In order to mitigate the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus, authorities cracked down on illegal parties and other gatherings in Bradford, Staffordshire, and Chicago. Meanwhile, British scientists announced that they had discovered a new mutated version of the COVID-19 virus, in addition to the one reported last week.
In other news, Muslim activists affiliated with the Islamic State beheaded a young shepherd in Tunisia.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to JD, Reader from Chicago, SS, 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.
The Democrats’ stimulus bill is an outrage. After working with their Democrat governors and attorneys general around the US to do everything they could to kill the economy so they could make President Trump look bad, they then put together this piece of garbage.
Democrats have done all they can to kill the economy while claiming COVID was going to kill us all. They shut down small businesses and forced people out of business as a result. So today they offer relief and the regime in Venezuela comes out better than Americans.
We reported earlier today on the garbage bill from the Democrats.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Former New York City Mayor and Trump Attorney Rudy Giuliani released a video over the weekend that was mostly ignored by the liberal Democrat media.
Rudy discussed the latest results from the Antrim County Dominion Voting Machines investigation in Michigan. The Gateway Pundit wrote extensively on this shocking investigation.
After the forensic examination of 16 Dominion Voting machines in Antrim, Co. MI, Allied Security Operations Group has concluded that the Dominion Voting machines were assigned a 68.05% error rate. DePerno explained that when ballots are put through the machine, a whopping 68.05% error rate means that 68.05% of the ballots are sent for bulk adjudication, which means they collect the ballots in a folder.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
President Trump is exposing the “slow walking” of Georgia’s signature verification.
They don’t want the results out before January 6th.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
2 More Chicago Parties Busted on Near North Side for COVID-19 Violations
CHICAGO (WLS) — The city of Chicago busted another two parties for violating COVID-19 restrictions this past weekend.
The Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protections said they shut down two illegal parties with more than 50 guests early Sunday morning, both on the Near North Side.
The first party was busted by BACP and the COVID-19 Task Force shortly after midnight at 409 West Huron Street. BACP said approximately 66 people were in a fourth floor commercial space which was charging a $100 cover, serving alcohol and had a DJ. The attendees were not social distancing and were not wearing masks.
The establishment was cited for violating COVID-19 regulations and for unlicensed activity, and ordered closed for hazardous and dangerous conditions, BACP said.
Shortly after that, investigators responded to another complaint at 107 West Hubbard Street where they found an illegal event at a residential apartment. Officials said 83 people were at the party, which charged an entrance fee and had a DJ, not wearing masks or social distancing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Americans Have Bought 21 Million Guns in 2020, Up 73% From 2019
Around 21 million Americans have bought guns this year, a drastic 73% increase over 2019, according to a new report.
November 2020 was the eleventh straight month of record background checks for firearm sales in the U.S., with more than 3,600,000 checks performed through the National Instant Criminal Background System (NICS).
Cyber Monday in particular broke record sales, with online purchases up 65% over last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a moving and heartfelt interview with Revolver News, Julian Assange’s fiancé explained that “Julian’s liberty and the liberty of the United States hang together.”
During the interview, Stella Moris, the mother of Assange’s two young children, explained what she would say to President Trump, if she was given the opportunity to speak to him personally.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Lashes Out at Reporter, Calls Him a “One-Horse Pony, “ After He Asks About Hunter Biden
Former Vice President Joe Biden lashed out on Tuesday when Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked him if he still believed the allegations regarding his son Hunter were merely “Russian disinformation.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California DOJ Police Swarm Man’s Home After He ‘Attempted to Register a Firearm With Them’
What the hell type of system elevates its criminals while punishing its law-abiding?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
California Doctor Fired for Questioning County’s COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Orders
A California doctor has spoken out after being fired for questioning his county’s COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.
Dr. Michael Deboisblanc wrote a letter to health officials in Contra Costa County, California, questioning the effectiveness of the county’s lockdown measures. Soon after, he was removed from his post as trauma medical director for John Muir Health. Deboisblanc claims that a group of parents advocating for the reopening of schools asked him to write the letter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Christmas-Themed Capitol Protest Targets Michigan’s COVID-19 Restrictions
Lansing — Crowds gathered on the Capitol lawn Wednesday, two days before Christmas, for a rally to protest continued restrictions on restaurants and gatherings.
