Seven sheriff’s deputies have been placed on leave after a black man named Andrew Brown Jr. was shot dead during the execution of a drug trafficking warrant in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Mr. Brown reportedly was shot in the back as he attempted to drive away from law enforcement officers.
In other news, Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner announced that he/she will run for California governor as a Republican in the recall election to replace Gavin Newsom.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, LP, MM, 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.
Greece Closer to Investment Grade With Ratings Upgrade Says S&P
International rating agency Standard & Poor’s unexpectedly upgraded Greece’s sovereign credit rating by one notch on Friday, to ‘BB’ from ‘BB-’, and maintained a “positive” outlook, with Athens greeting the news with satisfaction.
In its scheduled review of the Greek economy the US firm projected an economic rebound of 4.9% for this year, above the latest Bank of Greece forecast for a 4.2% growth. The recovery will accelerate to 5.8% in 2022, the agency said on Friday.
The fact S&P has also adjusted Greece’s outlook to “positive” from stable means that a further upgrade may well be due in the next 12 to 18 months, taking Greece to the verge of investment grade after more than a decade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
7 Deputies on Leave After Fatal Shooting of Black Man
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say seven North Carolina deputies have been placed on leave in the aftermath of a Black man being shot and killed by members of their department serving drug-related search and arrest warrants. The disclosure comes as calls increase for the release of deputy body camera footage amid signs that Andrew Brown Jr. was shot in the back and killed as he was trying to drive away. Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Aaron Wallio confirmed the number of deputies on leave due to the shooting. Gov. Roy Cooper joined calls for the swift release of the body camera footage, saying that initial reports of what happened “are tragic and extremely concerning.”
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Akayed Ullah: Times Square Subway Pipe Bomber Jailed for Life
A man who set off a pipe bomb during rush hour in a New York subway station has been sentenced to life in prison.
Akayed Ullah, 31, detonated the bomb in Times Square station, which is the busiest in New York City, on 11 December 2017.
He later claimed he had only wanted to kill himself and was not acting on behalf of the Islamic State (IS) group.
US Circuit Judge Richard Sullivan described the attack as a “truly barbaric and heinous crime”.
[Comment: Andy Ngo tweeted, “Akayed Ullah immigrated to the US in 2011. Six years later, he carried out an Islamic jihadist attack using a pipe bomb in Times Square Station. He said he opposed Trump’s policies. He’s now been sentenced to life in prison.”]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Albany Police Clash With Protesters While Clearing ‘Unlawful’ Encampment
Albany police clashed with protesters on Thursday while clearing out an “unlawful” encampment that was set up outside of a precinct, a report said.
Eight people were arrested during the confrontation outside of the South Station that began after police gave protesters 15 minutes to leave the area that has been occupied for several days, the Albany Times Union reported.
Videos from the scene posted to Twitter by Times Union reporter Eduardo Medina show officers wrestle several protesters to the ground just steps away from the media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alternate Juror on Chauvin Trial Says She Feared Riots, People Turning Up at Her Home
A woman who sat as an alternate juror on the Derek Chauvin trial told a local news station that she was concerned about “rioting and destruction” as well as people turning up at her house if they were angry at the verdict.
Lisa Christensen also revealed to KARE 11 how the riots that preceded the verdict were close to her house and that she routinely witnessed them after the trial had concluded for the day.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Answering Your Questions About the Body Cam Footage in the Austin-East Shooting
District Attorney General Charme Allen revealed answers to lingering questions on the Austin-East shooting during a Wednesday press conference and body cam viewing.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The released body camera footage from the shooting inside Austin-East revealed answers to frequently asked questions from the incident.
The two-hour press conference from District Attorney General Charme Allen on Wednesday gave a visual of what happened inside the school walls on April 12.
One of the big questions was whether or not police knew 17-year-old Anthony Thompson Jr. was armed at school. Allen said no.
“None of them in their statements say they thought he had it at school,” Allen explained.
They knew Thompson owned a gun, but his former girlfriend, and domestic violence victim, told police she didn’t ever see him carry it at school. She said it was because of the clear backpack policy at the school.
At this time, they don’t know where or how Thompson got the 9mm Glock before coming into school that day…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Caitlyn Jenner Announces Run for California Governor
Former Olympic athlete and reality television star Caitlyn Jenner announced plans to run for California governor on Friday.
