The White House physician for Donald Trump said that the president has recovered from the coronavirus, and can resume public engagements this weekend. Meanwhile, Spain has called a state of emergency in order to impose a lockdown in Madrid.
In other news, Russia has brokered a ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed province of Artsakh.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AF, Caroline Glick, JD, NorseRadish, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
White House Preparing $1.8 Trillion Stimulus Proposal: Report
The White House is preparing a $1.8 trillion coronavirus relief bill, according to people familiar with discussions.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will reportedly discuss the proposal — the White House’s largest to date — with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Amy Coney Barrett’s Nomination Sees Surging Support Across Electorate
The Republican push to confirm Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is gaining momentum from the American electorate.
Despite complaints from Democrats that Republicans are unfairly rushing her nomination, a new Morning Consult/Politico poll published Wednesday shows Americans supporting her confirmation by a 46-31 margin. An additional 23% say that they do not yet have an opinion. Just a week ago, Barrett’s support was nine points lower, at 37-34.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden to Voters: “You’ll Know My Opinion of Court-Packing When the Election is Over”
Talking to reporters on Thursday, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said that voters would have to wait until after they vote to find out whether he would push to pack the Supreme Court with liberal judges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Pompeo Has Hillary Clinton’s Missing Emails, Is Working to Release Them
After Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came under fire from the Trump campaign for not releasing failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s missing emails, which were stored illegally on an unsecured bathroom email server, Pompeo pledged to release the emails “so the American people can see it.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China Ties to US Riots Exposed by Trevor Loudon
Most of the riots that racked the United States within the last few months were organized by two socialist organizations which have close ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said Trevor Loudon, author, and filmmaker, who has been researching radical and terrorist groups and their covert influence on mainstream politics for more than 30 years.
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) based out of Minneapolis, an openly pro-CCP organization, and Bay Area-based Liberation Road, with very close ties to the Chinese consulate there and the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), are behind the recent riots, Loudon said in a recent interview on Epoch Times’ Crossroads program.
| — Hat tip: AF | [Return to headlines] |
Company Offering ‘Portable Pod’ For Travelers Concerned About Catching COVID
A company called ViraShield has developed what it calls a “portable pod solution” that caters for people who have “fear of going out” in the age of coronavirus.
“In a matter of seconds, the ViraShield unfolds to give users a protective, six-sided barrier between them and their seatmates,” states a promo for the contraption on the New York Post shopping website.
“This 360-degree protection helps keep bacteria in droplets at bay, so that the next time someone around you coughs or sneezes, you won’t be directly exposed to the particles.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Election Year Knockout Game Unable to Advertise Due to Big Tech’s “Political” Ads Block
Last year, indie game developer ExceptionNULL Games released the light-hearted, political-themed, cartoon boxing game Election Year Knockout.
As part of its efforts to promote Election Year Knockout, ExceptionNULL Games has attempted to run Facebook ads for the game multiple times since its launch.
But the developer’s attempts to advertise the game on Facebook have been repeatedly denied.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ESPN to Make Sweeping Layoffs in Effort to Save “Tens of Millions” In Salaries
Things look like they are going just splendidly in the world of sports in 2020.
In addition to having to deal with the public’s incessant fear of coronavirus (despite the fact that none of the scores of professional athletes in the U.S. that have tested positive have wound up visibly sick or in the hospital, let alone dead, from the virus), major professional sports leagues have also decided to play politics, injecting themselves into the heart of a nationwide racism uproar, instead of basketball and football.
In addition to ratings plunging for both the NBA and the NFL this year, the “get woke, go broke” results continue to take hold.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Man Friday: The Radical Priest Came to Get Me Released, Plus When Emus Attack
What would Friday be without Florida Man?
It might as well be some lesser day no one cares about, like Tuesday or National Potato Day.
I wrote “National Potato Day” as a lame gag, but then searched for it and… yep, it’s a thing.
Of course, it’s a thing.
But there are much more exciting matters to attend to right now, so join me on another action-packed…
Florida Man Friday!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has attacked President Donald Trump for supposedly goading Orthodox Jews into fighting his targeted shutdown orders with theatrical protests — and lawsuits — based on a prank call.
Cuomo tore into the president during a call with reporters on Friday in which he defended the zoned economic shutdown orders imposed in several Covid-19 “hotspots“ across the state earlier this week. Trump, Cuomo said, was a “divisive force“ trying to “inflame divisions“ among New Yorkers — especially Orthodox Jews.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gallup: Majority Say They Are Better Off Under Trump Than Obama/Biden
Pollster Gallup has found that a majority of 56% of Americans feel that they are better off now under Donald Trump’s presidency than they were four years ago under Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
The survey recorded the highest number of Americans in history saying that they feel in a better position 4 years into an incumbent’s presidency.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Google Handed Over to Police Data on Everyone Who Searched for Certain Terms
On October 6th, court records of an arson case were unsealed showing even more of the extent to which Google cooperates with law enforcement.
