The Czech government pledged €530,000 to Lithuania to help it defend its border with Belarus against the surge of Iraqi migrants. Meanwhile, Denmark has sent 15 kilometers of barbed wire to Lithuania to be used for its border fence.
In other news, the Taliban announced the formation of the new Afghan government, which includes several ministers who were released from Gitmo by the Obama administration in return for Bowe Bergdahl.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, MC, Reader from Chicago, Upananda Brahmachari, 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.
El Salvador Becomes First Country to Officially Accept Bitcoin as Legal Tender
El Salvador, whose economy last year suffered its deepest crash in four decades, became the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender on Tuesday, a real-world experiment proponents say will lower commission costs for billions of dollars sent from abroad and which could spark widespread adoption among challenged, developing countries suffering from rampant inflation, but which critics warned may fuel money laundering.The revolutionary monetary change — first previewed here in June — means businesses should accept payment in bitcoin alongside the US dollar, which has been El Salvador’s official currency since 2001 and will remain legal tender.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greek Economy Grew 16.2 Percent in Quarter 2
The Greek economy grew by 16.2 pct in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year, with the country’s GDP rising 3.4 pct compared with the first quarter of the year, led by consumption, private investments and exports, Hellenic Statistical Authority said on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“Surprise Surprise — Fauci Lied Again”: Rand Paul Reacts to Wuhan Bombshell
Senator Rand Paul weighed in Tuesday following a Monday bombshell from The Intercept which revealed that Dr. Anthony Fauci’s NIAID and its parent, the NIH, funded Gain-of-Function research in Wuhan, China. Recall that Fauci called Paul a ‘liar’ for accusing him of funding the risky research, in which viruses are genetically modified or otherwise altered to make them more transmissible to humans.
“Surprise surprise — Fauci lied again,” Paul tweeted on Tuesday, including a link to Richard H. Ebright’s thread (below).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Biden Heckled in New Jersey for Abandoning Americans in Afghanistan
Following the complete withdrawal of US troops, President Joe Biden was heckled Tuesday for leaving Americans behind in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan while he was surveying the damage from Hurricane Ida in New Jersey.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Britney Spears’s Father Asks Court to End Singer’s Conservatorship
Britney Spears’s father filed on Tuesday to end the court conservatorship that has controlled the singer’s life and money for 13 years.
James Spears filed his petition to end the conservatorship in Los Angeles Superior Court.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A California professor speaking at a rally for Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly called Republican candidate Larry Elder “a black face on white supremacy” during a campaign event on Monday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago Labor Day Weekend Shootings Wound 63, Including 8 Children: Police
Six people were killed and 63 total victims, including eight children, were shot in Chicagoover the extended Labor Day weekend, police said Tuesday.
Chicago Police Department reported 49 shootings from 6 p.m. Friday to 11:59 p.m. Monday. The six murder victims include a 4-year-old Alabama boy who died after he was shot on Friday while getting his hair done inside a west side apartment, according to authorities.
The boy’s mother, Angela Gregg, told the Chicago Tribune on Monday that she had no idea about a motive, “but we just know our baby is not supposed to lose his life at 4 years old, and somebody needs to step up and say something.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Marine Held Without Bond in Shooting of Florida Family
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former Marine sharpshooter accused of invading the home of apparent strangers in Florida and fatally shooting a woman, her 3-month-old baby and two others was ordered held without bail during his first court appearance Monday.
Authorities did not give a motive for the grisly attack, but they said Bryan Riley may have a mental illness and that he told investigators said he was high on methamphetamines at the time. His girlfriend said had been saying for weeks that he could communicate directly with God.
At this court appearance Monday, Riley, 33, said that he intended to hire a lawyer, but one will be appointed for him in the meantime.
Riley surrendered on Sunday morning after a furious gunbattle with authorities who brought in at least one armored vehicle during their standoff. After it was over, an officer rushed into the home and rescued an 11-year-old girl, who was still conscious despite being shot seven times. She was in critical condition on Monday, the sheriff’s office said.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Riley told interrogators that the victims “begged for their lives, and I killed them anyway.”
Judd said Riley told detectives, “You know why I did this.” But Brian Haas, the local prosecutor, said investigators don’t…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Fenton Area Parents Protest the Increased Mask Mandate
FENTON, Mich. (WJRT) — Nearly 50 people gathered outside of Fenton High School Tuesday morning as students reported to class wearing masks.
“Our little ones can’t speak for themselves, we don’t want these dirty disgusting masks on their faces. They shouldn’t have them. And the older kids have already been indoctrinated to be so fearful that we have to speak for them as well,” said parent Lauren Parks.
Fenton Area Public Schools parents spoke out Tuesday morning by holding a protest during drop off at Fenton High School.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Honk for Freedom’: Group in Conway Protests Mask, Vaccine Mandates
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — A Group in Conway is protesting mask and vaccine mandates Tuesday.
