Florida prosecutors officially charged Ryan Wesley Routh with attempted assassination today over his alleged failed plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a golf course in West Palm Beach earlier this month. Meanwhile, Mr. Routh’s son Oran has been arrested in North Carolina on child pornography charges.
In other news, last week the Canary Islands experienced their highest number of recorded migrant arrivals in a single seven-day period.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, László, LP, McN, MM, Reader from Chicago, 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.
German Manufacturing Sentiment at ‘Lowest Level Since June 2020’
Pessimism within the German manufacturing sector has hit its lowest level since June 2020, a report from a major economic research institution has found.
Data gathered by the Ifo Institute for Economic Research found that feelings within Germany’s private sector as a whole were on the decline as the country battled to deal with pressures relating to energy, as well as the increasing fragmentation of the global economy.
The Ifo Institute reported on September 24 that its Business Climate Index fell by over one point between August and September, marking the fourth consecutive decline in as many months.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Economy Facing Continued Contraction as Europe’s Powerhouse Fails to Stimulate Growth
Germany’s economy is expected to shrink by 0.1 percent in 2024, following a 0.3 percent contraction last year, according to leading economic institutes.
A survey by the Ifo Institute revealed that business sentiment worsened for the fourth consecutive month in September, with the decline more pronounced than anticipated. Business activity also contracted at its fastest rate in seven months, signaling further downward pressure on GDP.
Despite signs of easing inflation, consumer demand remains weak, weighed down by high energy costs, weak industrial orders, and rising interest rates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With Job Cuts Slamming Germany, Berlin ‘Hides’ Industrial Crisis With Huge Government Hiring Spree
The German government is increasingly unable to paper over its growing industrial crisis through increased hiring of government workers. Instead, the consequences of German economic policy are coming home to roost for the ruling government, with the number of companies either cutting or moving to cut workers growing to alarming levels.
While Germany has a record number of employees, reaching 46 million, the unemployment rate has steadily risen since 2022. All new hiring is obscured by the fact that nearly all jobs in recent years have been created in state-related sectors. Many of the workers being hired are also foreign workers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Kamala Demands a Life of Luxury”
“Kamala demands a life of luxury,” a former aide revealed. “She treats the campaign like a personal checking account to fund a lifestyle she aspires to,” another aide warned.
“Staff has always worried about Kamala’s spending, but she is adamant about using campaign money as she wants,” that aide on her former Senate campaign said.
“She wants to live the life of someone in the White House,” a strategist described Kamala in 2015, “and she hasn’t even won the Senate yet. Her hanging around the president and first lady”, referencing the Obamas, “it’s gotten her hooked. She thinks it’s her birthright and it’s not.”
Kamala was raising and spending massive amounts of campaign cash. Much of it on herself.
While Kamala falsely claimed that she was raised in “a middle-class household”, she was actually the “privileged child of foreign grad students” who traveled the world, and grew up surrounded by wealth. Her career as a prosecutor failed to satisfy her taste for luxury so she turned to Willie Brown: the first in a series of men who would support her in high style.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
Antisemitism Report at CUNY Calls for ‘Overhaul’ of the University’s Policies
An independent review of discrimination at the City University of New York said the university needs to overhaul the system’s policies regarding antisemitism.
The report also said there should be a center created to address antisemitism at the university and other types of discrimination, according to The Times of Israel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bombshell Transcripts: Trump Urged Use of Troops to Protect Capitol on Jan. 6, But Was Rebuffed
Then-President Donald Trump gave clear instructions to Pentagon brass days before the Jan. 6 riots to “do whatever it takes” to keep the U.S. Capitol safe, including deploying National Guard or active-duty troops, but top officials did not comply because of political concerns, according to transcripts of bombshell interviews conducted by the Defense Department’s chief watchdog that shine new light on government disfunction ahead of the historic tragedy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Ellison, former girlfriend of disgraced crypto bro Sam Bankman-Fried, was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison for her role in the scandal that exposed crypto company FTX as an elaborate Ponzi scheme. She pled to charges of conspiracy and fraud in December 2022, just two months after FTX filed for bankruptcy. Bankman-Fried had blamed Ellison for the collapse of FTX.
Ellison was not only sentenced to 24 months in prison by the US District Court in Manhattan’s Judge Lewis A Kaplan, but she was required to forfeit her $11 billion for her role in the collapse of FTX and the loss of millions in funds for customers. She testified against Bankman-Fried, the founder of both FTX and Alameda and a major Democrat donor who followed principles of “Effective Altruism,” for three days during his November 2023 trial. Bankman-Fried is serving 25 years in federal prison for his crimes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Criminal Investigation Into NYC’s Democrat Mayor Expands to 5 More Countries, Including China
The criminal investigations into New York City’s Democrat Mayor Eric Adams and his administration have now expanded to include five more countries, including Communist China.
Federal investigators have been probing Adams’ ties to Turkey’s government over allegations he conspired with Turkish officials to illegally funnel foreign cash to his campaign.
However, the New York Times reported that prosecutors have now widened to include five more countries.
City Hall, Adams, and his campaign were reportedly subpoenaed two months ago for information related to China, Qatar, Uzbekistan, South Korea, and Israel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have joined those currently publicly pressuring companies behind social media platforms and encrypted messages — they have identified 11 of the most widely used ones — to make sure they “combat election disinformation.”
Specifically, four Democrats (the letter was also signed by Jeanne Shaheen and Elizabeth Warren) want to know what these companies’ censorship plans are: the senators phrase it as the need to discover what measures will be taken to “de-amplify” (and that includes removal) content and accounts seen as spreading the said type of disinformation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A once giant discount retailer is set to close its last full-size store, but not before slashing prices on its remaining stock.
Kmart has operated for 135 years, selling products ranging from from clothes and appliances to hardware and electronics. It had 2,323 stores at its peak in 1994.
The chain’s last big box location in Bridgehampton on New York’s Long Island will close its doors on October 20.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Election Expert: Early Mail-in Voting Data Shows ‘Great News’ for Trump & GOP
An election expert has revealed that data from early mail-in voting is signaling “great news” for President Donald Trump and other Republican candidates ahead of November.
Vote-by-mail data in three key states shows the edge Democrats enjoyed in 2020 has plummeted.
One expert said the bad news for Democrats is a great sign for Republicans and Trump.
Jimmy Keady, the founder and president of JLK Political Strategies, a Republican consulting firm, told Fox News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Announces SpaceX Plans to Send 5 Unmanned Starships to Mars in 2 Years
Elon Musk has announced that his spacecraft company SpaceX is planning to send five unmanned Starship missions to Mars in two years from now.
Musk made the announcement in a post on his social media platform X.
The tech entrepreneur has long been leading the calls for humanity to expand its exploration of Earth’s neighboring planet.
Earlier this month, Musk had said that the first Starships to Mars would launch in two years.
He said the missions will launch at that time because it is “when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Failed Trump Assassin Had a List of Everywhere Trump Would be August to October
Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news
The deranged leftist who attempted to kill president Trump was in possession of a list of venues and events where the GOP nominee was going to appear, according to a detention filing.
Ryan Routh appeared in court Monday charged with two federal gun crimes: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession, and receipt of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
DOJ prosecutors noted that Routh also conducted several reconnaissance trips to Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course and his Mar-a-Lago residence months before he was caught.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Report: Violent Crime Dropped Nationally in 2023
Violent crime in the United States dropped nationally in 2023, according to a new FBI Crime in the Nation report.
