Gates of Vienna News Feed 10/24/2024

A knife-wielding suspect went on a stabbing rampage today at a Toyota car dealership in Illinois, wounding several employees before being shot by police. In a 911 call, an employee described the attacker as a “white male, ponytail, black cloak, and he has two large knives.” Police said the suspect remains in stable condition and is expected to survive.

In other news, an asylum seeker from Peru found hanged from a tree inside a Bronx park last month is suspected of repeatedly raping a teen relative, according to police.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, LP, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» Argentina’s Milei Gets World Bank Backing for Economic Agenda
» Barnier to Pass French Austerity Budget Without Vote if Needed
 
USA
» “Black Ops” — How a US-UK Censorship Group Targeted RFK Jr. to Stifle Dissent
» 15-Year-Old Charged With Murder of Parents, Siblings Near Fall City
» Angry Democratic Karens Rage-Review PA McDonald’s on Yelp After Trump’s Successful Campaign Stop
» Biden Appeared to Struggle to Remember Words, Complete Sentences, or Even Stand Over a Year Before Dropping Out of Race: Bob Woodward
» Colorado Election Officials Find at Least a Dozen Fraudulent Ballots Cast in 2024 Early Voting
» Elon Musk Makes Major Donations to Help Republicans Take Back the Senate
» Facial Recognition in Retail: Privacy Concerns Loom as Kroger Tracks Shoppers
» Here’s How Many New Yorkers Fled the Empire State in 2023, According to Census Data
» Illinois Police Shoot Knife-Wielding Man Who Allegedly Stabbed Multiple Toyota Dealership Employees
» Judge Blasts ‘Outrageous’ Arrest of Arizona Mom Who Criticized Bureaucrat, Bans Future Arrest
» Minneapolis Man Charged With Murder Following Multi-County Shooting Spree
» Missouri AG Launching Investigation Into Google for Alleged Suppression of Conservative Speech
» More Than 1,600 Voters Removed in Virginia Under Noncitizen Program
» Navy Vet “Did Not Act Criminally or Illegally” — Judge Rules Against CNN in Defamation Suit
» Over 80% of Americans Are in Favor of Requiring Photo ID, Proof of Citizenship to Vote
» Pennsylvania Faces Scrutiny Over Secretive Partnership With CISA Amid Free Speech Concerns
» Renowned Cardiologist Raises Alarm Over 1,236% Surge in Excess Heart Deaths Among COVID-Vaxxed
» Revealed: 911 Calls of ‘Gunshots at the Trump Rally’ Released From Butler, PA Assassination Attempt
» Suspect Shot by Police After Going on Knife Attack at Toyota Car Dealership
» Trump Lawyers Invoke Biden’s ‘Lock Him Up’ Remark in Motion to Dismiss 2020 Election Interference Case
» ‘Word Salad City’: Harris Town Hall in Philly Goes as Bad as You’d Expect
 
Canada
» Canada’s Trudeau Vows to Lead His Liberal Party Into the Next Election
» Saskatchewan, Canada, Town Can’t Find Anyone to Run for Mayor
» Some Liberal Lawmakers Ask Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Not to Run for a Fourth Term
 
Europe and the EU
» A Man Who Allegedly Planned a Bomb Attack for the Islamic State Group is Indicted in Germany
» Austria: Syrian Stabs Man in Vienna in Family Dispute Over Child Bride
» Czech PM Says Ammunition Initiative for Ukraine Running on Schedule
» Czechia: Average Price for New Prague Apartments Breaks New Record
» European Left Decries Cooperation With “Far Right”
» French Mayor Gives ChatGPT Subscription to Constituents to Fight ‘Digital Divide’
» French Far-Left MP Arrested for Buying Street Drugs in Paris
» German Government Spends €8 Million on Installing LED Lights in Moroccan Mosques
» Hungary: Viktor Orban on 23 October: ‘History May Overflow Its Banks Again’
» Iran’s Assassination Program in Europe: Europe Goes Back to Sleep
» Ireland Unveils EU-Wide Online Safety Code With Strict Censorship, Online Digital ID Verification, and Fines for Big Tech
» Is Poland Importing Russian Coal Through the Backdoor?
» Italian Bank’s Alleged Mafia-Member Loan Spurs Court Action
» Nigel Farage Calls on Conservative Councillors to Join Reform UK, Offering ‘Lifeline’ From ‘Broken’ Tory Brand
» Orban: Brussels Wants to Impose Puppet Government on Hungary
» Poland Alleges Russian Sabotage and is Closing One of Moscow’s Consulates
» Spanish Far-Left Increases Pressure on Sanchez to Implement ‘Full Arms Embargo’ on Israel
» Sweden’s EV Battery Northvolt Lays Off 840 Workers as Financial Pressures Bite
» Sweden: Hand Grenade Attacks Have More Than Doubled in 2024
» Transparency NGO Warns of ‘Superficial and Opaque’ EC Hearings Process
» UK Government Demands Regulator Create Social Media Overhaul to Curb “Misinformation,” Plans New Censorship Committee by 2025
» UK: Drill Rapper ‘Young Dizz’ Who ‘Turned Schoolboys Into Torturers’ and Brutally Attacked Teenager on Snapchat Smugly Poses in £140K ‘Armoured’ Land Rover After Being Released Early From Prison by Labour Government
» Von Der Leyen Attacks Nationalism, Embraces ‘Europeanism’, Wants ‘New Wind of Change’
» Warsaw Mayor in U-Turn on Conservative-Backed Polish Independence Day March
» Who Will be Poland’s President? Tusk’s Party Wages Internal Battle Over Which Candidate to Nominate
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Hamas Was Using Bombed Gaza School as ‘Terrorist Command Centre’, IDF Claims After Seven Children Killed
 
Middle East
» Paris Aid Talks Mobilize €1 Billion for Lebanon, as War Drags on
» Turkey Strikes Kurdish Targets After Deadly Attack Near Ankara
» Turkey Appears to Have Finally Caved to Some Sanctions Threats, But What About All That Energy?
 
Russia
» Putin Anticipates Growth of BRICS Group of States at Summit
» Putin Boasts of Aspiring BRICS Members at Summit in Kazan
» U.S. Confirms North Korean Troops Deployed to Russia
» Ukrainian Troops Increasingly Refusing Orders, Desertion Rates Explode
» Ukraine Intelligence Agency Says North Korean Units Already in Kursk Region
» Zelensky Signals Peace Deal Conditions Amid Russian Battlefield Advances
 
Far East
» Train Company to Deploy Japan’s First ‘Blade-Proof’ Umbrellas Against Knife Attacks
 
Australia — Pacific
» Face of ‘Muslim Votes Matter’ — an Islamic Group Threatening to Destroy Albo Over Palestine — Posts Shocking Video Saying ‘Australia is Absolutely a RACIST Country’
 
Latin America
» EP Awards Sakharov Prize to Venezuelan Opposition Leaders
 
Immigration
» Biden-Harris Admin, State and Local Governments Spent $150 BILLION on Illegal Immigration Crisis in 2023
» City Councilwoman Reveals Venezuelan Gang Problem Was Well-Known in Aurora, Co Ahead of Media Attention
» Council of Europe Slams Tusk’s Poland Over Migrant ‘Pushbacks’
» DHS Identifies More Than 600 Migrants With Possible Ties to Vicious Venezuelan Gang Tren De Aragua: Report
» Employment Rate for Ukrainian Refugees in Germany Doubles Since 2022
» EU Closes More Borders to Tackle Migration: Netherlands Follows Germany and France and Becomes Latest to Announce Tough New Checks to Reduce Immigration Numbers
» Germany: Syrian Migrant Who Brutally Stabbed a 4-Year-Old Girl Will Serve No Prison Time
» Migrant Man Found Hanged in NYC Park Was Suspected of Repeatedly Raping Underage Relative: Sources
» Nearly 1 Million Migrants Staying ‘Indefinitely’ in US Under Biden-Harris ‘Quiet Amnesty’: House Panel
» Portugal: Mass Riots Continue in Lisbon Following Police Shooting of Cape Verdean Immigrant
» Report: Ukrainians Are Settling in Abroad and Have No Intention to Return Home as War Rages on
» Revealed: Almost 300 Migrants Crossed the English Channel on Same Day That Three Died and Dozens Were Rescued in Small Boat Tragedy
» UK: Keir Starmer is Accused of ‘Surrendering’ to People-Smuggling Gangs…
 
