Two gunmen opened fire today in Tel Aviv, killing eight people and wounding a number of others before being neutralized by police. Shortly afterwards, Iran launched more than 200 ballistic missiles at Israel. Most of them were intercepted by Israeli and American air defenses. Fortunately, those that got through and detonated caused few casualties.
In other news, today is the deadline for British chicken owners to register each of their individual birds with the state.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Conservative Tree House, Daniel Greenfield, Dean, JW, McN, Reader from Chicago, SS, TN, Vlad Tepes, 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.
Draghi: Joint Debt Not Essential for EU Plan
Former Italian prime minister and European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghi is desperately trying to salvage the reputation of his long-awaited report on the future of the EU’s competitiveness. His key proposals to make joint loans a permanent feature of the EU budget—in order to finance the massive €800 billion hole in EU investments—and to transfer even more power to the hands of Brussels were flat-out rejected by member states.
On Monday, September 30th, Draghi expressed regret that officials focused too much on the joint debt suggestion and therefore missed the big picture. He went on to explain that issuing more joint debt was not really “essential” anyway, although he added that his call to invest around 5% of the bloc’s GDP into competitiveness is just a “conservative” estimate.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Euro Zone Inflation Dips Below 2%, Strengthening Rate Cut Case
Euro zone inflation dipped below 2% for the first time since mid-2021 in September, reinforcing an already solid case for a European Central Bank rate cut this month as a three-year battle to tame runaway price growth nears its end.
Inflation in the 20 countries sharing the euro currency eased to 1.8% in September from 2.2% in August, Eurostat data showed on Tuesday, coming below expectations for 1.9% in a Reuters poll, primarily on falling energy costs and muted goods prices.
A more closely watched figure on underlying prices referred to as core inflation, meanwhile, dipped to 2.7% from 2.8% on slower services price growth, coming below expectations for 2.8%.
Price growth has been above the central bank’s target for years now with surging energy costs, production bottlenecks in the post pandemic reopening, corporate opportunism and copious fiscal support all lifting inflation to over 10% by late 2022.
But a record string of interest rate hikes from the central bank has tamed price growth relatively quickly, and policymakers are now debating just how fast they should ease borrowing costs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Eurozone Factory Activity Sees Fastest-Ever Decline in September
Manufacturing activity across the Eurozone declined at its fastest pace this year in September as demand waned sharply despite factories cutting their prices, a survey showed on Tuesday.
The downturn was broad-based and Germany, Europe’s largest economy, recorded its most pronounced worsening of factory conditions for 12 months.
HCOB’s final Eurozone manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), compiled by S&P Global, dropped to 45.0 in September, albeit just ahead of a 44.8 preliminary estimate but further from the 50 mark separating growth from contraction.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Abingdon Man Stabbed 66-Year-Old to Death at Bus Stop, Then Killed His Deaf Cellmate
BALTIMORE — An Abingdon man faces life in prison after being convicted of two separate murders in Baltimore City.
Gordon Staron’s path of destruction began September 6, 2022.
That’s when 66-year-old Keith Bell was discovered stabbed to death at a bus stop on E. Monument Street.
Detectives captured Staron on camera fleeing the scene and discarding a bloodied shirt in a dumpster behind a nearby school.
When Harford County Sheriff’s deputies showed up at his Abingdon home, Staron reportedly came outside armed with a shotgun and was placed under arrest.
Three days later while being held at Baltimore City’s Central Booking facility, Staron strangled his deaf cellmate, Javarick Gantt, to death.
While a jury found Staron guilty of Bell’s murder, he pleaded guilty to killing Gantt.
Staron will be sentenced December 19.
| — Hat tip: TN | [Return to headlines] |
Americans Have Become More Reliant on Government Programs Than Ever Before: Report
Americans’ reliance on government aid is at the highest it’s ever been, as it is being driven by programs such as Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.
According to the WSJ, in the year 1970, less than one percent of the nation was using government assistance programs, however, by the year 2000, one out of every 10 counties had a significant portion of income coming from the government. Then, by 2022, more than half of all counties in the United States had 25 percent or more of their personal income coming from the government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden-Harris’ FCC Nuked 20,000 Starlink Terminals for North Carolina That Could’ve Saved Lives
On Monday, the North Carolina State Climate Office said Hurricane Helene was a “monster storm” that unleashed every “worst-case scenario” for western North Carolina.
Ashville Mayor Esther Manheimer told CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins on Monday that over 600 people are unaccounted for.
Some towns have been wiped off the map after torrential rains dumped from Helene unleashed ‘biblical’ floods.
Power outages across western North Carolina remain widespread on Tuesday morning. Folks on X are saying entire cellular networks have been damaged as a humanitarian crisis unfolds.
Helene shows how fragile modern society is when a monster storm invades the Appalachian region. Yet, Elon Musk’s space internet company could’ve supplied residents with Starlink terminals over the years through a rural federal program. However, the Biden administration’s weaponization of the FCC blocked nearly 20,000 terminals for the state that would’ve been crucial communication links for residents that have been cut off from the world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Baste Records and Jon Kahn’s Trump-Inspired Song ‘Fighter’ Hits Number One on Billboard
The Donald Trump-inspired song “Fighter” by Jon Kahn and released by Baste Records has hit number one on Billboard for digital song sales. The song was inspired by Trump’s pushing forward through two different assassination attempts and determination in the face of adversity.
Baste Records posted a screenshot of “Fighter” reaching the top spot on Billboard, saying, “Fighter by Jon Kahn is now #1 on the Billboard Digital Song Sales Chart.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Trump Slams Biden, Kamala, Says ‘We Have No Leadership’ as Iran Attacks Israel
GOP nominee Donald Trump blasted President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the administration’s foreign policy failures in the Middle East and around the world on Tuesday as Iran fired rockets into Israel nearly one year after a brutal attack on Israel from Iran-backed Hamas terrorists.
Trump stated, “The World is on fire and spiraling out of control. We have no leadership, no one running the Country. We have a non-existent President in Joe Biden, and a completely absent Vice President, Kamala Harris, who is too busy fundraising in San Francisco, a City which she and Gavin Newscum totally destroyed, and staging fake photo ops. No one is in charge and it’s not even clear who is more confused: Biden or Kamala. Neither has any idea what is even going on.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Censorship and Transparency Issues in “Anti-Terror” Tech Alliance
Big Tech’s Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) alliance, often accused of censorship of legal content, continues to face allegations about an ongoing lack of transparency regarding its operations.
Founded two years ago by Meta, Microsoft, then Twitter, and YouTube (Google), it now has 25 members, and the stated goal is to flag and remove violent content from the internet.
The latest development regarding to controversial group — other than the ongoing transparency issues — is X deciding to leave the GIFCT board.
Two major problems have emerged around GIFCT’s activities and influence on the web: transparency, including around funding, and having a system in place that makes sure legal, non-violent content — such as that actually opposing terrorism, satire, media reports, etc — doesn’t get caught in the GIFTC net as well, resulting in censorship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A training from the Denver Communists has resurfaced showing the group advocating for getting members of the military on board and having them “turn their guns … towards their superiors.” Karyln Borysenko uncovered the training video.
