A gunman entered a school in the Russian city of Kazan, in Tatarstan, and began shooting, killing at least nine people and wounding dozens of others before he was subdued and detained. He is reportedly a 19-year-old former student of the school, who vowed on social media to kill a lot of people.
Meanwhile, the East Coast Pipeline shutdown has caused disruptions in the supply of gasoline in the eastern United States, prompting panic buying among the citizenry. Fortunately, my tank was full when the crisis began, so I’m OK for the time being.
In other news, police fined lockdown violators in Manitoba, Nova Scotia, England, and Thailand.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, MC, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Before Bill Gates was known as an elitist nerd masquerading as a leading vaccine expert, the Microsoft co-founder was a hard-partying womanizer who recruited local strippers to attend naked pool parties, and had major issues with infidelity even after marrying Melinda, according to a biography.
The Microsoft co-founder’s wild lifestyle was well known among his inner circle — but newspapers like the New York Times hid the unflattering reports to continue getting “spoon-fed stories,” James Wallace wrote in the 1997 biography, “Overdrive: Bill Gates and the Race to Control Cyberspace.”
They “didn’t report on the wild bachelor parties that Microsoft’s boyish chairman would throw in his Seattle home, for which Gates would visit one of Seattle’s all-nude nightclubs and hire dancers to come to his home and swim naked with his friends in his indoor pool,” Wallace wrote.
It was a continuation from his time at Harvard, where he “did like to frequent Boston’s notorious Combat Zone, with its porn shows, strip joints, and prostitutes,” Wallace wrote. —NY Post
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona Governor Signs Law Designating Gun Stores as Essential Firms
Authored by Isabel van Brugen via The Epoch Times
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) has signed into law legislation that designates gun stores as essential businesses allowed to remain open during an emergency—a move that will further protect gun stores, manufacturers, and trade associations from lawsuits.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Community Demands Answers After Another Violent Weekend in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — KG Wilson admits he’s worn down.
“I haven’t stopped crying since Day One of 2021,” the longtime Twin Cities peace activist said. “It has not stopped. It has not stopped. It has been continuous.”
Wilson said he’s devastated by the citywide increase in violence this year, including another homicide and half-dozen injuries from shootings this weekend that led to two arrests.
Minneapolis Police have investigated 26 homicides so far in 2021, double the amount at this time in 2020 (13 homicides) and almost quadruple the level of homicides at this time in 2019 (seven homicides).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Controversy Erupts as Senator Asks First Muslim Nominee for Federal Judgeship About Sharia
Joe Biden nominated the first Muslim-American in history as a candidate for federal district court judge. Zahid Quraishi was among a “diverse slate of 11 judicial nominees put forward by Biden.”
Last month, Quraishi went before the Senate Judiciary Committee as part of the selection process, and was asked by Committee Chair, Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat: “What do you know about Sharia law?“
Quraishi answered that he knows “nothing about Sharia.” Nothing? Virtually everyone knows something about the Sharia. In his position, Quraishi is likely to know a lot, and was probably fibbing, and not in an intelligent way, either. It isn’t possible that a man of his standing, who “has served as a military prosecutor and Army captain in Iraq, as an assistant U.S. Attorney who has tried cases of public corruption, organized crime and financial fraud, and as a white-collar criminal defense lawyer”, would know “NOTHING” about Sharia.
One thing for certain: Sharia is incompatible with American law, and in fact, incompatible with every free society. A statement to this effect from this potential federal judge should have been automatic and non-controversial.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Deputy White House Director Said ICE ‘Doesn’t Have to Exist, ‘ Told Protesters to ‘Shut-it-Down’
The Biden White House’s new deputy director for political strategy and outreach encouraged people to “look up your nearest ICE office and shut-it-down” and said ICE “doesn’t have to exist” in 2018 tweets.
“If you’re looking for a way to help — look up your nearest ICE office and shut-it-down,” Natalie Montelongo wrote on Twitter on June 21, 2018, in response to a story about anti-ICE protests in Portland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DHS to Scan Social Media Posts Looking for “Domestic Terrorists” After Capitol Breach
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to launch a warning system to detect “domestic terrorism” threats by gathering and analyzing intelligence on public social media posts and making predictions on future actions.
The purpose of the system is to detect the sort of posts that allegedly proceeded the breach of the US Capitol on January 6. Law enforcement agencies were criticized for ignoring or missing the posts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Glover: TV & Films Are Boring Because “People Are Afraid of Getting Cancelled”
Actor and Grammy Award winning musician Donald Glover says that television shows and movies are becoming increasingly boring because “people are afraid of getting cancelled.”
Glover, also known by his stage name Childish Gambino, made the comments via his official Twitter account.
