Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/12/2022

Russian forces near Kyiv have reportedly dispersed so that they can begin to encircle the capital. Meanwhile, Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs warned Finns that the war in Ukraine would cause food prices to almost double in the coming year.

In other news, 600,000 Italians over the age of 50 are slated to be fined for remaining unvaxed.

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

Thanks to Dean, Fjordman, 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.

USA
» 3 Men Dead in Quadruple Shooting in Northwest Baltimore
» Anti-Critical Race Theory Bill is on Brink of Finish Line
» Beto O’Rourke Comes Out Against Critical Race Theory in Schools
» Biden Authorizes New Security Assistance to Ukraine
» Bill Banning Critical Race Theory in Schools Sent to Gov. DeSantis
» Critical Race Theory Exposed in Detail in New Documentary, ‘Whose Children Are They?’
» DHS Took Part in Mass Surveillance of Money Transfers, Senator Says
» Exclusive Footage: Private School Teachers Nationwide Implementing Race-Essentialist Curricula, Trained by Black Panther
» Exclusive — Moms for America: Parents Reporting ‘Mask Mouth’ Among Their Children, Staph Infections, Tooth Decay Due to Forced Masking
» Fairfax County School Board — Watch: Mom Tells Story of Son’s Suicide Due to Critical Race Theory, Coronavirus Isolation
» FBI Whistleblower Raises Questions About Pipe Bombs Set Near DNC, RNC Headquarters: Lawmaker
» Florida Looks to Reward Schools That Did Not Flout State Law With Mask Mandates
» Inside Jussie Smollett’s Terrifying New Prison Home
» Kennedy: Attacks on Catholic Church Must Stop
» Officer Who Saved Young Woman From Ma’Khia Bryant’s Knife Attack Cleared of Wrongdoing
» Treasury Secretary Yellen: Likely Another Year of ‘Very Uncomfortably High’ Inflation
 
Canada
» COVID-19 Medical Silencing With Dr. Hodkinson
» Frontline Hero Treated Like a Total Zero. His Crime? Not Wearing a Mask at a Hockey Arena
 
Europe and the EU
» COVID-1984: 600,000 Italians Set to Receive Fines for Being Unvaccinated
» Germany Pressures Serbia to Impose Sanctions on Russia if They Want to Join EU
» Insulate Britain Protests: Police Charge 74 Activists
» Lintilä: War in Ukraine Could Nearly Double Food Prices in Finland
» Living Next Door to Russia: How Moscow’s War in Ukraine Sparked a Seismic Shift in Finland
» Poland: PM, Top Gov’t Officials Take Part in Anti-Putin March in Warsaw
» Sweden Joins Calls for War Crimes Investigation of Russian Attacks
» UK: Far-Left Bristol Rioter Jailed for Attacking Police Officer, Smashing Station Window
» UK: Protesters Arrested After Gluing Themselves to Barclays in St Albans
» UK: Tyre Extinguishers: Activists Are Deflating SUV Tyres in the Latest Pop-Up Climate Movement
 
Balkans
» Rising Fuel and Food Costs Spark Protests in Albania, Government Imposes Price Controls
 
Russia
» As Security Tech is Pulled Out of Russia, Citizens Are Left More Vulnerable to State Surveillance
» ‘Extremist Organization: ‘ Russia to Block Facebook in Country
» Latest Developments
» ‘Let Them Come’ — Zelensky Says Russians Will Have to ‘Kill Us All’ To Take Kyiv
» Moscow’s Stock Market to Remain Frozen for Third Week
» Pope Francis: Stop This War ‘In the Name of God’
» Putin Showing No Willingness to End War, French Official Says
» Russian Forces Near Kyiv Likely Dispersed to Encircle City, Avoid Being Hit, U.K. Says
 
Immigration
» Almost 1.6 Million Refugees Have Entered Poland Since War in Ukraine Started
» Brits to Get 350 Pounds a Month to Open Homes to Ukraine Refugees
» UK: Boris Govt Plan for Royal Navy to Solve Channel Crisis ‘Has Failed Before it Has Even Started’
 
Culture Wars
» Texas Court Halts Abuse Inquiries Into Parents of Children Who Received Transgender Drugs
» UK: Rowling Warns Politicians of ‘Anger Building Among Women’ Over Attempts to Silence Them on Trans Issues
 
General
» Brave Introduces New Feature to Protect Against Invasive Tracking
 

3 Men Dead in Quadruple Shooting in Northwest Baltimore

BALTIMORE — Three men are dead and a fourth was injured Saturday night in a quadruple shooting in northwest Baltimore.

