USA
Patel never explained which levers they're actually pulling in this case.
That demonstrates why Kerry is a moron. After what happened with the spy balloon, he dares to believe the CCP cares about their international commitments?
ASIA
MIDDLE EAST
Huh? And what was CENTCOM doing right then when the Iranians were seizing them at will?
EUROPE
If they were true measures to prevent Nazis from getting back into the Reichstag, I mean, the Bundestag, I wouldn't mind. The thing is that the German politicians can't simply ignore the fact that you can't let in every single immigrant just because they're Syrian or Palestinian and the like. Just take a look at what happens in Spain, Sweden and yes, the US as well!
Hey! You know, they could go to any State capitol or the US Capitol itself and do whatever they want there and no Democrat would ever care if they steal a thing or two just because.
LATIN AMERICA
Gaza Aid End Destination Uncertain
Quote:During an interview with CBS on Wednesday, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel responded to a question on what the U.S. is doing to ensure that the aid it is dropping into Gaza will get to the right people by stating that “every lever possible needs to be pulled when it comes to humanitarian aid. And that is what we are trying to do in close coordination with partners in the region.”
Host Anne-Marie Green asked, “I want to ask you about that humanitarian aid, of course, part of the reason it’s happening is because the U.S. and other countries have pulled support from UNRWA, the U.N. [agency] that had been providing most of the humanitarian aid in Gaza. As I understand it, these drops are very difficult, very dangerous, and I wonder what precautions are being taken to ensure that they are being given to people who are most in need, that the aid is going to the right people?”
Patel answered, “Our point of view, Anne-Marie, is that every lever possible needs to be pulled when it comes to humanitarian aid. And that is what we are trying to do in close coordination with partners in the region. And look, as it relates to UNRWA, there were…some very serious and credible allegations as it relates to employees of UNRWA that the United Nations and UNRWA itself are continuing to look into. But that being said, we know that they are critical partners as it relates to the provision of aid in the region, but they have an internal process that they need to work through. Of course, any kind of participation in terrorism and violence is certainly a nonstarter for us.”
Patel never explained which levers they're actually pulling in this case.
"Climate Czar" John Kerry
Quote:John Kerry — former senator, onetime Democrat candidate for president, and special presidential envoy for climate (SPEC) to President Joe Biden — said on Tuesday that people around the world might “feel better” about the Russian government if it invests as much effort into fighting climate change as it puts into fighting Ukraine.
Kerry made the jaw-dropping comment at a press conference in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, the day before he retired as SPEC to join Biden’s reelection campaign.
A Russian reporter asked if the state of relations between the U.S. and Russia was interfering with climate cooperation, quoting a Russian official who complained that Western sanctions made it difficult for Moscow to invest in green energy.
“In this regards, do you think that the Western sanctions are affecting global efforts to fight climate change and the shared commitments under the Paris Agreement?” the reporter asked.
Kerry responded:
No, I don’t. Because I believe that Russia has the ability to be able to make enormous changes if it really wanted to. I mean, if Russia has the ability to wage a war illegally and invade another country, they ought to be able to find the effort to be responsible on the climate issue. And unfortunately, because of the actions that Russia took in an unprovoked, illegal war against another nation, we have not been engaged in discussions with Russia, sadly. I say “sadly” because it’s a loss for the world not to be able to have Russia acting constructively on this issue.
But we need every country, including Russia – Russia’s one [of] the largest emitters in the world. If Russia wanted to show good faith, they could go out and announce what their reductions are going to be and make a greater effort to reduce emissions now. Maybe that would open up the door for people to feel better about what Russia is choosing to do at this point in time.
...
Fox News noted this was not the first time Kerry rambled about climate change while discussing the war in Ukraine. For example, in a July 2023 MSNBC interview, he asked viewers to think about all the greenhouse gas emissions from Russia’s intense bombing campaign:
Lots of parts of the world are exacerbating the problem right now, but when you have bombs going off, and you have damage to septic tanks or to power centers, etcetera, you have an enormous release of greenhouse gas, methane, all of the family of greenhouse gasses and the result is it’s adding to the problem.
