Ireland’s prime minister urges EU leaders to call for Gaza ceasefire
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says there is ‘some truth’ to accusations that EU employs a double-standard on Gaza. A growing number of countries in the European Union have expressed support for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war as Israel’s assault on Gaza plunges the Palestinian territory into a dire humanitarian crisis. In remarks on Tuesday at an EU summit focused largely on Ukraine, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar urged his colleagues to take a firmer stance and call for an end to the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip. “I think the European Union has lost credibility because of our inability to take a stronger and more united position on Israel and Palestine,” Varadkar said. “We’ve lost credibility at the Global South, which actually is most of the world, because of what is perceived to be double standards. And there’s some truth in that, quite frankly.” Before the summit, Varadkar and the prime ministers of Spain, Belgium, and Malta wrote to European Council President Charles Michel asking him to host a “serious debate” about the Israel-Hamas war and the “humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.” “We must call urgently for all the parties to declare a lasting humanitarian cease-fire that can lead to an end of hostilities,” the four leaders wrote. The comments came several days after a large majority of nations represented at the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and the number of Palestinians killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza passed 18,000, most of them women and children. The resolution passed with 153 nations in support, 23 abstaining, and 10 voting against it. In Tuesday’s UN vote, 17 EU countries were among those that backed the call for a ceasefire. In October, only eight had backed a resolution calling for a truce. Varadkar insisted that a ceasefire could lead “to a new peace process and Palestinian statehood, which is the only way to secure justice and security for everyone living in the region.” Spanish Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, backed his Irish colleague. “Europe has to speak out … in a clear, strong, firm and unified voice,” he said. The current round of fighting began on October 7 when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 others captive. Israel responded with a devastating assault on Gaza, bombarding the territory and launching a ground offensive, claiming that it seeks to topple Hamas. The Hamas attack was widely condemned, and Israel received strong international backing for its war against Hamas from the United States and several European countries. But as the Israeli assault continued, leading to dire humanitarian conditions and displacing more than 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, some allies have tempered their support with growing warnings about the toll on civilians. Western countries have also been accused of employing a double-standard, chastising Russia for violations of international law during its invasion of Ukraine but relatively muted when faced with similar acts by Israel. Speaking on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden said that Israel risks losing support due to “indiscriminate bombing” in a rare moment of sharp criticism. But despite mounting international pressure, Israel has shown no signs of scaling down its fighting in Gaza, where UN officials have described conditions as “hell on earth”. On Thursday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the fighting in Gaza would last “more than several months”. Adblock test (Why?)
Finland set to again shut its entire border with Russia
The decision comes amid renewed asylum seekers arrivals that Helsinki has labelled a Russian hybrid attack. Finland will close its eastern border with Russia, the country’s interior minister has said, just hours after the Nordic nation relaxed a two-week closure of all roads between the two countries. Helsinki has said a recent rise in asylum seekers arriving via Russia was an orchestrated move by Moscow in retaliation for the Nordic country’s decision to increase defence cooperation with the United States, a charge the Kremlin has denied. The arrivals stopped when Finland shut the border in late November, but resumed on Thursday when two of the eight crossings were opened, with some 36 people seeking asylum, the Finnish Border Guard said. “The phenomenon has started again and we will close the whole border,” Interior Minister Mari Rantanen told the country’s parliament. “This is a sign that the Russian authorities are continuing their hybrid operation against Finland. This is something that Finland will not tolerate,” Rantanen said in a statement. Finland joined NATO in April after decades of military non-alignment and pragmatic friendly relations with Moscow. Its 1,340km (832-mile) border with Russia serves as the European Union’s external border and makes up NATO’s northeastern flank. Approximately 900 asylum seekers from nations such as Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen entered Finland from Russia in November, an increase from fewer than one per day previously, according to the Border Guard. Concerns about the rights of asylum seekers In a letter published on Monday, the Council of Europe said it was “concerned about the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants” following the temporary border closure, and asked Finland to ensure it remained possible to seek protection. Rantanen, who represents the anti-immigration Finns Party, on Monday told the news agency Reuters there was no cause for human rights concerns, however, as asylum could be sought at other entry points. “Undoubtedly Russia is instrumentalising migrants” as part of its “hybrid warfare” against Finland, Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said last month. “At the EU border with Finland, Russian border guards have been letting people through without Schengen visas or EU residence permits. People who are being misled. People who are being used by Russia,” said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson. At the end of November, the European Union’s border protection agency, Frontex, deployed 50 officers to Finland, and said it would send equipment such as patrol cars “to bolster Finland’s border control activities”. In 2021, 3,000 to 4,000 asylum seekers became stranded in a no-man’s land on the border between Poland and Belarus as Warsaw deployed security forces to stop people from entering amid freezing winter temperatures. The EU and Warsaw said Minsk was deliberately enticing migrants and refugees to Belarus and then pushing them westwards with promises of easy entry into the bloc, and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of masterminding the crisis. Adblock test (Why?)
