BERLIN (AP) – German lawmakers on Friday approved the government’s plan to attract more military recruits as the country tries to boost the ranks of its armed forces in the face of rising concern about the threat posed by Russia. The plan also foresees mandatory medical checks for young men. It stops short of reintroducing conscription, though it leaves open the possibility of compulsory service for at least a limited number should the need arise. Germany has committed billions to improving its military´s equipment after years of neglect and the government has turned its attention to trying to persuade more people to join up. It´s not alone in trying to bolster its armed forces; last week, France unveiled a program to train thousands of volunteers aged 18 and 19 starting next year. Belgium and Poland also have plans to attract more people to train or serve. Ten European Union countries have compulsory military service: Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2025/12/05/germany-signs-off-on-not-conscription-conscription-plan/ Left-led UK government follows up attacking Magna Carta and frequent social media arrests by announcing it is yet again postponing elections and moving to introduce a nationwide facial camera recognition system. Brexit leader Nigel Farage eviscerated the left-wing British government for piling depredations upon depredations on the British people, as they announced yet another postponement of local elections without good reason, on the same day they moved to roll out China-style facial recognition cameras. Speaking at a Reform Party press conference, Mr Farage said of these “monstrous” changes: …today’s the day we learn that there will be surveillance cameras not just in our big cities, but literally in every single village. The surveillance state is getting very, very close indeed. And that, of course, in the same week that we learn the 800-year-right to trial-by-jury is to be abolished in the majority of cases… and of course despite not being in the manifesto, the government want to introduce digital I.D., leaving literally every single one of us in this country open to hackers. And it is, frankly, a very authoritarian government. It doesn’t really believe in liberty, it doesn’t believe in individual freedom, and we learn it doesn’t really believe in democracy either. Mr Farage said his strong candidates and party’s sky-high polling had influenced the government’s decision to push the votes far into the future. He said: “there is of course one very big reason why [the government thinks] these elections should not go ahead… that Reform would have won all four of these contests and would have won them quite comfortably. The government are basically committing electoral fraud upon the electorate”. YAKUTAT, Alaska — More than 20 earthquakes struck southeastern Alaska, along the U.S.-Canada border, around noon local time Saturday, following a shallow magnitude 7.0 quake centered some 56 miles north of Yakutat, Alaska, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the Alaska Earthquake Center at the University of Alaska. The magnitude 7.0 quake, roughly 230 miles northeast of Alaska's capital of Juneau, was estimated to be 6.2 miles deep. There's no word on any damage or injuries. https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/earthquakes-strike-southeast-alaska-magnitude-7-quake A tsunami warning was issued after a powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck northern Japan on Monday evening local time. A tsunami as high as 10 feet could hit the northeastern coast. Evacuations are underway for the northeastern coast. Officially taking effect on December 10, the ban includes Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, X, and YouTube's general platform; YouTube Kids and WhatsApp do not meet the criteria for the ban. Social media platforms will be responsible for enforcement, and neither children nor their parents will face punishment should they gain access. Companies face fines of up to $32 million USD or just under $50 million in Australian dollars. According to the BBC, other countries are hot on Australia's tail in terms of implementing their own similar bans. This includes the French government, which has begun a parliamentary inquiry into banning children under 15 years old from social media, while also implementing a "digital curfew" for those between 15 and 18. The Spanish government has also drafted a law that would require parental consent for children under 16 to access social media. https://www.theblaze.com/return/australia-bans-social-media-16 A radical abortion group is selling a children’s book that frames killing unborn babies in abortions as a “superpower.” Shout Your Abortion has been promoting a book aimed at children five to eight years old called “Abortion is Everything,” which will begin shipping to purchasers in January 2026. A description on the organization’s website says the book tells children “about what abortion is, how it might feel, and why people have abortions.” The description of the book reads: With accessible, inclusive language, Abortion Is Everything frames abortion as the actualization of a uniquely human superpower: our capacity to imagine the future and make choices that lead us towards the life we envision. Abortion is a tool that allows human beings to shape our destinies, and which has shaped the entire world around us,” the description of the book reads. Parents, caregivers, and educators who work with children have long been searching for a tool to talk with kids about abortion, especially given the volume of political noise currently surrounding the issue. The book appears to feature vibrant, water-color style pictures aimed at capturing the imagination of children — all while indoctrinating them into accepting the death of unborn babies in abortions as something good. Jesus is the reason for the season, but more often than not, it’s Santa who takes front and center stage. A 2,000-year-old baby offering an intangible gift just can’t compete with the big, red-suited, jolly man and his sleigh full of toys in the mind of a child. That’s one of several