We obtained a copy of the filing for you here.
In July, police asked Google for a list of everyone who searched for a particular Florida address within a certain time frame before the arson.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
IBM to Break Up 109-Year Old Company to Focus on Cloud Growth
International Business Machines Corp is splitting itself into two public companies, capping a years-long effort by the world’s first big computing firm to diversify away from its legacy businesses to focus on high-margin cloud computing.
IBM will list its IT infrastructure services unit, which provides technical support for 4,600 clients in 115 countries and has a backlog of $60 billion, as a separate company with a new name by the end of 2021.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
LA Riot Caused “Tens of Thousands” In Damage to City Property
Rioters in Los Angeles are estimated to have caused “tens of thousands of dollars” in damage in a single night of widespread property violence around LAPD headquarters.
Following the disturbance on Monday night, the LAPD stated on Twitter that the impromptu riot, which happened in the wake of an officer-involved shooting in Texas, resulted in “tens of thousands of dollars in property loss.”
“Our people did their very best to quell the violence, and will strive to arrest those responsible for the vandalism and destruction,” the police added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Microsoft Announces Employees Can Permanently Work From Home
Microsoft will be allowing its employees to work remotely for the indefinite future, according to a new internal memo detailing its “hybrid workplace” plan.
The tech giant will allow employees to spend up to 50% of their work hours at home without approval or to permanently work from home if they have a manager’s permission. Those who choose to work entirely from home will have to give up their assigned office space.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 50k Voters in Ohio County Get Wrong Absentee Ballots
Nearly 50,000 voters in Franklin County, Ohio, received incorrect absentee ballots, election officials said Friday. The glitch, thought to be an accident, seems to affect one in five ballots sent by the county to this point.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Never-Trump’ Debate Moderator Has History of Blaming ‘Hackers’ For Offensive Tweets
Update (1500ET): It seems this is not the first time Mr. Scully’s Twitter account has been “hacked”…
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York Sued by Jews, Catholic Diocese After New COVID-19 Restrictions From Cuomo
Restrictions in New York meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 have led to Orthodox Jewish groups and a Roman Catholic diocese filing lawsuits against the state of New York. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is accusing Gov. Andrew Cuomo of violating its religious freedom.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Second US Presidential Debate Set for October 15 Officially Off, Commission Says
The US Commission on Presidential Debates has announced that the second scheduled face-off between President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden has been cancelled for good, with no replacement date.
“It’s now apparent there will be no debate on October 15, and the CDP will turn its attention to preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for October 22,” the commission said on Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Daily Caller journalists, as well as other reporters, sustained injuries from police officers while covering protests in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and were detained for breaking curfew, despite identifying themselves as press.
In video footage from the incident, Daily Caller Chief Video Director Richie McGinnis is filming an arrest being made by officers when he is asked to show his press badge, which he does. He is then told to leave the area, an order he complies with.
“Don’t let me catch you!” an officer yells as the journalist is walking away.
“I’m out,” McGinnis says, making his way to a car in a parking lot. McGinnis is then slammed to the ground and officers can be heard yelling at others at the scene to “get on the ground” and “out of the car.” The journalists showed images of injuries sustained during the altercation, which were reportedly given with billy clubs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Democratic Mayoral Candidate Arrested for Forging Mail-in Ballot Applications
Texas authorities announced on Thursday that they have arrested and charged a mayoral candidate near Dallas with election fraud after he allegedly forged at least 84 applications for mail-in ballots.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Slams Michigan Governor After She Blamed Him for Plot to Kidnap Her
President Trump hit out at Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer late Thursday, after she blamed him over a plot to kidnap her, despite the fact that the Feds and the DOJ foiled the plot.
“Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist—while Biden and Democrats refuse to condemn Antifa, Anarchists, Looters and Mobs that burn down Democrat run cities,” Trump tweeted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump-Hating Anarchist at Center of Whitmer Kidnapping Plot
One of the ringleaders in a plot to kidnap, try, and execute Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer (D), outed himself as an anarchist radical in a video he posted on Twitter.
Brandon Caserta, one of six radicals who were arrested Thursday by the FBI, with the help of local authorities, presents himself in front of an anarchist flag in a video he posted on Twitter prior to the events of October 8, 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter Temporarily Locked Richard Grenell Out of His Account After Tweet About Voter Fraud
Twitter, in attempts to silence conversation around vote-by-mail on its platform, has now locked the former acting Director of National Intelligence out of his account.
Upon his friend’s request, Ric Grenell took to Twitter and posted the images of two ballots that were sent to the names of a deceased couple.
Social media platforms, of late, have been extra vigilant about the content that gets posted on their platform. With the current year combining several important and critical events, including the US Presidential Elections and COVID-19 saga, platforms have grown even more stringent with their rules.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter to Slow Down Retweeting Process to Prevent Spread of Misinformation During Election
Twitter has put limits on how users can retweet content, slowing down the process to discourage the spread of misinformation ahead of the U.S. election.
