One of the F-16 warplanes that Ukraine received from the West has crashed, Ukraine’s air force said today. The fighter jet went down when Russia launched a major missile and drone attack on Ukraine.
In other news, Telegram boss Pavel Durov was granted release on €5 million bail by French authorities, provided that he reports twice a week to police and does not leave French territory.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, Dora, JW, LP, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
4 Arrested at Pro-Palestinian Protests at University of Michigan
Police arrested four pro-Palestinian protesters Wednesday at the University of Michigan after a group tried to disrupt a university event, a school official said.
During a Festifall event being held Wednesday afternoon, some protesters who oppose Israel showed up at the Diag and started demonstrating. The group of about 50 protesters were asked to disperse, Colleen Mastony, assistant vice president for public affairs, told the Free Press. None of the four arrested were students, Mastony said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ABC News Rejects Kamala Harris’ Last-Minute Bid to Change Trump Debate Rules, Will Keep Muted Mics
WASHINGTON — ABC News has declined to adopt Vice President Kamala Harris’ request to have wholly unmuted microphones during her Sept. 10 debate with former President Donald Trump — after days of wrangling over what Republicans viewed as Democratic attempts to lay a trap for the GOP nominee.
A network email reviewed by The Post lays out similar rules as those for Trump’s June 27 CNN debate against President Biden — including no audience, no pre-written notes or props and muted mics when a candidate is not speaking.
Trump and Harris will be standing on stage and will only be allowed to have a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ABC Rejects Kamala Harris’ Last-Ditch Effort to Change Rules for Trump Debate
ABC News has rejected a last-ditch effort from Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris to change the rules for her first debate with President Donald Trump.
The network denied Vice President Harris’s attempt to attempt to sabotage her opponent for her upcoming debate with Trump on September 10.
Harris, wanted the network to allow the candidates to sit throughout the debate, according to reports.
The Democrat VP also wanted to bring notes along and keep the microphones live rather than cut them off once each candidate’s time had expired.
Those same rules were in place during President Joe Biden’s disastrous CNN debate against Trump in late June.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona Wells Fargo Employee Found Dead in Her Cubicle at Work, Police Say
TEMPE, Ariz. — An Arizona Wells Fargo employee was found dead in her cubicle after possibly being there for several days.
Tempe Police say they received a call from co-workers on Tuesday, Aug. 20, after they noticed a foul smell in their office and followed it to find 60-year-old Denise Prudhomme’s body.
Investigators say Prudhomme scanned her ID to get into the building the Friday before, but there were no scans, in or out, after that.
Several employees reported they thought the strong odor was a problem with the plumbing.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Basks on Delaware Beach for 2nd Straight Week of Vacation
President Joe Biden was seen relaxing his way through another day at his favorite Delaware beach Wednesday, during a second consecutive week of vacation and absence from the White House.
The outgoing president enjoyed the sun and surf for about two hours on the North Shores near Rehoboth Beach, DE, with first lady Jill Biden and two of her sisters.
Biden appeared very relaxed, wearing swim trunks, a white T-shirt and black cap while lounging on a beach chair, apparently looking at documents, perhaps even official ones, the New York Post reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vice President Kamala Harris sat for her first interview since becoming her party’s nominee for president. With barely two months until election day, 68 days, to be exact, Harris spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash in Georgia and took questions on a range of topics. Even so, her answers lacked in substance and were rich in rhetoric. On Donald Trump’s classic issue, the border, Harris blamed him for the record numbers of illegal immigration her administration has overseen since taking office in 2021.
Her running mate sat by her side and answered nearly as many questions as Harris, taking up about half of the interview time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Trump Now Favored to Win 2024 Election in New Nate Silver Forecast
Donald Trump is now favored to win the 2024 election according to well-known pollster Nate Silver. As of August 29, Trump is leading in his forecast with a chance of 52.4 percent versus Vice President Kamala Harris’ projected 47.3 percent chance of victory in November.
Harris has appeared to have a “honeymoon” in the odds of winning the election since Biden dropped out of the race, however, according to Silver’s analysis, Trump is now more likely to take the presidency. Silver said that Trump is forecasted to win the swing states of Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger appeared in court Thursday as his lawyers argued to relocate his trial — after it was revealed that potential jurors threatened to “burn courthouse down” if he was found not guilty.
Kohberger sat at the defense table inside a Moscow, Idaho courtroom — wearing a blue shirt and black jacket — as his lawyers called witnesses in a bid to get his trial moved from Latah County where the brutal murders took place to Ada County over 300 miles away.
Kohberger’s defense attorneys said there’s no way their client could get a fair trial in the sparsely populated county after they carried out a survey of residents there who said they would riot and “burn the courthouse down” if he wasn’t convicted in the fatal stabbing of four University of Idaho students in 2022.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Calif. School District Crafted Secret Plan to Promote Anti-Semitic Curriculum: Lawsuit
California school district allegedly tried to cover up an anti-Semitic ethnic studies program.
A motion filed last week by the Anti-Defamation League accuses the Santa Ana Unified School District of purposefully violating California’s Brown Act, which mandates open meetings, to secretly craft and approve an anti-Semitic curriculum, Fox News reported.
ADL filed the lawsuit in September 2023 on behalf of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a Jewish civil rights organization, and the Brandeis Center’s membership arm, Southern Californians for Unbiased Education.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mayor Mike Coffman of Aurora, Colorado joined America Reports on Thursday after surveillance footage showing armed Venezuelan gang members in an apartment complex went viral online.
Coffman confirmed that at least two apartment buildings within the city limits have been overtaken by Venezuelan gangs.
The mayor also admitted on-air that “Cookie Monster,” a Tren de Aragua gang leader, “has been apprehended.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Conservatives React to Kamala Harris’ Latest ‘Word Salad’ on Climate Change ‘Deadlines’
Conservative activists and media outlets took to X to share their thoughts on a clip of CNN’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris as she explained why her policy positions have changed since she took over the Democratic ticket for president.
In the clip of the interview, which will air Thursday night on CNN, anchor Dana Bash asked, “Generally speaking, how should voters look at some of the changes that you’ve made? … Is it because you have more experience now, and you’ve learned more about the information? Is it because you were running for president in a Democratic primary? And should they feel comfortable and confident that what you’re saying now is going to be your policy moving forward?”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats Trying to Censor AI Created Memes Before Election
Authored by Steve Watson via modernity.news
Ahead of the election in November, Democrats in the House are attempting to have the FEC issue rules to enable censorship of images created specifically by the Grok, the AI developed by Elon Musk’s X.
In other words, they want to eradicate memes they don’t like.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dolton, Illinois Mayor’s Former Assistant Turns on Her Over ‘Unethical and Predatory Behavior’
A former assistant to controversial Dolton, Illinois Mayor Tiffany Henyard says she is blowing the whistle on the embattled “supermayor” for her lavish spending on the taxpayer’s dime, accusing Henyard of “unethical and predatory behavior” in order to “increase her influence.”
Henyard, who also serves as Supervisor for the neighboring Thornton Township, has been dogged by scandal for months and has been accused of misdeeds, excessive spending, allegations of corruption and retaliating against co-workers.
Despite the controversies and calls for her resignation, she has remained resolute in her roles, but now Thornton Township trustee Carmen Carlisle has come forward to spill the beans on the bombastic mayor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Has Mishandled Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse Investigations, Watchdog Says
The FBI’s handling of child sexual abuse investigations must improve, an internal watchdog said in a new report released on Thursday.