The rally, called “When the Gretch stole Christmas … the people took it back,” was a celebration of the holiday, freedom and the Constitution, said Brenda Wodarski, an organizer of the event from Grand Rapids.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Vaccines — A Deeper Dive Into the Data
Is this about the science and the virus or are there other forces and agendas a play?
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Dominion Security Director Files Lawsuits Against Trump, Conservative Media
A security director at Dominion Voting Systems, the company charged by many of playing a role in ‘rigging’ the US election via voting machines, is suing the Trump campaign and several conservative news outlets.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prosecutors have declined to file charges against a Vancouver Black Lives Matter militant who followed the Proud Boys to a bar following a memorial for the Patriot Prayer member who had been murdered by Antifa in Portland — and ran over one of them with his vehicle.
Speaking to the Gateway Pundit, the victim, Shane Moon, expressed his outrage at the decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
This didn’t make any headlines in the fake news media.
Georgia Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted last night on a senate report on election abuses, fraud, and abnormalities.
The Georgia committee recommended there is enough evidence to decertify the vote for Joe Biden.
Steve Bannon opened The War Room on Tuesday discussing this huge development.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Just in: President Trump Vetoes $740 Billion Defense Bill
President Trump on Wednesday vetoed the $740 billion defense bill.
The National Defense Authorization Act passed both houses of Congress with veto proof supermajorities.
This comes as no surprise because President Trump last week said he would veto the bill because it would not allow for removal of our military from other countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
McConnell Joins With Schumer to Block Potential Trump Veto of Defense Bill, Keep Big Tech Protection
Mitch McConnell has made a deal with Chuck Schumer to block a potential Trump veto of the National Defense Authorization Act.
President Trump has threatened to veto the bill because it allows Big Tech to censor conservatives.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Nothing makes sense about the 2020 election in Georgia.
The state reported different numbers of absentee ballots for days after the election and ultimately added thousands of ballots to ensure the Biden win.
A review of Georgia results from the 2020 election indicates more corruption than reported to date in the the Peach State.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Obama, John Roberts and the ‘Mystery of Lawlessness’
It was recently (falsely) reported that in a closed-door meeting of the nine justices of the Supreme Court about the Texas lawsuit against election fraud, Chief Justice John Roberts was heard screaming profanities about President Trump and refusing to consider the Trump-favoring precedent of Bush v. Gore as he browbeat the group into rejecting the case. His justification, as supposedly overheard by a whistle-blowing staffer in the outer room, was that the Bush v. Gore contest was not attended by rioting, while this one is. While this story was factually false, it rings true emotionally and as a theory about John Roberts’ psychological profile seems highly plausible — enough so that this (now revised) article I wrote while thinking it was true should still be published.
When I first heard the story two thoughts immediately came to my mind. First was a reminder of Benjamin Franklin’s famous axiom “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” The second was that our Supreme Court was granting a “heckler’s veto” of the U.S. Constitution itself to Antifa fascists, and even the strongest conservatives on the court were willing to allow it, with only tepid dissent from our anchor-men, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. These are valid reactions regardless of the court’s motives.
Then, when I learned (the factually true report) that attorney Lin Wood was calling for Roberts’resignation and suggesting that the chief justice was the “John Roberts” seen on uber-pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s Orgy Island in the company of Bill Clinton, the mystery of Roberts’ history suddenly made sense.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Report Shows New York Had Largest Population Decline Over Past Year
The U.S. Census Bureau released estimates that show more residents left New York than any other state over the last year.
More than 126,000 people left New York between July 2019 and July 2020. Even though New York has been losing residents since 2016, the most recent drop was significantly larger.
If the numbers hold, New York could lose one seat in the House of Representatives, dropping to 26 and leaving New York with fewer seats than Florida for the first time ever.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusively obtained shocking bodycam footage of police responding to an altercation between Georgia Democrat Senate candidate Raphael Warnock and his now ex-wife.
The Georgia twin senate runoff is two weeks away and the public is just now seeing this bodycam footage from March of this year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The New Proposed DMCA Changes Are a Disaster for Independent Creators and Streamers
The latest legislative bid to “reform” the much maligned 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is making some critics use harsh language to describe it as nothing short of “wretched,” “catastrophic” and “devastating” for the internet.
