Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/11/2020

Former Vice President Joe Biden announced that he had chosen Kamala Harris as his running mate in the presidential election campaign. A wag in the Trump campaign responded by saying that Ms. Harris was Mr. Biden’s “political living will”.

In other news, in California — which has strict lockdown rules — San Luis Obispo County has declared itself a sanctuary county for churchgoers, saying that local law enforcement will not enforce the coronavirus restrictions on churches.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, Reader from Chicago, Vlad Tepes, 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
» Poland Earns $11 Billion on Gold Investment in Just Two Years
» UK Employment Tumbles by 220,000, Biggest Quarterly Fall Since 2009
 
USA
» 2 Dead in Redwood City Triple Stabbing
» After Biden Chooses Kamala Harris as Running Mate, Trump Campaign Calls Her His “Living Will”
» Authorities Capture Suspect in 5-Year-Old’s Fatal Shooting
» Big Tech Embeds Itself in the Biden Campaign
» BLM Protesters Met With Jeers by Armed Crowd of Counter Protesters in Nevada City
» California County Declares Itself “Sanctuary County” For Church Gatherings
» Comcast Bans Laura Loomer From Sending Texts & Emails to Voters
» DuckDuckGo Developers Urge Justice Department to Force Android to Allow Default Search Engine Choice
» Ghislaine Maxwell Taken Off Suicide Watch as She Moans About ‘Hell-Hole’ Jail and Middle of the Night Strip-Searches
» Google Now Labels Black-Owned Businesses in Search as it Embraces Black Lives Matter Movement
» Gun Violence Tops Recent Notable Crimes in Madison Area
» In Portland’s Tumultuous Summer, Police Face Surge in Gun Violence as Well as Nightly Protests
» Joe Biden Picks Kamala Harris as His 2020 Running Mate
» ‘Looting is Reparations’: BLM Protesters Gather Outside Chicago PD in Support of Looters Who Ransacked City Sunday Night, As Organizer Claims ‘Anything They Wanted to Take, They Can Take Because These Businesses Have Insurance’
» Man Shot by Secret Service Outside White House Claimed He Had Weapon, “Ran Aggressively” Toward Officer, Withdrew Object From Clothing
» Neighbor Charges 5-Year-Old Boy Playing Outside, Puts Gun to His Head, And Executes Him
» New York Nursing Home Deaths Could be Undercounted
» Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Scheduled to Speak at DNC
» Seattle Police Chief Resigns After Being Defunded by Democrats
» Seattle Business Owners Who Had Windows Smashed by BLM Say They Still Support BLM
» TV Network Pushes Superhero Face Mask Propaganda
» Twitter Reportedly in Talks to Merge With TikTok
» Two Teens Struck in Separate Shootings as NYC Gun Violence Continues
» U.S. Violence Surge Continues With Grim Shooting Milestones in NYC, Washington D.C.
» ‘We Will Not Prosecute’: Left-Wing Prosecutors, Many Backed by Soros Cash, Implement Soft-on-Crime Policies Across America
 
Canada
» Men With Chainsaws Attack Site of Anti-Lockdown Party at Toronto’s Cherry Beach
» Police Officers Face Investigation After Posing With Anti-Mask Campaigner on Instagram
 
Europe and the EU
» Authors, Comedians, And Actors Push Back Against Scotland’s Authoritarian “Hate Crime” Bill
» In Sweden, Where There Was No Lockdown, COVID Cases & Deaths Have Slowed to a Trickle
» UK May End Daily COVID-19 Death Reports After Experts Say Numbers Are Exaggerated
 
Middle East
» Were Suspicious Tunnels Near Beirut Port Discovered After Blast?
 
Russia
» Belarus Faces Internet Blackout as Protests Mount Over “Sham” Election
» Experts Advise Caution as Russia Announces COVID-19 Vaccine for Public Use
» Protests in Minsk Orchestrated From Czechia, Poland, And the UK Claims Lukashenko
 
Far East
» China Sanctions US Lawmakers, Rights Group Heads in Retaliation Over Hong Kong
» US Freezes Assets of Hong Kong Leaders, Chinese Officials
» Wuhan Lab Complains That it is Being Scapegoated for Coronavirus Spread
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australian Man Wins $200,000 Payout From BP After Getting Fired for Popular Hitler Meme
» Melbourne: Coronavirus Checkpoints to Ensure Workers Allowed to Leave Their Homes
» New Zealand Goes Into Lockdown After Just Four New Cases of Coronavirus
» Reddit Leftists Celebrate Police Putting Woman in Chokehold for Not Wearing a Face Mask
 
