United Airlines announced that it has fired almost 600 employees for failing to comply with its corporate vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, the union representing the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that it will defy the federal vax mandate and support officers who decline to be vaccinated.
In other news, according to a recent survey, more than 75% of Venezuelans now live in extreme poverty.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, Insubria, JW, Mark H, 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.
Manchin Stares Down Biden, Democratic Leaders, Declaring He Cannot Support ‘Trillions in Spending’
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Wednesday that he would not support “spending trillions more” on social programs, highlighting an ongoing dispute between the moderate Democrat and party leaders that threatens to derail negotiations on President Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending bill.
In a lengthy statement on the negotiations, Manchin said he has “made clear to the President and Democratic leaders” that it would be the “definition of fiscal insanity” to greenlight more spending despite funding shortages for social security and Medicare. Manchin also cited concerns about the potential impact to inflation and the shaky U.S. economic recovery.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
11 Activists Arrested During Protest at Livingston Foster Farms Identified
MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — A group of activists was arrested after authorities say they blocked the main entrance to the Foster Farms plant in Livingston during a protest on Tuesday.
The Merced County Sheriff’s Office says hundreds of activists from an animal rights group called Direct Action Everywhere descended upon Foster Farms for peaceful protest.
At some point during the protest, deputies say a group of 11 people used a U-Haul to block the main entrance of the facility before chaining themselves to the truck.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey Blasts Facebook for Censoring Her Page
Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama blasted Facebook this week for briefly blocking her campaign’s Facebook page, accusing the technology giant of political suppression.
According to the governor, Facebook suspended her page for violating its “Community Standards.”
Ivey emphasized her strong support for Alabamians receiving the vaccine in an interview with Fox News Digital but maintained to oppose any federal attempts to enforce immunizations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Arizona County Faces Surge in Fentanyl Overdoses, Seizures of Illegal Pills Coming Across Border
One Arizona community is facing a dramatic increase of fentanyl overdoses as local officials struggle to keep up with the stream of illegal pills flooding into the state.
In Pinal County, Arizona, Sheriff Mark Lamb told Fox News that the number of overdoses have overtaken COVID-19 deaths in the last year, with deputies responding to a fentanyl related call every 40 hours.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden’s Vax Mandate to be Enforced by Fining Companies $70,000 to $700,000?
By Adam Andrzejewski, CEO/Founder of OpenTheBooks.com; originally published in Forbes
President Joe Biden didn’t just announce a Covid-19 vaccine mandate on companies employing 100 or more people, he plans to enforce it.
On Saturday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House quietly tucked an enforcement mechanism into their $3.5 trillion “reconciliation” bill, passed it out of the Budget Committee, and sent it to the House floor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boy Scouts’ Bankruptcy Leaves Churches Liable for Abuse Suits
Amid the Boy Scouts of America’s complex bankruptcy case, there is worsening friction between the BSA and the major religious groups that help it run thousands of scout units. At issue: the churches’ fears that an eventual settlement—while protecting the BSA from future sex-abuse lawsuits—could leave many churches unprotected.
The Boy Scouts sought bankruptcy protection in February 2020 in an effort to halt individual lawsuits and create a huge compensation fund for thousands of men who say they were molested as youngsters by scoutmasters or other leaders. At the time, the national organization estimated it might face 5,000 cases; it now faces 82,500.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Britney Spears was overwhelmed with emotion after learning her father, Jamie Spears, was suspended from her conservatorship after 13 years.
“Britney burst into tears upon hearing the judge’s decision,” a source exclusively told Page Six of the superstar’s reaction. “For the longest time, she had begun to think that she would never see the day that her father’s domineering control over every single aspect of her life would end, but it finally happened.”
The insider added, “She’s in shock and at a loss for words but literally jumping for joy. She hasn’t felt joy like this in 13 years.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Clearview AI Drops Request for Subpoenas of Its Critics
US company Clearview AI, that specializes in facial recognition — and, allegedly, in eagerly cooperating with law enforcement — has had to walk back from trying to aggressively stomp out attempts to publicly expose this behavior.
The tactic was to serve subpoenas to a number of groups like Open the Government and Lucy Parsons Labs, demanding information about their communication with journalists concerning Clearview, its top people, as well as information they received through public records requests.
The end goal, say those who would have been targeted by these subpoenas, was to intimidate and silence them. In addition, journalists and their right to investigate and protect their sources would have been hampered.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Democrat Senator on Biden Afghanistan Debacle: “No One is in Charge”
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal blasted the Biden administration Tuesday over the botched US withdrawal from Afghanistan, urging that the chain of command has broken down.