“Saw people on here havin a discussion about how tired they were of reviewing boring stuff (tv & film),” remarked Glover.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
East Coast, Southern U.S. See Gas Shortages After Cyberattack on Major Pipeline
Motorists across the American east coast and south are struggling to find diesel and gasoline as gas stations run dry amid the Colonial pipeline disruption caused by a criminal hack.
Convenience stores and gas stations are turning customers away as many are panic-buying petrol, causing tanks to run dry amid the shortage.
A Washington D.C.-area fuel distributor warned that “catastrophic” shortages are imminent, calling on government officials to order school buses to stay off the roads.
On Friday, Colonial Pipeline ceased operations and notified the federal government that it had been targeted by a ransomware cyberattack. Colonial has said little about its next steps, leaving oil refiners and distributors out of the loop on what will happen over the next 48 hours.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds in Orange County Protest COVID Vaccine Passports: ‘You’Re Not Going to Brand Us’
On the same day that Orange County recorded some of its most positive coronavirus statistics to date — nearing the least restrictive yellow tier in the state’s reopening blueprint — hundreds of protesters gathered to blast the Board of Supervisors for a proposal to create “vaccine passports,” or digital records that document COVID-19 vaccination status.
The public backlash began in April after the county announced plans to launch a pilot program for credentialing. Almost immediately, a vocal group of opponents expressed concern that the digital records would be used to “track” people and reveal private healthcare information. Opponents also said it would allow the county to favor residents who chose to get vaccinated.
County officials have repeatedly said the claims are not true.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds Protest in Stafford to Support Suspended School Nurse
MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A few hundred people attended an outdoor rally on Monday to support a Stafford Township school nurse who was suspended for reporting to work without wearing a face mask.
Erin Pein, 35, has called the mask mandate in schools “child abuse,” citing concerns for the health and emotional development of young children.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Idaho Gov. Signs Bill Barring Enforcement of Biden’s Executive Gun Control
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed legislation Monday to prohibit enforcement of the executive actions for gun control put forth by President Joe Biden.
One outworking of those executive actions has been the Department of Justice’s attempt to reclassify certain gun parts kits as “firearms.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Instagram is Purging Military Meme Accounts
Another military-oriented meme account, Disgruntled Docs, that had 70,000 followers has gotten in the crosshairs of Instagram, which deleted it for unspecified violations of the Facebook-owned platform’s rules.
This is neither the first nor the biggest meme account with this focus — one of which, Uniform Humor, had over a million followers — that has recently been taken down and a number of them have been targeted by big social networks recently.
Space Force Actual was another Instagram account that posted military memes. The account had over 120,000 followers at the time Instagram banned the account.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘It is Time to Unmask.’ Manatee County Students to Go Maskless in Parent Led Protest
May 11—As Manatee County schools near the finish line for the year, some families are renewing their push to end a district-wide mask mandate.
On Monday, with less than two weeks before the semester ends, some parents will send their children to school without masks, protesting a requirement that everyone wear a face covering in district schools, offices and buses. And while the School Board was already moving toward ending its mandate before the new school year in August, the process was too slow for some parents.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Men Charged With Murdering Ahmaud Arbery Plead Not Guilty to Hate Crime
The three men accused of hunting down Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and fatally shooting him pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges Tuesday afternoon.
Greg McMichael, his adult son Travis McMichael, and William “Roddie” Bryan appeared before US Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheesbro in a hearing at the Brunswick federal courthouse. The trio is already facing state murder charges in the killing.
The men, charged with violating Arbery’s civil rights and attempted kidnapping, made no statements to the court beyond basic answers to the judge before entering not guilty pleas to all charges.
Last February, the McMichaels saw Arbery, 25, running past their home and suspected he was a burglar who’d been recorded on video inside a nearby home under construction — so they armed themselves and chased him in a pickup truck.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michigan Students Report Other Students to School for Wearing Sombreros in Social Media Posts
It looks like it’s getting harder and harder to have fun in America, as people are trying to navigate the minefield of social media combined with one of woke culture’s potentially most curious and fastest-evolving features: “cultural appropriation.”
It all started with denouncing acts done in a more clearly derogatory, race-based context, like wearing black or brownface costumes — but then started to incorporate even what might look like innocent enough cases of people wearing clothes typical of another culture.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NBA TV Ratings Continue to Tank
The TV ratings for the NBA continue to be in the gutter with the regular season nearing a close.
According to Sports Business Journal, NBA games broadcast on ESPN, ABC and TNT averaged only 1.4 million viewers. That’s a staggering 13% decline from last season when the numbers were already slipping in a huge way.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYT Calls Out CDC Over Disingenuous COVID Guidance
With Trump out of office and Biden now taking credit for all pandemic-related progress, several new studies — some of them picked up by MSM outlets, have significantly dialed back the fear (asymptomatic spread is less common than previously thought, surfaces are actually pretty safe, etc.).