The report comes more than 3 years after it came to light that the FBI was aware of U.S. gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar molesting female athletes but did not act quick enough.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Prosecutors Expected to Drop Over 250 Jan 6 Cases After Supreme Court Decision
Following a recent landmark decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, federal prosecutors are now expected to drop charges for the cases of over 250 Jan. 6 defendants.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will abandon obstruction charges against former police officer Joseph Fischer for his role in the protests at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The decision comes after the Supreme Court narrowed the definition of the charge.
As Slay News reported, legal scholar Jonathan Turley noted that the Supreme Court’s ruling “downgraded” the charges for most Jan. 6 defendants from a so-called “insurrection” to merely “trespassing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Foot Locker Ditching NYC for St. Petersburg, Florida to Cut High Costs: ‘Efficiencies’
Foot Locker announced Wednesday the sneaker retailer will move its headquarters from New York City to Florida to escape the Empire State’s high costs.
“To better support our strategic progress, to increase team member collaboration, as well as ongoing expense discipline, we made the decision to relocate our headquarters to St. Petersburg, Fla.,” CEO Mary Dillon said in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jews Need Not Apply? Department of Education PhD Grant Program Rules Are ‘Racist, ‘ Suit Says
The Department of Education is excluding Asians, whites, “Arabs and other Middle Eastern ethnicities … many Latinos and some Africans” from a $60 million program for students from “disadvantaged backgrounds” unless they meet a two-prong exception, a new lawsuit alleges.
The McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, named after the black scientist who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, awards grants to colleges to prepare undergraduates “for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities,” with a goal of increasing PhDs “from underrepresented segments of society.”
The eligibility page says “at least two-thirds of the participants must be low-income, potential first-generation college students,” and the remaining “may be from groups that are underrepresented in graduate education.”
The requirements are “racist and blatantly unconstitutional,” the Young America’s Foundation said in a press release.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kamala Harris Addresses Policy Changes, Claims Her Values Have Not Changed Since Becoming VP
Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday rejected accusations that she has flip-flopped on some policy stances since she last ran for office, stating that her values have remained the same.
Harris has been accused of flipping her stance on issues like fracking, and climate change, while also shying away from tougher topics like immigration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Paxton Launches ‘Illegal Voting Tipline,’ Issues Election Advisory for Voters
Following Florida, Texas launched a tipline for citizens to report concerns about alleged voter fraud.
Unlike Florida’s toll-free voter fraud hotline, Texas has launched an email tipline.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton encouraged members of the public to report suspected violations of Texas election law through an email tipline: illegalvoting@oag.texas.gov.
Ahead of the November election, Paxton also issued an advisory for voters to “protect your vote.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Revealed: UN is ‘Terrified’ of Trump Presidency: Official
On Thursday, Louder with Crowder’s MugClub Undercover unit released a video featuring Jorge Paoletti, an associate legal officer, treaty section, of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, discussing with an undercover reporter how the UN is “terrified” of a second trump term and how globalism is “absolutely” a goal of the international organization.
“One of the defining features of this MAGA movement is the ultranationalism. It’s a movement that is deeply nationalistic. It’s American first, Make America Great Again, America, America, America, we hate immigrants, we hate everybody that is not us, that doesn’t think like us, look like us, right? That’s the central element. And one of the main enemies are what they call the globalists. I’m the definition of a globalist,” Paoletti said. “I’m not sure the United Nations as an institution is going to survive a second term by Donald Trump.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr. Will Remain on Ballot in North Carolina — Despite Dropping Out
(The Center Square) — The North Carolina State Board of Elections narrowly voted against a request to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from the ballot.
The board called the last-minute meeting on Thursday to consider removing the We the People party, which nominated Kennedy as its pick for the presidential election.
The meeting was heated, with the board split down party lines. Chairman Alan Hirsch, and members Jeff Carmon and Siobhan Millan, all Democrats, voted against striking Kennedy from the ballot, while Kevin Lewis and Stacy Eggers, both Republicans, voted to approve.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shake Shack to Shut 6 California Locations, Including 5 in LA, After State’s $20 Minimum Wage Hike
Shake Shack will shutter six underperforming California locations — the latest fast food chain to close restaurants after the state enacted its controversial $20 minimum wage.
The burger chain, which will close nine Shake Shacks overall, said the move was a result of a periodic evaluation of its portfolio of company-operated units, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday.
“These Shacks are not projected to provide acceptable returns in the foreseeable future,” the filing said.
Five of the doomed locations are in the Los Angeles area and another is in Oakland, lowering its total to 37 in the state — where wages for fast-food workers shot up to $20 an hour on April 1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Survey Shows Majority of Muslim College Students Hate Jews
Campus antisemitism is a problem, but reports focus on the experiences of Jewish students rather than the identity of the perpetrators. Media reports hesitate to name anyone. Jewish organizations zero in on campus hate groups like Students for Justice in Palestine, but that only tells us so much about why antisemitism has become so widespread at certain universities.
Brandeis University’s Center for Modern Jewish Studies recently conducted a survey asking college students about their views of Jews and Israel. And the results are revealing.
66% of students, the vast majority, did not hate Jews or Israel.
While leftist students only make up 14% of overall students (less than the 17% who identify as conservative), they made up a full 43% of students who were hostile to Israel. The remaining 46% of those hostile to the Jewish State identified as “liberal”. Those activists associated with campus encampments and other forms of harassment are a small minority of leftist extremists who have used student organizations and political complicity to wield disproportionate power.
Liberal Jews have embraced diversity as the solution to hate, but diversity causes antisemitism.
White students were surveyed as the least likely to hate Jews. Twice as many black, Hispanic and Asian students as white students ranked as “hostile to Jews”. While black students were slightly ahead in the small “extremely hostile” group, Asians were slightly more hostile to Jews than any other minority group. This may reflect academic competition between Jewish and Asian students, Chinese government support for Hamas or some Muslim students being grouped together with Asians.
Only 10% of white students were hostile to Jews, however 23% of Asian, 22% of black and 22% of Hispanic students were hostile to Jews. That meant they agreed with statements such as “Jewish people talk about the Holocaust just to further their political agenda” and “Jews should be held accountable for Israel’s actions”. 26% potentially held favorable views of Hamas.
And that brings us back to the question of which group of students hates Jews the most.
Christian students were overall the least hateful toward Jews and Israel. (4% of Christians were more antisemitic than the average but this may reflect the inclusion of some minority students or the impact of ‘Groypers’ and other social media influencers like Candace Owens.)
72% of Christian students, 65% of atheists and agnostics and 60% of ‘other religion’ students were not hostile to Jews or Israel, so that majorities of every belief system were not antisemitic.
Muslim students were the only group where the numbers were the exact opposite.
65% of Muslim students either hated Jews or Israel. Only 29% were non-hostile.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Top Expert Warns of ‘Unprecedented’ Global Death Surge Among COVID-Vaxxed
A world-renowned researcher has issued a chilling warning to the public after analyzing government databases exposing the “unprecedented” surge in deaths among those who have received Covid mRNA shots.
MIT computer scientist Steve Kirsch, the inventor of the optical mouse, raised the alarm during an interview with Alex Jones on Infowars.
Kirsch, a celebrated data expert and founder of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation (VSRF), issued the warning after reviewing the national databases on excess deaths from the Czech Republic, New Zealand, the United States, the UK, and several European nations.
According to Kirsch, the database confirms previous studies and expert warnings that Covid mRNA injections are killing young, healthy people, all around the world, at staggering rates.
Kirsch notes that the numbers of young people dying from turbo cancers and cardiac arrests have skyrocketed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Rips Kamala Harris’ First Sitdown Interview Since Biden Dropped Out: ‘Rambled Incoherently’
Former President Donald Trump wasted little time trash-talking Vice President Kamala Harris’ first major sit-down television interview since she ascended to the Democratic nomination.
