Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/26/2019

The migrant-ferry ship Sea Watch 3 ignored a police order and continued on to the port of Lampedusa, where Italian carabinieri were lined up waiting for it on the quay. Meanwhile, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has proposed that a border barrier be constructed in northeastern Italy to counter the renewed flow of migrants along the Balkan Route.

In other news, French authorities now believe the catastrophic fire at the Notre Dame cathedral was caused by negligence, and may possibly have involved a cigarette.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Insubria, KP, 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.

USA
» Activists Raise $13,000 to Bring ‘Baby Trump’ Balloon to DC for President Trump’s Fourth of July Address
» As Democrats Poised to Debate, Trump Has Raised $36m in One Week
» Congressman Dan Crenshaw Grills Google Rep on Censorship of Conservatives
» Democrats Point to Nordic Nations as Models of Socialism. Here’s How They Actually Work.
» Far Left Reddit Quarantines Largest Pro-Trump Forum Online as Election Season Begins — Republicans Twiddle Thumbs
» New Jersey ISIS Recruiter Gets Just 48 Months Behind Bars
» Poll: Americans Say We’re Angrier Than a Generation Ago
» Restaurant Group Responds After Employee is Accused of Spitting on Eric Trump, Says She’s Been ‘Placed on Leave’
» Rutgers Chancellor Apologizes After Being Caught on Video Berating Campus Cops
» Shocker: Decriminalizing NYC Bus Fare Skipping Leads to Fewer People Paying Fares
» Trump Rape Accuser’s Story Was a Plot Line From Law & Order: SVU
» Tucker Carlson Slams Republicans for “Doing Nothing” To Fight Big Tech Censorship
» US Democrats Battle in High Stakes TV Debate
» Vimeo Bans James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas Channel Over Perceived “Hateful”Content …of Exposing Google Leftists
 
Canada
» Canadian-Muslim Vote Bans the Rebel From Trudeau’s Eid Mubarak Dinner
 
Europe and the EU
» Alarming Rise of Christian Persecution
» Austria: Drug Dealer Offered 100k Euros to Assassinate Former Populist Leader Strache
» Carpi Bishop Quits
» Cigarette, Electrical Fault Among Possible Causes of Notre Dame Fire — Paris Prosecutors
» Column MEP Janice Atkinson: ‘Homelands’, a Film of Our Time
» Exclusive — In a World First, Facebook to Give Data on Hate Speech Suspects to French Courts
» French Locals to Counter Burkini Protest With Nude Swimming
» Germany: Transport Minister Wants to Sue Austria
» Italy: Trial Asked for 26 Indictment of Fassino Over Turin Book Fair
» Italy: TAV Continues, Respecting Govts — Radicova
» One in Three Italians Opt for Private Health Care
» Report: Dutch Catholics Ignore Pope’s Warnings, Vote Populist
» Sweden: Claim: Multicultural Malmö a ‘No-Go Zone’ For Jews
» The Shadow Economy Declines in Southern Europe
» Turning Point’s Charlie Kirk: Johnson, Trump Could Have ‘Unprecedented Alliance’
» UK: London is a S***hole
» UK: Raab: Boris Would Extend Arm of Friendship, But No-Deal Brexit Will be Brussels’ Fault
 
Middle East
» Senate to Vote on Preventing Military Action Against Iran Without Congressional Approval
 
Russia
» Aged 97, Survivor Looks Back on Stalin-Era Ukraine Famine
 
South Asia
» Muslim Neighbour Named Imran Arrested for Raping, Murdering 7-Yr-Old Girl in Narela (Delhi)
 
Far East
» The U.S. vs. China
 
Australia — Pacific
» ‘Jesus Would Get Sacked’: Top Employment Lawyer Slams the ‘Ridiculous’ Work Social Media Rules Used to Tear Up Israel Folau’s Contract
» Meet the Ordinary Australians So Angry GoFundMe Shut Down Israel Folau’s $3 Million Legal Campaign They Tripled Their Donations Fearing Their Precious Right to Free Speech is Under Attack
 
Latin America
» Breaking: Four ISIS Terrorists From Iraq and Egypt Arrested in Nicaragua on Way to US Southern Border
 
Immigration
» AOC Criticized for Wearing $600 Watch During ‘Crying’ Border Photo-Op
» Boris Johnson Vows to Shake Up UK Immigration and Implement Australian Style Points System
» Driver Accused of Killing 7 Bikers in New Hampshire Was Immigrant Who Should Have Been Deported — GoFundMe Set Up for Victims
» Inappropriate Sexual Relationships Continue to Plague Pro-Migrant NGOs
» Italy: Sea Watch Ignores Stop Order, Salvini Blasts ‘Hostile Act’
» Leftists Decry Bishops’ ‘Tepid’ Response to Trump’s Deportation Threat
» Photos Reveal AOC Was Crying Over an Empty Parking Lot
» Rescue Ship With 42 Migrants Defies Italy Order to Stay Out
» Salvini Moots Border Barrier in Northeast Italy
» The Media is Yet Again Trying to Emotionally Manipulate People to Accept Open Borders by Exploiting Photos of Dead Children
» UK: Think Tank: Opening NHS to Migrants Will Result in ‘Huge Inflow of Health Tourists’
» Warren Calls for Decriminalizing Illegal Border Crossing
 
