Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/9/2021

Last week police in the Netherlands issued more than 6,000 fines for violations of the COVID curfew. Meanwhile, police in Edmonton, Alberta busted a huge lockdown-violating party in a beauty salon.

In other news, divers have discovered that a coral reef in the Philippines has recently become covered with disposable coronavirus face masks.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, JD, LP, MMc, 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.

Financial Crisis
» Illinois’ Record-Setting Pension Debt Jumps to Over $300 Billion
» Venezuela Issues Million-Bolivar-Bill Worth 50 Cents as Hyperinflation Rages
 
USA
» “This Was a Bloodbath” — Liberal Journalists Outraged After Huffington Post Fires 1/3rd of Its Staff
» Backlash After CNN Reports CDC Granting ‘Limited Freedoms’ For Vaccinated Americans
» Biden’s Handlers Panic at the Prospect of Him Being Asked a Question
» Biden to Give First Primetime Speech on Thursday, Hold Press Conference by End of Month
» Biden Sued by 12 States Over Climate Executive Order
» Chris Cuomo Accused of “Cultural Appropriation” After on-Air Claim That He’s “Black on the Inside”
» Democrat Panel Recommends Permanent Military “Quick Reaction Force” For Capitol
» Donald Trump Jr. Surges to the Top of Republican Primary Polls That Don’t Include His Dad
» Facebook Uses Guise of “Fact-Checking” To Censor Doctor Who Said Scientists Shouldn’t “Manipulate the Public”
» Georgia Senate Passes Election Reform Bill That Would End No-Excuse Absentee Voting
» Indisputable Proof That Donald J. Trump Won the Election
» Lincoln Project Exposed: Founders Made Millions in “Most Obvious & Glaring Fraud in Modern History”
» Mainstream Media Online Traffic Tanked After Trump Left the White House
» Michigan Man Charged in Connection With Homemade Explosive Device at High School
» Mike Pence’s First Speaking Appearance After Office Hints at 2024 Run
» Muslim Instagrammer Harasses Jewish Clients in Michigan Kosher Shop
» New Book Raises Questions About Biden’s Temperament, Fitness for Office
» NRCC Poll: Nancy Pelosi ‘Most Unpopular Elected Official in the Country’
» Police Investigating Shooting in Pittsburgh’s North Side, Three People Taken to Hospital
» Poll Reveals Fewer Than 1 in 5 Support “Defund the Police” Movement, Down From August
» School Board Member Who Shared a Meme Blasting the Cancelation of Dr. Seuss Deleted it After Severe Backlash
» Sixth Woman Accuses Cuomo of Sexual Harassment
» Teen Vogue Staff Reject New Editor-in-Chief Due to Tweets She Made as a Teenager
» Twitter Sues Texas AG to Avoid Investigation Into Its Censorship Practices
» UCF Hit With First Amendment Violation Lawsuit Over Its “Bias Response Team”
» Woman, Dog Shot and Killed in Marion Monday, Husband Recovering From Stabbing
 
Canada
» Edmonton Police Busted a Huge Party With Over 100 People at a Beauty Salon This Weekend
» Trudeau Vows “Feminist” Recovery to Tackle “She-Cession”
 
Europe and the EU
» Afghan Migrant Beat Female French Cops After Refusing to Wear Mask
» Alleged Terror Plotter Told Pro-ISIS Group Chat He Wanted to ‘Hunt Down’ Gay People in the UK, Court Hears
» Czechia Prefers Creating Vaccine Passport at the EU Level
» France: Man Sets Woman on Fire on Bus in Paris No-Go Suburbs
» Netherlands: Over 6,000 Fined for Violating Curfew Last Week
» The Heart of Journalism Beats on the Left
» UK: ‘The Establishment is Dragging Its Feet’: Third Think BBC Too Woke, Half Say Not Good Value for Money
» UK: Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Calls for Boycott of Royal Family, Claiming They Don’t Value Black Lives
» UK: Meghan and Harry Want to Destroy Monarchy, Make Themselves Leaders of the Woke Revolution, Says Farage
» UK: Piers Morgan Quits Breakfast TV Show Good Morning Britain Amid Woke Royals Row
» UK: Queen Hits Back at Meghan Racism Claims! ‘Some Recollections May Vary’
» UK: Top Prof: New “Surge of Coronavirus” To Return Later This Year
 
South Asia
» Christian Boy Sentenced to Prison for “Liking” A Facebook Post in Pakistan Released on Bail After 4 Years
» Women’s Day: Pakistanis Denigrate ‘Aurat March’ Protestors, Label Them as Vulgar, UN-Islamic
 
Far East
» Breaking: Tokyo Olympics Will be Held Without Spectators From Overseas
» Philippines Coral Reef Covered With Face Masks
» Police Raid Christian Church in China, Seize and Interrogate 5 Members
 
