries he sustained after he was carjacked in Washington, D.C., Fox News has learned.
Gill, who served as chief of staff at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), was sitting in his vehicle on Monday night, when a suspect entered his car and shot him. The incident happened in the 900 block of K Street NW at around 5:45 p.m.
Police have identified the suspect as Artell Cunningham, 28. Authorities say that Cunningham tried stealing another vehicle around an hour later, and then approached others and demanded their keys.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
From Fire Tornadoes to Raining Fish, Bizarre Weather Phenomena From Across the US
It’s certainly common to see the rain and the snow fall, depending on the seasons.
But the state of the atmosphere actually can cause strange climatic events.
Take a look at some bizarre weather occurrences that have happened or could happen in the U.S.
From fire tornados to “raining” fish and frogs, here’s a list of weird weather phenomena — plus some of the fascinating and numerical facts behind them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘He Yanked the Dog’: Florida Man Arrested for Allegedly Beating Dog Outside Gas Station
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida man is behind bars after several witnesses reported seeing him brutally abusing his dog at a gas station last week.
Video released by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office appears to show Jose Rivera, 31, of Deltona, beating the animal before a witness intervened and was able to get the dog away from him.
The video shows the dog running to nearby bystanders before it cuts to a man putting Rivera in a chokehold as multiple bystanders work to stop him from getting the dog out of a car before deputies arrived.
That man, Raymon Prush, told local news outlet WESH that what he witnessed was “ridiculous.”
“The dog just turned its head to smell the tire, and he yanked the dog and hit the dog in the face with the chain,” Prush said. He said things escalated and Rivera began whipping the dog with a chain several times until it broke.
“She was running scared,” Prush added. “But she — I don’t know how many times she received these beatings. It was like she wasn’t defending yourself against this. She was just receiving.”
In a second video released by authorities from a body-worn camera, seen above, a deputy is seen arriving on the scene and telling Rivera to sit on a curb. After multiple warnings, Rivera is then placed into handcuffs. It then cuts to Rivera being placed in the back of a squad car.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office has also accused Rivera of punching Prush and injuring other witnesses.
According to authorities, Rivera has been charged with felony animal cruelty, resisting an officer, child abuse, and three counts of battery for attacking the witnesses. Volusia County Jail records show Rivera remains in custody on a $51,000 bond.
“This guy’s got a problem with his anger,” Prush added. “And, you know, I’m very, very proud of the residents of Deltona that saw what was happening. I mean, as young as 13 knew, we got to do something here where this dog could end up dead.”
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
A New York professor notoriously caught on camera holding a machete to a reporter’s neck last year has reportedly been fired from her latest teaching gig after espousing anti-Israel views.
Shellyne Rodriguez, who was terminated last year from her position at New York City’s Hunter College, was fired again — this time from her most recent role at Cooper Union in Manhattan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nikki Haley Refuses to Drop Out of GOP Primary, Insists She’s ‘In This for the Long Haul’
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley is refusing to drop out of the GOP primary, despite her campaign having very little chance of success.
It has been made abundantly clear in polling and the first two elections of the Republican primary cycle that President Donald Trump will be the party’s nominee for the general election in November.
The election will most likely be a rematch of the 2020 contest against Joe Biden, if the Democrat president can keep his name on his party’s ticket.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Raging Atmospheric River Lashes California; Rare Hurricane Warning Issued: Live Updates
SAN FRANCISCO — A fierce winter storm fueled by a raging atmospheric river was thrashing Californians on Sunday with intense downpours, threatening treacherous flooding and hurricane-force winds — even in major urban areas.
Up to 37 million people, about 94% of the state’s population, were at risk for life-threatening floods from the storm, Accuweather meteorologists warned. The atmospheric river — like a river in the sky — is the second to pound the state in recent days, but forecasters said this storm would be the season’s most potent, particularly in Southern California.
