After yesterday’s “Super Tuesday” Republican primaries, outgoing Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) endorsed Donald Trump in the latter’s bid for the presidency. Nikki Haley was defeated in fourteen of fifteen state tallies, and dropped out of further Republican primaries without endorsing Mr. Trump.
In other news, a large explosion hit the Ukrainian port city of Odesa as President Volodymyr Zelensky toured the city with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, DV, Fjordman, JW, 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.
Pandemic-era inflation has fallen from its peak two years ago, but the costs of many goods and services continue to rise and are still higher than before the onset of COVID-19, a couple of closely watched economic indicators show.
Prices have grown about 20% overall since 2020, according to an analysis by the California Legislative Analyst’s Office based on the most recent consumer price index data. Over the past couple of months, prices in California appear to have risen slightly more than the country as a whole, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced on Wednesday the economy had grown a ‘little bit, but not a lot’ reassuring the country that it was ‘steady’. But it was what he didn’t say that’s a worry.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Venezuela Registers First Monthly Inflation Drop in 17 Years
Consumer prices in Venezuela fell slightly in February, the first monthly drop in at least 17 years, the non-governmental OVF observatory said Wednesday.
Prices dropped 0.5 percent from January to February, according to the OVF, the authority on public finances in a country where official statistics are few and far between.
Annual inflation, however, remained at one of the highest rates in the world at 85 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
40-Year-Old Fox News Journalist Diagnosed With Turbo Cancer After COVID Shot
Fox News journalist Ashley Papa has been diagnosed with stage 4 appendix turbo cancer after being pressured to take Covid mRNA shots under the network’s vaccine mandate.
The young mother of one revealed that this is the second “rare” disorder she has been diagnosed with over the past two years.
“I was sworn in as an official member of a club I never wanted to join,” Papa said in a heartbreaking op-ed for Fox.
[Comment: I’m not sure if the two are connected though.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
8 Students Shot at SEPTA Bus Stop in Burholme; Police Searching for Multiple Gunmen
This is the fourth shooting in less than a week involving a SEPTA bus.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Eight high school students were shot at a SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia’s Burholme neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.
The gunfire rang out around 3 p.m. at Rising Sun and Cottman avenues as students from Northeast High School were waiting for the bus.
According to Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel, eight students — between the ages of 15 and 17 — were shot when three gunmen exited a vehicle near a Dunkin’ store and opened fire.
“At some point when the bus is pulling up and the kids are converging to get on the bus, three individuals exit that vehicle and then discharges multiple times,” said Bethel.
Police say a 16-year-old boy was shot nine times. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Seven other victims — including two 15-year-olds, four 16-year-olds, and a 17-year-old — were shot and wounded. All seven are listed in stable condition.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
On Wednesday, climate activists disrupted a gala hosted by the American Moment at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC featuring Republican Senator JD Vance, political commentator David Sacks, and former Trump White House Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows.
The disruption ultimately failed, and the agitators were thrown out by US military veteran Tom Sauer and other guests in attendance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democratic Illinois ‘Super Mayor’ Vetoes Attempt to Probe Her Lavish Spending
Democratic Mayor Tiffany Henyard of the small Village of Dolton, Illinois, vetoed a resolution on Monday by a local board calling for an external probe to be launched into her alleged misuse of funds.
The self-described “super mayor,” who has gained national attention for being accused of spending taxpayer money on luxurious trips and weaponizing police in retaliatory business raids, slammed last month’s vote by the Dolton, Illinois, village board as being illegal and driven by personal attacks from a “boys club.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Soros-backed Austin DA Jose Garza soared to victory in the primary last night despite growing demands for him to be replaced and mounting fury among police officers, who say his soft-on-crime policies make a mockery of their jobs.
Garza was challenged by rival Democrat Jeremy Sylestine, who was endorsed by Elon Musk.
He trounced Sylestine, winning 66.86% of the vote over Sylestine’s 33.14%.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House GOP Demands Former CIA Leader Answer for 2020 Hunter Biden Laptop Suppression
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner sent a letter to former CIA Chief Operating Officer Andrew Makridis demanding that he sit for a transcribed interview in regards to the letter signed by 51 former intelligence community officials that said the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation.
Noting the October 2020 statement that was published in Politico, the lawmakers wrote, “this statement falsely implied the New York Post’s reporting about Hunter Biden was the product of Russian disinformation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jordan Peterson to Testify Before Congress on Debanking, Government Collusion
Jordan Peterson is set to testify before Congress this week in a hearing organized by the House Judiciary Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government regarding the Biden administration’s alleged flagging of transactions made by Americans that included terms associated with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
The Canadian psychologist and political commentator has been a vocal critic of “debanking” ever since the Liberals under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau targeted the finances of those who took part in the Freedom Convoy in 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Just in: Chinese National Arrested for Allegedly Stealing AI-Related Trade Secrets From Google
A former Google engineer has been arrested after allegedly stealing information about artificial intelligence-related technology while secretly working for Chinese companies.
Linwei Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national, was apprehended in Newark, New Jersey and subsequently charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Stabbed With Can Opener at Baltimore Bus Stop: Police
BALTIMORE, MD — A man was stabbed repeatedly with a can opener during an argument at a bus stop in downtown Baltimore, authorities said.
According to Baltimore police, officers were patrolling the unit block of Light Street when they were flagged down by a bystander who told them a man was being assaulted near the 100 block of West Lombard Street.
According to police, the victim — a 49-year-old man — was waiting at a bus stop around 5:15 p.m. when he bumped into the suspect, identified only as a 59-year-old man. A verbal argument ensued, police said, and the man used a can opener to repeatedly stab the victim in the head.
The suspect was arrested and the victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, police said.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Mitch McConnell Endorses Donald Trump for President After Super Tuesday Victories
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the outgoing Senate minority leader, endorsed former President Donald Trump for reelection in 2024.
McConnell’s support of Trump is a signal of unity against President Joe Biden.
The endorsement came just minutes after former presidential candidate Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican primary.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An attorney for a co-defendant in the sweeping case against former president Donald Trump testified in a Georgia state senate hearing Wednesday that special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s cell phone data shows 1 a.m. trips to Fani Willis’ home prior to his hiring.
Willis last year indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants, including Michael Roman, a GOP political operative, who first filed motions alleging that Willis was having an “improper” affair with special counsel Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case against Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Poll Shows Trump Beating Biden in General Election
A new poll for the November general election shows President Donald Trump soaring to victory.
The poll, from Fox News, reveals a tightly contested race between Trump and Democrat President Joe Biden.
In an intriguing twist to the upcoming electoral contest, the results also show third-party candidates stirring the political pot significantly.
The latest poll, indicating a slight lead for Trump over Biden, has sparked conversations across the political spectrum.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York Gov Hochul Calls in National Guard, State Police to Help Curb Crime in NYC Subways
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is sending in the state National Guard to New York City to help police curb a surge in crime in the city’s subways.
Announcing a five-point plan on Wednesday, the Democratic governor said she was deploying 750 members of the National Guard to the subways to assist the New York Police Department with bag searches at entrances to busy train stations.
“For people who are thinking about bringing a gun or knife on the subway, at least this creates a deterrent effect. They might be thinking, ‘You know what, it just may just not be worth it because I listened to the mayor and I listened to the governor and they have a lot more people who are going to be checking my bags,’“ Hochul said at a news conference in New York City.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC to Conduct Random Bag Searches on Subway Riders Amid Crime Surge
Police in New York City are bringing back random bag searches of subway riders as the Big Apple continues to record an alarming surge in crime rates.
NYC’s public transit system has seen a disturbing increase in crimes committed against passengers.
