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.
Monday, December 31, 2018
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)
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Sunday Links
Here on the last Sunday of the year are some things going on:
From Voice Of Europe, the 2019 European Parliament elections may be a battle between globalists and populists.
From Deutsche Welle, Germany's three foreign policy problems in 2019.
From Radio Poland, Poland sends 188 tons of humanitarian aid to refugees encamped in Greece.
From Hungary Journal, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto, E.U. leader Juncker "has not been a Christian democrat".
From Daily News Hungary, according to the opposition party Jobbik, the 2019 E.U. elections will have a significant effect on Hungary.
From Novinite, German police arrest a Syrian man suspected of planning a terror attack.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, according to Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, the U.S. and Russia are already talking about Kosovo.
From Ekathimerini, a bomb threat at a Greek TV station turns out to be a hoax.
From the Greek Reporter, 69 more migrants are rescued from the Aegean Sea.
From Total Croatia News, many Americans have been searching the internet trying to find out where Croatia is. (Yours truly visited the country in 2007, so I'd be happy to point out its location.)
From the Malta Independent, some of Malta's newest citizens include very rich Turks and Russian businessmen.
From Malta Today, 69 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean will be brought to Malta. (Despite the same number of migrants, this is not, as far as I can tell, the same story as that in the Greek Reporter, linked above.)
From SwissInfo, their most-read articles of 2018.
From RFI, a petition against French climate inaction gathers two million votes.
From VRT NWS, the ban on most gasoline-burning cars in Belgium's capital region will be extended.
From the Sunday Express, the landing of a dinghy carrying migrants is caught on video.
From the Evening Standard, a man is charged with racially abusing a soccer player.
From the Independent, in response to migrants crossing the English Channel, Home Secretary Sajid Javid cuts short his Christmas break.
From the Mirror, U.K. spies make progress hunting for the "white widow".
From CBC News, more unaccompanied minors are entering Canada as refugees.
From Global News, a Canadian man who had twins via a surrogate in Kenya is not allowed to bring them to Canada.
From CTV News, lawyers worry about proposed changes to Canada's criminal trial system.
From Hürriyet Daily News, for New Year's Eve, Istanbul rolls out the security personnel.
From Turkish Minute, Turkey's justice minister claims that U.S. prosecutors will travel to Turkey to discuss the extradition of Fethullah Gülen.
From Arutz Sheva, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Brazilian President-elect Bolsonaro visit a synagogue in Rio.
From The Times Of Israel, Netanyahu speaks to Brazilian Evangelicals and is given his own stamp.
From The Jerusalem Post, according to Netanyahu, Brazil moving their embassy to Jerusalem is "only a question of time".
From Rûdaw, 30 children of ISIS terrorists fly from Iraq to Russia.
From AhlulBayt News Agency, U.S. troops withdraw from a military warehouse in Syria.
From The Express Tribune, police in Karachi, Pakistan foil a terrorist attack planned for New Year's Eve.
From Al Arabiya, days after she is appointed, Iraq's minister of education resigns over her ties with ISIS.
From Gatestone Institute, Turkey conducts a war against Christian missionaries.
From Fitnaphobia, World Hijab Day ignores women forced to wear hijabs.
From Townhall, due to alleged election fraud, one seat in Congress will be empty when they are sworn in.
From The Washington Free Beacon, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) faults rural people for not supporting tax increases to combat climate change. (Am I imagining something, or do proposals for combating climate change always seem to involve either a new or increased tax?)
From the Washington Examiner, President Trump finds a good model for his wall currently surrounding the home of his predecessor.
From The Washington Times, a defective bracket has been found on a jet bridge that collapsed at BWI.
From American Thinker, why leaving your doors open is not always a good idea.
From Campus Reform, the five most insane free speech controversies of this year.
From The Seguin Gazette, an observant witness and an off-duty cop prevent a potential church shooting. (via The Blaze)
From Twitchy, journalist Brit Hume drops a truth bomb on Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
From the New York Post, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that he will decide early next year whether to run for president.
And from CBS Sports, the NCAA championship game will be a rematch.
From Voice Of Europe, the 2019 European Parliament elections may be a battle between globalists and populists.
From Deutsche Welle, Germany's three foreign policy problems in 2019.
From Radio Poland, Poland sends 188 tons of humanitarian aid to refugees encamped in Greece.
From Hungary Journal, according to Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjarto, E.U. leader Juncker "has not been a Christian democrat".
From Daily News Hungary, according to the opposition party Jobbik, the 2019 E.U. elections will have a significant effect on Hungary.
From Novinite, German police arrest a Syrian man suspected of planning a terror attack.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, according to Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, the U.S. and Russia are already talking about Kosovo.
From Ekathimerini, a bomb threat at a Greek TV station turns out to be a hoax.
From the Greek Reporter, 69 more migrants are rescued from the Aegean Sea.
From Total Croatia News, many Americans have been searching the internet trying to find out where Croatia is. (Yours truly visited the country in 2007, so I'd be happy to point out its location.)
From the Malta Independent, some of Malta's newest citizens include very rich Turks and Russian businessmen.
From Malta Today, 69 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean will be brought to Malta. (Despite the same number of migrants, this is not, as far as I can tell, the same story as that in the Greek Reporter, linked above.)
From SwissInfo, their most-read articles of 2018.
From RFI, a petition against French climate inaction gathers two million votes.
From VRT NWS, the ban on most gasoline-burning cars in Belgium's capital region will be extended.
From the Sunday Express, the landing of a dinghy carrying migrants is caught on video.
From the Evening Standard, a man is charged with racially abusing a soccer player.
From the Independent, in response to migrants crossing the English Channel, Home Secretary Sajid Javid cuts short his Christmas break.
From the Mirror, U.K. spies make progress hunting for the "white widow".
From CBC News, more unaccompanied minors are entering Canada as refugees.
From Global News, a Canadian man who had twins via a surrogate in Kenya is not allowed to bring them to Canada.
From CTV News, lawyers worry about proposed changes to Canada's criminal trial system.
From Hürriyet Daily News, for New Year's Eve, Istanbul rolls out the security personnel.
From Turkish Minute, Turkey's justice minister claims that U.S. prosecutors will travel to Turkey to discuss the extradition of Fethullah Gülen.
From Arutz Sheva, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Brazilian President-elect Bolsonaro visit a synagogue in Rio.
From The Times Of Israel, Netanyahu speaks to Brazilian Evangelicals and is given his own stamp.