That, they say, is because instead of seeking to improve the DMCA, Senator Thom Tillis’ draft, if it eventually passes, is going in the opposite direction of making this now antiquated but still powerfully influential piece of legislation even worse for independent and small content creators and startups seeking to compete with Big Tech — which is once again favored, along with Hollywood and the music industry.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Unions Force Chicago Schools to Hire People to Supervise Kids in Class While Teachers Work Remotely
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has decreed that their rank and file will not return to the classrooms with the students in January citing “concerns” about COVID. This has forced the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system, which is constantly low on money, to hire individuals to watch students while teachers attempt to do their jobs remotely.
The terminally cash-strapped CPS has put out a call to hire 2,000 new employees that will serve as “classroom supervisors” to help in the classrooms while the union teachers work remotely.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a move that would make the Chinese Communist Party gush with envy, the Oregon state legislature took the bold move of holding secret floor sessions on Monday to pass a few bills involving the Covid shutdown. Patriots were having none of that.
Though the capitol was closed to the public and main entrance fenced off, a large group of patriots descended on the building to try and make their way in to participate in the legislative process. They were met by riot squads from the Oregon State Police and Salem Police Department. These officers essentially did the bidding of the corrupt politicians and worked to keep the public out. The riot cops deployed pepper spray and shot several people with rubber pellets, many of whom were seniors and petite women.
A left wing “journalist” from Willamette Week accidentally reported the truth:…
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Why So Many RINOs Have Turned on Trump
It’s been appalling to see so many Republicans desert President Trump in the election fraud challenges, telling him to give in and concede. Fox News started out the trend election night by calling Arizona for Biden. RINO judges piled on, dismissing election challenges with flimsy excuses that no one bought. Gradually, elected officials, too, have turned on him.
The MSM loves talking about the politician defectors but never explains why they’re deserting. They’re deserting because politics has never been about principles for those Republicans. They ran for office looking for fame and fortune; most of them are narcissists. They survive in office based on campaign contributions and other perks. They are beholden to the wealthy corporations, special interest groups and billionaires funding their reelections. Once those establishment players start threatening to withhold the money supply, they cave.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
“Plague Island”: Media Uses Xenophobic Anti-British Cartoon to Depict COVID
Despite condemning President Trump for calling COVID-19 the “Chinese virus,” foreign media outlets are using a xenophobic anti-British cartoon to depict the virus while referring to the UK as “plague island.”
The anti-British sentiment was triggered as a result of dozens of countries closing their borders to Brits in response to a new “mutant” strain of the virus being discovered in the UK.
Such measures were taken despite the fact that the “new” strain was in Brazil as far back as eight months ago and is already circulating the world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Government Contracts Firms to Make COVID ‘Freedom Passports’
Still claims there are no plans for ‘immunity’ waivers
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
British Soap Coronation Street Fires Director for Facebook Posts Denying Industry Racism
ITV’s soap Coronation Street in the UK has booted one of its directors over online posts refuting the existence of racism in the industry. His removal from the show is a testament to the intolerance of political incorrectness in the media and entertainment industry.
Steve Finn has worked on the 60-year-old TV show as a director for the last two years — and he was involved in this year’s Christmas Day episode. Finn was dropped because his online posts went against the values of both the show and the network.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Daesh Terrorists Fought With Benefits From Sweden, Media Investigation Reveals
Swedish Social Insurance Agency Director General Nils Öberg has admitted that the abuse of welfare systems has become so extensive that it can now be considered “systemic”.
At least 45 Daesh terrorists have been supported by Swedish grants after they left the Nordic country to join the terrorist organisation, an investigation by the newspaper Expressen has revealed.
According to the newspaper, they received their benefits while they were fighting in Syria, in some cases over a period of several years. Twenty-four of the terrorists received money directly, whereas the rest were treated as “part of the same family community”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Once again a “lone wolf” turns out to be not so lone as was originally thought. Were any of these migrants vetted when they entered France? Was any effort whatsoever made to determine their sentiments regarding jihad, Sharia, the freedom of speech, and more? Come on, man! That would have been “Islamophobic”!
