Police shut down illegal parties and church services in Ontario and Seattle for violating COVID restrictions. Meanwhile, the Japanese government will ban eating, drinking, and cheering at the Tokyo Olympics in an effort to prevent the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus.
In other news, more than 450 migrants have landed in Spain since Friday.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, 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.
More than 75 years after the conclusion of World War Two, one third of Americans are questioning the country’s decision to send troops into battle.
A new Economist/YouGov poll suggests that doubters believe it to be a mistake or are unsure if it was the right decision.
The poll, which was timed to coincide with Memorial Day, asked people for their opinions were on the decision to send American troops to fight in particular wars.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BLM Activist Steps Down From School Board After Allegations He Molested Up to 62 Children
Denver School Board director-at-large Tay Anderson, a fervent Black Lives Matter activist, is accused of molesting over 60 undocumented students, using the residency status of the children to target kids as young as 14-years-old.
A parent delivered legislative testimony last Tuesday, claiming there is an unidentified sexual predator within the school system who has targeted students.
Brooks Fleming told the committee that 62 individuals had sought help handling the unnamed perpetrator. The abusive experiences ranged from unwanted touching to “violent acts of rape,” the woman said. 61 of the victims lacked documentation or were recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program with the youngest child just 14-years-old, Brooks Fleming stated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Feds Arrest Indiana Man Who Faces State Charges in Connection With Portland Protests Last Fall
FBI agents in Oregon arrested an Indiana man Friday, who already faces 26 felonies stemming from protests in Portland last fall.
Malik Muhammed is being held on a U.S. Marshals hold at the Multnomah County Jail.
The arrest is a sign that the U.S. Department of Justice is likely to file charges against the 24-year-old from Indianapolis, who Multnomah County prosecutors say traveled to Portland “for the specific purpose of engaging in the multiple criminal episodes and behavior that this case is based upon.”
A spokeswoman for the FBI confirmed the arrest to OPB. Paperwork in the case is sealed. Federal courts reopen Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday when more information, including charges, could become available.
In April, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced a grand jury had charged Muhammed with attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, unlawful manufacture of an explosive device, among others.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Florida Punk Rock Show Charges Unvaccinated $1,000; Vaccinated Only $18
This rule would really suck for someone who isn’t vaccinated but who is dating a vaccinated punk rock superfan. I don’t encourage canceling dates, but there are exceptions.
A promoter named Paul Williams proudly announced to Florida that his promotion is set to charge unvaccinated attendees $999.99 a ticket to see Teenage Bottlerocket’s June 26 concert at VFW Post 39 in St. Petersburg. Teenage Bottlerocket must be pretty good, huh? Well, there’s only an $18 charge for the vaccinated. So, you decide.
“I’m not denying entry to anyone,” Williams says. “I’m just offering a discount.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Knicks Announce Round 2 Playoff Tickets Are ‘Vaccinated Only”
Just when we thought OutKick couldn’t be more on the money: vaccinations are now required to purchase second round Knicks tickets. The team just announced that tickets will be sold exclusively to vaccinated fans rather than sold to anyone who wants them. Ya know, how it’s been done for decades.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Latest Economic Data Show Red States Crushing Blue States — and Here’s Why
The good news is our economic recovery from the pandemic is finally underway. The bad news is that it’s going a lot slower in blue states than red states — thanks to foolish big-government policies.
This is the inescapable conclusion revealed by the latest jobs and unemployment data.
“The unemployment rate in April nationwide was 6.1%, but this obscures giant variations in the states,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “With some exceptions, those run by Democrats such as California (8.3%) and New York (8.2%) continued to suffer significantly higher unemployment than those led by Republicans such as South Dakota (2.8%) and Montana (3.7%).”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Madison Becomes Last of Wisconsin’s 5 Largest Cities to Face Election Complaint
MADISON, Wis.—This capital city has become the fifth and last of Wisconsin’s so-called WI-5 cities to face a formal complaint alleging violations of election law in the November presidential contest in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump.
