A huge thunderstorm came through Central Virginia in the middle of the afternoon today, knocking down trees and causing a power outage here at Schloss Bodissey that lasted for about seven hours. The electricity came back on in time for me to throw the news feed together, but everything else has been delayed.
The big news, of course, is that Bill and Melinda Gates have announced that they are divorcing.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, MM, Reader from Chicago, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
IMF Praises Hungarian Crisis Management
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that the Hungarian authorities responded quickly and decisively to the coronavirus crisis, and that the monetary policy responses were appropriate, the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) said in a statement on Monday.
The Washington-based organization held an economic policy consultation with Hungary at the end of April. In addition to the MNB, its experts also consulted with representatives of the Ministry of Finance, ITM, as well as commercial banks and industry associations.
According to the IMF, the rapid vaccination program in Hungary may allow for earlier opening compared to most EU countries, and economic recovery may begin this year. It was noted that targeted fiscal support measures should be continued until the process intensifies and that additional tax revenues should be used for faster reconstruction if the recovery moves more quickly than expected. Monetary policy must also be prepared for rising inflationary pressures, the IMF said in a statement.
[Comment: Meh. I’m no fan of the IMF. And Hungry should not have enacted covid restrictions.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Moody’s: Czechia in Danger of Losing Investor Confidence
On Monday, Moody’s rating agency warned that Czech public finances might not be sustainable in the long run. According to the agency, the government’s budget plans for the medium term do not include any significant consolidation objectives, which has a negative effect on the assessment of creditworthiness.
According to Moody’s, the consolidation of the state budget will be a task for the next government, which will be formed after the parliamentary elections scheduled for October. The rating agency pointed out that creating a strategy for reducing budget deficits and stabilizing or reducing the government’s debt will be key to Czechia’s future creditworthiness.
At the beginning of February, Moody’s confirmed the Czech Republic’s credit rating at Aa3 with a stable outlook. A credit rating is an important guide for investors, as it shows them the likelihood that loans will be repaid, which has a significant effect on the willingness of creditors to provide loans to the state or other entities. It also affects the terms of the loan, such as the interest rate. The higher the rating, the better creditors perceive the borrower and the more likely they will accede to cheaper loans.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Summer 2021 is Going to be Abnormally Violent” As Murders Continue to Rise
Summer 2021 is shaping up to be “abnormally violent” according to one expert, as data shows murders continue to rise in major American cities and the threat of more riots looms large.
According to John Roman, a senior fellow at the economics, justice and society group at NORC at the University of Chicago, the disruption of routine activities thanks to COVID lockdowns and the further loss of faith in the police will lead to more violent disorder.
“Summer 2021 is going to be abnormally violent. And summer 2022 as well. It is the new normal,” writes Roman.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Brown Eases COVID-19 Restrictions
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced 15 counties will return to less restrictive COVID-19 levels on Friday, May 7.
“With the statewide seven-day average increase for hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients dropping below 15 percent, Oregon no longer meets the statewide metrics for the Extreme Risk level,” the announcement said.
Brown made the announcement the same day she was sued in federal court by a coalition of parents and businesses who said her limitations on school and businesses hours have “no rational basis in fact.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Questions have been raised about the impartiality of one of the 12 jurors who convicted Derek Chauvin of murder after it was revealed he attended a rally last summer where George Floyd’s relatives addressed the crowd.
A photo, posted on social media, shows Brandon Mitchell attending an August 28 event in Washington, DC, to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington.
It shows Mitchell, a high school basketball coach, standing with two other men and wearing a T-shirt with a picture of King and the words, ‘GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS’ and ‘BLM’. He is also wearing a baseball cap printed with Black Lives Matter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Derek Chauvin Requests New Trial, Claims Jury Misconduct
The lawyer for ex-Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin is requesting a new trial in the death of George Floyd — claiming the guilty verdict against his client was tainted by a threatened and “intimidated” jury.
In papers filed Tuesday in Hennepin County Court, attorney Eric Nelson argues that Chauvin’s murder trial should have been moved to a different city, and said publicity surrounding the trial was “pervasive” and “prejudicial.”
“The court abused its discretion when it failed to sequester the jury for the duration of the trial, or in the least, admonish them to avoid all media, which resulted in jury exposure to prejudicial publicity regarding the trial during the proceedings,” Nelson wrote, “as well as jury intimidation and potential fear of retribution among jurors….”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Digital Vaccine Passport Bands Have Arrived
A Wharton school grad and his father, a doctor, developed the “Immunaband” — a wearable smart device, which is much akin to a smartwatch in appearance and is being used to show the status of vaccination with a tag.
