While I was away, Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in its response to Hamas’ launching of missiles from Gaza. Palestinians celebrated the occasion as a victory for Hamas.
In other news, the rate of illegal migration across the Mediterranean to Europe has accelerated dramatically, causing the government of Cyprus to declare a state of emergency.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to AA, Reader from Chicago, SS, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
Inflation in EU Accelerates, Czech Prices Jump to 4th Highest
The average annual inflation in the European Union accelerated to 2 percent in April from 1.7 percent in March, the European Statistical Office announced on Wednesday.
Inflation in the Czech Republic is the fourth highest in the entire EU, standing at 3.1 percent. Of the 27 member states, prices are rising fastest in Hungary, by 5.2 percent. It is followed by neighboring Poland with inflation of 5.1 percent and Luxembourg with year-on-year price growth of 3.3 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ad for Room Rental in Portland Antifa ‘Whorehouse’ Goes Viral
An online advertisement for a room opening in an Antifa housing collective and unregulated prostitution facility in Portland has gone viral after being met by a barrage of ridicule by social media users.
An advertisement for Creature’s Co-Op was posted on Facebook seeking a “secret roommate” to reside in an eight feet by eight feet corner of a living room built out of recycled doors and a shower curtain for $302 a month, including other charges. Screenshots from the advertisement were posted on Twitter last week, prompting thousands of retweets and comments ridiculing the advert’s stringent and bizarre rules.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“The manipulation of social media platforms and activism by partisan Democrats in Silicon Valley was a deciding factor in the outcome of the 2020 presidential election,” Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow explains in an op-ed in the Washington Times detailing his research into the 2020 election from his new book Breaking the News: Exposing the Establishment Media’s Hidden Deals and Secret Corruption.
Marlow writes that the 2020 election wasn’t “stolen” from Donald Trump in some “spy-thriller-esque” conspiracy involving Hugo Chavez and voting machines, and suggesting that it was “stolen” is the “easiest way to get removed from the Internet and social media.” However, the true story of how Democrats won is still troubling and reeks of corruption, according to Marlow.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Antifa Fails to Shut Down Right-Wing Flag Event in Oregon City
After being outnumbered, Antifa failed to shut down the weekly right-wing flag event in Oregon City, which neighbors Portland except here law enforcement and the district attorney don’t tolerate rioting.
Antifa groups circulated a flyer online last week calling for comrades to counter protest the weekly flag waving event near Clackamas Community College. “Oregon City is allowing fascists to continue and grow their weekly flag wave, if we don’t put a stop to it, they will command more control!” the flyer urged. Clackamas Community College canceled classes in light of Antifa’s anticipated presence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arrest of Student Over Racist Snapchat is Unconstitutional, Rights Groups Say
A student at a public high school in Connecticut was arrested following a racist social media post targeting an African-American classmate. The arrest has sparked free speech debates because, under the protection of the First Amendment, it’s odd for a person to be arrested for speech in the US, even though it’s common in regions such as Europe where protection of speech is sparse.
A 16-year-old student at Fairfield Warde High School posted a photo of an African-American classmate, Jamar Medor, and posted it on Snapchat, alongside a caption containing a racial slur. According to the black student’s mother, the student who made the Snapchat post is white.
The student was later arrested and charged with a hate crime of ridicule on account of religion, color, denomination, creed, nationality, or race. The misdemeanor has existed in Connecticut’s state laws since 1917.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ashli Babbitt’s Family to File $10 Million Lawsuit Against Capitol Police Over Fatal Jan. 6 Shooting
The attorney representing the family of Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran who was shot dead by Capitol Police during the Jan. 6 riot, plans to sue the agency for more than $10 million. Officials have been placed on notice as the family demands accountability for Babbitt’s death.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tourists flock to Venice to see tarot card readers, tattooists, wannabe rappers and artists trying to make a buck by selling their work, but the buzzing beach town is now overrun by the homeless.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s CDC Director Says Lab Origin of COVID-19 a “Possibility”
During a hearing on the pandemic, Joe Biden’s CDC Director Rochelle Walensky acknowledged that there is a “possibility” that the COVID-19 virus was leaked from the Wuhan lab.
After asserting that most coronaviruses have an “animal origin,” Walensky was pressed by Senator John Kennedy into addressing “other possibilities.”
“Certainly a lab-based origin is one possibility,” said Walensky.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Administration Accused of Using Private Messaging Apps to Avoid Transparency
Following allegations that high-ranking officials in the Biden administration might be using encrypted apps for official communications, a top GOP senator is demanding answers. Encrypted messaging apps could potentially omit important official communications from public information requests at a time when the FBI is constantly wanting backdoor access to messaging apps for private users.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was adamant Monday she’ll continue to wear masks in public and urged others to do so. However, the Democrat was busted maskless Thursday while partying at a fine dining restaurant.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID Vaccine to be Mandatory for UVA Students This Fall
The University of Virginia is the latest of America’s post-secondary educational institutionsto require students to be vaccinated in order to be admitted to campus, come the following fall semester.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Doctor’s Message About Low Pediatric Deaths From COVID Blocked by Facebook
Facebook removed a comment by a doctor on the number of COVID-19 pediatric deaths. Facebook claimed the comment violated it “Community Standards on Spam.”