Quote:[NPR’s All Things Considered] Co-host Ari Shapiro asked, [relevant exchange begins around 3:10] “China is building more coal-fired power plants and the U.S.[‘s] emissions are not falling fast enough to meet American climate goals. And so, what leads you to believe that these promises will be kept?”
Kerry responded, “Yes, China has about 360 gigawatts of coal-fired power that is slated to come online or be built. And that would be catastrophic if that’s what happens. But China is, I think, to some degree, hedging against the reality of what their economy needs as a backstop. But they’re building, they’re constructing and deploying more renewables than all of the rest of the world put together.”
Shapiro then asked, “You think the coal plants are a just in case break glass in case of emergency that might never be used?”
Kerry answered, “That’s what they say to us. And that’s what begins to be a possibility as we look at the massive amount of renewable that’s being deployed.”
That demonstrates why Kerry is a moron. After what happened with the spy balloon, he dares to believe the CCP cares about their international commitments?
ASIA
Xi Loves Smog
Quote:Chinese dictator Xi Jinping demanded innovative solutions to China’s growing economic woes in remarks on Tuesday and Wednesday, warning against “a headlong rush into projects and the formation of industry bubbles” that could result in “abandoning traditional industries.”
Xi made appearances at the ongoing “two sessions” of the country’s rubber-stamped lawmaking bodies, the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The NPC can draft and pass laws but is entirely beholden to the leadership of the Communist Party elite, while the CPPCC is advisory in nature and has no real power.
The annual “two sessions” began on Monday with an emphasis on rehabilitating China’s languishing economy. China documented its first-ever decline in foreign direct investment in November – an $11.8-billion fall recorded in the fiscal quarter ending in September – in part as a result of a growing real estate crisis, rising youth unemployment, and growing awareness of the risks of doing business with the genocidal, totalitarian Communist Party. China’s falling status as a premier investment location has been in part at the expense of India, which has aggressively courted multinational corporations based in China with increased success in the aftermath of China’s “zero-Covid policy.”
The solution the Chinese government is touting most enthusiastically to its economic woes is “new quality productive forces,” a self-admitted “buzzword” for technological innovation intended to create entirely new industries for Beijing to dominate. A propaganda video published by the state outlet Global Times described “new quality productive forces” as the answer to “what China is doing to tackle various challenges,” defined as “advanced productivity that is led by innovation.”
Xi reportedly “stressed” the pursuit of “new quality productive forces” but, unlike the many propaganda pieces in state media advancing the concept, emphasized that these potentially lucrative fields in the future cannot come at the expense of the productivity of sectors of the economy that actually exist today.
“Xi called for focusing on high-quality development as the top priority, urging efforts to step up innovation, foster emerging industries,” the Chinese government news agency Xinhua relayed, “adopt forward-thinking plans for developing future-oriented industries and improve the modernized industrial system.”
India Wants to Pollute the Air Even More
Quote:Reuters reported on Tuesday that major Indian firms are interested in building at least ten gigawatts of coal-fired power generation over the next decade, expanding some existing plants and reviving projects that stalled out when coal power fell into environmentalist disfavor.
“The potential investments, which have not been previously reported, could cumulatively cost billions of dollars and demonstrate renewed appetite in an industry seen by many as financially unattractive. But they also threaten to undermine progress made by the world’s No.3 greenhouse gas emitter in weaning its economy off carbon,” said Reuters.
India currently has about 215 gigawatts of coal power, plus 47 gigawatts of hydropower and 135 gigawatts of renewable energy. Sources in both the government and private sector told Reuters that India feels it has done enough to reduce emissions and must now focus on building affordable and reliable power capacity to meet its industrial needs.
