Mass protests against “vaccine” mandates were held today in Melbourne, Montreal, Quebec City, and Vienna. Meanwhile, a registered nurse in New Zealand was hospitalized with pericarditis after being “vaccinated”, and was the seventh patient admitted that day with heart problems after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer vax.
In other news, police in North Macedonia discovered 41 illegal migrants stuffed into the back of a van. The driver was arrested.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Insubria, Jazz, MC, 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.
Hungary’s Inflation in November Highest in 14 Years
Consumer prices in Hungary grew by an annual 7.4 percent in November, after hitting 6.5 percent in October, the Central Statistical Office (KSH) said on Wednesday. The last time the country saw higher inflation was in 2007.
Prices in the category of goods that includes vehicle fuel increased by an annual 15.1 percent, as vehicle fuel prices jumped 37.7 percent, spirits and tobacco prices rose by 11 percent, lifted by a 16.8 percent increase in tobacco prices.
Food prices grew by 6 percent, while household energy prices edged 0.9 percent higher. Consumer durables increased by 6.6 percent, clothing prices by 1.8 percent, and services by 4.6 percent.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Polish Inflation to Reach Its Peak in Jan/Feb, FinMin Says
Inflation in Poland will reach its peak in January or February and then slowly fall, the Polish finance minister said on Friday.
The Polish inflation rate has been gathering speed in recent months, rising to 7.7 percent in November, with a further increase expected in December.
“We expect inflation to peak in January, February, then it will be slowly going down. If some other factor emerges… which will be more fuel to inflation, we have the option of applying another (anti-inflation) shield,” Tadeusz Koscinski announced on Polish Radio 3.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
(Video) Doctor Warns Stillbirths Are Rampant Among Fully Vaccinated Mothers, Launches Investigation
The Center For Disease Control and the federal government is adamant that pregnant women get a COVID-19 injection.
But data doesn’t support its safety and health practitioners around the world are sounding the alarm.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The below video was pointed out by Citizen Free Press which recommends focussing on the last 3 minutes.
Dr. Naomi Wolf, a Rhodes Scholar and former Clinton Administration advisor, went off on the medical elites on Steve Bannon’s War Room.
[Comment: Naomi Wolf is not a medical doctor but a liberal arts doctor. But she has been pretty good on freedom of speech and criticism of covid restrictions.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Admin Sides With Harvard Over Asian American Affirmative Action Case
The Biden administration is taking the side of Harvard University in its active discrimination of Asian Americans and has asked the Supreme Court to turn away a legal fight brought on by a group of Asian American students who argue that the University’s admissions process violates civil rights law.
The Biden administration’s move to support the Ivy League university is a total reversal of the Trump administration’s support for the legal battle. In 2018, the Trump administration offered a major boost to the group of students, LA Times reported.
The suit, which was filed by Students for Fair Admissions, is a bellwether case that has the potential to reshape affirmative action policies in American universities and colleges.
According to the lawsuit, the Asian American students were rejected from Harvard based on their race. The Supreme Court asked the Justice Department in June to weigh in on the lawsuit, to hear their appeal of a lower court decision that upheld Harvard’s discriminatory practices.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Following a guilty verdict, the Chicago police chief who arrested Jussie Smollett for staging racist hate crime on himself said Friday that the now-convicted felon’s untouched Subway tuna sandwich was a suspicious sign of the hoax.
Smollett’s infamous Subway sandwich, which the disgraced actor told authorities he had been walking home with at the time of the incident, was still in pristine condition after the theatrical January 2019 beating.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
CNN Producer, Former Chris Cuomo Staffer Arrested for Allegedly Inducing Minors for Sex
CNN suspended one of its staffers following a federal indictment accusing him of coercing parents to allow their minor daughters to engage in sexual activity in his home.
John Griffin, who according to his LinkedIn profile is a senior producer for CNN’s flagship morning program “New Day,” was arrested on Friday by the FBI after being charged by a grand jury in Vermont “with three counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to attempt to entice minors to engage in unlawful sexual activity.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cook County, Illinois District Attorney Kim Foxx is facing renewed criticism, after actor Jussie Smollett was convicted on five charges related to faking a hate crime over a year after Foxx’s office dropped charges against him.