Now, the New York Times of all outlets is calling out the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for a bulls**t claim that “less than 10 percent” of COVID-19 transmission happens outdoors.
In reality, it’s more like 1% or less, and the Times nails them on it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters Clash Outside Israeli Consulate in Manhattan
Throngs of chanting, flag-waving Palestinian and Israeli supporters angrily clashed outside the Israeli Consulate in Manhattan on Tuesday evening, several hours after Hamas launched a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv.
Some of the protesters spilled out of barricaded pens and into the roadway around the building on Second Avenue between East 42nd and 43rd streets as NYPD cops appeared to struggle to keep control at times, according to video.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
South Carolina Students Can Leave Mask at Home With Parent’s OK, Gov. Henry McMaster Says
South Carolina public school students can go mask-free in class with their parents approval.
Gov. Henry McMaster signed an executive orderTuesday, that allows parents to opt their children out of using the physical protection equipment.
Amid declining COVID-19 cases, and readily available vaccinations to adults, the Republican governor claimed it goes against “all logic” to continue to force children to wear masks against their parent’s wishes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Suspect Identified in Times Square Shooting That Left 4-Year-Old, Two Others Injured
The man suspected of a shooting in New York City’s Times Square that injured three bystanders, including a 4-year-old girl, has been identified but is still on the run, police said Monday.
Farrakhan Muhammad was identified by two senior New York City Police Department officials as the person of interest in the Saturday afternoon shooting on West 45th Street and 7th Avenue, NBC New York reported. The officials said detectives think Muhammad was trying to shoot his brother but missed, hitting the pedestrians in the busy tourist hub.
Police on Saturday released a video of the person of interest.
The girl, identified as Skye Martinez, was shopping for toys with her family when she was struck in the leg, police said.
Wendy Magrinat, 23, was struck in a thigh, and Mạrcela Aldana, 43, was hit in a foot, they said.
Magrinat, a Rhode Island resident who was on a Mother’s Day trip to New York City, told NBC New York that doctors told her she will likely have a bullet lodged in her leg for the rest of her life because more damage would be done if it was removed.
None of the victims’ injuries were life-threatening, but Skye had to undergo surgery, authorities said.
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Texas: Muslim Who Helped His Father Evade Capture After Murdering His Sisters Gets Ten Years
But no one is facing up to the reality of Islamic honor killing in the U.S. My latest in FrontPage:
In Fort Worth, Texas on Tuesday, a 32-year-old Muslim named Islam Said was sentenced to ten years in prison for spending the last thirteen years helping his father, Yaser Said, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted criminals, evade capture. Yaser Said was wanted for murdering his two daughters, Islam Said’s sisters, Amina and Sarah Said. What kind of man would know that his father had murdered his two sisters and then help his father avoid justice, rather than turning him in? The answer to that question is far too uncomfortable and inconvenient for law enforcement officials to face honestly.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Morning Briefing: Pathetically Biased CNN’s Ratings Are in Free Fall
Top O’ the Briefing
Happy Tuesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. I’m about five pounds away from noticeably curving spacetime.
The liberal media bias universe used to be a lot more predictable. There was a comfortable order over in Hackdom. Or, as Andrew Breitbart liked to call it: the Democrat-Media Complex.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Calls on US to Follow UK Lead With Voter ID Plans as Democrats Push HR1
Former President Donald Trump gave his full support Tuesday to British legislation that would require UK voters to show a photo ID in future elections — and called on all US states to follow suit.
“The Government of the United Kingdom is proposing that anyone who wants to vote in a British election should show photo ID to eliminate any corruption and fraud and ‘ensure the integrity of elections,’“ Trump said in a statement emailed by his office. “This is exactly what we should do in the United States, unlike the Democrats who want to abolish Voter ID laws with passing their horrible HR 1 Bill.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson Calls for Investigation Into Fauci Wuhan Lab Connection
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has called for The White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci to be investigated concerning his links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the origins of the coronavirus.
In a monologue Monday, Carlson asserted that Fauci allowed the pandemic to happen by ‘exploiting a loophole that allowed him to fund research at the Wuhan Lab that likely became COVID-19’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Unhinged Leftist Bette Middler Threatens to Kill Unvaccinated Kids
“Entertainer” Bette Middler has called for KILLING children who have not had COVID shots.
In a completely mental tweet aimed at ‘anti-vaxxers’, the unhinged Middler advocated using peanut butter on kids with allergies if they haven’t been vaccinated against coronavirus.
