Congress has passed the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion spending bill. The bill is officially described as being for “COVID relief”, but only 9% of the spending is earmarked for dealing with the effects of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
In other news, a Muslim soldier in Singapore has been arrested for plotting a stabbing attack at a synagogue. Jews in Singapore number about 2,500.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Fjordman, Reader from Chicago, 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.
Facing an imminent recall, California Gov. Gavin Newsom delivered his annual State of the State Address Tuesday, attempting to paint an encouraging picture for citizens weary of a year of lockdowns, economic devastation, sickness, and isolation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
America’s Frontline Doctors are asking governmental agencies and commercial airlines to abandon requiring COVID vaccines. Americans deserve the freedom to work and travel without government requirements that impair these rights.
America’s courageous group of frontline doctors are still standing up for Americans’ freedoms. Today they came out with recommendations for air travel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Christian prayer in public school is prohibited, but now the Marxists in California are trying to force millions of students to chant to the Aztec gods of human sacrifice and cannibalism.
California’s proposed “ethnic studies” curriculum calls for the “decolonization” of American society and a “counter-genocide” against white Christians.
The curriculum would also require students to chant to the Aztec ‘gods’ of human sacrifice and cannibalism.
Investigative reporter Christopher Rufo obtained the proposed curriculum and broke it down.
[Comment: Apparently the followers of the Aztec gods have more political influence than the followers of Cthulhu. Cthulhu followers have a chant too: Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn (“In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”)]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Congress Officially Passes Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Spending Bill
President Biden has won the first legislative victory of his administration as the House of Representatives has passed the massive $1.9 trillion spending bill, described by its creators as a coronavirus relief bill.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Conservative Coffee Brand Blocked by Chase Bank Sees Nearly 8,000% Increase in Sales
A pro-Trump online coffee retailer that was blocked from accepting payments through Chase Bank last month has seen a drastic surge in sales in the following weeks.
Covfefe Coffee was banned from use Chase’s WePay system due to “one or more of the activities prohibited by [their] Terms of Service.” No specific reason was given by Chase for the cancellation, which hampered the small company’s ability to do business.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cuomo Under Fire After Coronavirus Policies for Group Homes for Disabled Led to More Than 500 Deaths
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration is under fire after a recent study has revealed that more than 500 people in group homes for the disabled died as a result of Cuomo’s policies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Disney Yanks Peter Pan and Dumbo From Disney+ Kid Profiles, Adults Still Permitted to View
The Walt Disney Company has decided that content warnings on some of its classic films are not sufficient in its ongoing effort to provide racially sensitive and culturally approved fare to children. The entertainment giant’s online streaming service Disney+ has now purged four movies from the profiles of children under seven.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The private Facebook group of the primary teachers union in Los Angeles told members to not post Spring Break photos while the union fights to keep schools over alleged safety concerns, according to screenshots obtained by local Fox anchor Bill Melugin.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Get Woke, Go Broke: NBA All-Star Ratings Crash, Hit All-Time Low
Get woke, go broke.
Ratings for the NBA All-Star game Sunday night, which included a dunk contest, was down 24% from last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hill Reporter Suggests Dems Could Use Hologram to Handle Biden’s Public Speeches
The Hill reporter Sharyl Attkisson has suggested that the White House could use hologram technology to help Joe Biden deliver public speeches.
According to Atkinson, officials within the administration are “mulling over farfetched speculation that, upon further examination, starts to look almost like it is not completely outside the realm of the possible.”
The journalist highlighted how AI and deepfake technology is becoming so indistinguishable from reality, that it can “make people who didn’t say or do something look very much like they said or did the thing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Biden seemed to forget the defense secretary’s name and even his job title in a speech yesterday — calling Lloyd Austin the ‘guy who runs that outfit over there.’
The president was announcing two women were to be promoted to elite, four-star general commands at a ceremony at the White House on International Women’s Day.
