Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/21/2021

Starting next week, English authorities will impose fines of £800 for residences that hold house parties. Meanwhile, an infectious disease expert in London said that the COVID lockdowns are not working.

In other news, an Italian study concluded that the mass importation of asylum seekers might alleviate the country’s rural population decline.

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

Thanks to Insubria, 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.

Financial Crisis
» American Jobless Claims Show Slight Decline, Although Number Remains Historically High
 
USA
» “This is Not Consistent With What He Promised Us When He Was Running” — KY Republicans Censure Mitch McConnell After His Outrageous Attack on President Trump
» “We Have Bigger Issues to Worry About”: White House Responds to Biden Violating His Own Mask Mandate
» According to This Professor, ‘Science, Statistics, And Technology Are All Inherently Racist’
» After Two Weeks the Identity of the Capitol Policeman Who Shot Unarmed Ashli Babbitt Dead Has Not Yet Been Released — Why is That? (Video)
» Amazon Offers to Help Roll Out of COVID-19 Vaccine Only After Trump Leaves Office
» Americans’ Trust in Media Crashes to New Low
» Anti-Trump ‘Oversight Board’ To Determine Whether Trump Will Regain Access to Facebook
» Antifa Riots Follow Inauguration: “We Don’t Want Biden, We Want Revenge”
» Antifa Militants Smash Up Original Starbucks During Anti-Biden Protest
» Biden Hands Down Multiple Executive Orders to Undo Trump Policies
» Biden Caught Maskless Just Hours After Issuing New Federal Mask Mandate
» Biden Disbands 1776 Commission Trump Established to Promote Nation’s Founding Principles, History
» Biden Won’t Stop Them, And Neither Will Cops, Until Portland is Burned Down
» Boris Defends Biden: ‘Nothing Wrong With Being Woke’
» California Supreme Court Rejects Petition for in-Person Instruction
» City of Columbus Shuts Down East Side Barbershop it Says Doubled as Illegal Club
» FBI Arrests CDC Critic Dr. Simone Gold on Monday After She Was Filmed in the US Capitol Walking Around With a Bullhorn — FBI Singled Her Out
» FBI Still Can’t Find the DNC-RNC Pipe Bomber From January 6th — Why is That?
» Federal Judge Releases Woman Accused of Stealing Nancy Pelosi’s Computer
» How is This Legal?! Multiple Banks Close Donald Trump’s Accounts
» Judge Denies Parler’s Request to be Reinstated by Amazon
» New Rule Banning Financial Services From Dropping Clients for Political Reasons is at Risk Under Biden
» OANN: Michelle Malkin, RSBN and Gateway Pundit Suspended on Twitter for Violating New Orwellian “Civic Integrity” Rule (Video)
» Police: 100 People at Illegal Club in Lawrence
» Privacy-Focused Search Engine DuckDuckGo Breaks Records
» Reddit User Brags About Cremating His Father Against His Wishes, Trashing His Ashes Because He Supported Trump
» Twitter Sued for Not Removing Images of Child Sex Abuse
» YouTube Caught Red-Handed Removing Dislikes From Biden White House Page — Anything to Fool the Proletariat
 
Europe and the EU
» Academic Study Finds Big-Tech Elites Are in Their ‘Own Class’, Different to Rest of Humanity
» Brexit Britain Refusing to Treat EU Like Sovereign State, Blocks Amb Diplomatic Status: Report
» COVID: £800 House Party Fines to be Introduced in England
» France Will Force All Public Businesses to Have Customer-Tracking QR Codes at Their Doors
» Hungary’s Luxury Property Market Shows No Signs of Slowing Down
» Infectious Diseases Expert Says UK Lockdown is Not Working
» Ireland: Tickets for ‘House Party’ Events in South Dublin Advertised by Group on Instagram
» Italy: Salvini Allies Call for Regulation Against Big Tech Censorship
» Major Tour Operator Refuses to Book Holidays for the Unvaccinated
» Polish Property Prices Are Rapidly Rising
» Politicians Among 48 Arrested in Huge Italian Bust on ‘Ndrangheta Mafia, Hundreds of Millions in Cash Seized
» President of EU National Populists Joins International Backlash Against Tech Censors
» Sweden: Historic Church Firebombed in Stockholm No Go Zone
» Sweden: Stockholm Saw Record Number of Explosions in 2020
» Swiss Government Calls on Voters to Reject Nationwide Burqa Ban
» To Counter Russia, War Hawk John Bolton Advises Poland to Intensify Contacts With Biden Administration
» UK Says Big Tech is “Manipulating Lives” Launches Investigation Into Its Algorithms
» UK: ‘Go and Work for an English Company’ — Worker Fired for Being White, Finds Tribunal
» UK: Exclusive: Police Chief’s Daughter, 19, Breaks Lockdown Rules by Partying With 40 Revellers at Illegal Gathering — Despite Her Father Instructing Everyone to Stay at Home
» UK: London Cops Consider Fining Synagogue £10k for Holding Religious Meals: Report
» UK: Moment Police Raid Illegal Party in a Marquee With 50 Revellers Inside as Organiser is Hit With £10,000 Fine for Breaching COVID Rules
» UK: Man Hit With COVID Fine After Gathering at the Top of Glastonbury Tor
» UK: Police Descend on Elderly Vaccination Centre After Tip-Offs it Was a ‘Rave’
» Vatican Drops Marogna Extradition Request
» Zemmour: France’s New Muslim Charter ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’
 
