The father of a 17-year-old girl who was murdered by an illegal migrant confronted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on public television. Michael Kyrath’s daughter, Ann-Marie Kyrath, was murdered by a known criminal Palestinian migrant in January of 2023, along with her boyfriend.
In other news, Italian lawmakers have approved a bill that makes surrogate motherhood a crime.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, JW, MM, Reader from Chicago, Roger, SS, TN, 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.
Layoffs Increase in Poland, and All Eyes Are on Germany
A total of 161 companies declared their intention to terminate 19,800 employees. This is the worst result since 2022.
Robert Lisicki, director of the labor department at the Lewiatan Confederation, added that “this shows that things are still not going well in certain sectors of the economy.”
Grzegorz Kulis, a labor market expert from Poland’s Business Center Club, blamed the recession in Germany, Poland’s main trading partner, where industrial orders have dropped by 5.9 percent and 20,000 companies are expected to go bankrupt, as reported by Polish newspaper Banker.pl.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Oil Refinery to Shut Down to Comply With Gavin Newsom’s Anti-Fossil Fuel Regulations
Phillips 66, one of the largest oil companies in the US, announced on Wednesday that it intends to close a refinery in the Los Angeles area by the end of 2025 due to market concerns. This comes as Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to take aim at oil companies, enacting anti-fossil fuel regulations that he claims would address climate concerns.
“With the long-term sustainability of our Los Angeles Refinery uncertain and affected by market dynamics, we are working with leading land development firms to evaluate the future use of our unique and strategically located properties near the Port of Los Angeles,” CEO Mark Lashier said in a statement, according to the AP. “Phillips 66 remains committed to serving California and will continue to take the necessary steps to meet our commercial and customer demands.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal immigration, espionage, as well as other activities happening inside the US linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have skyrocketed under the Biden-Harris administration, according to a new report drafted by the House Committee on Homeland Security.
The “China Threat Snapshot” report outlined the recent uptick in espionage as well as acts of transnational repression and illegal immigration happening on US soil linked to the CCP under the current administration. Over 55 CCP-related cases of espionage have been reported in a combined 20 US states over the course of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tenure. The report notes that between 2000 and 2023, a total of 224 cases have been reported. FBI Director Christopher Wray has also testified that the FBI opens a new case countering CCP intelligence every 12 hours.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CFTC Says Court “Erred at Every Turn” in Allowing Kalshi’s Election Markets
Authored by Tom Mitchelhill via CoinTelegraph.com
The district court judge overseeing betting market Kalshi’s suit against the United States Commodities Futures Trading Commission “erred at every turn” when it allowed the platform to list and trade election odds, the regulator says.
In an Oct. 16 filing to a Washington, DC, appeals court, the CFTC said a federal court ignored the “plain meaning” of terms under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and prevented the regulator “without basis” from properly examining certain kinds of transactions.
The regulator argued the court “mistakenly erred” when considering important details on whether Kalshi should be allowed to list political event contracts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
College Admissions Officer Rails Against Trump Supporters in Social Media Post: ‘Piece of S***’
A college admissions officer at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania accused supporters of former President Trump of tolerating “rape,” “xenophobia” and “homophobia” in a heated social media post.
In screenshots obtained by Campus Reform, Gettysburg College admissions counselor Lupe Lazaro told Trump supporters, “You are no different than the piece of s*** human you stand behind,” in an Instagram Stories post she shared.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A DC Superior Court judge has sentenced a 15-year-old girl to three years in supervised detention over the beating death of a 64-year-old man last year. The teen pleaded guilty alongside two others on Oct. 10 to a downgraded charge from second-degree murder to assault with a dangerous weapon and told the court that she and her friends beat the victim to death because they “were bored.”
The convicted teen was one of five girls between the ages of 12 and 15 charged with the brutal killing of Reggie Brown, who died of blunt force trauma on Oct. 17, 2023. Court documents show that the group of teens chased Brown down the 6200 block of Georgia Avenue, then allegedly beat and kicked him to death. Medical examiners ruled his death a homicide. His family said he suffered from multiple disabilities and was frail from battling cancer. One of the teens filmed a video of the attack, which prosecutors showed the court. Police said he died at the scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrats in Tight Senate Races Run Ads Touting Their Work With Trump
Ads have been released that show four Democratic Senate candidates in battleground states either working with former President Donald Trump or agreeing with his messaging as the November election is less than a month away.
Campaign ads for Rep. Elissa Slotkin in Michigan, Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin focus on the Democratic candidates’ alliance with Trump or his policies, implying that aligning with the former president may benefit their campaigns more than siding with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Around 100 British left-wing activists are being funded to campaign for Kamala Harris in swing states, leading to allegations of election interference and even American electoral law being broken.
A social media post by the Director of Operations of the UK’s governing party, Labour, recruiting “Labour Party staff” for campaigning in North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia has caused concern. The message from Labour’s Sofia Patel promised paid-for accommodation for those taking up the offer. She wrote, in the now-deleted post:
I have nearly 100 Labour Party staff (current and former) going to the US in the next few weeks heading to North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia. I have 10 spots available for anyone available to head to the battleground state of North Carolina — we will sort your housing. Email me on labourforkamala@gmail.com if you’re interested. Thanks!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Urges Trump Supporters at Rally to Vote: ‘Future of America and Civilization is at Stake’
Elon Musk spoke at a campaign rally on Thursday for former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he urged Trump supporters to make sure they are registered to vote and to talk to everyone they know about voting for the 45th president in order to save the United States and “the future of civilization.”
“The most important thing that you can to do, and what I’m asking everyone to do is make sure that you’re register to vote, and then vote early,” Musk said. “Talk to your friends and family, and everyone you know to make sure that they’re registered to vote.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested on Thursday an Alabama man who is allegedly behind the hacking of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s account on social media platform X last January.