Violent crime decreased by 3% from 2022 to 2023, according to the report released on Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seemingly approved a deal that would “fast-track” left-wing billionaire George Soros’ acquisition of more than 200 Audacy radio stations across America, irking a Republican commissioner who “objected.”
The New York Post first reported that the FCC last week “adopted an order to approve Soros’ purchase of more than 200 radio stations in 40 markets just weeks before the presidential election,” potentially allowing the far-left kingmaker to reach more than 165 million Americans at a critical time.
“The FCC decision came after a partisan vote with the commission’s three Democrats voting for the move while the two Republicans voted against it, sources added,” Post reporter Lydia Moynihan wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House Foreign Affairs Committee Votes to Hold Blinken in Contempt, Sends Resolution to Full Chamber
The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to advance a contempt of Congress resolution against Secretary of State Antony Blinken who failed to comply with a subpoena to testify.
The contempt resolution is the latest effort by the committee to compel Secretary Blinken’s testimony on the Biden administration’s chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal that saw the Taliban seize control of the country and 13 U.S. service members die in a terrorist attack.
The measure, approved by the committee in a 26-25 party-line vote, will now advance to the full chamber.
If the House approves the measure, the Justice Department would still have to prosecute the violation, which it has refused to do in the case of Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was held in contempt by the Republican-led Congress earlier this year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Idaho Man Charged With Threatening to Kill Trump: ‘I Am Going to Down Him Personally and Kill Him’
An Idaho man has been charged with threatening to kill Donald Trump during phone calls to the Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Florida. The charges against the Idaho man come as there have now been two assassination attempts on the GOP nominee’s life in the past few months.
Warren Jones Crazybull, 64, of Sandpoint, Idaho, allegedly made nine phone calls with threats to Trump’s home on July 31, just a couple weeks after the first assassination attempt on Trump took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, per Forbes. According to a criminal complaint reviewed by the outlet, Crazybull said he would “find Trump,” adding, “I am coming down to Bedminster tomorrow. I am going to down him personally and kill him.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge to Approve Selling Off InfoWars Media Platform and Assets to Make Sandy Hook Lawsuit Payments
A federal judge on Tuesday indicated that he will approve a request to liquidate and sell off Alex Jones’ Infowars media platform and its assets at auctions this fall, to pay out the $1 billion he owes families of victims at the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.
Jones came under heat and legal trouble after he claimed the 2012 elementary school shooting in Connecticut was a “hoax” and that the grieving parents were actually “crisis actors” who were trying to pass gun legislation. But he has since admitted that the shooting was real.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he had to make changes to a previous order before he can officially sign off on the auctions, which begin in November. Jones and his company both filed bankruptcy around the time that Jones was ordered to pay almost $1.5 billion in damages, per the Associated Press.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Harris campaign is on track to give the fewest number of interviews in modern American history. Between Monday and when Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate, neither Harris nor her running mate Tim Walz have sat down for more than five interviews with the press, per Breitbart.
Harris has been criticized for avoiding the press since President Biden stunned the nation on July 21, when he announced his withdrawal from the race and endorsed her. The candidate’s lack of transparency has brought into question what a potentialHarris presidency would look like, leaving undecided voters uncertain about her bid for president.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leftist Historian Provokes Would-be Assassins on MSNBC: ‘Doomsday Scenario’ if Trump Wins
Democrats and their allies appear to have no intention of toning down their aggressive rhetoric toward President Donald Trump following two failed assassination attempts.
Meanwhile, the Democrats’ corporate media allies are apparently all too willing to amplify the type of antagonistic fearmongering about Trump that provokes would-be assassins.
On Monday, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” gave airtime to a leftist historian who warned viewers that electing Trump in November would trigger a “doomsday scenario.”
Douglas Brinkley warned the show’s viewers, and any radicalized gunmen that might be watching, that they need to “wake up” to the “danger” that “radioactive” Trump apparently poses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Officials Worry Chemical Gas Leak May Cause Explosion Near Cincinnati
A chemical gas leak from a rail tanker near Cincinnati prompted fears of an explosion and evacuation orders for people within at least a half-mile radius of the incident.
Roughly 210 households in Whitewater Township, about 22 miles west-northwest of Cincinnati in an area near the city airport and the Kentucky state line, were under evacuation orders, officials said Tuesday night. Other residents were under shelter-in-place recommendations, they said at a news conference.
Colorless, odorless gas spewing from the tanker at State Route 128 and U.S. Route 50 was reported to first responders shortly after 1 p.m., Chief Mike Siefke of the Little Miami Joint Fire and Rescue District said during a pair of news conferences.
Authorities determined the chemical is styrene, he said. It’s used in the production of plastic, rubber, fiberglass and other structural material.
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
RFK Jr: CDC Secretly Admits Vaccines Cause Autism
Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has exposed a secret “emergency meeting” with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to Kennedy, the CDC met with global health officials, vaccine makers, and scientists.
The meeting, known as Simpsonwood, was held in Georgia and attended by representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the European Medical Agency, the pharmaceutical industry, the vaccine industry, and top universities which “test the vaccines.”
During the meeting, the CDC discovered that kids who received the Hepatitis B vaccine had an 11-fold increased risk of developing autism when the shot was given in the first 30 days.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ryan Wesley Routh Charged With Attempted Assassination of Trump at Florida Golf Course
Florida prosecutors officially charged Ryan Wesley Routh with attempted assassination on Tuesday over his alleged failed plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a golf course in West Palm Beach earlier this month.
The case was randomly assigned to Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who gained prominence for overseeing and tossing the federal classified documents case against the former president, per CNN.
Routh was originally charged with one count of obliteration of a firearm’s serial number, and count of possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon. But his charges now include attempted assassination, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, and assaulting a federal officer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle Cops Won’t Respond to Alarm Calls Without ‘Supporting Evidence’: Police Chief
Seattle Police will no longer respond to calls from alarm companies unless there is supporting evidence of a crime.
According to a Sept. 13 letter from interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr, beginning Oct. 1, SPD will only dispatch officers to calls from alarm companies if there is supporting evidence of a crime, such as audio, video, panic alarms, or eyewitnesses that a person is illegally entering or attempting to enter a residence or commercial property.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Singer Usher Claims His X Account ‘Got Hacked’ as Posts About Diddy Mysteriously Deleted Amid Arrest
Several posts about disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs mysteriously disappeared from the X account of singer Usher last week.
The posts were conveniently deleted shortly after Diddy’s arrest on sex trafficking charges.
Several of Usher’s eagle-eyed fans noticed that the posts about his old friend Diddy had suddenly vanished.
Many noted that the deletion of the posts correlated with Diddy’s arrest and emerging allegations of shocking sex crimes.
However, the singer tried to downplay the vanishing posts by claiming he “got hacked.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Teamsters in All States Prefer Trump to Kamala: Internal Poll
While the Teamsters union has announced that it won’t endorse any candidate in the 2024 election, internal polling of its members across all 50 states has found that its members overwhelmingly support Trump, even in Democrat strongholds.
Trump saw the largest lead in West Virginia, where he received 86.3 percent support compared to 11.2 percent for Kamala Harris, a 75.1-point lead.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tim Walz Dropped Into Soros’ House for a Fundraiser
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz fundraised at Alex Soros’ home on Monday, according to a pool report.