Normally anything coming out of her mouth is easily ignored, but this mind to keyboard splurge is a particularly hot take…
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vaccine Passports Banned in Wyoming
The Governor of Wyoming has banned vaccine passports, issuing a directive that states no person should be denied access to any places or services based on their vaccination status.
Republican Mark Gordon’s directive outlines that “Vaccine passport programs have the potential to politicize a decision that should not be politicized.”
“They would divide our citizens at a time when unity in fighting the virus is essential, and harm those who are medically unable to receive the vaccine,” Gordon noted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Sen. Paul Shreds Fauci Over ‘Gain-of-Function’ Funding
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) went to town on Dr. Anthony Fauci Tuesday during a Tuesday hearing in front of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee.
Paul alleged that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had used a middle-man to funnel money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology via EcoHealth Alliance — which worked with the lab on bat coronavirus projects.
Paul specifically referenced so-called “gain-of-function” research which in this case has been focused on how to make animal viruses more transmissible to humans — specifically bat coronaviruses.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Whitmer Threatens Enbridge as Refinery Workers Protest Line 5 Closure Deadline
Lansing — While the state’s Democratic attorney general is saying she can’t close Line 5 without a court order, Michigan’s Democratic governor is insisting Enbridge will be considered a trespasser if it continues to operate the oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac after Wednesday.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer warned an Enbridge executive Tuesday that if the Canadian company continued to operate in the Straits past Wednesday, the state would seek its profits if it eventually prevails in its legal fight to revoke the pipeline’s easement. Continued operations would be considered “an intentional trespass,” she said.
The company, Whitmer said, “will be liable for unjust enrichment, which will require disgorgement to the state of all profits derived from its wrongful use of the state’s property.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada’s Online Censorship Bill is on Hold After Swift Backlash
Canada’s contentious “internet censorship” Bill C-10 has hit a roadblock, as members of the country’s parliament decided to put it on ice pending a look into its intent, and whether it would violate freedom of speech of social media users.
The draft bill, put together by PM Trudeau’s government and championed by his Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault, has been under scrutiny since it was first announced, most recently when it turned out it would seek to regulate social media platforms users with large followings as broadcasters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Manitoba Fines Nearly 3 Dozen Attendees of Anti-Mask, Anti-Lockdown Rallies
Enforcement officers have doled out over $40,000 in tickets to Manitobans who’ve attended various anti-mask and anti-lockdown rallies this month and more fines are on the way, the government says.
So far, officers have issued 32 tickets at $1,296 a pop in relation to illegal rallies in Winkler and Winnipeg, says the latest enforcement update, released Tuesday by the province.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nova Scotia RCMP Issue $74k in COVID Fines at Small Town Weston Christian Fellowship Church
RCMP in Nova Scotia charged more than two dozen adults for attending an illegal faith gathering at Weston Christian Fellowship Church in Weston this past Sunday.
According to the RCMP press release, the police arrived before the service and charged congregants after the gathering “continued against police direction.”
In total, RCMP charged 26 people $2,422 each under Nova Scotia’s Health Protection Act, and fined the church $11,622.50.
Police had previously warned the congregation on May 2, 2021 that the province’s gathering restrictions had changed to “no longer allow faith gatherings” after receiving a complaint.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RCMP Issues Summons to Court for Alberta Protest Rodeo Hosts
Rodeo legend Ty Northcott has received a summons to appear in court for organizing a rodeo rally against the lockdown.
Northcott was served at his home south of Bowden, Alberta by local RCMP. Northcott, his wife, and Northcott Rodeo Inc., all received summonses to appear in Red Deer Provincial Court in June for breach of the current public health restrictions limiting public gatherings to just five people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Update: Whistle Stop Cafe Owner is Being Released From Jail
As of noon Tuesday, the owner of the Whistle Stop Cafe, Chris Scott, remains behind bars for holding a peaceful protest in Mirror, Alberta.
Scott is being held in contempt of court for violating a restraining order won by Alberta Health Services against him, Glen Carritt of United We Roll and unnamed John and Jane Does.
He was taken into custody on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m.
The restraining order, obtained on Thursday without alerting Scott’s lawyer, Chad Williamson, prohibits Albertans from organizing, participating in or promoting “unlawful public gatherings.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
700-Year-Old Romanian Castle That Inspired “Dracula” Is Now a COVID Vaccination Site
Dracula has gone from sucking blood to injecting vaccines.
In what is undoubtedly fertile ground for irony and a glance into the sad reality of the post-Covid world, the more than 700 year old castle that was said to have inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula is now being used as a Covid vaccination site.
The landmark is offering free Pfizer vaccines for visitors every weekend in May, according to CBS.