The United States Department of Justice says Eric Council Jr. is accused of conspiring with others to take unauthorized control of SEC’s X account and fraudulently using SEC chair Gary Gensler’s name to prematurely announce the approval of Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF).
According to X, the regulator did not set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) for its profile.
The fake announcement caused the price of Bitcoin to increase by more than $1,000 and then drop by more than $2,000 after the SEC regained control of its X account and declared the statement to be unauthorized and the result of a security breach.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fifth Circuit Squashes District Court Ruling on Texas Election Law, Blocks Another Portion of It
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has squashed a district court’s ruling in a lawsuit filed over Texas’ election integrity law that went into effect in September 2021.
Before the Fifth Circuit ruled, the district court issued another ruling to block another provision of the law, less than one week before early voting begins on Oct. 21.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gina Carano Scores Legal Victory as Judge Blocks Disney’s Appeal in Free Speech Battle
A California judge has ruled against Disney, denying its request to appeal a July decision that allows Gina Carano’s wrongful termination lawsuit to proceed. Additionally, the request to pause discovery during the appeal was also denied.
Gina Carano took to her social media platform, X, to announce the decision: “After the Judge DENIED Disney’s request to DISMISS my case, Disney requested permission to immediately appeal that decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and delay all discovery while that appeal takes place,” Carano posted. “Yesterday, October 16th, 2024, we learned that the Judge DENIED Disney’s unusual request.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harvard Fundraising Slumps After Antisemitism Controversy
Donations to Harvard University and its endowment declined by a little more than $150 million in the Ivy League institution’s 2024 fiscal year amid backlash toward the administration’s handling of antisemitism on campus.
Total donations were down by $151 million, or 14%, in fiscal 2024 from the prior year. Within that total, donations to Harvard’s endowment fell by nearly $193 million from a year ago, while donations for current use gifts increased by $42 million in that time frame.
The decline followed calls for the resignation of campus leaders who were criticized for allowing antisemitic protests to persist on campus after Hamas’ attack on Israel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hells Angels, Red Devils Motorcycle Gang Members Charged With Racketeering in North Carolina
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday that it has charged 16 members in two biker gangs with a variety of offenses that include murder and racketeering. Members of the Hells Angels and the Red Devils motorcycle gangs are suspected of being behind a slew of “violent criminal activity” in Raleigh and Fayetteville, NC according to a DOJ news release. The Red Devils are a branch gang of the Hells Angels.
Five of the gang members were charged with murder in aid of racketeering for the alleged killing of a rival Pagan’s Motorcycle Club (PMC) member on Jan. 1, 2023, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Another two suspects were charged with accessory after the fact for their alleged behavior after the killing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Rules Lawsuit Accusing San Francisco of Enabling Drug Use, Crime Can Proceed
On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that a lawsuit against San Francisco can proceed, declining to dismiss allegations that city and county lawmakers turned the Tenderloin district into a “containment zone” for drug use and crime.
The complaint, which was filed by residents and multiple businesses, alleges that San Francisco city and county lawmakers created a lawless living environment by enabling drug addicts and dealers to come to the area by providing housing, free drug paraphernalia, and street-based support. The city argued in court that its policies could not be linked to the conditions in the neighborhood, but US District Judge Jon Tigar shot the city down, ruling that the plaintiffs established due process for private and public nuisance claims.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Kentucky man awoke after being declared brain dead to find that surgeons were preparing to harvest his organs, witnesses have said. The terrified organ donor was declared brain dead and then experienced what could only be called a real nightmare.
Thomas “TJ” Hoover II, 36, was declared to be brain dead after an overdose when doctors went to remove his organs at the Baptist Health Richmond Hospital in Kentucky in October 2021, the NPR reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Music Streaming Giant Slaps Apple With Lawsuit Over Sudden App Store Removal
Musi, a company developing the eponymous YouTube streaming app, is suing Apple because the software that has 66 million users was removed from the App Store.
According to the filing submitted to the US District Court of Northern District of California, Apple did this based on an “unsubstantiated third party complaint,” thus violating the contractual agreements it has with Musi.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nebraska Supreme Court Rules Felons Can Register to Vote Immediately After Serving Sentences
The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that convicted felons must be allowed to register to vote after completing their sentences.
On Wednesday, the state’s high court ordered the Nebraska secretary of state to ensure that felons can vote once released from prison, Axios reported.
The ruling is part of a broader push by Democrats to allow criminals to cast ballots.
The Cornhusker State previously allowed felons to register to vote after a two-year waiting period following the end of their sentences.
However, the state legislature passed a bill earlier this year abolishing the waiting period.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Indicted for Interfering With Investigation Into Husband
A justice on New Hampshire’s Supreme Court has been indicted for allegedly interfering with an investigation into her husband.
The state’s Republican attorney general announced charges against Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi on Wednesday.
The charges came just a day before her husband, Geno Marconi, was separately indicted.
The charges against the judge were unveiled by New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, a Republican.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a statement Friday, War Room host and former Trump White House Chief Advisor Steve Bannon said that the Biden-Harris administration is illegally continuing to hold him in prison, as he is eligible for the First Step Act.
“Kamala Harris is the ‘Queen of Mass Incarcerations,’ detested by black and Hispanic men who are refusing to turn out and vote for her,” Bannon said in a statement to the National Pulse. Bannon is currently serving his four-month sentence in a Connecticut federal prison handed down in response to his contempt of Congress
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistani American PAC Endorses Trump for President
The Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC) on Thursday announced that it is endorsing former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
The PAKPAC National Board said in a statement that it is “proud” to endorse Trump, and added, “While we certainly do not agree with the former President on every issue, after extensive meetings with his campaign and with the Harris campaign, we believe the former President is the candidate who will improve US-Pakistan relations, secure the release of all wrongfully imprisoned political prisoners in Pakistan, and work towards reversal of Pakistan’s dangerous democratic backsliding.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll Finds Majority of Americans Say They’re Worse Off Than Four Years Ago, Similar to 1992 Election
With Election Day inching closer, a recent survey suggested that a majority of Americans believe they are worse off than they were four years ago.
