Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/15/2017

The official death toll from Wednesday morning’s horrific fire at Grenfell Tower apartment block in London has risen to 17. Based on the number of those still missing, the final toll may well exceed 100. Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry into the cause of the deadly blaze.

In other news, an explosion in front of a kindergarten in eastern China killed eight people and injured dozens of others. The cause of the blast remains unknown, but was originally thought to have resulted from an exploding gas canister at a nearby food vendor’s stall. The Chinese government now says it has identified a “suspect”.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, DV, Fjordman, JD, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» 2017 is Going to be the Worst Retail Apocalypse in U.S. History — More Than 300 Retailers Have Already Filed for Bankruptcy
» Trump Must Fire the Federal Reserve to Save America
» Unable to Pay Bills, Illinois Sends ‘Dear Contractor’ Letter Telling Firms to Halt Road Work on July 1
 
USA
» CNN’s Jim Acosta Tweets Fake News About Trump Not Seeing Congressman Scalise in Hospital
» Coulter: The ‘Resistance’ Goes Live-Fire
» Democrats Are Already Using the Shooting of Steve Scalise to Call for More Gun Control
» FBI, Coast Guard and Hazmat Teams Deployed in Search for Radioactive “Dirty Bomb”
» Former NSA Head Exposes Plan to Destroy Trump
» Graphic Footage: Florida Man Repeatedly Shoots Python That Tried to Eat His Goat
» Huffington Post Writer Mulls “Organized Violent Resistance” After Shooting of Congressman
» Leftists Mock Victims of GOP Shooting
» Malkin on Scalise Attack: ‘There’s a Problem on the Left and They Need to Acknowledge It’
» Man Charged With Firing Off 30 Gunshots in Downtown Concord, NH
» Michael Savage Predicted ‘Violence by Marginals’ Day Before GOP Shooting
» The Left Refuses to Tone Down Their Inflammatory Language, And as a Result We Now Have War in the Streets
» Video: First Shots Fired in Second US Civil War! What Will You Do?
» Virginia Shooting: US Congress Ponders Security After Attack
 
Canada
» As Jihadist Threat Increased, UK Government Cut 20,000 Police Jobs
 
Europe and the EU
» 70% of UK Supports Pushing Ahead With Brexit
» Art Basel Steps Up Security by Bodyscanning Attendees
» Breaking: Leaking Police Officer Was Part of Geert Wilders’ Personal Security Detail
» Brexit is Dead: A Wave of Anger Crashes Over Britain
» For Safety, Spanish City Warns Bars to Keep Sharp Knives Off Terrace Tabletops
» Germany Presents Racism Action Plan, Invests Millions Into Preventing Extremism
» It’s Not Unthinkable That the UK Could Remain in the EU
» London Fire: Prime Minister Orders Full Public Inquiry
» McDonald’s France Has $15 Burger That Comes With Knife and Fork
» Sweden’s Terror Travellers: In Stats
» UK: London Fire: Over 100 Dead Feared as Rescuers Give Up Hope of Finding Survivors
 
North Africa
» Tunisian Smoker Jailed for Not Fasting During Ramadan
 
Russia
» Germany, Austria Slam US Sanctions Against Russia, Warn of Collapse in Relations
 
South Asia
» 23-Year Old Hindu Girl Stabbed After She Refused Sexy Ramadan Marriage Proposal by a Fasting Muslim Boy
» Lee Kuan Yew Family Feud Deepens: Grandsons Weigh in as Singapore PM’s Brother Questions His Pledge to Stay Out of Home Decision
 
Far East
» Amb. Bolton: North Korea’s Treatment of Otto Warmbier Was ‘Barbaric’
» Explosion Strikes Chinese Kindergarten in Xuzhou
» Government: 7 Killed in Explosion at East China Kindergarten
» Otto Warmbier Has Extensive Brain Damage, Doctor Says
» Suspect Identified in China Kindergarten Explosion; 8 Killed
 
Australia — Pacific
» Chinese Envoy in Australia Blasts ‘Cash for Influence’ Claims
» ‘She Climbed Out the Window With Three Packed Suitcases’: Family of Muslim Man, 33, Arrested for Kidnapping Woman, 18, Before Forcing Her to Marry Him in Backyard Ceremony Claims They Were ‘In Love’
» Too Sick for Justice? Muslim Terrorist’s Wife Charged for Refusing to Stand Up for a Judge Because She ‘Only Stands for Allah’ Fails to Turn Up to Court Because She’s Feeling Unwell
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» South Africa Raises Black-Ownership Requirement for Mines
 
Latin America
» In Socialist Venezuela, Oppressed People Set Fire to Supreme Court Building
» Mexico: Criminals in Control: ‘Leave or We’ll Kill You’
 
Immigration
» A Replacement of Population is Taking Place in Europe (1)
» A Replacement of Population is Taking Place in Europe (2)
» EU Official: Migrants Still Pouring Into Europe, Only Now They Are Mainly Coming From Africa
» Former Czech President Blasts Eurocrats for ‘Blackmailing’ Country
» France: Scabies Cases Drastically Rising Amongst Migrants on Paris Streets
» ‘Give More Help to Child Migrants’, Save the Children Tells Italy
» Juncker Says Migrant Quota Rebels Must Still Take Refugees
» Muslim Immigrants Who Reportedly Raped a Five-Year-Old Girl Get No Jail Time; Judge Issues Gag-Order
» Poland Vows to Fight EU Penalty for Refusing to Accept Refugees
» Sweden: Migrant Cries ‘Racism’ When Woman in Hijab Asked to Show Train Ticket; Attacks Passengers
» Three Times the Unemployment Rate of Native Swedes, Migrants Still Take Eight Out of Ten New Jobs
 
