UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recovered sufficiently from the Wuhan Coronavirus to be released from hospital. Meanwhile, Italy is forcing passengers on the migrant-rescue ship Alan Kurdi to transfer to a quarantine ship. Also, France released 8,000 prisoners during March because of the coronavirus.
In other news, the British Border Force intercepted 72 migrants today who were attempting to cross the English Channel in four separate vessels.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to C. Cantoni, Fjordman, GH, Insubria, JD, Reader from Chicago, SS, 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.
The IRS announced Saturday that it had deposited the first wave of coronavirus relief payments into Americans’ bank accounts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: We’ll Keep Fighting for Eurobonds Says Conte
Premier accuses opposition of lying about ESM
(ANSA) — Rome, April 10 — Premier Giuseppe Conte said Friday that Italy had not given up on its drive for the European Union to issue Eurobonds to finance a common response to the economic earthquake caused by the coronavirus emergency.
He described the compromise reached by the Eurogroup on Thursday, giving States unconditional access to the ESM bailout fund to up to 2% of GDP, as “a step forward, but not sufficient”.
He also accused the opposition centre-right of “lying by saying that we will use the ESM” adding “they weaken Italy in Europe”.
“We won’t activate the ESM and I won’t sign up to any proposal that is not ambitious,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
JPMorgan Predicts Staggering 40% GDP Drop, 20% Unemployment in 2nd Quarter
JPMorgan economists are predicting a devastating 40% drop in U.S. GDP in the second quarter, coupled with a 20% unemployment rate, as the economy continues to be paralyzed by government-ordered lockdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NetCents Declares Readiness for Expected US Federal Reserve “Digital Dollar”
NetCents Technology Inc. (CSE: NC) (FSE: 26N) (OTCQB: NTTCF) (“NetCents” or the “Company”), a disruptive cryptocurrency payments technologies company, is pleased to announce that it has completed internally designated preparation for the expected US Government backed cryptocurrency, “Central Bank Digital Currency” (CBDC).
NetCents jumped into action as soon as it learned of the plans US Congress made to legislate for this US Federal Reserve Digital Currency as part of two different versions of the first COVID-19 Stimulus Bill (“Stimulus Bill” or the “Bill”). Ultimately this aspect of the legislation wasn’t included in the final version of the first Stimulus Bill, but the Board and Advisors of NetCents have agreed that this “Digital Dollar” will be included in subsequent legislation.
The Bill is expected to establish a “Digital Dollar”, defined as ‘a balance expressed as a dollar value consisting of digital ledger entries that are recorded as liabilities in the accounts of any Federal Reserve Bank or … an electronic unit of value, redeemable by an eligible financial institution.’ This will create a cryptocurrency backed and guaranteed by the US Federal Government. The Bill goes on to define a digital wallet, and a requirement that US chartered banks offer these wallets.
[…]
“We fully support the US Government in its’ creation of the contemplated Digital Reserve Currency. The US dollar is already the reserve currency of the World — so moving it to a digital format makes total sense. The US might have 63 million unbanked, but the planet Earth has billions of unbanked — it only makes sense that the dollar take a digital form to enable remittance and micropayments for the unbanked globally — as well as ensure its status as the World’s dominant currency. The benefits to the Treasury would accrue into many billions of dollars in innumerable ways. Societal benefits would be created as well; a Digital Dollar would be difficult to use for crimes and funding terrorism for example. This milestone is the ultimate endorsement that Cryptocurrency and Blockchain are here to stay,” stated Clayton Moore, Chief Executive Officer, NetCents. “We look forward to offering our platform to US Banks and then to Global Banks so that they can meet the requirements for a digital USD wallet,” he summarized.
| — Hat tip: GH | [Return to headlines] |
Amazon Video Bans Mike Cernovich’s Documentary “Hoaxed”, Which Focuses on Media Misinformation
“It’s not a technical issue. We don’t have to tell you why we removed Hoaxed.”
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
CDC: About 90% of Coronavirus Hospitalized Patients Have Underlying Conditions
[T]he most common were hypertension (49.7%), obesity (48.3%), chronic lung disease (34.6%), diabetes mellitus (28.3%), and cardiovascular disease (27.8%).
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Churches Are Empty… So is the Tomb
A lot of people believe that the release of 5G is the electromagnetic field (EMF) that is attacking our bodies. Because I’ve studied 5G extensively for the past year, I can say with certainty that the symptoms of cell poisoning and COVID-19 are very, very similar. Some experts say it means that the coronavirus is not killing people. The radio frequencies being produced by 5G EMFs is killing people….
