Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/27/2020

The number of deaths from the Wuhan Coronavirus officially acknowledged by the Chinese government has surpassed 100. The Philippines has ordered 500 Chinese citizens deported to prevent the spread of the disease. Meanwhile, Mongolia has closed its border with China. And the Centers for Disease Control is monitoring 110 potential cases of the coronavirus in the USA.

In other news, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Facebook is conspiring to re-elect President Trump.

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

Thanks to JD, László, 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. 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
» 14 January Patch Was the Last for Windows 7. Also Microsoft: Actually… Wallpaper-Stripping Bug Will be Fixed
» 20 States Start Legal Action to Prevent Trump Administration From Allowing 3D Printed Gun Blueprints Online
» Another Obama Solar Company Burns Out, Massive Ponzi Scheme
» Ari Shaffir on Kobe Bryant’s Death: “Hollywood Liberals Enjoy Rooting for the Lakers More Than They Dislike Rape”
» Breaking: Federal Prosecutors Want to Interview Prince Andrew Over Epstein Scandal
» CBS Blocks Angry Joe Show’s Star Trek: Picard Review for Using Just 26 Seconds of the Official Trailer
» CDC Monitoring 110 Possible Coronavirus Cases in 26 States
» Hillary Claims Facebook Conspiring to Re-Elect Trump
» Hundreds of Localities Across the Nation Join Virginians in Declaring Their Counties ‘Second Amendment Sanctuaries’
» Hunter Biden Agrees to Pay Child Support in Custody Case, Still Hasn’t Turned Over Financial Records
» J&J Scientific Officer ‘Pretty Confident’ They Can Create Coronavirus Vaccine as Outbreak Widens
» Justice Department to Team Up With States to Outline Google Antitrust Action
» Leader of ‘The Base’ Militant Group Revealed as Intelligence Contractor, Suspected Federal Agent
» Let’s Impeach the Entire U.S. House of Representatives
» Pelosi Shaped Her Golden Impeachment Pens to Look Like Bullets
» The Stunning Sham Impeachment of Donald Trump
» Two More Possible Coronavirus Patients Tested in New York
» US Sending More Staff to 20 Airports for Coronavirus Testing
» USMCA Full Story
» Warden in Charge When Jeffrey Epstein Died Behind Bars Given Top Job at ‘Club Fed’ Prison
» Washington Post Reporter Slammed for Insensitive Tweets as Nation Grieves for Kobe Bryant and Family
» YouTube Executive Suggests Algorithm Favors News Channels That Have a “Journalism Department”
 
Canada
» Coronavirus: Chief Medical Officer Advises Against Use of Face Masks
» Toronto Private Schools Ask Children to Stay Home After Coronavirus Threat
 
Europe and the EU
» British Broadcasting Watchdog Won’t Act on Jo Brand’s Acid-Throwing ‘Joke’
» Green Energy: German Electricity Prices Skyrocket to Record Highs
» Hungary: Slight Slow Down in Population Decline
» No Reports of Hungarians Affected by Coronavirus
» UK: ‘We Must End Politically Correct Policing’: David Kurten Quits UKIP to Stand for London Mayor
» UK: Commons Authorities Dash Dreams for Big Ben Bong on Brexit Day
» UK: Farage Slams Remoaners for Sadposting About Commemorative Brexit Coins
» UK: Ghislaine Maxwell Had Special Access to Buckingham Palace, Former Cop Claims
» UK: Railway Companies Give Free Travel to Victim’s Families to Attend Manchester Arianna Grande Bombing Trial
 
Middle East
» Turkey’s ‘Truthophobia’
 
South Asia
» Hindu Girl Abducted From Wedding Ceremony, Forcibly Converted and Married Off a Muslim Man in Pakistan
 
Far East
» Analyst Says Cases of Coronavirus Probably 10 Times Higher Than Official Number
» China Virus Death Toll Passes 100 as U.S., Canada Issue Travel Warning
» China Locks Down Cities and Suspends Overseas Tour Groups as Number of Coronavirus Cases Soars
» Coronavirus Outbreak: Mongolia Closes China Border
» EU Countries to Evacuate Citizens From Virus-Hit Wuhan in China
» Over and Over Again the Mainstream Media Hasn’t Been Telling us the Truth About This Coronavirus Outbreak
» Philippines to Deport 500 Chinese People to Prevent to Spread of Coronavirus
 
Australia — Pacific
» ‘Get Rid of Your Chip Off Your Shoulder’: Pauline Hanson’s Australia Day Message to Aboriginal Protestors Campaigning for a Change of Date for the National Day
» Young Family-of-Four Are Rushed to Hospital in Western Sydney With Suspected Coronavirus — as Another Thirteen Australians Fall Sick With Symptoms of the Chinese Killer Virus
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» ‘Biblical’ Locust Plague With Mega-Swarms the Size of Cities Descends on East Africa
 
Immigration
» Interior Ministry: Hungary Continues to Protect Schengen Borders
» Nearly 500 Migrants Rescued in the Mediterranean Seek Safe Ports
» Neil Gorsuch Issues Savage Rebuke to Activist Judges and Nationwide Injunctions
» Police Investigating Murder of Pro-Migration Finnish Woman by Her Migrant Boyfriend
» Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Enforce ‘Public Charge’ Immigration Restriction
» UK: Think Tank: Boris Plan to Scrap £30k Salary Requirement Will See Migration ‘Spin Out of Control’
» Warning Shots Fired at Migrants Trying to Escape at the Hungarian Border
 
Culture Wars
» Pastor Sues Vimeo for Deleting His Account and Refusing to Acknowledge His Sexuality as a “Former Homosexual”
» ‘Provocative’ Gender Dysphoria Expert Gives Vital Speech at McGill
 

14 January Patch Was the Last for Windows 7. Also Microsoft: Actually… Wallpaper-Stripping Bug Will be Fixed

Microsoft has quietly admitted that it will be fixing the final Windows 7 patch that left some stretched wallpapers borked.

