Gates of Vienna News Feed 7/27/2020

Two migrants stowed away in the roof box of a British car after it arrived in Normandy, evidently thinking it was heading for the UK. When the stowaways were discovered, they were 100 miles further into France. The two men escaped, but were later caught by police. However, they were released without being charged.

In other news, mostly peaceful protesters vandalized police cars and set them on fire in lower Manhattan.

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

Thanks to C. Cantoni, 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.

USA
» 5 More NFL Players Opt Out of Season as COVID-19 Outbreak Strikes MLB
» Access Dots Lets Android Users Know When They’re Being Listened to or Watched
» Amazon Accused of Stealing the Ideas of Startups That Pitched Them
» Arizona Congressman Calls on Judge to Unseal Google Tracking Secrets
» Biden Campaign Denies “Fox News Sunday” Interview
» Chicago Mayor: City is “Inundated With Guns” From States With Loose Gun Control
» CNN Forces Sinclair Broadcast Group to Axe Interview With ‘Plandemic’ Author Dr Judy Mikovits
» Connecticut Cop Investigated Over Facebook Memes
» Facebook Agrees to Pay Revised $650m to Settle Face Tracking Lawsuit
» First Major U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Seeks 30,000 Volunteers
» George Soros Donates $50 Million to Dems for 2020 Election, $30 Million More Than 2016
» Indie News Aggregators Like Citizen Free Press Are Growing in Popularity
» Joe Biden’s Policy Plan: A Roadmap to Perdition
» Mark Zuckerberg Referred to DOJ for Making “Materially False Statements to Congress”
» New iPhone Update Shows Instagram Accessing Camera Even When Not Taking Photos
» New Shark Species Found in Wilkinson Co., GA.
» New York Rep. Jerry Nadler Calls Violent Riots in Portland a “Myth”
» NJ Gym Owners Arrested for Defying Governor’s Shutdown Orders
» NYC Rioters Target Police Vehicles, Light Fires
» Portland Chaos: 22 Face Federal Charges Over Weekend Violence
» President Trump’s National Security Adviser Tests Positive for Coronavirus
» Some MLB Games Postponed After Marlins’ Coronavirus Outbreak
» Video: Richmond Mayor Claims ‘White Supremacists’ Infiltrated Black Lives Matter Mob, Torched City in Riot
» Video: BLM Riots Leave 59 Officers Wounded During Violent Demonstrations in Seattle, Portland, Austin, And Louisville
» Weekend Protests Turn Into Violent Riots in California and Colorado
 
Canada
» Toronto ISIS Attacker Denied Parole for Threatening to Attack Again if Freed
 
Europe and the EU
» ‘All White People Are Racist, ‘ Claims Black Activist and Former Advisor to Belgium’s Flemish Youth Council
» Belgium Implements Drastic Plan to Avoid Another Lockdown
» Czech Cabinet Supports Proposed Constitutional Amendment Protecting Armed Self-Defence
» ECLJ: Cosy Relationship Between Europe’s Human Rights Court and Left-Wing NGOs
» EU Seeks to Impose Sanctions Over Libya Ceasefire Violations
» Europe Warned of ISIS Radicalisation Threat in Prisons
» France Drugs: PM Castex to Impose on-the-Spot Fines Nationwide
» Italy Businesses Hit by €1,000 Fines for Not Enforcing Masks
» Poland Close to Renouncing Istanbul Convention, Still One of the Safest Countries in Europe for Women
» Polish Prime Minister Praises Polish-Hungarian Cooperation
» Spain: Barcelona Cardinal Defies Government, Celebrates Funeral Mass
» UK: Boris Johnson to Unveil Cycling Prescriptions and Health Plans in Obesity Crackdown
» UK: From Banning BOGOF Offers and Calories on Menus — How the Government Plans to Slim Down the UK
» UK: Formerly Libertarian Boris Turns Nanny-in-Chief, Bans Daytime ‘Junk Food’ Ads, Shopping Deals
» UK: Farage: Boris Must Not Go Down ‘Weak and Cowardly Route’ Of Brexit in Name Only
» UK: Obesity: Unhealthy ‘Buy One Get One Free’ Deals Targeted
» UK: White Woman Quits Commonwealth Games Committee After Calls for Resignations to Boost Diversity
» YouTube Bans Czech Politician Over Videos Criticizing Mass Migrations and the EU
 
