Two gay asylum seekers from Tunisia were beaten up, threatened, and stabbed in the asylum facility in Ter Apel in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, a people smuggler on a global ‘most wanted list’ has introduced ‘economy, business and first class’ tiers to migrants who want to enter the UK.
In other news, protesters blocked downtown Chicago streets tonight as President Biden came to the city for another campaign fundraiser.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, Insubria, JW, LP, McN, Reader from Chicago, 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.
Eyeball-Scanning Company Capitalizes on Argentina’s Inflation Crisis
Here’s news that at this point, in and of itself, is no news — Argentina is experiencing another wave of huge inflation. However, this time a new player is involved in the crisis — Sam Altman’s Worldcoin.
The project’s goal is to become the world’s largest human identity and financial network, and, it appears, achieve this “by hook or crook.”
To incentivize people to surrender the biometrics contained in the irises of their eyes, they are given a small amount of Worldcoin’s cryptocurrency, WLD.
In Argentina, reports suggest this includes to all intents and purposes exploiting the extreme financial vulnerability of people with low income, whose troubles are currently compounded by even what little money they make “melting away” through rampant inflation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German companies are growing increasingly frustrated with the economic downturn affecting the country, with more businesses complaining about a lack of manufacturing orders, a recent study has shown.
According to the Munich Ifo Institute, 39.5 percent of German manufacturers across all industries don’t believe they are receiving enough orders, a problem many are concerned will lead to a drop in profitability that could in turn affect employment.
Disillusioned businesses are on the rise, with the figure cited in April 2.6 percentage points higher than in January.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
3-Year-Old Left in Burning Car After Father Leads Deputies on Chase Along I-85, Officials Say
ANDERSON COUNTY, SC — A child is hospitalized after his father allegedly led deputies on a chase that ended in a car crash along Interstate 85.
On Wednesday, deputies in Anderson County, S.C. were called to a home along Harris Avenue in Belton, S.C. Authorities said a father violently assaulted the mother of his child and kidnapped their 3-year-old son.
Just before 1 p.m., the sheriff’s office tried to find the suspect and child along I-85.
As deputies began to surround and stop the suspect, he quickly drove across the state line into Georgia.
Georgia law enforcement agencies joined in to help and a chase began.
Anderson County officials said the suspect’s car crashed at mile marker 166. The car went up in flames with the 3-year-old still inside, according to authorities.
Anderson County deputies pulled the child from the burning car, and he was quickly airlifted to a nearby trauma center.
The child’s condition has not been released.
The suspect was arrested. His age and identity were not released.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
A recent CBS/YouGov poll has revealed a significant drop in President Biden’s approval rating among young voters over the past two months, as this voter group continues to criticize the president for not taking a more firm stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In February, Biden had a 55 percent approval rating among voters aged 18-29, but by April, that figure had plummeted to just 43 percent. Additionally, his handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict saw a decline in approval, dropping from 51 percent in February to 40 percent in April.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Blue State Pol Who Backed Law Enabling Trump Suit Now Says it’s ‘Unconstitutional’ Amid Rape Claim
A New York state senator is pushing back against a law he originally voted for amid his own fight against accusations of rape, arguing now that the law is unconstitutional.
Democratic State Sen. Kevin Parker argued in a court filing earlier this month that the Adult Survivors Act, a law that he voted in favor of, was unconstitutional, according to a report from the New York Post.
Parker’s argument comes as he faces a lawsuit over allegations he raped Olga Jean-Baptiste in 2004 while the two were working together on Haiti relief efforts, accusations that Parker has denied.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Body of Sixth and Final Victim Recovered From Key Bridge Wreckage Tuesday
Authorities found the body of José Mynor López, the final victim of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse to be pulled from the Patapsco River, Tuesday.
Six weeks to the day since a massive cargo ship struck a support beam, sending the bridge and a construction crew fixing its potholes into the river, the bodies of all six men killed in the collapse have been found. Crews continue to work on removing the bridge wreckage to clear the shipping channel and plan to use precision explosive charges to remove part of the bridge lodged on top of the ship.
Wilmer Lopez Orellana, an uncle of López, said in Spanish he had not heard about the recovery but that it would be “good news” that teams had found his nephew’s body. Orellana said the family hopes that López’s mother will bury him in Guatemala. He left behind four children.
The victims were part of a Brawner Builders crew working on the bridge when it was struck by the cargo ship Dali early in the morning of March 26. They were presumed dead later that day as operations shifted from rescue to recovery.
Divers previously recovered the bodies of Dorlian Castillo Cabrera, 26, originally from Guatemala; Maynor Suazo Sandoval, 38, originally from Honduras; Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, 35, originally from Mexico; Carlos Daniel Hernandez, who was in his 20s and was originally from Mexico; and Miguel Ángel Luna González, 49 and originally from El Salvador.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: J6 Defendant David Homol Commits Suicide in Florida While Awaiting Trial
A Florida man who had been arrested on charges related to his alleged role in the January 6 US Capitol riot has committed suicide while awaiting trial, according to a police report.
David Kennedy Homol, 55, of Umatilla, Florida, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was found dead on April 18, police said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Supreme Court Weighs Removing a Measure Making it Harder to Raise Taxes From the Ballot
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The California Supreme Court is weighing whether to keep a measure off the November ballot that would make it harder for the state and local governments to raise taxes, in a legal battle pitting Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers against the business groups and taxpayer advocates who organized the initiative.
Several of the seven justices who heard arguments Wednesday questioned whether keeping the entire measure from the ballot, which would be a rare step for the court, was the best option. The justices also sought to better understand the measure’s impact on local governments’ ability to raise taxes and fees.
Under the current system, the Legislature can raise taxes with a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and Assembly. The initiative would require that voters also approve any new tax hikes after legislative passage for them to take effect.
The measure would also change the voting threshold by which communities can raise taxes through ballot initiatives, from a simple majority to a two-thirds majority.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Protests Block Downtown Streets With President Biden in City for Fundraiser
CHICAGO (WLS) — Protesters blocked downtown Chicago streets Wednesday evening, as President Joe Biden came to the city for another campaign fundraiser.
Protesters gathered near Monroe and State streets in the Loop about 5 p.m., protesting the president’s visit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-CNN anchor Chris Cuomo disclosed he is taking the pharmaceutical drug Ivermectin to treat his “long Covid” diagnosis, despite disparaging others who promoted the drug in 2020, stating they “need to be shamed.”
Cuomo, who now works for NewsNation, issued the disclosure during an appearance on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast “PBD.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
College Anti-Israel Agitators Would be Sent to Gaza Under New House GOP Bill
FIRST ON FOX: A new House Republican bill would send any person charged and convicted for illegal activity on a college campus to Gaza for at least six months.
Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced the bill on Wednesday alongside Reps. Randy Weber, R-Texas, and Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., in response to the ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations on college campuses across the country.
Several of those protests have turned violent, with clashes between police and activists, as well as hundreds of activists being arrested across multiple campuses.