From The Jerusalem Post, according to Netanyahu, Brazil moving their embassy to Jerusalem is "only a question of time".
From Rûdaw, 30 children of ISIS terrorists fly from Iraq to Russia.
From AhlulBayt News Agency, U.S. troops withdraw from a military warehouse in Syria.
From The Express Tribune, police in Karachi, Pakistan foil a terrorist attack planned for New Year's Eve.
From Al Arabiya, days after she is appointed, Iraq's minister of education resigns over her ties with ISIS.
From Gatestone Institute, Turkey conducts a war against Christian missionaries.
From Fitnaphobia, World Hijab Day ignores women forced to wear hijabs.
From Townhall, due to alleged election fraud, one seat in Congress will be empty when they are sworn in.
From The Washington Free Beacon, California Governor Jerry Brown (D) faults rural people for not supporting tax increases to combat climate change. (Am I imagining something, or do proposals for combating climate change always seem to involve either a new or increased tax?)
From the Washington Examiner, President Trump finds a good model for his wall currently surrounding the home of his predecessor.
From The Washington Times, a defective bracket has been found on a jet bridge that collapsed at BWI.
From American Thinker, why leaving your doors open is not always a good idea.
From Campus Reform, the five most insane free speech controversies of this year.
From The Seguin Gazette, an observant witness and an off-duty cop prevent a potential church shooting. (via The Blaze)
From Twitchy, journalist Brit Hume drops a truth bomb on Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
From the New York Post, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says that he will decide early next year whether to run for president.
And from CBS Sports, the NCAA championship game will be a rematch.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Saturday Stuff
Here on the last Saturday of the year are some things going on:
From Voice Of Europe, Europeans need to stop their open borders policy, say African leaders.
From the Express, U.K. Conservatives fault the E.U. for failing to secure U.K. citizen rights.
From the Evening Standard, police admit some of the drones seen around Gatwick Airport may have been their own.
From The Guardian, the Sussex chief of police is "absolutely certain" that there was a drone near Gatwick.
From BBC News, U.K. Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes defends her government's handling of the migrant traffic across the English Channel.
From The Conservative Woman, a successful no-deal Brexit would be the worst nightmare for the Remainers.
From the Irish Examiner, up to 45 pieces of legislation reportedly must be passed by the Irish Dáil if there is a no-deal Brexit.
From France24, after dealing with the "yellow vest" protesters, France's government faces the climate crusaders. (Again I must ask, will the climate protesters ever appear in front of the Chinese embassy?)
From RFI, the "yellow vest" turnout this weekend was low.
From the Malta Independent, a Malta-flagged empty oil tanker runs aground and catches fire in Cyprus.
From Malta Today. Maltese bishops call for solidarity with migrants rescued at sea.
From Total Croatia News, Slovenia's government has changed, but its position on the border with Croatia has not.
From Ekathimerini, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announces plans to create an international university near Thessaloniki.
From Novinite, E.U. leader Jean-Claude Juncker says that Romania is not fit for the E.U. presidency.
From Russia Today, a Russian governor is in trouble over his hunting habits.
From Daily News Hungary, according to Hungary's cabinet, left-wingers are responsible for "physical intimidation and violence".
From Radio Praha, the Czech Republic is likely to have a balanced budget in 2019.
From Radio Poland, Poland remembers a diplomat who helped Jews during World War II.
From Deutsche Welle, a man reportedly high on drugs drives a car through a gate at the Hannover Airport.
From VRT NWS, dozens of barrels containing suspected drug waste are found dumped in a forest near Houthalen-Helchteren, Belgium. (Roll out the barrel, indeed.)
From Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey and Russia agree to coordinate their operations in Syria after American troops leave.
From Rûdaw, the Kurdistan Regional Government lashes out against an Iraqi cleric's anti-Christmas fatwa.
From The Times Of Israel, a French man who helped smuggle Jewish children into Switzerland during World War II dies at age 108.
From Khaama Press, at least 36 militants, including some from Uzbekistan, are killed by the Afghan military.
From the Daily Sabah, Germany wants to regulate foreign donations to mosques.
From Free Press Kashmir, a group of masked boys desecrate a mosque and wave the ISIS flag.
From Gatestone Institute, Douglas Murray puts his finger on the problem with the U.K.
From Al Jazeera, as an election approaches, Bangla Desh shuts down its mobile internet.
From The Bulletin, Egyptian security forces have killed 40 terrorists in response to the bombing of a bus near the Giza Pyramids.
From National Review, a reviewer calls the movie Aquaman "all wet".
From Townhall, "blame Congress, not the Border Patrol".
From The Washington Free Beacon, their man of the year for 2018.
From the Washington Examiner, President Trump denies federal employees a pay increase for next year.
From American Thinker, illegal aliens and the American dream.
From Fox News, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) is not afraid of giving his opinion of one election result.
From the New York Post, Russia builds a fence between Crimea and Ukraine. (The article asks how to say "build the wall" in Russian. I would suspect that it might not be too different from the Polish buduj mur.)
From Twitchy, the Women's March will not be deterred by the partial government shutdown.
And from the Hindustan Times, police in Bareilly, India blame the disappearance of 1,000 liters of seized liquor on rats.
From Voice Of Europe, Europeans need to stop their open borders policy, say African leaders.
From the Express, U.K. Conservatives fault the E.U. for failing to secure U.K. citizen rights.
From the Evening Standard, police admit some of the drones seen around Gatwick Airport may have been their own.
From The Guardian, the Sussex chief of police is "absolutely certain" that there was a drone near Gatwick.
From BBC News, U.K. Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes defends her government's handling of the migrant traffic across the English Channel.
From The Conservative Woman, a successful no-deal Brexit would be the worst nightmare for the Remainers.
From the Irish Examiner, up to 45 pieces of legislation reportedly must be passed by the Irish Dáil if there is a no-deal Brexit.
From France24, after dealing with the "yellow vest" protesters, France's government faces the climate crusaders. (Again I must ask, will the climate protesters ever appear in front of the Chinese embassy?)
From RFI, the "yellow vest" turnout this weekend was low.
From the Malta Independent, a Malta-flagged empty oil tanker runs aground and catches fire in Cyprus.
From Malta Today. Maltese bishops call for solidarity with migrants rescued at sea.
From Total Croatia News, Slovenia's government has changed, but its position on the border with Croatia has not.
From Ekathimerini, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announces plans to create an international university near Thessaloniki.
From Novinite, E.U. leader Jean-Claude Juncker says that Romania is not fit for the E.U. presidency.