Medics on site wear fang stickers and the castle boasts signs that feature Dracula’s fangs replaced with vaccination needles.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Extinction Rebellion: UK Police Arrest Cofounder Gail Bradbrook
A spokeswoman for the Extinction Rebellion group on Tuesday said one of its cofounders had been arrested by officers from London’s Metropolitan Police.
The group, whose stated aim is to use nonviolent protest to force government action on climate change, has staged numerous high-profile protests in the UK, US and other developed nations including Germany.
Why was she arrested?
The group said Bradbrook had been arrested on charges relating to its action campaign against financial institutions known as “Money Rebellion.”
“Extinction Rebellion cofounder Gail Bradbrook was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police at her home in Stroud at around 5:30 a.m. this morning for conspiracy to cause criminal damage and fraud in relation to Money Rebellion’s debt disobedience,” a spokeswoman for the group said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
French Interior Minister Mocks Letter That Warns Macron of “Civil War”
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has mocked a letter signed by active duty military personnel that warned President Macron of “civil war” consuming the country.
As we explain in the video below, the letter cautions how “hatred for France and its history (is) becoming the norm” thanks to the divisive “anti-racism” movement and large numbers of immigrants who refuse to integrate into society.
“A civil war is brewing in France and you know it perfectly well,” the military members warn, adding that the French government must take swift action to ensure “the survival of our country.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ignoring Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns, UK Pushes Ahead With Vaccine Passport
Despite continuous warnings from experts, the UK government has decided to go ahead with using the NHS app for validating the vaccination status of individuals. Several privacy advocate groups and security researchers have argued against such a move as identifiable private medical information of UK citizens would be made vulnerable to theft, not to mention the civil liberties implications.
The NHS App, launched back in January 2019, is now going to be used as the vaccine passport starting from May 19 in the UK. “You can access the app through mobile devices such as a smartphone or by tablet. Proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status will be shown within the NHS app,” said the UK government this week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In the wake of an open letter directed to the government of President Emmanuel Macron on April 21 by 26 retired French generals and 7,600 retired military personnel warning about an impending civil war in France, French news portal Valeurs Actuelles has published another one, this time signed by active members of the French armed forces, essentially repeating the stern warning of the previous one about Islam, parallel societies, and spiraling violence threatening to destroy French society.
In the original letter, which made national headlines and sparked a fierce public debate, the signatories warned that “if nothing is done, laxity will continue to spread inexorably in society, ultimately causing an explosion and the intervention of our active comrades in a perilous mission to protect our civilizational values and safeguard our compatriots on the national territory.” This is why, according to them, “it is no longer time to procrastinate. Otherwise, tomorrow, the civil war will put an end to this growing chaos, and the dead, for whom you will bear responsibility, will count in the thousands.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Merkel’s Successor Claims Czechia, Hungary, Poland Must ‘Return to Europe’
In a sign that conservative countries in Central Europe may come under increasing pressure regardless of who wins Germany’s upcoming federal elections, Angela Merkel’s successor, Armin Laschet, has called on Czechia, Hungary and Poland to return to the core of Europe.
Laschet, who is portrayed as representing conservatives in Germany as the chancellor candidate of Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is expected to continue the left-ward shift the party experienced under Merkel. At the same time, he has also been portrayed as a candidate seeking compromise and would likely continue the close economic cooperation with Central European nations that Germany has increasingly pursued. As the CDU has shifted left, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has taken up the mantle on conservative positions related to immigration and patriotism.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Socialist Presidential Candidate Vows to “Purge” French Military After Letter Warning of Civil War
Socialist politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon has vowed to “purge” the military if he is elected president after active servicemembers wrote a letter warning that France is on the verge of “civil war.”
The letter was initially released by an unknown number of serving soldiers but attracted the support of over 250,000 members of the public within 24 hours.
It warns President Macron that “a civil war is brewing in France and you know it perfectly well” due to the fact that “hatred for France and its history (is) becoming the norm” thanks to the “anti-racism” movement and millions of immigrants who have failed to integrate into society.
Far-left politician Mélenchon, who came fourth in the 2017 presidential election, reacted strongly by vowing to uncover and purge any members of the military who signed the letter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Social Media Leads to Lack of Trust and Division, Says Speaker of Hungarian Parliament
Social media and the spread of fake news undermines public trust, polarizes societies and is a means of manipulation,said President of the Hungarian Parliament Laszló Kövér at a conference of European Union speakers of the house on Monday. The conference was chaired by the presidents of the two chambers of the German federal Parliament, the Bundestag and Bundesrat, and is part of a year-long series of events designed to discuss the future of the European Union.