Culture Wars
» Conservative Vatican Cardinal Withdraws Support for Steve Bannon
» Fodor’s Promotes Travel to Places With ‘Progressive Values’
» UK: Conservative Schools Minister: All Primary Children Will Learn About Same-Sex Relationships
» UK: Prince William: ‘Absolutely Fine by Me’ If His Children Were Gay, Transgender
 

Activists Raise $13,000 to Bring ‘Baby Trump’ Balloon to DC for President Trump’s Fourth of July Address

Activists have raised $13,000 to bring the “Baby Trump” balloon to DC in protest of President Donald Trump’s “Salute to America” speech on the Fourth of July.

President Trump will be speaking at the Lincoln Memorial before what is slated to be the largest fireworks show in DC history.

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

As Democrats Poised to Debate, Trump Has Raised $36m in One Week

As the Democratic presidential nominees prepare to debate, President Donald Trump continues an unprecedented fundraising campaign.

Last week, the crowds lined up for his official 2020 campaign kick-off more than 40 hours in advance of the event. In the week since his official announcement, Trump has been a magnet for donations, raising $36 million in campaign funds, CNBC reports.

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

Congressman Dan Crenshaw Grills Google Rep on Censorship of Conservatives

Dan Crenshaw grilled a Google representative during a hearing today, with the Congressman accusing the Big Tech giant of “inciting violence” against mainstream conservatives by labeling them “Nazis”.

Crenshaw directed his questions at Derek Slater, Google Global Director of Information Policy during the US Homeland Security Hearing.

Accusing Google of employing “vague standards” of hate speech to silence conservatives, Crenshaw cited the recent Project Veritas leak in which Google labeled “mainstream conservatives as Nazis.”

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

Democrats Point to Nordic Nations as Models of Socialism. Here’s How They Actually Work.

Undoubtedly, the Nordic nations, with their high incomes, low inequality, free politics and strong rule of law, represent success stories. What this has to do with socialism, though, is another question.

And the answer, according to a highly clarifying new report from analysts at JPMorgan Chase, is “not much.”

Drawing on data from the World Bank, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development and other reputable sources, the report shows that five nations — Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands — protect property rights somewhat more aggressively than the United States, on average; exercise less control over private enterprise; permit greater concentration in the banking sector; and distribute a smaller share of their total income to workers.

           — Hat tip: KP [Return to headlines]
 

Far Left Reddit Quarantines Largest Pro-Trump Forum Online as Election Season Begins — Republicans Twiddle Thumbs

The Masters of the Universe censorship expands—Reddit just quarantined The Donald on Reddit.

Reddit quarantined the LARGEST Pro-Trump forum online today — just as election season begins.

Reddit will not allow clever memes and pro-Trump discussion!

Not on their platform!

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

New Jersey ISIS Recruiter Gets Just 48 Months Behind Bars

A Brooklyn federal judge Wednesday sentenced an admitted ISIS recruiter and failed government cooperator to only 48 months behind bars — despite prosecutors’ requests that the New Jersey woman serve 30 to 50 years for her crimes.

The lenient sentence from Judge Jack Weinstein means Sinmya Amera Ceasar, who’s already served 29 months, will walk free in just over a year and a half following her guilty pleas to charges of providing material support to ISIS and obstruction of justice.

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

Poll: Americans Say We’re Angrier Than a Generation Ago

Do you find yourself getting ticked off more often than you used to?

If the answer is yes, you’re not alone.

Some 84% of people surveyed said Americans are angrier today compared with a generation ago, according to the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health poll.

When asked about their own feelings, 42% of those polled said they were angrier in the past year than they had been further back in time.

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

Restaurant Group Responds After Employee is Accused of Spitting on Eric Trump, Says She’s Been ‘Placed on Leave’

The restaurant group that owns Chicago’s Aviary cocktail bar has responded to reports that an employee spat on Eric Trump on Tuesday night.

“Last night an unfortunate incident occurred between an employee at The Aviary and Eric Trump,” reads a statement issued by the Alinea Group, which owns several other restaurants in Chicago and elsewhere. “We did not witness the incident and we are just beginning to learn the details.”

Trump, whose Twitter activity indicates he was visiting Trump Hotel Chicago, shared a statement with Breitbart News following the incident, condemning it “purely a disgusting act by somebody who clearly has emotional problems.”

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

Rutgers Chancellor Apologizes After Being Caught on Video Berating Campus Cops

The chancellor of Rutgers University’s Newark campus was caught on camera berating campus cops for investigating a fender-bender her driver was involved in, screaming at them “I’m the chancellor!” — an outburst for which she later apologized.

“If I miss my plane you folks are in trouble!” Nancy Cantor seethed at cops during the March 3 incident where her driver was involved in a minor accident with a campus police SUV as he picked her up on campus, according to police camera footage obtained by NJ.com.

As Cantor fumed about the delay, one of the officers asked her who she is, prompting her to angrily identify herself at the school’s chancellor.