While Ogles’ bill text does not mention Israel or the anti-Israel groups, it specifically targets unlawful activity on college campuses after Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants invaded Israel in a surprise attack that killed over 1,000 people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DOJ Urged to Probe Trump ‘Fixer’ Michael Cohen for Allegedly Lying to Congress Six Times
Former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen got slapped Wednesday with another criminal referral to the Justice Department.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) urged the DOJ to investigate Cohen for allegedly lying to Congress on at least six occasions in 2019.
“We again request that the Justice Department investigate whether any of Mr. Cohen’s testimony warrants another charge,” Jordan and Comer wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Restarts Communications With Social Media Companies Over ‘Disinformation’ Ahead of 2024 Election
Senator Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, revealed at a briefing during the RSA Conference that intelligence agencies, including the FBI, have resumed discussions with social media companies in preparation for the upcoming 2024 election.
This announcement coincides with the ongoing hearings at the Supreme Courtregarding Murthy v. Missouri, a case focusing on allegations that federal agencies pressured social media platforms to remove specific content, such as COVID-19 vaccine-related information, prior to the 2020 presidential election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Felony Charge in Store for Anti-Israel Radicals Who Break Little Known Law
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost warned university presidents on Monday of a historic state law that could mean masked anti-Israel demonstrators on college campuses could face felony charges.
A violation of the so-called “anti-disguise” law, which says that “no person shall unite with two or more others to commit a misdemeanor while wearing white caps, masks, or other disguise,” is a fourth-degree felony punishable by between six and 18 months in prison.
“Those guilty may also pay up to $5,000 in fines and spend up to five years on community control,” Yost wrote in Monday’s letter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Georgia appeals court agreed Wednesday to hear Donald Trump’s bid to boot embattled Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting the Peach State election fraud case against him.
The decision is likely to cause further delays in the case — which was initially set for trial in August before revelations emerged that Fulton County DA Willis had engaged in an affair with her lead prosecutor Nathan Wade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Georgia officials have revealed that Fulton County used improper procedures during a recount of the 2020 presidential election ballots.
Charlene McGowan, general counsel for the secretary of state’s office, said during a Georgia state elections board meeting on Tuesday, “The conclusion of this investigation … is that Fulton County used improper procedures during the recount of the presidential contest in 2020,” according to Atlanta News First.
McGowan, however, said the investigation’s outcome doesn’t change the election’s outcome in the state. Biden flipped the state in 2020, winning by just 11,779 votes.
“This investigation confirmed what we already knew,” McGowan said. “There is nothing we have learned that is new from this investigation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A House committee investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic accused the onetime top adviser to Dr. Anthony Fauci of obstructing their probe — and subpoenaed him a third time, now to force him to testify before his ex-boss.
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic issued the subpoena to Dr. David Morens on Wednesday, demanding his appearance at a May 22 hearing.
Morens still serves as a senior scientific adviser to the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which Fauci helmed from 1984 to 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The head of a Hamas-cheering radical activist group was among the 50 protesters arrested when cops thwarted unruly demonstrations in Manhattan and cleared out an anti-Israel encampment at the Fashion Institute of Technology overnight, The Post has learned.
Manolo De Los Santos, 35, was spotted being cuffed and hauled away by two NYPD officers in riot helmets as protesters marched through the streets towards the West 27th Street campus on Tuesday evening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC Mayor, NYPD Offer $15K Cash Reward for Info on World War I Memorial Vandals
Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has contributed $5,000 of his own money to a reward offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for vandalizing a World War I memorial.
The 107th United States Infantry monument, situated in Central Park on the Upper East Side, was vandalized during a protest on Monday. Social media footage shows anti-Israel protesters spray-painting the word “Gaza” on the base of the statue and burning an American flag.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Clear Pro-Palestinian Protest Camp and Arrest 33 at DC Campus as Mayor’s Hearing is Canceled
WASHINGTON (AP) — Police used pepper spray to clear a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University and arrested dozens of demonstrators on Wednesday just as city officials were set to appear before hostile lawmakers in Congress to account for their handling of the 2-week-old protest.
The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability canceled the hearing after the crackdown, with its chairman and other Republicans welcoming the police action. House Speaker Mike Johnson said, “it should not require threatening to haul D.C.’s mayor before Congress to keep Jewish students at George Washington University safe.”
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, said she and Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith decided to clear the camp because of signs that “the protest was becoming more volatile and less stable.” Among them were indications that protesters had “gathered improvised weapons” and were “casing” university buildings with the possible intention of occupying them, police said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Princeton Students on Hunger Strike for Gaza Complain They Are Hungry and ‘All Immunocompromised’
Students at New Jersey’s elite Ivy League Princeton University have been on a hunger strike since Friday, and they want the world to know that the university just doesn’t seem to care that they are starving themselves out there on the quad. Also they are hungry, it turns out.
The student activists, who claim to be starving themselves in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, have issued a set of demands to Princeton’s administration that primarily involve an absence of consequences for the student activists.
Hunger strikers on campus took time out of their busy schedule banging on drums and chanting “free, free Palestine” to complain that they are hungry.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A recent incident at Case Western Reserve University has sparked controversy, and some laughs, after a contractor hired by the university to remove vandalism on campus walls was filmed painting over anti-Israel protesters who were standing in his way.
Video footage posted on social media captured the contractors painting over the walls while protesters, wearing face masks, stood in front of them. One video stated in a caption, “students were assaulted by contractors at CRWU.” The scene has led to mixed reactions, with some finding humor in the situation, while others expressing outrage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he is living with a dead worm in his brain, according to court documents obtained by the New York Times. Kennedy, 70, said the remains of the parasite were discovered in 2010 after he saw a neurologist for memory loss and brain fog, amid fears he could have brain cancer like his late uncle, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. He claimed in a 2012 deposition that what at first appeared to be a tumor “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” Kennedy suspects he picked up the parasite during a trip to South Asia. Speaking to the N.Y. Times, he said he no longer experiences memory loss or fogginess related to the health incident, which, he noted, did not require treatment.
How can something like this happen? Here’s what to know about the condition, known as neurocysticercosis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr Challenges Trump to Debate at Libertarian Convention
Hoping to exploit their overlapping appearance commitments, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr on Tuesday challenged Donald Trump to a debate at the Libertarian Party’s national convention this month, saying it represents “perfect neutral territory.”
Playing to Trump’s ego, Kennedy’s invitation started off with an expression of gratitude to the former president for spotlighting major media’s “rigged polling” against Trump. “We have this concern too,” said Kennedy in a lengthy post on X, saying Democrat-aligned pollsters use deceptive methods that result in them “pretending” Kennedy is languishing in the single digits.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
South Carolinians Can Question Police Without Being Arrested, SC Supreme Court Rules
The S.C. Supreme Court on Wednesday overturned the arrest and conviction of a man whose offense was that he — while standing on his own property — had asked police a few simple questions.