The 78-year-old self-confessed ‘gaffe machine’ has made verbal fumbles a hallmark of his career but there is growing disquiet over why Biden still hasn’t held a press conference — no president in the last century has gone this long without taking questions from reporters.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Rogan Admits to Spotify Censorship
In an episode featuring comedian Fahim Anwar, Joe Rogan admitted that Spotify censored some of his podcasts. He also admitted the rumors of some Spotify employees’ intolerant attitude towards him.
In May 2020, Rogan’s podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, moved from YouTube to Spotify, after he signed an exclusive licensing deal worth $100 million.
However, fans noted that some episodes from before the deal are not available on Spotify. The company removed episodes featuring Alex Jones, Gavin McInnes, and Milo Yiannopoulos.
“There were a few episodes they didn’t want on their platform, and I was like ‘okay, I don’t care.’ But other than that, in terms of what I do in the future, the big test was having Alex Jones on. A lot of people are like, they’re telling Joe Rogan what he can and can’t do. They’re not, they’re not,” he said, still insisting there is no corporate oversight.
He also talked about the clashes with Spotify employees, some of whom threatened to strike if the company did not conduct editorial oversight on Rogan’s podcasts.
“That’s one of the things that happened with Spotify, with some of their staff, where they thought I was transphobic, or thought I was a bad person. I saw one of their staff say that I was a shock jock. I’m not even remotely that,” Rogan said.
Rogan admitted censorship of his podcasts, but insisted the censorship has stopped. Still, many fans believe Spotify continues with the censorship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Peter Cahill granted a motion preventing the death of convicted felon George Floyd from being likened to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ during the Derek Chauvin murder trial striking a major blow to Black Lives Matter activists who had hoped to paint Floyd as a martyred holy figure.
The judge was presented with the following motion on Monday:
“The Defendant moves the Court for an Order precluding any expert from likening the death of George Floydto the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the ground that such analogy is prejudicial.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mainstream Newspapers Team Up to Stalk Anti-Lockdown Salon Owner as She Moves to New State
Salem, Oregon salon owner Lindsey Graham is leaving the state of Oregon after the regime of Democrat governor Kate Brown launched a sustained attack on her for opening her business during the Coronavirus lockdown. Graham closing her salon under pressure after 12 years in business has resulted in 25 women losing their jobs. Graham is headed to Arizona to open a new real estate business. Now, the Arizona Republic and a newspaper reporter in Oregon are teaming up to obsessively dig into Graham’s background and personal life for a “joint project” as she relocates to Arizona, according to emails obtained by NATIONAL FILE.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Maryland to Open Bars and Restaurants to Full Capacity, Stadiums to 50%
Maryland will become the next state to significantly ease their government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions. Gov. Larry Hogan announced that beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, all capacity limits at restaurants and stores will be removed. Currently those limits are set at 50% capacity, with local governments permitted to impose harsher restrictions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Merrick Garland Confirmed as U.S. Attorney General
The Senate confirmed Judge Merrick Garland as U.S. attorney general on Wednesday with a 70-30 vote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mumford & Sons Guitarist Forced Into Groveling Apology Over Antifa Book
Mumford & Sons guitarist Winston Marshall was forced to issue a groveling apology after he was labeled a “Nazi” merely for praising a book by journalist Andy Ngo which is critical of Antifa.
The controversy began over the weekend when Marshall tweeted about the book, Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy, when the musician told Ngo, “Congratulations @MrAndyNgo Finally had the time to read your important book You’re a brave man.”
For this egregious act of daring to express an original thought as a celebrity, Marshall was immediately pounced upon by the Twitter mob, who labeled him a “Nazi shitbag” amongst other insults.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
My Pillow Boss Announces He’s Launching a Social Media Platform to Rival Twitter in “4 to 5 Weeks”
“My Pillow” CEO Mike Lindell announced Friday on the podcast of conservative activist Charlie Kirk that he was starting his own social media platform to rival Twitter, which banned both him and former President Donald Trump for spreading what the tech giant deemed baseless claims about election fraud.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: 50% of Americans Have Questions About Biden’s Mental Health
A Rasmussen poll reveals that half of Americans now have questions regarding Joe Biden’s physical and mental fitness, while more than half are concerned about the fact that he has not held a press conference for almost 50 days now.