Users have to upload their vaccination card and the Immunaband makes it easy for others to know about their status of vaccination. With little consideration for the implications in terms of civil liberties, the technology is already being adopted by various businesses.
A restaurant called El Merkury Sophia Deleon in the Reading Terminal market of Philadelphia has all its employees wearing the Immunaband, a simple blue bracelet that displays a QR code. By scanning the code, you can validate the status of vaccination of the individual wearing it.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Diner in Louisville Draws Handgun as Armed BLM Protesters Swarm Restaurant
Images showed a Louisville restaurant patron pointing a handgun at armed Black Lives Matter protesters who swarmed the outdoor dining patio during demonstrations in honor of Breonna Taylor on the day of the Kentucky Derby.
Louisville Metro Police on Saturday evening responded to La Chasse, an upscale European restaurant located in the 1300 block of Bardstown Road, as protesters were marching northbound on the street. A restaurant employee told dispatchers “that multiple armed protesters entered the restaurant property, which included outdoor dining space,” police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley told Fox News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Censors Iconic Image of 1970 Kent State Shooting on Its Anniversary
It remains as one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, one that helped to change the course of history — and yet, on modern-day Facebook, the image is covered over with a “Sensitive content” filter.
The image is of the aftermath of the Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre of 1970, where unarmed students at Kent State University who were protesting the Vietnam war were gunned down by the Ohio National Guard.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Oregon House Speaker Dave Hunt Cited in Sex Trafficking Sting
Former Oregon House Speaker and current Clackamas Community College board member Dave Hunt was cited by Portland police in an undercover sex traffic sting operation in April.
Contacted by the Portland Tribune on Monday, May 3, Hunt said, “I don’t think I should talk about that.”
Hunt’s attorney, Micheal De Munis, said, “Mr. Hunt denies the allegations, but respects the criminal justice process and will refrain from saying more until he has his opportunity in court.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former BLM Movement Leader Arrested for Interfering in Homicide Probe
Authored by Isabel Van Brugen via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
A former leader of a movement in Iowa City that identifies with the ideals of Black Lives Matter has been arrested for allegedly interfering in a homicide investigation, police said.
Mazin M. Mohamedali, 20, was arrested Saturday, and faces one count of accessory after the fact, an aggravated misdemeanor, according to a criminal complaint filed in Johnson County District Court.
His arrest follows a fatal shooting during a suspected robbery at his Iowa residence in February.
Police say he failed to immediately call emergency services after the incident. He also later lied to investigators about the shooting’s circumstances and provided false descriptions of people involved, according to an affidavit filed by an officer.
According to court documents, the 20-year-old also deleted his mobile phone’s call history and the mobile phone application Snapchat, and in doing so, hid information from police that would have led them more quickly to the suspect in the shooting death, Sammy Hamed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
GOP Reps Want FBI Director to Explain FISA Warrant ‘Violations’
Two House Republicans are demanding answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray in the wake of the nation’s secretive FISA surveillance court, citing “widespread violations” by the FBI in monitoring American citizens.
Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Andy Biggs of Arizona wrote to Wray to explain “the FBI’s illegal spying activities” after a ruling made by James Boasberg, the presiding judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, last November.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
House GOP Rep Working to Replace Cheney With NY’s Stefanik in Leadership Role
A member of the House Republican leadership team has been whipping votes for New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to replace House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney as the third-ranking GOP member.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) told The Post on Tuesday that he is confident the upstate New York congresswoman has the support needed to obtain the position.
Cheney has come under fire for her criticisms of former President Donald Trump and split with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), with a conference vote expected as soon as next week to determine whether she will retain her post.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hunter Biden Writing Sequel to ‘Beautiful Things’ Despite Poor Sales
Hunter Biden says he will write a sequel to his memoir “Beautiful Things” — despite it tanking in sales of only 10,000 copies in its first week amid a publicity blitz.
In an interview on the Mad World podcast, the first son made the announcement when asked about how his wife, Melissa Cohen, helped him stay on the wagon.
“That’s book two,” Hunter told host Byony Gordon.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iowa Family Refused Entry Onto Southwest Flight After Autistic Son Couldn’t Wear Face Mask
A Iowa family was refused entry onto a Southwest Airlines flight because their autistic 5-year-old son could not wear a face mask, a report said.
Cody and Paige Petek and their two children were in St. Louis for a connecting flight home to the Des Moines International Airport on Sunday when they were turned away, KCCI reported.
