Another year is about to reach its conclusion, with the start of the new year. It seems that each year I keep wishing for times to be less interesting, but it's getting obvious that this wish is not going to be granted any year soon.
Once again, President Trump has had an interesting year, culminating with the House voting to impeach him. However, the House has yet to deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate, where the resulting trial is supposed to take place. While the Congress won't give the president one cent for building a wall on our southern border, they seem to have agreed to spend record amounts of money on just about everything else, which has continued to drive up the national debt. While illegal immigration continues to be a problem, the U.S. has decided to take in fewer refugees.
In some ways, 2019 was an ominous year, such as by having a record number of mass shootings. While gun control advocates would use these shootings to argue their positions, one recent incident in White Settlement, Texas showed that a good guy with a gun can prevent a bad guy from doing more harm than he did. Another recent development is the spate of attacks on American Jews, particularly in New York City.
Politically, numerous Democrats have started to contend for their party's presidential nomination for next year's presidential election, with some of them dropping out. It seems that Americans could deny white billionaire Donald Trump a second term, and replace him with white billionaire Michael Bloomberg or white billionaire Tom Steyer. Or we could replace the old white guy named Trump with an even older white guy named Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden.
The year has been interesting for many different parts of the world. Bolivian president Evo Morales was ousted from office. The United Kingdom re-elected Prime Minister Boris Johnson (whom I like to call "the Spider") and gave him a majority large enough to finally carry out Brexit. After some wheeling and dealing, Spain appears close to finally having a new government. The coalition which had formed Italy's government kicked out one party and brought in another, which resulted in anti-migration politician Matteo Salvini losing the office of Interior Minister. In Israel, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his rival Benny Gantz could form a government, which will lead to another round of elections. India also had elections in 2019, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi was re-elected and given an increased majority in parliament. The Indian government also enacted two controversial policies, first in dividing the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two territories, and second by amending its Citizenship Act to provide a path to citizenship for non-Muslims who entered India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The latter has resulted in widespread protests.
Speaking of protests, they have been going on in Hong Kong ever since China proposed to extradite suspected criminals out of the territory to the mainland to face trial. Again speaking of protests, 2019 saw a large number of protests related to climate change, but as far as I know, none of them got anywhere near any embassy or consulate of China, the world's largest producer of carbon dioxide. (I concede that the linked information was most recently reported for 2015. If anyone knows of any more recent information, feel free to link it in a comment.) Speaking of climate change, the climate change believers found a mascot in Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who spoke to the United Nations. While she seems to speak English quite well, I would suggest that she learns how to say "How dare you" in Chinese. Speaking of China, the country has also been noted for running detention camps for the Uighur people in the province of Xinjiang.
The year 2019 saw the deaths of many notable people. The list includes singer/actor Doris Day; businessman/politician Ross Perot; actors Peter Mayhew (who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies), Peggy Lipton, Carol Channing, Tim Conway, Rip Torn, Valery Harper, Diahann Carroll and Peter Fonda; football player Bart Starr; baseball player/author Jim Bouton; musicians Peter Tork, Leon Redbone, Eddie Money, Ric Ocasek, Ginger Baker and Malcolm Rebennack (known as Dr. John); and Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings (D).
In my own life, I have continued to some extent along the same course as in the previous year. Once again I have done a lot of driving and have managed to avoid airplane travel. I drove the new Bigfootmobile all the way to northern Missouri, and also down into Virginia to visit my siblings and their families, which is somewhat different now that our parents are no longer here. I also got more into hiking this year, which is good because Sasquatches are supposed to walk through forests. And for the second time in my life, I get to brag that Miss America is an alumna of Virginia Tech.
Naturally, all of the above are merely the things that I can remember or look up on the Interwebs. There are obviously many other stories from 2019 that might deserve a mention, probably more than I could write about in a single post. To all who read this blog, may you and yours have a happy and safe New Year. I have a feeling that the times we live in will continue to be interesting.
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Stories For New Year's Eve
As the year 2019 comes to a close, here are some things going on:
From National Review, what does the popular New Year's song Auld Lang Syne mean?
From FrontpageMag, attacks against Jews in New York City and the media's double standards.
From Townhall, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) praises President Trump's response after Iran-backed militias tried to attack the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
From The Washington Free Beacon, another choice by TWFB for Man of the Year is a man who successfully had his manhood restored.
From the Washington Examiner, three suggested New Year's resolutions for the media.
From The Federalist, five predictions for the next five years in geopolitics.
From American Thinker, standing up to the politically correct bullies.
From CNS News, the federal debt has kept going up and up and up.
From LifeZette, seven political predictions for the year 2020.
From NewsBusters, a PolitiFact readers poll for "lie of the year" reveals exposes their biases.
From Canada Free Press, goodbye and good riddance to 2019 and its political corruption.
From The Conservative Woman, Brexit is now all up to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
From Free West Media, Pope Francis is displeased that a soccer coach made the sign of the cross on the field.
From Voice Of Europe, VOE decides to take a time out.
From StepFeed, Lebanon has become a "Robin Hood" country.
From The New Arab, the Sudanese government shuts down ten "unauthorized" Islamic TV channels. (What is this "freedom of the press" you speak of?)
From the Daily Mail, more on the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
From The Stream, another response to the assertion by Christianity Today that President Trump should be removed from office.
From Reason, the cancel culture of 2019.
From TechCrunch, Trump signs a law that puts robo-callers on notice.
From the Daily Caller, a new law in California will limit how much some freelancers, such as journalists, can work. (Again I ask, what is this "freedom of the press" you speak of?)
From WPVI-TV, how to avoid New Year's injuries.
And from The Babylon Bee and the "don't give them any ideas" department, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) calls for decriminalizing crime.
From National Review, what does the popular New Year's song Auld Lang Syne mean?
From FrontpageMag, attacks against Jews in New York City and the media's double standards.
From Townhall, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) praises President Trump's response after Iran-backed militias tried to attack the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
From The Washington Free Beacon, another choice by TWFB for Man of the Year is a man who successfully had his manhood restored.
From the Washington Examiner, three suggested New Year's resolutions for the media.
From The Federalist, five predictions for the next five years in geopolitics.
From American Thinker, standing up to the politically correct bullies.
From CNS News, the federal debt has kept going up and up and up.
From LifeZette, seven political predictions for the year 2020.
From NewsBusters, a PolitiFact readers poll for "lie of the year" reveals exposes their biases.
From Canada Free Press, goodbye and good riddance to 2019 and its political corruption.
From The Conservative Woman, Brexit is now all up to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
From Free West Media, Pope Francis is displeased that a soccer coach made the sign of the cross on the field.
From Voice Of Europe, VOE decides to take a time out.
From StepFeed, Lebanon has become a "Robin Hood" country.
From The New Arab, the Sudanese government shuts down ten "unauthorized" Islamic TV channels. (What is this "freedom of the press" you speak of?)
From the Daily Mail, more on the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
From The Stream, another response to the assertion by Christianity Today that President Trump should be removed from office.
From Reason, the cancel culture of 2019.
From TechCrunch, Trump signs a law that puts robo-callers on notice.
From the Daily Caller, a new law in California will limit how much some freelancers, such as journalists, can work. (Again I ask, what is this "freedom of the press" you speak of?)
From WPVI-TV, how to avoid New Year's injuries.
And from The Babylon Bee and the "don't give them any ideas" department, South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) calls for decriminalizing crime.
Monday, December 30, 2019
Monday Mania - Part 2
Here on the last Monday of 2019 are some more manic things going on:
From Free West Media, the Spanish Coast Guard picks up 300 migrants from boats in the Mediterranean.
From El País, a deal between two Spanish parties could soon result in Spain having a new government.
From The Portugal News, Portugal is one of 30 countries in which Ikea gives refugees employment opportunities. (I believe that a certain American president once said that the best social program is a job.)
From France24, French restaurants struggle to cope during nationwide strikes.
From RFI, the transportation disruption continues despite a small improvement in the Paris Metro service.
From SwissInfo, 2019 by the numbers.
From ANSA, according to ISTAT, the birth rate in Italy hits a new low.
From the Malta Independent, Malta experiences another day and another power outage.
From Malta Today, a look back at Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's exit.
From Total Slovenia News, some Slovenian destinations were "already over-touristed" in 2019.
