Sunday, January 6, 2019
South Of The Border
As I had mentioned yesterday, I have crossed the border - into South Carolina. As expected, I found no wall, but I did find the Mexican-themed tourist area known as South Of The Border. The place includes several restaurants, a motor inn, a campground, a park, an observation tower, and a bunch of stores, variously located on both sides of a road which is both U.S. 301 and U.S. 501. As you drive into SOTB, Pedro is there to welcome you.
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Saturday Travels And Stories
Greetings from my undisclosed location not far from the border - between the two Carolinas. I'm currently on the North Carolina side, and will attempt to cross into the South tomorrow. Since this is a border between two U.S. states, I don't think I'll find any wall, except between the highway and adjacent land. Any coyotes trying to smuggle their human cargo northward will simply be able to drive their vehicles on I-95 or other commonly traveled roads. They will not be harassed by police or other authorities, unless they commit an obvious traffic violation. After a long day of driving, I find myself wondering if I've missed anything interesting, so I naturally had to look up and present some things going on:
From Deutsche Welle, global warming cancels around 120 flights at Munich Airport.
From the Express, "yellow vest" protesters block roads in London and set off smoke bombs near the Parliament building. (via Voice Of Europe)
From France24, meanwhile in France, "yellow vest" protesters keep the pressure on President Macron.
From The Conservative Woman, "the ordinary people of Europe demand to be heard".
From RFI, France announces a plan to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel to Britain.
From the (Irish) Independent, a priest bans homeless people from sleeping in the Ennis, Ireland cathedral because they were using it to process liquid.
From the Irish Examiner, Irish Taoiseach Varadkar defends his plans for dealing with a no-deal Brexit as "prudent".
From Ekathimerini, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople formally recognizes the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
From the Greek Reporter, global warming cancels and redirects flights at Thessaloniki's airport.
From the Hungary Journal, Hungary's opposition parties call for nationwide demonstrations.
From Daily News Hungary, trade unions and opposition partiers protest in Budapest, and in Pécs and Szombathely.
From The Times Of Israel, Israel will reportedly seek compensation for the Jews who were thrown out of Arab countries.
From Haaretz, a London mosque cancels a Holocaust exhibit because Muslims protested against it.
From Khaama Press, Afghan special forces rescue 12 people from a Taliban prison.
From the Vanguard, a Boko Haram commander, after his arrest, tells how he was indoctrinated.
From ANF News, some Mosques in Switzerland have been shown to have ties to ISIS.
From Al Arabiya, why Turkish TV bans the American show Modern Family.
From Sky Sports, NBA player Eres Kanter will not travel to a game in London because he fears being assassinated for his opposition to Turkish President Erdoğan.
From Gatestone Institute, the European Court of Human Rights is really promoting human wrongs.
From the New York Post, the partial government shutdown "drags into" its third week.
From The Hill, former Vice President Biden blames the shutdown on Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. (Those two probably wish that they had such power. The story comes via Townhall.)
From the Washington Examiner, negotiations over the shutdown will continue.
From Fox News, what happened when an opinion writer visited a national park during the shutdown.
From American Thinker, "how the left appropriates Christianity".
And from Breaking Burgh, Vice President Mike Pence worries that in the future, there might be women who both dance and cuss.
From Deutsche Welle, global warming cancels around 120 flights at Munich Airport.
From the Express, "yellow vest" protesters block roads in London and set off smoke bombs near the Parliament building. (via Voice Of Europe)
From France24, meanwhile in France, "yellow vest" protesters keep the pressure on President Macron.
From The Conservative Woman, "the ordinary people of Europe demand to be heard".
From RFI, France announces a plan to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel to Britain.
From the (Irish) Independent, a priest bans homeless people from sleeping in the Ennis, Ireland cathedral because they were using it to process liquid.
From the Irish Examiner, Irish Taoiseach Varadkar defends his plans for dealing with a no-deal Brexit as "prudent".
From Ekathimerini, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople formally recognizes the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
From the Greek Reporter, global warming cancels and redirects flights at Thessaloniki's airport.
From the Hungary Journal, Hungary's opposition parties call for nationwide demonstrations.
From Daily News Hungary, trade unions and opposition partiers protest in Budapest, and in Pécs and Szombathely.
From The Times Of Israel, Israel will reportedly seek compensation for the Jews who were thrown out of Arab countries.
From Haaretz, a London mosque cancels a Holocaust exhibit because Muslims protested against it.
From Khaama Press, Afghan special forces rescue 12 people from a Taliban prison.
From the Vanguard, a Boko Haram commander, after his arrest, tells how he was indoctrinated.
From ANF News, some Mosques in Switzerland have been shown to have ties to ISIS.
From Al Arabiya, why Turkish TV bans the American show Modern Family.
From Sky Sports, NBA player Eres Kanter will not travel to a game in London because he fears being assassinated for his opposition to Turkish President Erdoğan.
From Gatestone Institute, the European Court of Human Rights is really promoting human wrongs.
From the New York Post, the partial government shutdown "drags into" its third week.
From The Hill, former Vice President Biden blames the shutdown on Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter. (Those two probably wish that they had such power. The story comes via Townhall.)
From the Washington Examiner, negotiations over the shutdown will continue.
From Fox News, what happened when an opinion writer visited a national park during the shutdown.
From American Thinker, "how the left appropriates Christianity".
And from Breaking Burgh, Vice President Mike Pence worries that in the future, there might be women who both dance and cuss.
Friday, January 4, 2019
Music Break
For the first time this year, I've decided that it's time for some music. First up is Little Miss Hip Shake, by the British group Mungo Jerry. This was the B-side of their 1973 single Alright, Alright, Alright. Depending on which comment on the YouTube page you wish to believe, this song sounds either like something from Creedence Clearwater Revival or from Bob Seger.
Friday Links
As the first Friday of the year has come upon us, here are some things going on:
From NBC News, new congresscritter Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich) gets off to a flying start, you might say. (via HotAir)
From National Review, so does new congresscritter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). (I would like to give her the nickname "Asteroid Lady".)
From American Thinker, some serious questions for these new congresspersons Tlaib and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
From Townhall, congresscritter Warren Davidson (R-OH) aids and abets a private attempt to contribute funds to the wall.
From FrontpageMag, there should not be any comprise involving a border wall and DACA.