Immigration
» 12-Year-Old Girl Lured to Swedish Asylum Home and Raped
» France Intercepts Just One in Five Migrants Crossing the Channel, Figures Show — as French Politicians Accuse Britain of ‘Hypocrisy’ By Making the Country ‘So Attractive’ For Newcomers
» Germany: Rape Cases in Berlin See Alarming Increase, Nearly Half of Suspects Are Migrants
» Italy: Fed Up With PM Conte’s Policy, Sicily Takes Immigration Control in Its Own Hands
» Migrants ‘Revolt’ Aboard Italian Coronavirus Quarantine Ship
» UK: Bristol’s Mayor Urges Residents to Give Up Spare Rooms for Asylum Seekers So That They Don’t End Up Living on the Streets
» UK: Farage: Boris Lacks ‘Political Will’ To Stop Migrant Boats, Govt Should Declare ‘National Emergency’
 
Culture Wars
» Amazon Tells Podcasters Not to Disparage the Company
» Facebook Censored Over 100 Million Posts for Coronavirus “Misinformation” In Q2
» PA Public School Teacher Claims Home Learning Will Disrupt Discussions on Race, Gender, And Sexuality
» YouTube Bans Educational Video Showing How Abortions Are Performed
 

Poland Earns $11 Billion on Gold Investment in Just Two Years

The National Bank of Poland (NBP) now owns a gold reserve worth nearly $15 billion, which is why despite 2020 being such a difficult year given the coronavirus pandemic and the uncertainty it has caused, Poland’s central bank has benefited enormously from its shrewd investment.

Gold prices have doubled since 2015, and the price for an ounce of gold now is over $2,000. The maxim that gold is a safe harbor investment during an economic storm has been proven right yet again.

The NBP invested heavily in gold two years ago. Since 2018, it has purchased 125 tons of gold, effectively doubling the nation’s gold reserves that for years had been kept at just over 100 tons.

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

UK Employment Tumbles by 220,000, Biggest Quarterly Fall Since 2009

LONDON (AP) — The number of people in employment in the UK fell by 220,000 in the three months after the country was put into lockdown as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, official figures showed Tuesday.

That quarterly decline, which took the total number of people in employment to 32.92 million, is the biggest since the deep recession in 2009 in the wake of the global financial crisis.

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

2 Dead in Redwood City Triple Stabbing

San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies are investigating a triple stabbing early Tuesday that left one of the victims as well as the suspect dead, officials said.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

After Biden Chooses Kamala Harris as Running Mate, Trump Campaign Calls Her His “Living Will”

After Joe Biden announced his choice of Kamala Harris to be his running mate in the 2020 presidential election, the Trump campaign’s 2020 senior adviser Katrina Pierson came out firing, calling Harris Biden’s “political living will.”

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

Authorities Capture Suspect in 5-Year-Old’s Fatal Shooting

Wilson police said officers responding to a report of a shooting at a mobile home park found Cannon Hinnant suffering from a gunshot wound.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Big Tech Embeds Itself in the Biden Campaign

It took four years to properly politically and ideologically direct and train Big Tech to police users’ conversations in the US, but some big publishers who align with the same political circles as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden — and much of the leadership of Big Tech companies — finally seem to be detecting some promising signs.

It started with Democrats’ — to say the least — criticism of large US tech companies, many of whom control giant social media and are therefore perfectly positioned to close that gap that was left on the sidelines four years ago, as liberals focused on strict control of corporate media, forgetting by and large the new, internet variety.

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

BLM Protesters Met With Jeers by Armed Crowd of Counter Protesters in Nevada City

MINDEN, Nev. (AP) — Several dozen Black Lives Matter demonstrators at a weekend protest in rural Nevada were greeted by a far larger group of counter-demonstrators, including some bearing military-style weapons and tactical gear, but a sheriff who had made controversial remarks earlier about the racial injustice movement reported no arrests or serious incidents.

The clash of rallies Saturday came days after Douglas County Sheriff Dan Coverley attracted national attention for telling the local library not to bother calling 911 for help after board members publicly considered a statement opposing “all forms of racism, hatred, inequality and injustice” and the line “We support #Black Lives Matter.”

The library abandoned plans to issue the diversity statement and the sheriff backed off, saying deputies would continue to respond to all 911 calls…

           — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes [Return to headlines]
 

California County Declares Itself “Sanctuary County” For Church Gatherings

The district attorney for San Luis Obispo County, California, has announced it to be a “sanctuary county” for churches and worshippers.

District Attorney Dan Dow said in July that he will not prosecute people for leading or attending church services, which have been outlawed in most California counties under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s coronavirus lockdown orders. Newsom also has prohibited singing in churches throughout the state, another mandate that Dow said he refuses to enforce.