Middle East
» Turkey on the Warpath
 
South Asia
» Latest Fake News: Climate Change Harming India’s Marriage Prospects
 
Immigration
» British Tourists in France Find Two Young Migrants Hiding in Their Car
» Iranian Man Kicks 14-Year-Old German Girl in Buttocks and Spits on Her After She Rejects His Advances
» Italian Island Overwhelmed as Migrant Boats Arrive Every Hour on Average
» Malta Rescues 95 Migrants From Sinking Dinghy
» Two Migrants Who Tried to Reach Britain Hidden in a Car Roof Box Wound Up 100 Miles Further Away in France
» UK: Migrants Jailed for Forcing Sex Slave to Sleep With 15 Men Per Day
» Vatican Calls for ‘Mass Regularisation’ of Illegal Migrants in Spain
 
Culture Wars
» New Netflix Kids’ Series “The Baby-Sitters Club” Features Transgender Child Character
» Polish Fantasy Author Refuses to Back Down in Face of LGBT Criticism
» Social Media Censorship is Hindering Investigations, Researchers Say
» UK: Rowling Warns on Trans Therapy for Kids: ‘We’Re on Brink of a Medical Scandal’
 

5 More NFL Players Opt Out of Season as COVID-19 Outbreak Strikes MLB

On the same day MLB saw a COVID-19 outbreak, several more NFL players have opted out of the upcoming season.

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

Access Dots Lets Android Users Know When They’re Being Listened to or Watched

The most recent iOS 14 will be hitting iPhones soon. While a lot of it copied from Android this time around, it did introduce a few great new features. The one that made me drool the most as an Android user is of course the indicator dots that alert you when your camera or microphone are being accessed.

Thankfully, someone has already made an Android app that does just that. It’s called Access Dots.

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

Amazon Accused of Stealing the Ideas of Startups That Pitched Them

Who knew that Amazon has always been about annihilating competition on advantages ranging from not needing to turn a profit in the early days, to being too big not to succeed these days, with retail and in particular, the cloud service (AWS)?

Pretty much everybody with an eye on the tech world, it’s safe to say — but here we have the Wall Street Journal who seem to be just learning about it.

The report is not badly timed, either, as Big Tech companies are due to face Congressional hearings by the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee on Wednesday.

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

Arizona Congressman Calls on Judge to Unseal Google Tracking Secrets

Amid a flurry of calls for Google to apply even more censorship to a contentious topic, and threats of antitrust probes, some attention is finally being paid to the heart of the problem and the reason why Google is so important: the invasive, user-tracking business model that earns it vast amounts of money and amplifies its power.

Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona has brought this point up before a Maricopa County Court.

Biggs wants to allow Google users in Arizona to have access to documents that shows how exactly the tech giant is tracking them. And he makes a point of this tying directly with the ongoing investigations in Washington.

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

Biden Campaign Denies “Fox News Sunday” Interview

The Biden campaign declined an interview with “Fox News Sunday” just a week after President Trump questioned during an interview with Fox News’s Chris Wallace if Biden could handle a similar interview.

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

Chicago Mayor: City is “Inundated With Guns” From States With Loose Gun Control

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that her city is being “inundated with guns” from outside states, and that President Trump could push for gun control measures if he truly cared about helping Chicago.

Why it matters: At least 414 people have been murdered in Chicago through July 19, putting the city on track to have one of its deadliest summers since 2016, according to CNN. Trump said on Fox News Thursday that he’s willing to deploy 75,000 federal agents to help cities struggling with protests and violence.

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

CNN Forces Sinclair Broadcast Group to Axe Interview With ‘Plandemic’ Author Dr Judy Mikovits

CNN created an online campaign to bombard conservative broadcast company Sinclair over an interview it was scheduled to broadcast with Dr Judy Mikovits, the author and creator of the ‘Plandemic’ film and book, and it worked as Sinclair eventually agreed to pull the interview.

Mikovits, who contends that the Coronavirus outbreak is being inflated and used to push vaccines on people, had already filmed the interview with ‘America This Week’ host Eric Bolling, but the interview did not air this weekend as planned.

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

Connecticut Cop Investigated Over Facebook Memes

The New Haven Police Department is looking into a series of posts by an officer to determine if they violate department policy. The investigation comes after accusations that Officer Jason Bandy’s expresses “right-wing extremism” in his Facebook postings of memes.

Critics have highlighted some of his recent posts endorse the idea that the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax. He also believes the cases are being deliberately inflated, and the government does not care about the safety of citizens.

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

Facebook Agrees to Pay Revised $650m to Settle Face Tracking Lawsuit

After over a decade of Facebook training its facial recognition AI using all our selfies, their day has reckoning has finally come. Sort of.