If anything, the support for coal plants voiced by big corporations like Adani Power and Essar Power is modest compared to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s desire to add 80 gigawatts of coal power by 2032.
India’s power ministry said in November that 27 gigawatts of coal power is already under construction, but the government wants to line up private investors to finance an additional 55 to 60 gigawatts. India’s power demands hit record highs last year and it has the world’s fourth-largest coal reserves standing by to meet that demand.
“India needs 24×7 availability of power for its economic growth; and we are not going to compromise on availability of power for our growth,” the power ministry said in November.
“This power cannot be achieved by renewable energy sources alone. Since nuclear capacity cannot be added at a rapid pace, we have to add coal-based thermal capacity for meeting our energy needs,” the ministry said.
Power ministry officials said solar power was too unreliable and dependent on weather conditions to meet surging demand, although India still plans to add more green energy generators as well.
South Korea Expects Trump to Win the Elections
Quote:The South Korean government on Tuesday appointed a career diplomat named Lee Tae-woo to head up rushed negotiations for the renewal of a defense agreement with the U.S. that will not expire for two years.
Former President Donald Trump has notably called for South Korea to increase its contributions by 500 percent; the South Korean government’s moves to ensure that the agreement will remain as-is far beyond the 2024 American presidential election could be interpreted as a way to prepare for Trump’s potential return to the White House.
The Special Measures Agreement (SMA) covering U.S. contributions to South Korea’s defense has been renewed 11 times since 1991, most recently in April 2021, when a deal lasting until 2025 was sealed.
Under the eleventh SMA, the administration of former President Moon Jae-in agreed to a 13.9-percent increase in the amount paid to keep American troops in South Korea. This marked the first time Seoul’s contribution had increased by more than ten percent in a single round of the SMA and the first time it paid more than a billion dollars.
In the final year of his administration, Trump rejected South Korea’s offer of a 13-percent increase. Trump felt South Korea was taking advantage of American protection, paying a pittance when its huge economy would allow it to handle a much heavier share of the costs.
“This is a very strong alliance we have, but Korea is a wealthy country and could and should pay more to help offset the cost of defense,” Trump’s Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in November 2019 after meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Jeong Kyeong-doo.
Esper added that most of the funding in question is spent in South Korea to cover the cost of U.S. troops living in the country, so the money would stay in Korea rather than being sent to the United States.
MIDDLE EAST
Ye Old Favorite Terrorist Group The Houthis
Quote:Civilian mariners have been killed in a missile strike in the Red Sea for the first time in the present conflict, with a bulk carrier abandoned and burning in the critical waterway after a Houthi attack.
The U.S. and UK condemned the aggression of Iran-backed proxies the Houthis after a ballistic missile struck a a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned merchant ship attempting to transit the Gulf of Aden, killing three and critically wounding several others.
The United States Central Command reported an anti-ship ballistic missile “launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen” struck the Bulk Tanker MV True Confidence at 1130am Sanaa Time (0830 London, 0330 New York) on Wednesday morning. Ballistic missiles travel high into the outer atmosphere before plunging back down to earth at very high speeds, which can make them hard to intercept.
Three crewmen were killed and at least four people were injured, three of which were said to be in critical condition. The ship sustained “serious damage” and the missile’s detonation started a fire. Images published by the US Navy clearly show smoke, scorch marks, and mangled deck cargo from the blast. Lloyds of London reports there was a “series of loud explosions” onboard and that the crew was comprised of 20 people from India, Vietnam, and the Philipines, as well as three armed guards from Sri Lanka and Nepal.
The True Confidence, which is burning, has been abandoned by its crew and Western warships were attending the scene.
A military spokesman for the Houthis, the Iran-backed Shiite Islamist terror group that controls swathes of Iran and who have been attacking global shipping since Hamas launched its terror attack against Israel last year, said the lethal strike against the True Confidence was a victory for Palestine.
UNRWA & Hamas Together... Seriously!