Saying they are concerned about liberal groups entrenched in administration of Wisconsin elections, a crowd of about nearly 140 turned out for a “Standing Up for Voter Integrity” rally at the State Capitol.
The sponsor of the rally, the Wisconsin Voter Alliance, has led legal challenges to the third-party groups accused of infiltrating the elections in Madison and the Badger State’s four other largest, most heavily Democrat cities.
“As I talk to citizens around Wisconsin, there still are a lot of questions about CTCL [the Center for Tech and Civic Life] and their involvement in the 2020 election,” state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, said. “The lack of oversight of these [outside] groups should concern everyone in the state of Wisconsin as we work toward transparent elections.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michael Flynn Denies Suggesting a Myanmar-Style Military Coup Should Happen in the US
Former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who worked briefly under former President Donald Trump, said Monday that there was “NO reason” for a military coup in the United States — one day after he appeared to suggest the opposite at a QAnon-themed convention over the weekend.
“Let me be VERY CLEAR — There is NO reason whatsoever for any coup in America, and I do not and have not at any time called for any action of that sort,” Flynn said in a post on Telegram, a social-media app that has been favored by far-right groups.
“Any reporting of any other belief by me is a boldface fabrication based on twisted reporting at a lively panel at a conference of Patriotic Americans who love this country, just as I do,” Flynn added to his 227,000 subscribers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Far-left activists in Portland with the support of City Council member Jo Ann Hardesty are trying to get a contracted city worker fired for displaying a Thin Blue Line flag decal on his truck.
A photo surfaced online showing an Oregon Concrete Solutions-branded truck with an emblem of the Thin Blue Line flag affixed to the front driver’s side panel. The Thin Blue Line decal shows an American flag with a blue line running through the stripes. It is meant to show support for police officers and law enforcement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reporters Admit Dismissing Wuhan Lab Leak Theory in Part Because Republicans Proposed it
Journalists continued to acknowledge Sunday that the media’s longstanding dismissal of the Wuhan “lab-leak” theory was in part due to Republicans pitching it.
Once widely cast aside as a racist “conspiracy theory” and “fringe” nonsense, the possibility that the coronavirus accidentally leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology has gained increasing credence in recent weeks. The saga has led to yet another reckoning for mainstream media journalists about groupthink and bias in the industry. Faced with criticism that they blasted the theory last year for political reasons, some reporters have admitted its Republican origins with figures like Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., former President Donald Trump, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo played into why they disparaged it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reward Grows to $400,000 in Freeway Shooting Death of 6-Year-Old Aiden Leos
Last week, authorities released a photo of the car sought in the May 21 shooting on the 55 Freeway in Orange.
The reward for information in the freeway shooting death of a 6-year-old Southern California boy has increased to $400,000.
The steadily growing reward in the shooting of Aiden Leos, who was struck by gunfire from another car May 21 on the 55 Freeway in Orange, started with an offer of $50,000 and increased in the week following the shooting. The money includes funds from the family, businesses and Orange County officials.
Aiden was riding with his mother when he was struck by a bullet in his abdomen. He was on his way to kindergarten.
The shooting stemmed from a road rage confrontation, investigators said.
No arrests have been reported. Last week, the California Highway Patrol released a photo of a white Volkswagen Golf Sportwagon, possibly a 2018 or 2019 model, sought in connection with the shooting.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Speaker at Armed Black Militant March: “Kill Everything White in Sight”
A speaker at an armed march in Oklahoma to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre told the crowd that the ultimate goal of the movement was to “kill everything white in sight.”
Yes, really.