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

Shocker: Decriminalizing NYC Bus Fare Skipping Leads to Fewer People Paying Fares

Prison reform (or justice reform) is a big ticket item for all of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, and that includes all manner of decriminalization. POTUS candidate and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is a big proponent of such things and the theory extends far beyond just legalization of marijuana. In the Big Apple, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance was urged last year to end criminal prosecutions for people who board buses without paying the fares or jump the turnstiles in the subway. This was supposed to end the “harassment” of poor people and end needless court appearances for such low-level scofflaws who are frequently economically disadvantaged people of color.

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

Trump Rape Accuser’s Story Was a Plot Line From Law & Order: SVU

Trump rape accuser E. Jean Carroll’s story mirrors almost exactly a plot line from an episode of Law & Order: SVU.

Sometime in the 1990’s (she can’t remember the year), Carroll claims that Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in the lingerie department of the Bergdorf Goodman department store.

Carroll said that Trump lunged at her, pushed her against a wall, pulled down her tights and thrust his penis halfway inside her.

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

Tucker Carlson Slams Republicans for “Doing Nothing” To Fight Big Tech Censorship

Tucker Carlson has slammed Republicans and the Trump administration for doing nothing to fight back against Big Tech censorship “while their ideas are suppressed and their supporters are silenced.”

Carlson explained how as soon as Trump took the White House in 2016, Big Tech began plotting to “control the election outcome in 2020” by “using the excuse of “fake news” to control the public discourse.

The Fox News host chastised the previous Republican Congress for failing to act, as well as the White House which refused to use its control of the “vast regulatory apparatus” to intervene.

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

US Democrats Battle in High Stakes TV Debate

Ten Democratic candidates are facing off in the first TV debate of the race to oust President Donald Trump from the White House next year.

Elizabeth Warren, a liberal firebrand who has been gaining momentum, took centre stage at the primetime forum in Miami, Florida.

The debate offers much-needed political oxygen to underdogs such as Cory Booker and Beto O’Rourke.

Ten other Democrats in the crowded field will battle on Thursday night.

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

Vimeo Bans James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas Channel Over Perceived “Hateful”Content …of Exposing Google Leftists

Vimeo is the latest tech company to ban conservative content!

What was once a safe bastion for conservatives is now just as intolerant as the rest.

Vimeo banned Project Veritas channel on Wednesday.

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

Canadian-Muslim Vote Bans the Rebel From Trudeau’s Eid Mubarak Dinner

On last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, guest-host David Menzies reported on organizers from Canadian-Muslim Vote banning him from Justin Trudeau’s Eid Mubarak dinner in Toronto.

David was hoping to file a firsthand report of Justin’s jolly jihadi of joy, but The Rebel Media was frog-marched out of the event which had been advertised as open to the media.

Other media were allowed to stay back, of course.

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

Alarming Rise of Christian Persecution

According to a recent interim report published in the U.K., “it is estimated that one third of the world’s population suffers from religious persecution in some form, with Christians being the most persecuted group.”

Although the full report — commissioned by British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and conducted by the Bishop of Truro, the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen — was due to be released by Easter this year, “the scale and nature of the phenomenon [of Christian persecution] simply required more time,” according to the report. As a result, Mounstephen explained, the “interim” findings released in April are incomplete, and the final report will be published at the end of June.

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

Austria: Drug Dealer Offered 100k Euros to Assassinate Former Populist Leader Strache

A drug dealer allegedly offered a man 100,000 euros to plant a bomb in the car of former Austrian Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, according to a report.

The planned terror attack on the former populist Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader was set to take place while Mr Strache was still serving as vice chancellor, according to leaked court information reported by Austrian newspaper Kurier.

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

Carpi Bishop Quits

Non-stop media pillory agst me says Msgr Francesco Cavina

(ANSA) — Vatican City, June 26 — Pope Francis on Wednesday accepted the resignation of the bishop of Carpi near Modena, Msgr Francesco Cavina.

Francis appointed Msgr Erio Castellucci, metropolitan bishop of Modena-Nonantola, to run the diocese.

Cavina said his seven years in Carpi had been “marked by continuous attempts at delegitimisation as well as, more recently, telephone intercepts following complaints of supposed crimes”.

He said “I have always respected Justice and its operators and I will always respect them.

He said “having obtained the complete shelving of my position, the media pillorying to which I was subjected did not stop”.

Cavina’s name had appeared in reports of public-contract probes in the northern city but he was never placed under investigation.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Cigarette, Electrical Fault Among Possible Causes of Notre Dame Fire — Paris Prosecutors

French authorities believe negligence may be the cause of the catastrophic Notre Dame fire, according to a preliminary report by the Paris prosecutor’s office which has ruled out criminal wrongdoing, RT.com writes.

Authorities said that while they have ruled out criminal action, they believe “certain failings“ by one or more parties may have contributed to the devastating amount of damage done to the iconic cathedral.

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

Column MEP Janice Atkinson: ‘Homelands’, a Film of Our Time

Mass migration, open borders and the dominance of Islam have destroyed the very fabric of societies and our sense of belonging. Western Europeans are the victims of globalists whose policies are designed to remove our sense of family and patriotic pride.