From Russia Today, a Russian governor is in trouble over his hunting habits.
From Daily News Hungary, according to Hungary's cabinet, left-wingers are responsible for "physical intimidation and violence".
From Radio Praha, the Czech Republic is likely to have a balanced budget in 2019.
From Radio Poland, Poland remembers a diplomat who helped Jews during World War II.
From Deutsche Welle, a man reportedly high on drugs drives a car through a gate at the Hannover Airport.
From VRT NWS, dozens of barrels containing suspected drug waste are found dumped in a forest near Houthalen-Helchteren, Belgium. (Roll out the barrel, indeed.)
From Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey and Russia agree to coordinate their operations in Syria after American troops leave.
From Rûdaw, the Kurdistan Regional Government lashes out against an Iraqi cleric's anti-Christmas fatwa.
From The Times Of Israel, a French man who helped smuggle Jewish children into Switzerland during World War II dies at age 108.
From Khaama Press, at least 36 militants, including some from Uzbekistan, are killed by the Afghan military.
From the Daily Sabah, Germany wants to regulate foreign donations to mosques.
From Free Press Kashmir, a group of masked boys desecrate a mosque and wave the ISIS flag.
From Gatestone Institute, Douglas Murray puts his finger on the problem with the U.K.
From Al Jazeera, as an election approaches, Bangla Desh shuts down its mobile internet.
From The Bulletin, Egyptian security forces have killed 40 terrorists in response to the bombing of a bus near the Giza Pyramids.
From National Review, a reviewer calls the movie Aquaman "all wet".
From Townhall, "blame Congress, not the Border Patrol".
From The Washington Free Beacon, their man of the year for 2018.
From the Washington Examiner, President Trump denies federal employees a pay increase for next year.
From American Thinker, illegal aliens and the American dream.
From Fox News, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) is not afraid of giving his opinion of one election result.
From the New York Post, Russia builds a fence between Crimea and Ukraine. (The article asks how to say "build the wall" in Russian. I would suspect that it might not be too different from the Polish buduj mur.)
From Twitchy, the Women's March will not be deterred by the partial government shutdown.
And from the Hindustan Times, police in Bareilly, India blame the disappearance of 1,000 liters of seized liquor on rats.
Friday, December 28, 2018
Friday Fuss And Fun
It's the last Friday of 2018, with its own set of things going on. The first two stories, both from Israel, were Tweeted by Gadi Adelman, so he gets the H/T. Starting with those, here are today's stories:
From Arutz Sheva, what if the Six-Day War had not taken place?
From YNetNews, a balloon bomb lands in a kindergarten yard in Israel near the Gaza border.
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu arrives in Brazil, where he will meet with President-elect Bolsonaro.
From the Egypt Independent, three Jewish cemeteries in Alexandria will be protected under Egyptian antiquities law.
From Al Jazeera, a roadside bomb kills two Vietnamese tourists near the Giza pyramids.
From Rûdaw, the Syrian army enters Manbij.
From Hürriyet Daily News, tourist visits to Turkey during the first 11 months of 2018 have increased by 22 percent over 2017.
From Turkish Minute, 15 military officers are arrested after communicating via pay phone.
From Ekathimerini, a man is arrested near Thessaloniki, Greece for allegedly transportingillegal irregular migrants.
From the Greek Reporter, the issue of FYROM"s name will be a major factor in Greek politics in 2019.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, this year has seen a record high number of mafia-related murders in Serbia.
From Total Croatia News, the U.S. Congress approves Israel selling F-16s to Croatia.
From the Malta Independent, the Sea-Watch 3 receives a distress call from another ship carrying migrants.
From Malta Today, NGOs call on Malta to accept migrants.
From ANSA, 9.8 million tourists are expected to celebrate the New Year in Italy.
From El País, the ship Open Arms arrives in Spain with 311 migrants.
From France24, "yellow vest" activists plan to protest tomorrow and on New Year's Eve.
From the Express, U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid admits that the migrant crisis is "out of control".
From the Evening Standard, 12 migrants from Syria and Iran are rescued from the English Channel. (The reason given for all these people for migrating is that their countries are torn by war. While this is certainly true for Syria, what war is currently being fought in Iran?)
From BBC News, will next year be one of rising knife crime?
From the Independent, the Royal Mail apologizes for issuing a stamp commemorating D-Day with a photo of U.S. troops landing in Indonesia. (There has to be a bad joke similar to the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor in there somewhere.)
From VRT NWS, although Belgium has been on the Euro for 17 years, some people are still acquiring Euros for Belgian Francs.
From the NL Times, for the third time in a week, an ATM is bombed in Amsterdam.
From Dutch News, the Netherlands asks for help finding a port where the Sea-Watch 3 may dock.
From Deutsche Welle, a German who tried to join ISIS is charged in the death of a five-year-old girl she held as a slave.
From Radio Poland, two Czech foundations raise money for the families of the 12 Poles killed at a coal mine in Karvina, Czech Republic.
From the Slovak Spectator, according to a poll, these were the ten most momentous events of 2018.
From the Hungary Journal, Hungarian State Secretary Bence Retvari calls mass immigration "dangerous".
From Daily New Hungary, a Hungarian court sentences five members of a Slovak gang to several years in prison for multiple burglaries.
From Hungary Today, pictures of Transylvania from hundreds of years ago.
From About Hungary, Hungary has a goal of increasing the number of marriages and children.
From Russia Today, vandals in Saint Petersburg, Russia make Christmas trees look like klansmen.
From Dawn, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff ratifies the death sentences given to 22 terrorists.
From The Jakarta Post, in Vietnam, six men are arrested for killing and eating an endangered monkey.
From Citizen Digital, a former al-Shabaab spokesman is running for office in Somalia.
From CBC News, a "Canadian detained in China has returned home".
From Global News, waiter, there's a rat in my soup.
From FrontpageMag, their person of the year.
From National Review, Democrats hate the border wall because President Trump loves it.
From Townhall, the mayor of Oakland has no regrets about warning illegal aliens about ICE.
From The Washington Free Beacon, former (and possibly future) Speaker Pelosi finds a comfortable place to spend time during the shutdown.
From the Washington Examiner, Ohio legislators override Governor John Kasich's veto of a self-defense gun use bill.
From The Federalist, America's biggest rival isn't Russia, but China.
From AP News, Latino support for the Republicans remains steady, even with Trump's talk on immigration. (Perhaps some people realize that being against illegal immigrants is not the same thing as being bigoted toward Hispanics. The story comes via American Thinker.)