Culture Wars
» Hundreds of Female Golfers Asking LPGA to Keep Transgender Player Davidson From Qualifying for Tour
» It’s Official: UK Transgender Youth Charity Broke Rules
» Luxury Department Store Removes the Word ‘Christmas’ From Popular Gift Catalog
» UN Report: Women Have Lost 900 Medals to ‘Transgender’ Athletes
» WHO Demands Crackdown on ‘Deadly’ Free Speech to ‘Prevent the Spread of Harmful Lies’
 

Argentina’s Milei Gets World Bank Backing for Economic Agenda

The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank agreed to provide Argentina with $8.8 billion in financing, becoming the latest financial institutions to back President Javier Milei’s economic agenda.

Since taking office 11 months ago, Milei has instituted a suite of austerity measures, including firing thousands of civil servants and slashing subsidies — moves one international financial official described to the Financial Times as “the most drastic fiscal adjustment ever seen in a peacetime economy.” The cuts have resulted in Argentina reaching its first primary budget surplus in 16 years, and quelled inflation.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Barnier to Pass French Austerity Budget Without Vote if Needed

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier will push through his austerity budget without a vote in the National Assembly if required, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said in Paris on Wednesday.

The cabinet had agreed to allow Barnier to make use of the relevant paragraph in the constitution in the event that he cannot get the budget through the National Assembly and the upper house, the Senate.

The budget debate, which began on Monday, is the first serious test for France’s new centre-right government, which lacks a parliamentary majority and could be toppled by a vote of no-confidence.

This would, however, require the leftist camp in the National Assembly to join forces with the far-right National Rally (RN), whose parliamentary leader is Marine Le Pen.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

“Black Ops” — How a US-UK Censorship Group Targeted RFK Jr. to Stifle Dissent

Elon Musk acquiring Twitter, now X, and doing that amid the unprecedented censorship carried out on all major US social networks — and carried out uniformly and successfully up until that point — seems to have really ruffled some feathers, and continues to do so to this day.

More insight into how events were unfolding has been provided by investigative journalists Paul D. Thacker and Matt Taibbi, earlier this week.

At the center of this is — the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a UK-based group that at this point has a long record of accusations it worked to put out in order to stifle free speech on platforms, including in the US, a notable one being the fabrication about “The Disinformation Dozen.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

15-Year-Old Charged With Murder of Parents, Siblings Near Fall City

A 15-year-old boy was charged Thursday with the murder of his parents and three of his siblings at a waterfront house south of Fall City.

King County prosecutors charged the boy in juvenile court with five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder for allegedly killing his family members and injuring his 11-year-old sister in their home early Monday. Each of the six charges has a domestic violence designation.

The Seattle Times typically does not name juvenile suspects unless they are charged as adults.

According to documents filed in King County Superior Court on Thursday, the 15-year-old used his father’s Glock handgun.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims of the mass shooting as 43-year-old Mark Humiston, 42-year-old Sarah Humiston and three of their children: Katheryn Humiston, 7; Joshua Humiston, 9; and Benjamin Humiston, 13.

During that call, a neighbor also called 911, reporting the surviving 11-year-old sister ran to the neighbor’s house, rang the doorbell repeatedly, and told the neighbor her family members had been shot. The neighbor told the dispatcher the girl was bleeding from the neck and hand, and she had said she was afraid her 15-year-old brother might try to find her, according to the charging documents.

The 11-year-old girl told the neighbor she heard gunshots and screaming, then her 15-year-old brother shot at her, according to charges. She told the neighbor she played dead and held her breath.

Later, during the 911 call, the dispatcher asked if the girl was sure her 15-year-old brother was the shooter. She said yes, according to the charging documents.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Angry Democratic Karens Rage-Review PA McDonald’s on Yelp After Trump’s Successful Campaign Stop

Yelp has been forced to turn off reviews for the McDonald’s restaurant that President Trump made an appearance at over the weekend, after being flooded with “numerous negative reviews”.

Trump stopped at the McDonald’s on E. Street Rd. in Feasterville-Trevose, which closed for a few hours Sunday so Trump could mirror — and openly mock — Vice President Kamala Harris’ claim of working at McDonald’s in the 1980s.

The visit sparked backlash, prompting Yelp to temporarily freeze the restaurant’s review page, according to Patch.

“This business is being monitored by Yelp’s Support team for content related to media reports,” Yelp’s page said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Biden Appeared to Struggle to Remember Words, Complete Sentences, or Even Stand Over a Year Before Dropping Out of Race: Bob Woodward

President Joe Biden was unable to recall words and phrases and he had trouble standing at campaign fundraisers more than a year prior to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushing him out of the 2024 presidential race. Some witnesses said he was “frighteningly awful” and looked like a “senile grandfather,” Bob Woodward has revealed in his newly released book, “War.”

At a June 2023 Democratic fundraiser in California’s Silicon Valley, Biden “could not wait to sit down and only took two pre-arranged questions,” a Democratic donor revealed in the book, according to the New York Post. The president’s crib notes with ready-made answers did not help much, as Biden, then 80, had obvious difficulty remembering what issue he was addressing and strayed from his talking points, attendees said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Colorado Election Officials Find at Least a Dozen Fraudulent Ballots Cast in 2024 Early Voting

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold on Thursday announced that at least a dozen mail ballots have been stolen, filled out, and sent in so far in the 2024 general election.

The blue-leaning state has been sending mail-in ballots to every registered voter for years, and has served as an example for other liberal states during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NBC News.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Elon Musk Makes Major Donations to Help Republicans Take Back the Senate

Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk has made multi-million dollar donations to help Republicans win back the Senate in November, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday.

Musk has emerged as a major voice for conservatives this election cycle, having aligned himself closely with former President Donald Trump. Musk, who purchased X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, gave Trump his social media account back shortly after buying it, and endorsed the former president in August.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Facial Recognition in Retail: Privacy Concerns Loom as Kroger Tracks Shoppers

Facial recognition — in the service of price gouging? While both would be serious problems, framing the first as mostly “problematic” in terms of the other looks truly like an example of “burying the lede.”

The “lede” concerning facial recognition tech deployed (or planned to be deployed) in places frequented by huge amounts of people such as retail chains like Kroger in the US is — number one (two, and three) — mass surveillance and possible (if not likely) short, mid, and long-term consequences on by and large unsuspecting shoppers’ digital security and privacy.

And that means everyone’s privacy, security — and constitutional rights.

Yet, here we have one of the supposedly “most progressive” US House of Representative Democrats — Rashida Tlaib — complaining about Kroger’s facial recognition as a tool for surge pricing, not least, according to her, in the context of “studies (that have) shown that facial recognition is flawed and can lead to discrimination in predominantly Black and brown communities.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Here’s How Many New Yorkers Fled the Empire State in 2023, According to Census Data

A bigger portion of people fled New York than any other state last year — with nearly 1% of the entire Empire State heading to other parts of the country, according to newly released US Census data.

