Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/31/2019

Iraqi supporters of Iran attacked the US embassy in Baghdad, breaking into the building and setting fire to the reception area. The State Department said that no US personnel were injured, and that the embassy would not be evacuated.

In other news, Leipzig deployed extra police on New Year’s Eve to protect against expected violence by left-wing extremists. Also, police in Brussels provided armed escorts for the fire brigade to prevent violence. Meanwhile, France added 100,000 police for New Year’s Eve to prepare for unrest.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, 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. I 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
» “Don’t Consider Myself a Hero, “ Says Armed Hero Who Stopped Texas Church Massacre
» Appeals Court Rules Brooklyn Federal Judge Went Easy on ISIS Wannabe
» Beto Blames Guns for TX Church Shooting — Ignores Armed Hero Who Killed Shooter
» Breaking: Suspect Arrested With Multiple Guns Next to Jewish Girls School
» Bronx Wind Blades Fly Off, Smashing Car and Billboard
» Census Estimates Show California, New York Losing House Seats to Demographic Change
» Cop Resigns After Lying About Insult on McDonald’s Coffee Cup: ‘Absolutely a Black Eye on Law Enforcement’
» NBC Peddles “Fake News” Pipeline Featuring InfoWars, Drudge, 4Chan and Others
» New Zogby Poll Shows Trump Beating All Dem Candidates
» NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Blames Anti-Semitic Attacks on Hate ‘Emanating From Washington’
» Pelosi’s Impeachment Farce is an Attempt to Distract From the Deep State Conspiracy
» Southern Poverty Law Center Silent on Domestic Terror Attack Against Jews
» Study: Opioid Deaths Rise in Towns Where U.S. Auto Plants Have Closed
» Texas AG: “More People Need to Carry” Guns to Prevent Mass Shootings
» The Impeachment Farce is a Distraction From the Deep State
 
Europe and the EU
» Belgium: ‘State of War’: Police to Escort Brussels Firefighters on NYE Due to Violence
» Brain Drain From Italy Continuing — Report
» France Plans 100,000 Police for New Year’s Eve Unrest
» Germany Rejects France’s Request for Military Support
» Germany: Leipzig Police to Boost Presence on NYE Due to Danger From Far-Left Extremists
» Greta Thunberg’s Father Says Daughter is ‘Happy, ‘ But He Worries
» ‘I’m Slowly Dying Here’: ‘Sedated’ Assange Tells Friend During Christmas Eve Call From UK Prison as Health Concerns Mount
» Italian Birthrate Hits New Low, ISTAT Says
» Italy: Birthrates at Historic Lows, Migrants Approach Nine Per Cent of Population
» UK: Arrests for ‘Poisoning’ After Young Women Find Pills Hidden in Kebabs
» UK: Mother, 36, Pushing Pram Knifed Three Times in ‘Mugging’ On Residential London Street
» UK: Shocking Moment Helmet-Clad Thieves Tear Off an Entire Garage Door to Steal Motorbike From a Family Home
» UK: Socialist Corbyn Says Labour is the ‘Resistance’ To Boris Johnson
» UK: Three Women in Their 20s Find Tiny White Pills Hidden in Their Kebabs on Night Out in Bognor Regis
» Voice of Europe: Statement
 
Middle East
» Hezbollah Installs PM of Choice Amid Protests in Lebanon
» Iraqi Supporters of Iran-Backed Militia Attack US Embassy Compound in Baghdad
» State Dept Says All US Personnel Safe at Iraq Embassy, No Plans to Evacuate
» US Deploys About 750 Paratroopers to the Middle East Following Attack on Embassy in Baghdad
» US Presses Iraq to Protect American Personnel After Embassy Attack: ‘There Will be No Benghazis’
 
Russia
» Putin Thanks Trump for Intel That Foiled Attack in Russia, Moscow Says
 
Far East
» Chinese State Media: ‘Gun Ownership Out of Control in U.S.’
» Exclusive: Hong Kongers Support Protester Demands; Minority Wants Independence From China — Reuters Poll
» Hong Kong Gears Up for Huge New Year’s Day Anti-Government March
» Hong Kong Protesters Stage New Year Marches as Authorities Cancel Midnight Fireworks
» Priest Imprisoned for Nine Years After Calling Chinese Communist Party ‘Morally Incompatible With the Christian Faith’
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» The Takeover: China is Building Enormous Self-Sustaining Chinese Cities All Over the African Continent
 