Quote:Israel accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) of using Hamas to “protect” humanitarian aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip, with the result that much of the aid was stolen and not distributed to needy civilians.
Eylon Levy, an Israeli government spokesman, told reporters Wednesday that reports of Israel restricting aid to Gaza were “misleading,” and that there was virtually unlimited capacity at Israeli border crossing points for aid into Gaza.
Levy noted that 2,735 tons of food had entered Gaza the day before — three pounds per person, he said — and that Israel had achieved a “record” capacity of 277 aid trucks per day, checking as many as 44 trucks per hour for banned weapons.
The border crossings, Levy said, were being “underutilized by donor states at the moment.” The problem was that the United Nations “is struggling to distribute aid at the pace Israel is letting it in,” citing UNRWA in particular.
Israel has said that UNRWA is aligned with terrorists, noting the involvement of UNRWA employees in the October 7 attack in Israel. It has said that UNRWA should be replaced in Gaza by United Nations agencies not tainted by line to terror.
Asked by Breitbart News whether UNRWA’s problems were due to its own incompetence, or to Israeli pressure, Levy said: “UNRWA was doing a cataclysmically bad job of distributing aid even before the revelations. … And the reason is UNRWA is not an aid agency.” He added that UNRWA was established to provide “education, health and welfare services … to those [Palestinians] falsely classified as refugees” several generations after fleeing the 1948 war.
Iran & Venezuela
Quote:The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned in a video published on Tuesday that Iran has successfully expanded its influence in Venezuela to such a degree that it has planted military assets there that pose a threat to American cities within attack distance, such as Miami, Florida.
The video is part of a series by the IDF called “Iran’s Axis of Terror,” explaining how Tehran uses alliances around the world to undermine global security and enable jihadist terrorism that poses a threat far beyond Israel.
Iran’s Islamist “revolutionary” regime and the socialist gang led by dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela conspicuously flaunt their alliance. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi most recently visited Venezuela – and fellow leftist allies Nicaragua and Cuba – in June, inking deals in Caracas to develop a “technology office” and significant expansions of the presence of Iranian mining, education, agriculture, and other industries in the impoverished socialist country.
“Having common interests, views and enemies has made cooperation deep and strategic,” Raisi declared at a joint press conference with Maduro at the time.
The IDF report focused on Iran’s weapons cooperation with Venezuela, asking, “Why are Iranian weapons on display in military parades in Latin America?”
“Iran uses Venezuela as its home base in South America. Iran delivers weapons to Venezuela by air and sea that are very well capable of hitting U.S. territory,” the IDF observed. “For example, the Iranian Mohajer 6 UAV that was displayed during a recent military parade in Venezuela has a flight time of 12 hours and a range of 1,200 miles, placing U.S. cities like Miami well within striking distance.”
“Iranian Zolfagher boats armed with anti-ship missiles currently sit off the coast of northwest Venezuela,” the report continued, noting that the boats are believed to be stationed currently in Zulia state, one of the country’s poorest. “Even though these boats are not meant to go very far into the ocean, the missiles they carry are.”
The IDF also accused Iran of benefitting from the transcontinental illegal drug trade originating in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, and Mexico, using proxies such as the Hezbollah terrorist organization to connect with cartels in the region. For many years, the Venezuelan regime was believed to work with Hezbollah through former Oil Minister Tareck El Aissami, who was once identified as “one of Hezbollah’s great bagmen” and key to Iran-Venezuela relations. Maduro purged El Aissami in 2023 after years of accusations of corruption, making ties to Iran and its terror proxies more direct.
Iran The Moneygrabber
Quote:Iran confirmed on Wednesday it would seize the oil aboard the Advantage Sweet, a cargo ship the regime seized in the Persian Gulf in April alleging it had been involved in a maritime collision.
Iran’s state-run PressTV reported that the Iranian government had seized the oil, which was en route to Texas to be processed by the American oil giant Chevron, to compensate Iranians who had sued the American government on the grounds that sanctions on the state sponsor of terror made it impossible for them to secure critical medication.