The fundraiser took place at the Manhattan home of Alex Soros and his wife, former top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, according to The New York Times. The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2023 that Alex Soros had taken over the philanthropic and political empires built by his father, George Soros.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Briefed on ‘Real and Specific’ Assassination Threats From Iran
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign announced on Tuesday night that he has been briefed by American intelligence officials about “real and specific” threats against him from Iran.
“President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States,” Trump Campaign Communications Director Steven Cheung stated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Accuses Visa of Debit Card Monopoly
The US has filed a lawsuit against Visa, accusing the financial giant of illegally stifling competition to maintain a monopoly over the debit card market.
It said Visa had punished companies that wanted to use alternative payment networks and paid off potential competitors to keep its hold over the market.
The Department of Justice said the moves had slowed innovation and led to significant additional fees for American consumers and businesses.
Visa said the claims were “meritless” and it would defend itself in court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Washington State Cop Fired Over ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Bumper Sticker
A veteran Spokane Police Department officer who was previously named cop of the year lost his job because he had a “Let’s Go Brandon” bumper sticker on his police car, the Daily Mail reported.
Bradley J. Moon, 49, reportedly had the bumper sticker on the back of his police cruiser during the summer of 2023. Although seemingly innocuous, the phrase has been used to mean “Fu*k Joe Biden.” The police department let Moon go in May, ending his career for “engaging in prohibited speech.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Whistleblower: Hospitals Killed ‘Many, Many Thousands’ of COVID Patients
A medical professional has blown the whistle and warned the public that “many, many thousands” of Covid patients were killed by hospitals during the pandemic and not by the virus, as officially claimed.
The whistleblower, respiratory therapist Mark Bishofsky, has gone on the record to state that COVID-19 patients died because they were killed by hospital protocols.
Respiratory therapists diagnose, treat, and manage conditions that affect the lungs, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Bishofsky revealed that patients didn’t die from Covid.
However, thousands of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 were killed when they were put on ventilators and denied treatment with ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine or even vitamin D, Bishofsky told CHD.TV.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Would-be Trump Assassin Ryan Routh’s Son Arrested on Child Pornography Charges
The son of attempted Trump assassin Ryan Routh has been arrested in North Carolina on child pornography charges. Oran Routh, who was interviewed by mainstream news outlets just after his father’s attempt on Donald Trump’s life and stated he and his father both hated the former president, has been charged with possession of an SD card holding “hundreds of files” of child sexual abuse materials.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pierre Poilievre SLAMS CTV Over Doctored Interview Clip
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre condemned CTV News Tuesday and the “crony capitalists” who run the media outlet for producing a “dishonest and fraudulent” news report about him suggesting he was introducing a non-confidence motion against the Trudeau government only because of the Liberal Party’s dental care plan.
“I know that the media has worked hard to try and avoid me saying the words carbon tax,” the Official Opposition leader said as he introduced his non-confidence motion as an effort to “axe” Trudeau’s carbon tax.
“I know that the media has worked hard to try and avoid me saying the words carbon tax as we saw in the extremely dishonest and fraudulent report from Bell Media-controlled CTV, who is a company whose bonds have been downgraded to near junk status as its overpaid CEO empties the books to pay his wealthy friends an unacceptably and unrealistically high dividend,” Poilevere said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Premier Legault Shares Post Accusing the Bloc Quebecois of Selling Out the Province
Quebec Premier François Legault pulled no punches when he reposted a tweet bashing the Bloc Québécois for supporting the Trudeau government in an upcoming vote of no confidence.
The Coalition Avenir Québec leader shared a post on X which compared the Bloc Québécois’ support for the Trudeau Liberals to their 2008 support for Liberal leader Stéphane Dion. He claims that the Bloc is selling Quebec out for a centralizing and Trudeauist party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seven Key Takeaways From Danielle Smith’s Canada Strong and Free Appearance
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith blasted the Liberals’ recent Senate appointments, touted her government’s economic recovery from NDP debt, and warned Alberta Health Services to improve or face consequences in a sweeping address on healthcare and leadership.
These are some of the critical points from the premier’s keynote address at the 2024 Canada Strong and Free Network in Red Deer on Saturday.
Below are some salient takeaways from the address and subsequent fireside chat with the conference’s chair, Michael Binnion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
75% of French Call Macron a ‘Bad’ President
A poll published by Odoxa Institute has revealed that French President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity has fallen to an all-time low — with 75 per cent of the French viewing him as a “bad” President.
“Emmanuel Macron has never been so unpopular during his seven years mandate, including during the height of the yellow vest unrest,” said Gaël Sliman, president of the poll agency Odoxa, which published the data on September 24.
Macron’s popularity started to decline just before the summer with a six-point drop and has continued to fall since then.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Blackmailer’s Charter: Sweden and Finland Push for Rule-of-Law Clause in EU Farm Subsidies
European Union member states’ access to the EU budget—including agricultural aid and subsidies—should be tied to their adherence to EU norms, values, and respect for the rule of law with no exceptions. That’s according to Swedish and Finnish European affairs ministers in a joint letter sent to the European Commission ahead of a ministerial meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, September 24th.
Pointing to how payments from EU’s cohesion and pandemic relief funds are conditioned on countries adhering to ‘EU values’ and ‘rule of law,’ the ministers said the system should be extended to cover all forms of EU funding accessible to member states and turned into a “general feature in all areas of the EU budget.”
“All member states must adhere to our common values, notably rule of law, democracy, and fundamental rights,” Sweden’s Jessica Rosencrantz and Finland’s Joakim Strand wrote in their joint letter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austrian Parties Split Over Dependence on Russian Gas
When Austria holds its next general elections on September 29, the governing Conservatives (ÖVP) and Greens will join forces on energy issues, aiming to end a dependence on Russian gas the opposition Freedom Party (FPÖ) has largely defended.
Pressure to end Austria’s energy dependence on Russia is not only coming from at home but also from Brussels.
With no party expected to secure enough seats for an outright majority, opinion polls show the opposition FPÖ with a narrow advantage over its rivals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia: Babis Reflects on Recent Election Success, Looks Ahead to Key Vote Next Year
Andrej Babis, leader of the ANO movement, has expressed delight over his party’s strong showing in the recent elections, describing the results as “great” and “incredible.”
Despite initial uncertainty, ANO secured a significant number of votes, surpassing their performance in previous regional elections. However, Babis is already shifting focus to what he considers the most important electoral battle yet — next year’s national elections.
“We didn’t expect this result at all, nor did the surveys indicate it,” Babis remarked in a post-election interview with Echo 24. ANO won 240,000 more votes compared to the last regional elections, but Babis remains cautious, pointing out that voter turnout overall was down by 400,000 compared to previous years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Policy on Iran ‘Expected to Get Tougher’
European institutions are likely to take a tougher stance against the Iranian regime, according to former MEP Alejo Vidal-Quadras, who survived an assassination attempt due to his anti-regime lobbying.
“Kallas [the newly appointed EU foreign policy chief] and Metsola [the re-elected EP President] are two women in key EU positions with character and principles,” Vidal-Quadras said, “and they should oversee a more robust EU policy.”
Allegations that Iran has been sending weapons to Russia should fuel this shift, he send in an interview with Brussels Signal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: COVID-Vaccinated Children Have Damaged Immune Systems, Study Warns
A disturbing peer-reviewed study has found that children who received Covid mRNA “vaccines” have damaged immune systems.
A group of leading researchers in Germany analyzed a group of children aged 5-11 after they received a second dose of Pfizer’s mRNA injection.