Latin America
» Peru: Hundreds of People Queue to be ‘Cleansed’ By Guinea Pigs in Bizarre Ritual
 
Culture Wars
» The Stupidest Time in Human History
 

“Don’t Consider Myself a Hero, “ Says Armed Hero Who Stopped Texas Church Massacre

‘I don’t feel like I killed an individual. I feel like I killed evil’

The man who stopped a gun-wielding maniac from causing further mayhem inside a Texas church says he’s no hero and acted out of instinct.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Appeals Court Rules Brooklyn Federal Judge Went Easy on ISIS Wannabe

An appeals court ruled Friday that a Brooklyn Federal judge went easy on an ISIS-terrorist wannabe by giving him a “shockingly low” 17-year sentence, according to court papers.

Judge Margo K. Brodie sentenced Fareed Mumuni in February 2017 after the failed terrorist was convicted of trying to provide support for ISIS and for stabbing an FBI agent on Staten Island 2015.

Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes said Friday that the sentence meted out to Mumuni, 23, was 80% below the advisory guidelines of 85 years — and he sent the ruling back to the lower court for possible resentencing.

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

Beto Blames Guns for TX Church Shooting — Ignores Armed Hero Who Killed Shooter

Failed presidential contender wastes no time in promoting gun control agenda.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Suspect Arrested With Multiple Guns Next to Jewish Girls School

At 4:30 pm on Park Avenue in Lakewood, New Jersey, a suspect was apprehended with multiple firearms outside of the Bais Faiga Girls School.

This follows a number of anti-Semitic incidents in the area over the past month.

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

Bronx Wind Blades Fly Off, Smashing Car and Billboard

A shoddy wind turbine fell apart in the Bronx on Monday when it couldn’t handle its own power source — gusty winds.

The blade damaged a nearby car and an illuminated billboard when it flew off the 250-foot structure in Baychester at about 1:20 p.m., police said.

There were no injuries reported.

Local politicians rushed to the scene and blasted the “hastily” constructed alternative-energy source.

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

Census Estimates Show California, New York Losing House Seats to Demographic Change

Census Bureau estimates released Monday reportedly showed the country’s slowest population growth rate in a century, as demographic shifts to the south bring impending changes to the House of Representatives.

“While natural increase is the biggest contributor to the U.S. population increase, it has been slowing over the last five years,” Sandra Johnson, Census Bureau demographer, said in the release. “Natural increase, or when the number of births is greater than the number of deaths, dropped below 1 million in 2019 for the first time in decades.”

Monday’s estimates, which are close approximations of changes to state populations for the last year which ended July 1, project a seat shuffle in the House of Representatives, with Texas and six other states poised to gain seats, while California, New York, and six other states look set to lose representatives.

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

Cop Resigns After Lying About Insult on McDonald’s Coffee Cup: ‘Absolutely a Black Eye on Law Enforcement’

The Kansas police officer who claimed that he had received an insulting message on his McDonald’s coffee cup has resigned after admitting to making up the incident.

Following an investigation by the McDonald’s in Junction City and the Herington Police Department, both parties determined that the franchise’s employees were not responsible for writing “f****** pig” on the officer’s coffee cup. The incident had gone viral after Herington Police Chief Brian Hornaday took to Facebook last Saturday, to share the image, which he had called a “black eye for Junction City.”

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

NBC Peddles “Fake News” Pipeline Featuring InfoWars, Drudge, 4Chan and Others

MSM outlet attacks competitors as their viewership continues to decline.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

New Zogby Poll Shows Trump Beating All Dem Candidates

A new Zogby poll shows President Trump beating all the potential Democratic candidates in a hypothetical 2020 run off.

The numbers show that Trump beats Biden 46-45%, he’s ahead of Warren 47-43% and also beating Bernie 47-45%.