“French police arrest 4 more persons in Hebdo attack,” by Shweta Desai, Anadolu Agency, December 20, 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
If any of these plots had succeeded, they would have been blamed on “Islamophobes” and “far-right extremists” until Muharrem D. was caught. After that, and likely now, they will be used to demonstrate that the Islamic State is not Islamic, because if it were, its adherents wouldn’t attack Muslims. But in reality, ISIS supporters attack other Muslims because they believe them to be renegades for rejecting the authority of the Islamic State: “They wish that you would disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that you may be on the same level. So do not choose friends from them until they leave their homes in the way of Allah, if they turn back, then take them and kill them wherever you find them” (Qur’an 4:89). By leaving their homes in the way of Allah, these people became Muslim, but then they turned back, and hence must be killed. On that basis do plots of this kind proceed.
“‘Sustainable hatred’ Muharrem D. planned attack in Cologne — further details known,” translated from ““Nachhaltigen Hass” Muharrem D. plante Anschlag in Köln — weitere Details bekannt,” Express.de, December 21, 2020 (thanks to Medforth).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report Shows How Far George Soros’ Shadow Reaches Into European Institutions
International organizations are under constant pressure from the largest non-government organizations (NGOs), including George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, which are using their financial power to achieve political influence.
According to the report of the representatives of the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ), powerful NGOs are financially supporting the largest international organizations, which has a substantial impact on influencing Europe’s largest political institutions and calls into question their independence.
Using its financial might, Soros’ Open Society Foundation has won significant influence in a range of some of the biggest and most powerful institutions in Europe, and even has infiltrated the European Court of Human Rights. The Open Society Foundation is also strongly engaged in financing the Council of Europe, the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Female Firemen Complain of ‘Outdated’ Physical Strength Tests
Female firefighters in the Swedish city of Gothenburg have slammed the policy of physical strength tests for the city’s firemen as outdated and say it disadvantages women.
In greater Gothenburg, firefighters are given a certain number of physical tests, such as being able to bench press 30kg (66lbs) 35 times and be able to jump two metres in a standard long jump.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Expands Lockdown After Christmas, Announces Discovery of Another New Coronavirus Mutation
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced that the Tier 4 lockdown will be extended to other parts of the country the day after Christmas. He also revealed that scientists have discovered another new Chinese coronavirus mutation.
Last week, the government announced the existence of the first “new variant” of the Chinese coronavirus in the UK, which informed the decision to plunge much of the south-east of England into a newly-created Tier 4, disrupting Christmas plans for 16 million people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Govt Begins Work on QR Code Coronavirus ‘Freedom Passports’, Denies System is ‘Imminent’
The British government has awarded contracts to two firms to develop coronavirus “freedom passports” to enter into workplaces, pubs, and schools despite previously proclaiming that there are no plans to implement such a system.
The two contracts were awarded to develop a smartphone app that would create a digital passport with a QR code and picture that would be linked to confirmation of a negative coronavirus test. The QR codes would allow venues to screen and refuse entry to those who do not have a recent negative test result.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is engaged in intense “hotline” talks with his European counterparts, amid claims a Brexit deal could be struck within hours — a deal Brexit leader Nigel Farage has warned could be a betrayal of the British interest.
A Brexit deal could be agreed between the UK government and the European Union today (Wednesday) or even tomorrow, Christmas Eve, according to claims made in Britain’s The Sun newspaper. The Reuters wires service makes similar claims, citing unnamed senior European figures who say the deal could arrive Wednesday evening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: BBC Publishes Cringe Guide for ‘Talking to Conspiracy Theorist Relatives’ At Christmas
The British Broadcasting Corporation, the bastion of all that is proper and right, has published a handy Christmas guide for how to talk down to relatives who believe in nasty ‘conspiracy theories’, and it’s a huge sack full of cringe.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson effectively cancelled Christmas for a third of the UK, and is now threatening to lockdown the entire country on Boxing Day.
That is not enough for the woke state broadcaster, however, which clearly feels it needs to instruct Brit NPCs on how to debunk the dangerous disinformation being spread by their unmutual uncles and disharmonious descendants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Black Country Restaurant and Gym Fined for Breaching COVID Rules
Police found diners inside Nemrut Restaurant Ltd in Lightwoods Road, Smethwick.
The owners were handed a £200 fine while Sandwell Council issued a prohibition notice.
Officers also found an illegal gathering taking place at Legion Fitness in Smethwick, on December 20.
The gym’s owners were each given a £200 fine and the council says it will monitor the business to see if it complies with rules.
