Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/18/2021

An explosion at a bank in the Pakistani city of Karachi collapsed the building and killed at least fifteen people. The bank was built above a major sewer, and it is thought that sewer gas may have ignited to cause the explosion.

In other news, thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate against vaccine mandates and vaccine passports in Melbourne, Belfast, and multiple cities in Germany.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, Reader from Chicago, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Notice to tipsters: Please don’t submit extensive excerpts from articles that have been posted behind a subscription firewall, or are otherwise under copyright protection.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. I check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Financial Crisis
» Argentine Inflation Reaches 45 Percent in Year to Date
» Inflation in Venezuela Was 8.4% in November 2021
» Poland: Experts Believe Wage Growth Likely to Exceed 8 Pct in 2022
» Polish HICP Inflation Up by 7.4 Pct Y/Y in November — Eurostat
 
USA
» Canadian Man Extradited to U.S. On Terrorism Funding Charges Pleads Guilty
» Climate Alarmist Threatens ‘Mass Deaths’ From Melting of Permafrost
» DC Bar Restores Status of Convicted Ex-FBI Lawyer Who Deceived the FISA Court During Russia Probe
» Exclusive: House Republicans Introduce Bill to Make COVID-19 Data Publicly Available
» Exclusive — Christopher Rufo: CRT Fight Going Nationwide, Even Biden-Voting Democrats Oppose
» Major Fail: Just 38% Back BBB, Only 62% Democrats
» New York Times Fires Editor Who Left Profanity-Laced Voicemails for Gun Rights Group After School Shooting
» Parents Group Claims Two Schools Discriminated Against Students Based on Race
» Philadelphia Teen Shoots Robber at Point Blank Range in Wild Video
» Police: Man Dead After Shooting at Deputies During Chase
» Rantz: Seattle Police ‘Unavailable’ List Grows, City an Emergency Event Away From Catastrophe
» Signal Increases Video Call Participants to 40
» Tim Dillon Rips the Media for Ignoring and Distorting the Waukesha Massacre
 
Canada
» Ontario Court Declares Math Proficiency Test ‘Unconstitutional’
 
Europe and the EU
» AP Lauds Pope Francis’s Crackdown on Latin Mass as Highlight of His 85th Year
» COVID: Dutch Go Into Christmas Lockdown Over Omicron Wave
» Denmark Wants to Send Hundreds of Foreign Criminals to Danish-Staffed Prison in Kosovo
» Germany: Thousands Protest Against COVID Measures Across Country
» German Government Ignores Court Ruling Against 2G
» Irish Minister Threatens ‘Several Years’ of Lockdowns With Only ‘Periods of Freedom’
» Italian Police Seize Fake COVID Passes in Nationwide Raids
» Northern Ireland: As it Happened: Anti ‘Vaccine Passports’ Protest Takes Place in Belfast
» Researchers Discover Water in Expansive Canyon on Mars
» UK Govt Proposes Two-Week ‘Circuit Breaker’ Lockdown Amid Omicron Doomsday Predictions
» UK: Black Lives Matter Statue Toppling an ‘Act of Love’, Court Told
» UK: COVID: Police Clash With Protesters as Thousands March Through London Against New Restrictions
» UK: Farage Hails ‘True Brexiteer’ Frost’s Decision to Quit — With Brutal Swipe at Boris
» Wikipedia Threatens to Purge ‘Communist Mass Killings’ Page, Cites Anti-Communist Bias
 
South Asia
» Pakistan: Explosion at Karachi Bank Leaves at Least 15 Dead
 
Far East
» Beijing Pays US Social Media Influencers to Hype Olympics, Downplay Boycotts
 
Australia — Pacific
» Hundreds of Protesters Suffer Through 34C Heat to Rally Against Vaccine Mandates and Dan Andrews’ Pandemic Bill
 
