Four men linked to the Islamic State killed several prison guards and seized twelve hostages at a high-security prison in the southern Volgograd region of Russia. Special forces snipers killed all four hostage-takers before the prison was stormed and the hostages were freed.
In other news, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign, and threw his support behind former President Trump. Not long afterwards Mr. Kennedy joined Mr. Trump onstage at a rally in Glendale, Arizona.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, Dora, DV, LP, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Jerome Powell Declares ‘Time Has Come’ for Fed to Cut Rates
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell indicated on Friday that the central bank is ready to start cutting its key interest rate, possibly as early as next month, in an effort to prevent further erosion in the labor market while continuing to monitor inflation closely.
“The time has come for a policy shift,” Powell stated in a closely watched speech at the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He stressed that the pace and timing of any rate cuts will hinge on incoming data, the changing economic landscape, and the balance of risks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Becomes World’s Top Gold Buyer, Boosting National Currency
The National Bank of Poland (NBP) has steadily increased the country’s gold reserves, a move that has bolstered the Polish zloty as gold prices have surged.
On Wednesday, the NBP announced that its gold reserves reached 12.593 million ounces by the end of July, up from 12.133 million ounces the previous month. The central bank also reported that total official reserve assets stood at €190.535 billion at the end of July, slightly down from €195.515 billion a month earlier.
In June, NBP President Adam Glapinski revealed that the bank purchased 5 tons of gold this year and intends to continue buying until gold comprises 20 percent of the country’s foreign reserves, up from the current 13 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned that “global leadership” and founder Klaus Schwab’s “Great Reset” agenda will be forced onto the public after a series of looming “unexpected, destabilizing shock events.”
Schwab said the coming “crisis” will bring mass unemployment and “a more angry world” before the end of the year.
He argues that this “anger” among the general public will pave the way for ushering in his “Great Reset” agenda.
The “Great Reset” agenda involves stripping the public of freedoms, individualism, all property and possessions, eliminating travel and private car ownership, the destruction of the agriculture industry, surveilling every aspect of individuals’ lives, and surrendering governmental control to unelected globalists.
The Switzerland-based organization insists that the public will eat bugs, own nothing, and “be happy.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“A Flawed Idea”: CNBC’s Joe Kernen Destroys Elizabeth Warren on Live TV Over Price-Gouging Policy
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Joe Kernen had a heated spat on “Squawk Box” Friday morning, as the CNBC anchor took her to school over the Democrats’ plan to impose a federal ban on so-called “price gouging.”
“If you lose The Washington Post as a Democrat, you got some serious problems. This is what they said about the price gouging, or the price control legislation,” said Kernen — adding “It was really pilloried from both sides of the aisle … I can paint you a picture how that would work and how it’s worked in the past, where we’ve tried to artificially hold prices down. Competition doesn’t come in. Like if beef is too high, people don’t move the chicken. Competitors don’t come in to undercut where the beef prices are. Nothing works when you try to artificially control prices. It’s just the supply and demand issue. It’s a flawed idea.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Israel Protesters Block Traffic After DNC, Scream at Drivers About Supporting Palestine
CHICAGO — Anti-Israel protesters accosted Democratic National Convention attendees as they were leaving the event late Thursday, blocking traffic and confronting motorists about “whose side they are on” in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
A handful of mask-wearing anti-Israel demonstrators stood in the middle of the street outside Union Park after a larger protest ended — snarling traffic and leaving drivers incensed, video captured by The Post showed.
“Whose side are you on? Why are you guys ignoring a f—ing genocide?” one of the traffic blockers screamed at a casually-dressed driver.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chick-fil-A to Launch Family-Friendly Streaming Service: Report
Famous fast-food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is reportedly working with leaders in the entertainment industry to create, license, and acquire family-friendly content for a streaming network debuting later this year, Deadline reports.
The Christian-run restaurant, most famous for its chicken sandwiches and iconic dipping sauce, has been working on producing several projects, including a game show in partnership with Sugar23, the creator of the Netflix teen series “13 Reasons Why,” and Glassman Media, the creator of “The Wall.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Platform Says America Was Built on Stolen Land
The DNC 2016 party platform began by claiming that “Democrats meet in Philadelphia with the same basic belief that animated the Continental Congress when they gathered here 240 years ago.” Four years later, out went the Continental Congress and all of America.
The 2020 DNC platform began with a politically fashionable ‘land acknowledgement’ asserting that America was an illegitimate entity operating on stolen land “built on Indigenous homelands.”
The 2024 platform likewise begins with a ‘land acknowledgement’ claiming that Chicago properly belongs to 13 different Indian tribes. Once again, the DNC asserts that they “recognize that our country was built on Indigenous homelands.” That is to say America should not exist.
If the Democrats truly believe it, why not turn over Chicago to the Indian tribes?
Land acknowledgements were initiated by an Australian Marxist terrorist supporter at a counterculture festival in the 1970s. Its goal was to establish that Australians were foreigners and had to follow aboriginal laws and culture. 50 years later the practice, grounded in ‘decolonization’ has been widely adopted by American leftists and their ruling party.
Land acknowledgements are a form of historical revisionism, like the 1619 Project and destroying Columbus statues, that are paving the way for delegitimizing America.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
DNC Provokes Outrage by Omitting ‘Palestinian’ Speakers
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) has provoked outrage from leftist groups after failing to invite “Palestinian” representatives to speak at the event.
The pro-Hamas “Uncommitted” movement blasted the DNC for omitting anti-Israel speakers from the convention.
The DNC has come under fire from the “Uncommitted” movement for featuring Israeli speakers while excluding “Palestinian” ones.
The backlash reflects deeper conflicts among Democrats regarding U.S. policy toward Israel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DOJ IG Finds FBI Systematically Mishandled Classified Info
Authored by Ken Silva via Headline USA
Talk about irony: The FBI, which was willing to use deadly force over Donald Trump allegedly mishandling classified documents, has been systematically mishandling similar information for years, according to bombshell findings released Thursday by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
The DOJ-IG said it discovered the FBI’s mishandling of classified information while auditing a contractrelated to how the bureau destroys electronics containing “sensitive-but-unclassified” information, as well as classified national security information.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
James O’Keefe Goes Undercover at DNC, Confronts ActBlue Reps Over Donations Scandal
During the Democratic National Convention, independent journalist James O’Keefeconfronted representatives of the Democratic fundraising company ActBlue at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago after getting undercover footage of one employee calling recent scandals with the donation platform a “disinformation campaign.”
O’Keefe approached Carolyn Schuette, an ActBlue account manager, posing as a Democrat supporter wanting to donate with the platform and asked about donations from the Federal Election Commission recording thousands of small dollar donations that appeared to be coming from stolen names or identities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WATERTOWN, Wis. — A conservative justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court accused the state top court’s liberal majority Thursday of stepping “beyond its neutral role” in an election case, effectively acting as a lawyer for the Democratic Party.
The case the Democratic National Committee brought seeks to block the ballot access of Green Party candidate Jill Stein in the Badger State by challenging the legitimacy of her electors.
The court voted to accept the DNC’s petition and take up the case, and Justices Rebecca Bradley and Annette Ziegler issued a withering dissent to the court’s liberal majority.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More People Donated to Harris Campaign in First 10 Days Than Did for Biden in 15 Months, FEC Data
More people donated in the first 10 days of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign, than did for President Joe Biden in the 15 months of his presidential reelection campaign.
Data from the Federal Election Commission shows that 1.5 million people that have given to Harris’s campaign have never donated to Biden’s campaign.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New documents released Thursday reveal that ‘confusion and chaos’ reigned in the company’s Renton factory that built two 737 MAX planes that later crashed, killing 346 people in 2018 and 2019, the Seattle Times reports.
