Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/13/2022

An Iranian woman who agreed to a romantic assignation with a man in Las Vegas ended up stabbing her date in the neck. When she was arrested, she told police that she was acting to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani by the US in 2020.

In other news, former President Barack Hussein Obama has tested positive for COVID-19.

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

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

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

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

Financial Crisis
» Americans Can’t Afford Gas, Congress Just Gave Itself a 21% Raise
 
USA
» Amazon Relocating 1,800 Employees Out of Downtown Seattle Due to Spiking Crime
» Biden Predicts ‘Sad, Sad Two Years’ if GOP Retakes Congress in Midterm Elections
» Breaking: Laid-Off Keystone XL Pipeline Workers Blast Joe Biden for Lying About American Oil Production
» Former President Barack Obama Tests Positive for COVID-19
» GOP Rep. Jackson: Joe Biden ‘Needs to Resign, ‘ ‘Not Cognitively Capable of Leading’
» Hunter Biden’s ‘Laptop From Hell’ Repairman Says Life Upended, Bankruptcy Looms
» Johnson, Republican Senators Propose Bill to Help Victims of Adverse Vaccine Reactions
» Jussie Smollett Claims He’s Only in Jail Because He’s Black
» New York’s Museum of Modern Art Evacuated After Two People Were Stabbed Inside, Police Say
» Strip Clubs Safer Than Schools for COVID, Michigan Tells Skeptical Appeals Court
» Trump Promises Republicans Will Ban Critical Race Theory ‘Once and for All’ If They Take Back Congress in This Year’s Midterm Elections During Heated South Carolina Rally
» Two Employees Stabbed at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, Police Say
» Woman Stabs Date, Claims Revenge for 2020 Iranian General Killing: Police
 
Canada
» Canadian Orchestra Drops Russian Pianist Despite Anti-Ukraine Invasion Views
» Canadian Broadcaster Complains Ukraine War ‘Distracts’ From Climate Change
» Jean Charest Commits to Carbon Tax as Conservative Leader
 
Europe and the EU
» Anti-War Protests Across Europe, Small Rallies in Russia
» France: Mayor of Bordeaux Funded Islamic Association Under Investigation for ‘Incitement to Terrorist Acts’
» France: Mother of Jihad Mass Murderer Goes on Trial for ‘Financing Terrorism’
» In Possible Breakthrough, Scientists Say Planetary Bodies Seen in Habitable Zone of White Dwarf
» Netherlands: Police Arrest Extinction Rebellion Protesters in Amsterdam
» Not Feeding the Five Thousand: Russia Sanctions Drive Up Cost of Bread, Fish in UK
» Russia Sanctions War Shuts Down EU Steel Mills, Paper Mills, And Stops Fishermen Going to Sea
» Sweden: Populist Leader: Green Politicians Closing Nuclear Plants Are Putin’s ‘Useful Idiots’
» The Wages of Cuckservatism: France’s Marine Le Pen Moved Left, Provoked Crippling Challenge From Eric Zemmour
» U.K. To Host Security Meeting of Northern European Countries
» UK: Ethical Alternative? Boris May Beg Saudis to Boost Oil Supply Despite Mass Beheadings on Saturday
» UK: London’s $40k-a-Year American School Defies Parents, Doubles Down on Woke Curriculum
» Ursula Von Der Leyen Suspected of ‘Serious Conflicts of Interest’ By MEPs
 
Balkans
» Mystery Drone From Ukraine War Crashes in Croatia
 
Middle East
» Iraqi Kurdistan: Muslima Converts to Christianity, Her Brother and Uncle Murder Her
 
Russia
» Award-Winning US Journalist Brent Renaud Killed in Ukraine: Police
» Latest Developments
» Putin Accuses Ukraine of Using Civilians as Shields in Call With France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz
» Russia-Backed Separatists Expecting ‘Many Thousands’ of Middle Eastern ‘Volunteers’
» Wikipedia Editor Detained in Belarus After Opposing Russia’s Narrative in Articles
 
