The Minnesota Supreme Court overturned the third-degree murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor for the killing of Justine Damond. The court ordered a lower court to re-sentence Mr. Noor on a manslaughter charge.
In other news, a recent poll suggests that German Chancellor Angela Merkel would beat out French President Emmanuel Macron in a contest for the presidency of the European Commission.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, MM, Reader from Chicago, SS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.
Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.
Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.
Inflation is at Its Highest Level Since 2003: Statistics Canada
Inflation rose faster than expected in August.
Statistics Canada says the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.1 per cent on a year-over-year basis in August, more than the 3.9 per cent that was expected.
It’s also the fastest pace since March 2003 and up from 3.7 per cent in July.
Prices rose in seven of the eight major components.
Getting around was particularly costly. Gasoline prices were up 32.5 per cent compared to the previous year due to lower production than pre-pandemic. As restrictions eased and people started taking more trips, the traveller accommodation price index rose 19.3 per cent.
High-priced real estate also moved even higher. The homeowners’ replacement cost index, which is based on new homes, was up 14.3 per cent, the largest increase since 1987. It’s also the fourth straight month of double-digit growth.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Records Biggest Inflation Jump on Record, Hits 3.2%, Higher Than Expected
LONDON (AP) — Consumer prices in the U.K. rose at their fastest recorded rate during August as global supply shortages and higher wages accentuated the uptick from pandemic-related discounts a year ago, official figures showed Wednesday.
The Office for National Statistics said inflation accelerated to 3.2% in the year through August from 2% the previous month. The scale of the increase month-on-month was the biggest since the CPI measure of inflation was introduced a quarter of a century ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Angered by Feds’ Heavy Hand, Lawmaker Wants New Hampshire to Vote on Seceding From U.S.
A New Hampshire lawmaker is pushing for a referendum asking the state’s voters if they want to secede from the United States.
State Rep. Mike Sylvia, a Belmont Republican, said he has filed a proposed constitutional amendment that would ask voters in the 2022 midterm elections to break ties with Washington, D.C., and become a separate nation-state.
In an interview, Sylvia said he filed the measure in response to the federal government’s actions to prevent spread of the coronavirus, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction ban and more recently President Joe Biden’s mandate requiring federal workers to get vaccinated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-CRT Parents Sweep Connecticut School Board Primary, Besting GOP Incumbents
Five parents hell-bent on keeping critical race theory (CRT) out of the Guilford, Conn. school district swept the Republican school board primary Tuesday night, advancing to the general election in November.
Fending off a challenge from three old-guard Republican incumbents — who the anti-CRT parents accuse of rubber-stamping the racialized curriculum favored by the board’s progressives and the district superintendent — the cabal of five dominated the competition Tuesday, walking away with bids for the November ballot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Apple Blocks Gnosis Ethereum Wallet Updating Over Nfts Feature
Apple is blocking another app from appearing on its store until it fully aligns itself with the company’s strict and controversial rules.
As Gnosis Safe Ethereum wallet product chief Lukas Schor has shared, the condition for getting approved on the store is to remove the NFT feature from the app.
The tech giant is seemingly oblivious to pressure piling on it from many sides for exactly this behavior. From other companies and legislators to advocates, more and more people are starting to pay close attention to these ultimately competition-stifling, and extremely self-serving antics that hurt developers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Balow Cites Student’s Notes in Backing Anti-Critical Race Bill
Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow is backing proposed legislation to deter public schools from teaching aspects of critical race theory, citing one student’s notes as evidence of the threat to the state’s education.
Critical race theory is an academic study of systemic racism and inequality rooted in the nation’s history that its scholars say helps explain continuing biases and disparities in modern American life. Though the theory has existed for decades, it has become a political flashpoint in the last year as school districts wrestle with incorporating it into curricula, with right-wing politicians and others attacking it as dangerous indoctrination.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Big Tech Pushes Back on Texas’ Social Media Free Speech Law
Big Tech platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, plan to fight back against Texas’ newly passed law that prohibits censorship based on political views. The platforms managed to halt the enforcement of a similar law in Florida.
On Thursday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning social media companies from censoring Texans based on political views. In a press conference, the governor said there was a “dangerous movement by some social media companies to silence conservative ideas and values.”
“This is wrong and we will not allow it in Texas,” Abbott added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bishop Carroll Students and Parents Protest Masks
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — On Tuesday, a group of students and parents gathered outside Bishop Carroll Catholic High School to protest the high school’s mask mandate.
Protesters believe everyone should have the right to decide if they want to wear a mask or not.