Kövér said that the handling of the series of conferences, which will run until the spring of 2022, with the participation of the EU institutions, member states, local authorities and EU citizens, gives the impression that the whole process is a spectacle, with a pre-written scenario and a pre-determined outcome. He emphasized that it was not the European Parliament, the European Commission or the European Council that had the strongest democratic legitimacy in the EU, but national parliaments.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Journalist Revealed to be Friends With Islamist She Interviewed
Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Radio has come under criticism for not removing an interview with Islamist radical Raad Al-Duhan after it was revealed the woman who conducted the interview was friends with him.
The Swedish website Doku revealed that a reporter for the publicly-funded Sveriges Radio had been in a friendly relationship with a radical Islamist who had been deemed as a security threat by Swedish police.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
No one will deign to answer her question, but it’s a good one.
An update on this story. “The Koran woman and twelve others are charged with rioting,” translated from “Korankvinnan och tolv andra åtalas för upplopp,” Fria Tider, May 5, 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: COVID: Greater Manchester Police Officers Fined for Lockdown Breaches
Eleven Greater Manchester Police officers were caught breaching Covid-19 lockdown rules in the first year of the pandemic, a Freedom of Information request has revealed.
Details obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed a community support officer and four civilian staff also broke the restrictions.
The majority of the breaches were around illegal social gatherings.
Six of those caught between March 2020 and March 2021 were fined.
The force declined to comment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Extinction Rebellion will protest once again in Leeds this week after a woman was arrested for allegedly throwing fake blood on steps of Leeds Civic Hall.
The woman is said to have thrown the ‘blood’ over the steps of the council building after Leeds Bradford Airport’s new £150m terminal was approved by the council.
The plans for LBA’s new terminal were given the go-ahead by Leeds City Council after a lengthy, and at times feisty, planning meeting.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Jailed Would-be Jihad Mass Murderer Tells Judge: ‘I Hate You Very Much, You Are an Evil Man’
It would be salutary and illuminating for British officials to ask themselves why Ahmed Hassan thinks Michael Evans is an evil man, and to allow the answer to be dictated by the evidence, rather than by their own wishful thinking and politically correct prejudices. It would shed a great deal of light on the motives and goals of Ahmed Hassan and others like him. But British officials are not going to ask themselves that question, which in itself indicates that they know where such an inquiry would lead.
“Parsons Green Tube bomber calls judge an ‘evil man’ as he appears in court accused of attacking prison officer in Belmarsh,” by Katie Feehan, MailOnline, May 5, 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: London: Man Stabbed, Eight Arrested After Brawl in High-End Store
A man was stabbed during a large fight inside a high-end shop in London on Saturday evening, authorities say.
Eight people were arrested after a brawl that unfolded at Selfridges, a renowned department store on Oxford Street.
Reports indicate a rapper known as ‘Bandokay’ may have been involved in the altercation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Workers ‘Stuck’ Due to Extinction Rebellion Newspaper Protest
Workers were stuck at a newspaper printing plant for up to seven hours after members of Extinction Rebellion staged a protest outside the main gates, a court heard.
A group erected two bamboo structures and parked two vans across the entrance to The Sun’s printing plant in Hertfordshire on 4 September.
It is estimated the blockade stopped 3.5 million newspapers being delivered.
Six defendants deny a charge of wilfully obstructing a highway.
The trial at St Albans Magistrates’ Court was delayed for a second time in as many days as one of the accused, Sally Davidson, left the court room after judge Sally Fudge said her co-defendant Liam Norton would be tried in his absence.
On Monday, 36-year-old Mr Norton delayed proceedings for three hours after he glued his hand to a table and filmed himself on his phone in court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Confirms Collaboration With the EU on Censorship
YouTube has confirmed working with governments in Europe and the EU itself in the campaign of removal of Covid “disinformation.”
The “deeper understanding” of the already unprecedented effort to remove and restrict content, particularly in the context of the epidemic, was revealed in conversation the site Punto Informatico had with YouTube’s Public Policy Director for the EMEA region, Marco Pancini.
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Netanyahu Declares State of Emergency in Israeli City Over Riots
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of emergency in the city of Lod late Tuesday after mass riots broke out amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hamas, according to local reports.
Netanyahu visited the mixed Jewish-Arab town overnight on Tuesday, decrying the “anarchy” in the streets that left 12 people injured, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
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Turkey: Hagia Sophia Illuminated With Lighted Sign Proclaiming ‘There is No God But Allah’
Erdogan wants to make sure the whole world is aware of his victory and of the re-Islamization of Turkey.
“‘There’s No God But Allah’ in Hagia Sophia Notes Turkey,” by Tasos Kokkinidis, Greek Reporter, May 9, 2021 (thanks to Henry).