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Compilation: Authoritarianism Runs Rampant During Coronavirus Lockdown
America looks more like Communist China with each passing day.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Courier With Coronavirus Samples Crashes on I-195 in Massachusetts
As the US scrambles to ramp up both testing capacity and the speed at which results are delivered, one courier in New England was perhaps taking this directive a little too seriously when he crashed on Interstate I-195 in Seekonk, Mass, near the Rhode Island border on Tuesday morning. However, in some long overdue good news, none of the test samples inside the car were damaged, according to CBSN Boston.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
FBI Knew Steele Dossier Was Russian Disinformation, Declassified IG Footnotes Reveal
FBI’s ‘central evidence’ to spy on Trump campaign was Russian propaganda all along — how ironic!
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
It’s the Age-Old Way to Trap a Country-Club Politician: Ask Them What the Price of Milk is.
Politicians, reporters, moderators and town-hall questioners seized upon the price of this particular foodstuff to prove that someone is too out of touch to take office after a 1992 debate in which then-President George H.W. Bush admitted he didn’t have any idea what a gallon was worth.
Turnabout is fair play, however, particularly when it comes to White House briefings.
On Tuesday, a reporter identified by The Daily Wire as Bloomberg News’ Justin Sink tried to ask a question about oil, a commodity which has seen dual shocks from a lack of demand and a price war sparked by Saudi Arabia and Russia both increasing production.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Tech billionaire determined to vaccinate the world for a globalist agenda and profit.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Eight Days in the New Capital of Corona
Not a soul to be seen on Wall Street, cafe’s closing down in Brooklyn and a field hospital in Central Park: New York City is in the grips of coronavirus. Notes from a week that changed the city.
By Marc Pitzke
A ghost train, virtually empty, screeches and rattles its way through the tunnel from Brooklyn to Manhattan. On the benches inside lie four homeless people, covered in coats and blankets. They cough every so often, though their eyes remain shut. It is shortly before 1 p.m., and besides the four men, there are just two other passengers in the car, a woman and a man, huddled together. Both are wearing latex gloves but only the woman is wearing a face mask.
For well over a week now, New York City has been the epicenter of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. More than 67,500 people have become infected with virus and over 2,470 have died as a result, more than in all of Germany. At the order of the New York governor, most stores and companies have closed down while people have been urged to remain at home unless their work is essential. As a result, entire boroughs of the biggest city in the United States, with its population of 8.5 million, have screeched to a halt…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
No NYC Has Not Run Out of Burial Space
No, NYC has not run out of burial space. You may have seen that story, accompanied by photos of a backhoe and trench with plain pine coffins in it, in various MSM venues. It’s another lie. Those photos are of Hart Island, where NYC has been burying unclaimed and unidentified New Yorkers for 151 years.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Teen ‘Executes’ Girlfriend’s Parents After Arguing About COVID-19 Social Distancing
Young daughter argued with parents over social distancing arrangements.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The New York Times Protects Joe Biden From Sexual Assault Allegation
Joe Biden is currently facing allegations of sexual assault by a former Senate aide, Tara Reade, who filed a police report against him for allegedly assaulting her in 1993. Following weeks of inattention to the situation, The New York Times has finally reported on the claims, going to bat for the former Vice President and dismissing Reade’s claims.
The article, which is worded as a defense of Biden, states that the paper found that “no other allegation of sexual assault surfaced in the course of our reporting, nor did any former Biden staff corroborate Reade’s allegation.”
“We found no pattern of sexual misconduct by Biden, beyond hugs, kisses, and touching that women previously said made them uncomfortable.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
They Are Rolling Out the Architecture of Oppression Now Because They Fear the People
‘Experts’ say total surveillance and mandatory vaccines the only way forward in post-coronavirus era.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Trump vs the Anti-Zinc Media Mafia
Left wants to make pandemic as painful and prolonged as possible to get rid of Trump in November.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Tyrant: Democrat Governor Orders 14-Day Quarantine of Easter Sunday Churchgoers
‘When Dem officeholders are sworn in, do they issue jack boots at that time, or do they arrive later in the mail?’ asks Sen. Ted Cruz.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
What in the World is Happening?