“It would be completely utopian for us to think that we could overthrow the government without guns,” said a male activist delivering the March 2023 Communist training on the video shared by Boysenko. “That would just be nonsense.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dockworkers From Maine to Texas Go on Strike in Move That Could Spark Economic Doom
Dockworkers at dozens of ports stretching along the East and Gulf coasts walked the picket line after midnight on Tuesday as they launched a massive strike that threatens to reignite inflation and spark product shortages at the start of the holiday season.
The work stoppage went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday after the International Longshoremen’s Association, which represents 45,000 workers, and the alliance representing ports failed to renew a collective bargaining agreement that had just expired.
For the first time since 1977, 36 ports stretching from strategic seaboard locations as far north as Maine and as far south as Texas — all of which handle an aggregate $3 trillion in the country’s annual international trade — will be idle due to a work stoppage.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Equity’ Listed as Top Goal by FEMA as Damage From Hurricane Helene Unfolds
Almost 150 people are dead, thousands dispossessed and millions without power because of Hurricane Helene’s path of destruction through six states, yet the Biden-Harris administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been revealed to be focused on “equity” as part of their top goals.
FEMA’s 2022-2026 strategic plan outlines its three “ambitious goals” — the first is ensuring that equity is the focus of any catastrophe or emergency. The Category 4 storm may have left a wasteland along the Southern Atlantic coast but FEMA, the federal agency tasked with responding to disaster relief after a hurricane, is firmly focused on equity so communities can “address the increasing range and complexity of disasters” within their “diverse” sphere, according to its strategic plan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A radical pro-Palestinian student organization has been suspended at the University of Washington (UW) after failing to cooperate in the investigation regarding the vandalism of the student union building during the unrest on campus last spring.
According to university spokesperson Victor Balta, the UW chapter of Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER UW) was suspended for its “refusal to participate in the conduct investigation related to the HUB incident in April.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
International Longshoremen Association (ILA) President Harold Daggett said the strike his union launched on Tuesday would “cripple” America with a shut down threatening much of the US economy. “I will cripple you and you have no idea what that means,” Daggett said.
In a news scrum, Daggett said the issue for workers is protection against automation which he says is currently “not strong enough, because what happens is they come in with new technology. We just caught them in Mobile, Alabama called autogate, and that means the trucks are coming in and they’re already checked in somewhere else and not using the checkers in the ILA to circumvent the contract. They don’t care,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
People in parts of the Carolinas, Tennessee, and other storm-stricken states are standing their ground as looting reports flood X. This dire situation highlights the harsh reality that when disaster strikes and the government is nowhere to be found, being prepared and armed will save your life.
Eight illegal aliens were arrested in the eastern part of Tennessee for looting following the tropical system that unleashed flash floods in Washington County. Maybe these migrants were searching ‘for bread’ to feed their families… We suspect not.
The other five men — Albin Nahun Vega-Rapalo, 24, David Bairon Rapalo-Rapalo, 37, Kevin Noe Martinez-Lopez, 25, Marvin Hernandez-Martinez, 43, and Dayln Gabriel Guillen Guillen, 37 — were charged with aggravated burglary for breaking into occupied structures, the sheriff’s office said. —NYPost.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Than 100 Arrests Made in Massive Northern California Human Trafficking Bust
(FOX40.COM) — More than 100 people were arrested and two juveniles were rescued during a massive human trafficking sting operation that involved several law enforcement agencies.
Operation FAFO (fool around and find out) lasted two days and was led by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the operation was part of a “concentrated effort to combat human trafficking and exploitation in Sacramento County.” During the sting, law enforcement officers posed as undercover buyers and sellers to catch those involved in sex crimes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Newsom Outlaws Voter ID Rules in California
California governor Gavin Newsom has just signed a new law banning local governments from requiring residents to present identification to vote in elections.
The legislation — introduced by Sen. Dave Min (D-Orange County) — is a direct response to a ballot measure approved this year by voters in Huntington Beach which required people to show photo identification at the polls.
The Republican-led city, whose leaders often tussle with Sacramento Democrats, has maintained that its status as a charter city gives it home rule over elections administration.
But Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber aren’t buying it: The officials sued Huntington Beach in April to invalidate the law, arguing it interferes with state voting rights protections. —Politico —Politico
California is one of 14 states that does not require voter ID at the polls — so, if a person wants to operate a car, hop on a plane, or rent an apartment in California — you need ID. Voting? Not so much.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Oceans Eleven’ Style Jewelry Burglaries by South American Thieves Are Becoming Widespread
Complex, sophisticated ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ style burglaries are becoming widespread across the U.S., so much so that jewelers have been officially put on notice.
The Jewelers’ Security Alliance (JSA) and Jewelers Mutual warned this week about some stores suffering major losses as a result of the break-ins, according to a new report from JCK.
Scott Guginsky, the JSA’s vice president, said: “We see burglaries everywhere, from New York to Texas. Some of the hits are in the millions. These are the largest dollar losses we’ve seen in some time.”
“It doesn’t appear like they’re stopping,” said Howard Stone, vice president of global risk services and analytics for Jewelers Mutual. He started noticing the crimes in June, the report says.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The American Left’s Tribal Collectivism Has No Future
The great paradox of the American Left is that it aspires to collectivism, but can only get it through tribalism. Every Democrat presidential primary is a frantic effort by collectivist candidates to amass enough tribal support from different identity politics groups to secure the collectivist nomination.
Senator Bernie Sanders, the great socialist hope of collectivism, tried to rope in Latinos and black Democrats, succeeded with the former, failed with the latter, and lost South Carolina. And everything.
When lefties switched from class warfare to identity politics, they became hopelessly mired in tribalism. Their old animating principle of an egalitarian society has long since given way to a tribal society in which certain groups will have more power than others because equality can only come about through massive doses of inequality. But even that is considered hopelessly old-fashioned liberalism. The new wave of identity politics doesn’t even justify its demands for special treatment by promising that one day we’ll all be equal. The tribal premise of inherent inequality is the essence of intersectionality.
Collectivists and constitutionalists believe in equality. Tribals believe in inherent inequality.
Collectivism promised to put an end to inequality by remedying the unfairness of a society in which unequal opportunities led to unequal outcomes. In the United States, collectivism attacked the country’s founding principle of constitutionalism, a legal framework which protected individual aspiration, by claiming that social inequality made aspiration impossible without government social controls.
The political strategies of the American Left made collectivism into a bad bargain with tribalism. Even before the modern multiracial coalitions, the Democrats drew power from 19th century urban coalitions of immigrant groups, feeding their rivalries and suspicions to hold on to power in New York and Boston. The Draft Riots of the Civil War were the country’s earliest massive race riots, perpetrated by the Democrat Party’s urban political machines which wanted to bring down President Lincoln by mobilizing immigrant groups to riot against social inequality, while, among other things, burning black orphanages.
| — Hat tip: Daniel Greenfield | [Return to headlines] |
This Demographic is Fleeing Both California and New York by the Thousands: Report
Wealthy millennials are leaving blue states on both coasts and heading to red states in the South by the thousands, according to a recent study.