In response to the question “how confident are you that Joe Biden is physically and mentally up to the job of being president of the United States?” 50 percent said that they are “not confident.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sen. Joe Manchin Says He Will Block Climate Bill Unless GOP Leaders Have a Chance to Negotiate
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (WV) has indicated he will use his position on the Senate Energy Committee to stall President Joe Biden’s climate change package unless Republicans are given the opportunity to negotiate the bill’s provisions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Antifa Border Patrol at George Floyd Autonomous Zone Threatens, Deports American Reporter
Video footage from the autonomous zone at the George Floyd memorial in Minneapolis, Minnesota shows a pair of black bloc-clad Black Lives Matter journalists threatening an American news reporter, telling him “you’re gonna be in a bad situation in a second” and “you need to get in your car and go.”
NewsNation reporter Brian Entin was providing coverage of the George Floyd Autonomous Zone, standing in front of the makeshift barricade used to cordon off the border of the anarchist settlement, when two diminutive masked individuals in black bloc antifa gear confronted him and ordered him to leave.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Who is the President? Kamala Harris Takes ANOTHER Call With a Foreign Leader
As half the country expressed concerns over the mental fitness of Joe Biden, it has emerged that Vice President Kamala Harris has yet again taken on duties that the President should be fulfilling, after speaking to another foreign leader this week.
Reports detail how Harris spoke with the prime minister of Norway, Erna Solberg, while Biden wandered aimlessly around a hardware store barely registering where he was.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What a difference a year makes — and two billion dollars in destroyed property by leftist rioters!
Jury selection began this week in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin over the May 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
A new USA Today/Ipsos Poll found that today only 36% believe George Floyd’s death was murder — that number is down from 60% last year.
As Jack Posobiec reported the coroner’s report found George Floyd suffered no life threatening injuries.
He was high on drugs at the time.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It’s the globalist’s dream!
The elites are talking about vaccine passports — something that was a conspiracy just a year ago.
Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu went on CTV recently and announced the G7 countries were working on a vaccine passport.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters in Montreal Demand an End to Nonsensical Religious Restrictions
With all due respect, Premier Legault, places of worship ARE essential!
At least that was the opinion of hundreds of demonstrators who showed up in Montreal last Sunday afternoon, marching to the summit of Mount Royal and clamouring for the province to relax attendance restrictions on churches, temples, mosques and other places of worship.
They certainly have a case when it comes to the so-called logic of the attendance rule. Which is to say, in Quebec, a church with, say, 80 seats is limited to 10 parishioners; meanwhile a cathedral that can accommodate, say, 1,400 parishioners is limited to… 10!? And meanwhile, just down the street, the local Walmart or Costco or any other big box store is jammed to the gills.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boris Says Vaccine Passports for International Travel Will be ‘Feature of Our Life in the Future’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that vaccine passports for international travel will be a feature of Britons’ lives in the future.
Addressing a Downing Street press conference on Monday evening, Prime Minister Johnson acknowledged that providing documentation to prove vaccination was a “novel one for our country. We’ve never had this type of question before within the domestic UK economy, within our own home market.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dutch Inventor of the Audio Cassette Tape Dies Aged 94
Lou Ottens, inventor of the cassette tape and a CD pioneer died aged 94 at his home in Duizel in Brabant on Saturday, Dutch media report. Ottens, who studied to be an engineer, started working for Philips in 1952.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: The Departure of Fidesz is Very Bad News for the EPP, Says MEP Francois-Xavier Bellamy
Is the departure of Fidesz from the European People’s Party good news according to you?
