Entrepreneurs in the Lapland region of northern Finland have warned the government in Helsinki that further Corona restrictions may destroy tourism and cause massive unemployment. Meanwhile, retired policemen are being lured out of retirement in Upper Austria to enforce Covid lockdown rules.
In other news, a man in the Spanish province of Murcia was attacked by migrants, who hacked him with machetes when he stepped out of his vehicle.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, Jazz, 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.
Canada’s Debt Clock Now ‘Broken’ By Trudeau, Debt is Too Large to Display
The Canadian debt clock can no longer properly display the total number of Canadian debt, as it has run out of placeholders since the debt has now popped the $1 trillion mark.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protesters Block Lebanon’s Roads to Protest Economic Crash, Soaring Prices
BEIRUT, Jan 13 (Reuters) — Lebanese truck and bus drivers and others blocked main roads in the capital and other areas on Thursday in protest at the failure of politicians to address an economic crisis that has sent the currency into tailspin and driven prices sky high.
Lebanon’s pound has collapsed since 2019 when the economy crumpled under a mountain of debt. Yet a cabinet formed in September with a promise to start fixing the economy has not met for three months as rivals argue about the conduct of a probe into the devastating 2020 Beirut port blast.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
$1K Fine Possible for Austin Businesses That Don’t Comply With COVID Orders
AUSTIN, Texas — City of Austin and Travis County officials have issued new COVID orders for businesses as numbers remain high. They say the orders are intended to slow the spread and protect both the economy and hospital systems.
The orders require businesses to post specific signage outlining notice of protection or face a possible fine of up to $1,000, according to a press release from the city.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
300 Doctors Come Together to Demand Spotify Censorship
A group of 270 doctors signed an open letter calling on Spotify, which has exclusive rights to air Joe Rogan’s podcast, to take action against “misinformation” on the platform and increase censorship. The letter was penned in response to an episode that featured Dr. Robert Malone, one of the pioneers of mRNA technology.
The authors of the open letter disagree with some of the claims Malone made in the episode, such as the idea of “mass formation psychosis” and his allegations that hospitals inflate Covid deaths for financial gain.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alec Baldwin Still Hasn’t Turned Over His Phone, Investigators Say
Alec Baldwin still hasn’t turned over his cellphone to police nearly a month after New Mexico authorities secured a search warrant for the device following the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, police said Thursday.
Investigators from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office want the phone because they believe it contains key conversations related to what led to the prop-gun death of Hutchins while on the set of “Rust” last October.
In a news release Thursday, the office described the steps it’s taken to obtain the phone but said “to date, the cell phone has not been turned over to authorities.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Not long after the National School Boards Association sent its letter to President Biden that compared concerned parents to domestic terrorists, the National Education Association (NEA) sent its own letter to social media companies, urging them to stop “propaganda” spreading on their platforms against critical race theory, which allegedly stoked “a small but violent group of radicalized parents.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Says Voting Rights Bills Won’t Pass This Week as Key Senators Resist Filibuster Reform
President Biden indicated on Thursday that the voting rights bills Democratic leaders support won’t go through this week, as key senators continue to resist filibuster reform.
“The honest to God answer is I don’t know if we can get this done,” Biden said after meeting with the Democratic caucus in the Senate. “If we miss the first time, we can come back and try it a second time. We missed this time.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had said the Democrat-led Senate would take a procedural vote on the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and if the GOP used the filibuster to block the legislation, he would bring a rules change to a vote by Jan. 17.
Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema publicly opposes eliminating the legislative filibuster for specific issues like voting rights. The filibuster is the 60-vote threshold to advance legislation.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
BLM Rioter Convicted and Sentenced for Assaulting Officer, Setting Fire to Cop Car
A BLM leader from Charleston, SC has been sentenced to 18 months for setting fire to a police car and assaulting police officers.
According to ABC News 4, Judge Bentley Price sentenced Abraham Jenkins to eighteen months of state prison for charges of “third-degree arson, second-degree assault and battery, and malicious property damage.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
President Joe Biden gave an “update on the whole-of-government COVID-19 surge response on Thursday morning.” Biden begged Americans to wear masks, stating that free masks would soon be available. He pressed vaccines on the unvaccinated, boosters on the vaccinated, and asked social media and media companies not to run stories or allow posts that run counter to government narratives on COVID.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Eleven Oath Keepers Including Leader Charged With Seditious Conspiracy in Jan. 6 Riot
The founder of the far-right militia the Oath Keepers and the 10 others in the group have been indicted and arrested for their alleged role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot and planning of the 2021 incident.
Founder Stewart Rhodes, 56, is being charged for the first time in connection to events leading up to and on Jan. 6, according to a statement from the Justice Department released Thursday and obtained by NBC News. The other 10, including nine others who already faced charges in connection to the riot, were also indicted.