City police said officers were called around 8:20 p.m. to the intersection of Liberty Heights and Gwynn Oak avenues, where four men in a car were shot. Numerous evidence markers were strewn about the street.

Police said three of the men were unresponsive and a fourth suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The men were taken to hospitals, where the three who were unresponsive died.

The quadruple shooting adds to at least four other separate shootings Saturday in which one man died.

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Anti-Critical Race Theory Bill is on Brink of Finish Line

CHARLESTON — All eyes were on the West Virginia House of Delegates Friday, the day before the end of the 2022 legislative session, as it passed several bills after lengthy, contentious debates.

The House gaveled in late Friday morning working its way through more than 20 bills on third reading to get them over the finish line by midnight Saturday, when the session ends for the year.

The House passed Senate Bill 498, the Anti-Racism Act, in a 75-24 vote Friday afternoon, with Republican delegates Erikka Storch, R-Ohio, and Ruth Rowan, R-Hampshire, voting against the bill. The Senate will need to concur with changes made to the bill by the House.

SB 498 prohibits the teaching that one race is morally or intellectually superior or inferior to another; or that one race is inherently racist either consciously or unconsciously in West Virginia K-12 public schools.

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

Beto O’Rourke Comes Out Against Critical Race Theory in Schools

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke became one of the first Democratic Party leaders to explicitly come out against critical race theory (CRT) in schools.

O’Rourke spoke to a crowd of Texas in Victoria on Friday, where he was asked about critical race theory’s appropriateness for being taught in grade schools. O’Rourke at first dodged the issue, telling a crowd member that the concepts of CRT are not being taught in schools at present.

“And I think you and I are probably on the same page as well. We don’t see CRT being taught in our schools right now. It is a course that is taught in law schools,” O’Rourke said.

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

Biden Authorizes New Security Assistance to Ukraine

President Biden on Saturday authorized $200 million in new security assistance to Ukraine, according to the White House.

The new money brings the total security assistance to Ukraine the U.S. has authorized this year to $1.2 billion, according to a White House official.

Mr. Biden signed a memo to the State Department authorizing assistance in the form of “defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training.”

Congress approved a government funding bill this week that includes $13.6 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine.

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

Bill Banning Critical Race Theory in Schools Sent to Gov. DeSantis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (NSF) — The Florida Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would restrict how race-related issues can be taught in public schools and in workplace training sessions, giving final legislative approval to an outgrowth of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fight against critical race theory.

An emotionally raw debate that played out over two days in the Senate centered on whether the bill lives up to the “Individual Freedom” title given to it by its sponsors or whether it seeks to obscure the uglier parts of American history and stifle the speech of teachers and businesses.

Ultimately, the Republican-dominated Senate approved the bill (HB 7) in a 24-15 vote along party lines Wednesday, preparing the proposal for action by DeSantis. The House passed the bill last month in a 74-41 party-line vote.

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

Critical Race Theory Exposed in Detail in New Documentary, ‘Whose Children Are They?’

In recent times, critical race theory (CRT) has come under increasing scrutiny.

If there is a silver lining in the COVID-19 crisis over the past two years, it’s that American parents have seen firsthand, via their children’s online classes, how public schools have pushed a radical agenda that includes CRT (whether it’s actually called that by schools or not).

Now, a new documentary “Whose Children Are They?” reveals the issue in detail. “Whose Children Are They?: Exposing the Hidden Agenda in America’s Schools,” shines a light on “the need to return to the original intent of education, not indoctrination,” as Fathom Events, the project’s distributor, points out on its website.

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

DHS Took Part in Mass Surveillance of Money Transfers, Senator Says

The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took part in a secret surveillance program that collected money-transfer records of US citizens, without a warrant, according to Sen. Ron Wyden and government officials. The HSI is the investigative unit in the DHS responsible for transnational threats and crimes.