“We are not here to bring division. We are here to simply say that we want to have a choice in this,” said Marilee Drouhard, parent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: LA County to Require COVID Vaccines for Bars, Restaurants and Outdoor Events
A new health order will require Los Angeles County residents to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination for entry to indoor bars, restaurants, lounges and nightclubs. Proof of vaccination will also be required for large outdoor events, such as Rams and Dodgers games. The mandate will apply to both staff and patrons.
LA County residents will need to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by October 7 and be fully vaccinated by November 4. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer announced the mandate during Wednesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. “This is a reasonable path forward that will position us to to be better able to break the cycle of surges,” said Ferrer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
California Recall Fails; Gov. Gavin Newsom Remains in Office
California Gov. Gavin Newsom will keep his job following the defeat of the recall effort to remove him.
According to the Associated Press, Californians overwhelmingly voted “No” to removing and replacing Newsom as governor. Newsom becomes only the second governor in U.S. history to survive a recall attempt.
With the 2022 midterm elections looming, Democrats see this as an unquestionable boost — if only because losing would have been so disastrous for the party.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Tucker Carlson responded to the news that General Milley went behind President Trump’s back and promised to warn China ahead of any military operations, by labelling it “one of the scariest things that has ever happened in this country.”
“Let that sink in,” Carlson urged, quoting Milley allegedly saying to China’s top military commander, General Li Zuocheng “If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise.”
Carlson continued “So according to this account, our country’s top defense officials secretly colluded with our chief military rival to undercut the elected President of the United States.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Darnell Hicks, Falsely Accused of Shooting Two Cops in Viral Posts Online, Sues Facebook and Twitter
Facebook and Twitter have been sued in California Central District court by a Mr. Darnell Hicks, for not censoring posts that went viral and falsely named him as the gunman who shot two LA County police officers last year. Defendants are sued for “defamation” and “false light.”
The 34-year-old father of two and youth football coach from Compton received death threats after he was falsely accused of the crime on social media.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Des Moines Protest Leader Accepts Plea Deal
DES MOINES, Iowa — One of the leaders of last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests is pleading guilty.
In exchange, Mate Muhammad, formerly known as Matthew Bruce, gets his other six charges dropped.
Muhammad was arrested in July at the statehouse while protesting. Police say they found messages in his phone that showed extensive criminal plans.
The felony criminal mischief charge he pleaded guilty to could carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence and a $13,000 fine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis Hits Bipartisan ‘Sweet Spot’ With Proposed Slash in Florida K-12 Standardized Testing
Gov. Ron DeSantis spearheaded the effort to raise Florida teachers’ pay to one of the nation’s highest starting salaries, but his high-profile battles with school boards over face-mask mandates — among other clashes — have not made him a popular among most career educators.
But on Tuesday, the governor induced a rare, bright glimmer of bipartisan consensus when he introduced the parameters of a 2022 initiative to dramatically scale back standardized testing in Florida schools.
“This will be one of our top priorities in the legislative session,” DeSantis said in Doral, claiming his proposal will reduce standardized assessments in Florida schools by 75% and allow for more individualized testing.
DeSantis said he’ll call on lawmakers to eliminate several standardized statewide exams students now take, and replace them with fall, winter and spring progress reports that, he said, would be more timely and actionable.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Despite Mandates, Biden Commerce Secretary Claims “Nobody is Being Forced” To Take COVID Vaccine
Joe Biden’s Commerce Secretary has claimed that “nobody is being forced” to get vaccinated, despite last week’s announcement that millions of Americans will be mandated to take the shot in order to go to work.
Gina Raimondo made the comments Tuesday in an interview on MSNBC, after host Stephanie Ruhle proclaimed she was “puzzled by people that continue to say they’re forced to get vaccinated here.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fauci Hailed as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ By the Guardian
The Guardian has dubbed Dr. Anthony Fauci “The sexiest man alive.” On Instagram, the British outlet touted an upcoming documentary about Fauci, called, simply, Fauci, as they issued their praise for the octogenarian.
“Anthony Fauci, an 80-year-old scientist, doctor and public servant, has become an unlikely cult hero for millions of people during the Covid pandemic,” The Guardian writes on Instagram.
“The US diseases expert has been spoofed by Brad Pitt and lauded as the ‘sexiest man alive’. Now the pop culture phenomenon is the focus of a documentary, appropriately titled: Fauci,” The Guardian continues.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former SecDef Miller Says He Did Not Approve Calls to China Defense Chief; Says Milley Should Resign
The former Pentagon chief on Wednesday said he did not authorize Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to directly contact China’s top military commander — contrary to Milley’s claims that his conversations with Beijing were approved by defense officials.