In response, a quiet exodus is underway. Jews are leaving Western Europe to repatriate to Israel because they no longer feel safe. ‘Homelands’ is their story. Of British nationals feeling like second-class citizens in their own country, of Jews forced from their own country, and of their shared search for a new place to call home.

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

Exclusive — In a World First, Facebook to Give Data on Hate Speech Suspects to French Courts

PARIS, June 25 (Reuters) — In a world first, Facebook has agreed to hand over the identification data of French users suspected of hate speech on its platform to judges, France’s minister for digital affairs Cedric O said on Tuesday.

O, whose father is South Korean, is one of French President Emmanuel Macron’s earliest followers, and has been influential in shaping the president’s thinking on Big Tech as an advisor at the Elysee palace in the first two years of Macron’s presidency.

The decision by the world’s biggest social media network comes after successive meetings between Zuckerberg and Macron, who wants to take a leading role globally on the regulation of hate speech and the spread of false information online.

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

French Locals to Counter Burkini Protest With Nude Swimming

Following an announcement by a group to hold a second “burkini” protest at a pool in the French city of Grenoble, counter-protesters have called on locals to swim in the pool wearing nothing at all.

Last Sunday, a group of around a dozen women belonging to the Alliance Citoyenne (Citizens’ Alliance) protested at a pool that had banned the wearing of the Islamic sharia-compliant swimwear, with police being called soon after the group were told the burkini was against the rules of the pool.

According to a report from France Bleu, the group has announced another protest to take place on Sunday, but this time others on social media have suggested bathers take off all of their clothes and bathe naked in counter-protest.

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

Germany: Transport Minister Wants to Sue Austria

Because of the traffic limitation in Tyrol

(ANSA) — BERLIN, JUNE 25 — Germany’s transport minister announced that he would take legal measures against Austria in relation to the traffic limitation decided in Tyrol. Austria’s measure is “deeply discriminating”, according to the German minister, and for this reason, he said, “I have initiated all the procedures to file an appeal”, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported today. The president of the Tyrol regional council Guenther Platter accused Germany of a “political campaign”. Tyrol planned to prohibit road traffic on the side roads of the Brenner motorway every weekend until the end of September, in order to protect neighboring villages from the traffic jam and prevent drivers from avoiding payment of motorway tolls, the German daily newspaper reported.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Trial Asked for 26 Indictment of Fassino Over Turin Book Fair

2 ex foundation heads, former regional culture councillor

(ANSA) — Turin, June 26 — Turin prosecutors on Wednesday asked the indictment of 26 people after a probe into the former management of the Turin Book Fair.

Among those for whom a trial is being sought are former Turin mayor Piero Fassino, former Book Foundation presidents Rolando Picchioni and Giovanna Milella, and former regional culture councillor Antonella Parigi.

Possible charges range from embezzlement to abuse of office and bid rigging, judicial sources said.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: TAV Continues, Respecting Govts — Radicova

Europe needs project,schedule must be respected says coordinator

(ANSA) — Turin, June 26 — The Turin-Lyon TAV high-speed rail line is continuing, Mediterranean Corridor coordinator Iveta Radicova said at a Turin business conference Wednesday.

“The result of yesterday’s appointment in Paris is clear: the project continues,” she said.

“Then, on Europe’s part, there is full respect for the decisions of all governments that may choose at any time to withdraw, to spend or to lose the money placed at their disposal.

“Of course, if the Italian government were to stop everything it would be a mistake for the future of Europe”.

Radicova said Europe needed the project and that the schedule “must be respected”.

Radicova was speaking a day after Deputy Premier and League leader Matteo Salvini scoffed at the idea of a “light” version of the controversial TAV high-speed rail line between Turin and Lyon, which would not go through mountains north of Turin but over them.

“The ‘light’ TAV? Either a train passes under the mountain or not”.

“Tertium non datur. “I like trains that run.

“There is an ongoing project, I hope yesterday’s lesson on the Olympics (with Milan-Cortina’s winning bid) has served for something.” The League’s government partner, the 5-Star Movement (M5S), has blocked the TAV citing costs but Salvini is determined to push it through.

The tender for the Turin-Lyon high-speed rail (TAV) tunnel in Italy was launched on Tuesday with European Union funding for the international stretch rising to 55%, Piedmont Governor Alberto Cirio announced Tuesday.

Speaking after a Paris meeting of the board of directors of TAV company TELT, he said it was “a historic day”.

He said funding for the national stretch was 50%.

The TELT board met with the governor and the Mediterranean Corridor coordinator, Iveta Radicova.