Jenner is hoping to unseat current Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is currently facing a potential recall election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Restaurant Group to Require Vaccination for Employees by July 15
CHICAGO — A prominent Chicago restaurant group announced in a memo to employees Thursday that all employees are required to be fully vaccinated by July 15.
Crain’s Chicago Business reported Friday that Fifty50 Restaurant Group, who operates the Berkshire Room and Roots Handmade Pizza, will require vaccinations for employees.
The announcement comes just as many colleges and universities have announced required vaccinations for in-person learning during the upcoming fall semester.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Explosion at Gender Reveal Party Shakes a New Hampshire Town
Individuals who brought the explosive thought they detonated it in an area that was safe.
A large explosion at a gender-reveal party rocked a New Hampshire town. Authorities in Kingston received a call around 7 p.m. on Tuesday about a large explosion at a Torromeo Industries quarry. When officers arrived, they found that it had been caused by 80 lbs. of Tannerite, an explosive used in firearm practice, according to a press released obtained by People.
The partygoers decided to detonate the explosive in an area that thought was safe.
“Obviously, depending on the amount (of explosives) they were using, it could be extremely dangerous,” Kingston Police Chief Donald Briggs Jr. told The Union Leader.
The blast was “earth shaking,” residents told WBTS.
“We heard this god-awful blast,” Sara Taglieri, who lives near the quarry, told the outlet. “It knocked pictures off our walls.”
“It cracked foundations of our neighbors’ [homes],” her husband, Matt Taglieri, added.
It’s unclear if any charges will be filed in connection with the incident, but the Kingston Police Department is still investigating. The individual who detonated the Tannerite is working with authorities, they said.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Family Questions Why Deputy Shot Unarmed Black Man 10 Times
SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (AP) — The family of a Black man shot by a Virginia sheriff’s deputy this week says he’s in intensive care with 10 bullet wounds, and they have no idea why.
Relatives of Isaiah Brown, 32, spoke with Washington TV station WRC about the shooting, which happened outside their home in Spotsylvania County early Wednesday.
Brown was unarmed, they said, and they haven’t been given a reason why the deputy opened fire. The encounter was recorded by the deputy’s body camera, but state police said they won’t release it pending an investigation, the station reported…
| — Hat tip: LP | [Return to headlines] |
Georgia Mother Goes Viral for Calling Out Local School Board Over Mask Mandates
Georgia mother Courtney Ann Taylor racked up millions of views this week after the mother of three expressed her frustrations with her local school board’s continuing mask mandates.
“Every month I come here and hear the same thing: social, emotional health. If you truly mean that, you would end the mask requirement tonight,” said Taylor. “This is not March 2020 anymore. We have three vaccines. Every adult in the state of Georgia that wants that vaccine is eligible to get it right now and every one of us knows that young children are not affected by this virus. They’re not, and that’s a blessing.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illinois College Professor Indicted for Secretly Working on Behalf of Chinese Government
A Chinese-born professor teaching mathematics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, has been indicted by the Justice Department for wire fraud and false statements tied to his work at a Chinese-affiliated university. The 59-year-old professor concealed those ties while applying for grants from the U.S. government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Knoxville ISIS Suspect on FBI Radar Since 2015, Called 9/11 Attacks “Justified”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville man accused of helping ISIS terrorists told the FBI the 9/11 attacks were “justified,” shortly after agents raided his Virginia home in May 2015, a federal court transcript revealed.
Benjamin Carpenter, 31, “explicitly and repeatedly expressed his commitment to ISIS by praising ISIS attacks,” prosecutors said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Long Island Man Pleads Guilty to Traveling to Join ISIS
A New York man pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and the al-Nusrah Front, both designated by the U.S. Department of State as foreign terrorist organizations.
According to court documents, Elvis Redzepagic, 30, of Commack, New York, began communicating in early 2015 with an individual he believed to be both the commander of a battalion in Syria and a member of ISIS or the al-Nusrah Front, and made attempts to join that individual’s battalion to engage in violent jihad. In July 2015, Redzepagic traveled to Turkey and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to cross the border into Syria. Unable to enter Syria from Turkey, Redzepagic traveled to Jordan in August 2016, but was stopped and deported by Jordanian authorities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Manhattan District Attorney Says Office Will No Longer Prosecute Prostitution
Manhattan’s district attorney announced this week that his office will no longer be prosecuting prostitution and unlicensed massage.