The figures also show that amongst college educated Americans, Trump performs even better when up against the farthest left candidates, beating Warren and Sanders 50-45%.

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

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio Blames Anti-Semitic Attacks on Hate ‘Emanating From Washington’

Leftists taking every opportunity to attack president.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Pelosi’s Impeachment Farce is an Attempt to Distract From the Deep State Conspiracy

The real explanation for Pelosi’s sudden flip is that those in the know — in the intelligence community, on congressional committees, and even in the Democratic mouthpiece media with their Deep State sources — warned her in early September of the potential political catastrophe that would ensue as a result of the devastating revelations in both the Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s abuse of the FISA process and U.S. Attorney John Durham’s more comprehensive investigation into the origins and perpetuation of the bogus “Russian collusion” narrative. That transparently preposterous conspiracy theory, cooked up by the Clinton campaign as an explanation for their disastrous loss, was then propagated with help from the exiting Obama administration, the intelligence community, anti-Trump operatives in the federal bureaucracy, and of course Democratic members of Congress and their lapdog allies in the mainstream media. Both of these reports will confirm every one of Donald Trump’s allegations of a baseless witch hunt orchestrated by the Deep State to overturn the results of the 2016 election. In order to preemptively mitigate the political fallout, Democrats had to go on the offensive and accelerate impeachment proceedings, no matter how flimsy the pretext.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Southern Poverty Law Center Silent on Domestic Terror Attack Against Jews

Doesn’t fit the narrative.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Study: Opioid Deaths Rise in Towns Where U.S. Auto Plants Have Closed

This confirms that towns and small cities that have been hit by job-killing free trade have suffered more in the opioid crisis.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Texas AG: “More People Need to Carry” Guns to Prevent Mass Shootings

Ken Paxton rejects gun control agenda in wake of church shooting.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Impeachment Farce is a Distraction From the Deep State

While the mainstream media desperately tries to convince the public that there is no such thing as a deep state, politicians keep letting everyone know it’s the real deal. Nancy Pelosi’s impeachment farce is nothing more than a distraction from the corruption and intricacies of the deep state.

Pelosi had, at one time, pushed back at politicians who demanded President Donald Trump’s impeachment. However, in September, she decided to run with it. Hoax or not, the impeachment farce is ongoing so that there is a distraction for the public to focus on while the deep state continues to run it’s nefarious and enslavement schemes, according to Townhall.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Belgium: ‘State of War’: Police to Escort Brussels Firefighters on NYE Due to Violence

Firefighters across the Belgian capital of Brussels are expected to be escorted by police officers during New Year’s Eve celebrations due to the high level of danger involved when operating in the city.

The new policy is largely designed to mitigate the violence against firefighters in the EU capital that was seen last year and will require that police escort the firefighters to and from incidents for their protection, La Libre reports.

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

Brain Drain From Italy Continuing — Report

Percentage of PhD graduates leaving is on the rise says ISTAT

(ANSA) — Rome, December 30 — National statistics agency ISTAT on Monday said the brain drain from Italy is not stopping.

“An increasing number of PhD graduates are deciding to leave our country: 15.9% of doctoral graduates from 2012 and 18.5% of graduates from 2014” said they are based abroad; “these percentages are above by 4.3 points from those registered in the previous survey”, ISTAT said in the statistical yearbook.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

France Plans 100,000 Police for New Year’s Eve Unrest

More than 100,000 law enforcement officers will be mobilised across France tonight in anticipation of the expected car torching and unrest that is habitually seen in the country on New Year’s Eve.

The extra security provision was confirmed by interior minister Christophe Castaner, who said it would also be “strengthened by the presence of military and firefighters”.

The extra personnel have become a familiar fixture of December 31. There were almost 150,000 law enforcement staff mobilised last year, up from 140,000 in 2018.

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

Germany Rejects France’s Request for Military Support

by Thomas O. Falk

France, with the support of other nations, continues to conduct anti-terrorist operations Barkhane in Mali and other countries in Africa’s Sahel zone. It aims to fight terrorism and to stabilize the country. The EU has been conducting its own mission in the country, under which Germany has deployed over one thousand soldiers to Mali for a training mission focused on training up domestic forces to eventually become self-sustainable.