The Advantage Sweet displays the flag of the Marshall Islands and was traveling from Kuwait, where the oil is believed to have originated, to Houston, Texas, when the Iranian Navy intercepted and seized it in April 2023. The oil onboard is believed to be worth $50 million.
The seizure of the ship’s cargo follows a tumultuous month at sea in the Middle East, largely the product of the Iranian proxy terrorist organization Ansar Allah, more commonly known as the Houthis, declaring “war” on Israel in support of the fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas. The Houthi “war” has consisted in attacking commercial ships transiting in and around the Red Sea, resulting in skyrocketing insurance and shipping rates and a significant disruption in global commerce, as ships avoid Mideast waters and redirect around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. The potential for Iranian government seizures of commercial ships for shifting reasons could add to concerns that shipping around the Red Sea is no longer a safe option for many companies.
“[An] unknown ship collided with an Iranian vessel last night in the Persian Gulf, causing several Iranian crew members to go missing and get injured,” Iranian state media reported in April, according to the U.S. Naval Institute, as the excuse for seizing the Advantage Sweet.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which is in charge of Pentagon operations in the Middle East, issued a statement in the immediate aftermath of the seizure of the ship blaming the Iranian Navy for stealing the ship.
“In the past two years, Iran has unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels sailing in the Middle East,” CENTCOM observed.
Huh? And what was CENTCOM doing right then when the Iranians were seizing them at will?
EUROPE
Sweden Joins NATO
Quote:Sweden formally ended its long history of quasi-neutrality on Thursday as it signed articles with NATO in Washington, becoming the 32nd member of the alliance and the second new joiner in a year.
Sweden, like Finland in April 2023, has joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). The official signing of the instrument of accession with the U.S. State Department, as represented by Antony Blinken, took place with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Washington D.C..
The U.S. State Department is the depository for the Treaty of Washington which founded NATO in 1949 and consequently is the body which signs up new members. A similar ceremony took place for Finland last year.
Sweden and Finland both applied to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine in 2022, fearing a resurgent Moscow looking covetously on its neighbours. Sweden’s addition to NATO completes, to some extent, what is called the ‘NATO lake’ of the Baltic sea. Now every state bordering the great water is a NATO member except Russia, which has its ports of St Petersburg and Kaliningrad (Konigsberg) on the sea.
While Finland’s membership was processed quickly, Sweden had butted heads with various NATO members in the past and it took time to persuade some states, predominantly Turkey and Hungary, that it would be a positive new member.
In the case of Turkey, for instance, Ankara objected to Sweden giving refuge to fighters the Turkish government considers to be terrorists, and the matter of Sweden’s strong freedom of speech laws allowing Quran burnings both stood in the way of getting the go ahead. Any single NATO member state can veto the application of a new state, an essential safeguard given article 5 of the alliance determines that an attack on one is an attack on all, and absolutely requires mutual defence.
Ukraine War
Quote:The company that makes tracks for most of Britain’s armoured vehicles and those of other allied nations worldwide has reverse-engineered old Soviet designs from tank parts and documents held in museums to keep Ukraine’s army going.
The world’s largest tank museum has been providing parts from vehicles held in their collection and original Soviet documentation from their archives to a historic British family-owned engineering firm to produce new stores of spares for vintage Russian tanks serving on the front line for the Ukrainian armed forces, a report reveals. The Bovington Tank Museum in Dorset, England which holds hundreds of vehicles including the world’s first working tank has a collection which mainly focuses on vehicles that had been operated by Britain’s armed forces, or which have been captured by British soldiers in combat, has a large selection of Soviet-era tanks.
The Ukraine War, particularly as the frontline became more static through the winter of 2022-23 has heavily featured mine warfare and this has meant a large number of Ukrainian tanks taken out of service that could still fight except for having had their rotating caterpillar-type tracks blast-damaged. The deal suggests Ukraine’s intense war of self-defence is taking its military equipment beyond whatever Soviet-era stores and spares were left in the country at the end of the Cold War.