Cyrus Vance Jr. said Wednesday that those laws disproportionately impacted LGBT individuals and other vulnerable populations. He called for the dismissal of more than 900 related cases that date back over half a century.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has come under fire this week for claiming she remained in Michigan around the time of spring break before it came to light that she had ignored her own COVID-19 restrictions to visit her father in Florida.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MLB Asks About Political Affiliation in Fan Survey
Major League Baseball is asking fans about their political affiliation in a survey about this year’s ballpark experience.
The league says the survey is to better understand fans’ perceptions, preferences, and behaviors during the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Charge Added for Ex-Officer in Columbus Police Shooting
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A grand jury in Ohio’s capital city has added a new charge against the white former Columbus police officer who fatally shot a Black man holding a cellphone. Adam Coy on Friday was charged with reckless homicide. He was indicted in February on murder, felonious assault and dereliction of duty charges for the December death of 47-year-old Andre Hill. A prosecutor with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office says the new charge is part of an ongoing investigation. Coy’s attorney Mark Collins says prosecutors apparently don’t have “much faith” in the murder charge. Coy was fired days after Hill was killed…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
New footage of the moments before she was shot dead by a police officer during a knife attack shows Ma’Khia Bryant yelling, “I’m going to stab the f**k out of you bitch!” — yet again vindicating the officer’s response.
Leftists have continually lied about the incident in Columbus, Ohio, at first claiming Bryant was unarmed and then trying to argue that she was “just a child” who got involved in a “knife fight” and should have been left alone.
In reality, the new footage once again underscores what really happened — Bryant was engaged in a frenzied knife attack and by shooting her dead, the officer saved the lives of two other African-American women.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Declare ‘Unlawful Assembly’ As Protests Begin in Raleigh After Death of Andrew Brown Jr.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Another expected weekend of racial-justice protests began Friday in downtown Raleigh in response to the death of Andrew Brown Jr.
Raleigh Police officially declared the protest an ‘unlawful assembly’ as of 8 p.m as around 40 people marched through the city toward Glenwood South.
Protesters began dispersing shortly after this. Raleigh Police tweeted appreciation for the crowd remaining peaceful and respectful.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Portland Mayor Extends State of Emergency Through the Weekend
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has extended his State of Emergency through the weekend as the city prepares for the possibility of more potentially violent demonstrations, officials announced Friday.
The mayor first made his declaration on Tuesday after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts in the death of George Floyd.
Officials say the State of Emergency will continue until April 26.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters Vandalize Central Park Monument and Clash With Police
Protesters clashed with police in Manhattan on Thursday night after a monument was vandalized by cop-haters in Central Park.
Five people were arrested on various charges in Columbus Circle near the USS Maine National Monument, which was defaced with anti-police graffiti, cops said.
“ACAB,” an acronym for “All cops are bastards,” and “F**k 12,” which means “F**k the police,” were spray-painted on the monument.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rumble is Experiencing Massive Growth as People Ditch Big Tech
The CEO of Rumble, a platform which is taking on YouTube as an alternative, said that the platform was seeing “tremendous growth.”
Rumble’s monthly user count has gone from 1.6 million users in 2020 around the US election time to 31.9 million by the end of the first quarter of 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Babylon Bee, the popular satirical website, is considering legal action against the New York Times after the outlet labeled its content as “misinformation.”
Babylon Bee CEO, Seth Dillon said that their website has been constantly targeted by mainstream media outlets and personalities.
According to Dillon, these people claim that Babylon Bee is not a satire website but a disinformation site where fake news is posted to mislead people. This, Dillon alleges, is to eventually get the outlet deplatformed by Big Tech.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sheriff’s Deputy Fatally Shoots Black Man
A North Carolina deputy shot and killed a Black man while serving a search warrant Wednesday, authorities said, spurring an outcry from community members who demanded the immediate release of body camera footage.
Authorities in Elizabeth City didn’t provide details of the shooting. But an eyewitness said that Andrew Brown Jr. was shot while trying to drive away, and that deputies fired at him multiple times. The car skidded out of Brown’s yard and eventually hit a tree, said Demetria Williams, who lives on the same street.