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School Shooting in Russia Kills 9 People; Suspect Arrested
MOSCOW (AP) — A gunman launched an attack on a school in the Russian city of Kazan that left at least nine people dead Tuesday — including seven youngsters — and sent students running out of the building as smoke poured from one of the windows.
At least 21 others were hospitalized, six in extremely grave condition, authorities said.
The attacker, identified only as a 19-year-old, was arrested, officials said. They gave no immediate details on a motive.
But Russian media said the gunman was a former student at the school who called himself “a god” on his account on the messaging app Telegram and promised to “kill a large amount of biomass” on the morning of the shooting.
Attacks on schools are rare in Russia, and President Vladimir Putin reacted by ordering the head of the country’s National Guard to revise regulations on the types of weapons allowed for civilian use.
Four boys and three girls, all eighth-graders, died, as well as a teacher and another school employee, said Rustam Minnikhanov, governor of the Tatarstan republic, where Kazan is the capital.
Footage released by Russian media showed students dressed in black and white running out of the building. Another video depicted shattered windows, a stream of smoke coming out of one, and the sound of gunfire. Dozens of ambulances lined up at the entrance…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
US Officials Suspect Russia for ‘Directed-Energy’ Attacks Against Government Workers
US officials suspect Russia’s top foreign intelligence agency of being behind suspected “directed-energy” attacks against American government personnel, causing mysterious health issues, according to a report.
Speaking to Politico Monday, three current and former officials said the US suspected the GRU was behind the attacks, but did not yet have a smoking gun to prove it.
The intelligence community has not yet reached a consensus on the information, nor has it made a formal assessment.
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India: Muslim-Dominated Village Bans Hindu Religious Celebrations as ‘Sin, ‘ High Court Steps in
The celebration of a three-day-long Hindu religious festival came to a halt after Muslim groups raised severe objections to the celebration, calling it a sin. The incident took place in a Muslim-dominated locality in Perambalur district in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The ritual involves a temple procession through the streets; the affidavit of the Deputy Superintendent of Police confirmed that the “three days festival of the aforesaid temples were peacefully conducted till the year 2011.” From 2012 on, Muslim groups in the village started objecting to the celebration of various Hindu festivals, including this three-day procession, deriding the festival as a “sin.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An interesting and provocative Facebook post surfaced yesterday. In a public post made on the social media site, Shoaib Naqvi, a resident of New Delhi, India, wishes death upon the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
He writes, “I just hope Modi never gets to live Central Vista.”
Central Vista is India’s central administrative area, located near Raisina Hill, New Delhi. The concerned “Central Vista Project” refers to the construction of a new triangular Parliament building that will be able to accommodate central government offices allotted to key positions, and will include the Prime Minister’s residence. Given that the initiative was taken by the present Prime Minister, who is detested by the liberal camp with a passion, media platforms have been slandering the project in every way they can.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thailand: British Citizens Fined 6,000 Baht Each for Illegal ‘Party’ In Phuket
An unedited video circulating, showing Phuket police raiding an illegal gathering in Cherngtalay, ended up with 2 UK citizens, working in Phuket, being fined 6,000 baht each. The Cherngtalay police are also calling on another 4 foreigners attending the party to present themselves to the police station to be charged as well.
Cherngtalay Police descended on the property around 5pm on Sunday following a tip-off from residents in the same street.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What’s the Origin of COVID? Did People or Nature Open Pandora’s Box at Wuhan?
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted lives the world over for more than a year. Its death toll will soon reach three million people. Yet the origin of pandemic remains uncertain: the political agendas of governments and scientists have generated thick clouds of obfuscation, which the mainstream press seems helpless to dispel.
In what follows I will sort through the available scientific facts, which hold many clues as to what happened, and provide readers with the evidence to make their own judgments. I will then try to assess the complex issue of blame, which starts with, but extends far beyond, the government of China.
By the end of this article, you may have learned a lot about the molecular biology of viruses. I will try to keep this process as painless as possible. But the science cannot be avoided because for now, and probably for a long time hence, it offers the only sure thread through the maze.
The virus that caused the pandemic is known officially as SARS-CoV-2, but can be called SARS2 for short. As many people know, there are two main theories about its origin. One is that it jumped naturally from wildlife to people. The other is that the virus was under study in a lab, from which it escaped. It matters a great deal which is the case if we hope to prevent a second such occurrence.