This all started in 2009. Israeli company Face.com launched Photo Finder, a Facebook plug-in that uses facial recognition to find photos of a user and add tags to them.

Of course, Facebook being uncreative rent seekers, decided to copy this feature and bring it in-house.

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

First Major U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Seeks 30,000 Volunteers

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) — The world’s largest, widespread coronavirus vaccine trial starts in the United States Monday. 30,000 people are expected to take part with half receiving two doses of the trial vaccine and others receiving a placebo.

Lead by the Federal government’s National Institutes of Health and private-company Moderna, the trial will rely on volunteers signing up through the end of summer. KRQE News 13 asked a few people in Old Town Monday if they’d consider volunteering.

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

George Soros Donates $50 Million to Dems for 2020 Election, $30 Million More Than 2016

Billionaire George Soros has donated $50 million to Democratic PACs and campaigns this election cycle, $30 million more than he donated during the last presidential election

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

Indie News Aggregators Like Citizen Free Press Are Growing in Popularity

A former CNN man who used to work for the network’s host Lou Dobbs now positions himself as competition to The Drudge Report — what has long been considered a leading alternative US news aggregation website.

And the web traffic results seem encouraging, according to this tweet from the Citizen Free Press account.

While the desktop share is still high compared to mobile among active users, the site reported 3200+ visitors at the time the tweet went out on July 23 — and 1.5 million pageviews the day before.

The site itself provides the type of news that corporate US media actively ignore, as they remain gripped by the fever of partisan allegiances, pandemics, and the terror of the very thought of being caught “on the wrong side” of cancel culture.

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

Joe Biden’s Policy Plan: A Roadmap to Perdition

by Nikola Kedhi

It has to be really uncomfortable being Joe Biden these days! He is not even running his own campaign and apparently is not allowed to attend public events or answer any questions due to fears of showcasing his lapses in logic and inability to finish sentences. Furthermore, his campaign program has been crafted by the struggling Democratic primary electorate.

The Two Bidens

The presumptive Democratic nominee Biden bears little resemblance to the former Vice President Biden, and nowhere is this more evident than in the recently published 110-page document from the Unity Task Force appointed by Biden and his former opponent, the socialist senator Bernie Sanders.

While one could have described Biden, throughout his very long years in public service, with a wide range of adjectives going from ineloquent to borderline creepy, far-left radical would not have been one of them. However, in his third try for the Presidency, he is definitely running on a socialist platform, rejecting everything he has ever stood for and abandoning his own achievements and policy initiatives.

[…]

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

Mark Zuckerberg Referred to DOJ for Making “Materially False Statements to Congress”

Congressman Matt Gaetz has filed a criminal referral against Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for “making materially false statements to Congress while under oath” during two joint hearings on April 10, 2018 and April 11, 2018.

During the hearings, Zuckerberg was asked about Facebook’s bias against conservatives several times and said “there is absolutely no directive in any of the changes that we make to have a bias in anything we do.”

However, a series of recent undercover investigations from Project Veritas have shown several of Facebook’s content moderators stating that they take down pro-Trump posts for “revenge” and discussing their plans to “delete all Republicans” on their last day.

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

New iPhone Update Shows Instagram Accessing Camera Even When Not Taking Photos

Apple iPhone users who have downloaded a beta version of the company’s upcoming iOS 14 software update have noticed that the Instagram app is accessing their camera even when they are not taking photos.

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

New Shark Species Found in Wilkinson Co., GA.

WILKINSON COUNTY, Ga. (WTVM) — Wilkinson County just outside of Macon, Ga. is probably the last place you would expect a new species of shark to be discovered, but scientists have done just that.

Teeth from the Mennerotodus parmleyi were found in the old Hardie Mine in Wilkinson County.

Scientists believe these sharks lived approximately 35 million years ago in the Bartonian Stage of the Eocene Epoch.

The team who made the discovery also discovered a second new shark species in Lowndes County, Ala.

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

New York Rep. Jerry Nadler Calls Violent Riots in Portland a “Myth”

Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler called the violent riots that have destroyed property and harmed several police officers in Portland “a myth” on Sunday.

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

NJ Gym Owners Arrested for Defying Governor’s Shutdown Orders

A New Jersey gym was boarded up and its two owners arrested on Monday as a result of the men’s refusal to comply with Gov. Phil Murphy’s coronavirus shutdown orders.

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

NYC Rioters Target Police Vehicles, Light Fires

Anti-police rioters vandalized several New York Police Department vehicles on Saturday night in a round of havoc inflicted on Lower Manhattan.