The calls reportedly were revealed in a forthcoming book, “Peril,” by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. Milley took the unprecedented actions because he was afraid Trump might go rogue and launch a nuclear strike in order to remain in office, the authors wrote.
Christopher Miller, who was Donald Tump’s acting Secretary of Defense at the time of the calls, said he “did not and would not ever authorize” the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to hold “secret” conversations with the Chinese defense chief. In a statement to Fox News, Miller said the alleged calls were a “disgraceful and unprecedented act of insubordination.” Miller added that the chairman should resign “immediately.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Humbled’ Prince Harry Crouches Behind Meghan Markle on Cover of Time Magazine
Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry have been named in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people, with the couple saying they are “humbled” to be nominated.
Featured on one of a number of alternative covers for the American magazine, Prince Harry is seen intentionally giving himself second status to his wife, with the reportedly6’1” prince appearing to crouch behind the 5’6” former TV actress while resting on a wall.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lawmakers Unveil Bipartisan Bill to Freeze Funding for Gain-of-Function Research
Authored by Isabel van Brugen via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)
Bipartisan lawmakers on Friday unveiled a bill that seeks to freeze taxpayer-funding for gain-of-function research for a period of five years.
The legislation, called the Pausing Enhanced Pandemic Pathogen Research Act, was introduced by Reps. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas).
According to a press release from the lawmakers, the bill is in response to a recent report by The Intercept, which indicated that the United States had funded gain-of-function research at China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) that many believe may have led to the ongoing CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mayor Demands School Board Resign or be Charged Over Dissemination of “Child Pornography” Material
The Mayor of Hudson is demanding that school board members either resign or face charges after it was revealed that material which amounts to “child pornography” was part of the curriculum for high school students.
The controversy began after parents complained about a book called “642 Things to Write About,” which was provided to high school students who are taking a college credit course called Writing in the Liberal Arts II.
The books asks students to “write a sex scene you wouldn’t show your mom,” as well as giving them the task of “(rewriting) the sex scene from above into one that you’d let your mom read.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minnesota Supreme Court Overturns Mohammed Noor’s Murder Conviction
The Minnesota Supreme Court vacated the third-degree murder conviction of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor on Wednesday and ordered a lower court to resentence him on the lesser manslaughter conviction in the death of Justine Ruszczyk, an Australian-American woman who called 911.
Ruszczyk had called the police on the night of July 15, 2017, after hearing a woman screaming near her home. As she approached the police vehicle, Noor fired his gun at her from the passenger seat.
A jury acquitted him of second-degree murder, but convicted him of third-degree ‘depraved mind’ murder and second-degree manslaughter, and he was sentenced to 12-and-a-half years in prison.
He appealed the convictions and on the Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed that the murder conviction was not fitting.
It upheld the second-degree manslaughter charge…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Missouri Businesses, Protesters Slam Biden’s Vaccine Mandate
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers, business lobbyists and protesters on Wednesday railed against President Joe Biden’s planned vaccine mandate for large companies.
Business groups warned a panel of House legislators that Biden’s plan would be catastrophic to small companies as protesters held handmade signs and rallied in the Capitol rotunda.
Biden announced last week that the Labor Department is working to require businesses with 100 or more employees to order those workers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or show a negative test result at least weekly.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NBA Won’t Force Vaccine on Elite Athletes, But Staff Will be Mandated to Get the Jab
In another example of how privileged people aren’t having to follow the same rules as everyone else, the NBA won’t force elite athletes to take the COVID-19 vaccine despite staff being mandated to get it.
Wealthy NBA stars have made themselves the latest exempted class after their union (the NBPA) “refused to budge on its demand that players not be required to take the vaccine.”
Around 100 million Americans will be forced to get jabbed if they want to keep their jobs after Biden’s executive order, but the 15 per cent of NBA players who remain unvaccinated will be left alone.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police: Two People Seriously Injured After Shooting in Fredericksburg
Police have not released any suspect information or a possible motive for the shooting.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Fredericksburg Police are investigating after two people were seriously injured in a shooting Wednesday morning.
According to a spokesperson from Fredericksburg Police, the shooting happened around 9:45 a.m. at an apartment in the 1100 block of Tuckahoe Drive.
When officers arrived, they found a man and a woman suffering from gunshot wounds. First responders took the man and woman to a nearby hospital for help. Both remain in critical condition.