From The Washington Free Beacon, veteran congresscritter and new committee chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) wants to investigate the census "citizen" question.
From the Washington Examiner, immigration will save President Trump from the shutdown, which the media doesn't like.
From The Federalist, a look a those "extremist" Knights of Columbus.
From Voice Of Europe, a Swiss woman visiting Austria breaks the nose of an Afghan migrant who sexually assaulted her. (If you read German, read the story at the Austrian site Heute, which name means "today". Although the Heute story is two days old, it was too good to pass up.)
From ANSA, the Italian rescue ship Mediterranea will be allowed to take women and children from the Sea-Watch 3.
From the Malta Independent, a migrant jumps from the Sea-Watch 3 "in a desperate attempt to reach Malta".
From Malta Today, according to a candidate for the European Parliament, the planned tunnel between Malta and Gozo is really an attempt at reclaiming land.
From El País, police arrest people who illegally built 14 luxury homes in La Línea de la Concepción, Spain without any permits. (A look at GoogleMaps shows that this town is adjacent to the U.K. territory of Gibraltar.)
From France24, France tightens security at its northern ports to stop migrants from going to the U.K.
From Global News, according to a poll by Ipsos, Canadians felt more negatively about immigration in 2018 than in 2017.
From the Irish Examiner, Ireland's Taoiseach still hopes that the current Brexit withdrawal plan will be successful. (Again, I welcome any advice as to how to pronounce "Taoiseach".)
From the (Irish) Independent, a student dies after falling from the Cliffs of Moher while trying to take a selfie. (I visited this place during my trip to Ireland in 1997. There are no artificial barriers at the tops of the cliffs.)
From the (U.K.) Independent, the U.K. is helping to fund drones used to spot migrant boats trying to leave France.
From BBC News, the American held in Russia for alleged spying also has U.K. citizenship and an Irish passport.
From the Evening Standard, the U.K. will use airport-style scanners on their prison officers.
From Politicalite, a Muslim man has been charged for hitting a U.K. soldier with his car.
From the Express, a former Remainer explains why he is now a Brexiteer.
From VRT NWS, about 1,000 people march for democracy in Ninove, Belgium.
From the NL Times, homes in Amsterdam are evacuated after another ATM is bombed.
From Dutch News, the Netherlands offers to take up to six migrants from the above-mentioned Sea-Watch 3. (If you read Dutch, read the story at De Telegraaf.)
From Deutsche Welle, according to Frontex, illegal immigration into the E.U. reached a five-year low in 2018.
From Radio Poland, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini will meet with Polish Interior Minister Joachim Brudziński and PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński.
From Radio Praha, the Czech government will debate guaranteeing the rights of U.K. citizens in their country after a "hard" Brexit.
From the Hungary Journal, Bavarian political candidate Manfred Weber regards Hungarian Prime Minister Orban as "a difficult partner".
From Daily News Hungary, a look at the "dismemberment" of Hungary after World War I.
From Hungary Today, Hungary's government sets up the Institute for Hungarian Studies.
From About Hungary, Hungary will take a leading role in climate protection.
From Sputnik International, what we currently know about the gas explosion which partially destroyed a building in Magnitogorsk, Russia.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, Albanian students will resume their protest for lower tuition and better living conditions when the school year resumes.
From Total Croatia News, the plan for Croatia to buy F-16 jets from Israel is probably going to be scrapped.
From the Greek Reporter, a man jumps from the Acropolis in Athens in an apparent suicide.
From Hürriyet Daily News, the mayor of Edirne, Turkey comes under fire for welcoming tourists with multilingual signs that include Greek.
From Turkish Minute, detention warrants have been issued for 134 people over suspected Gülen links.
From Arutz Sheva, the U.S. has not made any timeline for withdrawing from Syria.
From The Times Of Israel, Iran is set to deploy warships in the western Atlantic.
From YNetNews, "where did all the Jews from the Arab world go?"
From The Express Tribune, Pakistan's Supreme Court declares a Gülen-linked group illegal, which pleases Turkish President Erdoğan.
From Khaama Press, 52 Taliban and ISIS-K terrorists are sent to their virgins.
From The Straits Times, China tests its own version of the "mother of all bombs".
From Bloomberg, a Lebanese Muslim lawmaker attends a Catholic mass and causes controversy by receiving a blessing.
From Coconuts, an official of the Indonesian Ulema Council admits that the organization is debating proposing sharia-based amputation punishment.
From the Nyasa Times, a gift to a mosque in Malawi results in a fight. (When it was under British colonial rule, Malawi was known as Nyasaland.)
From LifeZette, President Trump and congressional Democrats meet again, which again produced no result.
From AP News, reports of a man's brain death prove to have been greatly exaggerated. (via The Daily Caller)
From Twitchy, actor James Woods drops congresscritter Steve Cohen (D-TN) for proposing to eliminate the Electoral College.
From the New York Post, according to Trump, congresswoman Tlaib only dishonored herself with her vulgarity.
And from The Verge, PepsiCo rolls out the snackbots.
Thursday, January 3, 2019
She's Baaaaaack, And Other Stories
As largely expected, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal) has retaken her former role as Speaker of the House of Representatives, which resulted from the Democratic Party's victories in the 2018 midterm elections. She received 220 votes, with only 15 members of her party voting against her.
Read more at CNBC, The New York Times, C-SPAN, The Hill and Politico.
****
In other stories:
From the Hungary Journal, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban talks with new Brazilian President Bolsonaro. (via Voice Of Europe)
From Daily News Hungary, an Afghan refugee is sentenced to community service for assaulting a couple in Budapest. (This is interesting simply because Hungary has taken in very few refugees.)
From Hungary Today, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto, investments in the Hungarian economy reached a record high in 2018.
From About Hungary, Hungarian soldiers and policemen get a pay increase.
From The Slovak Spectator, Slovakia has assumed the presidency of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
From Radio Poland, according to Poland's ambassador to Israel, Poland is the only European state to properly honor the Holocaust.
From Deutsche Welle, members of a far-right group patrol the streets Amberg, Germany after four refugees allegedly attacked people.
From Dutch News, the Dutch coastguard releases pictures of a cargo ship and containers which fell off during high winds.
From Politicalite, UKIP leader Gerard Batten slams The Sun for falsely reporting that Tommy Robinson would take his place.
