Aftermath of Debby: Homes flooded in the US, Quebec plunged into blackout

The wake of Tropical Storm Debby caused significant disruption across North America.

The after-effects triggered flash flooding in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York, where dozens of people were left stranded in their homes.

As Debby moved northward, it unleashed record-breaking rainfall in Montreal and left hundreds of thousands of homes in Quebec without power, marking one of the most severe weather events in the region this year.

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Gavin Newsom: California's newest trash collector or just another political phony?

56-year-old Democrat California governor Gavin Newsom has been captured by camera crews while taking part in a photo-op clean-up of a recently cleared out homeless encampment under a section of Interstate 5 in Los Angeles, donning work gloves, blue jeans, a black t-shirt, baseball cap and sunglasses while tossing trash into piles and wheeling it out for disposal.

Newsom’s detractors didn’t buy the publicity, accusing him of putting on a “tough guy” image and engaging in fakery ahead of November’s elections, when seats to the US Congress and the California state legislature will be up for grabs.

Some observers said the stunt, carried out after Newsom signed an executive order on July 25 designed to remove homeless encampments in his state on penalty of cities losing their state funding, seems meant to cover up the failures of his administration, and those of his Democrat colleagues, in addressing the homelessness issue for many years.

Newsom’s California ranks first in the nation in homelessness, with an estimated 181,000+ people, or nearly 50% of the US’s homeless population, making California their home.

Homeless Californians face the prospect of arrests and fines for sleeping in public areas, and the irony of the US giving away “billions of dollars to every country except our own” and providing illegal immigrants with cash and accommodations has not been lost on critics, including World Peace Movement founder Darren Stallcup.

“This is a humanitarian and environmental disaster unfolding right under Gavin Newsom’s nose, and it’s a damning indictment of his leadership failure in California,” Stallcup wrote in a social media post.

“These are the forgotten citizens of California, abandoned by a government that seems more interested in virtue signaling and helping migrants than in addressing the real problems addressing our cities, state and country.”

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Serbia’s protests over mining concerns bear traces of ‘color revolution scenario’ - Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs

A protest in Belgrade triggered by plans to open a mine for the extraction of jadarite, a mineral containing lithium, went beyond a simple environmental rally, Serbian Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic has stated.

▪️Around 27,000 people gathered on Terazije Square on August 10 in what started out as a peaceful demonstration. Under the guise of environmental concerns, the participants proceeded to act contrary to what the organizers wrote in the application for holding a mass gathering, Dacic said. The protesters blocked the bridge in Belgrade that the Budapest-Thessaloniki international highway passes through. Later, they also obstructed the central railway station "according to the scenario of color revolutions," the minister said.

▪️Accusing the organizers of violating public order, he emphasized that everyone who committed criminal offenses and misdemeanors during the action would be held accountable.
Earlier this week, four people were detained on suspicion of preparing riots for the Saturday rally, according to the Serbian Interior Ministry.

▪️The disruptive events in the Serbian capital followed a series of demonstrations in various cities of the country supported by the pro-Western opposition and media. Ahead of the protest, Serbian President Alexandar Vucic said he had received an official warning from Russia’s intelligence services about planned mass unrest and possibly a coup being organized with the support of Western countries.

▪️As for the mineral that served as a catalyst for the latest events, deposits of jadarite were discovered in the Jadar River area in western Serbia back in 2004. According to experts, the deposit may contain up to 10% of the world's explored lithium reserves. Amid the protests, the Serbian government announced plans to hold a referendum to approve the project.

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