Israel and the Palestinians
» Police Raid Bnei Brak Following Attack on Officers Enforcing Lockdown
 
Far East
» Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma Reappears After Not Being Seen Publicly for Months
 
Australia — Pacific
» Big Tech is Accused of ‘Blackmail’ After Google Threatens to Remove Search Function and Facebook Warns it Will Pull News From Australia if Law Forcing Them to Pay Media Companies for Content is Passed
 
Immigration
» A Second Migrant Caravan of at Least 3,000 is Set to Depart Honduras Bound for the US Just Days After 2021’s First Caravan of Nearly 8,000 Migrants Was Broken Up by Guatemalan Security Forces
» Biden Administration Implements “Pause” on Deporting Illegal Immigrants for 100 Days
» Channel Migrants: Iranian Jailed for Piloting Two Dinghies
» Germany: Libyan Migrant Accused of Murdering University Student in Bicycle Cellar
» Italian Study Claims Asylum Seekers Could be Used to Reverse Rural Population Decline
» UK Migrant Camp Under COVID Lockdown Amid Mass Rule Breaking
 
Culture Wars
» Biden to Allow Transgender People to Openly Serve in U.S. Military
» EU Human Rights Court Fine Romania for Its Conservative Stance on Transgender Issues
» Montana Lawmakers Move to Protect Girls’ Sports After Biden Signs Order Forcing Schools to Let Transgender Biological Males Compete With Them
» New Christian Fundraising Platform Aims to Remedy Censorship on Other Crowdfunding Platforms
» President Joe Biden Moves to Reinstate U.S. Funding for Abortion Worldwide
 

American Jobless Claims Show Slight Decline, Although Number Remains Historically High

Although still at a historically high level, the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits has fallen slightly to 900,000.

A report from the Labor Department said that 5.1 million Americans are continuing to receive state jobless benefits, down from 5.2 million from the week prior. Even though the decline shows that some of the unemployed are finding jobs, others are likely using their state benefits until they run out before transitioning to separate extended-benefit programs.

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

“This is Not Consistent With What He Promised Us When He Was Running” — KY Republicans Censure Mitch McConnell After His Outrageous Attack on President Trump

Earlier this week, before he lost his post as GOP Majority leader, Mitch McConnell lashed out at President Trump and accused him of provoking “insurrectionists” who invaded the US Capitol earlier this month.

It was a horrible assault based on proven lies. But Mitch didn’t care.

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

“We Have Bigger Issues to Worry About”: White House Responds to Biden Violating His Own Mask Mandate

White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who said in her first briefing that she intended to “bring transparency” back to American government, engaged in a testy exchange with Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy on Thursday.

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

According to This Professor, ‘Science, Statistics, And Technology Are All Inherently Racist’

University of Rhode Island and Director of Graduate Studies Erik Loomis recently claimed “science, statistics and technology” are racist.

“Science, statistics, and technology are all inherently racist because they are developed by racists who live in a racist society, whether they identify as racists or not,” Loomis tweeted in reference to a New York Times article.

“This is why I have so much contempt for those, including many liberals, who ‘just want the data.’ The data is racist!” he continued.

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

After Two Weeks the Identity of the Capitol Policeman Who Shot Unarmed Ashli Babbitt Dead Has Not Yet Been Released — Why is That? (Video)

Ashli Babbitt was an unarmed Trump supporter who entered the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

She was gunned down that day by a Capitol policeman who to date has remained unnamed. Why is that?

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

Amazon Offers to Help Roll Out of COVID-19 Vaccine Only After Trump Leaves Office

On Joe Biden’s first day in office, Amazon offered to help his administration speed up the roll out of COVID-19 vaccines, prompting questions as to why this didn’t happen under Trump.

“Amazon stands ready to assist you in reaching your goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans in the first 100 days of your administration,” Dave Clark, CEO of Amazon’s consumer unit, wrote on Wednesday in a letter to Biden.

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

Americans’ Trust in Media Crashes to New Low

What began decades ago as a steady drip of declining confidence in media has become a torrential downpour of distrust. According to Edelman’s yearly “trust barometer,” fewer than half of all Americans put any trust in what they hear from traditional media.

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

Anti-Trump ‘Oversight Board’ To Determine Whether Trump Will Regain Access to Facebook

Facebook has announced it will leave the decision on whether or not to uphold Donald Trump’s suspension to its “oversight board,” a body that includes a Muslim Brotherhood activist and a leftist who once publicly made Barron Trump the butt of a crass joke.

Who could possibly predict what’s coming next?

Facebook suspended Trump for 2 weeks after the Capitol building incident and has now extended the suspension, although it hasn’t yet gone as far as Twitter in permanently removing Trump’s account.

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

Antifa Riots Follow Inauguration: “We Don’t Want Biden, We Want Revenge”

While the corporate media salivated in anticipation of a repeat of the Capitol building storming, ready to blame Trump supporters, it was crickets when Antifa started rioting again last night.

In Seattle, groups of Antifa marauded through the streets vandalising property and starting fires.

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

Antifa Militants Smash Up Original Starbucks During Anti-Biden Protest

They really don’t want Joe.

Antifa militants chanted “f**k” President Biden during a rampage through Seattle after the inauguration — and smashed up the historic site of the very first Starbucks.

Seattle cops made at least three arrests as at least 100 protesters scrawled graffiti, smashed windows and even set fire to an American flag, according to the Seattle Times.

Videos showed the mob chanting their allegiance to “Antifa” and repeatedly decrying the election of a left-wing president, Biden.