The move, which was rolled out to some users on Friday, includes directing users to credible content on some tweets, encouraging adding commentary when retweeting, and tweaking the algorithm to change which tweets users see.
Users that go to reshare tweets will now be encouraged to add commentary, although the tweet will still be shared as a normal “retweet” if users decide not to add anything.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With the 2020 US presidential election less than a month away, Twitter has introduced a series of measures that discourage retweets and restrict content that Twitter deems to be “misleading.”
The most notable of these new measures is a prompt that directs users to “credible” information whenever they attempt to retweet something that has been branded as “misleading” by Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The University of California, in an attempt to slyly censor a college news outlet it didn’t approve of, had to end up spending nearly one million dollars in a legal fight they were always destined to lose.
Back in 2015, the university wanted to get rid of a student outlet known as The Koala, as it posted a satirical story about “safe spaces.”
The university did not want to support The Koala anymore, and at the same time, also wanted to steer clear of infringing the First Amendment rights of the newspaper.
Instead of cutting down the $452.80 that was allocated for The Koala, the university ended up eliminating student newspapers altogether, as a nuclear option to try and suppress dissent. This naturally led to a lawsuit which ended up costing the university dearly.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Pelosi Gives Speech About Trump’s COVID Infection While Improperly Wearing Face Mask
During a speech about what should happen in the aftermath of President Trump being infected with COVID, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi improperly wore a face mask, failing to cover her nose with the mask.
During the speech, Pelosi announced legislation that would create a commission to give Congress the power to oust a president from office under the 25th amendment.
This followed Pelosi repeatedly questioning whether Trump had really recovered from his coronavirus infection and accusing him of being “in an altered state.”
However, Pelosi’s own concern for those around her didn’t appear to be too significant as she wore her face mask improperly during part of the presentation, with it hanging well below her nose.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White House Physician: Trump Can Return to Public Engagements This Weekend
President Trump will be able to return to public engagements starting this weekend, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley announced on Thursday.
Conley said that he anticipates Trump will be able to return to his normal schedule by Saturday and said that the president has responded “extremely well to treatment.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wisconsin’s Absentee-Ballot Extension Shot Down by Appeals Court
The 7th US Court of Appeals has issued a ruling that denies a week-long extension for the counting of absentee ballots beyond election night. The order also re-establishes the original deadlines for online and mail-in registration deadlines.
In the court’s 2-to-1 ruling, it said absentee ballots in the critical battleground swing state will now, as it stands, be due by 8pm on November 3, 2020, the legislated deadline for accepting ballots.
The Appeals Court blocked US District Judge William Conley’s earlier ruling which allowed Wisconsin election officials to count absentee ballots for up to six days after the General Election. The ruling also blocked a 7-day long extension of Wisconsin’s online and mail-in registration deadline.
Democrats argued that the extension would make counting ballots “easier” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Judge Conley is an Obama appointee who previously ruled against the Trump administration on its travel ban against Syrians from the city of Aleppo.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
73% of Canadians Have an Unfavorable View of China: Pew Research
A new poll that gauges global attitudes on China shows a record high of Canadians reporting an unfavourable opinion of the Asian superpower.
According to a poll released yesterday by Pew Research, 73% of Canadians hold a very unfavourable or somewhat unfavourable view of China.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boys Wear Skirts to School to Protest Sexism and Discrimination Against Women
Colin Renaud wore a skirt to school on Wednesday, and a whole kerfuffle ensued.
Like other boys in Montreal and on the South Shore, the Villa Maria student was inspired by a growing movement to protest against sexism and discrimination against women.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Child Surgeries and Cancer Treatments Decimated by Pandemic Measures
New figures released by the Ontario Ministry of Health show a drastic decline in potentially life-saving treatments and operations over the course of the coronavirus pandemic.
From March 15 to September 29 treatments for breast cancer have gone down 29% and prostate cancer treatments declined by 25% when compared to the same period in 2019.
Meanwhile, on average 21% fewer cancer treatments were conducted in the province since the pandemic began.
Surgeries on children were also decimated by pandemic measures with a decline of nearly 60%. Last year there were 28,844 surgeries performed on children, meanwhile in 2020 there were only 11,230.
Other surgeries including heart operations, brain surgeries and thoracic surgeries were also down by 39%, 41% and 42% respectively.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The British taxpayer is subsidising national heritage sites and organisations to the tune of one and a half billion pounds, as the sector struggles to survive without visitor revenue thanks to the government’s coronavirus shutdown.
455 organisations including museums, heritage bodies, ancient churches, and steam railways are among those given a cash boost on Friday as they shared a £1.5 billion pot of cash. The cash, hailed as an “essential lifeline” in a BBC report on the handouts, was limited to £1 million per award, but the next tranche will allow the very largest organisations up to £3 million to help keep on top of essential maintenance of historic buildings and sites.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The British political commentator, Darren Grimes, is now being investigated by the police after a controversial podcast interview with the historian David Starkey.