Like all of the Black Country, Sandwell is in Tier 3 meaning pubs, cafes and restaurants are only allowed to sell takeaway food and drink.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Fury as 37 Probes Into Child Sex Exploitation in Telford Collapse With No Convictions
Dozens of probes into child sex exploitation in Telford have collapsed — with NO convictions.
Over the past decade 37 investigations into child sex crimes involving more than one alleged attacker failed to bring anyone to justice.
The new figures sparked outrage just days after it emerged predator Ahdel Ali, 33, was released halfway through an 18-year jail term.
Victims — who gave police at least 267 names — fear some of the worst sexual offenders are still at large in the Shropshire town.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: NHS Gets Political, Chiefs Call for Brexit Delay Because of Coronavirus
Leaders of the British universal healthcare provider the National Health Service have told Prime Minister Boris Johnson to extend the transition period — delaying the UK’s exit from EU institutions — because leaving in the New Year would push the allegedly coronavirus-hit NHS “over the edge”.
The UK officially left the European Union on January 31st, 2020, but remains in a transition period — tied to the bloc’s trading rules and regulations — until December 31st, 2020. During this time, London and Brussels have been mostly in a state of deadlock in negotiations for a new deal, disagreeing over issues including fishing and rules on state support for domestic industry.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Neighbors Call Police After Pop Star Zayn Malik’s Family Ignore Social Distancing During Wedding
The family of pop star Zayn Malik were reportedly flouting social distancing guidelines during his sister’s wedding before police were caught to break up the event in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
A fan account published various clips taken by guests at the wedding ceremony of his sister Waliyha, where some 40 people were in attendance. In the footage, attendees are seen hugging and posing for group photos in violation of lockdown measures imposed by the British government in response to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than one-quarter, 27 per cent, of respondents to a poll said they would not be seeing relatives this Christmas, while 41 per cent were worried about loved-ones becoming isolated during the holiday season.
YouGov conducted the survey for the British Psychological Society (BPS) before Boris Johnson declared a regional Tier 4 lockdown. Dr Vivian Hill, chairman of the BPS’s working group on coronavirus and isolation, remarked that figures would be even higher after the prime minister’s decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Bans Independent Swedish Media Outlet SwebbTV
Independent Swedish media outlet SwebbTV (Swedish Web Television) has been booted from YouTube for “violating YouTube’s community guidelines.”
SwebbTV describes itself as a “politically and religiously independent,” citizen-funded initiative that expresses a broad range of topics and perspectives and examines events that are fundamental to democracy. It also states that it believes in “a free and open debate in which different opinions can be expressed” and has criticized the “established media houses” in Sweden for “doing a bad job” and “abusing their position” because they fail to provide “a complete, correct and fact-based picture in important issues that are crucial for development in Sweden and for individual residents.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tunisia: Muslims Linked to Islamic State Behead Young Shepherd Near Algerian Border
The article doesn’t explain why, but it is likely that this shepherd rejected the Islamic State, and thus was considered an apostate, subject to the death penalty for apostasy. And “when you meet the unbelievers, strike necks” (Qur’an 47:4).
“Tunisia militants behead shepherd near Algeria border,” Reuters, December 20, 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic State Releases Its Christmas Song: ‘Coldly Kill Them With Hate and Rage’
The Islamic State has regrouped and is vigorously expanding in Africa. But it aims to broaden its influence anywhere and everywhere it can, via jihad by the sword. Their doctrine is at the heart of Islamic teachings. The Islamic State has now released a Christmas song to its loyalists worldwide, encouraging them to “carry out attacks in the name of ISIS to seek vengeance for Muslims who have been killed in the past, and to join its efforts to fight on behalf of the Islamic religion and to terrorize its enemies.”
The song is a new nasheed (Islamic religious chant) entitled “Coldly Kill Them With Hate And Rage.” The chilling words are repeated again and again.
“ISIS Nasheed For Holiday Season: ‘Coldly Kill [Unbelievers] With Hate And Rage’; ‘Plan Your Perfect Killing Spree’; ‘#MerryChristmas,’“ MEMRI, December 15, 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Updated: 21 December, 2020
For many Indians, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar is among the few saner voices and pacifists that have called for a lasting peace between the two countries. Akhtar’s effusive views on the Indian cricket team has only served to cement his personality as someone who is willing to shed the decades-long antagonism between the two neighbours and proceed on the path of peaceful coexistence.
