Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/8/2020

Almost 500 California pastors have announced that they will reopen their churches for services on May 31, regardless of what Governor Newsom says. Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz got a haircut at the salon owned by the Texas woman who had been jailed for violating corona rules until freed by the governor’s executive order. Also, Canada lost two million jobs in April, according to the latest statistics.

In other coronanews, 123 migrants were rescued by Maltese vessels, but most of them will remain offshore, due to the pandemic.

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

Thanks to Caroline Glick, JF, JM, Reader from Chicago, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

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

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

Financial Crisis
» Businesses Struggle to Rehire Workers Reluctant to Give Up Unemployment Benefits
» Canada Lost 2 Million Jobs in April: StatsCan
» U.K. Economy Projected to Shrink by Most Since 1706
 
USA
» Amazon Sued for Misleading You Into Believing You Own a Copy of the Digital Movies You Purchase
» An Entomologist Tells You All About Those “Murder Hornets”
» Apple to Reopen Some Stores in U.S. Starting Next Week
» Chinese-Born COVID-19 Researcher ‘On Verge of Making Very Significant’ Findings Shot Dead
» Coronavirus: Iran-Linked Hackers Targeted Drug Maker Gilead
» Court Document Reveals Tara Reade Spoke of Harassment in Biden’s Office
» Elon Musk Says He ‘Sympathizes’ With Anti-Globalist Movement
» Florida Man Friday: Full Speed Reverse!
» Ilhan Omar Says Michael Flynn’s Charges Were Dropped Because of “White Privilege”
» Nate Silver: “Basic Error” On Coronavirus Stories Expose Media’s True Intentions
» Nearly 500 CA Pastors Say They Are Reopening on May 31, Regardless of Lockdowns: “Not Asking for Permission”
» Oregon Churches, Individuals File Suit Against Gov. Kate Brown for Unconstitutional Executive Orders
» Tara Reade Calls on Biden to “Be Held Accountable” And Withdraw From Presidential Race
» Ted Cruz Gets Haircut at Shelley Luther’s Dallas Salon After Her Release From Jail
» Trump and Orban Discuss the Pandemic and Security Over the Phone
» Trump Says New Transcripts Show Obama, Biden Complicit in Phony Russia Investigation
 
Canada
» Activists Get Brampton Man Fired From Job for Criticizing Islamic Call to Prayers
 
Europe and the EU
» Calendar: The Key Dates to Know as France Begins to Lift Its Lockdown
» Dean Reuter: VE Day Marks Triumph of Good Over Evil, It’s Important to Remember What We Accomplished
» EU Defends Bowing to Communist Chinese Censors
» EU Top Court Hits Back After German Court Ruling
» Far-Left Anarchists Suspected of Defacing Memorial to French WWII Resistance
» France: Paris Mosque Threatens Legal Action if Not Allowed to Open During Ramadan
» France: Far-Left Antifa Extremists Possible Suspects in Mass Sabotage of Internet Infrastructure
» French Agriculture Orgs Demand Macron Rebuild ‘Food Sovereignty’
» German Islamists Raided Over Coronavirus Aid Fraud Allegations
» Hungary: Orban: Further Restarting Measures Could Take Place at the End of Next Week
» Italy Records More Than 30,000 Coronavirus Deaths as Huge Friday Crowds Gather There and in France After Both Countries Lifted Their Lockdowns Following Two Months
» Justice Minister: Attacks on Hungary Work Against a Strong and Unified Europe
» On “Strasserism” And the Decay of the Left
» Pics: Europe Marks 75th Anniversary of Ve Day Despite Coronavirus Lockdown
» Poland: Grave Business! Funeral Homes See Drop in Business as Fewer People Are Dying Despite Spread of COVID-19
» Spanish Police Arrest Man in Barcelona Over ISIS Terror Plot
» ‘The Country is Split in Two’: French Government Reveals Final Details for Lifting Lockdown
» UK: Brexit Campaigner Did Not Break Electoral Law
» UK: Boris Johnson: 75 Years on, PM Gives Thanks to Wartime Generation
» UK: Man Who Threatened to Make Mother of His Children Eat Used Toilet Brush Sentenced
» UK: Nigel Farage Salutes War Generation in VE Day Tribute
» UK: The Cuckdown
 
Balkans
» Protest in Belgrade Against Serbian President
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Caroline Glick: The “Legal” Landmine on the Road to Sovereignty
 
Middle East
» Facebook Censorship Council Includes Pro-Muslim Brotherhood Activist
 
South Asia
» India: Aligarh: Hindu Students in Amu Being Hounded, Threatened With Death by Islamists Over Social Media Posts
 