Starkey’s comments attracted intense backlash and contempt as soon as the video was released. The historian, in the interview, said that slavery was not similar to genocide because there are “so many damn blacks.”
However, Grimes was only interviewing Starkey when Starkey made the extremely controversial comment — and yet it’s Grimes that’s now being investigated by London’s Metropolitan Police, not Starkey.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Danish PM to Crack Down on ‘Non-Western’ Young Men Harassing Native Danes
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced this week that her government would crack down on crimes committed by young non-western migrant men.
Prime Minister Frederiksen spoke during the opening of the Danish parliamentary year on Tuesday, saying: “One in five young men from non-Western backgrounds who were born in 1997 had breached the penal code before the age of 21. One in five.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
England Rugby Fans Allowed to Sing ‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot’ After Re-Education Lessons
England rugby fans were granted permission Friday to continue singing “‘Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” by the sport’s governing body, but only on the express condition they agree to being “proactively” re-educated on the song’s “history and provenance.”
As Breitbart News reported, in June the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said it would review the song’s use by England fans because of its claimed links with slavery.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Parisian restaurant and bar workers have taken to the streets carrying a mock coffin, an expression of their anger at new Covid-19 restrictions, which they say will kill off the whole industry.
At a rally organized by the local trade association in the French capital on Thursday, the protesters staged the mock funeral procession with the words “Bars — restaurants — clubs” written on the coffin. Others held up a sign “Restaurant industry 1686-2020, RIP,” referring to the year when the first café-type business was opened in Paris. Some of the protesters have been seen brandishing smoke flares.
The activists denounced what they called “the killing of our sector by the government.” A manager at one endangered establishment told local media that the new restrictions would hit the whole industry badly. “After going through a particularly difficult year and three months of closure, we are once-again forced to close for at least two weeks. It’s the death of our business, in a way,” he lamented.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
One 28-year-old suspect has reportedly surrendered himself to police Friday morning after he and two other unknown suspects were involved in shooting and seriously injuring two police officers in the Herblay district in the suburbs of Paris.
It is unclear what role the man who surrendered to the police may have played in the shooting of the two officers, but the other two suspects remain on the run. The men involved in the shooting of the officers have been described as an African male, another man of mixed race appearance with curly hair, and the last one described as North African with a shaved head, according to a police source speaking with French newspaper Valeurs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Paris No-Go Suburb Politician Faced Trial for Apologising for Terrorism
A regional politician in the no-go Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis was placed on trial for apologising for terrorism after stating that he wanted to be like radical Islamic terrorist Mohammed Merah.
Mohamed Bekhtaoui, a member of the Republican People’s Union in the commune of La Courneuve in Seine-Saint-Denis, was in court for saying he wanted to be the “new Mohammed Merah”, an Islamist terrorist who killed seven people in France in 2012, three of them children.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Prof: Climate Science Politicized, Filled With ‘Fairy Tales’
German professor, a co-founder of the modern environmental movement, says climate science is exaggerated, filled with fairy tales, and believes the Paris Accord is “already dead.”
In an interview with publicist Roland Tichy, Prof. Fritz Vahrenholt — one of the founders of Germany’s modern environmental movement — said we have in fact three generations time to revamp the world’s energy supply system to one that is cleaner and sustainable.
He rejects the Fridays For Future claim that there are only 12 years left.
Climate catastrophe not taking place
In the interview, moderator Tichy reminded that civilization began 7,000 years ago, a time when it was “3°C warmer than today” and Vahrenholt responded by saying he expects civilization to continue for another seven thousand years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary’s PM Orban: George Soros’s Influence Corrupts the EU
Billionaire financier Goerge Soros is the main root of corruption in the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in his regular weekly interview on national station Kossuth Radió Friday morning.
“The common denominator in the international attacks is George Soros,” Orban said. “He wants to make money and gain influence, and for this he is buying off people in the Union’s institutions — now that is corruption. As long as George Soros has this level of influence in the European Union, it has to be said that the Union is corrupt.”
He was referring to recent attacks against Hungary such as Commission Vice-President Vera Jourova’s interview in which she called Hungary a “sick democracy” and the joint op-ed of four faction leaders of the European Parliament calling for the disbursement of the EU’s €750 billion recovery fund be tied to rule of law criteria.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish MEP: Green, But Not a Good Deal for Poland
The European Parliament on Thursday voted to increase the CO2 emission reduction target to 60 percent by 2030. However, according to PiS MEP Izabela Kloc, the European Commission’s analysis, on which the resolution was based, was carried out hurriedly and no alternative course was examined.
Kloc believes there was enormous pressure on the report’s drafters to come out in favor of the new target. But even that report only recommended a reduction of 55 percent, not 60 percent.