The man, Thomas Charles Felton Jones, was tackled, shocked with a Taser, handcuffed and arrested, the Supreme Court’s unanimous opinion said.
“The facts in this case are appalling,” the justices said in an opinion written by Associate Justice John Cannon Few.
“While many circumstances may require law enforcement officers to secure a scene to carry out their duties or secure their safety, what happened to Jones has left us deeply disturbed,” the opinion said.
“As is clear from both the body camera footage and the record before us, Jones was doing nothing more than observing and asking questions of the officers. Both of these actions are constitutionally protected conduct, and as such, cannot support a conviction under this ordinance,” Few wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Rebukes Majorie Taylor Greene’s Failed Attempt to Oust Speaker: ‘Not the Time’
Former President Donald Trump called on House Republicans to not vote in favor of Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., saying “now is not the time” to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday killed an effort by Greene and Rep. Thomas Massie R-Ky., to vote on vacating the chair.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former President Donald Trump sounded off against the “sleazebags, lowlifes and grifters” making accusations against him in the “hush money” trial on Wednesday, saying that “it is hard to sit back and listen” but that retaliating could land him in “prison.”
The fierce words from the ex-commander in chief comes after former porn star Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday about their alleged affair, where she went into raunchy details about spanking him with a magazine and having sex in the “missionary position.”
“It is a really bad feeling to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a big part of life in our Country, so unfairly taken from you, especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UNC’s Crusade Against Anonymous Apps Sparks Free Speech Firestorm
The University of North Carolina (UNC) is moving to ban anonymous social apps, supposedly out of declarative concern for the students’ well-being.
The idea, the brainchild of the UNC System, will affect all 16 campuses under its control. But this is not an isolated case as other universities are reported to be looking into making similar decisions.
The UNC System chose dramatic language to justify the move, referring to the apps in question as somehow having “reckless disregard” for students (in terms of allowing “bad behavior and bullying”), with the organization’s president Peter Hans vowing to block “the most destructive ones.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US’ First Faculty-Led Anti-Israel Encampment Erected at New School
New School faculty members erected their own solidarity encampment at the university’s Manhattan campus Wednesday afternoon in the first staff-led anti-Israel protest in the US, according to organizers.
A handful of faculty members set up roughly half a dozen tents at the progressive college’s University Center and joined their students in demanding the school divest from 13 companies they claim are aiding Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza.
They’re also demanding an end to NYPD’s presence on campus, calling for disciplinary charges against students to be expunged.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Since being tabled in February, the Trudeau Liberals’ Online Harms Act has been met with criticism, namely from those who have interpreted the section dealing with “hate speech” to mean that the government is seeking to retroactively target people for content they’ve posted in the past.
mong those who have sounded the alarm over Bill C-63 are Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson, arguing that the new legislation would, if passed, turn Canada into an “Orwellian” nightmare.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium Buckles, Will Hand Ukraine Billions in Tax on Profits From Frozen Russian Assets
Pressure from the European Union and G7 members on Belgium to hand over billions of euros collected in taxes on profits from immobilised Russian assets has had an effect.
The Belgian Government had initially refused to comply with Brussels’ and Washington’s demands, but in an apparent about-turn, on May 8, a plan to use the interest on Russian assets tied up in Europe to buy arms from Ukraine is to be fast-tracked for approval. The Belgian Government holds the rotating presidency of the European Union in the first half of this year, after which Hungary takes over.
The money to be made available amounts to around €3 billion and is expected to be freed-up next year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland has been rewarded for echoing Brussels’ pro-war agenda and only offering superficial criticism of the bloc’s migration policy under former Eurocrat Donald Tusk’s government, a leading Hungarian MEP has claimed.
Speaking after the European Commission announced it was ending its Article 7 proceedings against Poland, Tamas Deutsch, the lead candidate for Hungary’s governing Fidesz party at the upcoming European elections, criticized Brussels’ decision and accused the EU executive of double standards.
“This is what happens when you have a pro-war government that supports or only moderately criticizes Brussels’ ambitions on migration, or a government that enthusiastically agrees with the gender ideological madness and warmly welcomes rather than opposes Brussels’ withdrawal of powers,” Deutsch said in response to the news, alluding to the Orwellian novels of “1984” and “Animal Farm” and making parallels with the supranational governance from Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China’s Xi in France: Grilled on Trade and Support for Russia
Almost one year after French president Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China, his counterpart, Chinese president Xi Jinping made his own sojourn to the French capital—his first to a European Union country in half a decade.
Unlike their previous high-level meeting, Xi and Macron did not meet alone on Monday, as they were joined by European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who was there to represent the interests of the bloc.
Can China be trusted on questions of trade and foreign policy? And does Monday’s meeting change this position?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China’s Xi Praises Hungary’s ‘Independence’ Ahead of Meeting PM Orban
Ahead of his meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as part of his current European tour, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Hungary for its “independent” foreign policy.
Xi’s comments before he was due to visit Orban on the evening of May 8 could exacerbate division within the European Union. They appeared to be a reference to the PM’s public defiance of Brussels and Budapest’s warm relationship with Russia.
In late 2023, Hungary’s ruling party launched a campaign for the European Parliament elections in June depicting European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen alongside Alex Soros, the son of liberal Hungarian-born financier George Soros and a perennial target of hostility from Orban’s Fidesz Party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ethnic Hungarian Scientist Albert-Laszló Barabasi Elected Into the US National Academy of Sciences
Albert-Laszló Barabasi, the Hungarian scientist whose seminal work “Linked: The New Science of Networks” was instrumental in establishing network research as an independent discipline, has been elected an international member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Barabasi became the distinguished professor and director of the Center for Network Science at Northeastern University in 2007 and took up an appointment in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
In the Barabasi Lab, he and his researchers have studied how networks affect everything from subcellular genetic interactions through professional relationships to the achievement of success.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Council Agrees on Using Profits From Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine
Belgium, the country holding the vast majority of Russian assets frozen in the EU after the invasion of Ukraine, has finally given in to the increasing EU and G7 pressure to transfer the tax revenue collected on the windfall profits to Ukraine starting next year, according to a document obtained by Politico. The gesture allowed the EU countries to agree on using said profits to fund Ukraine during a Council meeting on Wednesday, May 8th.
After the beginning of the war in early 2022, Western countries collectively froze about $300 billion worth of foreign reserves belonging to the Russian Central Bank, €200 billion of which is held in various European financial institutes. For a brief time, the EU considered appropriating the entire amount to turn it into aid for Ukraine, but the plan was quickly abandoned due to the myriad of legal problems it would pose.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Floats Sanctions on Russian Liquid Natural Gas
For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Commission is proposing to include liquified natural gas (LNG) in a sanctions package against Russia. It’s unlikely, however, that a consensus can be easily reached among the member states, as large Western European countries are the primary consumers of Russian LNG and have been increasing their import volumes over the past year.
The Commission’s planned sanctions included in its upcoming 14th sanctions package wouldn’t directly ban the import of Russian LNG, but only prohibit its re-export after it entered the EU, forcing Moscow to rethink its global supply chains and, the hope is, lose money in the process. In contrast, natural gas carried to Europe by pipelines would remain unaffected.
