4 Oct, 2022 06:23

UK on brink of gas supply emergency – regulator

Ofgem expects shortages in the country this winter

The UK may enter a gas supply emergency due to shortages this winter, according to energy regulator Ofgem.

Britain reportedly relies on gas-fired power plants for about 40% of its electricity supply, while roughly 8 in 10 UK households use gas to heat their homes. In case of a supply emergency, some gas-fired power plants and other big gas users might be cut off and have to halt operations. They would then face imbalance charges which could result in insolvency, both SSE and Ofgem warned. According to a recent report from The Guardian, around 30 energy suppliers have already collapsed over the past several months.

“Due to the war in Ukraine and gas shortages in Europe, there is a significant risk that gas shortages could occur during the winter 2022/23 in Great Britain. As a result, there is a possibility that GB could enter into a Gas Supply Emergency,” Ofgem said in a letterresponding to a request by energy generator SSE that the regulator should address the risk of possible insolvencies. The letter was first made public by The Times.

“Even if such an emergency does not occur, the risk that it could occur is likely to force generators to reduce their forward and day ahead trading, reducing liquidity in electricity markets, and raising costs for electricity consumers,” SSE stated in its request.

The UK’s energy market is connected to those of continental Europe and usually relies on gas and electricity imports through undersea pipelines and cables from the EU and Norway if shortfalls occur. However, recent events which caused Russia to stop supplying gas to the EU via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline heighten fears of supply shortages.

Some industry experts say shortages are unlikely, but warn that prices may spike further in the coming months. According to the latest Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy data, average UK electricity prices in 2021 were £18.9 per kilowatt-hour, but by the end of 2022, they are estimated to jump to £34.0/kWh.

https://www.rt.com/business/563976-ofgem-warns-gas-supply-emergency/

Meanwhile Truss pledges billions more arms to Ukraine, and Rick Ritter their own military is broke.

3 Oct, 2022 22:31

HomeWorld News

China’s neighbor claims aircraft intrusions – media

South Korean military officials have reported that Beijing's planes violated Seoul’s air defense zone dozens of times last year

Chinese aircraft intruded on South Korea’s air defense zone without warning more than 70 times last year, military officials in Seoul have reportedly claimed.

The pace of Chinese violations of the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) was about the same as in 2020, Yonhap Newsreported on Monday, citing a document that the South Korean defense ministry submitted to the National Assembly. There were over 20 such violations by Russia in 2019, the media outlet claimed, without providing more recent figures.

The KADIZ was first drawn up by the US Air Force in 1951, during the Korean War. The zone extends beyond South Korea’s territorial air space, but Seoul requires pilots of foreign aircraft to identify themselves to prevent unintentional confrontations. For instance, Japanese planes enter the KADIZ about 500 times annually after giving notice to South Korean authorities.

While most intrusions pass without brouhaha, South Korea scrambles military jets in some cases to respond. For example, at least four Chinese and four Russian warplanes breached the KADIZ several times on May 24, prompting Seoul to send up fighter jets in response.

That incident occurred as US President Joe Biden was wrapping up his visit to the region. Russia and China held a joint military exercise that included flights by strategic bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea while Biden was in Japan. The South Korean military also scrambled fighter jets when Russian aircraft entered the KADIZ without warning in August.

https://www.rt.com/news/564004-china-violates-south-korea-air-defense-zone/

4 Oct, 2022 13:40

Russian partial mobilization numbers revealed

More than 200,000 have joined the Russian army since the call-up began, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said

Russia’s partial mobilization plans are already more than two-thirds complete, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu announced during a conference call on Tuesday. It comes almost two weeks after President Vladimir Putin called to bolster the military amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The defense chief said that over 200,000 persons have so far been added to the Russian Armed Forces, all of whom are now undergoing the necessary training.

Shoigu has instructed relevant officials to provide the mobilized recruits with all the necessary clothing and other items and appoint them to military positions.

The minister added that there is also a significant number of volunteers showing up at the military commissariats wanting to join the army, and stressed that it is “extremely important” to assess each appeal carefully and to not reject anyone unless there are serious reasons to.

He also explained that those who have been called into service in the past two weeks will only be sent to take part in Moscow’s military operation inUkraine after they finish training and develop combat coordination with units that are already on the ground.

In order to speed up the training process, the minister has ordered commanders to provide fresh recruits with additional training under the guidance of officers with combat experience.

Furthermore, the ministry announced that conscripts who fall under the upcoming draft, which will take place in November and recruit some 120,000 people, will serve in units not involved in the military operation. Meanwhile, those who have just finished their mandatory service in Russia’s armed forces will be returning home.

Speaking in a televised address on September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization, looking to recruit some 300,000 reservists to take part in the ongoing military conflict with Ukraine which began in late February. The Russian Defense Ministry has since clarified that the mobilization prioritizes those who have served in the military and who’ve had previous combat experience as well as the necessary specializations needed on the front line.

https://www.rt.com/russia/564046-russia-partial-mobilization-progress/

3 Oct, 2022 13:57

Moscow responds to Macron’s push for new ‘anti-China and Russia bloc’

The French president wants non-EU states to get on board with Brussels’ foreign policy

Russia has expressed skepticism about an upcoming gathering of European nations that, despite having a vague official purpose, appears to be aimed at countering Russian and Chinese influence on the continent.

“The creation of new blocs will certainly not foster stability and predictability or help to defuse the tense situation that we live in,”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

The official was speaking about the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), which is slated for Thursday.The new French-proposed club is meant to bring together the 27 EU members and 17 nationsthat either aspire to join it or have traditionally close ties to it, such as Norway and the UK.

Although the idea was given a boost when UK Prime Minister Liz Truss agreed to participate in the first meeting, doubts reportedly remain about the viability of the project, which was originally proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“The British took a very pragmatic tactic: if you cannot ‘kill’ the strange initiative, it is better to engage deeply and to direct it in your own way,” a European diplomat told Reuters about Truss' decision to attend the summit in Prague.

The forum was initially rejected by some intended members, particularly Ukraine, which perceived it as a French ploy to stall its desired accession to the EU.

“Strategic ambiguity on Ukraine’s European perspective practiced by some EU capitals in the past years has failed and must end. It only emboldened [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba declared in May, when Macron first proposed the idea.

Kiev and other Eastern European participants have since somewhat warmed up to the EPC, though much skepticism remains, diplomats told Reuters.

“It will be just another 'blah blah' forum to discuss … but after a few meetings it might finish without any big success,”a diplomatic source quoted by the news agency on Monday predicted.

“There are too many countries with too many interests … How do you have Serbia and talk about Russia? How do you have Turkey and Greece/Cyprus together? How to have Armenia and Azerbaijan at the same table?”the diplomat asked.

Though it lacks a coherent agenda, the EPC is largely viewed as a vehicle for the EU to bring closer aspiring members that may be frustrated by the lack of progress in their accession, Reuters said. In particular, countries in the Western Balkans may look to Russia and China for possible investments and other benefits, a prospect that France seeks to counter with this initiative.

Another apparent target for the diplomatic drive is Türkiye, which refused to join the EU’s efforts to isolate Russia commercially and politically in retaliation for its military operation against Ukraine. Unlike the EU, Ankara has preserved its ties with Moscow and is attempting to adopt the role of mediator in the conflict.

https://www.rt.com/about-us/press-releases/peskov-macron-forum-prague/M

3 Oct, 2022 13:57

Moscow responds to Macron’s push for new ‘anti-China and Russia bloc’

The French president wants non-EU states to get on board with Brussels’ foreign policy

Russia has expressed skepticism about an upcoming gathering of European nations that, despite having a vague official purpose, appears to be aimed at countering Russian and Chinese influence on the continent.

“The creation of new blocs will certainly not foster stability and predictability or help to defuse the tense situation that we live in,”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

The official was speaking about the inaugural meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), which is slated for Thursday.The new French-proposed club is meant to bring together the 27 EU members and 17 nationsthat either aspire to join it or have traditionally close ties to it, such as Norway and the UK.

Although the idea was given a boost when UK Prime Minister Liz Truss agreed to participate in the first meeting, doubts reportedly remain about the viability of the project, which was originally proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“The British took a very pragmatic tactic: if you cannot ‘kill’ the strange initiative, it is better to engage deeply and to direct it in your own way,” a European diplomat told Reuters about Truss' decision to attend the summit in Prague.

The forum was initially rejected by some intended members, particularly Ukraine, which perceived it as a French ploy to stall its desired accession to the EU.

“Strategic ambiguity on Ukraine’s European perspective practiced by some EU capitals in the past years has failed and must end. It only emboldened [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba declared in May, when Macron first proposed the idea.

Kiev and other Eastern European participants have since somewhat warmed up to the EPC, though much skepticism remains, diplomats told Reuters.

“It will be just another 'blah blah' forum to discuss … but after a few meetings it might finish without any big success,”a diplomatic source quoted by the news agency on Monday predicted.

“There are too many countries with too many interests … How do you have Serbia and talk about Russia? How do you have Turkey and Greece/Cyprus together? How to have Armenia and Azerbaijan at the same table?”the diplomat asked.

Though it lacks a coherent agenda, the EPC is largely viewed as a vehicle for the EU to bring closer aspiring members that may be frustrated by the lack of progress in their accession, Reuters said. In particular, countries in the Western Balkans may look to Russia and China for possible investments and other benefits, a prospect that France seeks to counter with this initiative.

Another apparent target for the diplomatic drive is Türkiye, which refused to join the EU’s efforts to isolate Russia commercially and politically in retaliation for its military operation against Ukraine. Unlike the EU, Ankara has preserved its ties with Moscow and is attempting to adopt the role of mediator in the conflict.

https://www.rt.com/about-us/press-releases/peskov-macron-forum-prague/M

1 Oct, 2022 22:02

Russia bans SoundCloud

Access to the platform has been blocked over “calls for massive civil unrest” and “extremist activities”

SoundCloud, one of the world’s largest music sharing and streaming services, has been blocked in Russia as of Saturday. The nation’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, banned the platform following a request from the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The platform ran afoul of Russia’s data protection law, according to information provided by Roskomnadzor. The platform violated a regulation that prohibits “calls for massive civil unrest, extremist activities,” and spreading “false information of public importance,” which could have grave consequences for public peace or people’s lives and health, the agency said.

The reason for the ban remains unclear. Neither Roskomnadzor nor the Prosecutor General’s Office has issued statements so far.

The Berlin-based music sharing and streaming service, which allows users to upload, promote, and share audio, has not commented on the ban either.

The Russian media watchdog has previously fined a number of Western tech companies multiple times for violating Russian law. In July, it imposed fines on US companies including Tinder, WhatsApp, and Snapchat over their refusal to comply with Russia’s data localization regulations. Roskomnadzor had previously reported that around 600 representative offices of foreign companies including Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, PayPal, Booking, and LG had localized the storage of Russian users’ personal data as required.

In March, Russia also banned Facebook and Instagram after designating their owner, US company Meta, as an extremist organization over its refusal to remove what Moscow considered to be false content about the conflict in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Roskomnadzor accused Apple of “discriminatory restrictions” over its removal of social media company VK’s apps from its App Store. The US tech giant responded by citing the need to comply with the sanctions on Russia, explaining that VK’s apps are distributed “by developers majority-owned or majority-controlled by one or more parties sanctioned by the UK government.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/563888-russia-ban-soundcloud-extremism/

4 Oct, 2022 12:19

Saudi prince claims immunity in Khashoggi lawsuit

Mohammed bin Salman’s lawyers argue he should not face charges after becoming Prime Minister

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) should be considered immune from prosecution in the ongoing US lawsuit over the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, his lawyers argued in court on Monday, according to Reuters.

The prince’s defense insists that a Royal Order given by his father, King Salman, designating him prime minister last week, entitles him to “status-based immunity”.

The lawyers urged the federal district court in Washington to dismiss the case entirely, noting that the US has done so in the past for foreign heads of state.

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen, is believed to have been murdered and dismembered by Saudi agents in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October, 2018. US intelligence services said the order to kill the dissident journalist was given directly by MBS himself.

The prince has denied ordering the murder, while government officials, such as the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir, have suggested that the killing was a “rogue operation” carried out by individuals operating “outside the scope of their authority.”

MBS, however, has since acknowledged that Khashoiggi’s death happened “under my watch” and insisted that those responsible for the gruesome killing must be held to account.

The lawsuit against the Saudi prince was filed by Khasoggi’s fiance Hatice Cengiz and DAWN — a pro-democracy human rights group founded by the late columnist before he was killed. The case, which is being heard in a district court in Washington DC, seeks unspecified damages against the Crown prince and names 20 other Saudi nationals as co-defendants.

The court is now waiting for the US Justice Department to express its view on whether the prince has immunity after being named the Saudi Prime Minister. The Biden administration, however, has asked that the court proceedings be delayed for 45 days while it considers its stance on the matter.

https://www.rt.com/news/564041-saudi-prince-khashoggi-immunity/

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds a Critical Press Conference from Cape Coral

October 3, 2022 | Sundance | 160 Comments

Shortly before sunset this evening, as the search and rescue missions continue throughout the western impact zone, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference in Cape Coral to provide the latest updates and new information for the people in Southwest Florida (SWFL). Toplines:

♦ Cape Coral, Pine Island and Sanibel only have 3% power restoration. Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC) is overwhelmed and refusing to pay the mutual aid costs for assistance. LCEC is making people suffer. The Florida Governor has seen enough. The state is stepping in.

♦ Effective tomorrow, up to 3,500 personnel from Duke Energy are being redeployed into Cape Coral and Lee County, the State of Florida will pick up the bill for the mutual aid payments LCEC is unwilling to support. As a result, the power restoration timeline for Cape Coral is now moved from October 23rd to October 8th.

♦ Effective tomorrow, 50 generators from the Florida Dept of Emergency Management are being moved into Cape Coral to service water and sewer issues created by LCEC unwillingness to restore power. Lift stations will be powered by state generators until Duke Energy personnel take control and do the work LCEC is unwilling to do.

♦ Effective tomorrow, The Florida Dept of Transportation and the Florida Army Corp of Engineers will begin rebuilding an interim bridge for Pine Island Road access. A temporary bridge is expected to be completed by the end of the week, allowing Pine Island residents to cross into the mainland. Lee County can then figure out a permanent solution.

♦ Effective immediately, the Florida Dept of Transportation will begin a parallel operation with Lee County Transportation to outline a temporary bridge and transit system to reconnect access to Sanibel Island from Punta Rassa (South Fort Myers). Governor Ron DeSantis said there’s no reason to wait a year for a permanent fix to begin. The state will pick up the tab for a temporary bridge system, as Lee County begins the process of figuring out what to do.

♦ The Florida National Guard will begin airlifting utility crews into Sanibel and Captiva Islands to begin restoration assessments.

All good decisions by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Ancillary NOTE: Remember what I said yesterday… “On a practical note, I see the millionaire/billionaire boating class are being told they must remove their status yachts from a couple of major locations.”…. 24 hours after that notification to the white wine spritzer crowd, the Florida State DOT now says they will build a fast temporary bridge and local municipal port operations (barges) will not be needed. These issues and rapid responses are related.

The White Wine Spritzer Crowd are the major DeSantis donor crowd. Tell the SWFL millionaires/billionaires they need to move their yachts and suddenly a temporary bridge is being built by the State of Florida. Hey, don’t get me wrong, I ain’t bitchin’, but I also ain’t stupid. Everything is always related to the economics of the thing.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2022/10/03/florida-governor-ron-desantis-holds-a-critical-press-conference-from-cape-coral/#more-238272

Sundance is doing good reports daily on the aftermath

RNC Says Google Spiked Over 22 MILLION of Its Emails in September Alone

Robert Spencer

It’s not really a secret anymore that the Left doesn’t believe in a level playing field, and that the woke vanguard is censorious, fascist, and unwilling to allow for the fair and open enunciation of opposing points of view. That’s why so many conservatives, including Donald Trump himself, have been banned from Twitter and Facebook, and that’s why Parler, Gettr, Gab and Truth Social exist at all: to give a voice to those who have been denied a platform for having views that don’t correspond to those of the political and media elites. But the censorship is even more far-reaching than that: on Monday, Fox News reported that “the Republican National Committee [RNC] says Google is suppressing get-out-the-vote [GOTV] and fundraising emails by sending millions of GOP election emails to users’ Gmail spam folders, with party leadership threatening to explore legal options to ‘put an end’ to what they call a ‘clear pattern of bias.’” Google, biased against conservatives? Why, the only people who could possibly be shocked by this are working for Mitt Romney and Adam Kinzinger.

RNC officials state that “emails being sent by the RNC to Republican subscribers who use Gmail accounts in the final days of each month are being sent to spam folders.” This is happening on a stunningly grand scale: “An RNC official told Fox News Digital that since Sept. 28, Gmail has ‘suppressed’ more than 22 million RNC emails—358,000 of which were GOTV emails.”

Google, however, professes to be shocked! — shocked! – by these charges. Why, everyone knows that Google is placid, gray, nonpartisan, and thoroughly businesslike! Politics? What’s that? Politics, says Google, has nothing, nothing whatsoever, to do with its decision about whether or not to mark a certain email as spam and send it to spam folders. Google spokesperson José Castañeda said mildly: “We enable political committees and other organizations to reach their constituents, donors, and key audiences via email. When Gmail users say that they don’t want to receive an email, we place the email in the spam folder, politics or political affiliation plays no role in this determination.” Yes, of course! That’s all it is. And I have a very, very fine bridge to sell you as well, at a price I think you’ll find eminently reasonable.

The numbers, however, belie Castañeda’s bland technocrat act. “On Sept. 28, Gmail spammed more than 3.1 million RNC emails. The next day, Gmail spammed more than 9.8 million RNC emails, and on Sept. 30, Gmail spammed more than 9.97 million RNC mails.” Those are some busy Leftist censors, and the RNC has complained to Google “for months,” according to one RNC official, but there has been “no resolution.”

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel stated: “Every single month, like clockwork, Google suppresses important GOTV and fundraising emails at the end of the month, with zero explanation nor commitment from Google to resolve this issue. We are less than 40 days out from Election Day, and important GOTV emails to our opted-in voters in states that have already started early voting are being systematically sent to spam. Enough is enough. Big Tech bias is undermining the democratic process and the RNC is exploring our legal options to put an end to this clear pattern of bias.”

Nor is the same sort of spamlisting happening to Democrats. Fox notes that “during the 2020 election cycle, an RNC official said the study found that Gmail routed Republican emails to spam at a rate approximately 820% higher than similar Democrat fundraising appeals.” Republican officials now contend that Google’s “disproportionate suppression of Republican emails constitutes an illegal corporate contribution to Democrat candidates,” and they want a Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigation. With good reason: “the Republicans estimate they missed out on $1.5 billion in contributions during the 2020 election cycle” because of Google’s suppression of their emails.

If the Republicans get this FEC investigation, the question will then be whether it will be free and fair or whether it will be staffed by people who hold to the same political perspective as Google, and thus have no problem with the suppression of Republican speech. As the Left grows progressively more open about its authoritarianism and hostility to opposing points of view, ultimately Big Tech, including Google, is going to destroy the freedom of speech, or that freedom is going to be afforded new protections and the tech giants’ ability to infringe upon it will be restricted. It’s one or the other, and the very fate of our free republic hangs in the balance.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2022/10/03/rnc-says-google-spiked-over-22-million-of-its-emails-in-september-alone-n1634198

Molotov Cocktail-Throwing NYC Lawyer Offers New Cocktail in Her Own Defense: Vodka with a Dash of Islamophobia

Robert Spencer

Urooj Rahman is an attorney, not a bartender, but she knows her cocktails. She tossed a Molotov cocktail at an NYPD cruiser during the 2020 George Floyd riots in New York City. But now, in asking for a light sentence, she is serving up a different cocktail: vodka with a dash of Islamophobia. And really, it’s the Islamophobia that gives it its flavor.

According to court filings, Rahman is asking for a light sentence because, she says, she was very drunk on vodka on the night that she firebombed the police car, and making matters even worse, she is dealing with all kinds of “unprocessed trauma.” A good deal of it, her attorneys claim, stems from being taunted as a Muslim after 9/11. Vodka-and-Islamophobia is not as popular as vodka-and-tonic, but you never know, it might catch on.

Rahman’s lawyers say she was “numb, disassociated, and inebriated” back in May 2020 when she was spotted in the front passenger seat of her friend and getaway driver Colinford Mattis’ SUV, holding a Palestinian scarf over her face with one hand and a Molotov cocktail in the other. Soon after that, she threw the firebomb into a New York City police car, but don’t you see, it was all about racism: “Tossing the Molotov cocktail was a way of expressing anger at those police officers around the country for whom Black lives did not matter,” her attorneys claim. “It was an act of protest intended to avoid exposing others to harm.”

How someone can throw a bottle filled with gasoline and topped with a burning rag into someone else’s car and then claim it was done in order to “avoid exposing others to harm” is beyond me, but then again, I haven’t suffered the way Urooj Rahman has. The court filing claims that “at 11, when the World Trade Center was attacked, Urooj experienced the harassment that was all too common for Muslims living in the city. She was called names (‘ugly Indian,’ ‘hairy monkey’) and begged her mother not to wear her hijab on the street.” A clinical psychologist and “leading expert on trauma,” Dr. Leslie Lebowitz, claims that this “compendium of adversity” left the young adult Urooj Rahman “without the ability to adequately manage and regulate her feelings” as well as “subject to incapacitating depression, panic and uncontrollable obsessional thinking.”

Because of all this and more that poor Urooj has suffered, her lawyers say she should be released (she’s under house arrest, with electronic monitoring), for “her conduct that night was a marked deviation from her otherwise exemplary life.” Meanwhile, the Washington Free Beacon explains that this “request for a special dispensation builds on a sweetheart deal already reached by Justice Department prosecutors in the case. In June, Rahman and Mattis entered into a second plea agreement that broke their potential 10-year sentences down to a maximum of 5 years. Prosecutors want Judge Cogan to go even lower, arguing for just 18 to 24 months based on the ‘history and personal characteristics of the defendants.’” We’ll see just how low Judge Cogan can go.

18 to 24 months, despite the fact that “Rahman and Mattis each confessed to counts of conspiracy to commit arson and to making and possessing an unregistered destructive device, dodging a previous domestic terrorism sentencing enhancement. The two had pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of possessing or making a destructive device, which could have earned them each 10 years in prison.”

But don’t you see? Rahman was teased as a child. Probably every eleven-year-old on the planet can say much the same thing, and few have thrown Molotov cocktails into police cars. But since Rahman’s was taunted in an “Islamophobic” manner, and had some rough relationships on top of that (another thing that can be said about millions, if not billions, of people), we are supposed to believe that her suffering was so acute, so unique, that she deserves to suffer no penalty for her crime.

And above all, “Rahman’s attorneys also say their client’s ‘commitment to social justice’ should earn her a more lenient sentence.” Ah, yes, of course! She’s a good Leftist! Let her go! She was working on the side of the angels, and is a victim of “Islamophobia”! It’s an absurd defense, but it’s a canny one: In today’s overheated political climate, if she gets the right (that is, the Left) judge, Urooj Rahman’s new cocktail will work just fine, and she will be out on the streets and back working for “social justice” in no time.

https://pjmedia.com/culture/robert-spencer/2022/10/03/molotov-cocktail-throwing-nyc-lawyer-offers-new-cocktail-in-her-own-defense-vodka-with-a-dash-of-islamophobia-n1634191

Is Letitia James involved in this, anyone else would be in jail two years ago.

Meloni Vows to Fight Against Energy ‘Speculators’ and Lower Costs for Italians

Chris Tomlinson4 Oct 2022

Italy’s likely next Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed to fight against speculators she claims are distorting the energy markets and lower the costs of energy for Italians while also promoting those who create wealth in the country.

The firebrand leader of the national-conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI) stated that energy costs for Italians remain a major priority for her likely incoming government.

“The priority will be the cost of energy, the issue is not how to compensate for speculation but how to stop it, we cannot continue to give billions to speculators,” Meloni told a crowd of the National Confederation of Direct Farmers (Coldiretti), Italy’s largest association representing agriculture, over the weekend, Il Giornalereports.

“You know that in these days I have thinned out my presence to study the most urgent dossiers, in case we are called to form the new government,” Meloni told the crowd and added, “But I decided to come here to you who represent Italian excellence and “Made in Italy’.”

“If we are called to govern this nation it is immediately clear that we have in mind to give effective and immediate answers to the main problems,” she said and added, “Our goal is to change the relationship between the State and citizens and the State and businesses. Our compass will be not to disturb those who want to do, not to disturb those who want to create wealth and those who want to give work. The State must enable them to do so.”

The looming winter energy crisis could be the first major test of a Meloni government as energy prices have already substantially increased for both consumers and for businesses.

Last month, owners of Italian restaurants bars and elsewhere publicly displayed their increased energy bills and asked assistance from the government after some had seen their costs triple or more.

Aldo Cursano, vice president of Fipe-Confcommercio, the association that organised the protests, stated, “With increases in energy costs of up to 300%, we are working with a gun to our heads.”

However, reports have claimed that Italy may be able to get through the winter after the government of outgoing Prime Minister Mario Draghi was able to negotiate increased gas deliveries from Algeria and Egypt that could replace Italy’s prior reliance on Russian gas supplies.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/10/04/meloni-vows-to-fight-against-energy-speculators-and-lower-costs-for-italians/

Gun Owners of America Secures Injunction Against Philly Mayor Jim Kenney’s Gun Control

AWR Hawkins4 Oct 2022

Gun Owners of America secured a permanent injunction against Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s (D) executive gun controls on Monday.

Breitbart News reported Kenney’s gun controls on September 27, 2022, noting they barred even licensed concealed carriers from carrying guns to public pools, parks, and recreational centers.

On the same day Kenney (pictured) put forward his gun control, the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out Kenney’s controls would face an uphill battle, legally speaking.

The uphill battle was predicated on the fact Pennsylvania has a preemption statute, which bars cities and municipalities from passing gun controls that exceed those that exist at the state level.

The Inquirer noted, “Courts have cited preemption while consistently striking down attempts by cities, including Philadelphia, to ban assault-style weapons, limit handgun purchases, and prohibit guns in parks and at recreation centers.”

Gun Owners of America filed suit against Kenney’s executive gun controls and secured a permanent injunction less than a week after they were introduced.

The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas issued a permanent injunction against the gun control on Monday, October 3, 2o22.

Philadelphia is expected to appeal the ruling.

The case is GOA v. Philadelphia, No. 2647 in The Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County First Judicial District of Pennsylvania Trial Division–Civil.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/10/04/gun-owners-of-america-secures-injunction-against-philly-mayor-jim-kenneys-gun-control/

Picture

File/Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, participates in a roundtable discussion with Mayor Jim Kenney, left, at Impact Services Corporation on April 6, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Jessica Kourkounis/Getty)

Orban Summit: Central European Countries Agree to Extend Border Fence

Chris Tomlinson4 Oct 2022

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić met Monday in Budapest to discuss the surge of new activity along the Balkan migrant route.

Prime Minister Orbán and the other two leaders made a statement following the Monday meeting that argued the European Union asylum system no longer works and stated that the European Commission has not been active in tackling the issue for several years.

The three also agreed to strengthen the border fence along the Hungarian-Serbian border, which will be extended nearly seven miles and the height of the fence itself will be increased from around 13 feet to just over 16 feet, the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitungreports.

“We are suffering from illegal migration, which costs time, money and energy,” Prime Minister Orbán said and added that migration has taken a back seat to other issues such that the looming energy crisis and the war in Ukraine.

Orbán added that cooperation between the three countries would be furthered with additional meetings set to take place in Vienna and Belgrade in the future where more concrete proposals would be decided upon.

“Serbia does not want to become a hotspot, we do not want people to stay with us,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said and added that Serbia is a poorer country than both Hungary and Austria and the looming energy crisis particularly affect his country.

Activity along the Balkan route has surged this year and become the busiest in all of Europe according to the European Union border agency Frontex,which claimed the activity on the route had increased by 167 per cent in a report from June.