Rhodes put out a call on the group’s website in the days before the attack for “all patriots who can be in DC” to travel to Washington for a “security mission” to “stand tall in support of President Trump’s fight,” NBC News also reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Facebook Sued for Allegedly Profiting Off of Kids’ Biometric Data
Parents in Alabama have filed a class action lawsuit against Facebook executives, accusing them of greed for profiting off of kids’ personal data, including biometrics. The lawsuit also accuses Facebook of violating antitrust laws and a conspiracy to illegally profit from the “digital dossiers” of children.
We obtained a copy of the lawsuit for you here.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Fayetteville Police Chief Asks Court to Release Bodycam in Jason Walker Slaying Aftermath
Fayetteville Police Chief Gina Hawkins filed a petition with the courts Tuesday requesting the release of body camera footage that will show exchanges between Fayetteville police officers and three witnesses at the scene of the fatal shooting Saturday of Jason Walker by off-duty Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jeffrey Hash.
The petition, filed on the third day of demonstrations in the city demanding justice in the case, suggests the request is made to rebut statements made by Elizabeth Ricks and Chase Sorrell. Ricks was a passerby who attempted to render aid to the dying Walker. Sorrell, her fiance, recorded the aftermath of the scene which has since gone viral on the internet.
“Two witnesses have made comments on social media, released a video, and spoke at a protest regarding this incident, generating significant public attention,” the petition states. “The body worn camera of officers captured the statements of three witnesses. FPD is seeking public release of the witness statement recordings to advance compelling public interest, release would not create a serious threat to the fair administration of justice…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Google Demonetizes Meteorologist and Researcher Roy Spencer
The website DrRoySpencer.com has been demonetized by Google, its owner, climatologist and former NASA scientist Dr. Roy Spencer, announced in a blog post.
According to Spencer — who is considered a climate change skeptic but has rejected the label of being a “climate denier” — Google has cut his website off from Adsense for allegedly spreading unreliable and harmful claims.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
GOP Sen. Johnson Requests Defense Department Investigation Into COVID-19 Origins
GOP Sen. Ron Johnson has requested information about a Defense Department investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 virus.
The request follows the recent publishing of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) report.
The Marine who reportedly wrote the report describes a proposal to use controversial gain-of-function techniques to study bat coronaviruses. The proposal, according to the report, was rejected by DARPA and subsequently picked up by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, which funded the research via a sub-grant to the EcoHealth Alliance.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of NIAID, has repeatedly claimed that his agency did not fund gain-of-function research into bat coronaviruses, though the agency did provide EcoHealth Alliance grants to conduct research in Wuhan, China, were the virus was first detected.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
(The Center Square) — After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Thursday against the Biden administration’s vaccine or testing mandate on employers of more than 100 employees, it’s expected the Illinois Department of Labor’s COVID-19 vaccine or testing mandate will be withdrawn.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate on private sector businesses with more than 100 employees, though it allowed a separate mandate to stand for certain health care workers.
The Illinois Department of Labor had issued an emergency rule Friday, the day justices on the nation’s highest court heard oral arguments on the case, that impacted larger public sector employers in Illinois.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Joy Reid Ripped for Saying the Unvaccinated Should be Taxed or Fined
MSNBC host Joy Reid was yet again getting ripped online after calling for anyone not vaccinated against COVID to be taxed or fined.
“I feel like people who are willfully unvaccinated — fine, don’t get vaccinated. But they need to start to pay a little bit more of the cost of what this is doing to our system,” Reid said on her show Tuesday while interviewing a New York doctor wearing a “FAUCI” T-shirt for the infectious disease doctor.
She praised ideas like fines and slashing sick pay for the unvaccinated.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
American Airlines Captain Greg Pearson recalled suffering atrial fibrillation after he decided to get a work-mandated Covid-19 jab.
Pearson gave his testimony during a press conference at AmericaFest 2021 last month, where he said he decided to get the jab after being pressured by his employer.
“Traveling between the state that I live in Hawaii and California where I have family — two states that have archaic travel restrictions — I decided between the pressure of that, and my airline that was going to require a mandate vaccine, I went and got the jab.”
Pearson says after he got jabbed he woke up in the middle of the night with chest pain.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Most Voters Don’t Trust Fauci, Biden, Media on COVID-19
In a poll released Jan 13th, over 1,000 registered voters were asked the question:
When it comes to information about COVID-19, which of the following sources would you say you trust? Select all that apply. (margin of error: 5.8%)
- Dr. Anthony Fauci: 30.8%
- Federal health authorities like the CDC and the FDA: 49.8%
- Your doctor: 63.2%
- President Biden: 15.5%
- The news media: 10.2%
| — Hat tip: Jazz | [Return to headlines] |
MSNBC Contributor: Republican Party is a Front for a ‘Terrorist Movement’
An MSNBC contributor argued on Thursday that the Republican Party is now no more than a front for a dangerous terrorist movement and compared it to terror groups.