Sub-Saharan Africa
» “Why Are His Killers Still Out?”: Persecution of Christians, January 2022
 
Immigration
» Euro MP Claims African Migrants Exploiting Ukraine War to Enter EU
» Eyewitness Report: Muslim Migrant ‘Students’ Tried to Rape Fleeing Ukrainian Women, Calling Them ‘Christian Sluts’
 
Culture Wars
» Dr. Jordan Peterson Comes Out in Support of JK Rowling Standing Up for Women’s Rights
» UK: Woke Labour Leader Starmer Insists ‘Trans Women Are Women’ Amid Rowling Spat
 

Americans Can’t Afford Gas, Congress Just Gave Itself a 21% Raise

The $1.5 trillion omnibus bill has plenty of inflationary spending, and the honorable members of the legislature didn’t leave themselves out.

As part of the $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill released Wednesday, the $5.9 billion fiscal 2022 Legislative Branch funding portion would substantially boost the office budgets of House members to pay staff more…

This legislation would provide $774.4 million for the Members Representational Allowance, known as the MRA, which funds the House office budgets for lawmakers, including staffer salaries. This $134.4 million, or 21 percent, boost over the previous fiscal year marks the largest increase in the MRA appropriation since it was authorized in 1996, according to a bill summary by the House Appropriations Committee. For paid interns in member and leadership offices, the House would get $18.2 million.

It’s not technically a pay hike for congressmembers, but, in particular House members, are notorious for putting family members on the payroll. And for using staffers to run their errands and handle assorted personal projects for them.

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

Amazon Relocating 1,800 Employees Out of Downtown Seattle Due to Spiking Crime

Amazon is temporarily relocating workers out of a downtown Seattle office due to ongoing violent crimes.

According to a statement emailed from the tech giant to Bloomberg, “Given recent incidents near Third and Pine, we’re providing employees currently at that location with alternative office space elsewhere. We are hopeful that conditions will improve and that we will be able to bring employees back to this location when it is safe to do so.”

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

Biden Predicts ‘Sad, Sad Two Years’ if GOP Retakes Congress in Midterm Elections

At the Democratic National Committee’s winter meeting, President Joe Biden predicted Thursday evening that it would be “a sad, sad two years” if Republicans were to retake Congress in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections.

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

Breaking: Laid-Off Keystone XL Pipeline Workers Blast Joe Biden for Lying About American Oil Production

Laid-off Keystone XL pipeline workers had choice words for President Joe Biden in a Fox News segment Saturday. Focusing on soaring gas prices across America, the segment included interviews with a group of laid-off workers.

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

Former President Barack Obama Tests Positive for COVID-19

Former President Barack Obama has tested positive for COVID-19, despite being vaccinated and receiving a booster, according to a Sunday statement from his official Twitter account.

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

GOP Rep. Jackson: Joe Biden ‘Needs to Resign, ‘ ‘Not Cognitively Capable of Leading’

Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), who served as White House physician during the Obama and Trump administrations, is calling for President Joe Biden to resign, noting he is “not cognitively capable of leading.”

“Biden doesn’t know what’s going on with Ukraine. He doesn’t know what’s going on with ANYTHING!” Jackson tweeted Friday. “He’s not cognitively capable of leading. He needs to RESIGN before our country suffers any more.”

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

Hunter Biden’s ‘Laptop From Hell’ Repairman Says Life Upended, Bankruptcy Looms

The man who used to own the Delaware computer repair shop where Hunter Biden left his notorious “laptop from hell” says bankruptcy looms, as his life has been turned upside down by private citizens, tech giants, and federal agencies since the contents of the laptop became public.

John Paul Mac Isaac, 45, tells the New York Post that he received a slew of death threats after the bombshell revelations on Biden’s laptop became public and noted a Wilmington state trooper had to maintain a constant presence outside of his shop in Trolley Square.

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

Johnson, Republican Senators Propose Bill to Help Victims of Adverse Vaccine Reactions

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson and several other Senate Republicans this week proposed a bill that would, if passed, amend current vaccine injury statute to allow for restitution due to adverse reactions from the COVID vaccine.