A report from last month revealed that over 86,000 migrants have crossed into the European Union along the Balkan route by the end of August, over double the number of migrants who crossed the English Channel during the same period.

“The Western Balkan route continues to be the most active migratory route into the EU with 15 900 detections in August, 141% more than last year. The high number of illegal border crossings can be attributed to repeated crossing attempts by migrants already present in the Western Balkans,” Frontex said.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2022/10/04/orban-summit-central-european-countries-agree-to-extend-border-fence/

Buttigieg’s Husband Gets Cushy Job At Democratic Consulting Firm

Diana GlebovaOctober 03, 2022 7:01 PM

Chasten Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s husband,landed a job as senior consultant at KNP Communications.

The consulting firm has worked to elect Democratic candidates “at the national, state, and local level since 2006,” the company stated in a press release Monday, announcing the new hire.

KNP Communications does not publicly release their client list on their website, instead categorizing their clientele into areas including members of Congress, media pundits, presidential candidates, trade associations, and celebrities. (NH Democrats Say Who They Want To Replace Joe Biden In 2024)

The firm did not respond to an inquiry from the Daily Caller asking who Buttigieg will specifically be consulting, or if the company has a publicly available client list.

The press release announcing Buttigieg’s new gig did not mention his husband, who is a cabinet member in the Biden administration.

The former middle school teacher quit his joband worked for his husband’s 2020 presidential campaign, catapulting his status and publishing his best selling book “I Have Something to Tell You,” as well as becoming a Harvard Institute of Politics Fellow.

Buttigieg’s new job description reads: “Chasten Buttigieg is asenior consultant specializing in preparing leaders, speakers, candidates (as well as their families), and teams, for work behind the scenes, on the stage, or in front of the camera.”

He said he was “thrilled” to join the company and “to have the opportunity to share my experiences as a theater artist, middle-school teacher, and campaigner with our clients.”

“Chasten brings a wealth of experience as an advocate who knows what it means to forge a meaningful connection with an audience,” said Managing Partner of KNP, Matthew Kohut, in a press release. “He understands that great communication begins with authenticity.”

The State Department announced Wednesdayit had delegated a newly-created jobto Monica Medina, the wife of White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain, appointing her to be a special diplomat for international animal and plant habitats.

https://dailycaller.com/2022/10/03/chasten-buttigieg-knp-communications/

The Benefits Of Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Will Overwhelmingly Go To Wealthier Americans, Analysis Finds

Bronson WinslowOctober 03, 2022

President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan will largely help borrowers whose salaries are in the top half of American incomes, according to a Monday analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).

Biden announced in August his plan to forgive $10,000 in student loans for individuals making less than $125,000 or families making less than $250,000, forgiving an additional $10,000 for individuals who received Pell Grants. The plan, though marketed by the Biden administration as support for low-to-middle class borrowers, will provide between 57% to 65% of benefits to individuals in the top 50% of income brackets, according to the analysis.

“The actual benefit is likely to be more regressive,” the report read.

The analysis found that the loan forgiveness plan will benefit high-income borrowers because many will be grandfathered in based on their reduced 2020 earnings, while many low-income buyers will be excluded due to a lack of resources.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates only 90% of those eligible will apply for loan forgiveness while the Department of Education only expects 81%. The disparity in loan applications is predicted to affect low-income borrowers who have fewer resources and less access to apply for the forgiveness, according to CRFB.

The method for determining the income of applicants is also flawed, the analysis argued, as the metrics used to qualify an applicant are based on 2020-2021 income statements, which may be lower for higher-income earners due to increased turnover in high-income jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Those in the top half of earnings receive a much larger share of the financial benefit of debt cancellation, since higher-income borrowers are more likely to pay back their loans in full and face higher average interest rates,” the study reported.

On Thursday, the Biden administration scaled back the student loan forgiveness plan to exclude loans from private lenders, accordingto ABC News. The plan’s reduction follows recent lawsuits against the Biden administration claiming he does not have the power to forgive debt.

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

https://dailycaller.com/2022/10/03/biden-loan-forgiveness-helps-wealthy-americans/