Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/20/2021

In a revision of his previous stance, President Joe Biden announced that Afghans who aided the United States will be evacuated on an equal footing with American citizens. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Taliban said that China will be able to play an important role in rebuilding Afghanistan.

In other news, an Australian man was sentenced to three months in jail for organizing an anti-lockdown protest in Sydney.

To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.

Thanks to Dean, DV, JW, LP, 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.

USA
» Black Father Tells Board CRT Keeps Racism on ‘Life Support’, Moments Later They Vote to Ban it
» Breaking: FBI Clears Roger Stone, Alex Jones of Capitol Storming Involvement
» Breaking: Capitol Police Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Cleared in Internal Probe
» Breaking: InfoWars Host Owen Shroyer Charged Over Jan 6 Riot After Standing on Capitol Steps
» Chicago Pharmacist Arrested for Selling Vaccine Cards on eBay, Faces Decades in Prison
» Connecticut State Senate District Flips Red After Republican Wins Key Seat
» FBI Finds ‘Scant Evidence’ That Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Was ‘Centrally Coordinated’
» Florida Threatens to Withhold Salaries of School Boards That Mandate Masks
» FTC Issues Revised Complaint Against Facebook
» Google Geofence Warrants Are Increasing at an Alarming Rate
» ‘I Think a Mandate is Unnecessary’: Students Protest Mask Requirements at Clemson University
» Judicial Watch to Depose Lightfoot Staff Member Over Allegedly Racist Interview Policy
» LA Times Accuses Larry Elder of Being the ‘Black Face of White Supremacy’
» MPD Will Have ‘Increased Presence’ Around DC for ‘Justice for J6’ Rally
» Must Watch: Black Mother Slams Antifa for Attacking Her Family During Christian Worship Service
» Nearly 1,000 Words of Biden’s ABC Interview Appear to Have Been Edited Out
» New Mexico Hospital Workers Protest Vaccine Mandates
» Nolte: Majority Say Biden Not Up to Job, Others Making Decisions for Him
» Over Half of Americans Think Kamala Harris is Not Qualified to be President: Poll
» Parents, Relatives, Students Protest East Knox Mask Mandate, Reinstated Following COVID-19 Outbreak
» Police: Teen Arrested for Shooting Woman Picking Up Kids
» Portland Prepares for Clashing Protests This Weekend
» Protests Held in Bakersfield in Opposition to Vaccine Mandates
» Protesters Rally Against Mask Mandate in Northmont Schools
» Two Mask Protests Held Ahead of PHM School Board Meeting
» Video: Police Cite Pennsylvania Democrat for Hitting Anti-Mask Protester in the Head With ‘Masks Save Lives’ Sign
 
Canada
» Justice Centre Releases Campus Vaccine Index, One-Third of Canadian Universities Have Vaccine Mandate
» Maskless Canadian Voters to be Denied Ballot Even Though Supreme Court Guarantees Right to Vote
» Tension With Police Escalating at Old-Growth Logging Blockades on Vancouver Island, Protesters Say
» WTH? Canadian PM Spoke With Hillary Clinton About Afghanistan Because Biden and Harris Were AWOL
 
Europe and the EU
» Extinction Rebellion Fury: Policing Protests Cost UK Taxpayers £50m — Figure Set to Surge
» Greta Thunberg Slams Adults, Saying ‘You Just Haven’t Listened’ to Young People’s Climate Alarm
» One Rule for Me: Boris Urging Britons to Mask Up, But MPs Crowd Into Commons Uncovered
» UK Defence Sec Defends Top General Claiming Taliban ‘Want an Afghanistan Inclusive for All’
» UK: Extinction Rebellion Protesters Block Entrance to Fawley Refinery Terminal to Protest £80m Diesel Expansion
» Welsh Gov’t Blasted Over ‘Catastrophic’ Medical Waiting Lists as COVID Hysteria Exacerbates Delays for Other Treatments
 
South Asia
» Biden Vows to Evacuate All Americans — And Afghan Helpers
» Biden Claims ‘No Question’ American Credibility Hasn’t Suffered, 2 Days After UK Parliament Condemnation
» Biden’s Afghanistan Speech Panned for Being ‘Divorced From Reality’ on the Ground
» CBS News Blames the Reemergence of the Taliban on ‘Climate Change’
» China Can Play Important Role in Rebuilding Afghanistan: Taliban
» Czechia: PM Babis on the Evacuation of Afghans: ‘We Saved Everyone We Wanted to Save’
» Germany Funded Mosque That Became Hotbed of Radicalism
» Massive Explosion Kills at Least 9 Chinese Nationals in Balochistan
» Reports of Taliban Targeting Blacklisted Afghans, Journalists Spread Fear
» Report: Biden Ignored Boris Johnson’s Calls on Afghanistan for Day and a Half
» Taliban Beat and Gas Australian Citizens Trying to Reach Kabul Airport
» ‘There is No Alternative to the Taliban’: Russian Ambassador Says Resistance in Afghanistan is Doomed
» US Resumes Evacuations From Kabul After Eight-Hour Pause
» Video: Oliver North Warns Taliban Have Names, Addresses, Phone Numbers of Everyone Who Worked With US in Afghanistan
 