Parliament security case: Main accused Lalit Jha arrested by Delhi Police
Lalit Jha, a key accused in the Parliament security breach incident has been arrested, say Delhi Police sources.
DNA TV Show: Delhi Police probe unveils shocking plan behind Parliament security breach
The lapse in security of Parliament is now being investigated by the Special Cell of Delhi Police. So far, 4 accused have been arrested in this case. The investigation has revealed the involvement of a total of 6 people in the conspiracy.
White House urges Congress to stop ‘dithering,’ delay break to address border, aid for Ukraine and Israel
EXCLUSIVE: The White House is urging Congress to delay its holiday recess to address issues at the southern border, aid for Ukraine and Israel, and more, while slamming Republicans for “actively undermining our national security interests” to “go on vacation.” Fox News Digital obtained a memo from White House deputy press secretary and senior communications adviser Andrew Bates that accused congressional Republicans of preferring to “go on vacation” rather than work on critical issues. The House of Representatives finished its votes for the year on Wednesday, and members are expected to return to their districts on Thursday. The Senate is also expected to finish its last day of session on Thursday. Both chambers are set to return on January 9, 2024. AMERICANS WEIGH IMPORTANCE OF UKRAINE FUNDING AGAINST BOLSTERING BORDER SECURITY: ‘CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME’ Bates opened the memo by saying that President Biden is working to make American families “safer every day,” while “congressional Republicans are actively undermining our national security interests—both domestically and around the world—because they’d rather go on vacation than do their jobs.” “Months ago, President Biden released a concrete plan to address critical national security issues—including standing with Israel against the Hamas terrorists that just committed the worst massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust, continuing to help Ukraine defend its freedom and democracy against Russian tyranny, protecting our interests in the Indo-Pacific, and making our border more secure,” Bates wrote. “A wide range of these policies create good-paying jobs in the United States by bolstering our industrial base all over the country.” But now, Bates says that congressional Republicans “are blocking those national security proposals, all of which will make American families safer—and all of which are infinitely more affordable than the cost of dithering.” “Why? Because even though Americans elected them to make hard decisions and work full-time, congressional Republicans would rather have a 3-week vacation than buckle down and meet the moment,” Bates said. Bates said Biden’s national security plan would “hire thousands of new border patrol officers and invest in new technologies that are essential for stopping fentanyl trafficking.” PRESIDENT BIDEN TELLS CROWD ‘I AM A ZIONIST’ AT HANUKKAH CEREMONY, CONDEMNS SILENCE ON ANTISEMITISM “But congressional Republicans are choosing their own vacation over joining President Biden in fighting to make our southern border more secure,” Bates said. “Unfortunately, this fits a longstanding pattern: President Biden has delivered record funding for border security, yet House Republicans have voted against it. They even voted to eliminate 2,000 Border Patrol positions while demanding tax cuts for the wealthy.” A bipartisan group of Senators have been negotiating on a potential deal to address border security, but since no text has been agreed to, many Republicans in the chamber have expressed skepticism that it could be completed before Christmas. Bates also went on to demand Congress address aid for Israel to replenish the Iron Dome, and provide additional assistance to Ukraine. SENATE LIKELY TO RECESS WITHOUT PASSING UKRAINE AND ISRAEL FUNDING, SOURCES SAY Russian President “Vladimir Putin’s government is literally thanking congressional Republicans on Russian state TV for holding up vital defense assistance that Ukraine needs to continue the brave, successful defense of their democracy,” Bates said. “America’s leadership has been indispensable to Ukraine as they protect themselves from Russian forces, who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity and regularly launch aerial barrages against Ukrainian cities—including with Iranian drones as Russia and Iran strengthen their military partnership,” Bates said. “Congressional Republicans like to talk a big game about countering Iran, but apparently Iran gets a pass if Republicans’ vacations are on the line,” he continued. “And if Putin wins in Ukraine, he would be on NATO’s doorstep threatening our NATO allies that the United States is obligated to defend.” With regard to Ukraine funding, however, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy told Speaker Mike Johnson that Ukraine aid won’t run out until February—despite White House claims. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Bates also said congressional Republicans consider Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities “a secondary priority to going on a three-week vacation.” When asked for comment, Raj Shah, a spokesman for Speaker Johnson, told Fox News Digital that the White House is making a “pathetic attempt to shift blame for the abject failure of the White House and Senate Democrats to put forth any supplemental measure that can pass out of Congress.” “The House has passed a bipartisan Israel aid package, a border security measure, and is pressing for accountability over taxpayer aid,” Shah said. “It’s embarrassing for the White House to call on Congress to stay in town considering neither the White House nor Senate have produced anything to stay in town for. Not to mention, President Biden has spent over 400 days on vacation since taking office and has failed to engage in border talks until this week.” Shah added: “The buck stops at the President’s desk.”