Australia — Pacific
» Extinction Rebellion Protesters Superglue Themselves to Road, Building in Adelaide
 
Latin America
» In Shocking Reversal, Brazil Supreme Court Annuls Lula Carwash Conviction, Setting Stage for His Return as President
 
Immigration
» Afghan Criminal Gang Are Deflating and Burying Dinghies on French Beaches Before Charging Migrants £2,000 Each to Use Them to Get to the UK
» Germany: Abbess Grants Monastery Asylum to 30 Muslim Migrants, But Not to a Single Christian
» Hungarian Foreign Minister Links Immigration With Proliferation of Drugs in the EU
» Italian Police Bust Migrant-Smuggling Cell
» Migrant Crisis Escalates: 115 Illegals Land in the UK in One Day
» New Wave of Illegal Migrants Hits Poland’s Silesia Region: Report
» UK: Anti-Immigration Leaflets Being Delivered in Stroud Could be Illegal, Say Police
 
Culture Wars
» “Normal” Gets Cancelled as Unilever Vows to Drop Word From All Brands
» Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden Says it Feels Betrayed After Biden Allows COVID-19 Relief to Fund Abortions
» Warsaw Mayor’s Women’s Day Poster Resembles Maoist Propaganda
» White House Signals Openness to Adding Third Gender to Official Documents
 

Illinois’ Record-Setting Pension Debt Jumps to Over $300 Billion

Authored by Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner via Wirepoints.org

Illinois’ pension debt, already the nation’s biggest, grew to $317 billion in 2020 according to a new report from Moody’s Investors Service.

The Moody’s report confirms Wirepoints’ prediction made last April in “Coronavirus impact may push Illinois state pension debt to over $300 billion.” We warned that the economic fallout from COVID and record-low interest rates would cause the state’s pension shortfall to jump to $312 billion.

Now Moody’s says the shortfalls of Illinois’ five state-run pension funds, based on the credit agency’s own calculations, jumped by $56 billion, up from $261 billion in 2019.

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

Venezuela Issues Million-Bolivar-Bill Worth 50 Cents as Hyperinflation Rages

Venezuela’s currency has lost 99.999% of its value during the six years of hyperinflation, forcing the country to issue larger banknotes. On Friday, the nation’s central bank announced new plans to unveil the highest valued banknote of one million bolivars.

The Central Bank of Venezuela tweeted Friday that “three new banknotes will be incorporated into the current Monetary Cone, as part of the expansion of the current family of monetary species.” As early as this week, it will introduce banknotes worth 200,000, 500,000, and one million bolivars. For those wondering how much one million bolivars is worth in terms of US dollars, well, it’s around 50 cents.

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

“This Was a Bloodbath” — Liberal Journalists Outraged After Huffington Post Fires 1/3rd of Its Staff

Just months after it was acquired by Buzzfeed in a fire sale, the Huffington Post — the once-pioneering Internet media property — has elicited an outpouring of criticism from the blue-check crowd after abruptly firing nearly 50 reporters, roughly one-third of the site’s staff.

News of the layoffs first emerged on Twitter, as dozens of newly-fired journos tweeted about their misfortune, but was soon picked up by Defector, the cooperatively-owned media property started by former staff writers from Deadspin.

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

Backlash After CNN Reports CDC Granting ‘Limited Freedoms’ For Vaccinated Americans

Following the release of new CDC guidelines, CNN reported that Americans who have taken the coronavirus vaccine are being granted “limited freedoms”, prompting a backlash on social media.

The CDC issued guidelines Monday that state people who have been vaccinated more than two weeks ago are now allowed to visit other people indoors.

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

Biden’s Handlers Panic at the Prospect of Him Being Asked a Question

A video clip from Joe Biden’s visit to a hardware store in DC shows Biden’s handlers in the background panicking at the prospect of him being asked a question.

The clip shows Biden, who is wearing two face masks, appearing distracted as he waves to some people on a higher level while meeting with the store owner.

As the owner tries to address Biden again, Biden’s handlers suddenly become agitated and one is repeatedly heard saying, “come on press, let’s go, we’re gonna move out.”

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

Biden to Give First Primetime Speech on Thursday, Hold Press Conference by End of Month

President Biden will deliver his first primetime speech since taking office on Thursday.

The speech will commemorate the one-year anniversary of the lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus. The World Health Organization declared the spread of COVID-19 was a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

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

Biden Sued by 12 States Over Climate Executive Order

Authored by Jack Phillips via The Epoch Times

President Joe Biden was sued by 12 states over a climate change-related executive order, saying it has the potential to severely impact states’ economies.

State attorneys general from Arkansas, Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah joined a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.

“Manufacturing, agriculture, and energy production are essential to Missouri’s economy and employ thousands of hard-working Missourians across the state. Under President Biden’s executive order, which he didn’t have the authority to enact, these hard-working Missourians who have lived and worked this land for generations could be left in the dust,” Schmitt, a Republican, said in a statement on Monday.