From the Express, Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg blames Ireland for the possible no-deal Brexit.
From the Evening Standard, the Democratic Unionist Party "savages" the currently proposed Brexit deal.
From the (U.K.) Independent, according to former Brexit Secretary David Davis, Prime Minister May should delay the House of Commons vote on the deal.
From the (Irish) Independent, Ireland's Taoiseach announces that this country had an unexpected surplus last year.
From the Irish Examiner, Ireland and Germany will "stand by" the current Brexit agreement.
From CBC News, Canada will spend $113 million on pre-arrival services for immigrants. (How much will be spent on the informal crossing at Roxham Road is not mentioned.)
From Global News, StatCan warns that the shutdown of the U.S. government could impair their own data collection.
From CTV News, record-setting rower John Beeden and his daughter Libby are currently rowing from Portugal to Antigua.
From France24, a Chinese probe makes the first-ever landing on the moon's far side.
From RFI, a "yellow vest" leader, released from custody without charge, denies organizing the demonstration in Paris.
From El País, in the latest chapter of the Franco reburial controversy, the Catholic Church denies the government access to his current tomb.
From The Portugal News, the new Brazilian president says that he "may visit Portugal by early 2020".
From SwissInfo, the political and economic outlook for Switzerland in 2019.
From ANSA, Italian Interior Minister Salvini continues to clash with left-leaning mayors.
From The European Post, the Italian Supercup, hosted by Saudi Arabia, will admit women only if accompanied by men.
From Voice Of Europe, more on the Italian Supercup restrictions on women. (If you read Italian, read the story at Il Post.)
From the Malta Independent, Maltese bishops urge their colleagues in Europe to get help from their governments to deal with migration.
From Total Croatia News, Croatia starts the process to apply for an associate membership in CERN.
From Ekathimerini, the mayors of places on five Aegean islands oppose linking a proposed VAT discount to the number of migrants they host.
From the Greek Reporter, one group of migrants in Greece publishes their own newspaper.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, the leader of the Serbian opposition party SDS says that the party might boycott upcoming elections.
From Sputnik International, a bus terminal in Rzhev, Russia is evacuated due to a suspicious bag.
From Hürriyet Daily News, the U.S. offers to sell Turkey Patriot missiles systems.
From Turkish Minute, 96 migrants died off the Turkish coast in 2018.
From Arutz Sheva, a U.N. official accuses Jewish settlers of throwing stones at a car ridden by Palestinian Authority premier Rami Hamdallah. (If this is true, Bob Dylan was correct. "They'll stone you when you're riding in your car.")
From The Times Of Israel, Brazil reportedly wants to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, but doesn't know when.
From YNetNews, heavy rains expose two ancient statues in Beit She'an, Israel.
From the Egypt Independent, Egyptian President Abdel al-Sisi will open a new mosque and a new cathedral in Egypt's New Administrative Capital.
From Egypt Today, a car once driven by Egyptian President Abdel Nasser rides again.
From Rûdaw, over 100 illegal gasoline stations have been closed in Kirkuk, Iraq.
From Dawn, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives in Turkey.
From The Express Tribune, Pakistani and U.S. officials discuss a possible summit between Khan and President Trump.
From Khaama Press, initial parliamentary election results are announced for Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan's Baghlan province.
From Ghana Web, a group of young Muslims threaten to go Count Dracula on a Christian preacher.
From Gatestone Institute, Iran has become Europe's new "Munich".
From American Thinker, "no sharia in America".
From National Review, 2018 really wasn't so bad.
From Townhall, 2019 will make 2018 look sane.
From The Federalist, a compromise about border security that Trump and the Democrats could reach.
From the Washington Examiner, Mexico demands that U.S. Border Patrol agents are investigated for their use of tear gas.
From CNS News, ABC and CBS welcome the Democratic takeover of the House.
From Fox News, a "to-do list" for the newly empowered House Democrats.
From Twitchy, Michael Moore is already impatient with the House Democrats. (I would tell him, "Chill out, Mikey. It's just their first day on the job.")
From LifeZette, if Trump caves in on the wall, it will be the end of his presidency, says Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
From The Daily Caller, here are the 15 Democrats who voted against Pelosi retaking her old job.
From the New York Post, a man is arrested after going nuts over a bagel order at a deli in Brooklyn.
And from The Babylon Bee, due to the government shutdown, more Yellowstone bison are looking for other work.
Read more at CNBC, The New York Times, C-SPAN, The Hill and Politico.
****
In other stories:
From the Hungary Journal, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban talks with new Brazilian President Bolsonaro. (via Voice Of Europe)
From Daily News Hungary, an Afghan refugee is sentenced to community service for assaulting a couple in Budapest. (This is interesting simply because Hungary has taken in very few refugees.)
From Hungary Today, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto, investments in the Hungarian economy reached a record high in 2018.
From About Hungary, Hungarian soldiers and policemen get a pay increase.
From The Slovak Spectator, Slovakia has assumed the presidency of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
From Radio Poland, according to Poland's ambassador to Israel, Poland is the only European state to properly honor the Holocaust.
From Deutsche Welle, members of a far-right group patrol the streets Amberg, Germany after four refugees allegedly attacked people.
From Dutch News, the Dutch coastguard releases pictures of a cargo ship and containers which fell off during high winds.
From Politicalite, UKIP leader Gerard Batten slams The Sun for falsely reporting that Tommy Robinson would take his place.
From the Express, Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg blames Ireland for the possible no-deal Brexit.
From the Evening Standard, the Democratic Unionist Party "savages" the currently proposed Brexit deal.
From the (U.K.) Independent, according to former Brexit Secretary David Davis, Prime Minister May should delay the House of Commons vote on the deal.
From the (Irish) Independent, Ireland's Taoiseach announces that this country had an unexpected surplus last year.
From the Irish Examiner, Ireland and Germany will "stand by" the current Brexit agreement.
From CBC News, Canada will spend $113 million on pre-arrival services for immigrants. (How much will be spent on the informal crossing at Roxham Road is not mentioned.)
From Global News, StatCan warns that the shutdown of the U.S. government could impair their own data collection.
From CTV News, record-setting rower John Beeden and his daughter Libby are currently rowing from Portugal to Antigua.
From France24, a Chinese probe makes the first-ever landing on the moon's far side.
From RFI, a "yellow vest" leader, released from custody without charge, denies organizing the demonstration in Paris.