The TAV project has been stalled by disagreements between Italian government partners the 5-Star Movement (M5S), who are against completing it, and the League, who are in favour.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

One in Three Italians Opt for Private Health Care

19.6 million Italian citizens paid out of pocket costs for private health care, or 37 billion euros in 2018. Each family paid an average of 1,437 euros, which is up by 7.2 percent since 2014

Waiting times for doctors’ visits and check-ups remain unbounded, and 19.6 million Italians have been paying out of pocket for private care as a result. Each family paid an average of 1,437 euros last year, which, multiplied by the number of clients in Italy, makes 37.3 billion euros of private healthcare spending, up 7.2 percent compared to 2014. This out-of-pocket cost doubles or even triples for patients with chronic illnesses or who need extra assistance. “Money spent largely just to avoid being subjected to the ordeal of waiting lists, given that almost always it’s been a question of services deemed necessary by the doctor,” explains Francesco Maietta, who edited the Censis report on public, private and integrated health, which was presented at the ‘Welfare Day 2019’ on June 13 organized by Rbm Assicurazione Salute. This statement is supported by the figures: 92.5 percent of people who opted for private health care had a prescription for an oncological examination-a percentage that is higher than the 88 percent who needed vascular surgery and diagnostic tests and the 82.4 percent who needed a first cardiological visit and ECG examinations…

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Report: Dutch Catholics Ignore Pope’s Warnings, Vote Populist

ROME — More and more Dutch Catholics are opting for populist politicians and parties, a new report asserts, despite repeated warnings from Pope Francis of the dangers of populism.

Last week, populist legislator Thierry Baudet (pictured), founder and leader of the Forum for Democracy political party, “surged into the Dutch political mainstream as the biggest winner in nationwide elections,” and according to Katholiek Nieuwsblad, is “the new face of Dutch populism,” appealing to many Catholics who have felt politically homeless.

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

Sweden: Claim: Multicultural Malmö a ‘No-Go Zone’ For Jews

The Jewish congregation of the southern Swedish city of Malmö has warned that rising antisemitism is turning the city into a no-go zone for Jews.

The congregation sent a letter to the city, warning that the numbers of Jews have decreased dramatically from 842 members in 1999 to 387 members in 2019 and runs the risk of disappearing entirely in the future, Nyheter Idag reports.

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

The Shadow Economy Declines in Southern Europe

by Andrew Rosenbaum

In France, 65% of those who employ maids today pay them on the books — a sharp change from 10 years ago when nearly all maids were a part of the informal economy.

Today, “le travail au noir” (working in the dark or in the black) has declined to about 10% from about 11% of GDP in 2014, according to the Conseil Economique, Social et Environmental. In Italy, the shadow economy has dropped to 19.5% of GDP in 2018, from 22.97% in 2015, according to a study by the consultancy A.T. Kearney. The Italian statistical authority, ISTAT, notes a decline in illegal work since 2017.

In Spain, the shadow economy contracted sharply between 2003 and 2015, dropping to about 18% from nearly 23% of GDP. Portugal saw a drop of the same magnitude for that period…

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Turning Point’s Charlie Kirk: Johnson, Trump Could Have ‘Unprecedented Alliance’

Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk has said that if Boris Johnson becomes prime minister, he and U.S. President Donald J Trump “could have an unprecedented alliance”.

Speaking to Breitbart News Network’s James Delingpole at the launch of Turning Point UK, a right-wing student movement with an established chapter in the United States, Mr Kirk said that if he could “Make Britain Great Again”, he would “embrace the Trump energy” and lower taxes, cut regulation, and “create a bilateral trade agreement with the United States”.

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

UK: London is a S***hole

Robberies up 65 per cent.

Knife crime up 55 per cent.

Rape up 45 per cent.

Overpopulated, unaffordable, degenerate dystopia.

Welcome to London!

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

UK: Raab: Boris Would Extend Arm of Friendship, But No-Deal Brexit Will be Brussels’ Fault

Dominic Raab, a Brexiteer and supporter of Boris Johnson’s campaign to become the UK’s next prime minister, has said that if Britain leaves the European Union on no-deal terms, it will have been the EU’s choice.

Speaking to the BBC Wednesday morning, former Brexit secretary Mr Raab said a Boris Johnson-led government would extend the “arm of friendship” to the European Union during last-minute attempts to negotiate a deal. But ultimately, if European political leaders in Brussels did not want to reciprocate and work constructively, the country would be forced to leave the European Union without a deal on October 31st as planned, he warned.

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

Senate to Vote on Preventing Military Action Against Iran Without Congressional Approval

Senate will be voting on Friday on an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which would block the White House from taking military action against Iran without congressional approval.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Wednesday that a deal has been made to vote on the amendment on Friday.

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

Aged 97, Survivor Looks Back on Stalin-Era Ukraine Famine

KIEV (AFP) — Oksana Ostapenko was 12 years old and facing death from hunger when a stranger saved her life by taking the girl into his family and sharing the last of their food.

Today, aged 97, the Ukrainian’s voice trembles when she recalls the terrible famine that hit her country in the 1930s due to policies enforced by Joseph Stalin’s police.

“They came and took away all our grain,” Ostapenko told AFP.

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

Muslim Neighbour Named Imran Arrested for Raping, Murdering 7-Yr-Old Girl in Narela (Delhi)

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police on Monday said it had arrested a man for raping and killing a seven-year-old girl in the Narela Industrial area. The girl had gone missing on June 14. For searching the missing girl, nearby vacant land, park, water body, nala were searched. Nearby hawkers were enquired into and briefed. The announcement was made at local Masjid in Swarn Jayanti Vihar, Zipnet updated, nearby children homes got checked, Child helpline got informed.