The lawsuit is designed to challenge Biden’s Executive Order 13990, titled “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis,” and accuses the Biden administration of not having sufficient authority to issue binding numbers on the “social costs of greenhouse gases” in federal regulations.

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

Chris Cuomo Accused of “Cultural Appropriation” After on-Air Claim That He’s “Black on the Inside”

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo isn’t the only Cuomo facing a barrage of criticism. The governor’s brother, CNN host Chris Cuomo, is dealing with fallout over remarks he made to colleague Don Lemon that many have said were offensive to black Americans.

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

Democrat Panel Recommends Permanent Military “Quick Reaction Force” For Capitol

A Democrat appointed ‘task force’ has issued a report recommending a permanent military security force be stationed around Capitol Hill.

The task force, headed up by Army Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Russel L. Honoré, reported back to Nancy Pelosi, suggesting that a “quick reaction force” be formed and put on standby in addition to Capitol police.

The report notes that DC is “a high-value target for foreign terrorists or domestic extremists, yet it has no dedicated QRF for response to crises.”

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

Donald Trump Jr. Surges to the Top of Republican Primary Polls That Don’t Include His Dad

Despite polls from the Conservative Political Action Conference that showed him trailing former Vice President Mike Pence by 10 points in a potential Republican 2024 primary that doesn’t include his dad, Donald Trump Jr. surged to the top of a nationwide poll just released by McLaughlin & Associates.

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

Facebook Uses Guise of “Fact-Checking” To Censor Doctor Who Said Scientists Shouldn’t “Manipulate the Public”

“Fact-checkers” hired by Facebook are at it again, labeling content they see as Covid misinformation, and this time they hit a major mainstream media outlet, the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper announced that an op-ed authored by Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins, got flagged by fact-checkers who said they had three scientists analyze it and find it was misleading, unsubstantiated, and missing context.

In the article, Makary was presenting his assessment as to whether “herd immunity” might be achieved in the US, suggesting that this could happen as early as by April, through a combination of factors such as the number of people who already had coronavirus, and vaccination.

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

Georgia Senate Passes Election Reform Bill That Would End No-Excuse Absentee Voting

Authored by Mimi Nguyen Ly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

Georgia’s state Senate passed a comprehensive election reform bill on Monday that would, among multiple provisions, repeal no-excuse absentee voting and limit mail-in ballots to certain criteria.

The Republican-backed bill passed with a vote of 29-20. It now goes to the House Elections Integrity Committee where it is expected to be passed in the next several weeks. The bill must pass by March 31 to have a chance of becoming law by the end of the 2021 legislative session in Georgia, subject to Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision whether to sign or veto it.

The bill, SB 241 (pdf), contains sweeping changes to the Georgia Code related to elections and voting. Under the proposed legislation, those who are eligible to vote by mail will be limited to people who are physically disabled; or are over 65 years old; are eligible as a military or overseas voter; have a religious holiday around election day; work in elections; or somehow need to be outside their voting precinct during the early voting period and election day.

The bill would also eliminate no-excuse absentee voting, something that has been allowed in Georgia since 2005.

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

Indisputable Proof That Donald J. Trump Won the Election

On election night Trump was ahead, significantly ahead. By 930pm on election night, it was already a statistical impossibility for Biden to win. Yet, all of a sudden, despite Trump’s substantial margin, Biden was ahead and winning the election, how did this happen? Notice in the graphic below Trump’s lead (top numbers) and then Biden’s fraudulent lead — which occurred within 5 hours, in the middle of the night. Note also that this sudden leap forward for Biden just by chance happened in not one state or even two, but FOUR states, and ALL at the same time. Oh, and they were all swing states, but that’s all just coincidence right?

Notice in the below image that Biden instantly received 23 times the votes that Trump did in Michigan. Not in hours, but in minutes. This is of course impossible.

Look at the above graphic where Trump was ahead by over 100,000 votes. In ONE vote update in Wisconsin, Biden leapfrogs ahead by some 20,000 votes. How can this be? Answer — it CAN’T.

One vote update in Georgia gave Trump 29,000 votes — the same update gave Biden 136,000 votes. Seeing a pattern here?

These abnormal, and unquestionably all but impossible vote count spikes gave Biden the win. Except that based solely on statistics, Biden could not possibly have received this many votes in so short a time, in so many states — at the same time. Neither could any other candidate — ever.

Have you ever heard of 100% of a particular voter precinct actually voting? Well, how about 150% — or over 300% of a voting precinct voting??? Well guess what? This actually did happen, in Michigan.