Dr. Jason Johnson appeared “Deadline: White House” to discuss the relationship between the Republican Party and former President Trump and how it will shape the 2024 presidential election.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NBA Top Shot Froze the Account of an Individual With the Username “FreeHongKong”
The popular NFT marketplace NBA Top Shot froze the account of an individual with the username “‘FreeHongKong.’’ The username is a reference to the NBA’s tendency of self-censorship to avoid angering the Chinese Communist Party and ruining its chances to do business in China.
The account was banned after the individual submitted a photo in an effort to cashout. “FreeHongKong” received an email from NBA Top Shot’s owner Dapper Labs that he had been banned for “providing false or misleading information during the verification process,” according to CoinDesk.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Pelosi’s January 6 Committee Doubles Down on Demand for Documents From Social Media Platforms
Nancy Pelosi’s House Select Committee investigating January 6 is claiming that the response to their initial request for documentation from major social media platforms made back in August 2021 was lackluster, so the panel is doubling down on demanding answers from these companies.
The committee announced on Thursday that it has issued four subpoenas, going to the Google parent company Alphabet, the Facebook parent company Meta, Reddit, and Twitter.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Protest in Skokie Calls for Vaccine, Mask Mandate’s End
SKOKIE, Ill. — People against vaccine and mask mandates protested in Skokie as part of a series of protests set to commence in the suburbs.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Skokie public library in objection to vaccine and mask mandates authorized by the government, with much of their angst aimed at Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Lightfoot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rand Paul Labels Fauci ‘Juvenile Political Creature’ For Playing the Victim
Following the explosive latest exchange between Rand Paul and Anthony Fauci Tuesday, Fauci ran to CNN and MSNBC to complain more about how the Senator is attacking him for his own political gain, prompting Paul to label the NIAID head “juvenile”.
On Chris Hayes’ show Fauci, stated “What you saw at the hearing today was pure ad hominem. And I called him [Paul] out because that’s exactly what he’s doing: he’s raising money.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Republicans Advance Indiana’s Critical Race Theory Ban at Statehouse
Indiana’s de-facto ban on critical race theory in public schools is moving at the Capitol.
The House’s Education Committee has approved the plan and it now heads for a vote before the full House.
Supporters say the legislation would ban the teaching or racial stereotypes that blame certain groups for certain past injustices.
Opponents say the proposed law would silence any teaching of social justice.
The plan is one of a handful of pieces of legislation up for a vote this year that would change how teachers operate in their classrooms.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Rust’ Armorer Files Suit Blaming Prop and Ammo Supplier for Fatal Shooting
The armorer on the ill-fated movie “Rust” is suing a prop supplier, claiming it sold live and dummy ammunition together leading to the on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed claims in a fiery 24-page lawsuit filed Wednesday that Seth Kenney, who owns PDQ Media Arm & Prop, made “false representations” and caused “live rounds to be introduced on the New Mexico movie set.”
The suit alleges another prop assistant brought in a new box of .45-caliber Long Colt rounds from Kenney’s shop the day of the shooting on Oct. 21. Gutierrez-Reed said she thought the rounds from that box were blanks, but no one has since acknowledged where the box came from.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Rust’ Armorer Sues Ammunition Supplier for Negligence in Fatal Shooting of Halyna Hutchins
The investigation into the October shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Santa Fe, New Mexico, set of “Rust” has always hinged on one critical question.
How did a live bullet find its way into Alec Baldwin’s replica Colt .45 that tragic day in Santa Fe, New Mexico?
“Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed believes it was the result of negligence on the part of Seth Kenney, a New Mexico-based weapons and ammunition supplier who was responsible for providing inert ammunition to the Baldwin-produced film. Instead, a live round fired from Baldwin’s gun killed Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday against Kenney and his company PDQ Arm and Prop, Reed contends that Kenney supplied the “Rust” set with live bullets mixed in among dummy and blank rounds. It adds that Kenney actively sought to place the blame for the shooting on Reed’s actions during the low-budget film shoot.
“Defendants (Kenney and PDQ Prop) as suppliers of prop ammunition to the ‘Rust’ set, sold, distributed, and advertised its props as dummy ammunition and not live rounds,” the complaint reads. “Hannah relied upon and trusted that Defendants would only supply dummy prop ammunition, or blanks, and no live rounds were ever to be on set.”
The lawsuit asks for a jury trial on four counts, including violation of New Mexico’s Unfair Trade Practices Act, creating a “dangerous condition” on the set, and providing materials with “false and deceptive product labels…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Supreme Court Blocks Biden Vaccine Mandate for Private Firms, Allows Mandate for Healthcare Workers
The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate that would apply to large U.S. businesses.