This is obviously very bad news. We must be careful not to come to too quick a conclusion: this is in fact the departure of the Fidesz delegation of MEPs from the EPP Group in the European Parliament. Fidesz as such is still a member of the European People’s Party for the time being. The real debate still awaits us when the European People’s Party has to decide on the place of Fidesz in its ranks. As far as our group is concerned, this departure of Fidesz is both a cause of great sadness and a real weakening. Everything must be done to succeed in rebuilding the link, and I see a strong sign that the Fidesz MEPs will remain non-attached. It is a way of showing that they are still waiting to see how they can succeed in reconnecting with the EPP. For our part, we’ll work on it, of course.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany’s ‘Mask Scandal’ Leaves CDU/CSU With Confidence and Identity Crisis
The largest German ruling party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian ally, the Christian Socialist Union (CSU), are in a deep confidence and identity crisis, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung. The reason may be a negative perception of epidemic management, but the troubles are compounded by the recent political scandals over the health emergency.
“The federal government has allowed the political and economic interests of parliamentarians and the country’s health needs to form an explosive mix that is now threatening those in power to lose their credibility,” the liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote in an article about the recent scandals involving CDU politicians.
Last week, it was revealed that Nikolas Löbel, a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) politician, procured health masks from China for a hospital management company and a nursing home company last spring in the first phase of a coronavirus epidemic when the product was in short supply worldwide.
Through its work as an intermediary, the company earned a revenue of €250,000. Georg Nüßlein, a representative of the smaller coalition partner, the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU), was investigated for helping a company producing health protective clothing and masks, receiving a commission of €660,000 for his services, also through his company.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Publisher Kowtows to the CCP, Destroys Copies of ‘China Virus’ Children’s Book
A German children’s book that stated that the coronavirus came from China has been pulped after the publisher caved to pressure from Communist Party diplomats and local Chinese people.
The book which was published in the summer of last year is entitled A Corona Rainbow for Anna and Moritz. The book tried to help children understand the radically different world they found themselves in following the pandemic.
In the picture book, the childrens’ father says: “The virus comes from China and has spread out from there across the whole world,” according to The Times.
The book was based on advice from a tropical medicine institute in Hamburg.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Global NGOs Call on EU to Probe French ‘State-Sponsored Islamophobia’
Twenty-five non-governmental organisations from eleven different countries have signed an unprecedented letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, calling for France to be investigated by the European Court of Justice. The signatories allege systematic, state-sponsored discrimination against Muslims.
The letter urges immediate action against the French government for what the signatories call “state-sponsored Islamophobia” and for imposing the allegedly discriminatory charter of republican values.
The document is a key part of President Emmanuel Macron’s effort to isolate radical Islamists from the majority of French Muslims.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Public Figures Call for Redefinition of the Word ‘Woman’
Italian public figures, including politicians and writers, have launched a campaign to pressure the leading Italian dictionary to change the definition of the term “woman”. The word features a variety of synonyms, including terms for a sex worker or various names for a maid.
The current definition of a woman exacerbates the issue of sexism in society, the initiative claims in a letter published in La Repubblica.
According to about 100 signatories, the Treccani dictionary should not use synonyms with a negative connotation for the word “woman”, especially if the word “man” is dominated by positive connotations and words. The “woman” term has now, among other things, the terms puttana (whore), cagna (b**ch) and zoccola (whore) next to it. The words derived from “man” contain entirely positive synonyms, such as uomo d’affari (entrepreneur) or uomo d’ingegno (genius).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NATO Must Reduce Military Emissions — Jens Stoltenberg
Climate change “makes the world more unsafe,” according to the head of the military alliance NATO. Stoltenberg is hosting US climate envoy John Kerry for talks.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 1,000 Honour Culture Crimes Reported in Sweden in 2020
Swedish police statistics revealed there had been nearly 1,000 reports of crimes thought to be motivated by honour culture in 2020.