Immigration
» Belgium: Prosecutor Wants 15 Years for Alleged Trafficker Linked to Death of 39 Migrants
» France: Illegal Alien Shoots Rifle at Police Officers Trying to Stop Brawl
» Greek Gov’t to Expand Evros Border Fence With Turkey
» No Jail Time for Washington Man Who Helped Migrants Enter Canada Illegally
» Texas Starts Building Trump-Sized Border Wall
» UK: Farage Predicts ‘Doom’ For Boris at Election Over Borders as ‘Hundreds’ More Illegals Land
» UK: Migrant Crossings: More Than 900 Cross Channel in Two Days
 
Culture Wars
» Google Docs Notifications Are Updated to Restrict Docs That Contain “Hate Speech” And “Misleading” Content
» Huge Yikes! Lutheran Church Hosts Drag Queen Prayer Time for Children
» Quidditch to Change Name, Citing J.K. Rowling’s ‘Anti-Trans Positions’
» UK: Oxford University Race Task Force Proposes Woke Scores for Hiring Academics
» Williams: LGBTQ Nation Essay Implies ‘You Ain’t Gay if You Don’t Vote Democrat’
 

Argentine Inflation Reaches 45 Percent in Year to Date

Argentina’s inflation for 2021 reached 45 percent in November after a monthly increase of 2.5 percent, the Indec statistics institute said on Tuesday.

Cost of living in the South American country has increased by 51 percent year on year, one of the largest spikes in the world.

The central bank expects inflation to reach 51 percent by the end of 2021.

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

Inflation in Venezuela Was 8.4% in November 2021

Caracas, Dec 12 (EFE) .— Inflation last November in Venezuela, measured by the National Consumer Price Index (INPC), was 8.4%, making it the third consecutive month with a figure single digit, according to data released by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV).

The highest price increase occurred in education services (22.4%), home equipment (12.2%) and miscellaneous goods and services (11.3%), according to data published on the BCV website .

Inflation in October, always according to the central bank, was 6.8% and in September 7.1%.

Venezuela entered a period of hyperinflation in November 2017, which can be considered overcome after 12 consecutive months with price increases below 50% each month.

December 2020 was the last month in which the INPC registered an increase of more than 50%, specifically 77.5%.

According to BCV figures cited by specialized media, accumulated inflation reached 631.1% in December, while the interannual was 1,197.5%.

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

Poland: Experts Believe Wage Growth Likely to Exceed 8 Pct in 2022

An economic think-tank has said wage increases are expected to go above 8 percent in 2022.

Wage growth in Poland has been on the rise for a number of months, and in November hit 9.8 percent, owing to a high demand for labour, according to the Central Statistical Office (GUS).

“Wage increases are likely to exceed 8 percent in 2022,” Polish Economic Institute (PIE) experts wrote on Friday.

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

Polish HICP Inflation Up by 7.4 Pct Y/Y in November — Eurostat

Poland’s Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) rose by 7.4 percent year on year in November 2021, against a 6.4 percent growth in the previous month, Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics office, reported on Friday.

Month on month, prices increased by 0.9 percent, Eurostat data showed.

HICP is calculated according to uniform Eurostat methodology.

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

Canadian Man Extradited to U.S. On Terrorism Funding Charges Pleads Guilty

An Edmonton man who was extradited to the United States to face charges he helped fund Islamic State terrorism has pleaded guilty in exchange for a 20-year prison sentence.

A statement from the United States Department of Justice says that according to his plea agreement in federal court Friday, Abdullahi Ahmed Abdullahi admitted he provided money to his four cousins, as well as former San Diego resident Douglas McAuthur McCain, to fund their terrorist activities in Syria.

The statement says he also admitted to robbing an Edmonton jewelry store in 2014 to finance the conspirators’ travel from North America to support and join terrorist fighters in Syria.

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

Climate Alarmist Threatens ‘Mass Deaths’ From Melting of Permafrost

A University of Wisconsin professor has prophesied that for “most of humanity” life in 2050 will be “a desperate struggle to find food, water, shelter, and safety” because of climate change.

Alfred McCoy, who teaches history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, writes this week that by mid-century, “rising seas will have flooded the downtowns of major cities that once housed more than 100 million people.”

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

DC Bar Restores Status of Convicted Ex-FBI Lawyer Who Deceived the FISA Court During Russia Probe

Kevin Clinesmith, the former senior FBI lawyer who was placed on probation as a convicted felon for falsifying a surveillance document during the Trump-Russia investigation, has been returned to “good standing” as a member of the D.C. Bar Association.