The program, overseen by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) collected data on international and domestic money transfers in excess of $500 from the states of Texas, New Mexico, California, and Arizona. The program also collected transfers to and from Mexico that were in excess of $500.

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

Exclusive Footage: Private School Teachers Nationwide Implementing Race-Essentialist Curricula, Trained by Black Panther

Through teacher training lectures with titles like “Cultivating Anti-Racists and Activists in Kindergarten,” “Decolonizing the Minds of Second Graders,” and “The White People Way,” the nation’s leading accreditation association for private schools is instructing educators to adopt a race-essentialist and cultural Marxist curriculum for children as young as five years old.

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) hosts professional development conferences for teachers at schools in their network, which promote a race-based curriculum and grading system — including tips on how to avoid transparency with parents — according to a trove of footage reviewed by Breitbart News.

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

Exclusive — Moms for America: Parents Reporting ‘Mask Mouth’ Among Their Children, Staph Infections, Tooth Decay Due to Forced Masking

Parents around the country are reporting instances of “mask mouth” — including staph infections and tooth decay — among their children due to forced masking, Moms for America president and founder Kimberly Fletcher told Breitbart News during an exclusive interview at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida.

When asked about the issues that parents are most concerned about, Fletcher pointed to comprehensive sex education, intimidation and bullying from administrators to teachers and children, and mask mandates in schools.

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

Fairfax County School Board — Watch: Mom Tells Story of Son’s Suicide Due to Critical Race Theory, Coronavirus Isolation

A Fairfax County, Virginia, mom gave a heartbreaking speech in front of the school board Thursday night, telling the story of how her son committed suicide because “he thought that all of the oppression was his fault.”

“My son Robert took his life because he thought that all of the oppression was his fault,” mother Cindy Walsh began. “No one wants you to stop teaching black history, but please do not do it in a way that makes his life worth any less.”

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

FBI Whistleblower Raises Questions About Pipe Bombs Set Near DNC, RNC Headquarters: Lawmaker

Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours)

Ohio Republican lawmaker Jim Jordan said he has requested a briefing with the FBI after a whistleblower allegedly disclosed information regarding the bureau’s investigation into pipe bombs planted near the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington the night before the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Jordan, who is ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on March 9 after a senior FBI special agent came forward with information regarding an “unusual” request from the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

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

Florida Looks to Reward Schools That Did Not Flout State Law With Mask Mandates

Florida lawmakers are including some rewards and punishments in state budget negotiations, with both the House and Senate working on a plan to hold school districts accountable for flouting state law that banned mask mandates.

Senate budget negotiator Republican Senator Kelli Stargel and House negotiator Republican Jay Trumbull had agreed to restore the $200 million into the Florida School Recognition Program for the new budget but would restrict financial benefits to the 55 school districts that followed the law by dropping mask requirements.

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

Inside Jussie Smollett’s Terrifying New Prison Home

Jussie Smollett’s new digs are actually pretty terrifying — as one would expect from a prison.

The Cook County Jail where the “Empire” actor will spend the next 150 days has faced hundreds of lawsuits over the years, with inmates alleging overcrowding, violent treatment and not enough protection against other inmates.

In the past few months alone, a person behind bars accused the jail of forcing him to share a cell with someone who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

And in a different lawsuit filed earlier this year that was obtained by The Post, another inmate accused corrections officers of using “excessive force” on him to the point where he “lost consciousness.”

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

Kennedy: Attacks on Catholic Church Must Stop

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Louisiana Senator John Kennedy is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to crack down on those who attack the Catholic church.

Kennedy, a Republican, is urging U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to strictly hold accountable those who assault the church.

According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, there were more than 100 attacks against Catholic churches over the past two years.

“President Biden’s Justice Department needs to punish these crimes, or the anti-Catholic, anti-Christian violence will continue,” said Kennedy. “What you allow is what will continue. It has to stop now. There is no place in America for religious bigotry.”

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

Officer Who Saved Young Woman From Ma’Khia Bryant’s Knife Attack Cleared of Wrongdoing

In a decision reached by a grand jury on Friday afternoon, all charges have been dropped against the Columbus police officer who fatally shot 16-year-old knife-wielding Ma’Khia Bryant who was about to stab a woman in April of last year.