It’s been said that a lie can travel half-way around the world while the TRUTH is still putting on it’s shoes. We live in a time of great deception, like no other. Some are now coming to understand that, but others are still blind. Even though WE KNOW the government and our politicians lie to us about just about everything. And we know the mainstream media is nothing more than the indoctrination and propaganda arm of a giant octopus of globalists and New World Order elitists. Yet so many still believe that SOMEHOW, THIS TIME, the government, politicians and media are really telling us the truth and only have our best interests in mind regarding this coronavirus “pandemic.”
I don’t claim to know exactly what’s happening now. There are many theories. But clearly something’s not right here. You don’t shut down the engine and economy of the entire GLOBE, locking down the majority of citizens of Planet Earth because of a virus that has proven to be largely harmless to most of the people. Things are not as they’d have us believe…
Still, as we see every day when President Trump and his White House Coronavirus Task Force hold press conferences, THEY are NOT ‘social distancing,’ but rather, standing shoulder-to-shoulder. Likewise, the MEDIA at these press conferences are sitting right next to one another in the audience. Curious.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Whistleblower: How CDC is Manipulating the COVID-19 Death Toll
CDC counts both true COVID-19 cases and speculative guesses of COVID-19 the same, she says.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
WHO Official: It’s Time to Remove People From Their Homes
Day by day, Bill Gates is revealing himself in his own words as he calls for strict lockdowns, which cannot and must not be lifted until the vast majority of the global population is vaccinated…
Last week a top WHO official stated that it is time for authorities to come into your home to see who is infected and take them away, for the greater good of course.
At the same time, a top White House Coronavirus Task Force Doctor who has serious conflicts of interest and appears to be on Bill Gates’ payroll, just admitted the mortality rate of this outbreak is being inflated. How could this be?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
RCMP Will be Visiting Your Home to Enforce Quarantine, Fines of Up to $1 Million Possible
As lockdown measures tighten and citizens’ activity continues to be restricted, the RCMP are about to crack down even further. Canadian police will be doing home visits to make sure citizens are complying with stay-at-home orders. On Friday, officers warned that those who are found to “recklessly” flout the orders could be issued a fine of $1 million, and receive a sentence of three years in prison.
The orders in question stem from the Quarantine Act, which was enacted on March 25. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) asked the RCMP to assist with enforcing the mandatory two-week self-quarantine for new arrivals to the country. Now they will be going door-to-door to those under the orders to let them know about the “potential consequences of non-compliance.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Vancouver Man Spits on Elevator Buttons
A now-viral video showing a Vancouver man spitting elevator buttons has many furious at the blatantly disrespectful act.
The video posted by Marie Hui, a resident at the condo, clearly shows the man putting the health of hundreds at risk by spitting on the button pad.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus: Stockholm Police Prepare for Civil Unrest at Overstretched Hospitals
More than 20 police officers with specialised crowd control training will be stationed at hospitals in the Swedish capital in case of unrest if intensive care beds run out.
Cases of coronavirus, along with deaths from it, continue to surge in Sweden. The Swedish Intensive Care Register has noted that 469 people in Sweden have been or are currently in intensive care due to the Chinese virus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Despite Growing Criticism, WHO Head in Hungary Defends China’s Coronavirus Response
The head of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Hungarian office, Dr. Ledia Lazeri, launched a strong defense of China’s role in the coronavirus crisis in an interview with conservative daily Magyar Nemzet, with the doctor claiming that there is no evidence “that China was intent on hiding anything”.
When asked about the approach of the Chinese authorities, where the virus originated from, Lazeri said that in the WHO’s opinion, the Asian nation cannot be reproached in any sense.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France Releases Nearly 8,000 Prisoners in One Month Due to Coronavirus
The overcrowded French prison system has released nearly 8,000 detainees in just one month to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The country’s prison system is still overcrowded, but French justice minister Nicole Belloubet said: “The overcrowding rate, which was 119 per cent on March 1st with more than 72,400 inmates, was 107 per cent on April 7th with 64,439 inmates. We, therefore, have close to 8,000 fewer detainees.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Industry Says it Needs Italian Firms
We’re closely linked, depend on suppliers and partners-BDI, VDMA
(ANSA) — Rome, April 9 — The German federation of industry BDI and the engineering group VDMA, the largest in Europe, wrote two letters Thursday saying they needed “their Italian suppliers and partners, the fulcrum of the creation of European value”.
They said the two countries’ industrial systems “are closely linked, we depend mutually as suppliers and partners”.