So far, natural gas has remained untouched by the EU’s sanctions packages despite early attempts to limit Russian exports as Brussels understood that gas represents a vital energy source for too many member states. Previous packages included bans on Russian coal and seaborne crude oil only.
The newly proposed gas sanctions also appear to look relatively mild.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Regulators Crack Down on Big Tech
European regulators have launched a series of probes into Big Tech. In the latest, Apple AAPL.O, Meta Platforms META.O and Alphabet’s GOOGL.O Google could receive hefty fines by the end of the year over alleged breaches, including disparaging rival products on their platforms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Parliament Must Release Information on Convicted MEP, EU Court Rules
The European Court of Justice has ruled that the European Parliament cannot refuse information requests when citizens seek access to documents related to a convicted member of the assembly.
“The European Parliament must give access, in the interests of public scrutiny, to information relating to a Member of the European [Parliament] convicted in a court of law,” the Court said in a statement.
The judgment on May 8 goes against EP’s decision.
EU General Court’s move concerned the Greek MEP Loannis Lagos’. He was sentenced to 13 years and eight months in jail by the Court of Appeal of Athens in 2020 for “leading a criminal organisation”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Explosion in Brussels? Locals Spot Fire at European Quarters
Unverified accounts suggest an explosion may have taken place at the European Parliament Quarters in Brussels, Belgium’s capital. Numerous individuals on social media claim to have witnessed flames emanating from the building. However, official confirmation is currently unavailable. Time Now has contacted the Brussels Fire Department seeking clarification on the reported incident.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
France: First Conference Against Antisemitism Launched in Paris
In an attempt to curb the explosion in antisemitic acts on French soil since the October 7th attacks, the minister delegate for anti-discrimination opened the first conference on combating antisemitism in Paris on Monday, May 6th, bringing together representatives of religious denominations and associations. She called for a “collective awakening”.
Representatives of various religious denominations all attended, which was impressive as this was the first time such an event had been held. They included the archbishop of Rennes, who is responsible for relations with Judaism at the French bishops’ conference, the president of the Israelite Central Consistory of France, the chief rabbi of France, the president of the Protestation Federation of France, and the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris.
During the discussions, the conference highlighted the new face of French antisemitism.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France, Five Other EU Countries Defy EU Boycott of Putin Inauguration
While the US and most of the European Union boycotted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, six EU countries including France did not.
“We are not at war with Russia or the Russian people, and we have no desire for regime change in Moscow,” said France’s President Emmanuel Macron, who sent French Ambassador Pierre Levy for the event on May 7.
Kyiv had asked countries not to participate due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and likewise EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said for Member States it was “better not to attend”.
Hungary and Slovakia also sent representatives to the ceremony in Moscow, as did Greece, Cyprus and Malta.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Government Opposes Muslim Brotherhood (Finally)
France’s minister of the interior, Gérald Darmanin, has announced in the press that he wants to “fight back against the Muslim Brotherhood.” According to territorial intelligence, the Muslim Brotherhood, which aims to establish a global caliphate, has doubled its numbers in France in just a few years. At the Defence Council, the French president Emmanuel Macron asked for a report on the threat it poss—a welcome but late and inadequate recognition.
The interior minister speaks of a “race against time,” a “Gramscian” cultural/institutional battle against a “vicious” organisation, a “challenge.” Darmanin describes the mechanisms at work: “The Brotherist organisation does not use terrorism, it uses much softer methods, but it works effectively for the gradual tipping of all sections of society into the Islamic matrix.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The girl, who remains unidentified for privacy reasons, was allegedly lured into a wooded area in Kortrijk, West Flanders, by her teenage boyfriend over the Easter school break
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Germany to Crack Down on Violence Against Politicians
The highly politicized saga about last week’s attack on the German socialist MEP Matthias Ecke (S&D, SPD) continues. During a meeting of the country’s regional interior ministers on Wednesday, May 7th, the German government announced plans to tighten the criminal law and introduce harsher punishment for assaulting politicians or their staff.
“Offenders who actively attack political activists must feel the full force of the law. That means swift, consistent proceedings and punishments,” federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said after the meeting, adding that the decision to explore changes to the criminal code enjoyed the backing of a strong consensus in the room.
“If we have to further tighten criminal law for this, I will swiftly discuss this with the justice minister,” Faeser added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Politicians and Media Blame ‘Far-Right’ for Political Violence
German federal interior minister Nancy Faeser and the interior ministers of Germany’s sixteen states are debating on the evening of Tuesday, May 7th, whether to increase the police presence at political events in order to protect politicians from physical assaults.
The extraordinary meeting was called after Matthias Ecke, a Social Democrat member of the European Parliament, was brutally attacked by four teenagers on Friday, leaving him hospitalised and in need of surgery. The incident provoked uproar all across the country, and violence against politicians was widely condemned. However, mainstream parties immediately blamed the opposition anti-immigration, anti-globalist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) for the attack—not for actual involvement in any form, but for “sowing discord” within society.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Declares Broken Wind Turbines to be Listed Buildings
Two broken wind turbines in Schünow (Brandenburg), Germany, that have been standing idle for several years, are to be listed as protected structures.
With the move, the owners avoid paying a hefty sum for dismantling obsolete, decommissioned windmills.
A wind power consultant suggested placing them under monument protection because they were part of the first wind farm in Brandenburg.
Surprising many, local government officials agreed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Senator Attacked as Violence Against Politicians Escalates
A senator has been attacked in Berlin amid a growing spate of assaults against politicians in Germany.
Having primarily affected populist politicians in the country over the past few years, the number of violent incidents has now expanded to representatives across the political spectrum.
Just days after the lead MEP candidate for the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) was attacked in Dresden, another senior politician from the party, Franziska Giffey, was also set upon.
According to local reports, Giffey was touring a local library on May 7 when she was attacked by an unknown assailant.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s CDU, Scenting Power, Tacks Right With New Party Programme
Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU) has adopted a party programme that positions it distinctly more to the Right from its centrist orientation under former chancellor Angela Merkel.
Among the new manifesto proposals revealed on May 7 are requiring immigrants to sign up for Germany’s Leitkultur, or dominant culture, with a body of beliefs that include recognising Israel’s right to exist.
Other proposals in the programme included sending refugees to “safe third countries” (a nod to the UK’s Rwanda policy), bringing back nuclear power and introducing an obligatory “year of service” to benefit society for school leavers. Regarding “green” policy, the party adopted a line of “leaving it to inventors” to develop technological solutions to climate change.
The new programme reflected an attempt to distinguish the CDU’s party leader Friedrich Merz, leading in polls with around 30 per cent, from a Chancellor Olaf Scholz whose coalition of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals is performing poorly.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Half of French ‘Not Interested in the EP Elections’, Poll Suggests
A poll in France shows that the electorate is far from enthusiastic about the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.