According to a prominent whistleblower Ed Pierson, production issues from back then still affect MAX planes flying today. The new documents reveal multiple electrical issues that were discovered as Boeing assembled the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed in 2019.
The Times notes that in 2018, the FAA found that employees in another Boeing facility in Everett, WA — where electrical components for integration — had been pushed to move to fast, and produced defective pieces.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prosecutor Says Ex-Sheriff’s Deputy Charged With Manslaughter in Shooting of an Airman at His Home
CRESTVIEW, Fla. (AP) — A Florida Panhandle sheriff’s deputy was charged with manslaughter with a firearm in connection with the fatal shooting an airman who opened his apartment door while holding a gun, prosecutors said Friday.Former Okaloosa County deputy Eddie Duran was charged in the May 3 shooting death of Senior Airman Roger Fortson, Assistant State Attorney Greg Marcille said. The charge is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Marcille said a warrant has been issued for Duran’s arrest but he was not in custody as of early Friday afternoon.
“I think this is the best that we could have hoped for in this particular case,” said Sabu Williams, president of the local branch of the NAACP.
“I believe that the charge is appropriate,” Williams told The Associated Press. “I think manslaughter was right on point.”
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Raffensperger Says Georgia Will Post Notices at Polling Stations Saying Only US Citizens Can Vote
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger says notices will be posted at polling places reminding voters that only U.S. citizens can vote in elections.
The notice Thursday reads: “ONLY UNITED STATES CITIZENS MAY VOTE IN GEORGIA IF YOU ARE NOT A UNITED STATES CITIZEN, IT IS A VIOLATION OF STATE AND FEDERAL LAW TO VOTE.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news
GOP Senator Rand Paul has written to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) asking for answers as to why the agency appears to be using terrorist watch lists as a way of surveilling Americans according to their political opinions.
Paul addressed the letter to TSA Administrator David Pekoske, and cited recent revelations that former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard as well as a woman married to a federal air marshal whistleblower have both been placed on the ‘Quiet Skies’ program watch list and subjected to enhanced surveillance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr. Suspends Campaign, Throws Support Behind Trump
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy on Friday said he was suspending his campaign and throwing his support to former President Trump.
Kennedy said his name would remain on the ballot in most red and blue states, but would be removed from swing-state ballots where he could make a difference.
In Pennsylvania, court records showed Kennedy making the move to remove his name and his intended backing of Trump just before he took to a podium. Earlier Friday, Kennedy moved to remove his name from Arizona’s ballot.
In a lengthy press conference announcing his decision, Kennedy spent most of his time ripping the Democratic Party and the media, arguing his campaign was unable to get a fair shake.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr Joins Trump as Special Guest at Arizona Rally
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined former President Donald Trump on Friday afternoon, at a rally in Glendale, Arizona, just hours after he endorsed the former president.
Kennedy suspended his own independent presidential campaign earlier Friday, but said he was not officially dropping out of the race. Kennedy has consistently polled in third place in national polls, behind Trump and the Democratic presidential nominees.
The Trump campaign teased that a “special guest” would be joining the former president at his rally, which commentators speculated would be Kennedy.
“Tonight, I’m very pleased to welcome a man who has been an incredible champion for so many of these values that we all share, and we’ve shared them for a long time,” Trump said when introducing Kennedy. “I don’t think too many of you people have heard of him. He’s a very low key person, but he’s highly respected. He is a great person. I’ve known him for so long. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RNC Sues Detroit Over Hiring Seven Times More Democratic Than Republican Poll Workers in Primary
The Republican National Committee, Michigan GOP, and chairpersons for Wayne County Republican committees are suing Detroit over hiring seven-times more Democratic poll workers than Republican ones in the state’s primary election earlier this month, in an alleged violation of state law, the RNC said Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Scoop: Trump to Join Moms for Liberty, Comedian Rob Schneider, for Fireside Chat Live From DC
Moms for Liberty is hosting a summit in Washington, DC next week, and Friday will feature a fireside chat with co-founder Tiffany Justice, comedian Rob Schneider, and President Donald Trump. Trump will be addressing the summit earlier in the day, but the fireside chat is reminiscent of the years of FDR, when he addressed the nation from the White House.
Trump was just endorsed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who suspended his campaign, taking his name off the ballot in 10 battleground states, to back Trump for president. Schneider is a storied comedian who has bucked the progressive, Hollywood trends to speak out against the ill-fated direction the Democrat Party has taken and backed Trump. He’s a free-speech advocate, like high-profile Trump supporter Elon Musk.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Secret Service HQ Told Agents Not to Request Extra Security for Trump’s Butler Rally: Whistleblower
Secret Service top brass encouraged agents not to request additional security for Donald Trump’s Butler, Pa. rally last month where a would-be assassin nearly killed the former president, according to a whistleblower.
The whistleblower allegations were revealed in a Friday letter from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe, in which the lawmaker demanded answers to Rowe’s “apparent contradiction” that no security assets were denied for the event.
“You must explain this apparent contradiction immediately,” the senator wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ten Years After Prop 47, California Goes Full Circle and Starts Fighting Retail Crime
It’s called blowback: several years after California passed Proposition 47, which reclassified felony theft offenses as misdemeanors and effectively greenlit shoplifting of items below $950, the retail industry had had enough, and the same state that idiotically tried to give minorities a back-handed reparation by encouraging their petty theft (with the tongue-in-cheek promise of not prosecuting it), the state has seen countless retailers flee, social cohesion collapse, crime explode and after a decade of Prop 47, the circle is complete as California just enacted a package of bills to fight the very same retail crime it initially encouraged.
As RetailDive reports, with governor Gavin Newsom’s signing of a package of 10 bills last week, California has a new suite of tools to fight organized retail crime and other property theft, while holding on to criminal justice reforms that the governor says have clamped down on recidivism and saved the state billions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Democrat Robbed at Gunpoint While Attending DNC in Chicago
A member of the Texas Democratic Delegation has been robbed at gunpoint in crime-infested Chicago, according to reports.
The Democrat delegate was in town for the Democratic National Convention.
The victim, who was not named by police, was robbed at gunpoint while walking in downtown Chicago on Wednesday morning.
The victim confirmed that he was walking with a friend when they were targeted around 2 a.m. in the 100 block of West Randolph.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The 2024 Presidential Election Race is About to Take Its Next Unexpected Turn…
“Democrats have become the party of war, censorship, corruption, big pharma, big tech, big ag, and big money wanting to abandon democracy by canceling the primary to conceal the cognitive decline of the sitting president.
I left the party to run as an independent…
The DNC and its media organs engineered a surge of popularity for VP Harris based upon nothing. No policies, no interviews, no debates. Only smoke and mirrors.”
“A Chicago circus that is based on NOTHING. Who needs a policy if you hate Donald Trump?”
“How did the Democratic Party choose a candidate that has never done an interview or debate during the entire election cycle?” Kennedy asked.
“We know the answer: They did it by weaponizing the government agencies. They did it by abandoning democracy. They did it by suing the opposition and by disenfranchising American voters. What most alarms me isn’t how the Democratic Party conducts its internal affairs or runs its candidates. What alarms me is the resort to censorship and media control and the weaponization of the federal agencies.”
Kennedy refuses to be a spoiler… “Many months ago, I promised the American people that I would withdraw from the race if I became a spoiler… In my heart, I no longer believe that I have a realistic path to electoral victory in the face of this relentless, systematic censorship and media control.”
“I am simply suspending it and not ending it. My name will remain on the ballot in most states.
I encourage you to vote for me.
In an honest system, I believe that I would have won the election.
After all, the polls consistently showed me beating each of the other candidates.