Millennials — those between the ages of 26 and 45 — who bring in $200,000 or more a year as a household are fleeing California and New York in large numbers while more and more are moving to Florida and Texas, according to a Smart Asset analysis.
California saw the largest departure of high-earning Gen Yers with a net loss of 9,181 households and New York saw the second-largest with a net loss of 4,251 households, according to the analysis of the latest tax return data from 2021 and 2022.
The Golden State had 14,139 wealthy millennials move into it but saw more — 23,320 total — leave.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tim Walz Appointee’s Home Decorated With Images of Communist Dictators, Scrubbed Photo Shows
A top appointee in the administration of Minnesota’s Democrat Governor Tim Walz is a great admirer of brutal, murderous, communist dictators, according to her controversial home decor choices.
Ida Rukavina, the commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, was appointed by Walz in 2022 for the cabinet-level political position.
Rukavina was appointed by Walz to oversee the economic development of the northeastern part of the state.
The world’s largest untapped copper-nickel reserve is located in the region.
However, according to a photo that was reportedly taken inside Rukavina’s home, her walls are decorated with images of communist dictators.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top Doctor Issues Chilling Warning About COVID Shots: ‘Millions Dead’
A world-renowned doctor has just issued a bone-chilling warning to the public regarding the global impact of Covid mRNA “vaccines.”
The warning was issued by Dr. Pierre Kory who says he’s seen a staggering number of his own patients either killed or left disabled by the injections.
In his own private practice, almost 1500 of Kory’s patients “are now disabled and suffering” after taking the Covid mRNA “vaccines.”
Kory raised the alarm during a powerful speech at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign event.
The event also featured several prominent speakers, including Dr. Robert Malone, the inventor of the mRNA technology used in Covid shots.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former President Donald Trump warned during a campaign event Tuesday that the US is “very close to a global catastrophe” and could be sleepwalking into “World War III,” just hours after Iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel.
“Iran launched 181 ballistic missiles at Israel,” Trump announced to rallygoers in Waunakee, Wis., during an afternoon event at a manufacturing facility with former Gov. Scott Walker.
Most of the missiles were intercepted by Israel’s Arrow and David’s Sling missile defense systems, with assistance from US destroyers and Jordanian interceptors in the region, though some damage and casualties were reported.
“I’ve been talking about World War III for a long time, and I don’t want to make predictions, because the predictions always come true,” said Trump, 78. “But they are very close to global catastrophe.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Raises Over $1.6 Million for Hurricane Helene Victims With GoFundMe
President Donald Trump has raised over $1.6 million for Hurricane Helene victims within just a few hours of launching a GoFundMe campaign.
The GoFundMe campaign was launched on Monday after Trump visited battered Georgia where he toured hard-hit areas left in Helene’s wake.
“With so many across the Southeastern U.S. facing challenges after the storm, President Trump is on the ground in communities to see the aftermath firsthand,” the fundraising page states.
“All donations will be directed to help those most affected by Hurricane Helene.
“Any level of generosity will go a long way for your fellow Americans who are suffering.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Marshals Arrest 724 Fugitives in San Antonio During Operation North Star
SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Marshals have arrested 3,421 fugitives during the latest phase of Operation North Star in 2024, 724 of which were apprehended for crimes in San Antonio.
Investigators say they worked closely with local law enforcement units in 10 cities across the country, prioritizing those who used firearms or violence while committing crimes.
In San Antonio, Marshals were able to collect 100 firearms, more than $32,000 in U.S. Currency, and more than 141 kilos of illegal narcotics.
Across the country, they collected more than $500,000 and more than 456 kilos of illegal narcotics, which included fentanyl.
San Antonio led the operation in number of arrests, but officials say that doesn’t necessarily mean there is more crime in San Antonio.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An English teacher in Virginia who forced her students to complete assignments laced with anti-Israel rhetoric is the daughter of an imam who worked at a mosque that was attended by al-Qaeda terrorists who took part in the 9/11 attacks.
Shayma Al-Hanooti, who works at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, gave her students politically charged assignments such as sorting out “logical fallacies” in how Israelis use the “Holocaust to victimize themselves,” new documents reveal.
Family history
She is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammad Al-Hanooti, who was an imam at Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church between 1995 and 1999, a roughly 40-minute drive from the school where she teaches.
The Daily Wire first reported this connection.
Dar Al-Hijrah is the mosque 9/11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hazmi and Hani Hanjour briefly worshipped before they helped crash American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House Targets Seniors With Taxpayer-Funded Email Campaign Praising Kamala Harris
The White House has used taxpayer-funded resources to send emails to millions of American seniors that heap praise on Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris.
The emails credit Vice President Harris with “historic” Medicare reforms.
The campaign is part of a broader effort by the Biden-Harris administration to secure re-election using resources funded by the taxpayer.
The Health and Human Services (HHS) email was received by potentially millions of voters enrolled in Medicare.
Medicare is used by 66 million people across the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Woke Journalist Taylor Lorenz OUT at Washington Post
Leftist tech reporter Taylor Lorenz, who notoriously doxxed Libs of TikTok’s Chaya Raichik in her reporting, has left the Washington Post to launch her own Substack, called User Mag. She spoke to Hollywood Reporter about the venture and in an X post praised her former colleagues at the Post, saying “I cannot speak more highly about my colleagues at WaPo. I would DIE for the people. I love them so much.”
User Mag, Hollywood Reporter notes, will “cover technology from the user side. It’s about who has power on the internet and how that power is being wielded.” She said that she hopes to bring her former colleagues on her podcast.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada’s Birth Rate Plummets to Record Low, Far Below Sustainable Level
Canada’s birth rate has plunged yet again to a record low as the country now faces a natural population crisis.
The newly released data for 2023 shows the birth rate has now plummeted so low that it is far below the level required for a sustainable population.
The Canadian government’s data, published by Statistics Canada, shows that the national average birth rate across all provinces and territories has fallen to just 1.26 babies per woman.
The birth rate must be 2.0 or higher for a country to maintain its population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Julian Assange, now a free man, reflected on his long struggle for justice, describing his choice as one between freedom and “unrealizable justice.” In a plea to European lawmakers, Assange called for stronger protection of freedom of expression amidst increasing “impunity, secrecy, and retaliation for telling the truth.”
This marked his first public statement since a June plea deal ended nearly 14 years of imprisonment, confinement at an embassy, and house arrest in the UK. Assange’s message highlighted his disillusionment with the legal safeguards for journalists and whistleblowers, which he argued “only existed on paper” or failed to provide meaningful recourse. “I eventually chose freedom over unrealizable justice, after being detained for years and facing a 175-year sentence with no effective remedy,” he told the Council of Europe in Strasbourg today.