From LifeZette, the illegal alien wanted for the murder of Police Corporal Ronil Singh has been apprehended.
From CNS News, for the third straight year, a town on Long Island offers a gun exchange for toy guns.
From the New York Post, NYPD officers couldn't hide their shock at an explosion occurring at a power substation.
And from The Babylon Bee, the Grinch arrives to steal Christmas decorations, but finds that he's too late.
From Arutz Sheva, what if the Six-Day War had not taken place?
From YNetNews, a balloon bomb lands in a kindergarten yard in Israel near the Gaza border.
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu arrives in Brazil, where he will meet with President-elect Bolsonaro.
From the Egypt Independent, three Jewish cemeteries in Alexandria will be protected under Egyptian antiquities law.
From Al Jazeera, a roadside bomb kills two Vietnamese tourists near the Giza pyramids.
From Rûdaw, the Syrian army enters Manbij.
From Hürriyet Daily News, tourist visits to Turkey during the first 11 months of 2018 have increased by 22 percent over 2017.
From Turkish Minute, 15 military officers are arrested after communicating via pay phone.
From Ekathimerini, a man is arrested near Thessaloniki, Greece for allegedly transporting
From the Greek Reporter, the issue of FYROM"s name will be a major factor in Greek politics in 2019.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, this year has seen a record high number of mafia-related murders in Serbia.
From Total Croatia News, the U.S. Congress approves Israel selling F-16s to Croatia.
From the Malta Independent, the Sea-Watch 3 receives a distress call from another ship carrying migrants.
From Malta Today, NGOs call on Malta to accept migrants.
From ANSA, 9.8 million tourists are expected to celebrate the New Year in Italy.
From El País, the ship Open Arms arrives in Spain with 311 migrants.
From France24, "yellow vest" activists plan to protest tomorrow and on New Year's Eve.
From the Express, U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid admits that the migrant crisis is "out of control".
From the Evening Standard, 12 migrants from Syria and Iran are rescued from the English Channel. (The reason given for all these people for migrating is that their countries are torn by war. While this is certainly true for Syria, what war is currently being fought in Iran?)
From BBC News, will next year be one of rising knife crime?
From the Independent, the Royal Mail apologizes for issuing a stamp commemorating D-Day with a photo of U.S. troops landing in Indonesia. (There has to be a bad joke similar to the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor in there somewhere.)
From VRT NWS, although Belgium has been on the Euro for 17 years, some people are still acquiring Euros for Belgian Francs.
From the NL Times, for the third time in a week, an ATM is bombed in Amsterdam.
From Dutch News, the Netherlands asks for help finding a port where the Sea-Watch 3 may dock.
From Deutsche Welle, a German who tried to join ISIS is charged in the death of a five-year-old girl she held as a slave.
From Radio Poland, two Czech foundations raise money for the families of the 12 Poles killed at a coal mine in Karvina, Czech Republic.
From the Slovak Spectator, according to a poll, these were the ten most momentous events of 2018.
From the Hungary Journal, Hungarian State Secretary Bence Retvari calls mass immigration "dangerous".
From Daily New Hungary, a Hungarian court sentences five members of a Slovak gang to several years in prison for multiple burglaries.
From Hungary Today, pictures of Transylvania from hundreds of years ago.
From About Hungary, Hungary has a goal of increasing the number of marriages and children.
From Russia Today, vandals in Saint Petersburg, Russia make Christmas trees look like klansmen.
From Dawn, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff ratifies the death sentences given to 22 terrorists.
From The Jakarta Post, in Vietnam, six men are arrested for killing and eating an endangered monkey.
From Citizen Digital, a former al-Shabaab spokesman is running for office in Somalia.
From CBC News, a "Canadian detained in China has returned home".
From Global News, waiter, there's a rat in my soup.
From FrontpageMag, their person of the year.
From National Review, Democrats hate the border wall because President Trump loves it.
From Townhall, the mayor of Oakland has no regrets about warning illegal aliens about ICE.
From The Washington Free Beacon, former (and possibly future) Speaker Pelosi finds a comfortable place to spend time during the shutdown.
From the Washington Examiner, Ohio legislators override Governor John Kasich's veto of a self-defense gun use bill.
From The Federalist, America's biggest rival isn't Russia, but China.
From AP News, Latino support for the Republicans remains steady, even with Trump's talk on immigration. (Perhaps some people realize that being against illegal immigrants is not the same thing as being bigoted toward Hispanics. The story comes via American Thinker.)
From LifeZette, the illegal alien wanted for the murder of Police Corporal Ronil Singh has been apprehended.
From CNS News, for the third straight year, a town on Long Island offers a gun exchange for toy guns.
From the New York Post, NYPD officers couldn't hide their shock at an explosion occurring at a power substation.
And from The Babylon Bee, the Grinch arrives to steal Christmas decorations, but finds that he's too late.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Thursday Things
Now that I'm back from visiting the extended family for Christmas, here are some things going on:
From Voice Of Europe, the European Parliament tries to limit its members vocabulary.
From Deutsche Welle, what you should know about non-citizens in the German army.
From the NL Times, Belgian "yellow vest" protesters block a road leading to Maastricht, Netherlands.
From France24, a boy is rescued after spending 40 minutes under an avalanche near Bourg Saint-Maurice, France.
From the Express, some anti-Brexit MPs threaten to block the government's taxing power unless a second referendum is allowed.
From the Evening Standard, nine migrants are found on a beach in Kent County, England.
From the (U.K.) Independent, a study shows that one in five young workers in the U.K. are paid less than the legal minimum wage.
From the (Irish) Independent, a criminal gang uses children as young as seven to carry out burglaries.
From CBC News, according to Statistics Canada, the employment gap between native Canadians and immigrants is narrowing.
From Global News, Santa Claus goes BASE jumping off a condo building in Toronto. (As I've recently noted, there can be a thin line between "badass" and "stupid people". Because of the illegality of jumping off a building, I'm giving him the latter.)
From CTV News, don't get complacent over the recent decrease in gas prices.
From The Portugal News, Portuguese and Norwegian scientists develop a new robotic 3D printing device.
From El País, the right-leaning Ciudadanos supports the conservative Popular Party's attempt to control the speaker's committee in Andalusia.
From ANSA, Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio declares a state of emergency around Mount Etna due to the recent earthquake.
From the Malta Independent, Malta and four other countries refuse to admit 32 migrants on board the Sea-Watch 3.