A Facebook user asked about the number of COVID-19 pediatric deaths in the month of April. Dr. Tracy Høeg, a sports, spine, and regenerative medicine doctor, responded with factual information from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and even included a graph.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook’s Fact-Checkers Accused of Censorship Over Mask-Wearing in Kids
Facebook’s fact checkers are “fact-blockers,” according to Manhattan Institute’s John Tierney, whose article on the downsides of mask-wearing in children was flagged. Mask-wearing in children still remains a controversial topic, where there’s no scientific consensus.
In April, Facebook flagged Tierney’s article on the risks of mask-wearing in children, adding a warning label that the information in the article was “mostly false.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov. Ron DeSantis Hints at Future Plans Amid 2024 Speculation: ‘I Have Only Begun to Fight’
“I can tell you this: In the state of Florida, with me as governor, I have only begun to fight,” said DeSantis to a cheering crowd of around 750 people at the Republican Committee of Allegheny County’s annual dinner for Lincoln Day.
DeSantis has roots in the region. His father grew up in Aliquippa and his mother is a native of Youngstown, WESA reported. Pennsylvania is suspected to play a critical role in deciding the 2024 presidential election.
According to the Daily Wire, a pastor said grace over the meal and hinted to the crowd that DeSantis could make a great president one day. This also drew cheers from all in attendance at the gathering.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How Totalitarianism Rhymes Throughout History: Czechoslovakia, China, & Venezuela
“It can’t happen here” is a political cliche in the United States. Regardless of your personal viewpoint, there is a vast swath of the American population who simply do not believe in the possibility of any kind of totalitarianism in the United States.
It’s worth noting that throughout history, in virtually every place that totalitarian regimes have arisen, the residents of these countries felt the same way. Russia was seen as too traditional and backward, the power of the Czar too entrenched to be defeated. Germany had been viewed throughout most of the modern period as the home of Goethe, Schiller, and Mozart, a place where the local Jewish population had largely assimilated.
| — Hat tip: AA | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds Protest Outside Lori Lightfoot’s Home: ‘it’s Not Enough to be Black’
Hundreds of protestors gathered on Thursday outside the home of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, demanding better performance ahead of the city leader’s two-year mark in office.People were carrying “report card” signs, giving an “F” to Lightfoot on her record on education as well as police reform, housing, and the handling of the pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 29-year-old man was making his way to a pro-Israel demonstration in midtown when he was attacked by a group of pro-Palestinian protestors.
According to the Daily Mail, Joseph Borgen was simply walking down the street wearing his kippa when a man started running after him. “I turned around to try to figure out what was going on,” Borgen said, “and the next thing I knew I was surrounded by a whole crowd of people who proceeded to physically attack me, beat me, kick me, punch me, hit me with crutches, hit me with flag poles.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
James Murdoch, right, has reportedly begun a whispering campaign against brother Lachlan, 48, left, to undermine him within Fox News, bottom right, founded by Rupert Murdoch, center.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Orders Psych Eval for Capitol Rioter ‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley
A federal judge has ordered Jacob Chansley, the Jan. 6 Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman,” to undergo a psychological evaluation.
There is “reasonable cause to believe that a competency examination” for Chansley is warranted, wrote Judge Royce Lamberth of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Chansley, 33, who also went by the name Jake Angeli, gained attention for wearing a horned helmet and red, white and blue face paint and carrying an American flag at multiple protests around his hometown of Phoenix before the Capitol riot. The bare-chested activist was a prominent figure in videos and photos taken during the insurrection, when he made it to the Senate floor, where he allegedly left a note for former Vice President Mike Pence.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Jurors Shown Graphic Images of Slain Iowa Student Mollie Tibbetts
Jurors in the murder trial for the farmhand accused of killing Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts on Friday were shown graphic images of her partially naked and decomposed body, along with some of her clothing items, including her underwear.
The photos were taken in the Iowa cornfield where Cristhian Bahena Rivera — a Mexican national who came to the US illegally — allegedly dumped Tibbets’ body after abducting her while she was out for a jog and knifing her to death, the Des Moines Register reported.
The photos show Tibbetts’ body partially covered by corn stalks and wearing brightly colored shoes and a pink sports bra, according to the report.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nancy Pelosi Whines About Face Masks
Nancy Pelosi, the woman who in February 2020 told everyone to congregate in large numbers in Chinatown, is asserting the moral high ground on COVID and masks.
Give me strength.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Hampshire Mom Arrested After Unmasking at School Board Meeting
Parents showed up at a Timberlane Regional School Board meeting in New Hampshire to request that the mask mandate for school children be lifted. But the school board shut down the meeting before it began because the parents were unmasked themselves. Then one of the mom’s was arrested and escorted out of the meeting after she refused to cover her face.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday that vaccinated residents will be entered to win lottery prizes ranging from $10,000 to $1 million.
As vaccination rates have begun to fall, states have turned to less conventional methods in an attempt to entice residents to get the jab—a special lottery.
Ohio was the first to launch such an endeavor with New York, Maryland, and now Oregon joining in as well. At Friday’s live-streamed news conference, Brown justified the decision. “We will need to pull on every lever we have,” she said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pelosi: Lawmakers Who Don’t Wear Masks or Get Vaccinated Could be Banned From House Floor
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Thursday that any lawmakers who refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated could be prevented from having access to the House floor.