From Total Croatia News, a second contingent of Croatian troops departs for Lithuania.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, 2019 in review for Bosnia and Hercegovina.
From Ekathimerini, the Greek opposition party SYRIZA slams the government for not nominating any presidential candidate.
From the Greek Reporter, bad weather doesn't slow down the migrant influx into Greece.
From Novinite, a magnitude-4.5 earthquake strikes in western Bulgaria.
From The Sofia Globe, Bulgaria will get cheaper natural gas from Russia due to a change in its point-of-entry.
From Radio Bulgaria, 72 percent of Bulgarians reportedly support the reinstatement of mandatory military service.
From Romania-Insider, Romanians welcome the new year in their traditional way.
From EuroNews, a Romanian woman dies after being lit on fire during surgery.
From Russia Today, video of the arrests of two suspects who were allegedly trying to carry out a terror attack in Saint Petersburg.
From Sputnik International, a powerful explosion rocks a gas station in Satka, Russia.
From The Moscow Times, due to unusually warm weather, Moscow brings in fake snow for the New Year.
From the Hungary Journal, according to Hungary's former general consul in New York, a stabbing attack against Jews like the recent one in New York is "unimaginable" in Hungary.
From Daily News Hungary, the most disgusting food scandals in Hungary during 2019.
From Hungary Today, two Albanians and one Ukrainian are arrested in Debrecen for attempting to leave Hungary with fake documents. (Two days ago, I found a story about six people in Malta being sentenced for that type of offense. Again, I must ask, did they successfully use the same documents to enter the country or the Schengen zone? Did they have genuine documents when they entered, and then decide instead to use fake ones when they left?)
From About Hungary, tourism in Hungary had a "booming year" in 2019.
From The Slovak Spectator, if you need to call police in Slovakia, there will soon be an app for that.
From Radio Prague, doctors threaten to boycott the Czech Republic's new e-sicknote system.
From Polskie Radio, according to an Israeli newspaper a group of Polish diplomats "went out of their way to save Jews".
From Deutsche Welle, corporate donations to German political parties drop sharply in 2019.
From the NL Times, a Dutch-Turkish family in Deventer, Netherlands is forced twice to leave their home because of firework bomb attacks.
From Dutch News, fishermen from Urk, Netherlands rescue 19 asylum seekers from a boat in the English Channel.
From VRT NWS, air quality in Belgium improved during 2019.
From the Express, U.K. police arrest five men on suspicion of planning terror attacks.
From the Evening Standard, maps show the "huge" division between older and younger U.K. voters.
From the (U.K.) Independent, according to the U.K.'s NSPCC, a "radical rethink" is needed to deal grooming gangs.
From the (Irish) Independent, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visits his ancestral village in India.
From the Irish Examiner, being an Irish garda is not easy.
And from The Conservative Woman, #MeToo hasn't been good for Shakespeare.
****
I'll be occupied for some time tomorrow, in part due to watching a football bowl game, and thus most likely won't be able to make my normal long lists of things going on. However, I will make at least one post, to mark the end of the year 2019. Stay tuned.
From Free West Media, the Spanish Coast Guard picks up 300 migrants from boats in the Mediterranean.
From El País, a deal between two Spanish parties could soon result in Spain having a new government.
From The Portugal News, Portugal is one of 30 countries in which Ikea gives refugees employment opportunities. (I believe that a certain American president once said that the best social program is a job.)
From France24, French restaurants struggle to cope during nationwide strikes.
From RFI, the transportation disruption continues despite a small improvement in the Paris Metro service.
From SwissInfo, 2019 by the numbers.
From ANSA, according to ISTAT, the birth rate in Italy hits a new low.
From the Malta Independent, Malta experiences another day and another power outage.
From Malta Today, a look back at Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's exit.
From Total Slovenia News, some Slovenian destinations were "already over-touristed" in 2019.
From Total Croatia News, a second contingent of Croatian troops departs for Lithuania.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, 2019 in review for Bosnia and Hercegovina.
From Ekathimerini, the Greek opposition party SYRIZA slams the government for not nominating any presidential candidate.
From the Greek Reporter, bad weather doesn't slow down the migrant influx into Greece.
From Novinite, a magnitude-4.5 earthquake strikes in western Bulgaria.
From The Sofia Globe, Bulgaria will get cheaper natural gas from Russia due to a change in its point-of-entry.
From Radio Bulgaria, 72 percent of Bulgarians reportedly support the reinstatement of mandatory military service.
From Romania-Insider, Romanians welcome the new year in their traditional way.
From EuroNews, a Romanian woman dies after being lit on fire during surgery.
From Russia Today, video of the arrests of two suspects who were allegedly trying to carry out a terror attack in Saint Petersburg.
From Sputnik International, a powerful explosion rocks a gas station in Satka, Russia.
From The Moscow Times, due to unusually warm weather, Moscow brings in fake snow for the New Year.
From the Hungary Journal, according to Hungary's former general consul in New York, a stabbing attack against Jews like the recent one in New York is "unimaginable" in Hungary.
From Daily News Hungary, the most disgusting food scandals in Hungary during 2019.
From Hungary Today, two Albanians and one Ukrainian are arrested in Debrecen for attempting to leave Hungary with fake documents. (Two days ago, I found a story about six people in Malta being sentenced for that type of offense. Again, I must ask, did they successfully use the same documents to enter the country or the Schengen zone? Did they have genuine documents when they entered, and then decide instead to use fake ones when they left?)
From About Hungary, tourism in Hungary had a "booming year" in 2019.
From The Slovak Spectator, if you need to call police in Slovakia, there will soon be an app for that.
From Radio Prague, doctors threaten to boycott the Czech Republic's new e-sicknote system.
From Polskie Radio, according to an Israeli newspaper a group of Polish diplomats "went out of their way to save Jews".
From Deutsche Welle, corporate donations to German political parties drop sharply in 2019.
From the NL Times, a Dutch-Turkish family in Deventer, Netherlands is forced twice to leave their home because of firework bomb attacks.
From Dutch News, fishermen from Urk, Netherlands rescue 19 asylum seekers from a boat in the English Channel.
From VRT NWS, air quality in Belgium improved during 2019.
From the Express, U.K. police arrest five men on suspicion of planning terror attacks.
From the Evening Standard, maps show the "huge" division between older and younger U.K. voters.
From the (U.K.) Independent, according to the U.K.'s NSPCC, a "radical rethink" is needed to deal grooming gangs.
From the (Irish) Independent, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visits his ancestral village in India.
From the Irish Examiner, being an Irish garda is not easy.
And from The Conservative Woman, #MeToo hasn't been good for Shakespeare.
****
I'll be occupied for some time tomorrow, in part due to watching a football bowl game, and thus most likely won't be able to make my normal long lists of things going on. However, I will make at least one post, to mark the end of the year 2019. Stay tuned.
Monday Mania - Part 1
On the last Monday of 2019, here are some manic things going on:
From National Review, about 80 percent of Americans are not worried about any gloom for next year.
From FrontpageMag, the magazine Elle puts Linda Sarsour on its list of "women in politics to watch".
From Townhall, former Vice President Biden tells the media that fossil fuel company executive could go to jail.
From The Washington Free Beacon, another choice by TWFB for Man of the Year is whoever killed Jeffrey Epstein.
From the Washington Examiner, the weirdest things confiscated by the TSA in 2019.
From The Federalist, the attacks on Jews in New York City can no longer be ignored.
From American Thinker, family separation, Chinese style.
From CNS News, four quotes to keep in mind during 2020.
From LifeZette, the persecution of Christians is happening, just as Jesus said.
From NewsBusters, an MSNBC host prods Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) to blame attacks against Jews on President Trump.
From Canada Free Press, the response to the shooting at a church in Texas shows former President Obama and other leftists are wrong about gun control.
From CBC News, according to Steve Martin (not the comedian), algae could be a secret weapon against climate change.
From Global News, more Canadian firefighters to go help fight Australian wildfires.
From TeleSUR, Bolivia expels the ambassador from Mexico.
From Morocco World News, Morocco will receive a new set of AMRAAM missiles from the U.S.
From Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey establishes a safe space for Syrian gazelles.
From Turkish Minute, the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's Office ordered the detention of 2,765 Turkish military personnel in 2019, for possible Gülen links.