The report acknowledges that there will be problems meeting the target, but no analysis of the political, social and financial consequences of forcing through such a radical proposal was presented.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Calls State of Emergency to Force Madrid Lockdown
The Spanish government invoked a two-week state of emergency on Friday to impose a partial lockdown on Madrid, after weeks of tension with the regional government of the capital, El Pais reported. Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez previously urged the regional government chief, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, to impose restrictions to limit the movement of citizens in Europe’s worst Covid-19 hotspot — after a Madrid court had struck down the measures.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris May Submit to European Court of Human Rights for EU Deal
Boris Johnson may bend to EU demands that Britain accept submission to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in perpetuity in exchange for a Brexit deal, according to reports.
Tasked with upholding the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) by the Council of Europe organisation, the European Court of Human Rights is, unlike the European Court of Justice (ECJ) technically not a European Union institution — although in practice the EU demands that all prospective member-states submit to it, and previous British governments have indicated to Parliament that they do not believe it is possible to renounce the ECHR and remain in the EU.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: COVID Cops and Lockdown Enforcement to Get £60m in Taxpayers’ Cash
Britain’s Conservative government has announced it will be handing over £60 million in taxpayers’ money to police and local councils for enforcing coronavirus laws, including funds for new “marshals”.
Police are set to be more “visible” on the streets of Briton, with officers stepping up patrols to enforce coronavirus restrictions on citizens, with local councils to conduct more inspections of businesses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Caroline Glick: Who Will Deal With Turkey?
For the past several months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has busily dispelled any residual doubts about his hostility toward the U.S. and its allies in NATO and the Middle East. He has accomplished this in multiple ways. Erdogan purchased Russia’s S-400 surface-to-air missile system and, in a swipe at the U.S. and NATO, announced his intention to test the system next week.
He threatens and seeks to subvert Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. He has destroyed his nation’s longstanding strategic alliance with Israel.
He has cast his lot with the Muslim Brotherhood in the Arab world, and with Iran against his Arab enemies. Indeed, Erdogan has effectively appointed himself the head of the Muslim Brotherhood. An associate of his recently published a map of a new Ottoman Empire, or “Greater Turkey”—with Erdogan as sultan. It included vast territories spanning from northern Greece to the east Aegean islands, half of Bulgaria, Cyprus, most of Armenia and large swaths of Georgia, Iraq and Syria.
Erdogan is fighting on behalf of Sunni jihadists in Syria and in Libya.
On the positive side, Erdogan’s fights in Syria and Libya place Turkey in confrontation with Russia, which is siding with the opposite side in both wars. Erdogan started a new fight with Russia over the past couple of months, which now threatens to transform into a major war. Erdogan is fighting with Azerbaijan against Russia’s client Armenia for control over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area that both Armenia and Azerbaijan claim.
How is the U.S. supposed to deal with Erdogan, the head of NATO member Turkey—a strategically placed ally, traversing two continents, that Washington has long viewed as indispensable?…
| — Hat tip: Caroline Glick | [Return to headlines] |
Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to halt hostilities in contested Nagorno-Karabakh after marathon talks in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. The armistice is set to take effect at noon on October 10.
The agreement was reached at the trilateral consultations involving the foreign ministers of the two warring parties, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Lavrov, who acted as a mediator. The negotiations lasted some 10 hours and wrapped up in the early hours of Saturday local time.
Baku and Yerevan agreed to suspend all military actions, starting at noon on Saturday, for “humanitarian” reasons. The pause in fighting will allow for captured prisoners to be swapped and the bodies of soldiers fallen on the frontlines to be exchanged, Lavrov told the media.
The Red Cross will help to facilitate the exchanges.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pictures: Turkey-Backed Azeris Devastate Historic Cathedral
Turkey-backed Azeri forces have been accused of inflicting heavy damage on the Armenian Apostolic Church’s Holy Saviour Cathedral in the historic city of Shusha (Shushi).
Images shared by the Armenian government and journalists on the ground show that the 19th-century church, known locally as Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, appears to have been bombarded by artillery, with holes blown in its roof.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hindu Teen Beaten to Death Over Love Affair With Muslim Woman in Delhi, 2 Arrested: Cops
The Muslim woman’s brother and a relative have been arrested and three juveniles detained in connection with the incident, the police said.
Dinesh Tyagi | HENB | New Delhi | Oct 9, 2020:: An 18-year-old Hindu man was beaten to death allegedly over his love affair with a Muslim woman following which two fanatic people, including her brother, were arrested and three others detained, police said on Friday. The arrested were identified as Mohammad Afroz, Mohammad.
The incident is said to have happened at Adarsh Nagar area in in northwest Delhi at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday after the brother accosted Rahul and threatened him to stay away from his sister. An argument broke out between the two and the brother, who was with four of his associates, assaulted the victim. Victim Rahul succumbed to his injuries in a hospital on Thursday, within the hour after being admitted.
The woman’s brother and a relative have been arrested and three juveniles detained in connection with the incident, the police said.
The victim, Rahul Rajput, was a second-year student in Delhi University’s School of Open Learning. He also provided tuition to school students, they added.