Far East
» China to Dictate How Streamers Dress and Speak
 
Australia — Pacific
» Sydney Anti-Lockdown Protest Organiser Anthony Khallouf Sentenced to Jail
» Video: Australian Broadcasting Corporation Airs Weird Satanic Scene During Botched Broadcast
 
Immigration
» Afghan Refugee Pledge Rising?: Patel Says UK Could Bring Over Double Number of Interpreters
» Asymmetric Warfare: EU Accuses Belarus of Attacking EU With Migrants
» Greece Completes Border Wall Extension to Deter Potential Afghan Migrants
» Greek Minister Urges EU to Protect Border in Wake of Afghanistan Crisis
» Palestinian Arrested for Threatening to Kill French Immigration Officials
» Salvini Against Welcoming ‘Potential Terrorists’ From Afghanistan
» The Afghans Marooned in No-Man’s Land: Belarus Forces Migrants Into Poland as Part of Plot to Inflict Humanitarian Crisis on the EU — But Poles Refuse to Take Them Sparking Stand-Off at Border
» Toddler Sexually Assaulted by Iraqi Suspect on German Train
 
Culture Wars
» Church of Sweden Divided Over Forcing Priests to Carry Out Same-Sex Marriages
» OnlyFans Changes Show Payment Processors and Banks Are Major Players in Deciding What’s Allowed to Exist Online
 

Black Father Tells Board CRT Keeps Racism on ‘Life Support’, Moments Later They Vote to Ban it

A father in Colorado Springs who is the descendant of slaves slammed critical race theory during a public school district’s board meeting, saying racism in America would “by and large be dead” if not for institutions such as the education system “keeping it on life support.”

“I am a direct descendant of the North American slave trade. Both my parents are black. All four of my grandparents are black, all eight of my great grandparents, and all 16 of my great greats. On my mother’s side, my ancestors were enslaved in Alabama. On my father’s side, we were enslaved in Texas,” father Derrick Wilburn said during a board meeting last week.

“I am not oppressed. I’m not oppressed and I’m not a victim.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: FBI Clears Roger Stone, Alex Jones of Capitol Storming Involvement

The FBI has found no evidence that Roger Stone, Alex Jones or any prominent supporters of president Trump were involved in the infiltration of the US Capitol building on January 6, according to law enforcement sources.

Reuters reports that “four current and former law enforcement officials” briefed on the matter have confirmed there is no evidence that there was an organised plot to overturn the election outcome.

The report notes that one source commented of the individuals identified at the Capitol on the day, “Ninety to ninety-five percent of these are one-off cases… Then you have five percent, maybe, of these militia groups that were more closely organized.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: Capitol Police Officer Who Shot Ashli Babbitt Cleared in Internal Probe

An internal Capitol Police memo states that “no further action will be taken” after the officer who fatally shot Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt was “formally exonerated” for use of force, according to department documents obtained by NBC News.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Breaking: InfoWars Host Owen Shroyer Charged Over Jan 6 Riot After Standing on Capitol Steps

On Friday, it was revealed that Owen Shroyer, an Infowars host, has been charged in connection to being on the grounds of the Capitol building on Jan. 6 and entering a “restricted area.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Chicago Pharmacist Arrested for Selling Vaccine Cards on eBay, Faces Decades in Prison

A licensed pharmacist was arrested Tuesday in Chicago on charges related to his alleged sale of dozens of authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination cards on eBay.

According to court documents, in March and April 2021, Tangtang Zhao, 34, of Chicago, sold 125 authentic CDC vaccination cards to 11 different buyers for approximately $10 per card. Zhao was a licensed pharmacist in Illinois and was employed at Company 1, a pharmacy that distributed and administered COVID-19 vaccines at its physical locations nationwide.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Connecticut State Senate District Flips Red After Republican Wins Key Seat

A Connecticut state Senate district has flipped from blue to red after Republican contender Ryan Fazio beat favored Democrat candidate Alexis Gevanter by a three-point margin.