“Let’s remember how Michelle Obama and the corrupt Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx almost got #Jussie off the hook,” conservative speaker and author Dinesh D’Souza tweeted following the verdict. “These two slimy characters are complicit in the attempt to cover up Jussie’s hate crime, even if they weren’t charged and found guilty for it.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump Jr.: Joe Biden Skipped Army-Navy Game to Avoid “Let’s Go Brandon!” Chants
The 122nd Army-Navy football game was held today at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Joe Biden skipped the annual event.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In court filings, Facebook argued that its “fact checks” are not factual, they are “protected opinion.”
John Stossel, a libertarian journalist and author, filed a lawsuit against Facebook, claiming the platform defamed him through a “fact check” label. Facebook added a “misleading” label on a video he posted.
Stossel was censored on Facebook and his work was undermined by the “fact check” that he alleged was defaming his character by falsely accusing him of lying.
In recent court filings, Facebook’s attorneys argued that the “fact check” on the video was an “opinion” and not an actual fact.
Libel law protects opinions from defamatory liability.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fort Worth School Board ‘Racial Equity Committee’ Member Who Doxxed Parents Resigns
Norma Garcia-Lopez, co-chair of the Fort Worth, Texas, School Board’s “Racial Equity Committee,” resigned Wednesday after she admitted to releasing personal information of parents on the Internet and leaving a profane voicemail for at least one parent.
Garcia-Lopez cited the “vile and relentless attacks on me by white supremacists” as the reason for her resignation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Journalist Andy Ngô is Sued for Sharing Riot Videos on Twitter
Two photographers from Portland Oregon have filed a federal copyright infringement lawsuit against journalist and author Andy Ngô. The photographers claim that Ngô shared their videos of protests in Portland on his Twitter account.
Andy Ngô has amassed a following in conservative circles for documenting riots and other events from BLM supporters, Antifa, and other groups.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Minnesota restaurant owner was sentenced to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine for staying open during the Fauci COVID pandemic.
The nerve of this woman! Did she think she was running a Walmart or Target or something?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Kyle Rittenhouse Body Guard Weighs in on Lefty Claims That the Kid is a ‘Racist’
A man whose job it was to keep Kyle Rittenhouse alive during his trial has some words for those haters of his client who insist the kid is a racist.
T.C. Willis shadowed Rittenhouse throughout the trial and is disgusted by the mischaracterizations of the now-18-year-old by people who have no idea why he was found not guilty for the Kenosha shootings. He told a Knoxville TV reporter that people need to inform themselves “so at least when you do go into a debate you can debate efficiently and effectively.” The lead security professional also said that “most people are driven by their emotions, I’m not saying don’t have any, but don’t be driven alone by those.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A Delta flight from DC to LAX was forced to make an emergency landing in Oklahoma Thursday night after a passenger screaming about BLM and being enslaved by the white man assaulted a flight attendant and an air marshal.
35-year-old Ariel Pennington of DC was restrained with zip ties on the flight and booked into the Oklahoma City Jail for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness, CBSLA reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Orleans Homicide Rate Reaches 14-Year High Following Fatal Shooting Near Hotel
A man was fatally shot on Friday in New Orleans, marking the city’s 201st homicide of the year, a 14-year high in the total number of homicides in Louisiana’s most populous city.
The shooting, according to NOLA.com, occurred near the Pontchartrain Hotel and was the second homicide that day, causing disruptions to the establishment.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York Mask Mandate Meets Resistance, Won’t be Enforced in Several Counties
This week, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a new statewide mask mandate that will take effect on Monday, Dec. 13, citing a rise in case numbers. The mandate requires face masks to be worn in all indoor public places that don’t have a vaccine requirement.
“A violation of any provision of this measure is subject to a maximum fine of $1,000 for each violation,” Hochul said in a statement. She also added that “local health departments are being asked to enforce these requirements.”
But local governments were essentially blindsided by the announcement, and several counties with Republican executives are refusing to enforce the mandate, citing a variety of reasons, including a lack of guidance from the state on enforcement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Now that Jussie Smollett has been found guilty of crimes, should we step back and ask what this was all about?