From In-Cyprus, according to the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will reaffirm American support for the reunification of Cyprus when he visits.
From Arutz Sheva, a court in Cyprus finds a British woman guilty of falsely accusing Israeli teenagers of rape.
From The Times Of Israel, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein denies reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had filed a request for immunity.
From The Jerusalem Post, who is Kataib Hezbollah, whose facilities were recently attacked by the U.S.? (This group is based in Iraq and should not be confused with the Hezbollah of Lebanon.)
From YNetNews, a displaced Syrian feeds his family with mushrooms.
From the Egypt Independent, an Egyptian parliamentcritter writes a letter rejecting the transfer of sphinxes from Luxor to Tahrir Square.
From Egypt Today, some amazing Egyptian archaeological discoveries in 2019.
From StepFeed, a Syrian film director is shortlisted for the Oscars, but can't get a visa to travel to the U.S.
From The New Arab, the Kataib Hezbollah militia promises revenge for attacks by the U.S.
From Radio Farda, friends and relatives of Iran's supreme leader keep expanding their power.
From Dawn, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan launches a health card scheme for the country's transgenders.
From The Express Tribune, the chairman of the Pakistan People's Party tries to arrange a deal to get support to overthrow Imran Khan's government.
From Pakistan Today, a leader of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militia is killed in Afghanistan.
From Khaama Press, 5,000 prisoners held by the Taliban will reportedly be released when it and the U.S. sign a peace deal.
From The Hans India, Hindu refugees from Pakistan gather in Delhi to run a signature campaign in support of the Citizenship Act.
From the Hindustan Times, Delhi, India endures its coldest day in 119 years. (How long before this cold spell is attributed to man-made global warming?)
From India Today, according to India's additional solicitor general, all Indian states must enforce the Citizenship Act.
From the Dhaka Tribune, the Bangladeshi government shuts down mobile networks in the country's border areas due to "security reasons".
From the Daily Mirror, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa points out the need for a centralized data platform.
From the Colombo Page, Sri Lankan officials will review a controversial textbook on sex education.
From Israel, Islam and End Times, "what are the differences between Jesus and Muhammad?"
From Gatestone Institute, Turkey makes a "gunboat gambit" in the Mediterranean.
From The Jakarta Post, a flash flood destroys a bridge and isolates villages in the Indonesian province of South Sumatra.
From The Straits Times, the Chinese state media tries to control the narrative about the re-education camps for Uighurs in the province of Xinjiang.
From the Borneo Post, Malaysia will launch a "holistic plan" next year to rid itself of illegal immigrants.
From Free Malaysia Today, a ship with 16 Malaysian crew members is seized by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps for alleged fuel smuggling.
From The Mainichi, the Japanese satellite Tsubame is registered by Guinness World Records as having the lowest orbital altitude of any earth-observing satellite.
From The Stream, New York's Mr. Bill is wrong to blame the attacks on New York Jews on President Trump.
From the Daily Caller, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg's father worries about her, even though she is happy.
From the New York Post, blades fly off a bird chopper wind turbine in the Bronx, smashing a car and a billboard.
And from Twitchy, Senator Fake Cherokee (D-MA) is called out for hypocrisy.
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Sunday Links - Part 2
As the rain hangs around on the last Sunday of 2019, here are some more things going on:
From Morocco World News, restoration of the old medina in Rabat has been done "the Moroccan way".
From Hürriyet Daily News, according to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Turkish troops will stay at the observation posts in the Syrian region of Idlib.
From Rûdaw, Kurdish volunteers spread Christmas cheer at a camp for displaced persons in northern Syria.
From In-Cyprus, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Cyprus in January.
From Arutz Sheva, according to a poll, the Israeli Left and Right are tied with 56 Knesset seats for each side.
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu calls immunity a "cornerstone of democracy".
From The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu promises that Israel will have "normal ties and peace deals with Arab countries".
From YNetNews, according to an opinion column, Netanyahu's win in the Likud primary "is a tenuous victory".
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt launches the "survival ships" initiative to combat illegal immigration.
From Egypt Today, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, about 300 militants have moved from Syria to Libya.
From The New Arab, Saudi Arabian authorities arrest over 200 people for alleged "immodesty" and another 88 for alleged harassment.
From Radio Farda, Iranian authorities arrest 14 leaders of an alleged "monarchist propaganda network".
From Dawn, terror attacks in Pakistan declined in 2019, but the challenge they present remains.
From The Express Tribune, according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi, India is stepping up efforts to launch a false flag operation.
From Pakistan Today, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan directs the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to set up temporary shelters for the homeless.
From Khaama Press, Taliban fighters conduct an ambush on the house of a former jihadi leader.
From The Hans India, the Indian Army rescues 1,700 tourists stranded by snowfall in the state of Sikkim.
From the Hindustan Times, according to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, young people detest anarchy, chaos, instability and discrimination.
From ANI, a child trafficking racket is busted in the Indian state of Gujarat.
From India Today, the Congress Party and police in the state of Goa disagree as to whether drugs caused two tourists to die at the Sunburn Music Festival.
From the Dhaka Tribune, for the fourth time, a crude bomb explodes in the campus of Dhaka University.
From the Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka's minister of state warns that people who illegally use water face fines and imprisonment.
From the Colombo Page, the Sri Lankan Navy tries to educate fishing vessel owners about drug smuggling and human trafficking.
From WFTV, the truck bomb explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia killed a woman and injured her sister, both of whom were studying to become doctors.
From Palestinian Media Watch, a Palestinian leader calls Jesus the "first Islamic martyr". (I think that this would contradict the Islamic belief that Jesus did not die on the cross. If He didn't die, then He could not have become a martyr.)
From The Jakarta Post, Indonesia could send 31 athletes to the 2020 Olympics.
From The Straits Times, rain does not prevent over 1,000 people from rallying in Hong Kong.
From the Borneo Post, rapes involving underage victims are a cause for concern in the Malaysian state of Penang.
From Free Malaysia Today, customs officers foil an attempt to smuggle birds' nests out of Malaysia.
From The Mainichi, remote treatment helps people in the Japanese village of Ubuyama to quit smoking.
And from Gatestone Institute, being a Christian in Iran is a crime.
From Morocco World News, restoration of the old medina in Rabat has been done "the Moroccan way".
From Hürriyet Daily News, according to Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Turkish troops will stay at the observation posts in the Syrian region of Idlib.
From Rûdaw, Kurdish volunteers spread Christmas cheer at a camp for displaced persons in northern Syria.
From In-Cyprus, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Cyprus in January.
From Arutz Sheva, according to a poll, the Israeli Left and Right are tied with 56 Knesset seats for each side.
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu calls immunity a "cornerstone of democracy".
From The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu promises that Israel will have "normal ties and peace deals with Arab countries".
From YNetNews, according to an opinion column, Netanyahu's win in the Likud primary "is a tenuous victory".
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt launches the "survival ships" initiative to combat illegal immigration.
From Egypt Today, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, about 300 militants have moved from Syria to Libya.
From The New Arab, Saudi Arabian authorities arrest over 200 people for alleged "immodesty" and another 88 for alleged harassment.
From Radio Farda, Iranian authorities arrest 14 leaders of an alleged "monarchist propaganda network".
From Dawn, terror attacks in Pakistan declined in 2019, but the challenge they present remains.
From The Express Tribune, according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi, India is stepping up efforts to launch a false flag operation.
From Pakistan Today, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan directs the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to set up temporary shelters for the homeless.
From Khaama Press, Taliban fighters conduct an ambush on the house of a former jihadi leader.
From The Hans India, the Indian Army rescues 1,700 tourists stranded by snowfall in the state of Sikkim.
From the Hindustan Times, according to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, young people detest anarchy, chaos, instability and discrimination.
From ANI, a child trafficking racket is busted in the Indian state of Gujarat.
From India Today, the Congress Party and police in the state of Goa disagree as to whether drugs caused two tourists to die at the Sunburn Music Festival.
From the Dhaka Tribune, for the fourth time, a crude bomb explodes in the campus of Dhaka University.
From the Daily Mirror, Sri Lanka's minister of state warns that people who illegally use water face fines and imprisonment.
From the Colombo Page, the Sri Lankan Navy tries to educate fishing vessel owners about drug smuggling and human trafficking.
From WFTV, the truck bomb explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia killed a woman and injured her sister, both of whom were studying to become doctors.