On Tuesday, the city’s Democrat Mayor Eric Adams announced the plans to bring back random bag checks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 45,000 Minnesotans Vote ‘Uncommitted’ in Dem Primary to Protest Biden’s Support of Israel
Joe Biden was declared the winner of Minnesota’s Super Tuesday primary on Tuesday evening, but the “uncommitted” vote was the second-highest chosen option in the state.
With 98 percent of the vote counted by late Wednesday morning, Joe Biden had brought in over 171,000 votes, or 70.7 percent. “Uncommitted” brought in over 45,000 votes, or 18.9 percent, according to the Associated Press.
The results reflect a similar situation that occurred in Michigan in February, which saw over 100,000 Democrat voters casting their ballot against Biden.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Recall Campaign Accuses Dem of ‘Legacy of Failure’ Following Sweeping Crime Bill Vote
The Washington, D.C., City Council’s vote to pass a sweeping public safety bill can’t change one member’s “legacy of failure” or restore lives lost in the District’s surging crime crisis, a campaign to recall the Democrat told Fox News.
All but one councilmember on Tuesday voted in favor of the Secure D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act, which includes a swath of measures aimed at curbing surging crime, amid outcries from fed-up business owners and residents. The urgent response comes as two Democrats who voted in favor of the bill, Councilmembers Brianne Nadeau and Charles Allen, face recall efforts over their criminal justice reform positions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rep Harriet Hageman Warns Public: Bidens Are ‘Most Corrupt Family Ever in a Position of Power’
Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) has issued a warning to the American people about Democrat President Joe Biden and his family.
Hageman, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump for her successful campaign to unseat Liz Cheney in 2022, says the Biden family is “corrupt.”
In fact, Hageman warns that the Bidens are more corrupt than anyone in American politics before. Ever.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig says he is outraged that President Donald Trump “will never be disqualified from holding the presidency” following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.
Luttig appeared on CNN to criticize the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the 14th Amendment as part of a ballot case involving Trump.
While Luttig didn’t criticize the decision to keep Trump on the ballot, he slammed the larger 14th Amendment ruling as “both shocking and unprecedented.”
[Comment: He was a Republican appointed judge too. Keeping Trump off the ballot is nutty, and he should never been a judge in the first place if he agrees with that nuttiness.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Blaze Media obtained video surveillance footage from inside and outside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, that they say shows investigative journalist Steve Baker acting as a reporter during the protest.
Baker, a journalist who works for Blaze Media, was arrested by the FBI on Friday and charged with four non-violent misdemeanors over his alleged involvement in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the US Capitol.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Rust’ Armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed Guilty of Involuntary Manslaughter in Alec Baldwin Shooting
Hannah Gutierrez Reed, who served as armorer on the fatal set for the movie Rust, has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her role in Alec Baldwin’s accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
The jury convicted Reed on Wednesday after just three hours of deliberation following two weeks of testimony about the unsafe conditions on the set of Rust, which culminated in the fatal moment when actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with a gun he had been told was “cold.” The armorer was, however, acquitted of a separate charge of tampering with evidence and faces up to 18 months in prison.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Tuesday, voters in San Francisco approved two ballot measures aimed at tackling the rampant crime and addiction plaguing the city.
Measure E and Measure F, both of which were fervently supported by Mayor London Breed, surpassed the 50 percent threshold despite attempts from opposition groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Marco Rubio Demands Biden Protect Catholic Churches From Attacks
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio from Florida is demanding that President Joe Biden protect Catholic churches from the “growing number of attacks” levied against them since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
In a March 5 letter addressed to the nation’s second Catholic president, Rubio cited a CatholicVote tracker that found more than 400 attacks against Catholic churches since May 2020. The tracker, which was last updated on March 5, lists numerous examples of property damage, which include arson, statue destruction, rocks, and bricks being thrown through windows, and the spray painting of satanic messages.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Teachers Unions Have ‘Quietly’ Spent Millions on GOP Primaries in 32 States: Report
Teacher unions have strategically been pouring donations into Republican political campaigns, according to a report from the Daily Signal.
The Daily Signal reported on local affiliates of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers union in the United States, increasing donations to Republican state-level legislative candidates over the past six years in primary races.
The outlet reported that teachers’ unions have “spent the last six years quietly slipping millions of dollars” into Republican campaigns.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tennessee Homeland Security Issues Warning About Bomb Threat From Man Targeting ‘Trump Supporters’
The Tennessee Office of Homeland Security has issued an Officer Safety Bulletin, obtained by Louder with Crowder, warning law enforcement to be on the lookout for a man accused of making a bomb threat against Trump supporters.
The bulletin states that on February 29, the FBI’s Memphis Field Office notified the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security of a Guardian Incident Report indicating that 30-year-old Benjamin Matthew Dayton had “made concerning statements to his mother via text message.”
One of these messages read, “Have been thinking an awful lot about rigging my van and bombing trump supporters.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Polls Were Largely Right, Except in Quirky Vermont
Republican presidential primary polls were mainly on target for Super Tuesday, aside from in Vermont, where former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley pulled out a surprise upset.
In some states, inaccurate estimations of margin size were also made. Still, the pollsters got things right in the swath of states that voted in Republican contests on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘TROUNCED’: Donald Trump Rips Nikki Haley After She Refused to Endorse Him
Former President Donald Trump slammed former presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Truth Social for being “trounced” on Super Tuesday after she refused to endorse him the following day.
Trump’s post shows just how combative feelings remain between the pair.
“Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion, despite the fact that Democrats, for reasons unknown, are allowed to vote in Vermont, and various other Republican Primaries,” Trump said.
Trump won 14 out of 15 primaries on Super Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Calls for Debates With Biden ‘Anytime, Anywhere, Anyplace’
Former President Donald Trump is calling for debates between himself and President Biden ahead of the 2024 general election, saying he is willing to participate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.”
Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner and presumptive nominee, posted his offer on his Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon — just hours after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, his last-standing Republican opponent, suspended her campaign.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Monday, Jamil Jivani won his seat in the Durham by-election, besting his Liberal opponent Robert Rock by the widest margin in 20 years to keep the riding (area) Conservative.
Despite the fact that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself campaigned for Rock, the Liberal only managed to garner 22.5 percent of the vote. Jivani, who was widely supported by top Conservatives including Pierre Poilievre, took 57 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Journalist, Who Demanded Concentration Camps for Unvaccinated, Dead at 33
A corporate media journalist, who controversially demanded that unvaccinated members of the public be taken away to concentration camps, has died at just 33 years old.
Ian Vandaelle died after being hospitalized and “declared neurologically dead,” his family revealed.
Vandaelle was a Canadian business journalist who worked as a reporter and editor at the Financial Post.
He was also previously a producer at BNN Bloomberg for over a decade.
However, he was known to many on social media for his pro-Covid vaccine posts on Twitter, now known as X.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Pure Fantasy”: EU Defence Plans Criticised by Member States
Fresh plans from the European Commission to grant Brussels extensive new powers to centralise defence spending appear to be too much even for Europhile member states. EU diplomats warn off-the-record that Eurocrats are simply not up to the role of organising the bloc’s defence.
EU members would be “invited” to purchase 40% of their military arsenal from 2030 onward through a “collaborative” joint procurement plan, according to a new policy announced on Tuesday, with the initiative to be partly financed by frozen Russian assets.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Corruption Messaging Gives Portuguese Populists Boost Just Days Before Election
Portuguese populists Chega have surged to second place in polls ahead of the country’s snap election on March 10th, called in the aftermath of a corruption scandal that toppled the country’s socialist government. Signs point to a political upset in Lisbon this week, with the insurgent right-wingers aiming to change national politics for good.