In about 10 battleground states where my presence would be a spoiler, I’m going to remove my name.”…
I throw my support behind Donald Trump.”
Kennedy said that in a series of meetings with Trump and his team, he realized he shared more in common with the former president than he thought. He compared their potential partnership to President Lincoln’s famous “Team of Rivals,” which saw him stock his Cabinet with former foes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Unveils Two Initiatives He Would Start as President if Elected in November
Former President Donald Trump on Friday promised to start two new initiatives and commissions if he’s elected back to the White House this November.
The two projects are in honor of former independent presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who dropped his own bid for the White House earlier Friday and endorsed Trump. Kennedy also joined Trump at his Arizona rally.
One project will be a presidential commission on assassination attempts, which will be tasked with reviewing and releasing the remaining documents on the assassination of the late-President John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s uncle.
The commission would also investigate the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month.
“I have never had more people ask me, please, sir, release the documents on the Kennedy assassination, and we’re going to do that,” Trump said at the rally.
Trump said the other project will be a panel of experts that will work with Kennedy to investigate the cause of an increase in chronic health problems and childhood diseases.
[Comment: Trump hit a home run here.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LAS VEGAS — Donald Trump stopped in swing-state Nevada Friday to stump for his popular proposal “No Tax on Tips,” even as he picked up a potentially huge tip himself: an endorsement from departing independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“We just had a very nice endorsement from RFK,” Trump told a crowd of 200 supporters in a Sin City restaurant’s banquet room. “I want to thank Bobby. That was very nice. He’s a great guy and respected by everybody.”
Trump used the nod from the Democratic scion to take a shot at his original opponent, who withdrew from the race after pressure from his own party.
“The Democrats treated him very badly, and then they treated Biden just like him,” the ex-prez told reporters after the event.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Labor Minister Puts End to National Railroad Strike, Orders Arbitration
Authored by David Lassen via Trains.com
The Canadian government has moved to end Canada’s freight rail work stoppage — the first to shut down both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City simultaneously.
However, while the two railroads say they are preparing to resume operations after Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon sent the dispute to binding arbitration, the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference says it will maintain picket lines while it reviews MacKinnon’s action.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada’s Conservatives Push Back Against Digital Dollar Plans
A legislative effort is underway in Canada to enact a ban on a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the country.
Bill C-400 (Framework on the Access to and Use of Cash Act), spearheaded by the Conservatives, aims to prevent the creation of a CBDC and ensure that cash is guaranteed to remain an option for citizens.
The bill has three main goals: access to cash that cannot be revoked in the future, a ban affecting the Bank of Canada Act preventing the central bank from creating a digital Canadian dollar, and another amendment — that of the Currency Act, which now gives the finance minister the right to “suddenly put out a call that all bank notes be recalled.”
With C-400, that power now in the minister’s “portfolio” would be restricted, reports say.
The bill’s sponsor, MP Ted Falk, explained the need for such legislation saying it was necessary to make sure cash continues to be available as an essential part of their daily lives to millions in Canada.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a passionate conclusion to his summation at the trial of Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, defense counsel Lawrence Greenspon said “it would be wrong to criminalize [their] behavior in these unique circumstances.”
“I want to recite the words from Benjamin Franklin, who said that ‘those who would sacrifice essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety,’“ Greenspon said, noting that Canada has sacrificed the liberty of other groups in history and ultimately apologized for violating “Constitutionally entrenched and protected fundamental freedoms.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RCMP Lay Terrorism Charges on a Suspect in the GTA
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are remaining tight-lipped but have arrested and charged a person from the Greater Toronto Area accused of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization.
According to an RCMP news release, the suspect was charged with participating in the activities of a terrorist group to enhance the ability of the terrorist group to carry out terrorist activity and counselling another person to commit a terrorism offence.
A representative from the RCMP told True North that police arrested the suspect on Aug. 19 but were informed by the FBI that the suspect was living in Toronto at the time of the alleged offence in late 2021.
The offences were related to creating and distributing terrorist propaganda online, though police wouldn’t say which terrorist entity the suspect was allegedly working with.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Almost Half of Spain’s Anti-Jihadist Operations Are in Catalonia
In Spain, the region of Catalonia leads the country disproportionally in anti-jihadist operations and arrests, El Debate reports.
Catalonia, and Barcelona in particular, has become Spain’s security risk hotspot. Stemming recent rising crime levels was a major point in the regional election held in May.
Police sources last month told The Objective that the region continues to be one of the principal places in Spain where radicalization and subsequent recruitment into terror cells takes place.
So far in 2024, Spanish police forces have carried out 28 operations leading to 50 arrests for crimes including indoctrination, financing terrorism, or directly preparing an attack. However, almost half of these actions—twelve of the 28 operations, or 42.8%, and 19 of the 50 arrests—have taken place in Catalonia, with most operations occurring in the provinces of Barcelona and Girona. The high number of arrests and raids come despite the two provinces accounting for only 13% of Spain’s population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria’s FPÖ Vows to Curb Migration, Abolish ‘Green Taxes’ Upon Election Win
Austria’s right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) has vowed to combat mass migration and abolish “green taxes” should it win the country’s forthcoming general election.
The party published its election programme on August 21, around five weeks before the country’s general election on September 29.
According to a recent combination of surveys by the Austria Press Agency, the party is expected to come in first with around 27 per cent per cent of the vote.
Despite that, its only path to executive power would be through a coalition with the Conservative People’s Party (ÖVP), as all other parties have ruled out a coalition with the FPÖ.
FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl presented the programme at an event in Vienna under the headline: Fortress Austria. Fortress of Freedom.
In this fortress, the “Austrian family should blossom and develop its potential under a Freedom Party ‘people’s chancellor,’“ Kickl said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgian Coalition Talks in Turmoil as Chief Negotiator Quits
Talks on forming a Belgian coalition government were thrown into turmoil Thursday (22 August) as the chief negotiator handed his resignation to King Philippe, threatening further political limbo for the country two months after elections.
Five groups had agreed in mid-July to formal coalition talks led by Flemish conservative Bart De Wever, in the wake of June legislative polls that boosted right-leaning parties.
Usually the person forming the coalition goes on to become prime minister.
But De Wever, the mayor of Antwerp and head of the N-VA party that holds sway over the Dutch-speaking Flanders region, informed the king during a meeting late Thursday that the talks had fallen apart — largely due to a row over taxation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coalition Talks Fail in Belgium as Socialists and Liberals Refuse Tax Compromise
Talks between parties to form a centre-right government, supported by socialists, have been stranded.
Liberals from Wallonia and Socialists from Flanders were unwilling to come to a compromise on the issue of capital gains tax, forcing lead negotiator Bart De Wever to go to Belgium’s King Philippe and return his assignment to form a government.
That negotiations could fail over capital gains tax adds to the financial problems left by an outgoing government noted for its lavish spending. In 2023, Belgian national debt reached 105.2 per cent of GDP. The deficit was 4.4 per cent. NATO is pressuring Belgium to increase its diminishing defence spending.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Lawmakers Call for Probe Into Orthodox Churches, Citing Links to Kremlin
The Czech Senate Committee on Security has called on the government to investigate the possible misuse of Orthodox churches in the Czech Republic for Russian influence operations and recommends deregistration if any legal violations are found.
The Russian Orthodox Church in the Czech Republic is an extension of the Moscow Patriarchate, closely linked to Russian state and led by Patriarch Kirill, who has been sanctioned by the Czech government for his public support of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Earlier this month, Czech authorities also expelled Russian Orthodox cleric Nikolai Lishchenko, accusing him of setting up influence structures to support Russian interests in the EU.