From El País, in the latest chapter of the Franco reburial controversy, the Catholic Church denies the government access to his current tomb.
From The Portugal News, the new Brazilian president says that he "may visit Portugal by early 2020".
From SwissInfo, the political and economic outlook for Switzerland in 2019.
From ANSA, Italian Interior Minister Salvini continues to clash with left-leaning mayors.
From The European Post, the Italian Supercup, hosted by Saudi Arabia, will admit women only if accompanied by men.
From Voice Of Europe, more on the Italian Supercup restrictions on women. (If you read Italian, read the story at Il Post.)
From the Malta Independent, Maltese bishops urge their colleagues in Europe to get help from their governments to deal with migration.
From Total Croatia News, Croatia starts the process to apply for an associate membership in CERN.
From Ekathimerini, the mayors of places on five Aegean islands oppose linking a proposed VAT discount to the number of migrants they host.
From the Greek Reporter, one group of migrants in Greece publishes their own newspaper.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, the leader of the Serbian opposition party SDS says that the party might boycott upcoming elections.
From Sputnik International, a bus terminal in Rzhev, Russia is evacuated due to a suspicious bag.
From Hürriyet Daily News, the U.S. offers to sell Turkey Patriot missiles systems.
From Turkish Minute, 96 migrants died off the Turkish coast in 2018.
From Arutz Sheva, a U.N. official accuses Jewish settlers of throwing stones at a car ridden by Palestinian Authority premier Rami Hamdallah. (If this is true, Bob Dylan was correct. "They'll stone you when you're riding in your car.")
From The Times Of Israel, Brazil reportedly wants to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, but doesn't know when.
From YNetNews, heavy rains expose two ancient statues in Beit She'an, Israel.
From the Egypt Independent, Egyptian President Abdel al-Sisi will open a new mosque and a new cathedral in Egypt's New Administrative Capital.
From Egypt Today, a car once driven by Egyptian President Abdel Nasser rides again.
From Rûdaw, over 100 illegal gasoline stations have been closed in Kirkuk, Iraq.
From Dawn, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives in Turkey.
From The Express Tribune, Pakistani and U.S. officials discuss a possible summit between Khan and President Trump.
From Khaama Press, initial parliamentary election results are announced for Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan's Baghlan province.
From Ghana Web, a group of young Muslims threaten to go Count Dracula on a Christian preacher.
From Gatestone Institute, Iran has become Europe's new "Munich".
From American Thinker, "no sharia in America".
From National Review, 2018 really wasn't so bad.
From Townhall, 2019 will make 2018 look sane.
From The Federalist, a compromise about border security that Trump and the Democrats could reach.
From the Washington Examiner, Mexico demands that U.S. Border Patrol agents are investigated for their use of tear gas.
From CNS News, ABC and CBS welcome the Democratic takeover of the House.
From Fox News, a "to-do list" for the newly empowered House Democrats.
From Twitchy, Michael Moore is already impatient with the House Democrats. (I would tell him, "Chill out, Mikey. It's just their first day on the job.")
From LifeZette, if Trump caves in on the wall, it will be the end of his presidency, says Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
From The Daily Caller, here are the 15 Democrats who voted against Pelosi retaking her old job.
From the New York Post, a man is arrested after going nuts over a bagel order at a deli in Brooklyn.
And from The Babylon Bee, due to the government shutdown, more Yellowstone bison are looking for other work.
Wednesday, January 2, 2019
Mormons Criticize Trump, And Other Stories
President Trump has been getting some criticism from two politically notable Mormons, and responding a bit thereto. One has been a governor and will be installed in the Senate tomorrow, while the other has retired from the Senate. Starting with these stories, here are some things going on:
From MSNBC, Senator-elect Mitt Romney (R-UT) has some harsh words for President Trump.
From CNN, Trump responds to Romney.
From The Week, will Romney try to primary Trump in 2020?
From The Federalist, Romney was not wrong to criticize Trump, but his reasons were.
From the Washington Examiner, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) sides with Trump against Romney.
From The New York Times Magazine, former Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has some words for Trump, and for some other people.
From American Thinker, some of California's ballot-harvesters, who helped flip the House blue, were DREAMers. (In many states, ballot-harvesting is illegal.)
From National Review, one of the few things still not politicized these days has four legs and wags its tail.
From Townhall, there was a time when Democrats supported border security.
From The Washington Free Beacon, Trump's agenda of deregulation has slowed, but is still going on.
From FrontpageMag, the next migrant caravan is already getting organized.
From Voice Of Europe, according to Prime Minister Orban, mixing Hungarian culture with Islam is not a good idea.
From Daily News Hungary, the Hungarian opposition party Jobbik accuses their government of imposing austerity.
From About Hungary, Hungary raises its minimum wage eight percent. (Would that sort of thing happen under austerity?)
From Hungary Today, in Brazil, Prime Ministers Orban (Hungary) and Netanyahu (Israel) discuss a planned meeting between Israel and the Visegrad group. (Visegrad is a city in Hungary, but has a Slavic name which roughly translated means "upper fortress".)
From The Slovak Spectator, Slovak Prime Minister Pellegrini addresses his country, saying that they "have built a mental Berlin wall". (Yes, the Slovak PM has an Italian name.)
From Radio Praha, Czech leaders call for greater civility during their New Year's Day messages.
From Radio Poland, Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki predicts changes for the E.U. after this year's elections. (His last name refers to the region of Moravia in the Czech Republic.)
From Deutsche Welle, in the wake of attacks by refugees in Amberg, Germany's interior minister calls for stricter deportation laws.
From the NL Times, the Netherlands recalls all of its F-16 fighter jets from Syria.
From Dutch News, the bonfire on a beach in Scheveningen may have violated permit rules. (Scheveningen is a district of The Hague.)
From VRT NWS, Belgian Interior Minister Pieter De Crem denounces the violence against fire fighters and police on New Year's Eve.
From the Express, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has a "key message" for all Brexit supporters.
From the Independent, the number of peers in the House of Lords needs to be reduced, say their own Speaker.
From the Evening Standard, U.K. Prime Minister May again tries to obtain concessions from the E.U. over the Irish backstop.
From Irish Examiner, Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party warns May that they expect her to keep her word.