Billed as a ‘Second Amendment March for Reparations’, individuals from the New Black Panther Party marched through downtown Tulsa to draw attention to “racism, inequality, wealth disparity, police brutality and the like.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas House Democrats Block Voting Bill in Dramatic Walkout
Texas Democrats walked out of the state House’s chamber just before midnight on Sunday to deny Republicans the quorum needed to hold a final vote on a controversial bill that would tighten voting laws in the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who supports the bill, said he will call for a special session. The bill has the support of Republicans in the state who see it as a common-sense approach to securing election integrity. Democrats see the bill as an attempt to discourage minorities from casting a ballot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Top UNC Donor Opposed Hiring ‘1619 Project’ Founder
A top UNC-Chapel Hill school of journalism donor and newspaper publisher staunchly opposed hiring controversial 1619 Project founder Nikole Hannah-Jones, newly unearthed emails reveal.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette publisher Walter Hussman Jr. — for whom the school is named — argued in 2019 that the move would expose the school to a lengthy backlash.
“I worry about the controversy of tying the UNC journalism school to the 1619 project,” Hussman wrote to top school brass, according to The Assembly.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Praises US Armed Forces in Memorial Day Message
Former President Donald Trump released his Memorial Day message in honor of those who have served in the US Armed Forces.
“On this Memorial Day, we remember the fallen heroes who took their last breaths in defense of our Nation, our families, our citizens, and our sacred freedoms,” Trump wrote. “The depth of their devotion, the steel of their resolve, and the purity of their patriotism has no equal in human history.
“On distant battlefields, in far-off oceans, and high in the skies above, they faced down our enemies and gave their lives so that America would prevail. They made the supreme sacrifice so that our people can live in safety and our Nation can thrive in peace. It is because of their gallantry that we can together, as one people, continue our pursuit of America’s glorious destiny.
“We owe all that we are, and everything we ever hope to be, to these unrivaled heroes. Their memory and their legacy is immortal. Our loyalty to them and to their families is eternal and everlasting.
“America’s warriors are the single greatest force for justice, peace, liberty, and security among all the nations ever to exist on earth. God bless our fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, Airmen, and Marines. We honor them today, forever, and always.”
This came on the heels of a message released by Vice President Kamala Harris in honor of the weekend that simply said “Enjoy the long weekend” and had a picture of her face.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Viral TikTok ‘Kickback’ In Seattle Broke Up by Police After Fights, Fires Break Out
A beach in Washington state became the latest location for a viral TikTok “kickback” party to be broken up by police.
A huge crowd gathered on Alki Beach in Seattle on Saturday night after invitations to the “kickback” went viral on TikTok — the “kickback” being a reference to “Adrian’s Kickback,” which led to bedlam in Huntington Beach, California, last weekend.
That “kickback” drew thousands to Huntington Beach after Adrian Lopez, 17, posted a video inviting people to his birthday party on the app. Nearly 150 people were arrested during the gathering, which stretched over two days at Huntington Beach.
The meetup in Seattle went by several names on TikTok, including the “Washington Kickback” and the “Alki Beach Kickback.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Washington Post has become the latest media outlet to reverse its earlier insistence that the Wuhan lab leak theory was a “debunked conspiracy theory.”
The newspaper published an article in February 2020 by Paulini Firozi labeling the explanation a “debunked conspiracy theory” but has now been forced to issue a retraction.
“Earlier versions of this story and its headline inaccurately characterized comments by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) regarding the origins of the coronavirus,” states the retraction. “The term “debunked” and the Post’s use of “conspiracy theory” have been removed because, then as now, there was no determination about the origins of the virus.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
All members of the Liberal Party, the New Democrats, and the Bloc Quebecois voted against a Conservative amendment to Bill C-10 that would have created clearer stipulations that would count user-generated content as an exception from Bill C-10’s sweeping powers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Charlottetown City Council Votes to Remove Statue of Sir John A. Macdonald
Charlottetown at first wanted to make revisions to the signage surrounding the statue, and even optioned for adding an indigenous statue to better reflect representation.
But today the Macdonald statue must go, the city council has voted.