The 45th president roasted Harris in a social media post on Thursday, chiding that she “rambled incoherently” when pressed by CNN anchor Dana Bash about her past flip-flops on key policy matters.
“Her answer rambled incoherently, and declared her ‘values haven’t changed.’ On that I agree, her values haven’t changed,” Trump sniped on Truth Social before dusting off a list of what he alleges she’d pursue as president.
“America will become a WASTELAND!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump touted plans Thursday to reduce electricity costs by quickly approving the construction of new power plants and spurring the deployment of small modular reactors for nuclear energy — saying it would unleash an economic boom.
Trump, 78, said that more electricity would tame inflation and meet the future energy needs of artificial intelligence.
“To achieve this rapid reduction in energy costs, I will declare a national emergency to allow us to dramatically increase energy production, generation and supply, which Comrade Kamala has destroyed,” the Republican presidential nominee said at a rally in Potterville, Mich.
“Starting on day one, I will approve new drilling, new pipelines, new refineries, new power plants, new reactors and we will slash the red tape. We will get the job done. We will create more electricity, also for these new industries that can only function with massive electricity.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Pledges to Pay for IVF Treatments in Second Term, or Require Insurance Companies to Cover
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump announced Thursday that his administration under a second White House term would either pay for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) or direct all insurance companies to reimburse for the process.
A reporter asked Trump about what his administration would do regarding IVF given how “political” the topic had become, to which he replied, “Well, as you know, I was always for IVF right from the beginning, as soon as we heard about it. It’s fertilization. It’s helping women and men and families, but it’s helping women able to have a baby.”
Trump said that some couples have “great difficulty” conceiving, and many who receive IVF “have been very happy with the results.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tulsi Gabbard to Moderate Trump’s Town Hall in Wisconsin
Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard will moderate GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s town hall in Wisconsin on Thursday.
Trump’s campaign announced on Monday that Gabbard would be the moderator. Gabbard, a former Hawaii congresswoman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, endorsed Trump on Monday during a National Guard Association of the United States conference.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University of Chicago Student Charged With Concealing Bomb Making in Dorm Room, Authorities Say
CHICAGO (WLS) — A college student has been charged with triggering an explosion in his dorm room at the University of Chicago.
The explosion happened in January 2023, authorities said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Aram Brunson, a 21-year-old man from Massachusetts, was making an explosive device when he accidentally set it off, starting a fire and causing the dorm to be evacuated.
Investigators said Thursday that Brunson was planning terrorist action in support of Armenian causes.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Watchdog Group Blasts Secret Service for Attempting to Delay Whistleblower Case
Empower Oversight announced it has filed a response in a whistleblower retaliation case after the United States Secret Service (USSS) attempted to postpone the case until 2025.
“The employee blew the whistle on the USSS’s lowering of standards for applicants in 2018, which the whistleblower believed could contribute to a lack of readiness at the agency,” said Empower Oversight’s news release about its latest actions.
“The whistleblower, who was also a source for Congress’s 2015 report on the USSS, was unable to have his case heard by the three-person Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB or Board) for four years because of a lack of quorum at the agency,” the group added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A North Carolina woman stabbed by a homeless repeat offender at a New Jersey airport over the weekend spoke out about the harrowing attack, recalling the moments leading up to and following the assault.
“I was just waiting on my friend to come out of the restroom, scrolling on my phone,” Melissa Mauldin told “Fox & Friends First,” Thursday. “He came from behind. I never heard him because [of] how noisy the airport is, but he came from behind with a knife around my face, stabbed me there, and as soon as I felt the pressure, I thought he had just hit me. So, I turned around to see what was going on, and I see a man wielding a knife, just staring at me.”
“So I immediately just took off running through the airport screaming for help,” she continued.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Yelp Hits Google With Antitrust Lawsuit
Yelp is suing Google, alleging in an antitrust lawsuit that the tech giant self-preferenced its own product to dominate local search and advertising markets against competitors.
Why it matters: The lawsuit by Yelp, which publishes crowd-sourced reviews about businesses, refers to a federal judge’s ruling earlier this month that found Google violated U.S. antitrust rules to maintain a monopoly in the online search market.
Thought bubble, via Axios’ Ashley Gold: The lawsuit is a culmination of Yelp’s longtime complaints against Google, but it will be a challenge to prove concepts like quality of search results in court and will be especially hard in the context of how generative AI is changing search results.
Driving the news: The suit, which Google calls “meritless,” alleges that Google has engaged in illegal monopoly leveraging in the local search services market in violation of U.S. antitrust law.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada is Secretly Euthanizing Veterans, Government Documents Show
A trove of documents from the liberal Canadian government has revealed that federal officials have been covering up efforts to secretly euthanize military veterans.
2,220 pages of documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request reveal that federal bureaucrats from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) have been pushing suffering service members into the nation’s taxpayer-funded euthanasia program.
Unsurprisingly, VAC, the federal department that is supposed to be in charge of helping Canadian veterans, has been scrambling to block the release of the documents exposing the scheme.
The documents contain several reports regarding complaints that VAC caseworkers have been trying to railroad veterans into the government’s taxpayer-funded Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program.
The records, obtained by Canadian outlet Rebel News, show that VAC chose to use verbal updates when speaking to senior staff rather than written ones.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Agents Allegedly Used Illegal Tactics to Threaten Canadians in 2021 Election, Documents Show
OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — A memo recently disclosed by a commission looking into foreign interference in Canada’s last two elections shows federal officials knew agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were using illegal methods to threaten Canadian voters.
The information was disclosed from a memo dated August 29, 2023, from a Department of Foreign Affairs meeting, as disclosed by the Commission on Foreign Interference. The meeting acknowledging threats to Canadians via foreign state actors came only weeks after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s special rapporteur tasked with looking into the matter downplayed such interference as “media allegations.”
“The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) is aware foreign actor threats and interference are being carried out in Canada, including the harassment of individuals or groups exercising their fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Charter,” reads the memo, as noted by Blacklock’s Reporter.
“Combating and investigating foreign actor interference remains an operational priority for the RCMP,” it said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Toronto Police Superintendent Stacy Clarke will spend the next two years on the force at the rank of inspector after receiving a demotion Wednesday at a disciplinary hearing for her involvement in a “cheating scheme” to advance the careers of minority officers.
“I found there is sufficient and tangible evidence in front of me that finds [Clarke’s] actions amply illustrated abuse of position and abuse of power,” hearing officer Robin McElary-Downer said, according to CBC News. “This makes her an unsuitable candidate to be automatically reinstated to the rank of superintendent. Supt. Clarke will need to reapply down the road. When she does, I’m truly hopeful she will demonstrate her readiness to serve at the rank of superintendent.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
During a visit to Poland, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba participated in the Campus Poland of the Future event in Olsztyn, hosted by Warsaw’s liberal mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski. When asked by an audience member about when Poland would finally be allowed to exhume the victims of the Volhynia Massacre, Kuleba deflected the question by referring to the “Wisla” operation of 1947, where around 140,000 Ukrainians and Lemkos were deported from southeastern Poland amidst conflicts with Ukrainian nationalists.
Kuleba stated that the questioner should be aware of what the “Wisla” operation entailed and that those Ukrainians were forcibly expelled from Ukrainian territories to settle in places like Olsztyn.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After Berlin, UK’s Starmer Continues Charm Offensive in Paris
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in Paris on Thursday (29 August) to make the case for his “once-in-a-generation reset” with the EU, just a day after meeting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Starmer, who was in Paris on Wednesday evening (28 August) to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympics, met French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday as he seeks to reset diplomatic ties with key EU leaders after years of distant and frosty relations under Conservative, pro-Brexit governments.
