Oregon Governor Kate Brown and her security detail were caught on camera violating her mask order, which requires residents to wear coronavirus masks when outdoors. Meanwhile, a woman in Melbourne, Australia was severely bruised when she was harshly arrested by police for being outside during the lockdown.
In other news, according to the latest Gallup poll, when Americans rank ten national issues according to how much they are concerned by them, climate change comes in last.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AA, Dean, DV, Fjordman, 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.
Czech Industry is Slowly Recovering From a Record Slump
Industrial production in the Czech Republic slowed its year-on-year decline to 11.9 percent in June, from 25.7 percent in May. The recovery of car production significantly contributed to a better result. In a month-on-month comparison, June’s industrial production was higher by 13.4 percent.
According to Czech statisticians, the situation in the industry began to slowly stabilize in June after a previous slump caused by the coronavirus crisis.
“In a number of industrial enterprises, production gradually began to return to pre-pandemic levels,” said Radek Matejka from the Czech Statistical Office.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Here’s ‘The Real Surprise’ In the July Jobs Report as Economists React to the Data
The July jobs report on Friday showed the U.S. economy added 1.8 million jobs last month, with the unemployment rate falling to 10.2% from 11.1%.
Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a gain of 1.7 million jobs and an unemployment rate of 10.6%
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Economy Contracted Less During April to June
Sweden’s economy has contracted 8.6 percent in the April-to-June period from the previous three months. The country had eschewed some of the more restrictive Covid-19 lockdowns, when compared to other EU member states. Spain’s economy over the same period slumped by 18.5 percent, France by 13.8 percent, and Italy by 12.4 percent. The EU as a whole saw a 11.9 percent contraction.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
77-Year-Old Prison Escapee Captured in NM After Nearly 50 Years on the Run
A 77-year-old prison escapee who has been on the run for nearly 50 years was captured in New Mexico on Wednesday by FBI agents.
Luis Archuleta, who is also known as Larry Pusateri, escaped a Colorado prison in 1974 while serving a prison sentence for assaulting a Denver police officer with a deadly weapon in 1973.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ACLU Launching Effort to Release 50,000 Inmates in Response to “Systemic Injustice”
The American Civil Liberties Union is launching a multi-year initiative to release 50,000 inmates from prisons across the U.S. in response to what the group calls “systemic injustice.”
“The Redemption Campaign” seeks to “liberate” tens of thousands of prisoners by lobbying state governors to grant mass clemency that will eradicate “decades of racist, punitive, and degrading incarceration,” the group’s “embracing clemency” report reads.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
You won’t believe what the average American believes about coronavirus.
Truly incredible.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bill Gates Loves Twitter’s “Block All Replies” Feature
Who knew — Bill Gates likes to dish it out, but can’t take it. And who knew that Twitter would strive to become enabler-in-chief of this kind of behavior.
To place things in their context: any long-time proponent of free and open source tech knows that it promised early on to carry the digital revolution forward, thanks to its technical merit and ethical superiority, and that it has since fully delivered — albeit greatly and at every step of the way undermined by the likes of Bill Gates.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Children Are Paying the Price as Gun Violence Surges Nationwide
As 9-year-old Janari Ricks was playing with friends in a courtyard on Chicago’s South Side last week, gunshots rang out.
Ricks, an honor roll student who was about to enter the fourth grade, was struck in the chest and died a short time later.
On July 12, 1-year-old Davell Gardner Jr., was sitting in a stroller during a cookout in Brooklyn, N.Y., when two gunmen fired several shots at a group present at the gathering and fled. Gardner was struck in the stomach and also died.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Epstein Accuser Gets Another Shot at Exposing His Alleged Accomplices
A Jeffrey Epstein accuser will get another shot at unmasking the dead pedophile’s alleged accomplices, an appellate court ruled Friday.
Courtney Wild, 32 — who claims the twisted 66-year-old multimillionaire sexually abused her starting when she was just 14 — had been trying to revive her 2008 lawsuit seeking to throw out a controversial non-prosecution agreement protecting Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators from criminal charges.
In April, in a split ruling, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reluctantly rejected Wild’s bid on legal grounds while acknowledging that the decision leaves Epstein’s victims “empty-handed.”