           — Hat tip: JD [Return to headlines]
 

Lincoln Project Exposed: Founders Made Millions in “Most Obvious & Glaring Fraud in Modern History”

Leaders of the Lincoln Project — a cadre of anti-Trump Republicans who raised $87 million to oppose the former president’s reelection — knew about co-founder John Weaver’s sexual harassment allegations involving young men after being warned multiple times last year, yet Weaver remained at the organization for at least seven months after the first report, according to an in-depth investigation by the New York Times‘ Danny Hakim, Maggie Astor and Jo Becker.

Citing a mix of anonymous sources and former employees, the Times found that the group knew about Weaver’s aggressive harassment of young men since at least January, 2020, when an employee for the group’s digital marketing firm, Tusk, told board member and contractor Ron Steslow that Weaver “had a history of flirting with gentlemen over Twitter in an inappropriate fashion.”

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

Mainstream Media Online Traffic Tanked After Trump Left the White House

Mainstream media’s 4-year-long sustained and relentless “battle royale” against President Donald Trump, and his own distaste and fierce criticism of them may not have fostered a healthy political and social climate in the US, but this certainly brought a lot of traffic and by extension revenue to these outlets.

Now that Joe Biden is in the White House, that traffic has declined by 20 percent or more in February compared to just a month before, web traffic analytics firm SimilarWeb has said.

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

Michigan Man Charged in Connection With Homemade Explosive Device at High School

A Newaygo High School student accidentally detonated a homemade explosive device he brought to school on Monday.(CNN) — Michigan police charged a 33-year-old man Tuesday after a student brought a homemade explosive device to a high school and accidentally detonated it.

David Robert Daniel Saylor — who turns 34 on Wednesday — was arraigned on one count of manufacturing a Molotov cocktail and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to a news release from Newaygo County Prosecuting Attorney Worth Stay.

Saylor is also charged as a habitual offender with a second offense notice, the news release said. CNN has reached out to Saylor’s attorney, Rick Prysock, for comment.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Mike Pence’s First Speaking Appearance After Office Hints at 2024 Run

Former Vice President Mike Pence is set to give his first post-office speech in South Carolina in April in a move that may be hinting at a 2024 presidential run.

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

Muslim Instagrammer Harasses Jewish Clients in Michigan Kosher Shop

Abdullah aka Dulla Mulla, a Yemeni content creator on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok known for skits and pranks, went to a Jewish-owned kosher store in Detroit, Michigan and harassed Jewish patrons by showing them a picture on his phone of a Palestinian flag and the words “Free Palestine” written on it and recording their reactions for his newest video.

In the video that was shared on Twitter by the account @BDSreport, Dulla Mulla can be seen walking throughout and in front of the shop, harassingthe clients, asking them to read the sentence on his phone.

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

New Book Raises Questions About Biden’s Temperament, Fitness for Office

A new book from journalists Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes is raising questions about the temperament of America’s newest chief executive who is described by aides and staffers in the book as exhibiting a “willingness to unleash” aggressive verbal fits. “Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency” documents that Biden’s “cranky” demeanor is often directed towards young staff members who dare to question the president.

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

NRCC Poll: Nancy Pelosi ‘Most Unpopular Elected Official in the Country’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is the most unpopular elected official in the country, a factor that could bode well for Republicans who seek to take the House majority in 2022, an internal survey from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) found.

The NRCC’s February survey, which showed Republicans well-positioned to take the House majority in the next election cycle due to an advantage in ticket-splitting districts, also showed the immense unpopularity of Pelosi across nearly every “key” subgroup, including women, Hispanics, and union households.

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

Police Investigating Shooting in Pittsburgh’s North Side, Three People Taken to Hospital

Police are at East Ohio and Suismon streets. Several streets are closed.

PITTSBURGH — Police are on scene investigating a shooting in Pittsburgh’s North Side on Tuesday evening, Public Safety officials confirmed.

Officials said three people were taken to local hospitals, two in critical condition and one in stable condition.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Poll Reveals Fewer Than 1 in 5 Support “Defund the Police” Movement, Down From August

A recent Ipsos/USA TODAY poll found that support to “defund the police” has decreased among Americans since August.

The move to “defund police” came from Black Lives Matter activists and protesters. Although some believe defunding the police means to get rid of law enforcement completely, many activists wanted police budgets to be put toward community social programs.

Eighteen percent of respondents supported the “defund the police” movement with 58% in opposition to it. Only 28% of black Americans and 34% of Democrats were in favor of it.

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

School Board Member Who Shared a Meme Blasting the Cancelation of Dr. Seuss Deleted it After Severe Backlash

A school district board member in the US state of Virginia has deleted a post on Facebook supportive of the late children’s books author Theodor Seuss Geisel, who wrote as Dr Seuss, and apologized for posting it, after she came under attack.

Micky Ogburn, who is a member of the Three Chopt District School Board, last week shared the post decrying the hypocrisy of the canceling of six books authored by Dr Seuss by his own estate for alleged racism.