John Kass News had questions after the Smollett verdict.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Rust’ AD Dave Halls Subpoenaed for Interview About Safety on Set After Dueling Accounts Emerge
The “Rust” assistant director who handed actor Alec Baldwin the “cold gun” that fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, will be ordered to sit for an interview with state safety officials.
District Judge Bryan Biedscheid on Friday granted a request by the Occupational Health and Safety Bureau of the New Mexico Environment Department to issue a subpoena to Dave Halls, assistant director for the movie “Rust,” local news outlets reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Weird: Google Assistant Sings Bizarre Vaccine and Mask Song
The past two years of the pandemic have certainly paved the way for some bizarre ‘creative’ endeavours in an attempt to promote things like vaccine uptake, masks and staying indoors.
There has been no shortage of cringeworthy songs, ads, clips, articles and posts from corporations, influencers, politicians and more.
One such attempt at this was the “Vax-Scene“ song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. That was… quite something.
But folks, I think we’ve got Colbert beat in the weirdness category.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Youngkin Plans to Withdraw Virginia From Interstate Climate Pact
Governor-Elect Glenn Youngkin of Virginia has signaled his intention to pull the state out of a climate compact that many small businesses there are glad to see go.
Youngkin has made clear his intention to pull Virginia out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The interstate compact places penalties on entities that exceed emission regulations set by an organization representing all member states.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
YouTube Slaps Age Restriction on Video About Victims of Socialism
YouTube is acting increasingly as a propaganda arm for the political and media elites, censoring content that does not conform to the Leftist agenda. Now it is going even farther, putting restrictions on content that is designed to counteract Leftist indoctrination and inform young people in particular of uncomfortable truths that the Left would prefer they (and you) did not know. On Wednesday, the Young America’s Foundation (YAF), a conservative youth group with chapters on many college and university campuses, revealed that YouTube had put an age restriction on a video of a speech from one of their recent conferences. The offending video was a hard-hitting presentation about the human cost of socialism. It’s easy to see why the elites, as they do their best to railroad us into socialism, would find that threatening.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Cancelled Surgeries Showcase the Tragic Costs of Government Lockdowns
On last night’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Ezra discussed a new report highlighting some of the tragic costs of government lockdowns over the last two years.
29,000 Canadians have died from COVID over the past two years. That’s a lot. But not really — it’s a bit higher than the number that die from the flu over the same period of time.
But according to this new report, a half million surgeries — including cancer surgeries — have been cancelled. Do you doubt that those missed surgeries killed, or will kill more than 29,000 people?
And that’s just surgeries.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Give a Good Vibe’: Hundreds Gather Outside Quebec Legislature for ‘Meditation Protest’
It was a special day today — a demonstration like no other took place in front of Quebec’s parliament in Quebec City.
Several hundred people had gathered. Accompanied by the sound of native music, people were on scene to meditate and channel positive energies together, and to elevate their mindset with one another.
Coffee, hot chocolate, and soup were available, since the day was particularly cold. People took the opportunity to hug each other and went wild to the music’s rhythm.
I started by asking those in attendance what made them come that day. I then asked them if they thought the energies released during the day would have a positive impact on future political decisions. Finally, I wanted to know what their predictions were for the public health measures that will be put in place this holiday season.
What do you think?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of Workers From All Sectors Gather for Quebec ‘Code Red’ Protest
The purpose of this demonstration was to mobilize workers from all fields to put pressure on the government, hence the name “Code Red” for the protest.
The day started with a rally around the Mount Royal statue where several workers who are being directly affected by Quebec’s mandatory vaccination policy spoke. The place was chosen symbolically, since we can read on the statue that our freedoms must be protected by law.
Several thousand people gathered on this cold December day, as Christmas approaches — a holiday which is looking rather bleak for the unvaccinated, at least according to the government.
[Comment: Article dated December 9, 2021.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Finland: Police Detain Activists as Climate Protest Group Block Helsinki Street
Climate activists from the Elokapina protest movement — the Finnish branch of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion — blocked traffic on a main thoroughfare in Helsinki on Saturday afternoon.