The poll was conducted online by Viavoice, commissioned by France 24, RFI, MCD, France Télévisions and Radio France from April 19 to 24, involving 2,000 people residing in metropolitan France. Respondents formed a representative sample of the French population aged 18 and over.
“The French, in a context conducive to pessimism, lack information about the European elections and the role of the European Parliament,” France 24 noted of the results.
Around a month before the EU elections, only 49 per cent of French people polled said they were interested in the European elections, with 48 per cent saying they were not.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Rebuilds Reservist Force After it Was Nearly Wiped Out
Hungary’s reservist force went from barely over a dozen troops when the conservative government took power, to a quickly growing force that will be able to confront outside threats to Hungary’s sovereignty.
“We have completed the framework of the Territorial Defense Reserve System, our next task is to build it, and soon we will start a large-scale recruitment,” said Hungarian Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky at the flag donation ceremony of the 1st Territorial Defense Regiment in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Gödöllo on Tuesday.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky said that their aim is to get as many people as possible to decide that they want to do something for the defense of Hungary and to be part of “this big family that not only tries to make a man, but also builds a man.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland Calls on Tech Giants to Muzzle Election “Misinformation”
Ireland’s Electoral Commission Chief Executive Art O’Leary is warning tech companies behind major social media platforms to adhere to what he considers their responsibilities in the electoral process.
One the one hand, O’Leary is effectively threatening they could facing unspecified “reputational consequences” that are “not good” in case they are found to be uncooperative in what appears to be the ultimate goal here — censorship, i.e., “removal of material” that is found to be causing “damage to democracy.”
On the other hand, the Electoral Commission chief seems satisfied that the companies the Irish authorities would like to keep under control during the campaign period are in fact “very conscious” of the circumstances, and will, in other words, “behave.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Number Limits on Medicine Courses Set to be Scrapped
Move criticized by physicians guild
A Senate education panel on Wednesday approved a text that seeks to stop universities from setting limits on the number of students they admit to medicine degree courses.
The president of the committee, League lawmaker Roberto Marti, said backing for the proposal was almost unanimous.
“Intense work lead to the maximum level of agreement among all the political parties,” said Marti, adding that this was a pledge the League had made in its election manifesto “So we will offer our young people the opportunity to freely enroll for the faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine and start a path that will allow them to have the time to find their way in the university world.
“Students will also have the opportunity to verify their vocation and demonstrate the skills acquired through the study of the basic subjects of these degree courses”.
Filippo Anelli, the president of the federation of Italian doctor and dentist guilds (Fnomceo), criticized the move.
“We are clearly against it,” Anelli told ANSA.
“This is absolutely not a sensible rule.
“Scrapping the number limit for medicine courses means that in 10 years, the time it takes to train a doctor, we will have a plethora of graduates who have no chance of finding jobs as doctors.
“We will only produce unemployed people.”
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Still No New Cabinet After Another Long Day of Negotiations
After another long day of negotiations, a Cabinet of PVV, VVD, NSC, and BBB is still not in sight. Whether the four parties will reach an agreement may remain uncertain until May 15, formation leaders Elbert Dijkgraaf and Richard van Zwol said after the discussions between the party leaders and their seconds. The formation leaders’ final report must then be sent to parliament. “Time is running out,” said Van Zwol. Dijkgraaf also said that “time is starting to run out a bit.”
“There is no certainty,” Van Zwol said when journalists asked whether the four parties would reach an agreement. Although the discussions on Tuesday were good—they did hard work, and the atmosphere was good—no decision has been made on any issue yet. The mutual discussions are tough, Dijkgraaf said, but he also thinks that is logical. “The deadline is getting closer.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Police Arrest 50 Pro-Palestine Protesters on Utrecht Campus; No Intervention in A’dam
The police ended a Pro-Palestinian protest at Utrecht University, arresting around 50 demonstrators after midnight. A similar protest at a University of Amsterdam campus happened without intervention from the authorities, NOS reports.
In Utrecht, protesters occupied the courtyard of the University Library on the Drift at around 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. They erected tents and barricades and demanded that Utrecht University speak out on the situation in Gaza and break all ties with Israeli universities.
Toward the end of the evening, some 150 demonstrators remained. The authorities ordered them to leave, and some did. After midnight, the police arrested the remaining 50 protesters and took them away on two city buses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Aims for Half of Military Equipment to be Domestically Produced, Says Defense Minister
In a bid to strengthen national security and boost local industry, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that the country aims to have 50 percent of its military equipment purchased from within Poland.
Speaking at a press conference in Katowice, the minister revealed that approximately 18 billion zlotys (€4.17 billion) has been allocated for investments in the Polish defense industry.
Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized the government’s commitment to supporting Polish manufacturers or those located on Polish territory.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Polish military is gearing up to integrate a state-of-the-art defensive system, the “Barbara” aerostats, which include unpowered balloons or powered airships tasked with monitoring the airspace over the eastern frontier.
Equipped with radars, these aerostats will oversee the airspace above Ukraine, Belarus and Kaliningrad, providing precision surveillance of targets at extremely low altitudes to ensure that no missile approaching Poland goes undetected.
General Artur Kuptel, head of the Armament Agency, explained that “this is a unique, highly advanced, and multifunctional system. We will be able to monitor any unauthorized object within our national territory or NATO’s territory, and take early action to neutralize any threat.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Revelations have emerged that Judge Tomasz Szmydt, who on Monday fled to Belarus and requested political asylum in that country, had been closely monitored by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW) as well as Poland’s counterintelligence services, which were gathering evidence of his spying. At the end of the operation, however, something went wrong.
According to unofficial information acquired by news outlet Onet, Szmydt had for several years maintained contact not only with Belarusian intelligence officers but also those of Russia.
The Polish government has ordered an immediate review of all the classified information to which Judge Szmydt had access to as a result of his job. He was not an ordinary judge at the Administrative Court in Warsaw but had access to classified materials, including those of critical importance to national security. It has already been established that he was responsible for making decisions on public officials’ access to NATO secrets and other classified materials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Telegram Confirms Efforts to Comply With EU Censorship Rules
Messaging service Telegram has confirmed it will make an effort to comply with European Union-level censorship rules.
Following a report by Belgian media that the app had appointed a legal representative within Belgium to make itself compliant with the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), Telegram confirmed in a post it had done so.
According to the Dubai-headquartered messaging service, so-called “competent authorities” will be able to reach out to it over DSA complaints through a European Digital Services Representative it has now set up in Brussels.
Telegram has also now provided a link for individuals to report “illegal content” within the EU for removal, although warned that it may “suspend” a user’s complaints if they “repeatedly submit manifestly unfounded, fraudulent or misleading reports”.
Speaking to Brussels Signal, an official for the Belgium Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications (BIPT) also confirmed that it would now be responsible for monitoring Telegram’s compliance with the DSA.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.S. Raises Terror Alert Level for Germany
The U.S. State Department has issued a Level 2 travel advisory for Germany due to fears of terrorism, meaning those traveling there should “exercise increased caution.”