More than 480,000 New Yorkers left last year — and only 300,000 new residents came in to replace them, for an overall migration loss of 180,000 people, according to the figures.

That’s a smaller figure than in 2022, when net flight was 244,000 — but it shows that the state continues to hemorrhage residents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Illinois Police Shoot Knife-Wielding Man Who Allegedly Stabbed Multiple Toyota Dealership Employees

Illinois police shot a knife-wielding suspect on Wednesday who allegedly went on a stabbing rampage at a Toyota car dealership in Dekalb County, slicing up several employees before authorities thwarted the attack. Police said the male suspect refused to drop his weapon, resulting in officers opening fire, as reported by Shaw Local News.

The incident occurred around 1 pm at the Brian Bemis Toyota car dealership on 1890 Sycamore Road. The suspect, who was reportedly armed with multiple knives, was not an employee or customer of the dealership. He entered the business and allegedly unleashed a stabbing attack, forcing his knife into the bodies of several employees, police said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Judge Blasts ‘Outrageous’ Arrest of Arizona Mom Who Criticized Bureaucrat, Bans Future Arrest

The city of Surprise, Arizona, won’t get another chance to surprise Rebekah Massie with criminal prosecution for speaking at city council meetings after a Maricopa County judge dismissed the case with prejudice, rejecting the government’s request to give itself wiggle room to charge her again.

Justice of the peace Gerald Williams called her arrest for criticizing the city attorney’s pay raise “objectively outrageous” and blasted the policy under which Massie was arrested for regulating “not just speech; but political speech” and “not just the time, place, and manner of the speech” but its content.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Minneapolis Man Charged With Murder Following Multi-County Shooting Spree

WILLMAR, Minn. — A Minneapolis man is charged with second-degree murder and multiple other felonies following a multi-county shooting spree Tuesday that left a New London man dead.

Court documents filed in Kandiyohi County Thursday break down the charges against 25-year-old Ameer Musa Matariyeh, which also include attempted murder, first-degree assault and fleeing police.

Prosecutors say the crime spree began in Minneapolis around 12:30 p.m. that day when Matariyeh fired several rounds from the top floor of an Uptown apartment building at his estranged girlfriend and her new partner. It would continue through several counties as the defendant was pursued west at high speed by Minneapolis police, eventually entering Kandiyohi County.

The criminal complaint filed against Matariyeh says Kandiyohi County law enforcement was informed shortly after 1:50 p.m. that a man was headed their way in a stolen vehicle on Highway 7, being followed by members of a multi-county drug task force.

Shortly after 2 p.m., a 911 call came in from a Kandiyohi County farmstead in Lake Lillian reporting that a man had been shot in the chest. The wife of the victim, 25-year-old Peter Mayerchak, told investigators he was out doing some work in the shed when she heard a pop, then looked out the window and saw her husband and another man yelling at each other. Mayerchak then ran into the house and she saw he had been shot.

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Missouri AG Launching Investigation Into Google for Alleged Suppression of Conservative Speech

EXCLUSIVE: Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Thursday announced an investigation into Google for allegedly suppressing conservative speech during the election cycle.

FOX Business has learned the Republican attorney general plans to subpoena the California-based tech giant to investigate its algorithms and how conservative speech is deemphasized by showing up on later pages.

Bailey has alleged Google is “waging a war on the Democratic process.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

More Than 1,600 Voters Removed in Virginia Under Noncitizen Program

Authored by Caden Pearson via The Epoch Times

More than 1,600 people have been removed from voter rolls in Virginia since August under the state’s program targeting noncitizens, which the Department of Justice (DOJ) and advocacy groups, who are suing the state, contend is illegal.

The scope of the removals was revealed after a federal magistrate, on Oct. 21, ordered the state to disclose the names and addresses of those removed to plaintiff groups, including the DOJ and the League of Women Voters.

Gov. Glen Youngkin (R-Va.) announced the program in August as part of an executive order that codifies election security measures that include creating a “best-in-the-nation voter list maintenance” program. He said that all legal votes should be counted without being “watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Navy Vet “Did Not Act Criminally or Illegally” — Judge Rules Against CNN in Defamation Suit

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times

A U.S. Navy veteran who is suing CNN for defamation did not commit any illegal acts when he helped people evacuate from Afghanistan, according to an Oct. 22 ruling.

Zachary Young sued CNN in 2022 after the network aired segments about him and others who became involved in private evacuation efforts in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over the country. At one point, emblazoned over one of Young’s messages about facilitating evacuations for a fee, CNN said that “Afghans trying to flee Taliban face black markets, exorbitant fees, [and] no guarantee of safety or success.”

“The Court can conclude that Young did not act criminally or illegally,” Bay County Judge William S. Henry wrote in Tuesday’s ruling.

As the case heads toward trial after several rulings in favor of Young, he asked the court to declare that the term “black market” means an illegal market, that CNN’s statements about black markets concerned Young and that Young never did anything illegal or operated on a black market.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Over 80% of Americans Are in Favor of Requiring Photo ID, Proof of Citizenship to Vote

By Megan Brenan of Gallup

With less than two weeks to go in the presidential campaign and voting already underway in many states, 76% of U.S. adults favor the concept of early voting. Two other election law policies are supported by even more Americans — requiring photo identification to vote (84%) and providing proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time (83%).

Smaller majorities of Americans — 60% each — favor automatic voter registration, whereby citizens are registered when they do business with state agencies such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, and sending absentee ballot applications to all eligible voters. In contrast, majorities of Americans oppose removing people from voter registration lists if they haven’t voted in any elections in five years (64%) and limiting the number of drop boxes or locations for returning absentee ballots (58%).

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Pennsylvania Faces Scrutiny Over Secretive Partnership With CISA Amid Free Speech Concerns

Amid concerns raised over possible incursions on free speech, The Federalist’s appeal for a more transparent look into the Pennsylvania Department of State’s partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), has been met with significant resistance. The State Department has declined to relinquish pertinent documents and correspondence linked to its collaboration with the agency, which has previously been implicated in operations suppressing free expression.

The Federalist had discovered the state’s partnership with CISA, the pro-censorship government organization, a move purposed to counter threats jeopardizing elections, to include what is being deemed as “misinformation.” However, repeated attempts to derive a clearer understanding of what this partnership entails through Pennsylvania’s Right To Know Request (RTKR) have been largely unmet.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Renowned Cardiologist Raises Alarm Over 1,236% Surge in Excess Heart Deaths Among COVID-Vaxxed

Dr. Peter McCullough, a world-renowned cardiologist and epidemiologist, has raised the alarm after a bombshell peer-reviewed study found a staggering 1,236% surge in excess cardiac arrest deaths among people who received Covid mRNA vaccines.

McCullough performed an exploratory data analysis evaluating the cardiac arrest deaths following the Covid vaccination campaign in King County, Washington.

The team of researchers, led by McCullough, uncovered evidence of a shocking quadratic increase in excess cardiopulmonary arrest mortality corresponding to higher vaccination rates.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Revealed: 911 Calls of ‘Gunshots at the Trump Rally’ Released From Butler, PA Assassination Attempt

The first 911 call that was made on July 13 in response to the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump came in at 6:12 pm in Butler, Pennsylvania. The calls have been released following a report from an independent commission that found that if USSS had “an unlimited budget [it] would not, by itself, remediate many of the failures of July 13.”

A woman’s voice cried out on the call, “Gunshots at the Trump rally. Gunshots-”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Suspect Shot by Police After Going on Knife Attack at Toyota Car Dealership

A man has been shot by police after carrying out a knife attack at a Toyota car dealership in DeKalb, Illinois.