Williams said after hearing one gunshot, she ran outside, where she saw other shots being fired at the car.
“When they opened the door he was already dead,” Williams told The Associated Press. “He was slumped over.” She said officers tried to perform chest compressions on him.
A car authorities removed from the scene appeared to have multiple bullet holes and a broken rear windshield.
An unspecified number of Pasquotank County Sheriff’s deputies were placed on leave pending a review by the State Bureau of Investigation, Sheriff Tommy Wooten II said Thursday. Court records show Brown was 42 years old and had a history of drug charges and a misdemeanor drug possession conviction. Pasquotank County Chief Deputy Daniel Fogg said the warrant was “surrounding felony drug charges.”…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Trump: Lebron Should Keep His ‘Racist Rants’ To Himself
President Trump slammed NBA star Lebron James Thursday night for tweeting out a photo of the Ohio cop who shot and killed Ma’Khia Bryant as she attempted to stab two other women and captioning it ‘YOU’RE NEXT’.
In a statement released by his office, Trump said that Lebron’s “RACIST rants are divisive, nasty, insulting, and demeaning.”
“He may be a great basketball player, but he is doing nothing to bring our Country together!” The Statement continued.
Trump added that “LeBron James should focus on basketball rather than presiding over the destruction of the NBA, which has just recorded the lowest television RATINGS, by far, in the long and distinguished history of the League.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Tucker Carlson Originals’ Exposes the Truth About Far-Left Chicago Prosecutor
In the premiere episode of Fox Nation’s “Tucker Carlson Originals,” host Tucker Carlson explores the crime surge in Chicago, as it’s become “one of the most dangerous places” in the Western Hemisphere.
The first episode, “Chicago in Crisis,” takes a deep dive into what happens when a far-left prosecutor allows the city’s lawlessness to unravel at an unprecedented rate.
The core of the story exposes the truth about Chicago State’s Attorney Kim Foxx. During her first year as one of Chicago’s top prosecutors, she dropped charges against nearly 30% of felony defendants. The prosecutors are funded by a Geoge Soros-backed foundation called the Justice and Public Safety PAC, directed by Whitney Tymas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The United States Postal Service is facing backlash over its covert program to scan citizens’ social media accounts for “inflammatory” content.
The Kentucky representative Thomas Massie expressed his concern over the USPS’s move. “The USPS has been losing money for many years … so where do they find money to run this surveillance program?”
Yahoo News reported that the U.S. Postal Service has been tracking American’s social media posts and monitoring those which have references to planned protests among other “inflammatory” posts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul Calls for Biden to Burn Face Mask on Live TV
Senator Rand Paul has declared that If Joe Biden wants to get Americans to take coronavirus vaccines he should go on live TV and burn his face masks.
Appearing on Fox News, Paul was addressing Anthony Fauci’s claims that those who have been vaccinated can still transmit the virus and should still wear masks.
“If you want more people to get vaccinated, Joe Biden should go on national TV, take his mask off and burn it… light a torch to it, burn his mask and say, ‘I’ve had the vaccine I am now saved from this plague. If you’ll get the vaccine, you can be safe too,’“ Paul proclaimed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Post Millennial editor-at-large Andy Ngo joined Ben Domenech on Fox News Primetime to discuss the ongoing unrest and autonomous zones, even after the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial has been delivered.
Domenech asked Ngo, “Tell me a little bit about what your reaction is to seeing this type of permanent racialist agenda advanced in the wake of the George Floyd verdict.”
Ngo responded, “Well, I’m not surprised that they’re not going away. These autonomous zones, whether they be in Minneapolis or Seattle, really have nothing to do with the people (or) causes they (are) supposedly named after. It’s about flexing control against the state, intimidating the public. And in this case in Minneapolis’s George Floyd autonomous zone, it’s actually literal shakedown. They have a list of 24 demands and that includes hundreds of thousands of dollars (and) the political prosecution of their enemies among other demands.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Girl Almost Stabbed by Ma’khia Bryant Expresses Gratitude to Police Who Saved Her
According to new police footage, the girl threatened by Ma’Khia Bryant at knifepoint tells authorities, “She came after me.” That’s why the officer shot the teen, the victim says, expressing gratitude.