The group is holding American flags and signs that read “Fear is the real virus. Freedom Matters” and are trying to get people to honk as they drive by.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hours after a Minnesota judge rejected Minneapolis ballot language that would have gotten rid of the city’s police department, city council held an emergency session to reword it and try to gain approval.
Hennepin County District Judge Jamie Anderson on Tuesday struck down proposed ballot language that would have asked voters whether Minneapolis should replace its police force with a vaguely defined public safety department and eliminate the city’s minimum for its required number of officers.
The language “is unreasonable and misleading,” she wrote in the order striking it down.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minnesota Man Freed by Kamala Harris-Supported Bail Fund Now Charged With Murder
A bail fund backed by Vice President Kamala Harris helped free an alleged domestic abuser who is now accused of murder.
George Howard, 48, allegedly became involved in a road rage altercation on an Interstate 94 entrance ramp before he shot another driver, according to Minneapolis police — weeks after bailing out on domestic assault charges.
Surveillance video recorded the moments when the driver of a blue BMW confronted Howard, who was driving a white Volvo, according to St. Paul’s KSTP-TV. The victim can be seen punching Howard, then collapsing
The victim, later identified as Luis Damian Martinez Ortiz, 38, got back into his car, then drove into the median. He was pronounced dead at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest, according to city officials.
Howard had been out on $11,500 bond in connection with a domestic assault case since Aug. 6, court records show. That’s when the Minnesota Freedom Fund bailed him out.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Minot Residents Protest COVID-19 Mandates
More than 20 people carrying signs in protest of COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandates gathered outside the Quentin Burdick Job Corps Center Saturday.
Local residents joined some center employees in objecting to employer requirements for COVID-19 vaccination and testing
Job Corps is among various federally supported agencies implementing a requirement that employees must be vaccinated or submit to testing every 72 hours. The requirement took effect Sept. 1.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Northridge High School Students and Parents Protest COVID-19 Mask Requirement
An increase in the number of COVID-19 cases at Northridge High School has led to a 28-day mask requirement at the school, and a group of students and parents are not happy about having to mask up.
A few dozen students and a few adults protested the move Tuesday morning outside Northridge as students returned to school after the long Labor Day weekend.
Seventeen-year-old senior Haley Harmon was among the organizers of the protest group. She held a sign saying ‘Muck Fask’s’ while she stood on a sidewalk on the east side of the school with other students.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police, Firefighters in LA Form Group to Resist Vaccine Mandates
Police and firefighters in Los Angeles have formed a resistance group against COVID vaccine mandates for state workers in the city, stating that they aim to “maintain human rights, constitutional rights, civil rights, and civil liberties as sovereign natural free human beings, and American citizens.”
As reported in the LA Times, two separate police and firefighters groups have come together to oppose vaccine mandates.
‘Firefighters 4 Freedom’ issued a statement on its website noting “Our goal is to stop the mandated vaccinations for all City employees as well as the citizens of this great country. We want to bring education and truth to the people without being censored.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protests Held at Local Schools as Mask Mandate Goes Into Effect
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Protests over Pennsylvania’s mask mandate for schools were held Tuesday morning at several local schools, including Penn Trafford and Greater Latrobe Senior high schools.
At Greater Latrobe Senior High School, a group of about 40 students and parents gathered to make their opinions known, carrying a sign that said, “Don’t mask my freedom.” People both for and against the mandate showed up.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rutgers Uni Student Banned From Taking Online Virtual Classes Because He’s Unvaccinated
A student at Rutgers University was banned from taking online virtual classes because he’s unvaccinated, despite the fact that he was willing to stay off campus completely.
Yes, really.
After transferring to the university last year, psychology major Logan Hollar signed up for all online virtual classes for this school year.
Hollar explained why he chose not to take the coronavirus vaccine.
“I’m not in an at-risk age group. I’m healthy and I work out. I don’t find COVID to be scary,” said the 22-year-old. “If someone wants to be vaccinated, that’s fine with me, but I don’t think they should be pushed.”
However, when he went to pay for his online course late last month, Hollar discovered that he had been locked out of his Rutgers email and related accounts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral to Require Vaccine Passports for Entry
The Grace Cathedral in San Francisco will soon have proof-of-vaccination as a requirement for entry. The vaccine mandate will apply to congregants and people attending other services and events at the church.
Leaders at the church said that the vaccine passport move is in line with guidance from public health officials on gatherings and events. However, churches are not required to follow the city-wide vaccine passport mandate, as there is a religious exemption in the state.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Seattle Could Lose Over 200 Cops Due to COVID Vaccine Mandate, Report Says
Over 200 Seattle police officers could lose their jobs over the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate because they’ve either not received the jab or would refuse to hand over their private medical data, according to a report Monday.
The Jason Rantz Show on the city’s KTTH said the number represents about 20% of the department’s deployable staff. The department and Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s office did not immediately respond to after-hour emails from Fox News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Students, Parents Protest State School Mask Mandate
Students at several area school districts walked out of classes Tuesday in protest of the state’s mask mandate.