Before boarding the plane, the family’s son, who is non-verbal, has autism and a sensory processing disorder, was having issues with his face mask, the family told the outlet.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kansas Legislature Overrides Gov. Laura Kelly’s Veto on $94 Million Tax Package
Kansas taxpayers will see a series of tax cuts and increases after the Legislature swiftly moved to override Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a $94 million package Monday.
Lawmakers rejected the governor’s argument that the measures which include $130 million in tax cuts and $35 million in new sales taxes, would lead to the kind of deep budget reductions seen following tax cuts during former Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration.
The Senate approved the override on a 30-10 vote. The House approved the override on a 84-39 vote, three more yes votes than it earned last month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Arrests Monday Night as Protests Continue in Elizabeth City
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WITN) —On the day that Andrew Brown Jr. was laid to rest in Elizabeth City, at least four more people were arrested during evening protests.
Monday marked the 13th day demonstrators were out on the streets seeking justice following the shooting death of Brown by Pasquotank County deputies attempting to serve an arrest warrant.
Around 8:30 p.m. four people walked out the Pasquotank County Courthouse after being arrested and charged with impeding traffic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Panic Hoarding Guns Now Enters 16th Month as Biden Seeks Ban
Americans continued to panic hoard guns for the 16th straight month in April, according to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System’s (NICS) statistics report. The data provides insight into the trends behind Americans purchasing firearms.
The FBI’s NICS logged 3.514 million background checks in April 2021, which is more than any other April on record. Background checks have been elevated since the virus pandemic began and recently supercharged under an anti-gun Biden administration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Parents Protest Anti-White Indoctrination and Racist, Woke Ideologies at New York’s Private Schools
In recent weeks, parents sending their children to prestigious private schools in New York have protested new anti-racism courses introduced by several educational institutions in response to last year’s death of African-American George Floyd.
Parents complain that teachers force children to look at themselves through characteristics such as skin color, gender, or sexual orientation often while promoting that all Whites are privileged.
Parents’ dissatisfaction was first voiced in late April in an open letter from one man, Andrew Guttman, who condemed “a new obsessive focus on race and identity” at Brearley School, one of the best private schools in New York.
Guttman said the all-girls private academy was “trying to make her feel guilty” about her “skin color.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: 15% of Americans Think Mask Mandates Will Remain for Years or ‘Indefinitely’
A new Rasmussen poll finds that 15 per cent of Americans think mask mandates will remain in place for years or even ‘indefinitely’, with a majority believing they will have to cover up for at least another 6 months.
Participants were asked, “How much longer will Americans be required to wear masks in public places? Less than six months, Six months to a year, At least 18 months, For the next couple of years, or Indefinitely?”
58 per cent said they think they’ll be required to wear masks in public for at least another six months, while 25 per cent of that figure believes the mandates will go on for 18 months or longer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Portland Antifa May Day Rioters Charged With Felonies by District Attorney
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office has announced it is moving forward with prosecuting three suspect rioters connected to the violent Antifa protests in Portland, Ore. on May Day.
On Saturday night, around 50 people in black bloc descended on the local Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in a pre-announced riot. The facility is among one of many government buildings targeted and set on fire dozens of times over the past 11 months by far-left rioters. Five of the seven arrested over the riots have been previously accused of or convicted for their role in other Black Lives Matter-Antifa riots.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rights Groups Call on Spotify to Drop “Creepy” Technology
A coalition of human rights organizations and musicians have called on Spotify to abandon a music recommendation project it recently suggested, which uses speech recognition. The coalition described the technology as “invasive” and “creepy.”
We’re providing a copy of the letter for you here.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rotten Apple: ‘New York as Dead as it Was a Year Ago’
Unlike other areas of the country like Texas and Florida, New York appears to be trapped in a permanent state of lockdown malaise, with one observer noting how empty streets suggest the city is “seemingly as dead as it was a year ago.”
Reason host Nick Gillespie tweeted a video of morning rush hour traffic on The Bowery, a street located in a normally busy neighborhood in Manhattan.
Suffice to say, it’s not that busy.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Trump Launches New Communications Platform
Former President Donald Trump launched a new communications platform on Tuesday that will allow him to communicate with followers after previously being banned from posting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, Fox News reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watchdog to Investigate the Pentagon’s Actions Regarding UFOs
An independent government watchdog will investigate the Pentagon’s actions regarding UFOs following complaints from congressional leaders on how the Department of Defense has handled the out-of-this-world topic.