It was to be the last hurrah for Windows 7: After the 14 January patch there would be no more freebies from Microsoft as extended support was turned off in favour of its paid-for Extended Security Update (ESU) program.

The up to three years of extra patches is being punted to enterprises or badly organised Germans, but out of reach for most ordinary users.

Those ordinary users, however, could be forgiven for feeling a little hard done by after an image of a favourite kitten or corporate logo was replaced, just by the act of applying the final patch — something more representative of the black heart of the Microsoft of yesteryear.

Microsoft updated its support page for the patch, suggesting those afflicted by the curse of KB4534310 should stop using the Stretch option wallpaper, or go for something that matched the desktop resolution.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

20 States Start Legal Action to Prevent Trump Administration From Allowing 3D Printed Gun Blueprints Online

20 US states have launched legal action against President Trump’s administration in a bid to prevent 3D printer blueprints for guns being published online.

Weapons made in this way are referred to as “ghost guns” because they don’t have serial numbers and are invisible to metal detectors due to being made out of plastic. Democrats, who are behind the lawsuit, say that their proliferation would bring about more violence.

Until now, the US State Department had control over the blueprints used to produce 3D printed guns, but the Trump administration wants to transfer it to the Commerce Department, which critics say would facilitate access to the technology necessary to make such guns, and weaken the government’s powers when it comes to exports of weapons.

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

Another Obama Solar Company Burns Out, Massive Ponzi Scheme

Another Obama solar initiative bites the dust, but not until after stealing millions from individuals, companies and the US government.

This solar project turned into the largest Ponzi scheme in Eastern California history.

It was reported this week that the owners of a massive solar company-turned-Ponzi scheme were indicted this week in Eastern California.

According to the DOJ in Eastern California:

The owners of DC Solar, a Benicia-based company, pleaded guilty today to charges related to a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme— the biggest criminal fraud scheme in the history of the Eastern District of California.

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

Ari Shaffir on Kobe Bryant’s Death: “Hollywood Liberals Enjoy Rooting for the Lakers More Than They Dislike Rape”

Comedian Ari Shaffir has stoked controversy after he reacted to the death of Kobe Bryant by tweeting, “Hollywood liberals who attack comedy enjoy rooting for the Lakers more than they dislike rape.”

Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter were among nine people tragically killed when a helicopter crashed in California in foggy weather yesterday.

While most people responded by celebrating Bryant’s basketball career, Shaffir took to Twitter to call out “Hollywood liberals” for glamorizing Bryant despite allegations that he raped a 19-year-old girl.

The 19-year-old hotel employee claimed Bryant raped her in the summer of 2003 but the case was later dropped after the accuser refused to testify at the trial.

Bryant apologized to the girl but said he believed the encounter to be consensual and later settled with her in a separate civil lawsuit.

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

Breaking: Federal Prosecutors Want to Interview Prince Andrew Over Epstein Scandal

The FBI and federal prosecutors in New York have asked if they can interview Prince Andrew in their ongoing investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein child sex-trafficking scandal.

According to ABC News, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced the news Monday: “Standing outside Epstein’s East 71st Street mansion on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Berman said Prince Andrew, despite his public offer of cooperation, has so far provided none. The FBI has reached out to the prince’s lawyers to no avail so far, he said.”

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

CBS Blocks Angry Joe Show’s Star Trek: Picard Review for Using Just 26 Seconds of the Official Trailer

Joe Vargas, host of The Angry Joe Show, has slammed CBS after his Star Trek: Picard review was blocked worldwide on YouTube as the result of a questionable copyright claim.

CBS filed the claim over Vargas’ use of two 13-second clips from the publicly available Picard trailer in his 40-minute video review.

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

CDC Monitoring 110 Possible Coronavirus Cases in 26 States

More than a hundred people across 26 states are being monitored for possible cases of the new coronavirus, health officials said Monday.

The number of possible cases of the dangerous virus nearly doubled to 110 cases over four days, up from the 63 previously reported to be under surveillance, according to CNBC.

“We understand that many people in the United States are worried about this virus and how it will affect Americans,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

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

Hillary Claims Facebook Conspiring to Re-Elect Trump

Authoritarian’ Zuckerberg is ‘Trumpian’

Conspiracy theorist Presidential failure Hillary Clinton declared this past weekend that she believes Facebook is conspiring to re-elect President Trump.

In an interview with Atlantic, Hillary proclaimed that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is an “authoritarian” who “intend[s] to reelect Trump.”

As evidence, Hillary pointed to Facebook leaving up a slowed-down video of Nancy Pelosi that someone uploaded to the platform.

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

Hundreds of Localities Across the Nation Join Virginians in Declaring Their Counties ‘Second Amendment Sanctuaries’

The “Second Amendment Sanctuary” movement that began in Virginia has gone national — with hundreds of counties and localities across the nation now declaring themselves to be standing against any new gun laws in their prospective states.

The counties and localities are joining at least 91 out of 95 counties in Virginia that have declared themselves “sanctuaries” against laws that infringe upon the Second Amendment, such as Red Flag laws.