However, the high court allowed a separate policy to take effect that requires vaccinations for most healthcare workers at facilities that receive Medicaid and Medicare funding.
The court’s majority was doubtful that the administration possesses the legal authority to impose the workplace vaccine mandate through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which would have affected about 80 million employees. The healthcare worker mandate accounts for about 17 million U.S. workers.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh were the only members of the court to find themselves in the majority on both decisions.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A dire warning from Russia about the role demographics could play in the decay of America.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the LDPR party, sensationally claims that inter-ethnic conflict in the United States will lead to white Americans fleeing to Canada, Australia, and even Siberia.
Zhirinovsky says the US is on the same crumbling path towards collapse that the former USSR stumbled upon decades ago.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Three Drivers Carjacked in Midtown Manhattan as City Experiences Rise in Car Theft
Three separate incidents involving hijacked cars occurred in the Midtown Manhattan area on Wednesday in broad daylight, all taking place within an hour’s time of each other.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Darrell Brooks Jr. allegedly beat up his ex-girlfriend — and gave her a black eye and a split lip — in the minutes before he plowed his SUV through the crowd of revelers at a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wis., killing six and injuring dozens more.
Brooks, 39, was “very upset and angry” with his ex-girlfriend because he thought she was talking to other men when he began driving erratically and physically attacking the woman shortly after 4 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2021, she told police.
New details surrounding the horror were revealed in a second amended complaint, filed late Wednesday in Waukesha County Court. The complaint notes the addition of 71 more charges against the career criminal, who was already facing six counts of first-degree intentional homicide.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Whitmer Admin Significantly Undercounted Michigan Nursing Home COVID Deaths, State Auditor Finds
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration undercounted the COVID-19 deaths in the state’s long-term care facilities by 30%, according to a state auditor general report reviewed by Fox News.
The report, which is expected to be publicly released on Monday, is likely to renew criticism of the Democratic governor’s performance during the pandemic.
Michigan state Rep. Steven Johnson, a Republican, told Fox News Digital in a Thursday phone call that Whitmer is “well known” for her executive order “to place COVID-positive patients into nursing homes.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Youngkin Taps Critical Race Theory Opponents to Lead Public Education in Virginia
Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin has named two women with track records of opposing “critical race theory” — a once obscure collegiate field that’s become a conservative catch-all term for racial equity and diversity initiatives in public schools — to top posts at the Virginia Department of Education.
Jillian Balow, formerly Wyoming’s elected superintendent of public instruction, will take on the same job in Virginia, Youngkin announced in a news release Thursday
Before stepping down to join Youngkin’s administration, Balow supported a proposed Wyoming bill that would require K-12 schools to publish lists of instructional materials, among other provisions. According to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Balow endorsed the bill alongside its patrons, one of whom described the legislation as an effort to prevent “the indoctrination found in the critical race theory curriculum that has been pushed by the far-left and has found its way into some classrooms.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Father Temporarily Loses the Right to See His Child Due to Vaccine Status
A Quebec judge ruled that a father’s visitation rights to his 12-year-old child would be temporarily suspended due to his vaccination status.
According to Le Devoir, the father’s vaccine status along with “conspiratorial views” posted to his Facebook helped the judge make his final decision.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced during a press conference on Thursday that the province-wide curfew would be lifted as of Monday, January 17.
Legault credited the measures put in place over the past few weeks, telling media today that he had good news.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski Speaks Out Against Canada’s “Concerning” Internet Censorship Bill
Chris Pavlovski, the CEO of free speech video sharing platform Rumble, has warned that Canada’s controversial internet regulation proposal, Bill C-10, will give the government the power to “control what you see” and noted that this bill and other internet regulation proposals are making it tough for companies like Rumble to compete with the tech giants.
“The legislation that is gonna come that…I think is even more concerning is Bill C-10 in Canada where they wanna have the government actually regulate what kind of content you are displaying…through the CRTC [Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission] and think about that, they’re gonna control what you see now,” Pavlovski said during an appearance on the Timcast IRL podcast.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe Says Lockdowns Offer ‘Virtually No Benefit’
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe provided his rationale for not locking down his province, saying that lockdowns in the Omicron wave provide “little or no benefit” in fighting the virus.
“It is now clear, at least in this Omicron wave of the pandemic, that lockdown policies cause harm in our communities, often with little or no benefit. They cause economic harm by taking away jobs and removing family livelihoods,” Moe said on Wednesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
4 US Diplomats Struck by Havana Syndrome in Geneva and Paris: Report
At least four American diplomats in Paris and Geneva have been struck down by suspected Havana syndrome, including one who had to be airlifted back to the US for treatment, a report said Thursday.