During a Senate hearing Tuesday in which military generals claimed they advised against the timeline to pull out troops from the country, in contradiction to Joe Biden’s own statements, Blumenthal issued a scathing assessment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DeSantis — U.S. Should Rethink Alliance With Australia: ‘Not a Free Country’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) questioned America’s political relationship with Australia, calling out its totalitarian clampdown on citizens over Covid-19 restrictions.
Speaking at the International Boatbuilders Exhibition (IBEX) in Tampa on Tuesday, DeSantis, 43, said America should re-examine its alliance with the island continent in light of its suspension of freedom.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Indiana Woman Shoots and Kills Suspected Burglar in Home
A woman in Indiana fatally shot a suspected burglar who kicked in her back door in the middle of the night, according to police.
The reported attempted home invasion unfolded in Anderson just before 1 a.m., when the female resident saw a male suspect kick in her back door and enter the home, according to the Anderson Police Department.
She rushed to her bedroom, retrieved a firearm and shot the suspect, according to the police report obtained by Fox News. She then fled to a neighbor’s house before police arrived on the scene.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Judge Dismisses Police Suit Challenging Denver Coronavirus Vaccine Mandate
A judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit brought by police officers challenging Denver’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, concluding that the officers failed to follow protocol for opposing such a policy.
A group of seven Denver police officers sued the city last week, contending that it did not have the power to enforce the vaccine mandate under its local disaster emergency, which Mayor Michael Hancock declared at the onset of the pandemic, according to The Associated Press.
Judge Shelley Gillman tossed the lawsuit, contending that the court does not have the authority to rule on the case because the plaintiffs did not go through all of their legal options within the city first, ABC 7 Denver reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lawmakers Drowned Out by Protesters as They Announce Critical Race Theory Bill
Lawmakers were drowned out by protesters outside the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday as they announced a bill that would ban critical race theory in federally funded schools.
Virginia Republican Rep. Bob Good introduced the Defending Students’ Civil Rights Act of 2021, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “to make using critical race theory or critical race pedagogy in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance a violation of such Act, and for other purposes.” The text of the bill was not immediately available.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Convicted of Stabbing Ex-Girlfriend to Death Outside SEPTA Station
Jurors in Montgomery County deliberated for about 2 1/2 hours Wednesday before convicting 19-year-old Gilbert Newton III of the first-degree charge in the slaying of 18-year-old Morgan McCaffery.
A man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of an ex-girlfriend in the parking lot of a suburban Philadelphia train station last year.
Jurors in Montgomery County deliberated for about 2 1/2 hours Wednesday before convicting 19-year-old Gilbert Newton III of the first-degree charge in the slaying of 18-year-old Morgan McCaffery. He faces a mandatory term of life in prison without possibility of parole.
Abington Township police reported finding McCaffery’s body near her running car in the Meadowbrook Train Station parking lot in July 2020. An autopsy indicated that she had been stabbed and slashed at least 30 times. Less than two hours later, Philadelphia police were called to a home by a woman who said her son was covered with blood and reported having hurt the young woman.
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Michigan House Education Panel Passes Bill Essentially Banning ‘Critical Race Theory’
Republicans on the House Education Committee advanced on Tuesday a bill that would prohibit schools from including “any form of race or gender stereotyping” in their curriculums.
House Bill 5097, introduced by state Rep. Andrew Beeler (R-Ft. Gratiot), follows a nationwide right-wing trend to ban “critical race theory” but does not mention CRT explicitly.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Michigan Couple Dies of COVID Within Minutes of Each Other Despite Being Fully Vaccinated
“They did everything right, they did everything to protocol the way it should be done.”
Those are the words of the daughter of a Michigan couple who died holding hands, minutes apart, after the two were both infected with COVID despite being fully vaccinated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NBA Players Who Do Not Comply With Area Vaccine Requirements Must Forfeit Paychecks at Local Games
On Wednesday, the NBA announced that players who do not comply with local vaccine requirements would be forced to forfeit their paychecks for local games missed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protest to be Held for Health Care Workers and United Regional Vaccine Mandate
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A peaceful silent protest is being held outside of the United Regional in support of health care workers who oppose the vaccine mandate set by United Regional.
On Thursday, September 30, at noon a Facebook event is asking that people gather outside of the United Regional under the sky bridge in support of health care workers who are against the vaccine mandate that is to take effect on November 1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Moment an Antifa Member is Charged With Assault With a Deadly Weapon
The moment an Antifa member was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after shooting at an anti-mandatory vaccine demonstrator.
Enjoy prison!
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
United Airlines Fires 593 People for Not Complying With COVID Vaccine Mandate
CHICAGO (WLS) — United Airlines said it has fired almost 600 employees for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID, despite the mandate the company put in place.