Pelosi has decided, despite CDC guidelines to the contrary, that masks still need to be worn by everyone, yet some GOP lawmakers are refusing to go along with her decree.
“We could come to a place where we say if you don’t want to wear a mask…if you’re not vaccinated, don’t even come to the floor. We have facilities up above in the gallery where people can come to vote,” Pelosi declared during a briefing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Politifact Forced to Pull ‘Fact-Check’ That “Debunked” Lab Leak Origin of COVID
Politifact has been forced to pull a ‘fact check’ that claimed it had “debunked” the lab leak origin theory of COVID-19 after more prominent voices suggested the explanation was a reasonable possibility.
The original ‘fact check’ was entitled ‘Tucker Carlson guest airs debunked conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was created in a lab’ and was rated “pants on fire,” meaning that the lab leak theory was completely untrue.
However, the entry has now been updated with an editor’s note which basically reverses the judgment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Powerful Video: Rep. Jordan Exposes Democrats’ Efforts to Stifle COVID Origin Investigation
During a hearing Wednesday in the House, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan succinctly highlighted how everyone EXCEPT House Democrats wants answers to legitimate questions regarding the possibility of the coronavirus leaking from a Chinese lab.
Republican lawmakers, intelligence officials, Journalists, and even members of the Biden administration have all said that there is credible evidence behind the theory.
However, as Jordan outlines, House Democrats have stymied investigations and dismissed the notion as a ‘distraction’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Prison Guards on Duty the Night of Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Avoid Jail Time
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in 2019, set to go to court on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Not long after being locked up at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, he died. Two guards who were supposed to be looking after him that night were chargedwith “multiple counts of falsifying records and conspiracy”, and have now been sentenced.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Oregon to Demand Proof of Vaccination to Enter Businesses, Churches Without a Mask
The New York Times is reporting that the Oregon Health Authority will require businesses, workplaces, and houses of worship to check the vaccination status of anyone wishing to enter the premises without a mask.
The Times reports “This statewide mandate, one of the first of its kind in the country, raised concerns that the procedure of verifying vaccinations could be too cumbersome for workers.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Steven Crowder Joins Rumble After YouTube Suspension
Ever since the mainstream media amplified former Vox host Carlos Maza’s attempts to silence comedian Steven Crowder, YouTube has consistently censored and demonetized his channel.
Now, after facing almost two years of demonetization and video takedowns, Crowder has started posting his show to the free speech friendly video sharing platform Rumble.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
TikTok Censors Videos That Made Fun of Dr. Fauci
TikTok has deleted several viral videos by a comedian who made fun of Dr. Fauci by performing satirical impressions of the epidemiologist.
Tyler Fischer’s impressions went viral on the app but several of the videos were deleted after apparently violating “community guidelines.”
“My Fauci impressions are starting to be removed from TikTok for breaking “community guidelines,” tweeted Fischer. “Censorship causes extremism, cause now I have to go do my impressions door to door like a psychopath.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tulsi Gabbard Calls on Biden, Harris, To Demand Chicago Mayor Resign Over Her ‘Anti-White Racism’
Former Hawaii congresswoman and Democrat presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has issued a public call to the Biden administration to condemn the “blatant” racism of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. On Monday, Lightfoot said she would no longer be giving white reporters access for one-on-one interviews.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul ‘Glad’ Fauci is ‘Finally Accepting Science’
Senator Rand Paul says he’s glad White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci is dropping the mask theater, and is finally accepting science.
Paul has repeatedly clashed with Fauci, with the latter at first denying that masks are just for optics, and then admitting that is exactly the case this week.
Appearing on Newsmax TV, Paul said “I’m just glad that Dr. Fauci has now chosen to accept vaccine science — basic vaccine science says you can’t get it after you’ve been vaccinated; that’s why we get vaccinated.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Censors Public Meeting of Shawnee Mission School District Parents for “Misinformation”
A video from a school board meeting in Kansas has been removed from YouTube for violation of community standards around “misinformation.”
Shawnee Mission School Board president Heather Ousley announced this on Twitter, adding that the violations had to do with statements made by third parties during a meeting that was open to public comment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Removes “The Truth About Vaccines” Channel
Ty and Charlene Bollinger, the creators of “The Truth About Vaccines” YouTube channel, have become the third members of the so-called “Disinformation Dozen” to be deplatformed by Big Tech after the mainstream media amped up its pressure for their content to be censored.
The Disinformation Dozen report was published earlier this year by the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and urged Big Tech to deplatform 12 vaccine skeptics, including the Bollingers. These calls to deplatform those named in the report have been amplified heavily by mainstream media, Democrats, and Attorneys General.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alberta Drops Plans for Surveilling Citizens With Drones
The government of Canadian province of Alberta was forced to drop plans to surveil the public using drones after the scheme was called out by activists. The dystopian plan was supposed to support safety by highlighting campsites with more than 10 individuals.
The plan was discovered by independent political think tank Alberta Institute.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Armed Anti-Israel Protesters Assault Jewish Demonstrators in Montreal
15 arrests were made in Montreal when armed anti-Israel protesters attacked peaceful Jewish demonstrators gathered in Dorchester Square last weekend to stand in solidarity with Israel.