But since one of the three judges sided with Wild, she asked the full circuit court to review the decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Staff Wanted Breitbart Removed as a News Partner After Frontline Doctors Press Conference
Facebook employees reportedly asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg how Breitbart News could remain as a Facebook News partner after it shared the viral America’s Frontline Doctors press conference and then presented further evidence against the outlet.
Facebook News partners get placement in a special news tab and some also receive compensation. Being dropped as a news partner would likely reduce the reach of Breitbart News posts on Facebook and the traffic to its site.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Man Friday: Supercharged Truck Attacker Goes Full T.J. Hooker
Everyone knows you never go full T.J. Hooker… everyone but Florida Man, that is.
It was a big demotion for William Shatner to go from commanding the starship Enterprise to driving a police cruiser around Los Angeles in the mid-’80s cop show, T.J. Hooker. But during the show’s five-season run, there was one thing you could always count on: Sgt. Hooker hooked to the hood of a bad guy’s car moving at high speed and refusing to let go until he’d made his arrest.
Florida Man went full T.J. Hooker on this week’s exciting episode of…
Florida Man Friday!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gallup Poll: Most Americans Rank Climate Change as Least Important Issue
A plurality of Americans considers the Chinese coronavirus the most important problem facing the country, while climate change — an issue central to the Democrat Party’s agenda — remains among the lowest in importance, garnering just one percent, a Gallup survey released this week found.
The Gallup poll, taken July 1-23, among U.S. 1,007 adults, asked respondents, “What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?”
A plurality, or 30 percent, chose “coronavirus/diseases” as the most important problem, followed by “the government/poor leadership” (23 percent), race relations/racism (16 percent), “unifying the country” (six percent), and “crime/violence” (five percent).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov. Cuomo Says New York Schools Are “Authorized to Open” Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that schools across all regions of the state are “authorized to open” in the fall for the 2020 school year.
Cuomo said last month that schools are only allowed to resume in-person instruction once a region has entered its “Phase Four” of reopening. The daily infection rate in that region must remain at 5% or lower over a 14-day average.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gun Violence in Davenport: 10 Shootings in 10 Days
While the shooting death of Jeramie Shorter at the funeral of his 8-year-old son dominated the local headlines last weekend, Davenport Police are investigating at least nine other reports of gunfire in the 10-day span that started July 29.
The latest confirmed gunfire came early Friday and late Thursday, as police were called to three scenes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A suburban Chicago school district has said that students of color will be first in line to return to in-person classrooms when schools reopen, citing a “pandemic” of “inequity and racism and classism” predating the coronavirus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Injured After Stabbing in Boston’s Hyde Park Neighborhood
People who live in the area initially said a man with a nail gun came out of the woods and was responsible for the attack.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Mark Zuckerberg’s Personal Wealth Now Exceeds $100 Billion
The world’s centibillionaire club just added its third member, as Mark Zuckerberg joined fellow tech tycoons Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates with a fortune eclipsing $100 billion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York’s Coronavirus Infection Rate Dips Below 1%
New York’s coronavirus infection rate dipped below 1% Wednesday after another round of tests was conducted the previous day, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.
The governor said only 636 (0.87%) of 70,000 tests performed Tuesday came back positive as hospitalizations fell by four patients to 564 people statewide.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NRA Fights Back, Files Its Own Suit Against NY Attorney General Seeking to Disband Organization
The National Rifle Association is fighting back against a lawsuit filed Thursday by New York’s attorney general by submitting its own civil suit against the state official, accusing her of defamation and violating its rights to free speech.
The NRA’s lawsuit was filed in the federal court of New York and alleges Attorney General Letitia James “made the political prosecution of the NRA a central campaign theme” when she was running for the AG’s office in 2018, and has not treated the association fairly since.
“Despite hopes that playing by the rules would procure a just outcome, the NRA has not been treated fairly by James’s office,” the 19-page suit states. “The New York Democratic Party political machine seeks to harass, defund, and dismantle the NRA because of what it believes and what it says.”
The defamation allegations stem from James’ public descriptions of the NRA as a “criminal enterprise” and “a terrorist organization.”