United announced its vaccine mandate for all U.S.-based employees at the beginning of August. It was the first major company to announce such a mandate, though many have since followed suit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Virginia Schools Sign Up to Mark Zuckerberg-Backed Program That Collects Personal Data
Some schools in the US state of Virginia have signed a 5-year-deal with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg-backed consulting firm, paying over $1.8 million from the COVID emergency funds for a program known as the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Universal Screener.
The deal, inked by Fairfax County Public Schools means that confidential personal data belonging to 190,000 students will be collected by Panorama Education, a consultancy with strong links with one of the most notoriously bad “custodians” of private data, Facebook — and this has some parents up in arms, local media reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Matt Walsh Calls Loudoun County School Board ‘Child Abusers’ And ‘Predators’ In Fiery Speech
Daily Wire host Matt Walsh addressed the Loudoun County School board for the second time on Tuesday in a fiery speech after the school board implemented extreme obstacles attempting to prevent individuals from addressing the board.
The Loudoun County School Board announced new requirements in order for individuals to attend the school board meeting. The requirements include that: individuals must reside in Loudoun County and show a form of ID which can be a driver’s license with a Loudoun County residency, a rental lease agreement or mortgage for a Loudoun County resident, a student ID, report car, amongst other ID forms.
The requirements were in response to the Daily Wire host’s announcement that he was organizing a protest titled “Stand Up For Your Kids” at the next school board meeting.
In light of the new requirements, Walsh became a resident of Loudoun County and brought a lease agreement to the meeting.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alberta Vaccine Passport: User Info, Including Driving Licenses, Exposed on the Web
Another app introduced in a country during the COVID pandemic has turned out to be unfit to perform the task of safely managing people’s most sensitive personal data.
The makers of Portpass, an app used in Canada as proof of vaccination, are accused by the media of implementing sloppy security on their website that may have led to personal data belonging to hundreds of thousands of people getting exposed on the web. Reports say that this data was stored in plain text on the site, and unencrypted.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadian Military Used Pandemic to Test Propaganda on Own Citizens
Canada’s military used the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to test propaganda techniques on citizens, despite never being ordered to by the country’s federal government, a report claims.
A report on the propaganda operation claimed that Canadian military leaders did not believe they needed the approval of the federal government to conduct the propaganda operations that were developed in April 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Legal Challenge Announced Against BC Vaccine Passport
The Canadian Constitution Foundation announced on Wednesday that it is filing a legal challenge against the British Columbia government for implementing a vaccine passport. The legal group claims the vaccine passport is discriminatory against those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters Gather Outside Windsor Regional Hospital Following Staff Suspensions Last Week
Dozens of people gathered to protest outside of Windsor Regional Hospital’s Met campus Wednesday, a week after the health-care facility suspended workers who did not meet their vaccine policy deadline.
Among them, were vaccinated and unvaccinated health-care workers, according to a letter given to CBC News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RCMP Union Supports Unvaccinated Officers, Will ‘Defy’ Federal Vaccine Mandate for Public Service
In an email to its members, the RCMP’s union declared their support for RCMP officers who refuse the COVID vaccination. When the mandatory vaccination policy for the federal public service is in place, the union will maintain their support for unvaccinated members would not waver.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Danish Artist Makes Off With Pile of Cash Intended to be Art
A Danish artist who was was given a pile of money by a museum with which to create a piece of artwork, submitted two empty canvases — titled “Take the Money and Run.”
Jens Haaning was given the equivalent of nearly $84,000 in Danish kroner and euro bank notes by the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art in Aalborg.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dexit Next! ‘Weakened’ Germany and Emmanuel Macron ‘Could Push Denmark Out EU Door’
DENMARK could leave the EU because of the European federalisation plans of Emmanuel Macron and a “weakened” Germany, a political leader has claimed.
The UK’s Time Party, which seeks greater devolution within the nation, has hit out at current designs by the French president and how they could lead to a break-up of the EU. Chairman Robert Kimbell wrote on Twitter: “Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy. All are candidates for EU exit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Saman’s Uncle Denies Killing Her
Danish Hasnain ‘strangled Pakistani niece in honour killing’
(ANSA) — PARIS, SEP 29 — The uncle of an 18-year-old Pakistani-Italian woman missing since April and believed to have been murdered by her family after refusing an arranged marriage on Wednesday denied killing her in a so-called honour killing.
Danish Hasnain, who was arrested in Paris last week on suspicion of murdering his niece Saman Abbas at the family home at Novellara near Reggio Emilia on April 30, told a Paris court “it’s all false, did someone see me, perhaps, did I leave the house?” Hasnain, 33, arrested a week ago, said he would not be extradited to Italy to face charges for the suspected murder.
He is is one of five members of the woman’s family who are under investigation over the alleged honour killing.
Justice Minister Marta Cartabia signed extradition requests from Pakistan for her parents last Thursday, where they are believed to be hiding out.
Hasnain was detained on the outskirts of Paris under a European arrest warrant.