Columbus Police interim chief Michael Woods released additional body camera video, as well as the 911 call, following the fatal shooting Tuesday evening.
Before the girl dressed in the bright pink sweatsuit is seated in the police car, the victim of the attempted stabbing recounts the terrifying situation. “She came out here with a knife earlier?” one of the cops questions, referring to Bryant. “She just did. That’s why the police did it,” she answers, walking towards the vehicle.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Censors Michelle Malkin Interview With Women Who Oppose COVID Vaccine Tracking for Kids
YouTube has removed conservative columnist and author Michelle Malkin’s months’ old interview with two Colorado activists who are fighting against S.B. 163 — a Colorado bill that sets an “immunization rate goal” of 95% for every school and requires exemption data to be submitted to the state’s “immunization tracking system.”
The interviewees, Colorado lawyer and medical freedom advocate Robyn Charon and certified patient advocate and parent activist Holly Calvert, both expressed their concerns about the bill during the interview.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cyprus: Woman Arrested After Calling Village Mayor “Useless” On Facebook
A British mother based in Cyprus was recently arrested after she called a village mayor “useless” on a public social media discussion. The expat is facing charges of slander, defamation, and insulting name-calling, and could be fined 4,000 Euros.
Kaela Charalampous, a British Expat who has been living in the village of Mandria for 14 years was arrested from her home after Kypros Michaelides, village mayor issued the warrant of arrest.
She was arrested on charges of slander and insulting name-calling based on a recent comment she posted on a social media discussion. The online discussion was about the major construction that started in the centre of the village. Some village residents were ranting on why the construction had to begin days after a restrictive lockdown was lifted in the village.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech Government Presents a Plan to Ease Coronavirus Measures
Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlicek announced that shops and some services may open on May 3, given the continuing favorable epidemic situation.
“If the favorable trend of the epidemic continues, we will let the rest of the stores, markets, and, following strict rules of hygiene, selected services associated with body care, animal care and spa healthcare open on May 3. At the same time, the gradual reopening of kindergartens and schools continues. This was just accepted by the government,” the minister wrote on Twitter.
Subsequently, at a press conference, he added that the condition for relaxing the measures will be 100 infected people per 100,000 inhabitants over a monitoring period of seven days. “We are now at the level of 177 infected,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary and Poland Lead “European Awakening, “ Polish Legal Scholar Says
For years, conservative NGOs and institutes have been working on establishing a counter-balance to the well-organized Soros network, and Central Europe is at the forefront of this movement, Tymotheusz Zych, vice-president of the Polish Ordo Iuris Institute for Legal Culture, told news and opinion portal Mandiner in an interview.
This is an entirely new project, not at all like the Open Society. The civilians, the organizations working on the concept of a conservative Europe, based on values and heritage, do not have an international network, and this will soon change as a result of our cooperation. George Soros’s foreign-funded organizations have dominated the political and social field for too long,” Zych said. “A constructive opposition is emerging. Today, most NGOs and NGO networks do not represent our entire society, they are just building an extreme narrative; this needs to end.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Gardai Have Issued Over 3,600 Fines for House Parties
Gardai have issued over 3,600 fines to people for organising or attending house parties.
With good weather in store for the weekend, gardai have called on people to continue adhereing to Covid-19 guidelines.
They will continue high visibility patrols at public amenities, parks and beauty spots across the country this weekend, while they have warned that illegal parking at these locations is a safety hazard.
To date, An Garda Siochana has issued approximately 20,566 Covid-19 fines across the range of all Covid-19 breaches.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Irish Law Criminalizes Outdoor Confession to a Priest
A new Irish statutory instrument aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus makes meeting with a priest outdoors for the sacrament of confession a crime, according to a law professor at Trinity College Dublin.
If a priest “were to meet a parishioner for outdoor confession, they would both be committing a criminal offence,” Professor Oran Doyle wrote this week on a site publishing academic commentary about Ireland’s legal response to the coronavirus, “whereas, if two people were to meet for a chat or to exercise, they would not be committing a criminal offence.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Emmanuel Macron has vowed to ‘never give up’ the fight against Islamist terrorism after a female police worker was killed by a knifeman who shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ in France today.