The National Weather Service issued a rare hurricane-force wind warning for the Central Coast: Wind gusts up to 92 mph were possible from the Monterey Peninsula to the northern section of San Luis Obispo County.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Students at a San Francisco Bay-area elementary school — where officials hired a for-profit company called “Woke Kindergarten” to train teachers — are continuing to struggle with some of the lowest math and reading scores in the state, according to a report.
The school spent $250,000 in federal funds provided by a program meant to help boost test scores for some of the country’s lowest-performing schools, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, but after two years with “Woke Kindergarten,” students’ scores are reportedly worse.
In a 4% drop in both areas in the last two years, less than 12% of the students at Glassbrook Elementary in Hayward, California, can read at their grade level and under 4% are proficient in math, according to the Chronicle.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former President Donald Trump previewed his criteria for selecting a vice president and acknowledged some personnel mishaps during his first administration.
“It’s gotta be who is going to be a good president. You always have to think that,” Trump told Fox Business Network’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “I have a lot of good people. We have a lot of really good people.
“I have a lot of good ideas, but I haven’t — and there’s no reason to do that quickly,” he added, before calling Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) “a real tiger” and lauding South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for not running against him.
Trump said he won’t announce his VP pick for a “while” and also fessed up to making personnel mistakes in his first term.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Says He Will Hold Campaign Rallies at Madison Square Garden, in South Bronx
On Sunday, former President Donald Trump floated the idea of doing a rally in the Bronx, and Madison Square Garden because he thinks New York and other traditionally blue states “can be flipped” to vote for him.
In an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, host Maria Bartiromo mentioned a rumor that he was going to do a rally in the south Bronx. “I think I will do that,” Trump responded.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington Post Melts Down Over Trump Trials Being Delayed Until After 2024 Election
The editor of the leftist newspaper The Washington Post has suffered a meltdown over reports that the politically motivated cases against President Donald Trump will not likely go to trial before the 2024 election.
It has been clear from the beginning, though some will continue to deny it, that the underlying goal of the multiple criminal indictments against Trump is to have him stand trial and be found guilty and sentenced to prison before voters cast their ballots in the November election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Extends Ban on Foreign Ownership of Housing by Two Years
(Reuters) — Canada on Sunday announced a two-year extension to a ban on foreign ownership of Canadian housing, saying the step was aimed at addressing worries about Canadians being priced out of housing markets in cities and towns across the country.
Canada is facing a housing affordability crisis, which has been blamed on an increase in migrants and international students, fueling demand for homes just as rising costs have slowed construction.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CBC Pushes Lies About Freedom Convoy on ‘Kids News’ Channel
On last Friday’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Ezra discussed the CBC project CBC Kids News and its inherent creepiness. The website and accompanying YouTube channel focus on progressive topics, having child actors read lines written by adults about topics such as climate change and ‘gender-affirming care.’
“I can’t imagine any normal teenager would naturally trust a government outlet, let alone think of the CBC as a source for news,” Ezra commented. “It’s so condescending. It’s so boring and so woke, but who knows — they’re obviously doing it for a reason.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Edmonton City Council Pursuing ‘15-Minute City’ Policy for This Fall
An email blast confirmed that Edmonton will move on to next steps for its proposed 15-minute communities.
“District plans are key in bringing The City Plan’s ‘Community of Communities’ vision to life by laying the foundation for 15-minute communities,” the email explained.
Last February, the city announced it would divide its 400 neighborhoods into many 15-minute cities, calling it a “necessary tool.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The federal government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to inform MP Michael Chong and other Canadian politicians of foreign influence operations by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeting them, Chong’s lawyer Gib van Ert said on Friday in Ottawa, ON, during the fifth day and conclusion of the first week of the Foreign Interference Commission’s (FIC) public hearings.