The Committee, on its own initiative, recommended that intelligence services be tasked with investigating this threat and urged Czech Culture Minister Martin Baxa (ODS, ECR) to investigate the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Orthodox Church in the Czech Lands. If these churches are found to be operating outside the law, Baxa should consider deregistering them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch PM Bans Smartphones From Cabinet Meetings Over Espionage Concerns
Prime Minister Dick Schoof has banned smartphones and other electronic devices from official Cabinet meetings. Ministers, State Secretaries, and other civil servants have to put their devices in a separate safe. “The threat of espionage is timeless and this was a completely self-evident measure,” the Prime Minister explained the measure before the Council of Ministers on Friday, NOS reports.
Schoof, formerly the head of the intelligence service AIVD, stressed that all “electronic devices” have microphones and that countries are interested in the decision-making of the Netherlands. “You must want to prevent that, so this is a very simple measure,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fidesz Responds to MEP’s Drunken Fight: “We Do Not Tolerate Violence, Especially Against Women!”
Balazs Gyorffy, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Hungarian conservative ruling party Fidesz, has resigned after admitting to hitting a woman. Fidesz immediately responded with a statement saying it does not tolerate violence and that Gyorffy has no place in the party, and must resign from all his public positions.
“Fidesz has clear rules and values, and whoever violates them cannot be a member of our community,” reads the party’s statement, posted on Facebook. They added: “We do not tolerate violence, especially against women!”
In a Facebook post uploaded on Friday, Gyorffy admitted to getting into a drunken argument, which turned violent, with a woman on Thursday night.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former EPP PM of Ireland Cosies Up to Pelosi at Democrat Convention
Ireland’s former European People’s Party (EPP) prime minister, Leo Varadkar, is reportedly palling about with ex-US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
According to a report on August 22 by The Irish Independent, the island’s ex-Taoiseach Varadkar is being treated as a guest of honour by senior left-wing lawmakers.
The Irish politician — who still sits as a member of the Irish Parliament for the EPP-affiliated Fine Gael party— was described as cheering on the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz during his August 21 speech at the convention.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Musician Slams Democrats for Using His Music at National Convention
French musician and producer DJ Snake has publicly distanced himself from the US Democratic Party, criticising their use of his song during the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
The issue surfaced at this week’s convention when Lil Jon performed the hit song Turn Down For What, produced with the help of DJ Snake. A clip of the performance, complete with politicians awkwardly dancing to the tune, has since gone viral online.
“I did not and do not allow the use of my music to be played at any political event,” DJ Snake declared on social media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Four Syrian Brothers Arrested Over Stabbing of 67-Year-Old Music Teacher
Four Syrian brothers have been arrested after a 67-year-old teacher was nearly killed in a knife attack last month in a suburb of Hamburg, Germany.
The 67-year-old music teacher from Tornesch barely escaped with his life after being stabbed on July 19th in the parking lot outside of an adult education centre in Wedel outside of Hamburg.
The teacher reportedly suffered wounds to his neck and upper body before he escaped his attackers by fleeing inside the school.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: NATO Base on High Alert Due to New Potential Threat
The NATO air base in the western German town of Geilenkirchen has raised its security level “based on intelligence information indicating a potential threat.”
“All non-mission essential staff have been sent home as a precautionary measure. The safety of our staff is our top priority. Operations continue as planned,” the base said late on Thursday, August 22nd, in a statement on the social media platform X, without giving details.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How Russia’s Shadow Still Looms Over Czech Society and Business
Two separate developments — related to the same element — this week have underlined Russia’s continued and dangerous influence in Czechia in the past decade.
The discovery that a convicted Russian spy lectured at Czechia’s prestigious Charles University and the finding from credit agency Moody’s that Czechia has the highest number of Russia-linked companies in the EU show the — to many, unsettling — connection between both nations.
A spy in bare sight
Czech Police have revealed that Pavel Rubtsov, a Spanish-Russian journalist and ex-prisoner, was revealed to have been working as an agent for the Russian government during his time in Prague. According to Czech Radio, Rubtsov used his position as a lecturer at Charles University in 2018 and 2019 to gather information on the Russian opposition and pass it on to his commanding officers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Again Breaks With West: Ukrainian Attack on Kursk is ‘Wrong’
Hungary has broken with its NATO and EU allies in condemning Ukraine’s Kursk incursion, calling it out as not purely ‘defensive’ but as part of needlessly provocative offensive operations against Russian territory.
Gergely Gulyas, top advisor and spokesman for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Thursday press briefing that Budapest is staunchly “pro-peace” — and when asked about the ongoing Kursk invasion, he said: “Ukraine is not only defending, but also attacking. We want a ceasefire and peace.”
Gulyas went on to explain that Hungary is against anything which thwarts potential diplomatic settlement to the war. He said this is “wrong” given the offensive includes a “spillover of the hostilities into Russian territory.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Points to Brussels’ Hypocrisy Over Visa Row
The conservative government in Budapest has condemned the Brussels elite for coordinating yet another political campaign against Hungary.
The European Commission and some EU member states are falsely accusing Hungary of posing a security risk to the Schengen Area by issuing visas to citizens from Russia and Belarus.
In a rebuke of the blatant attacks, Balazs Orban, the Hungarian prime minister’s political director, published official EU data and reminded the accusers that almost 230,000 Russian citizens have residence permits in Germany, 100,000 in Spain, more than 60,000 in France, and nearly 50,000 in Italy. Another 40,000 Russians live in the Czech Republic, and more than 20,000 in Austria and Poland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Drastically Reduces Nuclear Power Plant Output During Heatwave
Hungary’s only nuclear plant, Paks, which accounts for about half of the country’s electricity generation, has had to reduce the output of three of its four reactor blocks due to the prolonged heatwave, the plant’s operating company announced.
“On Aug. 21, 2024, the water temperature of the Danube reached 29.79 degrees Celsius at the measurement section of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant,” the company wrote in a statement.
“Therefore the load of the reactors will be reduced on units 1, 2 and 4 from 15:00: bloc one to 35 MW, bloc 2 to 110 MW and bloc four to 95 MW,” it added.
This is significantly below the nominal capacity of the reactor blocs, which is 500 MW for each of the four blocs, following upgrades in the early 2000s from the original 475 MW per unit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India and Poland Announce Strategic Partnership in Warsaw
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared that their countries have elevated their bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership.
During a high-profile meeting in Warsaw, the pair discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine but primarily focused on strengthening Polish-Indian ties, particularly in the area of economic collaboration.
After the meeting, both leaders addressed the media. Prime Minister Tusk highlighted that India could play a significant and positive role in achieving a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Instagram Shuts Down Accounts of Several French Right-Wing Voices
Several prominent members of the French Right were unpleasantly surprised to see their Instagram accounts deleted on Wednesday, August 21st, even though they have several thousand followers and have committed no legal offence.
Instagram’s ban of accounts deemed politically incorrect is nothing new. A few weeks ago, the authors of an essay denouncing the tyranny of transgenderism, Dora Moutot and Marguerite Stern, bore the brunt of Instagram’s policy by being kicked off the platform in the name of accusations of alleged ‘transphobia’.
This time, it was accounts belonging to the right-wing movement that were targeted. Alice Cordier, president of the feminist collective Némésis and a leading figure in France’s right-wing resistance movement, has been banned from the platform.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Privacy Watchdog Files Complaints Against the European Parliament for Massive Data Breach
The privacy watchdog “None of Your Business” (Nyob) said on Thursday it had lodged twocomplaints accusing the European Parliament of compromising employees’ personal data as a result of a massive cyberattack earlier this year.
Nyob, a non-profit organization that has initiated multiple court proceedings since 2018 regarding the enforcement of European data protection laws, filed the complaints with the European Data Protection Supervisor.