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
NYC Shootings: Ten People Shot in Three Boroughs in Ongoing Gun Violence
Ten people were shot overnight in the latest surge of gun violence in three boroughs, police say.
Of those, one man is said to be hanging onto life at Kings County Hospital from a Brooklyn shooting where three people were hit in a fusillade of bullets.
Gun violence has continued unabated for weeks now as the NYPD steps up patrols, posts high visibility vehicles at trouble spots, works with community groups with outreach and increases gun arrests.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ohio Gov. Mike Dewine Tests Negative for COVID-19 Just Hours After Testing Positive
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested negative for the coronavirus on Thursday, just hours after he had tested positive, according to a statement from the governor’s office.
DeWine was originally tested before he was set to greet President Trump at the Cleveland airport. After testing positive, he instead returned to Columbus, where he was tested for a second time.
The second test was a PCR test, which his office said was “extremely sensitive, as well as specific, for the virus.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ohio: Child Shot in Colerain Township Drive-by Shooting, Police Say
The Colerain Police Department said one child is injured after a shooting in the 10200 block of Menominee Drive on Friday night.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Oregon Governor and Her Security Detail Caught Violating Mask Order
Oregon Governor Kate Brown (D-Portland) and her security detail appear to have violated Brown’s own mask mandate, according to a post that has gone viral on Facebook. In addition, a member of that security detail, an Oregon state trooper, has yet to be publicly recognized for rescuing a teenage girl from drowning. A witness to the incident last Sunday is now demanding that the trooper be awarded a medal from the Oregon State Police, but so far Brown has not publicly acknowledged the heroic act by the police officer…
| — Hat tip: Vlad Tepes | [Return to headlines] |
Portland Mayor Decries Violent Protesters as Props for Trump
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, a city wracked by nearly 70 consecutive nights of unrest, on Thursday angrily denounced those who attempted to set a police precinct on fire with officers stationed inside as props in President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and said those individuals were not protesters, but criminals.
“You are not demonstrating, you are attempting to commit murder,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said in hastily called news conference alongside Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sanders Proposes One-Time Tax Bill Aimed at Billionaires’ Earnings During Pandemic
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), introduced a bill on Thursday that would hit billionaires with a one-time tax of 60% of all gains made during the coronavirus pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Stockton University Reprimands Student for Trump Zoom Background That “Offended” Fellow Students
Stockton University is considering disciplinary action against a student for using a photo of President Trump as his Zoom background and writing a political post on Facebook. He was charged by the school with cyberbullying, harassment, and four other charges — and, if found guilty, the punishment includes suspension.
In an online class on July 1, Robert Dailyda, a doctoral student at Stockton University, used a photo of President Trump as a background in group chat app Zoom. His choice of background did not sit well with some of his fellow students. They aired their “discomfort” in a private chat on GroupMe after class.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Long, Hot Summer of 1967: A Forgotten Season of Riots and Urban Unrest Across America
The Book of Ecclesiastes says that there is nothing new under the sun. And while many have spoken of the “unprecedented” nature of the rioting in the early summer of 2020, it is actually quite precedented. The Long, Hot Summer of 1967 was the peak of urban unrest and rioting in the United States in the lead up to the 1968 election. While there are certainly a number of key differences, there are also a number of striking parallels that make the topic worthy of discussion and examination. The long-term impact of the urban unrest of the summer of 2020 is unclear, but the long-term impact of the Long, Hot Summer of 1967 and related urban rioting was a victory for Richard Nixon in 1968, and a landslide re-election in 1972. One must resist the temptation to make mechanistic comparisons between the two, and we will refrain from doing so here. But the reader is encouraged to look for connections between these events and more recent ones.
| — Hat tip: AA | [Return to headlines] |
There’s a Mountain of Evidence That Hydroxychloroquine is an Effective Treatment for COVID-19
I’m convinced that if a rabid leftist was dying of thirst and President Trump offered him water, he’d refuse to drink it.