Protesters set fires in the area, as well as slashed the tires of police cars and attempted to smash in their windows. A total of six police cars were vandalized.

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

Portland Chaos: 22 Face Federal Charges Over Weekend Violence

22 people were arrested and are facing federal charges for their roles in protests over the weekend at the federal courthouse in downtown Portland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon.

Protests since May 26 have been followed by nightly criminal activity, including assaults on law enforcement officers, according to court documents.

Other activities detailed in court documents include destruction of property, looting and arson, with the attorney’s office calling the federal courthouse “a nightly target of vandalism.”

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

President Trump’s National Security Adviser Tests Positive for Coronavirus

President Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien has tested positive for coronavirus, a White House official confirmed.

“National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien tested positive for COVID-19. He has mild symptoms and has been self-isolating and working from a secure location off site,” a statement from the White House said. “There is no risk of exposure to the president or the vice president. The work of the National Security Council continues uninterrupted.”

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

Some MLB Games Postponed After Marlins’ Coronavirus Outbreak

Major League Baseball has postponed two games scheduled for Monday night and one for Tuesday because of a coronavirus outbreak among the Miami Marlins.

Both games of the Marlins’ opening home series against the Baltimore Oriolesare off, as is Monday’s Philadelphia Phillies’ home game against the New York Yankees.

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

Video: Richmond Mayor Claims ‘White Supremacists’ Infiltrated Black Lives Matter Mob, Torched City in Riot

The mayor of Richmond, Virginia blamed “white supremacists” after mayhem broke out again in the city over the weekend, as mobs composed of Black Lives Matter and Antifa-linked rioters attempted to storm police headquarters, leaving a “path of destruction” in their wake as part of a planned violent “protest” titled “Richmond Stands With Portland.”

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

Video: BLM Riots Leave 59 Officers Wounded During Violent Demonstrations in Seattle, Portland, Austin, And Louisville

Black Lives Matter protesters rioted in cities across the United States over the weekend in what were the largest demonstrations from the radical group in recent weeks, with protesters saying they were gathering against racism and the presence of federal agents in local cities.

In cities like Portland, rioters turned the city’s downtown into a war zone while targeting the city’s federal courthouse.

During a smaller protest in Austin, Texas, one person lost his life during a shooting when a protester approached a vehicle armed with an AK-47. In another incident in Louisville in Kentucky, 300 armed members of a black supremacist militia marched in the city, with one accidentally shooting three of his fellow protesters.

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

Weekend Protests Turn Into Violent Riots in California and Colorado

Oakland, California, and Aurora, Colorado, experienced violent riots over the weekend that included the torching of courthouses in both cities.

In Oakland, the city police department announced a blaze at the Alameda County Courthouse about 1:30 in the morning.

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

Toronto ISIS Attacker Denied Parole for Threatening to Attack Again if Freed

A woman imprisoned for an ISIS-inspired attack at a Canadian Tire store in Toronto has threatened to commit another terrorist attack once she is released, according to documents obtained by Global News.

“If you release me from jail, I will do another terrorist attack, so tell your government to send me back to my country (Syria),” Rehab Dughmosh wrote to her parole officer in February.

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

‘All White People Are Racist, ‘ Claims Black Activist and Former Advisor to Belgium’s Flemish Youth Council

Black activist and former advisor to the Flemish Youth Council Sabrine Ingabire is facing backlash after an interview published in Belgian magazine De Morgen, in which she made some remarkable statements about “White people”. For example, she stated that “all White people” are racists, and that she never feels safe in spaces with only “White people” around.

The 24-year-old Sabrine Ingabire has previously written columns for De Morgen and is currently active in the Dutch NRC Handelsblad daily.

Statements she made in the latest interview published by De Morgen earned her a wave of criticism on social media.

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

Belgium Implements Drastic Plan to Avoid Another Lockdown

Belgium’s prime minister on Monday put the brakes on the country’s coronavirus exit plan, unveiling a set of drastic social distancing measures aimed at avoiding a new general lockdown amid a surge of COVID-19 infections.

Speaking after an urgent meeting of the national security council, Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes said that from next Wednesday contacts outside every household will be limited to the same five people over the next four weeks, as the so-called “social bubble” now applies to a house and its occupants and not to individuals. Belgian residents are currently allowed to meet with 15 different people per week. The measures don’t apply to children under the age of 12.

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

Czech Cabinet Supports Proposed Constitutional Amendment Protecting Armed Self-Defence

Czech Rep., Jul 16 (BD) — The Cabinet of Prime Minister Andrej Babis has unexpectedly lent its support to a proposed amendment to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, a document forming part of the Czech constitution, which would enshrine in law the right to use guns for self-defence. The government was expected to state a neutral opinion on the proposal, but Justice Minister Marie Benesova (ANO) announced that, after a heated discussion, they had decided to support it.