“F**k Trump, f**k Biden too, they don’t give a f**k about you,” a large crowd chanted in one clip.

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

Biden Hands Down Multiple Executive Orders to Undo Trump Policies

As anticipated, President Biden signed more than a dozen executive orders on his first day in office, reversing many of the policies implemented by former President Donald Trump.

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

Biden Caught Maskless Just Hours After Issuing New Federal Mask Mandate

Just hours after being officially sworn in as president, Joe Biden issued his “100 days mask challenge,” an executive order that, among other things, forces Americans to wear face masks anytime they step on federal property. The president was caught later that same evening violating his own order.

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

Biden Disbands 1776 Commission Trump Established to Promote Nation’s Founding Principles, History

President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday dissolving the 1776 Commission created in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump, which was meant to promote America’s founding history and values.

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

Biden Won’t Stop Them, And Neither Will Cops, Until Portland is Burned Down

The nation’s capital was hard to recognize on Inauguration Day this year. In response to the Capitol Hill siege on Jan. 6, thousands of police and National Guard troops were sent on the streets of Washington, DC, where they manned checkpoints and set up barriers.

The predicted right-wing violence by Trump supporters never materialized. Joe Biden’s inauguration went off without a hitch. But in the Pacific Northwest, Antifa had other plans.

In Portland, Black Lives Matter-Antifa made good on their pre-announced “J20” (January 20) riot. Around 150 Antifa dressed in black shut down traffic as they marched unimpeded to the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Oregon. They held a large banner showing a Kalashnikov and the text, “WE DON’T WANT BIDEN—WE WANT REVENGE!”

They destroyed the offices by smashing its windows one-by-one using hammers and metal batons. They dragged dumpsters on the street and started a fire. Their comrades shielded them from cameras with large black umbrellas.

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

Boris Defends Biden: ‘Nothing Wrong With Being Woke’

Prime Minister Johnson offered an oblique defence of U.S. President Joe Biden when asked if he thought he was “woke”, saying there was “nothing wrong” with that.

Prime Minister Johnson, a notionally conservative politician, made the comments after Lisa Nandy, shadow foreign secretary for the opposition Labour party, had praised Mr Biden, 78, as “a woke guy”.

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

California Supreme Court Rejects Petition for in-Person Instruction

The California Supreme Court has rejected a petition that was filed by children’s advocacy groups in Los Angeles to partially reopen schools for in-person instruction.

The two organizations, which include the Alliance for Children’s Rights and the Learning Rights Law Center, were seeking to force the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide as much in-person instruction as possible for students experiencing the greatest need.

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

City of Columbus Shuts Down East Side Barbershop it Says Doubled as Illegal Club

An East Side barbershop that city officials say doubled as an illegal after-hours club — where police routinely responded to complaints of gunfire and other problems — has been shut down by court order.

Franklin County Environmental Court on Thursday granted the request of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein’s office to issue a restraining order, temporarily vacating and shuttering the barbershop, which is located in the middle of a small commercial strip center at 3301-3309 East Main Street. The center at one point also housed a carryout and a tax preparation business, but the barbershop was the only operating business.

According to the city attorney’s office, the barbershop also served as a front for an illicit night club serving alcohol without a liquor permit and an apparent haven for alcohol, drugs, public disturbances and violence.

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

FBI Arrests CDC Critic Dr. Simone Gold on Monday After She Was Filmed in the US Capitol Walking Around With a Bullhorn — FBI Singled Her Out

The FBI was quick to release photos following the raid and riots of the US Capitol is January 6th.

Dr. Simone Gold led a team of doctors called America’s Frontline Doctors, a group that challenged COVID prevention strategy in America, back in July in Washington DC. The Frontline doctors from across met in Washington DC to dispel the misinformation and myths surrounding the coronavirus. The group was concerned with the disinformation campaign being played out in the far left American media today. The group also promoted the use of hydroxychloroquine as a life-saving medication in treating the coronavirus. The American left trashed the doctors and the tech giants blocked their content from the internet.

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

FBI Still Can’t Find the DNC-RNC Pipe Bomber From January 6th — Why is That?

The FBI offered a reward of $50,000 for information on the individual who planted pipe bombs at the Republican and Democrat headquarters in Washington DC on January 6th.

The FBI pointed out the shoes and purple backpack of the suspected bomber.

The FBI still has no suspects in this terror plot?

Why is that?

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

Federal Judge Releases Woman Accused of Stealing Nancy Pelosi’s Computer

A federal judge has released a Pennsylvania woman who allegedly helped steal a laptop from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Capitol riot earlier this month.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin Carlson released Riley June Williams into the custody of her mother with travel restrictions. Williams was told she has to appear in federal court on Monday to continue the case.

“The gravity of these offenses is great,” said Carlson. “It cannot be overstated.”

Williams, who has no prior criminal record, has been accused of theft, obstruction and trespassing, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

As seen in a video, a woman matching Williams’s description was telling rioters to go “upstairs, upstairs, upstairs” during the attack on the Capitol building.

An FBI agent out of Virginia said that Williams was recorded on closed-circuit cameras in the Capitol entering and exiting Pelosi’s office.

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

How is This Legal?! Multiple Banks Close Donald Trump’s Accounts

A Florida bank announced on Thursday that they have closed President Donald Trump’s bank accounts.

Trump’s money-market accounts at Banks United held between $5.1 million and $25.2 million, according to his financial disclosures.