Culture Wars
» Guy Who Thinks He’s Female Denied Service at Women’s Spa, Usual Suspects Outraged
» What’s Triggering the Left Now? Soon You Won’t be Allowed to Say “Patriot”
 
General
» SpaceX’s Mars Colony Plan: How Elon Musk Plans to Build a Million-Person Martian City
 

2017 is Going to be the Worst Retail Apocalypse in U.S. History — More Than 300 Retailers Have Already Filed for Bankruptcy

Not even during the worst parts of the last recession did things ever get this bad for the U.S. retail industry. As you will see in this article, more than 300 retailers have already filed for bankruptcy in 2017, and it is being projected that a staggering 8,640 stores will close in America by the end of this calendar year. That would shatter the old record by more than 20 percent. Sadly, our ongoing retail apocalypse appears to only be in the early chapters. One report recently estimated that up to 25 percent of all shopping malls in the country could shut down by 2022 due to the current woes of the retail industry. And if the new financial crisis that is already hitting Europe starts spreading over here, the numbers that I just shared with you could ultimately turn out to be a whole lot worse.

I knew that a lot of retailers were filing for bankruptcy, but I had no idea that the grand total for this year was already in the hundreds. According to CNN, the number of retail bankruptcies is now up 31 percent compared to the same time period last year…

[Comment: The consumer is tapped out.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Trump Must Fire the Federal Reserve to Save America

Trump could save America with one swift move

Alex Jones opens the phones in this segment and talks about how important it is for President Trump to give the Federal Reserve a severe makeover, inside and out, to save America.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Unable to Pay Bills, Illinois Sends ‘Dear Contractor’ Letter Telling Firms to Halt Road Work on July 1

The state of Illinois has not passed a budget for close to three years.

Arguably it’s just as well because Illinois budgets for decades have been nothing but a moth-eaten collection of lies, one time deficits repeated endlessly, and financial wizardry statements designed to disguise Illinois’ real problems: failure to rein in spending coupled with a very business unfriendly environment.

As Illinois’ bond rating careens towards junk, Illinois Unpaid Bills Jumped to $14.3 Billion. Today, the state told contractors to halt roadwork other than that required for safety.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

CNN’s Jim Acosta Tweets Fake News About Trump Not Seeing Congressman Scalise in Hospital

Fails to apologize for it

CNN’s Jim Acosta tweeted fake news about President Trump not seeing Congressman Scalise in hospital after yesterday’s shooting, then refused to apologize for it.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Coulter: The ‘Resistance’ Goes Live-Fire

The explosion of violence against conservatives across the country is being intentionally ginned up by Democrats, reporters, TV hosts, late-night comedians and celebrities, who compete with one another to come up with the most vile epithets for Trump and his supporters.

They go right up to the line, trying not to cross it, by, for example, vamping with a realistic photo of a decapitated Trump or calling the president a “piece of s-” while hosting a show on CNN.

The media are orchestrating a bloodless coup, but they’re perfectly content to have their low-IQ shock troops pursue a bloody coup.

This week, one of the left’s foot soldiers gunned down Republican members of Congress and their staff while they were playing baseball in Virginia. Democratic Socialist James Hodgkinson was prevented from committing a mass murder only by the happenstance of a member of the Republican leadership being there, along with his 24-hour Capitol Police protection.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Democrats Are Already Using the Shooting of Steve Scalise to Call for More Gun Control

The bad guys are always going to be able to find weapons, and more gun control is never going to be the answer

The left never lets a good crisis go to waste. Within hours of the shooting of U.S. Representative Steve Scalise and other Republicans at a baseball field in Virginia, top Democrats were already calling for more gun control.

Of course the shooter, 66-year-old James Hodgkinson, is from a state that already has some of the toughest gun laws in the entire nation. And the largest city in Illinois, Chicago, is plagued by rampant gun violence on a daily basis. Alternatively, crime rates tend to be very low where rates of gun ownership are very high. Up here in north Idaho, anyone that would dare to break into homes at night would have a very, very short criminal career. Gun owners are the number one crime deterrent, but liberals still don’t understand this.

[Comment: Globalists cannot impose their tyrannical NWO upon the US until Amercians are disarmed.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

FBI, Coast Guard and Hazmat Teams Deployed in Search for Radioactive “Dirty Bomb”

Emergency service units responded to the threat of a radioactive dirty bomb in Charleston, South Carolina Wednesday night.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Bureau Of Investigation, local police and Hazardous Materials teams are reportedly searching for an explosive device possibly containing radioactive material that may have been smuggled onto the Maersk Memphis, a container ship currently moored at Charleston’s Wando terminal.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Former NSA Head Exposes Plan to Destroy Trump

The deep state’s war on Trump is far from over

Former NSA Head William Binney and filmmaker Friedrich Moser join Alex Jones live via Skype to discuss how the deep state has used the NSA surveillance system to destroy President Trump.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Graphic Footage: Florida Man Repeatedly Shoots Python That Tried to Eat His Goat

You’ve probably been told your whole life that monsters aren’t real, but you might be hard pressed to believe that sentiment after reading this story.

