News of the World

[kyonides]

US NEWS

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Over 23M Immigrants Eligible to Vote in U.S. Ahead of 2024 Election

The left-wing American Immigration Council released the analysis recently, giving a glimpse into the electoral power that the nation’s annual importation of more than a million legal immigrants has given to naturalized citizens.

“As more immigrants naturalize and become eligible to vote, they continue to gain political power,” the analysis states. “The number of immigrant voters is only projected to rise in the next decade, and in some states, foreign-born voters are already capable of deciding elections.”

Based on 2021 figures, there are more than 23 million immigrants in the U.S. who are eligible to vote ahead of next year’s election. Nearly 24 million immigrants have naturalized American citizenship.

The analysis indicates that foreign-born eligible voters will again account for about 1-in-10 of all eligible voters in 2024 — likely an unprecedented level of foreign-born eligible voters in the American electorate, giving enormous voting power to those who were not born in the U.S.

Pennsylvania Voters Reach ‘Peak of Mistrust’ After Voting Machines Glitch for Second Time

Election officials are scrambling to ensure trust in the voting system as voters and local leaders alike are sounding the alarm, a Saturday Politico report revealed.

Northampton used Election Systems & Software touchscreen machines for the first time in 2019 and saw a “programming glitch” that caused a significant “undercount” of votes in the local judge’s race, the publication reported. Then, on November 7, 2023, suspicion grew when voters discovered that their printouts meant to confirm their votes on the devices did not match their choices for two down-ballot judges races.
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According to one county executive, voters are at their “peak of mistrust” with the voting system.

“We’re at the peak of mistrust of one another, but until that subsides, counties like ours need to be nearly perfect, and I think this system allows us to do that,” Lamont McClure told the outlet before the vote was certified on Tuesday, arguing that the glitch resulted from human error.

Politico noted that “ES&S and Northampton officials acknowledged that pre-election software testing, which is conducted jointly, should have caught that problem.”

“We deeply regret what has occurred today,” Linda Bennett, senior vice president of account management at ES&S, said at an Election Day press conference.

However, she claimed, “We are sure and positive that the voter selections are actually being captured” because the error supposedly only affected the paper cards.

 Sure, considered safe until you finally  investigate the matter thoroughly at least.

EUROPEAN NEWS

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Addressing Nation, Irish Leader Spends Seconds Condemning Stabbing of Children but Minutes on Protests That Followed

The Irish Prime Minister addressed the nation on Friday morning after a night of fiery protests in Dublin in reaction to a mass stabbing against schoolchildren, but the leader had much more to say about violence against the state than violence against children.

Leo Varadkar spoke about “two terrible attacks” that took place on Thursday, one “on innocent children” and the other “on our society and the rule of law”. Speaking for almost six minutes, the Irish progressive-centrist Fine Gael politician spent 42 seconds condemning the man who had loitered outside a school before launching a knife attack the previous day, and then four minutes and 20 seconds unloading on those who came out to riot over the attack that evening.

Calling the multiple stabbings a “horrifying act of violence”, Varadkar spent most of those 42 seconds narrative building, praising those who had stepped in to try and stop the violence, and praising those who work in the Irish health service.

Following up with the considerably longer part of his speech on the protests and riots that followed, the Prime Minister noted: “yesterday evening some people decided the best way to respond to this terrible attack would be to take to the streets of Dublin to try to terrify, intimidate, loot and destroy. Their first reaction to a five-year-old child being stabbed was to burn our city, attack its businesses, and assault our [police].”

Several Articles

Dutch Right-Wing Election Winner Geert Wilders Causes Uproar After Declaring ‘Jordan Is Palestine!’

The country of Jordan should be considered the true national homeland for the Palestinian people, according to Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders, who caused an uproar after making the declaration online.

In a Saturday post on X, formerly Twitter, the right-wing firebrand who won this past week’s election in the Netherlands made the remarks, sharing a Politico article describing Arab states condemning his “push to relocate Palestinians to Jordan.”

The post sparked widespread criticism and disapproval from Arab nations.

Often compared to former President Donald Trump due to similarities in his ideology and character, Wilders has earned the nickname “the Dutch Donald Trump” by the local press.

Having been under security for years due to his comments on Muslims, the leader of the Freedom Party (PVV) is known for his strong support for Israel, aligning his views with right-wing parties that have gained prominence across Europe. He has also referred to the Jewish state as the West’s first line of defense.

Wilders, who vowed to become the next Dutch prime minister, has long argued that the conflict between Palestinians and Israel could be resolved through the recognition of Jordan as a Palestinian state.

Actually, he's right about it. The last Arab state to be founded by the British Mandate was supposed to be Transjordan or modern Jordan. The rest of the land had to be known as Israel.

Border Agents Rushed to EU Border as Russia Weaponises Migration

The European Union´s border agency said Thursday that it will send dozens of officers and equipment as reinforcements to Finland to help police its borders amid suspicion that Russia is behind an influx of migrants arriving to the country.

Frontex said that it expects a “significant reinforcement” made up of 50 border guard officers and other staff, along with patrol cars and additional equipment, to be put in place as soon as next week.

Around 600 migrants without proper visas and documentation have arrived in Finland so far this month compared to a few dozen in September and October. They include people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Kenya, Morocco and Somalia.

On Wednesday, Finnish border guards and soldiers began erecting barriers, including concrete obstacles topped with barbed-wire at some crossing points on the Nordic country´s lengthy border with Russia.

Ukraine Says it Has Been Hit by Largest Russian Drone Strike of the War

Russia on Saturday morning launched its most intense drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion in 2022, targeting the capital city for over six hours, military officials said.

“Kyiv was the main target,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk wrote on his Telegram channel.