According to the police, the victim was friends with a woman from his locality but her family was against the friendship as Muslims don’t allow their girls to other community. But, Muslims always want to capture non-Muslim girls by hook or by crook.
On Wednesday evening, the victim was called to Nanda Road on some pretext, and when he reached the spot, he was physically assaulted allegedly by a group of four-five people, including the woman’s brothers, a senior police officer said.
He sustained severe injuries in the assault and was rushed to a hospital, where he died during the course of treatment, the officer said…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese whistleblower Li-Meng Yan, formerly a virologist with the World Health Organization (WHO) reference lab who was forced to vacate her position at the University of Hong Kong under duress, is putting herself and her family in great peril to share the truth about COVID-19’s origins.
She has co-authored an academic paper detailing how there has been “large-scale organized scientific fraud” amidst the cover-up of COVID-19 being a bioweapon created by the Chinese government.
“We used biological evidence and in-depth analyses to show that SARS-CoV-2 must be a laboratory product, which was created by using a template virus (ZC45/ZXC21) owned by military research laboratories under the control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) government,” reads the paper.
| — Hat tip: NorseRadish | [Return to headlines] |
Light-Speed Imager: World’s Fastest UV Camera Works at 500 Billion Frames Per Second
Researchers Design the World’s Fastest UV Camera — Records Photons in the Ultraviolet Range in Real Time
The team of Professor Jinyang Liang, a specialist in ultrafast imaging at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), in collaboration with an international team of researchers, has developed the fastest camera in the world capable of recording photons in the ultraviolet (UV) range in real time. This original research is featured on the front cover of the 10th issue of the journal Laser & Photonics Reviews.
Compressed ultrafast photography (CUP) captures the entire process in real time and unparalleled resolution with just one click. The spatial and temporal information is first compressed into an image and then, using a reconstruction algorithm, it is converted into a video.
Developing a Compact Instrument for UV
Until now, this technique was limited to visible and near-infrared wavelengths, and thus to a specific category of physical events. “Many phenomena that occur on very short time scales also take place on a very small spatial scale. To see them, you need to sense shorter wavelengths. Doing this in the UV or even X-ray ranges is a remarkable step toward this goal,” says Jinyang Liang, who led the study.
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Stolen Chinese Scroll by Mao Zedong Worth Millions Found Cut in Half
A stolen 9-foot calligraphy scroll believed to be written by former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong has been found cut in half, Hong Kong police said.
The artwork, worth about $296.7 million, was taken from collector Fu Chunxiao’s home last month while he was stuck in mainland China due to the coronavirus pandemic. The thieves also took off with six other scrolls, 24,327 Chinese postage stamps, and 10 copper coins worth about $588 million.
After the Mao scroll was stolen, it was bought for about $58 by a man who thought it was a fake. The man also believed the scroll was too long to display so he cut it in half, Tony Ho, superintendent of Hong Kong’s organized crime and triad bureau said.
[This week only, HALF OFF!]
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Casey Jenkins, 41, was left furious after she learned the news through a letter from The Australian Council for the Arts on Thursday.
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Sky News host Peta Credlin has turned the screws on Premier Daniel Andrews as to why key phone records were withheld from Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry.
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Tasmania’s Whale Stranding Tragedy Explained
A DESPERATE RESCUE effort is underway after hundreds of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) became stranded in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast.
Yesterday, more than 250 pilot whales were reported to have stranded, with one-third presumed dead. And this morning, rescuers found another 200 pilot whales stranded up to ten kilometres away from the first group — most are likely dead.
[Comment: Article dated September 24, 2020.]
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A teacher savagely attacked on her duplex doorstep after offering a man some water feared for her safety in the weeks leading up to the assault.
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Victoria has reported 14 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths as the locked down state struggles to stamp out its second wave of COVID-19.
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2020 Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to the World Food Program
The World Food Program (WFP) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts in curbing starvation due to the coronavirus pandemic and government lockdowns.
The United Nations-run program is based in Rome and assists over 86 million people in around more than 80 countries annually. This year, it has seen a tremendous increase in need as the coronavirus and related restrictions have pushed poor communities over the edge.
WFP Executive Director David Beasley shared his excitement regarding the news from Niger, where he was visiting Friday.
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Europe Faces Another Migration Wave, Experts Warn
The most dangerous migration route has become the busiest this year. Since the beginning of this year, more than 5,000 refugees have arrived in the Canary Islands. Compared to last year, this is an increase of more than 600 percent, writes the Focus weekly. Experts warn that this is a sign of a new massive migration wave.
There are several reasons why this route, on which refugees have to travel 100 kilometers in stormy and dangerous waters of the Atlantic, has become so busy. Above all, it’s the price. A place in a rubber boat on this route costs around €800, while usually, it is around €2000.