Just as border regions of Texas are flipping at the start of President Joe Biden’s presidency, a similar GOP victory happened in the nation’s northeast. This same district voted heavily in favor Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

According to the Daily Wire, the seat came up for grabs when former state Sen. Alex Kasser (D) resigned due to “stress” from an ongoing divorce process.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

FBI Finds ‘Scant Evidence’ That Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Was ‘Centrally Coordinated’

After arresting and holding more than 500 people in connection with the riot at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC on Jan. 6, the FBI “has found scant evidence” to suggest that the events that unfolded that day were “the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result,” Reuters exclusively reported on Friday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Florida Threatens to Withhold Salaries of School Boards That Mandate Masks

Broward County and Alachua County school board members who voted to impose a mask mandate may soon lose their salaries. According to The Tampa Bay Times, Florida education commissioner Richard Corcoran on Friday issued a formal warning to school board members, indicating they will lose their monthly salaries as soon as next week.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

FTC Issues Revised Complaint Against Facebook

The Federal Trade Commission claims that Facebook has been the monopoly in social networking for the past decade.

Following a judge’s dismissal of its previous allegations, the Federal Trade Commission filed a new antitrust case against Facebook on Thursday. To respond to the revised complaint, Facebook has until October 4 to do so.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Google Geofence Warrants Are Increasing at an Alarming Rate

Google has, for the first time, provided some transparency concerning geofence warrants the company receives — and that’s one of the most controversial ways US law enforcement seeks to make use of Big Tech’s unprecedented access to people’s private data.

Namely, Google has published a report revealing the number of times it received such warrants in the US over the last couple of years only — from 2018 until 2020 — and these came from all levels of government, including local, state, and federal.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

‘I Think a Mandate is Unnecessary’: Students Protest Mask Requirements at Clemson University

A few dozens students protested Friday afternoon against Clemson University’s mask rules.

Amjed Yacu, a new student at Clemson, said he wasn’t opposed to masks in general but bristled at the requirement.

“I think the mandate is unnecessary,” he said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Judicial Watch to Depose Lightfoot Staff Member Over Allegedly Racist Interview Policy

A federal court ordered the deposition of a staff member in Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office in the Daily Caller News Foundation’s ongoing lawsuit over the Democrat’s policy to only grant interviews to journalists of color, Judicial Watch announced Friday.

“Judicial Watch announced today that a federal court ordered the deposition of a representative of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office in a lawsuit over her discriminatory interview policy,” Judicial Watch said in a press release.

“The court granted the request for discovery during a hearing this morning. In doing so, the court rejected arguments by the mayor’s lawyers to shut down against discovery and to dismiss the legal challenge,” they wrote.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

LA Times Accuses Larry Elder of Being the ‘Black Face of White Supremacy’

The Los Angeles Times published an article Friday, accusing California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder of being the “black face of white supremacy.”

Columnist Erika D. Smith wrote the bizarre piece on the Republican radio host, noting, “Like a lot of Black people, though, I’ve learned that it’s often best just to ignore people like Elder.” She then opines that Elder is too big of a threat to ignore and that should he become California’s next governor, life would become very difficult for black people.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

MPD Will Have ‘Increased Presence’ Around DC for ‘Justice for J6’ Rally

Due to increased security concerns over a September rally planned in support of the people arrested for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, the Metropolitan Police Department will activate its entire force for that day. WUSA9 first reported the news Friday.

In response to a request for details about the department’s security plan, an MPD spokesperson confirmed that the department will activate its force for the Sept. 18 rally — meaning sworn officers who typically have Saturdays off will be on-duty — but denied that it plans on cancelling previously scheduled leave. The spokesperson told DCist in a statement that officers will have “an increased presence around the city where demonstrations will be taking place and will be prepared to make street closures for public safety.”

“In anticipation of First Amendment activities on Saturday, September 18, 2021, the Metropolitan Police Department will be fully prepared,” the spokesperson said. “As with all First Amendment demonstrations, MPD will be monitoring and assessing the activities and planning accordingly with our federal law enforcement partners.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Must Watch: Black Mother Slams Antifa for Attacking Her Family During Christian Worship Service

A black woman crashed a Portland press conference by far-left group Don’t Shoot PDX, an organization that supports violence, on Friday ahead of Antifa’s announced direct actionplanned to take place in the city over the weekend.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Nearly 1,000 Words of Biden’s ABC Interview Appear to Have Been Edited Out

President Joe Biden’s interview with ABC News’ “Good Morning America” appears to have been edited short, with nearly 1,000 words sliced from the airing of the Thursday morning interview.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

New Mexico Hospital Workers Protest Vaccine Mandates

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Around 150 people protested in front of the New Mexico state Capitol Friday, demanding an end to vaccine mandates for health care workers.

Many protesters identified themselves as hospital workers — nurses, nursing assistants and clerical workers. Other attendees included correctional officers, retirees and children of health care workers.

A state mandate requires nurses and other workers in high-risk environments to get vaccinated, and some hospitals have their own mandates.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Nolte: Majority Say Biden Not Up to Job, Others Making Decisions for Him

A majority of voters say His Fraudulency Joe Biden lacks the physical mental capacity to be president and that others are making key White House decisions for him.