The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, entered the Brian Bemis Toyota site at around midday on Wednesday and initially acted as though he was looking at vehicles, according to DeKalb Police.

Suddenly, the man pulled out a knife and began to attack employees, stabbing one worker, police said.

In a 911 call, obtained by CBS News, an employee is heard describing the attacker as a “white male, ponytail, black cloak, and he has two large knives.”

“Sounds like he just stabbed the manager in the hand and he’s breaking stuff inside,” the caller says.

Officers responded to the scene and confronted the suspect. When he refused to drop the knife, the officers opened fire, police said.

Officers administered first aid to the suspect at the scene before he was airlifted to hospital for treatment. Police said he remains in a stable condition and is expected to survive.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Trump Lawyers Invoke Biden’s ‘Lock Him Up’ Remark in Motion to Dismiss 2020 Election Interference Case

Donald Trump’s legal team on Thursday cited President Biden’s call for the former president to be locked up in a motion demanding the dismissal of the federal 2020 election interference case.

“The proposed motion establishes that this unjust case was dead on arrival — unconstitutional even before its inception,” Trump attorneys wrote in the filing submitted in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The lawyers argued to Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, that Attorney General Merrick Garland violated the Constitution when he appointed special counsel Jack Smith to oversee multiple federal investigations into Trump.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘Word Salad City’: Harris Town Hall in Philly Goes as Bad as You’d Expect

Kamala Harris’ completed another descending spin around her doom loop on Wednesday night: Lagging Trump in battleground states and therefore under pressure to increase her interactions with voters, she participated in a prime-time town hall that only further exposed her as one of the most superficial politicians of our time…with more poll damage sure to follow.

The town hall was hosted by CNN and took place in Delaware County. Along with Chester, Bucks and Montgomery, it’s one of four Philadelphia “collar counties” that have traditionally played an outsize role in determining who wins Pennsylvania’s electoral votes.

You know things went bad when even the New York Times raked Harris over the coals for being evasive, saying: “Voters asked direct question. Harris gave circular answers.” After the event, CNN’s Dana Bash said, “What I’m hearing from people who I’ve been talking to … if her goal was to close the deal, they’re not sure she did that.” Seasoned Democratic operative David Alexrod called out Harris’ signature flaw: “The things that would concern me is when she doesn’t want to answer a question, her habit is to kind of go to Word Salad City.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Canada’s Trudeau Vows to Lead His Liberal Party Into the Next Election

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that he will lead his Liberal Party into the next election, dismissing a request by some party members to not run for a fourth term.

Trudeau met with his Liberal members of Parliament for three hours Wednesday, where he learned that more than 20 lawmakers from his party signed a letter asking him to step down before the next election.

He said there were “robust conversations” ongoing about the best way forward, but “that will happen with me as leader going into the next election.”

No Canadian prime minister in more than a century has won four straight terms.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Saskatchewan, Canada, Town Can’t Find Anyone to Run for Mayor

Oct. 24 (UPI) — A town in Saskatchewan, Canada, is facing one major hurdle in the run-up to its November municipal election: No one is running for mayor.

Officials in Kyle said Mayor George Williams, who was elected in November 2021, is retiring this year, and so far, no candidates have come forward to seek the office.

An open spot on the Town Council also has no nominees.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Some Liberal Lawmakers Ask Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Not to Run for a Fourth Term

TORONTO (AP) — Some lawmakers in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s own Liberal Party asked the leader not to run for a fourth term Wednesday, handing him one of the biggest tests of his political career.

A smiling Trudeau said Liberals are “strong and united” after meeting with Liberal members of Parliament for three hours. Three Liberals said they were among a total of 20 plus lawmakers from the party to have signed a letter asking Trudeau to step down before the next election. There are 153 Liberals in Canada’s House of Commons.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

A Man Who Allegedly Planned a Bomb Attack for the Islamic State Group is Indicted in Germany

BERLIN (AP) — German prosecutors said Tuesday they have filed an indictment against a man who allegedly joined the Islamic State group in Iraq and planned to carry out an attack in Germany on its behalf.

The Iraqi national, identified only as Mahmoud A. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in June in Esslingen, near Stuttgart. The federal prosecutor’s office said he has now been formally charged at the state court in Stuttgart with membership in a foreign terrorist organization and preparing a serious act of violence.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Austria: Syrian Stabs Man in Vienna in Family Dispute Over Child Bride

A Syrian family dispute in Vienna over the planned marriage of a 15-year-old girl escalated into a violent altercation on Tuesday evening, leading to a knife attack.

The incident occurred in Vienna-Landstrasse, where an 18-year-old Syrian man reportedly stabbed a 32-year-old man during a confrontation over the wedding plans for the underage schoolgirl, according to Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt.

The Vienna State Police Directorate confirmed that the victim sustained defensive wounds to both forearms after the 18-year-old suddenly pulled out a knife.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Czech PM Says Ammunition Initiative for Ukraine Running on Schedule

A Czech initiative to supply over half a million artillery shells to Ukraine by the end of the year is progressing according to schedule, the government in Prague said on Wednesday.

The initiative is a joint effort, including Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, among other countries.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said he expects a steady stream of deliveries to Ukraine next year as well, but did not provide a specific schedule.

So far, 15 EU and NATO countries have pledged around €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion) for the project to purchase up to 800,000 rounds of ammunition for Ukraine.

Additional countries are supporting the initiative in other ways, including by providing transport assistance for the deliveries.

Details about the origins of the ammunition are being kept secret.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Czechia: Average Price for New Prague Apartments Breaks New Record

In Prague, apartment prices have once again broken records, with the average offering price surpassing CZK 160,000 per square meter in the third quarter of 2024, according to a quarterly analysis by developers Central Group, Skanska, and Trigema.

Apartment prices in new development projects around Prague exceeded five percent growth, driven by awakened demand, the inclusion of more expensive development projects in sales, and a limited supply on the market.

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European Left Decries Cooperation With “Far Right”

The left-liberal groups in the European Parliament would rather disrespect the will of the voters than have to cooperate with the conservative-sovereigntist parties—this approach was made evident yet again after a vote on the protection of the EU’s external borders.

On Wednesday, October 23rd, the right-wing groups in the Parliament, and most of the MEPs from the centrist-liberal European People’s Party (EPP), voted in favour of funding “external physical barriers” under the EU’s 2025 budget, as well as “explore the idea of developing return hubs [deportation centres] outside the EU.” The amendment was passed with a relative majority of 329 MEPs.

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French Mayor Gives ChatGPT Subscription to Constituents to Fight ‘Digital Divide’

The mayor of the French town of Arcachon, Yves Foulon, has given his 12,000 constituents a ChatGPT subscription and said the idea “stems from a political desire to combat the digital divide”.

With 60 per cent of the population more than 60-years-old, making Arcachon “the oldest town in France, sociologically speaking”, Foulon said on October 22 his aim was to give greater access to the artificial intelligence tool for his constituents in the Gironde town.

He said he believed the chatbot developed by OpenAI and Microsoft could be useful for all Arachon’s residents, from teenagers to senior citizens.

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French Far-Left MP Arrested for Buying Street Drugs in Paris

A French MP from the left-wing coalition has been caught red-handed buying synthetic drugs. Admitting the facts, he said he would seek addiction treatment. The episode highlights the ambiguous relationship that a whole fringe of the left-wing political class has with drug use, where they seem to accept behaviours that are punishable by law.

Andy Kerbrat, a member of parliament for the far-left La France Insoumise, was caught by the police on Friday, October 18th in Paris buying the synthetic drug 3-MMC—a powerful, recently manufactured psychostimulant related to amphetamines. The product acquired by the MP is known to stimulate the libido and induce hallucinations. It is highly addictive.