Details Of France’s Request To Germany

France’s request for Germany was to help build a Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force / CJSOTF. It is a reasonable request. After all, France continues to bear the main burden of deployment in the area, with over 4,500 soldiers in the Sahel region. Nonetheless—and even though the number of Islamist terrorist attacks in the Sahel region has recently increased significantly—Germany’s response to two separate requests from Paris was a resounding “nein.”

The Sahel Needs All The Anti-Terror Help It Can Get

The Sahel zone remains a severely high-risk area in which jihadist groups and organized crime syndicates operate. Mainly jihadists appear to have extensive freedom of movement and can act almost without restriction, which continues to make the region extremely volatile in terms of security. The latter makes the deployment of Western troops in the complex and dangerous. The situation is particularly fragile, as Malian forces regularly reach their limits in performing their extensive tasks despite international support…

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

Germany: Leipzig Police to Boost Presence on NYE Due to Danger From Far-Left Extremists

Following a surge in left-wing extremist Antifa attacks this year, the Leipzig police say they will be increasing their presence in the city on New Year’s Eve to protect emergency services from potential attacks.

The announcement comes after left-wing extremists are suspected of being behind an arson attack on Sunday that saw two police vehicles set on fire and a third vehicle used by the city police and the Leipzig police directorate damaged as a result, German tabloid Bild reports.

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

Greta Thunberg’s Father Says Daughter is ‘Happy, ‘ But He Worries

Climate-activist Greta Thunberg’s father said that though his daughter is happy in her activism, he worries about her.

Svante Thunberg spoke out in an interview with BBC, saying he is “not supportive” of Greta Thunberg skipping class to go to climate protests.

Thunberg’s father also said his daughter suffered from depression before she became an activist, which also kept her out of school.

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

‘I’m Slowly Dying Here’: ‘Sedated’ Assange Tells Friend During Christmas Eve Call From UK Prison as Health Concerns Mount

The WikiLeaks founder had trouble speaking and appeared to be drugged.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Italian Birthrate Hits New Low, ISTAT Says

One out in three households are composed of single people

(ANSA) — Rome, December 30 — The Italian birthrate in 2018 hit a new low not seen since the time of Unification in 1861, said Italian statistics bureau ISTAT in its annual statistical yearbook released Monday.

It said there were 439,747 live births in 2018, compared to 458,151 in 2017.

It said average life expectancy at birth was up in 2018, however, to 80.8 years for men and 85.2 years for women.

ISTAT said these factors mean Italy has one of the oldest populations in the world.

It said households made up of single people were on the rise, having grown more than 10% in the past 20 years to become one-third (33%) of all Italian families in 2018.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Italy: Birthrates at Historic Lows, Migrants Approach Nine Per Cent of Population

According to new figures, Italy has seen a historically low birthrate in 2018, as the number of foreigners in the country has increased to nearly 9 per cent of the total population.

The new statistics, released by the Italian statistics agency Istat, reveal that the number of live births in 2018 totalled just 439,747, an 18,404 drop from the previous year and numbers that amount to the lowest birth rate since the unification of the country in the 1800s, Il Giornale reports.

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

UK: Arrests for ‘Poisoning’ After Young Women Find Pills Hidden in Kebabs

Two men have been arrested after three young women reported finding kebabs purchased from the Istanbul Grill in Bognor Regis, England, were laced with white pills.

“Three women in their twenties reported finding tablets in their food after they returned home from Istanbul Grill in High Street, Bognor Regis, around 2 a.m. on Sunday 29 December,” confirmed West Sussex police in a public appeal for more information on the alleged crime.

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

UK: Mother, 36, Pushing Pram Knifed Three Times in ‘Mugging’ On Residential London Street

A mother screamed ‘I’ve been stabbed’ after she was knifed in the back in an unprovoked attack while pushing her child in a pram.

Josephine Conlon, 36, was seen bleeding from her face after being stabbed three times outside a block of flats in Streatham Hill, South London, at about 5.30pm yesterday.