Professional Bank also announced that they will no longer be doing business with the former president or his organizations in a statement last week.

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

Judge Denies Parler’s Request to be Reinstated by Amazon

The judge in the Parler vs Amazon case has denied Parler’s request for a temporary restraining order against Amazon.

“Parler has failed to meet the standard set by Ninth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court precedent for issuance of a preliminary injunction,” Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein wrote in her conclusion.

Although the judge did note that her order was not to say that Parler didn’t have any substantial claims, but that “Parler has fallen far short, however, of demonstrating, as it must, that it has raised serious questions going to the merits of its claims, or that the balance of hardships tips sharply in its favor.

[Comment: The judge was appointed to the bench in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter.]

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

New Rule Banning Financial Services From Dropping Clients for Political Reasons is at Risk Under Biden

In a world of cancel culture and deplatforming from tech and financial services, a new regulation was recently set up to address it. However, it could be short-lived and set to be repealed under President Biden’s administration.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finalized a rule that would prohibit banks from refusing to do business with companies based on their industry and politics. When the rule comes into effect, banks will no longer have the choice to refuse to deal with businesses in the oil and firearms industry, for example.

The OCC proposed the rule less than two months ago. The regulator seems to have rushed to pass it since the incoming Biden administration would probably block it.

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

OANN: Michelle Malkin, RSBN and Gateway Pundit Suspended on Twitter for Violating New Orwellian “Civic Integrity” Rule (Video)

Last week Twitter banned a Gateway Pundit tweet questioning fraud in the election.

Twitter handed The Gateway Pundit account a 12-hour suspension for questioning the stolen election. Then upped it to a six-day suspension. This was doled out in the middle of the night. Someone on the late shift was targeting us.

The Gateway Pundit is one of the top 120 websites in America today and a leading voice for conservatives.

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

Police: 100 People at Illegal Club in Lawrence

LAWRENCE — An estimated 100 people were present at an illegal Springfield Street nightclub party broken up by police in the early hours of Monday morning, investigators said.

Lawrence police, fire and inspectional services officials said they are seeking to charge those responsible for the gathering with both city ordinance and coronavirus-related violations.

A police report said officers broke up the gathering at what police Chief Roy Vasque worries could be a “super spreader” event as COVID-19 runs rampant in the city. At the event — which had a full bar and a woman dressed in waitress-like attire — guests lit outdoor patio heaters and were using charcoal hookahs, resulting in a response from the Fire Department, according to the police report.

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

Privacy-Focused Search Engine DuckDuckGo Breaks Records

Privacy-focused Google Search rival DuckDuckGo reached 100 million search queries in a day for the first time in over a decade.

The increase in search queries on the platform is a sign people are seeking alternatives to Big Tech platforms such as Google and Microsoft’s Bing, the former being particularly notorious for collecting user data.

According to DuckDuckGo’s public traffic stats, it achieved a significant milestone on January 11 when it recorded 102,251,307 search queries. That was the first time it registered over 100 million search queries in 12 years.

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

Reddit User Brags About Cremating His Father Against His Wishes, Trashing His Ashes Because He Supported Trump

A Reddit user bragged about his decision to punish his father over his support for Trump by cremating his body against his wishes and then dumping his ashes in the garbage.

Yes, really.

“My Trump supporting father died on 10/18/2020,” states the post. “I was the estate executor, so I had him cremated against his wishes. I donated my 1/3 of the estate to Planned Parenthood. His ashes are sitting in the garage, and waiting for a proper garbage day.”

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

Twitter Sued for Not Removing Images of Child Sex Abuse

Twitter is known for acting fast to delete people’s speech on the platform — but there’s allegedly something Twitter appears to be more reluctant to take down; even when asked multiple times, and even when that content is illegal.

A minor has filed a lawsuit against Twitter for refusing to remove sexually explicit videos of him, which was posted when he was aged 13. At the time, Twitter claimed the videos, posted by sexual predators, did not violate community standards.

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

YouTube Caught Red-Handed Removing Dislikes From Biden White House Page — Anything to Fool the Proletariat

What a surprise!

The far-left tech giants jumped in to save the Biden regime on their very first day in office.

Jen Psaki held a press briefing with the leftist horde in the White House Briefing Room on Wednesday after the Biden Hunger Games Inaugural.

After being sworn in Joe Biden signed several executive orders to open borders, shut down US energy production and punish American companies.

During the White House presser, the American public was quick to downvote Psaki’s nonsense. At 3 PM the video had 10,000 down votes.

But by 7 PM YouTube came to the rescue and erased the downvotes by several thousand.

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

Academic Study Finds Big-Tech Elites Are in Their ‘Own Class’, Different to Rest of Humanity

An academic study carried out by researchers in the US and Germany has concluded that big-tech elites are completely different to all other people on the planet, and can be placed in their own class.

“Our research contributes to closing a research gap in societies with rising inequalities,” note the authors of the study from two German universities and the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies in New York.

The research centres around analysing language used in close to 50,000 tweets and other online statements by 100 of the richest tech-elites as listed by Forbes.

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

Brexit Britain Refusing to Treat EU Like Sovereign State, Blocks Amb Diplomatic Status: Report

Brexit Britain is reportedly refusing to grant the European Union the rank of a sovereign state, by denying its ambassador to the UK full diplomatic rights and privileges.

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Barrell, had written a letter to Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab outlining the bloc’s frustration that the newly-independent United Kingdom would not offer statuses to its diplomats that “reflect the specific character of the EU”, which it claims it deserves because it has a currency, a court, and can make laws.