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

Sixth Woman Accuses Cuomo of Sexual Harassment

Accusations of sexual harassment against NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo are piling up faster than unreported COVID-19 nursing home deaths.

According to a report published just minutes ago by the Albany Times-Union, the paper of record for the Empire State’s capitol region, a sixth woman is now claiming she was harassed by the governor, whom she accused of “inappropriate touching” — but this time, the alleged harassment purportedly took place at the governor’s mansion. The governor’s office first learned of the allegation over the weekend, but this is the first time it has been made public.

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

Teen Vogue Staff Reject New Editor-in-Chief Due to Tweets She Made as a Teenager

Alexi McCammond, who was named the new editor-in-chief for Teen Vogue, is facing backlash after her teenage anti-Asian tweets resurfaced. Critics claim Teen Vogue should not hire her considering the increase in violence against Asian-Americans.

McCammond was most recently an NBC News contributor and reporter for Axios who was accused of ethics violations after striking up an undisclosed relationship with a White House aide to President Biden.

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

Twitter Sues Texas AG to Avoid Investigation Into Its Censorship Practices

On Monday, Twitter filed a complaint in court against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who launched an investigation into the platform’s content censorship policies. Twitter argues that Paxton launched the investigation in retaliation to the de-platforming of former president Trump, which the company ironically claims is an abuse of power.

We obtained a copy of the complaint for you here.

“Twitter seeks to stop AG Paxton from unlawfully abusing his authority as the highest law-enforcement officer of the State of Texas to intimidate, harass, and target Twitter in retaliation for Twitter’s exercise of its First Amendment rights,” the company wrote in the court filing.

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

UCF Hit With First Amendment Violation Lawsuit Over Its “Bias Response Team”

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is being sued for allegedly unconstitutionally violating students’ right to free speech on politics and social issues.

The lawsuit will be considered by the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida and seeks a permanent injunction preventing the school from enforcing several controversial policies.

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

Woman, Dog Shot and Killed in Marion Monday, Husband Recovering From Stabbing

A gruesome situation is under investigation in Marion, Ohio after police say an elderly woman was shot and killed, and her husband stabbed.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Edmonton Police Busted a Huge Party With Over 100 People at a Beauty Salon This Weekend

On Sunday, March 7, Edmonton Police responded to reports of a big party inside a local beauty salon.

Scott Pattison, communications advisor with the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), told Narcity in an email that between 100 to 125 people were at the illegal gathering.

Pattinson said that police arrived at the location in a commercial complex called Ellwood Corner on 91 Street in southeast Edmonton at about 1:30 a.m.

That’s where they found the massive group and “large volumes of alcohol and a DJ on the premises.”

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

Trudeau Vows “Feminist” Recovery to Tackle “She-Cession”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has vowed to overturn a “she-cession” by implementing a “feminist, intersectional recovery” from the lockdown policies he introduced.

Yes, he really said “she-cession.”

“This crisis has created a she-cession and has threatened to roll back the hard-fought social and economic progress of all women,” Trudeau told reporters.

“To build a fairer and more equal Canada, we must ensure a feminist, intersectional recovery from this crisis,” he added.

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

Afghan Migrant Beat Female French Cops After Refusing to Wear Mask

A man, believed to be of Afghan origin, assaulted two female police in the city of Montbéliard after refusing to wear a mask in public.

The two female officers were conducting a foot patrol in the centre of the city on Saturday at around 11:15 am when they spotted a man not wearing a mask and, after speaking to him, were met with a middle finger in response.

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

Alleged Terror Plotter Told Pro-ISIS Group Chat He Wanted to ‘Hunt Down’ Gay People in the UK, Court Hears

Abu, 27, stands accused of planning a terrorist attack, and is currently on trial at the Old Bailey in London. He has denied the charges.

Abu told a group chat on messaging platform Telegram that he had “panic attacks” when he saw gay people and that he wanted to “hunt them down”, the court heard.

In one message, he claimed he had seen a “woman-man thing and almost battered them”, according to The Independent.

He also reportedly referred to Barack Obama as the “LGBT president” and branded queerpeople as “disgusting” on the pro-ISIS group chat.

During a court appearance at the Old Bailey on Monday (1 March), Abu claimed he had written the messages because he wanted to be seen as a “bad boy”.

He denied that the messages represented his actual views about LGBT+ people and said he sent the messages as an “ego trip” as he wanted to “flex his muscles”.

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

Czechia Prefers Creating Vaccine Passport at the EU Level

The Czech Republic would prefer the so-called vaccine passports to be created at the level of the entire European Union, said Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek. If the EU does not find a consensus, the Czech Republic would consider a narrower system with neighboring states. According to Petricek, the plan, which the European Commission should present by next Wednesday, must also not discriminate against people who cannot be vaccinated.

Petricek has already supported the idea of vaccine passports a week ago after the Central European C5 meeting with the foreign ministers of Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and Slovenia. On Monday, he added that Czechia is in favor of a digital form of passports.