The suspected attacks left three officials stricken at diplomatic missions in Geneva and a fourth in Paris, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The mysterious cases were first reported to US officials in the two European cities, as well as the State Department, last summer.
Havana syndrome, which is referred to by the US government as an “anomalous health incident,” is linked to suspected radiation attacks that have afflicted hundreds of American spies and diplomats around the world.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Government Used “Propagandistic” Fear Tactics to Scare Public Into Mass Compliance
The British government used “propagandistic” fear tactics to scare the public into mass compliance during the first COVID lockdown, according to a behavioral scientist who worked inside Downing Street.
Simon Ruda co-founded Number 10’s ‘Nudge Unit’, which was initially set up to encourage positive behavioral changes in the British public without the need for coercion or legislation, but was weaponized during the pandemic to create scaremongering.
“In my mind, the most egregious and far-reaching mistake made in responding to the pandemic has been the level of fear willingly conveyed on the public,” wrote Ruda.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Compulsory Vaccination Postponed in Austria and Germany Due to ‘Technical Problems’
In February and March, respectively, both Germany and Austria would have introduced compulsory vaccination against Covid-19, something that has met with massive protests. In step with the growing resistance among the populations in both countries, signals from leading politicians are now coming that what is called the “vaccination obligation” will not be introduced in February and March. Technical problems and unsustainable time planning are said to be reasons for the coercive measures being postponed.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Danish Newspaper Apologizes for “Hypnotically” Following Government Narrative on COVID
A top Danish newspaper has apologized for “hypnotically” following government narratives on the COVID-19 pandemic, admitting “we failed.”
In fact, “we failed” is the very headline used by tabloid outlet Ekstra Bladet, which goes on to admit, “For ALMOST two years, we — the press and the population — have been almost hypnotically preoccupied with the authorities’ daily coronavirus figures.”
The newspaper also acknowledged that it had been found wanting on the important issue of parsing numbers of people who died with COVID not from COVID.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
European Gas Reserves Dwindle, Prices Soaring, Cold Winter Could Mean ‘Gas Disaster’
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe’s natural gas crisis isn’t letting up. Reserves are low. Prices are high. Utility customers are getting hit with higher bills. Major Russian supplier Gazprom isn’t selling gas like it used to.
It all raises the question: How exactly is Europe, which imports most of its energy, going to make it through the winter without a gas disaster, especially if the season turns out to be colder or longer than usual?
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ex-Cops Being Pulled Out of Retirement to Enforce Austrian COVID Rules
Ex-officers up to 70 years of age are being pulled out of retirement in Upper-Austria to help enforce national lockdown rules in the province.
Previously retired officers up to 70 years of age have been asked to return to active service in order to help enforce lockdown rules in the province.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Finnish Lapland Entrepreneurs Warn Coronavirus Restrictions Could Destroy Tourism
Tourism entrepreneurs in the northern Lapland region of Finland have warned the government that further Wuhan coronavirus restrictions could destroy their industry and could put tens of thousands of jobs at risk.
The Association of Tourism Industries of Lapland (LME) wrote a letter to the Finnish government this week expressing concern about the impact of Wuhan coronavirus restrictions, saying that restrictions could shut down international tourism and could impact many businesses in the region.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
France: Macron Threatens to Hold ‘Accountable’ Online Outlets Publishing Foreign ‘Propaganda’
President Emmanuel Macron has threatened to hold ‘accountable’ online outlets publishing foreign ‘propaganda’ for consumption in France.
French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly warned that foreign-funded online “propaganda” outlets are a danger to democracy, and has threatened to hold “accountable” perceived offenders.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The German government said banning Telegram is not off the table and that the popular messaging service has been connected with conservative groups and groups opposing Covid restrictions.
On Wednesday, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that Telegram could be banned if it continues being used by groups opposing Covid measures to organize.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Lockdown Saw Up to Three-Fold Increase in Child Suicide Attempts
The number of suicide attempts amongst children increased threefold during Germany’s second lockdown, according to estimates in a university hospital report.
Around three times as many children in Germany attempted suicide during the nation’s second lockdown, according to a study by Essen University Hospital.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
MI5 Warns That ‘Chinese Agent’ Has Infiltrated Parliament to Interfere in UK Politics
MI5, the United Kingdom’s domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, is warning MPs that a Chinese government agent has been working in parliament “to subvert the processes.”