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

COVID: £800 House Party Fines to be Introduced in England

Fines of £800 for anyone attending a house party of more than 15 people will be introduced in England from next week, under new Covid measures.

These will double for each repeat offence to a maximum of £6,400.

At a No 10 news conference, Home Secretary Priti Patel said there remained a “small minority that refuse to do the right thing”.

“To them my message is clear. If you don’t follow rules then the police will enforce them,” she said.

Currently in England the fine for those attending illegal indoor gatherings stands at £200 — or £100 if paid early.

Fines of up to £10,000 for holding large illegal gatherings of more than 30 people will still only apply to the organisers.

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

France Will Force All Public Businesses to Have Customer-Tracking QR Codes at Their Doors

The French government will force all public-facing businesses to set up QR codes for customers to scan to keep track of those who entered in case of a coronavirus outbreak.

The QR codes, which can be scanned with a mobile phone, will replace physical sign-in books currently used to track and inform those who may have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus.

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

Hungary’s Luxury Property Market Shows No Signs of Slowing Down

The Hungarian property market is showing signs of a rebound after a temporary slowdown as compared to the previous year. This is due to the construction industry being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic on the one hand, and the collapse in international buyers on the other. The one segment that had proved to be most resilient to the negative effects of the pandemic is the luxury property market centered largely in Budapest.

According to reports, the Hungarian luxury segment which is focused mostly around the leafy parts of Budapest, shows no signs of slowing down, with demand exceeding previous years. Unusually for a European capital, the main customers for the market are local Hungarian buyers, who have no qualms about forking out astronomical sums for a well positioned high-end apartment or villa.

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

Infectious Diseases Expert Says UK Lockdown is Not Working

Infectious diseases expert Professor Steven Riley says current data shows that the national lockdown in the United Kingdom is not working.

Riley, who is professor of infectious disease dynamics at Imperial College London, cited a React study which shows “the prevalence of infection increased between 6 and 15 January,” after the national lockdown was announced on January 4.

“It’s long enough that, were the lockdown working effectively, we would certainly have hoped to have seen a decline,” said Riley.

The professor added that current research “certainly doesn’t support the conclusion that lockdown is working.”

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

Ireland: Tickets for ‘House Party’ Events in South Dublin Advertised by Group on Instagram

A group has been advertising tickets to “house party” events in south Dublin via a private social media account in recent weeks, in breach of current Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

The group operates via a private Instagram account and has advertised tickets to a number of parties since the start of the year, at a time when the country is in the midst of a major Covid-19 surge.

The group are advertising a house party it claims is taking place on Thursday night near the city centre, at an undisclosed location in Dublin 2.

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

Italy: Salvini Allies Call for Regulation Against Big Tech Censorship

Members of the national-conservative Brothers of Italy (FdI), including its firebrand leader Giorgia Meloni, have railed against big tech censorship and demand regulation to protect free speech.

Senator Federico Mollicone, the national head of innovation at the Brothers of Italy, called out the government after social media giant Facebook suspended an Italian satirical page. The black-out lasted a few hours before the page was restored.

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

Major Tour Operator Refuses to Book Holidays for the Unvaccinated

One of the world’s biggest tour and cruise operators has announced it will mandate that all travellers booking holidays with them be vaccinated against coronavirus.

UK based Saga, which typically operates holiday packages for people aged over 50, has said that all customers must be “fully vaccinated” to travel on their cruises and holidays at least two weeks prior to departure.

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

Polish Property Prices Are Rapidly Rising

Over a five-year period, property prices have risen the most in Hungary (80 percent) whereas Poland’s figure over that period is a more modest 37 percent, but Poland’s figure is rapidly rising, according to Eurostat.

Jaroslaw Sadowski, an analyst for “Expander”, highlights that the rise during the pandemic has been in properties already built (10.6 percent) rather than those being constructed (4.2 percent).

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

Politicians Among 48 Arrested in Huge Italian Bust on ‘Ndrangheta Mafia, Hundreds of Millions in Cash Seized

Anti-mafia police carried out sweeping early-morning raids against Italy’s most powerful mafia, the ‘Ndrangheta, on Thursday, arresting 48 people and placing the leader of a political party under investigation.

Officers from the Direzione Investigativa AntiMafia (DIA) immediately jailed 13 people, while 35 were placed under house arrest, with multiple politicians, low-level mob bosses and businessmen among those detained, according to local media.

The crackdown on the organized crime syndicate, based in Calabria, southern Italy, primarily targeted the economic arm of its operations, which prosecutors said had been exposed in its money-laundering and attempts to buy political influence.

“This investigation makes clear what we have been saying for decades. The ‘Ndrangheta shoots less and has more and more ties with business and politics,” prosecutor Nicola Gratteri told reporters.

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

President of EU National Populists Joins International Backlash Against Tech Censors

Jerome Riviere, president of the Identity and Democracy group, the bloc of national populist and national conservative parties in the European Parliament, condemned big tech censorship in a speech at the EU legislature this week.

The Identity and Democracy groups includes Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from a number of mainstream national populist parties in European countries.

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

Sweden: Historic Church Firebombed in Stockholm No Go Zone

Swedish police are investigating a firebombing attack on one of Stockholm’s oldest churches, which lies in the migrant-heavy ‘no-go zone’of Tengsta.

Spånga Church, originally built in the 12th century, was reportedly targeted with multiple Molotov cocktails at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning, according to Dagen.