From CBC News, a petition calls for the U.S. to give the Northwest Angle to Canada. (The Northwest Angle is a part of the American state of Minnesota separated from the rest of the U.S. by the Lake Of The Woods.)
From the National Post, the weapons Prime Minister Trudeau the Younger promised the Kurds are still sitting in a Canadian warehouse. (Just I have referred to the 43rd American president as "Bush the Younger", because his father once held the same position, I can likewise call the current Canadian PM as "Trudeau the Younger".)
From France24, in Iraqi Kurdistan, women strive to end FGM.
From RFI, will weakened French President Macron be able to get any reforms passed this year?
From El País, the number of migrants arriving in Spain by sea reached a record high in 2018.
From SwissInfo, the political issues on Switzerland's agenda for 2019.
From ANSA, Italian Interior Minister Salvini and Palermo Mayor Orlando clash over the former's security decree.
From the Malta Independent, the Sea-Watch 3, with 32 migrants on board, is given permission to move closer to Malta due to bad weather.
From Total Croatia News, the U.S. and Israel fail to reach an agreement about the sale of F-16s to Croatia. (If you read Croatian, read more at Večernji List and Jutarnji Vijesti.)
From Ekathimerini, a VAT discount given to five Aegean islands due to the number of migrants they currently host could be extended.
From the Greek Reporter, young Greek researchers produce a "breakthrough" electric racecar.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, FYROM's ratification of the treaty to change its name could lead to developments in Greece.
From Novinite, Bulgaria assumes the rotating presidency of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
From Russia Today, 32 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of a building partially destroyed by a gas explosion.
From Hürriyet Daily News, an American delegation visits Ankara, Turkey to discuss evidence about the FETÖ group.
From Turkish Minute, Turkey indicts 14 suspected human smugglers for the deaths of three migrants.
From Arutz Sheva, former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon files to register his new political party.
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli ultra-Orthodox parties are reportedly talking about forming an electoral alliance.
From YNetNews, over half of the people immigrating to Israel in 2018 are not recognized as Jews.
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt's environment minister announces plans to protect natural areas in the Sinai and the Red Sea.
From Rûdaw, President Trump still wants to protect Syrian Kurds.
From Iraqi News, Iraqi troops in Nineveh destroy four tunnels dug by ISIS. (In Iraq and on the borders of Israel, terrorists seem to have developed a penchant for digging tunnels.)
From Dawn, the Pakistani army reportedly shoots down a spy drone from India.
From Gatestone Institute, what is the "Islamic University of Europe" teaching?
From Fox News, Trump unveils his poster inspired by Game of Thrones.
From The Daily Caller, the healthy economy and job market make recruiting more difficult for the Army.
From Twitchy, former PFC Chelsea Manning wants to abolish the presidency, even after receiving a commutation from a person holding that office.
From CNS News, the country reportedly jailing the most journalists is China.
From the Los Angeles Times, the illegal alien who allegedly killed Police Corporal Ronil Singh has been charged with murder.
And from Science News, the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule, recently visited by the New Horizons space probe, looks like a snowman.
From MSNBC, Senator-elect Mitt Romney (R-UT) has some harsh words for President Trump.
From CNN, Trump responds to Romney.
From The Week, will Romney try to primary Trump in 2020?
From The Federalist, Romney was not wrong to criticize Trump, but his reasons were.
From the Washington Examiner, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) sides with Trump against Romney.
From The New York Times Magazine, former Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) has some words for Trump, and for some other people.
From American Thinker, some of California's ballot-harvesters, who helped flip the House blue, were DREAMers. (In many states, ballot-harvesting is illegal.)
From National Review, one of the few things still not politicized these days has four legs and wags its tail.
From Townhall, there was a time when Democrats supported border security.
From The Washington Free Beacon, Trump's agenda of deregulation has slowed, but is still going on.
From FrontpageMag, the next migrant caravan is already getting organized.
From Voice Of Europe, according to Prime Minister Orban, mixing Hungarian culture with Islam is not a good idea.
From Daily News Hungary, the Hungarian opposition party Jobbik accuses their government of imposing austerity.
From About Hungary, Hungary raises its minimum wage eight percent. (Would that sort of thing happen under austerity?)
From Hungary Today, in Brazil, Prime Ministers Orban (Hungary) and Netanyahu (Israel) discuss a planned meeting between Israel and the Visegrad group. (Visegrad is a city in Hungary, but has a Slavic name which roughly translated means "upper fortress".)
From The Slovak Spectator, Slovak Prime Minister Pellegrini addresses his country, saying that they "have built a mental Berlin wall". (Yes, the Slovak PM has an Italian name.)
From Radio Praha, Czech leaders call for greater civility during their New Year's Day messages.
From Radio Poland, Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki predicts changes for the E.U. after this year's elections. (His last name refers to the region of Moravia in the Czech Republic.)
From Deutsche Welle, in the wake of attacks by refugees in Amberg, Germany's interior minister calls for stricter deportation laws.
From the NL Times, the Netherlands recalls all of its F-16 fighter jets from Syria.
From Dutch News, the bonfire on a beach in Scheveningen may have violated permit rules. (Scheveningen is a district of The Hague.)
From VRT NWS, Belgian Interior Minister Pieter De Crem denounces the violence against fire fighters and police on New Year's Eve.
From the Express, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has a "key message" for all Brexit supporters.
From the Independent, the number of peers in the House of Lords needs to be reduced, say their own Speaker.
From the Evening Standard, U.K. Prime Minister May again tries to obtain concessions from the E.U. over the Irish backstop.
From Irish Examiner, Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party warns May that they expect her to keep her word.
From CBC News, a petition calls for the U.S. to give the Northwest Angle to Canada. (The Northwest Angle is a part of the American state of Minnesota separated from the rest of the U.S. by the Lake Of The Woods.)
From the National Post, the weapons Prime Minister Trudeau the Younger promised the Kurds are still sitting in a Canadian warehouse. (Just I have referred to the 43rd American president as "Bush the Younger", because his father once held the same position, I can likewise call the current Canadian PM as "Trudeau the Younger".)
From France24, in Iraqi Kurdistan, women strive to end FGM.
From RFI, will weakened French President Macron be able to get any reforms passed this year?
From El País, the number of migrants arriving in Spain by sea reached a record high in 2018.
From SwissInfo, the political issues on Switzerland's agenda for 2019.