The FIC was launched by the federal government, ostensibly to investigate political interference from foreign states and non-state actors, with a particular focus on China and Russia in the context of the 2019 and 2021 general elections. Several politicians who claim to have been targeted by the CCP — including Chong, MP Jenny Kwan from British Columbia, and former MP and Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole — are participating in the hearing through legal counsel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Photos: ‘Blockbuster’ East Coast Storm is Bringing Historic Snowfall
An unusual, stalling low-pressure system dancing off the coast of Nova Scotia is bringing the highest snowfall totals seen in two decades for a big swath of Atlantic Canada.
A low-pressure system has hit the pause button and is stalling just southeast of Sable Island for 48 hours. An arctic high over Labrador is supplying the cold air, resulting in a blockbuster snowfall event for those in the eastern Maritimes and central Newfoundland.
Confidence is greatest that Cape Breton and parts of Newfoundland will see the most substantial snowfall totals by the time snow finally stops early this week.
As a result, more than 4,000 Nova Scotia Power customers are in the dark as of Sunday morning. That will likely fluctuate through the duration of the storm.
There have also been numerous road, school and business closures in Atlantic Canada, as well. Transit and flight delays and cancellations have occurred, too, as a result of the marathon snow. The Nova Scotia government and RCMP are urging people to stay off the roads, unless their travel is essential.
Besides the road closures, there have been numerous collisions reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trudeau Liberals Tripled Spending on International ‘Climate Scare’ Initiatives Since 2016
Since 2016, the Trudeau Liberals have doled out $144 million to the United Nations and other international organizations to combat ‘climate change.’
Nearly one third of the grants came last fiscal year, according to an Order Paper Question requested by Conservative MP Cheryl Gallant.
Gallant asked for details of funding provided by the Federal government to the UN and other organizations for the purpose of fighting ‘climate change’ since January 2016.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Citizens Are Resigning From the Military Reserve in the Finnish Army
About 300 applications for resignation from the military reserve and transfer to civilian defense tasks have been submitted by Finns after the Minister of Defense announced changes in the law that would make such a move impossible.
According to the Civil Service Center, this is the largest daily number of such applications in history. On Friday, 293 applications were received from reservists. This is more than when Russia attacked Ukraine. At that time, just over 200 people applied in one day, admitted Mikko Reijonen, the director of the Civil Service Center. Additional applications will be submitted on Saturday (submitted electronically).
Such a large number of requests to leave the military reserve is a direct reaction of some citizens to the words of the Minister of National Defense, Antti Hakkane, reports RMF24.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Climate Protest Ends With 1,000 Arrests
The Dutch police said Saturday that they arrested 1,000 people at a civil disobedience action by the environmental group Extinction Rebellion to protest the country’s fossil fuel subsidies.
The protesters had blocked around midday the A12 highway in the centre of The Hague, close to parliament and several key ministries.
Police moved in after about 45 minutes, announcing on X that they made about a thousand arrests for violating laws on public demonstrations.
Traffic soon resumed on the highway, and police later told Dutch media that no charges would be brought.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
By RT
Latvia has been persecuting its Russian-speaking residents for many years. Today, thousands of of them face deportation. They include an 82-year-old retiree — whose family resides in the Baltic republic — and a 63-year-old woman who has lived in Latvia her entire life. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that these actions pose a threat to his state’s national security.
Latvia intends to punish residents who have not learned the national language by deporting them. To remain in the country, they must pass a test. The requirement also applies to those with ‘non-citizen’ status — people who permanently reside in Latvia (sometimes from birth) but don’t have the same rights as others.
The Latvian authorities have recently tightened their policy with regard to national minorities, supposedly due to concerns that arose after the start of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. However, the trend towards further restricting the rights of the Russian-speaking population in Latvia has been developing for a long time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Saturday, farmers in Thessaloniki took a bold stance by dumping chestnuts and apples on the pavement outside an agricultural fair. They pledged to heighten their protests following a scheduled meeting on Tuesday.