In the final weeks before Sunday’s legislative election, national conservative Chega has struck a chord with voters by promising to clean up endemic corruption in Lisbon. Citizens have turned against the historically powerful Socialist Party following an embarrassing high-level corruption scandal that brought down the previous administration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BBC Tries to Frame AI Parody Images as a “Disinformation” Scoop
The BBC used to produce some of the best comedy series — but now many of the “comedians” seem to have moved to the news division.
To make things more perplexing, they appear not to — or not want to — understand humor. Now they (pretend?) not to understand content produced by obviously parody accounts, and (pretend?) to be taking them seriously.
So now, critically minded observers are not laughing with the BBC, but at them, especially when the BBC comes out with a deceptive podcast episode (based on parody content, falsely framed as “serious news).
The target: the highly likely US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Parliament Reduced to Frightened Mess in Face of Islamist Threats
Britain’s Parliament will require visitors to undergo identity checks, as politicians become increasingly concerned about their personal security. This is the first time in its history, with the institution previously presenting itself as open to public scrutiny and allowing direct access to elected representatives.
News that Parliament will toughen up its security comes less than a fortnight after protestors projected the slogan “from the river to the sea” on its iconic exterior tower, known worldwide as Big Ben.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Conservatives Will be “Hit” by Tories’ New Definition of Extremism
A Conservative Party minister is working on a new definition of extremism which his own colleagues say will harm genuinely conservative Britons.
Free speech campaigners are deeply concerned by the threat now posed to individual liberty. Michael Gove, the socially liberal Tory secretary of state for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, will be responsible for updating the definition of extremism, which critics say is open to “political abuse.”
The Times reports that Gove will expand the current definition of extremism, as “vocal or active opposition to fundamental British values,” to cover all “protected characteristics” as listed under the Equalities Act 2010, which alongside race, sex and disability include others such as gender reassignment, sexual orientation, and religion or belief.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia Still Lags Behind EU Average Despite Rising Wages
In recent years, Czechia has seen a significant increase in average net annual income and a steady rise in price levels. According to data from Eurostat, the country’s income levels have risen to two-thirds of the European average, overtaking Portugal and Greece from the older EU countries.
The Czech public’s average income level marks a significant improvement from when the country joined the EU in 2004 when income levels were at only one-third of the EU average. However, despite this growth, the purchasing power of the Czech population is around the 10th-weakest in the bloc, mainly due to recent high inflation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech and French Leaders Pledge Support for Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron and his Czech counterpart Petr Pavel agree to send support to Ukraine, but rule out sending combat troups.
The Czech and French presidents said Tuesday their countries remain united in their support of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression and are ready to look for new ways of helping the Ukrainians succeed.
“We agree that the only option for us is to continue supporting Ukraine,” Czech President Petr Pavel said. “We’ve agreed that Europe has to play a bigger role in helping Ukraine.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechs Burn Bridge With Moscow-Boosting Slovaks
The Czech government of Prime Minister Petr Fiala has scrapped a tradition of informal joint cabinet meetings with its Slovak counterpart, with whom it sharply disagrees over policy toward Russia.
“We don’t think it’s appropriate to hold intergovernmental consultations with the government of Slovakia in the next weeks or months,” Fiala told journalists Wednesday after a Czech cabinet meeting in Prague. The meetings — eight have been held since 2012 — aim to showcase warm relations between the neighboring countries that emerged from the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Slaps €1.8 Billion Fine on Apple for Music Streaming Monopoly
The European Commission on Monday fined U.S. tech giant Apple €1.8 billion for “unfair practices.”
The decision comes after an investigation launched following a complaint by Spotify that Apple had engaged in unfair practices in the music streaming services sector, holding back its competitors.
“Apple device users in the EU were not free to choose where, how and at what price to buy a music streaming subscription,” said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Foreign Minister: Hungary Won’t Support Mark Rutte as NATO Chief
Despite over two-thirds of NATO member states having already signaled their support for outgoing Dutch PM Mark Rutte to replace Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg after the end of his term in October, Rutte still needs to convince around ten, mostly Eastern and Central European members to have unanimous support. And that might be a problem.
Rutte—a nominally center-right, but notoriously liberal prime minister whose party suffered a humiliating defeat last November after ruling the country for over a decade—spent the last couple of years insulting the Hungarian government and advocating for kicking Budapest out of the EU.
Given that history, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjartó’s announcement at a press conference on Tuesday should come as no surprise: Budapest will not back Rutte’s candidacy for the NATO top job.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Frankfurt is First German City to Install Ramadan Decorations
Frankfurt has become the first German city to install celebratory lighting to commemorate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
City contractors have been setting up the lighting since Monday morning, with cranes being used to erect the lettering, stars, crescent moons, and lanterns, ahead of the Muslim event which begins on March 10.
“By decorating during Ramadan, the city of Frankfurt is sending an important signal to Muslims and appreciates the people of Muslim faith in this city,” the governing German Green Party wrote in an application to the city council last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French President Fails to Rally Support at Politically Charged Paris Agriculture Show
The Salon International de l’Agriculture (SIA, or International Agricultural Exhibition) is traditionally held in Paris at the end of February. A major exhibition designed to showcase France’s agricultural expertise and promote it to the public, it’s a not-to-be-missed event for French politicians. This year, Emmanuel Macron made a high-voltage visit. In his discussions with farmers, his obsession with the ‘far Right’ was omnipresent.
Every year, the week-long Salon de l’Agriculture is held just outside Paris. Politicians on both the Right and the Left make a point of visiting, as farmers and rural areas form a considerable electoral segment. What’s more, the concerns of farmers are shared by a majority of French people well beyond farming families.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Scholz Speaks Out Against Extradition of Julian Assange to the US
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has spoken out against the extradition of Julian Assange to the US.
“I think it would be good if the British courts were to grant him the necessary protection, because he must expect persecution in the United States, given the fact that he has betrayed US state secrets,” Scholz said on Monday during a question-and-answer session at a vocational school centre in southern Germany.
He said he assumed that the chances of this happening had increased because representatives of the United States had been “unable to assure the British judges in the last hearing that the possible punishment would be within a justifiable framework from the UK’s point of view,” said Scholz.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Backs Farmers’ Protests, Calls on EU to ‘Return to Normality’
While many European leaders are looking at the farmers’ protests that have swept the European continent with growing unease or even outright hostility, the Hungarian government has actively embraced them. The government is now calling on the EU to reform and change course on the issue of agriculture.
“In Hungary, a strategic alliance has been established between the government and farmers, so we are doing our utmost to force Brussels to change course, which means returning to the principle of normality,” said Agricultural Minister Istvan Nagy while stopping in Hajdú-Bihar County during a nationwide agricultural tour, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Set to Unlock €2 Billion in Frozen EU Funds
Hungary has secured another €2 billion in frozen EU funds after the European Commission claimed that Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government met a number of conditions.
Hungarian news outlet Portfolio first broke the news from an EU source, although there is still no official confirmation from the European Commission.
“The Hungarian government was able to fulfill two more of the 16 thematic conditions applicable to cohesion programs; it fulfilled the items relating to frameworks aimed at education and training and gender equality. Thus, slightly more than 2 billion euros can become available from the cohesion part in addition to the already existing one,” said a source to Portfolio.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Solar Power Makes Huge Leap in 2023, 18% of All Energy Generated From Solar
The Hungarian solar industry has experienced rapid development, with its biggest expansion last year, which saw 1.6 gigawatts of solar panels installed, said Energy Minister Csaba Lantos at a press conference in Brussels on Monday.
Lantos, attending a meeting of energy ministers from EU member states, said that by the beginning of this year, more than 6 gigawatts of solar panels had been installed in the country.