Both men are said to have discussed global crises, irregular immigration across the Channel and the future relationship between the UK and the EU, according to Elysée officials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: FPÖ Leader Fights Back Against Accusations of Nazism
With the FPÖ predicted to be the big winner in the forthcoming Austrian parliamentary elections at the end of September, the party’s president Herbert Kickl—who was targeted by a militant left-wing video comparing him to Hitler—decided to hit back by filing a complaint.
The video, which has gone viral, was put together on the initiative of the Austrian Democracy platform, which is run by a certain Robert Luschnik, formerly a member of the Green Party and the liberal NEOS party (Neue Österreich und Liberales Forum). Luschnik defended himself by saying that he wanted to carry out “active information work.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Taylor Swift Terror Plot Suspects Planned to Kill ‘Tens of Thousands’, CIA Says
BERLIN (AP) — The suspects in the foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna earlier this month sought to kill “tens of thousands” of fans before the CIA discovered intelligence that disrupted the planning and led to arrests, the agency’s deputy director said.
The CIA notified Austrian authorities of the scheme, which allegedly included links to the Islamic State group. The intelligence and subsequent arrests ultimately led to the cancellation of three sold-out Eras Tour shows, devastating fans who had traveled across the globe to see Swift in concert.
CIA Deputy Director David Cohen addressed the failed plot during the annual Intelligence and National Security Summit, held this week in Maryland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgian School Introduces Compulsory Arabic Lessons
Mandatory Arabic lessons have been brought in for students at a college in Belgium, spurring opposition on social media.
Senior modern language high-school pupils are to be taught the language at Heilige-Drievuldigheidscollege (Holy Trinity College Preparatory School) in the Belgian city of Leuven.
According to the college, the addition of Arabic will serve to “intellectually challenge” new students.
Frank Baeyens, director of Heilige-Drievuldigheidscollege, said many schools now opted to give an extra hour of maths tuition to language students because they often lag behind but added that his school had chosen for a different approach.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Durov Released on €5M Bail as France Charges Telegram Boss
A French judge put Telegram boss Pavel Durov under formal investigation on Wednesday, August 28 in a probe into organized crime on the messaging app, but granted the entrepreneur bail on condition he pays €5 million, reports twice a week to police and does not leave French territory.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement the judge found there were grounds to formally investigate Durov on all the charges for which he was initially arrested four days ago.
They include suspected complicity in running an online platform that allows illicit transactions, images of child sex abuse, drug trafficking and fraud, as well as the refusal to communicate information to authorities, money laundering and providing cryptographic services to criminals.
Durov’s lawyer said it was “totally absurd” to suggest the head of a social network was responsible for any criminal acts committed on the platform.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Braces for Autumn Battles With Budapest
As EU foreign and defence ministers gather informally in Brussels instead of Budapest on Thursday (29 August), tensions with Hungary are expected to reach a boiling point.
With a flurry of self-declared peace missions on Ukraine before summer, Hunagry’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban branded himself as a middleman who could fix certain issues with Russia, China, or other actors interested in influencing European politics.
The move, however, has irritated the EU and its member states, culminating in the decision to downgrade and move Thursday’s prestigious meeting from Budapest to Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Digital Law ‘Restricts Freedom of Expression’, Says French Whistleblowers’ Group
The Association for the Support of Whistleblowers (ASLA) has accused European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) of “restricting freedom of expression under the disguise of regulation”.
ASLA offers legal support for individuals and right-wing organisations in France.
Anaïs Lignier, head of the ASLA legal and administrative department, told Brussels Signal on August 28 that in her group’s opinion the EU legislation was being used to censor the internet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Jewish Festival in Hamburg Cancelled Over Terrorism Fears
A Jewish festival in the German city of Hamburg has been cancelled over fears of a terror attack.
Organisers of the Grindelfest received no specific intelligence of an imminent threat but felt they had to cancel anyway after a spate of recent knife attacks in the country.
On Saturday, a failed Syrian asylum seeker attacked a street festival in the city of Solingen, killing three people and injuring eight others. He had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group.
“Unfortunately, we have come to the conclusion that, despite security and police support, we cannot guarantee safety. Just like in Solingen, we wanted to celebrate diversity—that greatly increases the risk of copycats,” the organisers of the festival in Hamburg said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Bishop Instructs Christians Not to Vote AfD Ahead of Regional Elections
A senior bishop in Germany has again ordered Christians in the country not to vote for the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
This time the edict was in relation to the upcoming regional elections, with the States of Saxony and Thuringia set to go to the polls on September 1.
Speaking ahead of the ballot, Georg Bätzing, the chair of the German Bishops’ Conference, reiterated that his organisation had ordered Christians to avoid the party several months ago.
“We, the German Bishops’ Conference, unanimously published a statement on this in February,” he said, describing what he saw as “ethnic nationalism” as being “incompatible with the basic values of Christianity”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Public Broadcaster Ignores Court Ruling on False ‘Potsdam Meeting’ Report
German public broadcaster NDR and its flagship news programme Tagesschau have for months refused to retract false reporting about the now infamous ‘Potsdam meeting’ despite a court warning refraining them from doing so.
The case highlights how the public media—which is supposed to be unbiased, as it is financed by German taxpayers—is willing to falsify its reporting to spread its liberal agenda and attack anti-establishment and anti-immigration parties it does not agree with.
The current case revolves around the so-called ‘Potsdam meeting,’ a top-level meeting last year in Potsdam between members of the anti-globalist opposition AfD party, the right-wing Identitarian Movement, and the centre-right CDU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: After Solingen Attack: Berlin Clamps Down on Knives, Sets Up 2 Task Forces
In response to the recent terrorist attack in Solingen, the German government is broadening the ban on knives in public places, increasing police powers and planning to speed up the deportation of criminal asylum seekers and Dublin cases.
The EU’s largest country has been rocked by a brutal knife attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) that left three dead and several injured. In response, the progressive coalition government has announced tougher measures and increased police powers.
“Anyone in Germany who attacks or threatens people with a knife must be deported, this must also apply to young people,” said Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP, Renew) in Berlin on Thursday (29 August).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany to Deport Leader of Banned Islamic Center
Germany plans to deport the leader of an Islamic center it banned in July over alleged links to extremist groups, an interior ministry spokeswoman said Thursday.
Investigators swooped on the Hamburg Islamic Center five weeks ago after concluding it was an “Islamist extremist organization” with links to Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.
Mohammad Mofatteh, 57, the former director of the center, has been ordered to leave Germany within 14 days and faces deportation if he does not comply, the spokesperson said.
He will not be allowed to re-enter Germany and could face up to three years in prison if he does.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany has been beset with soaring knife crimes, which dominate the news cycle nearly every day. One of the most recent ones occurred in Berlin on Wednesday, where a Lebanese national is accused of stabbing his ex-wife to death in the Zehlendorf neighborhood.
She later died in the hospital. The 50-year-old suspect has been taken into custody and has a previous history of domestic violence.
The suspect allegedly attacked the 36-year-old woman with a knife in front of her home, resulting in serious stab wounds. Rescue workers treated her on scene and later, at the hospital, she underwent emergency surgery.
Police believe the man targeted the woman, who is also Lebanese, in an “honor killing.” The two have four children together.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Battle Over Airbnb Ban in Budapest District Has Owners Fighting Back
Airbnb is increasingly seen as a scourge to cities around the world, providing tourists with cheap accommodations but reshaping neighborhoods, taking rentals off the market, and driving up the cost of living. However, in Hungary’s Budapest, a city notorious for its huge tourist market, the move to rein in Airbnb has apartment owners fighting back.