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German Government Spends €8 Million on Installing LED Lights in Moroccan Mosques

The German federal government has been questioned over its decision to spend over €8 million of taxpayers’ money on improving energy efficiency in four Moroccan mosques.

From 2015 to 2021, the government in Berlin, through the Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), allocated €8.09 million for projects primarily focused on installing LED lighting, solar systems, and photovoltaic panels in Islamic places of worship across Morocco.

The initiative has sparked controversy, particularly among members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, who have raised questions about the appropriateness of such spending. Its parliamentary faction subsequently submitted questions to the relevant governmental department demanding an explanation of how the money was spent.

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Hungary: Viktor Orban on 23 October: ‘History May Overflow Its Banks Again’

‘We gather today to honour and pay tribute to the heroes of the revolution,’ Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated during the ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight at Millenaris Park in Budapest on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister noted that this year’s commemoration is special as those who defended Hungary from the recent Danube floods were also present. ‘What the water management authorities, disaster protection forces, soldiers, police, and volunteers achieved was a superhuman task. We lost no lives, and the damage was minimized,’ Orban recalled, thanking those who stood firm during the flood defence. He underscored that when danger approaches, unity is essential, and although Hungarians are proud and tenacious, they follow the rule of unity, as without it, there is no freedom. ‘Without unity, we would be ruled by foreigners, who would rob us and enslave us by debt,’ he remarked.

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Iran’s Assassination Program in Europe: Europe Goes Back to Sleep

Iran, the world’s “leading state sponsor of terrorism,” has been recruiting gang members and drug dealers in Europe to murder Iranian dissidents, Israelis and Jews, according to a report published in September by the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) organization and journalists from nine outlets, including France’s Mediapart, Germany’s Der Spiegel, Spain’s Infolibre and Israel’s Shomrim.

This is happening at the same time as Europe, and most of the world, led by the Biden-Harris administration, are doing all they can to stop Israel from putting an end to the Iranian regime and its multiple terrorist and proxy wars against Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Sudan.

US and European authorities have termed it the “Iranian Transnational Assassinations Network.”

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Ireland Unveils EU-Wide Online Safety Code With Strict Censorship, Online Digital ID Verification, and Fines for Big Tech

Ireland is about to start implementing its Online Safety Codein November, with full implementation expected by the middle of next year.

The country’s media regulator (Coimisiún na Mean) is behind these rules that apply in all 27 EU member countries as that concerns online platforms that have their headquarters in Ireland.

The highlight of the Code is the ban on uploading and sharing a wide range of content, both user-generated (“third-party”) and commercial, in case the document defines the content as “harmful” — even in instances where it is actually not illegal under either Irish or EU law.

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Is Poland Importing Russian Coal Through the Backdoor?

Poland may simply be importing Russian coal through the Russian ally Kazakhstan, even as Poland cuts its own coal production. Although Kazakhstan has its own coal mines, the country is deeply reliant and tied to Russia, and this kind of arrangement does not just apply to coal, but also to other resources such as uranium and oil, which many Western countries are buying up.

Polish hard coal mines reduced production in September by 17.3 percent year-over-year, and sales fell by 17.7 percent. However, this does not mean that Polish demand for coal is suddenly dropping this winter. Instead, Poland is making up for these cuts with imports, and almost half of this import comes from Kazakhstan. Now, as much coal flows from there to Poland as from Russia before the war.

What is important to note is that Kazakhstan, a Russian ally, is notoriously used as a middle-man country for Russia to ship its products into Europe and other countries, most notably for oil. Countries like Germany ramped up oil exports from Kazakhstan in response to sanctions, and the flow of oil from this country to Europe is only expected to increase. In other areas, Russia owns up to 25 percent of Kazakhstan’s uranium production.

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Italian Bank’s Alleged Mafia-Member Loan Spurs Court Action

Italian bank Banca Progetto has been placed under court administration for allegedly lending money to a person arrested under mafia charges, a court document showed.

Prosecutors have alleged the lender granted the financing, which was guaranteed by the Italian State, without conducting the necessary checks on the borrower, the document of which Reuters has obtained a copy showed on October 24.

Banca Progetto, which specialises in state-guaranteed financing had no immediate comment.

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Nigel Farage Calls on Conservative Councillors to Join Reform UK, Offering ‘Lifeline’ From ‘Broken’ Tory Brand

Nigel Farage has called upon all local Conservative Party councillors to defect and join his populist Reform UK party ahead of the English county council elections next May, arguing that the Tory brand is “broken” after numerous betrayals.

The Brexit boss sent a letter to all 1,352 Conservative councillors in England offering them an opportunity to join the ranks of the rising power that is Reform UK as it wages its first truly national election campaign. At present, Reform has 28 local councillors.

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Orban: Brussels Wants to Impose Puppet Government on Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned Hungarian citizens that there is a plot unfolding in Brussels to get rid of the current conservative government and to impose “a Brusselite puppet government on the country.”

The prime minister, who has drawn the ire of the liberal Brussels elite many times with his no-nonsense right-wing stance on issues such as sovereignty, migration and gender ideology, was speaking on Wednesday, October 23rd, on the anniversary of the 1956 revolution when Hungarians rose up against Soviet oppression.

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Poland Alleges Russian Sabotage and is Closing One of Moscow’s Consulates

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s foreign minister said Tuesday that he is ordering the closure of one of three Russian consulates in the country in response to acts of sabotage including arson attacks that he said were sponsored by Moscow.

Radek Sikorski demanded that Russia stop what he called hybrid war actions against Poland and its Western allies, warning that Poland reserves the right “to take further decisive action” if they don’t stop.

“As the minister of foreign affairs, I have information that the Russian Federation is behind attempts at sabotage, both in Poland and in allied countries,” Sikorski told reporters in Warsaw.

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Spanish Far-Left Increases Pressure on Sanchez to Implement ‘Full Arms Embargo’ on Israel

The Spanish far-left is stepping up its pressure on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for Madrid to suspend all arms deals with Israel that are currently in force and urgently implement a ‘full arms embargo’ on Tel Aviv.

Since the start of Israel’s military offensive following the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023, voices within the Spanish far-left have grown louder, denouncing what they describe as the ‘genocide’ of the Palestinian people and demanding that Spain sever diplomatic and trade relations with Israel.

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Sweden’s EV Battery Northvolt Lays Off 840 Workers as Financial Pressures Bite

Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, which specialises in lithium-ion technology for electric vehicles, has announced it will lay off 840 people as it continues to fight to stabilise its finances.

On October 22, the company’s management said the workers would be let go at Northvolt’s factory in Skellefteå, which has been troubled by a series of apparent safety incidents.

Elsewhere in Sweden, mining giant LKAB said it was pausing its investment in fossil-free sponge iron in Kiruna.

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Sweden: Hand Grenade Attacks Have More Than Doubled in 2024

Sweden is witnessing an alarming rise in the use of hand grenades by criminal gangs, with the number of explosions more than doubling in 2024 compared to last year. By mid-October, there had been 22 recorded grenade attacks, up from nine in 2023, according to figures from the Police National Bomb Data Centre.

The Swedish Customs Administration has also reported a spike in the number of hand grenades seized at the border — 30 so far this year, compared to zero last year. Officials say gangs have turned to grenades as an alternative to stolen commercial explosives, which have become harder to obtain.

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Transparency NGO Warns of ‘Superficial and Opaque’ EC Hearings Process

NGO Transparency International EU has criticised the European Commission candidate audit process, saying it is rushed, superficial and opaque and casting doubt on the process.

“The European Parliament puts potential European Commissioners through rushed, superficial and opaque hearings before giving a green light that barely scratches the surface,” the group said on October 21.