The Gallup poll, released Friday, found that 52 percent of Americans said they and their family are worse off today than they were four years ago. The Gallup poll was conducted Sept. 16-28 among 1,023 Americans and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Another 39 percent said they were better off, while 9 percent said they felt the same now as they did back then.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Revives Citizen Journalist’s Battle for Free Speech
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has announced that the US Supreme Court has sent a case, involving a citizen journalist who was jailed for her reporting, back to a court of appeals.
Priscilla Villarreal was represented by FIRE when she asked the Supreme Court to review her case, which the non-profit said has “deep implications” not only for free speech and press, but also for government accountability.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Suspect Dead in Baltimore County Double Shooting of Mother and Son
The suspect in a Baltimore County double shooting is dead, police said, as detectives continue investigating the incident.
At around 6 p.m. Thursday, a double shooting of a mother and child happened near Deer Park and Wards Chapel roads, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. The suspect forced the female victim’s vehicle to stop after she was driving away from exchanging custody of the couple’s 2-year-old son.
Police said the suspect then approached the car and started shooting into it, leaving the mother and child suffering from gunshot wounds. Both victims are in stable condition after being taken to the hospital for treatment.
The suspect was later found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his residence, police said. The investigation of the case is ongoing.
| — Hat tip: TN | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Brutally Roasts Dems; Schumer Shocked, Kamala ‘No Show’ at Al Smith Dinner
The Al Smith dinner in New York City hosted president Trump Thursday night, seating him right next to Chuck Schumer, providing for some quality entertainment as Trump roasted the hell out of him and the Democrats.
As Steve Watson details below via Modernity.news, it was not a comfortable night for the Democrats…
Schumer was seen having an apparent cordial conversation with Trump before the dinner began.
Maybe he was just preparing Schumer for the brutality about to unfold.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Says RFK Jr. Will be in His Admin if He Wins Election: ‘He Had a Big Impact’
Former President Donald Trump revealed Friday that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will have a job within his administration if the Republican candidate takes back the White House.
Trump, 78, confirmed the potential alliance with the Democratic dynasty heir when he was asked during a sit-down interview with “Fox & Friends” whose names had already been floated for top roles if he wins the election.
“He’s going to be a part of it,” the 45th president said when probed about Kennedy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Vows Education Overhaul: ‘Let the States Run the Schools’
President Donald Trump has revealed that he plans to overhaul America’s education system during his second term in the White House.
During a Friday appearance on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends,” Trump vowed to ensure that states will be given the powers to run their own schools without federal interference.
Trump pledged that he will get education “out of Washington.”
During the interview, Trump was asked questions via video from viewers across the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Elections: Democrats Hoping to Gain Ground With Overseas Voting
In the lead-up to the US elections, the Democratic Party has been trying to increase voter turnout by courting citizens living abroad.
Running from October 15 until election day on November 5, Brussels Signal has found that the Democrats and their party’s official organisation, Democrats Abroad, have organised at least 75 voting-related events in Europe, Britain, Latin America, Asia and Australia.
These include events relating to remote voter assistance, ballot help desks, phone banking and active door-knocking by representatives.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House Press Secretary Accidentally Calls Biden the ‘Former President’
During a press gaggle en route to Berlin, Germany on Thursday afternoon, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mistakenly referred to current President Joe Biden as the “former president.”
The slip-up came during questioning about Biden and former President Obama’s conversation at Ethel Kennedy’s funeral on Wednesday. The New York Post hired a professional lip reader to decipher an off-mic conversation between the two, with Biden telling Obama She’s not as strong as me,” apparently referring to Harris. “I know… that’s true,” Obama said in response, adding, “We have time.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Doctors Issue Red Alert Over New ‘Replicon’ COVID ‘Vaccines’
Leading doctors in Canada are speaking out to warn the public about new “replicon” self-amplifying Covid mRNA “vaccines” which have been dubbed the “third atomic bomb” by renowned experts in Japan.
As Slay News recently reported, some of Japan’s most prominent scientists, doctors, immunologists, and academics are sounding the alarm over the new injections.
They are warning that the “self-replicating RNA vaccines” will “trigger a worldwide disaster.”
The new “vaccines” have just been unleashed on the Japanese public after recently being approved by the nation’s regulators, despite having no safety or efficiency data.
Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of mRNA technology, traveled to Japan where he met with experts to discuss the new injections.
Malone revealed that there is an uprising emerging among the people of Japan.
Citizens had already been taking to the streets in protest over the previous Covid mRNA “vaccine” campaign.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech PM Fiala Calls Sinwar’s Death a Positive Development for Israel
The killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is viewed positively by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, who described it as a significant development in the fight against terrorism.
Speaking to reporters following a European Union summit, Fiala called his death good news because Sinwar was responsible for numerous terrorist attacks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk is ‘The Promoter of Evil’, Says European Commission as Rivalry Roars On
She admits she’s never met him, but she knows Elon Musk struggles with evil: top European Commission figure makes latest strike in an ongoing battle between the ‘X’ owner and the European Union.
Outgoing European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova told Politico on Wednesday that the world’s richest man is a “promoter of evil”, because he does not meet European Union ambitions for censorship on the X, formerly known as Twitter, platform he owns.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elon Musk Calls Czech EU Commissioner ‘Embodiment of Evil’
American billionaire and owner of social media platform X Elon Musk has called out and leveled harsh criticism at the Czech European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova.
Musk’s comments came after the outgoing European Commissioner suggested in an interview with international media platform Politico that the platform’s relaxed content moderation had allowed harmful content, including anti-Semitic posts, to proliferate.