Police have not released any suspect information or a possible motive for the shooting. Officers have not identified either of the victims in the shooting.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call police at (540) 373-3122. Anonymous tips can also send a text to “847-411” and text “FPDtip” followed by your tip.
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters Take Over Anti-Vaccine Mandate Rally From New Hampshire Republican Leaders
CONCORD, N.H. — A big, energetic crowd joined Republicans at the State House Tuesday to protest President Joe Biden’s federal vaccine mandate on businesses with more than 100 employees.
“Almost every person in this state, in the country, is short of workers and yet now we have a president that says he’s for the people, for the workers, but he wants to have thousands, millions of workers fired for not taking a vaccine,” Republican House Speaker Rep. Sherman Packard said.
But the outrage overwhelmed elected leaders with demands they do more to stop the mandate.
Packard spoke to an angry crowd saying, “We’re trying to help you, but you need to help yourselves. You need to get ahold of the federal delegation, and you need to tell them. We’re out here to try and help you, and now you’re attacking us?”
Protesters eventually commandeered the stage and launched their own speaking program. They made the same warning, that this mandate will decimate the workforce.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protests Over Geisinger Vaccine Mandate While State Doubles Down on Vaccine Support
Danville, Pa. — It’s not the vaccine itself that many of the participants in Tuesday’s demonstration in Danville were there to speak out against, it’s the mandate that Geisinger has implemented, forcing the health system’s employees to be vaccinated by November 1.
The group on the march included both healthcare workers and supporters from within the community, echoing similar sentiments of “if we don’t speak out now, we’ll only continue to lose our rights.”
“This is just the beginning,” said one protestor who wanted to remain anonymous.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rally Held to Protest Akron Children’s Hospital Employee Vaccination Requirement
AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — A protest is taking place Wednesday outside of Akron Children’s Hospital, following its decision to require COVID-19 vaccinations or regular testing for its employees.
Called “Stand for Medical Freedom,” people are gathering for the event at the corner of West exchange Street and Bowery Street.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rep. Fine Introduces Bill to Ban Critical Race Theory From Florida Schools and Universities
In a strongly worded statement issued Wednesday, Florida Rep. Randy Fine, R— Palm Bay, announced that he has filed a bill that would ban the use of critical race theory in all government institutions, including charter schools, public schools and public universities.
Critical race theory has been described as an academic framework that examines if, and how, systems and policies perpetuate racism. Many conservatives have claimed that teachers are using it to teach students that America or white people are inherently racist—and that the critical race theory itself is racist.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nicki Minaj claims she has been put in “Twitter jail” following her recent tweets promoting personal decision making over the COVID-19 vaccine that were interpreted by many as being anti-vaccine.
The artist sparked backlash from several media outlets this week after revealing she is unvaccinated, told a story about her “cousin in Trinidad” who is was refusing to take the vaccine because a friend of his claimed “his testicles became swollen” and he “became impotent” after getting the the shot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Unvaccinated Buffalo Bills Fans to be Banned From Home Games
Just days after season ticket holders coughed up thousands of dollars, a poorly timed announcement by the Buffalo Bills told fans that proof of COVID vaccination would be required to attend games at Highmark Stadium this season. According to ESPN, the Bills are the fourth team to urge fans to be fully vaccinated if they want to attend.
The timeline of the new vaccine policy is important. It appears gradual enforcement begins Sept. 23 and Oct. 3 games, where fans must show proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. By Oct. 31, fans with two doses will only be permitted into the stadium.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republican Senator James Risch demanded Tuesday to know who is in charge of cutting off Joe Biden’s microphone when he goes off script, as has been witnessed several times over the past few months.
During a hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Risch asked Secretary of State Anthony Blinken who is “calling the shots?”
“One of the things we need to get to the bottom to is who is responsible for this? Who made the decisions?” Risch said, referring to Biden’s Afghanistan debacle. The Senator then added that Biden “can’t even speak without someone in the White House censoring it or signing off on it.”
Risch further urged “This is a puppeteer act, if you would, and we need to know who’s in charge and who is making the decisions.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Walgreens’ COVID Test Registration System Exposed Personal Data
Any online privacy and data security advocate could have — and probably has — told you this a while back: the rushed “ecosystem” building up around COVID certificates, testing, tracking, passes, and other similar personal-information collecting tools is set up to eventually fail.
Reports attesting to this cropping up around the world, and a new one from the US concerns the country’s massive pharmacy chain, Walgreens. According to reports, Walgreens had decided to make itself a “vital partner in testing” before making sure that it had the technological backend secure and reliable enough to qualify for such a role.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
White Scholar Apologizes for Her ‘Innate Racism,’ Asks White Students to Join Her
A white scholar at Virginia Tech University has apologized to her students for her “innate racism” and called on her white students to join her in her “antiracist” journey.