From Total Croatia News, Croatia's Interior Ministry and the Jesuit Refugee Service agree on cooperation to integrate some refugees into the country.
From Ekathimerini, two people are injured by an IED in a church in Athens.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, Romania secures financing to construct part of the BRUA gas pipeline.
From Russia Today, Russia's deputy prime minister claims that their hypersonic glider can travel at 30,000 kilometers per hour.
From Sputnik International, Russian President Putin keeps his promise to a 10-year-old boy.
From Radio Poland, Poland observes the 100th anniversary of the Greater Poland uprising.
From Daily News Hungary, Hungary isn't going hungry. (Yes, the pun is intended.)
From About Hungary, according to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, "Hungary will be a winner in the 21st century".
From Hürriyet Daily News, a Turkish TV watchdog stops a show because of actors' remarks about President Erdoğan.
From Turkish Minute, a court keeps a pro-Kurd member of the Turkish parliament in jail.
From The Times Of Israel, the IDF releases photos and video of the terror tunnels from Lebanon.
From The Jerusalem Post, a former IDF chief launches a new political party.
From Khaama Press, two more Taliban leaders get droned.
From LailasNews, a Nigerian Islamic cleric allegedly tells kids to hate Christians.
From the Huffington Post, India's National Investigation Agency arrests 10 members of an ISIS-inspired terror cell.
From the Republic, a Muslim Indian politician says that Muslims will only follow their religion, no matter how many laws are made.
From Gatestone Institute, Palestinians are silencing and intimidating their critics.
From American Thinker, right from the start, jihad was Islam's "engine".
From FrontpageMag, one Mexican drug cartel is recruiting jihadists.
From National Review, a male student is found to have violated Title IX by asking a female student out on a date.
From Townhall, a woman is denied housing in D.C. for being conservative.
From the Washington Examiner, according to the FBI, a recording number of illegal aliens tried to buy guns this year.
From The Federalist, four "establishment" myths about leaving Syria debunked.
From AP News, the King of Saudi Arabia shakes up his cabinet. (via Breitbart)
From Breitbart, in California, an illegal alien allegedly kills a police officer.
From Twitchy, President Trump says that the death of this policeman shows the need for the wall, with predictable howls from the "resistance".
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Links For The Feast Of Stephen
Today is the feast of Stephen, often called the first martyr, who was stoned to his death for his faith. On his feast, here are some things going on:
From EuroNews, British border authorities intercept 43 migrants attempting to cross the English Channel.
From the Irish Examiner, British border authorities are urged to "get a grip" after they intercept the migrants.
From the (Irish) Independent, the Dublin Zoo blames its recent drop in attendance on the pope.
From the (U.K.) Independent, U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid acknowledges that there could be "cultural reasons" for Pakistani grooming gangs.
From the Evening Standard, Brits go hunting on Boxing Day.
From the Express, a Brexit spokesman warns that Prime Minister May's deal "proves" that the E.U. wants to "punish" the U.K. for leaving.
From France24, a 71-year-old Frenchman sets sail across the Atlantic in a barrel. (This shows that the line between the labels "badass" and "stupid people" might be rather thin, but for the time being, I'll give him the former.)
From VRT NWS, a Belgian judge orders authorities to bring two women and their six children from a Kurdish refugee camp to Belgium.
From the NL Times, a humpback whale visits Dutch waters.
From Dutch News, the Dutch asylum group who had gone to Greece to bring back 150 refugees returns without them.
From Deutsche Welle, Germany considers introducing a "mosque tax" for Muslims, similar to the "church tax" currently paid by Christians.
From Voice Of Europe, Swedish state TV has some strange ideas about Jesus and His mother. (If you read Swedish read the story at SamhällsNytt.)
From Radio Poland, an American think tank recommends more American troops in Poland.
From Radio Praha, Czech President Miloš Zeman thanks his people for reelecting him and promises to keep working for the country's national interests.
From Daily News Hungary, a Hungarian has had his music plagiarized by two Americans.
From Hungary Today, according to the head of the Hungarian Evangelical Church, Christians need to rediscover the reason for the season.
From Russia Today, Chechens fighting alongside the Ukrainian army reportedly admit to having ties with ISIS.
From Sputnik International, Russian President Putin will grant the Christmas wish of a ten-year-old boy.
From Ekathimerini, FYROM's prime minister says that the name deal with Greece will boost his country's dignity.
From the Greek Reporter, Greek police in Thessaloniki arrest two Romanians for trafficking after 44 migrants were found in a warehouse. (As I like to point out every once in a while, migrants are not merely migrating. They're being trafficked.)
From the Malta Independent, Maltese authorities keep on finding those smuggled drugs.
From The Local IT, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes Sicily near Mount Etna.
From SwissInfo, the Swiss government recognizes a dialect spoken in the Jura region as a minority language.
From El País, an American student is raped in Madrid.
From Hürriyet Daily News, the Free Syria Army, backed by Turkey, moves more of its personnel toward Manbij.
From Turkish Minute, a Turkish journalist is sentenced to prison for insulting President Erdoğan.
From Arutz Sheva, the Israeli Knesset passes a bill to dissolve itself and hold new elections.
From The Times Of Israel, the IDF finds and destroys a fifth terror tunnel from Lebanon.
From Rûdaw, President Trump and the First Lady visit American troops in Iraq.
From Iraqi News, according to an Iraqi military expert, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria will greatly benefit Iraq.
From Dawn, according to an Iranian security official, Iran has talked to the Afghan Taliban.
From The Express Tribune, gunmen attack a female polio worker in Quetta, Pakistan.
From Global News, a super moon eclipse will occur this coming January.
From CTV News, a man from Quebec faces imprisonment after being convicted of negligence in a fatal boat accident in Cuba.
From Reuters, a former Egyptian president testifies against another former Egyptian president.
From FrontpageMag, Westerners don't understand the significance of Syria to Islam.
From National Review, the dangers of corporate gun control.
From Townhall, the "unglued" media of 2018.
From the Washington Examiner, retailers have their best holiday shopping season in six years.
From The Washington Time, the Dow rebounds.
From The Federalist, a ring found at the Herodium is inscribed with an infamous name.
From American Thinker, "Trump's wall and Democratic ideology".
From The Daily Caller, Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen will personally review her agency's practices at the border.
From Twitchy, after criticizing the Border Patrol for the deaths of children, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio gets an unpleasant reminder.
From LifeNews, a bill in New Mexico would allow "suicide tourism".