Last year, 18 percent of the electricity generated in Hungary came from solar panels, a significant achievement, with the country ranking second in the EU in this comparison.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New EU Defense Strategy Treats Ukraine Like a Member State
The European Commission finally unveiled its plans for its new giant defense fund that’s meant to boost and harmonize weapon procurement across the bloc. The details such as funding still need to be hammered out by the member states, but Brussels’ initial plan includes gradually integrating Ukraine’s defense industry into the larger European schemes even before the country’s EU accession.
“Ukraine will be able to benefit from the support of this strategy for their defense industry and increase their production capacity like any European company,” Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said when presenting the plan on Tuesday, March 5th.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Conservatives Won’t Rule Out Alliance With Confederation Party, Consider Name Change
Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski in an interview with weekly “Sieci” was asked about the political strategy of his party. Acknowledging that the last election campaign and messaging since may have been too negative, Kaczynski confirmed that his party would now concentrate on accentuating its positive record in government and defending large investment projects such as the Central Airport.
He confirmed that he was willing to lead his party beyond 2025 but warned against premature moves such as changing the name of his party in response to negative campaigning that had damaged its reputation. He said it was still a brand that had real achievements connected with it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Last Generation Extremists Disrupt Concert at Warsaw Philharmonic
A recent performance at the National Philharmonic took an unexpected turn when two eco-activists affiliated with the Last Generation (Ostatnie Pokolenie) group staged a protest during a performance.
The disruption unfolded during a special concert recognizing the career of veteran conductor Antoni Wit, who was celebrating his 80th birthday and 60 years of artistic contributions. Despite the interruption caused by the climate activists, the seasoned conductor managed to continue the performance, deftly removing the activists’ banner without halting the concert’s flow. His professional behavior helped to ensure that the incident did not spoil the evening for the audience.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Press Agency’s English-Language Service the First News Closed Down
Poland’s state-owned press agency, PAP, has announced the closure of English-language service The First News (TFN). It says TFN was expensive and “did not have any measurable impact on Poland’s good image” abroad.
The announcement follows shortly after state broadcaster TVP suspended its own English-language service, TVP World, which, like TFN, was created under the former Law and Justice (PiS) government.
Both decisions followed the new government’s controversial and contested move last month to replace the management of public media firms and then put them into liquidation. It argued that the measures were necessary to “depoliticise” outlets that had been turned into propaganda mouthpieces by PiS.
[Comment: Article dated Jan 29, 2024. I think the reason for the closure is political. For example, I submitted to the news feed an article from The First News about the rejection by Austria of a sculpture commemorating the Battle of Vienna.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pro-Palestine Protesters Breach Dutch Parliament
A debate in the Dutch Parliament in The Hague was disrupted on Tuesday by rowdy pro-Palestinian activists protesting the Israeli Defense Force’s actions in the Gaza strip.
Shortly after the activists were promptly escorted out, some 25 fellow protesters initiated a sit-in at the parliament’s visitor’s hall. They chanted slogans, including “Free Palestine,” “Ceasefire now,” and “shame on [outgoing Prime Minister Mark] Rutte, blood on your hands.” Most disturbingly, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was chanted—which calls for the eradication of the Jews and the abolition of Israel as a nation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi was deported to Tunisia shortly after delivering a sermon trashing the French flag and allegedly stirring up hatred against Jews and women.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Leak: Can Berlin be Trusted With Sensitive Intel?
New details have emerged of a discussion between high-ranking German officers that was hacked by Russian spies and leaked by Russian media last week. As we previously reported, the 38-minute discussion was apparently taken from a recorded video call between four German Bundeswehr officers and was published on Friday, March 1st by Russia’s state-owned RT channel. The recording shows the officers, including German Air Force chief Ingo Gerhartz and Brigadier General Frank Gräfe, discussing the possibility of sending Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine and using them to attack the Kerch bridge connecting Crimea to Russia’s mainland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: New Amnesty Deal With Catalan Separatists Nears Completion
Spain’s socialist government is reportedly close to an agreement with Catalan separatists on a new amnesty bill that would pardon the organisers of the 2017 illegal independence referendum. The new law would grant immunity from any potential punishment for crimes committed in connection with the referendum, which is considered an act of sedition by Spanish authorities.
MEP Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan president and leader of the illegal referendum, is insistent on getting an amnesty from the Spanish government. Puigdemont has avoided facing charges of sedition by remaining in Belgium but is now facing additional charges of terrorism—for his direction of separatist riots in 2019—and treason, for turning to Russia for financial support for the Catalan cause.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Finnish General Pushes Europe to Increase Defense Spending Above 2% of GDP
Spending 2 percent of GDP on defense is not enough for Europe, says the commander of the Finnish Defense Forces, General Timo Kivinen. According to Kivinen, European countries need to increase their defense budgets and expand the capacity of their defense industries. The general made the remarks at the opening of the 248th defense training course in Helsinki on Monday.
Europe needs to do more for its own security, Kivinen said, adding that investments in the defense industry are also a prerequisite for long-term support for Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 11-Year-Old Boy Dies Suddenly, Police Treating Death as ‘Unexplained’
An 11-year-old boy has been found dead after tragically dying suddenly.
UK Police are investigating the sudden death of the young child who died in Lancaster, England on Saturday.
According to investigators, the boy dropped dead unexpectedly.
Lancashire Constabulary has said the death of the youngster is being treated as “unexplained.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Just Stop Oil Protesters Glued to Royal Courts of Justice Removed by Police
Police removed two Just Stop Oil protestors who glued themselves to the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Wednesday, 6 March.
Footage posted to the organisation’s X/Twitter account shows protestors blocking the entrance to the court, with police rubbing their hands with an anti-adhesive substance.
In a press release, Just Stop Oil said the protest was to highlight the “injustice of peaceful injunctions being used to silence peaceful dissent in the UK” in addition to demanding the government end all new fossil fuel projects.
The Independent has approached the Metropolitan Police for comment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Martin Wild was denied pain relief because of staff shortages and left lying in his own urine during his horrifying eight-month stay at Salford Royal Hospital, he claimed.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Tory Betrayal of Conservatives About to Get Worse
Tory ‘moderates’ are likely to hold “the whip hand” in their party after this year’s general election, according to new polling.
Some conservatives living in Britain may find it hard to believe that after 14 years during which successive Tory prime ministers have presided over mass immigration, flimsy law and order, the betrayal of Brexit, the swallowing of the ‘woke’ and net zero agendas, and the continued wreckage of the family unit, defence and decent education, the nominal Conservative Party is about to become even less conservative. But analysis of polling data by The Times newspaper suggests this could in fact be the case.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Dance Troupe in Bandera Colors Compete in Polish Talent Show
A dance troupe from Ukraine competed in a commercial television show in Poland appearing in the colors of a nationalist Ukrainian movement and claimed they wanted to thank Poland.
Ukrainian dancers performed in the TVN show “Got Talent” on March 2 in red and black, the colors used by the Stepan Bandera-led far-right movement during World War II.
That movement (OUN) was, together with its military wing (UPA), responsible for the Volhynia massacre in which tens of thousands of Poles were killed in an act of brutal ethnic cleansing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Violent Protests Grip Poland as Farmers Clash With Police Over Ukraine Imports
Poland saw its most violent protest by farmers and supporters yet Wednesday as some participants threw stones at police and tried to push through barriers around parliament, injuring several officers, police said.
Police said they detained over a dozen people and prevented the protesters from getting through to the Sejm, the Polish parliament.
Farmers are angry over European Union climate policies and food imports from Ukraine that they say threaten their livelihoods. Such protests have occurred across the 27-member EU in recent weeks, but this one was decidedly angrier than earlier demonstrations in the central European nation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Polish capital of Warsaw descended into violence today as police unleashed a wave of violence on Polish farmers, with viral videos showing officers deploying batons, pepper spray and tear gas against the country’s food producers.