Helsinki police said that prior notice of the protest on Sörnäisten rantatie was not provided by the Elokapina group, adding that there are between 40 and 50 activists involved in the protest.
Police detained 21 protestors after an order to leave the area was not complied with.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Man Kills Wife, Three Children and Then Himself Over Forged COVID-19 Certificate
Forty-year-old German man David R. murdered his wife Linda and their three daughters Leni (10), Janni (8), and Rubi (3) in their house in the Brandenburg federal state of Germany in a case that is grabbing national headlines.
The man, who shot himself after murdering his entire family in Königs Wusterhausen, confessed to the crime in a suicide note, which was found by investigators. He expressed fears that his children would be taken away from him after he was discovered to have forged a COVID-19 certificate for his wife.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Greece Threatens to ‘Deprive’ Parents of ‘Custody’ for Mask Refusals
Greece’s education ministry threatened to “deprive” parents of “custody” over their children on Thursday if they refuse to comply with masking and testing mandates enforced on primary and secondary school students during the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
Alexandros Koptsis, the general secretary for primary and secondary education at Greece’s education ministry, told Al Jazeera on December 9 his ministry was actively encouraging Greek public school staff “to call prosecutors” and establish a criminal case against parents who refuse to send their children to school to avoid subjecting them to federal masking and testing mandates imposed by the public school system.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: FM Szijjartó: ‘Common Sense’ Key to V4’s Success
A key of the success of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries has been that they have based their economic and security policies on “common sense”, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjartó said in a video message to a joint V4 parliamentary committee meeting on Friday.
The grouping comprising the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia is “the closest, most effective and most successful” alliance within the European Union today, the minister said. In recent years the four countries have achieved results together that they could not have on their own, he added.
Szijjartó highlighted the V4’s thwarting of the introduction of mandatory migrant quotas as the group’s biggest achievement. If Brussels’s “crazy proposal” had not been rejected, there would be tens or hundreds of thousands of migrants on the territory of the V4 countries today, he said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of French Believe Democratic System Does Not Work Well
More than half of the French public believe that the democratic system in France does not work well, while a plurality believes democracy has deteriorated during the presidency of Emmanuel Macron.
The Ifop poll commissioned by the think tank Décider Ensemble revealed that 54 per cent of French people believe that the democratic system does not work well in France.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Mass Protest in Vienna Against Austria’s Controversial COVID Restrictions
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Vienna on Saturday in protest against restrictions introduced to halt the spread of coronavirus in Austria, including mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and home confinement orders for the unvaccinated.
Around 1,400 police officers were on duty to oversee the protest, which attracted an estimated 44,000 people, and followed a similar demonstration in the Austrian capital last week.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Only 14% of Europeans Want to Return to Normal Working Hours in the Office
Only 14 percent of European employees want to return to the office with standard working hours, meaning from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than half of them claim that they have become more efficient while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the survey were published by Samsung Electronics and The Future Laboratory on Thursday.
However, the so-called hybrid model of work, meaning partly at home and partly from the office, also has its pitfalls: More than a quarter of respondents feel they are working constantly or late into the night.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Radical Islamic Terror Attack Foiled in Hamburg, Germany
BERLIN (AP) — German security officials said Friday that they have foiled a planned Islamist attack, after arresting a man in the northern city of Hamburg over the summer who had been trying to buy weapons and make explosives.
Hamburg’s top security official, Andy Grote, described the incident as “very, very serious,” German news agency dpa reported.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Slovenian Nurse Says Politicians Get Saline Shots Instead of mRNA
The woman claiming to be the head nurse of the University Medical Center in Ljubljana, which takes care of receiving and managing the jab bottles for politicians, resigned and gave a press conference on the scandal.
During the conference she showed codes on the bottles where each contains 1, 2 or 3 digits, and then explained the meaning of those numbers.
Number 1 is the placebo, saline. Number 2 is a the mRNA. The number 3 is an mRNA stick that contains the onco gene, linked to the adenovirus that contributes to the development of cancer. She said those receiving the number 3 bottle will develop soft tissue cancer within two years of receiving the jab.
She says she personally witnessed the jab of all the politicians and tycoons and everyone who received the number 1 bottle, claiming they received the saline solution, a placebo. This explains why the same person administers the jab to politicians when they take pictures for the media.
[Note from reader: here is a bitchute version of the video that has English subtitles: htps://www.bitchute.com/video/WEnEy0jEjhDJ/]
| — Hat tip: Jazz | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Birthrate Declined Over Five Per Cent During 2020 Pandemic Year
Spain’s birthrate declined by over five per cent during 2020, further reducing the already low birthrate in the country, while the mortality rate jumped nearly 18 per cent.
In 2020 — a year of strict lockdowns and pandemic fears — Spain saw a total of 341,315 births, taking the birthrate down 5.35 per cent from the previous year, according to statistics published by Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE).
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Another One… Manchester United Player Stops Play, Leaves Game Early With Reported Chest Pains
Another Man Down…
Manchester United player Victor Lindelof left the pitch early today with breathing difficulties during Saturday’s 1-0 win over Norwich.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Funeral Director Says COVID-19 Jabs Causing Big Rise in Deaths
UK Funeral Director in Milton Keynes said he is seeing an unnatural increase of deaths due to heart attack, stroke, aneurism due to thrombosis embolisms from the legs and lungs. He used to see a blood clot death very rarely. He is also seeing people getting sick due to a poor immune system and dying from the common cold or flu and other similar illnesses. He said people think the solution is more jabs and boosters for COVID. He tries to explain this is killing them but they can’t be convinced.
| — Hat tip: Jazz | [Return to headlines] |
UK: London Street Protests Decry Potential Pass Restrictions for Clubs and Large Events
Plans for Covid-19 passports that restrict various indoor entertainment options were shouted down by protesters in UK streets today
The UK government’s so-called “Plan B” restrictions started yesterday with the mandate for masks in indoor theaters, cinemas, and churches. On Tuesday, a vote will take place on whether vaccine passports will be needed for admission to nightclubs and large venues.
Anger is also being stoked as rumors circulate that the UK government is working on a “Plan C” that would restrict nursing homes and make masks mandatory in pubs and restaurants.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Thirty-One Activists Arrested After Taking Action at Amazon Sites in Coventry and Rugeley
Extinction Rebellion activists have been arrested following demonstrations on Black Friday at two different Amazon sites in the West Midlands.
The campaign group targeted 13 sites in the UK, including Amazon’s largest distribution centre (Dunfermline, Fife), in order to highlight their lack of environmentally-friendly business practices and alleged exploitation of workers.
Blockades began at 4 a.m. at the Dunfermline warehouse, where. 20 activists prevented lorries both entering and leaving the Amazon site.
Activists blocked entrances using bamboo structures, banners, and locks, planning to stay for at least 48 hours.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Israel’s Health Ministry Knew Masks Had ‘No Strong Scientific Basis’ Before Imposing Mandate
Documents released under freedom of information act reveal Israel’s Health Ministry imposed policy to send ‘educational’ message to increase COVID compliance
At the end of March 2020, governments across the world were imposing numerous restrictions due to the panic surrounding the COVID outbreak. Among those countries was Israel, which by March 30 was under lockdown with the government considering implementing a new requirement to wear a face mask in all public areas. Until recently, the public was kept in the dark regarding the basis for the decision to impose the mandate.
In response to a Freedom of Information request filed by lawyer Shiloh Gadi, the government disclosed the reports that were made to the Team for Treating Epidemics (which ultimately recommended a mask mandate). One of the reports, produced by Prof. Yehuda Carmeli, Director of the National Center for Infection Prevention and Antibiotic Resistance Integrative, mentioned that opinion in several countries was that masks helped reduce the spread of the virus, but also stated that, “Studies on the subject are of a poor standard … there is no strong scientific basis for the new policy.” It also advised the Team to “provide an explanation as to why the recommendation was made, and to ensure that the public is made aware that there is no evidence that masking prevents infection.”
In addition to the admission that there is insufficient scientific basis for a mask mandate, the Team was made aware that masks can also have negative effects. “People with heart and lung impairments should consult their family doctor to ensure that breathing difficulties do not arise,” was another recommendation, noting that the public should “be made aware that the harm may outweigh the benefit.” This voice of caution is perhaps the most disturbing of all, as at no point was the general public advised to consult a doctor before masking up, or warned of possible harms masks could cause.
The dangers of mask-wearing weren’t part of the government public relations campaign, but they did make their way into the actual regulations, which exempted anyone who experienced “significant difficulties” wearing a mask from the mandate. While the government didn’t promote this exemption, a group of activists launched a webpage to raise awareness of the dangers, of the ineffectiveness of masking, and of conditions for exemptions.
The mask mandate came into effect just days after these meetings took place in April 2020 and it remains in force to this day (with the exception of a ten-day period in June 2021). The motivation for implementing a mask mandate when the government knew it had no satisfactory scientific basis is unclear. The report itself indicated that a mandate might have a “psychological effect” and that it could transmit an “educational” message to the population which could lead to greater compliance with other COVID restrictions.[…]
[Tyranny!]
| — Hat tip: MC | [Return to headlines] |
Oh, The Humanity: Chess Computers Changed the Game, But Not the Players
For a few days, chess fans could be forgiven for wondering if the end of the game was in sight.
At the World Chess Championships in Dubai last week, reigning champion Magnus Carlsen from Norway and his Russian challenger, Ian Nepomniachtchi, played to a draw in their first five games. Early analysis suggested they’d played near-perfect chess, informed in part by their training with computerized systems known as chess engines.
Four games later, however, the humanity of chess was once again on display. Carlsen had decisively won three games, with mistakes by Nepomniachtchi offering two reminders: Technology has made players better, but it can only go so far; and chess is now no more obsolete than it was before computers were invented, experts say.
“We are still humans playing at the end of the day, and the idea that we are always becoming more accurate is simply wrong,” said Viswanathan Anand, a grandmaster and former world chess champion who lost the title to Carlsen in 2013.
Carlsen sealed his defense of the championship with another win on Friday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
According to a New York Times article, a former Minsk air traffic controller told Polish services about the background of the grounding of a Ryanair plane en route from Athens to Vilnius on May 23, 2021. On board the plane was Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevich.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian Guard Member Cleared of Killing Italian
Photoreporter Andy Rocchelli killed in Donbass in 2014
(ANSA) — ROME, DEC 9 — A member of the Ukrainian national guard was definitively cleared Thursday of killing an Italian photoreporter in the eastern European country’s disputed Donbass region in May 2014.
Andy Rocchelli, 30, from Pavia was killed by Ukrainian forces on May 24 2014.
A first instance court sentenced Vitaly Markiv to 24 years in 2019 but an appeals court overturned that verdict and acquitted him in November 2020.
The acquittal was upheld by the supreme Court of Cassation on Thursday.
Makiv’s defence attorney said the trial “should never have started”.
| — Hat tip: Insubria | [Return to headlines] |
Judicial Watch requested information through a FOIA request from the US government that confirms what we have been reporting for some time — that US doctors and institutions knew they were working with the Chinese military on COVID-related research.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ivanhoe Grammar, a co-educational private school in Victoria, stands accused of favouring girls when it comes to enrolments. An approved exemption is in place to accommodate female students.
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
A Queensland farmer has outlined how important a supply of urea is to our daily lives — and said if the shortage isn’t solved normal life would be ‘brought to a standstill’
| — Hat tip: SS | [Return to headlines] |
New Zealand: Nurse Hospitalized for Pfizer Vaccine — 7th Admitted That Day
Stallone Edmonds Tepania is a 33-year-old registered nurse and mother of 3 in New Zealand.
She recently went public on social media to share her story of being diagnosed with pericarditis, inflammation of the sac around the heart, after being injected with a second dose of a COVID-19 shot…
She states that she was actually placed in a section of the hospital that was treating vaccine injuries, and that she was the 7th person admitted that day suffering a heart problem following a Pfizer shot.
She was told that about one out of 10 people admitted to the hospital with these COVID-19 vaccine-caused damaged hearts were not surviving. They are dying from cardiac arrest.
| — Hat tip: Jazz | [Return to headlines] |
Thousands of Protesters Expected to Hit Melbourne Streets Over Vaccine Mandates
Thousands of “freedom” protesters will hit the streets of Melbourne on Sunday in a move that’s set to cause another day of disruption for the city.
Protesters have met for several weeks to rally against the state’s vaccine mandates, Covid restrictions and Victoria’s pandemic legislation.
This week, protest organisers urged people to bring their children along.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joe Biden’s open borders policies are deadly.
55 people died and more than 100 are injured after a tractor-trailer smuggling migrants from Guatemala, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Honduras crashed into a bridge and flipped over on Thursday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Belgium: Up to 70 Per Cent of ‘Child’ Migrants Given Age Tests Turn Out to be Adults
Sammy Mahdi, Belgium’s Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, has stated that up to 70 per cent of “child” migrants submitted for age testing by the government turn out to be adults.
Mahdi commented this week on the situation regarding so-called unaccompanied minors after it was revealed that a migrant arrival centre run by the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) in Brussels had become so overwhelmed that it was not able to accept some migrants, with around 15 being turned away for the first time since 2015.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Anti-Mass Migration Activist Claims Migrant Sexually Assaulted Her in Her Home
Anti-mass migration activist and former spokeswoman for the group Generation Identitaire Thaïs d’Escufon has reported that a North African man broke into her home and sexually assaulted her.
Ms d’Escufon stated that a North African man claiming to be Tunisian followed her home, taking advantage of the fact she was wearing earphones at the time to track her unnoticed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Gov’t: Top Court Strengthened Hungarian Migration Policy
Friday’s ruling of Hungary’s Constitutional Court has bolstered the government’s migration policy and allows its full implementation, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff said.
Gergely Gulyas told a press conference on Friday that the Constitutional Court’s “clear and unequivocal” decision that Hungary may apply its own measures wherever the European Union has not fully worked out EU joint competences had strengthened the government’s position that Hungary “has the right to protect its borders independently of the EU”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hungary: PM Orban: Strong Anti-Immigration, Family-Friendly European Party Alliance Needed
A large and strong anti-immigration, pro-family European party alliance needs to be formed, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio in an interview on Friday.
Referring to talks between right-wing party leaders in Warsaw last week, Orban said negotiations between these parties had been going on for many months and numerous organizational steps had to be made. He spoke about personal ambitions and rival parties in certain countries which made it harder for them to enter into an agreement. “But they’re moving step by step, and the next meeting will be held in Spain early next year.”
At the moment anti-immigration, pro-family parties are in the minority in Europe, he said.
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Italy: Two Arrested Over Double Sexual Assault in Varese Area
Men accused of attacking, raping women Friday night
ROME, DEC 6 — Two men have been arrested on rape charges for allegedly sexually assaulting on Friday night two young women, one on a local train travelling from Milan to Varese and another one at a station near Varese.
The two youths, an Italian and an undocumented Moroccan migrant, were arrested Sunday at the order of prosecutors in Varese, Lombardy, who are investigating the case.
The men were arrested inside an apartment in Saronno, near Varese, after neighbors called the police because of loud music and noise during a party being held there.
The suspects are accused of sexually assaulting the two women, who are in their twenties.
The first woman, who was on a Trenord commuter train travelling from Milano Cadorna to Varese Nord, was reportedly raped on board the train.
The second was sexually assaulted just a few minutes after the first rape inside the station of Venegono Inferiore, near Varese, but was able to escape, investigative sources said.
Both pressed charges and helped police compile an identikit of their assailants after being taken to the Dal Ponte hospital in Varese for treatment.
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North Macedonia Finds 41 Migrants in Van, Arrests Driver
SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Police in North Macedonia have discovered 41 migrants, including five children, in a routine police check on a main highway and have arrested the van’s driver. Police said Saturday that their patrol have stopped the van late Friday in front of the toll station near the central town of Negotino. In all, 41 migrants from Cuba and India were discovered packed in the van. Police arrested the 20-year-old van driver, a Serb citizen identified only by his initials as F.R. The migrants were transferred to the main migrant shelter in southern border town of Gevgelija. They are believe to have entered North Macedonia illegally from Greece and will be deported back.
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People-Smugglers Now Advertising Russia-Finland Border Route to EU to Illegals
The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (SUPO) has confirmed reports that people-smugglers are now advertising crossings from Russia to Finland to migrants, as many abandon attempts to enter the European Union from Belarus in the face of strong border enforcement by Poland and the Baltic States.
Since the middle of last month people-smugglers have begun advertising the Russia-Finland route into the European Union, according to an intelligence research group who looked at Kurdish and Arabic forums on social media platforms like Facebook that are geared toward migrants looking to enter Western Europe.
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Polish PM Says European Borders Must be Secure, Calls for Unity
Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said during a visit to Rome that the EU must ensure the security of its borders.
Morawiecki was in Italy to meet Mario Draghi, his Italian counterpart.
“Europe must be able to ensure the security of its border,” Morawiecki told reporters on Thursday after what he called “long and constructive talks” with Draghi.
“It is very important for the entire North Atlantic Alliance to be on the same wavelength,” he added.
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The United Nations just unveiled a statue of a beast outside its headquarters in New York City. The statue is bizarre and resembles the beast from the book of Revelation.
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Target Delists Matt Walsh Book Johnny the Walrus That Was Accused of Transphobia
Daily Wire’s podcast host and kids’ book author Matt Walsh appears to have been censored by Target. The retailer removed his new best-selling kids’ book Johnny the Walrus from its website.
On Friday, Walsh tweeted a “product unavailable” screenshot from Target’s website. He wrote: “The canceling begins. Target has removed Johnny the Walrus from their website. No explanation has been given.”
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Twitter Will Now Ban Users That Repeatedly Claim Vaccinated People Can Spread COVID
Twitter has quietly updated its “COVID-19 misleading information policy” to impose new sanctions on tweets about vaccines, PCR tests, and health authorities. These sanctions include removing and labeling tweets. Both types of sanctions also result in Twitter users accruing strikes on their account which can lead to a permanent suspension.
While the top of Twitter’s COVID-19 misleading information policy page currently states “Overview November 2021,” a December 2 archive of the page shows that the page was updated and the “Overview November 2021” text was added after December 2.
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Re: Culture Wars, “Pure Evil”, etc.
While I hold no brief for the wretched UN, I see that the statue was made by a couple of Mexican artists, and I’d take a guess (and it is only a guess) that it was inspired by the pre-Columbian art of that country.
Now, while I also know nothing of the deities (?) which may have provided the inspiration, I’d be truly amazed to learn that the Aztecs were familiar with the Book of Revelation, however horrible some of their practices.
https://www.friatider.se/blottare-pa-moderna-museet-slipper-straff-var-konst
picture
https://www.friatider.se/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/645563.jpg
A film from the event shows how Uwe Max Jensen naked walks up to visitors to the museum and barks at them like a dog.
Flasher at the Moderna museet escape punishment – be art
Published 12 December 2021 at 16.14
A Danish artist ran around naked among the visitors at the Moderna museet in Stockholm today and pretended to be a dog. But according to the police, he has not committed any crime.
The incident occurred at lunchtime today, writes Aftonbladet.
– He stood up on the “back paws”, barked and pretended to pee on the road, says a woman who witnessed the incident to Aftonbladet.
The police first reported that there were four different naked men at the museum, but it seems that three of them have filmed the fourth, who was naked.
When the police arrived at the scene, only one of the men was left, and he was dressed.
According to the police, the men are not suspected of any crime, with reference to the fact that the intention was not to harass anyone. The case is closed.
According to Kulturnytt in P1, the naked man was the Danish artist Uwe Max Jensen, who wanted to protest that the Moderna museet does not include the artist Lars Vilk’s legendary drawing of the roundabout dog Mohammad in its collection.
Lars Vilks:
Jan III Sobieski and one off many roundabout (rondell-) dogs
named Mohammad at the Schloss Bodissey.
https://gatesofvienna.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/vilkssobieski.jpg