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UK Government Demands Regulator Create Social Media Overhaul to Curb “Misinformation,” Plans New Censorship Committee by 2025

UK’s regulator Ofcom (Office of Communications) was recently asked by Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology Peter Kyle to produce a response about how they “assess” social platforms’ responses after the riots earlier in the year and what progress has been made in implementing the Online Safety Act.

The response to Kyle reveals Ofcom wants social networks to change their algorithms as a way to combat “misinformation,” and pledges that those that don’t censor information treated by the authorities as “false” will face tougher action against them.

The premise has always been that since the events of the summer known as the Southport riots, they were strongly influenced by social media and “misinformation.”

And now Ofcom has responded to Kyle by once again reiterating this position — and presenting the regulator’s ideas and progress to further tighten the screws on online speech.

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UK: Drill Rapper ‘Young Dizz’ Who ‘Turned Schoolboys Into Torturers’ and Brutally Attacked Teenager on Snapchat Smugly Poses in £140K ‘Armoured’ Land Rover After Being Released Early From Prison by Labour Government

Isaac Donkoh, a gang member and drill music artist from Newham, east London, was jailed in April 2019 for kidnapping the schoolboy a year earlier.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Von Der Leyen Attacks Nationalism, Embraces ‘Europeanism’, Wants ‘New Wind of Change’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has outlined her vision for the European Union at the inauguration ceremony of the College of Europe campus in Albania’s capital Tirana, calling her vision “Nationalism versus Europeanism”.

In her speech on October 23, von der Leyen stated that nationalism had no role in the journey toward a Federal Europe.

“Today, the wind of change is blowing again, here in the Western Balkans, as well as in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia and across our continent. But there are also other winds that blow in the opposite direction, towards division, nationalism and suppression,” she said, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and alleged foreign interference in Moldova’s slim “yes” majority in the EU referendum on October 21.

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Warsaw Mayor in U-Turn on Conservative-Backed Polish Independence Day March

Rafal Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw and likely presidential candidate for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal Civic Coalition in next year’s elections, has given the go-ahead for the Independence Day March, for which he had denied permission in mid-October.

On October 14, City Hall had cited safety concerns and irregularities in the application and had rejected the event. In past years the Warsaw march had been marred by clashes with police and isolated incidents of racist slogans and banners.

The march takes place every year on November 11, the day Poland reclaimed its independence in 1918. It attracts tens of thousands of participants, many of whom are Polish families demonstrating their patriotism by waving the Polish national flag.

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Who Will be Poland’s President? Tusk’s Party Wages Internal Battle Over Which Candidate to Nominate

Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, believes that he can defeat Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski for the Civic Coalition (KO) nomination for president, but according to an unofficial Onet report, Trzaskowski is the clear favorite, reports Do Rzeczy.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on social media yesterday that the nominee will not be him, with the final candidate to be announced on Dec. 7.

Polls conducted by KO expect the mayor as the winner in both the first and second rounds of voting, no matter what candidate opposition PiS runs.

Meanwhile, the Onet news portal reports that polls conducted by Sikorski have him believing he can snag the nomination.

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Hamas Was Using Bombed Gaza School as ‘Terrorist Command Centre’, IDF Claims After Seven Children Killed

Seven children are among at least 17 people killed in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in central Gaza, Palestinian officials and a hospital have said. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has denied Israeli claims that six of its journalists are militants.

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Paris Aid Talks Mobilize €1 Billion for Lebanon, as War Drags on

An international conference in Paris has mobilized €800 million ($865 million) in immediate humanitarian aid for Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Thursday, with a further €200 million pledged to bolster the country’s armed forces.

The conference in the French capital brought together around 70 countries and international organizations.

France, the former mandate power in Lebanon, contributed €100 million of the total, while Germany stumped up €96 million.

“The war must end as soon as possible, we need a ceasefire in Lebanon,” French President Emmanuel Macron said at the gathering.

He assured the country and its people of support in times of need and in rebuilding “a free, sovereign Lebanon.”

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Turkey Strikes Kurdish Targets After Deadly Attack Near Ankara

Turkey has launched airstrikes on Kurdish militant positions in Iraq and Syria following a deadly terrorist attack on a Turkish defence contractor’s facility near Ankara.

The assault, which involved both a bomb and gunfire, claimed the lives of five people, including employees of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and a taxi driver, and left 22 others injured.

The Turkish government responded swiftly, blaming the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for the attack, though no group had officially claimed responsibility.

According to Turkish authorities, the strikes targeted 32 PKK-linked sites, including military and infrastructure facilities in northern Iraq and Syria.

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Turkey Appears to Have Finally Caved to Some Sanctions Threats, But What About All That Energy?

Turkey will no longer be exporting over 40 categories of U.S.-made items needed by Russia in its war against Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent reports, citing information from FT.

Parts critical to weapons, such as microchips, processors, and control systems, have all been banned, while Turkish banks have also responded to the threat of U.S. sanctions over Russian clients by curtailing their dealings with these entities.

The paper notes that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has “aimed to maintain positive relations with both Russia and Ukraine,” despite his country being a member of NATO. Such ambitions also come in the face of Erdogan sending aid to Ukraine and stating emphatically: “We support Ukraine’s territorial integrity, together with Ukrainian Crimea.”

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Putin Anticipates Growth of BRICS Group of States at Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin has presented himself as the leader of an international coalition of states at the BRICS summit in Kazan, a city of millions on the Volga River.

In the official opening photo, he posed as the host, flanked by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, portraying a stronger and increasingly confident alliance that the head of the Kremlin aims to build as a counterbalance to the West.

The acronym BRICS is derived from the initial letters of the founding member countries Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The alliance now also includes Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

Putin emphasizes strong growth and authority of BRICS

The alliance includes not only the two most populous countries in the world — China and India — it now generates 36.7% of the world economy when adjusted for purchasing power, Putin said on Wednesday.

He stated that the share is increasing: While Western economies stagnate, the BRICS countries’ economies will grow by 3.8% in 2024-25, he said.

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Putin Boasts of Aspiring BRICS Members at Summit in Kazan

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that many countries aspire to join the BRICS intergovernmental organization.

Speaking at the organization’s summit in the Russian city of Kazan, Putin said there are more than 30 countries that want to join BRICS.

The original members of the organization, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — and from which it derives its abbreviation — have been joined this year by Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Kremlin said more than 20 international leaders, mainly from Africa, Latin America and Asia, have travelled to Kazan for the summit, which runs until Thursday.

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U.S. Confirms North Korean Troops Deployed to Russia

U.S. defence secretary Lloyd Austin has confirmed that North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia. He made the announcement during a visit to Rome—while adding that the soldiers’ exact role remains unclear.

Expanding on these claims, the White House estimated that approximately 3,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia, possibly with the intent to support Russian forces on the Ukrainian battlefield.

The troops, reportedly transported by ship to Vladivostok in mid-October, are now undergoing training at military sites in eastern Russia. While U.S. officials have not yet confirmed whether these soldiers will participate in combat, the possibility is described as “highly concerning” by National Security spokesperson John Kirby.

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Ukrainian Troops Increasingly Refusing Orders, Desertion Rates Explode

By Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office has opened 51,000 cases of desertion through the first nine months of 2024. The number of soldiers abandoning their posts is likely to double last year’s total.

The Times of London reported data from the Ukrainian government showing that “51,000 criminal cases were initiated for desertion and abandonment of a military unit between January and September of this year.”

El Pais previously noted that 45,000 Ukrainians were being prosecuted for desertion from the start of the year through August. Al-Jazeera says the number is at least 30,000 desertions.

At the start of the year, Kiev was estimated to have between 500,000 and 800,000 active-duty soldiers and an additional 300,000 reservists.