They found that the kids had heightened levels of a type of antibody that indicated they had an “altered” immune system response.
The issue meant the children were facing a greatly increased risk of cancer and other deadly diseases.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: AfD Claims to be ‘Party of the Future’ After Big Youth Vote
While many analyses of Germany have tended to focus on East versus West, an equally telling divide has become evident between young people and their older compatriots.
Brandenburg’s State election of September 22 had Socialists (SPD) ending on top, with around 31 per cent of the vote, followed closely by the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on about 30 per cent.
A marked age gap among the electorate has been revealed in a breakdown of the respective results.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Great Reset: French President Emmanuel Macron Calls for ‘New International Order’
French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a “new international order” to better represent emerging non-Western powers on the global stage.
Speaking this week at a “meeting for peace” in Paris organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio Catholic association, President Macron claimed that a reorganisation of world power structures will be necessary to required to maintain peace.
In comments reported by Le Parisien, Macron called for the “building a new international order” arguing that “our order today is incomplete and unjust” as “many of the most populous countries did not exist when the seats were distributed.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Government Makes it Easier for Families to Get Loans
Starting October 1, the use of Hungary’s family home construction loans, known as CSOK, will become even easier, Zsófia Koncz, the state secretary responsible for families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, announced on Facebook, reports Magyar Nemzet.
She emphasized that the “CSOK Plus” and “Village CSOK” loans, as well as the “baby-welcoming” loan, mean significant relief for self-employed individuals and primary agricultural producers who use special tax vehicles. One of the most important changes is that instead of the previous 10 and 20 percent, banks will now have to take 50 percent of income into account as income when assessing applicants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Ran Special Cyber Op in Sweden Last Year, Local Authorities Confirm
Iran’s security service carried out a special cyber operation against targets in Sweden last year, the country’s prosecutor and security services revealed on Tuesday (24 September).
The special operation was carried out in August last year as hackers hijacked an SMS service and sent 15,000 messages urging Swedes to “take revenge” on people who had burned Qurans in the country.
“We have managed to link it to the Revolutionary Guard”, said Fredrik Hallström, head of operations at the Swedish Security Service, on Tuesday.
The revelations come a day after outgoing European Council President Charles Michel met with Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the state of EU-Iran relations, which one EU official described as being “at its lowest point ever.”
“The government is informed and is in contact with the responsible authorities”, said Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer, adding that it was very serious that a state was behind the attack.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivered a powerful speech after receiving the Atlantic Council’s Global Citizen Award in New York, focusing on the importance of Western values, democracy, and the fight against authoritarianism.
The Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader was awarded the prize on Monday during a gala dinner at the United Nations for her “groundbreaking role as Italy’s first female prime minister, her strong support of the European Union and the transatlantic alliance, and her 2024 chairmanship of the G7.”
In her acceptance speech, Meloni urged the West to reject the idea of decline and instead reaffirm its moral and democratic foundations.
Meloni warned that authoritarian regimes were gaining ground by exploiting the perceived weakening of Western democracies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Meloni Outlines Plan to Avoid ‘Inevitable Decline of the West’
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has outlined her plan to save the West from “inevitable decline” at the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Awards in New York.
According to Meloni, the West faces two main challenges: internal decline through Oikophobia — described as Western self-hatred — and arrogance, which may lead to the West becoming “less of a credible interlocutor”.
“As the West, I think we have two risks to counter. The first is what one of the greatest contemporary European philosophers, Roger Scruton, called oikophobia. Oikophobia is the aversion to one’s home. A mounting contempt which leads us to want to violently erase the symbols of our civilisation, in the U S as in Europe,” she said on September 23.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Liberal FDP Threatens to Leave German Government
Following his party’s disastrous results at recent regional elections in Germany, Christian Lindner, leader of the liberal Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) issued an ultimatum to his coalition partners in the German federal government: change course on migration and the economy, or the government will collapse.
The FDP, which has been a member of the so-called ‘traffic light’ coalition with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens since 2021, suffered heavily in elections in the eastern states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg, receiving 0.89%, 1.12%, and 0.83% of the votes respectively. In nationwide surveys it is polling at less than 4%, meaning it would drop out of the federal parliament, the Bundestag, for only the second time in its history following next year’s elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ministers Criticise Hungarian EU Presidency for Downplaying Ukraine
EU ministers criticised an underemphasis on Ukraine in Hungary’s agenda for its presidency of the bloc, at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (24th September).
“Ukraine is unacceptably sidelined in the agenda,” said Dace Melbarde, Latvia’s parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs. “Support for Ukraine is of exceptional importance for our country and our region,” she added, during a roundtable discussion of EU ministers.
Budapest is currently at the helm of the European Union’s rotating presidency, which sees the 27 member states take turns to chair discussions and set meeting agendas. While most EU countries support Ukraine’s defensive war against the Russian invasion of its territory, Hungary opposes sending material support.
In particular, Hungary is blocking payments from an off-budget fund set up by EU countries for Ukraine’s defence, under a scheme called the European Peace Facility. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also drew sharp criticism from EU colleagues in July, when he visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Investigation Opened Into Suspect’s Treatment Before Fatal Erasmus Bridge Stabbing
The Inspectorate of Justice and Security (JenV) is going to investigate the actions of the judicial organizations regarding the man who is suspected of a fatal stabbing incident at the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam. The investigation revolves around “how judicial organizations that were involved in, among other things, the guidance and treatment of Ayoub M. acted,” the inspectorate reported.
It had been announced earlier that the 22-year-old suspect from Amersfoort was known to the police and justice department. He had been ordered to undertake psychiatric treatment at a TBS facility years ago for attacking his mother, who he had stabbed in the neck and throat with a knife. Experts at the time concluded that the man had a mental disorder.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Plot Thickens Around Norwegian Tied to Pager Explosions
Norway’s domestic intelligence agency PST has confirmed that Oslo police are looking into questions flying around a man with both Norwegian and Indian citizenship who’s listed as owner of a Bulgarian company tied to sales of pagers to the Lebanese militia Hizbollah. The man disappeared right after thousands of pagers exploded in Lebanon last week, killing dozens and injuring thousands.
Newspaper Aftenposten reports that the man has been residing in Norway and has held a full-time job in a company that hasn’t been publicly identified in Norway. Police said his employer hadn’t had any contact with the man since last Wednesday, the day after the explosions, when he allegedly traveled to the US to take part in a business-related course.
He was due back at work on Monday but hasn’t shown up. “We have no information that he came home to Norway during the weekend like we’d hoped,” his employer told state broadcaster NRK. The company had earlier taken contact with PST, “given the serious nature of the case,” and is also considering reporting him to police as missing.
“No one here can understand this,” the man’s employer told Aftenposten. “We have an employee who’s in a difficult situation and we need a clarification about all this. No one here has had any reason to think that he was involved with anything problematic away from work.”
The man is listed in Bulgarian business records as sole owner of a company that reportedly sold sabotaged pagers to Hizbollah. He has also shown up with a profile on an Israeli network’s website for entrepreneurs that’s since been removed. Israel is widely viewed as being behind the pager explosions. Its president has since denied involvement.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Six Arson Attacks on European Churches in One Week
Six Christian churches in Europe suffered arson attacks in the space of just one week, reveals a report released Monday by a prominent Christian persecution monitoring group.
The Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe) noted that over the past several weeks, Europe has seen a “shocking” number of arson attacks on historic churches.