They said that with the help of their Italian partners they expected “an at least gradual resumption” of productive activities after Easter.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on the Coronavirus
I Find It Appropriate that Every Member State First Acted Nationally
In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, 53, criticizes the U.S., China and Hungary for their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He also promises not to abandon Italy and explains why he doesn’t want to say that he’s actually in favor of corona bonds.
Interview Conducted by Christiane Hoffmann und Christoph Schult
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is critical of the way the United States, China and Hungary have gone about tackling the coronavirus. China, he says, “has taken some very authoritarian measures, while in the U.S., the virus was played down for a long time.” These are extreme models, he adds, neither of which can serve as a model for Europe. The European Union’s approach, Maas says, “show that even liberal democracies can impose drastic measures if they are proportionate and necessary.” He also urges citizens to oppose negative propaganda and not to undermine the value of the EU by blaming Brussels for everything that goes wrong. “What’s that all about? When things don’t work out, it’s our own fault.”
DER SPIEGEL: Minister Maas, you traveled so much before the corona crisis that you overtook your predecessors Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Joschka Fischer and Frank-Walter Steinmeier in total annual miles flown. Now you’re not traveling at all. Is this affecting Germany’s foreign policy?…
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: Police Attacked While Enforcing Social Distancing Measures
Police officers in Frankfurt have been set upon by gangs while trying to get crowds gathering over the warm Easter weekend to disperse. Social distancing measures are in place to slow the spread of coronavirus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How the EU’s Coronavirus Measures Reveal the Bloc’s Deep Divisions
by Matt Snape
by The coronavirus has exposed the deep divisions within the EU as they struggled to agree upon appropriate fiscal measures designed to save the bloc from the economic impact of this pandemic. On Thursday, EU finance ministers finally managed to agree upon a £438 billion support package for countries most affected by the epidemic and they will benefit from €240 billion of credit lines via the European Stability Mechanism.
The road to this agreement has not been easy. According to Reuters, the main reason for the breakdown of talks between EU finance ministers on Tuesday was a diplomatic feud between Italy and the Netherlands over what conditions should be attached to Eurozone credit for administrations battling the pandemic. This feud resulted in half a trillion euros worth of aid being blocked. This was meant to be an opportunity to move on from the fights that have shadowed the bloc over the last ten years, but Tuesday’s meeting failed to produce any groundbreaking results.
Spain, Italy and France Feel Like the EU is Not Doing Enough
The Dutch were particularly angry that the Italians wanted a reference to debt mutualization as a possible recovery instrument to be analyzed more in the future in the form of so-called “Coronabonds.”
[…]
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Coronavirus: 2 Cited for Selling Disinfectant Made in 1989
Police uncover case in Lecce
(ANSA) — Lecce, April 10 — Two businessmen, a wholesaler and a retailer, were cited in Lecce in Puglia Friday for selling disinfectant gel that was made in 1989.
The men told police they had ‘regenerated’ the gel by eliminating metallic particles.
Disinfectant gel is in demand because of the coronavirus emergency.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: PD Proposes COVID-19 Solidarity Contribution for Earners Above 80,000 Euros
Expected revenue 1.3 bn a yr in 2020 and 2021
(ANSA) — Rome, April 10 — The ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) on Friday proposed a coronavirus “solidarity contribution” for those earning over 80,000 euros, which will be tax-deductible and go from several hundred euros to tens of thousands of euros for incomes above one million.
The PD said the move was expected to bring in some 1.3 billion euros a year in 2020 and 2021.
The centre-right opposition and the PD’s ruling partner, the centrist Italia Viva (IV) party, both came out against what they called a wealth tax.
The PD’s main government ally, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), also said it was against the tax.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Virus Lockdown Costing 47 Bn a Month — Svimez
GDP to fall 8.4% this year says development agency
(ANSA) — Rome, April 9 — The coronavirus lockdown is costing Italy 47 billion euros a month, including 37 in the centre-north, southern development agency Svimez reported Thursday.
Even if GDPO recovers in the second half of the year, Svimez said, Italian GDP will fall 8.4% this year with an 8.5% drop in the centre-north and a 7.9% fall in the south.
The report urged the government to complete a package of measures to ease the economic impact of the pandemic on weaker sectors, gig economy workers and others without social benefits, households at risk of poverty and micro-businesses.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Celebrates Joy of Easter Amid Sorrow of Virus, Alone
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis and Catholics around the world marked a solitary Easter Sunday, forced to celebrate the most joyful day in the Christian calendar amid the sorrowful reminders of the devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.