The Jewish demonstrators present were met with physical assaults as antisemitic attacks surface across Canada. The Montreal Police Department seized dangerous weapons from those arrested who were carrying an ax, knives, cayenne pepper, and incendiary devices. Bottles, similar to Molotov cocktails, were also seized.
At least one citizen and three police officers suffered minor injuries, according to law enforcement. At least 15 were arrested for criminal acts, including armed assault, mischief, and obstruction, 76 tickets were issued Sunday when the violence took place in the city center of the metropolis, TVA Nouvelles reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canada Justice Minister Pushes for Censorship Bill and Limited Freedoms
Canada’s attorney general, who also serves as justice minister, told a parliamentary committee this week that rights and freedoms can be limited.
Canada’s proposed Bill C-10, which many are referring to as the internet censorship bill, recently hit a snag when the Committee on Canadian Heritage put the process of its adoption on ice pending clarification of the bill’s intent and scope.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Outdoor Visits at Care Homes for Seniors Now Finally Allowed in Ontario
Starting on Saturday, long-term care facilities in Ontario will start allowing their residents to receive visits from their loved ones, after a long wait.
According to a memo by the provincial government, the restriction was lifted in line with the re-opening of outdoor areas in these facilities on the same date. The memo reads, in part:
“To align with these changes, we are expediting the ability for family members and friends to visit their loved ones who live in long-term care homes across the province.”
However, there will still be many restrictions in place regarding the nature and quality of these visits:
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sex Industry Surviver Fired From Women’s Shelter Over Social Media Posts
A Canadian women, who survived the sex industry, was fired from a women’s shelter for expressing her views on social media. The woman was fired after complaints about her Facebook posts advocating for single-sex services.
In February 2020, Valérie Pelletier, a survivor of the sex industry, was fired from her job at a large Montreal-based womens’s agency that deemed her single-sex advocacy as transphobia. Pelletier shared her story with Plebity, after unsuccessfully trying to seek justice in the Canadian justice system.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brexit Has Cost Poland a Billion Dollars in Trade With the UK
The United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union and the European Single Market has come at a price. The Polish Economic Institute (PIE) calculated that Poland’s trade in goods with the UK in the first quarter of 2021 was EUR 840 million less than the same period in 2020.
To eliminate the pandemic’s influence on these results, PIE has also referred to 2019, and compared to this period, trade between the two countries in the first three months of 2021 decreased by EUR 1.062 billion. In terms of value, exports fell by EUR 634 million versus 2019, while imports shrunk by EUR 427 million.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Death Rate in England Now Lowest Since Records Began in 2001
The death rate in England has now fallen to its lowest since the Office for National Statistics (ONS) began recording figures in 2001.
851.2 people per 100,000 died in April 2021, compared to 1,859 per 100,000 in the same month last year, as the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic was reaching its peak in the United Kingdom.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“The European Parliament was often part of the problem, rather than the solution, during the pandemic,” Hungarian Justice Minister Varga wrote on her Facebook page.
Her comment came after Thursday’s EU agreement on the so-called green passports, which do not automatically include all coronavirus vaccines administered in Hungary.
Varga went on to state in her post that the situation doesn’t seem to be any different in the negotiations on the European Digital Green Certificate. “While the member states agree on what kind of certificate they would consider acceptable for their citizens, MEPs are blocking the agreement.”
Varga added that involving the European Parliament in the process added an unnecessary layer of complexity.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Estimated 35,000 Officers and Citizens Protest in Paris Against Anti-Police Violence
Police unions claim that up to 35,000 police officers and citizens demonstrated against anti-police violence in front of the lower house of the French parliament in Paris.
The large-scale demonstration comes just two weeks after the murder of French police officer Eric Masson in the city of Avignon and at a time when police across the country face increasing levels of urban violence and attacks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Reaches Agreement on COVID Passports
The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional deal on a digital Covid-19 certificate to facilitate the free movement of tourists among the EU’s 27 member states this summer.
The documentation will show if people have been vaccinated against the virus and if they’ve recently tested negative or recovered from infection, lawmakers said on Thursday, after a fourth round of negotiations.
All EU nations will accept the passport, valid for 12 months, although it will not be a prerequisite for free movement, according to a statement from the European Parliament.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
According to information from American portals Axios and CNN, U.S. President Joe Biden does not want to exacerbate the conflict with Germany over Nord Stream 2 (NS2). As a result, his administration will not impose sanctions on the main company responsible for the pipeline’s construction and its German director Matthias Warnig.
The findings of the American media were confirmed by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement that sanctions will indeed be waived. Reports on the USA’s change of position concerning NS2 have caused a vivid reaction in Poland.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Mob of ‘Youths’ Attack Female Motorist After Crashing 4-Wheeler Into Her Car
A female motorist was beaten by a large group of ‘young people’ after some of them crashed into her car while riding a 4-wheeler in Nantes, France, according to reports.
The woman was driving at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday when she collided with a trio of ‘youths’ on an ATV.
While no one was injured in the crash, the woman attempted to collect information for an insurance report.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: ISIS Recruiter Who Murdered Man Just Because He Was Gay Jailed for Life
The Dresden knife attacker who killed a gay man and injured another was sentenced to life in prison Friday (21 May).