The figures state that police received 980 reports of crimes thought to be linked to honour culture in the country of some 10 million people. The report represents the first full year of the statistics since police started to record honour-related crimes in the autumn of 2019.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands: Lou Ottens, Inventor of Cassette Tapes and CDs, Dead at 94
The inventor of the CD and cassette tapes has passed away. Lou Ottens, who is credited with not only inventing the cassette tape but also helping develop the CD, died at his home in the Netherlands village of Duizel this month. He was 94.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
English broadcaster and television personality, Piers Morgan, is not backing down from his critics after his comments about the Meghan-Harry interview with Oprah Winfrey on “Good Morning Britain” triggered outrage and led him to quit the show.
“Freedom of speech is a hill I’m happy to die on,” was his response to the backlash over his opinion against the former British royals.
In a series of tweets, Morgan stood by his comments and slammed how his critics are trying to silence him for his opinion — which does not agree with theirs.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Radical Islam Group Hizb ut-Tahrir Recruiting in Stockholm No-Go Suburbs
The Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir is actively recruiting in the heavily migrant-populated no-go Stockholm suburbs of Rinkeby and Tensta.
The radical group, which operates in several European countries, including the UK and Denmark, has been recruiting new members in the no-go suburbs of Stockholm and has organised private religious lessons for followers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rare Meteorite, A ‘Relic of the Early Solar System,’ Falls on a Driveway in England
A meteorite found in the U.K. contains an extremely rare combination of minerals that could give scientists a glimpse into how the solar system formed and even how life emerged on Earth.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Salvini in Contact With Poles and Hungarians About Founding New EU Parliaent Group
League party leader Matteo Salvini wants to found a new parliamentary group in the EU Parliament, and is looking for the major conservative parties in Poland and Hungary to join forces with him.
“We are working on the creation of a new European group, I am in contact with the Poles, the Hungarians,” said the former Italian interior minister on Tuesday in an interview with journalist Annalisa Chirico. Salvini was alluding to the Polish ruling party Law and Justice (PiS) and the Hungarian Fidesz of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The PiS is currently a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the EU Parliament. Last week, Fidesz representatives left the European People’s Party (EPP) group, leading to speculation of where the party would end up.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Statue Smashers Face 10 Years in Prison and Heavy Fines in Britain
People who desecrate or vandalise memorials or statues in Britain will face up to ten years in prison under tough new legislation set to be enacted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government.
The legislation, a part of the Government’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts bill, will introduce protections for war memorials, statues, and even wreaths or flowers laid at gravestones.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Switzerland: Voters Approve ‘Burqa Ban’
Swiss voters have narrowly approved a proposal to ban face coverings in public spaces. The measure comes just over a decade after citizens voted to ban the construction of minarets, the tower-like structures on mosques that are often used to call Muslims to prayer.
The referenda reflect the determination of a majority of Swiss voters to preserve Swiss traditions and values in the face of runaway multiculturalism and the encroachment of political Islam.
Switzerland now joins Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands and Sweden, all of which currently have full or partial bans on religious and non-religious face coverings.
The binding referendum, approved on March 7 by 51.2% of voters, is popularly known as the “burqa initiative,” although the proposal does not specifically mention burqas or niqabs, the face-coving garments worn by some Muslim women. The ban encompasses most face coverings, including the bandanas and masks sometimes used by violent street protesters, and applies to all public spaces, including parks, restaurants, shops, and public transport.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A poll conducted by the United Kingdom’s biggest-selling newspaper has found a majority of Britons want Harry and Meghan to be stripped of their titles after what Brexit leader Nigel Farage described as their “betrayal” of the Royal Family.
The Daily Mail commissioned the survey after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex — as Harry and Meghan are still titled, despite last year stepping back from formal Royal life — gave a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey, during which the couple implied a member of the Royal family was racist, that Meghan was denied mental health support when she felt suicidal, and Harry had been financially cut off.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Gym Owner Was Ordered to Stop Online Zoom Classes During Lockdown
A gym owner in the UK was ordered by the local council to stop holding virtual gym sessions because it was somehow in violation of COVID-19 rules. However, he was the only one physically present in the gym and broadcasting online.