Balazs Schumicky, president of the Hungarian Association of Apartment Owners, said while speaking with InfoRadio that the ban on Airbnb accommodations will not solve the problems of the VI district, and these vacation rentals contribute a large amount of money to the growth of the district.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Bans Smartphones in All Public Schools
As more and more schools across the world move towards banning addictive and disruptive smartphones in school, Hungary is joining the trend, with a nationwide ban going into effect in September.
Hungary is following in the footsteps of a number of countries, including England, France, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Greece, and the Netherlands, which have all introduced bans in a relatively short period of time — most in the last year.
In an interview with Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet, the rector of the Nemeskürty Istvan Faculty of Teacher Training at the National University of Public Service (NKE), Mihaly Nanay, stated that the ban is extremely welcome and that schoolwork, studying, and the social atmosphere in schools will improve dramatically.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
While barely covered in the international press, the Hungarian domestic press has been focused on an incident where Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar allegedly sexually harassed young girls in a Budapest nightclub and then threw a man’s phone into the Danube River. Although a darling of the left, Magyar is facing real problems from the incident, which occurred shortly after his Tisza Party scored a surprise 31 percent of the vote in the European elections.
Prosecutors are looking to press charges over the incident, which was covered in some detail by Remix News, but Magyar has immunity through his role as an MEP. One video showed him being thrown out of the club by security guards, and another showed him drunkenly stumbling through the streets of Budapest afterward. This week, Magyar was asked by an ATV reporter if he planned to drop his immunity.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarians Go Shopping Abroad Because Hungary Became Too Expensive
In the 1990s and 2000s, it was not extraordinary to see Slovaks, Romanians or Serbians in Hungarian supermarkets close to the border. The reason was simple: Hungary was cheaper than the neighboring countries. In the last few years, the trend reversed: Hungarians flood Romanian and Slovakian supermarkets because they can save lots of money if they go there to do their shopping. However, that means the Hungarian state loses an immense amount of taxes, which is bad for the struggling Hungarian state budget.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Ryanair Boss O’Leary Wants to Limit Alcohol Consumption at Airports
Michael O’Leary, boss of Irish airline Ryanair, said he felt air travellers should not be allowed to simply consume as much alcohol as they wanted before a flight.
O’Leary proposed limiting passengers to two drinks at the airport in a bid to address what he described as a rise in antisocial behaviour and violence.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on August 27, he said violent outbursts were now happening weekly, often fuelled by alcohol and especially when combined with other substances.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nanny State: UK PM Starmer Confirms Gov’t Considering Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed Thursday reports that his government is considering plans to ban smoking in outdoor spaces such as pub gardens in a nanny state-style intervention.
The new left-wing Labour Party government has drawn up plans to outlaw smoking of tobacco or vaping in outdoor areas such as pub gardens, outside nightclubs, shisha bars, restaurant terraces, in front of sports stadiums, at children’s parks, and outside of universities or hospitals, according to a report from The Sun newspaper.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands Says Ukraine Can Use Its F-16s to Strike Russian Territory
One of Ukraine’s key allies has said that the country is may use its fighter jets “as it wishes” on strikes inside Russia, reflecting a more relaxed stance on how Kyiv employs Western-supplied weaponry.
Permission to use Western weapons on Russian soil has become a key point of contention between Ukraine and its allies, with Kyiv claiming this could turn the tide in the conflict. The statements from the Dutch top brass indicate that Ukraine’s other allies may soon follow suit, loosening restrictions on its activities deeper within Russia.
“We have not placed any restrictions on the use and range of the F-16, provided that the laws of war are adhered to,” Netherlands’ Chief of Defence Onno Eichelsheim told Dutch outlet NOS in remarks published on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Dora | [Return to headlines] |
In an interview with the conservative news outlet wPolityce.pl, Michal Kuczmierowski, the former president of the Government Agency for Strategic Reserves (RARS) during the previous conservative government in Poland, stated that he is not evading justice but is seeking a fair legal process.
“I am not fleeing from justice, nor am I seeking any refuge. However, I am interested in a fair trial. I want to return to Poland when I have the guarantee of fair proceedings,” Kuczmierowski said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Power Grab Fears as EU Parliament Chief Calls for ‘Reforms’ Before Enlargement
The internal structure of the European Union needs a major overhaul to accommodate newcomers after the next wave of enlargement, European Parliament president Roberta Metsola stressed in Warsaw after meeting Polish prime minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday, August 28th. Critics fear her words signal yet another power grab by Brussels.
Metsola arrived in Poland after traveling to Moldova to attend the country’s Independence Day celebrations where she delivered a strong message in support of Moldova’s eventual EU accession.
“Europe is your family, and it is your right to choose the destiny of your country,” she told attendees at the event titled ‘A European Moldova.’ “And Europe will welcome you with open arms and open hearts.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Singer Suspended From Royal Swedish Opera Over ‘Pro-Russia’ Comments
Opera singer Mattias Milder has been suspended from the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm following controversial “pro-Russia” comments on social media.
The affair began when Milder commented about Expressen war correspondent Mattias Carlsson’s recent trip to Ukrainian occupied territory in Kursk, Russia.
On Facebook, Milder wrote: “A Swedish journalist who wants to be on the list of those who illegally violated Russian territory. Hope he stays there underground!”
According to Expressen, a daily newspaper, this constituted praise of Russia and a death wish for the war correspondent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The 47-year-old British yachtsman was confronted by a gang and robbed of his watch on Saturday, Spanish police said.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Study Quantifies Germany’s Disastrous Switch Away From Nuclear Power
Authored by Ross Pomeroy via RealClearScience
At the dawn of the millennium, Germany launched an ambitious plan to transition to renewable energy. “Die Energiewende” initiated a massive expansion of solar and wind power, resulting in a commendable 25 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2022 compared to 2002.
But while Energiewende slashed pollution through building out renewable energy sources, it also phased out Germany’s fleet of safe, carbon-free nuclear power plants, a longtime goal of environmental activists afraid of nuclear’s salient — but in actuality small — dangers. The result, according to a new analysis recently published to the International Journal of Sustainable Energy, has been a boondoggle for consumers and for the environment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Telegram’s Encryption and Privacy Explained
Following the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, attention from individual citizens, to the media, to nation states has been focused on the app and the nature of its encryption and privacy.
Telegram, which boasts almost a billion users, bills itself as an encrypted messaging app and, while this is true, understanding the app’s privacy requires a little more nuance, especially following Durov’s arrest.
The term “encryption” is often used broadly, but in the realm of private messaging services, it usually implies a specific standard: default end-to-end encryption.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Men Charged Over Synagogue Arson Attack in France
(AFP) — Two suspects involved in an attack on a synagogue in southern France at the weekend were charged late Wednesday and remain in custody, Paris anti-terror prosecutors said.
The charges come after two cars were set alight in a car park under a synagogue near the seaside resort of La Grande Motte, causing an explosion just 30 minutes before its Saturday service and injuring a police officer.
The main suspect, a 33-year-old Algerian identified as “EHK”, was charged with attempted terrorist murder committed on the grounds of race or religion and for criminal terrorism association, according to France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT).
A legal resident in France, EHK was not known to police.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK 1984: Leftist Labour Gov’t to Encourage Police to Mass Record ‘Non-Crime Hate Incidents’: Report
The recently-elected Labour Party government in Britain is reportedly considering plans to encourage police forces to once again record so-called “non-crime hate incidents” en masse.