Announcements were made even through beating of drums. An e-rickshaw was hired for the same purpose but unfortunately two days later, on June 16, her body was found in a sewage water plant in Swarn Jayanti Vihar area. The accused has been identified as Imran, a neighbour of the victim. The two families knew each other for years and hence the girl was recognising the accused well, he offered “Frooti” to the girl and took her to the sewage plant where he allegedly raped and later, strangulated her, police said.

According to police, the accused has confessed to his crime. The accused said that on Sunday, he had came home drunk and on seeing the girl playing outside, he lured her and took her to the sewage plant, said Gaurav Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North). Post mortem got conducted and relevant sections were added in this case. Imran and the victim’s families were acquaintances and he was not unknown to the girl, the police said. The deceased girl usually called the accused ‘Mama’. He also used to give her toffees. Police said that since the girl knew the accused, she was easily lured. One possibility of the kidnap and murder could be that the father of deceased was also having illicit relations with sister of the accused Imran and both were caught red handed earlier. The accused has been arrested and further interrogation is under process to know if the accused is involved in any other such case earlier.

           — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari [Return to headlines]
 

The U.S. vs. China

In A Newly Bipolar World, Europe is Caught in the Middle

The trade war between the United States and China is increasingly creating a bipolar world. As U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepare to meet at the upcoming G-20 summit, Europe is facing an increasingly tense dilemma: Which side should it choose?

By Matthias Gebauer, Peter Müller, Marcel Rosenbach, Michael Sauga and Bernhard Zand

United States President Donald Trump began the week before last on a golf course in Virginia. He was unhappy. On Twitter, he complained about London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The two men have a deep, mutual dislike for one another. “Khan is a disaster,” Trump wrote, “will only get worse.” In an interview, he complained about Congress, arguing that its members are, “more difficult than frankly many of the foreign leaders. Because they have their own views, you never know exactly, but they have their own views.”

Last Tuesday, he launched his 2020 re-election campaign and peppered his speech with attacks on the media (“fake news”), his opponents generally (“angry left-wing mob”) and the Democrats overall: “They want to destroy our country as we know it…

           — Hat tip: C. Cantoni [Return to headlines]
 

‘Jesus Would Get Sacked’: Top Employment Lawyer Slams the ‘Ridiculous’ Work Social Media Rules Used to Tear Up Israel Folau’s Contract

Josh Bornstein, one of Australia’s top employment lawyers, has suggested Jesus Christ would struggle to hold a job because of modern-day social media rules at work.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Meet the Ordinary Australians So Angry GoFundMe Shut Down Israel Folau’s $3 Million Legal Campaign They Tripled Their Donations Fearing Their Precious Right to Free Speech is Under Attack

Thousands of donors raised more than $1.7 million in less than a day through a new campaign set up by the Australian Christian Lobby. Now they reveal why they forked out for Israel Folau.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Four ISIS Terrorists From Iraq and Egypt Arrested in Nicaragua on Way to US Southern Border

Four ISIS terrorists were arrested in Nicaragua on their way to the United States.

The Egyptians were named as Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, while the Iraqis were Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41 and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29.

According to La Prensa — The Nicaraguan Army arrested four alleged terrorists of the Islamic State (IS). Three of them correspond to the subjects that Costa Rica reported being in Nicaragua, after passing through the Costa Rican immigration controls.

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

AOC Criticized for Wearing $600 Watch During ‘Crying’ Border Photo-Op

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has received heat after it was revealed that she was wearing a $600 dollar watch during her carefully staged ‘crying’ border photo-op.

The photos, which show AOC crying into her hands, were taken two days before she won her Congressional race. They show her outside a “tent city” in Tornillo, Texas which was being used to temporarily hold migrant children.

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

Boris Johnson Vows to Shake Up UK Immigration and Implement Australian Style Points System

BORIS JOHNSON has vowed to introduce an Australian-style points-based system for migrants if he becomes Prime Minister.

The former Foreign Secretary’s plans to restore “public faith” with the new immigration system, The Daily Telegraph reported. Mr Johnson’s system will mean any foreigners who want to work in Britain have to be able to speak English and have a job before they arrive. He added foreign workers will not be allowed to “cut ahead in the queue”.

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

Driver Accused of Killing 7 Bikers in New Hampshire Was Immigrant Who Should Have Been Deported — GoFundMe Set Up for Victims

On Friday, June 21st 2019 Jarheads MC was riding to a charity event at the local American Legion in Gorham, New Hampshire Post #82. The group was hit by a truck driver, Seven members were killed and three injured.

A GoFundMe page was setup for the victims and their families.

Volodoymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, returned to New Hampshire this week where he faces negligent homicide charges.

Zhukovskyy was driving a pickup truck that collided Friday night with a group of motorcyclists, killing seven people and injuring three others. He was arrested in Massachusetts on Monday.

Zhukovskyy, an immigrant from Ukraine, has a long criminal record and should have been deported.