This is perhaps the best analogy for what’s happening right now with hydroxychloroquine, a decades-old malaria drug that has repeatedly shown to be an effective treatment for COVID-19, but that Democrats and the media have relentlessly dismissed ever since President Trump first touted it back in March as a possible game-changer. The media accused Trump of “practicing medicine without a license” simply for pointing out that the drug showed promise in some small studies. A Democratic state lawmaker in Ohio said that Trump should be tried for “crimes against humanity” for touting the drug’s potential. The New York Times even alleged that Trump’s motivation for touting it was self-serving because he holds “a small personal financial interest” in Sanofi, even though the drug is out of patent, and he only owned $29 — $435 in the stock as part of a mutual fund.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Says Biden “No Longer Worthy of Black Vote” Following Controversial Diversity Comment
President Trump Friday morning said his presumptive 2020 Democratic competitor Joe Biden “is no longer worthy of the black vote,” after the former vice president made comments contrasting the diversity of the African-American and Latino communities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Signs Orders Banning TikTok, Wechat in 45 Days if Platforms Are Not Bought by U.S. Companies
On Thursday evening, President Trump signed two executive orders banning U.S. citizens and companies from making transactions with ByteDance and Tencent, the Chinese companies that own TikTok and WeChat, respectively.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump: “This May be the Last Time You’ll See Me for a While”
Remarks made by President Trump during a speech have prompted speculation after he referred to having a lot of rich enemies and told the audience, “This may be the last time you’ll see me for a while.”
The comments were made during an address Trump gave at the Whirlpool Corporation Manufacturing Plant in Clyde, Ohio.
The context of the remarks was an executive order that will mandate U.S. government agencies purchase all essential drugs from American sources.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
VA Rape Suspect Released From Jail Over Coronavirus Kills Accuser
A Virginia rape suspect who was released from prison over concerns regarding coronavirus, sought out and killed his accuser, according to local police.
Ibrahim Bouaichi, 33, was indicted last year on charges of rape, strangulation, and abduction of Karla Elizabeth Dominguez Gonzalez, who testified against him in Alexandria District Court in December.
Bouaichi was released April 9 on a $25,000 bond after his lawyers argued that he should be freed awaiting trail because the virus posed a threat to inmates and their attorneys.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Antifa Militant Stops Elderly Lady From Extinguishing Fire in Chaotic Portland Riot
A viral video on social media appears to show an Antifa rioter preventing an elderly woman from extinguishing a fire set next to Portland’s East Precinct as protests continue to form, almost always devolving into riots, in the Democrat city.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Virginia Giuffre: Sex With Prince Andrew Was ‘The Longest 10 Minutes of My Life’
Jeffrey Epstein “sex slave” Virginia Giuffre claimed that sex with foot-licking fetishist Prince Andrew was “the longest 10 minutes of my life,” according to a new report.
Giuffre made the lurid claim in a manuscript for “The Billionaire’s Playboy Club’“ — her memoir about her alleged abuse at the hands of the late multimillionaire, his accused madam Ghislaine Maxwell and rich and powerful men, including the prince.
That manuscript is cited in court documents unsealed in New York last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Safer-at-home orders had a distorted meaning for those whose homes weren’t safe even in pre-pandemic times.
Hotlines started ringing at a higher rate in March compared to previous years. People in abusive homes were calling for shelter, counseling, legal services and safety plans.
Orange County-based domestic violence resource centers, which are classified as an essential service, stepped up outreach and began to deliver services remotely. But some staff said the demand is greater than the resources available, especially for housing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium: Divorce Rate Spikes as Brussels Emerges From Coronavirus Lockdown
The lifting of the coronavirus lockdown in Belgium has seen couples in the Belgian capital rush to separate, with notaries saying that the divorce rate has surged in past months.
Following a dip during the all-out lockdown period in the spring, notaries in Brussels said that, from mid-May, a week after authorities announced Belgium begin phasing out from lockdown, divorce filings spiked by nearly 15% in comparison to last year’s figures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Coronavirus Masks Become Compulsory Part of Uniform at English School
A school in England has become the first in Britain to make wearing a mask a mandatory part of the uniform, despite the government advising against masking children.