While the bottom hasn’t yet fallen out of Joe Biden’s polling numbers, his approval has taken a serious tumble over the last six days of his ongoing catastrophe in Afghanistan. And nothing on the horizon looks like it could turn things around.

[Comment: The article further down gives the results of a recent public opinion poll.]

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Over Half of Americans Think Kamala Harris is Not Qualified to be President: Poll

A new Rasmussen Reports survey has revealed that a majority of Americans believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is not qualified to become president if the circumstance arises where she would have to take on the role.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Parents, Relatives, Students Protest East Knox Mask Mandate, Reinstated Following COVID-19 Outbreak

HOWARD — East Knox students exited school buses and walked to class as fog rolled over the district buildings Friday morning, marking the fourth day of the 2021-22 school year.

At the same time, approximately 50 protesters gathered along the school perimeter on Coshocton Road to demonstrate their objection to the district’s indoor mask mandate, which took effect Friday. The protesters included East Knox parents, relatives and children of various ages who skipped school to protest.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Police: Teen Arrested for Shooting Woman Picking Up Kids

HOUMA, La. (AP) — A teenager accused of shooting a grandmother while she was waiting to pick up her grandchildren from school in south Louisiana has been arrested.

Jamanie Dotch, 17, was arrested Thursday on a charge of attempted second-degree murder in the shooting that happened near St. Francis de Sales Elementary, Houma Police Chief Dana Coleman said in a news release Friday.

The teenager had escaped in June from the bridge City Center for Youth in Jefferson Parish. He’s accused of shooting the 60-year-old woman as she was waiting in a school pickup line Aug. 6, investigators said.

The woman was shot in the stomach. She was listed as stable at an area hospital, authorities said.

Coleman said police received a tip Thursday evening that the teenager was walking in a Houma neighborhood. When officers arrived, they took him into custody. A semiautomatic pistol was found near where the teenager was arrested.

The teenager is being held in the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Portland Prepares for Clashing Protests This Weekend

PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — One year ago, right-wing protesters clashed with counter-protesters outside of the Multnomah County Justice Center and once again, downtown Portland is bracing for another battle.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Protests Held in Bakersfield in Opposition to Vaccine Mandates

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — As the country prepares to start giving out getting booster shots, many Americans still haven’t gotten their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

And the controversy over vaccine mandates is reaching a boiling point.

Support for — and opposition to — vaccination mandates are heating up around the state — including right here in Bakersfield, where three different protests were held Friday.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Protesters Rally Against Mask Mandate in Northmont Schools

ENGLEWOOD, Ohio (WKEF) — Dozens of people gathered on Friday at the Northmont Board of Education building to protest the district’s mask mandate.

The school district announced Thursday that it would require face masks for students in Pre-K through 6th grade to help stop the spread of COVID-19. That policy goes into effect Monday. The district strongly recommends masks for students in grades 7-12.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Two Mask Protests Held Ahead of PHM School Board Meeting

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (WNDU) — Two mask protests were held near Penn High School prior to Thursday night’s executive school board meeting.

The pro-mask protest was held at Twin Branch Park.

People decorated their cars and wrote pro-mask messages.

The other — a mask-optional protest — was held outside of Penn High School on Bittersweet.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Video: Police Cite Pennsylvania Democrat for Hitting Anti-Mask Protester in the Head With ‘Masks Save Lives’ Sign

An elected Democrat was cited after allegedly striking a photographer with a sign during a pro-mask demonstration in Bucks County, PA. A video of the incident appears to show Cynthia Jones, who serves as a New Britain Township Supervisor, striking a woman on the head with a “Masks Save Lives” sign. The incident took place during a July 27 demonstration in support of a mask mandate for the Central Bucks school district.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Justice Centre Releases Campus Vaccine Index, One-Third of Canadian Universities Have Vaccine Mandate

The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms released the 2021 Campus Vaccine Index Thursday to help educate students, parents and the public with the campus COVID-19 vaccination policies of 61 public universities in Canada.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Maskless Canadian Voters to be Denied Ballot Even Though Supreme Court Guarantees Right to Vote

Chief Electoral Officer Stephane Perrault Wednesday said his agency would strictly enforce any local mask requirements on Election Day, September 20. Maskless voters would be ejected from polling stations if they defied local health orders, he said.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Tension With Police Escalating at Old-Growth Logging Blockades on Vancouver Island, Protesters Say

On one day this week, police say they arrested 49 people protesting old-growth logging around the Fairy Creek watershed on southern Vancouver Island, near Port Renfrew.

That’s the second-highest daily total, after the 55 arrested on May 28. The number of daily arrests has been trending up, and protesters say police are also becoming more hostile.