A Florida resident came upon a grisly scene on his rural property earlier this month, after one of his pet goats went missing. Scott Dame, who lives in Naples and runs a pest control business, went searching for the animal with his family. It was the second goat that had gone missing on his property over the course of three weeks.

His 10-year-old grandson was the first person to find the goat, which was in the clutches of a massive 12 foot python. Scott then raced over to the snake, and promptly shot it with a pistol. But that wasn’t enough to slay the beast. If you have a strong stomach, check out the footage Scott shot of the encounter with his cell phone.

As it tried to slither away, he shot it several more times until it finally expired. “Although I have dealt with a lot of snakes over the years” he told FOX 13 “I never expected this huge exotic snake in my own yard.”

As you might expect, the goat did not survive. However, Scott expressed gratitude over the fact that the snake was finally dead. “We were all sad about the goats but at least it won’t get any more.”

[Comment: Florida has a huge problem with pythons breeding in the wild. They were introduced as a foreign species (floods of zoos, people releasing unwanted snakes) and their population has exploded. They have no natural predators.]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Huffington Post Writer Mulls “Organized Violent Resistance” After Shooting of Congressman

“Individual acts understandable but ineffective”

Huffington Post writer Jesse Benn responded to the attempted massacre of Republican lawmakers yesterday by mulling over how “ violent resistance” needs to be more “organized” in order to “work”.

“For violent resistance to work it’d need to be organized. Individual acts can be understandable, but likely counterproductive/ineffective,” tweeted Benn, who describes himself as a “member of the intolerant left.”

After his tweet received negative attention, Benn subsequently claimed that his statement had nothing to do with the attempted massacre in Alexandria, a ludicrous assertion given the context of what happened yesterday…

As we document in the video below, the left has legitimized violence since before the election of Donald Trump, radicalizing unhinged crazies like gunman James T. Hodgkinson to act on violent rhetoric.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Leftists Mock Victims of GOP Shooting

Tolerant liberals go to social media to attack Republicans

Days ago a NYC crowd delivered a standing ovation for a simulated assassination of the President of The United States.

Now, a baseball practice loaded with Republican congressman and staffers became a live mass-shooting event.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Malkin on Scalise Attack: ‘There’s a Problem on the Left and They Need to Acknowledge It’

Michelle Malkin called on “people of good faith” on the left to acknowledge the problem that exists with “dehumanizing” rhetoric against conservatives.

Malkin was reacting to Wednesday’s shooting ambush in which Republican members of Congress were attacked at an early-morning baseball practice.

The shooter supported Bernie Sanders and posted numerous anti-GOP messages, including one that read “Trump is a traitor. Trump has destroyed our democracy. It’s time to destroy Trump & Co.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Man Charged With Firing Off 30 Gunshots in Downtown Concord, NH

CONCORD (CBS) — A man who allegedly fired off more than two dozen shots from a gun in downtown Concord, New Hampshire is being held on $10,000 bail before his arraignment.

Police say 33-year-old Timothy Dearborn of Concord “discharged approximately thirty rounds from a 9mm pistol,” around 11:40 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Low Avenue.

No one was hurt.

Officers found Dearborn a short time later and arrested him. He allegedly threatened to hurt the officers while he was being booked and processed overnight.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Michael Savage Predicted ‘Violence by Marginals’ Day Before GOP Shooting

Over the past 24 hours, many people have questioned whether the mainstream media, which has relentlessly pushed conspiracy theories about Trump-Russian collusion while failing to ever present even one single shred of tangible evidence to support their irresponsible accusations, as well as a number of other liberal politicians and celebrities suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) might bear some responsibility for yesterday’s attack on GOP members of Congress.

But, while most people are only now waking up to the very real consequences of the vitriolic narratives that have taken over civilized political discourse in this country, Michael Savage, an author and host of a nationally syndicated radio show called “The Savage Nation,” has been predicting yesterday’s shooting for some time now.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

The Left Refuses to Tone Down Their Inflammatory Language, And as a Result We Now Have War in the Streets

What in the world did the left think would happen? When Kathy Griffin posed for a photo with “Trump’s bloody head” , that sent a message. And the twisted version of “Julius Caesar” that is currently being put on by a New York theater group in which a character meant to closely resemble Donald Trump is brutally assassinated sends a message. At any time of the day, you can find leftist radicals openly discussing violence against Trump and Republicans on Facebook and Twitter, and groups like Antifa have been employing extremely violent tactics ever since the Inauguration. So it is not much of a surprise that a huge Bernie Sanders supporter decided that it would be a good idea to try to mow down Republican members of Congress as they were practicing for an upcoming charity baseball game on Wednesday. 66-year-old James T. Hodgkinson was simply the product of a political movement that is absolutely seething with hate.

This is not a game. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot in the hip, and four others were injured. You can see some footage of Scalise being taken to an ambulance here. When Hodgkinson arrived at the practice field, he specifically asked which party was using the practice field at that moment…

Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) recounted an “odd” encounter he had as he was leaving the field just minutes before the shooting: “There was a guy that walked up to us that was asking whether it was Republicans or Democrats out there, and it was just a little odd,” DeSantis told Fox News.