“Of all the bosses I have met, he is the only one unable to distinguish between good and evil,” Jourova claimed earlier this week.
Following Musk’s post, Jourova refused to accept his words, telling Czech media outlet Echo24 that she sees “evil” as a term that denotes “violence, killing, Holocaust denial, and online hatred.”
Economist Lukas Kovanda summarized online that: “Brussels’ aim is obviously to expel the inconvenient businessman [Musk] from the EU by bullying him.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Space Chief Says Europe Must be Able to Compete Globally
The head of the European Space Agency (ESA) has said the region’s space industry needs the muscle to compete globally, warning Europe risks falling behind in the new space race.
Major European satellite makers are looking at teaming up as they face competition from Elon Musk’s Starlink, with Airbus this week announcing 2,500 job cuts in defence and space.
In an interview, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher declined to be drawn directly on the preliminary merger talks but said ESA wanted an industry capable of competing on the world stage balanced with good value for European taxpayers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Anti-Semitism Row: Macron Lashes Out at Media and Ministers After Israel Comments Leaked
French President Emmanuel Macron blames journalists and his own ministers for the leak of a comment he made at a government meeting the other day about the establishment of the state of Israel, reports the Israeli daily The Times of Israel.
During the meeting, the French head of state allegedly stated that Israel was created by the UN.
“I must tell you how astonished I was to read so many comments, reactions, including from foreign or French political leaders, to remarks that I allegedly made without asking the question of what they were saying and what exactly I said,” he said at a press conference following the European Council meeting in Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Media Blames SpaceX for 2,500 Airbus Layoffs as Elon Musk Leads Rocket Race
Boeing was humiliated after NASA called up Elon Musk’s SpaceX for assistance in a future rescue mission to retrieve two stranded Starliner crew members at the International Space Station, slated for early 2025. SpaceX soared ahead of Boeing’s space program by lightyears, as Starship launches and Starlink deployments show, and is also outpacing Airbus’s space division.
On Wednseday, Airbus announced its defense and space divisions would experience significant cuts, upwards of 2,500 workers over the next couple of years.
Airbus Defence and Space is announcing plans to adapt the Division’s organisation and workforce in light of a continued complex business environment, especially in the Space Systems segment where significant financial charges were recorded in 2023 and 2024.
Intended measures will include creating a more effective and efficient organisational structure for the Division, especially with regard to headquartered functions, as well as a full operative end-to-end accountability for its business lines Air Power, Space Systems and Connected Intelligence.
It is expected that these measures will result in a reduction of up to 2,500 positions within Airbus Defence and Space until mid 2026.
As Boeing and now Airbus have found out, SpaceX has become the global leader in rocket launches and LEO satellite deployment, even beating out entire nation-states like China and Russia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
From X to SpaceX: EU Regulators Could Fine Musk Companies for Free Speech Push
The EU and Brazil are sharpening their regulatory knives, and who better to test their shiny new powers on than Elon Musk, the guy who seems to have made annoying pro-censorship bureaucrats his full-time hobby? Musk’s social media platform, X has become the latest target for both the European Union and Brazil — but they’re not just going after X anymore. The powers-that-be have decided that since X isn’t worth much these days, maybe they should slap fines on Musk’s other companies—SpaceX, Neuralink, xAI, and even the Boring Company—just because they can.
It’s the ultimate power move by regulators who seem to be more interested in flexing their muscles than addressing real issues. Why settle for a measly 6% fine on a struggling social media platform when you can drag in rockets, to pad the bill?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Security Agency Pledges Allegiance to Antifa, Despite Its Links With Violent Extremists
One of Germany’s state-level security agencies, meant to prevent extremism and espionage, has announced it is in solidarity with Antifa, a far-left political movement.
On October 14, the State Office for Constitutional Protection of the German State of Lower Saxony (LfV) announced on its official account on X: “We are also Antifa. Of course.”
Yet research by the German Federal Office for Constitutional Protection showed that in 2023 left-wing extremists committed 727 violent crimes, a rise of almost 20 per cent. Among the extremist organisations mentioned by name were “Antifa-Ost”, “Antifa Süd” and “Antifa AK Köln”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Liberal Mayor of Budapest Favors Housing Homeless and Childless Couples Over Families
Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony and his team especially favored single homeless people and childless couples when it was necessary to distribute the capital’s rental apartments, according to Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet.
In the previous cycle, new tenants moved into 299 rental apartments in the capital, but families with minor children could move into not much more than half of that.
The paper writes that it is telling that a third of the apartments were occupied by single homeless people. The official figures from the capital show that the mayor only talks about the housing problems of young people and families, but has done nothing about it in the last five years. The Budapest municipality recommended the failed Capital Housing Agency to non-disadvantaged young people, while only 25 apartments out of the 140,000 available rental apartments on the market were included in the program, i.e., it did not give young people a solution.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No Musk? French Hard-Right MEP Slams EP’s ‘Lack of Transparency’ in Sakharov Prize Selection
Thierry Mariani, an MEP with France’s hard-right party National Rally (RN) and the European Parliament’s Patriots for Europe group, has raised concerns about the transparency of the European Parliament’s process in its handling of the Sakharov Prize selection.
Awarded for the first time in 1988 to Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Marchenko, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought is the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work.
Mariani’s comments, made in a video posted on social media on October 17, highlighted what he perceived as a contradiction in the European Union’s commitment to democratic principles.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Orban: Hungary Opposes EU’s War Strategy, Pushes for Peace Talks
The EU is divided into two groups regarding the Ukrainian war: there are the others, and then there is us. From the outset, Hungary announced that it does not want to participate in the war efforts. Every other country talks about waging war against Russia—Viktor Orban stated in an interview on public Kossuth Radio on Friday. The Prime Minister remarked that the Union behaves as a belligerent party.