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Greece: Driver Killed, Nine Injured After Suspected Migrant Smuggler’s Car Crash
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A car involved in suspected migrant trafficking has crashed in northern Greece leaving the driver dead and all nine passengers injured, police said Friday.
Police said the driver in Thursday evening’s crash was believed to be from Pakistan and was suspected of working for a smuggling ring. One of the injured passengers is also believed to be a suspected smuggler from Pakistan, while the other eight are Afghans, police said.
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Illegal Migration to Greece Has Decreased by 76% Compared to the Same Period Last Year
An impressive decrease in illegal migrant flows to Greece from the Aegean was recorded, according to official data from the Greek Coast Guard.
In particular, in the first 9 months of 2019 there were 39,797 arrivals of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers in Greece, while in the corresponding period this year (from January to September), only 9,437 arrived, a decrease of 76%. If we do not limit the time period to 7 months, ie from March to September then the reduction is 89%.
According to experts, this is due to a number of factors.
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Migration Pressure on Hungary is Mounting
So far this year, more than 25,000 illegal immigrants have tried to cross the Hungarian border, compared with 16,000 for all of 2019, György Bakondi, chief domestic security advisor of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said on Thursday in an interview on national television channel M1.
Bakondi said that the pressure is the most pronounced on the Serbian-Hungarian border, but there is also an increase along the Hungarian-Romanian and, in some cases, the Hungarian-Croatian sections. Among the methods of transit for illegal immigrants, he highlighted hand-dug tunnels as the most often employed.
He pointed out, Hungarian authorities have reported that the number of people smuggling in 2020 has also increased compared to 2019. Last year, there were a total of 150 cases, whereas this year, already 307 people have been prosecuted.
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Nearly Half of Young People in North Africa and Middle East Want to Migrate
Nearly half of the young people in North Africa and the Middle East say they are either actively trying to migrate or are considering migrating to another country, according to the 12th ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey.
The survey, which interviewed 4,000 people aged 18 to 24 across 17 states in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), found that 42 per cent of those polled wanted to leave their home countries and migrate elsewhere, and 40 per cent have thought of moving to another country in a permanent basis.
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Two BLM Protesters Federally Charged After Blocking Portland ICE Facility
Two Portland protesters have been federally charged after lying down to block the driveway of the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility at a violent Black Lives Matter-Antifa protest.
18-year-old Essence Maya Sylvester and 20-year-old Alexis Richter, both of Portland, are accused of obstructing authorities from protecting federal property. Richter is an undergraduate student studying mathematics and computer science at the private liberal arts university, Reed College.
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Dozens of migrants trying to reach the UK have been picked up by Border Force officers for the first time this month.
The adults attempting to reach Kent were in small crafts after setting off in a break in the terrible weather that has been plaguing the area.
Smugglers in Calais had put them into a number of small boats, including rigid hulled inflatable boats and dinghies, for the 27 mile journey.
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Home Secretary Priti Patel has lost a deportation fight with a Nigerian immigrant convicted of drug offences.
The man, now 32, was served with a deportation order after being convicted of supplying class A drugs and handed a four-and-a-half year jail term.
But the man mounted a challenge, arguing that deportation would disproportionately interfere with the human rights of his partner and two children, and three Court of Appeal judges have ruled in his favour.
Lord Justice Moylan, Lord Justice Baker and Lord Justice Popplewell had overseen a trial in July and published a written ruling on Friday.
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Christians Banned From Holding Prayer Vigils, Peaceful Protests Near UK Abortion Clinic
The Manchester City Council has passed an order banning prayer vigils and peaceful protests around the Marie Stopes abortion clinic, the Christian Institute reports Friday.
The Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) has set up a buffer zone around the clinic in Fallowfield, within which people are forbidden to pray, distribute pro-life literature, or speak to anyone about abortion, measures pro-lifers have called “draconian” and an infringement on “freedom of speech.”
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Facebook has removed the page of a Christian ministry that works with individuals struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction and gender confusion.
The Restored Hope Network — based in Colorado Springs — describes itself as “a coalition of ministries serving those who desire to overcome sinful relational and sexual issues in their lives and those impacted by homosexuality.”
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Federal Restrictions on Abortion Pill Delivery Blocked by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the enforcement of federal restrictions on women seeking access to an abortion drug during the pandemic.
The case marks the first abortion-related decision since the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
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UK: Attorneys: Children Can’t Understand Effects of Puberty Blockers in London Gender Clinic Case
A major trial scrutinizing a gender clinic took place this week in the United Kingdom, the outcome of which will determine if minors can legally consent to taking puberty blockers and undergoing other experimental gender medicine.
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Yelp Will Label Businesses Accused of Racist Behavior
In what the company calls a “firm stance against racism,” the review site Yelp will warn consumers when a business has been reported for racist behavior.
The company said it would only add this alert to a business page “when there’s resounding evidence of egregious, racist actions from a business owner or employee.”
This will include behavior such as “using overtly racist slurs or symbols.”