Abdullah A, a 21-year-old Syrian man and ISIS recruiter, was found guilty of murder by the Dresden Higher Regional Court in Germany, seven months after the knife attack on the couple.
The victims, Oliver, 53 and Thomas, 55, had visited Saxony’s capital city for a vacation from the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Thomas died of his injuries. Oliver was badly wounded but survived.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Harry Launches All-Out Attack on Royals: ‘I Will Never be Bullied Into Silence’
Meghan Markle’s husband Prince Harry has launched an all-out attack on his family, alleging “total neglect” and saying his mother was “chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone who wasn’t white”.
The woke prince, who abandoned his public duties as a working royal in order to pursue money-making ventures and live a celebrity lifestyle in Montecito, California, launched his latest salvo against the Royal Family in comments to talk show host Oprah Winfrey in an Apple TV series notionally centred on mental health, The Me You Can’t See.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Would Have Lost HUF 500 Billion (€1.43 Billion) Without the Use of Eastern Vaccines
Without the use of Russian and Chinese coronavirus vaccines, Hungary would have suffered, both in terms of more casualties during the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic and because its economy would have had to endure the restrictive measures for a longer period of time, Tamas Menczer, state secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said on Thursday.
Menczer said that 4 million people had been vaccinated by April 30 in Hungary, a figure that would have only been reached in the second half of July without the Chinese and Russian vaccines.
During the complete shutdown, the Hungarian economy suffered a loss of HUF 10-15 billion in just one day, meaning that Hungary gained more than HUF 500 billion (€1.43 billion) by purchasing vaccines from the East, Menczer said on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Expresses Solidarity With PM Babis
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis is the subject of political attacks, and Hungary expresses its solidarity with its “partner and friend from the Visegrad Group,” said Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjartó on Thursday, commenting on Babis’s alleged conflict of interest due to the collection of EU subsidies by Agrofert, the Czech conglomerate he founded.
“It is nothing new under the sun that there is an attempt to destroy Andrej Babis politically,” Szijjartó said in reply to a question about the criticism of the Czech prime minister.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary Urges More Free Trade Agreement With Far East at EU Conference
Hungary urges the European Union to establish institutional, close, active and effective cooperation with the free trade area in the far East as soon as possible, emphasized Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjartó. He added that the European Union must forget political preconditions because they do not make any sense.
“Don’t confuse things with trade and the economy that have nothing to do with either,” Szijjartó said during a one-day meeting of EU foreign and trade ministers in Brussels.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pics: Animal Rights Activists Blockade UK McDonald’s Depots, Demands Plant-Based Menu by 2025
Animal rights activists have blockaded four McDonald’s distribution centres in England, holding protest materials reading demands for a “plant based food system” and claiming “meat & dairy = climate crisis”.
Animal Rebellion has blocked four distribution centres in Basingstoke, Coventry, Hemel Hempstead, and Heywood in Greater Manchester in an attempt to stop deliveries on Saturday to the country’s 1,300 fast-food restaurants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Privacy Watchdog: UK COVID Passport Small Print Says it Will be Used Domestically
Privacy Watchdog group Big Brother Watch has warned that UK ‘Covid passports’ officially rolled out for international travel will eventually be used domestically to restrict the movement of the population, and that the small print even admits it.
The group tweeted that the privacy notice attached to the vaccine status feature of the NHS app says that the data will be used at ‘domestic events’:
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Suspected Terrorist Couple Fooled Authorities With Fake Identities
Swedish authorities say that a couple suspected of planning terrorist offences fooled the country’s Migration Agency with false identities, claiming to be from Afghanistan when they are actually believed to be Iranians.
The revelation came as a result of the Swedish security police establishing their identities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A 50-year-old commanding police officer has awoken from his coma and spoke on video after a brutal attack from youths during the Islamic holiday of Eid, but his condition still remains serious.
The officer was a part of a night patrol which received a report of around 15 youths violating the night curfew last week in Rive-de-Gier in the Loire department located in central France. Calls to the police said that the youths were throwing projectiles from a highway.
“The individuals initially refused to leave, referring to Eid. They then launched projectiles in the direction of the police,” the deputy prosecutor told AFP of the Republic of Saint-Etienne, André Merle. Eid is a holy day for Muslims that marks the end of Ramadan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Government to Send Private Security to Homes of Returning Holidaymakers to Enforce Quarantine
The British government has claimed that it intends to send private security contractors to knock on the doors of anyone returning from holidays to make sure they are quarantining upon their return, as required by law.
Home Secretary Priti Patel announced Wednesday that those returning from destinations that have not been added to the government’s ‘green list’ should expect to be checked on at their homes.
The warning comes after the government lifted international travel restrictions on Monday, allowing people to go on holiday, but with extensive caveats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Vile and Dangerous Paedophile’: Transwoman Who Molested Girls as Young as Four Jailed
Jessica Brennan has been jailed for heinous crimes against children when they were still known as Allan Brennan.
North Yorkshire Police released a statement on Tuesday confirming that Jessica Brennan from Harrowgate, Yorkshire, who was “Allan Brennan at the time of offending” but now identifies as a woman, had preyed on school-aged girls between 1998 and 2016.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Defeat for BLM as Cecil Rhodes Statue Won’t be Removed
The UK branch of Black Lives Matter has suffered a significant defeat after it was revealed that a statue of Cecil Rhodes will remain at Oxford’s Oriel College.
Following the transatlantic riots and protests after the death of George Floyd last summer, campaigners had hoped that the “controversial” monument would be permanently removed.
Despite the College itself expressing a desire to remove the statue, in addition to a ruling by an independent commission which came to the same conclusion, Rhodes is safe for the time being because of the costs associated with expelling him from the Grade II listed High Street building.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The victims of two Islamist terror attacks on British soil have been remembered on Saturday, May 22nd.
On this day in 2013, Islamist terrorists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale mowed down Fusilier Lee Rigby, a machine gunner and army drummer, as the 26-year-old walked to his barracks in Woolwich, London.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Has Every Right to Protect Its Citizens, Says Czech Foreign Minister Kulhanek
Israel has the full right to protect its citizens and has the unwavering support of the Czech Republic, said Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek during his Thursday visit to Israel. In the town of Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv, together with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and his Slovak counterpart Ivan Korcok, Kulhanek inspected buildings damaged by a Palestinian rocket.
The conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas began on May 10, and since then, 242 people, mostly Palestinians, have died.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arabs and Jews have been fighting in the region for decades and hostilities have escalated since May 10, killing 10 Israelis and 232 Palestinians including 65 children.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
India Demands Social Media Networks Remove References to “Indian Variant” Of COVID
Authorities in India are now demanding that social media networks remove references to the “Indian variant” of COVID-19, despite the fact that it originated in India.
New Delhi’s information technology ministry is claiming that mentions of the Indian mutant strain are misleading and “without basis” because there is no scientific reason to link it to India.
“It has come to our knowledge that a false statement is being circulated online which implies that an ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus is spreading across the countries. This is completely FALSE,” the letter said.
That claim itself is manifestly false given that the B.1.617 strain was first reported in India.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India Demands Twitter Stop Labeling Lawmakers’ Tweets as “Manipulated Media”
New Delhi and Twitter continue to clash over content moderation: this time the Indian government is objecting to the “manipulated media” label put on some tweets by Indian politicians about COVID-19. The government wants the label removed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sajan Singh | HENB | New Delhi | May 21, 2021:: Delhi Police arrested a Muslim boy from Bawana area of JJ Nagar Colony who allegedly used to inject cows to make senseless and informed other elder Muslims to take away those senseless cows for slaughtering.
Some cowherds caught a Muslim boy named Salman (the other Arman fled away) and handed over him to the Delhi Police.
As per information, in the outskirts of Delhi, where big fields are available cowherds from Haryana, Delhi and Western UP generally use to allow their cattle for grazing in their journey from one place to another.
But, they were finding the numbers of cattle as decreasing in numbers for unknown reasons.
The Hindu cowherds were kept them vigilant on it and they reveled that some Muslim boys put some sedative or anesthetic injections to make the cows senseless.
The Muslim guys choose some place solitary to inject the cows and informed the other Muslim elders in the locality so that they would come in the dark of night to lift those senseless cows in Muslim locality for slaughtering.
From the arrested boy it is known that they were paid Rs.700-1000 for giving such injection successfully. They were also provided with the medicine filled injection syringe.
It is not known, whether such cases as found in Bawana- JJ Colony are operative in other places in Delhi and other states in Delhi for the slaughtering of grazing or stray cows under a definite racket as apprehended…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Singapore Orders Facebook and Twitter to Delete References to a “Singapore Variant”
Singapore’s Ministry of Health has ordered Facebook and Twitter, as well as SPH Magazines, to correct what it claims to be online falsehoods suggesting that a new coronavirus mutation originated in the country. The supposed “falsehoods” seem to have been fueled by an Indian politician.
“There is no new ‘Singapore’ variant of COVID-19,” the ministry said in a statement. “Neither is there evidence of any COVID-19 variant that is ‘extremely dangerous for kids’. The strain that is prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases detected in Singapore in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated from India.”
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Watch: Tucker Carlson Lays Out the Lab Leak Hypothesis of COVID-19
In Friday’s segment, Fox News host Tucker Carlson interviewed a Chinese virologist who went over the lab leak hypothesis, which postulates that the COVID-19 virus emerged from a lab.
Following up on previous segments, Tucker Carlson of Fox News produced an expose on the origins of COVID-19. “The virus did emerge from a lab in Wuhan,” Carlson said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Farmers NSW and animals rights group PETA have both slammed the government for not acting sooner over mice plague — with the animals resorting to eating each other as food runs out.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The state’s budget on Thursday announced a new tax on property developers, a new levy on successful businesses and large increases to stamp duty and land tax.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
More than 200,000 foreign workers left Australia in 2020 and have not been replaced. Struggling businesses are now saying Australians used to free handouts don’t want to work.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
After a 30-year-old Afghan male attacked a 12-year-old girl by trying to push her in front of a moving train, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) state chief Leif-Erik Holm is calling for tougher immigration laws.
The Afghan allegedly tried to drag the child in front of a moving freight train at the train station in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state capital Schwerin.