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

Inappropriate Sexual Relationships Continue to Plague Pro-Migrant NGOs

Inappropriate sexual relationships between older pro-migrant activists and young migrants continue to plague NGOs with a recent case in Switzerland adding to the list of incidents.

The recent trial of a Swiss man in his 60s in Lausanne saw a migrant claim that he had been engaged in a sexual relationship with the older pro-migrant activist when he was a teen in 2008, newspaper 20 Minutes reports.

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

Italy: Sea Watch Ignores Stop Order, Salvini Blasts ‘Hostile Act’

Migrant rescue ship in front of Lampedusa

(ANSA) — Palermo, June 26 — The Sea-Watch 3 migrant-rescue ship on Wednesday defied an order from a tax police motor launch to stop and pressed on until it came close to the port of Lampedusa.

Carabinieri police were lined up on the quay.

Captain Carola Rackete, who has said she will land the 42 migrants on board despite a docking ban, risks a 50,000 euro fine and the impounding of the vessel.

She could also be probed for favouring illegal immigration.

The migrants have been at sea since they were rescued two weeks ago as Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini refused permission to dock in Italy. Salvini said Wednesday that the ship had committed a hostile act and he called on the Netherlands to take in the migrants on board. The search-and-rescue ship flies the Dutch flag, although it is run by a German NGO. “The Dutch government cannot pretend nothing has happened,” said League leader Salvini, who has spearheaded the government’s tough stance of refusing access to NGO-run search-and-rescue ships to Italy’s ports.. “A ship flying the flag of the Netherlands has ignored the bans (on entry) and the orders to stop and it is heading to Lampedusa. “It’s a provocation and a hostile act. I had written to my Dutch counterpart and I’m happy that the Italian embassy in The Hague is taking a formal step with the government of the Netherlands. “Italy deserves respect. We expect the Netherlands to take in to immigrants on broad”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Leftists Decry Bishops’ ‘Tepid’ Response to Trump’s Deportation Threat

ROME — Catholics on the left have denounced a statement by the U.S. bishops following President Donald Trump’s plans to deport “millions” of illegal immigrants, saying that the response was too weak and conciliatory.

On Saturday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB) released a statement in response to the Trump administration’s “impending immigration enforcement actions,” acknowledging the right of nations to control their borders, while urging greater attention toward the root causes of migration.

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

Photos Reveal AOC Was Crying Over an Empty Parking Lot

Newly uncovered photos from the border protest attended by a tearful Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez show that she was crying over an empty parking lot.

Many have accused the Congresswoman and her supporters of staging a photo-op after the images, taken during a 2018 event outside a migrant “tent city” in Tornillo, Texas, went viral earlier this week.

The photos show an emotional AOC holding her face and appearing to cry. Her attention appears to be directed towards whatever is on the other side of the fence.

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

Rescue Ship With 42 Migrants Defies Italy Order to Stay Out

MILAN (AP) — A private sea rescue ship carrying 42 migrants it took aboard off Libya two weeks ago entered Italian waters Wednesday despite an explicit ban from Italy’s interior minister, who has threatened to seize the ship operated by a German aid organization and to arrest its captain.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said the captain of the Sea-Watch 3 broke the law both by disobeying direct orders not to cross into Italy’s territorial waters and by flouting measures that bar the migrant rescue ships of nonprofit groups from entering Italian jurisdiction.

“The right to defend our borders is sacred,” Salvini said.

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

Salvini Moots Border Barrier in Northeast Italy

Balkan route has reopened says interior minister

(ANSA) — Rome, June 26 — Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Wednesday mooted the idea of erecting a border barrier in northeastern Italy. “The Balkan route (for migrant flows) has reopened,” League leader Salvini said. “We’ll launch mixed patrols with the Slovenians in July but, if the flow of migrants doesn’t stop, then extreme evils require extreme remedies. We don’t rule out the construction of physical barriers at the border, like other European countries have done”.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

The Media is Yet Again Trying to Emotionally Manipulate People to Accept Open Borders by Exploiting Photos of Dead Children

The media is yet again trying to emotionally manipulate people into accepting open borders by exploiting photos of dead children.

The same press and left-wing talking heads who claim that showing child victims of Islamic terror attacks is “insensitive” are all too willing to share photos of child victims who supposedly died because evil western countries have borders.

“It’s OK when we do it.”

The left has found its new ‘Aylan Kurdi’ — a toddler who washed up dead on a beach in Turkey and whose dead body photo was ruthlessly exploited by progressives to demand western Europe throw open its borders to Middle Eastern migrants.

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

UK: Think Tank: Opening NHS to Migrants Will Result in ‘Huge Inflow of Health Tourists’

Migration Watch UK has warned that it would be “irresponsible” and “damaging” to stop charging foreigners to use the National Health Service as it would result in a “huge inflow of health tourists”.

On Tuesday, an overwhelming majority of delegates at the annual conference of the British Medical Association, a union which represents 155,000 doctors, called for the abolition of all charges by migrants to use the NHS, which would effectively turn the National Health Service into the International Health Service.