In the last month, at least nine such anti-Christian arson attacks have taken place, with six of them occurring in the week ending September 2.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Switzerland: First Person Dies in Dutch-Designed Assisted Suicide Capsule; Journalist Arrested
Those in the Netherlands in life threatening danger should immediately dial 112 for emergencies, and anyone suffering from depression or contemplating suicide can call 113 Zelfmoordpreventie at any time by dialing either 113 or 0800-0113, or by visiting 113.nl.
A 64-year-old American woman died in Switzerland on Monday in a specially designed “assisted dying capsule,” which is designed to fill with nitrogen gas to kill an individual by suffocation. This is the first known instance where the method has been used to end a life. A Volkskrant photojournalist who was present at the time was arrested by police at the scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Telegram Update to Let Authorities Access Users’ Data
Messaging app Telegram has updated its terms of service and privacy, indicating that the application is set to provide users’ data to authorities.
The cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging app may now disclose its users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to the “relevant authorities”.
“If Telegram receives a valid order from the relevant judicial authorities that confirms you’re a suspect in a case involving criminal activities that violate the Telegram Terms of Service, we will perform a legal analysis of the request and may disclose your IP address and phone number to the relevant authorities,” according to the company’s new policies guidelines.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party may have “avoided the worst” this past weekend, but the Brandenburg election results may have marked the beginning of the end of his “traffic light” coalition, Mandiner.hu reports.
The Greens were eliminated from the local legislature in Brandenburg, and the liberal FDP, which has long played kingmaker for the two left-wing parties in the ruling coalition, did not make it into parliament for the third time, completely losing its base of support.
In two of the three east German states that recently voted, FDP did not even reach 1 percent; only in Thuringia did they achieve a measurable result, 1.1 percent. It is an absolute catastrophe for the party, which is the smallest member of the three-party coalition governing Germany at the federal level.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Labour’s “War on Pub Landlords” is Just Getting Started
Not content with pubs being placed under further financial strain—and their workers being put in harm’s way—by plans to ban smoking in smoking areas, Britain’s Labour government is now weighing up how to make pubs call time early.
That is according to The Daily Telegraph, which has outlined new “nanny state” plans from Labour to cut down on harmful drinking.
Already, 50 pubs are closing in Britain every month. Reform UK leader, and regular pub-goer Nigel Farage warned that what he describes as “Labour’s war on landlords will finish off the rest if Starmer isn’t stopped.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Labour Government Wants Pay-Per-Mile Road Tax on All Vehicles in Latest Tax-Grab
The U.K. Labour government is considering a controversial pay-per-mile road tax to address a growing shortfall in fuel tax revenue in a scheme described by the opposition Conservative party as a “tax on working people.”
The proposal is part of a wider effort to modernize the country’s transport infrastructure and respond to the rise of electric vehicles, which contribute little to the current fuel duty system.
As electric cars become more prevalent, the traditional fuel tax has been losing its effectiveness as a source of revenue. The government currently collects over £25 billion annually from fuel duties, but as the number of petrol and diesel vehicles on the roads decreases, this revenue is expected to decline sharply. In response, Labour ministers are exploring a mileage-based tax that would apply to all vehicles, regardless of fuel type.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: 40-Year-Old Father Dies Suddenly After Mid-Flight Heart Attack on Packed Passenger Plane
A father-of-two has tragically died suddenly after suffering a suspected heart attack on a packed passenger jet.
Chris Neill was just 40 years old when he collapsed in front of horrified fellow passengers.
The British dad was traveling back to Liverpool, UK, from Bulgaria with his two sons when he started to feel ill.
Mr. Neill had been enjoying a vacation with his sons Archie, eight, and Robin, 19.
As they were returning home, the dad suffered a heart attack, forcing the Jet2 plane to make an emergency landing in Cologne, Germany.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Labour MP Calls for Press Regulation, Taxing “Wealthy Owners” of Media Companies
Regulating the media would make life easier for Britain’s Labour government and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, one of the party’s MPs has said.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, called for state regulation of the press and a tax on media owners so they cannot “torpedo effective progressive policy measures.”
Her words come as the government faces a series of negative stories in the press, including accusations of cronyism, revelations of senior ministers receiving lavish gifts, and damaging leaks regarding Starmer’s top aide Sue Gray.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Pharmacist Commits Suicide Over ‘Devastating’ COVID ‘Vaccine’ Injury
A UK government pharmacist has tragically committed suicide after suffering from “devastating” injuries caused by a Covid mRNA vaccine.
John Cross took his own life after being denied compensation from the government for the “paralyzing complications” he suffered from the experimental injection.
Cross was told by the official medical assessor for the compensation plan that the Covid mRNA shot was the culprit behind his rare neurological effects.
However, he was denied compensation for his injuries.
Officials told Cross he was not disabled “enough” for the payment from the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Starmer Wants to Give Investigators Power to Spy on Personal Bank Information
Sir Keir Starmer will today use his first Labour conference speech as prime minister—intended to calm frustrations over his premiership to date—to announce a law giving investigators access to personal bank accounts. “Just the sort of thing,” joked politics professor Tim Bale, “that’ll have already-disillusioned Labour Party delegates cheering in the aisles—not.”
Civil liberties campaigners have criticised the proposal as being akin to the previous Conservative government’s “mass bank spying plans that we defeated a couple of months ago.”
Like these measures, Starmer’s law will be introduced under the pretext of “rooting out” benefit fraudsters—those who purposefully claim state handouts they’re not entitled to. But Silkie Carlo, director of the Big Brother Watch campaign group, said monitoring would not be “targeted” since banks could only keep an eye on claimants by “scanning all accounts.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Announces Price Hike in Premium Services for Czechia-Based User
Video and streaming service YouTube Premium has announced a price increase for its popular subscription service for users in Europe, including Czechia, meaning consumers will pay significantly more for the same features as before.
Effective immediately, the price for a family plan with up to six accounts has jumped from CZK 269 to CZK 389 for Android users. People using devices from technology firm Apple will need to pay even more.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Update(1500ET): Sky News and others are reporting that for the first time of the conflict, Hezbollah has launched a drone attack on a navy base which lies south of Haifa. The Atlit navy base which was targeted lies 80 kilometers from the Lebanese border. This is an attack significantly deep into Israel and reveals an extended range of Hezbollah missiles. Likely as things slide further, and with Israel keeping up its intense airstrikes on Lebanon, Hezbollah missiles will begin reaching further and further.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said late in the day Tuesday (local time) on X: “We will continue striking Hezbollah. Anyone who has a missile in their living room and a rocket in their garage will not have a home.”
Israel’s military has been repeatedly claiming that Hezbollah is storming missiles, drones, and ammunition inside people’s homes in the south of Lebanon. “Our war is not with you, our war is with Hezbollah,” he warned in the message emphasizing that Israel won’t stop its strikes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shock Video: Israelis Offered Boat Tours to View Gaza Destruction
An Israeli settler group has been organizing boat tours for families to view the destruction of Gaza from a safe distance offshore, according to reports.
A disturbing scene from the recent documentary “Holy Redemption: Stealing Palestinian Land” by Turkish broadcaster TRT World shows Israeli settler activists bring families onto boats to tour the bombing of Gaza.
“The purpose of the settlement movement is to get as close as possible to Gaza, to fully observe Gaza, and to understand that from now on, Gaza will be completely Jewish,” Daniella Weiss, head of the far-right Nachala settler movement, declared to the tour group.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands Flee Southern Lebanon as Israeli Strikes Kill More Than 550
Tens of thousands of people fled southern Lebanon as Israel vowed Tuesday to “accelerate” an aerial offensive that has already resulted in the most casualties since its 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006.