“It is a strong symbolic act against a church. I do not know why anyone would want to do this,” said Pastor Jerker Alsterlund.

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

Sweden: Stockholm Saw Record Number of Explosions in 2020

The Swedish capital city of Stockholm saw a record number of explosions and bombings in 2020 despite the Chinese coronavirus pandemic theoretically encouraging people to stay at home, according to police statistics.

Over the course of last year, Stockholm saw 32 explosions, the highest number ever recorded in the city and up from the 28 in 2019 and 23 in 2018.

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

Swiss Government Calls on Voters to Reject Nationwide Burqa Ban

The Swiss Federal Council has urged citizens to reject a move to ban the burqa across Switzerland.

It suggested regional restrictions on the garment would be more appropriate, and that a nationwide move might impact tourism.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the federal government of Switzerland warned people of the impact a wide-scale burqa ban might have, notably on tourism from wealthy Gulf nations.

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

To Counter Russia, War Hawk John Bolton Advises Poland to Intensify Contacts With Biden Administration

John Bolton was Trump’s National Security Advisor between 2018 and 2019 before the two had a major falling out, with Trump criticizing the neoconservative hawk for pushing for war with other nations at any given opportunity. Since Bolton was fired from his position, he has since published a book on the experience of working in the Trump administration.

During the interview for Polish Press Agency, Bolton recalled how the idea of calling the US base in Poland “Fort Trump” was targeted to flatter Trump and how that worked well in getting him to agree an enhanced US military presence in Poland.

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

UK Says Big Tech is “Manipulating Lives” Launches Investigation Into Its Algorithms

Yet another probe into Big Tech’s suspected foul practices that might be harming users and consumers has been initiated — this time in the UK, by the country’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

The investigation is rather narrowly focused on the way algorithms employed by Google, Facebook and Amazon work, and the way they may influence — or, as the announcement put it, “potentially manipulate” — the way people shop, work, live, and even think, in terms of current events.

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

UK: ‘Go and Work for an English Company’ — Worker Fired for Being White, Finds Tribunal

A white British man was fired from his job working for “an Asian company” because he was white, an employment tribunal judge has ruled.

31-year-old Colin Sorby had been recruited by a Bradford Management Services, a subsidiary of Mumtaz Foods, which owns restaurants in Bradford and Leeds, on a zero-hours contract, but found that his once plentiful-shifts evaporated after he complained that his Pakistani supervisor, Azheem Akhtar, had said that only South Asians should be working at the company.

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

UK: Exclusive: Police Chief’s Daughter, 19, Breaks Lockdown Rules by Partying With 40 Revellers at Illegal Gathering — Despite Her Father Instructing Everyone to Stay at Home

The student daughter of a senior police chief has been caught on video at an illegal party brazenly flouting lockdown restrictions.

Second-year undergraduate Amy Slattery, 19, is seen dancing along to ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ with other students at Leeds Beckett University in the clip from a boozy Saturday night party where no masks or social distancing were evident.

Her father, Cumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Andy Slattery, has been at the forefront of the fight to control the pandemic and is chair of the county’s multi-agency Covid-19 Strategic Coordination Group.

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

UK: London Cops Consider Fining Synagogue £10k for Holding Religious Meals: Report

One of the venues that London police raided over the weekend for holding a “large party” is reportedly a synagogue that was holding religious meals.

On Monday, a press release from the Metropolitan Police Service revealed that the force had handed out £39,000 in fines in just two days across two areas: the boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets.

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

UK: Moment Police Raid Illegal Party in a Marquee With 50 Revellers Inside as Organiser is Hit With £10,000 Fine for Breaching COVID Rules

This is the shocking moment police raid an illegal party in a marquee with 50 revellers inside.

Bodycam footage shows police officers storming in and breaking up the New Year’s Eve gathering in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Bedfordshire Police has handed the organiser a £10,000 fine after giving them a warning following a tip-off, but still returning to find dozens of party-goers.

The event featured a dance floor, disco lights, four speakers, tables and chairs.

In the video, a police officer can be heard shouting ‘get out of the marquee now’ while a female responds: ‘I live here.’

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

UK: Man Hit With COVID Fine After Gathering at the Top of Glastonbury Tor

A man has been handed a coronavirus fine after 30 people gathered at the top of Glastonbury Tor.

Officers were called to the Somerset landmark at 12:40pm on Sunday, January 10, to reports that there was an illegal gathering at the top of the attraction.

Officers arrived, and said that as soon as the police turned up, the majority of the group walked off.

But when they began talking to the person they suspected of organising the gathering, he didn’t want to engage with them.

Police issued a public appeal to trace the man, and confirmed today (January 21) that he has now been identified.

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

UK: Police Descend on Elderly Vaccination Centre After Tip-Offs it Was a ‘Rave’

Officers arriving in three police cars descended upon a recreation hall after tip-offs that it was holding an illegal rave, only to find it full of senior citizens being vaccinated against the Chinese coronavirus.

While Essex Police claimed it was responding to reports of “congestion” at the Essex Freemasons’ Saxon Hall in Southend on Friday, the venue’s chairman said that when the officers arrived, they had told him they had come to investigate an illegal rave.

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

Vatican Drops Marogna Extradition Request

Vatican says that it has revoked custody order

(ANSA) — ROME, JAN 18 — The Vatican has said that it does not want to press ahead with a request for the extradition of Cecilia Marogna, a Sardinian manager arrested on October 13 in relation to a Vatican probe involving former cardinal Angelo Becciu, In a communication to a Milan court, the Vatican said that it has revoked an order for Marogna to be held in custody in view of the imminent start of a trial into misappropriation.