“Aggressively pushing forward and aggressively extracting people,” Jessy Bokser, a protester from Victoria, told CBC News at the camp on Wednesday. “Just total disrespect — very physically, aggressively grabbing people that are sitting calmly on the road.”

The protests centre around an area on southwestern Vancouver Island, where lumber company Teal Jones has a licence to log. A year ago, a small group of protesters set up camp to block the construction of a road that would allow access to old-growth trees in the Fairy Creek watershed.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

WTH? Canadian PM Spoke With Hillary Clinton About Afghanistan Because Biden and Harris Were AWOL

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed earlier this week that after the Taliban took Kabul, he spoke not with Joe Biden or even Kamala Harris, but with Hillary Clinton instead.

Trudeau said “I also spoke last night with former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who shares our concern for Afghan women and girls.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Extinction Rebellion Fury: Policing Protests Cost UK Taxpayers £50m — Figure Set to Surge

EXTINCTION REBELLION has come under fire after it was revealed policing their protests have cost the UK taxpayer £50million since 2019 — a figure set to surge with new widespread action planned.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Greta Thunberg Slams Adults, Saying ‘You Just Haven’t Listened’ to Young People’s Climate Alarm

In response to a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report issuing a grave warning for humanity, climate activist Greta Thunberg, along with three others, penned an opinion piece slamming the adults whose actions have allegedly led to climate change.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

One Rule for Me: Boris Urging Britons to Mask Up, But MPs Crowd Into Commons Uncovered

Many members of the British parliament have displayed in recent days — and months — several instances of double standards over the issue of coronavirus measures, appearing to demonstrate that while the rules should apply to the British public, it does not apply to them.

The issue particularly involves masks for MPs, where critics and workers’ unions have censured lawmakers in the lower house for packing in their hundreds into the small chamber this week, including for eight hours on Thursday to discuss events in Afghanistan, despite the Speaker of the House of Commons recommending mask-wearing and the government’s own guidance stating they continue to be worn in “crowded and enclosed spaces”. The government lifted the legal requirement for wearing masks in most public enclosed spaces on July 19th.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK Defence Sec Defends Top General Claiming Taliban ‘Want an Afghanistan Inclusive for All’

Britain’s Defence Secretary has defended General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, after he claimed that the Taliban are honourable “country boys” who “want an Afghanistan that is inclusive for all”.

Carter, the professional head of the British armed forces, put himself in front of the mediaon August 18th to suggest that the Taliban, responsible for the lion’s share of the 457 fatalities and 616 “serious or very serious casualties” among British military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan, should not necessarily be described as the “enemy”.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

UK: Extinction Rebellion Protesters Block Entrance to Fawley Refinery Terminal to Protest £80m Diesel Expansion

CLIMATE activists dressed as the Grim Reaper blocked the entrance to ExxonMobil’s Hythe Terminal at Fawley Refinery.

The protesters, from Extinction Rebellion, also mounted two-metre high steel tripods, with one dressed as an executive in a faceless mask pumping fake blood from an oil barrel, while others enacted a die-in to the beat of a lone drum.

They were protesting against New Forest District Council’s approved plans for a new £800m diesel plant expansion at the refinery — which it had been claimed will create and protect more than 200 jobs.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Welsh Gov’t Blasted Over ‘Catastrophic’ Medical Waiting Lists as COVID Hysteria Exacerbates Delays for Other Treatments

The NHS in Wales has reported record long waiting lists for non-urgent treatment, as the number of people who have had their medical care delayed reached almost 625,000 in June, the latest month for which data is available.

The growing waiting list came as A&E departments and the ambulance service in Wales recorded their busiest period since the Covid pandemic began, further delaying appointments for those awaiting non-urgent treatment.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Biden Vows to Evacuate All Americans — And Afghan Helpers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged firmly on Friday to bring all Americans home from Afghanistan — and all Afghans who aided the war effort, too — as officials confirmed that U..S. military helicopters were flying into Taliban-held Kabul to scoop up would-be evacuees.

But Biden’s promises, and the limited U.S. helicopter sorties beyond the concrete barriers ringing the Kabul airport, came as thousands more Americans and others seeking to escape the Taliban struggled to get past crushing crowds, Taliban airport checkpoints and sometimes-insurmountable U.S. bureaucracy.

“We will get you home,” Biden promised Americans who were still in Afghanistan days after the Taliban retook control of Kabul, ending a two-decade war. American officials confirmed to The Associated Press that limited helicopter rescues were underway…

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Biden Claims ‘No Question’ American Credibility Hasn’t Suffered, 2 Days After UK Parliament Condemnation

President Joe Biden is pushing back on claims that America’s international credibility has been tarnished, days after the British Parliament and other NATO leaders have criticized the botched U.S.-led withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Biden delivered a speech from the White House Friday defending his decision to remove troops from Afghanistan and attempting to reassure allies around the world that America still has foreign policy credibility.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Biden’s Afghanistan Speech Panned for Being ‘Divorced From Reality’ on the Ground

Lawmakers quickly called out President Biden Friday for his White House speech on Afghanistan for not accurately depicting the reality on the ground.

GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, an Afghanistan war veteran, said Biden and his team “continue to be dangerously divorced from reality.”

“How many firsthand accounts will it take to make them change their narrative?” Cotton, R-Ark., said in a statement to Fox News. “He should immediately authorize the military to stop this rolling humiliation, expand the perimeter at Kabul airport, and rescue Americans trapped behind enemy lines. We can’t entrust the American people’s safety to the word of the Taliban.”

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

CBS News Blames the Reemergence of the Taliban on ‘Climate Change’

In talking about climate change, western media inadvertently highlighted Afghanistan’s drug trade.

As highlighted in a piece by The Independent, there’s a long standing history to “cash crop” drugs in Afghanistan being a part of the country’s infrastructure.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

China Can Play Important Role in Rebuilding Afghanistan: Taliban

Spokesman encourages international community to officially recognize Taliban government

China can play a significant role in rebuilding Afghanistan, a spokesperson for the Taliban said Friday.

Suhail Shaheen emphasized the importance of the rebuilding process and said China is a big country with a giant economy and capacity.

Stating that the group needs support from all countries, Shaheen encouraged neighboring countries, others in the region and the world to take part in reestablishing Afghanistan.

He underlined the Afghan public’s will should be respected and urged the international community to officially recognize the Taliban.

Shaheen noted that the advance of the Taliban represents the uprising of the public against an imposed administration and said the group’s speedy grasp of the country legitimizes the takeover of the administration.

Rejecting worries regarding the freedom of women under the Taliban’s administration, Shaheen claimed that the group will preserve women’s right to education and work…

           — Hat tip: JW [Return to headlines]
 

Czechia: PM Babis on the Evacuation of Afghans: ‘We Saved Everyone We Wanted to Save’

“A great miracle” is how Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek described the operation during which almost 200 people, including Afghan interpreters and their families, were transported to the Czech Republic in three flights. No more flights are planned. “The mission is over. We saved everyone we wanted to save,” said Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

The Foreign Ministry was taken by surprise by the rapid progress of the radical Taliban movement.

“A situation occurred in Afghanistan that no one was able to prepare for. We had been working with information that we had until the end of September to evacuate,” said Kulhanek, while Babis called developments in the country “catastrophic”.

According to Kulhanek, out of less than 200 evacuees, 170 were Afghans. All those intended for evacuation whom the foreign ministry managed to contact were transported to Czechia.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Germany Funded Mosque That Became Hotbed of Radicalism

Germany provided funding for a mosque to be constructed in Afghanistan, which later served as a home of radical Islam and anti-Western sentiment, according to Rolf Tophoven, a German terrorism expert, who spoke to Focus weekly.

“A mosque was built in an Afghan village for German money that came from the [German] Foreign Ministry. It was later discovered that the most was speaking out against the West, and the site became a hotspot of Islamist propaganda. It was soon discovered that the ministries involved in the operation in Afghanistan did not communicate with each other. There was no coordination, no focal point. Everyone had their own projects,” he added.

           — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago [Return to headlines]
 

Massive Explosion Kills at Least 9 Chinese Nationals in Balochistan

A convoy of engineers was targeted in the blast near the construction site of a road that is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

At least nine Chinese nationals have been killed in a massive explosion in Pakistan’s port city of Gwadar, reports The Balochistan Post. According to the report, a convoy of Chinese engineers was targeted in the blast near the construction site of a road that is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

According to the report by Hindustan Times, a spokesperson for the provincial government said the blast has claimed the lives of two children and injured three people, including the car’s driver.

“Strongly condemn suicide attack on Chinese nationals Vehicle in #Gwadar. 2 children died who were playing nearby & one Chinese sustained minor injuries,” tweeted Liaquat Shahwani, the spokesperson for the Balochistan government…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Reports of Taliban Targeting Blacklisted Afghans, Journalists Spread Fear

Afghanistan correspondent for Germany’s Deutsche Welle was reportedly killed by Taliban

Reports of targeted killings in areas overrun by the Taliban mounted Friday, fueling fears that they will return Afghanistan to the repressive rule they imposed when they were last in power, even as they urged imams to push a message of unity at Friday’s prayers.

Terrified that the new de facto rulers would commit such abuses and despairing for their country’s future, thousands have raced to Kabul’s airport and border crossings following the Taliban’s stunning blitz through Afghanistan. Others have taken to the streets to protest the takeover — acts of defiance that Taliban fighters have violently suppressed.