ABC 6 reported that the grand jury declined to bring charges against Columbus Police Officer Nicholas Reardon, the cop involved in Bryant’s shooting death.

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

Treasury Secretary Yellen: Likely Another Year of ‘Very Uncomfortably High’ Inflation

The Biden administration might be trying to push the narrative that skyrocketing inflation is a temporary concern—one that’s under control—but Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen isn’t playing along. Yellen warned earlier in the week that Americans are likely to contend with another year of surging inflation.

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

COVID-19 Medical Silencing With Dr. Hodkinson

The Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons across Canada have traditionally filled the role of upholding the standards of the medical profession and safeguarding against medical malpractice and unprofessional conduct. With the onset of COVID-19 restrictions and increased pressures for unelected health officials and politicians alike, these colleges shifted towards enforcing the governments pandemic response instead of upholding the long-standing traditions of the medical practice.

Dr. Hodkinson, a clinical pathologist with medical degrees from Cambridge University and decades of medical experience, has been one of the prominent medical voices decrying the politicization of the medical profession as a result of COVID-19.

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

Frontline Hero Treated Like a Total Zero. His Crime? Not Wearing a Mask at a Hockey Arena

Last Sunday, Jim Gaston brought his 14-year-old son to play hockey at the Bond Lake Arena in Richmond Hill, Ontario. As per usual, he wasn’t wearing a mask. Going maskless at this arena was never an issue all season long — until last weekend.

That’s because a COVID-Karen (who was wearing two masks, no less) began to hector Jim for not wearing a face diaper. This caught the attention of other individuals. But what happened next was downright disturbing: a small mob gathered, and they began to verbally abuse Jim. One allegedly threatened to knock Jim’s teeth out.

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

COVID-1984: 600,000 Italians Set to Receive Fines for Being Unvaccinated

Around 600,000 Italians over the age of 50 are set to receive a fine for being unvaccinated despite the Italian government reviewing a loosening of various Wuhan virus restrictions.

In January, the Italian government decided to make vaccination mandatory for all residents over the age of 50, with the mandate coming into effect in February. At least 600,000 Italians have been referred to the Italian tax agency and are expected to receive a 100 euro (£84/$110) fine.

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

Germany Pressures Serbia to Impose Sanctions on Russia if They Want to Join EU

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Germany’s foreign minister has urged Serbia, which has not imposed sanctions on traditional ally Russia over the war in Ukraine, to align policies with the European Union if it wants to join the bloc.

Annalena Baerbock said Friday in Serbia’s capital Belgrade that “we all must have a clear position” over the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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

Insulate Britain Protests: Police Charge 74 Activists

Police have charged 74 people over Insulate Britain protests.

The charges relate to demonstrations at the Port of Dover and the Dartford Crossing, which caused heavy traffic tailbacks, in September and October.

There are a total of 104 charges, 73 for public nuisance, 29 for obstruction and two for criminal damage, a further 19 people who were arrested were released without charge.

Crawley Magistrates’ Court will begin hearing the charges from April.

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

Lintilä: War in Ukraine Could Nearly Double Food Prices in Finland

People in Finland must be prepared for wartime pricing of products and services, Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä (Cen) said in an Yle interview on Saturday.

He warned that the price tag for a standard basket of groceries could nearly double, partly due to knock-on effects from steep increases in fuel and fertiliser prices.

“The price of food will rise. If 11 percent of people’s income now goes to food, it will rise to more than 20 percent,” predicted Lintilä.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Living Next Door to Russia: How Moscow’s War in Ukraine Sparked a Seismic Shift in Finland

“A Russian is a Russian” the old Finnish saying goes, “even if you fry him in butter.”

While political leaders have warned against holding individual Russians responsible for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, this one phrase — that everything except Russians tastes better after being fried in butter — sums up an ingrained wariness in the national psyche when it comes to attitudes about their huge eastern neighbour.

With a 1,300-kilometre shared border — the longest in the European Union — more than a hundred years as part of the Russian Empire, and two bloody wars in the 20th century (not to mention a couple of decades of Finlandisation, when the Kremlin had the final say on any major political decisions), the Finns like to think they know a thing or two about dealing with Russia.