That Cook Defence Systems of County Durham, England would be producing tank tracks for Soviet-made vehicles was quietly floated last year, as the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders visited the business in June and discussed how the company is “supporting armoured vehicles in service in Ukraine”.
Cook, which exports tracks to Europe, the Middle East, South East Asia and Australia was “commissioned” by the British government to start work on making spares for Soviet tanks last year and signed a multi-million-pound contract for the components and for spare tracks for the British-made armoured vehicles which have been donated to Ukraine in February 2024. The Ministry of Defence said then the deal would “provide hundreds of spare caterpillar tracks for tanks and armoured vehicles – which will allow the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] to recover and restore vehicles damaged by anti-tank weapons and landmines… The company’s experts have been examining and analysing Soviet-era vehicles, some salvaged from Ukraine, to create new tracks to fit a range of requirements.”
Quote:Germany has refused to apologise to the United Kingdom for appearing to disclose that British troops are active on the ground in Ukraine, with Berlin’s ambassador to London declaring there is “no need” to say sorry to its ally.
Last week, in an apparent effort to save face over his refusal to supply Ukraine with its stock of long-range Taurus cruise missiles, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz seemingly disclosed that both France and the United Kingdom have troops on the ground in the war-torn country to oversee the use of their own long-range missiles, while saying that such a step represented a risk he is unwilling to take given the potential for sparking a wider conflict with Russia.
...
The comments from Scholz were followed by a leaked recording of top German military officials, including the head of the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) Generalleutnant Ingo Gerhartz, appearing to confirm that British soldiers were providing military intelligence on targets and overseeing the launches of cruise missiles on Russian targets.
The recording, leaked by Moscow, has been confirmed by the German Defence Ministry, however, they left some questions unanswered by saying that it was currently unclear if portions of the audio had been edited before its release by Russia.
Despite not openly denying the veracity of the recording, Berlin has attempted to cast off the scandal as an act of Russian “disinformation” intended to sow discord among Western allies.
This was the line taken up by Germany’s ambassador to Britain, Miguel Berger, who told the BBC’s Today programme that the leak was “a Russian hybrid attack” seeking to “destabilise the West” and therefore said that there is “no need to apologise” to the UK or France.
“We have to be careful not to fall into the Russian trap of creating division and regrettably some media and some people have fallen into this trap,” the ambassador said in comments reported by London’s Daily Telegraph.
Nevertheless, a rift among the three major Western European powers does seem to be emerging, with French President Emmanuel Macron urging allies to not act “cowardly“, in an apparent jibe at Berlin for refusing to send long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, former British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that the leaked German military recording showed that Berlin is “neither secure nor reliable” as a partner while claiming that the UK has information indicating that “Germany is pretty penetrated by Russian intelligence”.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius claimed on Tuesday that the leak was a result of a single individual and therefore not representative of a system-wide failure. He claimed that one of the participants on the recording had called in from a Singapore air show conference via an insecure Webex line through which the Russians could have easily tapped in.
Immigration
Quote:A majority of Germans believe their country reached its limit of refugees, as the number of asylum applications hit their highest level since 2016.
Last year, Germany saw 352,000 foreigners apply for asylum, including 329,000 first-time applications, an increase of 51 per cent over the previous year and the highest level since 2016, according to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
The sharp increase of alleged asylum seekers into the country has put heavy strain on government financial resources and stretched thin the ability of localities to accommodate and provide for migrants.
Amid this background, a study from the Bertelsmann Foundation found that 60 per cent of Germans believe that the country has hit its breaking point in terms of letting in massive waves of refugees. This is compared to just 36 per cent in 2021, and 54 per cent in 2017 during the Europe Migrant Crisis, broadcaster NTV reports.