In total, Russia launched 75 Iranian-made Shahed drones against Ukraine, of which 74 were destroyed by air defenses, Ukraine´s air force said.

The attack was “the most massive air attack by drones on Kyiv,” said Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat confirmed later that the air defenses shot down 66 air targets over the capital and surrounding region throughout the morning.

At least five civilians were wounded in the hourslong assault, which saw several buildings damaged by falling debris from downed drones, including a kindergarten. The wounded included an 11-year-old child, according to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko.

North Korean ammunition proves fatal for Russian soldiers

The Russian Federation has come to regret accepting large consignments of equipment and ammunition from North Korea. These military supplies, donated by Kim Jong Un's administration, have turned out to be fatal for several Russian soldiers. The primary cause of this appears to be inferior quality ammunition produced in North Korean factories.

Reports of military equipment shipments from North Korea to Russian bases near the Ukrainian front started emerging in October 2023. The arrangement of arming the Russians by Kim Jong Un's regime began following a deal the North Korean leader struck with Russian officials during a visit to Russia. Although the quality of the equipment was subpar, it was intended to bolster the combative forces facing casualties at the front line. Now, it seems this equipment may be directly contributing to these losses.
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Once the Russians started using the ammunition sent by North Korea, they encountered unforeseen problems. The North Korean-made ammunition was of a poor standard and, as military experts projected, resulted in a significant rise in incidents of tanks and howitzers being destroyed or damaged due to premature shell explosions. Photos of the damaged vehicles began circulating on social media platforms.

In spite of Russia's substantial efforts towards arms production, there have been persistent issues with shortages in their military hardware. Even if the other essential components of a tank or howitzer remain intact after such an event, replacing the barrel – or both the barrel and turret – presents a significant challenge for the Russian industry.

Germany Arrests Two Alleged Smugglers Believed to Have Brought 200 Migrants to Europe

About 260 officers took part in the raids during which eight properties where searched in Lower Saxony and another six in Berlin.

The suspects are accused of smuggling more than 200 migrants, most of them Syrians, into the European Union, German news agency dpa reported.

One of the suspects, a 23-year-old man from Berlin, was arrested in Garbsen near Hannover. The other, a 40-year-old man, was placed in custody in Lehrte near Hanover on the strength of an Austrian arrest warrant.

Authorities gave no further details about the identity of the suspects. But security officials said the two were part of a group of smugglers – most of whom are Iraqis – which allegedly brought at least 208 migrants into the EU during a dozen smuggling trips between August 2022 and June 2023.

The suspects transported the migrants “in unsuitable vehicles” without rest or food and in extreme heat, dpa reported.

They allegedly charged 4,000-5,000 euros ($4,357-5,446) per person. The route taken by the smugglers went through Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and ultimately Germany.

Nine Arrested After Gang Goes on Deadly Rampage to ‘Stab White People’ in Small French Village

Nine members of a gang that descended upon a small French village to “stab white people” have been arrested after leaving one dead and 16 injured.

During a village winter ball in Crépol on Saturday evening, a gang of “outsiders” descended on the French village and went on a rampage that left a sixteen-year-old boy named Thomas dead and 16 others aged between 16 and 65 injured. The dance had seen around 300 of the 532 members of the village attend.

On Tuesday, the government announced per Le Figaro that it had arrested nine individuals in connection to the horrific attack on the. Reports have claimed that the band of young male attackers came from the La Monnaie neighborhood of Romans-sur-Crépol. The area has been associated with rampant issues involving drug trafficking and was the site of widespread unrest during the racially-inspired riots across France in July following the police shooting of an Algerian heritage teenager.

While police have yet to disclose any information about the backgrounds of the alleged attackers, Le Dauphiné Libéré newspaper reported that a young local man who was stabbed during the spree claimed that the knifemen pronounced their intent to specifically kill white people.

MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS

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First Israeli Hostages Return; 10 Thai, 1 Filipino Freed; 39 Palestinian Convicts Released

Thirteen Israeli women and children taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 are crossing back into Israel after a transition through Egypt via the Red Cross on Friday evening local time. 12 Thai hostages and one Filipino hostage have also been freed.

In return, Israel has released 39 Palestinian terror convicts, all women or teenagers. It has also allowed additional fuel trucks and other supplies into Gaza, after a four-day pause in fighting took effect earlier on Friday, under the terms of the agreement.

Over 200 hostages remain in custody in Gaza.

Israeli initially withheld the names of the hostages to be released, though names began to trickle out during the transfer.

One hostage released, Hanna Katzir, had been erroneously reported by Palestinian Islamic Jihad to have died in captivity. She was reportedly among the 13 Israeli hostages seen transferring from Gaza to Israel via the Red Cross through Egypt.

Hamas Separates Mother from Daughter in Hostage Release; Emily Hand, 9, is Free

Hamas separated a mother and her daughter in the second release of hostages on Saturday, violating what Israel says was an agreement not to split families, and showing a degree of cruelty that undermines its effort at a more humanitarian façade.

Hamas released 13 Israeli hostages — eight children and five women — and four Thai nationals, in return for an Israeli release of 39 convicted female and juvenile Palestinian terrorists, plus additional fuel and supplies for the Gaza Strip.

Among the hostages released was Hila Rotem, 12, whose mother, Raya Rotem, 54, was not released. The Times of Israel reports that Israel believes that to be a violation of the agreement with Hamas, which is to see at least 50 hostages released over a four-day pause in fighting.

Another hostage was dual Irish-Israeli citizen Emily Hand, who turned nine years old in captivity. Her father had initially been told that she had died in the October 7 attack; he said it was better that she had died than have to endure torture by Hamas.

When it was reported that she was still alive, he prayed for her release — and it finally came on Saturday night. A photo of the reunion of father and daughter showed her looking extremely pale but relieved, holding a teddy bear that had been given to her.