The measure, dubbed the Countermeasure Injury Compensation Amendment Act, would if passed amend that law to “improve responsiveness, create a commission to examine the injuries directly caused as a result of COVID-19 countermeasures, and allow those whose claims have been previously rejected [under the CICA] to resubmit claims for new consideration,” Johnson’s office said in a press release.

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

Jussie Smollett Claims He’s Only in Jail Because He’s Black

Following Jussie Smollett’s sentencing late last week, the former “Empire” actor is claiming that the reason he’s been sent to jail for 150 days is because he is black.

Sources with direct knowledge and in touch with the convicted actor told TMZ that Smollet had expected to get jail time, solely because of the color of his skin.

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

New York’s Museum of Modern Art Evacuated After Two People Were Stabbed Inside, Police Say

Patrons at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art were evacuated Saturday afternoon after two employees were stabbed inside the iconic establishment by a man who was involved in two incidents of disorderly conduct at the museum in recent days, police said.

The two employees were stabbed in the back, the collar bone and in the back of the neck and were rushed to Bellevue Hospital within minutes of the attack. They received immediate medical attention and are expected to survive, said Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller during a news conference on Saturday evening.

“At approximately 4:15 this afternoon, an individual entered the museum, attempted to gain entrance presenting his membership card and was denied entrance because his membership had expired. His membership had expired as a result of two incidents involving disorderly conduct here at the museum on two separate dates in recent days,” Miller said.

Miller said upon being denied entrance to the museum, the suspect became angry and then jumped over the reception desk and attacked two museum employees, stabbing them multiple times.

The NYPD is still searching for the suspect, who was identified in a news release early Sunday as 60-year-old Gary Cabana. Authorities had earlier described him as a man wearing a black jacket and surgical mask. His description was released immediately over division radio units in the area and a search was initiated by units responding to the vicinity of the scene, according to Miller.

The suspect, who is a regular at the MoMA, entered the building Saturday with the intention of attending a film at the iconic landmark. He is known to the NYPD, Miller said, and is wanted by the department in connection with two incidents that occurred in Midtown Manhattan, where the museum is located, prior to Saturday’s double stabbing. The man was caught on video leaving the museum and police have a direction of his flight, he added…

           — Hat tip: MM [Return to headlines]
 

Strip Clubs Safer Than Schools for COVID, Michigan Tells Skeptical Appeals Court

Michigan believes that strip clubs and bars are safer places than religious schools, at least when it comes to catching and spreading COVID-19.

But because the state ended mask mandates on all schools nine months ago, its lawyers may not have to convince the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to adopt its view.

The full appeals court heard oral arguments Wednesday in a Catholic school’s religious freedom challenge to the rescinded mandates, which are similar to those recently challenged in Washington, D.C.

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

Trump Promises Republicans Will Ban Critical Race Theory ‘Once and for All’ If They Take Back Congress in This Year’s Midterm Elections During Heated South Carolina Rally

Donald Trump said at his South Carolina rally on Saturday night that Republicans would ban critical race theory at the national level if they take back Congress in November’s midterm elections.

He said banning the theory in schools and workplaces was a ‘matter of survival’ that Americans needed to ‘lay their very lives down’ to defend.

As president Trump signed an executive order banning federal contractors from ‘efforts to indoctrinate government employees with divisive and harmful sex— and race-based ideologies.’

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

Two Employees Stabbed at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art, Police Say

A man stabbed two employees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Saturday, officials said. Police are still searching for the suspect, who was identified as a former member of the museum.

“This incident is still unfolding,” Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller of the New York City Police Department said at a press conference Saturday evening. “We’re at a very early stage in the investigation.”

At around 4:15 p.m. local time, the man attempted to gain entrance to the museum by presenting his membership card, but was denied because his membership had expired due to two prior incidents involving disorderly conduct at the museum in recent days, Miller said.

The man then became upset and jumped over the museum’s reception desk before stabbing two employees multiple times in the back, collar bone and the back of the neck.