Named by police as Stephanie M, the 49-year-old mother-of-two was slashed in the throat by a Tunisian delivery driver at 2.20pm today as she worked in a police station in the leafy Paris suburb of Rambouillet.
French prosecutors have opened a terror probe after the killing which was carried out by the 36-year-old who arrived in France illegally in 2009 before he was given leave to remain in 2019.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Soros-Linked Fund Buys a Stake in Petit Press, The Publisher of the Slovak SME Daily
Penta Investments sold its 34 percent stake in the Petit Press publishing house, which issues, among other things, one of the largest Slovak dailies, SME. The buyer was the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), associated with the well-known financier George Soros by way of his Open Society Foundations.
The fund has already financially supported Petit Press in the 1990s, granting it a loan that enabled the publishing house to set up its first printers.
Another 5.5 percent of shares from Penta were acquired by the managers of Petit Press. Penta did not disclose the price of the transaction.
With 35 outlets, Petit Press is the second largest publishing house in Slovakia. In addition to SME, it publishes the MY regional weekly and several other magazines.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Authorities Suspected Terrorist Might Commit Attack Before Prison Release
An inquest has heard that before his release from prison, authorities had suspected that Usman Khan was radicalising other inmates and believed he could commit an attack.
Khan was a convicted terrorist serving time at Whitemoor Prison and had been released early in December 2018. Less than a year later, he had fatally stabbed two people at a prisoner rehabilitation event in London. Khan had been considered a reformed character, even deceiving his lawyer into believing he had been deradicalised.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Extinction Rebellion: Nine Women Charged After Canary Wharf Protest
Nine women have been charged with criminal damage following an Extinction Rebellion (XR) protest in east London.
Windows were shattered at HSBC’s headquarters in Canary Wharf during a demonstration on Thursday.
The Earth Day protest was staged to draw attention to the bank’s links to the fossil fuel industry, the activists said.
The nine women will appear at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court later.
London mayoral candidate for political party Burning Pink, Valerie Brown, 68, is among them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Extinction Rebellion Activists Block Headquarters of Lloyd’s of London in the City
Climate activists are protesting outside the office of Lloyd’s of London in the City this morning, dumping fake coal outside in front of the building as part of a campaign against insuring fossil fuel mining activities.
Activists from the Extinction Rebellion group are holding up banners with slogans such as “Climate Criminals” after they dumped a pile of blackened boulders outside Lloyd’s building on Lime Street, in the heart of the Square Mile.
Using a tipper truck to offload the rubble outside the City insurer’s headquarters, the climate activists also placed placards reading “we are the dead canaries” and “do not insure the West Cumbria coal mine.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Extinction Rebellion Man Who Occupied Surrey Oil Rig Cleared
A man who occupied the Horse Hill oil rig in Surrey to protest the use of fossil fuels in the face of the climate crisis has been cleared of the charge brought against him.
56-year-old Management Consultant Lindsay Parkin, from Brighton, was acquitted by a judge of the charge of aggravated trespass during a hearing at Staines Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Thursday, April 22).
As the Surrey Comet reported previously, Parkin occupied the rig near Horley, which is run by UK Oil and Gas with Alistair Sandell in the early hours of October 10, 2020.
Sandell previously admitted aggravated trespass, and fined £268 and ordered to pay £84 costs plus a £34 victim surcharge.
The two men climbed an oil rig on site to a platform 15 metres above the ground, where they hung a banner saying ‘No More Oil’ and remained there for 12 hours, in protest against UKOG’s plans to extract oil and gas from the site.
During his court appearance, Parkin, who represented himself, said his action was proportionate and necessary given “the fact that human-made climate change is increasing the global average temperature and leading to rising sea levels, extreme weather events, crop failure, water shortage and wild fire, is no longer in dispute”.
He added: “The only way to slow this carnage is to stop burning fossil fuels — there are no other solutions.”
After his trial, which was celebrated by XR supporters in Surrey the Brighton man added the following:
“We occupied the rig to highlight its presence in that beautiful place and the harm it is doing.
“This message was widely spread and created the interest that it should, which was our sole purpose in this action.
“Our exertions in spreading that message have been accepted to not meet the charge of ‘aggravated trespass.’
“Non-violent direct action has proven its worth in calling out the madness of continued oil extraction on this marginal site and everywhere.”