Even the canny Finns, though, were caught by surprise at the speed of developments that unfolded since 24 February, when Russia invaded Ukraine.

In just two weeks there’s already been a seismic shift for politics, business and society in the Nordic nation. And the question of an application to join NATO, long since put on the back burner of public debate, has become the number one subject of political discourse from Hanko in the south to Utsjoki in the north, and all points in between.

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

Poland: PM, Top Gov’t Officials Take Part in Anti-Putin March in Warsaw

Poland’s prime minister and Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland were among the participants of a march in Warsaw against Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

Also present at the demonstration in front of the Ukrainian embassy were Sejm (lower house of parliament) Speaker Elzbieta Witek, Family and Social Policy Minister Marlena Malag, the prime minister’s chief aide, Michal Dworczyk, and ruling Law and Justice party MPs Joanna Lichocka and Jan Mosinski as well as the Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Andrii Deshchytsia.

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

Sweden Joins Calls for War Crimes Investigation of Russian Attacks

The Swedish government has joined calls for Russia’s military actions in Ukraine to be investigated for possible war crimes.

“Sweden strongly condemns Russia’s attacks on civilian objects in Ukraine, incl. schools & hospitals. International humanitarian law & protection of civilians must be upheld at all times,” the Swedish prime minister’s office said via Twitter. “Fully support @IntlCrimCourt investigation—accountability for war crimes must be ensured,” it added in the tweet.

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

UK: Far-Left Bristol Rioter Jailed for Attacking Police Officer, Smashing Station Window

Mariella Gedge-Rogers has received a term of five and a half years for attacking a police officer and smashing a Bristol police station window during a riot.

Gedge-Rogers, 27, was filmed striking a police officer in the head with a skateboard, which she later used to smash a window at Bridewell Police Station, during Bristol’s ‘Kill the Bill’ protest-turned-riot on the 21st of March 2021.

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

UK: Protesters Arrested After Gluing Themselves to Barclays in St Albans

Protesters from Extinction Rebellion have been arrested after they used superglue to stick their hands to windows at Barclays bank in St Albans.

Three members of the eco-organisation were arrested yesterday afternoon (March 11) at the bank branch on St Peter’s Street.

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

UK: Tyre Extinguishers: Activists Are Deflating SUV Tyres in the Latest Pop-Up Climate Movement

A new direct action group calling itself the Tyre Extinguishers recently sabotaged hundreds of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) in various wealthy parts of London and other British cities. Under cover of darkness, activists unscrewed the valve caps on tyres, placed a bean or other pulse on the valve and then returned the cap. The tyres gently deflated.

Why activists are targeting SUVs now can tell us as much about the failures of climate policy in the UK and elsewhere as it can about the shape of environmental protest in the wake of Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain.

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

Rising Fuel and Food Costs Spark Protests in Albania, Government Imposes Price Controls

Thousands of people demonstrated in Tirana on Saturday against rising fuel prices, which have gone up more than 40% domestically in one week.

This is the fourth day of massive protests that have affected several cities in this Western Balkan country, where the average monthly salary is reported to be around 490 euros.

Already low, the purchasing power of Albanians is likely to be battered by price increases due to the destabilisation of markets by the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russian aggression.

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

As Security Tech is Pulled Out of Russia, Citizens Are Left More Vulnerable to State Surveillance

Because of sanctions imposed by western governments and companies, Russian websites cannot renew their TLS certificates, leading to sites being blocked by browsers. Russia has responded by creating its own TLS certificate authority (CA).

Transport Layer Security (TLS) secure and encrypts the transfer of data between a website, web server, and browser. Without a TLS certificate, a browser blocks access to a website.

CAs in countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia cannot accept payments from Russia, leaving many Russian websites in danger of being inaccessible. So, the Russian government created a domestic CA.

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

‘Extremist Organization: ‘ Russia to Block Facebook in Country

Russia has announced plans to block Facebook in the country, claiming that the social media platform has discriminated against Russian media and information sources. The government of Russia is reportedly considering declaring Facebook an “extremist organization,” a decision driven in part by Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to allow users to call for the death of Russians.