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

Warren Calls for Decriminalizing Illegal Border Crossing

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) said Tuesday she supported decriminalizing illegal border crossings, arguing the U.S. shouldn’t be prosecuting “mamas and babies trying to flee violence.”

Warren told HuffPost in a statement she agreed with the stance of fellow 2020 contender Julian Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development chief in the Obama administration. Castro pushed in April for a repeal of a law that makes crossing the border without authorization a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, with harsher sentences for repeat offenders.

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

Conservative Vatican Cardinal Withdraws Support for Steve Bannon

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) — Conservative Cardinal Raymond Burke, for years a strong backer of Steve Bannon, has yanked his support for the former Trump White House adviser and his plan to set up a right-wing Catholic academy in Italy.

Burke said he was withdrawing his backing after Bannon was quoted as saying he supported making a film from a recent book alleging widespread homosexuality in Vatican.

The book, “In the Closet of the Vatican”, by French author Frederic Martel, contains several pages about Burke but does not say he is homosexual.

“I do not, in any way, agree with Mr. Bannon’s assessment of the book in question,” Burke says in a letter posted on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

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

Fodor’s Promotes Travel to Places With ‘Progressive Values’

ROME — The travel industry is the latest sector to join the trend of politicizing absolutely everything, with Fodor’s now pushing travel to countries with “strong progressive values.”

We have “rounded up a list of the countries with fantastic political and social perspectives, where your traveling dollars go to helping citizens on the ground through education or environmental efforts,” Fodor’s announces.

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

UK: Conservative Schools Minister: All Primary Children Will Learn About Same-Sex Relationships

The UK’s education secretary Damian Hinds has said that all children from the age of four will have mandatory lessons on same-sex relationships in keeping with the “diversity of our society”.

Regulations on the teaching of sex, health, and relationship education was approved by both Houses of Parliament on May 9th, with the Government publishing the final statutory guidance on Tuesday.

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

UK: Prince William: ‘Absolutely Fine by Me’ If His Children Were Gay, Transgender

Prince William said that he would “fully support” his child if one of them came out as gay, bisexual, or transgender.

The second in line to the British throne made the comments during a visit on Wednesday to a charity that supports homeless LGBT young people. When he was asked what he would think if Prince George, five, Princess Charlotte, four, or Prince Louis, one, came out as gay or transgender he responded: “…obviously absolutely fine by me”.

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

4 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 6/26/2019

  1. “Aged 97, Survivor Looks Back on Stalin-Era Ukraine Famine” I once saw a documentary about this, an old lady there talked about similar experiences. She lived in a rural area with her mother, sister and younger brother. The Bolsheviks took all the grain, animals and other produce away and they even took away all their tools so they couldn’t grow any more food. That alone should be proof enough that it was genocide. She mentioned how their mother had one turnip left, she gave each of the girls half of it. Their brother, who was lying on the oven (I don’t know about other nations, but Slavs tradinionally have huge ovens that seconded as beds, much like this one: https://www.cesky-kamnar.cz/references/424_b.jpg ), climbed down and wanted some food as well, but their mother refused to give him any. He died during the night and she knew he was already to weak to survive, so the food would’ve been wasted on him. The next day a man came who would collect the corpses and bring them away. He put the brother on a cart and took the mother too. When the girls protested that their mother was still alive he grunted he’s not going to come all the way out here the next day again and just put their mother among the corpses. I don’t remember how the girls survived, but I believe they eventually had to leave their home and probably ended with relatives or neighbours, much like the lady mentioned in the book.
    The famine is well enough known in Czechia, partially it’s probably thanks to the Ukrainian minority, but unfortunately it hasn’t been acknowledged as genocide yet (our parliament only considers it an act against humanity by the stalinist regime). I’m honestly surprised Canada is among the countries that acknowledged it as genocide.

    • The UK has a big problem. It gives commonwealth countries members a free pass in lots of things.

      I was briefly enrolled on a course in a British University. Because I am not British, majority English speaking country national or commonwealth country national I had to prove through an IELTS Academic test that I have the necessary English skill, although I have been living in Britain for a while.

      The students from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were exempt from the English language assessment.

      I have to say that I met a Lithuanian girl when I was waiting for the test to start and I was talking with her. She was taking the test for the third time and yet her level was far better than all of those south asians I met in University. They would all have failed the English level assessment.

      That being said if that point system doesn’t include a standard English language assessment to be done by ALL candidates, the real problems with immigrants in Britain will remain. London will look more and more like Lahore.

  2. Re: Shocker: decriminalising NYC bus fare skipping…

    I realise I’m in a relatively privileged position, aged 71 and living in London; since turning 60, I get free travel on buses, tubes and local trains, and even on local buses in the rest of England (though who knows for how much longer?) Living (mostly) on a state pension, which is lower than in most developed nations, my life would be much more limited without these concessions.

    However I do recall periods of unemployment when younger, when I had to walk long distances for food shopping, or to register at the unempoyment exchange for benefit, and think twice about seeing friends, let alone family, not in London. I daresay some here regard NYC as a hotbed of socialism, and perhaps they’re right, but being unable to travel can be an additional, and deeply demoralising, burden for those on low incomes.

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