Far East
» April Jobs Report: U.S. Employers Cut a Record 20.5 Million Payrolls, Unemployment Rate Jumps to 14.7%
» China Says That if it Has to Pay for Coronavirus, US Has to Pay for Aids, 1918 Spanish Flu
» China Coronavirus Cover Up: Scientists Think Pandemic Started as Early as October
» Pro-China and Democratic Lawmakers Scuffle in Hong Kong Legislature
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australia to Ease COVID-19 Curbs in Three Stages, Targets July for Full Removal
 
Latin America
» Scientific Research Finds That Closing Borders is Most Effective Way of Combatting Coronavirus
 
Immigration
» 123 Migrants Picked Up by Maltese Vessels, To be Held Offshore
» A Record 150 Migrants Are Picked Up From 10 Boats in English Channel Trying to Get to UK in the Last 24 Hours — Including 50 in One Vessel
» Another Church Trashed by Illegal Immigrants on Greek Island
» Czech Police Arrest Afghan Migrant Who Stabbed His Girlfriend 20 Times in Germany (Video)
» Mass Migration Cost France at Least 6.6 Billion Euros in 2019
» Report: Frontex Warns of a Fresh Wave of Illegal Migrants at Greek Border
» Sweden: 16-Year-Old Migrant Sentenced for Rape, Other Crimes
» UK: Defiant Farage Challenges Zealous Lockdown Cops, Continues Reporting on Illegal Migration
 
Culture Wars
» Facebook, YouTube Removing Viral “Plandemic” Conspiracy Video
» Germany Passes Law Banning ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ For Minors
» Reporters Pressure YouTube to Remove More “Conspiracy Theory” Videos
» WHO: Under-4s Should Learn About ‘Early Childhood Masturbation’, ‘Explore Gender Identities’
» YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Downplays Monopoly Suggestions, Says it’s a “Competitive Landscape”
 
General
» 1.4 Million People to Die From Untreated TB Due to Coronavirus Lockdown
 

Businesses Struggle to Rehire Workers Reluctant to Give Up Unemployment Benefits

As states slowly begin to reopen, businesses are struggling to rehire furloughed workers who are receiving more money through unemployment benefits due to the coronavirus stimulus package passed in March.

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

Canada Lost 2 Million Jobs in April: StatsCan

According to Statistics Canada’s April labour force survey Canada lost a staggering 2 million jobs in April as the coronavirus shut down the Canadian economy.

The government agency reported on Friday that the unemployment rate increased by 5.2% in April to 13%.

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

U.K. Economy Projected to Shrink by Most Since 1706

LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England warned Thursday that the British economy could suffer its deepest annual contraction in more than three centuries as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, before roaring back next year.

In what it describes as a “plausible” scenario, the bank said the British economy will be 30% smaller at the end of the first half of the year than it was at the start of it, with the second quarter seeing a 25% slump alone following a 3% decline in the first.

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

Amazon Sued for Misleading You Into Believing You Own a Copy of the Digital Movies You Purchase

A month ago we reported how the popular documentary Hoaxed was suddenly removed by Amazon and removed from Amazon Prime Video and video-on-demand.

Hoaxed documented how the media manipulate the news to build narratives and was one of the top documentaries on the platform until it was removed.

While it was also removed from Prime Video, at the time, people that had purchased the documentary through Amazon were saying that, even though they had purchased it (not rented it), when Amazon removed the movie from the platform, it disappeared from their library and they were no longer able to play it again.

Now, Amazon is being sued for this practice of leading people to believe that when they “Buy” a movie, they own it.

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

An Entomologist Tells You All About Those “Murder Hornets”

What are Asian Giant Hornets?

Asian Giant Hornets (Vespa mandarinia) are very large wasps in the family Vespidae, which includes yellowjackets, bald-faced hornets, and paper wasps. They are native to eastern Asia and its outlying islands, notably Japan.

Where are they now?

In the USA, we currently have only found them in a small corner of Washington. If you aren’t in Whatcom County, Washington, then it is exceedingly unlikely that you have these in your area.

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

Apple to Reopen Some Stores in U.S. Starting Next Week

Apple announced Friday it will reopen some retail stores in four U.S. states starting next week.

“We’re excited to begin reopening stores in the U.S. next week, starting with some stores in Idaho, South Carolina, Alabama and Alaska,” an Apple representative said in a statement.

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

Chinese-Born COVID-19 Researcher ‘On Verge of Making Very Significant’ Findings Shot Dead

A Chinese-born researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who was on the verge of “very significant findings” about the Wuhan coronavirus has been killed in a suspected murder-suicide.

Dr. Bing Liu, a 37-year-old research assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was discovered dead in his Pennsylvania home on May 2nd from multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Another man — identified by the Allegheny County Medical examiner as Hao Gu, a 46-year-old software engineer — was discovered in his vehicle not far from Lui’s home, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, BBC reports.