The announcement comes days after a former Pentagon official, who says he headed up a program investigating what the government refers to as unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAPs, told The Post that he tried to get the government to seriously acknowledge and investigate these unidentified objects, comparing it to an “intelligence failure on the level of 9/11.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White Texas Dem Official Who Called GOP Sen. Tim Scott ‘Oreo’ Resigns
The head of the Democratic Party in a Texas county resigned Tuesday, days after he described Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) as an “oreo,” leading to an outcry among Republicans.
Now-former Lamar County Democratic Party chairman Gary O’Connor, who is white, told the Washington Examiner in a statement that he was “deeply and sincerely sorry” for using the “racist term” against Scott, one of three black senators and the only black Republican.
“It was insensitive and I have embarrassed myself and my party by its use,” O’Connor’s statement read.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
4 Fined at Winnipeg Law Courts Rally in Support of Churches Fighting Public Health Orders
Four people were fined for participating in an illegal gathering outside the Winnipeg Law Courts on Monday in support of religious groups fighting provincial public health orders.
That’s according to the latest update on Manitoba health order enforcement, released Tuesday.
Enforcement officers ticketed the individuals outside court Monday, the first day of a two-week long hearing for seven churches challenging lockdown measures in court.
Roughly 150 people were in attendance at the gathering outside the court. The current provincial health regulations say no more than 10 people may gather together outside in a public place.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Over 200 Charges Were Laid This Weekend in Toronto & Most Were for Illegal Gatherings
Toronto Police Services (TPS) issued hundreds of fines over the weekend after multiple people were caught attending illegal gatherings.
Chief James Ramer announced via Twitter on Monday that officers issued 221 charges “in relation to non-compliance with emergency orders” over the weekend.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Why Extinction Rebellion Protesters Have Been Blocking Major Thoroughfares in B.C.
As the rain trickled down on Monday afternoon, dozens of protesters stood face to face with Vancouver Police Department officers on the northbound sidewalk leading to the Lions Gate Bridge.
The Extinction Rebellion protesters planned to shut down traffic, much like they had done just one day earlier on the Granville Street bridge. But this time, they wouldn’t make it onto the road.
Police didn’t let them disrupt what the VPD called ‘a critical piece of infrastructure’. Seven people were arrested, five of them taken to jail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
On Monday, in the courtyard of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, a state ceremony was held on the occasion of the 230th anniversary of the Constitution of May 3, 179, with Polish President Andrzej Duda taking part in the ceremony alongside leaders of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Ukraine.
Duda, along with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, Latvian President Eglis Levits and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, signed a joint declaration and emphasized the historic importance of the 1791 constitution.
“We believe that to all of us the solidarity of nations, especially under current threats to our common security, is one of the cornerstones of peace, stability, development, prosperity, and resilience,” the leaders stressed in the declaration.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Award-Winning Danish Children’s Program Participant Turns Out to be a Pedophile
Controversy continues to surround a Danish television series in which school-age children in the audience are being exposed to nude adults allegedly to “teach” the children about the human body. The program, entitled “Ultra throws away the clothes”, has caused outrage among child-protection groups in Denmark as well as abroad. Yet, now it has been revealed that one of their adult “models” is a known pedophile who has been convicted by a court for possessing images of child abuse.
The Danish publically-funded broadcaster DR, which produces the show, has removed an episode from its archive in which the 41-year-old participant stripped in front of an audience of 11 to 13-year-old schoolchildren. The middle-aged man was convicted at a court in Glostrup of sexually abusing a child and of possessing over 3,000 child pornographic images and videos. He was handed a nine-month prison sentence for the crime.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Child Rape Gang Victim: UK Police Did Nothing as I Was Abused by ‘Hundreds’ of Pakistani Men
A grooming gang survivor has revealed that she was abused by hundreds of Pakistani heritage men for years, but despite reporting her abusers to the police, none have ever been arrested.
Sarah — a fake name given to protect her identity — said that she was systematically raped and abused as a child in the early 2000s after running away from care homes in Derby.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A dozen activists from the Extinction Rebellion ecological activism group chained themselves to the gates of France’s National Assembly in Paris ahead of the approval of new climate legislation on Tuesday.
Lawmakers in the lower house of parliament approved the draft bill by a majority of 332 votes to 77 following over 200 hours of debate.
Ahead of the vote, Extinction Rebellion described the legislation as a “lie of the state” and called on lawmakers to reject its passage. Its objection to the bill centers on the removal of key measures before it was put before MPs. The group claims France’s industrial sector lobbied for the removal of many of the proposals, with only a few remaining.
Flares were set off by some protesters chained to the gates and others gathered below, while braziers were also lit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Le Pen Cleared of Breaking Hate Speech Laws for Posting Images of ISIS Atrocities
Populist leader Marine Le Pen has been cleared of violating hate speech laws after she was ludicrously charged for posting images of ISIS atrocities in an effort to illustrate the barbarity of ISIS.
Le Pen originally posted the images in 2015 as a rebuttal to comparisons that were being made between her National Front party and Islamic jihadists.
“This is what Daesh is,” she wrote under the photos, which showed ISIS militants executing people.
Despite posting the photos in an effort to denounce ISIS, Le Pen was accused of “disseminating violent messages that could seriously harm human dignity,” a charge that was never applied to media outlets or journalists who shared similar photos.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Urban Violence in Northern Paris Sees Frustrated Locals Attack Drug Dealers
For two nights in a row, residents of the northern Paris neighbourhood near the Stalingrad metro station have clashed with drug addicts and dealers, targeting them with mortar fireworks.
Residents of the 19th district of Paris reported the clashes on social media, posting videos of incidents in which local youths had targetted the drug addicts over the weekend.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“The crime was the crime of a madman. And in France we do not judge the mad.”
That’s the justification that Le Monde gives for the fact that Kobili Traoré will not be tried. Essentially French authorities are saying that reading the Qur’an, noting its deeply rooted antisemitism (2:63-5, 2:89, 5:82, 9:30, etc.) and obeying its calls to violence (2:191, 4:89, 9:5, 9:29, 47:4, etc.) constitutes mental illness. Eventually French authorities are going to have to face up to the fact that by saying this, they’re saying that a sizable and growing portion of their population is insane. But French officials will likely not face the implications of what they’re saying until it is far too late.
“Sarah Halimi: How killer on drugs escaped French trial for anti-Semitic murder,” by Hugh Schofield, BBC, May 3, 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poll: Nearly Half of the French Public Back Military Intervention to Restore Order
A new poll shows most French people agree with the attitude of retired generals, who in an open letter warned President Emmanuel Macron and the government with a military takeover unless his government could manage to eradicate radical Islamic terrorism and restore security in the country.
Although the government is threatening severe reprisals against the signatories of the open letter, there are signs that most of the French public actually back the generals and nearly half support military intervention to restore order, a finding that undoubtedly will provoke worry inside Macron’s administration.
Two dozen retired French generals, dozens of other officers, and hundreds of private soldiers signed the open letter to the president and government in April. The signatories condemned “the disintegration that plagues the homeland, the hatred between communities fueled by a kind of anti-racism, Islamism and suburban hordes that have forced a part of the country under dogmas that are unconstitutional”. They warned that if the government failed to act “that they are ready to support politicians who are concerned with preserving the nation”.
According to Harris Interactive published by LCI, 58 percent of the French respondents agree with the contents of the letter. Nearly half (49 percent) of those surveyed would support military intervention to “restore order”. Less than a third think the signatories should be sanctioned, as French Defense Secretary Florence Parly proposed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovak Finance Minister Signals Family-Friendly Policies
In a sign of a new revival for traditional family values in the region, the former prime minister of Slovakia, now finance minister, Igor Matovic, has hinted at the arrival of new family-friendly policies with an eye on combating strong negative demographic trends in the country. In a recent social media post, he revealed that he is working on a financial plan to support those who would like to have their own families but are worried about financial instability and their standard of living.
The post, entitled “time for love”, is an interesting political mini-manifesto that reveals the former prime minister’s ethical orientation, previously often obscured by tactical maneuvering in the context of his government that included a junior progressive liberal coalition partner. He writes about those who live out, what he calls as their own “ego-trip”, most likely referring to individuals who choose not to engage in a long-term marital relationship that would produce children, pursuing a career or other individual goals instead. He counter-poses this attitude with those who, on the contrary, are worried about what one leaves behind for future generations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain Arrests 3 for Urging Extremist Attacks Against France
MADRID — Three men whose social media posts allegedly encouraged extremist attacks against French targets are in custody in Spain after Spanish police and the European Union’s crime agency traced them to the southern city of Granada.
The men threatened violent attacks against French people and French interests abroad after French magazine Charlie Hebdo republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad last September, Spanish police and Europol said in statements Thursday.
The caricatures enraged many Muslims, who found them blasphemous.
Europol described the three men in Granada as “a terrorist cell.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Conservatives Establish Their Own ‘Solidarity’ Movement
On the traditional May 1 Labor Day in Madrid, the Spanish trade union “Solidaridad Vox” held its first rally in a major milestone for the country’s trade union movement. In July 2020, Solidaridad Vox had chosen its name in honor of the Polish “Solidarity” which served as the inspiration for Spanish conservatives from the Vox party who recently founded the trade union.
The Vox party’s president, Santiago Abascal, underlined during the rally that “Solidaridad is the only anti-communist syndicate in Spain which finally represents the interests of workers and people of the working-class in opposition to the syndicates subordinate to Leftist ideology which had betrayed the interests of Spaniards long ago in favor of globalists.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Art Show Highlights ‘Racism’ Against Muslims Due to ‘Islamophobia’
1. Islam is not a race, and Muslims are not all of one race. There are Muslims, as well as jihadis, of all races.
2. Opposition to jihad violence and Sharia oppression of women and others is not “racism” or “xenophobia.”
3. Printing slogans on signs in pseudo-Arabic and pseudo-Urdu is not art.
4. Faisal Hussain is not oppressed or marginalized. He is a privileged member of Britain’s new elite. He has an art show featured at a gallery. Would the same gallery feature an exhibition of slogans about opposing jihad terrorism and the oppression of women justified by Sharia? Not on your life.
“Art show takes on global Islamophobia,” by Lauren Codling, Eastern Eye, April 28, 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A British teacher who showed his class a caricature of the Islamic prophet Mohammed has been effectively abandoned by the British government in the face of widespread backlash from the Muslim community, the National Secular Society (NSS) claimed.
The teacher was suspended by the Batley Grammar School in March and later forced into hiding after a local Islamic group, the Purpose of Life charity, shared his identity online, saying that the teacher had committed an act of “terrorism” by “insulting Islam”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wales: Vehicles Seized by Gwent Police After Illegal Gatherings
GWENT Police seized a number of vehicles following large gatherings across the region.
The vehicles were seized last night as part of Gwent Police’s Operation Cruise.
Vehicles were found to be driving “carelessly and inconsiderately.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Egypt: New Information Emerges From 2 Christian Murders
05/02/2021 Egypt (International Christian Concern) — Two recent events as reported by ICC have shown the continued persecution and potential violence that Christians in Egypt face. Now, new information on the events reveals deeper levels. On April 17, ISIS published a video of the execution of Coptic Christian Nabil Habshi who was kidnapped last November. On April 3, a Coptic woman and her six-year-old son were murdered by their tok-tok driver.
Nabil Habshi was kidnapped on November 7, 2020 and five days later one of his sons, Peter, received a call demanding approximately $127,550 USD, not as hostage ransom but as a jizya tax from the Copts in their home village. Jizya tax has been understood to be a fee paid by non-Muslims to Muslim rulers in recognition and subjection to the state and its laws, in return for relative permission to practice their faith. Forty-eight hours later, the kidnappers more than doubled the tax. Nabil’s son and the community were unable to gather the funds demanded. At this, ISIS threatened to kill two of the brothers and their father Nabil. Peter spoke to his father for the last time at the end of February. Even now though the family continues to face death threats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Armenian Church Seeks Reparation in Lawsuit Against Turkey
04/30/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) — After a six-year struggle for a court hearing, the Armenian Apostolic Church Holy See, known as the Catholicosate of Cilicia, successfully refiled a lawsuit against the government of Turkey. In 2015, the Catholicosate, currently headquartered in Antelias, Lebanon, filed a lawsuit for the return of its historic seat and primary location in Sis, Turkey that was confiscated in 1921 during the Armenian Genocide. The lawsuit is part of Armenian’s larger goal of returning all properties and assets confiscated by Turkey during the eight-year genocide.
Due to technicalities, the lawsuit bounced between local courts, Turkey’s Constitutional Court, and the ECHR. A pre-trial hearing finally took place on March 30, 2021 in the Kozan Civil Litigation Court. At that time a judge agreed to accept the lawsuit, which the Catholicosate’s lawyers consider a positive development. The next hearing is scheduled for May 6, 2021.
The team of lawyers suspects the lower Turkish court will reject the lawsuit, at which point an appeal will be made to the Constitutional Court. Rejection is also suspected at this point
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Iranian Police Arrest 16 at Party for Mixed Dancing, Drinking Alcohol
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian police arrested 16 men and women at a mixed-gender party in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reports.
Such parties are illegal under Iranian law. Drinking alcohol is also illegal and Muslim men and women who are not related cannot mingle or dance together in public.
The Tasnim report quotes a local prosecutor, Khalilollah Barzanuni, as saying that the 16 were detained while they were dancing at a party in a villa in Golbahar, a neighborhood in the city of Golmakan.
Barzanuni also says they drank alcohol and disrespected a Muslim commemoration during the holy month of Ramadan. Shiites in Iran today mark the death of the first Shiite, Imam Ali, cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad.
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Can Simon & Schuster be far behind?
“Russia arrests the founder of the largest Islamic publishing house in Russia for financing ISIS,” Shafaq, April 30, 2021.
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The incident took place in Sarakdanga, a village near Naogaon. The victims’ home was destroyed, their food and valuables stolen, and both parents and children beaten. The attackers are from the same village and want to seize the Christians’ land. Despite a complaint, the police have not yet arrested anyone. The parish priest met with the victims and wanted to meet the attackers as well, but they fled.
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India: Muslims From All Walks of Life Flock to Gloat Over Hindu Journalist’s Death
Popular nationalist senior journalist Rohit Sardana succumbed to Covid-19 last week. His sudden demise brought the nationalists in India to a standstill; millions broke down in tears as Twitter went abuzz with condolences pouring in from politicians, media personalities and fans. But there also came celebratory tweets, storms of laughter and piles of smile emojis gloating over the death of a man of 41, who left a mourning wife and two children behind.
But who would celebrate a death in a civilized society? Some Muslims could! Muslim politicians, youth leaders, journalists and activists celebrated the passing away of a lone nationalist journalist, and more so, that of a religious Hindu.
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Islamists in Pakistan Forcibly ‘Convert’ Catholic, Threaten Family
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) — Members of an Islamic extremist political party in Pakistan have forcibly converted a mentally challenged Catholic and are pressuring his family to renounce their faith, a relative said.
Adnan Bashir, 40, wandered out of his home in Gujjar Khan, Punjab Province on April 14 and inadvertently walked into a sit-in protest of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), said his brother, Fayyaz Bashir.
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Police in Pakistan Torture Christian Into False Confession
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) — Police in Pakistan tortured a Christian man into confessing to a false allegation of blaspheming Islam and illegally kept him in custody for more than two months, his attorney said.
Salamat Mansha Masih’s attorney, Aneeqa Maria of The Voice Society, said police were required to present the 26-year-old Christian before a judge within 24 hours of arrest. Lahore police arrested Masih on Feb. 13 after Muslims overheard him reading the Bible in a park and accused him and a friend of ridiculing Islam and its prophet.
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German prosecutors say they have busted one of the world’s biggest international darknet platforms for child pornography, used by more than 400,000 registered members, including from the US, Australia and Canada.
Frankfurt prosecutors said in a statement together with the Federal Criminal Police Office that in mid-April three German suspects, said to be the administrators of the ‘Boystown’ platform, were arrested along with a German user.
One of the three main suspects was arrested in Paraguay.
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Nigeria: Muslims Accuse Man of Blasphemy, Burn His Car, Vandalize His House, Stone Security Agents
A glimpse into the future of the West. This is where the Left’s “hate speech” rhetoric is tending. We are very close to this now, far closer than most people realize. Supporters of the President are defamed and smeared now, but for years, critics of jihad terror and Sharia oppression of women and others have been routinely excoriated, vilified, demonized, deplatformed, and shunned by all decent people. What is the next step? This. Remember: Biden has pledged to combat “hate speech,” which is any speech that those in power dislike, and a member of his transition team wants to outlaw desecration of the Qur’an. As the movement for criminalization grows, so will violence directed at transgressors. We are far closer to this than most people think.
“‘Blasphemy’: How Angry Youths Attacked Vigilante Commander In Lagos Community,” by Abbas Dalibi, Daily Trust, May 2, 2021.
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Mexico City Subway Overpass Collapses, Killing at Least 23 and Injuring Dozens
(CNN) — An overpass carrying a subway train collapsed in Mexico City late Monday, killing at least 23 people, including children, according to local government officials.
At least 79 people have been hospitalized, officials added. Of the dead, four bodies remain trapped inside the carriages that plummeted to the streets below.
The train was traveling on an elevated part of the city’s rapid transit system, on the newest Line 12 — also known as the Golden Line — when part of the overpass collapsed onto traffic below, Mexico’s Secretariat of Risk Management and Civil Protection said.
International engineering experts will be called in to help determine the cause of the collapse, which the country’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, called “the most terrible accident we’ve ever had in the public transport system.”
Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum told a news briefing on Tuesday that alongside an investigation by the attorney general “we will hire an international company certified in metros and structural matters to conduct an external technical investigation…
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Three Children, One Teacher Dead in Stabbing Attack in Brazilian School — Media
SAO PAULO (Reuters) — Three minors and a teacher were stabbed to death in a school in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina on Tuesday, according to news outlet G1, which said an underage suspect had been detained.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the death toll with local authorities.