He continued, “I am not free today because the system worked. I am free today after years of incarceration because I pled guilty to journalism.” Assange was clear in his warning to European legislators that journalistic rights were under severe threat, saying, “The criminalization of news-gathering activities is a threat to investigative journalism everywhere.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Barnier Sets Out Key Policy Priorities for France — Hoping Brussels Would Hear
Michel Barnier set out a series of policy priorities spanning spending cuts, immigration, health and more in a wide-ranging speech on Tuesday (1 October), with nudges and nods to Brussels that France was back under control.
Barnier’s ‘discours de politique générale‘ — a speech Prime ministers read out to Parliament when a new government is in place, laying policy priorities during their tenure — was more anticipated than ever, as the country navigates a looming budget crisis and the parliamentary arithmetic means the far-right holds the key to Barnier’s government’s survival.
Over the course of an hour and a half, the 73-year-old gave a ‘blood, sweat and tears’ address to warn that France’s public finances were “on a ridgeline,” with ever-growing deficit and debt levels — all the while trying to rally all members of his precarious government coalition, and the far-right, into giving him a chance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese National Arrested for Stabbing 3 Swiss Children, Daycare Worker Hero Tackled Maniac
A 23-year-old Chinese national has been arrested for a stabbing attack against three young boys in a Swiss daycare in Zurich’s district 11.
All three victims were five years old, according to the Zurich police force. One of the boys suffered serious injuries in the attack, while the other two victims were brought to the hospital with moderate injuries.
Although little information has been released about the attack, the Zurich police wrote that an employee was on her way to lunch with several children when the man suddenly approached the group and began attacking the children with a sharp weapon.
The woman, along with another employee, heroically overpowered the perpetrator during the attack which occurred on Berninastrasse shortly after noon.
Police arrived on scene, cordoned off the area, and set up a crime scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dismay at ‘Declining State of Menswear in European Parliament’
Men’s fashion bloggers and former MEPs have told Brussels Signal of their dismay at what they see as the standard of menswear declining faster in the European Parliament than elsewhere.
Ireland, a country of 5 million, has nonetheless seemed to have produced two of the EP’s most intriguingly dressed examples.
Luke “Ming” Flanagan, an MEP since 2014 who has been re-elected twice since by the Irish Midlands—North-West constituency, attended his first session that year in a Ballyfin Athletics Club T-shirt sporting the words “Deadman’s Dash” on the front, a reference to a charity run.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French populist Marine Le Pen declared that “nothing” will stop her running for the presidency as a trial over alleged misuse of EU funds threatens to bar the National Rally leader from the next election.
On Monday, Le Pen joined 26 other current and former members of the National Rally (RN), including her father and party co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, over allegations of embezzlement of European Union funds.
The charges, dating back to 2018, allege that the younger Le Pen and other members of her party fabricated employees in the European Parliament and diverted their salaries back to France to finance domestic political activities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Marion Maréchal to Launch New Conservative Initiative to ‘Unite the Right’
In a televised interview, conservative MEP Marion Maréchal announced that she intends to launch a new political initiative within the next few weeks, in order to occupy a space that is still vacant on the right of the French political spectrum.
The MEP, who was elected on June 9th as head of the list for Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête party, is now independent—following her departure from the party over major strategic disagreements. She now sits with three other colleagues elected with her in the European Conservative and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament.
Her position is highly scrutinised, given that she left Zemmour without returning to her original party, the Rassemblement National (RN). Maréchal was asked to comment on Michel Barnier’s government, which was formed in mid-September and which some commentators have described as a ‘right-wing’ government. For her, this is merely a “transitional phase,” from which “she expects nothing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French PM Barnier Skips Confidence Vote to Avoid Early Exit
France’s newly appointed prime minister, Michel Barnier, has opted not to subject himself to a vote of confidence.
The vote, originally scheduled to follow the general policy speech on October 1, is a customary practice whereby prime ministers seek parliamentary approval. If rejected, the Prime Minister would be obliged to resign.
However, Barnier’s advisors deemed this move “too risky” given his lack of a majority in the National Assembly.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Frugal No More: New NATO Chief Mark Rutte Urges Members Increase Defence Spending
The former Dutch Prime minister, who proudly called himself a frugal, insisted countries must spend more in his first remarks as NATO head on Tuesday (1 October), putting defence expenditure high on the list of priorities.
With a big smile on his face, and full of energy, Mark Rutte took charge of the highest job of the world’s largest and most powerful military alliance on Tuesday — even though he has to leave his home town the Hague, and is no longer allowed to cycle to work.
In NATO’s Brussels headquarters, which found a new breath of life for its existence, when Russia attacked Ukraine more than two years ago, he will have the immense responsibility of making sure its members are ready for war if need be.
When laying down his priorities, he also mentioned supporting Ukraine and working with the European Union — which is stepping up its defence role in supporting joint procurement and defence production.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Arrests Woman for Passing Defense Info to China Via EU Lawmaker’s Aide
German authorities arrested a woman Tuesday, accusing her of passing information to Beijing’s secret service through an agent working for a far-right lawmaker in the European Parliament.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office said Yaqi X. worked for a logistics company at Leipzig/Halle airport and repeatedly gave information about flights, cargo and passengers to an employee of the Chinese secret service — Jian G. — from mid-August 2023 until mid-February 2024.
“This included, in particular, information on the transportation of defense equipment and persons with connections to a German defense company,” the statement from the prosecutor’s office said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Great Britain: Unregistered Chickens Could Land Their Owners in Jail
Today is deadline day for British chicken owners to register each of their individual birds with the state. From October 1st, it will be illegal to keep unregistered chickens in England, Wales and Scotland. The new law also applies to pigeons and birds of prey.
Formally, the regulations are to aid preparedness for avian flu and similar diseases. However, some observers are hinting that the law means that Parliament is losing focus on the big issues. Former Conservative and UKIP MP Douglas Carswell noted:
In Britain from next Tuesday it will be a criminal offence to keep a chicken without registering it with the authorities. Clown country
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘He Couldn’t Stand That She’d Left Him!’ — ‘Dishonored’ Man Shoots German Ex-Wife Dead on Dog Walk
A man went to a police station in Germany on Saturday and confessed to murdering his ex-wife because he felt dishonored that she had left him.
German media reported that at around 8 a.m. on the same day, the 59-year-old suspect, named as Ali. K, waited for his former spouse, 55-year-old Claudia K., in a forest where she walked her dog each morning just outside the small town of Witzeeze, Schleswig-Holstein.
As she passed his hiding spot, the suspect allegedly ambushed her and shot her multiple times. Nearby residents reported hearing three gunshots followed by a loud scream.
The victim was found dead at the scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Government Divided Over Austrian Election Winner
As the official results from Austria’s general election have confirmed a win for Herbert Kickl’s far-right FPÖ party, the ruling coalition in Italy is divided over what to think of the victor.
“Every neo-Nazi resurgence must be rejected,” said Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in a strong statement on Monday.