Crystal Duncan Lane, a faculty member in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, made the comments on her Human Development 1134 syllabus.
“I am a Caucasian cisgender female and first-generation college student from Appalachia who is of Scottish, British, and Norwegian heritage. I am married to a cisgender male, and we are middle class. While I did not ‘ask’ for the many privileges in my life: I have benefitted from them and will continue to benefit from them whether I like it or not,” reads the syllabus, obtained and first reported on by Campus Reform.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Antifa Crashes Calgary Health-Care Worker Vaccine Mandate Protest
Protesters gathered at the Foothills Medical Centre hospital in Calgary on Monday to oppose forced vaccines for healthcare workers. This was the second protest at this location in recent weeks, with the prior gathering having been considerably larger.
In the days leading up to the event, several politicians and even Calgary police weighed in, suggesting that these events were potentially disrupting vital work at the hospital. Agreeably, they insisted that while folks have a right to protest, they must not interfere with hospital access in any way. Many mainstream media outlets were also on hand, most of which seemed to be more interested in demonizing the peaceful protesters with headlines about the hospital needing increased security and surgeries being cancelled, falsely implying that the protesters were a threat and that Alberta Health Services’ categorical misuse of resources and asset management was somehow a result of these protests.
Despite all this maligning, the protest was once again largely peaceful and respectful of the adjacent hospital. Or at least it was, until Antifa showed up.
[Comment: I despise Antifa also.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Alberta to Introduce Proof of Vaccination System
The Province of Alberta has declared a “state of public health emergency” and will be implementing a vaccine passport system. This is a departure from Premier Jason Kenney’s unambiguous opposition to the proof of vaccination system.
“It is now clear that we were wrong, and for that, I apologize,” said Premier Kenney Wednesday. This news comes as the province predicts it will run out of ICU beds in 10 days. “This is a crisis of the unvaccinated,” Kenney says, as 90 percent of ICU COVID patients are unvaccinated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Courageous’: Communist China’s Ambassador to the UK Banned From Entering Parliament
The Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Zheng Zeguang has been barred from entering the Houses of Parliament in response to the communist dictatorship in Beijing imposing sanctions on UK politicians earlier this year.
On Tuesday, the Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lord McFall of Alcluith, the Speaker of the House of Lords, made the decision to ban the Chinese Communist Party diplomat after MPs condemned a scheduled meeting of the All Party Parliamentary China Group on Wednesday, which was set to include Mr Zheng.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia: Milos Zeman and Vaclav Klaus Are Hospitalized
Two major Czech political figures are currently in the hospital, according to press reports.
On Tuesday, President Milos Zeman was taken to the Central Military Hospital (ÚVN) in Prague. His spokesman, Jiri Ovcacek, has not yet commented on the reasons of hospitalization. His wife Ivana also arrived in the facility. In addition, former President Vaclav Klaus is also in the hospital.
Zeman arrived at the hospital shortly after 11:00 a.m. The president has been in a military hospital several times in recent years. Last year, the doctors operated on his broken arm, which he injured during a fall.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ Project Will Slam European Economy Warns Former Polish PM
In July 2021, the European Commission presented the ‘Fit for 55’ project, which is meant to adjust the European Union to the more ambitious climate goals. The changes will concern several different areas, including a number of new rules for renewable energy sources, taxes, new emission limits for cars, and the introduction of emission permits to new sectors in the EU trade system.
EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans is the face of the new project and has been one of its most vocal supporters.
The plan, however, has its critics. Former Polish Prime Minister and current Law and Justice (PiS) MEP Beata Szydlo heavily criticized the Fit for 55 project in the most recent European Parliament deliberation over the issue.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany: AfD Politician’s Car Burned, But He is Just One of Many
Suspected left-wing extremists set a young family’s car on fire in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district of Berlin on Tuesday night. Since the victim of the attack, Vadim Derksen, is the AfD candidate for the Berlin state elections, a political motive is suspected.
Derksen told Junge Freiheit that the neighbors rang the doorbell around 1.30 a.m. because his car was on fire. The neighbors had already notified the police, who arrived quickly on scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Cardinal: ‘Poland is Not a Child to be Reprimanded by Incompetent Politicans From the West’
Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller touched on the current conflict of values within Europe and the West’s pressure on Poland and Hungary in an interview for Catholic Radio Maryja.