The man then became upset and jumped over the museum’s reception desk before stabbing two employees multiple times in the back, collar bone and the back of the neck.

The employees were transported to a local hospital within minutes of the attack, Miller said. They are both expected to be okay.

“This was a rapidly unfolding, spontaneous incident,” Miller said…

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

Woman Stabs Date, Claims Revenge for 2020 Iranian General Killing: Police

A woman facing charges for stabbing a man she was on a date with has claimed a bizarre motivation: political revenge.

Nika Nikoubin, 21, was arrested on March 5 for stabbing a man at the Sunset Station hotel in Henderson, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. She and the man, whose name has not been released to the public, agreed to meet at the location for a date, according to 8 News Now.

Once in their rented room, the two began engaging in sexual activities that culminated in Nikoubin blindfolding the man and turning off the lights. After a few minutes, the man said that he “felt a pain on the side of his neck” as Nikoubin proceeded to stab him in the neck twice. After the initial attack, he was reportedly able to push the woman off of him and call 911.

When confronted by law enforcement, Nikoubin claimed to have attacked her date “for revenge against U.S. troops for the killing of Qassem Soleimani in 2020…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Canadian Orchestra Drops Russian Pianist Despite Anti-Ukraine Invasion Views

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra has dropped a young Russian prodigy pianist from events this week, despite the pianist being outspoken on his opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Piano prodigy Alexander Malofeev was set to play with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) on March 9th, 10th and 13th but was dropped from the performances as the OSM feared his appearance on stage could provoke a backlash from those against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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

Canadian Broadcaster Complains Ukraine War ‘Distracts’ From Climate Change

Canadian public broadcaster CBC has lamented that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine may “distract” the general public from the issues of climate change.

In an opinion article entitled ‘The war in Ukraine Threatens to Distract us From the Climate Crisis’, CBC writer Aaron Wherry complained that “climate action isn’t something governments can set aside when it’s inconvenient.”

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

Jean Charest Commits to Carbon Tax as Conservative Leader

Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest expressed his support for a price on carbon during a CTV interview Saturday.

“I support a policy that is going to bring to the table, Alberta, the provinces and the oil and gas industry so that we can develop policies that we can actually implement,” Charest said.

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

Anti-War Protests Across Europe, Small Rallies in Russia

BERLIN — Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday in cities across Europe to protest against Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, with small vigils taking place in Russia as well despite a crackdown by authorities against such demonstrations.

German trade unions called a protest in Berlin, where sunny weather boosted the turnout. The march led from the city’s Alexanderplatz — a large square named after Russian Tsar Alexander I — to a site near the Brandenburg Gate.

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

France: Mayor of Bordeaux Funded Islamic Association Under Investigation for ‘Incitement to Terrorist Acts’

The mayor was Alain Juppé. He later became French Minister of State. This is one example of why Europe is in such deep crisis. In a sane France, he would never have held public office again.

“The left supports an association targeted for ‘provocation to terrorist acts!,’“ translated from “La gauche soutient une association visée pour “provocation à des actes terroristes” !,” Infos Bordeaux, March 7, 2022:

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

France: Mother of Jihad Mass Murderer Goes on Trial for ‘Financing Terrorism’

The family that slays together, stays together.

“Mother of Bataclan attacker goes on trial in Paris for ‘financing terrorism,’“ Euronews, March 4, 2022:.

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

In Possible Breakthrough, Scientists Say Planetary Bodies Seen in Habitable Zone of White Dwarf

Astronomers this week announced the discovery of several “planetary bodies” possibly orbiting a white dwarf star’s habitable zone, suggesting the presence of a genuine planet possibly located in the correct region for supporting life.

The “habitable zone” of a star is a critical component of galactic research; planets located in this zone are close enough to receive warmth from the star’s energy but far enough away that it can retain liquid water on its surface, liquid water being though to be a necessary component for life in the universe.

Astronomers stay that planets in habitable zones present the highest likelihood for discovering life elsewhere within the universe. In a press release from the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers said they had discovered unique evidence of such a find: A “ring of planetary debris studded with moon-sized structures” orbiting the habitable zone of a white dwarf star nearly 120 light-years away.