“Terrorist groups keep planning attacks in Germany,” and “may attack with little or no warning,” the State Department noted.
The agency added that terrorists could target tourism and transportation hubs, as well as shopping destinations, hotels, clubs, restaurants, local government facilities and major events.
They did not give the exact motivation of the likely terrorists, although last year Europol warned that the vast majority of terror-related crimes in the EU are Islamist-inspired.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a video posted to X, formerly Twitter , five plain clothed police officers can be seen pinning the suspect to the ground while they search him on the platform of West Ham station.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Labour Trying to Out-Green the Greens
However unpopular the drive to net zero becomes, ‘moderate’ Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer cannot help but show off his eco-zealot roots.
Starmer’s shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, last month bragged that the likely incoming Labour government would be more pro-business than former prime minister Tony Blair—on the proviso that plans to raise £22 billion (€25.57bn) for private sector investment are shaped around green energy projects.
The opposition is now working overtime to out-green the Green Party, which made gains in last week’s local elections (albeit partly due to the Gaza issue as opposed to climate change).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Tories Go Soft on Crime (Again)
Conservative Party efforts to look ‘tough on crime’ ahead of this year’s general election took another battering this week after it emerged that some prisoners will be released more than two months early to help reduce prison overcrowding.
Domestic abusers, burglars, and fraudsters who have been sentenced to less than four years in prison are among those who are eligible for the scheme—extended now for the second time—which could see them be freed up to 70 days early.
There was no formal announcement on the extension, which Tory officials would clearly much rather have kept under wraps. Instead, The Times published a story after getting its hands on an email sent to probation and prison staff which said that early-release measures introduced two months ago had failed to ease overcrowding in Britain’s crumbling prisons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What Lessons Has Hungary Learned in Its 20 Years of EU Membership?
Twenty years in the life of a person, and of a country, is long enough to pause and reflect on what the two decades we have been part of the European Union have really meant.
Before we get into that, it is perhaps worth mentioning an episode that occurred just before the admission of eight countries to the European Union in 2004, in the spring of 2003. At that time, the United States invaded Iraq on the basis of primitive lies, and, of course, tried to use the whole world as a simple source of legitimacy. But, surprisingly enough, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder condemned the U.S. imperial intervention very strongly as a serious threat to the balance of power in the world. More surprisingly, the governments of the eight accession countries, including Hungary, issued a joint memorandum strongly supporting the aggressive action of the United States.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Will Polish FM Sikorski be the New EU Defense Commissioner?
n a keynote address at the 16th European Economic Congress in the city of Katowice, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined plans to enhance the European defense industry over the next five years, advocating increased spending and utilization of European funds to ensure the production of military capabilities within Europe. The head of the European Commission also emphasized the necessity of establishing a “truly European air defense system.”
Later, von der Leyen told reporters that if she is elected to head the European Commission once more, she will nominate a commissioner for European defense “who will be responsible for the arms industry and better market coordination.”
She made similar remarks back in February when she said that a new defense commissioner would be responsible for the arms industry, R&D, and security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Vows US Will Not Supply Weapons for Israel’s Offensive Attack on Hamas-Controlled Rafah
WASHINGTON — President Biden said Wednesday that “I’m not supplying the weapons” if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves forward with a full attack on the Hamas-controlled city of Rafah — before signaling he wants Israel to surrender the Gaza Strip’s transitional administration to Arab states.
“I made clear that if they go into Rafah — they haven’t gotten into Rafah yet — if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem,” Biden told CNN’s Erin Burnett in a rare sit-down interview.
Biden’s threat drew swift condemnation from Israel supporters in Congress and followed days of obfuscation by the White House about reports the administration had stopped the transmission of powerful precision bombs. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed to Congress earlier Wednesday the shipment had been “paused,” but claimed a final decision about its fate had not yet been made.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel-Gaza War: Biden to Halt Some Arms Supplies if Israel Invades Rafah
President Joe Biden has warned Israel that the US will stop supplying some weapons if it launches a major ground operation in the Gaza city of Rafah.
“If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah,” he said during an interview with CNN.
He added that he would “continue to make sure Israel is secure”.
Despite firm and vocal US opposition, Israel appears poised to mount a large-scale invasion of Rafah.
The congested part of southern Gaza is Hamas’s last major stronghold in the territory. US officials have warned that an operation in the city — where the population has swelled with refugees from other parts of Gaza — could lead to extensive civilian casualties.
“We’re not going to supply the weapons and artillery shells,” Mr Biden said in the interview, which will air later on Wednesday.
He said the US did not define the current situation in Rafah as a ground operation. “They haven’t gone into the population centres. What they did is right on the border,” he said.
“But I’ve made it clear to [Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu] and the war cabinet, they’re not going to get our support, if in fact they go in these population centres.”
The comments amount to the president’s strongest warning yet over a potential ground invasion of Rafah, and mark the first time he has said the US could stop shipments of American weapons to Israel.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Conservative men have explained why they ditched life in the US to start fresh in Russia as they praised the country’s Christianity, stunning scenery and beautiful women.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Rumble is Blocked in Russia After Refusing Censorship Requests
The Russian government has officially blocked access to the video-sharing platform Rumble, following the company’s refusal to comply with demands for censorship. That’s according to Chris Pavlovski, CEO of Rumble, who confirmed the news, highlighting the platform’s commitment to free speech and its refusal to bend to external pressures.
“Russia has officially blocked Rumble because we refused to comply with their censorship demands,” Pavlovski stated. He pointed out the apparent contradiction in the treatment of different tech companies, noting, “Ironically, YouTube is still operating in Russia, and everyone needs to ask what Russian demands Google and YouTube are complying with?”
The block comes amid heightened tensions over internet freedoms in Russia. The government has been tightening its grip on online content, demanding that platforms remove or block content it deems politically sensitive or harmful.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Warns of ‘Enormous Danger’ if NATO Sends Troops to Ukraine
MOSCOW (Reuters) — Russia said on Wednesday that sending NATO troops into Ukraine would potentially be extremely dangerous, and Moscow was closely watching a Ukrainian petition that called for such an intervention.
The petition, posted on the Ukrainian president’s website, says Ukraine should ask the United States, Britain and other countries to send troops to help it repel Russia’s invasion.
“The Kyiv regime is quite unpredictable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskovsaid when asked about it at his daily briefing.
“We have repeatedly said that direct intervention on the ground in this conflict by the military of NATO countries potentially carries enormous danger, so we consider this an extremely challenging provocation, nothing less, and, of course, we are watching this very carefully.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Intensifies Ukraine Energy Infrastructure Strikes
Russian missiles and drones struck nearly a dozen Ukrainian critical infrastructure facilities in a major airstrike early on May 7, causing serious damage at three Soviet-era thermal power plants, Kyiv officials said.