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

ECLJ: Cosy Relationship Between Europe’s Human Rights Court and Left-Wing NGOs

As Britain finally crawls towards its long-promised departure from the European Union, the timing is right to consider its place in the flawed European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) — a body the ruling Conservative Party promised to take the country out of in its 2015 election manifesto.

The European Centre for Law and Justice’s (ECLJ) 2020 report on the relationship between the powerful judges of the ECHR and the non-governmental organisations (NGO) they have been involved in highlighted these issues.

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

EU Seeks to Impose Sanctions Over Libya Ceasefire Violations

by Thomas O. Falk

Germany, France and Italy are increasing pressure to resolve the conflict in Libya, at least officially: Germany’s Angela Merkel, France’s Emmanuel Marcon and Italy’s Guiseppe Conte have stated openly that states that violate the UN arms embargo on Libya should be seriously punished. The only question now is how exactly this would happen.

Will Sanctions Be Enough to Enforce a Libya Ceasefire?

Germany, France and Italy have threatened to punish countries that fail to abide by the UN arms embargo on Libya. Chancellor Merkel, President Macron and Premier Conte said on the sidelines in a joint statement that they were ready to “consider imposing sanctions” should violations of the embargo at sea, on land or in the air continue of the EU special summit was published.

However, names of states that could be considered for sanctions are not mentioned in the declaration, even if the suspects are widely known. France, for example, has long accused Turkey of violating the arms embargo by delivering arms to the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). Turkey, in turn, accuses countries such as the United Arab Emirates and France of supplying the opposite side of the Libyan National Army (LNA) with weapons.

[…]

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

Europe Warned of ISIS Radicalisation Threat in Prisons

European countries could face a major radicalisation threat within their prison systems from returning ISIS fighters, reports on terrorism reveal.

Researchers from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalism analysed the risks posed by extremists in 10 major European countries.

The individual reports, published on Monday, highlight the dangers posed by returning ISIS fighters and concerns over them radicalising others within the prison system.

A report on Belgium reveals that if all extremists who left return to the country and are jailed, one in 10 women in prison will be an ISIS fighter.

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

France Drugs: PM Castex to Impose on-the-Spot Fines Nationwide

France will introduce on-the-spot fines nationwide for drug users, particularly targeting cannabis, from September.

The move comes amid concerns about drug-related violence and was announced by PM Jean Castex on a trip to Nice, which has seen weeks of unrest.

The roll-out of fines follows tests in cities such as Rennes and Marseilles.

The €200 ($233; £182) fixed fine will reduce to €150 if paid within 15 days. France is one of the leading consumers of cannabis in Europe.

Legislation on recreational cannabis use varies widely from country to country. Several nations, like Canada, have legalised it while others have policies of minor punishment. But many others impose severe jail terms…

           — Hat tip: JM [Return to headlines]
 

Italy Businesses Hit by €1,000 Fines for Not Enforcing Masks

Several businesses around Naples have been hit with €1,000 fines as they were responsible “during a commercial transaction” for customers and clients who did not wear a mask in an enclosed space, France24 reported. Besides the fines, businesses could be forced to close for a period between five to 30 days. France will also introduce fines of €135 for people who do not wear a mask in public spaces indoors.

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

Poland Close to Renouncing Istanbul Convention, Still One of the Safest Countries in Europe for Women

Poland is preparing to renounce the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which the ruling government says is a threat to family values as well as an attack on traditional culture and Christianity.

Marek Jurek, former Speaker of the Sejm and former Law and Justice (PiS) MEP, emphasized that the main reason for Poland to renounce the Istanbul Convention is because it is a gender ideology convention which demands the “uprooting” of traditions and values based on the “stereotypical model of the roles of men and women”.

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

Polish Prime Minister Praises Polish-Hungarian Cooperation

In a recent interview, Mateusz Morawiecki told Magyar Hirlap that he was very satisfied with the apparent Polish-Hungarian unity at the recent EU Summit. He emphasized the shared commitment of the two Eastern Central European nations to traditional Christian values. He added that he considered the exclusion of a strong rule of law condition from the deal a shared victory for Poland and Hungary.

Mateusz Morawiecki, the Prime Minister of Poland, praised the friendship between Poland and Hungary which he described as one with both historic roots and contemporary manifestations through a sense of solidarity.