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

Netherlands: Police Arrest Extinction Rebellion Protesters in Amsterdam

Eighteen to 20 people were arrested during a demonstration by Extinction Rebellion in Amsterdam on Saturday, a police spokesperson confirmed after reporting by Het Parool. The group formed a blockade on the Blauwbrug to draw attention to the climate crisis ahead of next week’s municipal elections.

Because Amsterdam is 1.20 meters below sea level, it can flood in the future without attention to the climate, according to the group’s event page. “We sat in the heart of the city, near the town hall, to draw attention from the parties and voters and to keep the climate crisis in mind,” said a spokesperson for the group.

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

Not Feeding the Five Thousand: Russia Sanctions Drive Up Cost of Bread, Fish in UK

Britons face a sharp increase in the cost of basic staples as a consequence of the sanctions war with Russia, with the price of whitefish set to significantly rise.

Instead of a weekly treat, the quintessentially British dish of fish and chips could now become more of a delicacy as whitefish supply prices — which includes cod and haddock — are predicted to rise by 20-30 per cent as a ramification of the sanctions war Britain is engaged in with Russia.

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

Russia Sanctions War Shuts Down EU Steel Mills, Paper Mills, And Stops Fishermen Going to Sea

MILAN (AP) — Italian paper mills that make everything from pizza boxes to furniture packaging ground to a halt as Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent natural gas prices skyrocketing.

And it’s not just paper. Italian steel mills, likewise, turned off electric furnaces last week. And fishermen, facing huge spikes in oil prices, stayed in port, mending nets instead of casting them.

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

Sweden: Populist Leader: Green Politicians Closing Nuclear Plants Are Putin’s ‘Useful Idiots’

Populist Sweden Democrats (SD) leader Jimmie Åkesson has slammed European Green politicians, blaming their policies for making Europe reliant on Russian energy and enriching the country.

Åkesson said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war have been exacerbated by Green policies, such as closing down nuclear plants, that have led to a dependence on supplies of natural gas and oil from Russia.

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

The Wages of Cuckservatism: France’s Marine Le Pen Moved Left, Provoked Crippling Challenge From Eric Zemmour

And they’re off! French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced on March 3 that he is running in this year’s presidential elections. Meanwhile the two main immigration patriot candidates, Marine Le Pen and Éric Zemmour, have both qualified to run in the election by each securing over 500 supporting signatures from mayors and other elected officials. Phew!

Zemmour’s qualifying was far from certain, since the identities of the signatories must now—since a reform by the previous president, the non-entity François Hollande—be made public, opening them up to social opprobrium. (In 2016, this Managed Democracy technique was key to stopping American Renaissance editor Jared Taylor from running against a RINO in Virginia’s Tenth Congressional District, where he lives.)

The first round of this election will be on April 10. So the next question now: Who will face the centrist Macron in the second-round presidential election on April 24?

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

U.K. To Host Security Meeting of Northern European Countries

The U.K. this week plans to host representatives from several European countries to discuss more collective action in the face of growing concerns about Russia.

Representatives from Britain as well as Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway are set to gather March 14-15.

Boris Johnson is set to welcome leaders Monday evening at Chequers, the country residence of Britain’s prime minister. “Ensuring we are resilient to Putin’s threats needs to go beyond our military footing—together alongside our North and Baltic Sea partners we must ensure we are insulated from Russia’s interference and impact on our energy supplies, economy and values,” Mr. Johnson said in a statement in advance of the meeting.

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

UK: Ethical Alternative? Boris May Beg Saudis to Boost Oil Supply Despite Mass Beheadings on Saturday

Prime Minister Boris Johnson may travel to Saudi Arabia next week to beg for increased oil production as sanctions restrict Russian exports, despite the dictatorship executing 81 people en masse on Saturday.

As governments across Europe struggle to secure supplies of oil and natural gas, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson is looking to the Islamic kingdom to replace oil supplies previously sourced from Russia.