TechCrunch reports that just one week after placing restrictions on the social media giant Facebook, the Russian government has announced that it will begin blocking the social network in the country completely. The announcement was made by Russia’s internet regulatory agency Roskomnadzor, which cited “26 cases of discrimination against Russian media and information resources” in its decision.

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

Latest Developments

In Ukraine: Ukraine’s president warned Saturday of a “new stage of terror” by Russian forces in Ukraine, after what he said was the kidnapping of a mayor in the south of the country as well as a fresh round of airstrikes on the outskirts of the capital.

Cruise missiles slammed into an airport south of Kyiv early Saturday, setting fire to an oil terminal and an ammunition depot, authorities said. Russian strikes also hit suburbs to the east and west, while a drone crashed in the center of the city after being shot down, setting fire to a bank, officials said.

In Russia: Russia is dropping a digital iron curtain over its population, creating a big, new fracture in the global internet—but there are still big gaps in President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cut off the country from online information accessible in much of the rest of the world.

In the West: President Biden said the U.S. will move to revoke normal trade relations with Russia, joining Western allies in a coordinated action to further punish Moscow.

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

‘Let Them Come’ — Zelensky Says Russians Will Have to ‘Kill Us All’ To Take Kyiv

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says he’s open for talks with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Israel, but only if there is a cease-fire in place.

Zelensky said Saturday he told Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that he would be ready to meet Putin in Jerusalem. Bennett visited Moscow for a meeting with Putin and spoke repeatedly with Zelensky and the leaders of France and Germany as he sought to help mediate an end to the war.

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

Moscow’s Stock Market to Remain Frozen for Third Week

The Moscow Exchange said Saturday the country’s main stock market will stay closed next week, through March 18. The stock market hasn’t opened since Feb. 25, the day after the invasion and just before the West unveiled a punishing round of sanctions on Russia’s financial system.

The suspension delays what is likely to be a painful reckoning for investors in Russian stocks. While trading in Russia has been halted, shares of Russian companies listed in international markets such as London and New York have plunged. Companies in Russia are likely to face a major hit as the economy reels from the effects of war with Ukraine, including sanctions, the pullout of Western investors and disruptions to supply chains and difficulty importing critical parts and materials.

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

Pope Francis: Stop This War ‘In the Name of God’

ROME — Pope Francis continued his crusade against the Russian war on Ukraine Saturday, urging combatants to stop “in the name of God.”

“Never war!” the pontiff tweeted, attaching memes of himself with his text in Ukrainian as well as Russian.

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

Putin Showing No Willingness to End War, French Official Says

PARIS — President Vladimir Putin showed no willingness to accept a ceasefire in Ukraine during a phone call on Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a senior aide to Mr. Macron said.

The three men spoke for around an hour and a half, the official said. Messrs. Macron and Scholz pressed Mr. Putin to accept a ceasefire, to address the humanitarian catastrophes caused by the Russian invasion — including Russia’s siege of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine — and to resume talks on future security guarantees for Russia and Ukraine.

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

Russian Forces Near Kyiv Likely Dispersed to Encircle City, Avoid Being Hit, U.K. Says

Russian forces trying to take Kyiv appear to have repositioned to cut the Ukrainian capital off on all sides and reduce their own risk of being hit by the defending troops.

“Elements of the large Russian column north of Kyiv have dispersed. This is likely to support a Russian attempt to encircle the city,” the British ministry said in a daily assessment of Russia’s assault on Ukraine.

Commercial-satellite imagery in recent days showed that a large Russian military convoy last seen northwest of Kyiv had largely dispersed. The U.K. on Friday said Russian troops appeared to be regrouping for a fresh assault.

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

Almost 1.6 Million Refugees Have Entered Poland Since War in Ukraine Started

Since February 24, 1.59 million people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Border Guard (SG) tweeted on Saturday morning.

The SG tweet also wrote that on Friday, Border Guard officers carried out 76,200 border checks on people entering Poland from Ukraine.

Saturday’s figures from the Border Guard show that by 7 a.m., 17,700 people had already arrived in Poland from Ukraine.

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

Brits to Get 350 Pounds a Month to Open Homes to Ukraine Refugees

LONDON — Britain will pay people to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion as the government moves to deflect anger over its response to the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.