‘The conflict cannot be resolved on the front lines; therefore, negotiations are necessary, and we must try to end the war as soon as possible, so we can return to peaceful life at once,’ he added. The Prime Minister indicated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s victory plan could not succeed, only fail.
Ukraine’s Nuclear Plan
When asked about the suggestion that Ukraine is developing a nuclear bomb, the Prime Minister said that he had not heard about this from President Zelenskyy when they spoke in person. Since they communicate through interpreters, there could be slight differences in interpretation, according to the Prime Minister. Orban explained that the services are working to determine whether Ukraine indeed has a nuclear strategy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Government Sparks Uproar by Bypassing Senate to Cut Terrorist Sentences
An attempt by Spain’s government to reduce the sentences of ETA terrorists has ignited a fierce institutional battle, as the Socialist-led lower house attempts to bypass the Senate’s rejection of the controversial “Txapote Law”.
These latest legal and constitutional arguments are unfolding against the backdrop of a crumbling administration increasingly reliant on concessions to separatists as it clings to power.
The proposed legal reform benefits over 40 members of the disbanded Basque terror group by allowing them to count prison time served abroad towards their sentences in Spain. The proposal has met heavy resistance, particularly from the Senate, where the opposition centre-right Partido Popular (PP) holds a majority.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
State Authorities: More Than 300 People Trained Abroad to Destabilise Moldova
Moldovan citizens were trained in Moscow, as well as in Bosnia and Serbia, including by Wagner fighters, to destabilise Moldova, the Moldovan police, the Security and Intelligence Service (SIS), and the prosecutor’s office said in a joint statement on Thursday.
More than 300 people attended training camps in Russia, travelling in groups of 20, where they were taught how to stir rioting at protests and resist law enforcement, Viorel Cernauteanu, head of the General Police Inspectorate, said at a press conference on Thursday.
The news comes as the country’s ‘foreign agents law’, continues to stir debate as well as criticism from the EU. The law, adopted by the government in spring 2024 means that all NGOs and media must register as entities that serve foreign interests, if more than 20% of their income comes from abroad.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Cancer Cases Soar to Record High
New official data from the UK government has revealed that cancer cases in England have soared to a record high.
According to the latest figures from the UK government’s National Health Service (NHS), one thousand English people are now being diagnosed with cancer every single day.
Throughout 2022, there were 346,217 diagnoses in England.
This was 5 percent higher than the 329,664 recorded in 2021.
The largest rise was due to an increase in prostate cancer cases.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Young’ Firefighter Drops Dead Suddenly While Walking Dog
A firefighter has tragically died suddenly after collapsing unexpectedly while walking his dog.
British firefighter Lee Braidley dropped dead while off duty on Wednesday, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) announced.
The NFRS said in a statement:
“Tragically, Lee was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Braidley had served with South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for 15 years before moving to Nottinghamshire.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CCTV footage captured the horrific 33-second attack on Mason Rist, 15, and his close friend Max Dixon, 16, after a court heard they were wrongly targeted in an attack.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Muslim Police Officer Faces Sack Over Alleged Links to Jihadist
A Muslim police officer, praised as a role model for confronting anti-lockdown protesters while wearing a hijab, is now facing dismissal from Scotland Yard due to alleged connections with a female jihadist in Syria.
PC Ruby Begum, 29, allegedly posted offensive tweets that insulted Jews and mocked the 9/11 attacks.
The controversial posts reportedly date back to before her entry into the Metropolitan Police in 2016, though she allegedly failed to remove them after becoming a special constable.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jurors at the Old Bailey wept as they were shown horrifying footage of the vile attack carried out by 35-year-old Mohamed lidow.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Distressed onlookers can be heard crying ‘don’t do it — please!’ as the masked opponents participate in the show-down with their long weapons.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Who is Pumping Election Millions Into Tiny Moldova — the EU, Russia or the USA?
Moldova, a former Soviet Union country sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania, is set for significant elections on October 20 when voters must choose between partnering with the European Union or with Russia.
Contenders on both sides are using their influence and money to convince voters in the tiny country to align with them.
Alongside the presidential election, Moldova will hold a long-awaited referendum on European Union membership, voting on whether to make accession to the EU a constitutional goal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Leader Sinwar’s Death May be a Turning Point for the War in Gaza
Hailing the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a video statement released Thursday night, Binyamin Netanyahu said the “elimination” of one of the masterminds of the October 7, 2023 attacks did not yet spell the end of the war for the people of Gaza.
“It’s the beginning of the end,” said the Israeli prime minister.
US President Joe Biden meanwhile said he hoped Sinwar’s killing would help secure a truce he has long called for, but been unable to achieve.
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| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Hamas Vows to Intensify Gaza Fight After ‘Fallen Martyr’ Sinwar’s Killing, as Biden Urges Ceasefire
Hamas on Friday has issued official confirmation that Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in southern Gaza. Spokesman and Gaza head Khalil Hayya announced in a televised address that Sinwar has become a “fallen martyr”.
Calling him “steadfast, brave and intrepid,” Hayya asserted that Sinwar “sacrificed his life to the cause of our liberation.” Israeli authorities had killed him by likely tank fire on a residential building in Rafah, and quickly examined his body, confirming his identify through dental and DNA records (Sinwar had previously spent years in Israeli prison).
“He met his end standing brave, with his head held high, holding his firearm, firing until the last breath, until the last moment of his life,” the Hamas official said, emphasizing that he died in combat. It appears his death happened Wednesday and the Israelis came upon his body amid the rubble on Thursday.
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Israel and Its Iran-Aligned Foes Vow More War After Hamas Leader’s Death
JERUSALEM/CAIRO, Oct 18 (Reuters) — Pledges from Israel and its enemies Hamas and Hezbollah to keep fighting in Gaza and Lebanon dashed hopes on Friday that the death of Palestinian militant leader Yahya Sinwar might hasten an end to more than a year of escalating war in the Middle East.