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

UK: London’s $40k-a-Year American School Defies Parents, Doubles Down on Woke Curriculum

To parents’ dismay, the once prestigious American School in London is resisting calls from Ofsted regulators to change its curriculum and is sticking to teaching its “diversity, equity and inclusion” programme.

The American School (ASL), which charges parents £32,650 ($42,570) a year in fees, was downgraded by Britain’s education watchdog the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, more colloquially known as Ofsted, from a rating of “outstanding” to “requires improvement” due to their teaching focusing more on woke social justice causes than subject knowledge, as well as creating an environment where “alternative opinions are not felt welcome”.

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

Ursula Von Der Leyen Suspected of ‘Serious Conflicts of Interest’ By MEPs

A cross-party initiative of 36 European MEPs has now launched an initiative to demand the full disclosure of the EU Commission’s contracts with the manufacturers of Corona vaccines. This also concerns EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen as she is suspected of having benefited from certain contracts.

The initiative was launched by AfD MEP Christine Anderson and Romanian Christian Democrat Cristian-Vasile Terhes. Other representatives of the AfD, EPP, FPÖ, but also the Greens and the Left are also on board. The cross-party initiative demands, among other things, the resignation of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She is accused of having been involved in a “gigantic Covid 19 scientific fraud”. The EU’s vaccination campaign, they say, threatens democracy, freedom and human rights in Europe.

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

Mystery Drone From Ukraine War Crashes in Croatia

People in Croatia’s capital Zagreb were rudely awakened to Russia’s war in Ukraine when a military drone crashed in the city late last night.

There was an explosion in the southwestern Jarun district shortly after 23:00 (22:00 GMT). Residents found a crater and wreckage scattered close to student accommodation.

Zagreb’s mayor Tomislav Tomasevic said “it’s amazing that no-one was injured”.

Croatia’s president said there was no sign the country had been targeted.

Witness reports suggested the only person hurt was a man who fell off his bicycle as the drone hit the ground.

Markings on the debris included Cyrillic lettering and a five-pointed star. Local experts said these suggested that the drone was a Soviet-era TU-141 reconnaissance aircraft.

Despite the drone’s vintage, it has been deployed by the Ukrainian military both in 2014 and during the current conflict.

Croatian media have been speculating about its origin. Although Ukraine’s embassy in Zagreb declined to comment, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence ministry was adamant the drone was not Ukrainian and did not have Ukrainian markings…

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Iraqi Kurdistan: Muslima Converts to Christianity, Her Brother and Uncle Murder Her

The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law. It’s based on the Qur’an: “They wish you would disbelieve as they disbelieved so you would be alike. So do not take from among them allies until they emigrate for the cause of Allah. But if they turn away, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them and take not from among them any ally or helper.” (Qur’an 4:89)

A hadith depicts Muhammad saying: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

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

Award-Winning US Journalist Brent Renaud Killed in Ukraine: Police

An award-winning journalist who was a former New York Times contributor has been killed by Russian forces near Kyiv, the region’s head of police said Sunday.

Brent Renaud, 51, a video journalist who has also reported for NBC, Vice News and HBO, was fatally shot in the neck when Russian troops opened fire on a car near the Romanivsky Bridge in the Ukraine town of Irpin, police and a witness said.

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

Latest Developments

In Ukraine: A Russian airstrike hit a Ukrainian military-training center near the border with Poland, one day after Moscow warned the West that it would consider arms deliveries to Ukraine as legitimate targets. The number of people fleeing the fighting now tops 2.6 million, the U.N. estimated. 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 airstrikes.

The Russian strikes could impede what has been a vital lifeline for Ukraine and bring the war perilously close to the country’s border with Poland. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned of a full-fledged NATO response if a Russian strike were to hit member-state Poland, even in the event of an accidental or unintentional strike by Russia.

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. Russian prosecutors have issued warnings to Western companies in Russia, threatening to arrest corporate leaders there who criticize the government or to seize assets of companies that withdraw from the country.