Marogna, from Cagliari like Becciu, was allegedly paid large sums by the former No.2 of the Vatican Secretariate of State that she then allegedly spent on personal items.

She had a spell in Milan’s San Vittore prison after being arrested via Interpol on the basis of a Vatican charge sheet.

           — Hat tip: Insubria [Return to headlines]
 

Zemmour: France’s New Muslim Charter ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’

French President Emmanuel Macron received on Monday the signatories of the charter of the French Council of Muslim Cults, (CFCM), which he hopes will be instrumental in his offensive against Islamic separatism.

But French author and philosopher Eric Zemmour, who is Jewish and well-known for his position against mass immigration, warns that despite whatever their leaders might have signed, Muslims will continue to do whatever they please.

“The charter that the state is signing with the Muslims is absolutely useless. They will still do what they want,” Zemmour said on CNews television’s evening political talk show.

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

Police Raid Bnei Brak Following Attack on Officers Enforcing Lockdown

Dozens of ultra-Orthodox (haredim) extremists belonging to the Vizhnitz Hasidic dynasty on Thursday night surrounded and assaulted a vehicle driven by police officers who were enforcing the coronavirus lockdown on King Solomon Street in Bnei Brak, police reported.

As the crowd surrounded the vehicle, rioters were heard shouting “Nazis” and “damned,” while bashing and eventually smashing the police vehicle’s windows using stones.

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

Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma Reappears After Not Being Seen Publicly for Months

After months with no public appearances, Chinese billionaire and power businessman Jack Ma is back in the public eye.

On Wednesday, Ma spoke virtually to a group of teachers during a charity event. Before that, he was last seen publicly in October, when he gave a speech that criticized Chinese authorities and policies. Subsequently, planned initial public offerings for Ma’s Ant Group were abruptly canceled and an antitrust body of the Chinese government began investigating Ma’s company, Alibaba.

Alibaba’s Hong Kong-listed shares rose 8.5% on Wednesday as a result of the billionaire’s reappearance.

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

Big Tech is Accused of ‘Blackmail’ After Google Threatens to Remove Search Function and Facebook Warns it Will Pull News From Australia if Law Forcing Them to Pay Media Companies for Content is Passed

A proposed law, introduced to Parliament in December, will force Facebook and Google to negotiate fees with news companies whose stories appear on their platforms.

           — Hat tip: SS [Return to headlines]
 

A Second Migrant Caravan of at Least 3,000 is Set to Depart Honduras Bound for the US Just Days After 2021’s First Caravan of Nearly 8,000 Migrants Was Broken Up by Guatemalan Security Forces

A second migrant caravan is poised to depart Honduras on Monday just days after security forces in Guatemala stopped the first caravan of 2021 during a series of violent clashes in which asylum seekers were met with tear gas and batons.

Guatemalan television network Televisiete reports that at least 3,000 migrants will plan to meet in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula a part of an attempt to cross into Guatemala and enter Mexico before proceeding to the southern United States border despite calls from the Biden administration asking them to reconsider.

Honduran Facebook users urged countrymen looking to cash in on the American Dream to meet Sunday at the San Pedro Sula terminal, where many other caravans departed from in the past, set march Monday before sunrise.

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

Biden Administration Implements “Pause” on Deporting Illegal Immigrants for 100 Days

President Joe Biden’s acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security David Pekoske,on Wednesday initated a 100-day “pause” on the deportation of most illegal immigrants.

The break is mandated by a memorandum Pekoske signed that calls for a review of immigration policies. Illegal immigrants that can still be deported during the break include those determined by the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to have spied on the U.S., participated in terrorism, or be a national security threat; people who entered the country in November 2020 or later; people who have waived their right to stay; and people who must be removed by law, according to the director of ICE.

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

Channel Migrants: Iranian Jailed for Piloting Two Dinghies

A Iranian man has been jailed for more than two years for piloting a dinghy full of migrants across the English Channel on two occasions.

Fouad Kakaei, 30, was told he faces deportation at the end of his sentence.

He helped steer a boat into Dover in July 2019, but was returned to Denmark, where he had earlier made an unsuccessful asylum claim, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

In December 2019, he again helped to pilot a dinghy across the Channel.

He attempted to claim asylum, but was arrested and held on remand until trial, the court heard.

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

Germany: Libyan Migrant Accused of Murdering University Student in Bicycle Cellar

An illegal migrant from Libya, aged 26, has been arrested after he led first responders to the body of a 20-year-old female student which was hidden in the bicycle cellar of the victim’s apartment building in Hamburg, Germany.

The Libyan, well-known to police and thought to be in Germany under a false name, is believed to have murdered schoolgirl Viktoria L. earlier this month in the bicycle cellar of the girl’s apartment building in Hamburg, German newspaper Welt reports.

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

Italian Study Claims Asylum Seekers Could be Used to Reverse Rural Population Decline

A University of Milano-Bicocca study has claimed that mass migration of asylum seekers could reverse population decline in some of the country’s rural areas and small towns.

The authors of the study claim that in the short term, the arrival of asylum seekers would have no economic cost to small municipalities if the reception of migrants is widespread and refugee centres hold no more than 25 asylum seekers per facility.

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

UK Migrant Camp Under COVID Lockdown Amid Mass Rule Breaking

The migrant camp in Kent has been placed under lockdown after an outbreak of the Chinese coronavirus in the former army barracks amidst widespread flouting of the rules by the alleged asylum seekers.