A letter sent by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to MPs said that MI5 warned him that a woman called Christine Lee has been “engaged in political interference activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, engaging with members here at parliament,” according to Sky News.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The EU’s 2022 Roadmap Will Deepen Euorpe’s Divisions
The Hungarian conservative think tank, the Center for Fundamental Rights, has published its beginning-of-the-year overview of the most significant events expected in the European Union for the year 2022. Their paper entitled “What to expect in the European Union in the first half of 2022 during the French presidency?” focuses on future European political developments in the light of the upcoming Hungarian parliamentary elections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Transition From Democracy to Tyranny’: MEP Decries ‘Brutal’ Police at Lockdown Protests in Europe
An MEP has called out the ‘brutal’ actions of police at a number of lockdown protests in Europe, drawing comparisons to life behind the iron curtain.
Cristian Terhes, a conservative MEP from Romania, has called out what he described as the ‘brutal’ actions of police at a number of lockdown protests in Europe that he has attended.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Downing Street Scandal: Pardons and Refunds Sought for Thousands Fined Over COVID Breaches
Campaigners have called for a review of fines issued to the public for breaking lockdown rules after Boris Johnson’s apology for attending a ‘gathering’ in Downing Street.
The party, attended by 40 people with around 100 invited, has eroded the credibility of the Prime Minister and led to questions over whether it was fair for members of the public to be fined if politicians and civil servants are not.
Police issued thousands of fines to people for social gatherings that were made illegal when restrictions were imposed during the pandemic. Hundreds of cases were also sent to court for breaching rules against socialising.
Campaign group Fair Trials, along with others rights organisations, say prosecutions should be reviewed because current processes are ‘unjust’ and ‘unfit for purpose’.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Ex-Paralympic Athlete Jailed After Airliner Climate Protest Awaits Appeal Ruling
A former Paralympic athlete given a 12-month jail sentence after supergluing himself to the roof of a British Airways plane at London City Airport in a bid to draw attention to the climate crisis is waiting for an appeal ruling.
Extinction Rebellion activist James Brown of Exeter, Devon, was jailed by a judge at Southwark Crown Court in September after being convicted of causing a public nuisance at a trial.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Extinction Rebellion Protester Glued Himself to Train for Grandchildren
A climate change protester who glued himself to a rush-hour train in east London has told a court he did so for the future of his four grandchildren.
Former university lecturer Philip Kingston, 85, attached his hand to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) carriage at Shadwell station in October 2019.
The Reverend Sue Parfitt, 79, and Father Martin Newell, 54, were dragged off the roof of the same train.
All three deny obstructing an engine or carriage on the railway.
The trio are members of Christian Climate Action within Extinction Rebellion.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Kettering: Restaurant Director Fined £5k Over COVID Breach
The director of a restaurant which flouted Covid regulations by hosting a wedding has been fined £5,000.
Wanda Trela-Pyzalska, from The Tavern & Restaurant in Bath Road, Kettering, pleaded guilty to breaching the rules.
She was fined after a hearing at Wellingborough Magistrates’ Court.
David Brackenbury, from North Northamptonshire Council, which brought the prosecution, said the legislation had been in place to “minimise risk of spreading the virus”.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed they will not be taking any action in relation to the Downing Street garden party as they don’t ‘normally investigate breaches when they are reported long after they are said to have taken place’.
In a statement released this evening, the Met said that it was aware of widespread reporting of alleged breaches of the Health Protection Regulations at Downing Street and at the Department for Education.
However, the statement said that the force does not normally investigate incidents of Covid rule breaches which are reported long after allegedly having taken place.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
UK: Prince Andrew Loses Military Titles and Use of Hrh
The Duke of York’s military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, Buckingham Palace has said.
Prince Andrew, 61, will also stop using the style His Royal Highness in an official capacity, a royal source said.
It comes as he faces a US civil action over sexual assault allegations — claims he has consistently denied.
A source close to the duke said he would “continue to defend himself” against the case brought in New York by Virginia Giuffre.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Vatican Threatens Unvaccinated Employees as Pope Francis Laments Layoffs
ROME — The Vatican threatened its unvaccinated workers Wednesday while Pope Francis prayed for all those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic.
The governor of Vatican City State has decreed that employees must possess a “super green pass” attesting to vaccination against the coronavirus or proof of having recovered from the disease if they wish to continue working.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
What Did the President of the European Parliament Really Die Of?
David Sassoli passed away this week. According to news reports he died after a “serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system”. But what caused the complication?
Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, had been receiving treatment in an Italian hospital since December 26. All of his appointments had been canceled.
The stay was necessary “because of a serious complication due to a dysfunction of the immune system,” according to SRF : “In October, Sassoli already missed a parliamentary session because he had a fever. He was previously treated in hospital for pneumonia.”
The treating hospital Centro di Riferimento Oncologico in Aviano refused to provide information when asked about the cause of death. Of course, it would be particularly interesting to know whether the “complication” was related to the secondary effects of the Corona jabs.
No information about this is currently available which means that vaccine injury cannot be ruled out since Sassoli was considered a vehement supporter of vaccination campaigns and EU vaccination passports. The politician had suffered from leukaemia (blood cancer).