The Ukrainians have also sustained casualties fighting to defend from Russian advances and amid Kiev’s Kursk invasion.

Kiev has struggled to fill its ranks with fresh soldiers, leading Ukraine to drop its conscription age from 27 to 25. As Kiev is still facing manpower shortages, American politicians are pushing Ukraine to drop draft age to 18.

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Ukraine Intelligence Agency Says North Korean Units Already in Kursk Region

Oct 24 (Reuters) — Ukraine’s military intelligence service said on Thursday that the first North Korean units trained in Russia had been deployed in the Kursk region, a Russian border area where Ukrainian forces staged a major incursion in August.

The Kremlin has previously dismissed reports about the North’s troop deployment as “fake news”. But Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that it was Moscow’s business how to implement a partnership treaty with Pyongyang.

Putin did not deny that North Korean troops were currently in Russia.

“The first units of the military from the DPRK, which were trained at the eastern Russian training grounds, have already arrived in the combat zone of the Russian-Ukrainian war. In particular, on October 23, 2024, their presence was recorded in the Kursk region,” the Ukrainian intelligence agency said in a statement.

It said a total of around 12,000 North Korean troops, including 500 officers and three generals, were already in Russia, and training was taking place on five military bases.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Zelensky Signals Peace Deal Conditions Amid Russian Battlefield Advances

President Volodymyr Zelensky has told reporters the conditions for a possible ceasefire and opening of peace negotiations with Putin, and the first has to do with energy security.

If both countries ceased attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian president believes this could end the “hot stage” of the war, Zelensky said from his presidential office, according to Politico.

Zelensky also said that Russia must stop attacks on civilian ships and ports in the Black Sea, which has been a major issue in terms of Ukraine’s food infrastructure. According to him, this could be a signal that the Kremlin is ready to end the war, although he also emphasized that military strikes may continue.

There is no doubt, given the pressure Ukrainian troops have faced on various fronts in recent weeks, that Zelensky is looking for a way out.

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Train Company to Deploy Japan’s First ‘Blade-Proof’ Umbrellas Against Knife Attacks

A Japanese train company is gearing up to deploy “blade-proof” umbrellas in response to a knife attack that occurred on one of its trains last year.

Launching the first of its kind in Japan, JR West announced on Thursday that it will distribute 1,200 “blade-proof” umbrellas beginning in November to its 600 trains in the greater Kansai area. Three people, including two passengers, were reportedly injured in a knife attack on the Kansai Airport Line in July 2023, prompting the company to create a shield that can be used to deter assailants. A 37-year-old man, identified as Kazuya Shimizu, was arrested for the attack.

The upcoming umbrella is made with a special material resistant to blades and is held like a shield that offers a critical distance between the holder and would-be attacker. Unlike the company’s current “close-range and heavy” protective shield, the umbrella is more compact, lighter and easier to store.

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Face of ‘Muslim Votes Matter’ — an Islamic Group Threatening to Destroy Albo Over Palestine — Posts Shocking Video Saying ‘Australia is Absolutely a RACIST Country’

The face of a new Islamic group attempting to oust Labor MPs from marginal seats in Muslim areas over their position on Gaza has branded Australia a ‘racist’ country.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

EP Awards Sakharov Prize to Venezuelan Opposition Leaders

The European Parliament has handed its annual Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Venezuelan opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez for “representing the people of Venezuela fighting to restore freedom and democracy”.

The announcement of the winners on October 24 came after the list of candidates put forward had caused controversy for not including US billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk. He had been proposed by Jordan Bardella, president of the French National Rally party and the Patriots group in the European Parliament.

As Brussels Signal reported on October 18, that exclusion sparked accusations of political manoeuvring, especially in light of the rhetoric regarding Musk and his public persona.

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Biden-Harris Admin, State and Local Governments Spent $150 BILLION on Illegal Immigration Crisis in 2023

The Biden-Harris administration, state, and local governments spent $150 billion on illegal immigrants in 2023 while American citizens in cities across the US had to do without funding for basics like police and firefighters, according to The New York Post. The Biden-Harris spent $67 billion of that total while the remainder came from state and municipal governments, calculations from the Washington DC-based non-profit Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) revealed. That has left huge holes in city budgets, meaning cutbacks for regular US citizens.

As a result, Denver City Council has to cut $45 million from its budget, including $8.4 million from policing and $2.5 million from the fire department so that the city can pay the $90 million earmarked for illegal immigrants. New York City spent $2.3 billion to accommodate migrants in 2023 and 2024, often in four-star hotels. Other city agencies have had their budgets slashed. In South Portland, ME, the mayor has raised property taxes to pay for migrant services while suggesting older homeowners might have to re-mortgage to afford the increased taxes. Chicago is anticipating a $1 billion budget deficit because the sanctuary city has spent so much on illegal immigrants.

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City Councilwoman Reveals Venezuelan Gang Problem Was Well-Known in Aurora, Co Ahead of Media Attention

Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinsky has revealed that the Colorado city knew of the Venezuelan gang problem plaguing apartment complexes. The gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), took over multiple apartment complexes and made headlines over the summer when video of suspected gang members wandering through housing units armed with rifles went viral.

Jurinsky posted an internal city email dated November 16, 2023, in which Aurora police discussed how an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent told them that TdA “decided to make Denver their headquarters due to sanctuary policies and location.” A gang unit officer wrote to Chris Poppe, the police commander of District 3 of Aurora, Colorado about a “TdA bulletin” that was going to be sent out to the entire Aurora Police Department.

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Council of Europe Slams Tusk’s Poland Over Migrant ‘Pushbacks’

Michael O’Flaherty, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, has reported Poland to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for allegedly continuing “pushbacks” into Belarus of asylum seekers without considering asylum claims.

His report criticised what he said was the way Polish political leaders have portrayed migrants and refugees as “human weapons” used in a “hybrid war” as justification for failing to honour asylum rights.

O’Flaherty also criticised the Belarusian authorities for encouraging, helping and sometimes coercing people to cross the border with Poland, noting reports of “ill-treatment, sexual violence and other abuse by Belarusian state agents”.

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DHS Identifies More Than 600 Migrants With Possible Ties to Vicious Venezuelan Gang Tren De Aragua: Report

More than 600 migrants in the US with possible ties to the vicious Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua have been identified by the Department of Homeland Security, frightening new data revealed.

About 100 of the 600 “subjects of interest” were confirmed members of Tren de Aragua — and even recommended by Homeland Security to be placed on an FBI watchlist, according to NBC, which obtained the disturbing figures.

The other 500 were victims, witnesses or other members of the gang, officials said.

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Employment Rate for Ukrainian Refugees in Germany Doubles Since 2022

The employment rate among Ukrainian refugees in Germany has almost doubled since 2022, authorities said on Thursday.

The study from the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) showed that 30% of Ukrainians refugees who arrived in Germany by June 2022 — three months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine — were in employment by early 2024, up from 16% in the mid-2022.

Around 1.1 million Ukrainians who fled the Russian offensive currently reside in Germany, the BiB said.

While the employment rate among Ukrainian refugees is increasing, the agency said that the poor economic situation, lengthy recognition procedures for foreign qualifications and language barriers continue to affect chances of employment.

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EU Closes More Borders to Tackle Migration: Netherlands Follows Germany and France and Becomes Latest to Announce Tough New Checks to Reduce Immigration Numbers

The Netherlands are set to be the latest EU country to ramp up tough border controls to reduce immigration numbers after France and Germany announced similar measures.

The border controls could come into effect at the end of next month, Dutch broadcaster RTL reported on Wednesday, citing government sources.