According to CTV, Councilor Greg Rivard was a driving force in favor of the statue’s removal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Extinction Rebellion Spokeswoman Denounces Far-Left Politicization of Climate Change Issue
An ex-spokesperson for the group has publicly criticized how the practice of finding greener ways of living is being diluted by ideological rhetoric.
Weeks ago with the Project Veritas insider expose about CNN‘s leading staff, we had a higher-up at the network directly say that climate change is the outlet’s next big thing, after the pandemic news chatter died down.
The climate activists at Extinction Rebellion embraced a BLM style of aggressive protesting. For those who need a refresher: Extinction Rebellion protesters blockedToronto traffic last year, and over in the UK the group waged war against a newspaper.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Three More Charged at Old Colony Mennonite Churches in Chatham-Kent
One more Sunday and three more charges against members of Old Colony Mennonite churches in Chatham-Kent.
Chatham-Kent police again laid charges under the Reopening Ontario Act against one member apiece from churches in Wheatley, Dresden and Charing Cross for holding illegal gatherings.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia Will Meet EU’s Climate Goals But Wants Financial Compensation, Says Minister
Czechia is ready to meet the new emission targets of the European Union, stated Czech Minister of Industry Karel Havlicek after talks with several European Commissioners on Czech reforms leading to a more climate-friendly economy. However, the country has to receive appropriate compensation and needs the option to replace coal with gas as a source of energy.
According to him, EU officials welcome greater Czech openness to the transition to clean energy.
This week, EU leaders reaffirmed their commitment from December that the European bloc as a whole would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by 2030. The European Commission is currently preparing an analysis of the impact of the tightened targets on individual economies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Parliament Freezes Ratification of China Investment Treaty
The European Parliament has halted ratification of a controversial investment treaty with China until Beijing lifts sanctions on European lawmakers, academics and think tanks. The move, a rare display of fortitude by an institution notorious for vacillation, reflects a hardening stance in Europe toward the Chinese Communist Party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook’s Nick Clegg Accused of Trying to Influence Appointment of UK Regulator
The UK’s media regulator Ofcom has refused to release details of meetings between its boss and Facebook’s Vice President for Global Affairs and Communications Nick Clegg. According to reports, Clegg met with the watchdog’s chief executive to interfere with the appointment of a new chairman.
According to the Daily Mail, Sir Nick Clegg, who served as the Deputy Prime Minister under former PM Dave Cameron, had two meetings with Ofcom’s chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes; on February 13 and April 16, 2020. However, the telecoms regulator, which will soon start overseeing online platforms, refused to reveal what the two discussed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The authorization of the Sputnik V vaccine for protection against the coronavirus in the European Union must be accelerated, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said. Speaking to the Sunday newspaper Bild am Sonntag, the president of the junior German coalition party the Christian Social Union (CSU) stressed that the vaccination engine should not be allowed to “stall”.
To this end, in particular, the EU authorization procedure for Sputnik V at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European community’s top pharmaceutical authority, needs to be sped up.
“Time should not be wasted for purely ideological reasons,” Söder told Bild am Sonntag.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: Salvini Continue to Push to Establish Alliance of Right-Wing Parties
Parties of the European right should form an alliance to be an efficient political alternative to the left, President of Italy’s League party Matteo Salvini said at the Chega party conference in Portugal.
Salvini said that this alliance would be made up of Identity and Democracy (ID, to which the League also belongs), the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) and, together with Viktor Orban, and parties from the European People’s Party (EPP).
“The moment has come to bring together the best of these three groups to become a dominant force in the European Parliament,” Salvini said. In his statement, the politician called the issue of migration and the family an important European issue.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish President Duda: Georgians, We Are Waiting for You in the EU and NATO
Polish President Andrzej Duda took part in the celebrations honoring Georgia’s independence anniversary on Wednesday.
Duda started his speech by referencing the words of former Polish President Lech Kaczynski from 13 years ago in Tbilisi.
“Today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic States, and then, perhaps, the time will come for my country, Poland,” Kaczynski had said in context of the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia.
[Comment: Georgia should forget the EU.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rising Star of Czech Politics and First Black MP Resigns After Accusations of Sexual Asault
A young rising star of Czech politics who made history by becoming the first ever Black member of the Chamber of Deputies has now been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior by several women, resulting in his resignation.
The 24-year-old Dominik Feri, who represented the left-wing TOP 09 party, has been the subject of rumors for years but a joint article by Denik N and A2larm provided additional evidence and weight to the allegations of sexual assault.
In the past couple of days, Czechs have been closely following the fallout from the case.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Switzerland Ends Negotiations With EU Over Differences on Immigration and Wages
After seven years of talks, attempts to establish closer ties between the EU and Switzerland have failed. The government in Bern ended the negotiations due to insurmountable differences in opinions on immigration and wages, with the end of talks likely to have a relatively significant impact on the Swiss economy.
In recent years, Switzerland has built a reputation as a world leader in medical technology. In Basel, St. Gallen, Bern, and near Lake Geneva, there are over 1,600 companies that produce everything from joint replacements to sophisticated ovulation bracelets.
Now, however, the heads of companies, which employ over 55,000 people and account for 5 percent of Swiss exports, are full of worries. From Wednesday, Swiss pharmaceutical certificates will not be recognized in the EU, which greatly complicates exports. It is estimated that new administrative barriers for the whole sector will cost €61 million a year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two-Thirds of Hungarians Satisfied With Government’s Handling of Pandemic
Almost two-thirds of Hungarians approve of the conservative government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a recent poll shows.
Popular approval of the government measures related to the coronavirus rose back again to the 62 percent level seen at the beginning of the year as the country recovered from the third wave of the pandemic.
Although satisfaction declined somewhat during the third wave, both the high data now measured and the fact that the satisfaction rate never fell below 50 percent at the time of the epidemic indicates that the majority of Hungarians are satisfied with the government’s performance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: BBC Employees Revolt Against Electronic “Social Distancing” Tags
In January, the BBC started forcing employees in its office to wear electronic social distancing proximity sensors that sound an alarm whenever they get within two meters of another employee.
At the time, the BBC’s managing director, Bob Shennan, told employeesthe purpose of these sensors was to “help maintain safe social distancing.”
But now, a BBC employee has raised the alarm over the safety of these devices and told The Guardian that these electronic tags had to be withdrawn from use after “one started smoking.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A university has been forced to apologize for sending staff an email featuring a photo of Prince Philip after his death. The “woke” staff at the university complained about the photo because of Philip’s “history of racist and sexist comments.”
Following Prince Philip’s death last month, King’s College sent staff an email bulletin featuring a photo of the Duke opening a library at the university with the queen in 2002.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An English church will create an “educational area” for the former slave trader who became a clergyman and abolitionist, and wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace”, after the Church of England had ordered a Black Lives Matter-style review of all of its memorials for “contested heritage”.
John Newton was an eighteenth-century former slave ship captain and slave trade investor who went on to become ordained as a Church of England vicar in 1764, becoming avidly opposed to the slave trade, and even forging a friendship with the well-known British abolitionist William Wilberforce. It was while leading his flock at the church of St Peter and St Paul in Olney that he penned what came to be known as the hymn, “Amazing Grace”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Govt Scientist’s ‘Third Wave’ Comments Spark Freedom Day Delay Reports
While coronavirus cases and deaths in the United Kingdom are now a fraction of what they were during the winter, a government scientist has warned he sees signs of a coming “third wave”, leading to a rush of media speculation on whether the nation’s lockdown will actually end next month as planned.
New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag) member Professor Ravindra Gupta made his remarks on the BBC on Monday morning, warning that the so-called “third wave” of coronavirus infections generally associated with European nations appeared to be coming to Britain.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Hundreds Discovered Breaching COVID Rules at Illegal Warehouse Rave in Sydenham Business Centre
A huge illegal rave in a Sydenham warehouse was broken up in the early hours of Sunday morning (May 29).
Nearby railway workers reported the sound of music coming from the Metro Business Centre in Kangley Bridge Road.
Police attended the scene, where hundreds of people were found to be illegally partying, many of whom appeared to be not wearing masks.
The rave completely disregarded current COVID rules, which cap indoor gatherings at six people or a maximum of two households.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: How to Opt-Out of the NHS’s Imminent Data Grab
The UK’s NHS plans to import the medical records of 55 million patients into a digital database that will be shared with third parties. Privacy activists have heavily criticized the plan, describing it as “legally problematic.”
Citizens need to opt-out of the plans before June 23rd.
The health service’s IT department, NHS Digital, confirmed that it plans to scrape the medical histories of all people in England registered with a GP clinic into a single database that will be shared with commercial and academic third parties for planning and research purposes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: London Police Searching for Man Who Was Filmed Hunting for ‘Jewish Blood’
Detectives for London’s Metropolitan Police are searching for a masked extremist who was filmed calling for Jewish “blood” during an anti-Israel protest last weekend.
In footage shared on social media, the youth was filmed telling a group of protesters: “We’ll find some Jews here … We want the Zionists, we want their blood!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Police Covering Rotherham Secure Charges in Only 1-in-34 Child Sexual Exploitation Cases
The British police force which oversaw the Rotherham “grooming gangs” child rape scandal is securing charges for just one in 34 crimes flagged as having links to Child Sexual Exploitation, it has been revealed.
All told, South Yorkshire Police secured just 16 charges out of some 540 crimes officers flagged as Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) related, according to data secured by The Timesthrough the Freedom of Information Act.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The police are investigating 28 men and 10 women, aged between 14 and 39, for allegedly breaching safe distancing measures after they were found gathering at illegal public entertainment outlets in two separate incidents.
In the first case on May 16, the police conducted an operation at an industrial unit along Jalan Besar.
Seven men and two women, aged between 20 and 27, were allegedly found consuming alcohol and socialising within the unit.
Public entertainment and liquor were believed to have been provided at the venue without a valid licence. Karaoke equipment was also found at the unit and seized by the police.
A 27-year-old man, believed to be the operator of the unit, will be investigated for offences under the Public Entertainments Act and Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act 2015.
In the second case on May 22, the police conducted an operation at an office unit along Paya Lebar Road.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China to Allow Married Couples to Have 3 Children
China is making a major change in how its citizens can form a family. Monday, the Chinese Communist Party said it would allow married couples to have as many as three children to combat the country’s aging population.
Got that? Couples in China are now allowed to have a third child.
The change comes five years after Beijing ended its infamous “one-child policy” and began allowing couples to keep a second child.
State-run, Xi Jinping-approved Xinhua News Agency says the new policy will “improve the country’s population structure, actively implement the national strategy to respond to the aging population, and maintain the country’s demographic advantage.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tokyo Olympics Set to Slap Ban on Cheering & Eating
Japanese authorities are set to slap a ban on cheering, eating and drinking in order to stop the spread of COVID at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics.
Mandatory proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test, along with mandatory mask mandates, are almost a given, but organizers are planning even more measures.
Additional security guards will be in place for when the event begins on July 23 and they may be tasked with enforcing blanket bans on behavior that would normally be routine for any similar occasion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Rand Paul, Pompeo Warn Wuhan Lab Still Running, Involved With Bioweapons
Over the weekend Senator Rand Paul and former CIA director and secretary of state Mike Pompeo both warned that the Wuhan Institute of Virology is still up and running, and that evidence points to involvement with the Chinese military in bioweapons research.
Appearing on Fox News, Paul told Jeanine Pirro that he is worried US funding is still being used by the lab to conduct biological warfare experiments.