According to news reports, Hodgkinson fired dozens of shots. This wasn’t a case of targeting a particular individual. Rather, it was obvious that he intended to kill as many Republicans as he possibly could.

But instead of showing remorse, many on the radical left were actually celebrating the shootings on Twitter. And there were even some that were disappointed that it wasn’t Trump that had been shot.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Video: First Shots Fired in Second US Civil War! What Will You Do?

Mainstream press fans the flames as leftist violence explodes

Alex Jones breaks down the dangerous increase in anti-Trump rhetoric and violence from the mainstream media and leftists across the nation.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Virginia Shooting: US Congress Ponders Security After Attack

US Republican lawmakers who were ambushed by a gunman while playing baseball at a field in Virginia are clearly relieved that an armed security detail was present.

If US Capitol Police officers hadn’t been there, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said, “it would have been a massacre”.

The attack — which saw four people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, shot — has rekindled debates about how politicians are protected.

The two police officers had a gunfight with the rifle-wielding attacker before local support arrived, and have been praised for their life-saving efforts by President Trump.

But they were only there in the baseball diamond because Mr Scalise is part of a small group of about 10 high-ranking lawmakers eligible for round-the-clock protection.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

As Jihadist Threat Increased, UK Government Cut 20,000 Police Jobs

Up To 23,000 Jihadis Living In Britain

Total incompetence.

As I said just yesterday, our leaders need to get tough on terrorism. As much as they claim to be taking it seriously, their actions show otherwise.

We’ve seen that here in Canada, where Justin Trudeau refuses to even say the term “Islamist terrorism,” and has refused to strengthen our defences against the terror threat.

And yet, even in the United Kingdom, the government there has failed miserably in defending their people.

First, it’s essential not to blame the UK Police. They are doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. They don’t set the laws, and they don’t choose their budget. Those decisions are made by politicians.

And the politicians have failed miserably.

While Theresa May is now trying to talk tough, remember that she was the UK Home Secretary for six years. The Home Security is similar to a Public Safety Minister or Director of Homeland Security. So when May says the UK wasn’t doing enough to stop Islamist terrorism, she’s talking about her own actions.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

70% of UK Supports Pushing Ahead With Brexit

Despite Prime Minister Theresa May’s embarrassing performance earlier this month in a snap election that cost her Conservative party its parliamentary ‘majority’, more than 70% of Britons still believe the government should push ahead with Brexit — even after the election sparked exclamations from the left for a second referendum, according to the latest YouGov poll.

The poll showed that the country is split down the middle over whether leaving the EU was the right or wrong decision, but even among voters who didn’t support the “leave” campaign, there’s an acknowledgement that the people have spoken, and now the government must obey their wishes.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Art Basel Steps Up Security by Bodyscanning Attendees

Visitors to this year’s Art Basel, held this week, will have to pass through full body scanners for the first time.

One of the world’s biggest and most prestigious art fairs, Art Basel began on Tuesday and is open to the public from Thursday to Sunday, with up to one hundred thousand people expected to walk through the doors during the week.

New this year, every visitor will face airport-style body scanners. In the past the show had only scanned bags.

Speaking to Swiss newspaper Blick, a spokeswoman for Art Basel said it was reacting to the world safety situation but that there had been no specific terror threat against the show.

“In view of the latest incidents we are taking additional preventative measures to ensure the safety of visitors and exhibitors,” said Dorothee Dines.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Leaking Police Officer Was Part of Geert Wilders’ Personal Security Detail

The 31-year-old The Hague-based policeman who was arrested last Tuesday for leaking classified information in exchange for money, was part of Geert Wilders’ personal security detail, the Dutch Public Prosecutor has revealed.

What the nature of the leaked information was, and whether it directly compromised Wilders’ safety is as of yet unknown.

Last February, the DBB made headlines because one of their agents, Farris Kattat, who might have been involved in Wilders’ security, was also arrested for leaking classified information.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Brexit is Dead: A Wave of Anger Crashes Over Britain

Europe used to have a fearful respect of the Tories. But those days have long since passed. Now, the weakened party may have accidentally killed off Brexit — a pet project that most party leaders didn’t want in the first place.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

For Safety, Spanish City Warns Bars to Keep Sharp Knives Off Terrace Tabletops

Although no one is saying as much, efforts are underway to keep potential “weapons” off the streets of Spain. First Madrid banned vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tons in the center during its Easter processions, and now Salamanca’s local police force is advising its bars and restaurants to keep knives and forks off the tables on their terraces until customers are seated.

“Of course, a table that is set is more attractive,” says Miguel Ángel Madruga, manager of Don Mauro, a traditional restaurant in Salamanca’s main square. “But safety comes first. The customers don’t usually mind and it’s been easy to adapt to.”

Both the local Association of Catering Firms and the City Council stress that the measure, which has been well received, is not obligatory. “Bars and restaurants have gradually taken it on board and we believe it is a sensible precaution,” says a spokesman for the association.

When pressed to explain the reasons behind the initiative, a local police source said that, far from having to do with recent terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, the measure is merely a response to the growth of al fresco establishments in the city. “It is a historical city with a great many tourists and the measure is more to do with common sense,” said a spokesman, adding that a steak knife in the hands of any delinquent could be a dangerous weapon. “The knife blades on the tables aren’t usually small, so we are taking preventative measures.”