The Hill tallied up the new areas joining the movement and found that at least 83 counties nationwide joined the movement this month, following 131 last month — even in states such as Mississippi which do not have any new gun control measures on the table. Their report noted that the counties joining the movement over the past couple of months join hundreds of others who have already made the declaration.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Hunter Biden Agrees to Pay Child Support in Custody Case, Still Hasn’t Turned Over Financial Records

Hunter Biden, the youngest son of 2020 presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount in monthly child support to a former Washington, D.C., stripper who now lives in Arkansas and bore him a son out of wedlock in 2018.

Biden’s agreement to pay child support came two days before he was ordered to appear in court for a hearing concerning whether or not he would be held in contempt for failing to disclose information about his finances, CNBC News reported. The support is retroactive to November 2018, three months after the child was born to Lunden Alexis Roberts, now 28 years old.

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

J&J Scientific Officer ‘Pretty Confident’ They Can Create Coronavirus Vaccine as Outbreak Widens

Johnson & Johnson’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Paul Stoffels, told CNBC on Monday that he believes the drugmaker can create a vaccine in the coming months to fight against the fast-spreading coronavirus.

But he said it could take up to a year to bring it to market.

“We have dozens of scientists working on this so we’re pretty confident we can get something made that will work and stay active for the longer term,” said Stoffels, also vice chairman of the executive committee, in a “Squawk Box”interview.

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

Justice Department to Team Up With States to Outline Google Antitrust Action

Google might now face one of the most grueling and intense antitrust investigations ever. At least seven state attorneys general are meeting with the US Justice Department in the coming week to plot the first course of action in what might be a joint investigative effort on the tech giant, reports the Wall Street Journal.

While the attorneys general of fifty US states are already conducting an antitrust investigation on Google, the US Justice Department is also heading a broader antitrust review against big tech.

But then, the WSJ’s sources state that the state and federal authorities haven’t shared any information regarding the ongoing investigation(s).

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

Leader of ‘The Base’ Militant Group Revealed as Intelligence Contractor, Suspected Federal Agent

Readers will no doubt be shocked to learn the leader of the “white supremacist neo-Nazi terrorist group” the Base is an intelligence contractor and appears to be a federal agent.

In truth, it’d probably be more shocking to learn he wasn’t a fed.

From The Guardian, “Revealed: the true identity of the leader of an American neo-Nazi terror group”:…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Let’s Impeach the Entire U.S. House of Representatives

The majority of them should be impeached because they sit on their butts and do nothing as to bettering our country.

They funded two outrageous wars for 19 years with nothing accomplished, not gained and nothing resolved. They killed over 6,500 of our finest young men and women. They killed tens of thousands of innocents in Afghanistan and Iraq. They feed the pockets of the Military Industrial Complex. They enjoy insider trading on defense contracts that fattens their bank accounts. They ruined thousands of men’s lives and their families with PTSD, drug addiction and divorces. They’ve ruined thousands of kids’ lives with fathers being deployed up to 11 times. We’ve got 22 military-veteran suicides 24/7 because of those wars. It’s criminal for the members of Congress to commit such brazen acts of stupidity for 19 years.

While Congress funds those wars, it has done NOTHING to stop the invasion of our country by over 25 million illegal border violators. Congress won’t enforce the laws on our books, so employers brazenly hire them, transport them and house them. We pay for their medical, their children’s K-12 schooling, breakfasts and lunches, and ESL classes. We American taxpayers get screwed while those employers bribe Congress and make billions upon billions, i.e., McDonalds, Hormel, Tyson Chicken, Montfort, Chipotle’s, Marriott Hotels, Holiday Inn and hundreds more. At the same time, we’ve got millions of Americans barely able to exist above the poverty level. Yet, we wasted $6 trillion in those useless, stupid, and insane 19-year wars—that could have been used for life-giving education, better housing, better job training, and better everything for Americans.

An average of 300,000 pregnant illegal alien women birth their babies on our soil annually to gain “jackpot” or “anchor baby” status in order to tap into our welfare systems. HR 140 by Rep Steve King of IA has sat in committee for 10 years. It would stop this anchor baby scam, but Congress won’t pass it. All of them should be rounded up and impeached. The DACA scam, the same corruption caused by the members of Congress.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Pelosi Shaped Her Golden Impeachment Pens to Look Like Bullets

Those ceremonial Impeachment signing pens which Nancy passed out to her co-conspirators were not merely expensive taxpayer funded souvenirs (5K in total).

They were part of her “Trump will be out, one way or another” threat.

Closeup inspection of those pens…the front third is shaped, colored, and dimensioned identically to a .223 / 5.56X45 round.

Could you imagine if the parties were reversed? Pelosi should be censured for this dangerous stunt.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

The Stunning Sham Impeachment of Donald Trump

From day one, when Donald Trump became the president of the United States, the entire leftist media, law enforcement establishment, former President Obama, and minions of former President Obama, to include Hillary Clinton, Hollywood celebrities, and the Democratic Party had one mission: To force President Trump out of office. They drove investigation after investigation, and after three years, along with tens of millions of dollars spent at taxpayers’ expense, they found nothing on him to force him out. ZERO.

The Russian hoax turned out to be a hoax. Trump said “[Special counsel Robert] Mueller showed the Democrats not only have nothing, now they have less than nothing.”

But that did not please the appetite of hungry leftist wolves who were after blood. Since the House of Representatives is controlled by the Democrats, they contrived a fake excuse to impeach Trump.