“How is it possible that such a violent and unscrupulous Afghan walks freely through Schwerin? Who will take the political responsibility for such acts?” Holm asked when talking to Junge Freiheit. “No more cameras or more police officers help against such violence, the only thing that helps here is tightening immigration laws. We already have enough of our own crime in the country, we don’t have to import additional ones.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cyprus Declares ‘State of Emergency’ Amid Huge Illegal Migrant Influx
(AFP) — Cyprus said Friday it is in a “state of emergency” because of an inflow of Syrian migrants that has flooded its reception centres, appealing for help from the European Union.
Cyprus has this week faced a “daily wave of migrant arrivals” by sea from the Syrian port of Tartus, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark to Establish Deportation Center for Foreign Criminals on Island
Taking a page from the previous administration, the Danish government has announced plans to establish an island centre for foreign criminals pending deportation from the country.
The Holmegaard centre will stand ready on the southern tip of the island of Langeland, some 20 kilometres from the nearest town of over 1,000 residents, within a year.
The centre will be populated by inmates slated for deportation from Denmark because of serious crime or being a security threat. As of now, there are 130 individuals who meet these criteria and are eligible for detention in the centre.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds of Migrants Try to Storm Another Spanish North African Enclave
Just days after thousands of migrants stormed the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, hundreds attempted to cross into Spain’s other territory, Melilla.
Hundred of migrants, reportedly Moroccan nationals, attempted to jump the fence between Melilla and Morocco on Thursday night and into Friday morning.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ICE Has Released an Increasing Number of Illegal Immigrants Into America Since January
There’s still an ongoing crisis on the United States-Mexico border. The Biden administration’s plan of pretending the problem isn’t there and hoping it fixes itself still isn’t working.
As first noted by the Washington Examiner, the number of illegal migrants who crossed the America’s southern border and were allowed to enter the United States measured up to be 61,312 for the months of February, March, and April.
There’s a distinction worth making, here. This is just the Customs and Border Protection’s stats. What that 60,000-plus number seems to refer to are the overflow people that Border Patrol officials just don’t have the time or capacity to deal with. But they’re released into the United States anyway.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Drops Case Against Migrant Taxi NGO Captain Who Rammed Patrol Boats
An Italian judge has agreed to drop a case against German migrant taxi NGO captain and activist Carola Rackete, who rammed several law enforcement boats to get migrants to Italy in 2019.
A Judge for Preliminary Investigations (GIP) closed the case against Rackete on Wednesday after a request from the prosecutor of Agrigento.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migrants were seen attempting to scale the walls of Ceuta, one of Spain’s North African enclaves, in a bid to get from Morocco into Europe.
Pictures taken in the early hours of Friday morning showed a group of migrants using ropes in a desperate attempt to scale the walls of Ceuta’s port amid a diplomatic row between Spain and Morocco.
In Spain’s other North African enclave Melilla, around 300km (185 miles) east of Ceuta, some 30 migrants crossed over in the early hours on Friday, scaling the high, razor-wired fence, authorities confirmed.
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More “Rescued” Migrants Delivered to Italian Island by NGO Ferry
A ‘rescue’ vessel operated by a non-governmental organization (NGO) has been cleared to deliver more than 400 migrants to the Italian island of Sicily, according to reports.
Sea-Eye 4 , a German NGO ship , executed at least six ‘rescue’ operations off the coast of Africa in recent days, collecting hundreds of illegal aliens hoping to reach Europe.
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Spain Sends 6,600 Migrants Who Entered Ceuta Back to Morocco
CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Officials in Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa, faced complications Friday in reuniting worried Moroccan parents with hundreds of children and teenagers swept up in a diplomatic standoff between Madrid and Rabat over migration and the disputed territory of Western Sahara.
So far, authorities have confirmed 438 unaccompanied minors were among more than 8,000 people who arrived in Ceuta from Morocco between Monday and Wednesday by scaling a border fence or swimming around it. Social service workers were checking the ages of many more young people who are in shelters or roaming the streets, Mabel Deu, a spokesperson for the autonomous city, said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden: Alleged Afghan Stabber First Applied for Asylum in Norway, Gave Different Ages
An Afghan migrant accused of going on a stabbing rampage in Sweden first tried to claim asylum in Norway and claimed to be a minor after applying for refugee status in Sweden a year later.
The Afghan is suspected of seven counts of attempted murder after going on a stabbing rampage in the small town of Vetlanda in March.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The EU Wants to Pay Tunisia and Libya to Detain and Readmit Migrants
The European Union is allegedly working on an agreement with Tunisia, offering the country economic assistance in return for a tougher approach to stopping migrants from traveling to Europe. According to EU’s Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, talks on a similar agreement with Libya are already underway, reports The Arab Weekly. According to the daily Die Welt, the EU is considering a network of countries to which illegal migrants could repatriate.