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]
 

Putin Accuses Ukraine of Using Civilians as Shields in Call With France’s Macron, Germany’s Scholz

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin says he “informed” the leaders of France and Germany of the “real situation” in Ukraine in a three-way telephone call on Saturday, alleging various “gross violations of the international humanitarian law” by Ukraine.

President Putin, according to the Kremlin’s official readout of the conversation, accused “the Ukrainian army and police [of] extrajudicial killings of dissenters, hostage taking and the use of civilians as human shields, deployment of heavy weaponry in residential areas, in proximity to hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and so on” as the three leaders discussed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — which the Kremlin described more prosaically as a “military operation to protect Donbass”.

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

Russia-Backed Separatists Expecting ‘Many Thousands’ of Middle Eastern ‘Volunteers’

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Russia-backed head of a separatist region in eastern Ukraine says he expects thousands of fighters from the Middle East to come to fight the Ukrainian forces.

Denis Pushilin, the head of the separatist government in the Donetsk region, said in remarks broadcast on Russian state television Saturday that “many thousands” of volunteers from the Middle East could shortly join the rebels and fight “shoulder-to-shoulder” against the Ukrainian army.

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

Wikipedia Editor Detained in Belarus After Opposing Russia’s Narrative in Articles

A top Wikipedia editor, Mark Bernstein, has been detained by the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of Belarus (GUBOPiK), according to local newspaper Zerkalo.

The arrest came after Bernstein’s personal information was shared in the public Telegram channel of the GUBOPiK. The information included his name, social media and Wikipedia handles, and place of work. A video of his arrest was also shared on the channel.

Bernstein was accused of “distributing fake anti-Russian information,” for editing several Wikipedia articles about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Bernstein is among the top 50 editors of Russian Wikipedia. Currently, his account has been “blocked indefinitely.”

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

“Why Are His Killers Still Out?”: Persecution of Christians, January 2022

The Slaughter of Christians

Uganda: A Muslim man, according to a Jan. 5 report, “is suspected of hanging his wife and two children because the young mother and oldest child received Christ after attending Christmas Day and Sunday worship services.” On Dec. 27, Shamira Nakato, 27, and her two children, 3 and 8, had attended a church service. When Shamira’s husband, who was away on business, returned early, a Muslim neighbor informed him that his wife and children had been seen attending a church. The Muslim man then went to the church.

“When he entered the church, his wife and the children were seated at the back,” the church’s pastor said. “He pulled her out of the church, and about 100 meters away, a member saw him beat his wife.” Another neighbor confirmed that he later heard screaming from the Muslim household, then saw “two men wearing Islamic prayer caps outside [the] house putting together an undefined wooden structure.”

The next morning, the neighbor went to borrow a tool. No one answered, but the door was unlocked, so he entered. There he found the woman and her two young children hanging dead. The recently built wooden structure had served as a scaffold.

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

Euro MP Claims African Migrants Exploiting Ukraine War to Enter EU

African migrants, along with a host of other nationalities, are exploiting the war in Ukraine to enter France, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) has claimed.

Nicolas Bay MEP has claimed that African migrants are using refugee channels aimed at helping those fleeing the war in Ukraine to enter France.

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

Eyewitness Report: Muslim Migrant ‘Students’ Tried to Rape Fleeing Ukrainian Women, Calling Them ‘Christian Sluts’

Why does this keep happening? In France, a Muslim quoted Qur’an while raping his victim. A survivor of a Muslim rape gang in the UK has said that her rapists would quote the Qur’an to her, and believed their actions justified by Islam. Thus it came as no surprise when Muslim migrants in France raped a girl and videoed the rape while praising Allah and invoking the Qur’an. In India, a Muslim gave a Qur’an and a prayer rug to the woman he was holding captive and repeatedly raping. And the victim of an Islamic State jihadi rapist recalled: “He told me that according to Islam he is allowed to rape an unbeliever. He said that by raping me, he is drawing closer to God…He said that raping me is his prayer to God.” In India, a Muslim kidnapped and raped a 14-year-old Hindu girl, and forced her to read the Qur’an and Islamic prayers. In Pakistan, another Christian woman recounted that her rapist was also religious: “He threw me on the bed and started to rape me. He demanded I marry him and convert to Islam. I refused. I am not willing to deny Jesus and he said that if I would not agree he would kill me.” Rapists demanded that another girl’s family turn her over to them, claiming that she had recited the Islamic profession of faith during the rape and thus could not live among infidels.