He was tracked down with the help of Carabinieri police investigators based in Reggio Emilia.
Saman Abbas disappeared at the end of April from where her family lived in Novellara after rebelling against demands she have an arranged marriage in Pakistan.
The woman’s parents and one of her cousins fled from Italy after she went missing and are fugitives from justice.
The parents, Shabbar Abbas and Nazia Shaheen, went to Pakistan on May 1.
Another cousin, Ikram Ijaz, was arrested in relation to the case in France in May and is in jail in Italy.
Investigators think Hasnain is the man who actually killed Saman.
The woman’s younger brother told prosecutors that he thought Hasnain strangled Saman to death.
Reggio Emilia Chief Prosecutor Isabella Chiesi said Wednesday’s arrest was “fundamental because it will enable us to have a (new) version of events, if he wants to give it”.
She said it would be then be possible to compare this with what Ijaz had told them.
She also said she considered Hasnain to be “the mastermind of this insane criminal project”.
Chiesi added that she expects Hasnain to be in Italy within 10 days.
Saman’s mother reportedly lured her home from the shelter she had taken refuge in with a deceptive text message that said the family would respect her wishes.
According to the Gazzetta di Reggio, Saman’s mother sent her a text saying “please get in touch, come home. We are dying. Come back, we’ll do as you say”.
Saman went home on April 22, a week before she disappeared.
Her body has yet to be found.
The Italian Union of Islamic Communities (UCOII) has expressed horror at the case and banned Muslims in Italy from forcing their children into having arranged marriages.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
French Church Sees Two Suspicious Fires in Just Four Days
A church in the French commune of Saint-Loup-Hors saw two suspicious fires in just four days, with investigators determining if one or both was intentional.
The first was a minor fire on Sunday, September 19th, where a burning banner was put out with an extinguisher located in the twelfth-century church near Bayeux.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Weakened COVID Tracking App Protections for Political Purposes, Report Suggests
The Civil Liberties Union For Europe has published a study revealing that German authorities first endorsed one of the least controversial, privacy and security-wise, COVID contact tracing apps — only to then move away from it and push a worse alternative, all for political gain.
With the study, the digital and human rights group based in Berlin explored how contact tracing apps have been used in the EU, and in Germany, it started with Corona-Warn-App (CWA), that stood out among a host of controversial ones for its good privacy and transparency practices, including decentralized storing of personal data to improve security.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Insulate Britain: Protesters Block M25 Junction Twice in a Day
Insulate Britain protesters blocked the same junction of the M25 for a second time on Wednesday.
Eleven activists were arrested after police were called to junction three — the Swanley Interchange — at 07:30 BST.
The roundabout was reopened but protesters returned at about 13:00 BST, with one gluing himself to a police car while others superglued themselves to the road.
Police said they arrived within three minutes and arrested 16 more people.
All 27 were held on suspicion of obstructing the highway and conspiracy to commit criminal damage and are in custody, a police spokeswoman said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Not Reversing Brain Drain
Knowledge economy motor of EU mobility says ESPON report
(ANSA) — BRUSSELS, SEP 24 — (by Alessandra Briganti) Young, qualified and ever increasingly attracted by the opportunities offered by the knowledge economy: this is the profile of the movers, European citizens of a working age (20-64) who live in an EU country different from their country of origin.
And among the countries that register more departures than arrivals, Italy is signally failing to reverse the brain drain.
This is shown by an analysis of an ESPON study programme, specialised in EU regional studies, devoted to intra-European migratory flows and their connection to the knowledge economy that links learning, innovation and competitiveness, as for instance happens with start-ups and the technology sector.
Over the years mobility in the EU has changed its nature.
The percentage of those who decide to move to another State of the Union has increased, but by a lower rate than in the past.
Growing, according to an EU poll on the labour force (EU-LFT), cited in the study, is the proportion of those possessing a university qualification, and those who choose to live in an EU State different from that of origin.
This proportion was 34% in 2019, up 9% on 2009.
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain are the major destination countries for qualified workers. Before its divorce from the EU, the UK was attracting the most. On the flip side, among the main countries that boast the sad record of the biggest brain drain are Italy, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Portugal.
According to the researchers, there is a correlation between the knowledge economy, more dynamic and competitive above all in western and northern Europe, and intra-European mobility.
Young qualified workers, according to the researchers, have higher mobility rates than other segments of the population and tend to settle in regions where the knowledge economy is more greatly developed.
In the destination regions and countries, the immigration of highly qualified workers is often considered an important engine of development; while on the contrary for the countries of provenance the brain drain has negative implications in local areas, whether economic, social or demographic.
From this standpoint, the concentration of the knowledge economy in certain areas helps increase territorial imbalances among member States, imbalances that can fuel political instability and undermine European cohesion.