Thousands of protesters, waving Polish flags, were pushed back by police after a small group of them burned tires in front of the office of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Explosion Jolts U.S.-Owned Ship Off Yemen Coast; Vessels Urged to Steer Clear
Maritime security firm Ambrey reported a big “explosion” near a U.S.-owned bulk carrier. The attack took place when the ship was transiting southwest of the Yemeni port city of Aden. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the ship that was attacked suffered damage. It cautioned other ships to steer clear of the vessel. Ambrey says the targeting profile matches that of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Blast Rocks Ukrainian City of Odesa During Visit by Zelenskyy and Greece’s Prime Minister
KYIV, Ukraine — The sound of a large explosion reverberated around the Ukrainian port of Odesa as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greece’s prime minister ended a tour of the war-ravaged southern city Wednesday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the delegations were getting into their vehicles when they heard the blast, which he called a “vivid reminder” that Odesa is gripped by the war with Russia with Russia. It is one thing to hear about the war and “quite another to experience war firsthand,” Mr. Mitsotakis said.
Mr. Zelenskyy said the explosion caused an unknown number of dead and wounded. “You see who we’re dealing with, they don’t care where to hit,” he told reporters.
Russian officials made no immediate comment.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Car Bomb: Ukraine May Have Assassinated Another Russian Official
AFP — Ukraine stepped up attacks behind Russian lines on Wednesday with the apparent killing of a Russian election official in a car bomb and a drone assault on a metals plant.
Strikes also rocked the Ukrainian port city of Odesa during a visit by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was holding talks in the city with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Both Russia and Ukraine have increased their aerial attacks as Moscow’s troops advance on the frontlines and Kyiv faces a shortage of manpower and weapons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Rolls Out VPN Ban Nationwide
The Russian government is employing an increasingly strict approach to manage and rein in the digital freedom its citizens have enjoyed in recent years by introducing a ban on VPN services.
The embargo, poised to be enforced this month, targets not just VPN ads but also websites offering advice on how to navigate around the country’s censorship barriers.
This clampdown appears to signify one of the most recent moves in a long-term strategy aimed at curbing access to information from outside Russia, effectively insulating its internet users while simultaneously beefing up the government’s surveillance prowess. Consequently, VPNs, which could be perceived as one of the last resort tools available to Russians for tapping into international viewpoints, are being denied to the users.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Accuses Germany of Plotting Terrorism After Taurus Missile Phone Call Leak
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marija Zaharova accused Germany of plotting terror attacks against Russia in the wake of the Taurus missile scandal leaks, which revealed top German military brass discussing plans to blow up the Kerch Bridge in Crimea last week.
“Let the German people now think about what a terrible tragedy they are being led into by those who pretend to be German politicians, but in fact are the conductors, say, primarily of the American, Anglo-Saxon ideology, of the complete destruction of Europe,” said Zaharova during an appearance on state media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Gates Finds “Inspiration” in India’s Controversial Digital ID Program
The founder of one of the tech’s worst (security, fair competitiveness, you name it) offenders, Microsoft, the lover of vaccine and agricultural experiments in “the third world” and, who by now dares doubt it, a consummate “philanthropist” — one Bill Gates — has announced that he has “found inspiration in India.”
With some justified trepidation, you might now hesitate to ask — inspiration to do what, exactly?
There seems to have been a meeting of the minds during the recent visit of Gates to India. There was an encounter with the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, specifically about the way the world’s “biggest democracy” (by population) goes about implementing digital public infrastructure (DPI).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shocking footage of three Indigenous kids bound with cable ties by a tradie in Broome, Western Australia has drawn sympathy from some town residents who feel sorry for the man.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The mother of two indigenous children who were allegedly cable-tied by a burly tradie fought back tears as she recounted begging to be allowed to give her children water.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The 130-year-old former Bank of Western Australia has 60 branches. Of those, 45 will close while 15 in regional areas will be rebranded under the banner of Commonwealth Bank,
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Despite Australia overwhelmingly rejecting an Indigenous Voice to Parliament , an inner city council have unanimously voted to establish a similar body.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
— Now he’s taking drastic action: ‘I own five debts’
Some landlords in one Australian state say they are tired of being ‘demonised’ and are selling their rental properties, saying it’s too costly to keep them.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Austrian Schoolgirl Found Dead in Afghan Refugee’s Apartment, Drugged and Raped
A 14-year-old schoolgirl was found dead on Tuesday morning in the Viennese apartment of an Afghan refugee who entered Austria during the migrant wave of 2015.
The girl’s lifeless body was located in the Simmering district of the Austrian capital where it is suspected she was held, drugged, and raped before ultimately dying from a drug overdose.
The tenant, a 26-year-old Afghan national, who claims to have only had “consensual sex” with the girl, has been arrested and remains in police custody.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, attempted to force a floor vote Wednesday on a law that would require illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the hope of preventing avoidable attacks and resulting deaths.
The Iowa Republican’s unanimous consent request was thwarted by Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who objected to the request.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shocking photos have revealed the desperate lengths migrants will go to as they put their lives at risk in a life-or-death bid to cross the Channel.
Harrowing images, taken by a drone, showed a large group of about 65 asylum seekers crammed onto the small rigid inflatable as it sailed from France to England today.
In one boat, a group of migrants can seen making their way towards the coast of Dover, with some smirking and giving thumbs up to the cameras, while another uses his iPhone to take a photo.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Palestinian Migrant Stabs Man in Face at Train Station Because His Baby Wouldn’t Stop Crying
A Palestinian migrant living illegally in France was arrested on Tuesday after stabbing a man traveling with a 6-month-old child because the baby wouldn’t stop crying.
The 54-year-old suspect was detained near the train station in the eastern city of Mulhouse, according to a report by Valeurs Actuelles journalist Amaury Bucco on X.
It is understood the victim was traveling with a mother and her 6-month-old baby who was crying on the station platform when the suspect approached the couple and told them to keep the child quiet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Brother of Laken Riley Murder Suspect Linked to Venezuelan Crime Gang: DOJ
A Venezuelan migrant who allegedly handed police a fake green card as they were on the hunt for his brother, the suspected killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, has ties to the violent Venezuela-based organized crime gang Tren de Aragua, according to federal prosecutors.
Federal authorities have been warning that the gang, also known as TdA and known for its violent turf wars as it expanded into other countries in South and Central America, is trying to establish itself in the U.S., where police are already linking it to organized crime.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Latvia Raises Alarm as Spring Sees Illegal Border Crossings From Belarus Soar
Latvia is experiencing a concerning spike in the number of illegal crossing attempts from Belarus this week, with border chiefs fearing the warmer weather is laying the foundations for another migrant crisis.
As of March 4, a total of 46 migrants were detected trying to cross into the Baltic nation from the neighboring Russian-allied nation — more than half the 75 crossings recorded for the whole of February.
“January and the beginning of February could be described as quiet. However, the past few days show that the number of offenses is increasing again,” warned Latvian border guard chief Guntis Pujats in a televised address on Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Austrians Support Total Ban on New Refugees
A majority of Austrians would support the government adopting a zero asylum limit and rejecting all asylum applications for the foreseeable future, according to recent polling.
In a survey conducted by the Unique Research Institute for the Heute newspaper, 56 percent of all respondents agreed in principle with a proposal that would see Austria no longer take in any refugees compared with 37 percent who disagreed with the suggestion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An illegal immigrant who entered the US as a “got-away” has been arrested after allegedly slamming his vehicle into a Washington State Patrol trooper and killing him.