All staff and pupils at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School in Cheshire, England, were informed that they would be forced to wear masks while inside school buildings from September. They may remove them when outside, such as in the playground.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Complains British Insistence on Full Independence in Brexit Deal Not ‘Realistic’
Germany’s Europe minister has complained that Britain is not being “realistic or pragmatic” in Brexit negotiations, with British negotiators insisting on full sovereignty at the end of the transition period.
British negotiators have been consistent in demanding full sovereignty over the country’s laws, trade, and borders, while the EU insists the British stick to aspects of so-called regulatory alignment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: 40 Arrests as Activists Try to Stop Eviction of Leftist Bar
BERLIN (AP) — Hundreds of police faced off against protesters trying to stop the eviction Friday of a left-wing bar that has been the focus of a campaign against gentrification.
Police detained about 40 people after protesters erected barricades and set several fires in an unsuccessful bid to stop bailiffs from entering the Syndikat bar in the capital’s Neukoelln district.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Imam Who Headed ‘Peace’ Association Deported From Italy for Radicalism
Italy has expelled three radical Islamic extremists deemed to be security risks, including an Egyptian imam who headed an Islamic cultural association in the province of Venice.
The Egyptian imam headed the Islamic association La Pace — “Peace” — and is said to have subscribed to Salafism, a radical Islamic sect followed by many terrorist groups across the globe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Military Agreement Between Poland and US to be Signed Around August 15
Chief of National Security Bureau (BBN) Pawel Soloch has discredited any claims that the Poland-US agreement infringes on control over Polish territory and permits for the establishment of secret CIA prisons in Poland.
“There is absolutely no consideration for secret or non-secret prisons. There is nothing worrisome in this agreement — which everyone will see when it is made public. We have initiated the ratification process by the Council of Ministers. It should be signed around August 15,” he told Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
This date would coincide with the Polish Armed Forces Day.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
PM Orban: Hungary Secured Production Capacity for 5 Million Coronavirus Vaccines
While many laboratories around the world are racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine, it is unlikely that a clear picture of their effectiveness will emerge soon after the research has been completed, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in his regular Friday morning interview on national station Kossuth Radió.
“I don’t want to disappoint the citizens, but the vaccine is being developed in a race between several pharmaceutical companies and research institutes. This is a good thing, because they spur each other,” Orban said. “But when it [the vaccine] comes out, they will dispute it and we cannot expect to have a clear picture. So far, all the country can do is place its orders.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: Andrzej Duda Sworn in for Second Term
During his speech in the Polish Sejm, Andrzej Duda emphasized that his upcoming term will be one “close to the people” and close to what is most important for Poles and himself.
“These key issues are family, security, jobs, investments and dignity. These are the five things which symbolize a Poland, which can combine tradition with modernity, because these two factors do not cancel each other out, but compliment each other,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden to Spend Millions Bailing Out Mainstream Media
The Swedish government is rolling out a 500 million Swedish kronor (£43.8m/$57.5m) bailout package to help mainstream media companies in the wake of the Wuhan virus.
The funding is the second, and larger, aid package for Sweden’s mainstream media companies. It was initially proposed at the beginning of May, with Swedish culture minister Amanda Lind having now laid out the conditions for companies to qualify.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Police Officer: Gang Members Who Shot Child Are Victims Too
A Swedish police officer has claimed that the gang members who shot dead a 12-year-old girl caught in their crossfire last weekend are also victims.
Martin Lazar, a police officer in the municipality of Botkyrka where the deadly shooting took place last weekend, said that he felt the incident was a failure of all parts of Swedish society.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Czech MPs Appeal Prosecution of Matteo Salvini
Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party leader and MP Tomio Okamura decided to hand over a letter to the Italian embassy in Prague in support of his friend, senator, and Lega Nord chairman, Matteo Salvini. He did so accompanied by another MP and his fellow SPD party member Jaroslav Foldyna. Okamura also noted that Matteo Salvini knew about the letter and welcomed the support.
“We have addressed the letter to the President of the Italian Senate. Matteo is about to be prosecuted by the Italian Senate for preventing illegal migrants from landing on Italian soil while serving as the Minister of the Interior. He faces up to 15 years in prison. It is unbelievable what is happening in some EU countries. Matteo, I’m with you, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” said Okamura after handing over the letter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Recorded Coronavirus Deaths Could be Reviewed Down by 10 Per Cent: Report
The official coronavirus death toll in England could be reduced by 10 per cent due to the flawed counting system whereby anyone who has tested positive would have their death attributed to the Chinese virus, even if they died months later of a heart attack.