Cancer patients in particular have reported experiencing massive episodes of illness after their mRNA injections.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
‘Poland is Not the USSR’s Orphan, ‘ Polish Official Hits Back at Russian Minister
High-ranking Polish official, Pawel Szrot, has hit back at inflammatory comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in which he referred to Poland as “orphan” of the Soviet Union.
The Russian Embassy in the U.K. published a tweet on Monday in which it quoted Lavrov as claiming that NATO had become a “geopolitical project aimed at taking over territories orphaned by the collapse of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation and the Soviet Union.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
India: Over 8,500 People, 100 Establishments Fined for COVID Violations in Gurugram
At least 8,510 persons and 100 commercial establishments have been fined across Gurugram for violating Covid-19 norms in the first 12 days of this month, officials from the district administration said on Thursday.
Yash Garg, deputy commissioner, said that these fines were issued to violators between January 1 and January 12, a period during which the district started witnessing a sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases. From nearly 5% at the start of this month, the test positivity rate spiralled to 24% on Thursday, with the district recording 3,031 fresh cases.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Aussie Cops Berated While Arresting Elderly Lady
Footage out of Queensland, Australia, shows Covid patrols are literally rounding people up and taking them to jail for refusing to say whether they’re vaccinated or not.
In one video going viral on social media this week, Queensland cops are seen attempting to forcibly push an elderly woman who’s just exited Hervey Bay Coffee into the back of a paddy wagon.
One cop explains she’s being arrested for refusing to show them her “certificate.” Later another officer claims she’s being arrested for “obstructing justice.” …
“Disgusting, I’m embarrassed to be an Australian,” the man filming the altercation says.
Explaining the situation on Facebook, the owner of the Cafe, Matt Straight, who also filmed the incident, described “5 disgusting individuals in police uniform” entering his business and interrogating him “as to whether I’m allowing unvaxxed people dine at my establishment and then proceed to check all guests and arrest this lovely lady just because she wouldn’t show her medical records to them.”
| — Hat tip: Jazz | [Return to headlines] |
Five Queensland Police Officers Arrest Woman Who Didn’t Show Vaccine Passport
A 46-year-old woman was arrested by five police officers in Queensland, Australia, for failing to show her vaccine passport.
The footage showing the arrest shows police arriving at the Dayman General Store in Hervey Bay, Queensland. They start checking vaccine passports. Realizing she did not have the vaccine pass, a woman, later identified as Rebecca, stands and quickly walks past the officers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Islamic Raiders Kill 28 Christians in South Sudan
Islamist extremists raided the Christian community of Yinh Pabol in South Sudan, killing at least 28 residents and torching 57 houses in early January, the Barnabas Fund reported this week.
Bishop Joseph Mamer Manot of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan (ECSS) said that the attack caused “massive displacement,” adding that “the humanitarian situation is alarming as food and other property have been burned down into ashes, leaving survivors with no shelters, no food and no safe drinking water.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
The residency permit for the imam of Belgium’s largest mosque was withdrawn by the Belgium government in October of last year following concerns over “threats to national security,” it emerged on Thursday.
State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Sammy Mahdi revoked the right for Mohamed Toujgani, head imam of the Al Khalil in Molenbeek, to permanently reside in Belgium, banning him from entering the country for ten years subject to appeal.
According to Mahdi’s office, the government had received information from the Belgian security services which showed that Toujgani, who had resided in the country for 40 years, posed a “serious threat to national security.”
An order to leave Belgium was served on the imam, a Moroccan national, which according to Belgian news outlet, VRT, he complied with.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Illegal Border Crossings Into EU Soared 57% Last Year to Highest Level Since 2017
Illegal immigration into the European Union increased by 57 percent in 2021 on the previous year’s total, as almost 200,000 breaches of Europe’s external border were registered, according to preliminary figures published by Frontex, which serves as the European Union’s border protection agency.
As the vast majority of European citizens were subjected to national lockdowns and draconian social restrictions, the European Union’s own border force agency recorded the highest level of illegal immigration into Europe since 2017.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Italian Police Search 18 Migrant-Background Youths Suspected of Milan NYE Sex Attacks
Italian police in Milan have identified and searched 18 migrant-background youths alleged to have taken part in sex attacks on New Year’s Eve in Milan’s central cathedral square in an incident that has been met with comparisons to the infamous Cologne New Year’s Eve attacks of 2015 which saw over 1,000 women molested.