A day after Parkin was acquitted, six more Extinction Rebellion activists were acquitted of charges of criminal damage to Shell’s London headquarters despite the judge directing jurors they had “no defence” in law.
[Comment: It looks like that the UK has daft juries too.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Farage Calls for Boycott of China-Made Products to Stop Rise of Communist Regime
Nigel Farage has urged Britons to boycott Chinese-made products to “stop the rise of this horrible, communist regime” following what he perceives as a fracturing of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network after New Zealand rejected plans to challenge its major trading partner, China.
The Brexit leader made the remarks on Thursday after New Zealand’s foreign minister rejected calls from allies in the Five Eyes to expand its remit to include a political scope that would include challenging China.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: London Mayoral Candidate: “Get Your Mask Off… Be With Your Family”
Actor Laurence Fox, who has thrown his hat in the ring for the office of London mayor, has come out staunchly against coronavirus lockdowns, masks, and the entire public panic over the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Police Uncover Illegal ‘Casino’ Above Doncaster Restaurant With Dozens Breaking COVID Rules
A Doncaster restaurant is in hot water after police uncovered an illegal ‘casino’ above the premises with dozens of people in breach of coronavirus restrictions.
In reports sent to Doncaster Council, South Yorkshire Police officers said they were alerted that the upstairs function room of Shabir’s Restaurant on East Laith Gate in the town centre was holding gatherings of ‘40 to 50 people’ every Sunday.
The licensee holder of the restaurant will now have to appear before the council’s licensing committee to answer questions on the reported breach of conditions.
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UK: Police Vow to Carry on Giving £10k COVID Fines Despite Northamptonshire Funeral Case Collapsing
Northamptonshire Police will continue to pursue nine £10,000 Covid fines through the courts — and issue more to anybody breaching remaining restrictions on mass gatherings.
One high-profile case relating to a funeral in November attended by 150-plus people collapsed on Monday when prosecutors at Northampton Magistrates Court decided there was insufficient evidence.
Assistant Chief Constable Simon Blatchly, who leads the Force response to the pandemic, revealed last month that all the £10,000 fines issued in the county are being challenged and are set to also end up in court.
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Young Iraqi Man Sentenced to 15 Years After Fleeing Czechia to Join the Islamic State
The Prague City Court sentenced 26-year-old Iraqi Watheq Muhammad Yousef al-Samarrai to 15 years in prison for committing a terrorist attack and joining a terrorist group. According to the verdict, the young man left the Czech Republic six years ago to fight for the Islamic State in Iraq. He was tried as a fugitive because his location is unknown.
“There is no doubt that guilt has been proven,” stated the chairwoman of the senate, Jarmila Pavlatova. “The intention of the accused to take part in the fighting as a member of IS was proven both from the testimony of his father and ex-girlfriend and from propaganda videos,” she added.
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Young French Woman Threatened With Death for Defending Free Speech Activist Mila
A young French woman, Floriane Gouget, has faced harassment and censorship on social media after she spoke openly in defense of Mila, a French teenager who has consistently threatened with death after posting a video critical of Islam in January 2020.
To show that caricatures on religion are not taboo and promote secularism in French society, Gouget, 18, created the Last Hope association with Mathys Dupuy from Maine-et-Loire. So far, she has lodged around 50 harassment complaints with the police since November due to the threatening messages she receives on social media. Her Twitter account has also been hacked and her personal address and phone number posted on the web by the attacker, who also changed Gouget’s biography location in her Twitter profile to Lebanon, according to French web outlet Marianne.
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Czechia to Expel Another 63 People From Russia’s Embassy, While Moscow Vows to Respond Soon
Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek announced on Thursday that the Russian side has until the end of May to withdraw its employees. The spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that Czechia has embarked on a path of destroying relations with Russia and added that Russia’s answer would come soon.
Kulhanek emphasized that the situation was not the fault of the Czech Republic and that Russia was to blame, as it allegedly caused the explosion of ammunition depots in Vrbetice back in 2014. Prime Minister Andrej Babis then said that Czechia was by no means trying to escalate the situation. According to Babis, President Milos Zeman is fully informed about the matter and agrees with the steps being taken by the Czech government.