A council worker for the Charnwood Borough Council, in Leicestershire, England, visited Body Transformation Center, a gym owned by Nick Wardle, after a member of the public reported a potential violation of coronavirus rules. The council official told Wardle that he had to stop holding classes.
But Wardle was not violating restrictions. When the council official came to inspect, there was only Wardle, an empty studio, a laptop, and a TV.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UN Calls Swiss Burka Ban ‘Restriction of Fundamental Freedoms’
The United Nations has condemned the recent Swiss vote to outlaw face-covering headgear — otherwise known as the burka ban — as discriminatory and “regrettable”.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the political campaign leading up to Sunday’s vote was characterised by xenophobia masquerading as emancipation for women.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
When Unfolded, These Ancient Gold Foil Figures Reveal Embracing Couples
Archaeologists in Sweden have discovered nearly two dozen gold foil figures that have engravings of couples embracing each other.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
British-Australian Academic Says Iran Tried to Recruit Her as Spy
Sydney (AFP) — A British-Australian academic who spent two years imprisoned in Iran has claimed Tehran tried to recruit her as a spy in exchange for her freedom.
In her first media interview since returning to Australia last November, Middle East scholar Kylie Moore-Gilbert said Iranian officials asked her “many times” to work as a spy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belarus Asks Polish Consul to Leave the Country Over Ceremony for ‘Cursed Soldiers’
The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that Polish consul in Brest Jerzy Timofiejuk leave the country following his participation in an unofficial event commemorating an event in Belarus for Polish resistance groups who fought by Soviet authorities.
Some elements of these anti-communist fighters, known as the “Cursed Soldiers”, have also been accused of atrocities in Belarus towards the end of World War II. As a result, the Belarusian ministry summoned the charge d’affaires of the Polish embassy in Minsk, Marcin Wojciechowski, to inform him of their protest over Timofiejuk’s participation in an event for the Cursed Soldiers. Representatives of Polish non-government and youth organizations also took part in the event, according to Polish news outlet Dziennik.
“Poland will immediately and appropriately, using the rule of reciprocity, respond to Belarus’s unjustified decision to declare Polish consul Jerzy Timofiejuk a persona non-grata,” stated Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Russia and China Plan Joint Lunar Space Station
Russia and China agreed Tuesday to build a lunar space station, as Moscow seeks to modernize its extraterrestrial might and catch up with the United States in the space race.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Russian Researchers Say They’ve Figured Out How to Bring Humans Back From the Dead
A Russian “transhumanist and life extensionist” named Alexey Turchin has published his plan for bringing people back to life.
Called technological resurrection, a super-powered artificial intelligence uses a Dyson Sphere megastructure “to harness computing energy from the sun.” That will provide the Sphere the power it needs to collect all the historical and personal information possible about a person. It then rebuilds a digital copy of that individual.
From that point, a person will live their entire life again, but this time in a simulated reality. Just like the first biological life, a person’s digital life will also end in death, at which point Turchin theorizes they will be sent to a simulated afterlife with all of humanity (the simulated beings) in the same place.
Turchin and fellow researchers have published their “Immortality Roadmap” for how it’s all possible:
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: Abducted, Shackled and Forced to Marry at 12
Farah, a 12-year-old Christian girl, says she was taken from her home in Pakistan last summer, shackled, forced to convert to Islam and made to marry her kidnapper. It’s a fate estimated to befall hundreds of young Christian, Hindu and Sikh women and children in the country each year.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Singapore Muslim Soldier Arrested for Planning Stabbing Spree Outside Synagogue
Amirull Ali intended to ambush and kill at least three Jewish men as they left prayers, security officials say; he also planned to travel to Gaza to join Hamas
A radicalized Singaporean Muslim soldier has been arrested for planning a deadly stabbing spree against Jews, officials said Wednesday.