The air force said it shot down 39 of 55 missiles and 20 out of 21 attack drones used in the attack, which piles more pressure on Ukraine’s beleaguered energy system more than two years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
“Another massive attack on our energy industry!” Energy Minister German Galushchenko wrote on the Telegram app.
Two people were injured in the Kyiv region and one was hurt in the Kirovohrad region, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saudi Crown Prince, Zelenskyy Discuss Bilateral Relations, Ukraine Conflict
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed bilateral relations in a phone call Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry reported in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
The two leaders also discussed the development of the Russia-Ukraine war and the efforts to resolve it, the ministry added.
Zelenskyy visited the Kingdom in February and met with MBS in Riyadh where he said they discussed peace prospects, the exchange of prisoners of war (POW) and the Kingdom’s potential participation in reconstruction efforts.
During their February meeting, MBS affirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for all efforts to resolve the crisis as well as for support to reduce the humanitarian impact of the war. According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Zelenskyy thanked Saudi Arabia for all its efforts.
Saudi Arabia has played a key role in mediating previous prisoner exchanges between Kyiv and Moscow. It also continues to have strong ties with both countries, which have been at war since the Russian invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
China is CREATING Heat Waves Over the Pacific Ocean — Killing Fish and Other Wildlife
A team of researchers found that China’s reduction of aerosol emissions has contributed to rising sea temperatures in areas of the northeastern Pacific from 2010 through 2020.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
An anti-woke American podcaster has unleashed on Australia claiming it is ‘the weakest, wokest, lamest country on Earth’. Here’s why.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Victorian craft brewer Deeds Brewing has announced it will close its doors for good with all of its staff to be laid off after the owners failed to find a buyer.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Highline Caravans Collapses: Victorian-Based Company Goes Into Liquidation
Victoria-based builder Highline Caravans Pty Ltd went into voluntary liquidation this week owing $1.14million to almost 60 creditors.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Man Tells Cop ‘Your Law Doesn’t Apply to Me as an Aboriginal Man’ After Being Pulled Over
A man who was stopped for an alleged traffic infringement told a police officer the law did not apply to him because he’s Aboriginal.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A major manhunt is now underway to track the man who allegedly followed the woman aged in her late 80s into a lift at her South Yarra apartment complex in inner-city Melbourne
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Asylum Seekers Paying Thousands to Enter Ireland Via Cruise Ships
There were a total of 85 tents lined up between Mount Street Bridge and Huband Bridge yesterday afternoon — a figure that has doubled in less than a week.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Majid Jamshidi Doukoshkan, a refugee recently accused of beating an elderly woman, was previously convicted of distributing meth.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Six members of a right-wing party in Belgium have been convicted by Liège Criminal Court of inciting hatred in a series of historic Facebook posts in which they criticized the country’s immigration policy and called for the Belgian government to put its own citizens first.
Those on trial were affiliated with Nation, a radical right-wing party that has no representative in any of Belgium’s legislatures, and included three of its former election candidates from the 2018 regional and federal elections.
The convictions pertain to several Facebook posts published between 2020 and 2021 in which the individuals concerned compared Molenbeek, a district of Brussels with a large migrant population, to Africa.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Copenhagen Conference: Danish Left Proposes Its Own ‘Rwanda Plan’
Approximately 250 Eurocrats, government officials, and representatives from UN and the policing agency Europol were in attendance at a low-profile conference in Copenhagen on Monday, where European policymakers considered solutions to the Continent’s asylum crisis.
Officials from Middle Eastern and African states were also present at the Copenhagen Migration Conference, sponsored by Denmark’s left-leaning government. The Nordic country’s ruling social democrats distinguished themselves from their European Union peers by supporting tighter migration controls.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denver Migrants Send List of Demands to Mayor and Claim Staff ‘Abused’ Them
A group of migrants in Denver have sent a list of demands to the city’s mayor in an attempt to secure homes for themselves and their families.
They have promised to leave their encampments, where many live in tents with young children, and move to city-funded shelters if their demands are met.
Denver Human Services has been trying to get them off the streets and into shelters, but the migrants claim they have gone back on its deal.
The city, however, maintains that the offer is still on the table and they will continue to offer services to the migrants that choose to move into shelters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Muslim holy man, known as a marabout, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a serial rapist who raped nine women between 2018 and 2020.
The 30-year-old man, Ali Sidibé, who is from Mali, targeted women from the West African diaspora. On top of the rape convictions, he was also found guilty of defrauding the nine women along with 15 other victims, which helped him earn tens of thousands of euros.
“The maximum sentence was necessary in this case with regard to the seriousness of the facts,” said the lawyer of five of the victims, Me Seydi Ba.
The court, which was composed of five professional judges, agreed with the prosecutor in the case, noting that the suspect is “a very dangerous individual.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Several prominent left-wing politicians in France have signed a letter calling for the right of non-EU migrants to vote in the upcoming European elections.
Around 50 politicians, primarily from the Greens and the Socialist Party, penned the declaration for the right to vote of foreign residents in both local and European elections, including left-wing mayors of several major French cities such as Paris’ Anne Hidalgo and Lyon’s Grégory Doucet.
“As cities, we believe that migration does not reflect a state of emergency, but is a natural and recurring phenomenon in human history,” the declaration read.
“Cities, in particular, are destinations for immigration and, as the first and immediate democratic entity, they are challenged to guarantee the civic participation of the people they welcome,” it added.
The signatories argued that newcomers who do not hold EU citizenship should be allowed to vote so as not to exclude “equal participation in democratic life” because of a person’s passport.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gay Tunisian Couple Stabbed in Dutch Asylum Center
Two asylum seekers from Tunisia were beaten up, threatened, and stabbed over the weekend in Ter Apel, one of the Netherlands’ largest centers for asylum seekers. According to reports, the “visibly homosexual” men reported being attacked with knives by a group of men, shouting: “Gays, gays, we will kill you!” It is the second such incident in the span of just over a week, coming on the heels of the stabbing of a 24-year-old resident on April 23th.
Police have video footage of six attackers, and have apprehended one perpetrator, an underage Algerian asylum seeker. He reportedly targeted the men on the basis of their sexual preference, showing once again the incompatibility of welcoming mass migration from Muslim countries with support for the LGBT lifestyle.
According to Sando Kortekaas from the group LGBT Asylum Support, the couple identified the attackers as Algerians, something police have yet to confirm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: AfD Politician Convicted for Warning About Gang Rapes
The Verden regional court in Lower Saxony has upheld a verdict against Rotenburg AfD leader Marie-Thérèse Kaiser for incitement to hatred. The 27-year-old was also found guilty in the appeal hearing on Monday of inciting hatred against Afghan local workers.
For this, the politician now has to pay 100 day fines (a type of fine related to daily income of the convicted) plus a fine of €60, a total of €6,000. In Germany, you are considered to have a criminal record if you are sentenced to pay more than 90 day fines.
The charge was based on a post that Kaiser had spread on her social media accounts in August 2021. In it, she wrote: “Afghanistan refugees; Hamburg SPD mayor for ‘unbureaucratic’ acceptance; Welcoming culture for gang rape?”