Georgia GOP Rep. Drew Ferguson to depart Congress in 2024, opting out of reelection bid
Republican Rep. Drew Ferguson said Thursday he won’t seek reelection to his Georgia seat in 2024. “Julie and I look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren while continuing to work to keep Georgia the best state in America to live and do business,” Ferguson said in a statement. He said he plans to serve the remainder of his fourth term representing western Georgia’s 3rd District, which expires at the end of next year. GEORGIA PLAINTIFFS CRITICIZE PROPOSED VOTING DISTRICT MAPS AS ‘MOCKERY’ OF FEDERAL LAW The announcement comes two months after Ferguson said his family had received death threats amid the inner turmoil Republicans faced in electing a new House speaker following the ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California. The threats came after Ferguson publicly withdrew his support for GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a favorite of hard-right conservatives. Ferguson said he refused to support “a bully” for speaker and that the threats were “unacceptable, unforgivable, and will never be tolerated.” A former mayor of West Point, Ferguson was elected to Congress in 2016 in a district west of Atlanta that hugs the Georgia-Alabama state line. He served in the House GOP leadership as the chief deputy whip from 2018 through 2022 and holds a seat on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. GEORGIA REPUBLICANS DUNK ON VOTING LAW CRITICS AFTER MLB ALL-STAR GAME RETURNS TO ATLANTA Ferguson’s 3rd District seat leans solidly Republican. He easily fended off a GOP primary challenger last year before winning reelection to a fourth-term with 69% of the vote. State lawmakers in recent weeks redrew Georgia’s congressional map under a federal judge’s order to add a majority-Black district. But the Legislature’s Republican majority produced a map, now pending the court approval, that would maintain the GOP’s 9-5 hold on the state U.S. House delegation and protect Republican incumbents.
Stringent security arrangements in place for Delhi Assembly session after Parliament security breach
Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel told PTI that checking of visitors will be stricter than earlier. Goel said that a meeting of the security guards at the Vidhan Sabha is held routinely by the officials before every session.
Year after year, most Texas police departments report zero hate crimes. Here’s why.
A Texas Tribune analysis of hate crime data found that 82% of Texas law enforcement agencies that report to the FBI tracked no hate crimes last year. However, one suburban North Texas police agency is creating a new model of collecting hate crime data.