In an apparent effort to create a “zero tolerance” approach to hate speech, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is reported to be planning on reversing restrictions from her predecessors to bring back the mass recording by police of the Orwellian non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs), The Telegraph reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Riots: 11-Year-Old Child Arrested Over Violent Disorder in Middlesbrough
The continued crackdown on those alleged to have taken part in the UK riots earlier this month has seen the arrest of an 11-year-old child, the believed youngest suspect detained so far in the country.
Cleveland Police announced on Wednesday that an 11-year-old has been arrested over disorder in the North Yorkshire town of Middlesbrough on the 4th of August in the wake of a mass stabbing that saw three young girls killed at a dance party in Southport.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Delivery driver Mohamed El-Abboud, 28, filmed himself twerking and dancing outside a house he helped swindle from a pensioner who he had brutally murdered.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after Jade Anthony Barnett, 38, was killed on Rushmore Road, Clapton.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Starmer Moves One Step Closer to Reversing Brexit
Sir Keir Starmer, Britain’s new and unpopular Labour prime minister, travelled to Germany yesterday to tell Chancellor Olaf Scholz that he wants to “turn a corner” on Brexit.
As with his previous calls to “reset” relations with the European Union, his speech alongside Scholz hinted at even weaker borders and more rule-taking from Brussels under a Starmer government.
Never mind the fact that more Britons voted to leave the EU in 2016 than have voted for any other electoral option in the nation’s history—and that the vote was deeply tied to the all-important issue of immigration. Nor that the electorate doubled down on this in both the 2019 European elections and general election, during which the then-prime minister Boris Johnson promised to “get Brexit done.” Nor, indeed, that the Tory failure to properly see Brexit through played a large part in the party being thrown out of office in July.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vast Majority of Poles Oppose Donald Tusk Running for President in 2025
In a poll conducted by IBRiS for Radio ZET, 71.2 percent of respondents said they did not think that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk should run for president in next year’s election. The poll showed that 51.8 percent of respondents answered “definitely no,” and 19.4 percent answered “probably no.”
Only 16.5 percent supported the idea of his candidacy: 4.5 percent of those surveyed think “definitely yes,” and 12 percent “probably yes,” while 12.3 percent have no opinion on the matter.
Interestingly, 73 percent of voters from the ruling left-liberal coalition (Civic Coalition, Third Way, Left) also prefer Tusk not to run. Tusk currently serves as the Civic Platform (PO) leader.
The presidential election is scheduled for spring 2025, with Civic Coalition expected to announce its candidate by the end of this year. The liberal mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski, is currently seen as the most likely candidate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
WW3 Watch: Poland Approves Record Military Spending in 2025 Budget
Poland’s budget for 2025 includes record military spending of $48.7 billion, officials said Wednesday, as the Ukraine war continues to ramp security concerns across Europe.
Poland is already NATO’s biggest defence spender, with plans to outlay 4.1 percent of GDP in 2024. However, the Polish government is considering increasing the defence budget again by 0.6 percentage points further next year,
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Kills a Top Militant in Its Deadliest West Bank Raids Since the Gaza War Began
TULKAREM, West Bank (AP) — The Israeli military said it killed five more West Bank militants, including a local commander, as it pressed ahead Thursday with its deadliest operation in the occupied territory since the start of the war in Gaza.
Israel says the raids across the northern West Bank — which have killed a total of 16 people, nearly all militants, since late Tuesday — are aimed at preventing attacks. The Palestinians see them as a widening of the war in Gaza and an effort to perpetuate Israel’s decades-long military rule over the territory.
The raids drew alarm from the United Nations and neighboring Jordan, as well as from British and French leaders, who stressed the urgency of a cease-fire in Gaza after nearly 11 months of fighting between Israel and Hamas.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Israel, Hamas Agree to 3-Day Pause in Fighting for Gaza Polio Vaccinations: WHO
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a three-day pause in fighting in Gaza to allow the first round of polio vaccination of 640,000 children in the war-torn Palestinian enclave. The vaccinations will begin from Sunday.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Kills Palestinian Commander Muhammad Jaber ‘Abu Shujaa’ as Fighting Intensifies: IDF
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed on Thursday morning that it killed a leading Palestinian battle commander, something the Palestinians also said happened.
The IDF posted that it killed Palestinian terrorist Muhammad Jaber, also known as “Abu Shujaa,” during a counterterrorism operation.
“The terrorist Muhammad Jaber, “Abu Shujaa”, was eliminated following exchanges of fire during counterterrorism operations in Tulkarm,” the IDF posted Thursday, stating that he “was the head of a terrorist network in Nur Shams,” and “was involved in carrying out numerous terrorist attacks[…]”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
As Salvage Starts, No Oil Spilling From Tanker Set Ablaze by Houthis in Red Sea
ATHENS, Aug 29 (Reuters) — As salvage operations began on an abandoned Greek-flagged oil tanker with deck fires still burning from Houthi rebel attacks, the EU’s Red Sea naval mission Aspides said on Thursday that no oil spill has been detected.
Yemen’s Houthi militants carried out multiple assaults, including planting bombs on the already disabled 900-foot (274.2-meter) Sounion that is laden with about 1 million barrels of oil. On Wednesday, the Iran-aligned militants said they would allow salvage crews to tow the ship — which has been on fire since Aug. 23 — to safety.
“It would appear, at least for now, that cooler heads prevailed,” Lars Jensen, CEO of industry consultancy Vespucci Maritime, said on LinkedIn.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine’s Military Says One of Its F-16 Warplanes Has Crashed
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — One of the handful of F-16 warplanes that Ukraine has received from its Western partners to help fight Russia’s invasion has crashed, Ukraine’s air force said Thursday.
The fighter jet went down on Monday, when Russia launched a major missile and drone barrage at Ukraine, a military statement posted on Facebook said.
Some of those Russian missiles and drones were shot down by F-16s before they reached their targets, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The crash was the first reported loss of an F-16 in Ukraine, where they arrived at the end of last month. At least six of the warplanes are believed to have been delivered.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Hindus in Bangladesh Facing Genocide?
Hindus in Bangladesh are under attack. Islamists who have sabotaged the students’ anti-government protests have been rioting and hunting down defenseless Hindus across the country since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee to India on August 5.
According to reports and social media posts from the region, Hindu homes have been burned, shops looted, and temples vandalized. Muslim mobs are wreaking havoc on the Hindu minority. Countless Hindus have been victimized by the rampaging Islamists.
A list of 54 attacks that targeted temples, homes and establishments that belong to the Hindu community in the country was released by the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, also on August 5. According to the X account of Voice of Bangladeshi Hindus, these attacks happened within five hours.
Hundreds of people were killed in a crackdown on demonstrations that began as protests against job quotas and swelled into a movement demanding Hasina’s ouster. The Bangladesh military is reportedly forming an interim government.
The protests that started against the former Bangladeshi government have since descended into rampant violence against the Hindu community.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brazil’s High Court Freezes Starlink Assets Over Musk’s X Censorship Refusal
Brazil’s Supreme Court has escalated the country’s retaliation against Elon Musk by freezing the financial assets of Starlink Holding, a subsidiary of Musk’s. This action is in response to another Musk company, X, which has refused to censor posts and designate a legal representative in Brazil.
This decision was part of a broader action taken by the controversial Justice Alexandre Moraes of the Supreme Court, who targeted an economic entity led by Musk. According to Brazilian media, on August 18, Moraes mandated the freezing of all financial assets of Starlink within Brazil to secure the payment of penalties levied against X by Brazilian courts.