The complaints stem from a significant data breach, when the European Parliament’s recruiting platform, “PEOPLE,” was targeted by a cyberattack. The breach exposed the personal data of over 8,000 staff members.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Random’ Stabbing Spree at Festival in Germany Leaves 3 Dead, Others Injured: Report
A festival in Germany dissolved into chaos after three people were killed in a stabbing spree, local German news agency dpa reported.
The incident happened near the central square of Solingen, Germany, which is located near Cologne and Duesseldorf, at approximately 9:35 p.m. local time.
The residents in the city were enjoying a festival to mark the town’s 650-year anniversary when the attack occurred.
Witnesses said the perpetrator was at large, the outlet added.
The local agency reported that the weapon was believed to be a knife.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Several Reported Killed in Germany Knife Attack
A number of people are reported to have been killed in a knife attack in the western German city of Solingen, local media say.
Bild website says a man randomly stabbed passers-by during a festival in the city centre on Friday evening. Several people were also injured.
The attacker is believed to have fled the scene, and police have launched a manhunt. Police helicopters were seen hovering above the city.
The attack happened during the festival marking 650 years of Solingen.
The city authorities asked people to leave the area and police are imposing security cordons.
| — Hat tip: Dora | [Return to headlines] |
Top Doctor Blows Whistle: Monkeypox is a Side Effect of COVID ‘Vaccines’
A renowned German doctor has spoken out to warn the public that the monkeypox “outbreak” is a hoax and the “symptoms” are actually side effects of Covid mRNA vaccines.
Dr. Wolfgang Wodarg issued the warning in a new whistleblowing interview with the Austrian outlet AUF1.
He explains that reports of a monkeypox “global emergency” from the World Health Organization (WHO) are part of a fearmongering campaign designed to scare the masses.
Wodarg asserts that globalists are seeking to cover up the negative health impact of Covid shots while trying to profit from testing and treating monkeypox.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.N. Warns UK: Take Action to Curb Racist Hate Speech, Including by Politicians
The United Nations issued a warning to the UK on Friday saying the time has come for it to take action to curb racist hate speech, including by politicians.
A report containing the caution, released at the globalist body’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, claimed the persistence of hate speech published in mainstream media, online, and spread by politicians and public figures, needs immediate redress in the UK.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Magistrates Told to Stop Jailing Offenders and Ease Pressure on Overcrowded Prisons
The latest effort to ease pressure on Britain’s overcrowded prisons has been issued with magistrates told to stop jailing convicted criminals for several weeks and postpone sentencing.
A “listing direction” has been issued to the managers of magistrates’ courts in England and Wales with the order.
It suggests offenders likely to be jailed should have sentencing postponed until the left-wing Labour government’s early release scheme comes into effect on September 10, as Breitbart News reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
8 Dead, Including 4 Guards, in Attempted Russian Prison Uprising by ISIS Prisoners
ISIS prisoners at a remote Russian prison staged an attempted revolt Friday that left eight dead, officials said.
The four terrorists were gunned down by snipers at the IK-19 Surovikino facility in the southwestern Volgograd region after they took four inmates and eight prison guards hostage — fatally stabbing four of the guards, according to the Federal Prison Service (FSIN).
Three other guards were hospitalized with injuries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China, Belarus Agree to Strengthen Cooperation in Trade, Security
China and Belarus have agreed to strengthen cooperation in a range of sectors including trade, security, energy and finance, according to a joint statement after Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko in Minsk.
The statement released on Friday, a day after the Minsk meeting, said both countries would also strengthen cooperation in industrial supply chains and continue to enhance trade facilitation to reduce costs for both ends.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Four Dead in Russian Jail Hostage-Taking
Four prison employees have been killed after prisoners staged a revolt in a Russian penal colony and took hostages, federal authorities say.
Special forces stormed the IK-19 Surovikino facility in the southwestern Volgograd region after knife-wielding prisoners, who identified themselves as Islamic State (IS) militants, claimed to have taken control of the sprawling complex.
Authorities said the special forces operation had freed some hostages and “neutralised” all the attackers, but later confirmed that four prison employees had died.
An unverified image posted on social media appeared to show an inmate holding a knife standing above a bloodied prison guard during the revolt.
Russia’s Rosgvardia National Guard said snipers shot four attackers in the rescue operation.
Heavily armed troops were filmed arriving at the prison in footage posted to the Telegram messaging app by the National Guard.
[…]
Russian media named the attackers as Ramzidin Toshev, 28, Rustamchon Navruzi, 23, Nazirchon Toshov, 28, and Temur Khusinov, 29. All were natives of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
In dramatic mobile phone footage released by the attackers, they identified themselves as IS militants. The men said they were motivated by the desire to avenge the persecution of Muslims.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
India’s Modi Urges Zelensky to the Negotiating Table in Historic First Ukraine Visit
India’s Narendra Modi met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Friday, marking the first time an Indian prime minister has visited Ukraine since 1991. He’s there urging the Ukrainian leader to enter into talks with Russia toward bringing peaceful settlement to the war.
He said as a “friend,” India would help mediate peace, after the two shared a hug and shook hands following Modi taking a ten hour train from the Polish border.
“This is India’s firm belief that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. In any crisis, the loss of lives of innocent people has become the biggest challenge for the whole of humanity,” Modi had told Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in talks the day prior while en route to Kiev.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia’s Military Says it Destroyed US M1 Abrams Tank in Kursk
For the first time since the August 6th Kursk incursion, Russian forces claim they have destroyed a US-made Abrams tank used by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory.
TASS cited a top-ranking military commander, Major General Apty Alaudinov, to say Thursday that an Abrams tank was destroyed “today”. Starting a week ago Sky News began reporting on the destruction of UK-supplied Challenger II main battle tanks during the same offensive.
“Everything is very good for us on the frontline so far and everything is under control. The enemy has attempted no active combat operations today while we have destroyed about ten items of equipment, including pickup trucks and also an Abrams tank today,” the Russian general said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Special Forces Free Hostages Taken by Four Men Linked to Islamic State
Russian special forces have freed hostages taken by four men linked to the Islamic State who carried out an attack at a high-security prison in the southern Volgograd region, resulting in the deaths of several prison guards.
Russia’s national guard announced in a statement that special forces snipers “liquidated” all four hostage-takers before the colony was stormed and the hostages were freed.
Earlier on Friday four prisoners identifying themselves as Islamic State militants staged a deadly attack on guards at the penal colony and seized 12 hostages, most of whom were prison guards. Prison authorities later reported that the attackers had stabbed four prison guards to death and injured three others.
The incident happened during a meeting of the prison’s disciplinary commission, the prison service said.
A graphic video circulating on several Russian Telegram channels earlier showed the hostage-takers wielding knives and standing over what appeared to be injured or dead prison guards lying motionless in a pool of blood.
One of the hostage-takers says in the clip that the group are “mujahideen” of Islamic State (IS).
In another video, one of the hostage-takers says their actions are retaliation for the “mistreatment” of Muslims in “Russia and worldwide”.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Says it Used US Glide Bombs in Russia’s Kursk Region and Has Retaken Some Land in Kharkiv
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military says it used high-precision U.S. glide bombs to strike Russia’s Kursk region, and that is has recaptured some territory in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv that has been under a Russian offensive since spring.
Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleschuk issued a video Thursday night purporting to show a Russian platoon base being hit in Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise cross-border incursion on Aug. 6. He said the attack with GBU-39 bombs, which were supplied by the United States, resulted in Russian casualties and the destruction of equipment.
The video showed multiple explosions and plumes of smoke rising at the site.