The new scheme called “Homes for Ukraine” will let refugees from the war come to Britain even if they do not have family ties, the government said on Sunday.

Britain will pay people 350 pounds ($456) a month if they can offer refugees a spare room or property for a minimum period of six months.

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

UK: Boris Govt Plan for Royal Navy to Solve Channel Crisis ‘Has Failed Before it Has Even Started’

Plans by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government for the Royal Navy to take charge of the Channel migrant crisis are a failure before they have “even started”, a parliamentary committee has warned.

Priti Patel MP, who leads the Home Office for the Johnson administration — making her broadly responsible for national security, border control, and immigration — has failed to stop the boat migrant crisis in the English Channel from steadily worsening for years now, having assumed her post in July 2019.

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

Texas Court Halts Abuse Inquiries Into Parents of Children Who Received Transgender Drugs

HOUSTON (LifeSiteNews) — A Texas court has temporarily halted nine investigations into parents of minors who received transgender hormone treatment affecting their puberty. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously ordered all state agencies to treat transgender hormone drugs and “sex change” surgeries for minors as child abuse under state law.

The ruling was issued by Judge Amy Clark Meachum in Travis County on Friday. It came in response to a legal challenge by the parents of one of the children believed to have received transgender treatment.

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

UK: Rowling Warns Politicians of ‘Anger Building Among Women’ Over Attempts to Silence Them on Trans Issues

JK Rowling sent a stern warning to politicians on Saturday, saying women are “outraged and angry” over the radical transgender lobby threatening their rights and safety.

Rowling warned politicians from Britain’s political parties that British women will no longer allow them to “threaten and intimidate them out of speaking publicly about their own rights”.

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

Brave Introduces New Feature to Protect Against Invasive Tracking

Brave Browser is set to launch a feature that prevents “bounce tracking,” a technique used by sneaky websites to circumvent privacy features, such as third-party cookie blocking, to continue tracking users’ web activity.

“Bounce tracking is a way for trackers to track you even if browser-level privacy protections are in place,” Brave’s announcement post explains.

“Privacy respecting browsers try to prevent sites from learning about your behaviors and activities on other sites. Bounce tracking attempts to circumvent these protections by gaming how your browser behaves when you browse from one site to another.”

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

10 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/12/2022

  1. 300.000 Greeks over the age of 60 pay a fine of 100 euros every month.
    The case is in the Counsil of State.
    I have no hope because as Thoukidides said for Pericles,”it is one man’s authority”,so it is now,but unfortunately our PM is not a Pericles,but a scum.

    • Not to much..
      After 30 years scamming Europe , 100 E doesn’t seem to be excessive..
      All this yachts everywhere ,new cars, properties allover Europe..and constantly bitching how poor you are and poorly treated..i would add another 100 per month for all of you..

  2. The news of today from Greece.

    Islamist mercenaries from Idlib turn to Kiev: “They are paying and we will settle”

    The first 450 have already gone to Ukraine to fight the Russians
    Nearly 450 Islamists of various nationalities from Idlib are arriving in Ukraine to fight Russian troops, with reports saying they are only the first wave of mercenaries to side with Kiev, with hundreds or even thousands following.

    As for the money. Probably the package that Congress approved a few days ago for a package of humanitarian and military aid and reaches 13.6 billion dollars will give feedback to Islamist organizations.

    Relatives of extremists who arrived in Ukraine told Sputnik that senior fighters of the terrorist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (the renamed version of Jabhat Al-Nusra, or Al Qaeda) had several meetings with senior leaders of the Islamic Party and Ansar Al groups. Tawhid and Hurras al-Din, and agreed to allow a number of all their fighters to enter Ukraine through Turkish territory.

    The sources added that most of these foreign fighters are veterans of the Syrian war, who had caused problems in Idlib and were given the opportunity to fight against Russia as a compromise and with an acceptable income.

    Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham also gave these fighters assurances that their families would be allowed to join society later.

    About 300 of these fighters are Syrian nationals from Idlib and Aleppo provinces, while the other 150 are Islamists from Belgium, France, China, Morocco, Tunisia, Chechnya and Britain.