On Saturday, Trooper Christopher M. Gadd, 27, was on patrol for speeders and DUI drivers on Interstate 5 near Marysville, WA when he was struck and killed in a three-vehicle crash at approximately 3 am. The impact was so severe that the black SUV ricocheted into a white van in the fast lane after it hit the trooper’s vehicle.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migration: Texas Vows to Protect Itself Against Invasion at Border
The joy in Texas over Saturday’s federal appeals court ruling that allowed the state to enforce its new strict state law on immigration was short-lived. On Monday, Biden’s Justice Department filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court, asking the justices to temporarily block enforcement of the law. The court has blocked the law from going into effect until March 13th while it reviews the case.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has promised to protect “our state—and our nation—from President Biden’s border crisis,” and his bill was intended to do just that. The new law would make it a state crime to illegally enter or re-enter Texas from a foreign country. It allows state authorities to arrest and jail illegal immigrants and would give state judges the power to order deportations, with prison sentences up to 20 years for those who refuse to comply.
Governor Abbott has vowed to use every tool and strategy to secure the state’s border with Mexico “until President Biden fulfills his constitutional duty to enforce federal immigration laws already on the books.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Government Hiding Key Immigration Stats
Less than a week after Rishi Sunak delivered a speech railing against the threat to democracy, a government department has revealed it no longer publishes significant data relating to immigration, which is easily the most salient topic in British politics.
Robert Bates, the research director at the Centre for Migration Control (CfMC) think tank, told The European Conservative that voters have been lied to about immigration “for years” and that a proper cost-benefit analysis is “urgently” needed to “greatly illuminate the debate.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Asylum seekers at a troubled immigration centre are being taken on shopping trips to keep them entertained following warnings ‘boredom’ could lead to serious violence.
Concerns have repeatedly been raised about conditions at Wethersfield airbase in Essex, which is home to hundreds of migrants — many of whom arrived in Britain after crossing the Channel.
Former border watchdog David Neal visited the isolated site near Braintree in December and February after insiders reported ‘almost nightly fighting’ between different nationalities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainians in Poland Account for Around 1% of GDP
The last two years have witnessed the growth of the contribution of Ukrainians to Poland’s GDP, according to the Deloitte analysis for UNHCR titled “Analysis of the economic impact of Ukrainian refugees on the Polish economy.” The report states that in 2023 they accounted for between 0.7 and 1.1 percent of GDP, a figure likely to keep rising.
The fact that the refugees have been integrated into the Polish labor market, with many finding employment or setting up their own businesses, means that they are contributing by paying taxes and social security insurance rather than living off of humanitarian aid and welfare. According to the analysis, 225,000 to 350,000 Ukrainian refugees are currently working in Poland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 12-year-old girl from Vienna whose recent police complaint led to the arrests of 17 migrant minors for alleged long-term sexual abuse has expressed fear for her safety after all but one of the suspects were released by police after just one day pending further investigation.
The gang of males, aged 13 to 18, were detained by Austrian police on Thursday after the schoolgirl was urged by her mother to tell the authorities about the torment she had endured for over a year at the hands of her then-boyfriend and his friends.
The complainant said she had been forced by her boyfriend to have sex with his friends before being passed around “like a trophy” for over a year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former French presidential candidate Éric Zemmour held up “Nobel Peace Prize winner” Barack Obama as an example of how France could embark on a programme of “remigration” and deport millions of unwanted migrants from the country
The leader of the populist Reconquêt (Reconquest) party pushed back on the notion that it is impossible to reverse the impact of mass migration seen in Europe over the past decade, pointing to former American Democrat President Barack Obama as a potential model.
The former presidential candidate and populist polemicist described his vision of “remigration” as the “return of unwanted immigrants”, citing illegal migrants, long-term unemployed foreigners, convicted criminals, and those with “S files” meaning they are under surveillance for potential extremism.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin Awards $200,000 Grant to Create Trans Voice Training App
A transgender professor and two speech therapy experts have been awarded over $200,000 by the National Institutes of Health to research and create a “transgender voice training app” that aims, in part, to help biological males sound more feminine.
Taxpayer funds from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders awarded a team from the University of Cincinnati $213,878 to create the software.
The abstract of the study states, “Transgender and gender diverse people exhibit a significantly lower quality of life than the general public. One reason for this is voice dysphoria: distress because a person’s voice does not match their gender identity (e.g., trans women with deep voices).”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Can Skiing Solve Its Diversity Problem?
People of colour have been historically excluded from the sport, but now, a series of Black-run organisations around the world are hoping to change that.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Castrating Kids to Win Elections
Biden’s first campaign ad attacked conservatives for keeping ‘Lawn Boy’, a book featuring a 10-year-old performing sex acts, out of schools. The Department of Education launched a civil rights investigation of a Georgia school district for pulling books containing graphic sexual content from middle school shelves. At a Pride Month event at the White House, it was announced that a special coordinator would be waging lawfare against schools that try to shield children.
The Biden administration sued Tennessee over the ‘Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act’. Democrat judges have illegally blocked similar measures in Florida, Arkansas and Alabama. In Washington and California, Democrat majorities legalized the abduction of children by the state for transgender procedures. Similar legislation is pending in other states.
“This game of defense can get tiring. We want offense,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra demanded at a Health and Human Services ‘Pride Summit’. “Let’s play on the offensive.”
Beyond the usual motives of groomers looking for fresh victims, what is behind the unprecedented obsession with sexualizing children by an entire political party?
State schools were always meant to indoctrinate a new generation. Modern schools are community organizing centers and the ideal educator is a community organizer. American students are falling behind in most areas, but they are succeeding at what they have really been taught, to march out of school and rally for gun control, the environment or for racial equity.
Beyond indoctrination, community organizing sets out to ‘raise their consciousness’ so that the students see themselves as victims in the major political conflicts, like gun control or environmentalism, and then to shift them into the permanent category of victim activists.
Conventional community organizing rallies racial minority students to see themselves as the victims of racism and female students as the victims of sexism, while sexual community organizing takes students who may have no defining victim category and gives them one.
Grooming children in schools isn’t just a perverted agenda, it’s a political one.
The Democrat electoral agenda depends on building coalitions of minority groups. Sexual community organizing in schools is a machine meant to expand that coalition. Every teenage girl tracked for a mastectomy and every teenage boy for castration is a future Democrat voter.
Pagan priests of the Syrian Astarte of Hierapolis would castrate themselves in honor of the ancient goddess and then wear female clothing for the rest of their lives. Puberty blockers for young children, followed by genital mutilation, like political rallies, is similarly part of the ritual indoctrination into a political movement. And while young activists can turn their lives around as they get older, once an irrevocable decision has been made, it’s much harder to walk away.
There’s a quote that has long made the rounds. “If a man is not a socialist by the time he is 20, he has no heart. If he is not a conservative by the time he is 40, he has no brain.” But what happens if the man is not a man and is missing parts other than his heart or his brain?
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Republic’s Lower House Rejects Marriage for Same-Sex Couples But Allows Limited Adoptions
PRAGUE — The lower house of Parliament in the Czech Republic on Wednesday rejected same-sex marriage while affirming existing unions called partnerships for gay couples.
The new legislation, passed in a 123-36 vote, also doesn’t allow same-sex couples to adopt children aside from those of their partner.
The legislation still needs approval from the Senate and President Petr Pavel, who took office last year and has supported same-sex marriage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Don’t Say ‘Mother’: Dutch Lawmakers Caught Sneaking Through Changes in Official Terminology
More chicanery in The Hague came to light on Monday, when Dutch lawmakers were caught red-handed as they sought to replace the word ‘mother’ with the awkward phrase “parent from whom the child was born.”
According to the Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij (SGP), a conservative Calvinist party which discovered the change, the proposed amendment was hidden in a so-called ‘comprehensive bill’ designed to make several adjustments to existing laws in one fell swoop.