Many of Ukraine’s backers oppose the country using donated weapons for anything but defensive purposes. However, Ukraine has argued that its Kursk incursion is essentially defensive and aimed at minimizing attacks on Ukrainian soil from that Russian region.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Afghanistan: New Taliban Vice Laws Forbid Women From Looking at Men, Singing in Public, Solo Travel
Just over three years after taking power in the wake of the disastrously-executed US military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban government has issued its first formal vice laws, which include many sharp restrictions on the conduct of women, alongside broader societal rules.
“Inshallah, we assure you that this Islamic law will be of great help in the promotion of virtue and the elimination of vice,” said Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice spokesman Maulvi Abdul Ghafar Farooq on Thursday. (“Inshallah” translates as “If God wills it.”) The Taliban created the ministry upon taking over the country, and it has the lead responsibility for enforcement via warnings and arrests.
Spanning 114 pages and comprising 35 articles, the new set of laws was published Wednesday after being approved by Afghanistan’s reclusive Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Focusing on women, Article 13 requires women’s bodies to be veiled whenever they’re in public, to avoid tempting or being tempted. It stipulates that the covering should be thick, loose and long, the Associated Press reported.
Lest women be corrupted, covering is required any time they’re in the presence of non-Muslim men or women. It’s now officially illegal for women to look at men unless they’re married or blood relatives; men are likewise prohibited from looking at non-related women. Women are barred from letting their voices be heard singing or reading aloud in public. In 2022, the Taliban banned girls from attending secondary schools and universities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: Moradabad: Hospital Horror — Hindu Nurse Raped at Night by Muslim Doctor
ABM HospitalSwati Saxena | HENB | Lucknow | Aug 23, 2024:: In Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad, a Muslim doctor named Shahnawaz raped a 20-year-old nurse on the night of August 17 at his hospital. The Hindu nurse of SC community, reportedly on night duty, was taken to the doctor’s room against her will.
According to reports, the alleged incident occurred at ABM Hospital in Thakurdwara, a private facility owned by the accused doctor. The victim, a 20-year-old nurse, had been employed at the hospital for approximately 10 months prior to the incident.
According to a video report by India Today, the alleged incident occurred on August 17 at approximately 12:30 AM. The victim, a 20-year-old nurse, was reportedly dragged to Dr. Shahnawaz’s room by Mehnaz, a fellow Muslim nurse, and Juniad, a Muslim hospital staff member. Mehnaz allegedly locked the room from the outside. Dr. Shahnawaz then allegedly took the victim’s phone, committed the rape assault, and threatened her with severe consequences. Following a complaint from the victim’s father, local police registered a case, sealed the hospital on August 18th, and arrested Dr. Shahnawaz, Mehnaz, and Juniad.
According to reports, the police have registered cases against the accused individuals under SC ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Section 63 (Rape) of Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita and Section 61 (Criminal Conspiracy) of Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita. The accused persons are now in Judicial custody.
The incident has led to tensions between Hindu and Muslim communities in the area, with friends and family members of the victim demanding swift justice and capital punishment for Dr. Shahnawaz.
The police are currently investigating the incident to determine the motive behind the alleged rape. Additionally, they are verifying the accused doctor’s medical qualifications to confirm whether he is a legitimate medical practitioner or a fake doctor.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
All the men reportedly ‘committed crimes against the sexual inviolability of minors’ in the Kostanay region in the north of the country.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Emergency services were called to City Vista Court in Fraser Rise, in Melbourne’s north-west about 3.10pm on Thursday following reports a teen had been stabbed.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
U.N. Chief Warns of ‘Annihilation’ of Pacific Islands From Climate Change
The United Nations alarmist-in-chief António Guterres warned Thursday some Pacific territories face “annihilation” from rising sea levels.
Visiting the Polynesian island country of Samoa, Guterres said “rising sea levels pose an enormous threat to Samoa, to the Pacific and to other small island developing states, and these challenges demand resolute international action.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Black Chicago Voters Blast Democrats for Ignoring Them in Favor of Illegal Aliens
Black voters in Chicago are blasting Democrats for putting their pro-illegal alien agenda above the needs of the city and its residents.
Chicago’s black residents spoke out in interviews conducted by NumbersUSA this week as the Democratic National Convention (DNC) was held in the city.
The immigration policy advocacy group spoke to black Chicago residents, with many expressing discontent with the party’s policies on immigration that have affected their community.
Chicago welcomed over 46,000 illegal aliens since August 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Deportations Plunge as Canary Islands Struggle With Surging Migrant Crisis
The number of illegal immigrants deported from Spain has dropped to a new low as the Canary Islands struggle to deal with a growing migration crisis.
According to Interior Ministry figures, reported by El Debate, of the more than 29,000 illegal migrants who have arrived in the islands so far this year, only 3% have been sent back.
On top of this, the ministry estimates that by the end of the year, the total arrivals could reach between 45,000 and 50,000.
One reason for the influx is instability affecting several African countries, causing their citizens to flee. Indeed, the vast majority of migrants arriving by sea so far this year were Malians, Senegalese, Algerians, Moroccans, and Ivorians.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Migration Crackdown Will Get EU Support, Commission Says
The European Commission has indicated it would support future Dutch efforts to declare an “asylum crisis” and take extraordinary measures regarding an influx of immigrants.
Marjolein Faber, the Dutch government’s asylum and migration minister, declared on August 21 that the Netherlands was experiencing an asylum crisis, potentially opening the door for strong new measures to curb migration.
By declaring a crisis, observers say, The Hague could bypass existing laws and take actions that would otherwise be impossible.
“The Netherlands is in an asylum crisis,” Faber told the Dutch media. “Everything is chock-full.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ERO Washington, D.C. Arrests Bolivian National Convicted of Sex Crimes Against Virginia Minor
ANNANDALE, Va. — Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. apprehended an unlawfully present 36-year-old Bolivian noncitizen convicted of sexually assaulting a Virginia child. He is also charged with DWI and possession of child sexual abuse material. Officers with ERO Washington’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested Jose Fabricio Veizaga-Vargas, Aug. 19 in Annandale.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Countries Move Against Schengen, Tighten Borders
Europe’s free-travel zone, otherwise known as the Schengen Area, is increasingly being punctured by border controls as many EU countries opt to tighten their internal borders.
Signed in 1985 and coming into force in 1995, the Schengen Area is considered one of the bloc’s biggest benefits, allowing people to travel between member states without undergoing a single passport check. With 29 members, the latest round of expansion took place on 31 March with the accession of Romania and Bulgaria, limited to aerial and maritime border crossings.
While the European Commission spokesperson was clear that border checks “must remain exceptional, strictly limited in time and a measure of last resort, if a serious threat to public policy or internal security has been established,” the enthusiasm of EU members for border controls, an anathema to the project, is increasing.
A growing number no longer want to use border controls as the short-term, last-resort measure that Schengen originally intended them to be.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Union Needs More Mass Migration to Boost Economic Growth, Says Central Banker
The European Union needs more immigration to boost economic growth amid the birth rate decline among native populations, a top central banker has claimed.
Fabio Panetta, the governor of the Bank of Italy and a member of the European Central Bank Governing Council, argued that more migration is essential to bolster the economies of the EU as their populations age, such as in his home country of Italy.
“Measures that favour an influx of foreign legal workers constitute a rational response from an economic point of view,” the central banker said, according to Bloomberg.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Forty-Seven Percent of Voters Think Illegal Immigration Will Increase Under a Harris Presidency
A new survey finds 47% of American voters believe that illegal immigration will increase if Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the president.
The survey by the Napolitan News Service also showed 60% of those surveyed believed that illegal immigration would likely decrease under GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Four Venezuelan migrants believed to have links to the notorious prison gang Tren de Aragua were indicted Wednesday in the violent armed robbery of a Denver jewelry store — including two migrants who have previously been arrested in other states, The Post can reveal.