In August of 2020, Clinesmith pleaded guilty to doctoring an email that was then used to justify a surveillance warrant that targeted former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. As a result, Clinesmith was sentenced in January to 12 months probation, though the D.C. bar did not seek his disbarment.

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

Exclusive: House Republicans Introduce Bill to Make COVID-19 Data Publicly Available

Republicans in the House of Representatives introduced a bill on Thursday that would require all federal agencies to make records related to the COVID-19 pandemic available for public review within 100 days.

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

Exclusive — Christopher Rufo: CRT Fight Going Nationwide, Even Biden-Voting Democrats Oppose

WILDWOOD, Florida — Christopher Rufo, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and Critical Race Theory (CRT) critic who blew the lid off the prevalence of CRT training in the federal government, told Breitbart News on Wednesday that the fight has shifted to a nationwide battle, as seen with Glenn Youngkin’s (R) victory in Virginia, noting that it is both a bipartisan and multiracial movement with support from Republicans, independents, and “even many Biden-supporting Democrats.”

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

Major Fail: Just 38% Back BBB, Only 62% Democrats

As Democrats scramble to save President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion Build Back Better spend-and-tax plan, more voters are sending a signal that it’s time to cut bait and move on.

In the latest gauge of the slumping support for the controversial leg of Biden’s social welfare agenda, Rasmussen Reports said Friday morning that just 38% of likely voters support BBB. Another 45% are opposed.

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

New York Times Fires Editor Who Left Profanity-Laced Voicemails for Gun Rights Group After School Shooting

It must be difficult being a New York Times employee. It can be really hard to know what conduct the company considers acceptable and what will get you canned.

Sarah Jeong has a long history of issuing racist tweets, yet she’s still an editorial writer for the Gray Lady. Reporter Taylor Lorenz has serially embarrassed herself and the newspaper over the years, but still apparently meets the paper of record’s high standards for accuracy and rectitude.

However, when a Wirecutter (a NYT property) editor left some, uh, intemperate voicemails for Great Lakes Gun Rights after a Michigan school shooting, she apparently crossed an invisible line.

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

Parents Group Claims Two Schools Discriminated Against Students Based on Race

A parents group has filed complaints with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, claiming that two schools are discriminating against students on the basis of race.

Parents Defending Education (PDE) alleges that a monthly playground night reserved for non-white families at Centennial Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, and a field trip advertised to non-white students at Downer’s Grove South High School in Downer’s Grove, Illinois, violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

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

Philadelphia Teen Shoots Robber at Point Blank Range in Wild Video

A teen in Philadelphia blasted a robber attempting to steal from his mother.

According to NBC10, three unnamed suspects entered Bold Pizza in the Spring Garden neighborhood late last Thursday night, and one nearly lost his life. When the robber reached over the counter and started fighting for money and choking a woman, her 14-year-old son pulled out a handgun and shot him in the head from inches away.

The three bad guys fled the scene, but the man who was shot was eventually found bleeding heavily. He is in critical condition, according to the same report. It’s not known if the bad guys were armed.

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

Police: Man Dead After Shooting at Deputies During Chase

CULPEPER, Va. (AP) — A man accused of shooting at sheriff’s deputies and other cars during a chase in Virginia died after his vehicle crashed into an embankment, police said.

Jeremy Yates, 21, of Culpeper, died at the scene of Friday night’s crash on a road in Rappahannock County near the Culpeper County line, according to a Virginia State Police news release.

Nobody else was injured in the incident.

Yates’ body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manassas for an autopsy.

Investigators recovered two handguns from Yates’ 2018 Chevrolet Colorado after the crash, police said…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Rantz: Seattle Police ‘Unavailable’ List Grows, City an Emergency Event Away From Catastrophe

The Seattle Police Department staffing emergency continues. The city is one emergency event away from a serious catastrophe. But leaders and the media remain mostly silent.

The so-called “HR Unavailable” list has grown considerably as of Dec. 10. This list features officers who are on extended leave and cannot be deployed. Officers only appear on the list after being absent for a minimum of 14 days.

Concurrently, the department continues to struggle to fill vacant patrol slots to meet minimum staffing numbers. Every single precinct, in every single watch, has open slots for nearly every single day in December.

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

Signal Increases Video Call Participants to 40

Signal has increased the number of participants in its secure video calls, from five to 40. The feature puts it ahead of its main rivals WhatsApp and Telegram.

There are dozens of options for messaging applications in the market. The most notable ones are WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal, although the first one trumps all the other in number of users.

Signal is a preferred choice for those who value privacy and security. However, it was lagging behind in the group video call feature, well, until this week.

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

Tim Dillon Rips the Media for Ignoring and Distorting the Waukesha Massacre

Tim Dillon unloaded on the coverage of the Waukesha massacre in a recent podcast episode.

In the latest episode of “The Tim Dillon Show,” the star comedian mocked the idea that the SUV allegedly being driven by Darrell Brooks just ran over and killed six people during a Christmas parade without any human role at all.

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

Ontario Court Declares Math Proficiency Test ‘Unconstitutional’

The Ontario Math Proficiency Test has been declared “unconstitutional” Friday by the Ontario Divisional Court, due to concerns about it being racially biased.

The test in question has been administered to prospective teachers in the province of Ontario, as part of their ongoing certification process.

The court has ruled that the Ontario College of Teachers shall grant certification to teacher candidates who have not yet passed the math proficiency test but who have otherwise met all other teacher certification requirements.

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

AP Lauds Pope Francis’s Crackdown on Latin Mass as Highlight of His 85th Year

ROME — An Associated Press (AP) analysis showcases Pope Francis’s clampdown on the traditional Latin Mass as one of his most significant accomplishments in 2021.

Citing the measure as an indication the pope has taken “the gloves off,” AP praises him for sticking it to conservative Catholics who preferred to worship God according to the traditional liturgy, in which Catholics have prayed for centuries.

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

COVID: Dutch Go Into Christmas Lockdown Over Omicron Wave

The Netherlands has announced a strict lockdown over Christmas amid concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Non-essential shops, bars, gyms hairdressers and other public venues will be closed until at least mid-January. Two guests per household will be allowed — four over the holidays.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the measures were “unavoidable”.

Countries across Europe have been tightening restrictions as the heavily mutated variant spreads.

The new rules in the Netherlands — the strictest to have been announced over Omicron so far — come into force on Sunday.

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

Denmark Wants to Send Hundreds of Foreign Criminals to Danish-Staffed Prison in Kosovo

The Danish government is hammering out a deal to transfer hundreds of foreign criminals to a prison rented and run by the Danish authorities in Kosovo.

The Muslim-majority Balkan territory, whose bloody declaration of independence from Serbia a few years after a NATO bombing campaign against what was then Yugoslavia remains unrecognised by many countries including EU member-states Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, Spain, and Romania, is in advanced talks to take around 300 of 368 foreign prisoners in Denmark who have been scheduled for deportation.

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

Germany: Thousands Protest Against COVID Measures Across Country

Opponents of vaccinations and the German government’s coronavirus policies demonstrated in several German cities on Saturday.

Several thousand people took to the streets in the northern port city of Hamburg, then marched in several blocks through the city center, police said. About 8,000 attendees were registered.

“No to compulsory vaccination!” was written on self-made placards, as well as “Hands off our children.”

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

German Government Ignores Court Ruling Against 2G

Even after a court ruling in Lower Saxony banning the 2G rule in shops, the German government continues to apply special Corona requirements for retailers. In Berlin, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit defended the access rule for vaccinated and convalescent people (2G), shrugging off the judicial imperative.

The federal government is also convinced that the Infection Protection Act is “clear” on this matter and it has been ignoring the court ruling.

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

Irish Minister Threatens ‘Several Years’ of Lockdowns With Only ‘Periods of Freedom’

ROME — Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste) Leo Varadkar has warned of a “long war” with the coronavirus, during which the government may allow only “periods of freedom” for the people.

The number of cases of the Omicron variant will “break all records” as soon as next week, Mr Varadkar claimed, based on modelling from Ireland’s National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet).

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

Italian Police Seize Fake COVID Passes in Nationwide Raids

Italian State Police, on behalf of the Naples Prosecutor’s Office, have conducted 40 searches and made 67 seizures of fake coronavirus health passes, identifying at least 120 buyers of the forgeries.

The passes, which were sold online for as little as 120-200 euros (£102-170/$135-225), were created after criminals were able to exploit weaknesses in the country’s health pass system, known in Italy as the Green Pass.

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

Northern Ireland: As it Happened: Anti ‘Vaccine Passports’ Protest Takes Place in Belfast

Anti ‘vaccine passport’ protesters gathered at Belfast City Hall for a protest on Saturday afternoon.

The event was planned for 2pm on Saturday.

A social media flier for today’s event stated ‘Enough is enough. Say No to Vax Passports’.

The rally comes in the wake of similar events in the city centre and less than a week after a heated debate in the Assembly over the issue of the Covid certification scheme.

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

Researchers Discover Water in Expansive Canyon on Mars

Dec. 16 (UPI) — A European spacecraft orbiting Mars has identified a “water-rich area” about the size of the Netherlands in the heart of a canyon system that dwarfs the Earth’s Grand Canyon.

The European Space Agency said on Wednesday that its ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, which the agency launched jointly with Russia’s Roscosmos in 2016, spotted “significant amounts of water” in Mars’ expansive Valles Marineris canyon system. Researchers published the findings in the journal Icarus.

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

UK Govt Proposes Two-Week ‘Circuit Breaker’ Lockdown Amid Omicron Doomsday Predictions

The British government is reportedly preparing plans for a two-week “circuit breaker” lockdown before the end of the year amid doomsday predictions from scientific advisors of up to 5,000 deaths per day from the Omicron variant of the Chinese coronavirus.

Leaked lockdown proposals would see England return to the restrictions imposed as the “Step 2” plan enacted after the winter shutdown last year. Under the plans, ministers are said to be considering reimposing a ban on indoor mixing, with exceptions carved out for workplaces, according to The Times of London.

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

UK: Black Lives Matter Statue Toppling an ‘Act of Love’, Court Told

The toppling of a statue during a Black Lives Matter protest last year was an “act of love”, a court has been told.

The toppling of a statue of 17th-century merchant Edward Colston during a Black Lives Matter protest last year has been called an “act of love”.

Defendant Sage Willoughby made the comment during his trial at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday.

According to the BBC, Willoughby and three other defendants have been accused of causing criminal damage during the Black Lives Matter protest, which took place in the city in June of 2020.

All four have denied the charge.

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

UK: COVID: Police Clash With Protesters as Thousands March Through London Against New Restrictions

Thousands of protesters have marched through London to voice their anger over the latest COVID restrictions.

Amid reports that further measures could be on the way, crowds assembled in Parliament Square as part of a “Freedom Rally” against vaccine passports and other virus rules.

Demonstrators shouted “shame on you” as they clashed with police — with some officers suffering minor injuries while escorting a police motorcyclist through the area at around 12.30pm, Scotland Yard said.

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

UK: Farage Hails ‘True Brexiteer’ Frost’s Decision to Quit — With Brutal Swipe at Boris

NIGEL Farage immediately turned his sights on Boris Johnson after the stunning resignation of Lord David Frost — claiming the Prime Minister is neither a conservative nor a “true Brexiteer”.

Lord Frost’s decision was being widely reported on Sunday, with the Mail on Sunday suggesting it had been prompted by the introduction Plan B Covid measures, including vaccine passports. He is also thought to be unhappy at planned tax rises and the cost of ‘net zero’ environmental policies.

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

Wikipedia Threatens to Purge ‘Communist Mass Killings’ Page, Cites Anti-Communist Bias

“A spectre is haunting Europe—the specter of communism.” This is the preamble to Karl Marx’s “The Communist Manifesto,” a document responsible for inspiring some of the worst dictators in human history.

Men like Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Pol Pot all used the words penned by Marx to justify acts of horrific violence. And Wikipedia doesn’t want you to know about communism’s legacy of death and ruin.

Visitors to the “Mass killings under communist regimes” Wikipedia entry were greeted with a disclaimer that the page “is being considered for deletion” for a myriad of reasons including neutrality issues and factual inaccuracies.

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

Pakistan: Explosion at Karachi Bank Leaves at Least 15 Dead

At least 15 people were killed and 16 others injured in an explosion on Saturday at a bank branch in Karachi’s industrial area, police said.

A senior police officer said the blast at a branch of Habib Bank Ltd, Pakistan’s largest lender, could have been caused by a gas leak. Sarfaraz Nawaz also told reporters that the building appeared to have been constructed over a sewage drain.

“Our explosives teams are at work trying to ascertain the nature of the blast, but apparently the structure was constructed on a drain and gas could be a probable cause,” he said.

In a statement on Twitter, Habib Bank said an explosion had damaged its branch and caused casualties and injuries. “Our sympathies are with the bereaved families,” it added.

A petrol station located next to the bank within the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate and cars parked nearby were badly damaged. Television footage showed the bank’s floor ripped apart, exposing twisted iron bars.

“So far 15 people have died and 16 were brought injured to hospital,” Karachi’s administrator Murtaza Wahab said in a tweet.

Another senior police officer, Sharjeel Kharal, told reporters it was not immediately clear how many were dead or injured in the explosion as the bank had a skeleton staff on Saturday…

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Beijing Pays US Social Media Influencers to Hype Olympics, Downplay Boycotts

China’s government is paying social media influencers in the U.S. to promote the Beijing Olympics and distract from diplomatic boycotts over its human rights violations, according to disclosures filed with the Department of Justice.

The Chinese Consulate is paying Vippi, a New Jersey-based public relations firm, $300,000 to have influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch promote the Beijing Olympics, according to the disclosures. The influencers will also be required to promote U.S.-China cooperation on issues, including energy and climate change.

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

Hundreds of Protesters Suffer Through 34C Heat to Rally Against Vaccine Mandates and Dan Andrews’ Pandemic Bill

Hundreds of anti-vaxx protesters have gathered in Melbourne to fight vaccine mandates and the pandemic bill.

Demonstrators gathered at the intersection of Bourke Street and Spring Street at 12pm on Saturday, as the mercury soared to 34C.

Some waved flags while other beat drums as they made their way through the streets.

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

Belgium: Prosecutor Wants 15 Years for Alleged Trafficker Linked to Death of 39 Migrants

The Belgian Federal Prosecutor’s Office wants a sentence of at least 15 years for alleged people-trafficker Vo Van Hong, who is accused of being connected to the deaths of 39 people in a truck in southern England in 2019.

The 45-year-old Vietnamese national is on trial for the deaths of 39 people, who were also Vietnamese nationals, along with 22 others, who the prosecutor wants to be sentenced to terms of between one year and ten years.

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

France: Illegal Alien Shoots Rifle at Police Officers Trying to Stop Brawl

An illegal migrant armed with a rifle shot several times at French police officers in the city centre of Carpentras on Wednesday morning after they stopped a brawl.

The brawl took place at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday and involved five people. Police were alerted to the incident by local residents and arrived on the scene a short time later. When the officers arrived, four of the people involved fled the area, while the remaining man was treated for injuries.

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

Greek Gov’t to Expand Evros Border Fence With Turkey

The government will expand the border fence with Turkey in the country’s northeast by 26km, Civil Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos told MPs on Friday.

Addressing the Parliamentary Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affair, he said in addition to repairing the existing fence near the town of Kastanies in northern Evros, 26km of additional fencing would be erected at selected locations in the wider area around Feres town.

He said the measures would protect Greece’s border and prevent illegal migratory flows.

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

No Jail Time for Washington Man Who Helped Migrants Enter Canada Illegally

An American man who pleaded guilty to helping foreign nationals illegally enter Canada won’t see any further jail time.

Robert Boule, who owns the Smuggler’s Inn bed and breakfast in Blaine, Wash., was sentenced to time served and probation on Friday in a B.C. court.

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of 12 to 15 months in jail, while Boule’s defence had asked for a conditional sentence with time served, arguing he had a heart condition and suffered from dementia.

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

Texas Starts Building Trump-Sized Border Wall

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has broken ground on the construction of a wall along its southern border with Mexico, a deliberately extravagant gesture intended to show a willingness to defend the area against illegal immigrants while Washington remains idle.

The go-it-alone effort is meant to deter mass migration to and through Texas after a year that saw more people come across between ports of entry than during any year in the Border Patrol’s 97-year existence.

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

UK: Farage Predicts ‘Doom’ For Boris at Election Over Borders as ‘Hundreds’ More Illegals Land

Brexit leader Nigel Farage has warned that the Tories may be “doomed” at the next general election unless they deal with the migrant crisis in the English Channel, claiming that “six hundred migrants” landed in Britain on Thursday.

While Mr Farage predicted that the market town of North Shropshire, which Boris Johnson just lost to the Liberal Democrats in a by-election, will “in all probability go back to the Conservatives” at the next general election, he warned that a “bigger problem” which continues to unfold in the waters between England and France could cost the party even more seats when the country next goes to the polls.

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

UK: Migrant Crossings: More Than 900 Cross Channel in Two Days

More than 900 people have crossed the Channel in small boats over two days, the Home Office has confirmed.

On Thursday 559 people were picked up off the Kent coast after making the crossing in 19 boats, and on Friday 358 people crossed in 10 boats.

Over the two days the French authorities stopped 564 people from setting off.

More than 27,700 people have made the crossing in small boats so far this year, compared to 8,400 in 2020.

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

Google Docs Notifications Are Updated to Restrict Docs That Contain “Hate Speech” And “Misleading” Content

Google has announced new notifications in Google Drive that show that the platform has restricted the sharing and access of files that violate its policies. In a blog post, the tech giant said that it will restrict the sharing of files that violate its Terms of Service and abuse program policies.

If a file is flagged for violating policies, the owner will still have full access but sharing will not be possible and those who already had a link will no longer have access.

The owner of the file will receive an email informing them their files have been restricted. They will be able to appeal the decision by requesting a review of their own document.

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

Huge Yikes! Lutheran Church Hosts Drag Queen Prayer Time for Children

This is a truly disturbing event.

A Lutheran Church in Logan Square in the Chicago area hosted a drag queen prayer time for kids during their Sunday service this past week.

I’m not exaggerating in any way. A drag queen took the pulpit, spoke to the congregation, then left the pulpit and invited children to sit at his feet as he read a book about joy. A sick adaptation of the drag queen story hours libraries have been hosting the last few years.

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

Quidditch to Change Name, Citing J.K. Rowling’s ‘Anti-Trans Positions’

Quidditch, a sport inspired by the “Harry Potter” franchise, is changing its name after several associations cited author J.K. Rowling’s “anti-trans positions.”

Two major Quidditch organizations, U.S. Quidditch and Major League Quidditch, said in a joint statement various surveys will be conducted to determine a new name for the sport, NBC News reported.

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

UK: Oxford University Race Task Force Proposes Woke Scores for Hiring Academics

The University of Oxford is reportedly considering using woke scores when judging the qualifications of prospective academics in order to supposedly increase diversity at the school.

A series of proposals from Oxford’s race equality task force include calls for England’s oldest university to “embed” the principle of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) into “all recruitment” of university staff and academics.

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

Williams: LGBTQ Nation Essay Implies ‘You Ain’t Gay if You Don’t Vote Democrat’

An essay in the LGBTQ Nation online magazine has hammered Republican members of their tribe, insisting that they vote “against their own community.”

Arguing for unthinking homogenization into a single voting bloc, an essay in the San Francisco-based news magazine calls the existence of LGBTQ Republicans “one of the enduring mysteries in politics.”

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

3 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 12/18/2021

  1. Thousands of people have demonstrated against coronavirus rules in several major German cities, including Hamburg and Düsseldorf. ***Pandemic deniers have become increasingly displeased with virus-related regulations.***

    In case anybody is not already aware, “Deutsche Welle”, from which this propaganda comes, is a left-wing government mouthpiece.

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