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China Censors Feminist Groups After Drop in Marriage and Birth Rate
The Chinese Communist Party has been heavily censoring social media posts by feminists. While the CCP is synonymous with internet censorship, in this case, the stakes are even higher as the country’s ten-year census is nearing. What’s more, the census is suspected to show a decline in birth rates for the fourth consecutive year.
“In recent days, more than a dozen accounts used by feminists were deleted from the Weibo social-media platform as well as cultural-discussion site Douban.com,” wrote the WSJ.
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Biden Stops Fining Illegal Aliens Who Do Not Depart U.S., Cancels Their Debt
President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stopped fining illegal aliens who refused to depart the United States, the agency revealed.
In an announcement on Friday, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the agency has stopped issuing fines to illegal aliens who refused to depart the U.S. despite previously stating that they would depart.
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Finnish Chamber of Commerce Calls for More Migrants to ‘Plug Labor Gap’
The Finnish Chamber of Commerce has called on the government of Prime Minister Sanna Marin to adopt a numerical target level for education and employment-based immigration in order to alleviate the acute labour shortage in the Nordic country.
Finland’s Chamber of Commerce said the government should set the objective of bringing at least 30,000 immigrants in to work or study in the country over the course of 2022. CEO Johanna Sipola ventured that this “moderate initial objective” would increase skills-based immigration by a third compared to the year before the coronavirus pandemic.
[Comment: Don’t believe them. They want to drive wages down.]
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Project Veritas recently released a video based on content leaked from within Border Patrol, reporting that Al-Bokari, a suspected Yemeni Arab terrorist known to be in Mexico, had not been detained and deported by the Mexican authorities, and that the U.S. Border Patrol had caught him crossing the border.
But the phenomenon of potential terrorists attempting cross the southern border is not new—nor is the fact that the U.S. government has long appeared determined to cover it up (note that this story had to be leaked), under both Republican and Democrat presidents.
Thus earlier this month, Customs and Border Patrol announced two separate apprehensions of Yemeni individuals on the Terrorist Watch List—only subsequently to scrub the announcement from its website without explanation [CBP Removes Press Release About Migrants on the U.S. Terror Watch List Who Crossed the Southern Border, by Todd Bensman, The Investigative Project on Terrorism, April 7, 2021].
People have been worrying about the obvious logical possibility of terrorists coming across the Mexican border for a long time. It’s the plot of Stephen Hunter’s 1982 novel The Second Saladin: A Middle Eastern guy, hating on the US for Middle Eastern reasons, decides to go on a terrorist killing spree, and infiltrates the US through its vulnerable southern border
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Facebook has removed a popular, rapidly growing group where members would post stories about alleged negative COVID-19 vaccine side effects.
The group, “COVID19 VACCINE VICTIMS AND FAMILIES,” had over 120,000 followers when it was shut down and had been gaining more than 10,000 followers per week.
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Google Drive Blocks Access to Document That Compiled News Coverage of COVID Vaccine Side Effects
Google is blocking access to a PDF document that has compiled 106 pages of screenshots of mainstream media reports about people who have allegedly experienced negative side effects or died after taking a COVID-19 vaccine and social media testimony from those who have alleged adverse vaccine reactions.
The document is titled “Informed Consent Matters” and states that “it is everyone’s right to review the first-hand testimonies of the COVID vaccine adverse reactions without censorship.” It adds that by giving people access to this data, they can perform their own risk benefit analysis.
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Harry Styles Says Men Should Carry Handbags
Men should carry women’s handbags, according to GQ Magazine, Gucci and Harry Styles.
It’s about ‘challenging gender norms’ and has nothing to do with Styles being paid millions as a ‘brand ambassador’ to shill Gucci products made by Chinese sweatshop slaves.
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‘Taking a Knee’ Banned by International Olympic Committee
The global body that oversees the Olympic Games has announced that any athletes making political gestures at the event will be punished, and that the rule is the will of most athletes involved.
The ruling means that gestures such as ‘taking a knee’ or raising a fist, which have been ongoing in other sports, are effectively banned from the Olympics.
The IOC’s Rule 50 forbids any form of “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” in arenas or on podiums.
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Everyone knows America’s blacks, Lesbians, Marxists and criminals will protest at the Olympic Games….best avoided via BOYCOTT.
Bruce Jenner thinks he is a woman but he cannot change into a woman. What he ended up being is a sick transvestite. He is a moral leper.