The youths, aged between 15 and 21 are said to be either foreign-born or to be Italian citizens of North African heritage, are suspected of sexually assaulting as many as nine girls and young women in the Piazza del Duomo on New Year’s Eve.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Smuggling a Previously Deported Convicted Murderer
Miami, Florida — A federal district judge in Fort Lauderdale has sentenced Jeremy Christoph Rolle, 27, of the Bahamas, to 60 months in prison for trying to smuggle into the United States a migrant previously removed from the country following aggravated felony convictions, including murder. Rolle pleaded guilty on November 2, 2021, to aiding and abetting certain migrants to enter the United Sates.
According to court documents, Rolle operated a 26-foot motorboat to transport himself and sixteen migrants from Bimini, Bahamas to the east coast of Florida on June 17, 2021. One such migrant passenger was Marvin Morris Carridice, 43, of Jamaica, who according to court documents, was removed from the United States in 2018 after serving a 14-year prison sentence for convictions in Florida for murder and other felonies.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spain: Migrants — What’s Going On?
I’m struggling with this one. Three laddos pitch up in Mallorca along with others on board a small migrant boat. The next day, one of the three is arrested for having been the “skipper” of said boat. A further three days on, and two of the three are detained by Palma police, having committed a robbery.
Two days after that, all three are arrested by the National Police when they break into a property. Moreover, one of the three had used violence in seeking to rob a person in the very same area as the break-in.
Within the space of a week, various crimes had been committed by individuals whose status, as the authorities like to put it, is “irregular”. The migratory flow from Algeria, the organisation of this and the motivations for this, are not what interest me here. Rather, it is what happens once migrants arrive and what the same authorities say or don’t say about the handling of these arrivals.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Spanish Man Hacked by Moroccan Suspects Wielding Machetes
Moroccan suspects have been arrested in a brutal machete attack in Spain that nearly cost the victim his hand, according to reports.
The horrifying incident unfolded at around 3 p.m. on Wednesday in Molina de Segura, a city in the autonomous region of Murcia.
The victim, a 33-year-old man identified as José, had just exited his vehicle on a busy street when two men armed with large blades jumped him.
José was thrown to the pavement and his assailants proceeded to hack at him with their weapons.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ukrainian, Georgian Citizens Helping Migrants Enter Poland — Polish Border Guard
WARSAW, January 13. /TASS/. Ukrainian and Georgian citizens most often help illegal migrants cross the Belarusian-Polish border, Poland’s Border Guard said in a statement on Twitter.
“Yesterday (on Tuesday — TASS), border guard officers detained four Georgian nationals who were helping illegal migrants cross the border,” the statement reads. “Since the beginning of the year, a total of 13 such people have been apprehended and as many as 426 were detained in 2021. The number stood at just 31 in 2020. Most guides are Ukrainian and Georgian nationals,” the Border Guard added.
According to the Polish Border Guard, a group of 15 Iraqi citizens was detected on the Polish side of the border on Tuesday.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A young boy and a baby wrapped in a blanket were among up to 80 migrants who arrived on British shores today, marking the fifth consecutive day of dangerous Channel crossings.
The boy, who was pictured hand in hand with another migrant and a Border Force officer, was among a group of migrants who were escorted onto dry land at Dover at around 1pm this afternoon.
Shortly after 3pm, a further 27 migrants were brought into Dover Marina. A young girl, wearing a navy polka dot coat, was hysterically crying after being woken up from a deep sleep to be carried up the gangway by a Border Force officer.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
A List of Over 1,000 Scientific Studies That Have Found the Vaccines Cause Harm:
Over One Thousand Scientific Studies Prove That the COVID-19 Vaccines Are Dangerous…
| — Hat tip: Jazz | [Return to headlines] |
FT Says “Anti-Vax Sentiment” In the West Being Fueled by Russia & China
In a report that advocates governments using “psychological operations” against their own population, the Financial Times asserts, with no proof, that Russia and China are responsible for pushing “anti-vax sentiment” and criticism of lockdown measures in the west.
The article quotes Mikael Tofvesson, head of the Swedish Navy’s new Psyops division, who says “foreign aggressors” are trying to “sow division by targeting areas of public concern such as crime, Covid vaccinations, the government’s response to the pandemic, and immigration.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
In Russia, the account of one woman in LiveJournal was blocked the other day.
She looked for comments on the VKontakte social network about the death of those vaccinated after vaccination and posted them on LiveJournal.
Most of the deaths were due to stroke.
These were public people: coaches, artists, university professors, head doctors, school principals…
And how many unknown ordinary people died?
“In February and March, respectively, both Germany and Austria would have introduced compulsory vaccination against Covid-19, something that has met with massive protests ……..”
On various counts, this information is not accurate.
(1) In Germany, though it seemed likely that compulsion would go ahead, the politicians have not yet been debated this matter. Debate has been delayed “until the end of January”.
(2) It is *Austria* that it was to be introduced in February.
(3) In Germany, protests have hardly been “massive”; widespread, more like.