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After months of investigation, the Parisian police have just dismantled two unprecedented clandestine structures that housed young repeat offenders and taught them to steal, but the investigation is also revealing that many “unaccompanied minors” in France may actually be adults posing as individuals under 18.
The networks that French police broke up exploited unaccompanied foreign minors who, in small groups and often under the influence of powerful psychotropic drugs, perpetrated mass thefts in public transport. Furthermore, they also committed an astounding number of burglaries, forcing off the metal shutters of shops and picking house locks.
The perpetrators, almost entirely from Algeria or Morocco, were not afraid to use violence, with many showing no hesitation to take out a knife when a victim resisted.
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Greek Police Arrest Men Using Ambulance to Transport Illegal Migrants
Greek police in the western region of Thesprotia have arrested two men accused of transporting illegal immigrants in a private ambulance.
The ambulance driver was arrested after police undertook a routine check of his vehicle and found two migrants in the back who could not produce any documents confirming whether they had arrived legally or had leave to remain in the country.
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Migration Pressure Keeps Mounting in Italy
There is no reduction in the migratory burden on the Italian islands as civilian ships transporting illegal immigrants across the Mediterranean to Italy have followed one after another in recent days, Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet reports.
Just last weekend, 800 illegal immigrants arrived on the island of Lampedusa.
The trend is likely to continue due to the favorable weather. The island’s migrant center is on the brink of collapse, posing a serious challenge to health and safety agencies to control and accommodate the illegal arrivals.
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Migrants Avoid Deportation From Sweden by Refusing Coronavirus Tests
Migrants scheduled for removal from Sweden have found that if they refuse to undergo a test for the Wuhan coronavirus, they can not be deported.
Mikael Holmgren, acting head of the Border Patrol section in the western region, has noted that there are at least several cases a week of migrants in his district who have avoided repatriation to their home countries by refusing to be tested for coronavirus.
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Migrant Arrested for Burning Down Asylum Center in Germany
An asylum center near Hamburg, Germany, was destroyed in a fire likely set by a migrant staying there, authorities say.
The blaze broke out on Saturday night in a building at an accommodation center in the town of Gudow where 21 migrants were living.
A massive response of more than 150 firefighters and first responders was required to mitigate the blaze, along with police who initially encountered a man brandishing a knife when they arrived.
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Finnish Politician Faces Up to 6 Years in Prison for Citing Bible, Criticizing Homosexuality
A Christian politician in Finland faces up to 6 years in prison after being charged with multiple hate crimes for criticizing homosexuality and citing Bible verses.
Current Finnish Member of Parliament and former Minister of the Interior Päivi Räsänen was charged on three hate crime counts, with the investigation being triggered by her posting Romans 1:24-27 in response to the participation of the Finnish Lutheran Church in the 2019 LGBT Pride festival.
Another of the charges relates to Räsänen’s participation in a 2018 radio show on the question of “what would Jesus think about homosexuals?”
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Lecturer Warns Lockdown Restrictions Will Return Whenever There’s a Harsh Flu Season
Lecturer Dr. David Thunder Ph.D warns that governments have now set the precedent for draconian lockdown measures to be re-introduced at the drop of a hat every time there is a harsh flu season.
In a video clip, Thunder, a university lecturer and researcher in moral, political, and social philosophy, says that COVID will now recede across the western hemisphere due to seasonal variation and naturally acquired immunity.
However, he cautions that this in no way means an end to the restrictions brought in under the justification of fighting the pandemic and that governments will begin to treat basic rights enjoyed by citizens as privileges granted to them by the state.
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Prince Harry: Online “Misinformation” Is a “Global Threat to Humanity”
During an appearance at “VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World,” a celebrity vaccine awareness event, Prince Harry claimed that online “misinformation” is a “global humanitarian crisis.”
“I understand why people are confused or sometimes don’t know what to think or believe about vaccines,” Prince Harry said at the event. “We are experiencing a viral pandemic alongside a digital pandemic.”
Prince Harry went on to brand so-called “vaccine misinformation” a “threat to humanity”.
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Transgender activist groups are having too much influence in the formulation of hate crime laws in the UK, which could lead to the suppression of freedom of speech, according to a former top judge.
The retired judge feels consultation should involve the full variety of views on societal issues.
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Equalities Minister Liz Truss evoked Boris Johnson’s and Joe Biden’s globalist-progressive “Build Back Better” slogan when she announced the cost for trans people to legally change gender would be cut from £140 ($195) to just £5 ($7).
The minister for the notionally Conservative British government announced on Tuesday: “As we build back better, we want transgender people to be free to live and to prosper in modern Britain.
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