I’ll describe the two theories, explain why each is plausible, and then ask which provides the better explanation of the available facts. It’s important to note that so far there is no direct evidence for either theory. Each depends on a set of reasonable conjectures but so far lacks proof. So I have only clues, not conclusions, to offer. But those clues point in a specific direction. And having inferred that direction, I’m going to delineate some of the strands in this tangled skein of disaster.[…]
[my vote goes for the people not nature….]
| — Hat tip: MC | [Return to headlines] |
The outspoken retired sportsman made no reference to any evidence that backed up his outrageous claims about the coronavirus vaccine, which sparked a divided reaction.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Extinction Rebellion Protesters Block Parliament House After Budget, Want Climate Emergency Declared
The Prime Minister and Treasurer’s post-budget media spruiking has been interrupted by protesters, who climbed atop trucks parked at major entrances to Parliament House in a bid to call on politicians to declare a climate emergency.
In the wake of Tuesday’s federal budget, protest group Extinction Rebellion attempted to block a number of roads on Wednesday morning. In a post on Facebook, the group said they wanted to “tell the pollies (that) a business-as-usual budget is totally unacceptable.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
World’s Most Vaccinated Nation Sees Active COVID Cases Double in Under a Week
The situation in the Seychelles, an island nation that has suffered from a recent surge in COVID-19 cases despite boasting the world’s highest vaccination rate, is going from bad to worse.
Since we last reported on the Seychelles one week ago, the island nation has faced a fresh surge in COVID cases.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greece: Pakistani Man Arrested for Attempted Rape of Underage Girls in Athens
A 34-year-old Pakistani was arrested yesterday at noon in Peristeri by police officers of the Security Sub-Directorate of Southeast Attica for attempting to rape underage girls and a 22-year-old.
The Pakistani is accused of attempted rape, insult of sexual dignity, disobedience, minor bodily harm and violence.
On April 27, the man was in the area of Voula in streets with low lighting and reduced traffic, targeted a minor and three young women, whom he initially approached under the pretext of providing information,
He then attacked them in order to force them into sexual acts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A cry of agony and despair from the Mayor of the remote city of Orestiada, which is the stronghold of the defensive line of Greece against Turkey in the Northeastern part of the prefecture of Evros, as COVID-19 explodes in the region.
Mayor Vassilis Mavridis in a message posted on social media, broadcasts SOS [Save Our Sales] three times and explained that in the last week in the Municipality of Orestiada there is an increase of 161% in active COVID-19 cases.
Evros News reported that the area of Orestiada has been dramatically affected by COVID-19, with many residents hospitalised at the University Hospital of Alexandroupolis and several of them in the ICU.
The rapid increase in cases is attributed to the uncontrolled movement of illegal immigrants from Turkey to Greece, which in the area of the Orestiada triangle has now reached frightening proportions for the local populations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michel Barnier Calls for 3-5 Year Suspension of Immigration Into EU
Michel Barnier has called for a 3-5 year suspension of immigration into EU countries, warning that the bloc’s external borders have become a “sieve” for criminals and terrorists.
“I think we have to take the time for three or five years to suspend immigration,” Barnier told French media.
The EU’s former Brexit negotiator cited links between between immigration and “terrorist networks that infiltrate migrational flows” as part of his reasoning for calling for the shutdown, while also highlighting the issue of human trafficking networks.
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Migrant Arrivals by Sea on Italian Island Swell Past 2,100
Several hundred more migrants reached Lampedusa before dawn on Monday, swelling to past 2,100 the number of arrivals in around 24 hours and fueling calls from across the political spectrum for the Italian government to strengthen its migration policies. FRANCE 24’s Seema Gupta tells us more.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 1,000 Illegal Aliens on French Anti-Terror Watch List
French interior minister Gerald Darmanin has revealed that there are over 1,000 illegal immigrants registered on the Terrorist Radicalisation Prevention Report Index (FSRPT), an anti-terrorism watchlist.
According to Minister Darmanin at least 1,083 illegal migrants have been registered on the FSRPT, an anti-terrorism watchlist created in 2015 which lists individuals who are thought to be religiously radicalised.
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Border Force officials have detained around 180 migrants trying to cross the Channel in the last three days as people smugglers take advantage of good weather to make the treacherous 21-mile crossing from France.
Around 50 migrants are thought to have been caught by officers today, meaning more than 2,500 people have been prevented from making the journey across the Straits of Dover so far this year.
Yesterday, Border Force intercepted 81 migrants on three inflatable dinghies while French authorities caught 70 in two boats. On Saturday, UK officials detained 49 migrants in three small boats.
[Comment: Article dated May 10, 2021.]
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Gay Man in Drag Tells LGBT Supporters: ‘Keep Your Kids Out of Drag Queen Shows’
A trending video shows a gay man in drag telling other supporters of the LGBT movement to keep their children away from drag queen shows and gay clubs.
The clip, originally posted on Tik Tok, shows a somewhat unlikely poster child for wholesomeness pointing out the blindingly obvious.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“detained”
“UK officials detained 49 migrants in three small boats.”
Here “detained” is a dishonest euphemism for “accommodated in hotels”.