“Furthermore, personal data have to be thoroughly secured and, ideally, the system should record undergoing the disease,” noted Petricek.

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

France: Man Sets Woman on Fire on Bus in Paris No-Go Suburbs

A 54-year-old woman on a bus in the Paris no-go suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis was seriously injured after a man sprayed her with a flammable liquid and set her on fire.

The incident took place in the commune of Noisy-le-Sec at around 7:15 pm on Saturday in what appears to have been an unprovoked, random attack.

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

Netherlands: Over 6,000 Fined for Violating Curfew Last Week

Last week the police issued 6,014 fines for people not adhering to the coronavirus curfew, nearly a thousand less than the week before. Netherlands residents have to be in their homes between 9:00 p.m. and 4:30 a.m.

The police also issued 278 fines for people violating the ban on gathering in groups, and 228 warnings for ignoring other coronavirus measures, compared to 343 and 280 the week before.

A total of 60 illegal parties were broken up over the weekend. The previous weekend, 80 illegal parties were shut down.

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

The Heart of Journalism Beats on the Left

A new study examines political biases in journalism within Germany and finds that not only does bias run deep but the media is also unbalanced in favor of the left.

It is undisputed that the vast majority of journalists are left of center — even with those who work for so-called conservative publishers like Germany’s Axel Springer. Only recently it emerged that more than 90 percent of workers in public broadcasting vote for the Greens, the Left, and the Social Democratic Party. Given that about around 50 percent of Germany’s public vote for the more right-leaning Christian Democratic Union, Alternative for Germany, and the Free Democratic Party, the staff of taxpayer-funded public broadcasting overwhelming vote for the left.

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

UK: ‘The Establishment is Dragging Its Feet’: Third Think BBC Too Woke, Half Say Not Good Value for Money

More than one-third of Britons think that the BBC is “too woke”, with more than half believing it is not value for money, the findings coming as a wave of pensioners reportedly refuse to pay licence fees.

The results of the Savanta ComRes poll, commissioned by the Defund the BBC campaign and seen by Breitbart London, found that 34 per cent of those surveyed thought that the broadcaster focused too heavily on “woke” — leftist progressive and otherwise ‘social justice’ — issues.

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

UK: Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Calls for Boycott of Royal Family, Claiming They Don’t Value Black Lives

Black Lives Matter co-founder Opal Tometi is calling for a boycott of the Royal Family, alleging that they don’t value black lives.

The boycott comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey that somebody in the Royal Family had “concerns and conversations” about how dark her child’s skin color might be after she was first pregnant with her son Archie.

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

UK: Meghan and Harry Want to Destroy Monarchy, Make Themselves Leaders of the Woke Revolution, Says Farage

Brexit leader Nigel Farage has claimed that Harry and Meghan want to destroy the Monarchy and make themselves the leaders of the “Woke Revolution”, following the interview with Oprah where the couple implied that the Royal Family was racist.

Mr Farage has taken it upon himself to defend Britain’s beloved Queen Elizabeth II and her institution to the American media, because Meghan and Harry abused their “movers’ advantage” to put their claims out into the world first, putting the Royal Family, which historically does not respond to media claims about them whether they are true or not. Ultimately, the monarchy would be left in the difficult position of proving a negative.

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

UK: Piers Morgan Quits Breakfast TV Show Good Morning Britain Amid Woke Royals Row

Piers Morgan has quit the ITV morning chat show Good Morning Britain after he stormed off the show on Tuesday during a discussion about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry.

Morgan, who previously served as a CNN host as well as a writer and editor for British tabloids, including The Sun and the Daily Mirror, co-hosted GMB for the past six years.

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

UK: Queen Hits Back at Meghan Racism Claims! ‘Some Recollections May Vary’

Buckingham Palace broke with normal convention Tuesday to issue a direct riposte to the extraordinary claims made by Meghan in her Oprah interview, expressing sympathy but obliquely questioning her version of events.

In a message published by Buckingham Palace on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia among others, the monarch said Harry and Meghan remained “much loved family members”.

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UK: Top Prof: New “Surge of Coronavirus” To Return Later This Year

Despite the UK planning to lift all restrictions in June, the country’s Chief Medical Officer says that there will be a new “surge” of coronavirus later this year, opening up the possibility of lockdown being extended once again.

Professor Chris Whitty warned MPs today that “all the modelling” in relation to COVID-19 shows that it will make a comeback at the end of summer or in autumn.

Whitty said that the virus would target people who have failed to take the vaccine or those on whom it has been ineffective.

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

Christian Boy Sentenced to Prison for “Liking” A Facebook Post in Pakistan Released on Bail After 4 Years

After spending four years in prison, a Pakistani Christian named Nabeel Masih has been released from prison on bail. When he was just 16 years old, Masih was sentenced to 10 years in prison for allegedly “liking” and “sharing” a Facebook post that “defamed and disrespected” an ancient building sacred to the Islamic faith.