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

Coronavirus: Iran-Linked Hackers Targeted Drug Maker Gilead

Hackers linked to Iran have targeted staff at US drug maker Gilead Sciences Inc in recent weeks, according to publicly-available web archives reviewed by Reuters and three cybersecurity researchers, as the company races to deploy a treatment for the Covid-19 virus.

In one case, a fake email login page designed to steal passwords was sent in April to a top Gilead executive involved in legal and corporate affairs, according to an archived version on a website used to scan for malicious web addresses. Reuters was not able to determine whether the attack was successful.

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

Court Document Reveals Tara Reade Spoke of Harassment in Biden’s Office

A court document from 1996 has revealed that Tara Reade told her ex-husband that she was sexually harassed while she was working for Joe Biden in 1993.

The document does not clarify if Biden committed the harassment, nor does it mention Reade’s more recent allegations. The declaration was written by Reade’s then-husband Theodore Dronen contesting a restraining order Reade had filed against him days after he filed for divorce.

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

Elon Musk Says He ‘Sympathizes’ With Anti-Globalist Movement

During his appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, Elon Musk said he sympathized with the anti-globalization movement because “we don’t ever want everywhere to be the same.”

The context of the conversation was how civilizations rise and fall and are negatively affected by hive mind thinking, a concept Musk referred to as the “mind virus.”

“I do think that the globalization that we have at the memesphere — there’s not enough isolation between countries or regions. If there’s a mind virus, that mind virus can infect too much of the world,” said Musk.

“I actually sort of sympathize with the anti-globalization people because we don’t ever want everywhere to be the same for sure and we need some kind of mind viral immunity,” he remarked, adding, “That’s a bit concerning.”

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

Florida Man Friday: Full Speed Reverse!

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It’s the only way to live
In cars

From “Cars” by Gary Numan

Numan apparently never met Florida Man (or Utah Kid) or he’d have written a completely different song, as you’ll see on this week’s thrill-a-minute episode of…

Florida Man Friday!

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

Ilhan Omar Says Michael Flynn’s Charges Were Dropped Because of “White Privilege”

Ilhan Omar, controversial Minnesota state rep. and member of the “squad” of far-left congresswomen, tweeted on Thursday that criminal charges were dropped against Michael Flynn because of “white privilege.”

“White privilege at work,” she said as a reaction to Flynn’s case being dropped.

Omar followed it up with another tweet positing that Trump’s former national security adviser went free because he is white, while people of color die in jail.

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

Nate Silver: “Basic Error” On Coronavirus Stories Expose Media’s True Intentions

In a string of tweets Thursday morning, FiveThirtyEight editor Nate Silver said the mainstream media is not providing the necessary context to stories concerning the rise of coronavirus cases, calling it a “basic error” that exposes the media’s true intentions to prioritize information that “sounds smart” over truth and accuracy.

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

Nearly 500 CA Pastors Say They Are Reopening on May 31, Regardless of Lockdowns: “Not Asking for Permission”

Nearly 500 California pastors said they plan to open their churches on May 31, regardless of lockdown orders.

“The churches are not asking for permission,” said Bob Tyler, a religious freedom attorney advising the pastors. “The governor is sitting here as a dictator, trumping the Constitution and is kind of hanging on to this state of emergency for as long as he can hold it.”

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

Oregon Churches, Individuals File Suit Against Gov. Kate Brown for Unconstitutional Executive Orders

A group of Oregon churches and individuals is filing suit against Gov. Kate Brown, claiming her coronavirus executive orders are unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs filed the suit in Baker County Circuit Court Wednesday and are seeking a preliminary injunction that would prohibit the governor from enforcing executive orders on “non-essential social and recreational gatherings,” which include church services.

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

Tara Reade Calls on Biden to “Be Held Accountable” And Withdraw From Presidential Race

During an interview with journalist Megyn Kelly Thursday, Tara Reade, who has accused presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden of sexual assault, called on the former vice president to withdraw from the 2020 presidential race.

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

Ted Cruz Gets Haircut at Shelley Luther’s Dallas Salon After Her Release From Jail

Sen. Ted Cruz made a visit to Salon à la Mode in Dallas for a haircut Friday, the day after the shop’s owner, Shelley Luther, was freed by a Gov. Abbott executive order after she had been sent to jail for opening her business early.

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

Trump and Orban Discuss the Pandemic and Security Over the Phone

US President Donald Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during a phone conversation on Wednesday discussed the importance of border security, measures to protect against the Wuhan coronavirus, and the global economy.

Following the phone call, Prime Minister Orban’s press secretary Bertalan Havasi noted that the bilateral relations, both economy and political, between Hungary and the United States remain excellent.

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

Trump Says New Transcripts Show Obama, Biden Complicit in Phony Russia Investigation

President Trump said on Friday that newly released House transcripts on the Russia investigation show that former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden were complicit in the investigation into Trump’s alleged communication with Russia during the election.