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

Comcast Bans Laura Loomer From Sending Texts & Emails to Voters

Comcast and its subsidiary Xfinity has banned Republican Congressional candidate Laura Loomer from sending out texts and emails to voters in what appears to be yet another example of Big Tech election meddling.

“See video. Wow. @Xfinity/@comcast has BANNED Republican front-runner Laura Loomer from sending texts & emails to voters. This is next-level censorship,” tweeted Fox News host Pete Hegseth.

“When she wins the @gop primary on Tuesday, will the Republican Party fight for her? They’d better!”

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

DuckDuckGo Developers Urge Justice Department to Force Android to Allow Default Search Engine Choice

Representatives of the search engine DuckDuckGo have suggested to the Justice Department the implementation of an option that would let Android users select their default search engine so that Google’s monopoly is reduced without the need to apply aggressive sanctions.

The last few weeks in the world of technology have been difficult for the dominant companies in the market. Different governments are concerned about the monopolies that services such as Google have created, so they have convened their main executives to find solutions that are as fair as possible for the market.

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

Ghislaine Maxwell Taken Off Suicide Watch as She Moans About ‘Hell-Hole’ Jail and Middle of the Night Strip-Searches

GHISLAINE Maxwell has moaned about the conditions in the ‘hell-hole’ Brooklyn jail where she’s locked up ahead of her sex-crimes trial.

The 58-year-old British socialite is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where she complains she is subjected to strip searches despite being taken off suicide watch.

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

Google Now Labels Black-Owned Businesses in Search as it Embraces Black Lives Matter Movement

Technology giant Google is singling out Black-owned businesses with special labels in order to support this specific demographic during the coronavirus pandemic.

In its search engine, Google has begun identifying businesses owned by Blacks with a “Black-owned” label. The company has also issued instructions on how Blacks can receive the label.

Google’s move is seen as an attempt to copy Black Lives Matter activists who put similar signs on shops and restaurants run by Blacks, a trend that began following the death of George Floyd and the nationwide riots and protests that it sparked.

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

Gun Violence Tops Recent Notable Crimes in Madison Area

In one of the most dangerous incidents in a summer of record-breaking gun violence in Madison, several people fired into a crowd celebrating the life of a man slain last month, sending panicked adults and children running for cover and leaving three people with gunshot wounds.

Police on Wednesday marveled that no one was killed in the mayhem that broke out around 9 p.m. in Garner Park on the city’s West Side, where several as-yet-unidentified people approached the park’s shelter from the area of Mineral Point Road and fired handguns and likely an AK-47 at the more than 300 people gathered to memorialize 24-year-old Maurice R. Bowman Jr.

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

In Portland’s Tumultuous Summer, Police Face Surge in Gun Violence as Well as Nightly Protests

PORTLAND — During early August protests, two storefront windows were shattered in Bart Garmon’s barbershop in a historic building, where he was trying to revive his business after a three-month closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last weekend, after an arson fire was set at a nearby police union office, protesters again surged through his North Portland block, and someone spray-painted graffiti — “All Cops are Bastards” — on the protective plywood.

So on Sunday, which was supposed to be a day off, he was back down at his business, applying a fresh coat of tan paint to obscure the lettering.

“We are a cornerstone of this community. This shouldn’t happen. We are here to make people look good and feel good,” Garmon said.

Garmon’s business is one of the casualties in an intense new round of protests this month. Federal law enforcement officers have stayed off the streets, but Portland police have been out in force every night, often deep into the early morning hours — to respond to protesters, some of whom have sought to break in or set fire to buildings used by police.

Portland police’s renewed focus on protests comes amid a surge in shootings and homicides, which took the lives of 15 people in July, the highest monthly tally in 30 years. The Portland Police Bureau chief says the renewed diversion of officers to protest duty this month makes it more difficult to follow up on shootings and maintain a street presence to try to head off gun violence.

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

Joe Biden Picks Kamala Harris as His 2020 Running Mate

Joe Biden has selected Kamala Harris to be his 2020 running mate, the former vice president announced Tuesday.

“I need someone working alongside me who is smart, tough, and ready to lead. Kamala is that person,” Biden said in a statement.

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

‘Looting is Reparations’: BLM Protesters Gather Outside Chicago PD in Support of Looters Who Ransacked City Sunday Night, As Organizer Claims ‘Anything They Wanted to Take, They Can Take Because These Businesses Have Insurance’

Black Lives Matter Chicago said early Monday’s looting of stores was a form of ‘reparations’ as the group held a protest Monday night in support of the more than 100 people arrested after an evening of violence.

Downtown Chicago was otherwise quiet after authorities cut off access, with drawbridges leading into the city pulled up and freeway exits blocked after riots sparked by a false rumor of a child shot by police.