Among other things, the politician linked to an article showing that Afghans in Germany are particularly heavily involved in gang rape.
The verdict has now also caught the attention of X CEO Elon Musk.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
GOP Bill Adding Citizenship Question to 2030 Census Passes House Without a Single Democrat
The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday evening to add a citizenship question to the next U.S. census, with zero Democrats voting in favor.
“If you are an illegal immigrant, you should not be represented in the U.S. Congress,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital after the vote. “It’s a shame that House Democrats are allowing their open-borders agenda to get in the way of common sense.”
The legislation is called the Equal Representation Act, led by Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C. In addition to including a question on citizenship status on the census, the bill would also exclude non-citizens from the population count when factoring how many lawmakers in the House of Representatives each state gets, as well as the number of electors for all 50 states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Immigrant Suspect in Laken Riley’s Murder Indicted, Accused of ‘Peeping’ on UGA Staff Member
FIRST ON FOX — A Georgia grand jury on Tuesday indicted Jose Ibarra, the suspect charged in Augusta University student Laken Riley’s murder, on 10 counts, court documents show.
Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, is accused of killing Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, while she was out for a run along dirt trails on the University of Georgia campus in Athens on Feb. 22.
The grand jury indicted Ibarra on counts of malice murder, two counts of kidnapping with bodily injury, two counts of aggravated assault with intent to rape, two counts of aggravated battery, obstructing or hindering a person from making a 911 call, tampering with evidence and being a “peeping Tom.”
Ibarra is accused of causing Riley’s death by inflicting blunt-force trauma to her head and “asphyxiating her in a manner unknown to jurors,” the indictment states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrant Centres in Albania 20 May Opening Postponed
The opening of new Italian-run migrant centres in Albania, which was scheduled for 20 May, has been postponed, according to reports Wednesday.
The Italian military engineers working on the Shengjin and Gjader sites, according to the agreement between Rome and Tirana, have not yet finished setting up the facilities.
Meanwhile, the contract for the management of the facilities for 24 months was awarded to the Medihospes cooperative with a bid of 133.8 million euro.
Italy is to set up two migrant hotspots and a centre to hold migrants awaiting repatriation for a total expenditure of almost 34 million euro a year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A prolific people smuggler who’s on a global ‘most wanted list’ is so ‘addicted’ to making illegal millions that he’s introduced ‘economy, business and first class’ tiers to migrants desperate for a new life in the UK — including £18,000 ‘less stress’ ferry tickets across the Channel.
A new BBC Radio 4 Intrigue podcast To Catch a Scorpion sees journalist Sue Mitchell join forces with volunteer aid worker — and former Army expert — Rob Lawrie to try and track down ruthless smuggler Barzan Majeed, who was born in Iraq and uses the codename ‘Scorpion’.
The podcast, of which there are three episodes released so far, sees the pair try and track down the criminal mastermind, who continues to evade capture, in spite of an international police surveillance operation that has imprisoned many of his underworld colleagues.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Busts Migrant Smugglers Suspected of Funding Armed Groups
Poland has dismantled an alleged migrant trafficking network at the Polish-Belarusian border which was suspected of providing millions of dollars in funding to armed groups such as Hezbollah, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Thirty-six Polish, Ukrainian, Iraqi and Belarusian members of the alleged network have so far been charged, they added.
“The process consisted of organising the illegal migration of Iraqis, Syrians and Palestinians via the Polish-Belarusian border towards the German border,” prosecutors said.
Prosecutors identified two alleged leaders of the network—Syrian Ahmad R. who resides in Germany, and Mohammed A., known as Abu Josef—as part of a joint investigation.
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A violent Syrian migrant has been convicted of kidnapping his Belgian ex-girlfriend, transporting her to Disneyland Paris, billed as “The Happiest Place on Earth,” and continuing to torture and rape her over the course of days.
The horrifying story played out on Monday in a Bruges courtroom in Belgium, where the 24-year-old victim from Zedelgem described the hell she went through with Mohamad S., who fled to Spain from Syria in 2013. After eventually moving to Belgium, the Syrian met the victim and they began a relationship.
The young woman was abused for years by Mohamad S. but never filed a police complaint and even moved in with him in March 2021. The Syrian was reportedly obsessed with the 24-year-old cheating on him and forced her to take photos of her surroundings and friends when she was out until eventually forcing her to cut off social contacts, according to Belgian news outlet HLN.
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Texas AG Puts Pressure on Migrant NGO Accused of ‘Facilitating Unlawful Entry of Illegal Aliens’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is doubling down on legal action against El Paso migrant aid organization Annunciation House, which he’s accused of shielding illegal immigrants from law enforcement, The Post has exclusively learned.
Paxton claims to have evidence of the nongovernmental organization engaging in “criminal conduct” and requested a temporary injunction Wednesday to stop Annunciation House from allegedly shielding illegal migrants from law enforcement.
Paxton sued Annunciation House on Feb. 20, seeking to end its operations in Texas. At the time, he said he requested documents from the organization and it failed to comply.
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Bud Light Sales Still Suffering in US a Year After Controversy
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Bud Light brand has still not recovered in the U.S. more than a year since the beverage giant’s controversial partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney sparked a boycott of the beer.
In its first-quarter earnings released Wednesday, A-B reported a 2.6% increase in revenue globally, but a 9.1% decrease in America. Sales to retailers in the U.S. were down 13.7%, primarily driven by a drop in Bud Light volume, the company said.
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Disney Cast Biological Male as “Evil Queen” at Florida Wilderness Lodge, Outraged Father Claims
Video surfaced this week from Walt Disney World in Florida where, at the Wilderness Lodge resort, the company appears to have cast a biological male to play the role of Snow White’s wicked queen.
“…the Evil Queen without a doubt had a man’s voice,” said the father of a family who dined at Wilderness Lodge, Brietbartand That Park Place reported.
The father reportedly said: “I told my waiter that I had a problem with something. He then asked what was the issue and I simply stated I have a problem with Evil Queen being a man dressed in drag. The waiter immediately said he was going to get a manager and he looked panicked…”
He continued, telling That Park Place: “At first I said I wanted to formally complain about the Evil Queen being a man and that I felt very disrespected by Disney because this is not the sort of thing my family values and they didn’t give us any type of notice that this sort of thing was even a possibility.”
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UK: LGBT Lobby Group Falls Further From Grace Following Trans Report
Sport England has concluded that membership of Stonewall, Britain’s most high-profile LGBT charity and lobby group, is no longer ‘value for money.’
The public body, under the auspices of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, spent more than £5,000 of taxpayer money in Stonewall fees in the past two financial years. Membership of the charity’s ‘diversity champions scheme’ had seen it receive “guidance for employers on pronouns and gender-neutral spaces,” according to the Mail.
Fiona McAnena, who is director of campaigns at the Sex Matters campaign group, told the newspaper that “it’s a relief to see Sport England stepping away from Stonewall.”
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