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

Activists Get Brampton Man Fired From Job for Criticizing Islamic Call to Prayers

While Canada is on lockdown, left-wing activists are keeping busy by getting people fired from their jobs.

An Ontario realtor and school council chair was fired from both positions after he questioned a tweet by Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown about permitting a daily Islamic call to prayer to be broadcast publicly.

Several cities in the Greater Toronto Area have altered bylaws or granted exemptions for mosques to broadcast their Islamic call to prayer out loud.

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

Calendar: The Key Dates to Know as France Begins to Lift Its Lockdown

From May 11th France starts to lift some of its lockdown restrictions. But not everything changes at once and it is a long process. Here are the key dates to know about.

The strict 8-week lockdown begins to be lifted on May 11th, but the government has cautioned that everything depends on the health situation and the relaxing of restrictions could be halted or reversed if the health situation gets worse.

Local authorities can also impose extra restrictions if needed.

Here’s a look at what the government has outlined as — provisional — key dates for the next four months…

           — Hat tip: JM [Return to headlines]
 

Dean Reuter: VE Day Marks Triumph of Good Over Evil, It’s Important to Remember What We Accomplished

Dean Reuter said during Friday’s episode of Breitbart News Daily on SiriusXM that the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe “marks the triumph of good over evil”, and that parents should teach their children about the sacrifices made, as well as the stories of triumph and courage.

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

EU Defends Bowing to Communist Chinese Censors

The EU has attempted to defend the fact that it allowed the communist Chinese government to censor a letter it wrote before it was published in a Chinese newspaper, erasing a sentence that stated the coronavirus originated in China.

The letter, co-written by the bloc’s 27 ambassadors, was published in China’s English-language newspaper China Daily on Tuesday. However, the EU agreed to allow censors to remove the sentence, which stated “But the outbreak of the coronavirus, in China, and its subsequent spread to the rest of the world over the past three months…”

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

EU Top Court Hits Back After German Court Ruling

The EU’s top court, the European Court of Justice, warned Friday the bloc’s legal order could unravel if national courts started to question the primacy of EU law and ECJ decisions. In an unprecedented statement, after the German Constitutional Court’s ruling on the European Central Bank diverging from an earlier ECJ decision, the ECJ said it alone has the right to rule on EU institutions and interpret EU law.

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

Far-Left Anarchists Suspected of Defacing Memorial to French WWII Resistance

Police in the commune of Espenel believe far-left anarchists are behind a wave of recent vandalisation in the area, including the defacement of a memorial to French World War II resistance fighters.

The words “deadly control, fertile resistance” were spray-painted onto the side of the memorial which lists the names of resistance fighters and victims of the massacres that occurred in 1944 and saw the deaths of 600 resistance fighters and 200 civilians at the hands of German occupying forces.

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

France: Paris Mosque Threatens Legal Action if Not Allowed to Open During Ramadan

The Grand Mosque of Paris has threatened to file a discrimination lawsuit against the French government if it is not allowed to open to worshippers before the end of Ramadan.

Head of the Grand Mosque Chems-Eddine Hafiz expressed anger at the announcement that mosques, churches, and other places of worship under lockdown due to the Wuhan coronavirus would not be opened earlier than May 29th, several days after the end of the Muslim holy month.

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

France: Far-Left Antifa Extremists Possible Suspects in Mass Sabotage of Internet Infrastructure

An act of deliberate sabotage that knocked out the internet for 50,000 people this week in the Ile-de-France region may be connected to a series of vandalism acts believed to be linked to far-left Antifa extremists.

According to investigations conducted by the Departmental Judicial Police Service (SDPJ) of Val-de-Marne, the incident which led to customers becoming disconnected from the internet in the region was deliberate.

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

French Agriculture Orgs Demand Macron Rebuild ‘Food Sovereignty’

Seven French agricultural organisations have called on the government to increase food sovereignty as a response to dangers revealed by the Wuhan coronavirus crisis.

The organisations focused on several points to make France’s agricultural sector less reliant on globalisation and said that the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak had revealed weaknesses in the country’s food independence.

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

German Islamists Raided Over Coronavirus Aid Fraud Allegations

German police in Berlin raided the homes of several known Islamic extremists on suspicion of involvement in fraudulently claiming Wuhan coronavirus aid benefits.

The raids involved at least five suspects, all of which are said to be hardcore members of the Islamist Salafist community. They are also linked to the radical Fussilet mosque that was also connected to Berlin Christmas market terrorist and Tunisian failed asylum seeker Anis Amri.

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

Hungary: Orban: Further Restarting Measures Could Take Place at the End of Next Week

Further measures to restart life could take place at the end of next week, at the earliest, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Kossuth Radio’s programme ‘Good morning, Hungary’ on Friday.