Israel’s arch-foe and the militants’ main backer Iran also said Sinwar’s death would only fuel “the spirit of resistance”.
Hamas leader Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the Gaza war, was killed by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian enclave on Wednesday.
Video showed him tossing a stick at a drone as he sat dying.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his killing a milestone but vowed to keep up the war, which in recent weeks expanded from fighting Hamas in Gaza into an invasion and pursuit of Hezbollah of Lebanon.
“The war, my dear ones, is not yet over,” Netanyahu told Israelis late on Thursday, saying fighting would continue until hostages held by Hamas are released.
“We have before us a great opportunity to stop the axis of evil,” he added, referring to Iran and its militant allies across the region, also in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
NATO Membership or Nuclear Weapons: Zelensky Stuns Allies With Demand
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, having received a lackluster response when he pitched his ‘victory plan’ to US officials in Washington last month, now says that Ukraine must either join NATO or obtain nuclear weapons.
He made the ultra provocative comments while speaking before the EU’s European Council in Brussels, where he presented the victory plan before European lawmakers. That’s when he referenced a recent private conversation with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying he told Trump that his country needs “some kind of alliance” or be “forced to pursue nuclear weapons.”
“In a conversation with Donald Trump I said — this is our situation: What way out do we have? Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, which for us will be a defense, or we’ll need to have some sort of alliance, besides NATO. But today we know of no other alliance,” Zelensky said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Putin Accuses Ukraine of Blocking Peace Talks, Claims Willingness
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of being unwilling to negotiate during a press conference in Moscow on Friday.
Putin said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky repeatedly makes demands but offers no proposals — and had even signed a decree banning negotiations with Russia.
By contrast, he said Russia was willing to hold peace talks, as he claimed it had been at the beginning of the war.
In response to a question, the Russian president said he was open to Saudi Arabia hosting such negotiations, but emphasized that the content was important.
He said Russia was ready for new talks on the basis of the agreements already reached with Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul after the start of the war.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia, Ukraine Each Swap 95 Prisoners of War, Russian Defence Ministry Says
Oct 18 (Reuters) — Russia and Ukraine each swapped 95 prisoners of war on Friday in an agreement completed with the help of the United Arab Emirates acting as mediator, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
The ministry, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said the returning Russian service members were undergoing medical checks in Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies in the more than 2-1/2-year-old war.
There was no immediate word of the exchange from Ukrainian authorities.
A private Russian group which says it looks after the interests of prisoners of war published a list of returnees and said most of those being brought home were captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces staged an incursion in August.
Those forces remain in Kursk, though Russia’s military says its forces have clawed back some of the captured territory.
Ukrainian officials gave no immediate confirmation of the swap.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine and Russia Swap 95 Prisoners on Each Side, Moscow Says
(Bloomberg) — Russia said it exchanged 95 Ukrainian soldiers for an equal number of its force in the first major prisoner of war return in more than a month.
Ukrainian officials didn’t immediately confirm the deal has taken place.
The exchange was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.
Kyiv and Moscow have conducted dozens of prisoner exchanges since the start of Russia’s invasion, which is now well into its third year. The latest swap adds to the more than 3,600 captured soldiers who have been returned to Ukraine over the course of the war, according to Kyiv’s Coordination headquarters on POW treatment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: Jammu and Kashmir: Muslim Terrorists Kill Hindu Migrant Worker in Shopian, Probe Launched
Upendra Bharti | HENB | New Delhi | Oct 18, 2024:: Three days after Omar Abdullah’s swearing-in as Jammu and Kashmir’s new Chief Minister, Muslim militants launched a fresh attack on a Hindu migrant worker in the valley, sending a stark message to the newly formed government.
The tragic incident occurred in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday, where a migrant worker named Ashok Kumar Chavan was shot dead by militants. Chavan , a resident of Banka district in Bihar, was the victim of this senseless violence.
The bullet-ridden body of Chavan was recovered from the Wachi area of Zainpora in Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir, today. According to eyewitnesses and associates, Chavan’s body bore 3-4 visible bullet marks, indicating a brutal and targeted attack.
Locals found the body and informed the police about it. The policemen rushed to the spot immediately and took stock of the situation. They shifted the body of the deceased to a hospital for post-mortem.
It is the first targeted killing in the Valley after the civilian government led by Omar Abdullah assumed charge in Jammu and Kashmir on October 16.
It also represents the fourth targeted killing in Kashmir this year, sparking concerns about regional security and stability.
Earlier, the valley saw three other targeted killing by the Jihadi militants this year as below:
- February 7: Amritpal Singh and Rohit, carpenters from Amritsar, were gunned down by militants in Srinagar’s old city.
- April 8: Dilranjeet Singh from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, was shot by militants in Herpora, Shopian district.
- April 18: Raju Shah from Bihar was shot dead in Bijbehara town, Anantnag district.
Now, the targeted killing of Ashok Kumar Chavan on Friday (Oct 18, 2024) indicates a part of the larger trend of violence against non-locals and minority Hindu and Sikh communities in the region. Security forces and J&K Police started a manhunt to nab the militants after initiating a probe.
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Philippines: Patient Stabs Nurse to Death in Bohol Hospital
CARCAR CITY, Cebu — A patient fatally stabbed a nurse at Bohol Doctors Hospital in Tagbilaran City on Thursday morning after becoming enraged over what he believed to be an offensive joke.
The attack also left a utility worker injured before the suspect was arrested by the police.
| — Hat tip: Roger | [Return to headlines] |
New Zealand’s “Disinformation Project” Shuts Down Amid Accusations of Silencing Opposition
The Disinformation Project, launched in early 2020 in New Zealand as a “disinformation research” group, but slammed by critics as seeking to usher in ideological censorship, is no more.
The project is the product of the Covid era, initially focused on what was at the time considered “disinformation” but then branching out to things like vaccine skepticism in general, climate change — and, apparently, even local politics.