“I believe Austria needs a government led by the centre, excluding the Freedom Party (FPÖ). Political battles are always won in the centre to prevent damage from being done by extremists on the right or left… The far right can never win on its own, as we’ve seen in France,” the Forza Italia leader (EPP) explained.
Tajani’s comments provoked a strong reaction from Matteo Salvini’s Lega, which celebrated the success of its ally in the Patriotic for Europe group in Strasbourg.
“It’s ridiculous to call the FPÖ Nazis,” said Paolo Borchia, head of Lega’s delegation to the European Parliament, in response to Tajani’s remarks.
“It’s up to Austrian voters to decide, not Tajani,” he added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lithuania Pushes for ICC Investigation of Belarusian Lukashenko
Lithuania has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged crimes against humanity by the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, including forced deportations, persecution of opposition supporters and inhumane treatment.
The decision to involve the ICC followed a comprehensive review of evidence from Belarusian opposition groups and other sources.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mass Exodus of Young German Greens From Party Over ‘Shift Too Far Right’
Young people sitting on local and national-level boards of Germany’s Greens party have been resigning en masse in recent days, claiming the party has veered too much to the Right.
After a series of crushing defeats in recent German State elections and abysmal polling on all fronts, the Greens co-leaders Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour announced on September 25 that the party’s entire executive board would resign.
Following that, many other elements of the Greens have also started jumping ship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘More Afraid of Democracy Than for Democracy’ — AfD Ban Moves Forward in German Parliament
Germany is heading closer to outright fascism as the establishment parties move to completely ban the rival Alternative for Germany party (AfD), currently the second-strongest party in the country, according to polling. Now, 10 MPs from four parties, each, totaling 40 MPs from the Christian Democrats (CDU), the Left Party, the Greens, and the Social Democrats (SPD) will put forward a motion to ban the party because it is a “threat to democracy.”
The motion was drawn up by Saxon CDU MP Marco Wanderwitz, who personally lost his local election to an AfD politician but is only in parliament because he was also included on the CDU’s election list. As Remix News has reported, he has been working for at least a year to gather enough support from members of parliament to pass a ban on the AfD.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Motion to Ban AfD Could be Discussed in German Bundestag Next Week
The thought of banning the second most popular party in Germany, the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), has cropped up again following the recent electoral successes of the party. Despite a group of lawmakers signalling their support for the federal parliament (Bundestag) to discuss such a motion, many are wary of bringing the case to the constitutional court, fearing that the court would reject a ban, thus benefiting the AfD politically.
Following the party’s first-ever regional election victory in Thuringia, and its strong second-place finish in Saxony and Brandenburg, mainstream forces are rightly concerned about their ability to keep AfD from having political influence. But instead of listening to voters and initiating better policies—like a tougher stance on immigration—they are trying to make life as hard as possible for their political rivals in a bid to undermine their credibility and popularity—such as designating the party as a “suspected extremist organisation,” withholding state funds, publishing false media reports, and agreeing to prevent the AfD from getting close to power.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New LNG Terminal in Greece to Strengthen Energy Independence for Southeastern Europe
A new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal near Alexandroupolis, Greece, has been launched as part of a strategic initiative to reduce Southeastern Europe’s reliance on Russian gas.
The newly opened LNG terminal is equipped with a floating storage tank, a regasification unit, and an extensive pipeline system, allowing imported liquefied gas to be converted back into its gaseous state and distributed across Greece and neighboring countries.
Initially, the terminal would supply gas to the Greek market but could also export gas to several other nations, including Bulgaria, Romania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, and Ukraine in the east, as well as Hungary and Slovakia in the west, reports Slovak newspaper Dennik N.
The terminal will import gas from a variety of sources, including the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, according to Bulgartransgaz, a stakeholder in the Greek operator GasTrade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Patriots Take EU Parliament to Court Over Undemocratic Cordon Sanitaire
The national conservative Patriots for Europe (PfE) group, the third largest party family in Brussels with 84 MEPs, has officially launched a lawsuit against the European Parliament at the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). PfE aims to overturn the mainstream parties’ cordon sanitaire, which strips the group of all its earmarked leading positions in the Parliament’s governing bodies—even at the expense of violating the institutions’ own internal rules.
The right-wing group is home to parties such as the French National Rally, the Hungarian Fidesz, the Italian Lega, the Austrian FPÖ, the Czech ANO, and the Portuguese Chega. Many of these won the European elections in their respective countries and remain the most popular parties to this day (the FPÖ won the general elections in Austria just two days ago). Yet, the mainstream still believes it’s justified to exclude the PfE from power on account of it being “far-right.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Patriots Are Advancing Across Europe
Hungary has built a fence and does not allow social (welfare) tourists to enter Europe unchecked. Hungary protects Germany and Austria from further chaos. So, what does the conglomerate of mentally ill lawbreakers in Brussels do in response? It obliges Hungary to pay a massive fine. These previous sentences were delivered by Austrian politician and commentator Gerald Grosz in a statement, but they describe the EU’s mishandling of the problem of illegal immigration so succinctly and accurately that any sane patriot could have said them. Today, the situation has become so much better that more and more people dare to take on their attitude in public, agreeing with the Hungarian position all over Europe.
It is no coincidence that the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) won a historic victory on Sunday in the election whose central theme was illegal migration. Our neighbor has seen unbearable conditions develop in the big cities, for example, more than half of the students in Viennese schools do not know the German language. Whoever forms a government must radically change the current migrant policy, otherwise serious social conflicts may break out, the consequences of which are unforeseeable.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pirates Quits Czech Government, Triggering Cabinet Reshuffle and Conservative Shift
The Pirate Party’s exit from the Czech coalition government led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala has sparked a cabinet reshuffle and pushed the government further to the right.
The government crisis began when Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS, ECR) dismissed Pirate Party (Greens/EFA) leader and Minister of Regional Development, Ivan Bartos, over his handling of a key digitalisation project aimed at streamlining the construction approval process.
Bartos, who quit the government on Monday (30 September), condemned the decision as a “betrayal” and accused Fiala’s ODS party of bowing to oligarchs’ influence.
In addition to Bartos, two other Pirate ministers—Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský and the Minister for Legislation—are expected to tender their resignations, as the whole party decided to leave the government. The minister’s position for legislation is to be abolished, while the Ministry of Regional Development, which handles the distribution of EU funds, will likely be handed over to another party in the coalition.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s Duda Faces Backlash Over Participation in Zeman’s Birthday
Polish President Andrzej Duda has come under fire for attending the 80th birthday party of controversial former Czech president Milos Zeman, known for his pro-Russian views.
The birthday party was held on Saturday in Hluboka, a town on both banks of the Vltava River. Duda was joined by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and a Chinese ambassador.
“I would suggest Mr President choose his friends more carefully,” Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski (PO, EPP) told private TOK FM radio broadcaster, noting that the Polish government had advised Duda against accepting the invitation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Right-Wing FPÖ Likely to be Sidelined Despite Winning Austrian Election
The right-wing anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPÖ) remained the winner of the Austrian national elections after the mail-in-votes were counted on Monday, September 30th. According to the latest results, the party received 28.8% of the votes and 57 seats in the 183-seat parliament.