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YouTube Tests New Warning on “Potentially Offensive” Comments
YouTube has started testing a new reminder that pops up and warns users before they post a “potentially offensive comment” and encourages them to revise the comment.
YouTube wrote that this reminder will be shown to randomly selected users. Users that are shown the reminder can post their original comment as is or revise it before posting.
The company added that the intention of this test is to “help encourage respectful interactions.”
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Pioneers of Revolutionary CRISPR Gene Editing Win Chemistry Nobel
It’s CRISPR. Two scientists who pioneered the revolutionary gene-editing technology are the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The Nobel Committee’s selection of Emmanuelle Charpentier, now at the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, and Jennifer Doudna, at the University of California, Berkeley, puts an end to years of speculation about who would be recognized for their work developing the CRISPR—Cas9 gene-editing tools. The technology allows precise edits to the genome and has swept through laboratories worldwide since its inception in the 2010s. It has countless applications: researchers hope to use it to alter human genes to eliminate diseases; create hardier plants; wipe out pathogens and more.
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“In other news, Russia has brokered a ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed province of Artsakh”
BROKERED
Over the last 4 years Erdogan (alk) has become very belligerent. He’s slaughtering PKK kurds with impunity, and oppressing what’s left of minotities.
He is begging for a confrontation with Russia. He is saying “I am sending all type of advanced weapons to Azerbaijan. Come and catch me if you dare.
Come and break my hand if you can.
He notices he observes. He is not dense. He knows what’s happening around him and the world. He knows the attitudes of the west and who they (the western countries) towards Jews, Christianity and the Russians.
He knows who and how much love and hate there is in the world. He knows who is loved and hated and worshipped.
He knows western democracies are fake. But they are not fake in helping Islam establish the Caliphate .
He knows that western democracies’s worshipping of Islam is the deadly symptom of the decaying western nations.
Many western rulers have read and carry high credentials, but few are chosen. Hence the practical meaning of the proverb.
Only Geert Wilders, Orban and Marie Le Pen and the like are chosen.
So educated and dense…. amazing.
While I don’t watch or own a tv and don’t particularly care for sports, the news from ESPN is especially satisfying. The sense of schadenfreude is very delicious. Unfortunately those who lose their jobs will likely be mostly lower level workers; the kinds who do the dirty work and are more concerned about earning a paycheck and taking care of their families than whether a bunch of spoiled entitled wealthy ballers can adequately emote and virtue signal their faux concerns instead of chase balls like they are paid to do.
Between professional athletes and media personalities I have difficulty determining which is more useless and worthy of contempt. One spends all day chasing balls while the other spends all day fondling them.
If they cut the salaries of the media personalities and especially cut or fire management ignorami who thought using a sports network to shill for Marxism disguised as concern for police brutality against black criminals was a good idea, then it will be obvious that adults have actually started managing the network and that there is some truth to the mantra “get woke, go broke”.
Sid Ahmed Ghlam, on trial for the murder of Aurélie Châtelain, has benefited from family reunification, a grant and housing assistance. He also gave Arabic lessons at the mosque
https://www.fdesouche.com/2020/10/10/attentat-manque-contre-une-eglise-de-villejuif-un-musulman-ressortissant-algerien-juge-pour-le-meurtre-de-aurelie-chatelain/
they’re all sons and daughter of satan.
“Former hostage Sophie Pétronin, a convert to Islam, wants to return to Mali and refuses to call her captors ‘Jihadists’. More than 200 jihadists were released to free her”
https://www.fdesouche.com/2020/10/09/plus-de-200-djihadistes-relaches-pour-faire-liberer-sophie-petronin-une-humanitaire-francaise-de-75-ans-enlevee-au-mali-en-2016/
Ungrateful [epithet].
The Muslims must have worked out the exact number of traumas and needed to check mate.
Turkey big problem. I looked at syria.liveuamap.com the other day where you can see all actions and troup movements in Syria and noted a very circuitous flight path by a Russian jet into Syria avoiding flying over Turkey so they don’t get shot down by “mistake” again. Turkey is promoting unrest in Crimea using the Crimean tartars and now in the Caucasus.Also invading Greece’s territorial waters and Cyprus. The worry is they demand NATO come in and defend some outrageous war they start and the US starts bombing some poor innocent people on behalf of Turkey. Trump wouldn’t but Biden might. Democrats love starting wars.
CRISPR technology stolen by China a few years ago and used to make genetically modified babies and Covid 19. Making monsters.
The Madrid lockdown has been imposed by the socialist-communist government to ruin our economy, because Madrid doesn’t vote for them since twenty years ago. We have way less virus incidence than other regions, BUT we are the ones that opose the socialist measures and manage to have a healthy economy. Madrid is the capital of Spain and is the motor that moves Spain’s economy. The communists in the government want to destroy the country so they can ocuppy all the power (see Venezuela), so, they have to attack and destroy the region with the best economic results and the train that hepls the rest of the country to go forward.
I HATE socialism.