From Palestinian Media Watch, a Palestinian leader calls Jesus the "first Islamic martyr". (I think that this would contradict the Islamic belief that Jesus did not die on the cross. If He didn't die, then He could not have become a martyr.)
From The Jakarta Post, Indonesia could send 31 athletes to the 2020 Olympics.
From The Straits Times, rain does not prevent over 1,000 people from rallying in Hong Kong.
From the Borneo Post, rapes involving underage victims are a cause for concern in the Malaysian state of Penang.
From Free Malaysia Today, customs officers foil an attempt to smuggle birds' nests out of Malaysia.
From The Mainichi, remote treatment helps people in the Japanese village of Ubuyama to quit smoking.
And from Gatestone Institute, being a Christian in Iran is a crime.
Sunday Links - Part 1
Here on the last Sunday of 2019 are some things going on:
From Townhall, Trump campaign press secretary Kayleigh McEnany gives a "perfect" example that shows why Americans hate the swamp.
From The Washington Free Beacon, another possible TWFB Man of the Year is Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
From the Washington Examiner, five facilities controlled by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria get droned.
From The Federalist, "identity politics enables anti-Semitic violence".
From American Thinker, how President Obama affected the military.
From LifeZette, Ivanka Trump points out that family will always be her top priority.
From NewsBusters, ABC and NBC try to dismiss former Vice President Biden's promise to not comply with any senatorial subpoena.
From Canada Free Press, the alleged scandals involving Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal) and her son Paul are deeper than the Ukraine.
From CBC News, electric vehicles aren't as green as you might think.
From Global News, a Canadian business is building a plant that suck carbon dioxide from the air. (The word "plant" would be appropriate, because plants of another definition, as in living green-colored organisms, really do remove carbon dioxide from the air.)
From CTV News, horse-drawn carriage rides will soon be discontinued in Montreal.
From TeleSUR, ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales meets with members of his party in Argentina.
From The Portugal News, the Portugal Rally in 2019 makes a record impact on the Portuguese economy.
From RFI, the French government accuses the CGT trade union of "obstructionism".
From SwissInfo, wolves make a comeback in Switzerland.
From EuroNews, the NGO ship Alan Kurdi docks in Sicily after rescuing 32 Libyans.
From the Maltese Independent, the year of Maltese protests.
From Malta Today, Maltese customs authorities seize 1.7 tons of tobacco from a barber shop.
From Total Slovenia News, a Slovenian border crossing is closed for an hour because an electric device for tuning pianos was mistaken for a possible bomb.
From Total Croatia News, a Turkish migrant smuggler crashes his van into a police vehicle at a rest stop on a Croatian highway.
From Ekathimerini, Greek riot police will wear ID tags and body cameras.
From the Greek Reporter, the Greek government intends to open the Kasta Hill Tomb in Amphipolis to visitors in early 2022.
From The Sofia Globe, the Bulgarian foreign ministry warns travelers about a three-day strike by cabin crews of the airline Germanwings.
From Russia Today, Russian security forces arrest two people suspected of planning terror attacks on New Year's Eve in Saint Petersburg, after a tip-off from U.S. agents.
From Sputnik International, the north magnetic pole is expected to continue moving toward Russia. (The article's top picture appears to have been taken from Doctor Who.)
From The Moscow Times, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russia separatists complete a prisoner exchange.
From Daily News Hungary, the Hungarian opposition party LMP submits a bill to ban fireworks and pyrotechnics.
From About Hungary, Hungary in the E.U. in 2019.
From The Slovak Spectator, the bottom-up rise of creative industry in Slovakia.
From Radio Prague, another incident happens at the statue of Russia Field Marshal Ivan Konev in Prague.
From Polskie Radio, Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki accuses Russian President Putin of having "lied about Poland".
From Free West Media, the archbishop of Krakow is not a fan of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
From Deutsche Welle, German Chancellor Merkel's "grand coalition" faces new challenges.
From the NL Times, the top ten stories from 2019 in the Netherlands.
From Dutch News, Turkey deports a Dutch ISIS bride and her child back to the Netherlands.
From VRT NWS, Italian police arrest an Albanian wanted in Belgium for alleged people smuggling.
From the Express, Sir Keir Starmer becomes the front runner in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour Party.
From the Evening Standard, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to ride around on his Christmas present from his girlfriend.
From the (U.K.) Independent, Big Ben will ring in 2020 behind its restored clock face.
From the (Irish) Independent, Irish author Sally Rooney makes former U.S. President Barack Obama's list of favorite books for 2019.
From the Irish Examiner and the "what could go wrong?" department, Dublin Airport plans a trial of an off-site bag drop service.
From The Conservative Woman, a deal in October, and then a groundhog Brexit.
From The Stream, a U.S. Senate candidate (R-AL) comes to the defense of a high school football team under pressure from atheists.
From Fox News, according to Karl Rove, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) could claim victory in the Iowa Caucus.
From CBS DFW, a man shoots people in a church in White Settlemen, Texas and is then shot by a member of the congregation. (via Breitbart)
From Breitbart, a synagogue and Jewish shops are vandalized in London.
From Twitchy, Warren says that Biden should testify before the Senate in the impeachment trial.
And from The Peedmont, according to your dad, you should get to the Richmond International Airport at least two hours early.
From Townhall, Trump campaign press secretary Kayleigh McEnany gives a "perfect" example that shows why Americans hate the swamp.
From The Washington Free Beacon, another possible TWFB Man of the Year is Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
From the Washington Examiner, five facilities controlled by Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria get droned.
From The Federalist, "identity politics enables anti-Semitic violence".
From American Thinker, how President Obama affected the military.
From LifeZette, Ivanka Trump points out that family will always be her top priority.
From NewsBusters, ABC and NBC try to dismiss former Vice President Biden's promise to not comply with any senatorial subpoena.
From Canada Free Press, the alleged scandals involving Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal) and her son Paul are deeper than the Ukraine.
From CBC News, electric vehicles aren't as green as you might think.
From Global News, a Canadian business is building a plant that suck carbon dioxide from the air. (The word "plant" would be appropriate, because plants of another definition, as in living green-colored organisms, really do remove carbon dioxide from the air.)
From CTV News, horse-drawn carriage rides will soon be discontinued in Montreal.
From TeleSUR, ousted Bolivian President Evo Morales meets with members of his party in Argentina.
From The Portugal News, the Portugal Rally in 2019 makes a record impact on the Portuguese economy.
From RFI, the French government accuses the CGT trade union of "obstructionism".
From SwissInfo, wolves make a comeback in Switzerland.
From EuroNews, the NGO ship Alan Kurdi docks in Sicily after rescuing 32 Libyans.
From the Maltese Independent, the year of Maltese protests.
From Malta Today, Maltese customs authorities seize 1.7 tons of tobacco from a barber shop.
From Total Slovenia News, a Slovenian border crossing is closed for an hour because an electric device for tuning pianos was mistaken for a possible bomb.
From Total Croatia News, a Turkish migrant smuggler crashes his van into a police vehicle at a rest stop on a Croatian highway.
From Ekathimerini, Greek riot police will wear ID tags and body cameras.
From the Greek Reporter, the Greek government intends to open the Kasta Hill Tomb in Amphipolis to visitors in early 2022.
From The Sofia Globe, the Bulgarian foreign ministry warns travelers about a three-day strike by cabin crews of the airline Germanwings.
From Russia Today, Russian security forces arrest two people suspected of planning terror attacks on New Year's Eve in Saint Petersburg, after a tip-off from U.S. agents.
From Sputnik International, the north magnetic pole is expected to continue moving toward Russia. (The article's top picture appears to have been taken from Doctor Who.)
From The Moscow Times, the Ukrainian government and pro-Russia separatists complete a prisoner exchange.
From Daily News Hungary, the Hungarian opposition party LMP submits a bill to ban fireworks and pyrotechnics.
From About Hungary, Hungary in the E.U. in 2019.
From The Slovak Spectator, the bottom-up rise of creative industry in Slovakia.
From Radio Prague, another incident happens at the statue of Russia Field Marshal Ivan Konev in Prague.
From Polskie Radio, Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki accuses Russian President Putin of having "lied about Poland".