The border checks are part of a broader clampdown on migration proposed by the Dutch right-wing coalition, led by anti-Muslim nationalist Geert Wilders’ PVV party.

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Germany: Syrian Migrant Who Brutally Stabbed a 4-Year-Old Girl Will Serve No Prison Time

After a Syrian migrant stabbed a 4-year-old girl in Bavaria’s Allgäu region in Germany, nearly murdering her, he will not serve a day in prison. Instead, he has been sentenced to life in a psychiatric hospital. The judge also expressed anger that the case is being used as an argument in favor of immigration restriction by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Mohamed S. was given his sentence of life in a psychiatric hospital in the Ravensburg Regional Court. The public prosecutor had sought attempted murder, and the jury also convicted him of this charge.

The attack, which saw the migrant stab the little girl in a supermarket in Angen im Allgäu in April of this year, nearly killed her. At random, he plunged a 20-centimeter-long knife into the girl with “four powerful stabs.” The migrant deeply punctured the little girl’s intestines and stomach, tearing them to bits. He then ran away from the scene.

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Migrant Man Found Hanged in NYC Park Was Suspected of Repeatedly Raping Underage Relative: Sources

The dead man found hanged from a tree inside a Bronx park last month is a migrant suspected of repeatedly raping a teen relative, law enforcement sources told The Post Thurday.

Manuel Delgado, 43 — an asylum seeker from Peru who had lived in the city for less than a year — is believed to have taken his own life inside Pelham Bay Park on Oct. 9 after his family found out about his alleged ongoing relationship with the teen and reported it to police, the sources said.

Investigators advised the girl to call Delgado while the conversation was being taped, according to the sources.

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Nearly 1 Million Migrants Staying ‘Indefinitely’ in US Under Biden-Harris ‘Quiet Amnesty’: House Panel

Almost 1 million illegal migrants have been given “quiet amnesty” under President Biden and Vice President Kalama Harris, according to an eye-opening House panel report.

The House Judiciary Committee released a 16-page report Thursday revealing that more than 700,000 migrants have had their immigration cases dismissed, terminated, or administratively closed as the US grapples with an overwhelming surge at the southern border under the progressive administration.

In addition, the Department of Homeland Security failed to even file the necessary documentation

to begin immigration court removal proceedings in roughly 200,000 cases, the report found.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Portugal: Mass Riots Continue in Lisbon Following Police Shooting of Cape Verdean Immigrant

Lisbon has been gripped by mass riots by far-left activists and migrant communities this week following the death of Odair Moniz, a Cape Verdean immigrant with a criminal record, who was shot by a Public Security Police (PSP) officer in the early hours of Monday.

The incident has sparked a series of riots in multiple neighborhoods, with tensions escalating between demonstrators and law enforcement.

The 43-year-old man was shot in the city of Amadora after seeing a police vehicle and crashed into several vehicles. The police said he resisted arrest and tried to attack officers with a knife, leading to the fatal shooting.

The Judicial Police have launched an investigation into both Moniz’s death and the violent protests that have followed. The officer involved has been named a defendant, and his service weapon has been confiscated.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Report: Ukrainians Are Settling in Abroad and Have No Intention to Return Home as War Rages on

Ukraine’s army and general labor market are facing a catastrophic shortage, forcing President Volodymyr Zelensky to somehow get refugees back home, reports Hungarian news portal Mandiner.

Zelensky has continuously tried to either lure or force refugees home, both men of military age as well as women.

A few weeks ago, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, together with his Ukrainian counterpart, encouraged European countries to immediately stop aid to Ukrainian refugees in an attempt to get those who fled the war abroad to return home. He and Zelensky both believe that the EU member states’ current attitude towards asylum harms Ukraine’s defense capability and economic stability.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Revealed: Almost 300 Migrants Crossed the English Channel on Same Day That Three Died and Dozens Were Rescued in Small Boat Tragedy

Almost 300 migrants crossed the Channel on the same day three people tragically died and dozens were rescued whilst making the risky journey.

A small boat carrying around 50 people sank a mile off the coast of Calais with those on board falling into the water yesterday morning, according to reports.

A major rescue operation was launched, with nearby ships called to help and rescue boats and helicopters deployed that morning, the maritime prefecture said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Keir Starmer is Accused of ‘Surrendering’ to People-Smuggling Gangs…

— as more than 15,000 migrants have crossed the Channel on small boats since Labour took power

Small-boat arrivals have surged past 15,000 since Labour took power, sparking accusations that Sir Keir Starmer has ‘surrendered’ to people-smuggling gangs.

Official figures showed yesterday that 15,071 asylum seekers on 266 Channel boats arrived on British shores between July 5, the day after the election, and Wednesday.

The tally is slightly up on the number of arrivals (15,068) over the same period (July 5-October 23) last year. It brings the total for this year up to 28,654, a rise of 8 per cent.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Hundreds of Female Golfers Asking LPGA to Keep Transgender Player Davidson From Qualifying for Tour

Hundreds of female golfers are petitioning the Ladies Professional Golfers Association to stop Scottish-born transgender player Hailey Davidson from playing in the final rounds of competition to qualify for a coveted spot on the women’s tour.

The 31-year-old Davidson, now based in Florida, has advanced to the second-to-last round of competition, this week, according the British newspaper The Telegraph.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

It’s Official: UK Transgender Youth Charity Broke Rules

After two years of investigation, Britain’s Charities Commission identified serious problems with the administration of one of the most high-profile—and notorious—’trans youth’ organisations. A 22-page report published on Thursday, October 24th, instructed Mermaids, founded in 1995, to remove medical advice to children from its website.

The investigation began in September 2022, when the Telegraph revealed that teenage girls were being given chest binders, a potentially harmful device for constricting their breasts, by the organisation without parental consent. Likewise, Mermaids’ online statements presented puberty blockers as “an internationally recognised safe, reversible healthcare option”—which the recent Cass Review found to be nothing of the sort.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Luxury Department Store Removes the Word ‘Christmas’ From Popular Gift Catalog

An iconic annual gift catalog known for its extravagance has removed the word “Christmas” from its name after a nearly 100-year run.

Neiman Marcus’ “Christmas Book,” in print since 1926, first started as a 16-page booklet. In the years since, it has become popular among the wealthy and bucket list dreamers alike for its “Fantasy Gift.”

The shift from the “Christmas Book” to “Holiday Book” for this year’s catalog has raised hackles inside the 117-year-old company based in Dallas, according to reporting from the New York Post.

New CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck is rumored to be unpopular inside the company, per sources, who has instituted layoffs and internal restructurings.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UN Report: Women Have Lost 900 Medals to ‘Transgender’ Athletes

Authored by Eric Lendrum via American Greatness

A new report from the United Nations reveals that almost 900 medals that should have gone to female athletes have instead been awarded to biological men who believe themselves to be “transgender.”

As reported by Fox News, the report was carried out by Reem Alsalem, the UN Rapporteur on Violence Against Women.

The findings were titled “Violence against women and girls in sports.”

Alsalem reveals that over 600 athletes failed to receive medals in over 400 competitions across 29 different sports, with the total amount of lost medals being just over 890.

“The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” his report states.

The information collected for the study goes up to March 30th of this year.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

WHO Demands Crackdown on ‘Deadly’ Free Speech to ‘Prevent the Spread of Harmful Lies’

The unelected globalist head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has renewed demands for governments to urgently crack down on the free speech rights of their citizens.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus argues that members of the general public must be silenced with censorship to “prevent the spread of harmful lies.”

Allowing people to freely express their views is “turbo-changing” the “spread of disinformation,” Dr. Tedros claims.

Tedros used the United Nations (UN) agency’s Summit 2024 to launch into yet another tirade against online “misinformation/disinformation.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

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