The governing centre-right People’s Party (ÖVP) got 26.3% and 51 seats, while the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ) are in third place with 21.1% and 41 seats.
If there are no further significant changes—the remaining votes will be counted on Thursday—the two mainstream parties, the ÖVP and the SPÖ, will have only a razor-thin majority in the parliament if they decide to reform their ‘grand coalition,’ a format that dominated Austrian politics for many decades following World War II.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Shots Fired Outside Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden: Report
Shots were reportedly fired outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, Sweden on Tuesday evening as Iran launched a barrage of missiles at the Jewish state.
According to a report from Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, a large police operation was launched after shots were fired near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm.
The paper said that a weapon was found nearby after the suspected shooting. Armed police, as well as K-9 units and specialist technicians, were deployed to the scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden’s Wind Power Industry Faces Profitability Crisis Amid Market Volatility
A growing profitability crisis has emerged in Sweden’s wind power sector, as evidenced by the annual reports from several key players. State-owned energy company Vattenfall’s wind power division, along with other major wind power companies, has reported significant challenges in 2023 due to fluctuating market prices that often fall below the cost of production.
Writing for Swedish business magazine Affärsvärlden, researchers Christian Sandström and Christian Steinbeck note that these issues are widely recognized within the sector.
Vattenfall’s wind power subsidiaries, such as Blakliden Vindkraft in Västerbotten, highlight major problems with electricity prices that have reached critical lows. Blakliden’s 2023 annual report states, “There were, to a greater extent than in previous years, periods with electricity spot prices close to zero or even negative.” In these instances, wind farms are forced to halt production, as transmission costs exceed potential revenue.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Considers Ban on Begging
The Swedish government is appointing a special investigator to propose “additional measures to counteract the occurrence of begging in Sweden.” The investigation is part of a negotiated policy agreement between the government parties and the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats that broke the previous cordon sanitaire against the party and allowed it formal influence over government policy without being part of the government.
Individual members of the Liberal party, part of the government coalition, have already announced they would vote against such a proposal, were it to be introduced. A recent survey shows 60% of Swedes would be supportive of a ban.
The appointed investigator is tasked with evaluating the pros and cons of a national begging ban, but is required to “regardless of the position taken on the matter, submit legislative proposals that entail a nationwide ban on begging.” Local ordinances already implemented have successfully outlawed begging in 15 different jurisdictions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A suspected acid attack at a London school on Monday afternoon has left a 14-year-old girl hospitalised with potentially life-changing injuries while police say they are searching for a “black male” in connection to the incident.
At around 4.40 pm on Monday, an attack with what police believe was an “acidic” substance left three people injured at the Westminster Academy in Paddington.
According to the Metropolitan Police, a 14-year-old girl remains in hospital after she suffered injuries which may be life-changing. Another two victims, a 16-year-old boy and a 27-year-old woman, also suffered injuries during the attack but thankfully they are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Online Rumours Swirling Around Downing Street
British users of X, formerly Twitter, could be intrigued to see #superinjunction trending in the United Kingdom today, Tuesday, October 1st. While this puts ‘Amanda Abbington’ (1,939 posts) and ‘Underground Transgender Mafia’ in the shade, the repeated naming of a peculiar legal tort online poses more questions than it answers.
First of all, the prefix ‘super’ indicates that mentioning the existence of the injunction is itself potentially classified as contempt of court (a criminal offence). Since the term was first coined—in 2006 when Trafigura obtained an injunction blocking coverage of its Ivory Coast toxic waste dumping—critics have deplored the restrictions on a free press played by these litigious manoeuvres. As part of issuing one, a judge aims to prevent the disclosure of who initiated the legal action from the outset.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With the FPÖ Win in Austria, it is Clear the Elite Cannot Properly Address Voters’ Concerns
In the wake of the historic victory of Austria’s Freedom Party, Zoltan Kiszelly, director of political analysis at the Szazadvég Public Knowledge Center Foundation, told Magyar Nemzet that “even though labels such as far-right or outright neo-Nazi are used to label conservative parties, the labeling no longer works in Germany or Austria.”
“The situation is so bad, people are so dissatisfied that they want to express this dissatisfaction and therefore vote for parties critical of the system,” he continued, adding that unfortunately, the elite retains its power via coalitions with the liberals, rainbow groups, and other factions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel has vowed vengeance after Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state Tuesday night — dozens of which penetrated air defenses and struck Tel Aviv and other population centers.
Despite this attack having more impact than the earlier strike in April — a Jewish school was among the places badly damaged — there were very few casualties.
Only two Israelis were injured and the only death was a Palestinian man in the West Bank who was cruashed by an intercepted missile fuselatge.
“The attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective,” President Joe Biden said following the barrage where two American destroyers helped intercept the missiles.
“Make no mistake the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Explosions Rock Jerusalem: AFP Journalists
More explosions rattled Jerusalem on Tuesday evening as air raid sirens rang out, AFP journalists reported, with what appeared to be air defence interceptors echoing over the city.
The explosions came shortly after the military said that Iran had launched a missile attack targeting Israel.
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Police Say 8 Civilians Were Murdered, 7 Wounded in Terror Shooting Attack in Jaffa
Eight people were murdered in the terror shooting attack in Jaffa this evening, MDA says.
Another several people are wounded.
The two terrorists who carried out the attack were “neutralized,” police add.
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Shooting Attack in Tel Aviv Causes a Number of Casualties, Israeli Police Say
JERUSALEM, Oct 1 (Reuters) — Israeli police said gunmen opened fire in Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv on the boundary with Jaffa on Tuesday and there were a number of casualties.
TV footage showed gunmen getting off at a light rail station and opening fire. Israel media reported at least four people were seriously injured.
| — Hat tip: McN | [Return to headlines] |
‘If We Don’t Win the War, Europe Will Pay the Price,’ Top Israeli Official Claims
Haim Regev, the head of Israel’s Mission to the European Union and NATO, has warned that Europe will “pay the price” should Israel fail to defend its interests in the Middle East.
Speaking at an event in Brussels on September 30 organised by pro-Israeli lobbyists, the senior diplomat emphasised that Israel was focused on fighting terrorists, and not the local population in each region— and that his military operations were also to the benefit of the European Union.
Only hours after Regev spoke, the Israeli army crossed the Blue Line, the border between Lebanon and Israel, marking the beginning of a ground military incursion against Hezbollah in Lebanese territory.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iran Launches Ballistic Missile Attack Against Israel
Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting Israel on Tuesday as tensions between the two long-time foes ratchet up in the Middle East.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Telegram that “missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel” and ordered Israeli civilians to obey air raid sirens and shelter in place. “The IDF is doing and will do everything necessary to protect the civilians of the State of Israel,” the statement said.