The group, which coordinated with the New Zealand government, described its activities as research and analyses of all manner of “extreme conspiratorial beliefs” as well as their compatriots’ “descent” into those.
Critics, however, point out that silencing the opposition, including by supporting “hate speech” laws, was among the activities of the now-shut-down endeavor that was led by Kate Hannah.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Militias in the Central African Republic
The Central African Republic is a tragic case of what happens when Islamic radicals take over a nation.
Much of the international community, human rights groups and media have ignored it, but the Central African Republic (CAR) has been struggling with an ongoing war launched by Seleka, an alliance of Islamic militias fighting against the country’s Christian and officially secular government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former football referee John Middleton, 75, was found mutilated in the bathroom of his £60,000 art-deco home in Mombasa by his cleaner on Saturday morning.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
‘Pure Genocide’: Christians Slaughtered in Nigeria and the Great Press Cover-Up
The “pure genocide” of Christians in Nigeria, as it has been characterized by several international observers, is reaching unprecedented levels, according to two separate reports.
“Countering the myth of religious indifference in Nigerian terror (10/2019 — 9/2023),” a comprehensive, 136-page report published by the Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa on August 29, 2024, found that Muslim militants slaughtered 16,769 Christians in just the four years between 2019 and 2023. That comes out to 4,192 Christians killed on average per year — or one Christian murdered for his/her faith every two hours.
More than half of these killings (55%) were committed by radicalized Muslim Fulani herdsmen, who over the last decade have become greater persecutors of Christians than more internationally recognizable terror groups, such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) — although the ISWAP, too, are playing their part in the genocide: Fulani killed 9,153 Christians between 2019 and 2023; all other terrorist groups killed 4,895.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Communism Failure: Cuba Paralyzed by Massive Power Blackout
In a post on X, Cuba’s Ministry of Mines and Energy announced that the nation’s largest power plant has been “completely disconnected,” sparking widespread blackouts across the island. While unsurprising for the Communist-run island nation in the northern Caribbean Sea, it’s a stark warning for all Americans about how Kamala Harris’ proposed Communist policies could rapidly push the US towards third-world conditions if elected next month. We’re halfway there with ten-plus million unvetted illegal aliens roaming America’s city streets.
“Following the unexpected departure of the Antonio Guiteras CTE, the National Electricity System was completely disconnected at 11 a.m. today. The Unión Eléctrica is working on its restoration,” the Ministry of Mines and Energy wrote on X around 1235 ET.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A human trafficking sting called Operation Autumn Sweep nabbed 157 suspects, including three Disney employees and 25 illegal immigrants in Polk County, FL. Police also rescued four potential victims of human trafficking in the process, Fox13 reported Thursday.
Those charged were allegedly soliciting prostitutes or offering to commit prostitution. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd told a news conference Thursday that, of those arrested, 47 were prostitutes, 96 were clients, 1 was a human trafficker, and 14 had other charges pending. Judd noted that the eldest client was 61 and the youngest was only 15. He said the group had a total of 327 prior felony and 400 misdemeanor charges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Asylum seekers will be stripped of their benefits as Germany cracks down on immigration after the country’s parliament on Friday voted to tighten its rules for refugees.
The package of measures will withdraw benefits from asylum seekers who have already been registered in other EU countries and are slated for deportation.
It will also mean that refugees who temporarily return to their home countries will ‘as a rule’ lose their right to protection in Germany, according to the legislation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Council Backs Polish PM Tusk’s Suspension of Asylum on Poland-Belarus Border
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has expressed his satisfaction at the outcome of a European Council meeting on October 17 at which the council expressed support for Poland and other nations facing the apparent ‘weaponization’ of migration by hostile countries such as Belarus.
The council, which defines the general political direction of the EU, gave the go-ahead for the temporary suspension of the right to file asylum applications.
The meeting followed the Polish Government’s unveiling of a new migration strategy on October 15, including temporarily halting asylum for migrants entering Poland through the country’s eastern border with Belarus. The issue was raised at the council by Tusk who appealed to his colleagues, the 27 heads of state and government, for support.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The father of a 17-year-old girl who was murdered by an illegal migrant had the rare opportunity to directly confront German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on public television. The father, Michael Kyrath, is widely seen as putting a face to many of the victims of migrant violence during his appearance on “Direkt Spezial” on the private network RTL.
“Mr. Scholz, we have between 24 and 32 knife attacks in Germany every day. Many of them end fatally. And every day that we continue to discuss this, people die, children die. There are parents standing at the grave or coffin of their children, stroking their child’s hand for the last time in their lives, and this hand is ice-cold. You don’t have children, you can’t imagine it.
Kyrath’s daughter, Ann-Marie Kyrath, was murdered in January 2023, along with her boyfriend 19-year-old Danny, by a known criminal Palestinian migrant, who had been convicted of serious crimes. He stabbed Ann-Marie and Danny a total of 38 times, and wounded eight others, on a regional train on its way to Hamburg. He is currently sentenced to life in prison.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Court Rules Migrants in Albania Must Return to Italy
The immigration section of Rome’s court rejected the detention of migrants at the new hosting and repatriation centre in Gadjer Albania, the judge ruled on October 18.
The Court ruled that Bangladesh and Egypt, the migrants’ countries of origin, are “not safe” for their return and thus decided that the migrants should be sent back to Italy.
Members of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, Alessandro Ciriani and Paolo Inselvini criticized the ruling, claiming it was driven by political motives.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Takes Home the Win as EU Changes Course on Migration
After long hours of negotiations, EU leaders emerged from Thursday’s Council summit heralding a new age regarding migration.
Not only did Polish PM Donald Tusk get what he wanted by successfully establishing a precedent to suspend the right to asylum for migrants used as pawns in the Kremlin’s ‘hybrid warfare’ against the EU, but the leaders’ final resolution also contains several measures against illegal migration that had been taboo to even talk about just a few months ago.