Coronavirus fatalities for other countries in the nation are counted differently than in England. For example, in Scotland and Northern Ireland, a death is only ruled by cause as coronavirus if it occurs within 28 days of a positive diagnosis. The Public Health England (PHE) bureaucracy, however, has no such period of limitations. That means that, in bureaucratic terms, every one of the 265,000 people who have contracted coronavirus could have their death in the future attributed to the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
US Secretary of State to Visit Czechia Next Week
US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo will arrive in the Czech Republic on Tuesday, August 11. The official trip to the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria, and Poland was announced by the head of American diplomacy at a press conference on Wednesday.
According to Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, the main points of negotiations will be security cooperation between the Czech Republic and the USA, trade relations and regional cooperation. According to foreign media, Pompeo also intends to meet with Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
During his European tour, he is set to discuss, among other things, the announced redeployments of part of the American troops from Germany.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Beirut Explosion: Search for Missing Continues and Protesters Clash With Police
The Lebanese president has rejected calls for an international investigation into the port explosion which has killed at least 154 and left thousands more injured.
That’s no surprise to the already outraged and frustrated residents of Beirut cleaning up their shattered neighbourhoods — whose anger at their leaders is now fuelling protests in the streets.
Our International Editor Lindsey Hilsum is in Beirut.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a letter to EU member states, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel called for aiding Lebanon in order to “act immediately in order to avoid an even more grave tragedy”, Hungarian news portal Mandiner reports.
On August 5, 2020 several tons of previously seized ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded in the port of Beirut, killing at least 137 people, wounding an estimated 5,000 and rendering 200,000-250,000 people homeless.
“At this difficult time, the European Union offers its full support to the Lebanese people. As an immediate first response, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated at the request of the Lebanese authorities,” said EU Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic from Slovenia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
TikTok’s Parent Company Employs More Than 130 Communist Party Members at Headquarters Alone
As new insights into TikTok’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party have emerged this week, a list of leaked internal documents at its parent company, ByteDance, shows it employs 138 members of the Chinese Communist Party at its Beijing headquarters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A video out of Melbourne, Australia shows a woman being pinned to the ground and arrested by police for being outside during lockdown, a confrontation that left her with severe bruising.
The clip shows the woman screaming in pain as three male officers try to handcuff her while kneeling on her body.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Elderly Man Tied Up, Wife and Underage Daughters Raped on South African Farm
A 73-year-old man was tied up and beaten by home invaders who raped his wife, aged 46, and daughters, aged 15 and 11, in Muldersdrift, South Africa.
The attack, which took place at a farm, according to the Pretoria East Rekord, citing a report in the Krugersdorp News, is believed to have been perpetrated by an armed gang who were also involved in incidents at Zwartkop, Nooitgedacht, and Beyers Naudé, and are still at large.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Man Arrested for Filming Migrants Being Loaded Onto Coaches in Dover
A British YouTuber was arrested after he tried to live stream footage of boat migrants being loaded onto coaches in Dover before they are taken to be accommodated in hotels at taxpayer expense.
A citizen reporter who goes by the name Active Patriot was recording the scene from a public car park when he was aggressively approached by police.
“I’m showing the world what is going on mate,” says the reporter, to which the officer responds, “ I think the world knows.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Almost 4,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year, according to analysis of Border Force figures.
This is thought to be more than double the total for the whole of 2019 where fewer than 2,000 are believed to have arrived in the country.
On current trends, around 7,500 migrants will cross the Channel by the end of the year, according to an analysis of official figures by Migrationwatch.
This would be nearly four times the 1,892 that entered the UK via the crossing in the whole of 2019, the campaign group projected.
More than 130 migrants , many young children, aboard 13 boats landed in Dover today as ministers threatened to send in the Royal Navy to help turn back the ‘tide’ of boats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greece Reports 29.6% Decline in Number of Migrants on Islands
The number of migrants hosted on the Greek islands fell by 29.6% in July in comparison with January 1, 2020, the migration and asylum ministry announced on Friday.
Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi underlined that “by implementing a balanced migration policy using a plan we are turning page in the migration problem.”
Specifically, in early January the total number living in refugee and migrant facilities on the islands was 42,007 and on July 31 it was down to 29,579.
Additionally, those living in islands hotspots were reduced by 32.2% in the same period.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iraqis Paid €2,000 Each Agree to Leave Greece
Greece has launched its first batch of voluntary migrant repatriations, where recipients were each paid €2,000 to leave the country.
Some 134 Iraqis left Athens on Thursday (6 August) as a part of a larger EU-funded scheme that aims to send home some 5,000 migrants from Greece to their respective countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Patel Could Send Navy to Channel After Record 235 Migrants Cross: Report
Home Secretary Priti Patel reportedly backs suggestions to send in the Royal Navy amid the growing migrant crisis in the English Channel, after a record 235 illegal aliens landed on Thursday.
This week, the Union for Borders, Immigration, and Customs (ISU) had said that the military needed to be drafted in to support dealing with the crisis — particularly due to the threat of violence from migrants, and to force returns to France at sea.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mentally Ill Professor Invented Bisexual Native American Persona Who ‘Died’ of COVID-19
A former assistant professor who was denied tenure at Vanderbilt University for sending threats to colleagues was busted running a years-long ‘hoax’ — in which she invented an online persona on Twitter claiming to be an oppressed bisexual, Native American geologist.
BethAnn McLaughlin created the persona, @Sciencing_Bi, in 2016 while working as an assistant professor of neurology at Vanderbilt. After being denied tenure in 2017, McLaughlin left the university in July of 2018 — going on to found MeTooSTEM, a nonprofit organization aimed at advising scientists who are the victims of sexual harassment.
But McLaughlin was doing much more than harassing coworkers and failing to earn promotions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rainbow Flag Protesters Charged by Polish Police
LGBTI activists are facing fines or prison for draping rainbow flags on statues in Poland, amid hardening feelings on EU values.
Police, on Wednesday (5 August), briefly arrested two women and a man for hanging flags on five Polish monuments, including a Roman Catholic one, in Warsaw last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Claiming that ending the life of a first trimester unborn baby is a religious right for their members, the Satanic Temple has issued a press release demanding that religious freedom protections exempt them from all state restrictions on abortion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study Confirms, Journalists Do Live in a Twitter Bubble
Twitter is widely seen as the social media platform of choice for journalists — but if their purpose is to stay true to the profession and not only disseminate but also gather information from a variety of sources — that choice might be serving them increasingly poorly.
The reason is the narrowing of the circles within which they interact on Twitter, something referred to as “bubbles” — where sources of information inside a network are excluded organically. (Calling these “echo chambers” might be more fitting though, because that implies deliberate intent to exclude).
In either case, for anyone who has been under the impression that this was indeed happening, research and studies are beginning to crop up to bolster their observations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Censors All Links to Bitchute
BitChute, a video hosting platform that is seen as an alternative to YouTube’s ever-more stifling moderating and censorship policies, has over the past five months experienced quite a growth.
According to a tweet from the network, its monthly traffic figures doubled in that time from 15 to 30 million visitors.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Labels RT as ‘State Affiliated Media’, But Ignores BBC, NPR
In another bold censorship move, Twitter has decided to label certain accounts as ‘state-affiliated media’, but apparently this extends only to the accounts whose content the platform does not agree with.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
I get relief from the madness in our earth by listening choral or organ music [Bach, mainly]. For eample:
Ave Verum Corpus, by James Last, in 1979 at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSvVgMBQucQ
The great James Last conducts his musicians in a excellent way. As Leonard Bernstein, James O’Donnell and many others.
Dona Nobis Pacem, a Traditional canon with Leif Ahlberg conducting a Swedish chorus, at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSdGW_HBrLE
You Raise Me Up.
The First and Original Version at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vdkqeshXJM
And by TUNAS MUDA FSGM, strange and beatifull at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HTMouJs9Z0
Have peace.