Italy has called on member states to help manage the growing number of illegal migrants, most of whom come from Tunisia and Libya. Tunisia, on the other hand, is urging a comprehensive solution that would take into consideration the socio-economic roots of the problem. Johansson said that Brussels was working on organizing a “voluntary assistance network,” which also includes an attempt to negotiate a new agreement with Tunisia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
If it looks like a cult, sounds like a cult and behaves like a cult, chances are it’s a cult.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
eBay Says it Will Let Governments Automatically Remove Listings
In a move that observers fear may represent a setback for fair moderation of product listings — and of content in general — ecommerce giant eBay has announced that it is proceeding with a project aimed at allowing government regulators to remove items they see as “dangerous listings” directly from the site, with no need to consult the company.
eBay is also letting regulators — from some 50 countries around the world — decide that there is enough evidence that a listing might pose a risk to consumers, and once eBay declares these offices as “trusted authorities” their powers to remove items from the site will be unlimited. The company has not yet revealed the criteria that will guide this selection of state authorities it trusts to be making decisions in its place.
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A sergeant with the Seattle Police Department, a member of the LGBTQ community, sent a heartbreaking email to Seattle Pride Saturday after Capitol Hill Pride banned Seattle police officers from participating in this year’s march and rally.
“Hello my name is [omitted]. I’ve lived and worked in Seattle for almost 20 years. I have absolutely loved the community the city gave me when I moved here after college from a small town,” the sergeant said in an email obtained by The Post Millennial.
“My disabled military veteran husband feels the same way. Pride to us was a monthly reminder each year of the great fortune we have and a chance to show thanks to the previous generation of gays, lesbians, trans for their work and sacrifice making the world more accepting to our folks,” he continued.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Says it Cut “Hate Speech” By 50% After Ramping Up Censorship
Facebook has released its community standards report covering the first quarter of 2021, including data on censorship of content the social media giant deems to be “hate speech.”
A post by Facebook’s VP of Integrity Guy Rosen revealed that prevalence of Facebook-determined hate speech had been reduced by almost 50% since Q3 of 2020 and by 25% since Q4 of last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A federal judge this week rejected a conservative Christian college’s request to sidestep new rules under the Biden administration that force religious schools to open women’s shared bedrooms and shower spaces to biological males.
Following the more than two-hour virtual hearing, Judge Roseann Ketchmark issued the ruling Wednesday that denied the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, a restraining order and a preliminary injunction, which would have provided temporary protection for the school while its court case is pending.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Freenode Developers Jump Ship After Takeover
A wave of resignations has hit the Freenode IRC network over a dispute regarding ownership rights with the network’s new owner, Andrew Lee.
Freenode is one of the most popular IRC (internet chat relay) networks used by the free and open source community, and reports say that trouble had been brewing among its discontent staff for months now.
Those who have decided to leave explained their motives in a number of posts published online, accusing the Freenode Ltd company of planning and executing a hostile takeover of the Freenode network and the data of its users.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Law Enforcement Requests for Data on Facebook Users Have Almost Doubled
In its latest transparency report for the last six months (H2) of 2020, Facebook offered some insight into the nature and number of government requests for user data, as well as content restrictions based on local law, intellectual property infringement and internet disruptions around the world that affect the giant social platform.
In a blog post, Facebook VP & Deputy General Counsel Chris Sonderby also revealed that the report now covers the company’s own “proactive” moves meant to protect IP rights.
When it comes to restrictions based on local law on content that doesn’t violate Facebook’s own rules, these almost doubled in H2 2020 — increasing by 93%, from 22,120 in the first half of last year to 42,606 in the second. The countries that are the main drivers of the trend include the UK, Turkey, and Brazil.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lego Releases LGBT Rainbow Toy Set to Celebrate ‘Pride’ Month
The LEGO toy company has announced the release of its rainbow “Everyone is Awesome” set for kids, just in time for Pride month.
The multicolored set features 11 single-colored, non-gendered figurines that together form a rainbow with black and brown stripes as well as the “transgender flag colors,” LGBTQ Nation reported Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Operation Improve Bibi’s ratings has concluded? Yawn…snore.
The Big Show will be so much better and the comrades will learn what burning it all down is really about.
Vladdy Putin has caused quite a stir with the try to bite Russia and we’ll kick out your teeth quote but the faculty lounge utopia builders are on a hot mission from Karl.
The enrichment is showing locally as a city block has no power and the stores won’t be able to rake in the fiatbux fresh off of the Weimar printing press.
The hard pimp gangsta suburban youth are starting to believe their Wal-Mart rap lyrics until a mutant face or an extended magazine comes out. Bwahaha!
Civil War 2.0 will be like that as well, Mommygov and muh poleeces won’t be there and the ghost written rap lyric legends will be running long before the cargo cult resupply that won’t be coming.
The mayor of Chicago is so hideously ugly that mask wearing should be compulsory. A face to match the policies and politics that emanate from it. I’ve even heard that young monsters are in the habit of checking their closets and underneath their beds at night before they go to sleep just in case the mayor might be hiding there.
if you want to see what ugly really is, just look for Tarana Burke. SHE should wear a mask permanently.
You weren’t kidding!
What would possess some male to know that in the biblical sense is beyond me.
As I always say, you can drinkem pretty but you can’t drinkem thin. LOL
and yet THAT claims to have been raped. Raped by WHAT I ask.
A woookie???
Beetlejuice !!!! Beetlejuice!!! Beetlejuice!!!
More pro-Palestine protests
https://mobile.twitter.com/NatashaKLondon/status/1396197283910225926
https://mobile.twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1396190235487318019