Usually such aforementioned adjustments are minor and technical in nature, correcting misspellings, changing punctuation for better readability, or improving references to other laws or articles—not this time!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cath Walton, who worked at the broadcaster for 26 years, had to go before an internal BBC hearing after writing that men cannot scientifically be women on social media.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
You’ve heard about the United Nations (UN), and you’ve heard about its, at this point, let’s call it for brevity — “unofficial globalist elite mirror” — the World Economic Forum (WEF).
But are you aware of the OECD? That’s an acronym for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 38 of the world’s richest countries — out of some 193 UN member states — are currently its members, according to available information.
And guess what this “elite” group of countries is now hot and bothered about? Economic progress, greater well-being of citizens in those states, concerned about improving their everyday lives?
Well you’d have guessed wrong. Apparently — it’s “disinformation” that’s top of OECD agenda right now.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An LGBTQ space in Philadelphia was all set to receive some federal funding via the latest minibus bill to come up in Congress, with support from Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman—until Libs of TikTok exposed some of the activities of the center, and Fetterman yanked his support rather than face the controversy.
William Way, on 13th and Spruce Streets in what’s known as Philadelphia’s “gayborhood,” was going to be awarded $1 million in support of their renovation project under the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The funds were intended to “renovate and expand the existing Community Center into an inclusive, fully accessible, and welcoming space for all individuals to gather, learn and receive support.”
However, Libs of TikTok exposed them for having “an improvisational interactive theater night focusing on ontological deconstruction of the political theory concepts of Contract and Domination,” which involves “fetish, as well as BDSM.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Long Island County Sues NY AG Letitia James Over Law Forcing Schools to Let Boys Play Girls’ Sports
On Wednesday, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced that he had filed a federal lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James after she blocked his ban on trans-identifying biological male athletes in women’s sports and deemed it “blatantly illegal.”
The Long Island politician argued that James’ actions were unconstitutional, and demanded that he be allowed to enforce the policy he signed into law via an executive order last month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poles Against Abortion: A Majority Opposes ‘Abortion on-Demand’ Amid Left-Wing Legislative Push
A significant majority of Poles, 63 percent (including 41 percent decidedly), are against liberalizing access to abortion for women who “simply do not want to have a child,” according to the latest research by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS), cited by the Catholic Information Agency (KAI),
This data comes as the Polish parliament, the Sejm, is set to consider bills that would permit abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy without requiring a specific reason. In recent months, the Sejm has seen several proposed abortion-related bills. Speaker of the Sejm Szymon Holownia has announced that these proposals will be deliberated during the parliamentary session scheduled for April.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woke Policies Create Tension at EU Central Bank
A war of words has erupted among high-level employees of the European Central Bank (ECB) this month, with claims that Europe’s leading financial institution is attempting to purge staff critical of green policies from its ranks.
The public dispute—involving an open and direct attack on the woke leadership style of Christine Lagarde—was first reported in the press in mid-February, with a leaked memo showing the desire of ECB executives to purge employees not fully on board with the bank’s climate policies.
Insider reports describe how ECB staff were left shocked by statements from Dutch-born executive Frank Elderson saying that those wanting free and open discussion on climate change and its impact on fiscal policy should leave the institution immediately.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is no reply to the News Feed – this is a standalone contribution
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
— extraordinary and worthy of imitation —
14 honourable and resolute pro-Sweden citizens have sent an open letter to
politicians and members of parliament with 21 questions
to which answers are required.
The letter will be partially published here on GoV.
Once more we start with the letter’s introduction
followed by the first 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 points.
(from Swedish by LN)
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Open letter to politicians in the Swedish government and parliament
This letter is written by 14 Swedish citizens and is addressed personally to you as a politician in Sweden’s
government/parliament. The 14 of us have different backgrounds and are very politically interested (not party political involved), we have an average age that guarantees that we have long term insight into the political development in Sweden and globally.
We believe there are many Swedes who support the questions we ask below. We look with great concern about what is happening in the development in our country and on Earth and know that the majority of Swedes do the same! We require answers from you to the following 21 questions, which are listed in numerical form to make it easier for you to respond.
We want to know the general views, opinions and expertise of our parliamentary government and we hope you will answer our questions honestly! Your response will also reveal how you view your your political task and your voters!
We will compile and disseminate your answers (including non-answers) to the public via the media. We expect
responses by 15 April this year, after which we will compile and present them. We will not accept that your party and its members jointly compile the answers, the answers should be from you personally!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
1. Democracy is a beautiful word which later on has been oriented towards a new meaning. In a later SÄPO investigation it appears that “the free media” threatens democracy! We, the people, have had a faith in democracy that it
is about free speech, that everyone has the right to freedom of expression and that the media has the right to freedom of the press. But if a “free newspaper” publishes an article with a content that is a direct copy of a judgment in one freedom of speech case, then the responsible publisher can be sentenced to 1 month in prison for spreading “slander”!
If a journalist writes a column that contains transcripts verbatim from several judgments in different defamation cases, then he is sentenced to a hefty fine for spreading defamation. Everyone can see that in the chronicle only was a transcript of what the district court had written, but the journalist was sentenced for disseminating parts of the district court’s public acts, as being slander! This is proof that the Swedish judiciary has different rules to judge by, which means a marked restriction on freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Are you for such restrictions, or do you protect the citizen’s’ freedom of expression and the media’s freedom of the press?
2. You politicians have run over the citizens completely in the matter of the Swedish membership in NATO! Sweden’s population has not been allowed to participate at all in this life-determining decision for the future, not been allowed to debate the question, not having seen any consequence description of what membership means for our country (has any such been done at all?). Of course, this question would have had to be debated in the media and then ending with a referendum! It could mean the starting signal for a third world war you have set started, with this NATO entry. Your made-up enemy Russia, of course, sees any expansion of NATO into their borders as an increased threat, don’t you politicians understand this? Maybe a peace course would suit you politicians? Would you like to take such a course?
3. We know that Putin has applied for Russia’s membership in NATO twice (did you know?), but NATO did not even respond to his applications! NATO does not want peace with Russia, because then it would be impossible for NATO to exist (due to absence of an imaginary enemy is the true terror of NATO militaries). The Swedish people would probably have liked to see Russia as a NATO member, to ensure peace! For the globalists war factories, however, ennemies are necessary, arms manufacturing is a profitable industry. Why are you on the side of the warmongers (we assume you voted in favour of NATO)?
4. Politicians and military leaders declare with a loud voice that we should prepare for war. “With a NATO membership and the DCA agreement with the USA, Sweden will be so much safer,” you try to fool the Swedish people – why should we then prepare for war? The truth is that this rearmament can mean that World War III will soon be a fact and that Sweden will be the new battlefield after Ukraine. Do you realise that this could be the result of your decisions?
5. We know that in the spring of 2022, Putin and Zelenskyj had at least two ready-made peace agreements to sign regarding the cessation of the expanded war in Ukraine, which would then be negotiated into a stable agreement. Among other things, land areas in eastern Ukraine, where only Russians live, would become mindependent, Ukraine would recognise the Crimean peninsula as Russian territory and Ukraine promised in the agreement that it would stay out of NATO membership forever. But Mr Zelenskyj was forbidden by the US and NATO to sign these agreements! Did you know this?
6. NATO chief Stoltenberg says plainly that “the first thing Sweden must do as a NATO member is to assist Ukraine to prevent Russia from winning the war”! It can only mean that we should send our sons and daughters to certain death at the war front! It’s about our children here, how can you decide that we will sacrifice our children in a completely unnecessary and pointless war? This war can only continue thanks to several nations, including Sweden, pumping in weapons, ammunition and
vehicle as “aid”! So have you stood behind such assistance? The result of this “assistance” is mass death! Who gave you the mandate to do this, not the Swedish people? Don’t be pushy with that Sweden has “representative democracy” and that you can do what you want during an election period! How much “aid” other countries give, the war does not end! It is an impossibility to win the present war in Ukraine against Russia, we actually think that even you as a politician understand this? But the war must continue only because the war industry makes big money from it! Do you think mass murder should be allowed? without qualms, solely for the war industrie’s need for profits? Do you mean that Swedish soldiers should be sent to the warfront in Ukraine, to try to prevent Russia from winning the war there? Do you wish yourself to stand in the front line against Russia’s army?