Originating from the Thessaly region, these farmers, arriving in buses, joined their counterparts from the north, who had brought their tractors the previous Friday for the annual Agrotica trade fair, reports eKathimerini.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Schlein: Gentiloni Should Speak to Degni Case Says Meloni
Audit Court member urged filibuster to KO budget
Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein and former PD premier Paolo Gentiloni should speak to the case of Marcello Degni, a self-declared left-leaning Audit Court councillor who said the PD should have filibustered the 2024 budget debate in order to trigger an emergency financial administration, since Schlein was the target of Degni’s criticism and Gentiloni was the man who appointed him, Premier Giorgia Meloni said in her year end press conference Thursday.
Degni posted on social media that Schlein should have authorised a filibuster saying “we could have had them foaming at the mouth with anger”, referring to the government.
He has been criticised for effectively calling for a financial crisis while being a top financial judge, and for straying from his officially impartial role, with government parties calling for his head.
“I have to ask the Left if it is normal that person appointed to impartial posts should behave like a political militant,” said Meloni.
“I expect an answer from Elly Schlein.
“I was greatly struck that there was no one on the Left who said two words on this: neither Paolo Gentiloni who named him not Elly Schlein, while I myself am called into question for any little thing whatsoever”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Woman Dies After Crash Caused by Boar
More action needed after cull says farm group CIA
A 48-year-old Italian woman died Saturday night after her car hit a stationary van on a state highway in Puglia after the van had hit a wild boar that was crossing the road.
The accident happened on state highway 580 between Ginosa and Marina di Ginosa.
Farmers group CIA said human encounters with boar were still resulting in too many accidents, some fatal, despite a nationwide cull to curb an invasion of urban areas by the animals.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Exorcist Probed Over ‘Stolen Artworks’
Turin-area parish priest searched for 60 disappeared objects
An Italian exorcist has been placed under investigation in a case of artworks suspected to have been stolen from churches in and around Turin.
The home of the man, Don Marino Basso, 68, parish priest at Pecetto near Turin, was recently searched in the probe into some 60 artworks that have disappeared, whether due to inventory mistakes or due to theft, police said Friday.
Italy’s crack art cops are investigating Father Basso along with three other people, two of whom work clearing out attics.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Swedes Rally Against News Channels
Thousands of Swedes marched through Stockholm in protest against taxpayer-funded news channels, accusing them of propaganda and disinformation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Officers have put up a £20k reward for information leading to the arrest of Abdul Ezedi.
Abdul Ezedi is wanted in connection with an attack in Clapham which left a woman critically injured.
Investigators believe there are people who know where he is who have not come forward. They warned anyone found assisting him faces arrest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A BBC staffer who was accused of calling Jews “Nazi parasites” has doubled down, posting more antisemitic messages.
Dawn Queva, who posted under the name Dawn Las Quevas-Allen, has been sharing more social media content attacking Jewish people and white people.
Following the initial backlash, she posted “Come at me, my shoulders are broad”, as she continued posting a string of antisemitic messages.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ULEZ: Sadiq Khan Spending £150million on ‘Project Detroit’ to Impose New Enforcement Technology
Sadiq Khan has spent £150million on technology that allegedly will enable the introduction of pay-per-mile road charging on motorists.
Transport for London has created “Project Detroit” has a total of 157 staff are now working exclusively on the scheme.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: A Jewish Student Was Assaulted in Berlin
According to the police, the attack occurred on Saturday evening at the corner of Brunnenstrasse and Rosenthaler Strasse in Berlin-Mitte, reports BILD.
A dispute over the conflict in Gaza escalated between the two students; the young man of Jewish descent held pro-Israel views, while the other supported pro-Palestinian views. During the argument, the latter suddenly struck his opponent in the face several times, causing him to fall. It is reported that the attacker also kicked the young man on the ground and eventually fled the scene. The victim was hospitalized with head injuries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The former Mossad chief has said Israel would likely have to pay a heavy price for any hostage deal with Hamas.
Israel’s former spy chief said the country would need at least five years to recover from the Gaza war when it’s over.
Yossi Cohen, Mossad’s former director, didn’t elaborate further but said that Israel would have to pay a heavy price to bring back captives still held in Gaza.