At least 100 of the 400 migrant men housed in the Napier Barracks in Folkestone are believed to have contracted the coronavirus, which the government has blamed on the illegals for failing to abide by social distancing regulations and even refusing to take COVID-19 tests.

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

Biden to Allow Transgender People to Openly Serve in U.S. Military

The Biden administration will work soon to allow people who identify as transgender to openly serve in the U.S. military, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Wednesday.

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

EU Human Rights Court Fine Romania for Its Conservative Stance on Transgender Issues

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Romania in a ruling on Tuesday, finding that there is no administrative procedure in the country for transgender people to change their data, such as their first name, their gender, or the first digit of their personal identification number.

The country was sued by two transgender men before the ECHR. According to the court, the Romanian legal system violates Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. A statement by the Bucharest Association for the Rights of LGBT People, ACCEPT, says that legal gender conversion is very difficult in the Romanian legal system.

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

Montana Lawmakers Move to Protect Girls’ Sports After Biden Signs Order Forcing Schools to Let Transgender Biological Males Compete With Them

Montana lawmakers have introduced a bill protecting girls’ sports in schools, after Joe Biden signed an executive order forcing them to allow transgender biological males to compete with them.

The ‘Save Women’s Sports Act’ will require public school athletic teams to be designated based on biological sex.

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

New Christian Fundraising Platform Aims to Remedy Censorship on Other Crowdfunding Platforms

The Christian news outlet LifeSiteNews has launched LifeFunder, a crowdfunding platform to help “pro-life, pro-family, and other Christian fundraising campaigns” that often get shut down on fundraising platforms such as GoFundMe.

“The purpose, and mission, of LifeFunder is to help bring essential financial assistance to individuals, organizations, and communities that seek to establish the Culture of Life and change our world for the better,” LifeSiteNews said, announcing the launch.

The company claims that the launch of the new crowdfunding platform “comes at a time when Christians and conservatives are facing increased censorship from GoFundMe and other tech giants.”

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

President Joe Biden Moves to Reinstate U.S. Funding for Abortion Worldwide

President Joe Biden is planning on issuing an executive order that will reverse the Mexico City policy, according to reports. The policy currently prevents groups that perform or promote abortion around the world from receiving funding through U.S. aid money.

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

10 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 1/21/2021

  1. In other news, an Italian study concluded that the mass importation of asylum seekers might alleviate the country’s rural population decline.”

    It’s puzzling: Italy and Europe are suffering all kinds of pain from Muslim invaders

    and still they want more pain. How Europe and all the world have become blind to the

    infliction of atrocities without thinking of retaliation or putting an end to it. Instead

    they become more eager for more atrocities.

    puzzling indeed mysterious. godless insensitive.

    • Not puzzling at all. These “leaders” are Progressive elitists who care nothing for the goodwill or suffering of “the people”. In fact, they see them as a source of bankable assets through taxation. When people are no longer taxable, they become expendable.

  2. You probably remember this story about the involvement of the Biden clan in the Ukrainian Maidan.

    Despite the fact that I am not an ethnic Ukrainian, it hurts me to see what is happening with this country. My aunts are married to Ukrainians, in Crimea where I spent my childhood with my grandparents – neighbors are Ukrainians, friends of my youth are Ukrainians.
    =====================
    Ukrainian Ministry of Health introduced the concept of “unknown sex” in official documents
    This option can be selected on the forms before testing for coronavirus.
    https://life.ru/p/1364024

    Ukrainian women become leaders in surrogacy for Chinese
    https://glavred.info/ukraine/ukrainki-vyshli-v-lidery-surrogatnogo-materinstva-dlya-kitaycev-novosti-ukrainy-10241021.html

  3. Western Europeans are extremely sick and losing or giving away their countries. The most merciless hostile devious liars cheats and thieves from minority settlements and the completely queered indigenous and until recently unacceptable. Becoming the “norm” is the UK’s Bent Doris with his diseased bent “loyalty”. It is not getting scary – it is scary! An awful lot of these Muslims in obvious particular and other bent backward buggers are in charge given they are only 10% of the English population. A vaccination has taken brain space. France is the clear leading sicko here.

  4. From the telegram channel “Consumer of Uzbekistan”

    Why are crosses on Christian churches covered up on cable TV?

    Users of cable TV in Tashkent noticed that the editors covered all the crosses on Christian churches on tourist spots that cover Russian advertisements.
    They play videos with the beauties of European cities. And on all buildings with Catholic or Orthodox crosses, the crosses themselves are hidden under stains.

    What is it? Sabotage directed against the policy of our state in the spirit of tolerance and religious tolerance?
    Or an attempt to humiliate the Orthodox and Catholic confessions?

    Question to UZ CABLE:
    Whose editors so diligently cover up the crosses on tourist videos about European cities? Does UZ CABLE do it or are they given videos in this form? Then who is transmitting?

    I would like to hear about the reasons for this, to put it mildly, a strange act of intolerance towards another religion.
    We hope that this was not a deliberate attempt to harm the image of Uzbekistan as a civilized and tolerant state.

    https://t.me/potrebitel_uz/5598

    • I like the crosses that are empty because Jesus died and was resurrected. The crucifx always focuses on him as a dead body. I find that disconcerting because it doesn’t tell the story truthfully.

    • I absolutely adore Katie Hopkins because she always speaks her mind and exposes the left for what they are.

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