At least 13 police officers were injured as the violence claimed an estimated $65 million in property damage.

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

Man Shot by Secret Service Outside White House Claimed He Had Weapon, “Ran Aggressively” Toward Officer, Withdrew Object From Clothing

The man who was shot just outside the White House Monday — causing President Trump to briefly be evacuated from an in-process press conference — told a Secret Service officer he had a weapon, then ran at him “aggressively,” pulled an object from his clothing, and “crouched into a shooter’s stance as if about to fire a weapon” before being shot by the officer.

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

Neighbor Charges 5-Year-Old Boy Playing Outside, Puts Gun to His Head, And Executes Him

A North Carolina man on Sunday allegedly charged a 5-year-old boy who was playing in his neighborhood, put a gun to his head, and fatally shot the young child, according to local news.

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

New York Nursing Home Deaths Could be Undercounted

The death count among New York nursing homes could be severely undercounted, thanks to a policy that dictates only residents who die on nursing home property be counted as coronavirus deaths, according to a report by the Associated Press. Those who are transported to hospitals and died there are not counted as nursing home deaths.

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

Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Scheduled to Speak at DNC

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is scheduled to speak at the virtual Democratic National Convention, organizers confirmed on Tuesday.

The first-term congresswoman will speak next Tuesday, while Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), for whom Ocasio-Cortez served as a leading surrogate during his 2020 presidential campaign, will address the convention on Monday.

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

Seattle Police Chief Resigns After Being Defunded by Democrats

Seattle Police chief Carmen Best has thrown in the towel and resigned after the Democratic city council voted to cut millions from the police department’s budget following demands to defund the police from Antifa rioters and Black Lives Matter agitators.

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

Seattle Business Owners Who Had Windows Smashed by BLM Say They Still Support BLM

Seattle business owners who have seen the windows of their premises repeatedly smashed by Black Lives Matter protesters assert that they still support the organization.

The business owners told KOMO News they were “fed up” after eight premises were targeted by vandals during another round of violent unrest last night on Seattle’s First Hill.

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

TV Network Pushes Superhero Face Mask Propaganda

TV Network The CW has released a series of images of ‘superheroes’ from its TV shows all wearing surgical face masks, with the tag line “real heroes wear masks.”

The characters wearing the masks and pushing the coronavirus ‘prevention’ measure include the protagonists from Black Lightning, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Stargirl, Supergirl, and Superman & Lois, and even the furry blue thing called Beebo.

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

Twitter Reportedly in Talks to Merge With TikTok

Following President Trump’s recent announcement that social media platform TikTok will have to close down U.S. operations by September 15 due to its affiliation with the Chinese communist government, Twitter has reportedly expressed interest in merging with the company.

[Comment: We already have one obnoxious pairing, Harry and Meghan. Now another one? Ugh.]

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

Two Teens Struck in Separate Shootings as NYC Gun Violence Continues

Two 16-year-old girls were shot in a two-hour span overnight in the Bronx — becoming the latest victims of the surging gun violence in Gotham, police said Tuesday.

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

U.S. Violence Surge Continues With Grim Shooting Milestones in NYC, Washington D.C.

New York and Washington D.C., both marked grim milestones in violence this weekend.

A weekend mass shooting that wounded 21 and killed one signaled a 45 percent increase in shootings in Washington, D.C., this year over the same period last year, including 46 shootings in the past week, the Washington Post reports.

And New York City saw its 1,000th shooting victim of 2020 over the weekend, making this year’s number of shootings and gun violence victims about equal to the previous two years combined, ABC7 reported.

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

‘We Will Not Prosecute’: Left-Wing Prosecutors, Many Backed by Soros Cash, Implement Soft-on-Crime Policies Across America

Left-wing prosecutors have implemented soft-on-crime approaches to criminal justice across America, in some instances making it a matter of policy in major cities not to prosecute specific crimes, a Daily Caller News Foundation review found.

A common, though not universal, feature of prominent left-wing district attorneys is the backing of political organizations funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros. The New York Times has creditedSoros with pioneering the “push to overhaul prosecutors’ offices” across the country.

Cook County, Illinois, State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx, whose jurisdiction includes Chicago, took office in 2017 after winning her election with the help of a Soros-funded super PAC.

Soros poured more than $400,000 into Illinois Justice & Public Safety PAC in 2016, Illinois State Board of Elections records show. Foxx was the only candidate that the PAC supported in 2016, those records show.

Foxx announced in December 2016, shortly before taking office, that her office wouldn’t charge shoplifters with felonies unless they either had more than 10 previous felony convictions or if they stole more than $1,000 worth of goods, which was more than triple the previous felony threshold of $300.