From ANSA, Italian Interior Minister Salvini and Palermo Mayor Orlando clash over the former's security decree.
From the Malta Independent, the Sea-Watch 3, with 32 migrants on board, is given permission to move closer to Malta due to bad weather.
From Total Croatia News, the U.S. and Israel fail to reach an agreement about the sale of F-16s to Croatia. (If you read Croatian, read more at Večernji List and Jutarnji Vijesti.)
From Ekathimerini, a VAT discount given to five Aegean islands due to the number of migrants they currently host could be extended.
From the Greek Reporter, young Greek researchers produce a "breakthrough" electric racecar.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, FYROM's ratification of the treaty to change its name could lead to developments in Greece.
From Novinite, Bulgaria assumes the rotating presidency of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
From Russia Today, 32 bodies have been pulled from the wreckage of a building partially destroyed by a gas explosion.
From Hürriyet Daily News, an American delegation visits Ankara, Turkey to discuss evidence about the FETÖ group.
From Turkish Minute, Turkey indicts 14 suspected human smugglers for the deaths of three migrants.
From Arutz Sheva, former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon files to register his new political party.
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli ultra-Orthodox parties are reportedly talking about forming an electoral alliance.
From YNetNews, over half of the people immigrating to Israel in 2018 are not recognized as Jews.
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt's environment minister announces plans to protect natural areas in the Sinai and the Red Sea.
From Rûdaw, President Trump still wants to protect Syrian Kurds.
From Iraqi News, Iraqi troops in Nineveh destroy four tunnels dug by ISIS. (In Iraq and on the borders of Israel, terrorists seem to have developed a penchant for digging tunnels.)
From Dawn, the Pakistani army reportedly shoots down a spy drone from India.
From Gatestone Institute, what is the "Islamic University of Europe" teaching?
From Fox News, Trump unveils his poster inspired by Game of Thrones.
From The Daily Caller, the healthy economy and job market make recruiting more difficult for the Army.
From Twitchy, former PFC Chelsea Manning wants to abolish the presidency, even after receiving a commutation from a person holding that office.
From CNS News, the country reportedly jailing the most journalists is China.
From the Los Angeles Times, the illegal alien who allegedly killed Police Corporal Ronil Singh has been charged with murder.
And from Science News, the Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule, recently visited by the New Horizons space probe, looks like a snowman.
Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Stories To Start The Year
The year 2019 has begun, and so have the things going on:
From The Hill, President Trump says, "Calm down and enjoy the ride".
From Politico, Trump invites leading congresscritters for a briefing on the wall. (We don't need no educat.....oh wait, not THAT wall.)
From National Review, the extremes of wealth and education in California, as the middle class flees.
From the Washington Examiner, Trump says that 2019 will be "fantastic" for those not deranged about him.
From American Thinker, why open borders are absurd.
From FrontpageMag, myths and true history about pre-Castro Cuba.
From the Financial Times, Jair Bolsonaro is inaugurated as the president of Brazil.
From Voice Of Europe, four refugees injure 12 people in Amberg, Germany. (If you read German, read the story at Focus.)
From Deutsche Welle, a man drives his car into groups of pedestrians in two German cities.
From the NL Times, New Year's bonfires go out of control in Scheveningen, Netherlands. (via Voice Of Europe)
From Dutch News, four people die during New Year's festivities in the Netherlands. (If you read Dutch, read about one of them who died in Enschede at Tubantia.)
From the Express, London Mayor Sadiq Khan causes outrage with "anti-Brexit" fireworks.
From BBC News, a knife attack at Manchester's Victoria railroad station is investigated as a terror incident.
From the Mirror, as the Manchester Victoria attacker was put into a police car, he reportedly shouter "Allahu akbar".
From the Independent, more on Mayor Khan's London fireworks. (via Voice Of Europe)
From the Daily Mail, a man having dual Palestinian and American citizenship is sentenced to life in prison for selling property to a Jewish group.
From The Conservative Woman, let them eat potatoes.
From the Irish Examiner, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is concerned about possible external interference in this year's E.U. elections. (Again, I welcome any suggestion on how to pronounce "Taoiseach".)
From Global News, a panel of Canadian MPs recommends that criminal pardons should be automatic for some offenders.
From France24, amid tight security, thousands celebrate New Year's in Paris.
From RFI, French authorities stop a group of 14 migrants from traveling to Britain on a stolen boat. (For those of you who wish to liken the migrants to Jesus, would Jesus and his followers, some of whom were fisherman and thus familiar with boats, actually steal a boat? Please bear in mind that as devout Jews, they would have been well aware of the commandment against stealing.)
From Swiss Info, Switzerland's new or amended laws for 2019.
From the Malta Independent, 70,000 people celebrate New Year's in Valletta, Malta.
From Malta Today, the Maltese army rescues 249 migrants from NGO boats, but 49 are still aboard them.
From Total Croatia News, Croatia's new or amended laws for 2019. (If you read Croatian, read the story at Večerny List, whose name means "evening letter", if my knowledge of the similar language Polish allows me an educated guess.)
From Ekathimerini, rough weather doesn't stop illegal undocumented migrants from heading to Greece's Aegean islands.
From the Greek Reporter, how Greece will benefit from the East Med natural gas pipeline.
From Sputnik International, according to the family of an American detained in Moscow, he was in Russia to attend a wedding.
From Radio Poland, Poland celebrates the New Year with festivities and laser displays.
From Radio Praha, Czechs welcome the New Year with optimism.
From Daily News Hungary, the Hungarian cabinet aims to maintain the country's security.
From Hürriyet Daily News, a German man attending his mother's funeral in Turkey has been barred from leaving the country.
From Turkish Minute, in 2018, 112 journalist were sentenced to prison in Turkey.
From Arutz Sheva, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Honduran President Hernandez discuss opening embassies in each other's country.
From The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu also meets with U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo.
From The Times Of Israel, Jerusalem's new mayor wants mosques to have quieter loudspeakers.
From AhlulBayt News Agency, Syrian authorities find two Roman-era sculptures in former ISIS hideouts.
From The Express Tribune, authorities in Punjab arrest 18 drug pushers near educational facilities. (If you ever want to ruin your life and spend a long time in prison, trying to sell illegal drugs in a Muslim country would be an effective way of doing so.)
From Gatestone Institute, how multiculturalism is transforming the U.K.