The poll found that 78 per cent of those surveyed were concerned about increased costs to the public towards welfare payments as a result of immigration, while 74 per cent feared the influx of foreigners would lead to housing shortages in cities and 71 per cent were worried about the impact of migration on schools. Additionally, 73 per cent said that they were fearful of increased conflicts between the local and foreign populations.
The author of the study, Ulrike Wieland, said results indicated a feeling among Germans that migration is stretching the “systemic capacities” of the country and a growing perception that the scale of migration was preventing the ability to integrate foreigners. He said that the study also found that the economic downturn in Germany — despite the supposed benefits of migration to economic growth claimed by open borders advocates — is creating an “impression of collective exhaustion and excessive demands”.
Wieland went on to note that the problems associated with mass migration have created an environment in the country in which the populist right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) prospers, as more voters disaffected with the neo-liberal governance over the past decade look past establishment parties for answers.
Rather than meaningfully address the public’s concerns over mass migration, the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz — whose own Social Democrat Party has been surpassed in the polls by the populist insurgent AfD — is seeking to impose anti-democratic measures to curtail the rise of the so-called “far-right”.
If they were true measures to prevent Nazis from getting back into the Reichstag, I mean, the Bundestag, I wouldn't mind. The thing is that the German politicians can't simply ignore the fact that you can't let in every single immigrant just because they're Syrian or Palestinian and the like. Just take a look at what happens in Spain, Sweden and yes, the US as well!
Farmers & Tear Gas
Quote:Poland saw its most violent protest by farmers and supporters yet Wednesday as some participants threw stones at police and tried to push through barriers around parliament, injuring several officers, police said.
Police used tear gas and said they detained over a dozen people and prevented the protesters from getting through to the Sejm, the Polish parliament.
Farmers are angry over European Union climate policies and food imports from Ukraine that they say threaten their livelihoods. Such protests have occurred across the 27-member EU in recent weeks, but this one was decidedly angrier than earlier demonstrations in the central European nation.
Police noted on the social media platform X that its officers “are not a party to the ongoing dispute” and warned that behavior threatening their safety “cannot be taken lightly and requires a firm and decisive response.”
The deputy agriculture minister, Michal Kolodziejczak, said he didn’t believe that “real, normal farmers caused a riot in front of the Sejm today,” and that it was necessary to isolate “provocateurs and troublemakers.”
He did not say who he thought was behind the violence.
Hey! You know, they could go to any State capitol or the US Capitol itself and do whatever they want there and no Democrat would ever care if they steal a thing or two just because.
LATIN AMERICA
Colombians Protest on the Streets
Quote:More than 50,000 Colombians flocked to the streets of Colombia’s main cities on Wednesday to peacefully protest against sweeping leftist reforms the government of radical socialist President Gustavo Petro is attempting to impose on the country.
Wednesday’s peaceful protests were the latest in a recurring series of such events organized by the Colombian opposition against Petro’s Marxist government.
The nationwide event, called the “March of the Majorities,” was organized by members of Colombian conservative political parties such as the Democratic Center, Just and Fair Colombia, and the National Salvation parties, as well as unions such as the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). Local media reported that the peaceful demonstrations took place in at least 18 Colombian cities, including the capital city of Bogotá.
Participants of the demonstrations expressed their rejection of the economic, political, healthcare, and social reforms that Petro’s government has been attempting to implement since taking office in 2022. Most notably, the event allowed the peaceful demonstrators to express disapproval over the health reform proposal that the Colombian Congress is close to approving.
If passed, the reform will bring drastic changes to the nation’s healthcare system, such as granting the state larger control of the country’s healthcare facilities and severely diminishing the role of private healthcare providers.
The controversial healthcare reform is one of the several yet-to-be-implemented policies that Petro, a former member of the Marxist M19 guerilla, and his Historic Pact coalition have insisted on passing to significantly change Colombia — a country that, prior to Petro, had not elected a single leftist president in its history.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
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KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE