Signs of the Times

Oklahoma GOP governor signs bill into law requiring students to use bathroom of sex assigned at birth

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed into law a bill that requires students at public schools and public charter schools to use restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex listed on their birth certificates. The law specifically applies to students in pre-K through 12th grade at public and public charter schools in the state. Transgender students who decline to use the restroom required under the measure would have to use "a single-occupancy restroom or changing room" provided by the school. The measure, which cleared the state Legislature last week, will take effect immediately because it was passed with an emergency clause. School districts that fail to comply can have a portion of their state funding cut, and could be sued by school parents.

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NATO claims 'immunity' to Serbian lawsuits on illegal use of depleted Uranium during 78 day bombing onslaught in 1999

The attorney dismissed the 'immunity' claims, insisting that "none of these agreements gives immunity to NATO as an organization, and immunity cannot be applied retroactively. Therefore, NATO cannot receive immunity for war crimes against civilians and for its illegal aggression under the 2005 agreement." "In our case about DU bombings resulting in casualties among the civilian population, soldiers and policemen, NATO carries responsibility for the violation of the right to life and for damages caused," Aleksic stressed. The attorney expects the Belgrade High Court to proceed with hearings on the matter in October.

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China to sign a pact with 10 Pacific island nations on matters of security, policing, data and trade

China wants 10 small Pacific nations to endorse a sweeping agreement covering everything from security to fisheries in what one leader warns is a "game-changing" bid by Beijing to wrest control of the region. A draft of the agreement obtained by The Associated Press shows that China wants to train Pacific police officers, team up on "traditional and non-traditional security" and expand law enforcement cooperation. China also wants to jointly develop a marine plan for fisheries — which would include the Pacific's lucrative tuna catch — increase cooperation on running the region's internet networks, and set up cultural Confucius Institutes and classrooms. China also mentions the possibility of setting up a free trade area with the Pacific nations.

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Texas bar sues to punish AG Paxton for attempt to investigate allegations of widespread election fraud

The State Bar of Texas filed a lawsuit Wednesday to reprimand Attorney General Ken Paxton for his attempt to overturn 2020 election results in battleground states that former President Trump lost, AP reports. Why it matters: The lawsuit comes a day after Trump-endorsed Paxton defeated George P. Bush for the Republican nomination for Texas attorney general, potentially setting him up for a third term at the post. The lawsuit amounts to a formal accusation of professional misconduct against Paxton, making him one of the most prominent legal figures to face repercussions for helping Trump in his efforts to change the election results.

Signs of the Times

BEST OF THE WEB: CNN investigation finds Israeli forces deliberately murdered star Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

Several shots ring out in quick succession, cutting through a clear, blue spring morning in Jenin, in the West Bank. Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack. The cameraman filming the scene scrambles backwards to take cover behind a low concrete wall. Then a man cries out in Arabic: "Injured! Shireen, Shireen, oh man, Shireen! Ambulance!" When the camera operator pans around the corner, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh can be seen lying motionless, face down on the ground as another Palestinian reporter, Shatha Hanaysha, crouches down beside her, using a tree trunk for cover. Hanaysha reaches out and tries to rouse her as gunshots continue. There's no response. Both women are wearing helmets and blue protective vests marked "Press." In the moments that follow, a man in a white T-shirt makes several attempts to move Abu Akleh, but is forced back repeatedly by gunfire. Finally, after a few long minutes, he manages to drag her body from the street.

Signs of the Times

Bill Gates paid millions to derail Elon Musk's plans

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into 11 of the 26 organizations backing an effort to prevent fellow billionaire Elon Musk from taking over social media platform Twitter, according to data shared with Breitbart by the Foundation for Freedom Online (FFO). Among the 11 Gates-backed organizations reportedly spearheading the effort to sandbag Musk's Twitter acquisition by pressuring advertisers to boycott the platform is the New Venture Fund, a 'dark money' organization that in 2020 received the largest one-year commitment the Foundation has made in over five years. The group funds the Center for Media Justice, the Media Democracy Fund, the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and Accountable Tech, all of which signed the open letter backing the advertiser boycott, and has received some 102 separate cash grants from Gates' foundation since 2008, amounting to $457 million in all, according to the Foundation's own financial disclosures. Other...

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Putin predicts failure of the West

Western nations that are trying to punish others with economic sanctions are overestimating their strength, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the Eurasian Economic Forum on Thursday. "More and more countries in the world want and will pursue independent policy," he said at the international event. "No 'world policeman' can halt this natural global process. No one is that strong." "They face challenges inside their nations, and I hope they realize that this policy has absolutely no prospects," the Russian leader said, referring to the US and its Western allies.

Signs of the Times

Massive job losses feared in Austria without Russian gas

The suspension of Russian gas supplies would be "a serious blow" to the welfare of the Austrian people as it threatens some 300,000 jobs, Kronen Zeitung newspaper reported citing the Federation of Austrian Industries. According to the president of the federation, Georg Knill, almost the entire food industry depends on the supply of the "blue fuel." Steel production also requires huge capacities, he said, noting that other industries will also be seriously affected. The Austrian government does not have a plan in the event of a cessation of gas supplies from Russia, Knill said as cited by the newspaper. The Cabinet reportedly proceeds from the point that "it should not be cold in any apartment." Knill said that authorities could first cut off gas to the country's enterprises, which is a major concern for the nation's business owners. He stressed that he sees the danger not so much in the fact that Russia could "turn off the taps," but in the decision of the European Union to stop...

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Twitter jumps after Musk increases commitment in takeover bid to $33.5 billion, in talks for other funding

A new filing reveals that Elon Musk plans to front $33.5 billion in his bid to take over Twitter. Musk is in talks with Twitter founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey and others to help finance, or roll their shares over, to complete the deal. In a letter to investors backing the holding company that Musk is forming to take Twitter private, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO expressed his commitment to completing the deal. Shares of Twitter rose more than 5% after hours on the news, while Tesla shares dipped about 1%. As CNBC's David Faber previously reported, Elon Musk is expected to serve as a temporary CEO of Twitter for a few months after he completes the $44 billion acquisition.

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Police charge big pharma boss with falsifying his Covid vaccination status

Jose Maria Fernandez Sousa-Faro, president of European pharmaceuticals giant PharmaMar, has been charged by police with being falsely vaccinated against Covid-19. Dr. Sousa-Faro has been caught up in a scandal in Europe involving people being added to the National Immunization Registry in exchange for large sums of money, with many of them familiar faces and household names. Police allege that Sousa-Faro arranged to be injected with a saline solution instead of a Covid-19 vaccination and paid thousands of dollars to have his name added to Spain's immunization register, as confirmed by police sources and reported by El Periodico de Espana. Dr. Sousa-Faro is among more than 2,200 celebrities and European elites on the list drawn up by National Police of those falsely vaccinated against Covid. According to El Mundo, Spanish police carried out the investigation called Operation Jenner which uncovered the vast network of celebrities and elites who have paid money to have their names...

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Mass shootings: The vicious cycle fueled by America's toxic cult of violence

"Mass shootings have become routine in the United States and speak to a society that relies on violence to feed the coffers of the merchants of death. Given the profits made by arms manufacturers, the defense industry, gun dealers and the lobbyists who represent them in Congress, it comes as no surprise that the culture of violence cannot be abstracted from either the culture of business or the corruption of politics." — Professor Henry A. Giroux We are caught in a vicious cycle. With alarming regularity, the nation is being subjected to a heartbreaking spate of violence that terrorizes the populace, fractures communities, and gives the government greater justifications to crack down, lock down, and institute even more authoritarian policies for the so-called sake of national security without many objections from the citizenry. Mass shootings have taken place in schools, on college campuses, movie theaters, nightclubs, grocery stores, concert venues, bars, workplaces, churches, on...

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Zelensky rips Kissinger over suggestion Ukraine cede territory to Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday slammed former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for suggesting earlier this week that Ukraine cede some territory to Russia in the name of peace. In a Wednesday address, Zelensky said Kissinger "emerges from the deep past and says that a piece of Ukraine should be given to Russia" and that Kissinger's "calendar is not 2022, but 1938" — a reference to the Munich Agreement, which allowed for Nazi Germany to annex land in western Czechoslovakia. "Behind all these geopolitical speculations of those who advise Ukraine to give away something to Russia, 'great geopoliticians' are always unwilling to see ordinary people. Millions of those who actually live in the territory they propose to exchange for the illusion of peace. You must always see people." At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, the 98-year-old Kissinger said "negotiations on peace need to begin" between Moscow and Kyiv and that "ideally, the...

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Russian rouble leaps to near 7-year high vs euro

The Russian rouble firmed more than 6% against the euro on Monday to a near seven-year high, boosted by capital controls, strong oil prices and an upcoming month-end tax period. By 1338 GMT, the rouble had gained 6.3% to trade at 58.75 versus the euro, its strongest point since early June 2015. It was 4.6% stronger against the dollar at 57.47, not far from 57.0750, its strongest mark since late March 2018, hit on Friday. The rouble has firmed about 30% against the dollar this year despite a full-scale economic crisis in Russia, making it the world's best-performing currency - albeit artificially supported by controls imposed in late February to shield Russia's financial sector after its decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine prompted unprecedented Western sanctions.

Signs of the Times

Davos elites warn 'Painful Global Transition' should not be resisted by nation states

As World Economic Forum head Klaus Schwab proclaimed that "the future is built by us" at the opening of the annual Davos gathering, two other European elites declared that the global energy crisis is a "transition" that will be "painful" for most, but should not be resisted by nations tempted to preserve their own sovereignty over the "global agenda." Schwab called those summoned before him a "powerful community," and declared "We have the means to improve the state of the world, but two conditions are necessary: The first one, is that we act all as stakeholders of larger communities, so that we serve not only our self-interests but we serve the community. That's what we call 'stakeholder responsibility.'" "And second, that we collaborate," he continued, adding "And this is the reason why you find many opportunities here during the meeting to engage into... action and impact initiatives to make progress related to specific issues on the global agenda."

Signs of the Times

Australia's strict Covid lockdowns did more harm than good

Third World v. First World: what's the difference? In a nutshell, the way they make public policy. For the most part, policy in First World nations is not ideological, but process-oriented. It is required to pass two tests: A test of liberty (the government must not interfere in our life without a strong justification).A test of reason (the justification so provided must be evidence-based and transparent).These tests are operationalised through the regime of a cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Many people are suspicious about CBAs, which they think are created by 'money-minded' economists who put a 'value' on life - something people believe is an impossibility. And indeed, the life of our family members and our friends, cannot be valued on any known metric. But when taxpayer money is involved, a calculation of trade-offs becomes inevitable.

Signs of the Times

Following Florida's example, North Carolina education bill would bar LGBTQ+ curriculum through third grade

"This is an issue that parents all across the state have been concerned about," North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R) said Tuesday. "They are worried about things that they have seen." North Carolina lawmakers have revived a bill initially intended to foster "academic transparency" by requiring public K-12 schools to make information about instructional materials available to the public. An updated version of the legislation introduced Tuesday in the state Senate would establish a "Parents' Bill of Rights" and prevent primary school teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with their students. Originally introduced in the North Carolina House of Representatives in April of last year, House Bill 755 was designed to "inform the public about instructional materials" that are used in the state's public school classrooms, according to an initial draft of the measure. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R), had stalled in a Senate...

Signs of the Times

Strong shallow magnitude 6.2 earthquake - South Pacific Ocean - 3rd major quake within 7 hours

Earthquake details Date & time May 26, 2022 18:10:04 UTC Local time at epicenter Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 10:10 am (GMT -8) Status Confirmed Magnitude 6.2 Depth 10.0 km Epicenter latitude / longitude 49.7844°S / 114.8724°W

Signs of the Times

Shallow magnitude 6.4 earthquake - South Pacific Ocean, New Caledonia

Earthquake details Date & time May 26, 2022 15:37:58 UTC Local time at epicenter Friday, May 27, 2022 at 2:37 am (GMT +11) Status Confirmed Magnitude 6.4 Depth 10.0 km Epicenter latitude / longitude 22.8048°S / 172.0689°E (South Pacific Ocean, New Caledonia)

Signs of the Times

Strong shallow magnitude 6.2 earthquake - South Pacific Ocean

Earthquake details Date & time May 26, 2022 18:10:04 UTC Local time at epicenter Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 10:10 am (GMT -8) Status Confirmed Magnitude 6.2 Depth 10.0 km Epicenter latitude / longitude 49.7844°S / 114.8724°W

Signs of the Times

Monkeypoxmania

Lock yourselves down inside your homes! Break out the masks and prophylactic face-shields! Switch off what's left of your critical faculties and prepare yourselves to "follow the Science!" Yes, that's right, just as the survivors of The Simulated Apocalyptic Plague of 2020-2021 were crawling up out of their Covid bunkers and starting to "build the world back better," another biblical pestilence has apparently been unleashed on humanity! This time it's the dreaded monkeypox, a viral zoonotic disease endemic to central and western Africa that circulates among giant pouched rats, squirrels, dormice, and other rodents and has been infecting humans for centuries, or millennia. Monkeypox causes fever, headaches, muscle aches, and sometimes fluid-filled blisters, tends to resolve in two to four weeks, and thus poses absolutely zero threat to human civilization generally. The corporate media do not want to alarm us, but it is their duty as professional journalists to report that THE...

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US base to host 'drag queens' for children

The families of US troops stationed at the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany will be able to take their children to, a so-called, Drag Queen Story Time next week. The base library has posted the event on its Facebook page, saying it was part of "Pride Month" celebrations. "We're celebrating Pride Month at the Ramstein Library with Drag Queen Storytime!" the announcement on the page of Ramstein & Vogelweh Air Force Libraries said on Tuesday. "Join us with special guest reader Stacey Teed! Be sure to wear your brightest and most colorful outfits!" The event is scheduled for June 2, and is distinct from the regular story time for military children, hosted by the Vogelweh library in nearby Kaiserslautern.

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The Motherlode

Global engineering human transitions and servitude. Western governments declared war on their citizens long ago. The war has been given many names: Cognitive war, Information war, Psychological war, or the academic term Fifth Generational Warfare. Some say it hasn't gone "kinetic" yet, but they are wrong. They are terrorizing the world with man-made bioweapons as lethal force and then offering the cures with second, third, and fourth injectable bioweapons. It is a silent war. Most people have no idea they're even on a battlefield or that war criminals are in power all around them. It was only months ago the war criminals increased their rhetoric and threats, asking openly if the "anti-vaxxers" should be tolerated, telling us it would be "a dark winter of death" for those that refused the clot shots, and admitting "I want to make life miserable for these people."1 They declared emergencies on protestors and seized finances in Canada. They still ban people from travel, even domestic...

Signs of the Times

Meteor fireball over Arizona on May 20

We received 15 reports about a fireball seen over AZ on Friday, May 20th 2022 around 05:10 UT. For this event, we received 2 videos.

Signs of the Times

Gun rights and the false security of appeasing leftists

If there is one Holy Grail target that the political left obsesses over more that anything else, it is getting their hands on the 2nd Amendment and molding it to their will or erasing it forever. The pursuit of American gun rights is paramount to them, beyond critical race theory, beyond gender politics, even beyond the abortion debate. The problem for them is that ever since the Obama era they have consistently hit a brick wall in terms of convincing the general public to give another inch of ground when it comes to gun control. To be sure, there are many reasons for this that coincide. First, the credit crash of 2008 opened many people's eyes to the possibility that the economic systems we take for granted today could disappear tomorrow. Gun rights were no longer a matter of "tradition," but a matter of necessity. If the system breaks down and emergency services are overwhelmed or disappear then the only person you can rely on to protect your family is you. Mortal realities...

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Peru earthquake: 7.2 magnitude quake shakes south of country

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has shaken southern Peru, according to the US Geological Survey. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury. The quake struck at around 7.02am local time in the Tirapata region and was centred 8.1 miles (13km) east-southeast of Azangaro. It was fairly deep at around 135.3 miles (217.8km) beneath the surface.

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World Economic Forum: Volodymyr Zelensky's opening speech; money, weapons advisors, and a stupid standing ovation

The Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) opened officially its 51st Forum today, 23 May 2022. Klaus Schwab invited Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelensky to give the opening speech. The Key Note for the WEF, so to speak. Zelenskyy spoke on video from somewhere in Ukraine, in his traditional military green brown shirt. He spoke with his by now well-known demanding, rather than asking, in rather shrewd language. First, the west received a little-bit of Zelensky's praise for supporting Ukraine with money, weapons and NATO advisors to fight Russia, in most everybody's Davos-mind, the aggressor. But that's not enough. Then came the hammer, Zelenskyy asked for more. For much more, money, weapons - sophisticated weapons - billions and billions more. To fight Russia.

Signs of the Times

Late May snowstorm dumped as much as 30 inches of snow in Colorado

The late May snowstorm that dumped as much as 30 inches of snow in the high country of the Arkansas River watershed basin last weekend brought welcome moisture to the region, but drought conditions are expected to persist. On Monday, the basin's snowpack reading came in at just 66% of normal. Although below average, that reading was more than double last week's figure, according to Natural Resource Conservation Service data compiled by the Arkansas River Watershed Collaborative. Three-day snowfall amounts from last weekend's storm totaled 30 inches in Buena Vista, nearly 25 inches in the Twin Lakes and Leadville areas, 20.8 inches in Salida, 17 inches in Canon City and 10.7 inches in Westcliffe, according to the National Weather Service.

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US trying to create a "second front" against Russia in Syria

Without even bothering to mask its Russophobic positions in the conflict in Ukraine and experiencing a failure in its actions there, Washington is strenuously seeking to unleash a "second front" against Russia in any zone sensitive to Moscow. The United States is actively trying to destabilize the situation in the Central Asian region, to worsen relations between Russia and the European Union, to create a conflict with Japan and in the South China Sea as a whole. The US has recently begun to take the most significant steps in this regard in Syria, where, with the use of Israel, air strikes on Syrian territory have become more frequent. Despite repeated statements by the Syrian authorities at the UN, Israeli aircraft regularly strike at various targets, including civilian objects in Syria. Israeli aviation does this quite often without entering the airspace of the Arab Republic, acting mainly from Lebanese airspace, which is a violation of international norms, or from the...

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Homes destroyed, hundreds displaced by floods in north-eastern Brazil -10 of rain in 24 hours

Heavy rain in north-eastern Brazil over the last few days has caused flooding and landslides in the states of Pernambuco, Alagoas and Paraíba. At least one person has died, several injured and hundreds displaced. Pernambuco Stormy weather caused flooding and wind damage in parts of Pernambuco state, Brazil on 23 May 2022. Flooding was reported in Olinda and Recife, where the Tejipió river broke its banks. One person was injured as a result of strong winds. Heavy rain has continued since then in particular in Greater Recife areas. The coastal town of Olinda recorded 199 mm of rain in 24 hours to 25 May, and the city of Recife recorded 196 mm. As of 25 May Civil Defence reported Pernambuco damage in 8 municipalities, 1 fatality, 1 injured and 447 displaced, mostly in the Greater Recife area.

Signs of the Times

Floods leave Accra underwater - cars washed away in Ghana

Flash floods hit Accra, Ghana on May 24th 2022. Heavy overnight rain caused deep flooding, which affected low lying areas of the city. Home's were flooded, destroying possessions and displacing residents. Damage was caused to roofs and walls, causing structures to collapse.

Signs of the Times

Deadly flash floods and landslides in northern provinces of Vietnam - up to 3 feet of rain in 3 days

Disaster authorities in Vietnam report at least 3 people have died after severe flooding and landslides in northern provinces following days of heavy rain, with more expected. Over 900 mm of rain has fallen in 3 days in some areas. Heavy rain has affected areas of Vinh Phuc, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Dien Bien, Cao Bang, and Hanoi. In total, 317 houses have been damaged along with 19,000 hectares of crops.

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Civil rights investigation requested for schools that conducted racial equity studies

In Pennsylvania, California, New York, Mississippi, and Ohio, school districts are getting slapped with complaints demanding civil rights investigations after they used tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars for "equity studies." These studies were conducted to determine the existence of racial disparity in a specific school and or district, and amidst the Biden administration's growing calls for "equity," have increased in popularity. Between California and Pennsylvania alone, taxpayers footed a $43,500 bill for racial equity studies, which were approved by the school boards.

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Twitter pile-on: Obama slammed for invoking George Floyd after school tragedy

Former Democrat President Barack Obama faced backlash online Wednesday afternoon after he invoked George Floyd following the school shootings that happened on Tuesday in Texas. Obama's remarks come after an 18-year-old Latino male stormed Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and opened fire on students, killing at least 19 children, before a nearby U.S. Border Patrol agent rushed into the building and killed the suspect. Comment: See: Texas terror: 18-year-old shoots own grandmother, slaughters 19 children and two teachers in elementary school "As we grieve the children of Uvalde today, we should take time to recognize that two years have passed since the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer," Obama tweeted. "His killing stays with us all to this day, especially those who loved him."

Signs of the Times

Duke prof compares mandatory equity training to 'Maoist propaganda', his colleagues' responses prove him right

A tenured professor at Duke University compared mandatory equity training to "Maoist political propaganda workshops," prompting outrage from PhD candidates accusing him of "transphobia & homophobia." On Tuesday, the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology (MGM) at Duke University sent out an email to faculty, staff, postdocs, and trainees informing them of mandatory equity training. The response from one tenured professor caused Alan Rosales to take to Twitter and complain.

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Bill Gates poured millions into dark money fund attacking Elon Musk

Research exclusively shared with Breitbart News identifies hundreds of millions of dollars flowing from Bill Gates' foundation to 11 of the 26 organizations that signed an open letter last month urging Twitter advertisers to boycott the company if Elon Musk restores free speech on the platform. Breitbart News' report, based on research and analysis from the newly-formed Foundation for Freedom Online (FFO), analyzed public filings to trace hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions from the letter signatories back to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In total, 11 of the 26 anti-Musk organizations received funding from a Gates-backed entity.

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Are you a machine?

In chapter 12 of Iain McGilchrist's book The Matter With Things, he elegantly debunks the myth that the living, organic world is anything like a machine. With many examples of totally un-machine like behaviour, McGilchrist completely dismantles the notion that organisms like ourselves, or single cells for that matter, are anything like a machine. The second half of the chapter he addresses the reasons why the machine model has been so pervasive in our perception of just about everything. I think this is an important awareness for us as some strive for a transhuman future and try to convince us this is a good thing. The transhumanist agenda1 of marrying human to machine only makes sense if the human is seen as one type of 'machine' and computer/hardware another type of machine, that can seamlessly integrate. I have no doubt it can be of use in some cases - artificial limbs come to mind - but doubt its wisdom when attempting to 'evolve' the human race as a human/machine hybrid (a...

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The WHO treaty is tied to a global digital passport and ID system

The WHO recently announced plans for an international pandemic treaty tied to a digital passport and digital ID system. Meeting in December 2021 in a special session for only the second time since the WHO's founding in 1948, the Health Assembly of the WHO adopted a single decision titled, "The World Together." The WHO plans to finalize the treaty by 2024. It will aim to shift governing authority now reserved to sovereign states to the WHO during a pandemic by legally binding member states to the WHO's revised International Health Regulations. In January of 2022 the United States submitted proposed amendments to the 2005 International Health Regulations, which bind all 194 UN member states, which the WHO director general accepted and forwarded to other member states. In contrast to amendments to our own constitution, these amendments will not require a two-thirds vote of our Senate, but a simple majority of the member states.

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SpaceX president defends Elon Musk over sexual misconduct claims: 'I believe the allegations to be false'

SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell defended Elon Musk in an email to employees last week, responding to sexual misconduct allegations directed at the CEO, CNBC has learned. "Personally, I believe the allegations to be false; not because I work for Elon, but because I have worked closely with him for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these allegations," Shotwell wrote in a companywide email sent on Friday and seen by CNBC. Musk has denied the allegations, which claim he propositioned a flight attendant on one of SpaceX's private jets in 2016, calling them "wild accusations."

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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio accuses Google of censoring campaign emails

Sen. Marco Rubio said his campaign is in 'Google purgatory,' alleging the tech giant sends a significant percentage of his campaign emails to spam. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is accusing Google of censoring his campaign emails, stating that his campaign is in "Google purgatory." Rubio tweeted on Saturday morning that 66% of his campaign emails to "registered supporters" with a Gmail address have been sent to a spam inbox since a "Pelosi Puppet" announced she is running against him. "Marco Rubio for Senate is in @Google purgatory Since a Pelosi puppet announced she was running against me they have sent 66% of my emails to REGIS TERED SUPPORTERS with @gmail to spam," Rubio tweeted. "And during the final weeks of finance quarters it climbs to over 90%" Rubio and Rep. Val Demmings, D-Fla., are running for the U.S. Senate in the Sunshine State.

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Iran blames Israel, vows revenge for brazen motorcycle assassination of IRGC colonel

Iran is vowing to avenge what it's describing as a brazen assassination of a Revolutionary Guard colonel conducted by a foreign intelligence service. Col. Sayad Khodai was reportedly a commander in the elite Quds Force, which is the foreign intelligence wing of the IRGC. Israeli media is claiming that he had "planned attacks on Jews and Israelis worldwide." The Sunday killing took place in Tehran when the IRGC colonel was approach by two unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle who shot him in the head. "I have agreed for our security forces to seriously follow up on this matter and I have no doubt that revenge for the pure blood of our martyr will be taken," the country's President Ibrahim Raisi said in a speech. The military is blaming Israeli intelligence for the killing, with semi-official ISNA news agency claiming that the Guards subsequently uncovered and arrested spies backed by Israeli intelligence. Israel has not commented on the fresh accusations.

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US officials visit Saudi Arabia for Israel normalisation talks, request oil production increase

Two of US President Joe Biden's senior advisors have reportedly visited Saudi Arabia for talks to increase oil production and the possible normalisation of ties with Israel, Axios reported. White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk and State Department energy envoy Amos Hochstein reportedly met with senior Saudi officials on Tuesday, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing three current and former US officials. Earlier this week, Axios reported that the Biden administration had been quietly mediating between Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt on the transfer of two strategic islands which, if successful, could be the first step on the road to the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

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Wife of Ukrainian POW says Russia keeping them in 'satisfactory conditions' - The Guardian

Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian forces after the three-month siege of the Azovstal steel plant are being held in "satisfactory" conditions, according to the unit commander's wife, amid uncertainty over the fate of the prisoners. Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov battalion, was able to briefly call his wife, Kateryna, who said she had also been told that the prisoners had not been subjected to violence. It was not immediately clear if Prokopenko had been able to speak freely during the conversation. "He said he was 'OK' and asked how I was," Kateryna Prokopenko told the Guardian on Tuesday. "I've heard from other sources that the conditions are more or less satisfactory."

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BEST OF THE WEB: Ukraine: How and why the war was manufactured

Before being elected President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first Commander of NATO. In February 1951, a few months after taking office, he wrote the following, "If in 10 years all the American troops stationed in Europe for the purpose of ensuring national defense have not returned to the United States, then this project, NATO, will have failed." The troops did not return, actually, their presence in Europe did not cease to increase. Not only that, but once the Soviet Union disintegrated and contrary to the solemn and hollow promises of the main leaders of Western governments (Clinton, Bush, Obama, Helmut Kohl in Germany, Tony Blair in the United Kingdom... etc.) in the sense that "NATO would not move an inch to the East," as a matter of fact, this criminal organization transferred supplies and troops to the very borders of Russia. How come! Weren't the enemies of the West the Soviet Union and communism? No. The enemy was, and still is, Russia, an overly...

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Indonesia summons Britain's envoy after causing furor by raising rainbow Pride flag

Indonesia summoned Britain's ambassador on Monday to explain the raising of an LGBTQ Pride flag at its embassy and urged foreign missions to respect local "sensitivities" following a backlash among conservatives. Barring the sharia-ruled province of Aceh, homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, although it is generally considered taboo. The rainbow Pride flag was flown alongside the British flag at the country's embassy in Jakarta on May 17 to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, according to an Instagram post by the embassy. Comment: Did Britain dare do the same in Saudi Arabia?

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Cargoes of Russia's crude oil 'sitting out at sea' climbs to record high

Some 62 million barrels of Russia's flagship Urals crude oil, a record amount, are sitting in vessels at sea, data from energy analytics firm Vortexa showed, as traders struggled to find buyers for the crude. Report informs, citing Reuters, that the volume of Urals crude oil on the water is triple the pre-war average, Vortexa said, even as Russian seaborne oil exports fell to 6.7 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in May, down about 15% from the 7.9 bpd in February. The number of Urals cargoes at sea with no set destination is 15% of the total, also a new high, Seigle added. Some of the oil could be in transit to undisclosed buyers, while others could be unsold cargoes. Most barrels of Russian crude oil have headed to Asia, mainly India and China, while volumes to Europe have also ticked up ahead of a ban.

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Bulgaria reconsidering ruble gas payments

Bulgaria plans to discuss ruble payments for Russian gas with the European Commission, Energy Minister Alexander Nikolov said in an interview with BTV channel on Sunday. Sofia had earlier rejected Moscow's new settlement demand to countries that imposed sanctions on Russia. Nikolov was asked what is the point of countries like Bulgaria, Poland and Finland not complying with the demand, when Germany and Italy have agreed to open ruble accounts.

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Henry Kissinger: Ukraine should give up territory to Russia to reach peace

Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger has said Ukraine should accept giving up part of its territory to reach a peace deal with Russia, and end the now three-month-long war immediately. Talking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday, 98-year-old Kissinger said that failing to restart negotiations with Russia and continuing to antagonize Moscow could have disastrous consequences for Europe's stability in the long term. "Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome. Ideally, the dividing line should be a return to the status quo ante. Pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine, but a new war against Russia itself." Kissinger, who served under the administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in the 1970s, warned against dragging on the war, and pressed for negotiations. The former secretary of state said Russia has been an essential part...

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Twenty-two House Republicans demand accountability on Biden's $40B war spending

A cohort of Republicans, part of the dissenting vote on Biden's Ukraine war package, seeks oversight and specifics about the destination of U.S. money and weapons. The House of Representatives, on May 10, approved President Biden's $33 billion package for the war in Ukraine, and then, on its own initiative, added $7 billion on top of it. That brought the new war spending authorization to $40 billion, on top of the $14 billion already spent just 10 weeks into this war, which U.S. officials predict will last years, not months. The House vote in favor was 368-57. All 57 NO votes were from GOP House members. All House Democrats, including the Squad, voted YES. A similar scene occurred when the Senate, "moving quickly and with little debate," overwhelmingly approved the same war package. All eleven NO votes were from Senate Republicans. All Senate Democrats, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), voted in favor, seemingly in direct contradiction to Sanders' February 8 op-ed in The...

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Washington's anti-China economic framework offers nothing to prospective members

On Monday, during his first official visit to Japan, US President Joe Biden announced the launch of a new project called the 'Indo-Pacific Economic Framework', which the White House claims to be an economic vision for Asia in an obvious bid to try and counter China. Thirteen countries have signed up to the agreement, including India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and all of the ASEAN members, excluding Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos (which are ostracized for being too pro-China). But what exactly does this agreement mean? And what does it offer and consist of? That's a good question, and most people are wondering the same thing. The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) is not a trade deal, is not an investment agreement, not a treaty, and not an institution; it is an American slogan at best, a slogan which is really just focused on indirectly attacking China, rather than actually offering any serious economic commitments, a recognition that they have long lost the...

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Hungary's Orban says EU summit should not discuss oil sanctions next week

The EU's proposed new sanctions against Russia, including an oil embargo, should not be discussed at next week's summit of the bloc's leaders, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a letter to the President of the European Council. In the letter, dated May 23rd and obtained by Reuters, Orban said it was unlikely a solution could be found by then, and that Hungary was not in a position to agree to the proposed EU sanctions until all outstanding issues are resolved. The European Commission this month proposed new sanctions against Russia but they require the unanimous support of all 27 EU member states and Hungary has blocked them. Orban reiterated his stance that "solutions must come before sanctions. Looking at the gravity of the issues still open, it is very unlikely that a comprehensive solution could be found before the special meeting of the European Council on 30-31 May. I am convinced that discussing the sanctions package at the level of leaders in the absence of a...

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Backlash against Pakistan's military, as political crisis worsens

Pakistan plummets into political chaos a month after Imran Khan's ouster. But this time the military cannot step in to arbitrate, as they are now a focus of public anger. A month after the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan, Pakistan has plunged into political instability, with dire implications for national security, if left unresolved. This situation is a result of the acute failure of state institutions - primarily the military and supreme court - to manage the country's political fallout since parliament ejected Khan in April. Numerous analysts have drawn parallels with the political crisis in Sri Lanka, suggesting that Pakistan could be heading in a similar direction i.e., a debt trap leading to insolvency and loss of sovereignty. However, if Islamabad re-establishes a political consensus that can safeguard its national interest, the Sri Lankan predicament can be easily avoided. Currently, Pakistan's political disarray remains severe enough that no single state...

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BEST OF THE WEB: Texas terror: 18-year-old shoots own grandmother, slaughters 19 children and two teachers in elementary school

An 18-year-old man shot his own grandmother before storming into a West Texas elementary school and opening fire Tuesday morning, just two days shy of the end of the school year. During the rampage, 14 students and one teacher were killed, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. Comment: The death toll has since climbed to 19 children and two adults. Elementary school pupils, by the way, are between the ages of 5 and 11. Abbott has identified the gunman as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, who was shot and killed by law enforcement. Two officers were also struck by gunfire, but they were not seriously injured. According to authorities, Ramos, who was armed with a handgun and possibly a rifle, shot his grandmother before entering Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas around 12 p.m. The school, which is about 85 miles west of San Antonio, has an enrollment of just under 600 students. Terrified children, ranging from second to fourth graders, were reportedly trying to climb out of windows to...

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George Galloway sues Twitter in Dublin over 'Russian state-affiliated' label

Former British Labour MP George Galloway has taken a High Court action in Dublin against Twitter for defamation after it labelled his account "Russian state-affiliated media". The politician and broadcaster is also claiming in the legal proceedings that the social media company unlawfully processed his personal data by labelling and censoring his account. The 67-year-old presented The Mother of All Talkshows on the Russian state-owned Radio Sputnik service, and also presented Sputnik: Orbiting the World with George Galloway on the Kremlin-linked RT network, formerly known as Russia Today, until it was shut down with British government sanctions in March over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mr Galloway's talkshow continues to be broadcast on YouTube. The "Russian state-affiliated media" designation by Twitter appears on Mr Galloway's profile and on tweets posted on the network. Mr Galloway said in a statement that Twitter's "unjust labelling of honestly held political views is the...

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Nomads fear losses as unseasonal snowfall triggers cold wave in Chenab valley, Kashmir, India

Cold wave conditions have engulfed the upper reaches of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, triggering panic among the nomads who have started their bi-annual migration from the plains in the Union Territory and Punjab. Unseasonal snowfall in the higher reaches of Chenab Valley has left hundreds of nomadic families in distress as they are compelled to halt their onward journey along with their livestock. Cold wave conditions have engulfed the upper reaches of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban districts, triggering panic among the nomads who have started their bi-annual migration from the plains in the Union Territory and Punjab. Officials said fresh snowfall was reported in Kailash Mountain Range, Kainthi, Padri Gali, Bhaal Padri, Seoj, Shankh Padar, Rishi Dal, Gau-Peeda, Gan-Thak, Khanni-top, Guldanda, Chattar Galla and Asha Pati Glacier surrounding Bhaderwah valley since Monday night.

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Denali's historic, lingering snow season is affecting the park's wildlife in Alaska - snowiest in 99 years of record keeping

Denali National Park is still melting out from its snowiest winter season in 99 years of record keeping. The unusually heavy, lingering snow is affecting park wildlife. Summer operations resumed on May 20, but park public affairs officer Sharon Stiteler says conditions along the Park Road are lagging behind the calendar. "It definitely looks like winter when you're out at about mile 10 and you're looking into the tundra. I mean, it's still very snow-covered," she said. The Park Service headquarters got 176 inches of snow this winter, besting the 1970-71 record of nearly 174 inches. As of May 15, there were still 33 inches of snow on the ground at Park headquarters — by far the most on record so late in the season.

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"Sick son of a bitch": Beto O'Rourke crashes school shooting press conference

Former Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke crashed a press conference by Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday, interrupting the event to push for gun control following the massacre of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. "This was totally predictable" O'Rourke can be heard shouting, adding "The time to stop the next shooting is now, and you are doing nothing." "This is on you," he exclaimed. To which Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin shouted back: "You're out of line.. I can't believe you're a sick son of a bitch who would come to a deal like this to make a political issue." Watch:

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Lasers reveal 'lost' pre-Hispanic civilization deep in the Amazon

Millions of lasers shot from a helicopter flying over the Amazon basin have revealed evidence of unknown settlements built by a "lost" pre-Hispanic civilization, resolving a long-standing scientific debate about whether the region could sustain a large population, a new study finds. The findings indicate the mysterious Casarabe people — who lived in the Llanos de Mojos region of the Amazon basin between A.D. 500 and 1400 — were much more numerous than previously thought, and that they had developed an extensive civilization that was finely adapted to the unique environment they lived in, according to the study, published online Wednesday (May 25) in the journal Nature. The study researchers used airborne lidar — "light detection and ranging," in which thousands of infrared laser pulses are bounced every second off the terrain to reveal archaeological structures beneath dense vegetation — and discovered several unknown settlements within a network of roads, causeways, reservoirs and...

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Financial analyst: US engineering artificial Russian default

The latest US decision to not extend the general license waiver that allows Russia to make sovereign debt payments is an attempt to force the sanctions-hit nation into an "artificial default," according to Kyle Shostak, the director & CEO at Navigator Principal Investors. The move will "effectively turn Russia's liabilities to the category of default as it is commonly understood and interpreted by international rating agencies," Shostak said in an interview with TASS. "This situation can be called nothing but enforcement of an artificial default, as Russia now has enough funds to service its external debt."

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Russian Ambassador to UK: London pushing Kiev 'down warpath'

London is continuing to push Ukraine "down the warpath" by providing military support and arms deliveries, Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin claimed on Tuesday. He added that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "every other day," and apparently "does not let him to turn off this path." "London has been driving Kiev down the warpath with all its might, this is important, and has not allowed it to turn away, voicing new initiatives. There are constant reports that new weapons are about to be delivered," the ambassador said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel. Meanwhile, London is trying to "isolate" Russian diplomats to make it more difficult for them to communicate Moscow's position, Kelin added, including in relation to the military conflict in Ukraine.

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Ex-Indian FM explains why Quad neglected Ukraine

India "prevailed" in ensuring that a joint statement with the US, Japan, and Australia did not mention or condemn Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, former Foreign Minister Kanwal Sibal told RT. Sibal explained that the eyes of the 'Quad' should remain focused on the Indo-Pacific, and New Delhi has no quarrel with Moscow. The leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue issued a joint statement on Tuesday following a summit in Tokyo, Japan. The statement largely focused on security issues in the South China Sea and Asia more broadly, and Ukraine was briefly mentioned as a "tragic conflict" and a "humanitarian crisis," which all four leaders discussed their responses to. The Quad leaders referenced "respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity," but did not condemn or even name Moscow. Sibal, a veteran diplomat who served as India's foreign minister between 2001 and 2002, told RT on Tuesday that this was not an accidental oversight.

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Europol gears up to collect big data on European citizens after MEPs vote to expand policing power

The European Parliament has voted to give Europol wide powers to collect and process data on individuals, including people not suspected of any crime, in a move that significantly widens the power of the European police agency. MEPs voted on 4 May to widen the mandate of Europol to collect personal data from tech companies, including telecoms and internet suppliers and social media firms, and to collect and analyse data from countries outside the European Union (EU). The proposals also give Europol the go-ahead to develop algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) systems capable of making automated decisions and developing predictive policing models. The Parliament's draft regulation effectively overturns an order by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) in January 2020 that required Europol to delete swathes of personal data it had collected and processed unlawfully. MEPs voted by 480 in favour of a significant expansion of Europol's role, with 142 against and 20...

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One billion people at risk of power blackouts as global grids stretched

This summer, power grids worldwide won't produce enough electricity to meet the soaring demand, threatening more than one billion people with rolling blackouts. Grids are stretched thin by fossil fuel shortages, drought and heatwaves, commodity disruptions and soaring prices due to the war in Ukraine, and the failed green energy transition where grid operators retired too many fossil fuel generation plants. Combine this all together, and a perfect storm of blackouts threatens much of the Northern Hemisphere. The power crisis, affecting a large swath of the world and top economies, could be less than a month away when summer begins on June 21. Regions that concerned Bloomberg are Asia, Europe, and the US, where there's not enough power to go around when cooling demand is set to surge as households crank up their air conditions to escape the sweltering heat. Asia's heatwave has caused hours-long daily blackouts, putting more than 1 billion people at risk across Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri...

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Monkeypox: Technocracy's Next Wave Of Crimes Against Humanity

I am currently traveling the country with Drs. Judy Mikovits, Richard Fleming and Reiner Fuellmich. Our one-day conference topic in nine cities focuses on the case for crimes against humanity having been committed by leaders of Big Pharma and the biosecurity cartel. Indeed, there are a multitude of potentially criminal violations at national and international levels. But now, meet monkeypox! Our case is built from a forensic point of view examining the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in hindsight: its conspiratorial beginnings, violations of international law and the Nuremberg Code and the massive coverup campaign to conceal criminal acts. Suddenly, however, monkeypox has sprung forth upon the world stage, following the same playbook as SARS-CoV-2. As such, it is a "crime-in-progress" brought to us by the same people and in the same manner. This time, the script is following a paper, Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats, that was based on a...

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Snow returns to the Pyrenees in late May

It snowed in the Pyrenees on Tuesday. And Météo-France predicts new falls - mixed with rain - this Wednesday morning in Béarn. This Wednesday morning, the 0 degree isotherm is around 2000 m. This did not escape our friends from Météo Pyrénées : the snow made a remarkable comeback this Tuesday in our Pyrenees, especially near our home in Bigorre at Tourmalet or Pic du Midi. Hence the tweets, one of which notes that "after the summer, and the exceptionally hot weather, here is the snow again this afternoon -2 around 2,800 m".

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Colorado hit with more heavy late May snowfall - over 6 inches reported

For the fifth consecutive day, Denver and most of Colorado will stay colder than normal on Tuesday. It will also stay cloudy with more mountain snow and more rain possible in the metro area. More than 6 inches of snow had fallen in some mountain areas by early Tuesday morning including in Fairplay. The Arapahoe Basin ski area reported 5 inches. There is a Winter Weather Advisory until 6 p.m. Tuesday for the I-70 corridor between Summit County and Georgetown, US 40 between Winter Park and Empire, and Highway 285 between Kenosha Pass and Chaffee County. Most of these areas will see a total of 5-10 inches of snow from Monday night to Tuesday night. Advisories for snow are not uncommon in late May but it's rare to see so much snow day after day in the high country this late in the season.

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Spring snow falling in Red River, New Mexico

While most of Texas is dealing with extreme heat, part of the ABC 7 viewing area is getting Spring snow. The Storm Search 7 Sky Cam in Red River, New Mexico is showing moderate to heavy snow falling in the Sangre De Cristo Mountain range Storm Search 7 Meteorologist Corbin Voges said this will likely be the last time we see snow falling on any of our Sky Cams until the fall or winter.

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A new WHO report once again proves Sweden right

Throughout the pandemic, Sweden has faced an enormous amount of criticism and international pressure due to their willingness to stick to established public health principles and pre-pandemic planning. Instead of following the incessant, anti-science groupthink that became part of a virus-induced political religion, Sweden chose instead to not impose the strict lockdowns that Dr. Fauci recently claimed were not tried in the US. Sweden never mandated masks be worn in indoor public spaces, correctly identifying the lack of evidence supporting their use. They kept schools open in defiance of teacher's unions and politically motivated "experts" in the United States who advocated for a policy with zero benefits and tremendous harms. Essentially, Sweden followed the actual science and not The Science™, with the requisite trademark and capital letters. That would include the guides that were prepared prior to the panic, inaccurate modeling, political motivations and crisis obsession took...

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Man killed in dog attack in Wrexham, Wales

A 62-year-old man from Chester has died after being bitten by a dog owned by his daughter-in-law. The victim, named locally as Keven Jones, suffered a cardiac arrest after he was bitten at a house in Wrexham. Chanel Nicole Fong was with her father in law when he died at her home on Holt Road, which she described as the 'worst day of her life'. Police confirmed that the dog was euthanised. In a public Facebook post, Chanel said that she had asked her father-in-law to look after her dogs as she would be out for parts of the day. Ms Fong said that Mr Jones was the only person who could handle her dogs apart from herself and her husband Josh, who was in London at the time of the incident, reports North Wales Live.

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Flash floods hit Recife in Brazil, streets turn to rivers

Floods hit Recife in Pernambuco, Brazil on May 23rd 2022. Heavy rain caused flash floods in the area of Recife, with residents in low lying areas advised to seek shelter. Homes were flooded, with roofs, walls and possessions destroyed. Businesses and schools closed as buildings were damaged.

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China photographers capture spectacular red elf lightning in Himalayas

Chinese photographers recently captured orange-red tendril-like lightning in the Himalayas. The red elf lightning is a simple division of "elven lightning" in astronomy, a very rare atmospheric luminescence phenomenon. This kind of lightning occurs only for a few seconds, making it extremely difficult to capture.

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The NHS just edited their Monkeypox page...to make it scarier

A few days ago the UK's National Health Service (NHS) edited their Monkeypox page to alter the narrative in a few key ways. Firstly, they removed a paragraph from the "How do you get Monkeypox?" section. Up until a few days ago, according to archived links, the Monkeypox page said this, regarding person-to-person tranmission [emphasis added]: It's very uncommon to get monkeypox from a person with the infection because it does not spread easily between people. ...this has now been totally removed.

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Lightning strike kills 250 sheep in Kashmir, India - a day after similar event in region

At least 250 sheep were killed after lightning struck a pasture at Hoksar area of Kokernag in south Kashmir during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, officials informed on Wednesday. According to Kashmir Weather, an independent observatory more than 250 sheep perished when lightning struck at a pasture of Hoksar during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. "Out of a total stock of 350, we have lost a herd of over 250 sheep causing loss of crores", one of the owner said and added " It is a very tough time for us we are passing through"

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'The Game is Over!' Google's DeepMind says it is close to achieving 'human-level' artificial intelligence - but it still needs to be scaled up

DeepMind expert suggests the hardest tasks to create a human-like AI are solvedThe London firm wants to build an 'AGI' that has the same intelligence as humansThis week DeepMind unveiled a program capable of achieving over 600 tasks DeepMind, a British company owned by Google, may be on the verge of achieving human-level artificial intelligence (AI). Nando de Freitas, a research scientist at DeepMind and machine learning professor at Oxford University, has said 'the game is over' in regards to solving the hardest challenges in the race to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI). AGI refers to a machine or program that has the ability to understand or learn any intellectual task that a human being can, and do so without training. According to De Freitas, the quest for scientists is now scaling up AI programs, such as with more data and computing power, to create an AGI. Earlier this week, DeepMind unveiled a new AI 'agent' called Gato that can complete 604 different tasks...

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SOTT FOCUS: Objective:Health - Globalist Food Takeover

"Who controls the food supply controls the people" - Henry Kissinger On today's episode of Objective:Health, we look into the globalist takeover of food. While sudden fires have been striking food processing, meat and fertilizer plants, when farmers are hurting, when supply chain issues from an orchestrated pandemic response and suicidal political sanctions are starting to be felt, an entirely traceable food infrastructure system has already been creeping in to cities around the globe. The future of food looks grim. Traditional farmers are an endangered species. The system that's looking to replace them involve urban warehouses housing massive vertical farm infrastructure. Meat is either going to be lab grown, fake or simply non-existant. We're being encouraged to eat bugs. Gene-editing is ramping up. The stuff of dystopian science fiction is quickly approaching. If the elites have their way, we're heading into a world where the idea of buying food directly from an independent...

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From currency resets to limiting infinite growth

A couple of weeks ago, RT ran a story purporting to explain the mystery behind the rise in exchange rate of the Russian ruble. It touched on a concept I've talked about vis a vis Russia for years: the disparity between nominal GDP which yields a number roughly the size of Canada and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) GDP which puts Russia on par with Germany. While everything quoted here I feel is worth considering seriously, that GDP disparity that is what is important.

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US military clears itself of blame in Syria strike that killed 'piles' of women and children

"It's the standard government line: Mistakes were made but there was no wrongdoing. But if the same mistakes were being made over and over again for years, shouldn't someone have done something about it?" No U.S. personnel will be held accountable for a March 2019 airstrike that killed scores of Syrian civilians including women and children, the Pentagon said Tuesday in announcing that an internal investigation into the massacre found that no laws of war were broken and that there was no cover-up of the incident as alleged in a New York Times exposé. An executive summary of a classified investigation led by U.S. Army Gen. Michael Garrett stated that "no rules of engagement (ROE) or law of war (LOW) violations occurred" in connection with the March 18, 2019 strike near the Syrian town of Baghuz that, according to an initial battle assessment, killed around 70 people. While finding that "policy compliance deficiencies at multiple levels of command led directly to numerous delays in...

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NATO vs Russia: what happens next

In Davos and beyond, NATO's upbeat narrative plays like a broken record, while on the ground, Russia is stacking up wins that could sink the Atlantic order. Three months after the start of Russia's Operation Z in Ukraine, the battle of The West (12 percent) against The Rest (88 percent) keeps metastasizing. Yet the narrative - oddly - remains the same. On Monday, from Davos, World Economic Forum Executive Chairman Klaus Schwab introduced Ukrainian comedian-cum-President Volodymyr Zelensky, on the latest leg of his weapons-solicitation-tour, with a glowing tribute. Herr Schwab stressed that an actor impersonating a president defending neo-Nazis is supported by "all of Europe and the international order." He means, of course, everyone except the 88 percent of the planet that subscribes to the Rule of Law - instead of the faux construct the west calls a 'rules-based international order.' Back in the real world, Russia, slowly but surely has been rewriting the Art of Hybrid War. Yet...

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Americans have lost $20 Trillion since the start of 2022

Citing estimates from JPMorgan, over the weekend Bloomberg wrote that courtesy of a Biden administration terrified of what soaring inflation will mean for the Democrats in the midterms, and a Fed that is determine to do anything - even crash the market and spark a recession - to do Joe Biden's "kill inflation" bidding, the US faces a new scary threat: a plunge in wealth which JPM estimates at least $5 trillion, and could reach $9 trillion by year-end. In short, the world's richest nation is waking up to an unpleasant and unfamiliar sensation: It's getting poorer... and worst of all, it's getting poorer at the behest of its own leaders. Since the start of the year, the S&P 500 Index is down 18%, the Nasdaq 100 has lost 27% and a Bloomberg index of cryptocurrencies has plunged 48%. That all amounts to "a wealth shock that is set to drag on growth in the coming year," JPMorgan economists led by Michael Feroli wrote in a note Friday. Of course, this is not news to regular readers...

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Russia calls on BRICS to create joint oil and gas facilities, pharmaceuticals against 'coming threats'

Russia's Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov called on the BRICS countries to create joint ventures for the processing of oil and gas without the participation of external "unreliable partners". "As compared to a number of other countries, we are, of course, largely protected from risks, given our well-established cooperation in this area. But we have the opportunity to shift towards higher-margin products obtained from advanced oil refining and gas processing. In this respect, there are good opportunities to create joint ventures that cover all our needs without the participation of external, unreliable partners," Manturov said at a meeting with the ministers of industry of the BRICS countries.

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Hungary declares wartime state of emergency as US proxy-war against Russia in Ukraine threatens to spillover

Hours after taking total control of Hungary by pushing through a constitutional amendment allowing his government to rule by decree when war breaks out in a neighboring country, Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared a wartime state of emergency. According to Bloomberg, Parliament approved the state of emergency earlier Tuesday which will take effect at midnight. It will give Orban's government "maneuvering room and the ability to react immediately" to the ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine, Orban said in a Facebook video message. Bloomberg, of course, paints it as a victory for "the banner carrier for nationalists worldwide."

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Fauci's NIH division caught trying to spend almost $2M on MORE puppy experiments

Dr. Anthony Fauci may feel the bite from the reveal that the National Institutes of Health is seeking to spend almost $2 million on more puppy experiments. NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases allocated $1,836,453 in taxpayer dollars to test an experimental hay fever drug on mice, rats, and dogs, including 6-month-old puppies. Symptoms of hay fever, also known as seasonal allergies, include a runny nose and sneezing, according to funding documents recovered by the White Coat Waste Project. "Fauci's white coats at NIAID have forced taxpayers to pay millions to debark and poison puppies, infest beagles with ticks and flies, and, now, needlessly torture puppies to test a new drug to treat a runny nose," Devin Murphy, White Coat Waste Project's public policy and communications manager, told the Washington Examiner. "The FDA has stated clearly that it doesn't mandate dog testing for human drugs, and even NIAID's own contractor acknowledges that the dog testing...

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US: 14 children & teacher shot dead after 18-year-old shoots own grandmother then moves onto elementary school

An 18-year-old man shot his own grandmother before storming into a West Texas elementary school and opening fire Tuesday morning, just two days shy of the end of the school year. During the rampage, 14 students and one teacher were killed, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. Comment: Elementary school pupils are aged between 5 and 11 years old. Abbott has identified the gunman as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, who was shot and killed by law enforcement. Two officers were also struck by gunfire, but they were not seriously injured. According to authorities, Ramos, who was armed with a handgun and possibly a rifle, shot his grandmother before entering Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas around 12 p.m. The school, which is about 85 miles west of San Antonio, has an enrollment of just under 600 students. Terrified children, ranging from second to fourth graders, were reportedly trying to climb out of windows to escape the building.

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43 rail cars carrying potash fertilizer derailed in Canada, occurs amidst global fertilizer shortage

About 43 westbound Canadian Pacific (CP) Rail cars carrying potash derailed northeast of Fort Macleod, Alta., Sunday morning, RCMP say. At 8:15 a.m., Mounties responded to a train derailment between Range Roads 251 and 252, near Highway 3. Fire crews and CP Rail also came to the scene, according to police. There are no injuries or concerns to public safety, RCMP say. The cause of the derailment is under investigation, a spokesperson for CP Rail told CBC News.

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The race to break the Russia-China Alliance and the 'Ukraine of the Asia Pacific'

There is a window of opportunity open for the west to recognize the total failure of the unipolar model before the point of no return has passed. It has become commonplace western media and armadas of geopolitical think tankers to paint today's Russia-China alliance as a matter of either "momentary convenience", or as a strained partnership between two competing authoritarian regimes with global imperial aspirations. However, if one simply looks at the facts as they are without the filter of "experts" telling you how to interpret reality, it becomes extremely clear that those cynical geopolitical assessments painted by geopolitical opinionators are doing little more than trying to analyze life through lenses that only see dead corpses. It isn't that such analysts aren't necessarily concerned with the truth (although more than a few aren't), but due to their fundamental axioms, their limited minds cannot contemplate a system organized by a non-Hobbesian parameters either past,...

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WSJ editors eviscerate Hillary in blistering op-ed about Russia collusion lies

It's time to drop the words "fake news," "hoax," and any other descriptor short of blatant and purposeful lies, in reference to Hillary Clinton's engineering, oversight, and final approval of releasing to the sock-puppet media a preposterous fairy tale that even the worst of armchair sleuths could spot as complete bullcrap. Why do I make such a "bold" statement? When even the Wall Street Journal editorial board publishes a blistering editorial titled 'Hillary Clinton Did It', in which it calls Clinton's lies a "dirty trick for the ages," that is newsworthy. Are you listening, Hillary? The Russia-Trump collusion narrative of 2016 and beyond was a dirty trick for the ages, and now we know it came from the top — candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. That was the testimony Friday by 2016 Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook in federal court, and while this news is hardly a surprise, it's still bracing to find her fingerprints on the political weapon.

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Global debt about to explode

The world's two largest economies were the heaviest borrowers in the first three months of this year as global debt climbed to above $305 trillion, the Institute of International Finance (IIF) reported on Wednesday. Its data showed that China's debt increased by $2.5 trillion over the first quarter and the United States added $1.5 trillion. The total debt in the Eurozone declined for a third consecutive quarter, the IIF said. According to the analysis, many countries, both emerging and developed, are entering a monetary tightening cycle with high levels of dollar-denominated debt. The IIF report said: "As central banks move ahead with policy tightening to curb inflationary pressures, higher borrowing costs will exacerbate debt vulnerabilities. The impact could be more severe for those emerging market borrowers that have a less diversified investor base." Corporate debt outside of banks and government borrowing were the largest sources of the increase in borrowing. Debt excluding...

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'Flirting with danger': Biden says US would defend Taiwan militarily against invasion, points to Ukraine

President Joe Biden said Monday the United States would defend Taiwan militarily if Beijing invaded the self-ruled island, warning China was "flirting with danger". "That's the commitment we made," he said when asked if Washington would intervene militarily against a Chinese attempt to forcibly take control of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province to be unified with the mainland. "We agreed with the One China policy, we signed on to it... but the idea that (Taiwan) can be taken by force is just not appropriate. It will dislocate the entire region and be another action similar to what happened in Ukraine." Comment: And that is Biden's fantasy.

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How convenient: Gene-edited crops sped up to guarantee food supplies

The production of gene-edited crops is to be sped up to help guarantee British food supplies in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine. Russian blockades are preventing the export of key goods such as wheat from the country, leading to rising food prices and shortages globally. Amid concern over the UK's food self-sufficiency, the Government will this week introduce a Bill which will allow farms to grow more crops by planting variants that have been edited to be more resistant to disease or need less water or fertiliser.

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Swarm unveils mysterious magnetic waves deep down

While volcanic eruptions and earthquakes serve as immediate reminders that Earth's insides are anything but tranquil, there are also other, more elusive, dynamic processes happening deep down below our feet. Using information from ESA's Swarm satellite mission, scientists have discovered a completely new type of magnetic wave that sweeps across the outermost part of Earth's outer core every seven years. This fascinating finding, presented today at ESA's Living Planet Symposium, opens a new window into a world we can never see. Earth's magnetic field is like a huge bubble protecting us from the onslaught of cosmic radiation and charged particles carried by powerful winds that escape the Sun's gravitational pull and stream across the Solar System. Without our magnetic field, life as we know it would not exist. Understanding exactly how and where our magnetic field is generated, why it fluctuates constantly, how it interacts with solar wind and, indeed, why it is currently weakening,...

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Fresh snow in late May for Himachal Pradesh, India

Traffic movement was halted on Tuesday morning on the Manali-Leh highway in Lahaul-Spiti district following fresh snow at Baralacha Pass and its vicinity. The district witnessed heavy rain and fresh snow in the higher reaches on Monday, forcing the administration to stop traffic movement on a few routes that pass through the high-mountain passes. According to police, traffic was restored from Manali to Darcha but stopped beyond Darcha towards Leh.

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Super tornado strikes Texas as weather officials urge caution: 'absolute monster'

A super tornado has touched down in North Texas and is crawling across the state as weather officials are urging residents to exercise caution by remaining in their homes and adhering to other tornado protocols. "TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building," a warning from the National Weather Service, after photos and videos of a gigantic tornado near Morton circulated online. The storm has wind gusts up to 70 mph, NWS officials in Lubbock said. A storm chaser in Texas captured the tornado on video and described it as an "absolute monster."

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Rising rivers affect 300,000 in Amazonas State, Brazil

Rising rivers in Brazil's Amazonas state have affected over 300,000 people according to state officials. Rivers including the Negro, Amazon, Jurua, Purus, Madeira and Solimões have been rising for some time. The Negro River at Manaus, the state capital, reached above severe flood stage (29 metres) in early May 2022. By 10 May the level was 29.10 metres and by 23 May the Negro River reached 29.37 metres. Authorities in Manaus have begun building temporary walkways above the flood waters and disinfecting flooded areas of the city to combat the bad smell and diseases that can be transmitted by the accumulation of standing water. In a report of 19 May 2022, Amazonas Civil Defence reported flooding has affected a total of 306,861 people from 76,715 families across wide areas of the state. As of 23 May, as many as 35 municipalities had declared a state of emergency.

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Woman dead after dog attack in Cullman County, Alabama

A Cullman County woman is dead after being attacked by dogs early Sunday morning. 57-year-old Ronda Persall of Jones Chapel was killed in the attack. The dogs' owner told ABC 33/40 the dogs involved in the attack have been shot and killed. That information has not been confirmed by animal control. In a statement, Cullman County Commission said that animal control has the dogs and are doing testing.

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Segregation: 13-year-old students separated in class according to their privilege

Eighth grade students at Hendersonville Middle School in North Carolina were given an assignment which required them to take steps forward or backward in response to a series of statements about their personal "opportunities and disadvantages." Here's the worksheet:

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Paul Craig Roberts: 'Vladimir Putin made a terrible mistake by not launching terrifying blitzkrieg'

As readers know, I often make reference to Putin's forbearance, that is, to his tolerance, patience, and self-control. I admire Putin's forbearance which persists despite Putin never receiving any recognition or credit for it. My concern is that Putin's forbearance does not serve him or Russia well. The reason is that the Western world no longer recognizes or values the moral code that once defined Western civilization. Today in the Western world there are only two values-money and power. It has been a long time since any American or European military leader said anything resembling what Robert E. Lee told the soldiers who comprised the Army of Northern Virginia: "We make war only upon armed men, and we cannot take vengeance for the wrongs our people have suffered without lowering ourselves in the eyes of all those whose abhorrence has been excited by the atrocities of our enemies, and offending against God to whom vengeance belongs." Many of the Union soldiers, especially those...

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Whitney Webb: Monkeypox fears may rescue endangered corporations

Two corrupt companies were in rocky financial territory just a few weeks ago. Now, with concerns over a global monkeypox outbreak being hyped by media and global health organizations alike, the worries - and sins - of these two firms are quickly being forgotten. In recent days, concern over a global outbreak of monkeypox, a mild disease related to smallpox and chickenpox, has been hyped in the media and health ministries around the world, even prompting an emergency meeting at the World Health Organization (WHO). For some, fears have centered around monkeypox being the potential "next pandemic" after Covid-19. For others, the fear is that monkeypox will be used as the latest excuse to further advance draconian biosecurity policies and global power grabs. Regardless of how the monkeypox situation plays out, two companies are already cashing in. As concern over monkeypox has risen, so too have the shares of Emergent Biosolutions and SIGA Technologies. Both companies essentially have...

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Largest haul of ketamine in 14 years seized at Hong Kong airport, sent from the Netherlands

Customs officers have confiscated about HK$86 million (US$10.95 million) worth of ketamine hidden in an air consignment of electric drills from the Netherlands, making it the biggest haul of the drug uncovered at Hong Kong International Airport in 14 years. Five men were rounded up in an operation in which customs officers posed as delivery workers and dropped off the consignment at a Tai Kok Tsui factory building on Monday. The consignment, declared as carrying 12 boxes of electric drills, was selected for inspection after it was sent to the city last month from the Netherlands via Taiwan.

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The structural scaffolding to potential Mid-East war

Today, Iran is demonised as an intolerable threat to western global Order. But it was not always thus, Alastair Crooke writes. The Structural scaffolding was first put into place in the early 1990s. But that structure was erected on false premises and lazy misconceptions. Its flaws, however, were papered over for nearly two decades; but now changes to the overall regional paradigm mean that the scaffolding is reversing itself: it no longer contains latent conflicts, but is funnelling us headlong toward them. To understand the double helix at the centre of the Middle East, pulling us into its swirling sink-hole, we must first address the structure of Israel's relationship with Iran and the Palestinians, and see how that has come to lock us into dynamics which, as matters stand, threaten to break the fetters holding containment in place. Today, Iran is demonised as an intolerable threat to western global Order. But it was not always thus. "We had very deep relations with Iran,...

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What It Means That 'Hillary Clinton Did It'

The Wall Street Journal ran a scathing editorial on May 20, called "Hillary Clinton Did It". This editorial began: "The Russia-Trump collusion narrative of 2016 was a dirty trick for the ages -- and now we know it came from the top -- candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton." The editorial quickly explained: "That was the testimony Friday by 2016 Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook in federal court [in Washington, D.C.], and while this news is hardly a surprise, it's still bracing to find her fingertips on the political weapon." (Also not surprisingly, The May 20 print edition of The New York Times did not include a story on Mook's testimony.) Mook's testimony was heard at the trial of attorney Michael Sussman, charged with lying to the FBI in calling to their attention a story that Donald J. Trump, by means of connections with Russia's Alfa Bank, was colluding with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Kuwait sky turns red as sandstorm covers country

A large sandstorm hit Kuwait today, on May 23rd 2022. Planes were grounded in Kuwait City as visibility quickly dropped during the storm, stranding travellers. Businesses closed and sports were cancelled as dust and sand covered the country, as people were warned to stay indoors. Traffic stopped as poor visibility made driving unsafe. Residents were advised not to travel unless necessary. The storm also affected parts of Iraq, where work was stopped as winds increased. Authorities are monitoring the situation as it develops.

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Lightning strike kills couple in Jhenaidah, Bangladesh

A couple was killed as they were struck by lightning at village Kulchara under Sailkupa upazila in Jhenaidah district on Saturday morning. The deceased are Golam Nabi, 43, and his wife Rupa Akter, 34, of the village. Quoting local people, Shailakupa police station officer-in-charge Aminul Islam said that Golam Nabi and Rupa were working in a field in the morning when a streak of lighting hit them. The incident left Rupa dead on the spot and Golam Nabi seriously injured. Local people rescued the injured and took him to Jhenaidah General Hospital for treatment. Golam Nabi died on the way to the hospital, the police official said.

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Floods and landslides leave 4 dead, thousands affected in Indonesia

Heavy rainfall has caused flooding and landslides in Indonesia where authorities say at least 4 people have died in and thousands have been affected. A landslide triggered by heavy rain destroyed homes in Cipelang Village, Cijeruk District, Bogor Regency in West Java Province on 21 May 2022. Indonesia's disaster management agency said 4 people died and 5 were left homeless. Meanwhile flooding in Kendal and Pemalang Regencies in Central Java Province on 22 May damaged around 2,500 homes and affected around 12,000 residents.

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Evacuations after more flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa - 9 inches of rain in 24 hours

More heavy rain has caused flooding and landslides in parts of KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. Areas of the province saw devastating flooding last month which left over 400 dead and 40,000 displaced. KwaZulu-Natal Prime Minister Sihle Zikalala said at a press conference, "Overnight on 21 and 22 May 2022, the province yet again underwent some of the worst storms that have been accompanied by floods resulting in destruction that comes with such situations. "These heavy rainfalls have resulted into flooding of roads, human settlements, and damage properties. We understand that some areas are inaccessible and have become islands at this stage." Around 240 mm of rain fell in Mount Edgecombe in 24 hours to 22 May 2022. The city of Durban saw 202 mm during this time and Sezela 151 mm.

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Medical expert says CDC panel is a 'kangaroo court', approves vaccines based on 'marketing'

John Hopkins University's Dr. Marty Makary publicly slammed the CDC over the agency's approval of COVID boosters for children as young as five, with Pfizer now also ready to submit applications to vaccinate babies as young as six months old later this week. According to the Daily Mail, Makary said that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is a kangaroo court with no ideological diversity pushing "low value care." He said that the board approves every vaccine that comes their way, and that those who have pushed back against their stance on vaccines have been pushed off of the panel.

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Jack Posobiec detained at Davos World Economic Forum event

Human Events Daily host Jack Posobiec was detained in Davos, Switzerland on Monday, on day-one of the World Economic Forum's annual convention. Police reportedly refused to tell Posobiec and his crew why their were being detained, though he later told The Post Millennial that he was told that they looked "suspicious" because they were filming at the entrance.

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How low can you go? Biden approval rating tanking: poll

President Biden's approval hit a new low on Monday, according to a NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll. Fifty-seven percent of registered voters said they disapproved of how Biden has handled the presidency, with 40 percent saying they "strongly disapprove" and 17 percent saying they "somewhat disapprove." Meanwhile, nearly 43 percent of voters said they approved of how Biden is handling his job. Roughly 16 percent said they "strongly approve," while around 26 percent said they "somewhat approve."

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Putin survived recent assassination attempt, says Ukrainian intel chief

Russian President Vladimir Putin survived a recent assassination bid that was hushed up by the Kremlin, the Ukrainian intelligence chief said in a bombshell interview. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, made the claim in an interview with Ukraine Pravda. While he offered few details, the alleged assassination bid would have come about one month into Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "He was even attacked in the line of, as they say, representatives of the Caucasus not so long ago," Budanov said. "This is non-public information. Absolutely unsuccessful attempt, but it really took place... It was about two months ago.

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Think you have Monkeypox? Watch for these ten strange symptoms

Monkeypox is here! EVERYONE PANIC! You thought COVID wasn't a big deal? Well, get ready to spend every waking moment of your life in constant terror for fear that the next person you run into might have a rare disease with a low transmission rate. Think you might have it? Diagnose yourself by consulting these symptoms: 1) A mild headache: Run for your life! YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD! 2) You've been to England in the last six months: You might also be British, which is another problem altogether. 3) Italian plumbers make you FURIOUS: Throwing all those barrels is making you super buff, though. 4) You pick a bug out of your wife's hair and eat it: Helpful but gross. Don't do that. 5) You become confused and angry every time you see a monolith: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

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German cars can't run without Russian gas - BMW production chief

Car manufactures account for nearly 40% of German natural gas consumption. German auto-making giant BMW is seeking to invest in solar, geothermal, and hydrogen energy to reduce its reliance on deliveries of natural gas coming from foreign exporters, including Russia, according to BMW production chief Milan Nedeljkovic, as quoted by Reuters. Nedeljkovic said the carmaker, which relied on natural gas for 54% of its energy consumption in 2021, was looking to add solar panels to the plants, and was currently discussing a plan for transporting hydrogen to its Leipzig plant with local authorities.

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EU's weapons stockpile depleted - Borrell

The EU needs to take more responsibility for its security and compensate for the shortfalls that have been underlined by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the bloc's foreign affairs chief, Josep Borell has warned. "The most obvious example" of such shortfalls are "the depleted stockpiles resulting from the military support we provided to Ukraine" Borrell wrote in his blog on Sunday. But there were many others "inherited from past budget cuts and underinvestment," he added. According to Borrell, combined defense spending, across the bloc, has increased by only 20% from 1999 to 2021, compared to 66% for the US, 292% for Russia and 592% for China.

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'Secret memo' warns EU state of risks posed by refugee influx from Ukraine

The influx of newcomers to Ireland poses a risk to "social cohesion and integration," the secret memo reportedly said. The arrival of tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland risks undermining "social cohesion and integration" in the country, a secret memo to the government has reportedly predicted. According to an article published by the Irish Independent on Saturday, government ministers were told that the current level of Ireland's humanitarian response to the conflict in Ukraine could become unsustainable in the coming weeks. The memo reportedly stressed that there was a risk that the newcomers would be left without accommodation, education, income support or employment in Ireland.

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Italians skip prestigious contest after Russians banned

The musicians said they would not support the event after it banned three Russian competitors. An Italian orchestra that has traditionally accompanied the participants of the acclaimed Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition has announced that it will skip the event this year. The FVG Orchestra explained its move by pointing to the organizers' decision to ban three Russian violinists from taking part in the contest. The orchestra's president, Paolo Petiziol, said the musicians were "very sorry to interrupt the tradition," but maintained that they could not help but "react in a cohesive and determined way" to what they called a "completely unfair" decision. Culture is one of the few weapons we have to heal wounds, to bring people and peoples closer together, creating cohesion instead of divisions and resentment. This exclusion... goes in a completely opposite direction.

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The Freedom Convoy & the collapse of Canadian liberalism

At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas which it is assumed all right-thinking people will accept without question. It is not exactly forbidden to say this, that or the other, but it is "not done" to say it, just as in mid-Victorian times it was "not done" to mention trousers in the presence of a lady. Anyone who challenges the prevailing orthodoxy finds himself silenced with surprising effectiveness. A genuinely unfashionable opinion is almost never given a fair hearing, either in the popular press or in highbrow periodicals. George Orwell, "Freedom of the Press" Recently, a friend told me she'd taken part in a webinar conducted by the Council of Canadians. The webinar included First Nations people speaking about RCMP mistreatment of indigenous peoples on reserve. It was contrasted with the peaceful disbursement of freedom convoy protesters in Ottawa on February 18th. The webinar narrative was partially true, likely informed by mainstream news reports. RCMP...

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Arizona sheriff raids 'nonprofits' featured in '2000 Mules' ballot trafficking investigation - "like Tweety birds, they sang"

Law enforcement has conducted a raid on Yuma County nonprofit organizations connected to the ballot trafficking scheme discovered by Yuma County citizens and revealed in the "2000 Mules" documentary. True The Vote and Dinesh D'Souza's groundbreaking new film revealed that the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen through illegal ballot trafficking and featured the undercover investigative work of David Lara and Arizona State Senate candidate Gary Snyder. David Lara tells us, "San Luis is Ground Zero for election fraud in Arizona." As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, The Yuma County Sheriff and Yuma County Recorder opened a new investigation into cases of impersonation fraud, false registrations, duplicate voting, and fraudulent use of absentee ballots.

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Wait, what? Poland demands Norway hand over oil revenues profits to support Ukraine war effort

Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki has accused the Nordic country of making "unjust" oil and gas money amid the Ukraine conflict Norway should share the "excess" profits it's been making as oil and gas prices soar amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at the National Youth Dialogue Congress on Saturday. "But should we be paying Norway gigantic money for gas - four or five times more than we paid a year ago? This is sick," he said, claiming that the excess of the annual average gas and oil profit "will exceed €100 billion" this year for a country of five million people like Norway. "They should share these excess profits. It's not normal, it's unjust. This is an indirect preying on the war started by Putin," the PM said.

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Durham team set to call former FBI officials to the stand as week two of Sussmann trial begins

Week two of former Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann's trial will begin Monday morning, with prosecutors from Special Counsel John Durham's team set to call former FBI officials to the stand for testimony. The government is set to call the former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence, Bill Priestap, and the FBI's former deputy general counsel for national security, Trisha Anderson, to testify. Prosecutors could also call Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz to the stand as a witness.

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60% of voters reject Scotland's controversial gender reform bill

Nicola Sturgeon's hotly debated gender reforms have been overwhelmingly rejected by a Scottish Parliament consultation, in what could lead to the sinking of the SNP's flagship bill. Comment: Given Sturgeon's tyrannical rule during the contrived coronavirus crisis, it's unlikely they'll give up so easily; they'll try a number of manoevers, either lumping it amongst other, more favourable legislation, or simply ramming it through parliament without allowing citizens a say. The SNP Government's proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act has been shunned by a wave of negative submissions to a Holyrood consultation. The Scottish Parliament's Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee received almost 11,000 submissions when it asked for views on the controversial plans. Of these 10,800 submissions, 59 per cent were against the reforms citing among other things its threat to women's sports, misogyny and homophobia.

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JPMorgan issues US 'wealth shock' warning, households lost $5 trillion so far this year, worse to come

US household wealth has fallen by at least $5 trillion so far this year amid an intense market selloff, according to a JPMorgan Chase note seen by Bloomberg. The losses could amount to $9 trillion by year-end, it estimated. According to the report, US billionaires are the biggest losers in the market rout, with their collective wealth having crashed almost $800 billion since its peak in November. Comment: But they're still billionaires? A billionaire losing even as much as a billion dollars is not the same as someone on a median income losing a couple of hundred dollars. Data showed that since the start of the year, the S&P 500 Index slid 18%, the Nasdaq 100 has lost 27% and a Bloomberg index of cryptocurrencies has nosedived 48%.

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How and why Russia's civil society is helping Donbass fighters in their battle against Ukraine

Many volunteers have headed to the Donbass since Russia's military offensive began, in February. Once there, some help civilians by bringing groceries, medicine, and other supplies. Others assist by clearing debris or working in hospitals. There is another important task that volunteers are involved in - assisting the troops of the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People's Republics. Their mission is to obtain the most modern equipment, the kind that only special forces are usually supplied with. Political strategist Igor Mangushev is one of the people doing this work. His fund, OPSB, collects about 20 million rubles ($322,000) a month in donations, which goes to the Donbass people's militia. RT spoke with him about his work and Russia's broader civil society. - What's your connection with the Donbass and how did you end up doing relief work in the region?

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DARPA launches 'Ouija' project to study radio signals in Earth's atmosphere with satellites

The U.S. military plans to launch satellites to learn more about how radio signals behave in part of the Earth's atmosphere. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has set up a new program, called Ouija, which will use sensors on "low-orbiting satellites" to track high-frequency radio waves in the ionosphere. DARPA has a solicitation for proposals available now for one part of the proposal and plans to release a second solicitation at another date. The ionosphere is best known as the atmospheric zone where auroras roam, depending upon solar activity and the Earth's magnetic field. The Ouija program will focus on a region of the ionosphere roughly 125 miles to 185 miles (300 to 400 kilometers) in altitude — well below the orbit of the International Space Station, which zooms around our planet at an average height of 250 miles (400 km). Characterizing how radio waves behave in this space will be crucial to help future warfighters work effectively, DARPA officials said...

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UK gas prices surge on supply shortage after unplanned outages at Norway's giant gas field

British wholesale gas prices rose on Monday due to a reduction in shipments from Norway after the major supplier suffered unplanned outages at its giant natural gas field. UK gas for immediate delivery jumped by 59 pence to 135 pence per therm by 08:09 GMT, its highest level since May 3. The day-ahead price was 25 pence higher at 134 pence/therm. Norwegian flows via the Langeled pipeline have fallen to 38 million cubic meters (mcm) per day due to outages, Reuters data showed. There was an unplanned outage at the Troll field, which is impacting 17 mcm/day of flows. Smaller disruptions have also been reported at several other Norwegian facilities.

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Erdogan backtracks on threat to veto Sweden and Norway admission into NATO

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he expects his NATO allies to take "concrete steps" to address Turkey's security concerns, instead of making "inadequate statements." "As a country that pays the price of NATO, we want to see concrete steps rather than inconclusive diplomatic statements," Erdogan said during an event in Turkey's northwestern Kocaeli province on 23 May, according to EFE. He was referring to Sweden and Finland's recent applications to become NATO members, in what has become an extension of the Ukraine conflict and NATO's expansionist agenda.