From ABC 10, about 150 migrants attempt to climb the border fence, while some throw rocks at Border Patrol agents. (via Legal Insurrection)
From Fox News, the Border Patrol uses tear gas to defend themselves.
From Click Orlando, a two-year-old girl is injured by a rhino after falling into its enclosure. (via The Daily Caller)
From the Billings Gazette, Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission mistakenly builds a latrine on private land. (via the New York Post)
And from The Babylon Bee, every father in the U.S. tells his child(ren) an all-too-obvious fact.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Say Goodbye To 2018
The year 2018 is a few hours away from its conclusion, at which time the year 2019 will begin. In some of my end-of-the-year posts, I've mentioned the idea of living "in interesting times". I would certainly have to say that in 2018, the times continued to be interesting.
Here in the United States, President Donald Trump certainly had an interesting year. He renegotiated NAFTA with Canada and Mexico, producing a new agreement known as USMCA. He saw one of his associates plead guilty during the course of the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Muller into alleged collusion with Russia, although the nature of the collusion still hasn't been specified or proven. The courts won't let Trump end DACA, even through it was enacted through an executive order by then-President Barack Obama. The president has enacted tariffs on goods such as steel and aluminum, which caused some retaliation, but did not seem to have too much of an effect on the overall economy. He met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which seems to have improved our relations with them just a bit. In this year's midterm elections, the Democrats took back the House, but the Republicans increased their lead in the Senate. As the year finishes, the federal government is in partial shutdown because Trump and the Democrats in Congress have come to an impasse over funding for a wall on the border with Mexico.
The most interesting event of the year involving the federal government might be the nomination and confirmation hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which involved accusations of past misconduct coming mainly from Dr. Christine Ford. She sent a letter to Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Cal), which the Senator sat on for some time, detailing his alleged actions, which if true happened when Ford and Kavanaugh were teenagers. (At the time, she would have been known by her maiden name Blasey.) After both accuser and accused testified before a Senate committee, Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed.
The year included a number of interesting (at least in the sense of being ominous) events, such as a false alarm in Hawaii over what appeared to be a ballistic missile strike, a mass shooting at a high school in Florida, more wildfires in California, a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and a series of mailbombs sent to various Democrats. Although the economy has been generally good this year, the stock markets took a nose dive in late December. Just last week a California police officer who had legally immigrated from Fiji was killed allegedly by an illegal alien.
Over in Europe, migrants have kept pouring in as they have since 2015, often with the help of traffickers and the crews of NGO boats. During the past week or so, migrants using dinghies have been arriving on British beaches or have been rescued by British border protection boats. The United Nations has reacted to the continuing wave of migrants by passing the Global Compact for Migration, meeting at Marrakech, Morocco. Some Europeans have reacted to the wave of migrants by forming or supporting political parties that oppose mass migration, such as the Vox party in Spain or the AfD in Germany. Late during this year, people wearing yellow vests started protesting in France, starting a movement that spread to other countries. Although the U.K. voted to leave the E.U. over two years ago, they still haven't figured out any deal that satisfies both sides. Meanwhile here in North America, a caravan of migrants traveled from Central America through Mexico to our southern border.
In Turkey, an Arab journalist based in New York named Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate. (I also found out that Queen produced a song in 1989 named Khashoggi's Ship, the titular a ship being owned by the journalist's arms-trading uncle.) American efforts in Syria seem to have greatly reduced the power and territory held by the terrorist group ISIS, but they still haven't been completely wiped out. Even so, President Trump has announced that U.S. troops will pull out of that country. During the year, Indonesia was struck by tsunamis in two different places.
As with any year, 2018 has seen the deaths of many notable people. This year's list includes former President George H.W. Bush, his wife Barbara Bush, Senator John McCain, singer Aretha Franklin, singer Marty Balin (of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship), journalist Charles Krauthammer, physicist Stephen Hawking, science fiction writer Ursula K. LeGuin (whose novel The Left Hand Of Darkness I read for a college class), evangelist Billy Graham, and retired Virginia Tech President Charles Steger. One person whose passing I've noted was Danny Kirwan, an early member of Fleetwood Mac whose music, in my opinion, deserves more recognition than it has received. One other person whom I should note was World War II veteran Richard Overton, all 112 years of him.
In my own life, 2018 could be seen as the year of letting go. Last January, my mother passed away, which eventually led to my siblings and myself selling her house. I had entertained some ideas about buying the house myself and keeping it in the family, but that would have been a last resort. After driving it for 18 years, I let go of the Bigfootmobile and replaced it with a newer one. For the first time in many years, I have gone through an entire year without taking a flight on an airplane. My travels, mainly to Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, have been done by car. I currently have plans to drive the new Bigfootmobile on a road trip, the details of which will be posted here in due course.
All of the above, of course, is merely what I can remember offhand or look up. There are obviously many more things that might deserve to be mentioned, by I can only write so much. To all who read this blog, have a Happy New Year, and hopefully it will be one in which the times are less troublesome, even if they again continue to be interesting.
Here in the United States, President Donald Trump certainly had an interesting year. He renegotiated NAFTA with Canada and Mexico, producing a new agreement known as USMCA. He saw one of his associates plead guilty during the course of the investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Muller into alleged collusion with Russia, although the nature of the collusion still hasn't been specified or proven. The courts won't let Trump end DACA, even through it was enacted through an executive order by then-President Barack Obama. The president has enacted tariffs on goods such as steel and aluminum, which caused some retaliation, but did not seem to have too much of an effect on the overall economy. He met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which seems to have improved our relations with them just a bit. In this year's midterm elections, the Democrats took back the House, but the Republicans increased their lead in the Senate. As the year finishes, the federal government is in partial shutdown because Trump and the Democrats in Congress have come to an impasse over funding for a wall on the border with Mexico.
The most interesting event of the year involving the federal government might be the nomination and confirmation hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, which involved accusations of past misconduct coming mainly from Dr. Christine Ford. She sent a letter to Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Cal), which the Senator sat on for some time, detailing his alleged actions, which if true happened when Ford and Kavanaugh were teenagers. (At the time, she would have been known by her maiden name Blasey.) After both accuser and accused testified before a Senate committee, Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed.