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Germany Presents Racism Action Plan, Invests Millions Into Preventing Extremism

Germany’s Family and Interior Ministries have announced a new national action plan against racism. In tackling extremism, some 100 million euros are to be specifically invested in preventing Islamist radicalization.

At the center of the new action plan are issues including human rights policy, protection against discrimination in daily life, for example in the workplace, as well as the punishment of criminal offenses.

Other elements include education and political education, as well as racism and hate speech online.

On the basis of the coalition agreement, the action plan has also been expanded to cover the issues of homosexuality and transphobia.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

It’s Not Unthinkable That the UK Could Remain in the EU

As Brexit softens, the full-fat Remain option could start to look awfully attractive.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

London Fire: Prime Minister Orders Full Public Inquiry

Prime Minister Theresa May has ordered a full public inquiry into the fire that engulfed a west London block of flats, killing at least 17 people.

That figure is expected to rise, as fire chiefs do not expect to find any more survivors in the burnt-out Grenfell Tower in North Kensington.

The PM said people “deserve answers” as to why the fire spread so rapidly.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

McDonald’s France Has $15 Burger That Comes With Knife and Fork

Leave it to the French to turn McDonald’s into a fine-dining experience tres maginfique!

On Tuesday, McDonald’s France formally announced that the country’s McDonald’s locations will be offering forks and knives alongside its more expensive burger offerings, reports French news outlet Le Figaro.

As explained by Xavier Royaux, the vice president of marketing for McDonald’s France, the company hopes the move will continue to propel McDonald’s into a leadership position within the burger market.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Sweden’s Terror Travellers: In Stats

Almost one in five who have travelled from Sweden to join militant jihadi groups in Iraq and Syria is younger than 19, according to a new report.

Sweden’s security services Säpo estimates that around 300 people travelled to Iraq and Syria to join militant groups between 2012 and 2016. Researchers at the Swedish Defence University have looked more closely at 267 of them for a study on foreign fighters which sheds unique light on a key debate in Europe.

They found that a total of 18 percent of people who left Sweden to fight for jihadi groups were 19 or younger, compared to 60 percent who were aged between 20 to 29. Most of them were men (76 percent) and 24 percent were women, but the number of women taking part in the armed conflict rose from only a handful in 2012 to making up around 40 percent of foreign fighters in the conflict zone in 2014 and 2015.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

UK: London Fire: Over 100 Dead Feared as Rescuers Give Up Hope of Finding Survivors

THE full horror of the tower block inferno began to emerge yesterday amid fears that more than 100 people may have died in the worst fire in modern British history.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Tunisian Smoker Jailed for Not Fasting During Ramadan

A leading rights group has condemned the imprisonment of a man in Tunisia for smoking a cigarette in public during the dawn-to-dusk Muslim fast.

A court in north-western Bizerte town sentenced the man to one month in jail for “public indecency”.

Dozens protested on Sunday in the capital, Tunis, for the right to eat and drink in public during Ramadan.

About a fortnight ago, four men were sentenced to one month in prison after eating in public.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Germany, Austria Slam US Sanctions Against Russia, Warn of Collapse in Relations

Less than a day after the Senate overwhelmingly voted to impose new sanctions against the Kremlin, on Thursday Germany and Austria — two of Russia’s biggest energy clients in Europe — slammed the latest U.S. sanctions against Moscow, saying they could affect European businesses involved in piping in Russian natural gas.

Shortly after the Senate voted Wednesday to slap new sanctions on key sectors of Russia’s economy over “interference in the 2016 U.S. elections” and aggression in Syria and Ukraine, in a joint statement Austria’s Chancellor Christian Kern and Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said it appeared that the Senate bill was aimed at securing US energy jobs and pushing out Russian gas deliveries to Europe.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

23-Year Old Hindu Girl Stabbed After She Refused Sexy Ramadan Marriage Proposal by a Fasting Muslim Boy

Rise of testosterone in high level due to regular beef eating at the time of fasting creates abnormal sexual advances including sex insanity leading to rape and murder in Ramadan time.

Lovely Reddy | HENB | Tirupati | June 15, 2017:: A 23-year old MBA student of Hindu faith was stabbed by a Muslim youth when she refused his sexy Ramadan proposal to marry him. The incident happened near KMM College in Chandragiri mandal of Chittoor district on Thursday afternoon.

At around 1 pm, the Hindu girl M Nagakethana, pursuing MBA first year in KMM College came out after writing exam, when her fasting friend Muhammad Tanish met her and proposed to marry her in Ramadan immediately. Trying not to create a scene in front of others, she went with her Muslim boy-friend behind the college building and asked him not to pester her.

However, Tanish, a polytechnic dropout, got into argument with her and attacked her. Strangling her throat, he stabbed her in the shoulder 3-4 times, quashing the Quranic verse no 5, Chapter 9 (Surah At-Tawbah) where it is specifically told not to attack anybody in the prohibited month of Ramadan.

Tanish’s friends, who saw it, immediately fled the spot and alerted other college students, who rushed to the spot. Meanwhile, the girl fainted and collapsed on the ground. Seeing students rushing towards him, Tanish fled….

           — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari [Return to headlines]
 

Lee Kuan Yew Family Feud Deepens: Grandsons Weigh in as Singapore PM’s Brother Questions His Pledge to Stay Out of Home Decision

Sibling of Lion City Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong accuses him of ‘sophistry’ in representation to government committee — and says friends have suffered ‘serious repercussions’ due to acrimony.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Amb. Bolton: North Korea’s Treatment of Otto Warmbier Was ‘Barbaric’

Otto Warmbier, the college student released by North Korea while in a coma, suffered a “severe neurological” injury, according to the doctors who are treating him.

A medical team from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center described Otto Warmbier’s condition as a “state of unresponsive wakefulness.”

Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was serving a 15-year sentence for allegedly trying to steal a banner containing a political slogan that was hanging from a wall in his Pyongyang hotel.

Former Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton joined Stuart Varney on “Your World” today to react to North Korea’s “barbaric” treatment of Warmbier.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Explosion Strikes Chinese Kindergarten in Xuzhou

An explosion has struck the entrance to a kindergarten in China killing seven and injuring 59. The blast occurred in Fengxian, Jiangsu at 4.50pm

At least seven people dead and 66 injured after explosion rips through Chinese kindergarten as mothers and fathers queue to pick up their little ones.

The blast struck at 4.50pm today at Chuangxin Kindergarten in Feng County, Xuzhou as parents were waiting for their children to finish school.

Video footage caught the moment the explosion occurred.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Government: 7 Killed in Explosion at East China Kindergarten

BEIJING — Seven people were killed and 59 injured in an explosion Thursday at the front gate of a kindergarten in eastern China as relatives were picking up their children at the end of the school day, local officials said.

The blast at the Chuangxin Kindergarten in Fengxian, which struck at 4:50 p.m., was under investigation, the Xuzhou city government in Jiangsu province said on its microblog.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the explosion was deliberately set or the result of an accident.

The official newspaper Global Times reported on its website that the incident was caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder at a roadside food stall, citing a witness identified only by the surname Shi. The blast sent people flying several meters (yards) into the air, Shi was quoted as saying.

Kindergartens in China have been targeted before in apparent revenge attacks carried out by mentally ill people or those bearing grudges against their neighbors and society…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Otto Warmbier Has Extensive Brain Damage, Doctor Says

An American college student imprisoned by North Korea and in a coma for more than a year has extensive brain damage and is unresponsive to his surroundings, the doctors treating him said Thursday.

A medical team from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center described Otto Warmbier’s condition as a “state of unresponsive wakefulness” and did not say — at the request of his family — whether the 22-year-old will recover.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Suspect Identified in China Kindergarten Explosion; 8 Killed

BEIJING (AP) — A suspect has been identified in an explosion at the front gate of a kindergarten in eastern China and the death toll on Friday rose to eight from a blast that struck as relatives were picking up their children at the end of the day.

Police were investigating the explosion as a criminal act and said they had “targeted” a suspect, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It was unclear if the suspect was apprehended and no potential motive was provided.

Two people died at the scene and six died after being taken to a hospital following the explosion at 4:50 p.m. Thursday at the Chuangxin Kindergarten in Fengxian, according to local authorities and Xinhua.

Initial reports said 59 were injured, but state media on Friday said 65 were injured including eight who remained in critical condition. No details have been given on the victims.

Kindergartens in China have attacked before by suspects authorities have said were mentally ill or bore grudges against their neighbors and society…

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Chinese Envoy in Australia Blasts ‘Cash for Influence’ Claims

Ambassador says media allegations that donations made by Chinese citizens are aimed at influencing policy are trying to whip up a ‘China panic’

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

‘She Climbed Out the Window With Three Packed Suitcases’: Family of Muslim Man, 33, Arrested for Kidnapping Woman, 18, Before Forcing Her to Marry Him in Backyard Ceremony Claims They Were ‘In Love’

Family members of a Muslim man charged with kidnapping and sexual assaulting an 18-year-old from Bankstown, Sydney claim he did not ‘force’ her to marry him and they were content together.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Too Sick for Justice? Muslim Terrorist’s Wife Charged for Refusing to Stand Up for a Judge Because She ‘Only Stands for Allah’ Fails to Turn Up to Court Because She’s Feeling Unwell

A Muslim woman charged with disrespecting a court when she refused to stand for a judge has failed to show up to explain herself because she is ‘unwell’.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

South Africa Raises Black-Ownership Requirement for Mines

Johannesburg — South Africa plans to introduce rules requiring all local mines be 30 percent black-owned, regardless of whether they have previously sold shares or assets to black investors that later divested.

The Department of Mineral Resources intends raise the minimum black-ownership level from the current 26 percent to ensure more proceeds from the country’s natural resources flow to the black majority, Mining Minister Mosebenzi Zwane told reporters on Thursday in Pretoria, the capital. The charter will also require companies to pay 1 percent of annual revenue to communities and new prospecting rights will require black control, Zwane said.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

In Socialist Venezuela, Oppressed People Set Fire to Supreme Court Building

With the shooting and now gun control dominating American news, few noticed that the protestors who are being oppressed by an intrusive and socialist government set fire to the Supreme Court building in Venezuela.

Word of the fire was buried by the news of the American socialist who shot at Republicans because the country isn’t socialist enough. As if Americans could bury their heads in the sand further, gun control has retaken the leading role as a top debate on social media too. Of course, most have continued to ignore Venezuela, which is the home to people who are suffering under the tyranny of the very system those on the left seek to force on us here.