“We are living through a tragic farce in which European institutions criticize Poland and Hungary in the name of European values. These so-called ‘values’ invent the right to murder unborn children or change genders,” he said. Muller pointed out that if such laws are considered European values, and if countries that stand behind protecting life from conception are being attacked, then the entire system of moral values has been upended.
He also believes that Western Europe’s approach towards Poland is scandalous. The cardinal emphasized Poland’s suffering in the name of freedom, rule of law, and democracy over the last 200 years.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarian Government Asks Parliament to Extend Emergency Rule on COVID-19 Crisis
The Hungarian government is initiating an extension of the emergency due to the epidemic by putting it to a vote in parliament, the Government Information Center (KTK) reported on Tuesday.
“In order to further effective control of the epidemic and rapid response, the government will initiate the extension of the law on control of the epidemic at the National Assembly until Jan. 1, 2022,” the statement read. The decision was made at the government meeting on Tuesday.
The proposal to extend the emergency will be submitted to the parliament soon, so it will be among the first items on the agenda once the autumn session begins, they added.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Latvia Launches Separate Train Cars for Passengers With COVID Certificates
Cars for people vaccinated against COVID-19 or those who have recently recovered from the virus have started to appear on some train routes in Latvia, a representative of Pasazieru vilciens, the passenger-carrying railway monopoly in Latvia, told Sputnik.
“From 15 September, on a number of railway routes in Latvia, train cars for vaccinated or previously ill with COVID passengers have appeared. Boarding is allowed upon presenting a COVID certificate or a negative COVID-19 test”, the representative said.
In such cars, passengers are allowed to take off their face masks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Merkel Forever! Poll Suggests German Leader Could Move to Top European President Role
A survey pitting outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel against current French President Emmanuel Macron for the head of the European Commission has suggested that many EU countries would support a Merkel presidency.
The European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR) survey asked residents of 12 European Union countries if they would support Mrs Merkel or Mr Macron in a theoretical race if the pair were to face off for the “president of the EU” role.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland: While We Wish to Remain in the EU, We Must Remain a Sovereign State
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s most powerful politician says the country’s future is in the European Union and that there will be “no Polexit,” but that Poland at the same time wishes to remain a sovereign country.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is the head of the ruling conservative Law and Justice party, made his comments in an interview with state news agency PAP that was published Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: ‘Insulate Britain’ Climate Protesters Once Again Block Insulation Engineers From Getting to Work
Climate change protesters representing ‘Insulate Britain’ blocked a major motorway around London for the second time in three days, and once again stopped actual insulation engineers from getting to work.
Genius.
“Twenty-five climate change protesters have been arrested after parts of the M25 were blocked off by activists for the second time in three days, causing huge queues of traffic,” reports Sky News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: BBC Chairman Calls for Crackdown on Speech Online
Richard Sharp, BBC Chairman, is likely to back proposals to increase regulation of the world’s largest social networks and platforms to combat “fake news” and “disinformation.”
It is pertinent to ask “urgent questions” about these platforms, since platforms have allowed lies, conspiracy theories, and falsehoods to spread rapidly, the chairman claimed in a speech to the Royal Television Society convention.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Climate Protesters Blocking Road Cause Pile-Up, Woman Airlifted to Hospital
Climate protesters who blocked a major road near London caused a dangerous pile-up, prompting one woman to be airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.
Well done, clowns.
As we highlighted earlier, the demonstrators were from a group called ‘Insulate Britain’ — yet have succeeded on two separate occasions in blocking thermal insulation engineers from getting to work.
However, their actions today caused a drastically more serious incident after they stopped traffic at two sections of Britain’s busiest motorway, the M25.
“A crash involving four vehicles led to a woman in her 50s being airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, and witness Steve Glenn, who was commuting to work clockwise on the M25, told The Telegraph: “The cars ploughed into the back of each other. It was so blatantly obvious what had happened. The standstill traffic was caused by the protest.”
[Comment: I despise climate activists.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Jihadi Bride: I Thought Joining ISIS Was ‘Doing the Right Thing as a Muslim’
Former teen jihadi bride Shamima Begum claimed that she joined the Islamic State terror group in Syria because she thought she was “doing the right thing as a Muslim” and she did not know ISIS was a death cult, thinking it was only “an Islamic community”.
Speaking during her first live television interview to ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Begum appeared to be continuing to market herself as, not so much as a rehabilitated extremist, but a naive teen groomed by the terror group and manipulated her into agreeing to leave her London home to marry a jihadist in Syria aged 15.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Rochdale Grooming Gang Child Rapist Complains About Benefits in Britain
A member of the notorious Rochdale grooming child rape gang has complained about his treatment in Britain at a deportation hearing, saying that he is barely “surviving” on state benefits.