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

Men With Chainsaws Attack Site of Anti-Lockdown Party at Toronto’s Cherry Beach

When it comes to fighting for one’s right to party, there’s always got to be a buzz kill.

Case in point: members of #YahooNation, as well as boys and girls who just want to have fun, turned their Queen’s Park protest into an all-night party at Toronto’s Cherry Beach last Saturday.

It was quite the sight — the beach was transformed into an outdoor nightclub, complete with pulsating lights and music as everyone had a jolly good time. The Butabi brothers from A Night At The Roxbury would be proud.

But on Sunday morning, two maniacs descended upon the beach with… chainsaws?! Like, was Tobe Hooper filming another sequel to his most infamous film?

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

Police Officers Face Investigation After Posing With Anti-Mask Campaigner on Instagram

The Toronto police’s Professional Standards Unit says it’s investigating an Instagram photo featuring two of its officers posing with Chris Sky — one of Canada’s biggest anti-mask campaigners.

The photo was initially posted by Sky and then reportedly also posted to the police-affiliated TPS Neighbourhood Watch account with the hashtags #FreedomOfSpeech and #Advocate before being deleted, although police have yet to confirm this detail.

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

Authors, Comedians, And Actors Push Back Against Scotland’s Authoritarian “Hate Crime” Bill

Scotland is increasingly finding itself among those countries where draconian actions and reactions to what is perceived as hate speech are raising eyebrows among rights activists and freedom-loving people in general.

Now, some star comedians and other artists are joining forces against the ruling SNP party’s shocking Hate Crime and Public Order Bill.

The bill is the work of Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, who defends it as “an important milestone in the fight against prejudice.”

[Comment: Humza Yousaf doesn’t seem like a Scottish name.]

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

In Sweden, Where There Was No Lockdown, COVID Cases & Deaths Have Slowed to a Trickle

Confounding claims by many that its open society approach to coronavirus would spectacularly backfire, Sweden, which didn’t enforce any mandatory lockdown order, has seen its coronavirus cases and deaths slow to a trickle.

Back in March, when Sweden announced that it would adopt a different approach to much of the rest of the world by refusing to shut down its economy and instead aim for herd immunity, public health experts and media commentators were aghast at the decision, warning that the country’s hospitals would be overwhelmed with COVID victims.

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

UK May End Daily COVID-19 Death Reports After Experts Say Numbers Are Exaggerated

The United Kingdom is considering ending its daily COVID-19 death tracker after experts from Oxford University found that the total was exaggerated. An investigation is likely to be launched into the way Public Health England has been recording and reporting the count.

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

Were Suspicious Tunnels Near Beirut Port Discovered After Blast?

Videos circulating online, as well as rumors and reports, indicate that “tunnels” have been found in the wake of the Beirut explosions. Some have asserted that this is evidence of Hezbollah “tunnels” storing weapons at the Port of Beirut, while others think they were used for human trafficking. Both SkyNews and Russia’s Sputnik News claimed there was a “labyrinth network of tunnels.”

The Lebanese Armed Forces have denied the existence of tunnels, just as Hezbollah has denied doing anything at Beirut Port.

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

Belarus Faces Internet Blackout as Protests Mount Over “Sham” Election

New internet blackouts have occurred in Belarus after the victory of President Alexander Lukashenka, who would be repeating a term in office for the sixth time in a row after winning what his opponents have called a bogus election.

According to the official results offered by Belarus’s government, Mr. Alexander Lukashenka comfortably won the presidency with 80.3% of the votes during the elections held on August 10. In this way, Lukashenka achieves a record of six victories in a row in the presidential elections, a record he has kept since 1994. However, each election has passed in strange conditions that make it difficult to believe that they have been fair processes.

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

Experts Advise Caution as Russia Announces COVID-19 Vaccine for Public Use

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that his nation has developed and registered the first effective vaccine for protection against COVID-19.

Putin insists the vaccine has gone through full testing and says it provides “sustained immunity” against the novel coronavirus.

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

Protests in Minsk Orchestrated From Czechia, Poland, And the UK Claims Lukashenko

According to the recently reelected Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, extensive demonstrations in Minsk, which erupted on Sunday evening after the announcement of the results of the presidential election, were orchestrated by telephone calls from the Czech Republic, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

The current Belarusian leader stated this in an interview with the Belarusian State Intelligence Service (BelTA).

The Belarusian president said that intelligence services intercepted several calls from abroad, which sought to influence the conduct of the elections and which are also behind the protests in the Belarusian capital.

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

China Sanctions US Lawmakers, Rights Group Heads in Retaliation Over Hong Kong

China on Monday imposed sanctions on U.S. officials and the heads of pro-democracy and human rights organizations in retaliation over U.S. President Donald Trump’s sanctions on officials linked to a recent crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.

Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said 11 politicians and heads of civil organizations would be targeted for unspecified sanctions, including Senators Marco Rubio, Josh Hawley, Tom Cotton, Pat Toomey, and Ted Cruz, as well as Representative Chris Smith.

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

US Freezes Assets of Hong Kong Leaders, Chinese Officials

The United States on Friday announced sanctions against Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and other senior officials for their role in curbing the city’s promised freedoms, and in implementing a draconian national security regime.

Announcing the sanctions, the State Department said that the Chinese Communist Party had made clear that Hong Kong would never again enjoy the high degree of autonomy promised under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and that the city will no longer be regarded as a separate jurisdiction from mainland China by the U.S.

“The United States will therefore … take action against individuals who have crushed the Hong Kong people’s freedoms,” it said in a statement on its official website.

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

Wuhan Lab Complains That it is Being Scapegoated for Coronavirus Spread

The director of the Wuhan Institute of Virology has complained that scientists at the facility are being made scapegoats in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a interview with NBC news Monday, the level 4 bio lab’s director Wang Yany and vice director Yuan Zhiming said that the lab has been unfairly made the centre of dangerous ‘conspiracy theories’, following US intelligence suggestions that it could have been the origin for the viral spread.

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

Australian Man Wins $200,000 Payout From BP After Getting Fired for Popular Hitler Meme

Your social media presence is now being more scrutinized than ever. From making assumptions about people to axing them from their positions at work, a lot has been happening based on individuals’ private opinions expressed on social media.

What we have now is one such case where an employee of the BP refinery in Australia was fired for taking a jibe at the company through a well-known Hitler meme online. But unlike most other cases where people simply lose their livelihoods due to the content they post online, in this case, the employee ended up getting awarded a whopping $200,000 payout for his wrongful dismissal.

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

Melbourne: Coronavirus Checkpoints to Ensure Workers Allowed to Leave Their Homes

As part of its strict new lockdown law, authorities in Melbourne have set up highway checkpoints at which residents have their papers scrutinized to ensure they’re allowed to leave their homes.

Earlier this month, a “state of disaster” was declared in the state of Victoria, imposing an 8pm to 5am curfew on residents, some of whom have faced instances of police brutality for flouting the rules, including one woman who was put in a chokehold for not wearing a mask outside.

The law is also being enforced via a series of checkpoints to determine if people have a legitimate reason to be traveling.

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

New Zealand Goes Into Lockdown After Just Four New Cases of Coronavirus

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has ordered parts of the country to go into lockdown after just four new cases of coronavirus, the country’s first in 102 days.

“The infected people are from the same family in south Auckland,” reports ABC News.

Ardern’s response to four people from the same family being infected was to order a three day “level three” lockdown of Auckland while the rest of the country will go into a level two lockdown.

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

Reddit Leftists Celebrate Police Putting Woman in Chokehold for Not Wearing a Face Mask

Leftists on Reddit suddenly dropped all concerns about police brutality to celebrate a video of a woman in Australia being put in a chokehold by a cop because she wasn’t wearing a face mask outside.

We reported on the shocking video yesterday, which shows a police officer in Melbourne grab the woman by the throat, wrestle her to the ground and sit on her while maintaining the chokehold, all for the ‘crime’ of violating lockdown law.

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

12-Year-Old Girl Lured to Swedish Asylum Home and Raped

A young man has been arrested in the municipality of Österåker after allegedly luring a 12-year-old girl and her friend to an asylum home and raping her.

The incident took place last Thursday after the young girl and her friend met with several men at a local shopping centre and were invited to the refugee accommodation, according to sources close to the case.

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

France Intercepts Just One in Five Migrants Crossing the Channel, Figures Show — as French Politicians Accuse Britain of ‘Hypocrisy’ By Making the Country ‘So Attractive’ For Newcomers

Just one in five migrants who have tried to cross the Channel have been intercepted by France — as politicians from the country now claims the newcomers are lured into Britain by its generous welfare state.

Immigration minister Chris Philp travelled to Paris on Tuesday to seek stronger enforcement measures — as Border Force continued to deal with crossings along the south coast of the UK.

Mr Philp said that French authorities had caught ‘well over a thousand’ migrants making the crossing this year, but figures from January 2020 to August 6 show the total number to have made the trip to Britain in small boats is around 4,100.

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

Germany: Rape Cases in Berlin See Alarming Increase, Nearly Half of Suspects Are Migrants

Between March and the beginning of July 2020 alone, the Berlin police recorded 210 cases of “collective or particularly humiliating rape”. In almost half of the cases, the criminal investigation agency says foreign suspects are responsible, Focus online reports.