The year included a number of interesting (at least in the sense of being ominous) events, such as a false alarm in Hawaii over what appeared to be a ballistic missile strike, a mass shooting at a high school in Florida, more wildfires in California, a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, and a series of mailbombs sent to various Democrats. Although the economy has been generally good this year, the stock markets took a nose dive in late December. Just last week a California police officer who had legally immigrated from Fiji was killed allegedly by an illegal alien.
Over in Europe, migrants have kept pouring in as they have since 2015, often with the help of traffickers and the crews of NGO boats. During the past week or so, migrants using dinghies have been arriving on British beaches or have been rescued by British border protection boats. The United Nations has reacted to the continuing wave of migrants by passing the Global Compact for Migration, meeting at Marrakech, Morocco. Some Europeans have reacted to the wave of migrants by forming or supporting political parties that oppose mass migration, such as the Vox party in Spain or the AfD in Germany. Late during this year, people wearing yellow vests started protesting in France, starting a movement that spread to other countries. Although the U.K. voted to leave the E.U. over two years ago, they still haven't figured out any deal that satisfies both sides. Meanwhile here in North America, a caravan of migrants traveled from Central America through Mexico to our southern border.
In Turkey, an Arab journalist based in New York named Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate. (I also found out that Queen produced a song in 1989 named Khashoggi's Ship, the titular a ship being owned by the journalist's arms-trading uncle.) American efforts in Syria seem to have greatly reduced the power and territory held by the terrorist group ISIS, but they still haven't been completely wiped out. Even so, President Trump has announced that U.S. troops will pull out of that country. During the year, Indonesia was struck by tsunamis in two different places.
As with any year, 2018 has seen the deaths of many notable people. This year's list includes former President George H.W. Bush, his wife Barbara Bush, Senator John McCain, singer Aretha Franklin, singer Marty Balin (of Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship), journalist Charles Krauthammer, physicist Stephen Hawking, science fiction writer Ursula K. LeGuin (whose novel The Left Hand Of Darkness I read for a college class), evangelist Billy Graham, and retired Virginia Tech President Charles Steger. One person whose passing I've noted was Danny Kirwan, an early member of Fleetwood Mac whose music, in my opinion, deserves more recognition than it has received. One other person whom I should note was World War II veteran Richard Overton, all 112 years of him.
In my own life, 2018 could be seen as the year of letting go. Last January, my mother passed away, which eventually led to my siblings and myself selling her house. I had entertained some ideas about buying the house myself and keeping it in the family, but that would have been a last resort. After driving it for 18 years, I let go of the Bigfootmobile and replaced it with a newer one. For the first time in many years, I have gone through an entire year without taking a flight on an airplane. My travels, mainly to Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, have been done by car. I currently have plans to drive the new Bigfootmobile on a road trip, the details of which will be posted here in due course.
All of the above, of course, is merely what I can remember offhand or look up. There are obviously many more things that might deserve to be mentioned, by I can only write so much. To all who read this blog, have a Happy New Year, and hopefully it will be one in which the times are less troublesome, even if they again continue to be interesting.
The Last Monday Mania Of The Year
Pretty soon, 2018 will come to a close, so here is this year's last list of things going on:
From Voice Of Europe, why the U.K. should adopt Australia's policy toward migrants.
From the Express, two of the U.K.'s largest patrol boats are deployed in the English Channel to deal with migrants on dinghies.
From the Evening Standard, 12 migrants from Iran are detained after landing at Lydd-on-sea, England.
From The Guardian, 39 people are arrested after a stabbing incident in the city where knives are illegal.
From the Independent, homicides in London hit a 10-year high.
From France24, "yellow vest" protesters appear at New Year's festivities on the Champs-Elysée in Paris, but are mostly quiet.
From the NL Times, a suspected terrorist is arrested in Rotterdam.
From Deutsche Welle, right-wing populism has become the E.U.'s "elephant in the room".
From Radio Poland, the Warsaw Uprising Museum saw record crowds in 2018.
From The Slovak Spectator, a measles outbreak spreads in eastern Slovakia.
From Hungary Daily News, Russian President Vladimir Putin is the second most popular public figure in Hungary, behind Pope Francis.
From About Hungary, the Let Us Teach for Hungary program helps students in the country's smaller communities.
From Russia Today, at least seven people are killed when a gas explosion partially destroys a 10-story residential building.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, the leader of a minority partner in Bulgaria's government calls into question a proposal to buy American F-16s.
From the Malta Independent, a Maltese Patrol Vessel picks up 180 migrants.
From ANSA, two minor earthquakes occur at Mount Etna.
From CBC News, Canadians face changes to their tax laws in 2019.
From Global News, a Canadian man is arrested after making a bomb threat at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. (This is the same airport that I flew into on my trip to the Netherlands in 2017.)
From Hürriyet Daily News, according to writers of a book about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, his body is in garden well at the Saudi consul's house.
From Turkish Minute, a bank executive is investigated on suspicion of insulting President Erdoğan, over a Tweet he posted five years ago.
From Arutz Sheva, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has no intention of resigning.
From The Times Of Israel, a civilian drone nearly collides with an Israeli Air Force helicopter.
From Iraqi News, the Iraqi army destroys six ISIS hotbeds and detonate three explosives in the Nineveh area.
From Khaama Press, Taliban leaders meet with Iranian officials in Tehran.
From The Jakarta Post, religious leaders in the Indonesian province of Aceh advise Muslims against celebrating the New Year.
From the Times Union, two people are killed nearly 30 wounded by a bomb detonated at a mall in Cotabato, Philippines.
From Ahval, a Turkish mufti threatens a new site for discussing the 2015 attack against the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
From FrontpageMag, in some part of the Muslim world, stating the Christian belief that Jesus is the Son of God is enough to offend Muslims.
From National Review, two authors argue that Federal courts have construed "free speech" too broadly.
From the Washington Examiner, 2018 was the worst week for Wall Street since 2008.
From The Federalist, 58 New Year's resolutions worth making, and why you should not make any.
From American Thinker, the most notable left-wing hypocrites of the past two years.
From Scott Adams' Blog, Scott Adams explains the withdrawal from Syria in a way that CNN can't understand. (Adams is the author of the Dilbert comic strip.)
From LifeZette, Democrats unveil their plan to end the partial government shutdown, without money for the wall.
From the New York Post, two Vatican officials abruptly resign.
And from the Spectator, a "legendary troll" offers New Year's resolution for cis white men. (via Twitchy)
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