And from The Babylon Bee, President Trump asks a seven-year-old Minecraft player about building walls.
From EuroNews, British border authorities intercept 43 migrants attempting to cross the English Channel.
From the Irish Examiner, British border authorities are urged to "get a grip" after they intercept the migrants.
From the (Irish) Independent, the Dublin Zoo blames its recent drop in attendance on the pope.
From the (U.K.) Independent, U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid acknowledges that there could be "cultural reasons" for Pakistani grooming gangs.
From the Evening Standard, Brits go hunting on Boxing Day.
From the Express, a Brexit spokesman warns that Prime Minister May's deal "proves" that the E.U. wants to "punish" the U.K. for leaving.
From France24, a 71-year-old Frenchman sets sail across the Atlantic in a barrel. (This shows that the line between the labels "badass" and "stupid people" might be rather thin, but for the time being, I'll give him the former.)
From VRT NWS, a Belgian judge orders authorities to bring two women and their six children from a Kurdish refugee camp to Belgium.
From the NL Times, a humpback whale visits Dutch waters.
From Dutch News, the Dutch asylum group who had gone to Greece to bring back 150 refugees returns without them.
From Deutsche Welle, Germany considers introducing a "mosque tax" for Muslims, similar to the "church tax" currently paid by Christians.
From Voice Of Europe, Swedish state TV has some strange ideas about Jesus and His mother. (If you read Swedish read the story at SamhällsNytt.)
From Radio Poland, an American think tank recommends more American troops in Poland.
From Radio Praha, Czech President Miloš Zeman thanks his people for reelecting him and promises to keep working for the country's national interests.
From Daily News Hungary, a Hungarian has had his music plagiarized by two Americans.
From Hungary Today, according to the head of the Hungarian Evangelical Church, Christians need to rediscover the reason for the season.
From Russia Today, Chechens fighting alongside the Ukrainian army reportedly admit to having ties with ISIS.
From Sputnik International, Russian President Putin will grant the Christmas wish of a ten-year-old boy.
From Ekathimerini, FYROM's prime minister says that the name deal with Greece will boost his country's dignity.
From the Greek Reporter, Greek police in Thessaloniki arrest two Romanians for trafficking after 44 migrants were found in a warehouse. (As I like to point out every once in a while, migrants are not merely migrating. They're being trafficked.)
From the Malta Independent, Maltese authorities keep on finding those smuggled drugs.
From The Local IT, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake strikes Sicily near Mount Etna.
From SwissInfo, the Swiss government recognizes a dialect spoken in the Jura region as a minority language.
From El País, an American student is raped in Madrid.
From Hürriyet Daily News, the Free Syria Army, backed by Turkey, moves more of its personnel toward Manbij.
From Turkish Minute, a Turkish journalist is sentenced to prison for insulting President Erdoğan.
From Arutz Sheva, the Israeli Knesset passes a bill to dissolve itself and hold new elections.
From The Times Of Israel, the IDF finds and destroys a fifth terror tunnel from Lebanon.
From Rûdaw, President Trump and the First Lady visit American troops in Iraq.
From Iraqi News, according to an Iraqi military expert, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria will greatly benefit Iraq.
From Dawn, according to an Iranian security official, Iran has talked to the Afghan Taliban.
From The Express Tribune, gunmen attack a female polio worker in Quetta, Pakistan.
From Global News, a super moon eclipse will occur this coming January.
From CTV News, a man from Quebec faces imprisonment after being convicted of negligence in a fatal boat accident in Cuba.
From Reuters, a former Egyptian president testifies against another former Egyptian president.
From FrontpageMag, Westerners don't understand the significance of Syria to Islam.
From National Review, the dangers of corporate gun control.
From Townhall, the "unglued" media of 2018.
From the Washington Examiner, retailers have their best holiday shopping season in six years.
From The Washington Time, the Dow rebounds.
From The Federalist, a ring found at the Herodium is inscribed with an infamous name.
From American Thinker, "Trump's wall and Democratic ideology".
From The Daily Caller, Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen will personally review her agency's practices at the border.
From Twitchy, after criticizing the Border Patrol for the deaths of children, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio gets an unpleasant reminder.
From LifeNews, a bill in New Mexico would allow "suicide tourism".
And from The Babylon Bee, President Trump asks a seven-year-old Minecraft player about building walls.
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Merry Christmas
Many people travel during the Christmas season, but fifty years ago, three men spent Christmas in a small capsule about 239,000 miles away from everyone else. Remembering the reason for the season in their own way, they read from the book of Genesis.
A Merry Christmas to all who read this blog and to everyone else on that blueish orb. You can also watch the video on YouTube.
A Merry Christmas to all who read this blog and to everyone else on that blueish orb. You can also watch the video on YouTube.
Monday, December 24, 2018
Stories For Christmas Eve
Here on the day before Christmas are some things going on:
From Voice Of Europe, two European freedom fighters meet.
From Politicalite, the British couple arrested over the drones seen around Gatwick Airport have been released without charge.
From the Express, the British couple arrested over the drones break their silence.
From the Evening Standard, the U.K. government has detection systems to defend airports against drones.
From the Independent, what the U.K.'s last MEPs are planning to do when Brexit finally happens.
From the Irish Examiner, Ireland gives Santa Claus permission to overfly the country.
From CTV News, China accuses the U.K. and E.U. of having double standards.
From France24, France's prime minister meets with policemen who had been attacked by "yellow vest" protesters.
From the NL Times, six men are arrested in Limburg, Netherlands for bombing an ATM.
From Dutch News, a Dutch refugee action group arrives in Greece. (If you read Dutch, read the story at NU.)
From Deutsche Welle, Germany will contribute funds toward a memorial in Poland to the Sobibor concentration camp.
From Russia Today, a former tennis star gets in trouble for saying that male parts should stay out of female sports.
From Sputnik International, the collapse of a hill in Khabaravosk, Russia may have been caused by a meteorite.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, North and South Mitrovica, Kosovo consider becoming a single city.
From Ekathimerini, Greek opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis urges Albania to respect the rights of its ethnic Greeks.
From ANSA, Mount Etna erupts through a new fracture.
From Malta Today, in 24 hours, 344 people are rescued from the Mediterranean.
From Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey wants a U.N. probe into Jamal Khashoggi's murder.
From Arutz Sheva, Israeli elections may now proceed since the Hezbollah tunnels have been dealt with.
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli coalition leaders agree to dissolve the Knesset and have elections in April.
From Jewish News Syndicate, according to an Islamic cleric, other groups will succeed ISIS and al-Qaeda in Iraq.