In the Derry Area School District, students reported for school, then left the high school, carrying signs voicing their displeasure at being forced to wear masks. Police and school officials moved the group to the school’s track and gave the students a microphone to use the public address system at the track. Both Derry and state police were on hand to observe.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Controversial Election Integrity Bill
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the state’s controversial election integrity bill Tuesday after a months-long battle with Democrats opposed to the legislation.
Abbott traveled to Tyler, Texas on Tuesday to sign SB 1, an election security bill that will set new rules for mail-in voting while increasing the number of partisan poll watchers and giving the state more control of local voting operations.
Abbott’s signature comes after a long battle with Democrats who opposed the legislation, which included some lawmakers fleeing the state in a desperate attempt to block the law from being passed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Twitter, Facebook, President Biden, And Surgeon General Sued for Alleged Censorship Collusion
US data analyst Justin Hart is one of the recent victims of COVID-related censorship on social networks, but he’s also one of those joining to fight back in the legal arena.
The Liberty Justice Center, a non-profit focused on constitutional rights, is suing on his behalf, with Facebook, Twitter, US President Joe Biden and the Surgeon General Vivek Murthy all named as defendants.
We obtained a copy of the complaint for you here.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Video: Biden Laughs, Delivers Sandwiches, Takes Selfies While Americans Are Held Hostage by Taliban
Joe Biden laughed and took selfies with people in Delaware on Labor Day Monday, meanwhile hundreds of Americans are being held hostage by the Taliban on planes in Afghanistan.
Biden was also seen delivering sandwiches to union members.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watchdog Group Reports Multiple Illegal Gatherings Over Holiday Weekend
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) — The Honolulu Police Department hasn’t released any information about how many citations for illegal gatherings were issued over the Labor Day weekend.
But a group that’s been tracking COVID violations said the party crowd was still in full swing.
Members of the Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers say they heard of at least 10 illegal gatherings on Oahu over the weekend.
“Some of them private parties, underground parties, raves that are still going on that in the long-run will affect our communities,” said Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, of Hawaii Quarantine Kapu Breakers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Joe Rogan Asks if He Has to ‘Sue CNN’ After They Say He Took ‘Horse Dewormer’
Comedian and Podcaster Joe Rogan returned to his show Tuesday after a short hiatus due to contracting the COVID-19. Since his last episode, Rogan was diagnosed with the virus and posted a video where he explained his intentions in taking various supplements and medications, including Ivermectin.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Anti-Vaccine Protesters Gather Outside Kingston General Hospital
A protest supposedly organized by a group of nurses refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19 went ahead outside of Kingston General Hospital Tuesday morning.
Less than 50 socially distanced people, backed by local Peoples Party of Canada candidate Shelley Sayle-Udall, gathered at the waterfront across from the hospital Tuesday to protest the province’s and Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s (KHSC) vaccine policy for health-care workers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadians Rise Up: Trudeau Pelted With Stones, Shouted Down by Angry Citizens
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was met by a rowdy crowd of protesters on Monday as he campaigned in London, Ontario.
The pissed of Canadians shouted, “F*** you Trudeau” and “No Vax Pass” at the politician.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Criminal Charges, Expulsion Possible for Students Who Took Part in Illegal Weekend Gatherings: WLU
Students who took part in illegal gatherings this weekend that led to vandalism of city and university property could face suspension or expulsion, Wilfrid Laurier University said Tuesday.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service says officers broke up a crowd of around 1,000 people on Ezra Avenue Monday night.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Drug Overdoses Leading Cause of Death for BC Adults Under 40: Report
Over a thousand BC residents died during the first half of 2021 from suspected drug overdoses. It is now the leading cause of death for adults under 40, reported Global News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Eleven People in Kingston, Ont. Facing $10,000 Fines for Large Parties
KINGSTON, ONT. — The City of Kingston says 11 people in the city are facing the possibility of $10,000 fines following several large gatherings in the city’s university district.
Under Ontario’s pandemic regulations, outdoor gatherings are limited to 100 people and indoor gatherings are limited to 25 people.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Justin Trudeau: Canadians Protesting Me Are ‘Anti-Vaxxer Mobs, ‘ ‘Racist, Mysoginistic’
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau derided Canadians who protested against him at a campaign stop in Newmarket, ON, lashing out at what he called “anti-vaxxer mobs” who are “racist,” “mysoginistic, and “don’t believe in science.”
While speaking with reporters on Sunday in Welland, ON, Trudeau was asked about those who demonstrated against him a day earlier in Newmarket.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kingston Police Chief Calls Labour Day University District Parties ‘Unconscionable’
Kingston Police Chief Antje McNeely sent out a scathing statement Tuesday, after thousands of young people took part in street parties over the Labour Day long weekend.
“We are witnessing an increasingly concerning trend of unlawful high-risk gathering,” McNeely said. “Such disrespect for the rights of others is unconscionable.”