With the death toll closing in on 600, the Israeli military said it would accelerate “Operation Northern Arrows” while Hezbollah fought back by launching a new barrage of cross-border fire.
Washington was preparing to send troops to be ready to help evacuate Americans, while dozens of international flights were canceled amid fears that the renewed clashes between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group could explode into an all-out regional conflict.
“I can say that we are almost in a full-fledged war,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters earlier. “If this is not a war situation, I don’t know what you would call it.”
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Borrell: West Must Boost Aid ‘To Stop Russia Plunging Ukraine Into the Dark’
Russia is trying to knock out Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of the winter to leave it dark and in the cold, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell has said.
“It’s clear that Russia wants to put Ukraine into the dark and the cold. Following Russia’s attacks against energy targets, Ukraine’s energy production capacity has been reduced by two-thirds,” Borrell told reporters at a press conference on September 24 in New York.
He said Kyiv’s Western allies needed to step up in providing air defences for Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Fires Barrage at Ukraine as Zelenskyy Pitches War-Winning Plan at UN
LONDON — Russia launched a major missile and drone attack into Ukraine overnight into Tuesday coinciding with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.S. this week, where the Ukrainian leader is seeking American and international support for Kyiv’s “victory plan.”
Three people were killed and at least 24 others were injured Tuesday after Russian bombs struck a high-rise apartment block in Kharkiv, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.
More people were feared trapped under the rubble, Terekhov said, and rescue operations were underway Tuesday.
“The targets of the Russian bombs were an apartment building, a bakery, a stadium. In other words, the everyday life of ordinary people,” Zelenskyy said in a statement. “Russia is a terrorist, and it proves this every day with its own actions, with its choice to wage war, and attempts to expand it.”
Ukraine’s air force wrote on Telegram that four missiles — one Iskander-M, two Kh-59/69s and one of undetermined type — were fired into northern and central Ukraine overnight.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Blasts ‘Chinese Support for Russia’
Ukraine has blasted China for its political and economic support of Russia amid Kyiv’s latest charm offensive at the United Nations.
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accused Beijing of being the main route used by Russia to obtain Western technology.
“If you take all the usual types of weapons and count the foreign-made components — about 60 per cent would be coming from China,” Vlasiuk said during his boss’ ongoing visit to the UN in New York.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
West Raises the Alarm at Cronyism in Kyiv After Firing of Power Company CEO
Western concerns about cronyism and the rule of law in Ukraine have been mounting since Kyiv decided to fire the chief executive of national power transmission network Ukrenergo earlier this month, Politico wrote on Tuesday, September 24th.
Brussels and others are protesting what seems like an ongoing power grab, warning that if the energy grid is overseen by political appointees, that might lead to catastrophic consequences during the war and may even hinder Ukraine’s EU accession process.
EU ‘rule-of-law’ concerns are selectively weaponized against conservative-leaning member states and applicants, suggesting something is seriously amiss if it could sour Brussels’ view of Kyiv.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The police suspect death could have taken place a fortnight ago as the body parts in ‘30 pieces’, stuffed in a fridge, were highly decomposed. According to the victim’s estranged husband, she was in a relationship with one Ashraf. He suspected his role in the crime, adding that several months prior, Mahalakshmi had gone to the Seshadripuram police station and submitted a blackmail complaint against Ashraf.
B Upendran | HENB | Bengaluru | Sept 24, 2024:: On Saturday, a chilling incident unfolded in Bengaluru’s Vyalikaval area, where a 29-year-old Hindu woman, living alone in a house at Vinayaka Nagar, was brutally murdered, dismembered, and her body parts secretly stored in the refrigerator.
The deceased, identified as 29-year-old Mahalakshmi from Nelamangala, was employed at a local mall and had been renting the house in Vinayaka Nagar, Vyalikaval, for five months. Neighbors reported that Mahalakshmi shared the residence with a partner, suggesting a live-in relationship. Investigating authorities suspect the murder occurred approximately two weeks prior, given the advanced decomposition of the body parts, which had attracted worms.
This gruesome discovery eerily echoes the shocking Mehrauli murder case, in which Aftab Amin Poonawala brutally killed his partner, Shraddha Walkar, dismembering her body into 35 pieces on May 18, 2022.
The Bengaluru murder came to light after a neighbor reported a strong foul odor emanating from the locked house, prompting police investigation. Authorities contacted the victim’s family through the house owner and, upon arrival, they discovered the gruesome scene: Mahalakshmi’s body parts, cut into multiple pieces, stored in the refrigerator.
Police and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams scoured the crime scene, recovering Mahalakshmi’s mobile phone, which had been inactive since September 2. Based on the decomposed state of the remains and electronic evidence, investigators suspect Mahalakshmi was murdered and dismembered within the house before being stored in the fridge.
Mahalakshmi, originally from Nepal, was married to Hemanth Das five years ago and had a four-year-old child with him. However, due to marital differences, she left him in Nelamangala and relocated to Bengaluru, where she lived alone in a rented house. She worked as a salesperson at a mall-based store. Although her husband would occasionally visit, Mahalakshmi largely kept to herself, having minimal interaction with neighbors, police stated.
Mahalakshmi’s brother, Sunil, who works at a Koramangala shop, revealed that she had been out of contact for an extended period. ‘I was informed by a relative and came to see her. We hadn’t spoken or met in a long time,’ he told the media.
Her estranged husband, Hemant Das, disclosed that Mahalakshmi was in a relationship with Ashraf. He suspects Ashraf’s involvement in the crime, citing a previous incident where Mahalakshmi filed a blackmail complaint against Ashraf at the Seshadripuram police station several months ago.
A neighbor recalled that Mahalakshmi moved into the building’s first floor five months ago. ‘She kept to herself, rarely staying home or engaging with others,’ the neighbor shared with the media. ‘Her daily routine consisted of leaving around 9:30 a.m. and returning after 10:30 p.m.’ The neighbor also mentioned that a person, claiming to be Mahalakshmi’s brother, stayed with her briefly. ‘We were unaware of her marital status,’ they added.
Police are investigating Mahalakshmi’s workplace to determine why management failed to follow up on her unauthorized absence. Authorities have also identified a frequent visitor who would pick her up and drop her off.
A murder case has been registered based on the complaint, and efforts are underway to locate the suspect. Police are analyzing Mahalakshmi’s call records to track down the male friend, who is currently the prime suspect in the investigation.
Karnataka Home Minister, Dr. G. Parameshwara, has confirmed to NDTV that the suspected murderer in the Bengaluru case is from West Bengal, and the police are working diligently to apprehend the individual by forming specialized teams.
Bengaluru’s gruesome find draws unsettling parallels with Delhi’s 2022 Shraddha Walker case, where Aftab Poonawalla murdered and dismembered Walker, storing her remains in a fridge before gradual disposal. This new case of Bengaluru has sent shockwaves, fueling fears of another brutal recurrence and highlighting concerns about community safety, crime prevention, and the necessity for heightened awareness.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken swift action regarding the horrific Bengaluru case, where a 26-year-old woman’s body was found chopped into 30 pieces and stored in a fridge. The NCW has directed the state police to expedite the arrest of all involved and ensure a thorough investigation within a specific timeframe, with a detailed report expected within three days.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
China Warns Citizens Traveling to Japan After Fatal Stabbing of Boy
China has called on its citizens traveling to Japan or living in the country to exercise caution, following the fatal stabbing of a Japanese schoolboy in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen a week ago.