From Free West Media, the archbishop of Krakow is not a fan of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
From Deutsche Welle, German Chancellor Merkel's "grand coalition" faces new challenges.
From the NL Times, the top ten stories from 2019 in the Netherlands.
From Dutch News, Turkey deports a Dutch ISIS bride and her child back to the Netherlands.
From VRT NWS, Italian police arrest an Albanian wanted in Belgium for alleged people smuggling.
From the Express, Sir Keir Starmer becomes the front runner in the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as the leader of the Labour Party.
From the Evening Standard, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be able to ride around on his Christmas present from his girlfriend.
From the (U.K.) Independent, Big Ben will ring in 2020 behind its restored clock face.
From the (Irish) Independent, Irish author Sally Rooney makes former U.S. President Barack Obama's list of favorite books for 2019.
From the Irish Examiner and the "what could go wrong?" department, Dublin Airport plans a trial of an off-site bag drop service.
From The Conservative Woman, a deal in October, and then a groundhog Brexit.
From The Stream, a U.S. Senate candidate (R-AL) comes to the defense of a high school football team under pressure from atheists.
From Fox News, according to Karl Rove, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) could claim victory in the Iowa Caucus.
From CBS DFW, a man shoots people in a church in White Settlemen, Texas and is then shot by a member of the congregation. (via Breitbart)
From Breitbart, a synagogue and Jewish shops are vandalized in London.
From Twitchy, Warren says that Biden should testify before the Senate in the impeachment trial.
And from The Peedmont, according to your dad, you should get to the Richmond International Airport at least two hours early.
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Saturday Stuff - Part 2
As the last Saturday of 2019 slips into evening, here are some more things going on:
From Free West Media, an Iraqi man allegedly shoves another Iraqi man in front of a train in Nuremburg, Germany.
From Deutsche Welle, the president of the German Bundestag tells eastern Germans "to stop playing the victim".
From the CPH Post, local efforts resurrect the Danish pavilion for the Expo 2020 in Dubai.
From Polskie Radio, the Polish airline LOT carried over 10 million passengers in a year for the first time in 2019. (The airline's name is the Polish word for "flight".)
From Radio Prague, Czech President Miloš Zeman is considering canceling a visit to Russia due to an "insolent" statement from the Russian government.
From the Hungary Journal, according to Hungary's state secretary for youth and family affairs, Hungarian policy on families "holds enormous potential". (If you read Hungarian, read the story at Magyar Hírlap.)
From Daily News Hungary, according to Foreign Minister Szijjarto, Hungary is "clearly" among the winners in the new global economy.
From About Hungary, a look at the Hungarian economy in 2019.
From Russia Today, a stolen armored limousine that is believed to have carried Joseph Stalin is found stashed in a garage in Moscow.
From Sputnik International, what do Russians value the most?
From EuroNews, pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine announce a prisoner exchange.
From Novinite, the main reasons for driving accidents in Bulgaria are bad road signs and smartphones.
From Radio Bulgaria, a 400-year-old church canopy is restored at the Bachkovo Monastery near Asenovgrad, Bulgaria.
From Ekathimerini, about 30 people protest at a mall against a police crackdown.
From the Greek Reporter, Greece signs a deal with Lockheed Martin to upgrade its F-16 fighter jets.
From Total Croatia News, three languages in Croatia total just 1,200 speakers.
From the Malta Independent, civil society groups plan a protest in Valletta, Malta for January 5th.
From Malta Today, six people are sentenced to prison in Malta for using fake passports. (According to the article, they were all arrested when they tried to leave Malta. Did they previously enter the country using the same fake passports?)
From SwissInfo, a Swiss nuclear power plant shuts down due to technical difficulties.
From The Portugal News, Portugal's resident population decreased in 2018, despite a slight recovery in birth rates.
From France24, the French government offers some concessions, but the strike over proposed pension reforms continues.
From RFI, "yellow vest" protesters join trade unions in marching against the proposed pension reforms.
From VRT NWS, 2019 has been "a great year for Belgian sparkling wine".
From the NL Times, ten law changes that could affect Dutch bank accounts.
From the Express, John Bercow becomes the first former House of Commons Speaker to be denied a seat in the House of Lords in 230 years. (Doing the math, I find that the previous speaker to be thusly snubbed would have left the office in or around 1789. Did losing the American colonies have anything to do with it?)
From the Evening Standard, a full list of everyone receiving 2020 New Years Honours.
From the (U.K.) Independent, almost 19,000 children were "groomed" in England during this past year.
From the (Irish) Independent, don't leave your electric scooter alone when it's charging.
From the Irish Examiner, Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland sees a record for grey seal births.
And from The Conservative Woman, during Brexit negotiations, then-Prime Minister May was ready to hand control of U.K. defense forces to the E.U.
From Free West Media, an Iraqi man allegedly shoves another Iraqi man in front of a train in Nuremburg, Germany.
From Deutsche Welle, the president of the German Bundestag tells eastern Germans "to stop playing the victim".
From the CPH Post, local efforts resurrect the Danish pavilion for the Expo 2020 in Dubai.
From Polskie Radio, the Polish airline LOT carried over 10 million passengers in a year for the first time in 2019. (The airline's name is the Polish word for "flight".)
From Radio Prague, Czech President Miloš Zeman is considering canceling a visit to Russia due to an "insolent" statement from the Russian government.
From the Hungary Journal, according to Hungary's state secretary for youth and family affairs, Hungarian policy on families "holds enormous potential". (If you read Hungarian, read the story at Magyar Hírlap.)
From Daily News Hungary, according to Foreign Minister Szijjarto, Hungary is "clearly" among the winners in the new global economy.
From About Hungary, a look at the Hungarian economy in 2019.
From Russia Today, a stolen armored limousine that is believed to have carried Joseph Stalin is found stashed in a garage in Moscow.
From Sputnik International, what do Russians value the most?
From EuroNews, pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine announce a prisoner exchange.
From Novinite, the main reasons for driving accidents in Bulgaria are bad road signs and smartphones.
From Radio Bulgaria, a 400-year-old church canopy is restored at the Bachkovo Monastery near Asenovgrad, Bulgaria.
From Ekathimerini, about 30 people protest at a mall against a police crackdown.
From the Greek Reporter, Greece signs a deal with Lockheed Martin to upgrade its F-16 fighter jets.
From Total Croatia News, three languages in Croatia total just 1,200 speakers.
From the Malta Independent, civil society groups plan a protest in Valletta, Malta for January 5th.
From Malta Today, six people are sentenced to prison in Malta for using fake passports. (According to the article, they were all arrested when they tried to leave Malta. Did they previously enter the country using the same fake passports?)
From SwissInfo, a Swiss nuclear power plant shuts down due to technical difficulties.
From The Portugal News, Portugal's resident population decreased in 2018, despite a slight recovery in birth rates.
From France24, the French government offers some concessions, but the strike over proposed pension reforms continues.
From RFI, "yellow vest" protesters join trade unions in marching against the proposed pension reforms.
From VRT NWS, 2019 has been "a great year for Belgian sparkling wine".
From the NL Times, ten law changes that could affect Dutch bank accounts.
From the Express, John Bercow becomes the first former House of Commons Speaker to be denied a seat in the House of Lords in 230 years. (Doing the math, I find that the previous speaker to be thusly snubbed would have left the office in or around 1789. Did losing the American colonies have anything to do with it?)
From the Evening Standard, a full list of everyone receiving 2020 New Years Honours.
From the (U.K.) Independent, almost 19,000 children were "groomed" in England during this past year.
From the (Irish) Independent, don't leave your electric scooter alone when it's charging.
From the Irish Examiner, Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland sees a record for grey seal births.
And from The Conservative Woman, during Brexit negotiations, then-Prime Minister May was ready to hand control of U.K. defense forces to the E.U.
Saturday Stuff - Part 1
Here on the last Saturday of 2019 are some things going on:
From National Review, letters from writer Flannery O'Connor and her friends.
From Townhall, according to congresscritter Debbie Wasserman Schultz, President Trump is working to derail the Senate impeachment trial.
From The Washington Free Beacon, one nomination for the TWFB Man of the Year award goes to a transperson.
From the Washington Examiner, the 2010s are the decade when energy "scarcity" became "abundance".
From American Thinker, Mayor Pete's (D-South Bend, IN) Jesus is a figment of his leftism.
From NewsBusters, the silliest analyses of the past decade.
From Canada Free Press, the real colluder with Russia is Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal).
From CBC News, some reasons for being cautiously optimistic on climate change in 2020.
From Global News, a group of people from Nova Scotia successfully herd cats.
From TeleSUR, six Chilean police are accused of sexual abuse.
From The Mainichi, a Japanese man is fined for online hate speech.
From the Borneo Post, Malaysia's health ministry receives 51 complaints about online sales of abortion pills.
From Free Malaysia Today, in 2020, Chinese and Indian tourists will be able to apply online for a 15-day visa to visit Malaysia.
From The Straits Times, unrest in Hong Kong could become a factor in upcoming Taiwanese elections.
From The Jakarta Post, Indonesian authorities seize a shipment of mangrove charcoal.
From the Daily Mirror, two Sri Lankan opposition parties slam the government's decision to suspend playing the national anthem in Tamil.
From the Colombo Page, a Sri Lankan election monitor stresses the need for balanced media coverage.
From the Dhaka Tribune, the U.N. General Assembly adopts a resolution condemning Myanmar for human rights violations against the Rohingyas.
From The Hans India, the Indian government needs to be open to dialogue about the Citizenship Act.
From the Hindustan Times, official holidays are changed for the calendar of Jammu and Kashmir.
From ANI, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh establishes a pension for victims of triple talaq.
From India Today, cold weather in Delhi inspires memes on Twitter.
From Khaama Press, the two female members of Afghanistan's national bowling team are dismissed for not wearing the hijab.
From Dawn, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urges Pakistani Americans to raise their voices against the "Indian lobby".
From The Express Tribune, Imran stresses the need for enhancing job opportunities in Pakistan's tribal districts.
From Pakistan Today, the Organisation of Islamic Conference decides to convene a meeting on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
From Radio Farda, Iranian security forces are allegedly holding protest detainees in appalling conditions and depriving them of due process.
From StepFeed, Egypt's most incredible archaeological discoveries in 2019.
From The New Arab, an Egyptian YouTube user is arrested for allegedly criticizing President Abdel al-Sisi.
From Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey will launch the TurkStream gas pipeline next month.
From Turkish Minute, hundreds of residents of İstanbul line up to sign petitions against the Canal İstanbul project.
From Rûdaw, according to Iraq's highest human rights body, 56 protesters and activists abducted during recent protests are still missing.
From In-Cyprus, Libya's House Speaker asks Cyprus's foreign minister to convey two messages to the E.U.
From Arutz Sheva, the details of a ceasefire with Hamas will be presented to the Israeli cabinet.
From The Times Of Israel, could the first person to record the destruction of Pompeii have been Jewish?
From The Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is reportedly ready "to request immunity" this week.
From YNetNews, Netanyahu again talks about, but does not carry out, the annexation of the Jordan Valley.
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt start moving sphinxes from Luxor to Tahrir Square.
From Egypt Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church denies cutting ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
From Morocco World News, American singer Jennifer Grout attributes her conversion to Islam on the generosity of Moroccans.
From Gatestone Institute, a "latest sense of insecurity" is felt in Germany.
From The Stream, "the most extreme pro-abortion policies of 2019".
From the Daily Caller, former Vice President Biden explains why he won't testify in the Senate impeachment trial.
From the New York Post, Ivanka Trump might not stay in her father's administration if he is reelected.
From Breitbart, congresscritter Jimmy Gomez (D-Cal) claims that his fellow Democrats turned the USMCA trade deal "into a real agreement with teeth".
And from Twitchy, will Virginia's new policy allowing absences for student protests include protests for President Trump or the 2nd Amendment?
From National Review, letters from writer Flannery O'Connor and her friends.
From Townhall, according to congresscritter Debbie Wasserman Schultz, President Trump is working to derail the Senate impeachment trial.
From The Washington Free Beacon, one nomination for the TWFB Man of the Year award goes to a transperson.
From the Washington Examiner, the 2010s are the decade when energy "scarcity" became "abundance".
From American Thinker, Mayor Pete's (D-South Bend, IN) Jesus is a figment of his leftism.
From NewsBusters, the silliest analyses of the past decade.
From Canada Free Press, the real colluder with Russia is Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal).
From CBC News, some reasons for being cautiously optimistic on climate change in 2020.
From Global News, a group of people from Nova Scotia successfully herd cats.
From TeleSUR, six Chilean police are accused of sexual abuse.
From The Mainichi, a Japanese man is fined for online hate speech.
From the Borneo Post, Malaysia's health ministry receives 51 complaints about online sales of abortion pills.
From Free Malaysia Today, in 2020, Chinese and Indian tourists will be able to apply online for a 15-day visa to visit Malaysia.
From The Straits Times, unrest in Hong Kong could become a factor in upcoming Taiwanese elections.
From The Jakarta Post, Indonesian authorities seize a shipment of mangrove charcoal.
From the Daily Mirror, two Sri Lankan opposition parties slam the government's decision to suspend playing the national anthem in Tamil.
From the Colombo Page, a Sri Lankan election monitor stresses the need for balanced media coverage.
From the Dhaka Tribune, the U.N. General Assembly adopts a resolution condemning Myanmar for human rights violations against the Rohingyas.
From The Hans India, the Indian government needs to be open to dialogue about the Citizenship Act.
From the Hindustan Times, official holidays are changed for the calendar of Jammu and Kashmir.
From ANI, the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh establishes a pension for victims of triple talaq.
From India Today, cold weather in Delhi inspires memes on Twitter.
From Khaama Press, the two female members of Afghanistan's national bowling team are dismissed for not wearing the hijab.
From Dawn, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan urges Pakistani Americans to raise their voices against the "Indian lobby".
From The Express Tribune, Imran stresses the need for enhancing job opportunities in Pakistan's tribal districts.
From Pakistan Today, the Organisation of Islamic Conference decides to convene a meeting on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
From Radio Farda, Iranian security forces are allegedly holding protest detainees in appalling conditions and depriving them of due process.
From StepFeed, Egypt's most incredible archaeological discoveries in 2019.
From The New Arab, an Egyptian YouTube user is arrested for allegedly criticizing President Abdel al-Sisi.
From Hürriyet Daily News, Turkey will launch the TurkStream gas pipeline next month.
From Turkish Minute, hundreds of residents of İstanbul line up to sign petitions against the Canal İstanbul project.
From Rûdaw, according to Iraq's highest human rights body, 56 protesters and activists abducted during recent protests are still missing.
From In-Cyprus, Libya's House Speaker asks Cyprus's foreign minister to convey two messages to the E.U.
From Arutz Sheva, the details of a ceasefire with Hamas will be presented to the Israeli cabinet.
From The Times Of Israel, could the first person to record the destruction of Pompeii have been Jewish?
From The Jerusalem Post, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is reportedly ready "to request immunity" this week.
From YNetNews, Netanyahu again talks about, but does not carry out, the annexation of the Jordan Valley.
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt start moving sphinxes from Luxor to Tahrir Square.
From Egypt Today, the Coptic Orthodox Church denies cutting ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
From Morocco World News, American singer Jennifer Grout attributes her conversion to Islam on the generosity of Moroccans.
From Gatestone Institute, a "latest sense of insecurity" is felt in Germany.
From The Stream, "the most extreme pro-abortion policies of 2019".
From the Daily Caller, former Vice President Biden explains why he won't testify in the Senate impeachment trial.
From the New York Post, Ivanka Trump might not stay in her father's administration if he is reelected.
From Breitbart, congresscritter Jimmy Gomez (D-Cal) claims that his fellow Democrats turned the USMCA trade deal "into a real agreement with teeth".
And from Twitchy, will Virginia's new policy allowing absences for student protests include protests for President Trump or the 2nd Amendment?
Friday, December 27, 2019
A Traveling Sasquatch's Double Dozen
Now that I've driven back to my lair in Maryland, unpacked my suitcase, and had some dinner, I now have a bit of time to present some stories. Thus, here are some things going on:
From National Review, why do people who decry Western colonialism ignore Iran's colonialism?
From FrontpageMag, New York State denies ICE and the Border patrol access to its DMV database.
From Townhall, liberals present some historical revisionism on Mr. Bill's impeachment.
From The Washington Free Beacon, another TWFB nomination for Man of the Year is an 11-year-old Chik-fil-A customer.