Since Venezuelans have been disarmed, for their own good, of course, the protestors who simply want a little bit of freedom back have had to use fire and violent protests to get the attention of the oppressive government. And they did just that when setting the Supreme Court building on fire.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Mexico: Criminals in Control: ‘Leave or We’ll Kill You’

Three Guerrero villages nearly deserted after residents ordered out

Residents of three communities in the municipality of Chilapa de Álvarez, Guerrero, have been forced to leave their homes due to death threats from criminal gangs.

Health care centers and schools were closed with only the churches in the three villages remaining open. The majority of the houses had been abandoned but animals, domestic appliances and farming equipment was left behind.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

A Replacement of Population is Taking Place in Europe (1)

by Giulio Meotti

People-smugglers bring the migrants to the NGOs’ ships, which then reach Italian seaports. Another legal enquiry has been opened about the mafia’s economic interests in managing the migrants after their arrival.

One cannot compare the migrants to the Jews fleeing Nazism. Pope Francis, for example, recently compared the migrants’ centers to Nazi “concentration camps”. Where are the gas chambers, medical “experiments,” crematoria, slave labor, forced marches and firing squads? These comparisons are spread by the media for a precise reason: shutting down the debate.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

A Replacement of Population is Taking Place in Europe (2)

With nearly 10,000 arrivals in one recent three-day period, the number of migrants in 2017 exceeded 60,000 — 48% more than the same period last year, when they were 40,000.

First, it was the Hungarian route. Then it was the Balkan route. Now Italy is the epicenter of this demographic earthquake, and it has become Europe’s soft underbelly as hundreds of thousands of migrants arrive.

With nearly 10,000 arrivals in one recent three-day period, the number of migrants in 2017 exceeded 60,000 — 48% more than the same period last year, when they were 40,000. Over Easter weekend a record 8,000 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean and brought to Italy. And that is just the tip of the iceberg: during the summer, the number of arrivals from Libya will only increase.

A replacement of population is under way in Italy. But if you open the mainstream newspapers, you barely find these figures. No television station has dedicated any time to what is happening. No criticism is allowed. The invasion is considered a done deal.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

EU Official: Migrants Still Pouring Into Europe, Only Now They Are Mainly Coming From Africa

The flow of migrants from Libya to Turkey has hit unprecedented rates even as immigration officials have dramatically reduced the flow from Turkey into Greece, the head of the EU’s border agency told AFP.

The new route, which involves crossing the Mediterranean Sea, is thanks to a 2016 deal between the EU and Turkey that beefed up security there.

“80 or 100 people … arrive every day” on the shores of Greece, Frontex leader Fabrice Leggeri told AFP, “Whereas we had 2,500 a day” before the 2016 deal.

Due to the increase in crime that has correlated with the arrival of the migrants, the European Union has taken further measures to secure sovereign borders to stem the steady emigration of migrants and refugees.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Former Czech President Blasts Eurocrats for ‘Blackmailing’ Country

Vaclav Klaus criticised the EU over a recent row over migrant quotes which are not being met by the Czech Republic, Poland or Hungary.

The countries risk losing funding from the European Union unless they meet quotas for allowing migrants to enter the country, and take their fair share of the escalating crisis.

Mr Klaus raged at the Brussels bloc, insisting the country should not be punished for not meeting the quota.

[Comment: I wonder if Express.uk “borrowed” the work of Gates of Vienna contributors.]

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

France: Scabies Cases Drastically Rising Amongst Migrants on Paris Streets

NGOs working with migrants on the streets of Paris have warned that cases of scabies are on the rise, claiming there are well over a hundred cases so far.

The scabies skin infection is becoming more and more common amongst migrants living on the streets of the French capital. The infection, which is caused by mites and causes scabs and itching on the skin, has been seen 157 times by the reception centre at Porte De Le Chapelle since November 2016, L’Express reports.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

‘Give More Help to Child Migrants’, Save the Children Tells Italy

More than 70,000 unaccompanied minors have arrived in Italy since 2011, and they are increasingly young and vulnerable, Save the Children said on Wednesday, calling on authorities to do more.

The de facto closure of Italy’s northern borders in 2016 seriously complicated the challenge facing them, said the charity.

Many risked their lives along the roads or rail lines near Ventimiglia on the French border or Bolzano towards Austria, while Switzerland handed back some 5,000 foreign minors seized near Como on the northern Italian border between May and November 2016.

In parallel, asylum requests made by isolated minors choosing to remain in the Italian reception system have exploded: there were 6,020 in 2016, 50 percent more than in 2015.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Juncker Says Migrant Quota Rebels Must Still Take Refugees

EUROPEAN countries have no right to refuse to take in refugees under Brussels imposed migrant quotas even if they voted against the controversial policy, EU boss Jean-Claude Juncker said today.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Muslim Immigrants Who Reportedly Raped a Five-Year-Old Girl Get No Jail Time; Judge Issues Gag-Order

Pamela Geller provided an important update in the case of Muslim Migrants who were alleged to have raped a five year old in a Facebook video Tuesday.