Speaking to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Cohen said any truce deal must be approved by the war cabinet, and perhaps the entire Israeli government, “with very tough terms.”
He said the deal shouldn’t happen in stages, and that all captives should be swapped for Palestinian prisoners in one go.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his government would not accept to pay any price to bring back captives.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Graham Slams Biden on Middle East Strikes: ‘The Only Iranian We Killed… is Some Dumba**’
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday dug into the timing of President Biden’s response to last week’s deadly drone strikes, arguing the U.S. gave Iraq and Syria a “weeks notice,” that only served to kill “some dumba**,” who did not know the counter-attack was coming.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Destroys Houthi Missile in Third Straight Day of Strikes, While Terror Group Warns of Retaliation
The US targeted Iran-backed terrorists for the third day in a row Sunday, destroying a Houthi missile it said posed an “imminent threat” to Navy ships in the Red Sea — as the extremist group vowed revenge.
“Forces conducted a strike in self-defense against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea,” US Central Command announced in an early morning tweet.
The 4 a.m. strike was launched after US forces determined the missile, located in a Houthi-controlled part of Yemen, threatened the safety of nearby Navy and trade ships, according to Central Command.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
At Least 28 Dead in Russian-Occupied Ukraine as Shelling Hits Bakery
(AP) — Moscow-installed officials say Ukrainian shelling killed at least 28 people at a bakery in the Russian-occupied city of Lysychansk.
At least one child was among the dead Saturday, local leader Leonid Pasechnik wrote in a statement on Telegram. A further 10 people were rescued from under the rubble by emergency services, he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Charges Self-Exiled Ex-Duma Deputy Who Opposed War With ‘High Treason’
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has charged Kyiv-based Russian opposition politician Ilya Ponomaryov, a former State Duma deputy who opposed President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, with high treason and participation in a terrorist organization.
Ponomaryov confirmed the charges in a Facebook post on February 4, saying the FSB has “opened several criminal cases, including treason in the form of defection to the side of the enemy [and] participation in calls for terror, all combined into one proceeding.”
“By the way, I have also combined all forms of struggle against Putinism in one proceeding. And something tells me that my efficiency will be higher,” he said in mocking the Kremlin.
A year ago, Ponomaryov, was added to the Interior Ministry’s list of alleged terrorists and extremists, a move often used to crack down on political opponents.
Ponomaryov, 48, was the lone lawmaker at the State Duma who voted against Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese State Media Issues Ominous Warning About ‘World War’ With NATO
Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a Chinese newspaper warned on Sunday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could expand the conflict into a “world war.”
The high tensions between Russia and NATO have seemingly escalated in recent weeks after the military alliance’s announcement last month of its largest military exercise in more than 35 years. Dubbed “Steadfast Defender 2024,” the operation launched in late January and will run through May. It ultimately will include participation of around 90,000 military personnel from 31 NATO allies and Sweden.
NATO officials have said the exercise will test the allies’ ability to quickly deploy forces and test new defense plans. Military analysts have speculated Steadfast Defender is meant to prepare alliance members for the potential of a future Russian invasion on NATO territory.
The military alliance’s announcement about the operation did not mention Russia by name, though based on documents from the military alliance obtained by Reuters, Russia is viewed as the biggest security threat to its member nations. One of the primary goals of the exercise will be to “demonstrate NATO’s ability to rapidly deploy forces from North America and other parts of the alliance to reinforce the defense of Europe.”
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ipswich Grandmother Vyleen White Dies From Stabbing at Shopping Centre
Police have released new CCTV footage of four people of interest in the horrific stabbing of a 70-year-old grandmother in a busy Ipswich shopping area.
The victim has been named as Vyleen White, who was with her six-year-old granddaughter at the time, when she was stabbed to death in Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre’s underground carpark around 6pm on Saturday.
The victim’s blue 2009 Hyundai Getz was used as the getaway car and subsequently dumped at Springfield Lakes.
A major manhunt is now under way for those allegedly responsible.
It is believed a man, described as African in appearance, left the scene prior to the arrival of emergency services.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has hit out at what she calls a romanticised ‘Noble Savage’ view of Aboriginal culture that traps Indigenous people ‘in abject poverty’.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
One of Australia’s Biggest Construction Companies Stops Work and Plunges Into Administration
St Hilliers, a 34-year-old apartment building company has told sub-contractors not to come into work at 21 sites in Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville and Perth.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Vyleen White, 70, spent Saturday morning praying for people in need before she took her granddaughter Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre later that evening.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Vyleen White, 70, was stabbed to death in the underground carpark of Town Square Redbank Plains Shopping Centre, in southwest Brisbane , about 6.10pm on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Why Aussies Are Calling for a Boycott of Baker’s Delight: ‘I Won’t be Buying Anything From Them’
Some progressive Australians have called for a boycott of Australia’s largest bakery chain after finding out its founder donates money to conservative causes.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Senate Releases $118 Billion Plan for Foreign Aid, Border
On Sunday, the United States Senate released its highly anticipated border deal legislation which provides significant reforms that crackdown on asylum and parole, according to Fox News.
The deal includes supplementary spending that would give billions in foreign aid to Israel and Ukraine. Congress has been hashing out negotiations since December.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Asylum seekers are exploiting loopholes in human rights legislation by ‘converting’ to Christianity to prevent being deported back to their home countries — a move facilitated by the Church of England, prominent U.K. politicians have claimed.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman shone a light on what she described as churches around the country aiding “bogus asylum claims” on an “industrial scale” by providing corroborating evidence for Muslim asylum seekers who were confirmed by the Church of England to support their asylum applications.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Bavaria to Reduce the Pocket Money for Refugees to Only 50 Euros in Cash Per Month
In the summer of 2024, most federal states are planning to roll out a payment card for asylum seekers. However, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder is pushing for a quicker implementation. He aims to launch the “Bayern-Karte” as a pilot project in four municipalities within a month.
As cited by BILD, Söder’s stringent plan includes reducing the pocket money for refugees to only 50 euros in cash per month. Additionally, there are specific guidelines on where and what can be purchased, outlining the key features of Bavaria’s payment card.
Despite the introduction of the payment card, asylum seekers will continue to receive benefits amounting to 460 euros per person, which can be utilized as “in-kind benefits” or in cash.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seven Egyptian migrants have been arrested on suspicion of gang-raping a 13-year-old Italian schoolgirl in front of her boyfriend in the Sicilian city of Catania.
The horrific attack occurred on Tuesday evening as the victim and her boyfriend strolled through the public gardens of Villa Bellini in the heart of the city.
Il Giornale newspaper reported how the couple was accosted by the migrant gang who dragged the minor into a public bathroom where the attack took place.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Catania Rape Victim, 13, IDs Suspects
Girl reportedly begged gang not to hurt her
ROME, 04 February 2024, 12:20 — The 13-year-old girl raped last Tuesday in the public toilets of the Villa Bellini in Catania has identified the two underage alleged perpetrators of the rape, police said Sunday.
The identification took place after a US-style line up of the seven suspected members of the gang., who are all Egyptian, police said.
On the other hand, the girl was unable to identify the other five allegedly part of the group, claiming she had not seen their faces and did not want to accuse innocent people.
But the five were identified by the 13-year-old girl’s 17-year-old boyfriend who was allegedly forced to witness the rape while being held still.
One of the alleged gang also reportedly admitted taking part in the incident in the eastern Sicilian coastal city.
The victim allegedly told her rapists “I implore you, I beg you, do not hurt me, let me go,” according to what she reportedly told police.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
A New Jersey-based migrant gang is smuggling hordes of illegal immigrants into the US across the Canadian border for a price of $6,000 a head, a new report reveals.
The human smuggling gang took root after its founders were briefly detained and cut loose by federal immigration authorities.
The ringleaders, migrants from Guatemala and Colombia, snuck across the Mexican border and set up shop in the Garden State, running the lucrative scheme while dodging the feds, according to a report by the Daily Mail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Malian national suspected of stabbing three passengers at a Paris train station was a prolific user of the TikTok social media platform and hinted to his followers about his planned attack.
Le Figaro newspaper named 32-year-old Sagou Gouno Kassogue as the perpetrator arrested by French authorities after setting fire to a backpack and using a knife and a hammer to injure three people, seemingly indiscriminately, at the Gare De Lyon train station shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Several internet users drew attention to Kassogue’s TikTok account through which he regularly berated France and the West for “impoverishing developing nations” in Africa and claimed that French people would soon “reap the storm” they had sowed for decades.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Record Number of Migrants Enter Canada Through Montreal Airport
A record number of migrants seeking asylum in Canada are entering the country through Montreal’s Trudeau Airport, following the closure of the illegal Roxham Road crossing last March.
According to Immigration Canada data, Québec processed 25,755 asylum claims at the airport last year — more than double the 11,665 claims in 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defiantly vowed Sunday to expand the controversial razor wire fencing his state erected along the border, days after the US Supreme Court ruled the Biden administration could rip it down.
Joined by 13 other Republican governors who offered resources and troops for the effort, Abbott claimed the fencing and aquatic barriers along the US-Mexico border has helped eliminate nearly all illegal crossings at Shelby Park in beleaguered Eagle Pass, Texas, with the Lone Star State looking to repeat the results elsewhere.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Border Showdown: 13 Governors Join Abbott at State-Seized Park Along Rio Grande
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Texas Governor Greg Abbott briefed thirteen other Republican Governors on the state’s Operation Lonestar and the latest border security enhancements at a small border park recently seized by the State from the City of Eagle Pass. Sunday’s briefing and press conference to address “Biden’s reckless open border policies” comes on the heels of a busy weekend for the small Texas border town.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australia: Pride March Turns Ugly as Queer Protesters Clash With Police
Tensions escalated at Melbourne’s Midsumma Pride March as protesters clash with police during the celebration of ‘diversity and inclusivity.’
Demonstrators gathered on Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, for the annual Midsumma Pride March. However, the festive atmosphere turned tumultuous as a group of protesters, some concealing their identities with pig masks, confronted Victoria police officers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Lawmaker Calls for Dead People to be Able to Change Their Gender
British law should be amended to allow for dead people to have their genders officially changed following their deaths, a Member of Parliament for the left-wing Labour Party has argued.
In a written question posed to Parliament last month, Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols suggested that the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) of 2004 should be updated to “allow transgender people who are deceased to be legally remembered by the gender they lived by”.
The push follows a petition last year signed by nearly 14,000 people asking for a similar change to the law following the killing of Brianna Ghey, a reportedly transgender teenager who died at 16 years of age, short of the minimum of 18 required for changing one’s gender legally in the UK.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Forced to Stop Euthanizing Mentally Ill as Doctors Refuse to Comply
Canada’s government has been forced to halt its controversial program to euthanize mentally ill patients after large numbers of doctors have refused to participate in the scheme.
Canadian health officials announced that the extension of its “assisted suicide” program, to people suffering solely from mental illness, has been delayed.
As Slay News has reported, Canada has some of the most liberal euthanasia laws in the world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada: Campus Watch: University of Waterloo Seeking “Gender-Fluid” People to Fill DEI Positions
The University of Waterloo is looking for “gender-fluid” people, as well as women, sexual minorities and non-white people to meet the “diversity, equity and inclusion” quotas of its Canada Research Chairs positions.
True North found several job openings from the university with these requirements.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harvard Divinity School Hosts ‘Healing Event’ in Wake of Claudine Gay’s Resignation
The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Harvard Divinity School organized an event titled “Gathering to Breathe and Heal” on Thursday, aimed at supporting students in mourning the departure of ex-President Claudine Gay.