Her attacker, described as a 6ft black man in dark clothing, is believed to have laid in wait for her and said nothing as he attacked her — before running off down the leafy suburban street.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Shocking Moment Helmet-Clad Thieves Tear Off an Entire Garage Door to Steal Motorbike From a Family Home

A police investigation is underway after a gang of burglars stole a motorbike from a family home by prizing open a garage door and ripping it off its hinges.

The dramatic CCTV footage, which was captured outside a property in Bilston, West Midlands, shows four men approaching a house at 12.25am and attempting to break through the garage door.

The thieves, whose faces are concealed behind bike helmets, kick and punch at the property before tearing the large door down and running away with what appears to be a BMW S 1000 RR motorbike.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Socialist Corbyn Says Labour is the ‘Resistance’ To Boris Johnson

The socialist Jeremy Corbyn, who led Labour to its worst election defeat since 1935, says his party will be the “resistance” to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

In his New Year’s Eve address, Jeremy Corbyn said: “2019 has been quite the year for our country and for our labour movement. And now we are not just entering a new year, but a new decade. And the period ahead could not be more important.”

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

UK: Three Women in Their 20s Find Tiny White Pills Hidden in Their Kebabs on Night Out in Bognor Regis

Three women have called in the police after finding their late-night kebabs were laced with multiple pills mixed in with the doner meat.

Gemma Hood and two friends bought the meals from Istanbul Grill, in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, in the early hours of Sunday and the takeaway has since been raided by detectives.

Two men, aged 30 and 42, have been arrested on suspicion of administering poison with intent to inflict GBH and bailed until January 27.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Voice of Europe: Statement

The editorial team at Voice of Europe regrets to inform you that we will be ceasing our news publishing operation for the time being. At some point, we hope to resume delivering hard-hitting, uncensored news. Until then, however, we would like to thank you all for your continued support over the years.

Team Voice of Europe

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

Hezbollah Installs PM of Choice Amid Protests in Lebanon

by by Mutaher Khan

Although once viewed as a sanctuary of democracy and relative stability in the increasingly turbulent Middle East, Lebanon’s past three months have been anything but stable. Nationwide protests cutting across sectarian and political lines brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets, calling for the overhaul of a corrupt system controlled by the elites.

Changes Caused By Lebanon’s Mass Protests

The crisis that has ensued since the protests began in mid-October has seen one prime minister, Saad Hariri, step down and after almost two months, and another named in his place. On December 19, the Lebanese Cabinet named Hassan Diab as the country’s new premier, voting him in with a narrow majority.

Given the country’s religious and sectarian diversity, where slightly less than half of the population is Christian and the remaining Muslims are almost evenly split between Shiites and Sunnis, Lebanon has a quite definitive and unique political structure. It mandates the president be a Christian, speaker of the parliament Shiite and the prime minister Sunni…

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

Iraqi Supporters of Iran-Backed Militia Attack US Embassy Compound in Baghdad

BAGHDAD — Angered by deadly airstrikes targeting an Iran-backed militia, dozens of Iraqi Shiite militiamen and their supporters broke into the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday, smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area in one of the worst attacks on the embassy in recent memory.

American guards fired tear gas, and palls of smoke rose over the embassy grounds.

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

State Dept Says All US Personnel Safe at Iraq Embassy, No Plans to Evacuate

WASHINGTON — State Dept says all US personnel safe at Iraq embassy, no plans to evacuate.

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

US Deploys About 750 Paratroopers to the Middle East Following Attack on Embassy in Baghdad

The Pentagon is dispatching about 750 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in response to an attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by Iranian-backed militia fighters, Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced on Tuesday.

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

US Presses Iraq to Protect American Personnel After Embassy Attack: ‘There Will be No Benghazis’

Trump administration officials and U.S. lawmakers turned up pressure on Iraq’s government to keep American personnel in the country safe, after a stunning assault on the embassy in Baghdad renewed concerns about the influence of Iran.