It will thus be up to the EU’s cohesion policy to reduce the structural disparities that make some regions less attractive in the eyes of investors and workers, not only by promoting investment in R&D and digitization, but also by valorising local knowledge and resources, providing services and infrastructure of general interest and favouring horizontal and vertical cooperation among stakeholders, in particular universities and SMEs.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Italy: How Silvana De Mari Was Suspended From the Order of Doctors (Not Very Well)
Doctor Silvana De Mari was suspended from the Turin Medical Association because she did not want to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus. In a video posted on her Facebook page and in a post on her blog De Mari responded to the sanction in her own way, using the metaphor of chess and claiming to have been suspended “by the Order of Chess but they did me no harm because I’m so retired. But there are many painful chess players who are facing dramatic problems in order not to suffer something in their body that they do not want. They were the best chess players and I’m proud to be part of that number “. For De Mari, the suspension “was an act of heroism. We will appeal and win because sooner or later courage wins “. In addition, he announces “a social network where we can talk for the cost of a cup of coffee, and sooner or later the Black Queen will checkmate.”
| — Hat tip: JW | [Return to headlines] |
Most Britons Blame Media for Alleged Fuel Crisis
Nearly half of Britons blame the media for the shortage of fuel at the petrol pumps while one-in-five blames the government, according to a poll.
A YouGov poll from Tuesday of 3,361 adults in Great Britain found that 47 per cent blamed the media for petrol stations running out of fuel, a criticism made by Reclaim Party Deputy Leader Martin Daubney who said on Sunday that “the petrol panic was fuelled by media hysteria”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Now Donald Tusk Warns Poland Could Leave EU and Hungary Admits: ‘Time to Talk About Huxit’
DONALD TUSK has now revealed his concern Poland could join the UK in leaving the EU.
The former President of the European Council and leader of the country’s opposition party admitted anti-EU rhetoric may soon get out of hand in the country. He said the continued rhetoric against the EU from the ruling Law and Justice party may soon begin a process that cannot be reversed. Mr Tusk said: “Disasters such as Brexit or Poland’s possible exit from the EU very often do not happen because someone planned them, but because someone did not know how a clever alternative could be planned.”
Indeed, Marek Suski, an influential member of the ruling party PiS will fight “Brussels’ occupying power”.
Like Poland, Hungary has also threatened to leave the bloc and has likened the EU to Nazi Germany and the USSR.
Due to Hungary’s clashes with the EU, the country’s national newspaper, Magyar Nemzet, previously claimed it’s “time to talk about Huxit”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish GDP Growth Forecast Increased for 2021
Credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings has revised its forecast for GDP growth in Poland for both 2021 and 2022 in its September report.
The agency changed its forecast compared to June 2021 and increased GDP growth in 2021 from 4.5 to 5.1 percent but also lowered the forecast for 2022 from 5.4 to 5.3 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish President Duda on Tucker Carlson: Family is the Foundation of Every Nation
In an interview for Fox News with Tucker Carlson, President Andrzej Duda spoke about the current migration crisis and Polish pro-family policies.
Duda noted that in 2015, Poland rejected the migrant quota system proposed by EU countries such as Germany, which would involve every member state being forced to accept a certain number of migrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovenia Police Use Water Cannons at Anti-COVID Pass Protest
LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Police fired tear gas and water cannons in Slovenia’s capital on Wednesday at thousands of protesters who oppose tough anti-coronavirus measures in the small European Union nation.
The protesters responded by throwing bottles and other objects at the riot police.
About 10,000 protesters, chanting “Freedom! Freedom!” tried to block a major highway north of Ljubljana when the police intervened, the second such incident in Slovenia within a month.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swiss Islamist Radical Facing Trial for Running Islamic State News Agency
A Swiss man from the city of St. Gallen is facing trial after allegedly distributing propaganda for the Islamic State terrorist group between February 2018 and October 2019.
The 27-year-old man, identified only by his initials A.Z., is set to face trial in the Federal Criminal Court of Bellinzona beginning on October 7th after being indicted by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) for spreading terrorist propaganda.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
These Three Countries Just Ended Their COVID Lockdowns
Three European nations ended their Covid restrictions in the month of September, providing hope to other countries looking to get back to normal.
Denmark, Norway and Sweden each lifted all Covid-related regulations recently.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris Johnson’s Govt Revamps Vaccine Passport Push Under Winter ‘Plan B’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has once again raised the spectre of imposing a coronavirus vaccine passport scheme, under a so-called “Plan B” for the winter months if the UK’s socialised healthcare system is overrun with cases of the Chinese virus.