“For this gathering, we will create a space for us to discuss and process the departure of our former president, Claudine Gay,” the office wrote in a newsletter announcing the event, obtained by The Daily Wire. The event was intended to give participants the opportunity to “gather to breathe and to heal.”
Last month, Claudine Gay had to step down from her role due to emerging allegations of plagiarism in her scholarly work, compounded by significant criticism over her handling of increasing antisemitic incidents on campus.
According to the newsletter, a sense of grief is prevalent among students as they return to campus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Oklahoma Drag Queen Elementary School Principal Resigns Amid Outrage, Official Says
The Oklahoma elementary school principal with a drag queen persona and who had previously faced child pornography charges has resigned.
Shane Murnan, who performed drag shows under the alias “Shantel Mandalay,” submitted his letter of resignation as principal of John Glenn Elementary School to the Western Heights School district on Thursday, State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters announced.
“The drag queen is out at Western Heights. I’ve demanded it from day one,” Walters said in a video posted on X Friday. “This is not what parents want for their kids.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Suspended ‘Jeremy’s Chocolates’ Professor Cleared, Returns to Classroom
A California history professor who was suspended from his position in 2023 after handing out the Daily Wire’s Jeremy’s Chocolates will return to teaching.
Professor David Richardson, who was suspended from Madera Community College in May 2023 after handing out the controversial chocolates during a campus open house, told The College Fix he has been exonerated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swiss Airline Now Permits Makeup for Men and Does Away With the Mandatory Lipstick Rule for Women
As reported by Der Spiegel, the Swiss Lufthansa subsidiary is revising its rules for cabin crew. Facial piercings that are visible are now allowed, and the obligation for women to wear lipstick has been lifted.
Anyone who wants to wear makeup is free to do so: Swiss, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, has made adjustments to the dress code for its cabin crew. Shaved legs are no longer a requirement, and tattoos are now acceptable, with certain restrictions. The airline is moving away from rigid gender-specific regulations governing the appearance of its flight attendants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dangerous, hateful incels are viciously trolling e-girls online by making them look… checks notes… ‘dignified’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It has emerged that the train company employee who oversaw the installation of a large ‘Pride’ display inside London Bridge station has a long history of posting offensive anti-women comments and material making light of child sexual abuse on social media.
As we highlighted earlier this week, a large concrete pillar in the iconic station was adorned with trans and ‘queer’ flags representing ‘gender fluidity’, ‘demisexuality’ and ‘polyamory’ among others, with managing company Network Rail announcing it was for ‘safety’ and ‘education’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 13 year old girl raped in Cicily?
Where is the mafia?
The mafia makes a huge amount of money from people smuggling and drug trafficking. It was the mafia that brought these migrants in. When have criminals ever worked for the good of the state?
When the Russians released prisoners so they could fight in Ukraine? Good for the Russian state, if not the Ukrainian one!
Castrate the rapist and if the rape was by a Muslim, then his life as a castrated man is at an end.
P.S. with all these gang-rapes etc, I would like to know why stilletos/ switchblade are illegal.
Of 13 year old girls and their 14 year old boyfriends were carrying switchblade, I rather doubt these rapes would be occurring…
“an Italian woman died last night after her car hit a stationary van on a state highway in Puglia after the van had hit a wild boar that was crossing the road.”
The boar should’a honked.
What is the point ?
Or you just want to just say something that makes no sense
Or you just want to place ridicule ice the article and raping in general?
“Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, a Chinese newspaper warned on Sunday that NATO could expand the conflict into a “world war.””
“One day in the not too distant future, I think China’s gonna induct several million single Chinese men into the Chinese Navy, put them on ships with one-way tickets to the west and tell them, “Go forth, conquer and multiply for The Party.” —posted to fb (Aug 2021)
Even if you don’t like Carlson or Weinstein, I’d strongly recommend watching this interview. It shouldn’t be especially newsworthy to those who operate in the shadows, but I reckon it’ll come as an enlightening surprise for many.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7YADkV7vqc&t=900s