    In terms of financial gain, sources said the Syrian-born fighters would receive about $ 1,200- $ 1,500, but did not know how much the foreign nationals would be paid (many talk of larger sums).

    Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned German Chancellor Olaf Soltz during a meeting last Friday about the growing number of foreign mercenaries operating in Ukraine, including those from Albania and Croatia, and in particular fighters and militants from Kosovo, in order to put their experience from military operations in Syria for use.

    • 7 of those ISIS mercenaries who came to Ukraine to ” fight against “, Russian , were caught , attempting to enter Poland territory..
      They were arrested and branded as a Terrorists.. are now under special Interrogation..
      There is an Alert on our Polish borders ( Red Flag) for the dark skin people who pose as a ” refugees” or Arab ether African ” freedom fighters” and we are aware , from what’s real purpose they are coming to Poland ..We are NOT stupid Germans or Frenchiii frog eaters..!!
      Terrorist attacks wont happen in Poland..Period !!
      !
      They have no business to be In Poland, Ukraine or neither were invited to join a fight..
      Vermin is a Vermin..no matter what..
      If me or colleagues are seeing Islamic ” Freedom Fighters” our response is short and firm..bullet in the head ! ( happen sometimes)
      Good Islamist is a Dead Islamist..Period..
      Don’t promote this Western bull..t anymore..Here we know , what Planet we live on..

  3. Poland authoritarian, NATO useless: Former German Chancellor’s controversial statement..
    https://tvpworld.com/51840635/former-german-chancellor-accuses-poland-of-authoritarianism
    “Please look at Poland and Hungary. Are these still democracies, or are they more and more authoritarian states? Where are the values ​​in foreign policy?”, Gerhard Schroeder, the former German Chancellor, asked in an interview with “Der Spiegel”. The SPD politician also stated that contemporary Russia cannot be equated with the USSR and should not be punished with sanctions.

    The US ambassador to Poland, Georgette Mosbacher, responded in social media to the words of the former German Chancellor about the alleged authoritarianism of Poland.

    “I do not agree. Poland has free and fair elections, independent media, freedom to protest without being persecuted and a thriving middle class. What part of that is not democracy?”, she tweeted.

    The German politician also referred to the issue of NATO. He stated that it had already fulfilled its mission at the time of the collapse of the USSR, so “it should be dissolved or at least fundamentally reformed.”

    “This did not happen. New members were admitted and thus the border of the alliance was moved towards Russia,” said the politician, claiming that sanctions should not be imposed on Russia despite the fact that, in his opinion, the country exceeded the permissible limits by annexing Crimea in 2014.

    Mr Schroeder compared this event to the US intervention in Iraq and said he did not know whether Vladimir Putin should be found guilty of the events in Ukraine.

    The reference point for the interview published in the latest issue of ‘Der Spiegel’ was the book “Last Chance. Why a new world architecture is needed”, written by Mr Schroeder along with historian Gregor Schoellgen. The German magazine interviewed the authors.

    Gerhard Schroeder was the Chancellor of Germany between 1998 and 2005. After resigning from the office, he became involved in the construction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. He has been the head of the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft since 2017.

  4. For those ” Christians killing Christians ” Propagandist..
    and you Americans who contributed to German-Russian narration..
    You are GUILTY as well of this atrocities !
    https://twitter.com/i/status/1502875731210080258

    We in Poland where telling you what German-Russian Alliance is about..and to what lead..
    But you chose to not hear Us ..chose to call as Russo-phobes, Germano-phobes..stupid Polacks..We will remember forever! Yalta, Potsdam, and British, USA Betrayal..
    which lead to 50 years of Poland Occupation by Russian Beast..

  5. https://unser-mitteleuropa.com/ukrainische-intellektuelle-vergleichen-bundesregierung-mit-nationalsozialisten-und-sprechen-von-deutscher-schuld/

    The German view of what is happening – it has a place to be.
    In general, what Russia arranged looks like an act of disobedience to the established world order.
    First little Myanmar, now Russia, what other players will be next?
    Putin is a cowardly rotten fish. I think he would not have unleashed a war without someone’s weighty support and firm guarantees. Even a stupid cleaning lady could guess what such an adventure threatens the country with.

    I don’t see the point in taking sides or spouting emotions. We are all victims.

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