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

Women’s Day: Pakistanis Denigrate ‘Aurat March’ Protestors, Label Them as Vulgar, UN-Islamic

On Monday, the annual Aurat Azadi March was held in several cities of Pakistan, including Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi on the occasion of International Women’s Day. With an objective to achieve equal social status at par with men in the conservative society in the Islamic country of Pakistan, the participants of the Aurat March sat on a dharna, raised slogans and marked the homecoming of the feminist movement.

Pakistanis objectify women, call them ‘vulgar’, ‘anti-social’

However, ahead of the historic ‘Aurat Azadi March’, Pakistani men have been spewing venom against the women’s movement. From labelling it as ‘vulgar’, ‘un-Islamic’ to comparing women with vegetables and animals, Pakistanis did not leave any stone unturned to tarnish the fight of women for justice and equal rights. M Saad Arslan Sadiq, who claims to be an entrepreneur, wrote, “Both men and women have special rights in Islam but to do Aurat March and giving slogan mera jism meri marzi should not be promoted. It is totally against our moral values.”

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

Breaking: Tokyo Olympics Will be Held Without Spectators From Overseas

With most of the world still struggling to deal with the health crisis and more contagious variants of the virus spreading or yet to emerge, Japan may not have many answers for the spectator question, with medical experts saying it is unrealistic to expect full capacity crowds in the stands this summer.

Kentaro Iwata, a professor of infectious diseases at Kobe University, said the “most reasonable decision” is to hold the games without spectators, adding that “other options are not right from a medical standpoint.”

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Philippines Coral Reef Covered With Face Masks

Divers in the Philippines have discovered single use face masks and other PPE covering precious coral reefs and being consumed by marine life as the impact of lockdown takes its toll on the environment.

While the media and groups like the World Economic Forum have have hailed the impact of lockdown, celebrating it for reducing CO2 emissions and creating “quieter cities,” the real environmental impact has gone largely unreported.

“Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is washing up on coral reefs close to the Philippine capital, Manila,” reports BBC News. “According to an estimate by the Asian Development Bank, during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, the city could have been generating up to 280 tonnes of extra medical waste per day.”

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

Police Raid Christian Church in China, Seize and Interrogate 5 Members

Police raided the east campus of Chengdu Fountain of Life Church during the Sunday worship service where officers seized and transported Elder Zha Changping, his wife, and three other Christians to the police station.

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

Extinction Rebellion Protesters Superglue Themselves to Road, Building in Adelaide

Extinction Rebellion protesters set off flares and glued themselves to the middle of Flinders Street during this morning’s peak hour in Adelaide.

A section of Flinders Street between Gawler Place and Wyatt Street was closed and authorities redirected traffic.

Four protesters used superglue to attach themselves across the intersection of Flinders Street and Gawler Place.

Another pair of protesters climbed the office building of oil and gas company Santos building before setting off flares and spray painting messages. They then glued themselves to the building.

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

In Shocking Reversal, Brazil Supreme Court Annuls Lula Carwash Conviction, Setting Stage for His Return as President

In a stunning announcement that shocked even veteran banana republic experts, on Monday Brazil’s Supreme Court annulled the conviction of former President Lula (full name Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva) over his involvement in Brazil’s legendary Carwash corruption probe, clearing the way for the leftist leader to run for the nation’s top job for the third time if and when he so chooses.

Former president Lula was convicted of corruption in 2017, and left jail in late 2019 after a Supreme Court decision he couldn’t serve time as all appeals hadn’t been exhausted. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and has said he’s victim of political persecution.

Then on Monday, the federal court in the southern city of Curitiba had no jurisdiction over cases against the former president, Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin wrote in a statement on Monday, annulling convictions for crimes such as bribery stemming from property upgrades in Atibaia and a beach-front triplex in the state of Sao Paulo.

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

Afghan Criminal Gang Are Deflating and Burying Dinghies on French Beaches Before Charging Migrants £2,000 Each to Use Them to Get to the UK

An Afghan criminal gang has deflated and buried dinghies on French beaches before charging migrants £2,000 each to get to the UK.

An alleged network is thought to have been buying the second-hand boats online and then hiding them near Calais.

Each boat could carry between 10 and 15 migrants, who would be charged between 2,500 and 3,000 euros each to get to the UK, officers believe.

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

Germany: Abbess Grants Monastery Asylum to 30 Muslim Migrants, But Not to a Single Christian

Yet it is the Christians in Iraq who are actually being victimized and are in need of asylum.

“Abbess gives monastery asylum to 30 migrants — not a single Christian,” translated from “Äbtissin gibt 30 Migranten Klosterasyl — einem Christen nicht,” by Albrecht Künstle, haOlam, March 6, 2021 (thanks to Medforth).