Three of the alleged gangbangers — Oswaldo Lozada-Solis, 23, Jesus Daniel Lara Del Toro, 20, and Jean Franco Torres-Roman, 21 — were charged with armed robbery and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announced Wednesday.
The fourth migrant, Edwuimar Nazareth Colina-Romero, 18, was charged with transporting stolen goods and possession of stolen goods.
The charges stem from a June 25 robbery in which two female staffers at Joyeria El Ruby Jewelry Store were pistol-whipped and threatened with death.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Government Wants to Pay Failed Afghan Asylum Seekers to Leave
The German traffic light coalition is considering paying “financial travel support” to asylum seekers set to be deported to Afghanistan, Bild reports. Critics question why the country would reward foreigners with no residency rights to do what they are supposed to do anyway—leave the country.
Providing rejected migrants with ‘start-up money’ for food and housing is intended to encourage them to leave, but also to help avoid legal challenges, Germany’s interior ministry said. Failed asylum seekers have in the past challenged deportation orders on grounds of being returned to abject poverty.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Threatens to Send Its Migrants to Brussels Over EU Fines
The Hungarian Government is planning to give free one-way tickets to Brussels for migrants and asylum seekers who want to enter the European Union, reports indicate.
The move, which is seemingly inspired by the actions of Republican governors in the United States, is in retaliation to a fine handed to Hungary by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over the country’s role in stopping migrants from entering it illegally.
Gergely Gulyas, the chief of staff of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said at a news conference on August 22 that “if Brussels wants the migrants, then it should get them.”
“Brussels wants to force us at any cost to let migrants in,” Gulyas said, referring to a recent ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Left to Table Bill Handing Citizenship to Migrant Children
Italy’s left-wing Democratic Party has urged the conservative government to offer citizenshipto over 500,000 migrant children over the next three years.
The proposal would see any foreign national who has attended school in Italy for at least five years and is over the age of 10 to be automatically eligible for citizenship — a move the education portal Tuttoscuola calculated would affect 560,000 pupils or 60 percent of the current immigrant student population.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has repeatedly rejected the proposal but left-wing lawmakers are expected to table an opposition bill in parliament next month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
City Parks Department employee Elijah Mitchell, 23, is now facing hate crime charges after allegedly shooting and killing a Venezuelan illegal immigrant who was camping out in a Brooklyn green space.
Mitchell was indicted on Wednesday during a hearing related to the July 21 death of Arturo Jose Rodriguez Marcano, for which Mitchell was initially facing a second-degree murder charge, the New York Post reports.
Mitchell was cleaning the Steuben Playground near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in Clinton Hill when he lost his temper over illegal immigrants from shelters setting up tents in the park, prosecutors said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Senegalese man has been deported from Poland following a shocking incident in the Valley of the Three Ponds in Katowice where he was caught on camera entering the water and relieving himself in front of onlookers.
A video that surfaced online several weeks ago showed a naked man entering the pool, squatting in the water, and apparently relieving himself in full view of other bathers. “He likely relieved himself in front of people relaxing by the water,” confirmed Lt. Sergeant Szymon Moscicki, a spokesperson for the Silesian Border Guard Branch.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Sees Record Channel Migrant Arrivals in First Half of 2024
The number of people illegally crossing the English Channel to the UK hit a record high in the first half of 2024, official figures published on Thursday August 22nd show.
The news follows publication of data showing how the Home Office in the final phase of the most recent Conservative Party government accepted record numbers of asylum applications.
A total of 13,489 migrants who arrived on small boats was recorded in the first six months of 2024—an 18% jump in the year-on-year figures—just prior to the election of a Labour government. In comparison, from January to June 2023, 11,433 migrants made the journey.
The latest figures show that by June this year, 81% of arrivals by people without legal permission to enter the UK came on small boats from mainland Europe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Victims Hurt by Criminal Migrants Could See Restitution Under New Matt Gaetz Measure
FIRST ON FOX: Florida’s Rep. Matt Gaetz is set to unveil a controversial bill this week aimed at empowering federal judges to award damages to victims harmed by illegal immigrants, a proposal that could redefine the legal landscape for immigration-related offenses.
The bill, dubbed the Allocating Liability to Illegal Entrants in National Courts (ALIEN) Act, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act. The 1952 law has undergone many amendments over the years and lays out the legal foundation for U.S. immigration policy, including the procedures for visa issuance, admission, deportation and naturalization.
“The Biden-Harris administration has let in millions of illegals and created a migrant crime epidemic,” Gaetz said in a statement. “My legislation, the ALIEN Act, will give federal judges the ability to award restitution to Americans who are victims of harm to person or property from illegals. Americans deserve the possibility of compensation for the pain they endured.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Transgender Texans Can No Longer Change Their Sexes on Driver’s Licenses
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is no longer accepting court orders as of Tuesday that allows transgender residents to request a change in their sex on documents like driver’s licenses.
The change comes after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton expressed concerns regarding the “validity” of the court orders, The Hill reported on Friday. The change took effect on Aug. 20.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Shuts Down DEI Office, Eliminates $320K Vice Chancellor Position
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has closed its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office and eliminated its vice chancellor position.
In an email, UNL Chancellor Rodney Bennett said to the campus community on Tuesday that the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will be closing, according to the Lincoln Journal-Star.
The change also means the university’s vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion position, held by Marco Barker, will be eliminated come December. Including benefits, Barker’s salary is almost $320,000.
$750,000 will also go back into the university’s overall budget, which was previously allocated for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
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Also ‘counter jihadists’ can be unlucky
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2.
Possible cure for cancer!
– on the legal corruption among politicians, Magdalena Andersson (S) all the way to the Trilateral Commission
published in Swedish :
Environmental analysis 120 – swebbtv.se
https://swebbtv.se/w/pP4AsiiMmkiQopZZoWh49X
Name of medicinal product
“fenbendazole”
(- combine with ‘turmeric’ etc.)
https://www.qwant.com/?q=fenbendazole&t=web
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FENBENDAZOLE and CANCER
– at least 12 Anti-Cancer Mechanisms of Action – Dr William Makis (2024)
By Dr. Frank Yap, MD – August 18, 2024
The main goal with these article is to provide as much clear information as possible for someone dealing with cancer or mRNA Induced Turbo Cancer. This article deals with the basis and practical approach to using Fenbendazole, Mebendazole and Ivermectin.
Fenbendazole Literature and Papers:
2024 Apr, Rodrigues et al – Repurposing mebendazole against triple-negative breast cancer CNS metastasis
2024 Feb, Eid et al – Investigating the Promising Anticancer Activity of Cetuximab and Fenbendazole Combination as Dual CBS and VEGFR-2 Inhibitors and Endowed with Apoptotic Potential
2024 Feb, Park et al – The microtubule cytoskeleton: A validated target for the development of 2-Aryl-1H-benzo[d]imidazole derivatives as potential anticancer agents
2024 Jan, Matsuo et al – Parbendazole as a promising drug for inducing differentiation of acute myeloid leukemia cells with various subtypes
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https://www.onedaymd.com/2023/10/fenbendazole-and-cancer-at-least-12.html
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https://rumble.com/v3svcrs-joe-rogan-reacts-to-an-overlooked-miracle-drug-for-cancer-fenbendazole.html
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Anti-cancer effects of fenbendazole on 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer cells
Deokbae Park 1, Jung-Hee Lee 2, Sang-Pil Yoon 3
Affiliations expand
PMID: 36039738 PMCID: PMC9437363 DOI: 10.4196/kjpp.2022.26.5.377
Abstract
Benzimidazole anthelmintic agents have been recently repurposed to overcome cancers resistant to conventional therapies. To evaluate the anti-cancer effects of benzimidazole on resistant cells, various cell death pathways were investigated in 5-fluorouracil-resistant colorectal cancer cells. The viability of wild-type and 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 colorectal cancer cells was assayed, followed by Western blotting. Flow cytometry assays for cell death and cell cycle was also performed to analyze the anti-cancer effects of benzimidazole. When compared with albendazole, fenbendazole showed higher susceptibility to 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 cells and was used in subsequent experiments. Flow cytometry revealed that fenbendazole significantly induces apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase on both cells. When compared with wild-type SNU-C5 cells, 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 cells showed reduced autophagy, increased ferroptosis and ferroptosis-augmented apoptosis, and less activation of caspase-8 and p53. These results suggest that fenbendazole may be a potential alternative treatment in 5-fluorouracil-resistant cancer cells, and the anticancer activity of fenbendazole does not require p53 in 5-fluorouracil-resistant SNU-C5 cells.