Iran’s volleys of missiles against Israel represent the latest, and starkest, escalation in tensions in the region. The U.S. and others have worried that Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip over the last several months could plunge the region into a wider war and drag the West directly into another major Middle Eastern conflict.
The strike comes just a day after Israel launched a “limited” military operation into neighboring Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. And it follows a series of Israeli strikes against Hezbollah and Hamas — another one of Iran’s regional proxies — including assassinations of top commanders. On Friday, Israel conducted an airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. And in August, Israeli intelligence killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh while the group’s leader was in Tehran for the inauguration of the country’s new president Masoud Pezeshkian.
| — Hat tip: Conservative Tree House | [Return to headlines] |
The US ordered its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to remain in the Middle East and a second vessel is en route with Middle East tensions at a fever pitch following Iran’s attack on Israel, officials said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the USS Abraham Lincoln will stay in the Middle East as the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier speeds along to the region, according to the Pentagon.
The ship will join America’s already large military arsenal in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, which helped defend Israel from Tehran’s latest attack against the Jewish state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Ukraine Would Not Exist Without the US, ‘ Says New NATO Chief Rutte
Ukraine owes its continued existence to the United States, NATO’s new Secretary General Mark Rutte has claimed.
Speaking at his first press conference in the role, the former prime minister of the Netherlands focused mainly on the role of the West in helping Ukraine, emphasising that such support has been important in maintaining Kyiv’s sovereignty over the country.
In his first speech as NATO chief, Rutte said he had been “surprised” by what Kyiv has been doing militarily but avoided explicitly stating whether he felt it was winning the war with Russia, or if Ukraine would join the alliance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine Plans Unprecedented Attack Against Its Own Hungarian Minority
Despite fighting and dying on the front for Ukraine, the country’s ethnic Hungarian minority is facing further persecution, with a new draft bill moving forward that will ban them from speaking in Hungarian in schools, even on breaks between classes. The bill would stipulate that all lessons must be delivered in Ukrainian and that even the language used in personal conversations in the school would have to be in Ukrainian.
Natalija Pipa, a representative of the Rada, submitted the bill, according to a report from Mandiner.
The rights of the Hungarian minority were already being curtailed long before the Russian invasion of the country, with Ukrainian nationalists often targeting the population, which numbers approximately 150,000 in the Transcarpathia region.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukraine War Briefing: Anger in Moscow Over ‘Disgrace’ of Huge Spending on War
Russia’s plan to hike defence spending next year “is an outrage”, 80-year-old pensioner Irina told Agence France-Presse in Moscow on Tuesday. “We need to end this war, and spending the budget on war is a crime.” Russia is to spend more than 40% of its total budget on defence and security — more than the money allocated for social welfare and education combined.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
More Welcome to Country Outrage as TV Star Unleashes on Jetstar Flight From Sydney
A controversial television star has expressed his outrage over First Nations ‘Welcome to Country’ on board an intrastate Jetstar flight.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Haiti Conflict Drives Thousands Toward Famine
A gang-fueled social and political crisis in Haiti has swollen the ranks of those suffering severe hunger in recent months, with an estimated 5.4 million Haitians having run out of food and gone a day or more without eating.
Of those, at least 6,000 residents of the Caribbean island nation now suffer catastrophe-levels of hunger, according to data released on Monday (30 September) by global hunger watchdog Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC.
Catastrophe or famine-level hunger is defined as having almost no food despite using all coping strategies, leading to starvation, destitution and death.
Those experiencing severe hunger are up from just under 5 million estimated late March. The figure is set to surpass 5.5 million by next June, or about half of Haiti’s population of over 11 million, IPC said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arvid Hallén is the Program Director and co-founder of Oikos, Sweden’s only conservative think tank. A specialist in energy policy, he has worked as an editorial writer, a political commentator, an asset manager for foundations, and has been the chairman of the Conservative Swedish student organization Heimdal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With 100,-000 Lebanese people already fleeing into Syria, and potentially much more over the coming weeks, Europe could be in store for another migrant crisis due to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
“The number of people who have crossed into Syria from Lebanon fleeing Israeli airstrikes — Lebanese and Syrian nationals — has reached 100,000. The outflow continues,” wrote the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi on platform X.
With the number of Libyan refugees in Syria doubling in just two days, the fear of another migrant wave are real, and EU member Greece, bordering the Schengen Area, is bracing itself for a repeat of the mass chaos seen on its shores back in 2015.
Already, some experts are estimating that the millions of displaced Lebanese people may flee the country, with a sizeable number looking to make their way to Europe. One million have already been displaced within the country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Border Patrol Agent Reveals Cartels Control the US Southern Border: OMG Documentary
A US Border Patrol agent blew the whistle about the atrocities taking place at the US-Mexico border, confirming to investigative journalist James O’Keefe that the cartels are running the show and the Biden administration is complicit. Aaron Veckey, a veteran BP agent with 19 years on the force, explained that after he reported significant human rights violations to the Office of Special Counsel, he was issued a cease and desist letter, ordering him to remain silent.
Despite the potential consequences, the border agent appears to be determined to shed light on the crisis, assuring the journalist, “My conscience will be clean, that’s way more important than my pension.” The agent will be featured in O’Keefe’s upcoming documentary, Line in the Sand, which is set to premiere on Oct. 10. The film follows James O’Keefe’s trek to investigate the border crisis from the front lines.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are deporting far fewer illegal aliens even as border crossings are at an all-time high as revealed by shocking new data exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com.
The number of criminal illegal aliens removed from the United States has fallen 74 percent under the Biden-Harris administration, according to public numbers compiled by the National Immigration Center for Enforcement first provided to DailyMail.com.
Only 134,617 convicted criminal aliens were removed over the last three fiscal years under the Biden-Harris administration even as a flood of migrants continue making their way across the borders.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Flemish Patriots Launch ‘Superdiversity’ Tracker to ‘Monitor Mass Migration’
The Flemish members of the Patriots for Europe group have launched what they call a “superdiversity” tracker online aimed at documenting the progress of “mass migration.”
Published on October 1, the superdiversiteit.be platform is backed by the pro-Flemish independence Vlaams Belang party. It allows users to see how the percentage of people with migration backgrounds have changed within each municipality in Belgium.
The new site covers a period from 2000 to 2023.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Gay’ Father of Five Granted Asylum in Austria, Sparking Heated Political Debate
The case of a father-of-five Muslim who has been granted asylum in Austria, claiming persecution in his home country due to his homosexuality, has stirred significant public debate in the country with political figures expressing outrage over the ruling.
The Russian-Tajik dual citizen entered Austria illegally via Turkey and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 22, 2023, seeking asylum for himself and his family, news outlet Heute reports.
Initially, he cited better job prospects and fear of Russian military service as his reasons for fleeing. His first asylum application was rejected in April 2023. However, during an appeal at the Federal Administrative Court in Vienna, the man introduced a new claim that he faced discrimination, stigmatization, and violence in both Russia and Tajikistan due to his newfound homosexuality.