One perpetrator, 29-year-old Sinisa K. is said to have attacked women at eight different crime scenes in southwest Berlin and in the Potsdam area since June. The hunt for him lasted a month.

He is said to have taken his victims by surprise in broad daylight with the same scam. Initially friendly, investigators later reported, the suspect gained their confidence, then he grabbed the women, dragged them into a bush and sexually assaulted them. During the eighth time, the alleged serial rapist was apprehended police in a forest in mid-July. The month-long manhunt for Sinisa K. made headlines nationwide.

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

Italy: Fed Up With PM Conte’s Policy, Sicily Takes Immigration Control in Its Own Hands

Sicily’s governor Nello Musumeci has had enough of the lax handling of the migrant crisis by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s left-wing government and has taken matters into his own hands by issuing an ordinance tightening immigration rules on the island, conservative Hungarian daily Magyar Hirlap reports.

The ordinance introduces stricter rules both for allowing migrant boats into Sicilian ports and the conditions under which migrants are allowed to remain on the island. Due to the rising number of new coronavirus cases, the ordinance also introduces stricter public health measures for the local population.

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

Migrants ‘Revolt’ Aboard Italian Coronavirus Quarantine Ship

Tensions are rising aboard the Italian ship Azzurra used to quarantine migrants for cases of coronavirus, as reports of protests and small revolts on the vessel have emerged.

The situation on the ship has become much more tense in recent days as more migrants have arrived, many testing positive for the Wuhan virus.

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UK: Bristol’s Mayor Urges Residents to Give Up Spare Rooms for Asylum Seekers So That They Don’t End Up Living on the Streets

The mayor of Bristol has urged residents to take asylum seekers into their homes so that they don’t end up living on the streets during a housing crisis.

Mayor Marvin Rees gave his support to a scheme which lets volunteers host refugees in their spare bedrooms — adding that the city should be a place ‘where everyone feels welcome and safe’.

The city council has provided housing for a number of asylum seekers during the coronavirus pandemic, covering the cost, but the arrangement is shortly due to finish.

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

UK: Farage: Boris Lacks ‘Political Will’ To Stop Migrant Boats, Govt Should Declare ‘National Emergency’

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson doesn’t have the “political will” to tackle the growing migrant boat crisis in the English Channel, as over 4,100 migrants have landed on British beaches since the start of the year.

On Monday morning, Mr Farage said that he doesn’t think the Prime Minister will tackle the issue out of fear of backlash and accusations of racism.

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

Amazon Tells Podcasters Not to Disparage the Company

Large companies and global leaders like Spotify are these days fighting to sign star podcasters for huge amounts of money, and massive corporations like Apple and Google are also competing in the same scene. It took Amazon a while to get in on the podcasting game, but according to a leaked confidential email, from its own angle.

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

Facebook Censored Over 100 Million Posts for Coronavirus “Misinformation” In Q2

Facebook has announced that it removed seven million posts about the coronavirus between April and June 2020 for containing what it deemed to be “harmful” COVID-19 misinformation.

In addition to removing the posts, Facebook also put warning labels on 98 million posts across Facebook and Instagram during Q2 2020 for containing “misleading” coronavirus misinformation.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously revealed that these warning labels almost have the same effect as removing the posts with the warnings dissuading users from clicking through to the content 95% of the time.

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

PA Public School Teacher Claims Home Learning Will Disrupt Discussions on Race, Gender, And Sexuality

A Pennsylvania public school teacher on Monday voiced his displeasure with home learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, complaining that it would impede teachers from having discussions about race, gender, and sexuality.

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

YouTube Bans Educational Video Showing How Abortions Are Performed

Google-owned YouTube banned a pro-life educational video that explained the brutal reality of abortion procedures four years after it was uploaded, claiming the video violated the platform’s Community Guidelines.

In the video, which was produced by the anti-abortion organization Live Action, former abortion doctor Dr. Anthony Levatino details four different abortions, using animated drawings to convey the inhumane procedure.

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

19 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/11/2020

  1. Mike Pompeo visited the General Patton Museum and “Thank You, America!” memorial in Pilsen, Czechia: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=cs&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.krimi-plzen.cz%2Fa%2Fjak-se-v-plzni-strezi-ministr-vlady-spojenych-statu-americkych%2F

    Pilsen was liberated by general Patton and the folks there never forgot, despite communist propaganda trying it’s darnest to make them during their 40 years rule. Every year there’s a massive celebration with many events, including reenactments, parades, and visits by the veterans.