From 9 News, a growing number of Australians are fighting for ISIS.
From Gatestone Institute, "Turkey's threats against Greece".
From Frontpage Mag, the withdrawal from Syria implements the Trump doctrine. (Some of us might be old enough to remember Democrats practically screaming at the second President Bush to withdraw from Iraq.)
From the Washington Examiner, the partial government shutdown doesn't stop NORAD from tracking Santa Claus.
From American Thinker, is there anyone in Syria who can be called "good guys"?
From Breitbart, the Dow and other stocks take another hit.
From the New York Post, Muslims in New York get a community security patrol.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
A Few Other Stories
Other than the tsunami in Indonesia, here are some things going on:
From Voice Of Europe, one Swedish woman appear to understand Islamism.
From Deutsche Welle, police in Hamburg, Germany arrest an 18-year-old for allegedly being an ISIS recruiter.
From RFI, an arrested "yellow vest" leader was due to appear in court today.
From the Sunday Express, Prime Minister May finds that market traders have no problem with a no-deal Brexit.
From the Independent, the Birmingham airport suffers some technical difficulties.
From Global News, a woman in Camrose, Alberta, Canada has produced a record size parsley plant.
From Ekathimerini, Greece has taken back only 7 of the 1,500 migrants who were to be returned from Germany.
From the Greek Reporter, a Panama-flagged ship runs aground near Nafplio, Greece.
From Daily News Hungary, support for Hungary's governing coalition led by Fidesz is increasing.
From Radio Poland, the last surviving fighter in the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising has died.
From Novinite, four Balkan countries make a joint bid to host two international soccer tournaments.
From Arutz Sheva, Honduras is reportedly prepared to move their embassy in Israel to Jerusalem "for a price".
From NDTV, Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi will spend Christmas in protective custody.
From The Spectator, a Muslim woman thanks former U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for calling out the niqab.
From The Washington Times, President Trump names an acting secretary of defense.
From Townhall, some Democratic congresscritters defend themselves against a citizen-funded border wall.
From Breitbart, a man trying to rob two LSU football players runs into the Second Amendment.
And from BuzzFeed, a student at U. Mass-Amherst is told to remove her "[bleep] nazis" sign because it wasn't "inclusive". (Her use of foul language didn't seem to have bothered anyone.)
From Voice Of Europe, one Swedish woman appear to understand Islamism.
From Deutsche Welle, police in Hamburg, Germany arrest an 18-year-old for allegedly being an ISIS recruiter.
From RFI, an arrested "yellow vest" leader was due to appear in court today.
From the Sunday Express, Prime Minister May finds that market traders have no problem with a no-deal Brexit.
From the Independent, the Birmingham airport suffers some technical difficulties.
From Global News, a woman in Camrose, Alberta, Canada has produced a record size parsley plant.
From Ekathimerini, Greece has taken back only 7 of the 1,500 migrants who were to be returned from Germany.
From the Greek Reporter, a Panama-flagged ship runs aground near Nafplio, Greece.
From Daily News Hungary, support for Hungary's governing coalition led by Fidesz is increasing.
From Radio Poland, the last surviving fighter in the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising has died.
From Novinite, four Balkan countries make a joint bid to host two international soccer tournaments.
From Arutz Sheva, Honduras is reportedly prepared to move their embassy in Israel to Jerusalem "for a price".
From NDTV, Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi will spend Christmas in protective custody.
From The Spectator, a Muslim woman thanks former U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson for calling out the niqab.
From The Washington Times, President Trump names an acting secretary of defense.
From Townhall, some Democratic congresscritters defend themselves against a citizen-funded border wall.
From Breitbart, a man trying to rob two LSU football players runs into the Second Amendment.
And from BuzzFeed, a student at U. Mass-Amherst is told to remove her "[bleep] nazis" sign because it wasn't "inclusive". (Her use of foul language didn't seem to have bothered anyone.)
Tsunami (Again) Strikes Indonesia
Late yesterday, a tsunami was set off by an underwater landslide caused by an eruption of Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. The tsunami has reportedly killed at least 222 people and injured over 800 others.
Indonesia is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, and has been struck by many noted geological events. Earlier this year, an earthquake and tsunami struck the island of Sulawesi. In 2004, an earthquake near the northwest end of Sumatra set off a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people around the Indian Ocean. Anak Krakatau is a remnant of the former island of Krakatau, which exploded in a massive eruption in 1883.
Read more at BNO, FMT, The Star, The Straits Times and The Jakarta Post.
Indonesia is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, and has been struck by many noted geological events. Earlier this year, an earthquake and tsunami struck the island of Sulawesi. In 2004, an earthquake near the northwest end of Sumatra set off a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people around the Indian Ocean. Anak Krakatau is a remnant of the former island of Krakatau, which exploded in a massive eruption in 1883.
Read more at BNO, FMT, The Star, The Straits Times and The Jakarta Post.
Saturday, December 22, 2018
The Shutdown And Other Saturday Stuff
The Congress and President Trump failed to reach a deal over funding last night, which has resulted in a partial shutdown of the federal government. One major sticking point, as has been anticipated, is the president's insistence that the funding include money for construction of a wall on the southern border.
Read more at NBC News, CBS News, CNN and Politico.
****
In other stuff:
From Voice Of Europe, a five-member Germany family receives a smaller amount in benefits than a migrant family of four.
From Deutsche Welle, Tübingen will become the first town in Germany to tax to-go coffee cups and pizza boxes.
From SwissInfo, a recap of the past week's stories involving numbers.
From VRT NWS, "Hi-Viz" protesters gather near VRT's own building. (The "Hi-Viz" are Belgium's version of the "yellow vest" protesters, first appearing in France.)
From France24, meanwhile in France, the "yellow vest" turnout in Paris appears to have decreased.
From RFI, the Strasbourg Christmas market gunman reported had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
From the Express, a couple from Crawley, England have been arrested in connection with the drone sightings around Gatwick Airport.
From the Evening Standard, the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing is marked by a "walk for peace".
From the Daily Mail, U.K. MP Michael Gove will recruit a military planner in the event that a no-deal Brexit causes a food shortage.
From the Irish Examiner, hundreds of "yellow vest" protesters march in Dublin. (Not only has this movement spread to Ireland, but the Irish version has their own Twitter account.)
From CBC News, a regulator in British Columbia attributes quakes near Fort St. John to fracking.
From The Portugal News, Portugal admits 33 refugees from Syria and South Sudan.