Keywords: Apoptosis; Colorectal cancer; Drug resistance; Fenbendazole; p53.
PubMed Disclaimer
“The discovery that a convicted Russian spy lectured at Czechia’s prestigious Charles University and the finding from credit agency Moody’s that Czechia has the highest number of Russia-linked companies in the EU….”
Make no mistake about it: The current Government of the Protektorat is made of the sons of old communists and they do just like their fathers had done: They chase “enemy spies”, construct “political trials”, and they stick to their side and attack the enemy side like little chiwuauas barking at an elephant.
Before 1989 – these same people would stand behind Soviet Union forever, and look for “American Agents” or at least “people with contacts in the west…”
And now their sons do it the other way around. They seek “enemy russian agents”, they speak about Russia just like the old communists spoke about the USA…
“Your company has ties to an enemy nation comrade, stop your production now!”
…and then a Russian (before) or an American/German (today) company takes the marketshare the Czech company had lost because “it was the proper thing to do, comrade!”
It’s really crazy how things turned out. The Protektorat is the same, as it ever was.
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Janouch and Matikainen under police investigation for satirical image
Published 2024-08-23 in Samnytt
The two commentators Katerina Janouch and Lennart Matikainen are being investigated by the police on suspicion of incitement to racial hatred after they shared a satirical image of the Indian cartoonist Manoj Kureel on Facebook.
– It’s bizarre! Janouch told Samnytt.
The suspected criminal post was posted on the social media platform in October last year and was reported to the police by the so-called “Online Hate Examiner”. A prosecutor reportedly initially chose to close the investigation, but following a review, a criminal investigation was launched.
During the week, both Katerina Janouch and Lennart Matikainen, whom many people recognize from Swebbtv, were summoned for police questioning. They are accused of incitement to racial hatred.
Indian satirical cartoonist
The image in question was drawn by Indian satirical cartoonist Manoj Kureel. It was originally published in October 2020 following a terrorist attack on a church in Nice, France, where an elderly woman was beheaded.
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image
https://konto.samnytt.se/wp-content/webp-express/webp-images/doc-root/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/janouch-satirbild.jpg.webp
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The image has been censored due to Swedish restrictions on freedom of expression. Facebook/Facsimile
Katerina Janouch tells Samnytt that she republished the Indian satirical image in October last year in response to the widespread terrorist attack in Israel.
Katerina Janouch tells Samnytt that she republished the Indian satirical image in October last year in the wake of the massive terror attack in Israel.
– This was after the Hamas attack on October 7. “For me, it is particularly sensitive because I have Jewish ancestry. For me it is personal,” she says and continues:
– “Sweden has gone off the rails, allowing incitement against ethnic groups with the approval of the police and the judiciary on our streets, where there are cries of ethnic cleansing of Jews and others, and it is allowed to go completely unpunished. But when we are suspected of having published a post, we are called in for questioning on suspicion of incitement against ethnic groups and for showing contempt for Muslims and their creed. Do you hear how sick that is?
The 60-year-old commentator points out that a few years ago, Swedish television was acquitted by the Chancellor of Justice for a segment that made fun of Chinese people. And she says that satire is not forbidden in Sweden.
– It’s bizarre! The police are shutting down their efforts against gang violence while they put resources into some kind of confused hate crime group that scours the internet for inappropriate images and satire,” she says.
Matikainen: We point the finger at terrorists
Lennart Matikainen, who in addition to his role at Swebbtv has a position of trust for Alternativ för Sverige, also posted the picture on Facebook. However, he removed the post again in February this year, but by then it was already too late. The police were already investigating the illegal satirical image.
– The purpose of the picture is to point out that terrorists have also arrived in these refugee flows, Matikainen tells Samnytt, mentioning the high terror threat level.
– “We have seen it against the Olympics, and in Germany they arrested two men who were preparing terrorist acts against the Swedish parliament because of the Koran burnings. We have a group that includes terrorists. I would say that not all Muslims are terrorists, but basically all terrorists are Muslims.
Matikainen also draws parallels between Muslim immigration and gang and clan crime, saying there is a “low-intensity civil war” in Sweden.
– They may state that it is incitement against terrorists we are doing, if it is a new blasphemy law they want to introduce. It’s not Muslims we’re pointing at, it’s the terrorists,” he argues.
But if I am to be the devil’s advocate here: It says “Muslim migrants” in this picture?
– That’s right! Exactly! And it is in these groups that the wheat has not been separated from the chaff. We have ISIS people who have been able to roam back and forth and who have gotten jobs in kindergartens after murdering and slaughtering.
“No sharia police”
At the police’s special unit against crime that threatens democracy, police officer Martin Svanehed is handling the hate speech case against Janouch and Matikainen. He was also the one who held the hearing when the commentator Christian Peterson was investigated for publishing a picture of a beer-drinking Muslim woman.
Svanehed has previously expressed criticism of the Sweden Democrats in particular on social media, and is hostile when Samnytt calls him. He says that he is not a “sharia police”, even though Samnytt has not asked him any such question.
– – – – –
2.
– I’m not going to answer any questions, actually, and be ostracized by your business. I work at the Police Authority. It is a government agency. I am doing my job. If someone makes a complaint and wants to have a case tried based on Swedish laws and regulations, I do that job. If the prosecutor chooses to conduct a preliminary investigation and gives me directives, then I carry out those directives,” he says.
– “I have no personal agenda. I am not a sharia police. I do my job, which I am paid for with tax money.
Asked if Svanehed has any influence on which cases he should handle and which should be put aside, he denies it. Instead, he refers to the head of the investigation, prosecutor Anna Stiernstedt.
– I do not choose which cases I will handle. I also do not choose whether we should close investigations or not because I am not the investigator, says Martin Svanehed.
– Have a nice day! Hope this will be well written on Samnytt here now. So you can take a picture on my Facebook and share it too, that the sharia police are working on, he mockingly ends the conversation.
Samnytt has sought Anna Stiernstedt. She has not responded.
Author of the text
Mattias Albinsson
Everyone in the Swedish legal enforcement system is just following government orders to go after free speech where have I heard that before in Europe around mid-20 century? As knife ,bomb ,gun attacks get more frequent ,and the rape rates go threw the roof ,the police are busy locking up people who re- post questionable cartoons that where made 5 years ago on face book .
John Mearsheimer Warns:
This Move Will END Nato’s PLOT!
Russia SUFFOCATES Ukraine In The Rubble
24 aug. 2024
https://youtu.be/ehVbjzF4AY0?si=sOW7XuZgtPU3_Nag
“HARRIS WILL PROMISE THE MASSES HANDOUTS IN RETURN FOR VOTES. And the dumbbell voters will buy it hook-line-and sinker. Just wait and see.” —Economic Prism (23 Aug 2024)
https://economicprism.com/votes-for-handouts/
“Americans want you to ask what you can do for their country. We—The Party—will give you free S****e in exchange for your vote.” —posted to fb (July 2022)