In a “Proposal for mandatory COVID certification in a Plan B scenario” published on Monday, the government set out the arguments for implementing a health pass system in England, as has already been enacted by the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Cop Who Raped and Strangled Woman Used COVID Lockdown Rules to Abduct Her
The off-duty police officer who raped and strangled Sarah Everard used the excuse of COVID lockdown rules to handcuff, ‘arrest’ and abduct her, a court has heard.
33-year-old Everard was murdered after she went missing following a visit to her friend’s house for dinner in South London on March 3rd.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Report: Only Seven Premier League Clubs Have More Than 50% Vaccinated Players
Despite a massive PR push to encourage vaccination, only seven of the twenty Premier League football clubs have more than 50% of the players in their squads fully jabbed.
The figure was revealed in a Sportsmail report about a Premier League plan to “reward” teams who have a high vaccination rate, with football authorities seemingly concerned about low uptake.
“According to the data we have, only seven clubs’ squads are more than 50% fully vaccinated, so we have a way to go,” said a briefing note sent by the Premier League.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The leftist mayor of London Sadiq Khan has admitted that he is protected by an around-the-clock security detail while he fails to protect the people from crime in the city which he is charged with governing.
Claiming that he needs protection because of the “colour of his skin and the god he worships”, Mr Khan told Labour Party members at a conference meeting in Brighton on Tuesday that he is currently protected by a team of 15 police officers “around the clock”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Unvaccinated Students Told to Wear Different Coloured Wristbands So They Can be Identified
First year students at the University of Bath have been given armbands by authorities to signal whether they’ve been double-vaccinated, with unvaxxed students having to wear a different colour.
“Freshers have been given wristbands to signal whether they are vaccinated against coronavirus amid anger at emerging “two-tier” university campuses,” reports the Telegraph.
“Students arriving this week at the University of Bath have been given a different coloured wristband on club nights if they can prove in advance they are double jabbed, or have Covid-19 immunity.”
Those who cannot prove they’ve been vaccinated are forced to enter a different queue in a clear example of segregation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican to Punish Employees Who Refuse to Comply With COVID-19 Certification
The Vatican is set to punish employees who refuse to comply with COVID-19 certification by not paying them.
Yes, really.
Vatican staffers who are unable to prove they’d been jabbed or who refuse to pay for expensive negative COVID tests will be considered “unjustly absent” and paid no salary.
The new rules will go into force from October 1st onwards.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Yemen: At Least 100 Dead in Clashes Houthis-Govt Forces
In 48hrs around key city of Marib, loyalist stronghold in the north
DUBAI — At least 100 people have died in fighting in Yemen, around Marib, between pro-Saudi government forces and Houthi insurgents close to Iran over the past 48 hours. It is the latest death toll in the conflict, according to military and medical sources. In particular, 68 insurgents and 32 loyalists have been killed.
Marib, 180 km from the capital Sanaa, is the government stronghold in the north of the country.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Russia Threatens Total Ban on YouTube After Major Channels Deleted
After YouTube deleted two huge German-language news channels operated by broadcaster RT, Russia threatened to impose a total ban on the platform.
The controversy began yesterday when the Google-owned video website removed the RT DE channel and a second channel called DFP, which had amassed a combined total of hundreds of millions of views.
Indeed, RT DE was among the top five German-language channels in YouTube’s News and Politics category, boating 600,000 subscribers.
The channels were deleted after the main platform received strikes for COVID-19 “medical misinformation” appearing in four videos, with one of the videos featuring an interview with German epidemiologist Friedrich Puerner.
Despite the fact that the strikes were due to expire on Tuesday, instead of live-streaming rights being restored to the channel, it was deleted entirely.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
HK Broadcaster RTHK Gives Journalists New Orders to Uphold “Constitutional Order”
Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK has given its journalists a new set of guidelines and policies, requiring them to uphold “constitutional order” and safeguard national security. The new rules are the latest blow to free speech and freedom of the press on the island.
The broadcaster gave its employees a 105-page document called the Editorial Policies and Processes of RTHK on Wednesday. Failing to comply with the new rules will result in disciplinary action, said the management without going into details.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Japan to Lift All COVID-19 Emergency Steps Nationwide
Japan’s government announced Tuesday that the coronavirus state of emergency will end this week to help rejuvenate the economy as infections slow.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said the emergency will end Thursday and virus restrictions will be eased gradually “in order to resume daily lives despite the presence of the virus.” He said the government will create more temporary COVID-19 treatment facilities and continue vaccinations to prepare for any future resurgence.
“Our fight against the coronavirus is now entering a new phase,” Suga said. “Finally, we can see social and economic activities starting to normalize.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
LinkedIn Blocks Chinese Users From Viewing Profiles of American Journalists Reporting on the CCP
American journalists are receiving “blocked in China” emails from LinkedIn.