From the Washington Examiner, China launches a large rocket ahead of a planned mission to Mars. (Didn't Mr. Bill once allow some rocket technology to be transferred to China? As the very same Washington Examiner notes, yes he did.)
From The Federalist, trade with China isn't free as long as it cheats.
From American Thinker, "the campaign money industrial complex".
From CNS News, if he is elected president, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-South Bend, Indiana) will bring a "first gentleman" into the White House.
From LifeZette, 10 scenes in It's a Wonderful Life "that drive the left crazy".
From NewsBusters, the worst celebrity freakouts of the decade.
From Canada Free Press, cynics look at federal law enforcement.
From The Conservative Woman, the U.K.'s Remainers "finally lose the plot".
From Thompson Reuters Foundation News, in northern India, Hindus reportedly stand guard at a Muslim wedding.
From Gatestone Institute, instability in Libya could help ISIS regroup.
From Free West Media, the Italian Interior Ministry allegedly misreports the number of migrant landings.
From Euractiv, extra virgin olive oil in Greece was reportedly saved by precision farming. (If you read Greek, read the story at Ypaithros Chora.)
From StepFeed, Ethiopian Muslims protest attacks on mosques.
From The New Arab, attacks by the Assad regime and Russian troops cause a mass exodus in the Syrian region of Idlib.
From The Stream, the author's "immigrant Christmas".
From Breitbart, a psychiatrist claims that Speaker Pelosi can force President Trump to have a mental health evaluation.
From CheckYourFact, did Trump's mother ever state that she hopes he never goes into politics?
From Legal Insurrection, former Vice President Biden says that he will not comply with any subpoena to testify at Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. (As the article notes, this refusal might be an obstruction of Congress, one of the two alleged offenses for which the president was impeached.)
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wins Likud's primary and thanks Trump. (via the New York Post)
And from The Babylon Bee, experts warn that global outrage levels could reach the point of no return next year.
From National Review, why do people who decry Western colonialism ignore Iran's colonialism?
From FrontpageMag, New York State denies ICE and the Border patrol access to its DMV database.
From Townhall, liberals present some historical revisionism on Mr. Bill's impeachment.
From The Washington Free Beacon, another TWFB nomination for Man of the Year is an 11-year-old Chik-fil-A customer.
From the Washington Examiner, China launches a large rocket ahead of a planned mission to Mars. (Didn't Mr. Bill once allow some rocket technology to be transferred to China? As the very same Washington Examiner notes, yes he did.)
From The Federalist, trade with China isn't free as long as it cheats.
From American Thinker, "the campaign money industrial complex".
From CNS News, if he is elected president, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-South Bend, Indiana) will bring a "first gentleman" into the White House.
From LifeZette, 10 scenes in It's a Wonderful Life "that drive the left crazy".
From NewsBusters, the worst celebrity freakouts of the decade.
From Canada Free Press, cynics look at federal law enforcement.
From The Conservative Woman, the U.K.'s Remainers "finally lose the plot".
From Thompson Reuters Foundation News, in northern India, Hindus reportedly stand guard at a Muslim wedding.
From Gatestone Institute, instability in Libya could help ISIS regroup.
From Free West Media, the Italian Interior Ministry allegedly misreports the number of migrant landings.
From Euractiv, extra virgin olive oil in Greece was reportedly saved by precision farming. (If you read Greek, read the story at Ypaithros Chora.)
From StepFeed, Ethiopian Muslims protest attacks on mosques.
From The New Arab, attacks by the Assad regime and Russian troops cause a mass exodus in the Syrian region of Idlib.
From The Stream, the author's "immigrant Christmas".
From Breitbart, a psychiatrist claims that Speaker Pelosi can force President Trump to have a mental health evaluation.
From CheckYourFact, did Trump's mother ever state that she hopes he never goes into politics?
From Legal Insurrection, former Vice President Biden says that he will not comply with any subpoena to testify at Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate. (As the article notes, this refusal might be an obstruction of Congress, one of the two alleged offenses for which the president was impeached.)
From The Times Of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wins Likud's primary and thanks Trump. (via the New York Post)
And from The Babylon Bee, experts warn that global outrage levels could reach the point of no return next year.
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Stories For The Feast Of Stephen - Part 2
On the day after Christmas, here are some more things going on:
From Free West Media, a migrant from Syria assaults a woman in Budapest.
From Daily News Hungary, more German families move to Hungary because they find it safer. (If you read Hungarian, read the story at Hirado.)
From About Hungary, traditional Hungarian Christmas gifts.
From Russia Today, Russia's new light anti-aircraft system passes its final test.
From Sputnik International, according to a Pentagon spokesman, the U.S. is monitoring the Russia-China-Iran joint naval drills.
From The Moscow Times, the five richest Russians get richer. (If you read Russian, read the story at Forbes(dot)ru.)
From Novinite, today is Father's Day in Bulgaria.
From The Sofia Globe, Bulgaria's road infrastructure agency grants 5 million leva for archaeological studies in 2020.
From Radio Bulgaria, Christmas music in Bulgaria.
From Ekathimerini, an exhibit about ancient Troy shows the "power of the image" and the "triumph of the word".
From the Greek Reporter, a man is arrested for trying to sell the head of an ancient Greek statue.
From Independent Balkan News Agency, the leader of the Serbian Patriotic Alliance sees no reason to boycott Serbia's elections.
From Malta Today, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat claims to have followed the rules on receiving gifts.
From SwissInfo, 100 years of International Geneva.
From The Portugal News, an apartment for LGBTI youth will open in Lisbon at the end of December.
From the NL Times, a firework bomb destroys a car in The Hague.
From Deutsche Welle, Germany's transport minister dismisses calls for speed limits on the autobahn.
From the CPH Post, forced religious conversion is becoming an international problem.
From Polskie Radio, Poland's state bank invests in a shopping center in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
From the Express, Britain will be a champion of trade after Brexit.
From the Evening Standard, 49 migrants are intercepted while crossing the English Channel in the wee hours of Boxing Day morning.
From the Independent, the outgoing leader of the U.K.'s leading press regulator states that there is no such thing as a right not to be offended.
From the Irish Examiner, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and U.K. Prime Minister Johnson agree on a bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
And from The Conservative Woman, does Boris "the Spider" have "the guts for a clean Brexit?" (TCW calls him "BoJo", but I call him "Boris the Spider".)
Stories For The Feast Of Stephen - Part 1
On the anniversary of the day when, according to a certain Christmas carol, Good King Wenceslas looked out his window at the snow, here are some things going on:
From National Review, most of the people seeking asylum on the southern border are Mexican instead of Central American.
From FrontpageMag, meet two policemen killed by illegal aliens. (One of the cops, if I remember his story correctly, was an immigrant. Thus, we have an example of an illegal alien killing an immigrant.)
From Townhall, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-South Bend, IN) is blasted for a Tweet saying that Jesus was a refugee. (In all fairness, while Jesus was not born a refugee, as the mayor implies, He later became one when He, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape from King Herod. After Herod died, the family returned to Mary's home town of Nazareth.)
From The Washington Free Beacon, the writers at TWFB nominate their Man Of The Year, including the newest member of the Bush family.
From the Washington Examiner, how our immigration system encourages migrants to "recycle" children.
From The Federalist, how Paul Krugman's prediction that the markets would "never" recover from the election of President Trump turned out to be spectacularly wrong.
From American Thinker, Senator Fake Cherokee (D-MA) makes up another story.
From CNS News, the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia is recalled for criticizing its anti-gay laws.
From LifeZette, the family photo from former Vice President Biden left out two of their well-known members.
From NewsBusters, a CNN piece refers to all illegal aliens as "Latinos".
From Canada Free Press, Hannukah celebrates a victory in a guerrilla war.
From CBC News, how earthworm feces could possibly influence climate change.
From Global News, British Columbia's best animal stories in 2019.
From CTV News, a stolen century-old cross has been returned to a church in Digby, Nova Scotia.
From TeleSUR, Mexico reiterates its demand that Bolivian police officers stop harassing and intimidating its embassy staff in La Paz.
From Morocco World News, a video shows testimonies from Moroccans expelled from Algeria in 1975.
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt plans to start a competition to become its first astronaut.
From Egypt Today, Presidents al-Sisi (Egypt) and Trump (U.S) discuss the situation in Libya and the Ethiopian dam talks.