“With the National Day holiday approaching…please enhance awareness of safety precautions and ensure safe travel in light of the current situation,” the Chinese Embassy in Japan said in a statement on Tuesday.
With China’s weeklong holiday set to begin on Tuesday next week, the embassy also advised Chinese nationals to respect local customs in Japan and avoid demonstrations or gatherings to prevent potential conflicts with Japanese people.
The 10-year-old boy, with a Japanese father and Chinese mother, was attacked on his way to a Japanese school in Shenzhen last Wednesday and died of his wounds early the next morning. A male suspect was apprehended near the school shortly after the incident.
While Chinese authorities have not disclosed the suspect’s motive, speculation has been rife that the stabbing was intentional as it occurred on the 93rd anniversary of a Japanese bombing of a railroad track near Shenyang, the start of the Manchurian Incident that led to Japan’s invasion of northeastern China.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
‘He Targeted My Child for Sexual Exploitation’: The Persecution of Christians, August 2024
The following are among the abuses and murders inflicted on Christians by Muslims throughout the month of August 2024.
Muslim Slaughter of, Violence against, and Hate for Christians
Burkina Faso: According to an Aug. 30 report, Muslims had slaughtered more than 100 Christians, and kidnapped many more in just three months, between late May and late August. During the latest reported atrocity, which occurred on Sunday, Aug. 25, Muslim militants slit the throats of about 26 people inside a church: “All non-Muslim men over the age of 12 were separated out before being killed.” Not content with killing, they also vandalized the church, “tried to desecrate the tabernacle, and painted inscriptions on the wall that had a fresco of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Argentine President Javier Milei used his debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to deliver an enthusiastic condemnation of “globalism and the moral posturing of the woke agenda” and warn that the U.N. flagship Agenda 2030 is a threat to global freedom.
Milei introduced himself as a “libertarian economist … honored with the mandate of the presidency of the Argentine Republic” thanks to the “precipitous failure of over a century of collectivist policies,” marking a notable rift from many General Assembly speeches that amplify U.N. leadership messages on climate change, wealth redistribution, and silencing “misinformation.” Milei became president in December 2023, so Tuesday’s event was his first opportunity to address the forum.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Austria: Top Party Leaders Clash on Migration in TV Debate
The leaders of the two most popular parties in Austria accused each other of being too radical in an attempt to convince voters of their own trustworthiness just a few days before the Central European country holds its national elections on September 29th.
Chancellor Karl Nehammer, leader of the centre-right People’s Party (ÖVP), and Herbert Kickl, leader of the opposition right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) confronted each other in a live debate on the ORF public broadcaster on Monday night in what was the last TV debate before the elections.
Their duel was highly anticipated, as FPÖ continues to lead opinion polls (27%) and ÖVP is following closely behind (25%). The two discussed the most heated topics, including migration, the economy, the war in Ukraine, and the ÖVP-Green government’s handling of the COVID crisis.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Children as young as eight are reportedly being drugged and smuggled into the US, sometimes multiple times, by human traffickers posing as parents or other family members, Border Patrol agents are warning.
The New York Post reported that authorities in two such instances have rescued children, including one instance where alleged traffickers had birth certificates for multiple children to which they were not related.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France’s New Interior Minister Vows Immigration Curbs in Rightward Shift
France is likely to see much tougher immigration and security measures to reflect a broad rightward shift in society, its new interior minister said in remarks hinting at the minority government’s dependence on the tacit support of the far right.
Bruno Retailleau’s calls for a harsher line on asylum claims, violence against police, prison sentences, radical Islam and drug trafficking underline the sway of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) on the newly installed government.
After a June election in which President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government suffered heavy losses, the ascendant RN gained kingmaker status, signalling tacit support for Michel Barnier’s new coalition between centrists and conservatives.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German SPD Party Members Revolt Against Scholz Over Border-Control Revamp
German Chancellor Scholz has been fending off a revolt from within his own party over the tougher line his government recently took on migration.
In a letter sent to the Scholz on September 24, more than 500 Social Democratic Party (SPD) members blasted the revamped mass-migration policies adopted by his traffic-light government following the recent electoral success of the hard-right.
The document, signed by several high-ranking MPs and MEPs within the party, warned Scholz that he must not adopt the rhetoric of anti-mass-migration parties.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How Soros-Backed Organizations Leverage Waves of New Immigrants to ‘Sway’ Elections
A network of left-wing organizations backed by billionaire George Soros is working to naturalize and mobilize immigrants and refugees in order to activate them as voting blocs in swing states, boasting that they could “sway the outcome of national, state, and local elections.”
Chief among these groups is the National Partnership for New Americans, which describes itself as “a national multiethnic, multiracial partnership network of 60 of the country’s leading immigrant and refugee rights organizations.” The group received $560,000 from George Soros’ Open Society Foundations from 2016 to 2021. The group had a total revenue of $4.11 million in 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Alien Arrested for Killing Young Musician During Fatal Hit-and-Run in Pennsylvania
Police have arrested an illegal alien for killing a young musician in Pennsylvania during a fatal hit-and-run crash.
The suspect, 25-year-old Saul Rivera-Ramirez, fled the scene after killing 23-year-old Christian Sluka.
The Allegheny County Police Department announced that Rivera-Ramirez has now been taken into custody and charged with causing the fatal hit-and-run crash.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Immigrant Charged With Killing St Louis Cop While Driving Drunk
An illegal immigrant has been charged with the killing of a St. Louis police officer while driving being intoxicated. The foreign national from Honduras was arrested on Sunday after the incident. The foreign national previously pled guilty in a 2020 driving while intoxicated case where he attempted to hit a woman with a car.
According to Spectrum News, Officer David Lee was killed after responding to a one-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate 70 near Grand Boulevard. He had been checking the trunk of his vehicle when another vehicle ran into the officer, pinning his body between the cars, then throwing the officer several feet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Last Week Saw Record Levels of Illegal Migration to the Canary Islands
The Canary Islands have experienced their highest number of recorded migrant arrivals in a single seven-day period. With more than 40 boats detected and almost 3,000 individuals landing illegally, previous weekly records were shattered. Police sources predict that this new figure “will soon be pulverised” if current trends continue to afflict the archipelago.
Critics of Spain’s ruling socialist (PSOE) and Christian-democratic Partido Popular (PP) parties say that failure to deal with migrants robustly is exercising a ‘pull factor’ bringing more to the Islands. Specifically, the official approach to unaccompanied minors is actually incentivising more young men to take the risky journey.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New French Government Questions Health Provision for Migrants
Some ministers in the new government lineup of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier are talking about possibly abolishing the state medical aid for undocumented migrants, which healthcare professionals say would further weaken the French system.
Almost a year after the Immigration Act was passed, the state medical aid scheme known as AME is once again at the heart of the debate.
A few hours after announcing the composition of his government, Barnier said on TV broadcaster France 2 on Sunday (22 September) that he had had ‘no taboos’ about abolishing access to healthcare currently offered to undocumented migrants who have been in France for over three months.
But Agne’s Pannier-Runacher, whom Barnier reappointed as France’s ecological transition, climate and risk prevention minister for a second time, is against “abolishing” the AME.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Paris Hints at Migration Pact Review and Schengen Overhaul
France says it is willing to reopen EU negotiations on the Migration Pact and test the limits of the Schengen agreements, new Home Affairs Minister Bruno Retailleau announced, following in the footsteps of an increasing number of member states.