National and foreign affairs reporter Melissa Chan received a LinkedIn alert concerning “prohibited content” that will not be viewable to users of the social media platform in China. Chan speculated that the alleged violation “could be many offenses” from her piece about Uyghurs in exile to her essay on democracy.
Chan called the LinkedIn flagging, which she announced across her accounts on Thursday, a personal example of “how China’s authoritarianism flexes beyond its borders so that I, an American using a US corporate product, is impacted.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Nazi-Style’: Defector Claims China Conducted Bioweapons Experiments on ‘Human Guinea Pigs’
A DEFECTOR has alleged China conducted ‘Nazi-style’ bioweapon experiments on ‘human Guinea pigs’.
Human rights activist and high profile defector Wei Jingsheng made the claims while being interviewed for Sharri Markson’s bombshell book ‘What really happened in Wuhan’. While Ms Markson, 37, has focused her investigation on the outbreak of COVID-19, the Australian journalist also sought to try to connect Beijing’s medical science history with the Chinese military.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
AUKUS Security Alliance Exposes EU’s Fecklessness
by Soeren Kern
Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have announced a new tripartite strategic alliance aimed at countering China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. The AUKUS defense agreement, under which Australia will acquire American-designed nuclear-powered submarines, is a welcome paradigm shift intended to enhance the projection of Western military power in the region.
AUKUS will supplement the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (also known as “The Quad”), a military partnership between Australia, India, Japan and the United States aimed at protecting freedom of navigation in the broader Asia-Pacific region. It will also strengthen Five Eyes, an intelligence-sharing alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
AUKUS, which has been described as the foundation of an Indo-Pacific version of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), appears to be the centerpiece of an emerging security architecture to check China’s territorial ambitions.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, in a statement, explained the purpose of AUKUS:
| — Hat tip: Mark H | [Return to headlines] |
Australia’s Corporations Rebel Against Government’s Draconian COVID Lockdowns
Australia’s corporate sector has finally had enough of the ongoing lockdowns that have left the country’s economy hobbled and its people cut off from the rest of the world for months.
Increasingly frustrated by a slow vaccine rollout and the ongoing lockdowns, the leaders of many of Australia’s biggest companies, including BHP, Macquarie and Qantas have signed a letter demanding that the government acknowledge it’s time to “learn to live with the virus,” as many other countries have done, since “COVIDZero” has finally been exposed as an impossible dream.
In the letter — which was reported on by the FT — the signatories allege that Australia is making “big mistakes” in failing to reopen to the world. By making the lockdowns so severe (and so unceasingly long), the Australian government is putting politics before the well-being of the Australian people ahead of the federal elections that must be held by the end of May — when the Senate’s present term is slated to expire.
The companies that signed the letter “…employ almost one million Australians” and warned that lockdowns were having “long-lasting” effects on the economy. However, this shouldn’t be news to Australia’s political elite: Economists at Australia’s central bank, the RBA, already lowered their growth projections after a stronger-than-expected Q2 GDP print.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CNN has shut down operation of its Facebook pages for Australian readers and the company has stopped posting content on the company’s pages, in reaction to a controversial court judgement that held media organizations accountable for defamatory remarks posted by other Facebook users on their posts.
After Australia’s top court ruled earlier this month that publishers were legally responsible for comments made below stories, CNN is becoming the first major news organization to stop posting on Facebook.
If more local and foreign news organizations follow suit, the decision could have significant repercussions for Australians’ access to news information on their social media feeds.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New South Wales Threatens Jail Time for Those Without a Vaccine Passport Trying to Enter Businesses
Australia’s often draconian measures in response to the epidemic continue to intensify, with reports now saying that one of its states, New South Wales (NSW) is threatening to jail unvaccinated people who try to enter business premises without a COVID vaccination pass.
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Former prime minister Tony Abbott has defended protesters who took over Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance to rally against compulsory workplace vaccinations.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
More Than 75 Percent of Venezuelans Now Living in Extreme Poverty
Over 75 percent of Venezuelans are now living in extreme poverty, according to a new study published on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
The 2020-2021 National Survey of Living Conditions found that the percentage of Venezuelans living in extreme poverty rose by nearly 10 percentage points from last year, the wire service noted, from 67.7 percent last year to 76.6 percent this year.
Roughly 95 percent live in poverty when only looking at income levels, according to the study, run by researchers from Andres Bello Catholic University, which surveyed 14,000 households in 21 of the country’s 23 states between February and April.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU: More Arrivals in 2021 — Italy on Frontline
Journey to peninsula also from Turkey, Johansson soon in Ankara
BRUSSELS — Over 140,000 migrants have arrived in the European Union in 2021, according to an estimate of the European Commission. The first countries of entry are Italy, Spain and Cyprus. “In 2019, 140,000 migrants arrived illegally in the EU. In 2020, the number decreased to 120,000. In 2021 an increase is expected from 2019, but not a peak. In 90% of cases arrivals are by sea”, explained EU commissioner, Ylva Johansson, in an interview with some international media outlets, including ANSA. Arrivals in Italy were mainly from Tunisia and Libya but also from Turkey. For this reason, Johansson will visit Ankara soon.
“After going twice with (Italian Interior) Minister Luciana Lamorgese to Tunisia, we have seen that the government does much more to prevent the departure of migrants and repatriations are being strengthened from Italy. This is part of the mode of action against migrant trafficking and how will function partnerships”, which are presented today, explained Commissioner Johansson. “Therefore, we are already working in a very active way with Tunisia, which for Italy represents both one of the main nationalities of arrivals as well as one of the main countries of departure”. “I have been in Libya to establish the partnership also there — added Johansson — and in a few weeks I will go to Turkey, where I will continue discussions on how to avoid departures and how to fight traffickers”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Warn DHS is Planning to Fire Unvaxxed Border Patrol Agents
Republicans have warned that according to an insider at the Department of Homeland Security, the agency’s head Alejandro Mayorkas plans to FIRE border agents who are unvaccinated.
The whistleblower claims that the DHS will off a significant potion of the border workforce if they do not comply with the vaccine mandate and get the shots before November.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Swedish Boy Beaten, Moped Stolen by Migrant Gang
A teenage boy was viciously attacked by a gang of migrants who stole his moped and valuables and destroyed his insulin pump in Sweden last week, according to reports.
The incident unfolded last Wednesday in Sätra, a ‘troubled’ district in the city of Gävle known for a large foreign population.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris Johnson’s Govt Cut Immigration Enforcement Spending by £40m as Migrant Crisis Escalated
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government cut spending on migration enforcement by over £40 million as illegal entries into Britain soared, a report from the Migration Watch UK think tank has found.
According to analysis of Home Office spending figures found that despite promises to take a harder line on illegal immigration, the number of Immigration Enforcement officials employed by the government fell by 5,121 in 2018/19 to 4,855 in 2020/21.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Bans Vaccine Skepticism, Boots RFK Jr, Mercola, And Others
YouTube has expanded its far-reaching “medical misinformation” rules beyond COVID-19 vaccines and will now censor any content that “falsely alleges that approved vaccines are dangerous and cause chronic health effects, claims that vaccines do not reduce transmission or contraction of disease, or contains misinformation on the substances contained in vaccines will be removed.”
In addition to restricting what users are allowed to say about any vaccine that has been approved by health authorities, YouTube has used this newly introduced policy to instantly ban several popular channels on the platform including those of Children’s Health Defense founder Robert F. Kennedy Jr, osteopathic physician Dr. Joseph Mercola, Health Nut News founder Erin Elizabeth, and Dr. Sherri Tenpenny.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube: Stopping the Spread of “Misinformation, “ “Violative Content” Is Our “Number One Priority”
YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan has declared that cracking down on “misinformation” and other types of “violative content” is his “number one priority.”
“Ensuring that our platform is not a place for misinformation to spread, other types of, you know, what we deem to be violative content is my number one priority, the top priority of, you know, all of us at YouTube,” Mohan told PBS.
Mohan continued by describing how YouTube has used its four R’s policy framework (Remove, Raise, Reduce, and Reward) to crack down on what it deems to be misinformation and violative content.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Developer Christian Selig has come up with what looks to be a very popular new iOS extension that aims to rid the Safari browser users of Google’s AMP links and pages.
The app, Amplosion, that is open source with code available on GitHub, works by redirecting AMP pages and links back to their rightful place — the domain of origin, which Google had previously rerouted to its own servers and cached through the AMP system.
There is obviously a market for this type of extension, since Selig on Monday announced on Twitter that Amplosion, which costs $2.99, had made it to the top of the Utilities list on the App Store.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How! This “image of a migrant”, it turns out, is committing crimes in Russia. If I wrote what happens here every day, I think it would be on par with the incidents in Austria, Sweden and Germany at the same time. But France is already superfluous, this is overkill. But as they say, “it’s not over yet.”
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The Interior Ministry said that they are trying to criminalize the image of a migrant in Russia. Foreign media agents are called guilty of this.
In Russia, they are trying to generate hostility towards migrants by creating a negative image of them; foreign media agents play their role in this. This was announced on September 29 at a press conference by the head of the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Valentina Kazakova.
“Here the role of the media, which is funded from abroad, which is recognized as foreign agents, plays a role. We analyzed crime among migrants of these years, compared it with the pre-pandemic situation. I believe that these are fictitious stories in order, on the one hand, to criminalize the image of a foreigner, which it does not correspond to, and on the other hand, to generate in the souls of the indigenous population a dislike for migrants ”
https://www.fontanka.ru/2021/09/29/70164506/