Over the long weekend, videos surfaced of people gathered in the Queen’s University District, packed together on local streets shoulder to shoulder. Police estimate the crowds ranged from 3,500 to 5,000 people.
Included with McNeely’s statement came a long list of infractions handed out by both Kingston police and city bylaw officers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechia: PM Babis Dominates Google Search as Election Approaches
Google has launched a website in the Czech Republic that monitors electoral trends ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. The website shows in real-time how people on Google search for political parties, their leaders, and other terms related to the October elections. The most googled party leader is currently the chairman of ANO, Andrej Babis, followed by the head of the Pirates, Ivan Bartos.
The high proportion of people searching for Babis last week may be related not only to the start of the ANO movement election campaign but also to the fact that his son, Andrej Babis Jr., accompanied by director Vit Klusak, confronted the prime minister during the event about their complicated relationship.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
An ISIS-supporting Chechen student who enjoys status as a ‘political refugee’ is now out of jail after police arrested him last week for planning to attack an 18-year-old French girl who criticized Islam over social media last winter.
French police arrested the Chechen high school student, aged 17, at his parent’s home last Tuesday after the young budding jihadist was found to have been recruiting accomplices over social media to carry out an attack on Mila, a teenager from Lyon who’s regularly threatened with violence for opposing Islam and promoting secularism, Actu 17 reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Industrial Output Up 8% in July
Output of Hungary’s industrial sector rose by an annual 8 percent in July, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said in a first reading of data on Tuesday.
KSH said “most branches of manufacturing” contributed to the increase, although output of the automotive sector declined because of shutdowns. Output of the computer, electronics and optical equipment segment also declined, but output of the food, drink and tobacco products segment rose “by a small degree”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Last week, just as the Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke in the presence of half a dozen important European leaders about the challenges of migration, among other things, another boring meeting was held in the LIBE Committee. The message of the members of the left-liberal majority in the European Parliament was unanimously that they were very dissatisfied with the other EU institutions for not circumventing the rules and agreements and not hitting the Hungarians harder.
It has been said many times that the procedure under Article 7 of the EU charter is progressing slowly. This is also true when seen from Hungary, except that the ineffective process has been dragging along for years without any real hope for the result Brussels wants.
Leftist MEPs know very well that the procedure cannot bring the sanctions they want to see. Therefore, they prefer to continue the political circus and constantly put pressure on Hungary. They want more and more hearings, while Justice Minister Judit Varga and the relevant ministry leaders have really answered all the existing questions that their European colleagues could think of.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungarians Feel Twice as Free as Germans: Poll
A recent survey including 12 countries of the European Union shows that twice as many Hungarians feel free in their everyday life than in Germany, which actively conflicts with both the words and opinions of leading left-wing domestic and international politicians, media reports, and foundations that rank “freedom”.
The survey showed that when asked how free they feel in their everyday life, 88 percent of Hungarians answered they are partially or entirely free (the best result among the twelve countries included in the study). The same ratio in Germany, which came in last place, was only 46 percent.
The survey, based on opinion polls conducted by Datapraxis, YouGov and the Council of European Foreign Relations, a George Soros-funded NGO which conducted the survey in nine of the twelve countries, (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden), while the same survey was conducted by AnalitiQs in the Netherlands, Alfa in Bulgaria and Szondaphone in Hungary.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ireland: Extinction Rebellion Activists to Decide Plea Over Graffiti Charges
Two Extinction Rebellion activists, who allegedly live-streamed a graffiti attack at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin, have been given five weeks to decide how they will plead to charges of criminal damage.
Orla Murphy, 20, with an address at Ballinacarrig, Whitechurch, Co. Cork and 21-year-old Oxford University biology student Zachery Lumley, from South Lodge Ballinlough, Cork City were arrested on the afternoon of March 19th last.
They were charged with criminal damage at Iveagh House, at St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.
Paint was splattered on the front of the building and graffiti saying “no more empty promises” sprayed across the building’s entrance. Posters were also stuck to the wall of the building.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lockdown Tax: UK Govt Hammers Voters With Even Higher Taxes, Breaking Election Promise
Millions of British taxpayers are being clobbered with a tax rise — against the governing Conservative party’s own promises — as the government scrabbles to pay for the decisions it made, and continues to make in reaction to the Wuhan Coronavirus.
After months of speculation over how the government was to pay for the huge bonanza of spending during the course of the Coronavirus lockdowns, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a 1.25 per cent rise in National Insurance on Tuesday. Branded a ‘health and social care levy’, the tax rise will see hundreds of pounds more a year taken from the pay of workers a year.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Portugal: More Than 700 Partygoers Sent Home by Police
According to the National Republican Guard (GNR) the weekend ended with two illegal parties being shut down in Palmela and Almada, district of Setúbal, which brought together “more than 700 people” in disregard of measures against Covid-19.
The first intervention of the GNR of the Territorial Command of Setúbal took place on Saturday night, in the locality of Vale de Touros, in Palmela, after a complaint that an illegal party was taking place, with the GNR immediately moving to the location, where they found the presence of “about 600 people”.
“The promoter of the party was identified and the event was stopped immediately for failure to comply with the various rules in force for the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic [namely dance floor in operation, lack of use of masks and lack of compliance with social distance] and also for lack of a special noise permit”, informed the security force in a statement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protests Disrupt Autobahn Traffic Before German Auto Show
Environmental activists protesting car culture disrupted traffic on several highways around Munich before the opening Tuesday of a leading auto show in the German city.
Demonstrators unfurled banners with slogans such as “Block IAA,” in some cases abseiling from highway bridges to do so, news agency dpa reported. At one location, they pasted over a highway sign with the words “Smash Car Lobby & Industry.”
Police and fire service officers ended the protests, and the affected stretches of autobahn were reopened by lunchtime. More protests are expected on Friday, though organizers haven’t specified what exactly they plan to do.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ProtonMail Faces Criticism for Complying With Swiss Law
Swiss-based, end-to-end encrypted and privacy-focused email provider ProtonMail has been under fire from some media and activists over the company’s behavior as it complied with local law.
The case pertains to the disclosure of a user’s IP address to Swiss law enforcement, on a warrant resulting from a request that reportedly came from the French authorities, who eventually arrested the person in question.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Govt Steps Up Assault on Encrypted Messaging Apps
The British government is said to be planning a new propaganda push against encrypted messaging apps such as Facebook for supposedly preventing police from catching criminals.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has reportedly signed off on an advertising campaign to be conducted within the pages of newspapers, radio waves and television broadcasts within the coming weeks against social media companies deploying encrypted messaging services, effectively preventing the government from spying on its citizens.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Business Owner Tests Positive for COVID for Second Time Despite Being Double Jabbed
A business owner in the UK has been forced to close her shop after testing positive for COVID-19 for the second time despite being double jabbed.
Ursula Sutcliffe says she has lost her sense of smell, has a pain in the back of her head and is now bedridden due to the infection, despite having received her second dose of the vaccine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Backlash to BoJo’s Plan to Hit Young and Working Class With Punishing Tax Hike
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to batter primarily young and working-class taxpayers through a National Insurance hike are being opposed by the Labour party and other opposition parties as well as swathes of his own party.
The planned increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs), ostensibly to increase funding for the National Health Service (NHS) and social care, flies directly in the face of commitments to Conservative Party voters in 2019, when their election manifesto took a clear stance against tax rises.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Govt Moves to Deny Planning ‘Firebreak’ October Lockdown if COVID Hospitalisations Rise
The British government has denied reports that it is drawing up plans for an October “firebreak” coronavirus lockdown if hospitalisations continue to rise.
A senior government scientist and member of the influential Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) had told the i newspaper that the firebreak lockdown could coincide with schools’ half-term, which would be extended for two weeks from late October to early November, it what would be England’s fourth lockdown.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Mad King: Tory MPs Told to Bring Vaccine Passports to Meet With Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson has told Tory MPs to bring health passes, proving their vaccination status or recovery from the coronavirus to attend a party at the Prime Minister’s official residence.
Despite famously contracting and recovering from the Chinese virus and being fully vaccinated, Boris Johnson is reportedly requiring Members of Parliament from his own party to present vaccine passports for a Downing Street drinks event on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Two Years: Conservative Govt Expected to Extend Emergency Powers Until March 2022
The British government is set to extend the Coronavirus Act for a further six months until March 2022 — two years to the month that the ‘emergency’ law was passed.
On March 23rd, 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the first of many lockdowns to be imposed on the UK — the first of three in England — with the Coronavirus Act 2020 receiving Royal Assent on March 25th after being fast-tracked through parliament in just four sitting days.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vandals Desecrate Italian Church, Behead Statue of Virgin Mary
ROME — Unidentified vandals desecrated a Catholic church in the northern Italian town of Scandiano, smashing the tabernacle and decapitating the statue of the Virgin Mary, Italian media reported Monday.
The tabernacle was jimmied open, and the consecrated hosts were strewn on the floor along with the sacred vessels and other liturgical furnishings were destroyed, Avvenire revealed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Health Min: Prayers Should be Led by People Who Received Booster Shot
The Health Ministry has issued recommendations for the Rosh Hashanah holiday ahead of the beginning of the holiday at Sunday tonight.
According to the recommendations, services should be held outdoors, and only people who have received a coronavirus vaccine booster shot should lead the services or blow the shofar.
If the prayer leaders or shofar blower has not received three doses of the vaccine, then they should present a recent negative coronavirus test.
All worshippers are instructed to wear their masks indoors throughout the duration of the services. The one who blows the shofar is allowed to remove his mask in order to perform his task but must keep it on at all other times. In addition, the shofar blower is instructed to blow in the direction of an open window and away from the congregants. If the shofar blower has not received the booster shot, then he should cover the opening of the shofar…
[Wear a face diaper over the end of your shofa (horn trumpet) — apparent unbelievable ignorance from the (socialist) health minister — it’s Taruwah not April 1st]
| — Hat tip: MC | [Return to headlines] |
Czechs Divided Over Afghanistan Withdrawal
When it comes to the opinion on the departure of NATO troops from Afghanistan, the Czechs are divided into two approximately same-sized camps. While 42 percent of them consider the withdrawal to be the wrong step, 40 percent are of the opposite opinion, the survey by the Median agency for Czech Radio determined.
In addition, 57 percent of people consider the acceptance of Afghan collaborators of Czech soldiers to be the right decision. On the contrary, 33 percent reject it and a tenth of respondents did not have an opinion on the matter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
EU Army: NATO Chief Warns EU Rapid Reaction Force Would ‘Divide Europe’ and Weaken American Alliance
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the EU developing a rapid reaction force could weaken the defence union’s ability to work together and could “divide Europe”.
Following the collapse of Afghanistan to the Taliban, senior figures in the European Union are proposing the development of a rapid reaction force of up to 20,000 troops able to be deployed quickly anywhere around the world, enabling the political bloc to act independently of the United States. The bloc has had “battlegroups” of 1,500 soldiers since 2007 but has never sent them into combat.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: On World Hijab Day, Hindu Girls Were Forced to Wear Hijab in Nagpur by GIO
Ramlakhan Kadam | HENB | Nagpur | Sept 7, 2021:: Inspired by Talibani Victory in Afghanistan, Girls’ Islamic Organisation (GIO) allegedly forced Hindu girls to wear Hijab in Nagpur (India) on World Hijab day on 4th Sept, 2021.
As per a video clip as prepared by a local reporter of renowned Hindi News Channel, Sudarshan News, some members of Girls’ Islamic Organisation (GIO) allegedly forced Hindu girls to wear Hijab even when the Hindu girls were denying to wear the same.
Some Hindu activists in Nagpur City noticed the objectionable activities of the 15-20 members of Girls’ Islamic Organisation (GIO) which is an outfit of banned Muslim Student Organisation SIMI (Student’s Islamic Movement of India) on 4th September morning near CM Banglow.
One Nair, one morning walker with his friends noticed that some Hijab clad Muslim girls/women captivated some Hindu girls and were preaching to wear Hijab and distributing some leaflets. Instantly the morning were objected the matter and the Hijab-clad girls/women fled away with their male accomplishes who were also waiting there with scooters and motor-cycles at the side of CM Banglow.
The eyewitnesses opined that the whole event was well organised by the radical Muslim groups present in the Nagpur City…
| — Hat tip: Upananda Brahmachari | [Return to headlines] |
Report: Different ‘Pandemic Potential’ Brain Destroying Virus With 75% Death Rate Spreading in India
A different virus classified by the World Health Organisation as having ‘pandemic potential’ is spreading more than usual due to care shortages caused by COVID.
The London Telegraph reports that the Nipah virus, which attacks the brain and has an up to 75% fatality rate, has killed a twelve year old boy who was shunted around five different hospitals because of COVID.
It is believed that the boy came into contact with close to 200 people, with two health workers and the boys mother already in isolation after developing the symptoms, which are similar to those of COVID.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Taliban Unveils New Government, Includes FBI ‘Most Wanted’ Terrorist as Interior Minister
The Taliban unveiled its new government on Tuesday in the presence of invited foreign delegations from Russia, China, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar — which gives a strong indicator of how Afghanistan’s new foreign policy will be aligned.
“Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the little-known head of the Taliban’s leadership council, was named as acting prime minister, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said at a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday,” Bloomberg reports of the announcement. The spokesman emphasized this is the current ‘acting’ or caretaker government.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UN Appeals for $606M to Aid Afghans Rest of Year
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs already has a $1.3 billion appeal for Afghanistan for the entire year of 2021, but it is only 39% funded — at just $498 million.
The agency’s a “Flash Appeal” launched Tuesday includes $413 million from the original appeal that has not been funded and $193 million in new needs through December.
The money aims to assist 11 million people with critically needed food and “livelihood assistance,” including 2 million people not covered in the original appeal. It is also meant to provide essential health services to 3.4 million Afghans, treatment for acute malnutrition for more than 1 million children and women, water and sanitation for 2.5 million people, and protection for 1.5 million people including children and survivors of gender violence…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Chinese Women Jailed for Downloading Falun Gong Ebooks
Two women in China were sentenced to five years in prison for downloading, printing, and storing books and articles on the Falun Gong (a religious movement). Authorities claimed that their actions undermined the enforcement of the law.
One of the women, 57-year-old Cao Qian, managed to cheat the Great Firewall of China (which blocks access to most international and pircay websites) to access Falun Gong material. To keep the material, she downloaded and printed it. Then she asked her friend, Jang Baolian to bind the downloaded material, Bitter Winter reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Australian PM Takes Private Jet, Fails to Quarantine While Citizens Remain Under Lockdown
While locked down Australians are being told they shouldn’t even talk to their neighbors, Prime Minister Scott Morrison reportedly took a private jet to visit his family in Sydney and then failed to quarantine upon returning to Canberra.
“After receiving an ‘essential work exemption, Mr Morrison flew over Father’s Day weekend to Sydney in New South Wales on Saturday, before returning on Monday morning to Canberra. Critics say he made the trip to see his family, something fellow Australians were prevented from doing,” reports the Telegraph.
Both Sydney and Canberra are under draconian lockdowns, with people only being allowed to leave their homes for ‘essential’ reasons and citizens prevented from traveling significant distances, although those rules don’t appear to apply to Morrison.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Police Confront Worshippers After Stand-Off at Melbourne Synagogue
A stand-off at a Ripponlea synagogue has ended with police taking the details of worshippers who gathered to mark Jewish New Year, saying each will be fined for breaching public health orders.
The Age was told members of the Orthodox Jewish congregation entered the synagogue about 5am on Tuesday and indicated they would refuse to leave until nightfall.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sky News Australia Testifies on YouTube Censorship
Sky News Australia is a rare large mainstream media outlet that has publicly stood up to YouTube for engaging in censorship around COVID information and reporting — with the broadcaster’s chief adding a few choice words to accuse the giant platform.
On the other hand, the channel defended its own handling of the same topic, with CEO Paul Whittaker telling the country’s Senate that SKY offered a range of views, including on public health response to the pandemic, and topics like ivermectin treatment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
4 Out of 5 Hungarians Want Border Fence to Remain
Eighty-one percent of Hungarian society is in favor of Hungary continuing to defend itself against illegal immigrants with a border fence, according to the latest poll of the Center for Fundamental Rights.
A nationwide survey of 1,000 people conducted by the Center for Fundamental Rights by telephone reveals that the border fence built in 2015 in Southern Hungary continues to be supported by the vast majority of Hungarians of voting age. As the research puts it, “All of this means that about 6.5 million voters agree with the government’s position that supports border fencing and rejects illegal immigration.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belarus Delivering Thousands of Migrants to Polish Border
Not an hour goes by without the Belarusian state services trying to push migrants through the border with Poland, according to the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“Every day on the border with Belarus, we see hundreds of provocations. In August alone, there were 4,000 attempts to illegally cross our border,” said Morawiecki. The migrants are from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Somalia, and Afghanistan.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czechs Pledge 530,000 Euros to Lithuania for Belarus Border
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — The Czech Republic pledged on Tuesday 530,000 euros to Lithuania to secure the its border with Belarus in the wake of thousands of migrants crossing over from the former Soviet republic.
Lithuania, a European Union member country that sits on the 27 nation bloc’s northeastern border, has faced an influx of mostly Iraqi migrants in the past few months streaming from neighboring Belarus.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Czech, Austrian, And Slovak Leaders Reject More Afghan Migrants in EU
The prime ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are taking a common stand against more Afghan refugees in the European Union amid growing concern in the bloc over an influx of migrants from Afghanistan.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on September 7 that there would be no place for Afghan refugees in the European Union and they should stay in Afghanistan or neighboring countries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark Wants Migrants to Work for Welfare Benefits
Migrants in Denmark will need to complete 37 hours of work a week to receive welfare benefits, the government said on Tuesday.
Migration and integration have become key issues for voters in Denmark, which has some of Europe’s toughest immigration policies.
The government, which has set a target of zero asylum applications, said the plan was designed to help migrants assimilate into society.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dozens More Migrants Cross English Channel in Small Boats
More migrants have been arriving on UK shores — the day after about 740 people crossed the English Channel in small boats.
There has been a steady stream of crossings since the weather conditions became more favourable.
The Home Office has not confirmed how many people crossed on Monday, but it is believed to be about 740.
Dozens of migrants have been seen arriving in Kent on Tuesday by BBC journalists.
Correspondent Jon Donnison witnessed between 30 and 40 people arriving at Dover.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Experts Warn ISIS-K Planning to Exploit “Refugee” Wave to Send Terrorists to the West
Experts are warning that ISIS-K is preparing to exploit the refugee wave created by the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan to infiltrate terrorists into the west in a repeat of what happened following the previous migrant surge in 2015.
While authorities are attempting to vet the thousands of Afghans entering western countries by holding them in interim countries like the UAE while checks are performed, many don’t have identity papers or have faked them.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Over 600 Radicalised Illegals Deported Since 2018
France’s Ministry of the Interior has announced that since 2018, French authorities have deported over 600 illegal immigrants who are believed to have been radicalised.
The 636 illegals were reported as being potentially radicalised and were on a French terror watchlist, the File of Alerts for the Prevention of Radicalisation of a Terrorist Nature (FSPRT).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Justic Minister: Strong Nations Have Strong External Borders
“There is no strong nation without strong external borders,” Justice Minister Judit Varga said on Facebook after meeting Jeff Sessions, the former US Attorney General, on Tuesday.
In her English-language post, Varga wrote that the former Alabama senator had played “a key role in shaping the Trump administration’s immigration policy” and had been “an advocate for reform of US immigration law in the previous 20 years”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: Gov’t Official: Mass Migration Weakens EU
Mass migration will make the European Union weaker, not stronger, Balazs Orban, state secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, told a panel discussion.
The 2015 migration crisis was a “milestone” in Europe, Orban said at the event organized by the Danube Institute, arguing that it had led European politicians to realize that the world had changed and that they had been “unprepared” for what was happening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italy Tells EU: Send Money to Africa to Stop Mass Migration
Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese has called on the European Union to develop an economic aid plan to funnel cash to Africa in the hopes of mitigating illegal migration.
Speaking at the Ambrosetti Forum in the commune of Cernobbio on Lake Como, Lamorgese suggested that EU cash could help solve problems of instability in certain North African countries and help to stem the flow of illegal migrants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Migration Crisis: Denmark to Help Fence Up Lithuanian Border
Denmark has sent 15km of barbed wire fencing to Lithuania in an effort to help curb the flood of irregular migration taking place along its border with Belarus.
The issue has emerged following Belarus no longer preventing migrants from moving through its borders into the EU as a response in May by the Aleksandr Lukashenko regime to EU economic sanctions.
That has led to a significant increase in irregular migration into Lithuania: up from 81 last year to a whopping 4,100 so far this year already.
“I believe it is in Denmark’s interest to help Lithuania protect its borders with Belarus — which is also our mutual EU border,” the immigration minister, Mattias Tesfaye, told TV2 News.
[Comment: It is wonderful to see countries helping in the defense of Lithuania’s borders.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Nearly 100 Migrants Turned Back Over Weekend on Latvia-Belarus Border
Another 96 people’s attempts of illegally crossing the Latvian-Belarusian State border were prevented over the weekend, according to the State Border Guard.
On Friday, September 3, 43 people were denied entry to Latvia, on Saturday, September 4 the figure was 29, whereas on Sunday, September 5, there were 24 more.
No people were detained for having crossed the border illegally.
In total, after the state of emergency was announced on August 10 in the Latvia-Belarus border area allowing the border guard to promptly deny entry and return migrants to the country of origin, 954 people have been denied entry into Latvia.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Sees No Let-Up in Belarus Border Tensions, Says PM
WARSAW, Sept 6 (Reuters) — Poland’s prime minister said on Monday he saw no prospect of a let-up in tensions on the border with Belarus amid a surge in migration and upcoming Russian-led military exercises that led to Warsaw introducing a state of emergency.
Poland declared an emergency in two regions bordering Belarus on Thursday, following an increase in illegal migration that Warsaw has blamed on its neighbour and in the build-up to this week’s Russia-Belarus “Zapad-2021” drills.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sicily: 161 Migrants Arrested in August for Unlawful Reentry
by ANSA
A reported 161 migrants were arrested in August by Sicily’s Agrigento flying squad police on unlawful reentry charges, the chief prosecutor of Agrigento, Luigi Patroneggio, said on Saturday, September 4.
The migrants had either been previously expelled or were not allowed to reside in Italy, said the chief prosecutor.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: 155 Illegal Migrants Reach Murcia This Weekend and One Corpse Recovered
The endless drip-drip of illegal immigrants entering Spain via sea continued over the weekend, calm weather conditions enabling immigrants to travel across the sea to not only Murcia, but also the neighboring provinces of Alicante and Almeria as well.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A confidential directive shared on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo revealed that the University of Shanghai was compiling a list of all “non-heterosexual” students.
The directive by the University of Shanghai about the LGBT database was leaked on Weibo on August 26.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
College Gender Gap: Men Falling Farther Behind Women in Higher Education
Male students are abandoning the pursuit of higher education in such numbers that they are now trailing behind female college students by record levels, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. At the end of the 2020-21 academic year, women made up 59.5 percent of college students, while men made up 40.5 percent, according to enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse.
Moreover, colleges do not want to tackle the issue out of fear that they will be attacked over gender politics, enrollment consultant Jennifer Delahunty told the Wall Street Journal.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Game Developer Tripwire Parts Ways With CEO John Gibson After Pro-Life Tweet
John Gibson, the CEO of video game publisher and developer Tripwire Interactive, has stepped down after a tweet from his personal account triggered a mass online cancel campaign that resulted in the company losing contracts, its games being review bombed, and calls to boycott its games.
On September 4, Gibson tweeted his support of the US Supreme Court affirming the Texas law that bans abortions for unborn babies with a heartbeat and noted that he felt it was important to “go on the record as a pro-life game developer” because there are “so many vocal peers on the other side of this issue.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Children of Afghan refugees in Poland were poisoned to death by mushrooms. Several more were poisoned in the refugee camp, but survived.
Amazing frivolity.
https://germania.one/malenkie-bezhency-perezhili-ad-chtoby-umeret-v-evrope-ot-otravlenija-gribami/#news