We wrote on Thursday about the “different atmosphere” in the debate on migration as leaders arrived at the summit, most of them determined to finally amend the EU’s faulty decade-long approach that failed to prevent illegal entries and to send back those with no grounds to stay.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: No Regularisation for Migrants Who Enter EU Illegally, Says Vox Leader
Migrants entering the EU illegally should know that they will never be regularised, Santiago Abascal, the leader of Spain’s far-right Vox party, said on Thursday, while pointing to the Italian-Albanian migrant outsourcing model as an interesting alternative to ease the current crisis.
After a meeting of the parties that make up the Patriots for Europe group, including Vox, its leader told the press in Brussels about his thoughts on migration.
“And that is exactly what neither the Partido Popular (EPP) nor the PSOE (S&D) are doing at the moment, they are doing the opposite. They (some EU leaders) are looking for solutions to bring illegal entrants to some places. We don’t think it is wrong to explore it, but for us, it is much more important to go to the root. It is to send the message that whoever enters this territory illegally will never have a future here,” said Abascal, EFE reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sir Keir Starmer has agreed to a controversial deal to deport migrants arriving at the Chagos Islands to St Helena — despite giving up its sovereignty to Mauritius.
The Labour leader’s decision bears striking similarities to the Rwanda deportation plan, which he previously denounced as “completely wrong” and “immoral”.
Under the new arrangement, asylum seekers reaching the British-owned archipelago on small boats will be sent to St Helena, a remote UK territory over 5,000 miles away in the Pacific Ocean.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twice-Deported Illegal Who ‘Masterminded’ Texas Burglaries Sentenced to 37 Years in Prison
An illegal immigrant from Honduras has been slapped with a lengthy prison sentence in relation to organized criminal activity in Texas.
Thirty-year-old Sergio Cardenas-Salinas was sentenced to 37 years behind bars for being the ringleader of an organized criminal operation that involved home burglaries, Fox News reported Thursday, noting the illegal alien was living in Houston.
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Two Venezuelan illegal immigrants believed to be part of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang were arrested in the upstate New York town of Rensselaer and were charged in connection to a homicide in a Stamford, Connecticut. They were found with two children who were taken to child protection services.
According to a press release from the Rensselaer Chief of Police, “On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at approximately 3:13pm, The Rensselaer Police Department received information from the Stamford (CT) Police Department that two individuals used a stolen credit card at the Amtrak Station located at 525 East Street, Rensselaer, NY 12144. The credit card was alleged to have been stolen from a homicide victim in Stamford, [Connecticut].”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Tory Hopeful Unwilling to Exit Human Rights Pact to Stop Illegal Migration
One of the two contenders to be the next leader of the British Conservative Party refuses to commit to a measure many say is essential to tackling illegal migration.
Alleged ‘darling of the Right’ Kemi Badenoch hinted at a leadership hustings yesterday that the “biggest weakness” of her rival Robert Jenrick is his opposition to Britain’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Von Der Leyen and All of Brussels Show Clear Bias in Backing Tusk on Migration
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, supported Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s decision on the right to asylum.
Tusk’s proposal to temporarily and territorially suspend the right to asylum is being criticized by some left-wing circles, with accusations of violating human rights.
However, during a closed-door discussion at Thursday’s European Council meeting, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that a country’s “asylum system can be temporarily and appropriately suspended in order to respond to a hybrid attack,” she said, reports Polish news outlet Do Rzeczy.
“This is not irregular migration, it is about the European Union’s ability to defend itself against a hybrid attack,” the EC head reportedly said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Leaders Berated for Ignoring Christian Heritage
Without the guidance of religious communities, Europe’s leaders will continue to go astray, serving economic interests instead of serving communities, Miklós Soltész, the Hungarian State Secretary for Church and National Minority Relations warned at a conference in Budapest on Friday, October 18th.
The conference, entitled “Shared Responsibility: Cooperation Between States and Religious Communities in Europe,” and organised by the Hungarian EU presidency, was a gathering of politicians, religious leaders, and experts from all over the world.
Miklós Soltész said he could not help but make a comparison between the communism that Hungary and the rest of Central Europe had suffered from for almost half a decade, and the “selfish, power-hungry, distorted ideologies” that Europe is experiencing today.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Feminists Cancel Event in Brussels Amid Death Threats From Trans Activists
French journalist and author Dora Moutot and feminist activist Marguerite Stern have had to cancel a scheduled conference at Café Laïque in Brussels following death threats.
The event, set for October 22, was centred around Stern and Moutot’s book Transmania, which criticises the “excesses of trans ideology”.
The decision to pull out was made after death threats from trans activists were published in a manifesto on the hard-left anarchist website Paris-Lutte.info on October 14.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harris Mocks Pro-Life Protesters ‘At the Wrong Rally’ Hours Before Catholic Charity Dinner Snub
Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t hold back on pro-life protesters as she talked to her supporters about expanding abortion rights at her campaign stop in Wisconsin on Thursday, just hours before she skipped the Al Smith Catholic charity dinner.
“We will move forward because ours is a fight for the future, and it is a fight for freedom — for freedom. Like the fundamental freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government tell her what to do,” Harris said to the crowd.
“And again, we’re not going to be gaslighted on this. We remember Donald Trump hand-selected three members of the United States Supreme Court with the intention that they would undo the protections of Roe v. Wade, and they did as he intended,” she added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Approves Bill Criminalising Surrogate Motherhood
Italian lawmakers have approved a bill making surrogate motherhood a “universal crime”.
A bill forwarded by Carolina Varchi of the Brothers of Italy party was finally approved in the Italian Senate on October 16.
Italians who attempt surrogacy now face penalties of three months to two years in prison, along with fines ranging from €600,000 to €1 million.
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