“I’m very worried that this stuff still goes on and that the U.S. government’s been funding it,” Paul said, adding “We’ve got a lot of evidence pointing to this lab now,” as the origin of the virus outbreak.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sydney’s median house price is already expensive enough. Now the experts are expecting real estate values in Australia’s biggest cities to surge by 21 per cent in 2021 to more than $1.2million.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
BERLIN (AP) — Two suspects were arrested in Germany and Slovakia in raids Monday on a group accused of smuggling Vietnamese into Germany and other European countries for large fees that they had to work off in massage parlors, brothels and other places, authorities said.
Police in Berlin arrested a Vietnamese woman who lives in the German capital, while a Slovak woman was detained in Bratislava. They were alleged to be part of a larger group of suspects — several Vietnamese, one German and two Slovaks —that brought Vietnamese people to Europe on fraudulently obtained visas.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Union Tests New Walls, Sound Barriers to Keep Migrants Out
From towering steel walls to deafening sound blasts, the European Union is doubling down on its efforts to keep migrants out.
“Our main goal is to prevent migrants from entering the country illegally. To accomplish this, we use new and modern equipment,” said Major Dimosthenis Kamargios with Greek Border Police.
With the world on lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, Greek border police have been busy building and testing new barrier technologies to deter migrants, many traveling from Turkey.
According to the Associated Press, this includes long-range sound cannons, observation towers and steel walls similar to what has been constructed along the U.S. and Mexico border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Police Arrest Two People Smugglers in Budapest
Hungarian police arrested two Arab men living in the capital thought to be the leaders of a people smuggling ring, who commissioned Hungarian and Bulgarian drivers to send migrants to Austria, the National Police wrote on its website.
The police are investigating several Hungarian and Bulgarian citizens who have taken migrants from Hungary to Austria more than 20 times since January this year, the police said.
The investigation led to arrests and investigations being carried out in Budapest on May 26. In doing so, Alahmed O., a 35-year-old Syrian citizen, and Mohamed A.F., a 39-year-old stateless person, were arrested.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Morocco, Spain Trade Accusations of Violating Good ‘Neighbourliness’
MADRID/RABAT: Morocco and Spain traded new accusations on Monday (May 31) in a diplomatic row triggered by the Western Sahara territorial issue that led this month to a migration crisis in Spain’s enclave in northern Morocco.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described Morocco’s actions in appearing to relax border controls with the enclave of Ceuta as unacceptable and an assault on national borders.
Morocco’s Foreign Ministry meanwhile blamed Spain for breaking “mutual trust and respect”, drawing parallels between the issues of Western Sahara and Spain’s Catalonia region, where there is an independence movement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 450 Migrants Disembarked in Spain Since Friday
MADRID — There has been a steep increase in recent days in the number of migrants disembarking at different places in Spain, with over 450 having been rescued since Friday, according to news agency EFE.
The region with the most migrants disembarking was the Canary Islands, the point most commonly used now for migration routes from Africa to Spain.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 400 illegal boat migrants landed in the space of 24 hours as a protest was held in Dover against the growing migration crisis in the English Channel.
On Saturday, some 144 migrants were recorded landing on British soil, following 336 landing on Friday, according to BBC reporter Simon Jones.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Teacher Allegedly Suspended for Saying a Boy Can’t be a Girl
The Loudoun County, Virginia school district continues its affinity for controversy, the most recent example being its suspension of a teacher allegedly for stating that a biological boy cannot be a girl.
According to Fox News, Leesburg Elementary phys. ed. teacher Tanner Cross was “placed on leave” after the remarks he made at a recent school board meeting.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video Explaining Masturbation Shown to First Graders Outrages Parents
Parents of Dalton School children were enraged to find out their first graders were being taught sex education that included videos explaining masturbation to their kids, the New York Post reports.
The parents, who discovered the lessons last fall, voiced their complaints to the school’s administrators, but were told that they had “misinterpreted” the lessons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Reporting the results of polls as though the information is trustworthy…. I am over that one. Polls should be reported as propaganda by default. The real news would be a poll that is not. (re Hungary)