From the Malta Independent, Maltese customs officials make yet another drug bust.
From Total Croatia News, most Croats appear to be against converting to the Euro. (The Croatian monetary unit is the Kuna, which means "fox" in their language.)
From Ekathimerini, Greek police bust a ring importing chemicals intended to contaminate fuel.
From the Greek Reporter, 22 bishops in Macedonia denounce the FYROM name deal, and the U.N. supports Greece's call to have marble statues from the Parthenon returned.
From Daily News Hungary, the Hungarian cabinet and USAID sign an agreement about persecuted Christians.
From Hungary Today, the Hungarian government joins a Polish humanitarian effort in Syria.
From Radio Praha, one Polish miner who suffered injuries from the methane explosion in a mine near Karviná remains in critical condition.
From Radio Poland, talks about "Fort Trump" appear to be "going well".
From Russia Today, a blaze has trapped nine miners in a mine near Solikamsk, in Russia's Ural Mountains.
From Arutz Sheva, Palestinian rioters engage in some cultural appropriation.
From The Jerusalem Post, an unpublished manuscript written by Elie Wiesel has been discovered.
From Dawn, in Islamabad, Pakistan, a man climbs a tower, demands to be made prime minister, and threatens suicide.
From The Express Tribune, according to Pakistan's foreign minister, the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan will lead to peace.
From Khaama Press, Afghan troops eliminate 54 anti-government militants. (Normally, I use the word "terrorists" where an article says "militants" when such people are members of groups like the Taliban or ISIS, and thus deserve the former term. In such cases, I regard the latter as a euphemism. However, this article does not indicate that all the noted fighters were members of terrorist groups, so I'll call them "militants" as the article does.)
From the Straits Times, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his country's schools should spend less time on Islamic subjects.
From Breitbart, Britain's first report on Islamophobia may have been unduly influenced by a group tied to extremists.
From Gatestone Institute, Germany's highest court declares a law against child marriage unconstitutional.
From Townhall, an illegal alien gang member, already deported 10 times, is arrested in Arizona. (I've entertained the idea that for repeat deportees, the deportation should take place farther south each time. Hopefully, the offender will get through his thick skull that America doesn't want him around, before we're dropping him off in Antarctica. For anyone who would ask, "What about Canadians or people who enter from the north?", I think that Greenland or Canada's Ellesmere Island might provide a similar deterrent.)
From American Thinker, a look at a Kamala Harris presidency.
From The Daily Caller, here's one thing that the partial shutdown won't affect.
And from Twitchy, despite the success of the #TrumpResign hashtag, Trump has not resigned.
Read more at NBC News, CBS News, CNN and Politico.
****
In other stuff:
From Voice Of Europe, a five-member Germany family receives a smaller amount in benefits than a migrant family of four.
From Deutsche Welle, Tübingen will become the first town in Germany to tax to-go coffee cups and pizza boxes.
From SwissInfo, a recap of the past week's stories involving numbers.
From VRT NWS, "Hi-Viz" protesters gather near VRT's own building. (The "Hi-Viz" are Belgium's version of the "yellow vest" protesters, first appearing in France.)
From France24, meanwhile in France, the "yellow vest" turnout in Paris appears to have decreased.
From RFI, the Strasbourg Christmas market gunman reported had pledged allegiance to ISIS.
From the Express, a couple from Crawley, England have been arrested in connection with the drone sightings around Gatwick Airport.
From the Evening Standard, the 30th anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing is marked by a "walk for peace".
From the Daily Mail, U.K. MP Michael Gove will recruit a military planner in the event that a no-deal Brexit causes a food shortage.
From the Irish Examiner, hundreds of "yellow vest" protesters march in Dublin. (Not only has this movement spread to Ireland, but the Irish version has their own Twitter account.)
From CBC News, a regulator in British Columbia attributes quakes near Fort St. John to fracking.
From The Portugal News, Portugal admits 33 refugees from Syria and South Sudan.
From the Malta Independent, Maltese customs officials make yet another drug bust.
From Total Croatia News, most Croats appear to be against converting to the Euro. (The Croatian monetary unit is the Kuna, which means "fox" in their language.)
From Ekathimerini, Greek police bust a ring importing chemicals intended to contaminate fuel.
From the Greek Reporter, 22 bishops in Macedonia denounce the FYROM name deal, and the U.N. supports Greece's call to have marble statues from the Parthenon returned.
From Daily News Hungary, the Hungarian cabinet and USAID sign an agreement about persecuted Christians.
From Hungary Today, the Hungarian government joins a Polish humanitarian effort in Syria.
From Radio Praha, one Polish miner who suffered injuries from the methane explosion in a mine near Karviná remains in critical condition.
From Radio Poland, talks about "Fort Trump" appear to be "going well".
From Russia Today, a blaze has trapped nine miners in a mine near Solikamsk, in Russia's Ural Mountains.
From Arutz Sheva, Palestinian rioters engage in some cultural appropriation.
From The Jerusalem Post, an unpublished manuscript written by Elie Wiesel has been discovered.
From Dawn, in Islamabad, Pakistan, a man climbs a tower, demands to be made prime minister, and threatens suicide.
From The Express Tribune, according to Pakistan's foreign minister, the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan will lead to peace.
From Khaama Press, Afghan troops eliminate 54 anti-government militants. (Normally, I use the word "terrorists" where an article says "militants" when such people are members of groups like the Taliban or ISIS, and thus deserve the former term. In such cases, I regard the latter as a euphemism. However, this article does not indicate that all the noted fighters were members of terrorist groups, so I'll call them "militants" as the article does.)
From the Straits Times, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, his country's schools should spend less time on Islamic subjects.
From Breitbart, Britain's first report on Islamophobia may have been unduly influenced by a group tied to extremists.
From Gatestone Institute, Germany's highest court declares a law against child marriage unconstitutional.
From Townhall, an illegal alien gang member, already deported 10 times, is arrested in Arizona. (I've entertained the idea that for repeat deportees, the deportation should take place farther south each time. Hopefully, the offender will get through his thick skull that America doesn't want him around, before we're dropping him off in Antarctica. For anyone who would ask, "What about Canadians or people who enter from the north?", I think that Greenland or Canada's Ellesmere Island might provide a similar deterrent.)
From American Thinker, a look at a Kamala Harris presidency.
From The Daily Caller, here's one thing that the partial shutdown won't affect.
And from Twitchy, despite the success of the #TrumpResign hashtag, Trump has not resigned.
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