Such cases are rare in multi-ethnic Singapore, where different religious and ethnic groups generally live peacefully side by side.
Amirull Ali, 20, planned to ambush and kill at least three Jewish men as they left a synagogue after prayers, security officials said. Israel’s Channel 12 specified that he intended to target the Maghain Aboth Synagogue.
He became radicalized after researching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict online and planned to travel to Gaza in the Palestinian territories to join Islamic terror group Hamas’s military wing, they said.
“Amirull was very serious, he had made detailed preparations, he had a knife prepared for his attack,” Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam told local media.
[…]
Singapore, a city-state of 5.7 million, is mostly ethnic Chinese but is also home to a sizable ethnic-Malay Muslim minority. Its Jewish population is tiny, numbering only around 2,500, according to local media.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Russia and China Just Agreed to Build a Research Station on the Moon Together
China and Russia plan to build a lunar research station together. Leaders of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Roscosmos, Russia’s federal space agency, signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday (March 9) on the construction of a moon outpost called the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS).
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced on Tuesday that she is suing the Biden Administration over the release of criminal aliens.
Moody said the Biden Admin’s “egregious” immigration policies violate federal law and put Americans in danger.
Ms. Moody told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade that she will hold the Biden Admin accountable for “thumbing its nose” to its responsibilities under federal law regarding the handling of illegal aliens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Exclusive: ‘Migrant President’ Biden Stirs Mexican Angst Over Boom Time for Gangs
Mexico’s government is worried the new U.S. administration’s asylum policies are stoking illegal immigration and creating business for organized crime, according to officials and internal assessments seen by Reuters.
Mexico has praised Biden for offering a pathway to citizenship to millions of U.S. residents of Mexican origin, and for rolling back Trump-era policies that sent U.S. asylum seekers back into Mexico to await their court hearings.
| — Hat tip: Fjordman | [Return to headlines] |
Graham Suggests Al Qaeda, ISIS Could Exploit Biden’s Lax Border Policies to Enter US
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. warned on “Hannity” Tuesday that President Biden’simmigration policies could have major national security implications, suggesting that a porous southern border might serve as a “great way for terrorists to come into our country.”
Graham blamed Biden’s rollback of Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for the recent surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico frontier.
“Word is out that the Trump policies are being replaced by the Biden administration [policy] that if you get one foot in America, you are never going to leave,” Graham said.
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Mexico Stops 2 Buses With 210 Central American Migrants
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Police in southern Mexico said Wednesday they stopped two passenger buses loaded with a total of 210 Central American migrants, a mass-smuggling tactic that had largely fallen into disuse after a government crackdown in 2014.
Federal prosecutors said eight suspected immigrant traffickers were detained aboard the buses in the southern state of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala.
The vehicles were detected when they stopped at a toll booth, and the passengers could not show legal travel documents. Most of the migrants, 178, were from Guatemala.
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Apple Blocks Parler’s Request to Return to iPhones
Going through Apple’s App Store is the only way to get an app onto an iPhone and so if Apple blocks an app from participating, it’s game over, whether customers want it or not — a subject of several current anti-trust lawsuits.
In January, following the riot at the US Capital, Apple kicked the social media network Parler off the App Store, suggesting that it had a lack of moderation.
Parler relaunched a new app and submitted it to Apple for review.
However, Apple appears to have declined Parler’s request to be allowed on iPhones.
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Arkansas Bans Nearly All Abortion, Only Permitting the Act to Save a Mother’s Life
Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas signed into law one of the strictest abortion bans in the nation Tuesday. The new legislation bans the act in nearly every circumstance, with the sole exception of saving the life of the mother when it is determined that she would die carrying the baby to term.