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

Hungarian Foreign Minister Links Immigration With Proliferation of Drugs in the EU

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjartó has criticized the European Union for not doing enough to break the link between illegal immigration and the growing drug trade.

During the 14th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Japan, Szijjartó pointed out that there are two major security challenges linked to organized crime that the world is currently facing: illegal migration and the rise in drug consumption. In his view, the EU’s responsible authorities are not employing the appropriate measures to break the link between the two.

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

Italian Police Bust Migrant-Smuggling Cell

ROME: Italian police have dismantled an organization in the country’s northeast that worked to illegally smuggle hundreds of migrants from Kurdish areas into Europe in exchange for large sums of money.

Five people were arrested in the city of Trieste, near the border with Croatia and Slovenia. Two Iraqi Kurds were also put under house arrest.

Operation Hub began a year ago in several Italian cities and was extended abroad, said Massimo De Bortoli, an anti-mafia prosecutor in Trieste.

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

Migrant Crisis Escalates: 115 Illegals Land in the UK in One Day

The migrant crisis in the English Channel reached a new high daily high since the beginning of the year, with over 100 illegal migrants being brought ashore in England on Monday.

The Home Office said seven small boats carrying at least 115 illegal migrants crossed the Channel, marking the highest number of crossings in a single day since the UK officially left the EU at the beginning of the year.

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New Wave of Illegal Migrants Hits Poland’s Silesia Region: Report

The Silesian division of the Polish Border Guard has recently been reporting about a rise in foreigners who are found during illegal attempts to enter Poland. So far, there have been arrests in Rybnik, Bielsko and Sosnowiec counties — all in the Silesian Voivodship.

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

UK: Anti-Immigration Leaflets Being Delivered in Stroud Could be Illegal, Say Police

POLICE are appealing for information after anti-immigration leaflets were delivered to homes in Stroud.

A far right group has been posting the flyers, which claim white Britons will become “a minority by the 2060s or sooner”, through resident’s letterboxes.

Officers would now like to hear from people who have received the leaflets so they can identify which areas have been affected.

Sgt Garrett Gloyn of Stroud Police said: “In recent weeks we have been contacted by residents in the Stroud area who have reported receiving leaflets amongst their post the content of which has either concerned or offended them.

“These leaflets are entitled ‘White Britons to be a minority by the 2060s — or sooner’ and argue of the damage caused by immigration to the UK.

“Our enquiries suggest that the leaflets are being delivered door to door by one or more individuals, rather than an organisation such as the Royal Mail.”

Sgt Glyn added: “Legal advice obtained by Stroud Police suggests that the content and delivery of the material may amount to an offence under section 18 of the Public Order Act — the use of written material to stir up racial hatred.

“We are hoping to identify the person or people who are making the deliveries.

“If you know someone who is delivering this literature in the area we would like to know.”…

[Comment: It seems that expressing this opinion gets the police on your tail and leads to accusations in the media that you are violent. Yet this view is probably a peacefully-held majority view. We also have local elections in May when the establishment parties will be putting out leaflets — all ignoring this subject. Because of censorship in the UK media, leafletting is the only way opponents of immigration can get their case for reducing it across to the voters.]

           — Hat tip: MMc [Return to headlines]
 

“Normal” Gets Cancelled as Unilever Vows to Drop Word From All Brands

The next thing to be cancelled is apparently the word “normal,” with corporate giant Unilever vowing to ban the use of the description on all its products.

Yes, really.

“In a statement on Tuesday, Unilever revealed that its brands would be “removing the word ‘normal’ from advertising and packaging” after 70 percent of people in a survey said the word had a negative effect and the beauty industry needed to be more inclusive,” reports RT.

Unilever President of Beauty & Personal Care Sunny Jain said the company was “committed to tackling harmful norms and stereotypes, and shaping a broader, far more inclusive definition of beauty.”

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

Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden Says it Feels Betrayed After Biden Allows COVID-19 Relief to Fund Abortions

The coalition that calls itself Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden said it is feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse after the Biden administration negotiated a COVID-19 relief bill that allows for stimulus dollars to fund abortions.

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

Warsaw Mayor’s Women’s Day Poster Resembles Maoist Propaganda

Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski posted an International Women’s Day tribute on Twitter accompanied by a poster which bears uncanny similarities to a Chinese communist propaganda poster.

In addition to the Women’s Day greeting, Trzaskowski referred to the 2020 pro-abortion protests which followed the Constitutional Tribunal’s verdict banning eugenic abortion, according to Polish news outlet wPolitiyce.

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

White House Signals Openness to Adding Third Gender to Official Documents

Officials in the White House have signaled that they would be open to adding a third gender option to official federal identification documents.

White House Gender Policy Council Executive Director Jennifer Klein said during a Monday press conference that she was unsure if such a move would require an executive order.

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