    This is the memorial: https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/17/3c/0c/23/photo1jpg.jpg On the left column it says “THANK YOU AMERICA! ON MAY 6TH 1945 THE CITY OF PLZEŇ WAS LIBERATED BY THE U.S. ARMY.” and the American Eagle, on the right it’s the same in Czech, with the Czech Lion. On the small block it says something like “thank you, from the town’s people” and the center of the star on the floor shows a map of Europe with arrows showing the routes of the US Army across Europe after D-Day.

    • How more bad can become in Europe!!, it’s so bad , get rid of this traitors politicians!!, all over Europe!!, Merkel, Macron , and on and on .., this is coming to the tragic end for Europe culture and way of life..sad ..

      • I will ask once again. Are you armed up yet? Because it is you! Who are responsible for saving yourself and yours! Nobody is coming to save you, other than yourself. So are you Sheep? Or the Wolf? Time to decide, the clock is ticking, and you are running out of time.

  2. Old fogey Joe a-la-harassed. The prospect of these two taking on anything must be frightening for many.

  3. Maybe [the Jews] have already jumped to China and the FUSA [Jew-controlled] USA is under controlled demolition.
    Decades of Marxist indoctrination and the enslavement of mush minds through distractions and appetites are about to bear bitter poisonous fruit as the Law of the Jungle gets reasserted.
    Nature will not be mocked and living in a detached delusion at WAR with reality is a losing proposition every time.
    Total corruption leads to total collapse and we are there.
    As a child the local church had a downright scary prophetic film which predicted these times and it even had Hussein Hopenchange in it.
    I left the viewing in tears and now I’m happy to have grown up and be prepared for these times.
    The Source From Which All Things Depend put me through the forge of fire two years ago and I give thanks every day.

    [Note from the moderator: I removed the (((triple-parenthesis phrases))) and replaced them with what they are standard code for, namely “Jew” or “Jewish”]

    • Winston Wolf is a character played by Harvey Keitel in the film “Pulp Fiction”, and in British tv commercials for insurance.

      Harvey Keitel is Jewish. Your ignorance is showng.

      • I have always found Jewish people to be fair minded and generous. One Friday evening I crashed the company car. After submitting my report to the boss instead of getting fired I got, “Well! Don’t just stand there! Go get another one! Jewish people know and know how to sort things on an as needed basis. A priceless ally.

  4. I continue the story about the rapist from Ivanovo, whose victims were 5 girls
    =================
    A serial pedophile rapist was detained in Ivanovo.

    A 26-year-old citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan is suspected of child molestation, the regional department of the investigative committee reported. The attacker looked out for his potential victims mainly near children’s institutions.

    According to the investigation, in the past two weeks, police departments received five statements from the parents of girls that violent acts of a sexual nature were committed against their children. In all cases, the victims gave a similar description of the attacker, who approached girls 9-11 years old in deserted places under various pretexts.

    For each episode of the criminal activity of the defendant, criminal cases were initiated under the article “Violent acts of a sexual nature”, which were combined into one proceeding.
    The sanction under this article provides for up to 20 years in prison
    https://www.ivanovonews.ru/reports/1037049/

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou59FccisAk&feature=emb_logo

    • And the Russians didn’t summarily execute the rapist scum?

      I thought Russians were more enlightened than Westerners regarding what to do with their criminals.

      • They are, you just never hear about it until years later. Nobody does hunting muslims better then those pesky Russians. Their FSB kill squads and Spetnaz have it to a fine art.

      • Other publications write that he was very lucky that the police found him earlier than the locals.
        I will assume that the diaspora betrayed him. Passed from hand to hand. They were scared.

      • This news raised a wave of media outrage. And one Tajik resource even wrote “We pray that this rapist is not a migrant (Tajik)”

  5. We interrupt this program with a special bulletin:

    America is now under martial law.
    All constitutional rights have been suspended.
    Stay in your homes.
    Do not attempt to contact loved ones, insurance agents, or attorneys.
    Shut up.
    Do not attempt to think or depression may occur.
    Stay in your homes.
    Curfew is at 7 PM sharp after work.
    Anyone caught outside the gates of their subdivision sector after curfew,
    will be shot.
    Remain calm, do not panic.
    Your neighborhood watch officer will be by to collect urine samples in
    the morning.
    Anyone caught interfering with the collection of urine samples, will be
    shot.
    Stay in your homes. Remain calm.
    The number one enemy of progress is questions.
    National security is more important than individual will.
    All sports broadcasts will proceed as normal.
    No more than two people may gather anywhere without permission.
    Use only the drugs prescribed by your boss or supervisor.
    Shut up. Be happy.
    Obey all orders without question.
    The comfort you demanded is now mandatory.
    Be happy.
    At last everything is done for you.

    ©±® Jello Biafra, 1989.

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