Dozens of Iraqi Shiite militiamen and their supporters breached the compound Tuesday, smashing a main door and setting fire to a reception area as protests raged over U.S. airstrikes over the weekend that killed members of the Iran-backed militia. President Trump accused Iran of “orchestrating” the attack, while defending the airstrikes as in response to an attack that killed an American contractor.

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

Putin Thanks Trump for Intel That Foiled Attack in Russia, Moscow Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked President Trump by phone for the U.S. providing information that helped thwart potential terrorist attacks, the Kremlin said.

Moscow initiated the phone call, in which the two leaders “discussed a range of issues of mutual interest and agreed to continue bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism,” the Kremlin said on Sunday. The White House didn’t immediately confirm the call.

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

Chinese State Media: ‘Gun Ownership Out of Control in U.S.’

The authoritarian Chinese Communist Party (CCP) calls every nation with more freedom “lawless”.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Exclusive: Hong Kongers Support Protester Demands; Minority Wants Independence From China — Reuters Poll

HONG KONG (Reuters) — Hong Kong’s protest movement is supported by 59% of city residents polled in a survey conducted for Reuters by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, with more than a third of respondents saying they had attended an anti-government demonstration.

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

Hong Kong Gears Up for Huge New Year’s Day Anti-Government March

HONG KONG (Reuters) — Tens of thousands of Hong Kong protesters are expected to join a New Year’s Day march on Wednesday as anti-government demonstrations that have embroiled the Chinese-ruled city for over half a year spill into 2020.

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

Hong Kong Protesters Stage New Year Marches as Authorities Cancel Midnight Fireworks

HONG KONG — Hong Kong protesters formed giant human chains and marched through shopping malls on New Year’s Eve, urging people not to give up the fight for democracy in 2020.

Police were out in force to quell any unrest and authorities canceled the popular midnight fireworks for the first time in a decade, citing security concerns.

A “Symphony of Lights’’ was planned instead, involving projections on the city’s tallest skyscrapers after a countdown to midnight.

“This year there are no fireworks, but there will probably be tear gas somewhere,” said 25-year-old IT worker Sam. “For us it’s not really New Year’s Eve. We have to resist every day.”

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

Priest Imprisoned for Nine Years After Calling Chinese Communist Party ‘Morally Incompatible With the Christian Faith’

Priest had led a church that commemorated the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Takeover: China is Building Enormous Self-Sustaining Chinese Cities All Over the African Continent

During colonial times, European powers exploited Africa for the vast resources that it possesses. But what China is doing today is actually much worse. Yes, the Chinese greatly desire African resources, but ultimately what they want is Africa itself. But instead of conquering Africa using military force, China is using economics instead. Today, more than 10,000 Chinese-owned firms are operating in Africa, and virtually every major road, bridge, railway and skyscraper is being built by the Chinese. As a result, most African nations are very deeply indebted to China at this point. And as you will see below, when those debts go bad that gives the Chinese a tremendous amount of leverage.

Many people believe that the endgame for China is to make a whole lot more money and to gain control over a whole lot more resources. And China is undoubtedly pursuing those goals, but as Forbes has noted, ultimately what this is about is turning Africa “into another Chinese continent”…

The reason Chinese corporations are in Africa is simple; to exploit the people and take their resources. It’s the same thing European colonists did during mercantile times, except worse. The Chinese corporations are trying to turn Africa into another Chinese continent. They are squeezing Africa for everything it is worth.

Right now, approximately two million Chinese citizens already live in Africa, and that number is steadily rising with each passing month.

These days, it is difficult to find a major construction project on the continent that is not being handled by the Chinese, and this has enabled them to put their imprint on some of the largest African cities. For example, just check out what is happening in Nairobi, Kenya…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Peru: Hundreds of People Queue to be ‘Cleansed’ By Guinea Pigs in Bizarre Ritual

Hundreds of people queued to be ‘cleansed’ by guinea pigs in a bizarre ritual ahead of New Year’s Eve.

Spiritual well-wishers in Lima, Peru, lined the streets as they waited to meet shaman Maria Ramos in a bid to cure and prevent diseases ahead of 2020.

Locals attended the Feria de los Deseos, also known as the ‘Fare of Wishes’, on Monday.