Fifty-one-year-old Adil Khan from Pakistan, who was previously jailed for his role in the child rape gang in Rochdale, Greater Manchester after he impregnated a thirteen-year-old girl and trafficked another 15-year-old girl.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel Facing New Record Corona Spike Despite Vaccine Passport Rollout
Despite over 61 per cent of its population being fully vaccinated and having implemented a vaccine passport system, the Israeli Health Ministry has expressed concern about the fact that a recent downtrend in COVID-19 infections is reversing, potentially surpassing any levels previously seen.
The country had hoped that a recent surge in COVID cases was in decline, but Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash now fears “that the current wave of coronavirus infections is surpassing anything seen in previous outbreaks,” reports the Times of Israel.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
China Backs Taliban’s Demand to US to Unfreeze Afghanistan’s Assets
China on Wednesday supported the Taliban’s demand that the US should unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets and said that America has no legitimate reasons to do so
China on Wednesday supported the Taliban’s demand that the US should unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets and said that America has no legitimate reasons to do so as the Chinese envoy to Kabul called on acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and congratulated the interim government.
According to reports from Washington, the US has frozen about USD 9.5 billion in assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank and stopped shipments of cash to Kabul, in a bid to keep the Taliban government from accessing the money.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters here that the US has no legitimate reasons to freeze Afghanistan’s assets.
Asked about the Taliban’s demand that the US should unfreeze Afghanistan’s assets stating that they belong to the people of Afghanistan and the interim government will take a legal action possible to get the funds released, Zhao said: I think that the (Taliban’s) spokesperson is right.
These assets belong to the Afghan people.
They (the US) should respond to the legitimate requests of the Afghan people and stop the wrong practice of sanctions and stop making obstacles for Afghanistan’s peace and reconstruction, he said…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
A temporary ban on public transport will be in place on Saturday to prevent protestors from attending an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne’s CBD.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
The move by Australia’s legal drug overlord to warn general practitioners against prescribing a supposed ‘Covid cure’ has divided the grass roots medical fraternity.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Millions of locked down Sydneysiders could be freed a week earlier than planned if surging vaccination rates continue to climb.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
Jacqui Lambie ‘Declares War’ On the Unvaccinated Australians
Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie made a series of bizarre threats toward unvaccinated Australians during a recent interview on Sky News Australia.
Senator Lambie appeared on First Edition in early August to discuss the government’s push to fast-track vaccination for people under 40 by offering cash incentives.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Melbourne Public Transport Suspended Ahead of Planned Protests
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton has announced a suspension of public transport in Melbourne’s CBD from 8am until 2pm this Saturday.
The restrictions are being implemented due to a protest scheduled for this weekend, with numbers expected to be higher than the protest held on the 21st of August in Melbourne’s CBD.
Chief Commissioner Patton says the decision was not taken “lightly” but was deemed essential to deter people from coming in to protest.
“What that means is: any buses will bypass the city, any trams will be stopped before the city … trains will not come into the city during that period of time,” he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Joe Biden Refers to Australian Prime Minister as ‘That Fella Down Under’
During a joint press conference on Wednesday in which President Joe Biden, joined virtually by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia and Prime Minister Boris Johnson, announced the creation of a trilateral security partnership AUKUS, Biden seemed too forget Morrison’s name.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More than 200,000 migrants again crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in August, according to Fox News Channel.
A Department of Homeland Security source previewed the latest numbers for the network, saying that there were 208,887 encounters last month.
That is fewer than the 212,000 encounters in July, but still represents a 317 per cent increase in crossing from August 2020, when there were 50,014 encounters.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona Lawsuit: Biden Vaccine Mandates Favor Illegal Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has fired the opening salvo in the anticipated legal fight over President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
Brnovich filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Arizona, claiming Biden’s mandate violates the Equal Protection Clause by favoring migrants who can decline the vaccine, “protecting their freedom and bodily autonomy more than American citizens’.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Europe Under Multi-Pronged Siege, FM Szijjarto Says
Europe is under migratory attack from several directions, which is expected to increase in the coming months due to the EU’s irresponsible immigration policy and some irresponsible statements, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjartó warned in Finland on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the ministry, Szijjartó was speaking in Hameenlinna, Finland at the Visegrad, Nordic and Baltic Forum. He said that in addition to the usual south and south-east, the EU is also under increasing migratory pressure from the east. As he said, Lithuania and Poland feel threatened from Belarus, and this has a direct impact on the whole of Northern Europe.
He stressed that this pressure will intensify in the coming months, as 4 million of the 39 million in Afghanistan have already been forced to flee their homes and are being encouraged by some in Western Europe to move towards the continent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
More Illegal Boat Migrants Landed Last Week in Britain Than All of 2019
The crisis in the English Channel saw more illegal boat migrants cross from France last week than the entire year of 2019, as Home Secretary Priti Patel is finally set — she claims — to implement a turn back the boats approach.
In the week leading up to September 10th, a total of 1,959 illegal aliens crossed the Channel in small rubber boats, taking the total for the year to around 14,500, compared with 8,400 for all of last year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Thwarts 1,000 Illegal Border Crossings in Four Days
Polish border guards intercepted nearly one thousand illegal entries in the span of just four days, according to reports.
Between Saturday and Tuesday, at least 988 penetrations were thwarted with all occurring along Poland’s border with Belarus.
The onslaught comes as thousands of migrants hailing mostly from the Middle East and Africa have been streaming into Poland, Lithuania, and other neighboring countries amid deteriorating relations between Minsk and the European Union.
Some 509 illegal crossings were attempted during the weekend alone.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Virginia Officials Say at Least 3 Afghan Arrivals in State Have Measles, Send Community Warning
Northern Virginia health officials are warning residents about a potential exposure to the contagious measles virus, brought to the region by several people recently evacuated from Afghanistan.
As many as five individuals who were brought to the U.S. in recent weeks as part of United States’ evacuation efforts in Afghanistan have now been found to have the virus, including the three in Northern Virginia.
Similar to COVID-19, measles is generally spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with droplets from the nose, mouth or throat of an infected person. Most American are vaccinated as children against the virus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Where is the Feminist Outrage Over Afghan Stabbing a German Woman for ‘Working’?
Any scenario in which a White Neo-Nazi or “incel” stabs a woman nearly to death merely for “working” would elicit outrage in Germany — and rightfully so.
After the attacks, extensive media coverage would undoubtedly follow, along with German politicians racing to be the first to offer their condemnation — again, rightfully so. Commentators would decry toxic masculinity, the danger of the White male patriarchy, and demand increased funding to fight right-wing terrorism and violence against women. Left-wing groups would also surely mobilize protests of their own.
Last week, an Afghan refugee stabbed a 58-year-old female gardener in the neck multiple times, then proceeded to stab an elderly man trying to intervene. The perpetrator told the police afterwards that he stabbed her because she was working, and that he did not approve of women working.
The attack has elicited little in terms media commentary in Germany, let alone outrage. From any point of view, the attack is abhorrent, but from the feminist perspective, it could not be a more clear case of misogyny: a woman attacked at random simply for doing her job.
Yet prominent German feminists, such as Margarete Stokowski and Sophie Passmann, are notably silent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
George Soros: The Man Behind the Curtain
Author Matt Palumbo joins Ezra Levant
A popular subject for so-called conspiracy theories, billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros is often cited as a nefarious actor behind the scenes, using his wealth to manipulate governments — at the national, state/provincial and local level — to the whims of his desire.
On last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show author Matt Palumbo, who has a new book The Man Behind the Curtain: Inside the Secret Network of George Soros, joined Ezra to discuss the political actions and policies being pushed by Soros through his organizations like the Open Society Foundations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Judge Opens Investigation Into Faked Homophobic Hate Crime
A Spanish judge has opened an investigation into a young man accused of faking a homophobic hate crime that fooled many establishment politicians.
The 20-year-old claimed to have been subjected to a brutal homophobic assault in broad daylight in the Madrid neighbourhood of Malasaña, claiming that eight hooded men had assaulted him and carved homophobic slurs into his buttocks.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom will keep his job following the defeat of the recall effort to remove him.”
Where was Lee Harvey Oswald when we needed him?
Lee Harvey Oswald only assassinated one politician. Regardless of numbers of dead politicians, his feat of marksmanship was still quite impressive.
However, had he not been caught beforehand, Guy Fawkes would have eliminated a whole Parliament full of them along with their lair. Where is Guy Fawkes when we need him?
Offtop. In English, is the word “Moon” masculine or feminine?
English nouns are not gendered. However, in the collective unconscious, the Moon is feminine, and the Sun is masculine.
This site is an amazing aggregator of news regarding those wonderful culture enrichers from all over the world.
https://borderhawk.news/