From Arutz Sheva, thousand of poor Israeli children will receive free winter coats.
From The Times Of Israel, the Likud polling station in Tel Aviv, Israel is a "calm amid the raging storm".
From The Jerusalem Post, Gazans decide to take a three-month break from their weekly protests.
From YNetNews, an 87-year-old man remembers the first Nazi death march.
From Rûdaw, Arab tribal leaders demand that the Syrian Democratic Forces release women and children held in their camps.
From Hürriyet Daily News, 9-million-year-old fossils are discovered in southeastern Turkey.
From Turkish Minute, sevenillegal irregular migrants die when their boat capsizes in Lake Van in eastern Turkey.
From StepFeed, for the first time in 172 years, a "ring of fire" solar eclipse is seen in the UAE. (There was no UAE 172 years ago, but this was the first time such an eclipse was seen in that area.)
From Radio Farda, police presence and arrests prevent new protests in Iran.
From Dawn, pictures of the "ring of fire" eclipse.
From The Express Tribune, Pakistani provinces refuse to give up their "right of first use" of natural gas.
From Pakistan Today, according to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan's army is ready for any Indian "misadventure" in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. (Pakistan refers to the part of Jammu and Kashmir it controls as azad, which means "free".)
From Khaama Press, the Taliban releases 27 peace marchers whom they had previously abducted.
From The Hans India, junior college students in Mahabubnagar, India observe the solar eclipse.
From the Hindustan Times, scientists bust five myths about solar eclipses.
From ANI, the Indian Air Force will retire its fleet of MiG-27 fighter jets.
From India Today, due to expected protests against the Citizenship Act, Internet will be suspended in 14 districts in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
From the Daily Mirror, video of the annual solar eclipse from northern Sri Lanka.
From the Colombo Page, the Sri Lankan embassy in Kuwait facilitates the return of 33 migrant workers to Sri Lanka.
From NDTV, a Muslim British boxer of Pakistani origin is shocked by the "all the hate" he received for celebrating Christmas.
From Gatestone Institute, the German Bundestag's resolution to ban Hezbollah is a "legal charade". (This article is part 2. Read part 1 here.)
From The Jakarta Post, according to Indonesia's Security Affairs Minister, this Christmas has been the "best" and "safest" in decades.
From The Straits Times, the Christmas season doesn't prevent police and protesters from clashing in Hong Kong.
From the Borneo Post, a Malaysian all-women team enters Antarctica.
From Free Malaysia Today, the Malaysian government decides against allowing vigilantes to go after illegal aliens.
From The Mainichi, spent mixed oxide fuel will be removed from a Japanese nuclear power plant in January.
From The Stream, the ten biggest satirical stories from 2019 that you didn't hear about.
From the Los Angeles Times, more on the Mexicans heading for the U.S. border.
From Reuters, for Christmas, a caravan of migrants in Mexico heads southward. (via the Daily Caller)
From the New York Post, congresscritter AOC (D-NY), who has criticized other Democrats for taking campaign contributions from billionaires, takes a donation from billionaire Tom Steyer. (via The Blaze)
From the Daily Caller, pop singer Madonna cancels concerts due to "indescribable" pain.
And from ArchyW, for a decent standard of living and inexpensive medical care, Americans are retiring to Vietnam.
From National Review, most of the people seeking asylum on the southern border are Mexican instead of Central American.
From FrontpageMag, meet two policemen killed by illegal aliens. (One of the cops, if I remember his story correctly, was an immigrant. Thus, we have an example of an illegal alien killing an immigrant.)
From Townhall, Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-South Bend, IN) is blasted for a Tweet saying that Jesus was a refugee. (In all fairness, while Jesus was not born a refugee, as the mayor implies, He later became one when He, Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt to escape from King Herod. After Herod died, the family returned to Mary's home town of Nazareth.)
From The Washington Free Beacon, the writers at TWFB nominate their Man Of The Year, including the newest member of the Bush family.
From the Washington Examiner, how our immigration system encourages migrants to "recycle" children.
From The Federalist, how Paul Krugman's prediction that the markets would "never" recover from the election of President Trump turned out to be spectacularly wrong.
From American Thinker, Senator Fake Cherokee (D-MA) makes up another story.
From CNS News, the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia is recalled for criticizing its anti-gay laws.
From LifeZette, the family photo from former Vice President Biden left out two of their well-known members.
From NewsBusters, a CNN piece refers to all illegal aliens as "Latinos".
From Canada Free Press, Hannukah celebrates a victory in a guerrilla war.
From CBC News, how earthworm feces could possibly influence climate change.
From Global News, British Columbia's best animal stories in 2019.
From CTV News, a stolen century-old cross has been returned to a church in Digby, Nova Scotia.
From TeleSUR, Mexico reiterates its demand that Bolivian police officers stop harassing and intimidating its embassy staff in La Paz.
From Morocco World News, a video shows testimonies from Moroccans expelled from Algeria in 1975.
From the Egypt Independent, Egypt plans to start a competition to become its first astronaut.
From Egypt Today, Presidents al-Sisi (Egypt) and Trump (U.S) discuss the situation in Libya and the Ethiopian dam talks.
From Arutz Sheva, thousand of poor Israeli children will receive free winter coats.
From The Times Of Israel, the Likud polling station in Tel Aviv, Israel is a "calm amid the raging storm".
From The Jerusalem Post, Gazans decide to take a three-month break from their weekly protests.
From YNetNews, an 87-year-old man remembers the first Nazi death march.
From Rûdaw, Arab tribal leaders demand that the Syrian Democratic Forces release women and children held in their camps.
From Hürriyet Daily News, 9-million-year-old fossils are discovered in southeastern Turkey.
From Turkish Minute, seven
From StepFeed, for the first time in 172 years, a "ring of fire" solar eclipse is seen in the UAE. (There was no UAE 172 years ago, but this was the first time such an eclipse was seen in that area.)
From Radio Farda, police presence and arrests prevent new protests in Iran.
From Dawn, pictures of the "ring of fire" eclipse.
From The Express Tribune, Pakistani provinces refuse to give up their "right of first use" of natural gas.
From Pakistan Today, according to Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan's army is ready for any Indian "misadventure" in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. (Pakistan refers to the part of Jammu and Kashmir it controls as azad, which means "free".)
From Khaama Press, the Taliban releases 27 peace marchers whom they had previously abducted.
From The Hans India, junior college students in Mahabubnagar, India observe the solar eclipse.
From the Hindustan Times, scientists bust five myths about solar eclipses.
From ANI, the Indian Air Force will retire its fleet of MiG-27 fighter jets.
From India Today, due to expected protests against the Citizenship Act, Internet will be suspended in 14 districts in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
From the Daily Mirror, video of the annual solar eclipse from northern Sri Lanka.
From the Colombo Page, the Sri Lankan embassy in Kuwait facilitates the return of 33 migrant workers to Sri Lanka.
From NDTV, a Muslim British boxer of Pakistani origin is shocked by the "all the hate" he received for celebrating Christmas.
From Gatestone Institute, the German Bundestag's resolution to ban Hezbollah is a "legal charade". (This article is part 2. Read part 1 here.)
From The Jakarta Post, according to Indonesia's Security Affairs Minister, this Christmas has been the "best" and "safest" in decades.
From The Straits Times, the Christmas season doesn't prevent police and protesters from clashing in Hong Kong.
From the Borneo Post, a Malaysian all-women team enters Antarctica.
From Free Malaysia Today, the Malaysian government decides against allowing vigilantes to go after illegal aliens.
From The Mainichi, spent mixed oxide fuel will be removed from a Japanese nuclear power plant in January.
From The Stream, the ten biggest satirical stories from 2019 that you didn't hear about.
From the Los Angeles Times, more on the Mexicans heading for the U.S. border.
From Reuters, for Christmas, a caravan of migrants in Mexico heads southward. (via the Daily Caller)
From the New York Post, congresscritter AOC (D-NY), who has criticized other Democrats for taking campaign contributions from billionaires, takes a donation from billionaire Tom Steyer. (via The Blaze)
From the Daily Caller, pop singer Madonna cancels concerts due to "indescribable" pain.
And from ArchyW, for a decent standard of living and inexpensive medical care, Americans are retiring to Vietnam.
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