Justice Moraes’ decision stems from the ongoing dispute involving X’s operations in Brazil. The company, under Musk’s direction, had recently shut down its Brazilian office on August 17, citing disagreements with the Supreme Court’s fines and content censorship mandates. This closure followed the court’s demand, made the day before, for X to appoint a legal representative to address these issues formally.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brazil Threatens to Block Access to X Within 24 Hours After the Platform Refused to Censor
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has set a stringent deadline for Elon Musk, the owner of the social network X, and its CEO Linda Yaccarino, to appoint a local legal representative for the platform in Brazil. The ultimatum was clear: do so within 24 hours or see the social network suspended in the nation. This directive came to light following a court ruling on Wednesday.
Moraes ordered X to block certain accounts critical of the government and remove specific posts it accused of spreading “misinformation” related to Brazil’s electronic voting system and promoting “hate speech.” The targeted accounts were often associated with supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro and were linked to investigations into what the court described as “digital militias” accused of disseminating false information.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis dismissed anger over Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua taking over apartment buildings in the Denver suburb of Aurora, calling it “imagination” — despite video footage, police reports and the city’s mayor confirming it’s happening.
Polis’ press office offered the snarky statement Wednesday night in response to Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky — who told The Post the gang’s takeovers are tied to his policies.
“The Governor has already let the Mayor know that the State is ready to support the local police department with assistance from state troopers and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if needed,” Shelby Wieman, a spokesperson for the Dem governor, told The Post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Calls Out VP Harris for Old Post Saying Illegal Immigrants Aren’t Criminals
Tesla founder and X owner Elon Musk called out the Vice President for a past post where she had argued illegal immigrants are not criminals.
Billionaire Elon Musk called out Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday for a past comment where she argued illegal immigrants are not criminals.
Chaos at the southern border continues to be a key vulnerability for Harris’ campaign, to the point where liberal media outlets have tried to deny she served as President Biden’s border czar. At the same time, Harris has been criticized for being opaque about her platform and has been accused of flip-flopping on issues in order to appear moderate.
Musk shared a post that Harris made in April 2017, where she said, “An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Family of Mom Allegedly Killed by Illegal Migrant Says No Word From Biden-Harris Admin Since Arrest
Family members of a mother of five who was allegedly murdered in 2023 by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador say they haven’t heard from the Biden-Harris administration since the suspected killer was arrested in June.
Rachel Morin, 37, was found dead Aug. 6, 2023, near a Maryland trail.
In June, authorities arrested Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, of El Salvador, in Oklahoma and charged him with rape and murder in connection with the incident.
The family members, in a statement obtained by Fox News on Wednesday, said they were “disappointed” that they have yet to hear from President Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democrats’ presidential nominee, since the arrest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A seaside town in northern France is seeing ‘urban guerrilla warfare’ play out on its once quiet streets as migrants hoping to cross to the UK are clashing with police.
Residents in Grand-Fort-Philippe, located between Calais and Dunkirk, have lived peacefully for years alongside the men, women and children who are desperately seeking a new life over the Channel.
But many are now fearing for their safety as clashes between migrants and police have worsened, moving from beaches around a mile away into residential areas, The Telegraph reports.
The violence, which has involved police using tear gas against people hurling stones, has upended lives and seen people’s property become collateral damage in the small town of around 5,200 people.
Meanwhile, a new camp likened to the ‘Jungle’ — a large maze of tents which was dismantled in 2016 — has reportedly sprung up on the outskirts of the town.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fury at DA After Illegal Migrant Truck Driver Who Killed Colorado Man Faces Just 1 Year in Prison
The widow of a Colorado man killed by an illegal immigrant trucker is outraged as he faces just a year in prison after being charged with and pleading guilty to mere minor traffic violations.
“I’m mad that I’m not going to get justice for my husband,” devastated widow Deann Miller told 9 News. “Mad because the most this man can get is a year for murdering my husband because the DA refused to charge him with more.”
“I lost the man I’ve been with since I was 17.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A gathering of Venezuelan migrants spiraled out of control this week as gunshots rang out in the parking lot of a suburban Colorado town.
In yet another sign of trouble inside the Venezuelan community living in the US, chaos unleashed by migrants living in Aurora, Colorado has surfaced in a TikTok video.
‘Those Venezuelans is taking over,’ a man can be heard saying in an online video posted to TikTok by user 100packsavvy.
The July 29 footage shows bedlam in a Target parking lot in Aurora where Venezuelans had gathered in a weekend demonstration over the elections in their homeland.
While mostly peaceful, South American swarmed the shopping center, completely taking it over, with cars sardined, bumper-to-bumper.
This forced Target and other retailers in the area to close early, fearing their customers might get caught up in the demonstrations, according to Telemundo Denver.
As night fell, the trashed parking lot littered with garbage turned from disgusting to dangerous.
Police responded to several incidents, including gun shots being fired, the Spanish-speaking outlet reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How the Migrant Crisis Drained $150 Billion From Taxpayers in a Single Year
The migrant crisis is more costly than Americans realize.
Last year, US taxpayers shelled out some $150 billion in government services and support to help the 20 million illegal migrants in the country, according to a study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
And most of the cost is being borne by state and local governments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Record numbers of migrants living in Britain are not working, costing taxpayers an estimated £8 billion, a report warns today.
Official figures show that 1,689,000 non-UK nationals are either unemployed or classed as economically inactive because they are not looking for a job.
The figure for the second quarter of 2024 surpasses the previous high of 1,676,000 recorded at the start of the year, and the 1,628,000 from early in 2012, according to analysis of Office for National Statistics data.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of Illegal Migrants Deported From Germany to Poland
Thousands of illegal migrants have been deported from Germany to Poland, according to recent reports. Aleksandra Fedorska, a journalist for independent Radio Wnet, revealed that as of the end of June, 3,140 people had been expelled from Germany’s Brandenburg region alone.
This figure is part of a broader trend, with estimates suggesting that the total number of deportees from neighboring German lands could reach nearly 10,000.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain is currently suffering a massive increase in illegal immigration, with the majority of migrants arriving on the Canary Islands far off the coast before being transported to mainland Spain in large waves. Video of the airport in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, shows hundreds of migrants waiting to board planes.
Spanish journalist Rubén Pulido released a video showing the chaos at the Tenerife Airport in the Canary Islands.
“It happened today, at Tenerife airport. The government is sending hundreds of illegal immigrants by plane from the Spanish islands to the country’s capital. From there, they will be distributed by region and soon they will be dispersed all over,” he wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Actress Amandla Stenberg, star of the woke “Star Wars” spin-off TV show “The Acolyte,” has issued an angry response after Disney Plus canceled the divisive series.
However, rather than blame the show’s far-left messaging, Stenberg is blaming its failure on “hyper-conservative bigotry.”
The 25-year-old, who played Mae and Osha in the series, posted a lengthy video on Instagram Stories expressing her frustration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ford Walks Back ‘Woke’ DEI Policies, Joining Growing List of US Companies
Ford Motor Company is backing away from some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, becoming the latest American firm to pump the brakes on “woke” policies this year and joining the likes of John Deere, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply.
Anti-woke activist and filmmaker Robby Starbuck, who has been leading a campaign exposing major corporations’ woke policies, reported on X on Wednesday that he was in the middle of an investigation of Ford when the company sent him documentation indicating that it had made some changes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vermont Urges Everyone to Replace ‘Son’ and ‘Daughter’ With ‘Gender-Neutral’ Terms in Schools
The Vermont Department of Health is advising educators and families to forego the terms “son” and “daughter” when speaking to students.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the department suggested using what they referred to as “inclusive language for families” in the new school year.