“House Democrats have long wanted to overturn the votes of 63 million Americans. They have determined that they must impeach President Trump because they cannot legitimately defeat him at the ballot box. The Democrats’ use of a phone call with the president of Ukraine — with a transcript the president himself released — served as their excuse for this partisan, gratuitous, and pathetic attempt to overthrow the Trump administration and reverse the results of the 2016 election.”

It was 100% sham.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Two More Possible Coronavirus Patients Tested in New York

Two more New Yorkers have been tested as possible coronavirus patients, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Samples for nine people from the Empire State have been sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since the outbreak began — with four coming back negative and five still pending.

On Sunday, Cuomo had said seven cases had been sent, with three proving negative and four still up in the air.

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

US Sending More Staff to 20 Airports for Coronavirus Testing

The US government is directing more personnel to assist with coronavirus screenings at 20 airports — as the outbreak of the deadly virus continues, a report said Monday.

The additional resources will be sent to airports that handle nearly all incoming passengers from China, the Washington Post reported, citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vice President Mike Pence mentioned the expansion earlier Monday.

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

USMCA Full Story

Despite being heralded as a “big win” by President Trump, the USMCA appears to have all the earmarks of Obama-era trade agreements, with former Obama officials seeing stark similarities. Much of the USMCA’s text is virtually identical to that of President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — a “free trade” agreement negotiated among 12 Pacific Rim nations (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam) and at the time representing 40 percent of the world’s GDP. The TPP has since been renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

During the 2016 presidential elections, then-candidate Trump staunchly opposed the TPP, making it the centerpiece of his belief in “Americanism, not globalism.” However, it’s important to remember that Trump did not personally negotiate the USMCA, nor did he pen any portions of the document. Trump’s lead NAFTA/USMCA negotiator was U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer, who’s been a longtime member of the globalist, one-world-government-building Council on Foreign Relations, and has also previously applauded the Obama administration’s TPP agreement. In addition to Lighthizer, another of Trump’s negotiators was his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has had business ties with the Deep State, including Goldman Sachs and George Soros.

In addition to Lighthizer and Kushner, many of the negotiators working within both the State Department and USTR office are career diplomats and employees, many of whom also worked in the same capacity during the Obama administration. According to the Huffington Post, “At least half of the men and women standing behind Trump during his Rose Garden ceremony praising the new deal were the same career service staff who negotiated nearly identical provisions in TPP, which Trump had railed against.” Trevor Kincaid, the USTR spokesman for the Obama administration, told the Huffington Post that the individuals standing behind Trump at the Rose Garden were the same USTR team that worked under Obama. “Ironically, he called them horrible negotiators when running for office,” Kincaid said, later adding, “It’s really the same with a new name. It’s basically the ‘22 Jump Street’ of trade deals.”…

Giving these powers to the Free Trade Commission makes the USMCA a “living agreement,” much like the TPP, thus allowing the Free Trade Commission to change the agreement without the consent of the U.S. Congress. In fact, the agreement completely undermines Congress’ Constitutional Article I, Section 8 power to regulate trade with foreign nations, such as Mexico and Canada, and to impose tariffs on them should the need arise, as in the case of national security.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Warden in Charge When Jeffrey Epstein Died Behind Bars Given Top Job at ‘Club Fed’ Prison

The warden in charge when Jeffrey Epstein died in his jail cell is getting a cushy new supervisor’s job at ‘Club Fed’ despite Attorney General Bill Barr’s demand that he be reassigned to a desk job.

[Comment: Likely his reward for a job “well done.”]

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Washington Post Reporter Slammed for Insensitive Tweets as Nation Grieves for Kobe Bryant and Family

Felicia Somnez, a reporter from The Washington Post, has deleted a series of insensitive tweets about NBA legend Kobe Bryant who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash earlier today — along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

The nation was shocked when they heard that Bryant and his daughter had died in the crash and took to social media to share their condolences.

However, as Twitter timelines became filled with mourning fans, Somnez instead used the sensitive moments soon after the deaths to tweet out a three-year-old article containing rape allegations against Bryant.

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

YouTube Executive Suggests Algorithm Favors News Channels That Have a “Journalism Department”

Cristos Goodrow, VP of engineering at Google, is also the head of Google’s division dubbed Search and Discovery at YouTube. It’s something that’s also known — but very poorly understood, while directly affecting millions of YouTube creators — as “the YouTube algorithm.”

Now, quizzed on Lex Fridman’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Podcast, Goodrow was, among other things, asked how new creators might get videos that clearly have “quality and depth” but virtually no engagement — surface on the platform.

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

Coronavirus: Chief Medical Officer Advises Against Use of Face Masks

There are now two confirmed cases of coronavirus in Canada and many Canadians are wondering if they should adopt the practice wearing a face mask for the purpose of prevention.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams said in a press conference this afternoon that the Ministry of Health has “never recommended” face masks. Williams acknowledged that while other cultures practice the use of face masks, it would not benefit Canadians to use them according to The Star.

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

Toronto Private Schools Ask Children to Stay Home After Coronavirus Threat

Two private schools in the Greater Toronto Area have made it aware that some parents were on the same flight as the Ontario patient who has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, according to CTV News.

Since coronavirus was brought to the attention of the Western public last week, there has been a great deal of panic around the spreading of the virus. Originally starting in Wuhan, China, the disease has now spread to Canada—with two confirmed cases.

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

British Broadcasting Watchdog Won’t Act on Jo Brand’s Acid-Throwing ‘Joke’

Ofcom has announced that it will not probe further into comedienne Jo Brand suggesting people throw battery acid at politicians during a radio programme.