Huge crowds of residents patiently waited to be greeted by Maria, who uses rare guinea pigs during the ceremony.

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

The Stupidest Time in Human History

The end to the year once again illustrated how we truly live in the stupidest time in human history.

Good riddance 2019.

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

14 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/31/2019

  1. The bad news here starting 2020 is that Voice of Europe is ceasing their activities 🙁
    It was one of the best source of news, translating articles from many different european publications, we are going to miss it 🙁

  2. Might be an idea to find out/establish what is causing the unrest amongst its citizens in France. President Macron appears to be delusional if he thinks the problem will disapear of its own accord and by shoving hundreds of police at the public it certainly will not rest the unease that in fact is currently felt all over France. This nations immigation policy has been and is a disaster-Macron should distance himself from the German Chancellor not endeavour to run alongside her-surely he can see what is happening in Germany as a result of its pernicious invitation to flood that nation with mass immigration. And now through the United Nations Immigration Pact, a further 244 million migrants are swarming to the North African Coast in waiting to enter Europe with the Pact’s encouragement. Of course such a force should be stopped, but are Macron and Merkel et al strong enough and brave enough to put up the barriers for good against the tide?

    • I might be a bit harsh, but my understanding of the French is limited: they perceive it as a threat to their way of live to have to work till age 63, or retire at 60 with a deminished pension. This comes close to slavery, right?
      Socially, they are spoiled brats.

      • Thirty to forty years of faithful service to a firm doesn’t deserve some kind of compensation when one is too old to work anymore?

        While it might be argued 63 or 60 is too early for a pension, the financial benefits of modern wage slavery accrue to the elites and managerial class with access to capital and political influence or connections through patronage or family affiliation (what we in America would call “the good ole boy network”). This is the class that Macron represents and owes his election to. In times past, the nobility and wealthy had obligations of noblesse oblige, or in the more modern era, social responsibility.

        On it’s surface, taking care of elderly workers through pension plans would seem counter to capitalism; it fits with notions of nationalism and capitalism, which would encourage citizens to accept higher prices vs foreign imports with the knowledge they are supporting a local workforce and economy, and managers and firms that are thinking of more than just the next quarterly earnings report.

        Today, New Years Day in America my wife had to be at work at 10 am in a retail sales job. Never mind the fact that many of the adults in the country are likely hung over or otherwise have the day off to recover from festivities amidst a total lack of customers. The upper management, capital investors, and hedge fund managers who have them by the gonads would not tolerate it any other way. I used to be disgusted with the apparent lack of work ethic of the French but I have become more retrospect in my middle age. Life is not worth living if one doesn’t have time to stop and smell the roses. The French seem to have figured this out and I do not begrudge them for this.

        • Nice idea in theory, but note that the French government is concerned here with workers in state-owned enterprises, whose pensions are paid by taxpayers. Many of these work in the private sector, and are generally unlikely to enjoy such largesse themselves; also as people live longer, it is only realistic to push retirement age back, though there should be exceptions for people working in physically demanding occupations.

      • Yes,they dont understand.
        Some decades ago you get the pension only some years and then you was dead.
        Today people live longer but the dont want to work longer.

        Also without the Euro(and speciale contracts with African Colonies) France will be dead also,but Germans must work till 67 soon and accept it.

        But i read the french also dont work so much…a tire company wanted to build a factory and looked how they work,after it they sayed no!They sayed at the end they work only 4 hours and eat the rest of the time or had a break.

    • France got flooded with millions of muslims DECADES ago, why would the french suddenly grow a spine?

    • Broken window theory of economics in action.

      Just think about all the new jobs the immolation of the apes will be creating in Africa.

    • I think this was deliberate, from Merkel favourite pets , if You know what I mean , they hate all kind of animals a specially dogs ..

      • No,it looks like it was 3 stupid woman(a 60 year old with 2 old children).They burnt a so called Chinese Lamp that fly with fire…its forbidden in germany(but allowed to buy).
        They have gone themself to the police,so you can be sure they are not M…

        ps:Also its very bad because this Monkeys are very rare,only 2500 or so exist…

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