reasons Allie Beth Stuckey doesn’t do Santa with her three kids. On this episode of “Relatable,” Allie presents a compelling case for ditching the man in the red hat and putting Jesus back on the throne of Christmas where He belongs. While Allie acknowledges that Santa is a “Christian liberty issue,” meaning “we have freedom as Christians to disagree,” she feels personally convicted to forgo the tradition to avoid confusing her children. Santa “is a form of deceit,” she says. “We want our kids to trust us ... and it can cause this kind of dissonance or confusion in a child when we tell them that someone is real, is giving them gifts, is watching them ... is taking a tally of the good deeds they do, the bad deeds they do ... and then allocating gifts in accordance to their behavior — and then to tell them one day that that system of morality around Christmastime doesn't exist,” she argues. “I do believe that that causes, even if just for a moment, mistrust between the parent and child” and “confusion about what is actually true ... about the mysterious and supernatural realm.” Santa and God have a lot in common, Allie explains. Both see us when we’re sleeping, know when we’re awake, and know if we’ve been bad or good, but the key difference is Santa takes his gifts away when we fail to be good, whereas God, infinite in grace and mercy, does not dangle salvation as a carrot in front of us to keep us behaving. And then there’s the flip side of this pitfall. Children might view God as a kind of Santa Claus, who gives them material gifts in exchange for obedience or good deeds, turning Him from the perfect and holy king of kings and the savior of humanity into a “feel-good” bringer of happiness. In either case, the similarities between the two figures can deeply confuse malleable children who are still learning to distinguish between fact and fiction, while simultaneously sowing distrust between them and their parents. [Video at link with more of her story.] https://www.theblaze.com/shows/relatable/santa-claus-innocent-christmas-fun-or-counterfeit-jesus When my kids were old enough to hear the word Santa and asked who he was, I told them Santa is a game people play at Christmas. People were asking them what Santa was bringing them for Christmas. Their grandparents were already giving them gifts that said, "From Santa." I told them who the gift was really from. I told them all the traditional games people play about Santa and asked them if they wanted to play the game. My daughter said yes, my son didn't care and was just good with knowing the truth. We pretended Santa filled the stockings. The neighbor parents were not happy that my kids told their kids the truth. I had angry parents call me and ask me to tell my kids to keep quiet. They really wanted their kids to believe that it was Santa's sleigh and deer that left the fake tracks in the snow. I remember finding out the truth as a kid and I felt like an idiot for believing. I think there is a way to have fun and tell the truth. @blue I think that's the best way to do it. It's impossible to escape the whole "Santa Claus" culture so might as well make a game out of it. That way the kids don't have to deal with the let down when the lie is exposed. Twelve people, including one terrorist, were killed in what has been designated a terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday evening. An additional 29 people were injured and a second terror gunman was arrested after the local Jewish community was directly targeted, according to Australian media. A Chanukah by the Sea event with upwards of 1,000 attendees was scheduled to take place near a children’s playground from 5pm and had begun when the attack began at the iconic beach. What should have been a “night of peace and joy” was “shattered” by a “horrifying, evil attack”, he [NSW State Premier Chris Minns] adds. There were well over 1,000 people in attendance tonight, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon says, celebrating the Jewish holiday of Chanukah. Two state police officers were among those shot, ABC News reports. It was also confirmed late on Sunday evening that a number of suspicious items had been found near the bridge where the gunmen fired rounds, including an improvised explosive device (IED). UPDATE: A beloved rabbi has been named as one of the victims of the mass shooting. News.com.au reports one of the targeted victims has since been named as Rabbi Eli Schlanger from the Chabad of Bondi. Medical assistance in dying isn’t health care. It’s the moment a Western democracy decided some lives aren’t worth saving, and it’s a warning sign we can’t ignore. Canada loves to lecture America about compassion. Every time a shooting makes the headlines, Canadian commentators cannot wait to discuss how the United States has a “culture of death” because we refuse to regulate guns the way enlightened nations supposedly do. But north of our border, a very different crisis is unfolding — one that is harder to moralize because it exposes a deeper cultural failure. The Canadian government is not only permitting death, but it’s also administering, expanding, and redefining it as “medical care.” Medical assistance in dying is no longer a rare, tragic exception. It has become one of the country’s leading causes of death, offered to people whose problems are treatable, whose conditions are survivable, and whose value should never have been in question. In Canada, MAID is now responsible for nearly 5% of all deaths — 1 out of every 20 citizens.
Germany Signs Off On ‘Not Conscription’ Conscription Plan:
‘Frankly, a Very Authoritarian Government’: Labour-Led Britain Suspends Elections, Announces Rollout of China-Style Facial Recognition Cameras:
Cluster of earthquakes strike southeast Alaska with more than 20 aftershocks after massive magnitude 7.0 quake:
DEVELOPING: Powerful Magnitude 7.6 Earthquake Strikes Japan; Tsunami As High as 10 Feet Could Hit Northeastern Coast (VIDEO):
Book Aimed at 5-Year-Olds Claims Abortion Is ‘Superpower’
12 People, Including One Gunman, Shot Dead at Sydney’s Bondi Beach: Jewish Community Targeted in ‘Terror Attack’