The ‘joke’ was aired on BBC Radio 4’s Heresy show in June, after a number of right-wing political candidates, notably Nigel Farage, had had milkshakes thrown over them by leftist activists during the May European Parliament elections.

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

Green Energy: German Electricity Prices Skyrocket to Record Highs

Germany’s Energiewende (transition to green energies) is driving up prices

by Holger Douglas

(Translated/edited by P. Gosselin)

For a long time, electricity prices have known only one direction: upwards! Ever faster, ever more clearly.

Now the shock for many families: The Federal Government has presented official figures in an answer to an inquiry from the FDP Free Democrats parliamentary group in the Bundestag and announced the true extent of the electricity price increase.

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

Hungary: Slight Slow Down in Population Decline

Hungary’s population decline slowed slightly in the first eleven months of 2019 after 1.5 percent fewer births and 0.8 percent fewer deaths were registered compared with the same period last year, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Friday.

The number of marriages jumped by 27 percent, with 61,979 couples tying the knot, compared with the same period last year, and the highest number since 1989.

In the first eleven months of the year, 81,341 children were born, 1,274 fewer than in the same period last year, while 117,964 people died, 933 fewer than in Jan-Nov 2019.

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

No Reports of Hungarians Affected by Coronavirus

The foreign ministry state secretary in charge of communications said on Sunday that there were no reports of Hungarians affected by the coronavirus epidemic, which started in China.

“There are no reports of Hungarians abroad or in Hungary affected by the epidemic and no foreigners staying in Hungary who had been affected by the virus in the past,” Tamas Menczer told a press conference.

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

UK: ‘We Must End Politically Correct Policing’: David Kurten Quits UKIP to Stand for London Mayor

London’s crime wave has been aggravated by bad policy and its housing crisis cannot be solved without controlling immigration, Christian conservative London Assembly member David Kurten has said, as he announces his run for mayor.

David Kurten — former teacher, and one-time party education spokesman who wrote the 2019 general election UKIP manifesto — tore up his membership card last week and will now run against Labour’s incumbent Sadiq Khan for London mayor as an independent

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

UK: Commons Authorities Dash Dreams for Big Ben Bong on Brexit Day

Mark Francois MP announced that his final attempts to persuade the House of Commons authority to bong Big Ben, the famous bell in the Queen Elizabeth clock tower on Brexit day have been unsuccessful.

The StandUp4Brexit campaign group had raised some £270,000 from the British public for the estimated £500,000 cost to restore a temporary clapper to the Queen Elizabeth II clock tower, which is currently undergoing conservation work.

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

UK: Farage Slams Remoaners for Sadposting About Commemorative Brexit Coins

Brexit leader Nigel Farage has criticised leading Remainers for saying they would not accept and refuse to use the commemorative 50p coins marking the UK leaving the EU.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid revealed the commemorative coin which bears the phrase, “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” and the date of exit, “31 January 2020”.

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

UK: Ghislaine Maxwell Had Special Access to Buckingham Palace, Former Cop Claims

Prince Andrew was so close to Jeffrey Epstein’s accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell he would secretly let her into Buckingham Palace up to four times a day, his former police protection officer claims.

Former London cop Paul Page told the Sunday Mirror that even before the Epstein scandal blew up from his child-sex conviction, Maxwell’s visits to the palace were kept hush-hush.

“We’ve got a guest coming for Andrew but the name is not to be entered in the book,” Page claims he was told by the Palace’s property managers the first time he saw Maxwell visit in 2001.

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

UK: Railway Companies Give Free Travel to Victim’s Families to Attend Manchester Arianna Grande Bombing Trial

The families of victims of the 2017 Manchester Islamist suicide bombing at an Arianna Grande concert that killed 22 will be able to travel to the trial of the bomber’s brother for free after British rail companies agreed to waive the fares.

The trial of the younger brother of bomber Salman Abedi, Hashem Abedi, began on Monday and is expected to last six months or more. While the older sibling Salman carried the device that detonated at the Manchester Arena on May 22 2017, exploding in the atrium as concert-goers left an Ariana Grande concert, younger brother Hashem is alleged to have been involved in planning the attack.

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

Turkey’s ‘Truthophobia’

In 2014 the government of Turkey’s strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan banned YouTube and Twitter, fearing that millions of young Turks could otherwise read “dangerous content” on social media. The Constitutional Court declared the bans unconstitutional. In 2017, the Turkish government banned Wikipedia. That ban was removed only recently, after two and a half years. It is not that Wikipedia is a reliable source of information. Banning it altogether is a rogue state behavior. It is not, however, only about Wikipedia: in Turkey, truth, regardless of its source, is feared and often banned.

The World Report 2020, released by the Human Rights Watch, drew a realistic yet gloomy picture of civil liberties in Turkey.

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

Hindu Girl Abducted From Wedding Ceremony, Forcibly Converted and Married Off a Muslim Man in Pakistan

Kishore Das, the father of Bharti Bai, said his daughter’s marriage ceremony was underway when the kidnapper named Shah Rukh Gul came with several men along with policemen and took his daughter away in broad daylight.

Hamza Ameer | India Today Online | Karachi | January 27, 2020:: In Pakistan’s Sindh province, where several cases of abduction, conversion and marriage of young Hindu girls have been reported in the recent past, another case surfaced on Sunday.

A 24-year-old Hindu woman was allegedly kidnapped by assailants under the supervision of local police authorities from her wedding venue in Hala, a city located in Matiari district in Sindh province, about 215 km away from the provincial capital Karachi.

According to reports, the woman Bharti Bai, was then forcefully converted to Islam and married to a Muslim man.

Bharti was to be married to a Hindu man in Hala city, when unknown assailants allegedly stormed the venue and kidnapped her. Later, a picture of Bharti along with documents of her conversion to Islam and marriage to Shah Rukh Gul went viral on social media.

According to the documents of her conversion, it seems that Bharti had converted to Islam on December 1, 2019, which may be the reason why she was taken away from her wedding venue.

As per the conversion certificate, Bharti’s new name after converting to Islam is ‘Bushra’. Jamiat-ul-Uloom Islamia, located at Allama Muhammad Yousuf Banuri town in Karachi, issued the certificate of Bharti’s conversion while her conversion was witnessed and certified by Mufti AbuBakar Saeed ur Rehman.

As per her National Identity Card, details of which were shared in the documents, her permanent address is in Hala. However, her temporary address is of Gulshan Iqbal area in Karachi, which may be taken as her current area of residence.

It is still uncertain as to when she got married to Shah Rukh Gul. However, her marriage certificate aka nikkah document shows that the Muslim man is also a resident of Hala. Shah Rukh, the son of Nisar Ahmed, is also 24 years old.

The family of Bharti aka Bushra has demanded for her return, who they claim was kidnapped by Shah Rukh under the supervision and presence of local police authorities.

On the other hand, it is being said that Bharti had converted to Islam at least one month prior to the incident. Her parents allegedly found out about her conversion and were getting her married to a Muslim man forcibly.

It is being claimed that the news of her marriage prompted Shah Rukh Gul to go to the police and claim that Bharti aka Bushra was his wife and being married off by her parents to a Hindu man illegally.

Even though the news and details of the whole episode is based on details gathered from locals in Hala, the issue has raised serious concerns amongst the Hindu community in Pakistan, who are questioning the Imran Khan-led government of its promises to provide security to minorities in the country.

           — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari [Return to headlines]
 

Analyst Says Cases of Coronavirus Probably 10 Times Higher Than Official Number

A health care analyst says that the number of coronavirus cases is probably ten times higher than is being reported by Chinese authorities.

Raymond James health care policy analyst Chris Meekins said that the official numbers of those killed and infected by the virus is “really a fraction” of those who actually have contracted the disease due to China’s history of underreporting public health crises.

“Based on conversations I’ve had with individuals both in the U.S. government and more importantly [in China] is that the number that have been reported out of China on this disease are really a fraction of the number of people who have probably had the disease,” Meekins told Yahoo Finance.

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

China Virus Death Toll Passes 100 as U.S., Canada Issue Travel Warning

SHANGHAI (Reuters) — The United States warned against travel to China on Monday and Canada issued a more narrow travel warning as the death toll from the spreading coronavirus passed 100, with tens of millions stranded during the biggest holiday of the year and global markets rattled.

Global stocks fell, oil prices hit three-month lows, and China’s yuan dipped to its weakest level in 2020 as investors fretted about damage to the world’s second-biggest economy from travel bans and the Lunar New Year holiday, which China extended in a bid to keep people at home.

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

China Locks Down Cities and Suspends Overseas Tour Groups as Number of Coronavirus Cases Soars

The number of coronavirus infections has spiked.

The pneumonia-causing illness that infects the respiratory tract is now responsible for 82 deaths in China, up from 56 the day before, and at least 2,744 infections, up from 1,975, health officials in China said Monday. On Saturday, the trade association of Chinese travel agencies also said that it would suspend overseas tour groups and flight/hotel vacation packages for Chinese citizens, effective Monday.

The outbreak spread rapidly over the last seven days. It has infected people in Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, France, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Macao and Nepal. There have also been five confirmed cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. It is believed to have originated in Wuhan, likely at a food market. On Saturday, the U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of all U.S. personnel at the Consulate in Wuhan.

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

Coronavirus Outbreak: Mongolia Closes China Border

The government of Mongolia said Monday it has closed its large border with China, and Malaysia announced that it would bar visitors from the Chinese province at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak after medical officials warned its ability to spread was growing.

The ban makes both nations the second and third countries to close its border with China, following North Korea. Malaysian officials said they would halt the issue of visas for Chinese travelers from Wuhan, where the virus was first reported last month, and surrounding areas.

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

EU Countries to Evacuate Citizens From Virus-Hit Wuhan in China

Several European countries are to evacuate their citizens out of the Wuhan area in China where the coronavirus has already killed at least 80 people and affected around 2,700, despite China’s massive efforts to contain the epidemic, Deutsche Welle reports. France has confirmed three cases of infection within its borders. French health minister Agnes Buzyn said repatriations by plane will start by midweek, with the agreement of Chinese authorities.

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

Over and Over Again the Mainstream Media Hasn’t Been Telling us the Truth About This Coronavirus Outbreak

Ever since this coronavirus outbreak first began, the mainstream media has been feeding us fake news over and over again. Initially, we were repeatedly told that there was very little to be concerned about because it was very unlikely that human to human transmission was happening. But now we know that this virus spreads very, very easily between people.

Another thing that we were repeatedly told by the mainstream media was that a victim had to start showing symptoms before they could spread the disease. Unfortunately, now we know that is completely and totally false. As you will see below, Chinese officials have confirmed that even those showing no symptoms at all can spread the disease. But perhaps the biggest fraud of all has been the “official numbers” that the Chinese government has been putting out. According to the latest count, there are now 2,051 confirmed cases and the death toll has risen to 56, but at this point, it has become clear that those numbers are completely divorced from reality.

Over the past several days, thousands upon thousands of very sick people have been absolutely overwhelming the hospitals in Wuhan, China. In some cases, people have literally had to wait in line for two days to see a doctor, and in other cases, people have not been able to see a doctor at all. In fact, one 36-year-old woman has taken her very sick husband to multiple hospitals and they still haven’t been able to see a doctor. The following comes from the South China Morning Post:…

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Philippines to Deport 500 Chinese People to Prevent to Spread of Coronavirus

The Philippines is to deport 500 Chinese citizens who arrived in the country from Wuhan in an attempt to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The tourists were heading to Boracay for a holiday but will now be sent straight back.

“Philippine authorities are sending back nearly 500 Chinese tourists who came from Wuhan,” reports CNA.

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

‘Get Rid of Your Chip Off Your Shoulder’: Pauline Hanson’s Australia Day Message to Aboriginal Protestors Campaigning for a Change of Date for the National Day

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (pictured) has claimed Aboriginal people who want Australia Day moved away from January 26 need to ‘get the chip off their shoulder’.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

Young Family-of-Four Are Rushed to Hospital in Western Sydney With Suspected Coronavirus — as Another Thirteen Australians Fall Sick With Symptoms of the Chinese Killer Virus

The family of two adults and two children were taken to Westmead Hospital in western Sydney on Monday afternoon after showing symptoms of the disease.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

‘Biblical’ Locust Plague With Mega-Swarms the Size of Cities Descends on East Africa

The worse outbreak of desert locusts in seventy years is ravaging East Africa.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Interior Ministry: Hungary Continues to Protect Schengen Borders

A Hungarian delegation has attended a two-day informal meeting of interior and justice ministers of the European Union, and said that Hungary’s main goal remains protecting Hungary and the border of the Schengen area from illegal migration, the interior ministry said on Friday.

Karoly Kontrat, a state secretary of the interior ministry, led the Hungarian delegation at the meeting in Zagreb, the statement said.

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

Nearly 500 Migrants Rescued in the Mediterranean Seek Safe Ports

In the central Mediterranean (AFP) — Nearly 500 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by two boats run by aid agencies were looking for safe ports in Malta and Italy, the groups said Monday.

The Ocean Viking, a rescue vessel run by SOS Mediterranee in partnership with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was carrying 407 people rescued in a total of five operations carried out over 72 hours.

Another 78 people were taken on board the Alan Kurdi, run by the Sea-Eye organisation based in Germany. They were rescued in two operations.

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

Neil Gorsuch Issues Savage Rebuke to Activist Judges and Nationwide Injunctions

On Monday, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration’s public charge rule to go into effect, striking down a nationwide injunction from a New York judge. The rule allows the government to deny green cards to immigrants who receive public assistance and are therefore considered a “public charge.”

In addition to the 5-4 decision allowing the rule to go into effect, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch issued a concurring opinion rebuking activist judges and their rush to apply “nationwide injunctions” against Trump administration policies.

“Today the Court (rightly) grants a stay, allowing the government to pursue (for now) its policy everywhere save Illinois. But, in light of all that’s come before, it would be delusional to think that one stay today suffices to remedy the problem. The real problem here is the increasingly common practice of trial courts ordering relief that transcends the cases before them. Whether framed as injunctions of ‘nationwide,’ ‘universal,’ or ‘cosmic’ scope, these orders share the same basic flaw—they direct how the defendant must act toward persons who are not parties to the case,” Gorsuch wrote.

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

Police Investigating Murder of Pro-Migration Finnish Woman by Her Migrant Boyfriend

Police in Finland are investigating the murder of a woman killed by her migrant ex-boyfriend after making pro-mass migration posts on social media.

Sanni Ovaska was reportedly killed last week by Hasan Alqina, who then committed suicide. Alqina was in the country as a Palestinian asylum seeker and had earlier been denied a residency permit.

Authorities were alerted after a neighbor saw evidence of a crime at the apartment in Hämeenlinna. A photo was later posted to Twitter showing blood seeping under the door of the apartment.

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

Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Enforce ‘Public Charge’ Immigration Restriction

The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to enforce, for now, its “public charge” immigration restriction, lifting a pair of preliminary injunctions issued by federal judges.

The Monday order followed a 5-4 split vote that divided the court’s conservatives and liberals.

At issue is the administration’s rule issued in August that would restrict immigrants entering the United States if the government believes they will rely on public assistance, such as housing or health care benefits. Lower federal courts had blocked the policy from being implemented while the issue is being litigated.

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

UK: Think Tank: Boris Plan to Scrap £30k Salary Requirement Will See Migration ‘Spin Out of Control’

Reports that Boris Johnson intends to scrap the £30,000 salary requirement for importing foreign workers will see immigration “spin out of control”, a think tank has warned.

“The Conservative Government has committed itself to delivering the ‘people’s priorities’ and has promised a reduction in the overall level of immigration,” Migration Watch UK recalled in a press release seen by Breitbart London.

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

Warning Shots Fired at Migrants Trying to Escape at the Hungarian Border

The Romanian border police stopped two migrants with warning shots. The men tried to illegally cross the Romanian-Hungarian green border late Saturday night in the Óvári region of Satu Mare county.

On Saturday, the border police spotted two men marching toward Hungary at around 11 p.m. The two migrants did not stop at the order of the border police and approached the state border line fifty meters away.

The border police forced the men to stop, with two shots fired into the air — wrote the Romanian Border Police on its website.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the 29-year-old and 38-year-old men were from Tunisia. They are now prosecuted in Romania for attempted border crossing.

           — Hat tip: László [Return to headlines]
 

Pastor Sues Vimeo for Deleting His Account and Refusing to Acknowledge His Sexuality as a “Former Homosexual”

YouTube’s contender Vimeo is now facing a lawsuit over shutting down a pastor’s account for uploading videos containing content related to “conversion therapy”.

The man describes himself as a “former homosexual” on the platform and suggests that if others are allowed to proclaim their sexuality, he should be too.

Vimeo observers a strict ban on promoting “gay-conversion therapy” and refuses to allow content that validates the idea that a person’s sexuality can be fluid and change.

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

‘Provocative’ Gender Dysphoria Expert Gives Vital Speech at McGill

On Thurs Jan 23, University of Toronto professor of psychiatry Dr. Ken Zucker, a leading international expert on gender dysphoria, and editor-in-chief of Archives of Sexual Behaviour, spoke at McGill University. Dr. Zucker’s presentation was titled, “Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria: Some contemporary research and clinical issues.”

Inviting Dr. Zucker to speak in an open forum was an act of courage, as he is Canada’s most controversial researcher/clinician in this domain. In a recent column for the National Post on the run-up to this event, I summarized the story of his persecution by hostile trans activists and linked to a more detailed account.

Dr. Zucker’s critics accuse him of practicing “conversion therapy,” by which they mean his objective is to prevent his patients from transitioning. But what Dr. Zucker actually practices, as he explained to me in an interview, is “Developmentally Informed Psychotherapy.”

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

18 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/27/2020

  1. “Hillary Clinton said that Facebook is conspiring to re-elect President Trump.”

    HOW DARE THEY….!

  2. “‘Provocative’ Gender Dysphoria Expert Gives Vital Speech at McGill” Yes, this is precisely why an expert, not people online or the person in question, need to examine the patient and over the course of several sessions determine whether it’s a case of transsexuality or some mental illness or a way of coping with some other problems in life.

    Let’s not forget that in America more boys are wanting to be girls simply because they see that girls are treated better. They’re not transsexual, they just want to be treated better. It’s like sociology 101. And it’s why the transgender movement in schools is so dangerous.

  3. “Pelosi Shaped Her Golden Impeachment Pens to Look Like Bullets” I thought Dems were against guns…

      • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Muslims

        “Nazi Germany”
        “Nazi ideology considered ethnic groups associated with Islam to be “racially inferior”, particularly Arabs.[165]

        During the Invasion of France thousands of Muslims, both Arabs and sub-Saharan Africans, that were serving in French colonial units were captured by the Germans. Massacres of these men were widespread, most notably Moroccans in the fighting around Cambrai against Waffen SS troops, who were killed in mass after being driven from the outskirts of the city and surrendering.[166] Another major massacre against captured Muslim Senegalese troops took place at Erquinvillers by both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS troops.[167]

        During Operation Barbarossa the Einsatzgruppen engaged in the mass execution of over 140,000 Soviet POWs,[168] many of whom were killed for being Muslim or having “Asiatic features”.[169][170] Civilian Muslim men were often mistaken for Jews due to being circumsized and killed.[171] Various Muslim ethnic groups were targeted for extermination, such as the Turkmens.[172]”

  4. The original of this particular Coronavirus genome was stolen by a Chinese researcher at a biolab in Canada that was working to find a cure for the four other variants of this strain, the last one being SARS. She has since been dismissed and deported. SARS, first reported in China in 2002, spread to 27 countries, infecting around 8,000 people and killing 700.

    Wuhan is the centre of Chinese biowarfare research. Latest reports show that the Corona 2019-nCoV did not originate in the fish market but migrated there from prior cases and has nothing to do with bat soup.

    2 + 2?

    Thus, we could be facing a global pandemic on a scale proportional fatality wise to the Black Death. Under those circumstances all this furore over Huawei 5G becomes immaterial as there will be few left to use it even if enough are left to manufacture and install it.

    Furthermore, there is huge Chinese presence in Africa. If it arrives there, there will be no stopping it. Hajj 2020 could be fun as well.

  5. Possible good news or just more taqiyya in action:

    Saudi Arabia to stop funding mosques in foreign countries

    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200125-saudi-arabia-to-stop-funding-mosques-in-foreign-countries/

    They may be doing this because they feel the mosques in those countries now pull in enough legal and illegal income to be self-sustaining. I am sure the cratering of the Saudi Aramco isn’t helping with available funding either.

    Meanwhile, France continues to allow itself to be cuckolded by its former colonies:

    300 Algerian and Moroccan imams expected in France during Ramadan

    https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180426-300-algerian-and-moroccan-imams-expected-in-france-during-ramadan/

    I like France, but that is absolutely pathetic on their part.

    • Members of Saudi family are not completely like-minded and correlated. Some actively seek to bring the end times and some prefer to keep ties with US and sell the oil while they can. I don’t know them in person, of course, but that’s what one of our researchers once wrote, and he is the only researcher in this country worth his salt.

      People in Europe-USA feel disgusted to see USA/Israel go along with Saudis. But that’s the way to control them and keep the less-malevolent sects of Saudis in power. At least that’s the answer I found to the Saudi Question.

    • Saudi Arabia must be well aware by now that their day will come. For now they are on the back-burner. The equal but opposite reaction to the humanity hating Muslim cess pit is still building a raging equaliser – c’est la vie.

  6. Question: which do you prefer, an Islamic Europe? Or a dead Europe versus Corona-virus? Having a hard time deciding

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