7. The United States is the nation that has started most wars since the end of World War II! The United States has fought 36 wars on alien land around our Earth since 1945! Do you know that it was the USA that through the CIA started the war in ukraine? The CIA deployed snipers who killed peacefully demonstrating Ukrainians on Maidan Square in Kiev in 2014, this to start a civil war against the Russian population of eastern Ukraine? The democratically elected president was deposed in a coup d’état and a US-friendly regime was set up. After 2014, the CIA and British MI6 have built 12 operational bases next door to the Russian border, where espionage is practiced against Russia. NATO is not a peace project as some claim, but a war organization that started and participated in several wars; what good is war to the public? Is it really the USA and NATO as one Peace-loving Sweden must seek security from, through agreements and membership, what was wrong with the neutrality we had before? What do you know and what do you think about this matter? Do you think the Swedish people think the same?
8. The Swedish people have been deceived that Sweden is a democracy, where the Swedish people know which major issues to be addressed in the next 4-year election period and can choose a party accordingly. In the last election no party mentioned that Sweden would sign a DCA agreement with the US that gives the US military total access to Swedish territory, with weapons (including nuclear weapons), ammunition, vehicles and soldiers. The US will access and control over 17 Swedish military facilities and it will be American laws that will apply to their armed forces in Sweden! No citizen in Sweden has been able to express their opinion, because no citizen has been told that such an agreement would be signed! No referendum has been allowed to take place on the issue of this agreement with the USA, no discussion or debate has taken place!
Or been allowed to occur! This is the selling out of our country to foreign military forces! The issue is so big that it should have been debated during at least two election periods followed by a referendum! This is really such a blatant violation of a democracy, that a charge of treason should be brought against all Swedish politicians who support this agreement! Do you say yes to this DCA?
to be continued
Sweden becomes a member of NATO today
Published March 7, 2024 at
Sweden will formally become a member of NATO today at 5:15 p.m. Then the accession document will be handed over in Washington, the White House announces according to Sveriges Radio.
“Sweden is a strong democracy with a highly capable military that shares our values and our vision for the world,” writes the US government in a press release.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is invited as the guest of honor when US President Joe Biden delivers a speech to the nation tonight. He is invited along with other guests who personify topics covered in the President’s speech.
Ulf Kristersson is already in the US and will meet both President Biden and Foreign Minister Antony Blinken on Thursday.
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Putin clarifies about using nuclear weapons
Published March 7, 2024 at
Russia has not changed its doctrine of using nuclear weapons only if necessary to save the very existence of the Russian state. This is stated by Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
In the Russian defense doctrine, nuclear weapons are seen as a kind of “parting weapon” and it is this that governs the country’s use of nuclear weapons, according to Peskov.
Vladimir Putin said in June 2023 that there was no need to use nuclear weapons, as Russia’s nuclear arsenal is intended for deterrence.
Peskov said on Wednesday that nuclear weapons, however, will be used to defend the country’s very existence.
The statement goes hand in hand with previous media statements by, for example, the chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, who continuously threatened to use nuclear weapons if Vladimir Putin were arrested for war crimes and the like.
Previously leaked Russian defense documents claim that the limit for using nuclear weapons in the years 2008 to 2014 was considered to be when Russia has lost 20 percent of its strategic submarines and 30 percent of its nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Alternatively, nuclear weapons could be used if the country faced simultaneous attacks on its main military and reserve command centers on the coasts, according to the same document.
For his part, Peskov says he has “strong doubts” about the authenticity of the leaked documents, which were believed to show that Russia’s threshold for using nuclear weapons was somewhat lower than Western analysts had previously believed.
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Wallenberg signs huge contract with Poland
Published March 5, 2024
Saab, which is controlled by the Wallenberg family, has signed a contract with the Polish Ministry of Defense’s procurement authority regarding the delivery of the Carl-Gustaf M4 grenade launcher, ammunition and training equipment. The order value corresponds to SEK 12.9 billion and the contract period is 2024–2027.
The order is expected to be booked by Saab before the end of the second quarter of 2024.
– I am proud of our relationship with the Polish Armed Forces and that Saab can continue to contribute to strengthening Poland’s ground combat capability and national defense with our world-leading Carl-Gustaf system, says Micael Johansson, Saab’s president and CEO, in a press release.
The contract is expected to enter into force before the end of the second quarter of 2024, subject to the fulfillment of “certain external conditions”.
Saab’s Carl-Gustaf is a portable weapon system that is fired from the shoulder and has a range of ammunition types, which means that it can be used for many different types of missions.
Chronicle with Karl-Olov Arnstberg:
The leader of the West plays Russian roulette with Putin
https://swebbtube.se/w/mU1JGVLS3MHd2eqEtxUySh
(Swedish talk)
Today’s Thursday column is about NATO and how the US failed its promises to both the Soviet Union and Russia. When the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, the United States and NATO promised the Russians never to expand eastward—not a single inch east of the border between East and West Germany. The Soviet Union realized that thereby the threat from NATO would be neutralized and pounced. NATO and the US broke their promise.
In 1999, Bill Clinton was president of the United States. That year Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland became members. What the newcomers had in common was that they were all more than an inch east of the border with the former East Germany. In 2004, it was the turn of the Baltic states and four other countries. In Romania and Poland, the US built launch pads for long-range missiles that US claimed were aimed at Iran and North Korea. From these ramps, NATO can launch four of its missiles at Moscow less than ten minutes after the decision is made.
Putin has learned that it is not possible to negotiate with the Western world. The agreements are worthless. One of the world’s foremost political scientists, the American John Mearsheimer, writes warningly: As I see it, the United States is a ruthless great power. The Russians should never trust the US. No country on this planet should trust the Americans.
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Jimmie Åkesson’s tribute to NATO is seen:
– “Traitor”
Published March 7, 2024 in Fria Tider
Jimmie Åkesson receives harsh criticism on social media after praising NATO and Sweden’s membership in the US-led military alliance.
On Thursday, it was finally clear that Sweden has become a member of NATO.
The announcement was quickly commented on by various politicians. One of them was Jimmie Åkesson, party leader of the Sweden Democrats who until recently was against Swedish NATO membership.
Åkesson writes in X that Sweden “is indeed a nation that for 200 years has supported freedom of military alliance”, but that it is worth breaking that tradition after Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.
He also claims that “NATO entry today has broad support among the Swedish people”.
“My conviction is that Sweden is from now on a safer country, not least together with Finland and the rest of the Nordic countries. After decades of mismanagement of our national defense, I see no realistic alternative to NATO membership,” writes Åkesson further.
Among the comments on the SD leader’s post, a very large percentage are negative.
“It’s so obvious you’ve been bought,” writes one user – and another is on the same track:
“Wallenberg must have east money over you. You are just fake patriots, ashamed to have voted for you. Last time was the last time.”
Jimmie Åkesson is also accused of being a “traitor” and “anti-Swedish” and the like.
Users also wonder if the post is AI-generated.
“British police said…they had received a complaint after a transgender broadcaster reported J.K. Rowling to them over comments the “Harry Potter” author had made on social media. India Willoughby, who was Britain’s first transgender newsreader, has accused Rowling of a “hate crime” over remarks the author posted on X.” —Reuters (7 Mar 2024)
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/transgender-broadcaster-reports-jk-rowling-police-over-social-media-comments-2024-03-07/