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

Spain: Barcelona Cardinal Defies Government, Celebrates Funeral Mass

The archbishop of Barcelona celebrated a funeral Mass Sunday evening for the victims of the coronavirus pandemic, in open defiance of an official 10-person cap for religious assemblies.

Cardinal Juan Jose Omella — who is also the president of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference — officiated the funeral in the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, in the presence of some 150 members of the faithful, all of whom were wearing face masks.

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

UK: Boris Johnson to Unveil Cycling Prescriptions and Health Plans in Obesity Crackdown

Government-backed 12-week health plans are set to be rolled out as part of the Prime Minister’s obesity strategy, with GPs able to hand out “cycling prescriptions”, it has been confirmed.

The move comes after Boris Johnson revealed his own brush with Covid-19, which saw him require intensive care in April, convinced him of the need to tackle Britain’s bulging waistlines.

He is preparing to announce a “Better Health” campaign on Monday, which will aim to reach 35 million people in a bid to help them lose weight and live healthier lives.

As part of the programme, the NHS weight loss services is to be expanded, while GPs will be encouraged to prescribe cycling — with patients in pilot areas given access to bikes — and ministers promising more segregated lanes and better cycle infrastructure would be put in place.

The Prime Minister is also expected to ban junk food adverts on television before the 9pm watershed and to outlaw them entirely online…

           — Hat tip: JM [Return to headlines]
 

UK: From Banning BOGOF Offers and Calories on Menus — How the Government Plans to Slim Down the UK

Banning unhealthy snacks at shop checkouts and “Buy One Get One Free” offers, as well as adverts for junk food before 9pm are all part of the government’s new plan to slim down the nation.

Almost two-thirds of adults and one-in-three children in the UK are overweight.

On Monday, the prime minister will give more details on the new obesity strategy, so, what’s going to be in it?…

           — Hat tip: JM [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Formerly Libertarian Boris Turns Nanny-in-Chief, Bans Daytime ‘Junk Food’ Ads, Shopping Deals

The formerly libertarian prime minister has imposed a raft of new restrictions in the promotion of food deemed unhealthy, treating advertisements for ‘junk food’ like nudity or violence by banning them on television before 9 p.m.

Reports last week suggested that Prime Minister Boris Johnson would ban promotional sales of junk food, including Buy One Get One Frees (BOGOFs). However, he has gone farther by also banning advertisements of food high in fat, sugar, and salt on television and the Internet before 9 p.m. to limit their exposure to children.

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

UK: Farage: Boris Must Not Go Down ‘Weak and Cowardly Route’ Of Brexit in Name Only

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage warned that “after months of stalled negotiations, our resolve is being tested” on Brexit, and urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ensure that the UK remains free of European Union rules at the completion of the withdrawal process on December 31st.

Mr Farage said that he expects anti-Brexit campaigns to be continued by big businesses in Britain, pressuring the government to accept greater economic alignment along the lines of the Single Market and the Customs Union.

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

UK: Obesity: Unhealthy ‘Buy One Get One Free’ Deals Targeted

“Buy one get one free” deals on unhealthy food will be banned as part of the government’s bid to tackle obesity in England.

The plan also includes restrictions on where foods high in fat and sugar can be promoted in-store, and new rules for displaying calories on menus.

A ban on junk food adverts before 21:00 has been confirmed — for the whole UK.

Boris Johnson said the plans would help “reduce our health risks and protect ourselves against coronavirus”.

The prime minister has unveiled the strategy amid growing evidence of a link between obesity and an increased risk from Covid-19…

           — Hat tip: JM [Return to headlines]
 

UK: White Woman Quits Commonwealth Games Committee After Calls for Resignations to Boost Diversity

Dame Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation, has quit the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee 2022, following calls for voluntary board resignations “to make way for new voices from the Black community”.

Ahead of Birmingham, England, hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022, Labour Shadow Sports Minister Alison McGovern, Labour MP Liam Byrne, and Labour leader of Birmingham Council Ian Ward had written to the Conservative government with a list of demands, including: “Post-BLACK LIVES MATTER, which board members will stand down voluntarily, as others have done, to make way for new voices from the Black community?”

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

YouTube Bans Czech Politician Over Videos Criticizing Mass Migrations and the EU

YouTube has suspended the channel of Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) chairman Tomio Okamura who stated that videos portraying crimes committed by migrants in Europe, which he often posted, are behind the ban.

Facebook is also currently mulling banning his account as well, according to Czech news portal Reflex.cz.

“We are witnessing rigid censorship, and emerge of totalitarianism,” commented Okamura on the steps taken by both social networks.