Regarding the issue of restarting life in Budapest, experts take the view that we must wait for a fall in the number of fatalities caused by coronavirus infection. Until this happens, we must be cautious with reopening measures in the capital, the prime minister indicated. He stressed that he is for restarting life, but professors are calling for caution.

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

Italy Records More Than 30,000 Coronavirus Deaths as Huge Friday Crowds Gather There and in France After Both Countries Lifted Their Lockdowns Following Two Months

Italy has become the first European Union country to record more than 30,000 coronavirus deaths, yet crowds return to its streets as lockdown measures are eased.

The Health Ministry registered 243 deaths on Friday, bringing the total of those who died in the country to 30,201.

Italy was the first country in Europe with a major outbreak of Covid-19 and currently has the highest death rate in Europe, with the UK (no longer in the EU) close behind with 31,000.

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

Justice Minister: Attacks on Hungary Work Against a Strong and Unified Europe

The “political strategy” to attack the Hungarian government over its response measures to the novel coronavirus epidemic “works against a strong and unified Europe”, Justice Minister Judit Varga wrote in an op-ed for Brussels-based news portal Euractiv.

The minister noted that Vera Jourova, the European Commission’s vice-president in charge of transparency and values, confirmed last month that the commission had no grounds on which to launch an infringement procedure against Hungary over its epidemic response law.

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

On “Strasserism” And the Decay of the Left

[a polemic from a Swedish leftist who has broken with the mainstream, modern left]

Workers aren’t stupid. They’re not evil. They haven’t been “tricked by the media”. They need no false shepherds to guide them, no well-paid moral commissars to teach them to not randomly slaughter their neighbors because of muh racism. They have abandoned the left parties because the left parties have abandoned them, not “culturally” as some proponents of identity politics would like you to think, but materially. They know their own class interests, and they know that the left is inimical to those interests. This is good news, at least for those of us with the courage and political will needed to help them free themselves from their so-called “betters”. Let the Labour activists of London lament over how “disappointed” they are that the working class has stopped following orders. We will not be like you. We will not promise new masters and new yokes to live under, new aristocracies and “vanguards” to subsidize, new cadres of people selling them moral sermons and sensitivity courses. We will promise them a chance at revenge.

           — Hat tip: JF [Return to headlines]
 

Pics: Europe Marks 75th Anniversary of Ve Day Despite Coronavirus Lockdown

LONDON (AP) — Europe was marking the 75th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany to Allied forces following six years of war in a low-key fashion Friday due to coronavirus lockdown restrictions across the continent.

The big celebrations planned have been either cancelled or scaled back dramatically and people across Europe have been asked to mark the moment in private.

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

Poland: Grave Business! Funeral Homes See Drop in Business as Fewer People Are Dying Despite Spread of COVID-19

The funeral industry has seen half of its business ‘shrink’ as surprising data reveals that despite the spreading pandemic, the number of people getting buried is lower than the norm.

According to the Polish Chamber of Funeral Industry, in some regions of Poland, the revenues of funeral homes in March fell by as much as 40 percent.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, 733 people have died in Poland due to the virus.

Yet, there’s reason to believe that the total number of deaths in March wasn’t significantly higher than in the same period during the last five years.

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

Spanish Police Arrest Man in Barcelona Over ISIS Terror Plot

Spanish police have arrested a man in Barcelona over a suspected ISIS terror plot.

The Guardia Civil force said it arrested the Moroccan man, described as deeply radicalised, on Friday after a joint investigation with security forces in Morocco and the United States.

“The suspect intended to carry out a terrorist act, the details of which are unknown,” police said in a statement on Friday.

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

‘The Country is Split in Two’: French Government Reveals Final Details for Lifting Lockdown

Members of the French government on Thursday revealed more details about how France will begin to ease the nationwide lockdown from Monday May 11th, but warned the public, especially those in the Paris region, that they would need to strictly observe social distancing or face tighter measures.

“The progressive lifting of lockdown can go ahead as planned,” Philippe said, as he and several government ministers presented the final plan to ease the lockdown put in place on March 17th.

On Monday May 11th, eight weeks after the French were confined to their homes after the virus has claimed over 25,000 lives, the government will begin to gradually ease the restrictions on movement.

While the PM had already presented a detailed plan last week as to how this will happen, some elements remained unknown.

The government had previously said it did not exclude postponing the lockdown if necessary. The PM therefore began his speech by confirming that the original date will be maintained.

“It’s a new step and good news for the French people,” the PM said..

           — Hat tip: JM [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Brexit Campaigner Did Not Break Electoral Law

Arron Banks, the insurance billionaire who funded UKIP and founded the Leave.EU campaign in the lead-up to the Brexit referendum, has reached a settlement with a regulator after he was fined for allegedly breaking electoral law, The Telegraph reports.

Britain’s Electoral Commission, an institution that monitors spending by political parties and campaign groups to keep it within legal limits, referred the anti-EU businessman to the National Crime Agency in October 2018 after handing out a fine. Arron Banks was accused of overspending via his donations. This month, the National Crime Agency’s investigation concluded there was “no evidence” that Arron Banks broke the law.

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

UK: Boris Johnson: 75 Years on, PM Gives Thanks to Wartime Generation

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson drew from the fortitude and “spirit of national endeavour” of the wartime generation on the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe day, as he made a comparison with today’s nation coronavirus lockdown.

Praising the wartime generation for their part in defeating the “aggression of Hitler” and saving freedom for subsequent generations of Britons — despite the government’s recent historic actions to curb that liberty in the name of public hygiene — Mr Johnson said the “national exertion” in wartime had been the greatest seen before or since.

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

UK: Man Who Threatened to Make Mother of His Children Eat Used Toilet Brush Sentenced

Mohammed Malik of Clarendon Road, Whalley Range in Manchester was sentenced this week for abusing the mother of his children, including threatening to make her eat a used toilet brush.

Malik, 24, was in a car with the woman on December 1 when he accused her of talking to other men, and questioned if he was actually the father of her child. In the ensuing argument, the woman eventually tried to get out of the car, but Malik threw her into the footwell and bit her leg, leaving a permanent mark. He then poured a drink over her and forced his fingers down her throat, causing her to vomit.

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

UK: Nigel Farage Salutes War Generation in VE Day Tribute

Nigel Farage paid tribute to the wartime generation and the freedoms they secured on the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe.

Speaking at Dover, where he was covering the ongoing, unchecked illegal boat migrant crisis in the English Channel, the Brexit Party leader said it was “a great shame” that proper celebrations could not be held due to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

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

UK: The Cuckdown

The architect of the lockdown violated his own lockdown, while experts warn 1.4 million people will die of untreated TB because of coronavirus.

Meanwhile, even in lockdown, boat migrants continue to enter the country in record numbers.

Pubs closed, borders open!

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

Protest in Belgrade Against Serbian President

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Banging pots and blowing whistles, hundreds of people staged a noisy protest in Belgrade late Thursday against Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic whom they accuse of curbing democratic freedoms.

The protest outside the presidency building was held a day after authorities scrapped the curfew imposed to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Most participants wore face masks but did not appear to respect social distancing rules.

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

Caroline Glick: The “Legal” Landmine on the Road to Sovereignty

There is a landmine on the road to Israeli sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria. It must be defused before it blows up Israel’s efforts to secure its national interests and takes President Donald Trump’s peace plan, and U.S.-Israel relations along with it.

The landmine is not an actual explosive charge but the clique of unelected lawyers at the top of Israel’s legal system. Member of the clique have arrogated to themselves the power of the government to advance their radical, legally unsupported political views about Judea and Samaria.

Since 1967, the State of Israel has carefully left its position on the legal status of Judea and Samaria ambiguous to avoid unnecessary confrontations. At the same time, Israel has assiduously refused to make any concessions about its actual sovereign rights to the areas.

Since 1967, Israel has administered the areas through a military government and even agreed to do so in accordance with the prescriptions of the Geneva Accords and Hague Convention. However, as the Military Advocate General during the 1967 Six Day War, and later Supreme Court President Meir Shamgar said at the time and throughout the intervening years, Israel has acted out of good will, not legal compulsion.

In other words, the State of Israel’s longstanding position is that its control of Judea and Samaria does not fit the international legal definition of “belligerent occupation.” Israel is not the “occupier” of the areas. Various Israeli jurists have presented various factual legal arguments over the years to back this position…

           — Hat tip: Caroline Glick [Return to headlines]
 

Facebook Censorship Council Includes Pro-Muslim Brotherhood Activist

Facebook’s new censorship council, which will decide what content gets deleted from the website, includes a pro-Muslim Brotherhood Yemeni activist.

“The independent board, which will be able to overturn Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decisions on whether individual pieces of content should be allowed on Facebook and Instagram, is a high-profile response to criticism of how the social media company handles problematic content,” reported Channel News Asia.

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India: Aligarh: Hindu Students in Amu Being Hounded, Threatened With Death by Islamists Over Social Media Posts

Recently, it has been found that some Islamic extremists and Hindupobes of the Aligarh Muslim University are now brazenly threatening to kill Hindu students by posting intimidating messages along with screenshots of their social media posts.

The administrative team of the varsity has stepped in and planning to take strict action against these Islamist fundamentalists. It is being said that the university administration is planning to expel such students from the University.

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April Jobs Report: U.S. Employers Cut a Record 20.5 Million Payrolls, Unemployment Rate Jumps to 14.7%

The U.S. economy shed a record 20.5 million payrolls in April and the unemployment rate jumped to 14.7%, as the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses across the country to temporarily shut down and lay off or furlough workers.

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China Says That if it Has to Pay for Coronavirus, US Has to Pay for Aids, 1918 Spanish Flu

In its latest tirade against America, Chinese state media argued Thursday that if lawsuits are filed against the communist state by the US, then international lawsuits should be filed against America for the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as well as the Spanish Flu, which happened in 1918.

One of the most notorious propaganda mouth pieces in China, The Global Times published a piece demanding China is “never the one to be blamed” for the coronavirus spread, and that the “arrogance of some American politicians” should take precedence.

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China Coronavirus Cover Up: Scientists Think Pandemic Started as Early as October

SCIENTISTS believe the coronavirus pandemic could have started as early as October and participants at the Military World Games, held in Wuhan that month, could have unwittingly helped transmit the lethal virus around the world.

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Pro-China and Democratic Lawmakers Scuffle in Hong Kong Legislature

HONG KONG (Reuters) — Rival lawmakers scuffled in Hong Kong’s legislature on Friday in a row over electing the chairman of a key committee, a fresh sign of rising political tension as the coronavirus pandemic eases in the Chinese-ruled city.

Lawmakers shouted and pushed one another at the Legislative Council meeting. Some democrats charged at a line of guards, seeking to eject a pro-Beijing lawmaker who attempted to chair the meeting in a move that democrats said violated procedure.

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Australia to Ease COVID-19 Curbs in Three Stages, Targets July for Full Removal

SYDNEY (Reuters) — Australia will ease social distancing restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the coronavirus in a three-step process, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, with the aim of removing all curbs by July.

Australia imposed strict social distancing restrictions in March, which, coupled with the closure of its borders, is credited with drastically slowing the number of new infections of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Morrison said Australia’s states and territories will decide when to begin implementing each stage.

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Scientific Research Finds That Closing Borders is Most Effective Way of Combatting Coronavirus

Scientists in Brazil have found that the countries most affected by the coronavirus spread are the ones who continued to allow unrestricted travel across their borders, prompting further arguments that the most effective method of preventing the spread is tighter frontier controls.

The research, carried out by the Federal University of Bahia in Salvador, suggests that screening and quarantining those coming into countries from outside could have been “a cheap solution for humanity”.

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123 Migrants Picked Up by Maltese Vessels, To be Held Offshore

Two Maltese vessels picked up a total of 123 migrants in the Mediterranean on Wednesday night. 18 migrants were brought to Malta for “humanitarian reasons,” but the rest will be kept offshore, as Malta sticks to its tough stance on rejecting more migrants.

Last month Malta informed the European Union that it would no longer accept illegal migrants as a result of the strain on its resources caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as previously reported by Voice of Europe. The tiny country has come under fire from human rights groups for its stance, and an investigation is ongoing into an incident that occurred during Easter weekend, when a group of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean were forced to return to Libya. Malta is suspected of having deliberately delayed their rescue.

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A Record 150 Migrants Are Picked Up From 10 Boats in English Channel Trying to Get to UK in the Last 24 Hours — Including 50 in One Vessel

A record-breaking 150 migrants have been picked up today from 10 boats in the English Channel trying to get to the UK in the last 24 hours, including 50 in one vessel.

The first boat is understood to have been picked up off Kent at around 2am, with 50 migrants believed to have been on it. Conditions were perfect for crossing with calm seas, good visibility and a full moon.

A huge search and rescue mission is underway involving the Coastguard helicopter, at least two Border Force vessels, a drone from Lydd Airport and two lifeboats from Dover and Littlestone.

Official figures are yet to be confirmed by the Home Office — but should the 150 stand it would beat the current record for a single day, which was 102 in February.

[Comment: Artice dated May 8, 2020.]

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Another Church Trashed by Illegal Immigrants on Greek Island

Becoming a near weekly tradition now, another church has been vandalised and attacked on the Eastern Aegean island of Lesvos.

This time it was the Virgin Mary of Tsiradou that was attacked yesterday near the town of Moria, the location of the infamous Moria Migrant Camp.

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Czech Police Arrest Afghan Migrant Who Stabbed His Girlfriend 20 Times in Germany (Video)

Czech police officers have arrested an Afghan man on the D1 motorway near Prague who was suspected of attempting to murder his girlfriend in Germany, the Czech General Inspectorate of Security Forces (GIBS) announced along with an investigation regarding how the suspect was able to enter the Czech Republic during the coronavirus lockdown.

The 32-year-old Afghan man, who reportedly inflicted 20 stab wounds to his girlfriend, left Germany with his one-and-a-half-year-old child. Surprisingly, the German woman survived the attack, which is currently under investigation by German police.

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Mass Migration Cost France at Least 6.6 Billion Euros in 2019

France spent €6.6 billion on immigration in 2019, handing out a total of 276,576 residency permits.

The Court of Auditors’ report states that while France receives far fewer migrants through legal means than countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, or Sweden per 1,000 inhabitants, it continues to receive high numbers of illegal migrants and asylum seekers.

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Report: Frontex Warns of a Fresh Wave of Illegal Migrants at Greek Border

The EU’s border agency, Frontex, is anticipating a fresh wave of migrants seeking to illegally cross the Turkish border into Greece once Ankara lifts lockdown measures imposed to stem the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus.

Citing a leaked internal document from the Frontex Situation Center, the German newspaper Die Welt reports that the border agency is anticipating another wave of migration since the easing of coronavirus restrictions in the provinces of Istanbul, Canakkale, and Izmir is expected to trigger large movements of migrants toward the Evros border.

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Sweden: 16-Year-Old Migrant Sentenced for Rape, Other Crimes

A 16-year-old migrant from Jordan has been convicted of ten different crimes, including the rape of a 13-year-old girl last year. He has been sentenced to a facility for juveniles.

All ten of the crimes were committed in 2019. In the worst incident, the Jordanian had got in touch with the 13-year-old girl over Snapchat in April, and they agreed to meet in Liljeholmen, in the southern suburbs of Stockholm. The Jordan brought the girl into a public toilet at a McDonald’s restaurant, where he raped her, according to a report by Fria Tider. The girl told police that she was helpless as the Jordanian was stronger than she is.

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UK: Defiant Farage Challenges Zealous Lockdown Cops, Continues Reporting on Illegal Migration

Nigel Farage, undeterred by police warnings, has returned to England’s south-east coast, saying that he has “witnessed first hand our Border Force acting as a taxi service for illegal migrants”. He has also lodged a complaint against Kent Police for the late-night visit they paid him for reporting on the immigration crisis.

After Kent Police visited Nigel Farage to warn him against “unnecessary travel” during the lockdown, the Brexit Party leader returned on Thursday to Dover to report on the regular arrivals of illegal migrants being brought ashore by UK Border Force.

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Facebook, YouTube Removing Viral “Plandemic” Conspiracy Video

Social media companies including YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook are removing a viral conspiracy theory video because of claims about the coronavirus the companies say are dangerous.

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Germany Passes Law Banning ‘Gay Conversion Therapy’ For Minors

Germany’s parliament has passed a law banning so-called “gay conversion therapy” for young people nationwide.

The legislation is intended to stop groups offering the service — which claims to be able to change a person’s sexual orientation — to under-18s.

Those breaking the new law can face up to a year in prison, or a €30,000 ($32,535; £26,268) fine.

Research suggests the controversial practice can lead to depression and increase the risk of suicide.

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Reporters Pressure YouTube to Remove More “Conspiracy Theory” Videos

Anybody just throwing around the term “authoritative sources” — and leaving it at that, should no longer be able to pass the scrutiny as a proper (media) source by any critically thinking person.

It’s too late in this game now to just keep getting bamboozled and disparaged as passive “consumers” of deliberately misleading “reporting” like this — using seemingly big words like “authoritative” — that in reality mean nothing.

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WHO: Under-4s Should Learn About ‘Early Childhood Masturbation’, ‘Explore Gender Identities’

The Christian Institute has slammed World Health Organization (WHO) sexuality education guidance recommending that children under four should receive information about masturbation and their “right to explore gender identities”.

The WHO Regional Office for Europe and Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) document, titled ‘Standards for Sexuality Education in Europe’, contains a “Sexuality education matrix” recommending that, among other thing, children aged 0-4 should be given information about “enjoyment and pleasure when touching one’s own body, early childhood masturbation” and “the right to explore gender identities”.

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YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki Downplays Monopoly Suggestions, Says it’s a “Competitive Landscape”

The massive amount of power the tech giants hold over the distribution of information through search and social media is one the main concerns that’s driving the Justice Department’s current big tech antitrust investigation.

When it comes to search and video content, YouTube is a dominant player with it being the most visited video-sharing website in the world, the second-largest search engine in the world, and having over two billion users who watch one billion hours of video on the platform each day.

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1.4 Million People to Die From Untreated TB Due to Coronavirus Lockdown

Around 1.4 million people are expected to die from untreated TB infections due to the coronavirus lockdown, according to research published by Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins University.

“Up to 6.3 million more people are predicted to develop TB between now and 2025 and 1.4 million more people are expected to die as cases go undiagnosed and untreated during lockdown,” reports the Guardian.

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5 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 5/8/2020

  1. Today in the capital of Dagestan (the Muslim region of Russia in the Caucasus), the city of Makhachkala, a very funny incident occurred – from the mosque minarets patriotic songs of the Second World War were heard.
    All Muslims are in shock and panic. It turned out that these records were broadcast by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, which installed loudspeakers in mosques to alert the population about emergency situations.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_gzNSnAS6o&feature=youtu.be

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