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Report: Biden Ignored Boris Johnson’s Calls on Afghanistan for Day and a Half

President Joe Biden ignored United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s phone calls for approximately a day and a half as the Taliban solidified its swift takeover of Afghanistan, according to a report.

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Taliban Beat and Gas Australian Citizens Trying to Reach Kabul Airport

Australian citizens trying to reach evacuation transports are apparently being forcibly turned away by Taliban fighters encircling Kabul airport.

“Guards have shot at people at the gate, and some type of gas [was] released,” claimed one Australian quoted by the BBC-like Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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‘There is No Alternative to the Taliban’: Russian Ambassador Says Resistance in Afghanistan is Doomed

Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan said Friday that there is no alternative to the Taliban and that resistance to the group will fail, according to Reuters.

While Russia has not recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov’s comments hint at the country’s relationship with the Islamist group, Reuters reported. The former Soviet Union attempted but ultimately failed to control Afghanistan, withdrawing its forces in 1989.

Zhirnov told Reuters that the current security situation in Kabul is better than before the Taliban took control.

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US Resumes Evacuations From Kabul After Eight-Hour Pause

The United States has resumed evacuations from Kabul, Afghanistan, following an eight-hour pause. According to The Daily Wire, the hours-long pause on exiting flights was due to concerns around the evacuation base in Qatar becoming severely overcrowded and threatening to become a “humanitarian crisis.”

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Video: Oliver North Warns Taliban Have Names, Addresses, Phone Numbers of Everyone Who Worked With US in Afghanistan

Appearing on Hannity Thursday, Lt. Col. Oliver North warned that the Taliban has managed to obtain the personal details of everyone who worked with the US in Afghanistan, and are using the information to hunt down and execute people.

“They’ve got the bank records. They got it all thanks to the embassy… It is being reported that the Taliban has captured the payroll data from the American embassy and the Kabul banks showing the names, addresses and phone numbers for locals now being hunted down,” North stated.

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China to Dictate How Streamers Dress and Speak

The Chinese government wants to guide influencers on how they’re allowed to talk and dress while live-streaming.

An “industry standard” aimed at live-streamers selling products via online marketplaces was announced Wednesday by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

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Sydney Anti-Lockdown Protest Organiser Anthony Khallouf Sentenced to Jail

A Victorian man will spend at least three months in jail after he helped organise an anti-lockdown protest for Sydney this weekend.

Anthony Khallouf was arrested at Hornsby Railway Station, in Sydney’s north, yesterday afternoon and told officers he was lost.

But authorities were aware the 29-year-old had travelled from Queensland to NSW without a reasonable excuse, in breach of COVID-19 public health orders.

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Video: Australian Broadcasting Corporation Airs Weird Satanic Scene During Botched Broadcast

During a news segment by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) a video of a satanic ritual was aired seemingly by accident during a botched broadcast.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia’s national broadcaster that is funded by the direct grants from the Australian Government, aired a bizarre satanic scene during a live television broadcast, seemingly by accident

The anchor was detailing regular programming when suddenly, the screen switched over to reveal a satanic ritual. In the video, viewers can observe an upside-down cross, satanic altar, candles and two cloaked individuals. One cloaked individual has his hood on and can be seen saying “Hail Satan” while throwing up satanic hand signs. The screen immediately switches back to the anchor, who continues her reporting as if nothing strange just happened.

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Afghan Refugee Pledge Rising?: Patel Says UK Could Bring Over Double Number of Interpreters

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said that the number of Afghan contractors and interpreters brought over could be double the number predicted, and may be even higher.

The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) was announced in April and according to Ms Patel more than 2,000 Afghan interpreters, translators, third-party contractors, and their families have been resettled in the UK as of June, though other reports suggest a more up-to-date figure of 3,300.

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Asymmetric Warfare: EU Accuses Belarus of Attacking EU With Migrants

The European Union has accused Belarus of attacking the bloc with Iraqi migrants by forcing them to cross the borders into Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.

European leaders had accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of not only orchestrating and facilitating migrant flows, but of flying migrants directly from Iraq to Minsk and marching them to Belarus’s borders with European Union member-states, allegedly to blackmail the bloc which has clashed with the former Soviet territory since its disputed election.

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Greece Completes Border Wall Extension to Deter Potential Afghan Migrants

ATHENS, Aug 20 (Reuters) — Greece said on Friday it had completed a 40-km fence on its border with Turkey and a new surveillance system was in place to stop possible asylum seekers from trying to reach Europe following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.

Events in Afghanistan have fuelled fears in the European Union of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis, when nearly a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond crossed to Greece from Turkey before travelling north to wealthier states.

Greece was on the frontline of that crisis and has said its border forces are on alert to make sure it does not become Europe’s gateway again.

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Greek Minister Urges EU to Protect Border in Wake of Afghanistan Crisis

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has called on the European Union to protect the bloc’s external borders in the wake of the crisis in Afghanistan, as some predict a possible wave of migrants.

The Greek foreign minister said during a meeting of his counterparts from across the European Union member states that the bloc needs to prioritise evacuating EU nationals from Afghanistan.

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Palestinian Arrested for Threatening to Kill French Immigration Officials

French police arrested a 29-year-old Palestinian after he allegedly threatened officials at the Bordeaux branch of the Office for Immigration and Integration.

The 29-year-old is suspected of repeatedly threatening to kill immigration officials and was arrested on Monday. He reportedly had been angered that his residency requests were rejected.

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Salvini Against Welcoming ‘Potential Terrorists’ From Afghanistan

Populist Italian senator Matteo Salvini said that while he would consider allowing some refugees to Italy from Afghanistan, he was against opening the gates to thousands of “potential terrorists”.

Salvini, the leader of the League and former Italian interior minister, stated that some refugees should be allowed into the country, saying: “Afghanistan: humanitarian corridors for women and children in danger, certainly yes. Open doors for thousands of men, including potential terrorists? Absolutely not.”

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The Afghans Marooned in No-Man’s Land: Belarus Forces Migrants Into Poland as Part of Plot to Inflict Humanitarian Crisis on the EU — But Poles Refuse to Take Them Sparking Stand-Off at Border

The fate of a group of 32 refugees who fled Afghanistan is in the balance after having been stranded for the last 12 days in an area between the Poland-Belarus border as the two countries engage in a standoff.

Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia accuse Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of sending migrants across their borders with his country in what they have called an act of ‘hybrid war.’

Their borders also form part of the European Union’s external border, and the countries believe Lukashenko is acting in revenge for sanctions the EU imposed over his disputed reelection and crackdown on dissent.

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Toddler Sexually Assaulted by Iraqi Suspect on German Train

A four-year-old girl was sexually molested on a train in Germany by an adult male suspect from Iraq, according to reports.

The incident unfolded at around 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday evening aboard a train from Ulm to Erbach.

A family comprised of adults, a 16-year-old girl and a toddler were moving through a rail car searching for seats, according to Stuttgarter Zeitung.

The Iraqi suspect, aged 20, allegedly sexually harassed the teen girl before grabbing the four-year-old child and kissing her on the mouth.

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Church of Sweden Divided Over Forcing Priests to Carry Out Same-Sex Marriages

Pressure is rising in the Church of Sweden to force priests to conduct same-sex marriages, ahead of internal elections in September.

Jerker Schmidt, a priest and church politician for the Bourgeois Alternative, is one of many who support forcing priests to conduct same-sex ceremonies, telling Swedish broadcaster SVT: “It’s about the church’s image of God and the view of man.”

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OnlyFans Changes Show Payment Processors and Banks Are Major Players in Deciding What’s Allowed to Exist Online

OnlyFans’ latest move — now there’s a social media startup pivot for the ages — if, that is, the company behind it somehow manages to survive it, or sell quick.

This is about the originally — explicitly — porn-oriented, and in this way differentiated from mainstream sites, OnlyFans just announced it will be banning none other than sexually explicit content, come October.

It’s akin to Big Tech announcing they were banning user data selling and tracking. In other words, why would anybody give up on their core business model that is proving to be very lucrative? Apparently, because OnlyFans is still small enough to cater to future investors, banks, and payment processors.

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9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 8/20/2021

  1. https://twitter.com/CryptoG320/status/1426827489041649666/photo/1

    That’s humanity’s problem.

    A PM said before forming his/her cabinet. “Don’t bother joining my cabinet if you disagree with my policies.

    What are his policies: lavish money on islam to buil mosques. Unlimited moslim immigration: just being muslim is enough: no vetting. no questions aske. No papers: or documents fine. Votes and votes.

    Promote islam and don’t think about consequences and be hostile to Israel. Label their products so that people won’t buy them.

  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waHqB1843uo

    600 believers were detained for checking in the mosque after namaz.

    According to journalists, the police entered the building immediately after the end of the prayer, when there were several hundred Muslims in the mosque. Security officials check people’s documents and release them one at a time. They do not name the reason for what is happening.

    According to some reports, the security forces are looking for illegal migrants and check everyone’s registration.
    ==================
    About 600 people were detained for checking in a mosque in Kotelniki
    They were taken to the Lyuberetskoye police station.
    The lawyers were allowed to transfer water to their clients.

    https://tass.ru/proisshestviya/12184065

  3. Some people are afraid that Anthony Khallouf will be killed in jail as Epstein, a very well known US rapist.

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