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

Turkey on the Warpath

Turkey is currently involved in quite a few international military conflicts — both against its own neighbors such as Greece, Armenia, Iraq, Syria and Cyprus, and against other nations such as Libya and Yemen. These actions by Turkey suggest that Turkey’s foreign policy is increasingly destabilizing not only several nations, but the region as well.

In addition, the Erdogan regime has been militarily targeting Syria and Iraq, sending its Syrian mercenaries to Libya to seize Libyan oil and continuing, as usual, to bully Greece. Turkey’s regime is also now provoking ongoing violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

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

Latest Fake News: Climate Change Harming India’s Marriage Prospects

Among the top results today in a Google News search for “climate crisis” is an article published by The News Minute claiming climate change is causing a marriage crisis in India.

The theory is that climate change is reducing crop output, which makes farmers less desirable for arranged marriages.

However, assuming greater crop output results in better marriage prospects for Indian farmers, the objective scientific evidence shows Indian bachelor farmers have never had it better.

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

British Tourists in France Find Two Young Migrants Hiding in Their Car

Two British tourists have filed a police complaint after discovering that two young African migrants had hidden in the storage box of their car, hoping to make their way to the UK.

The two British men stopped at a service station on the A29 in Normandy and heard a noise coming from the rooftop luggage box of their car. When they opened it they were astonished to find two young migrants hiding inside, reported France Bleu radio.

It is believed the two — 16-year-olds from Eritrea and Guinea according to the gendarmerie — had targeted the car because of its British plates, believing it would take them over the border and into the UK.

In fact the two men had just arrived in France and were heading to their holiday destination…

           — Hat tip: JM [Return to headlines]
 

Iranian Man Kicks 14-Year-Old German Girl in Buttocks and Spits on Her After She Rejects His Advances

A 14-year-old German girl was kicked and spat on by an 18-year-old Iranian migrant last week on Sunday evening at 9:30 p.m. on Friedrich-Ebert-Strasse in Düsseldorf, according to police.

The Iranian man tried to speak to German girl and her 16-year-old friend, but when both signaled they wanted him to leave them alone, the man responded by kicking the 14-year-old in her buttocks, spitting on her leg, and fleeing the scene.

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

Italian Island Overwhelmed as Migrant Boats Arrive Every Hour on Average

Lampedusa in the Mediterranean has seen a recent surge in migrant arrivals, with the Italian island now seeing an average of one migrant boat arrive every hour.

The mayor has threatened to declare an emergency as the local migrant reception centre has been flooded with ten times its average capacity.

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

Malta Rescues 95 Migrants From Sinking Dinghy

VALLETTA (REUTERS) — Malta’s armed forces have rescued a group of 95 migrants found in distress on a dinghy north of Libya and brought them ashore at a military base near the capital Valletta, authorities said on Monday.

A volunteer organization, Alarm Phone, on Sunday morning said the dinghy was overcrowded and taking in water. It said the boat was located within Malta’s search-and-rescue region.

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

Two Migrants Who Tried to Reach Britain Hidden in a Car Roof Box Wound Up 100 Miles Further Away in France

TWO migrants who tried to reach Britain hidden in a car roof box ended up heading 100 miles back into France.

The pair, both 16 and from Eritrea and Guinea, had broken into the box of a Brit-registered BMW in Calais.

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

UK: Migrants Jailed for Forcing Sex Slave to Sleep With 15 Men Per Day

Two brothers, Ilcic (19) and Ioan (24) Dumitru, have been jailed on modern sex slavery charges after they forced a Romanian woman to have sex with up to 15 men per day, even after she became pregnant.

The Dumitru brothers were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, after pleading guilty to the charges laid against them at the same court.

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

Vatican Calls for ‘Mass Regularisation’ of Illegal Migrants in Spain

ROME — The Vatican wants Spain to undertake a “mass regularisation” of its illegal immigrants, according to the Holy See’s undersecretary for migrants and refugees.

“In Spain, mass regularisation can be a solution that benefits everyone,” said Father Fabio Baggio during an online forum last week with representatives from Spanish Catholic dioceses in charge of immigrants.

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

New Netflix Kids’ Series “The Baby-Sitters Club” Features Transgender Child Character

Netflix’s new kids’ series “The Baby-Sitters Club” — a reboot of the 1990s show with the same name, both of which are based on the popular book series by Ann M. Martin — features a young child character who is a boy and identifies as a transgender girl.