Despite being a devout Muslim and having recently completed a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, the man stated during the court hearing that he is homosexual and sought refuge in Austria to live openly and meet men without fear.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Town Proposes Chopping Down Cherished Forest to Make Way for New Refugee Shelter
City officials in the German town of Reinbek are proposing to chop down a forest to establish an emergency shelter for migrants amid an urgent migrant accommodation crisis.
As the city grapples with a projected need for more than 200 housing spaces, the proposed site at the “Alte Stadtgärtnerei” has raised environmental concerns among local residents and political factions.
During a city council meeting on Sept. 26, the majority voted in favor of the shelter, which could accommodate between 100 and 200 refugees. However, the proposed location, situated in a commercial area behind Carl-Zeiss-Straße, would necessitate the removal of a forest, drawing criticism from environmental advocates, particularly the Greens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Immigration Drops for 12th Consecutive Month
Italy has seen a dramatic drop in the number of migrants arriving by sea in 2024, reflecting the success of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government’s anti-migration policies. According to the latest data, arrivals in September 2024 were down significantly, with 7,685 migrants reaching Italian shores compared to 25,673 in the same month in 2023. This marks the 12th consecutive month of declining migration numbers.
Il Giornale reports that the most notable decrease comes from Tunisia, which has been a key departure point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean. In 2023, more than 91,000 migrants arrived in Italy from the North African country, but in 2024, that number plummeted by 82.5%, down to just 15,931.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants Will be Housed in Hotels for Three More Years, British Labour Government Says
Labour’s pledge to “restore order” to the asylum system—and, most significantly, to “end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds”—won’t be implemented for up to three years, if not more.
A government source yesterday told The Times that the asylum backlog is “much worse than we thought,” meaning “it’s going to take a lot longer to clear than we anticipated.” This is despite Labour’s insistence ahead of the election that it would not step into office and declare that everything was much worse than we thought.
The source added that the 87,217-strong backlog “certainly won’t be cleared in a year.”
The taxpayer is currently funding the housing of around 30,000 illegal migrants in 250 hotels, costing £4.2 million (€5.05 million) every day.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Most Non-EU Citizens Handed Deportation Orders Remain in Europe, Data Shows
New figures released by Eurostat have shown that most non-European Union citizens ordered to leave the bloc have not done so.
The data published on September 30 also revealed a system under strain. Despite a surge in expulsion orders, only a fraction of those told to leave have returned to a third country.
According to Eurostat, in the second quarter of 2024, of the more than 90,000 people instructed to leave the EU, just 25,285 returned to a third country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Orban Doubles Down on Threat to Send Migrants to EU Capital
With still no resolution in the months-long diplomatic row between Brussels and Budapest over the latter’s alleged violation of European Union asylum rules, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban doubled down on his government’s previous rhetoric, saying he would begin bussing illegal migrants straight to the EU capital if the Commission insists on collecting hundreds of millions of euros in accumulated fines—despite Budapest’s willingness to implement the reforms being demanded.
Orban stated in his parliamentary speech on Monday, September 30th:
If Brussels persists in its decision to punish us, it will get what it wants. We will take the migrants who are banging on Hungary’s gates to the main square in Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wilders Hints Dutch Coalition Will Fall if Emergency Asylum Measure is Not Implemented
Dutch far-right political party PVV is continuing to insist that the Cabinet must declare the asylum situation in the Netherlands to be a state of emergency, and use extreme powers to sidestep Parliament and force a much stricter approach to limit the number of asylum seekers coming into the country. Such emergency measures must be introduced “one way or another,” as agreed by the PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB in their coalition agreement, PVV leader Geert Wilders emphasized.
“If we don’t get that, the Cabinet will have a problem.” The use of the authoritarian approach is controversial, as many critics, including coalition party members and constitutional law experts, do not believe a true state of emergency exists. Wilders said it will be a “difficult story” if another method is chosen to arrive at asylum measures. “I don’t know if we will happily continue for much longer.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Absurd Program” — Texas A&M Cuts LGBT Minor
Authored by Gabrielle Temaat via The College Fix
Texas A&M University is discontinuing its LGBTQ+ minor due to low enrollment, following criticism of the program from Republican lawmakers over what they called “liberal indoctrination.”
The Battalion, the school’s student newspaper, reported last week that the university is cutting 14 minors and 38 certificates following an internal review that deemed them “low-producing” programs.
The university slashed programs that awarded “fewer than five degrees per academic year and fewer than 25 degrees in five years.”
The description of the LGBTQ+ minor on the school’s website states that it “prepares students to examine the ways in which gender and sexuality are socially constructed and offers a critical understanding [of] how sexuality and sexual orientation shape gender roles, identities, and social statuses in societies.”
The minor “also examines homophobia and transphobia’s relationship to racism, colonialism, sexism, ableism, classism and other forms of power,” the description states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Far-Left Outlet the 19th Prioritizes Fundraising for Hurricane Victims Who Are ‘Seeking an Abortion’
Far-left 19th News has launched a fundraising effort in order to raise money for natural disaster victims who are “LGBTQ+ people” as well as for women “seeking an abortion” in the wake of Hurricane Helene. This comes as the hurricane has struck in the southeastern region of the United States, causing mass destruction as well as taking at least 120 lives.
Leftist journalist Jessica Kutz at The 19th News posted a list of different efforts for LGBTQ people as well as pregnant women wanting to get abortions, saying, “We put together a list of resources for those looking to donate in the wake of Hurricane Helene. We focused on mutual aid groups and organizations on the ground that are helping LGBTQ+ people and people seeking an abortion.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
World Bank Wants to Replace Your Signature With Biometrics and Digital IDs
The World Bank (WB) has issued a policy note revealing that it wants to see the development of what it calls electronic signature (including using biometric authentication) frameworks which include legal recognition and trust.
The purpose of these “key enablers” where it concerns digital transactions, is to facilitate “the emergence of a trusted digital economy” — according to this global (and globalist) financial institution.
Their role is to link people’s identities to online interactions, where electronic transactions, as defined by the WB, cover a vast range of activities. And the WB believes that electronic signatures are a critical component of the digital economy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Your Calendar Deserves Privacy: Tuta Takes Secure Scheduling to the Next Level
Privacy company Tuta has introduced a dedicated encrypted calendar application known as Tuta Calendar. This new addition, coming for both Android (available now) and iOS platforms (coming soon), marks another step forward in secure personal and professional schedule management. As the pioneer of encrypted email services under its original name, Tutanota, Tuta’s move could be seen as a strategic positioning against competitors like Proton, which also offers a suite of encrypted communication tools.
The Tuta Calendar is designed to enhance user privacy through end-to-end encryption, ensuring that sensitive information related to appointments and schedules remains confidential. Unlike other calendar apps, Tuta allows users to share their schedules and specific appointments with chosen contacts without compromising the security of the exchanged data. This level of privacy is achieved by employing a “zero-knowledge” architecture, which ensures that not even Tuta’s servers can access the user’s calendar data.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |