A suicide bomber blew himself up outside a bar and restaurant in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more. The bomber had attempted to enter the restaurant, but was stopped by security, so he detonated himself outside the entrance. A local ISIS affiliate is reportedly responsible for the atrocity.
In other news, 67 illegal migrants crossed the English Channel and entered the UK on Christmas Day.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, MM, 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.
“Alexa, You’re Fired” — a Quarter of Users Abandon Spying Devices Within 2 Weeks
Anyone with an Amazon Alexa device has likely noticed that the smart speaker has tried to upsell them while asking about the weather in the last few months. This is because Amazon understands there is fading interest in its money-losing Alexa voice-controlled smart speaker division.
According to internal data obtained by Bloomberg, 15% to 25% of new Alexa users during 2018 through 2021 completely abandoned the device in the second week of ownership.
Amazon concluded that the market for smart speakers had “passed its growth phase” last year and would only grow 1.2% annually moving forward.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“We Could Do Better at What She Does”— West Virginia Coal Miner Blasts Bette Midler
Bette Midler smeared West Virginians in a disgusting tweet attacking Joe Manchin.
She called West Virginia “poor, illiterate, and strung out.”
She later apologized.
One West Virginia Coal Miner, Bo Copley, went on Fox News to blast her.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
“We Will Make America Great Again!” Trump Christmas Statement to the American People
President Trump released a Christmas message on Saturday.
“Merry Christmas to all. We will make America Great Again!”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Avenatti Likely to Testify at Trial Over Stormy Daniels Deal
NEW YORK (AP) — There is a strong likelihood that Michael Avenatti will testify at a New York trial where the once high-flying California lawyer is accused of swindling porn star Stormy Daniels out of a book deal’s proceeds, his lawyers say.
The lawyers mentioned the likely testimony in a letter Thursday as they asked a judge to postpone his Jan. 24 trial for four months.
They cited voluminous materials they say were recently demanded by prosecutors in the event Avenatti planned to testify.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Boosters Required at Northwestern, Loyola, University of Chicago
CHICAGO — Administrators at private universities in the Chicago area announced that COVID-19 vaccine booster shots will be required for students, faculty and staff next month.
Loyola University of Chicago was the first local school to make boosters mandatory. President Jo Ann Rooney and Provost Margaret Faut Callahan said Wednesday in a message to employees and students that everyone is required to get a booster shot as soon as they are eligible.
People who have been already granted religious or medical exemptions are not required to provide proof of a booster shot, but they must continue to take part in regular surveillance testing.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Chicago-Area DA Kim Foxx Ripped by Illinois Republican After Oak Brook Mall Shooting
A Republican county commissioner based outside Chicago lashed out at Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx this week after gunfire at an Oak Brook shopping mall left at least four people wounded — and sent Christmas shoppers scrambling for safety.
Speaking just hours after the shooting, Commissioner Peter DiCianni of suburban DuPage County — where the mall is located — accused Foxx of failing to crack down on violent crime in Chicago and other parts of Cook County, with the result being more safety concerns in surrounding communities.
“DuPage County is always a county that prides itself that safety is a top priority,” DiCianni said in a TV interview near the mall Thursday night with Chicago’s WGN-TV, “and a lot of our violent crime has been coming in from the east.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A COVID paranoid female passenger on what is reported to be a Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta Thursday attacked a man for not wearing a mask while he was eating. According to smartphone video posted online, the woman stood in the aisle with her mask dropped to berate the seated man prompting him to respond with profanities that triggered her into violence. Flight attendants tried to intervene, but the woman punched, scratched and spat on the man. The woman was reportedly arrested after the plane landed in Atlanta. Another passenger is heard at the end of the video saying the woman poured hot water on her.
The man tried to explain to the woman he was eating and drinking, at one point holding up an uncapped water bottle. The man called the woman a Karen and a bitch as the two exchanged verbal assaults and profanities. The woman leaned in to attack the man, punching, scratching and even spitting on him, according to the man.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The man who called in to President Biden on Friday telling him “Let’s go Brandon” has now gone public after having been doxxed by “woke” social media denizens, saying the whole thing was just meant as a joke.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hillary Clinton Met With Kamala Harris in the White House
Hillary Clinton just won’t go away.
A new report from The New York Times revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris held a White House meeting with Hillary Clinton in November.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
How George Soros is Driving America’s Exploding Crime Wave
When in 2016 the liberal news portal Politico reported on the first major salvos in George Soros’ takeover of the U.S. justice system, they euphemistically called it an “overhaul.”
Soros’ millions were starting to flood the campaign purses of progressive, anti-prosecution prosecutors, and no one seemed to have an answer to this assault. There were warnings already back then that enormous sums from a single oligarch with radical progressive views on society will distort the U.S. judicial landscape. Yet, back then, Soros was beyond reproach as the entire Democrat and global progressive establishment had lined up behind him during the peak of his crucial ideological battle with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban that followed the 2015 migrant invasion of Europe, partly financed and organized by Soros himself.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Islamophobic Hate Crime’ In Virginia Turns Out to be Fake
Want power and influence? The quickest path to both in today’s absurd society is to be a victim, and hate crimes are the currency of victimhood. In such an environment, it is not surprising that many hate crimes would be faked. Despite the fact that this is a recurring phenomenon, however, every hate crime claim is taken at face value in the establishment media and blasted far and wide; when many are found to be fake, the lie has once again gone twice around the world before the truth has finished putting on its shoes. All this played out yet again over the last few days in a Virginia high school, with, of course, no lessons learned.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The editor of The Lancet — one of the world’s most prestigious medical journals — has admitted that he knew about a controversial researcher’s conflicts of interest when he published a letter denouncing the Covid lab leak theory, and called anyone who questioned it a conspiracy theorist.
“It took us over a year to persuade him to declare his full competing interest, which we eventually did in June of this year,” admitted Lancet editor, Dr. Richard Horton during testimony in front of UK Parliament’s Science and Technology Select Committee, referring to NIH-funded Peter Daszak of Ecohealth Alliance.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Lebron James Posts Meme Critical of COVID Panic on Christmas Eve
Controversial basketball star LeBron James posted what many are saying is a decidedly out-of-character meme on Friday evening, involving COVID and a classic Spiderman cartoon.
The meme, as is pictured in this article’s image, went up on LeBron’s Instagram and shows a classic scene where Spiderman faces down his clones. The three identical Spidermen are on edge and pointing at each other, and LeBron has captioned them “COVID,” “cold,” and “flu.”
This meshes with a current popular sentiment among the public that the new Omicron variant of COVID 19, touted as a public danger by much of the media, is really just, in essence a glorified common cold.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Officials Warn Children’s Mental Health Worsens Amid Pandemic
Officials and experts have sounded the alarm over the state of children’s mental health as the second pandemic year comes to a close, warning a crisis is emerging — but advocates, hospitals and schools say it may have already arrived.
Short-staffed children’s hospitals were slammed with increased emergency department visits for mental health, suicide and self injury cases in the first nine months of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
At the same time, already strained schools with limited resources have been left to face a growing need for mental health assistance as many children returned to in-person school this fall with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety after COVID-19 flipped their worlds upside down.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) and the Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency for children’s mental health in October shortly after the back-to-school season.
[Comment: Again, it is not COVID-19 that is worsening mental health, but the government response to COVID-19 that is worsening mental health.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Texas Man Gets 12 Years on Terrorism Charge at Resentencing
HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas man convicted of providing material support to the Islamic State group was sentenced Wednesday to 12 years in federal prison after the government appealed his previous sentence, saying it was too lenient.
U.S. District Judge Charles R. Eskridge in Houston sentenced Asher Abid Khan, 27, of Spring, to also serve 15 years of supervised release, prosecutors said.
Khan pleaded guilty in 2017 to providing material support to the Islamic State group. U.S. District Judge Lynn H. Hughes later sentenced Khan to 18 months in prison, saying he showed potential for rehabilitation.
The government twice appealed the 18-month sentence before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the judgment reversed and vacated and the matter reassigned, prosecutors said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: CNN ‘Priest’ Says Don’t Come to Church on Christmas if You’re Not Vaccinated
Fr. Edward Beck, a Catholic priest and Passionist missionary, went on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday, where he talked about how, in his opinion, the unvaccinated should not go to church.
After Christians pointed out just how unchristian his opinion was, Beck proceeded to go on a massive blocking spree on Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Wave of Retirements Making Dems Nervous as Midterms Approach
23 Democrats have announced their retirements ahead of the 2022 midterms.
Some of those who have retired are longtime elected Democrats.
This wave of retirements is making the 2022 midterms look even worse for Democrats.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In a Friday, December 17, 2021 sermon at Muslim Youth Victoria, Canadian Sheikh Younus Kathrada discussed congratulating non-Muslims on their festivals during the Christmas season. Sheikh Kathrada said to his audience that since they would not congratulate fornicators, murderers, or pedophiles, they must also not congratulate people who are insulting Allah by celebrating Christmas. Sheikh Kathrada then prayed for Allah to humiliate the infidels, to annihilate the atheists, to destroy the enemies of Islam, and to support those who wage Jihad. Sheikh Kathrada’s sermon was uploaded to Muslim Youth Victoria’s YouTube channel on December 19, 2021. For more about Sheikh Younus Kathrada, including similar remarks about Christmas, see MEMRI TV Clips Nos. 9050, 8878, 8409, 8289, 8003, 7896, 7534, 7098, 6950, and 6906.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dozens of migrants have arrived in Britain after attempting to make the perilous journey across the English Channel in the early hours of Christmas Day.
A total of 67 people, including women and children, were taken in by UK authorities shortly before 1.30am in Dover, Kent, following an incident with two small boats at sea.
French authorities also intercepted a third boat, although it is not known how many people the vessel was carrying.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Denmark Pledges to Protect Teachers From Threats Against Free Speech
Denmark says it will take measures to protect teachers’ freedom of expression and prevent the risks of “self-censorship”.
The Danish government has stated that teachers should be able to speak about certain subjects, including cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, the Holocaust, women’s rights, and LGBT+ issues.
The ruling Socialist party said it would begin discussions in parliament on “freedom of expression” in January.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Samuel Paty Square Plaque Vandalized, The Word ‘Islamist’ Is Painted Over
Someone in France doesn’t want it publicly recognized that Samuel Paty was a victim of jihad violence. The perpetrator of the vandalism could be a Muslim, but could also be a non-Muslim Leftist.
“Paris: Samuel Paty Square plaque vandalized two months after its inauguration,” translated from “Paris : la plaque du square Samuel Paty vandalisée deux mois apre’s son inauguration,” Valeurs Actuelles, December 21, 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
German Health Minister’s Strange Behaviour Creates Social Media Stir
The clownish German health minister has been attracting attention with his strange behavior again. Most recently it was at the federal press conference in Berlin.
Karl Lauterbach does not look very healthy, and especially his mental state is cause for concern. At the federal press conference on December 22, he appeared to suffer from a brief lapse. When a journalist asks him a question, he suddenly inexplicably slumps over.
RT-DE captured Lauterbach’s collapse.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Leader of Poland’s Ruling Conservative Party Declares EU Treaties Dead
The president of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party in Poland, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has claimed that EU treaties are no longer applicable in Europe, declaring the European Court of Justice (ECJ) as the bloc’s new legislator.
Kaczynski made the remarks during an interview with the Gazeta Polska newspaper, where he was quizzed on the extent to which EU treaties still existed in practice.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Armed With Box Cutter Arrested After Threatening People in French Church
A man armed with a box cutter was arrested in the suburbs of Paris on Thursday after threatening to kill a worshipper inside a local church while wearing a fake suicide belt-like device.
The incident took place at the church of Sainte-Agne’s de Maisons-Alfort in the Parisian suburb of Val-de-Marne on Thursday afternoon and saw the man, said to be in his 40s, enter the church at around 2:30 pm while dressed in a long black coat.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Extinction Rebellion activists are believed to be holding secret nighttime meetings in a public car park just outside Cambridge where they are also storing their bright pink boat used as the centrepiece of their hated protests, MailOnline can reveal today.
Members of the climate group are said to gather with car headlights on and speak with ‘hushed tones’ as they plan their demonstrations and have been seen putting together their scaffolding-type structures used to cause traffic chaos in London and outside businesses they don’t like.
The car park is just down the road from one of XR’s most active local protestors, Nick Skelton, who also goes by DJ Skunk on a radio show that he runs. He told MailOnline he knew nothing about the quarterly meet-ups 50 yards from his terraced house.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sweden Has Seen Over 80 Explosions and Bombings in 2021
From the start of the year until the end of November, Sweden has seen over 80 explosions take place in various parts of the country: a slight decrease from 2020 but a number far greater than any of its neighbours.
Marie Borgh, section manager at Sweden’s National Bomb Protection, a division of the Swedish police, stated that the 80 or so bombings and explosions are more often than not linked to gang crime and gun violence, a substantial problem in Sweden in its own right.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Switzerland: Teacher Fired, Fined, Given Suspended Sentence for ‘Islamophobic’ Facebook Posts
He ‘claimed, unconvincingly, to have ‘attacked political Islam and not the Muslims.’“
Since his posts were not quoted, however, this claim cannot be independently verified.
He says he “wanted to counterbalance an almost totalitarian doxa of happy globalism.”
Yes, but totalitarianism is total indeed, and it defeated him.
“Teacher fired and sentenced for Islamophobic posts,” translated from “Un enseignant viré et condamné pour des posts islamophobes,” by Maria Pineiro, 20 Minutes, December 20, 2021.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The After-Life of Tariq Ramadan
While Tariq Ramadan is still waiting for his trial in Paris, following the accusations of violent and repeated rape by four women, he appears to be holding up well. He’s still receiving, thanks to the Emir of Qatar, about half a million dollars a year; he and his wife have bought two luxury apartments in Paris; he continues to flog his books on Islam on the Internet. But he is no longer a member of the Oxford faculty. He has a pseudo-job — a sinecure — holding occasional classes at the Al-Khalifa University in Qatar. Ramadan is no longer being hailed as a “towering intellect” and a “leading Islamic scholar.” One more time: In 2000, TIME called Tariq Ramadan “one of the seven most important religious innovators” of the 21st century; in 2004, the magazine named Ramadan as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World Today.” Not any more. And in Internet polls, Foreign Policy magazine listed Ramadan as one of the “100 top global thinkers” in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012, but now that so-called “global thinker” is regarded with amusement and disgust. No more invitations for Ramadan to speak around the world on “Islam and ethics.” No more invitations to give TED Talks, or to speak throughout Europe and North America, in his seductive, velvety voice, about the misplaced fears of Islam, and of Muslims, in the West.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK Govt to Text Every Phone in the Country With Boxing Day Corona Booster Reminder
The British government’s all-out media blitz to make sure there can’t be a single person in the country who doesn’t know Downing Sreet wants them to take a third coronavirus vaccine continues unabated, with every cell phone in the nation due to ring out after Christmas Day with a reminder.
An agreement with mobile phone network operators means the British government will be able to push a text message to every UK handset on the day after Christmas — Boxing Day — telling adult owners to get a third coronavirus shot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK to Consider Imposing New Lockdown Rules as Early as Next Week: Report
UK Ministers are reportedly set to meet as early as Monday in order to discuss implementing new lockdown rules, despite criticisms of the government doomsday modelling predictions.
Amid concerns over the omicron variant of the Chinese coronavirus, British ministers are set to convene by as soon as Monday to possibly reimpose new lockdown restrictions in England.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Boris on Brink: New Poll Finds 6 in 10 Britons Want PM Ousted From Job in 2022
BORIS Johnson is unlikely to get much respite next year after a turbulent end to 2021 — with a new poll suggesting 60 percent of voters want him to be replaced as Prime Minister
The Tory leader, who led his party to an emphatic general election win barely two years ago, is reeling from the catastrophic loss of the North Shropshire by-election and buffeted by the rise of the Omicron variant and a consequently sharp spike in Covid cases. His decision to introduce vaccine passports triggered a major Commons rebellion which saw 99 Tory MPs vote against the Government, while he has also faced awkward questions about a string of gatherings last Christmas which critics claim breached lockdown rules.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Lockdown ‘Lost Generation’ of Young People Feel ‘Helpless and Suicidal’
A LOCKDOWN “lost generation” of young people are feeling helpless and suicidal. More than a quarter (29 percent) of 18-24-year-olds thought about ending their lives in the last year, a study by the Samaritans revealed.
And more than a third (36 percent) suffered economic hardship such as job loss or a fall in income. Many of the 2,766 young adults interviewed by YouGov for the Double Trouble study, said they felt like a lost generation — unable to pay bills, afford food or get good job replies. Carly, 21, one of the interviewees, said: “My mental health was crashing down, and I felt like I didn’t want to be here any more.”
Samaritans CEO Julie Bentley said: “The labour market has been hit in a different way to previous economic shocks and younger people are paying the heaviest price.”
A European study by pharmaceutical giant Merck said 49 percent of UK people said Covid had caused stress and anxiety.
Royal College of General Practitioners fellow, Dr Sarah Jarvis, said: “Mental health needs may be
the next thing to risk overwhelming the NHS.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
COVID-19 Omicron Outbreak Due to Homosexuality and Israel — Al-Aqsa Imam
The Palestinian Islamic scholar and preacher made the controversial statements in a sermon during Friday prayers at the Islamic holy site in Jerusalem.
According to Amira, the Omicron variant “did not spread until the government and media announced its existence.”
Amira went on to claim that the government and media that “brought the variant” are the same that “allow and encourage homosexuality.”
This is not the first time that the Imam has made controversial and problematic comments.
In 2020, Amira was arrested by Israel Police and received a six-month ban from al-Aqsa Mosque for praising the Muslim who murdered and beheaded French teacher Samuel Paty for using illustrations of the prophet Mohammed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Putin Says 32 Terrorist Attacks Foiled in Russia in 2021
MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Russia’s security agencies managed to achieve a decline in the terrorist threat, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that 32 terrorist attacks have been prevented over an 11-month period this year.
“Over recent years, there are significant progress and positive dynamics in this challenging, extremely responsible area [the fight against terrorism]. There has been a dramatic decline in the terrorist threat,” the Russian head of state said in a video statement on the occasion of the Security Agency Worker Day.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: ‘Allah Will Destroy You’: BJP Leaders Tweet Owaisi’s Speech Threatening U.P Cops
An undated video clip of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi threatening U.P police of consequences for allegedly oppressing Muslims has gone viral. The clip was tweeted by BJP leaders and spokesperson and has since gone viral on Twitter. In the video, Owaisi is heard saying that Uttar Pradesh police will face wrath of Allah for oppressing the Muslims of state and that neither PM Modi nor CM Yogi will save them. Watch this video to know what Owaisi said and how BJP responded.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pakistan: Hindu Temple Desecrated, Idols Destroyed in Karachi
In another case of destruction of Hindu temples in Islamic Pakistan, a Durga temple has been attacked and Goddess Durga idols vandalized in the Narayan Pura area of Karachi, Pakistan. As per reports, this is the 9th attack on Hindu Temples by Pakistani Islamists in 22 months.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Sutherland Man Arrested on Christmas Eve Over Alleged Terror Attack Plans
Counter-terror police say that alleged aspiring jihadist Daniel Greenfield was allegedly well into planning a terror attack when they arrested him in Sutherland on Christmas Eve.
The 34-year-old had planned to attack police officers, government officials and other Muslims that he deemed insufficiently devout, Detective Superintendent Michael Sheehy told reporters on Friday morning.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Deadly Suicide Bomb Attack at Bar in Eastern Dr Congo
A suicide bomber killed at least five people at a crowded night spot in the city of Beni in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo Saturday, local officials reported.
Officials blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, one of the deadliest armed groups in the region and claimed by the Islamic State group as its central Africa arm.
“The suicide bomber, prevented by security from gaining access to the bar, packed with clients, activated the bomb at the entrance,” said a statement from military officials running North Kivu province.
Another 13 people were being treated for their wounds in hospitals, the statement added, describing the death toll as provisional.
Shortly after the blast, Narcisse Muteba, the colonel running the city during the state of emergency in the east of the country, had called on residents to return to their homes for their own safety.
An AFP correspondent saw the remains of three bodies at the site of the explosion, the In Box restaurant. The remains of tables, chairs, bottles and glasses were scattered across the blast site.
One city hall source told AFP that two children were among the dead, as well as two local officials…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Attacker targeted restaurant and bar in Beni on Saturday as patrons gathered to celebrate holiday
A suicide bomber attacked a restaurant and bar in Beni on Christmas Day, killing at least six people in the eastern Congolese town where Islamic extremists are known to be active.
Heavy gunfire rang out shortly after the bomb went off, with panicked crowds fleeing the town’s hub.
Gen Sylvain Ekenge, spokesperson for the governor of North Kivu, said security guards had blocked the bomber from entering the crowded bar and so the person detonated the explosives at the entrance.
“We call on people to remain vigilant and to avoid crowded areas during the holiday season,” he said. “In the city and territory of Beni, it is difficult, in these times, to know who is who.”
Rachel Magali had been at the restaurant-bar for about three hours with her sister-in-law and several others when she heard a loud noise outside.
“Suddenly we saw black smoke surrounding the bar and people started to cry,” she told the Associated Press. “We rushed to the exit where I saw people lying down. There were green plastic chairs scattered everywhere and I also saw heads and arms no longer attached. It was really horrible.”
Among the dead were two children, according to Mayor Narcisse Muteba, who is also a police colonel. At least 13 other people were wounded and taken to a local hospital…
| — Hat tip: MM | [Return to headlines] |
Ethnic Somali Muslims in Kenya Break Pastor’s Leg
NAIROBI, Kenya (Morning Star News) — A Somali-born pastor in Kenya is still in severe pain after ethnic Somali Muslims in northeastern Kenya beat him on Dec. 3 for leaving Islam, sources said.
The pastor, whose name is withheld for security reasons, said the four Kenyan-born, ethnic Somalis attacked him on a road near Wajir town, fracturing a bone in his leg, after he had led an underground prayer meeting with 13 new Christians of Somali descent. Wajir is about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Somali border.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
ISWAP Terrorists Kill 12 Christians in Borno State, Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News) — Terrorists with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Sunday (Dec. 19) killed 12 Christians in an attack in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria, sources said.
The Islamic extremist militants attacked the predominantly Christian village of Kilangal, Askira-Uba County, in the afternoon, shortly after residents were leaving church worship services, area residents told Morning Star News by text message.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Archbishop Welby Uses Christmas Sermon to Lecture Public on Welcoming Boat Migrants
The Archbishop of Canterbury is using his Christmas sermon to tell the public to welcome illegal migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats and praise Border Force personnel and volunteers helping to ferry them across.
Archbishop Justin Welby, the de facto leader of England’s established church, is well known for his political and generally “woke” activism, hailing the European Union as “the greatest dream realised for human beings since the fall of the Western Roman Empire” following the Brexit referendum, denouncing his “white advantage” and “straight advantage” and declaring he was “ashamed of our history” during the Black Lives Matter unrest in 202, and orchestrating a witch-hunt for supposedly offensive statues and memorials in Church buildings, for example.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Two Bradford Men Jailed Over ‘Modern Slavery’ of Boy Made to Work in Cannabis Factory
TWO Bradford men have been given lengthy jail sentences for their roles in trafficking a vulnerable boy into slave labour at a cannabis farm in the city.
Zain Bashir, 25, of Aireville Avenue, Frizinghall, who committed the offence for a free bag of drugs, was jailed for four years and nine months.
Usmaan Tasif, 26, of Moor Park Drive, Bradford Moor, who transported the 14-year-old child to the drugs factory in a white Mercedes, was locked up for three years and four months.
Both pleaded guilty to arranging or facilitating the travel of the Vietnamese boy on January 23 with a view to him being exploited, contrary to the Modern Slavery Act.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Very good news!
They start to kill each others..Way to go !! I demand more of this type of news..
Well, Congo is a Democratic Republic, so, there’s that. The bomber was just exercising his freedom of explosion.
And in France, armed police guards are needed to protect Catholics attending midnight mass. Nobody seems to care in the least.
https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/armed-police-guard-catholic-midnight-mass/
I just saw a picture in the French news of armed troops in front of Catholic churches in Paris. Should have let the Germans keep France. lol
Thank God that heretic Tutu is dead! I am drinking a toast to his way past due demise, may he rot in Hell!
Well, I didn’t agree with him on every issue, but do believe he was a decent man.
He was a communist sympathizer , anti-white terrorist, he has never once condemned the killings of whites in South Africa by blacks, and all around christian heretic. May he rot in Hell !
Dont forget he was – like Mandela instrumental in putting tyres laden with gasoline around the necks of those he didnt like and setting the gasoline alight.
For anyone to state what Mark H just did is not naive it is intentionally incendiary to common decency. Those sort of comments get one back from me….I hope you have excellent dental cover.
That SOB actually gave Mandela’s wife Winnie absolution for doing her part in terrorist activities. As for Mark H, typical English labor voter, sheep for the slaughter. No Saxon blood in that one.