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

Polish Fantasy Author Refuses to Back Down in Face of LGBT Criticism

Polish fantasy author Jacek Komuda’s story entitled titled “Dalian, You Will Be Quartered!” has drawn criticism from Poland’s LGBT community after it was published in Nowa Fantastyka, one of Poland’s most well-known fantasy and science fiction magazines.

The editorial board of the paper apologized for the short story’s publication after it was harshly criticized by LGBT communities. The magazine declared that publishing the story in the current political environment was “a mistake”.

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

Social Media Censorship is Hindering Investigations, Researchers Say

According to YouTube itself, as many as 6.1 million videos have been deleted from the platform since the start of this year alone, mostly coinciding with an unprecedented wave of online censorship launched at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

YouTube is not alone in this, as other major social networks started strictly policing speech of users in order to allow only information about the disease favored by governments and the World Health Organization (WHO), from whom most governments get their cues.

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

UK: Rowling Warns on Trans Therapy for Kids: ‘We’Re on Brink of a Medical Scandal’

Harry Potter author Joanne ‘JK’ Rowling has weighed into the debate on “trans kids” once again, suggesting Britain is “on the brink of a medical scandal”.

Rowling, an idol-turned-hate-figure for social justice warriors since she went public with her belief that “[biological] sex is real and has lived consequences”, provoked the fury of so-called progressives on Saturday when she shared her thoughts on social media on an academic paper titled “Freedom to think: the need for thorough assessment and treatment of gender dysphoric children”.

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

13 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 7/27/2020

  1. Re: Biden’s Policy Plan a Road to Perdition

    Biden makes the perfect 2020 Democratic Party candidate. Inept, incoherent, far left, financially corrupt, a sexual abuser & child predator, overtaken by advanced senility, under indictment by a foreign court, and chosen as an ineffectual running mate by the ostentatiously corrupt Barack Hussein Obama. He makes the perfect placeholder. Anyone else might make a fuss when they’re eased out. Biden should consider his own safety within the corrupt Democratic Party, and either withdraw now or be ready to withdraw after his ‘inauguration’, or perhaps find himself with a lethal mystery illness after a month or 2 in office.

  2. Everything everywhere is such a bad joke. The most grovelling hand wringing inoffensive Muslim will tell you with that jeering toothy look only a Muslim can do that the game is all over for the kafir populations of Western Europe. Now we have Erdogan massing on borders internal and external. ‘ A Turkish pro-Islam magazine is in hot water after bringing the cause of a caliphate back to life with the cover story of its latest issue. The Ankara bar association has accused it of calling for an insurrection.”

  3. Erdogan has not read the “Art of War” by Sun Tzu.
    He is heading for his catastrophy and at the same time he will ruin the countries around the east mediterranean with the help of Germany who recently gave him 6 submarinesThese two nations,Germany and Turkey will destroy Europe and Middle East.
    As for Greece,he tries to bully us but he failed because our moral is high and we will welkome him if he tries to “visit” us.
    There is only one thing that we are afraid of and this is the pro-german governement.We rely on our army.

  4. “Tommy Robinson flees to Spain and says he wants to move his family abroad because they are ‘no longer safe in UK’ after arson attack on his wife’s property”. I imagine refugees will be flowing back and forth after Brexit.

    • I’m assuming the Muslims will demand their own state within, just like what the Scandinavians did to us. Expect a modern Islamic version of the Danelaw.

        • Surely no population can or needs to put up with the misery of having Muslims in its midst working on the national downfall full time. No wait. It’s the new normal dumb and dumber.

    • There is no safe country in west Europe .From what i know the safest are in East Europe,Poland or Hungary.

  5. https://i.4cdn.org/pol/1595973110856.png

    I find it ironic that Russian-Americans were the White ethnic group most favorable to Hillary Clinton, nearly as many voting for her as for Trump, during the 2016 Presidential election.

    Didn’t she accuse them of rigging it all against her?

  6. Did Lizard Lightfoot consider telling those other states to put up gun free zone signs?
    Does she expect the evil wayciss po-leeces of Illinois (Felonois) to stop the people coming back from those MAGA country strongholds with their arsenals?
    Those poor downtrodden migrants in France could volunteer at the local church for cultural enrichment.
    That always ends well.
    NFL? Who?
    The Vatican should welcome those comrades behind the twenty foot concrete wall and then they can pass out the immense wealth to the poor downtrodden diverse cultural enrichers.
    The whole of Western Civilization reminds me of that scene in Scarface where he says to Mannie…this town is like a great big chicken just waiting to get plucked.

    • Big chicken and self plucking to reduce the waiting time. We don’t need no stinkin’ kafirs getting in the way. Where’s the women at!?

Comments are closed.