“Equity in the classroom is an essential piece of a productive and healthy learning environment,” the post read.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tip: 2 Minute Video
German State TV !!! explains how an Illegal Muslim, who entered Germany ILLEGALLY with his four children and his wife, can now import their mother. Yes. His wife was his first wife. Now he wants to bring his 2nd wife, who mothered the children.
And German State TV – payed for by tax payers, don’t pay it you’ll be imprisoned – explains how he can do it on WDR Arabic TV run by German TV in Cologne – thats where the mass rape event occured.
So now the Arabs all know how they can import multiple wives, without ever having spoken a word of German or paid taxes .
https://t.me/timmkellner/9893
She is lost. Paying tax on UNREALIZED GAINS makes no sense. Who’s coming up with these silly economic plans? How can you tax people on income they haven’t made? https://tinyurl.com/4n3hce8z
“Who’s coming up with these silly economic plans?”
They’re not silly, their INFANTILE! And those who’re pushing them are infantile Bolsheviks (aka commie-toddlers) that’ve been placed—by dickfors—into positions of power.
Imagine a two year-old (with very plump Pampers!) who, although she hasn’t a clue what it is, wants Bolshevism and has the power to implement it; and you’ve got a pretty good idea of who’s coming up with these plans.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uF2jCm0GcFA
“How can you tax people on income they haven’t made?”
It’s called ENVY; and taking things from other people without their permission’s what ‘toddlers do because they have neither the emotional control nor the moral awareness to know right-from-wrong; and, because they’ve been placed into positions of power—again, by dickfors—they’re able to do what they want…..until an adult comes along, smacks ’em in the head and locks ’em in their room. Sadly, western civilization seems to’ve unlearned the difference between ‘tot and adult.
___________________________________________________________
Germany begins deporting Afghans
Published August 30, 2024 in Fria Tider
Germany has resumed deportations to Afghanistan on Friday, after a pause that lasted since the Taliban took power three years ago.
A total of 28 Afghan citizens convicted of crimes in Germany have been sent back to their home country.
The decision came in the context of an intense debate over the country’s asylum policy, with strongly growing support for anti-immigration parties, which have put pressure on the German government to act.
The expelled Afghans should have received a start-up grant of 1,000 euros to facilitate their return to their homeland, according to consistent media reports.
Five more stabbed today by a Syrian on a bus.
__________________________________________________________
‘Sweden is a lost country’
Sweden is done.
The deportation of millions of foreigners, which is necessary to preserve a Swedish Sweden, the politicians obviously have neither the ability nor the desire to do.
Since the bourgeois government (Tidöregeringen) took office with the support of the Sweden Democrats, shall one tightening after another has been introduced in the area of immigration. Damn it!
And according to its Minister of Justice, Sweden must be a pioneering country when it comes to fighting gangs.
The Sweden we know and remember is forever lost. Sweden is permanently destroyed.
Despite Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer’s big arm movements, there is no reason to believe that they are politically both brave and ready to do what is necessary to solve the problems.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The Tidö parties have awarded over 120,000 new citizenships
Published August 30, 2024 in Fria Tider
Since the Tidö parties took power in October 2022, 121,274 new Swedish citizenships have been issued. The parties still refuse to introduce a moratorium, reports the Bulletin.
Tidö scam
The government: No evidence that a single immigrant has net emigrated Continues to hand out 100,000 residence permits a year
The Swedish Migration Agency: Tightened requirements for immigrants hardly make any difference at all Conclusion: Kristersson lets in as many immigrants as Reinfeldt and Löfven SD’s crisis meeting with Kristersson about the missing paradigm shift
Show all A significant portion of the new citizenships, a total of 50,990, have been issued to people from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Eritrea. These constitute the four largest groups among the new Swedish citizens.
Despite the debate surrounding tightened rules, even people with a criminal history can still be granted Swedish citizenship.
The Tidö parties’ decision not to stop the issuance of citizenship while tougher rules for citizenship are investigated has led to criticism. Many believe that stricter conditions should be introduced immediately to ensure that the requirements for becoming a Swedish citizen are high enough and that the population exchange actually slows down.
One of those who argued for such a moratorium on citizenship is the SD profile Kent Ekeroth. In April 2023, when the Tidö government had been in office for six months, he tried to put pressure on the party leadership to demand a moratorium on both residence permits and naturalized citizenship – but to no avail.
The government has now been in office for almost two years and immigration is still at pretty much exactly the same level as under the S government – despite the promise of a “paradigm shift”.
___________________________________________________________
This is how politicians keep diversity away from their quarters
August 29, 2024
Swedish politicians keep their own residential areas homogenous and safe by systematically stopping the construction of new multi-family houses in these areas. This is shown by a new study from researchers in Lund and Uppsala published in the Journal of Politics.
The study, which is based on data from three election periods and all municipalities in Sweden, shows that municipal politicians are less inclined to approve building permits for new multi-family buildings in the areas where they themselves live.
In order to conduct a comparative study, the researchers use municipal elections where the left- or right-wing bloc won by a small vote margin – that is, both blocs had roughly the same chance of winning or losing when the election was close. After a typical even election, approximately 10 percent fewer apartment buildings are approved in areas where more politicians from the governing majority live.
– It is clear that politicians place new, unpopular construction projects in areas where they themselves do not live, says Olle Folke, professor of political science at Uppsala University, and one of the researchers behind the study.
The scientists worried
The results worry the researchers because the local inequality can affect the living environment of the entire municipality. When politicians avoid placing new, potentially unpopular construction projects in their own residential areas, other, less affluent parts of the municipality risk being hit harder. According to the researchers, this pattern can lead to increased inequality within the municipality, where already privileged areas are protected while other areas are burdened with more new construction projects.
The study also shows that both right-wing and left-wing politicians often live in relatively affluent residential areas.
– We see a clear pattern regarding the income level in the residential areas where our politicians live. Municipal politicians live to a greater extent in residential areas with a high level of education and high incomes, says Matz Dahlberg, professor of economics at Uppsa University, in a press release.
I’d like to see the Russian fellow leave France and tell the French “authorities” that they have NO authority over him, and they can Foxtrot Oscar.
Challenge their authority – not the charges!
I am sure the “Russian” would leave if the Frenchies would, let him .Sadly the American is still in lock up in England now for close to what about 8 years for pissing off the elite also .If Harris and commie fellow traveler Walz get installed in Jan .2025 America will have their second Amendment suspended for our “own protection” because words hurt commie toddlers and” hate speech ” as defined by pointing out the truth is just too mean ! Look at what they are doing in the United Kingdom to people complaining about refugees on facebook or X .They want to lock up Musk if he passes thru that Sharia zone in his travels. That idiotic police chief in England post on line he want to try to lock up Americans in America .I think he forgets we have been free of English rule for almost 250 years ,two wars where fought over it .The last was in 1812 ,we also bailed England out in 1917 and 1941 .We also keep a large force of troops at American taxpayers expense in western Europe from 1945 till the present day to keep the commies from invading. They seem to be electing them in western Europe ,so there is no need or expense for them to invade if they are elected to office and the “civil servants” are only too glad to do the heavy lifting to impose commie rules on free speech to the general population if they complain about objecting to savage sharia law being made the law of the land.
“If Harris and commie fellow traveler Walz get installed in Jan .2025 America will have their second Amendment suspended for our “own protection””
Yup and probably sooner rather than later.
“Whenever a politician says, “I support the Second Amendment, BUT…”, you know two things with 100% certainty: 1) she does NOT support the Second Amendment; and 2) she wants to do something for which she should be shot.” —posted to fb (Aug 2019)
In the words of The Blacktivist Queen (TBQ) herself: Watch (~30 secs)..
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1a1lnHDcDy8