Critics demolish liberal DC mayor for forgetting where her own city’s Metro lines go: ‘Absolute embarrassment’
Democrat Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser was lambasted by critics this week for forgetting where her own city’s Metro lines run. The flub came during a Wednesday press conference as Bowser took a swipe at Virginia traffic amid her efforts to keep the Washington Wizards and Capitals, the city’s professional basketball and hockey teams, from relocating to the state. “I’m the D.C. mayor. I’m not an expert on their crime, but that traffic is notorious. So people know about it. And, I think—which lines go to that station?” Bower said, referencing the new Potomac Yards Metro station in Alexandria, Virginia, near the site of the proposed arena for the teams. HUNTER BIDEN CLAIMED HE DIDN’T ‘STAND TO GAIN ANYTHING’ IN CONTROVERSIAL BURISMA ROLE DESPITE MAKING MILLIONS “Blue and yellow,” someone answered. Bowser repeated “blue and yellow,” before attempting to name the Metro lines that run to Gallery Place, the Metro station that serves Capitol One Arena, where the teams currently play in D.C. “So, every line goes to Gallery Place, right? Red, blue, orange and yellow. Yellow? And green. Is that right? I think that’s right,” Bowser said, appearing confused. WATCH: WHITE HOUSE SAYS BIDEN ‘PROUD’ OF HUNTER DESPITE MOUNTING LEGAL ISSUES, SUBPOENA DEFIANCE The red, green and yellow lines are the only lines that run through D.C.’s Gallery Place station, and the yellow and blue lines are the only lines that run through Alexandria’s Potomac Yards station. Critics, notably from both sides of the aisle, quickly took to social media to blast Bowser, with some calling her comments “embarrassing,” and others questioning whether she ever rode the Metro. “You gotta be kidding me…” Republican strategist John Burke wrote, while Jason Johnson, communications director for Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., wrote, “Our city leadership is an absolute embarrassment.” Thomas Falcigno, communications director for Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., questioned the last time Bowser rode the Metro, and Doug Stafford, the chief strategist for Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., described city leadership as a “clownshow.” SUPPORT FOR BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY GROWS WITH A NOTABLE LEVEL OF DEMOCRAT BACKING: POLL “Of course she doesn’t. . . . She rides around in black cars with private security while the city burns,” Daily Caller reporter Henry Rodgers wrote, while Politico’s Anthony Adragna called Bowser’s comments “astounding.” “This is so embarrassing,” Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman added. Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Wednesday that both teams would be moving out of D.C. and into a new $2 billion “world-class” entertainment complex in Alexandria. The move comes as rising crime continues to grip D.C., but USA Today reported that a $36 million mortgage-type payment on the site has been weighing on the teams’ owner, Ted Leonsis. Fox News Digital has reached out to Bowser’s office for comment. Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Dem, GOP senators team up to fortify domestic green energy, defense supplies dominated by China
FIRST ON FOX: Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., are introducing legislation to fortify the domestic production of supplies vital for green energy, defense and consumer technologies. The Rare Earth Magnet Production Tax Credit Act would particularly aim to shore up the domestic supply chain for rare-earth magnets, a key component for electric vehicles (EV), defense technology, computers and cell phones. While roughly 14% of the world’s rare earths were mined in the U.S. last year, according to federal data, 70% were mined in China which controls 90% of global magnet production. “We can’t keep relying on China for components we need to power our defense systems and drive our clean-energy economy,” Cortez Masto said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “Over 600 Nevadans already work in the rare-earth mining industry, and my commonsense legislation will help build a domestic supply chain for the recycling and manufacturing of rare-earth magnets, protecting our national security and creating thousands more jobs right here in the U.S.,” she continued. BIDEN ADMIN ECO RULE CURBING OIL DRILLING, MINING FACES WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION Under the legislation, the federal government would provide a $20 per kilogram production tax credit for magnets that are manufactured in the U.S. and a larger $30 a kilogram credit for magnets manufactured in the U.S. and which contain components domestically produced, recycled or reclaimed. Republican Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler, R-Penn., and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., introduced companion legislation in the House. NEVADA GOVERNOR BLASTS BIDEN FOR LOCKING UP MINERAL-RICH LAND: ‘A HISTORIC MISTAKE’ The bill comes as the U.S. continues to aggressively push for greater production of EVs to achieve the Biden administration’s aggressive green energy goals. President Biden is pursuing an objective of ensuring 50% of all vehicle sales are electric by 2030, while several states, including California, have finalized regulations mandating only EVs are available for purchase by 2035. According to the International Energy Agency, while traditional gas-powered cars require around 40 kilograms of minerals, mainly copper and manganese, EVs require more than 200 kilograms of minerals, including copper, lithium, nickel, manganese, cobalt, graphite and rare earths. But, despite large reserves across the U.S., environmental regulations have largely prevented American producers from mining and producing such minerals. Cortez Masto and fellow Democratic Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen have called for greater mineral production and were critical of a Biden administration report in September recommending regulations that they said would make it harder to bring new mining projects online. “Mining and processing rare earths domestically is important, but that alone still leaves our supply chain vulnerable,” James Litinsky, the chairman and CEO of MP Materials, said in a statement Thursday. “American industry must convert these essential materials into the permanent magnets that are utilized in components across our economy, including for national security applications.” “This bipartisan legislation is a crucial step towards leveling the competitive playing field,” Litinsky added. “It will catalyze private investment to address the very critical gap in our supply chain that previous policies have overlooked.” MP Materials operates Mountain Pass, the nation’s only rare-earth mine, which is located 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Since there is a nonexistent manufacturing capacity for the minerals produced at the site, the company is forced to export its minerals. Cortez Masto’s legislation seeks to support MP Materials and other firms engaged in the mining business.