Akhtar, who was popularly called as The Rawalpindi Express, was also feted by the Indian media after he raised discrimination meted out to Danish Kaneria, a Pakistani Hindu cricketer, by the rest of the Pakistani cricket team on account of his religion. The cricketer had recently invoked humanity over religion and country while appealing India to provide ventilators to Pakistan in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, cynics within the Indian society have cautioned that Shoaib Akhtar’s charm offensive for the Indian cricket team and the country at large is just a smokescreen, a ruse intended to remain in good books with the BCCI so that when Pakistani sports presenter and coaches are allowed to be a part of the IPL, he is amongst the first to land a lucrative deal.
Besides, many others also claim that Pakistani fast bowler makes glowing remarks for India and the Indian cricketers to attract following from the Indian YouTube users on his channel.
Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar promotes the Islamic doctrine of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’
However, an undated video of Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar that is now doing the rounds on the internet has shattered all the carefully constructed myth about his favourable outlook towards India. In the video, which is at least a year old, Shoaib Akhtar is seen endorsing the Islamic supremacist fantasy of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hindu, Christian Women ‘Marketed’ By Pak as ‘Concubines’, ‘Forced Brides’ In China: US
Pakistan is marketing Hindu and Christian women as “concubines” and “forced brides” to China, according to the top US diplomat for religious freedom, Samuel Brownback.
One of the sources of “forced brides” for Chinese men are “religious minorities, Christian and Hindu women, being marketed as concubines and as forced as brides into China”, Brownback told reporters on Tuesday.
That was happening “because there’s not effective support and there’s discrimination against religious minorities that make them more vulnerable,” he said.
He mentioned this as one of the reasons for designating Pakistan as a country of particular concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Security Forces in Pakistan Stop Christmas Day Terror Attack
12/23/2020 Pakistan (International Christian Concern) — Last week, security forces in Pakistan reportedly stopped a major terror attack planned to take place on Christmas Day in Peshawar. In a raid on a house in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district, four terrorists, including the leader of a banned militant outfit, were arrested.
The arrests took place last Thursday, December 17, after a raid on a house in Sipah. Security forces arrested four terrorists, including Zakir Afridi, the commander of Lashkar-e-Islam.
Along with the terrorists, security forces seized three suicide jackets and six improvised explosive devices.
Pakistan’s Christian community is often targeted by terrorists and extremists. Terrorists view Christians and their places of worship as representations of the West and target them to make political statements.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Apple Continues to Remove Games From the App Store in China to Appease the CCP
Apple is again removing apps, this time video games, from the Chinese App Store at the request of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP continues to implement stricter censorship rules but it’s worth pointing out that Apple does not have to follow the rules — it does so because it wants to keep on the good side of the CCP to benefit sales in the country.
Earlier this year, Apple removed thousands of apps from the Chinese version of the App Store. At the time, through a memo obtained by the WSJ, Apple warned developers that their paid gaming apps were at risk of removal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Christian Leaders in Hiding as Chinese Government Ramps Up Persecution
Christian pastors and religious leaders are going into hiding as China’s surveillance and persecution against Christians increase.
According to the group Asia Harvest, China has taken unprecedented action in recent times to “control the Church and ultimately render it powerless and subservient to the communist system.”
“The government has openly announced plans to ‘reinterpret’ the Bible and other religious texts, so they will have ‘socialist characteristics,” they write.
In recent years, the Chinese government has undertaken efforts to “sinicize” Christianity in the country. Under the guise of removing Western influence, Christian symbols have been expunged from buildings and religious material has been censored.
Pastors in China must be registered with a state-owned church in order to operate in China. In the last year, many religious leaders have been ordered to incorporate communist doctrine into their sermons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leaked Database Suggests Widespread CCP Infiltration; China Silences Hong Kong Activists
American Thought Leaders: Bill Gertz
A leaked database of 2 million Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members suggests widespread CCP infiltration into the upper echelons of government and the private sector. The Big Four auditors collectively employ over 2000 Chinese Communist Party members, including at least one partner at each firm, according to the Telegraph. This could mean the Chinese Communist Party has access to some of the inner workings of virtually every major U.S. firm.