As she explains, the girl’s mother and her family have been treated unfairly by the mainstream media and the justice system since this story broke. We at the Rebel covered this story extensively and interviewed an eyewitness to the sexual assault who confirmed initial reports regarding the incident, including that the victim had been urinated on.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Poland Vows to Fight EU Penalty for Refusing to Accept Refugees

THE Polish ministry of foreign affairs is set to contest European Commission plans to penalise the country for refusing to accept any refugees as part of an EU relocation scheme.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Sweden: Migrant Cries ‘Racism’ When Woman in Hijab Asked to Show Train Ticket; Attacks Passengers

An Iraqi man travelling from Stockholm to Hallsberg by train launched a brutal attack on passengers after a Muslim woman was asked to show her ticket, accusing them all of racism.

Karim Alaa Hussain, 25, became infuriated when the unnamed woman, who was wearing a veil, was asked to show her rail ticket by a female conductor.

The Muslim woman complained she had already been asked to show her ticket once before, although eyewitnesses say the conductor was “polite and correct”.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Three Times the Unemployment Rate of Native Swedes, Migrants Still Take Eight Out of Ten New Jobs

The Swedish Public Employment Service projects that by 2018, eight out of 10 new jobs will be taken by foreigners — despite unemployment being set to increase from 50 to 60 per cent amongst migrants.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Guy Who Thinks He’s Female Denied Service at Women’s Spa, Usual Suspects Outraged

Toronto’s Body Blitz Spa sparks backlash after allegedly turning away transgender woman

Shouldn’t that be an alleged woman?

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

What’s Triggering the Left Now? Soon You Won’t be Allowed to Say “Patriot”

There was a time when liberals and conservatives both agreed on one thing. They both used to love their country. Though they differed on what values and policies would be best for their homeland, they still had that shred of common ground.

That’s clearly no longer the case. Across the Western world, you’ll find that even moderate liberals are often uncomfortable with terms like “patriotism” and “nationalism.” As for the far-left, they now view these terms as poisonous and archaic. That’s because they want the whole world to be one big happy family, where borders are meaningless, people can freely move from one country to the next, and no society is inherently better than another. They preach diversity, but they want the world to be blended into one drab monoculture that falls in line with their beliefs.

So it was only a matter of time before leftists would start being triggered by patriotic rhetoric. It’s happening in Australia, where Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull recently stated that he wants the government to tighten citizenship and visa requirements.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

SpaceX’s Mars Colony Plan: How Elon Musk Plans to Build a Million-Person Martian City

Elon Musk has put his Mars-colonization vision to paper, and you can read it for free. SpaceX’s billionaire founder and CEO just published the plan, which he unveiled at a conference in Mexico in September 2016, in the journal New Space. Musk’s commentary, titled “Making Humanity a Multi-Planetary Species,” is available for free on New Space’s website through July 5.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

3 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/15/2017

  1. Re: McDonald’s France has $15 burger. One of the Burghers of Calais, I expect.

    (Joke stolen from Bill Bryson)

  2. Regarding this public enquiry into the fire in London:

    1. According to the press, the cladding used was Reynobond.

    2. Building products in the UK have a BBA Certificate which lays out what the products are & how they should be used, etc.

    3. According to the BBA Certificate for Reynobond:

    A standard sample of the product, with a grey/green Duragloss 5000 coating, when tested for reaction to fire, achieved a classification of B s-2, d-0 in accordance with EN 3501-1 : 2002. A fire retardant sample of the product, with a gold-coloured Duragloss finish, when tested to reaction to fire, achieved a classification of B s-1, d-0 in accordance with EN 3501-1 : 2002.

    4. Both products have been classified as combustible materials, with a very limited contribution to fire. The fire retardant version of the product was found to have an “s” rating (smoke emission during combustion) of 1, which means the quantity/speed of emission is absent or weak, and the normal version of the product was found to have an “s” rating of 2, which means the quantity/speed of smoke emission during combustion is of average intensity. (Source.)

    5. EN 3501-1 : 2002 has been withdrawn.

    6. Therefore, the product being used as external cladding appears to have been a BBA – certified product, and although there was a difference between the smoke emission ratings of the two products, both appear to have been rated as being safe to use.

    7. However, the standards that were used to certify the product with the BBA have since been updated in 2007, so it would appear that the fire classification and rating of the product is ten years out of date.

    8. In fact, according to page 1 of Reynobond’s BBA Certificate, it was issued on 14th January 2008. Since EN 3501-1 was updated in 2007, it follows that Reynobond’s BBA Certificate was issued using fire classification standards that were already out of date.

    9. According to Figure 1 and section 3.4 of Reynobond’s BBA Certificate, there is a “ventilation pathway behind the cladding” which “must not be allowed to become blocked”. It may be possible to think about this problem in a different way, which would be that the “ventilation pathway” behind the cladding may have acted as a pathway for the flames to spread up the side of the building, if the wind had been circulating between the outer wall and the cladding. So it may not be a question of how flammable the actual material in the cladding was – it may in fact have been fairly resistant to the flames. It may be possible that the fire resistance of the cladding helped to contain the fire inside the building, while at the same time, allowing it to “whoosh” up the “ventilation pathway” between the cladding and the building, and spread from floor to floor.

    Time will tell … maybe. Answers need to be found though, because apparently there are other buildings out there … with hundreds of people living in them. All it needs is one of them to have a faulty fridge, or washing machine …

    • Note that in (6) above, “the two products” is referring to the standard “version” of the product and the fire retardant “version of the product. Just to clarify.

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