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

Dr. Jordan Peterson Comes Out in Support of JK Rowling Standing Up for Women’s Rights

On Sunday, famous author JK Rowling saw Dr. Jordan Peterson come to her defense as she advocates for women’s rights amid the trans identity debate.

Peterson had responded to a Saturday thread from Rowling, in which the acclaimed writer wrote on Twitter: “I don’t think our politicians have the slightest idea how much anger is building among women from all walks of life at the attempts to threaten and intimidate them out of speaking publicly about their own rights, their own bodies and their own lives.”

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

UK: Woke Labour Leader Starmer Insists ‘Trans Women Are Women’ Amid Rowling Spat

Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, declared on Friday that he is a staunch believer that “trans women are women”.

Sir Keir, who has headed Britain’s socialist Labour Party since 2020, clarified Labour’s position on transgender policy after Labour’s Chair and Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, Anneliese Dodds, was unable to give a substantial definition on what a woman actually is on International Women’s Day.

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

9 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/13/2022

  1. Speaking of masks. I live in a rather harsh climate, where people are buried under snowdrifts for half a year. Usually during the cold period, about 2-3 times a year I got sick with seasonal flu or some kind of SARS (this climate does not suit me). And these two seasons, while we were wearing masks, I never got sick.

  2. From the LiveJournal Kuraev. (From Kuraev’s LiveJournal. (opposition Orthodox ruler of thoughts, it seems he was removed from church service)

    Normalization of nuclear war
    Yesterday on “Sunday Night with [Solid Waste]” the presenter and his “experts” constantly gleefully urged to continue the war in a nuclear variant

    There was no logic in this: after all, in other stories, the same nonhumans said that the Russian economy was only getting healthier from sanctions, that the army was winning brilliant victories, that the people had rallied around the leader … So, there is no threat?

    But over and over again it sounded: we must not stop at the borders of Poland, we must go forward. Ah, the West froze the accounts of the Russian Federation in their banks? Hey, we got robbed! It’s a case of belli! let’s nuke!
    Starting from 33 minutes
    Well, this has its own logic: to bring people’s lives to the point where you no longer want to live, but leave the last joy: to spoil your neighbor and go “to the next world – all together” (Soloviev’s thesis).

    Several Jews and one Armenian woman in the studio presented this as a peculiarity of the Russian soul. But in fact, this is the world of ordinary criminals from the St. Petersburg gateway: get a certificate from a psychiatric hospital about your legal insanity and pester everyone with a knife while screaming: “I’ll cut the load, and I won’t get anything for it!”
    https://diak-kuraev.livejournal.com/3664611.html
    ——————
    The leader in the jacket is the Jew Solovyov. Recently, two villas were taken away from him in Italy, as sanctions.

  3. US evacuates ISIS terrorists from prisons in Hasaka province

    The terrorists were transferred to prisons located in the north of Hasaka province. The Islamic State militants were transported on American trucks equipped with weapons. The trucks were escorted by fighters from the opposition Syrian Democratic Forces. During the movement of the convoy, the Americans blocked the road for several hours.

    At the same time, the Syrian Democratic Forces forbade residents of the Guwayran region to leave their homes until the end of the release of militants from the Sanaviya As-Sinaiya prison.

    Syrian sources suggest that the Islamic State militants will be moved to the area near the military base in the At-Tanf region on the border with Iraq and Jordan in the east of Homs province in order to train and equip them to carry out sabotage and terrorist attacks against the Syrian government army and civilians .

    Read more: https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2022/03/14/ssha-vyvezli-terroristov-igil-iz-tyurem-provincii-hasake

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