In this episode, we sit down with China analyst Bill Gertz, a national security correspondent for The Washington Times and author of “Deceiving the Sky.” We discuss the leaked database, recent revelations of a suspected CCP spy, Fang Fang, developing close ties with prominent U.S. politicians, and Hong Kong authorities targetting pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai with the National Security Law.
| — Hat tip: JD | [Return to headlines] |
Ultra-wealthy Australians are returning to home and snapping up very expensive waterfront homes. Property consultant Anthony Walls said why they particularly loved real estate.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Health Minister Greg Hunt said vaccine rollout is expected to be completed by October, 2021 on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Somalia: Al Shabaab Court Cuts Off a Man’s Hand for Stealing
Alshabab militants have publicly cut off the right hands of a man on Tuesday after a sharia court convicted him of breaking into a shop and stealing about a 26,000 Somali shilling which is equivalent to one US dollar.
The man identified as Mukhtar Muhidin confessed to the theft in the Adan Yabal district of the Lower Shabelle region and was ordered to refund the money.
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old man was publicly executed by firing squad after he was accused of killing another man identified as Maalim Aweys Arbow.
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Watch: Student Jailed for Breaking COVID Rules, Asks President Trump for Help (Video)
18-year-old pre-med student Skylar Mack was arrested for forgetting to use a COVID tracking device during a mandatory 14-day isolation period in the Cayman islands.
Skylar has twice tested negative for COVID-19 and her family has appealed to President Trump directly.
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100 People-Smuggling Gangs Running Illegal Migrant Routes to the UK, Says French Investigator
A French immigration investigator has claimed that some 100 people-smuggling gangs are running illegal migrant routes across the English Channel to Britain.
Following the bust of a trafficking network in the UK — which was raking in some £1 million per month by offering a “VIP” service to illegal migrants — officials have uncovered a vast network of people-smuggling gangs operating in France.
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The perpetrators of petty theft and sexual offenses on public transport in the Paris region are foreign nationals, data from the Ministry of Interior’s statistical service (SSMSI) shows.
According to the ministry’s data, in 2019, 93 percent of those charged with non-violent theft on the public transport system of Île-de-France, the central French region including Paris with over 12 million inhabitants, were born outside France. Additionally, 63 percent of the perpetrators of sexual assault were foreigners.
For those perpetrators who were born in France, the Interior Ministry does not break down their ethnic background. As a result, it is unclear how many of these suspects are French or other ethnic groups.
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Germany: City Posts Flag of Syrian Jihad Terror Group FSA in Official Messages for Muslim Migrants
The Free Syrian Army fooled de facto President-elect Barack Obama, too: “We have a Free Syrian Army and a moderate opposition that we have steadily been working with that we have vetted.” — Barack Obama, September 2014
Obama-backed Free Syrian Army top dog: “Inshallah, we will go wherever there is Jihad” for “the Ottoman Caliphate”
“Municipality of the German city of Kiel posts the flag of the Islamist Syrian terrorist group FSA in official messages for Arabic-speaking migrants,” Medforth, December 21, 2020.
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Germany: Berlin Police Conduct Huge Operation Against Migrant Teen Allegedly Plotting Terror Attack
At least 190 police officers were involved in an anti-terrorism raid targeting a 15-year-old Syrian migrant boy who had allegedly threatened to carry out a terror attack.
The massive raid took place on Tuesday at 6 am in the Marzahn area of the German capital and saw the nearly 200 officers moving in on the third floor in an apartment building where the Syrian teen lived with his family.
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Joe Biden to Dismantle Trump’s Legal Wall, Inviting Central Americans to Southern Border
President-Elect Joe Biden is planning to dismantle the legal wall at the United States-Mexico border that President Trump has constructed that ensures a reduction of illegal immigration through asylum agreements with Mexico and Central America.
In statements this week, Biden and his advisers said they plan on taking down Trump’s legal wall that includes the Remain in Mexico policy, as well as cooperative asylum agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The agreements have allowed federal immigration officials to swiftly return border crossers to their native countries after failing to meet asylum thresholds.
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What Do German Politicians Want for Christmas? More Migrants.