Normally, St. Peter’s Square would be awash in fresh flowers on Easter Sunday, with tulips and orchids decorating the piazza’s promenade in a riot of color to underscore Easter’s message of life and rebirth following Christ’s crucifixion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis: ‘The Whole World is Suffering’ Because of the Pandemic
ROME — Pope Francis devoted much of his Easter blessing on Sunday to the coronavirus pandemic, insisting that now is a time for unity, solidarity, and hope.
In his “Urbi et Orbi” blessing, the pope first addressed those directly affected by the coronavirus — the sick and family members who mourn the loss of their loved ones — asking “the Lord of life” to welcome the departed into his kingdom and to grant comfort and hope to those still suffering, “especially the elderly and those who are alone.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Didier Raoult, a 68-year-old French infectious-disease specialist, has been using controversial antimalarial drug hydroxycholoroquine to treat COVID-19 patients.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Spain to Keep Coronavirus Restrictions Under Review as Some Companies Prepare to Restart
MADRID (Reuters) — Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday any further loosening of the country’s lockdown restrictions would depend on more progress in the fight against the coronavirus, a day before some companies plan to reopen their doors.
The country’s overnight death toll from the infection rose for the first time in three days on Sunday, to 619, health ministry data showed, bringing the cumulative toll to 16,972. Confirmed cases increased by around 2.6% to 166,019.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Man Suspected of Raping Woman in a Malmö Hospital During Virus Crisis Arrested
Swedish police last week arrested a man who is suspected of raping a woman inside a medical facility in multicultural Malmö on Friday, according to numerous reports.
Health care staff at a Malmö medical center alerted police to the suspected rape on the evening of Good Friday, and the suspect was promptly arrested at around 7:15 pm. Police then detained the man until a little while after midnight, Swedish regional newspaper Sydsvenskan reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Price of EU Membership: Healthcare Rationing for Elderly in Italy, Spain
With well over a half-million confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Europe, a growing number of regional medical authorities have begun issuing guidelines and protocols that call for hospitals to prioritize younger patients over those who are older.
In Italy and Spain, the two countries most affected by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, doctors in overwhelmed intensive care units have for weeks been making life or death decisions about who receives emergency treatment. The new protocols, however, amount to government directives that instruct medical personnel effectively to abandon elderly patients to their fate.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson Discharged From Hospital
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been discharged from the hospital where he was being treated for COVID-19.
Johnson will continue to recover at his country house, a statement from his office said, and will not yet be returning to work.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Could be Country Worst Affected by Coronavirus in Europe: Govt Scientist
A scientist on the British government’s committee that advises on coronavirus said the UK could be the worst-hit country out of any in Europe.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee, told the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday that while he was hopeful over the rate of infection slowing down, he admitted the UK could be hit worse than virus hotspots Spain and Italy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris Johnson Thanks NHS Staff Who Saved His Life
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he owes his life to NHS staff treating him for coronavirus as his Government faced further criticism about the supply of protective equipment to frontline workers.
Boris Johnson’s first public statement since he was moved out of intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital, in central London, followed a daily briefing in which Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “sorry” if people felt there had been “failings” in protecting health workers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pope Francis Calls for Relaxed Sanctions at Iran’s Behest
ROME — Pope Francis called for relaxed international sanctions during his Easter message Sunday after receiving a request from officials in Iran asking him to intervene.
According to Mehr News Agency (MNA), a news service based in Tehran, a senior member of the Academy of Sciences of Iran, Ayatollah Mostafa Mohaghegh Damad, wrote to Pope Francis in mid-March appealing to him help end U.S. sanctions on Iran.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Putin, Trump Hail OPEC+ Oil Deal: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump hailed the new OPEC+ oil deal Sunday, which agreed a historic cut in oil production to boost plummeting prices.
The two leaders agreed on the “great importance of an agreement in the ‘OPEC+’ format during a phone conversation, said a statement from the Kremlin. Putin, Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman also held a joint phone call, the statement added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Spike by Over 2,000 in New Record Increase
Russia confirmed 2,186 new coronavirus infections on Sunday, bringing the country’s official number of cases up to 15,770 and marking a one-day record in new cases.
One hundred and thirty people have been killed by the virus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Beijing’s Strategy for Building Bridges With Arab Countries
by Camilla Vitanza
In November 2019, the New York Times disclosed 400 documents regarding China’s education camps in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, built-in 2017 for the specific purpose of indoctrinating the Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim ethnic group. Although part of the International community recognized the Uyghurs’ “reeducation” as a thinly-disguised mass detention operation, the most influential Arab countries, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia, did not adopt a firm position on the issue nor condemn it.
Deng Xiaoping’s Economic Plan
What might appear as a bizarre attitude from the Gulf Countries, has in truth an economic explanation dating back to the second half of the 20th century, when China established diplomatic relations with all 22 Arab countries. At that time, China’s newfound interest in Arab countries matched with its intent of turning itself into a global economic power. By the end of the ‘70s, Deng Xiaoping’s strategy to open up China’s economy to the rest of the world by enhancing foreign investments and international import export trade played a key role in country’s economic development. Deng’s financial policy demonstrated itself to be more efficient than that of his predecessors as he de-collectivized agriculture previously managed by the Communist Party and enabled the household responsibility system. Between 1952 to 1978, China’s annual GDP growth grew to a rating of 6.1, proving the economically positive effects of Deng’s reforms on the real economy.
The Open door policy began in 1978, and membership to the WTO in 2005 significantly shaped China’s economy shifting it from a monopolized State economy to a liberalized free market system, which allowed foreign enterprises to set up in China and operate in Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Since the beginning of the reforms, China’s GDP has risen tenfold, boosting annual growth of a total factor productivity by 3.8% between 1978-2005. A year before China joined the WTO, the China-Arab State Cooperation Forum (CASCF) was created. No surprise then that on the wave of the economic revival, Beijing sought out new partnerships across the Middle East. The CASCF, strongly supported by the then-Chinese President Hu Jintao, followed four essential principles including fostering economic and trade exchanges between China and the Arab League. In just four years, the trade volume between Beijing and Arab nations rocketed, reaching $ 132.9 billion in 2008.
[…]
| — Hat tip: C. Cantoni | [Return to headlines] |
A Chinese scientist who is the one of the world’s leading experts on coronaviruses was ‘muzzled’ after unravelling the genetic composition of the new disease.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
China is clamping down on research into the origins of the coronavirus after officials have demanded the right to inspect its scientific papers before they are made pubic.
Two websites for leading Chinese universities have allegedly recently published and then removed pages that discuss a new policy which requires academic papers about Covid-19 to undergo extra checks before they are published, according to The Guardian.
Both Fudan University and the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) allegedly posted notices saying that research on the origins of the coronavirus will be subject to government checks.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
China Clamping Down on Coronavirus Research, Deleted Pages Suggest
China is cracking down on publication of academic research about the origins of the novel coronavirus, in what is likely to be part of a wider attempt to control the narrative surrounding the pandemic, documents published online by Chinese universities appear to show.
Two websites for leading Chinese universities appear to have recently published and then removed pages that reference a new policy requiring academic papers dealing with Covid-19 to undergo extra vetting before they are submitted for publication.
Research on the origins of the virus is particularly sensitive and subject to checks by government officials, the notices posted on the websites of Fudan University and the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) said. Both the deleted pages were accessed from online caches.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
China Begins Mass Deletion of Online Research on Coronavirus Origins
From perfectly-natural Chinese bat-soup to American bio-engineered depopulation bombs, the origins of COVID-19 (Kung Flu, the Chinese Virus, CCPandemic, or whatever name is no politically-correct) remain a riddle, wrapped in a propagandized mystery, inside an increasingly opaque enigma of facts and fallacies.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
China is Censoring Research on COVID-19 Origins, Deleted Page on Wuhan University Website Suggests
The Chinese government appears to be censoring research on the origins of the COVID-19 epidemic by requiring scientists to run their studies by the Ministry of Science and Technology, a since-deleted page on a university website shows.
According to a cached version of that page from the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan that Newsweek reviewed, requirements were updated so that scientists would need to have their study approved by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology before publication.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus Cases:
1,853,155
view by country
Deaths:
114,247
Recovered:
423,625
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID-19, China and Henry Kissinger
The Wall Street Journal recently featured a remarkable op-ed column by Henry Kissinger about Covid-19. What was conspicuously absent in the piece is any mention of China. Kissinger failed to mention China even once.
And it’s not like Kissinger has forgotten about China. The very last time Kissinger made headlines, at a November 14, 2019 speech before the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, he was warning about the danger that a permanent state of conflict between the U.S. and China would pose and he now ignored China’s role in the spread of Coronavirus. The question is why.
Is the article an illustration of Kissinger’s willingness to ignore the vital security needs of America and her allies?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Explosive Report: Wuhan Biolab Captured Bats From Caves Traced to COVID-19 Outbreak, Had US Funding
Recent findings regarding the origin of COVID-19 continue to support our January reporting that the disease may have originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology — which was experimenting with bat coronavirus found to be 96% genetically identical to COVID-19.
[Comment: A globalist/deep state operation to develop the virus in China?]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The US National Institutes of Health, a government agency, awarded a $3.7million research grant to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronavirus transmission.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
South Korea Says Nearly 100 Recovered COVID-19 Patients Tested Positive Again
“South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again,” Reuters reports. “Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a briefing that the virus may have been reactivated rather than the patients being re-infected.” [Comment: Is 5G weakening the immune system of people — thus “reactivating” the virus.]
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
The Wuhan Institute of Virology (scientists pictured) did experiments on bats captured more in Yunnan. Sequencing of the Covid-19 genome has traced it to bats found in Yunnan’s caves.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The fitness model, famous for his ‘Lamborghini body,’ filmed himself and at least seven other friends drinking and partying in the highrise apartment on Saturday night.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
More people are recovering from COVID-19 than battling the deadly illness for the first time since the pandemic struck Australia. 3,044 people have the virus, while 3,267 have recovered.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The 112 Australian and New Zealand passengers spent 14 days on the Greg Mortimer cruise ship, which was docked off the coast of Uruguay when it was hit with an outbreak of the deadly disease.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A couple wearing face masks and carrying two tins of formula each were seen lining up at the checkout in footage shared on Saturday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Higher education institutions in Australia will be offering cut price courses starting in May to fill skill shortages to assist the economic rebound once the coronavirus pandemic is over.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Victoria has extended its state of emergency for another four weeks as authorities combat the coronavirus. The restrictions will now remain in place until at least midnight on May 11.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The Slaughter of Christians
Burkina Faso: On Sunday, February 16, Islamic gunmen raided a church during service and slaughtered 24 worshippers, including their pastor; 18 other congregants were injured and several others kidnapped. The terrorists torched the church building before leaving.
In a separate incident on February 10, militant Muslims abducted and slaughtereda church pastor, his son, two nephews, and another Christian clergyman. According to yet another report on February 3:
“Jihadists, claiming to be killing ‘in the name of Allah,’ returned to the scene of a previous atrocity … and murdered at least ten Christian men in a village market place; some estimates have put the death toll as high as 50.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
World Health Organisation Chief Accused of Failing to Record Three Cholera Epidemics in Home Country
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, 55, is alleged to have been ‘complicit’ in failing to record or even identify outbreaks in Ethiopia back when he was a health minister.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Austria Pledges to Send 181 Living Containers to Greece for Migrants
The Austrian government pledged last week that it would send 181 containers to Greece to accommodate migrants living at overcrowded reception centers and to serve as mobile healthcare facilities.
Wednesday’s decision followed a video conference between Greek Alternate Migration and Asylum Minister Giorgos Koumoutsakos and Austria’s Interior Minister Karl Nehammer, Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greek authorities have revealed that illegal migrants are gathering on Turkey’s Aegean coast after having been transferred from camps.
According to sources used by Kathimerini, many of them were at the Greek-Turkish land border at Evros and Turkey has organised a plan to transport the illegal immigrants infected with coronavirus to Greece and Europe in the midst of the pandemic. Immigrant movements from the interior of Turkey to the coasts are carried out in perfect order under the coordination of the Turkish Gendarmerie and the Police.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Channel Migrants: Border Force Picks Up 72 People
Four boats carrying 72 migrants were intercepted by Border Force off the coast of Kent and Sussex on Sunday.
The first two boats were intercepted at 06:30 BST and were carrying 22 men and eight women, who identified as Iraqi, Iranian and Syrian nationals.
The third boat was intercepted three hours later with 13 men, who said they were Iraqi or Iranian.
The fourth vessel was carrying 25 men and four women, who identified as Iranian or Iraqi.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus: Italy Orders Rescued Migrants Onto Quarantine Ship
Italy has ordered 156 migrants on board a German rescue ship off the western coast of Sicily to be transferred to another vessel and quarantined.
The migrants, mostly from Africa and the Middle East, must then undergo health checks, Italian officials said.
The German rescue vessel, Alan Kurdi, has been refused access to Italian and Maltese ports over coronavirus fears.
Italy’s transport ministry said the move was necessary because Sicily’s health services were already stretched.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greek Authorities Think Erdogan Regime Plans to Push Virus-Infected Migrants to EU
The Hellenic Armed Forces, Coast Guard, and Police are on high alert after government officials received intel that Turkish regime leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is planning a “sea Evros” as thousands of migrants gather in towns and cities along Turkey’s Aegean coastline.
According to a report from Greek newspaper Kathimerini which cites “sources that cannot be named but which are considered reliable”, the Erdogan regime is planning to push virus-infected migrants to Greece and other EU member states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Migrant ‘Youths’ Riot and Attack Police Vehicles in Brussels During Lockdown
Migrant ‘youths’ in Brussels, Belgium rioted and pelted police with stones and heavy objects on Friday night into Saturday afternoon. Initial reports suggest that the rioters may have even stolen a gun from a destroyed police vehicle.
The riots began in response to a fatal accident that occurred in Anderlecht, Brussels after a 19-year-old attempted to flee from a police check. After news about the accident had spread, migrant youths began encouraging one another on social media to take revenge on police, Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Doctor Jailed for Killing Baby Who ‘Burst Out Crying’ During Abortion
(KOREA TIMES) An obstetrician has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison for killing a baby who “burst out crying” during abortion procedures.
The Seoul Central District Court on Friday convicted the doctor, 65, surnamed Yun, of killing a 34-week-old baby and suspended Yun’s medical license for three years.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
DOJ: “Expect Action” This Week to Limit Government Regulation of Religious Services During Pandemic
Americans can “expect action from the DOJ” this week to limit the power of local and state governments to stop religious services from happening, DOJ Director of Communications Kerri Kupec said Saturday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Governor’s Coronavirus Order ‘Bans Homeschooling’
Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order closing public school buildings also bans homeschooling, which is unconstitutional, contends a legal non-profit in the state.
“The Great Lakes Justice Center calls upon Gov. Whitmer to correct this unconstitutional action and assure parents in Michigan that they may continue to safely home school their own children while the EO is in effect,” the organization said in a statement Thursday.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
https://twitter.com/SHUKWANS/status/1249407496881606656
patterns
Bank account? I want a clown wig, size 18 shoes and a honking nose.
The natives are getting restless in the USSA as grocery stores suddenly loved Jesus and gave their “associates” some time off on Sunday.
I guess even naked capitalists can have a come to Jesus moment.
There are limits to the amount of people in the building posted up and armed police are at the entrance of the Sack N’ Save.
One way in and one way to exit as the sheep get conditioned. If the ‘expert’ mandated lockdown goes on too long they won’t be that fat for the slaughterhouse.
Locals are itching to scratch their inner STASI as they fear bandits coming to raid the TP and pinto bean stash.
Shooting irons are getting oiled up right now but they won’t be turned on the transhumanist globalist communist scum, instead they will be pointed at anyone who dares to tell the truth or disrupt the brain melting agitprop emanating from teevee.
Interesting times is actually a Chinese curse and commies are never your friend.
I just saw this circulating on Dutch social media, apparently a Dutch gay couple got attacked by a bunch of enrichers (Moroccans I think, but possibly Eastern Europeans too) because the gay couple were walking hand-in-hand and were kissing in public. When will Western Civilisation understand it’s precious Muslims don’t like the sexual deviants it likes to flaunt?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyHdv9u-iSk&feature=emb_title
https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/04/france-man-murdered-with-a-machete-in-drome/
its all so tiresome
And in our country, as always, a madhouse. Orthodox Christians in crowds break into the temples – they are still not closed, unlike mosques. Priests are massively sick with Covid-19, but are more afraid of the Antichrist. One provincial clerical said: “we’ll die anyway, and we will at least gain eternal life.”
According to statistics, in our country, from 4 to 11% of the true church members are seen — apparently the obscurantists have concentrated. They have a mentality of both the 17th century.
Our quarantine was observed very interestingly: the Russians were all forced to isolation, and the migrants continued to work, as these are the main employees in all kinds of corruption projects. In our country, all the oligarchs are either Ashkenazi Jews or Bukhara or Caucasian, so they brought slaves from Central Asia to themselves. And so while we were all sitting at home, they worked. And now they started to get sick en masse.
France 8,000 prisoners????huh