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Founder of ‘Super Straight’ Movement Receives Death Threats, Harassment After Media Hit Pieces
The founder of the ‘super straight’ movement, which asserts the right to not be attracted to transgenders without being labeled “transphobic,” received a wave of harassment and death threats after the media ran hit pieces against him.
The movement began last week when Kyle Royce posted a video to TikTok outlining how he’d created a new sexual identity — super straight.
In the clip, Royce explains, “Since straight men get called transphobic because I wouldn’t date a trans woman…now I’m super straight, I only date the opposite gender — women that are born women — so you can’t say that I’m transphobic now because that’s my sexuality.”
Immediately after the clip went viral, media outlets like Pink News attacked Royce and claimed the trend “has links to the far-right and neo-nazis.”
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Milo Yiannopoulos Says He is ‘Ex-Gay, ‘ Wants to Rehabilitate ‘Conversion Therapy’
Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has come out as “ex-gay” — announcing that he “would like to help rehabilitate what the media calls “conversion therapy” over the next decade, according to a report.
The 36-year-old British political commentator, whose speeches and writings often ridicule political correctness, social justice and feminism, declared himself no longer gay and “sodomy free,” he told LifeSite in an interview.
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Provocative author and speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, whose confrontational messages on university campuses earned him the admiration of some conservatives, as well as sparking angry riots of leftists who were outraged by his ideas, has announced that he is consecrating his life to the Catholic Church and is pursuing celibacy.
Yiannopoulos, a formerly flamboyant gay activist, now describes himself as “ex-gay” and “sodomy free,” claiming that a challenge from Church Militant’s Michael Voris to live a chaste life led him to recognize his sinfulness.
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Sen. Tom Cotton Goes After Amazon for Quiet Removal of Book Criticizing Transgenderism
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) went after Amazon on Tuesday in a speech on the Senate floor, saying that the company had “quietly erased” a book from its online store.
The book removed by Amazon was “When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment” by Ryan Anderson.
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Statement on Amazon’s Removal of When Harry Became Sally
The National Coalition Against Censorship is deeply concerned by Amazon’s sudden decision to remove from sale a book, When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson. Amazon had been selling this controversial title for the last three years. While the book’s arguments anger many people, they are part of the public debate over gender identity. Amazon’s decision to stop selling it threatens the marketplace of ideas.
Amazon has a First Amendment right to sell whatever books it wants. However, from its earliest days, it has committed itself to selling an unprecedentedly wide range of books. Its website states, “As a bookseller, we believe that providing access to the written word is important, including content that may be considered objectionable.” Though Amazon’s content policy reserves the right to exclude “hate speech…or other material we deem inappropriate or offensive,” the company has not defined what it considers hateful or offensive content.
Amazon is not like other booksellers. It sells more than half of all print books and a significant share of e-books and audio books in the United States. This gives the company an outsized role in shaping opinion and discourse. When Amazon decides to remove a book, it matters not only to the author and their publisher, but to the entire public sphere.
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Twitch’s Secret “Brand Safety” Score for Streamers
Twitch seems to be following in the footsteps of all those other large tech companies who are working to make content published on their platforms more palatable to brands.
Amazon’s streaming giant has reportedly chosen to do this by adding what it calls a Brand Safety Score, that is automatic, security researcher Daylam Tayari found out while digging through the Twitch API.
Tayari announced this on Twitter, explaining that the system, meant to assess how brand-friendly streamers are, takes into account a number of points of reference.
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Women Protest in D.C. Against Biden’s Order on Gender Identity, Equality Act
Around 200 women gathered in the nation’s capital to protest recent Democratic legislation and executive orders that seek to prescribe gender identity as a protected class under federal law.
Participants at the Women Picket-DC event said they were opposed to President Biden’s recent executive order that allows biological males to compete in women’s sports based on their personal gender identity.
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Carbon-Negative Crops May Mean Water Shortages for 4.5 Billion People
Billions more people could have difficulty accessing water if the world opts for a massive expansion in growing energy crops to fight climate change, research has found.
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