Some 243 members of the German Bundestag have signed a letter demanding the acceleration of the transfer of migrants from Greek camps to Germany and to mainland Europe. In a letter signed by all major parties except the Alternative for Germany (AfD), German MPs demanded that the federal government should answer the call from those states and municipalities that have agreed to accept more migrants and refugees.
They have also demanded that the German government coalition should press for an EU-wide solution for the situation of those in refugee camps in order to “meet human rights standards”.
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Davos 2021 to Feature ‘Great Reset’ of Capitalism
The “Great Reset” initiative to “reform” free enterprise and the world’s democratic systems promoted by globalists as a response to the coronavirus pandemic will be featured at a World Economic Forum event in January that will serve as a run-up to its annual Davos meeting of the world’s most influential business and political leaders.
“The time to rebuild trust and to make crucial choices is fast approaching as the need to reset priorities and the urgency to reform systems grow stronger around the world,” WEF said in a preview.
The virtual series, called “The Great Reset Dialogues,” is scheduled for Jan. 25-29, which is when the annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, originally was to take place. The Davos invitation-only event has been postponed to a yet-to-be-determined date in “early summer.”
The dialogues in January, a joint initiative of WEF and Prince Charles, will feature “various key stakeholders” discussing the “core dimensions” of the “Great Reset.”
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Facebook Deletes Page of Former Celebrity Chef Pete Evans for COVID “Misinformation”
Facebook shut down the page of former celebrity chef Pete Evans. The former judge of the cooking show My Kitchen Rules was booted for repeatedly sharing what Facebook says is coronavirus “misinformation.”
“We don’t allow anyone to share misinformation about Covid-19 that could lead to imminent physical harm or Covid-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts,” a Facebook spokesperson said when asked about the censorship.
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Polish President Duda: “I Am Not Convinced There Should be a National Referendum on Abortion”
Polish President Andrzej Duda has spoken out against a referendum on abortion as different stakeholders debate about finding a compromise to over the country’s abortion debate following the Polish Constitutional Court’s decision to ban eugenic abortion.
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Refreshingly, Substack Says it Prefers Not to Interfere With Moderation
This is an era when platforms across the spectrum, from big centralized social networks to email newsletter marketers succumb to outside pressure all too easily to censor their customers’ content.
But not everyone is in a hurry to throw their users under the bus and become the self-appointed arbiter of truth, as this blog post by the founders of Substack, detailing the company’s business model, and its approach to content moderation, reveals.
The platform, geared towards small publishers and writers whom it allows to send out newsletters and make money through subscriptions — says the issue is anything but simple and easy to resolve.
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WHO Changes Definition of “Herd Immunity” To Eliminate Pre-COVID Consensus
The World Health Organization has changed the definition of “herd immunity,” eliminating the pre-COVID consensus that it could be achieved by allowing a virus to spread through a population, and insisting that herd immunity comes solely from vaccines.
The change occurred on a section of the WHO’s website entitled ‘Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Serology, antibodies and immunity’.
The WHO’s original definition (archived here) states that herd immunity “happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection. This means that even people who haven’t been infected, or in whom an infection hasn’t triggered an immune response, they are protected because people around them who are immune can act as buffers between them and an infected person.”
The original definition fails to identify the pre-COVID consensus on what is meant by “herd immunity,” which is when a population becomes protected against a virus because enough people have been infected with it to create community immunity.
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The “Great Reset”……..
Will Bill Gates “own nothing and …be happy”?
And Jeff Bezos?
And Klaus Schwab?
I have some bullets they are more than welcome to own. Klaus Schwab can have an entire magazine’s worth. I even made em myself!
If they own nothing else then I and many others will be happy. Why they couldn’t just content themselves with being wealthy philanthropists and playing daily rounds of golf like the robber barons of previous generations instead of screwing with people’s lives and livelihoods is beyond me.
Why on hell are you giving lines to a fake pandemia?
Female firefighters. I’ve been waiting for reality to hit.They aren’t strong enough to carry unconscious patient out of danger zone. I have always said I would rather have a man come to save me as I could be saved. Victoria wants to have 50% women in everything which means rejecting male applicants in large numbers so they can….become aged care or child care workers instead. It means govt will have to have twice as many;a man to do the job and a woman to accompany him for gender equity purposes. Some take can be done by women but when it comes to violence and carrying dead weights they stand back. Also, have you seen the chubby ones trying to run? Makes me look athletic lol