EU laws are not fit for purpose and are no longer suited to the “migration disorders” that he believes France and the EU are experiencing, Retailleau told French TV broadcaster TF1 on Monday (23 September).
“We must review EU legislations that are no longer adapted, I’m thinking first and foremost of the ‘return’ directive… It is time we change EU rules,” the new minister said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Accepts 15,545 Migrants From Germany, With Returns Soaring in the Last 3 Months
In the period from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15,545 foreigners were transferred from the territory of Germany to Poland, the wPolityce.pl portal has learned.
“Poland did not refuse to accept any foreigners from the German side,” wrote Lt. Col. Andrzej Juzwiak, press spokesman for the Border Guard.
The entries have also seen a massive spike in the last three months, as from the beginning of the year to June 6, 290 foreigners had been transferred. Those transferred by plane since June amounted to 135.
However, foreigners are not only coming from Germany. According to wPolityce, the Border Guard says other countries have also transported migrants to Poland by air. In the last three months, Norway has sent 66, Austria 11, Estonia 9, the Netherlands 8, Sweden 7, Denmark 5, Iceland 5, Finland 4, Switzerland 3, Belgium 3, Luxembourg 2, France 1 and Malta 1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
After a patient died in Essen’s Elizabeth Hospital, relatives of the deceased individual beat hospital employees, resulting in minor injuries to five of them over the weekend. The incident is being classified as a case of clan crime, with the investigation focusing on grievous bodily harm and property damage.
After the family member passed away, a large crowd gathered at the hospital and began threatening hospital staff with the “power of the family.”
A nurse who delivered the news of the death was immediately attacked with “punches and kicks,” according to the police report.
According to police, a 41-year-old suspect with Turkish and Lebanese roots was arrested after the incident, but he has already been released.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Border controls are working wonders for Germany’s national security, the country’s federal police union has announced, massively helping fight criminals, terrorists, and unwanted entries.
In just five days since the reintroduction of border checks at all eight of Germany’s borders, federal police have detected almost 900 unauthorised entries.
And of those, 640 people were turned back, almost 100 migrants were stopped at the western border, 17 extremists were identified, and 114 arrest warrants were executed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Slitting the Master’s Throat”: Fired Machete-Wielding Professor Leads Protesters in Chilling Chant
Authored by Jonathan Turley
We previously discussed Shellyne Rodriguez, the machete-wielding former Hunter College professor. Rodriguez is back with a large following shown in a video with protesters chanting with her about “slitting the throats of the masters.”We previously discussed a videotape of Rodriguez trashing a pro-life student display in New York. Before attacking the table, she told the students, “You’re not educating s—t […] This is f—king propaganda. What are you going to do, like, anti-trans next? This is bulls—t. This is violent. You’re triggering my students.”
The videotape revealed one other thing. At Hunter College, and at other colleges, it seems that trashing a pro-life student display and abusing pro-life students is not considered a firing offense. Hunter College refused to fire Rodriguez.
The PSC Graduate Center, the labor organization of graduate and professional schools at the City University of New York, supported that decision and said Rodriguez was “justified” in trashing the display, which the organization described as “dangerously false propaganda” and “disinformation.”
Rodriguez later put a machete to the neck of a reporter, threatened to chop him up and then chased a news crew down a street with the machete in hand. Somewhere between the machete to the neck and chasing the reporters down the street, Hunter College finally decided that Rodriguez had to go.
Rodriguez denounced the school for having “capitulated” to “racists, white nationalists, and misogynists.” She explained that her firing was just a continuation of “attacks on women, trans people, black people, Latinx people, migrants, and beyond.”
The Cooper Union, however, refused to sever ties with Rodriguez, 47, and decided that she should continue to teach her students. Later it too fired Rodriguez after continued radical conduct. However, according to the New York Post, Rodriguez attributed her firing to her anti-Israeli comments. She declared:
“Cooper Union has fired me because of a social media post I made about ‘Zionists’… effective immediately. This is fascism. Ya’ll are learning about it in real time. Stay strong, [stay] brave, stay defiant, don’t bite your tongue, and drink plenty of water! Pa-lante!”
Before watching this video, it is important to keep in mind that the faculty members and administrators previously wanted Rodriguez as a colleague.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Joe Manchin has said that he will not be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House after she said she would gut the filibuster in order to bring back the abortion protections of Roe v Wade.
According to CNN reporter Manu Raju, after Harris made her support for eliminating the filibuster on Tuesday known, Manchin commented, “Shame on her. She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ontario City Councillor Could Face Thousands in Legal Fees After Opposing ‘Pride’ Flag, Drag Shows
(LifeSiteNews) — An Ontario city councillor who opposed the LGBT agenda was in court last Wednesday, when she was told she faces the possibility of being on the hook for more than $20,000 in legal fees and another $50,000 if she is not successful in her case against the against the Pickering City Council.
As noted in a legal update sent to LifeSiteNews by one of her advocates, former Conservative Party of Canada MP Derek Sloan, a judge required Pickering City Councillor Lisa Robinson and the “other side to settle on costs during the day” in court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UN Proposes Global AI Watchdog to Curb “Misinformation”
There’s a joke about the United Nations. It goes something like this: if you want something done with maximum deliberation and minimal speed, ask the UN to take it on. It’s not exactly a gut-buster, but in the world of global governance, it lands because it’s true. But now, in a world swirling with algorithms, misinformation, and artificially intelligent beings who, unlike toddlers, never sleep, the UN has decided to enter the AI ring. Yes, the same UN that’s still trying to get all 193 of its member states to agree on what’s for lunch.
So, what’s happening here? A new report suggests that the United Nations wants to establish its very own AI babysitting service. Imagine something akin to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but instead of trying to save us from melting glaciers, it’s here to save us from an AI-driven future where deepfake videos are supposedly a major problem.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UN Pushes for Global Control With New Pact: Digital IDs, Censorship, and Surveillance at the Core
The United Nation’s Summit of the Future 2024 held ahead of this year’s UN General Assembly has revealed that the world organization is moving toward adding more initiatives to its existing, and upcoming, “power grab portfolio.”
This time it’s the Pact for the Future (with the Global Digital Compact as an annex), that has just been adopted.
The main component of this scheme is the “action-oriented outcome” document, the other being an international agreement, and the implementation of both, driven by the UN, is expected to start after the summit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
United Nations Adopts Ground-Breaking Pact for the Future to Transform Global Governance
World leaders today adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations. This Pact is the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow.
The most wide-ranging international agreement in many years, covering entirely new areas as well as issues on which agreement has not been possible in decades, the Pact aims above all to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a world that has changed dramatically since they were created.
As the Secretary-General has said, “we cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built by our grandparents.”
Overall, the agreement of the Pact is a strong statement of countries’ commitment to the United Nations, the international system and international law. Leaders set out a clear vision of an international system that can deliver on its promises, is more representative of today’s world and draws on the energy and expertise of governments, civil society and other key partners.
“The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations open the door to new opportunities and untapped possibilities,” said the Secretary-General during his remarks at the opening of the Summit of the Future. The President of the General Assembly noted that the Pact would “lay the foundations for a sustainable, just, and peaceful global order — for all peoples and nations.”
The Pact covers a broad range of issues including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance. Key deliverables in the Pact include:
| — Hat tip: László | [Return to headlines] |