Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/16/2022

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have decided to drop mask mandates on their flights. Meanwhile, Italy is expected to end all vaccine passport measures by the end of May.

In other news, President Joe Biden said that the United States will send an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine.

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

Thanks to Dean, DV, Fjordman, LP, 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
» Canadian Press News Alert: Annual Inflation Rate Rose to 5.7% in February
» Fed Makes Modest Interest-Rate Hike, First in Three Years, Plans for Half-Dozen More in 2022
» Inflation Nation: UK Sees Largest Decline in Wages Since 2014
» Justinflation: Poilievre Rips Into Trudeau as Inflation Soars
 
USA
» “Pathetic Tyrant”: Romney Was the Only Republican to Vote Against Ending Transport Mask Mandate
» Biden Announces Additional $800 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine
» ‘Bipartisan Free Speech Panel’ Disrupted by Over 100 Yale Law School Students
» Breaking: Trump Says ‘NATO Was Poor and Now it is Rich’ Because He ‘Acted Strongly’
» Daily Wire Marks Two-Year Anniversary of ‘15 Days to Slow the Spread’ With Release of Docuseries Exploring Fauci’s Failures
» Disney Employees Busted in Child Trafficking Sting Just Days After Corporation Opposed Anti-Grooming Law
» Former Google CEO Tells Big Tech to Get Involved With National Defense
» In Address to Congress, Zelenskyy Urges US Leaders to ‘Do More, ‘ Invokes 9/11, Pearl Harbor
» Jussie Smollett to be Released From Jail on Bond
» Justice Department Says China Targeting Dissidents in U.S., Including Congressional Candidate
» Live: Gas Line Explosion in Livingston County Leaves Crater; Portion of US 23 Closed
» Members of the ‘People’s Convoy’ Given Capitol Tour by GOP Senator
» Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion Reported in Livingston Co.
» Philadelphia Woman Pleads Guilty in Connection to Setting Fire to Police Vehicles During George Floyd Protests
» Physical Music Sales Just Increased for the First Time Since 1996
» Preprint Server Accused of Censorship for Removing “Inflammatory” Scientific Papers
» Project Veritas Releases Video of FBI Raid on Journalist’s Home
» Social Platform Minds and Daryl Davis Explain New Anti-Censorship Project
» Vimeo Bans “Fake News” That Creates “A Serious Risk of Material Harm”
» Watch: Hockey Fans Loudly Boo When NY Gov. Hochul Introduced
» Watch: Biden Calls Putin ‘A War Criminal’ Amid Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
» Who is Assamad Nash, The Man Accused of Killing Christina Yuna Lee?
» YouTube Flags Tulsi Gabbard’s Criticism of “Military Industrial Complex” As “Inappropriate, “ “Offensive”
 
Canada
» Canada’s COVID Policies Have Been ‘Inconsistent, Ineffective, And Damaging, ‘ Legal Group Argues
» Candice Bergen Says Canada Needs to Do More to Secure Ukraine’s Airspace
» CRTC Bans Russian Channels RT and RT France From Canadian Airwaves
» Jason Kenney vs. The Pawlowski Family — Who’s Right?
» Levy: Ottawa-Carleton School Board Fails to Extend Mask Mandate by One Vote
» Petition: Save Pastor Artur Pawlowski
» Quebec Gov’t Seeks to Maintain Health Emergency Powers Until End of 2022
» Strict Testing Policies That Killed Niagara Tourism Never Saw Economic Impact Assessment
 
Europe and the EU
» British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Embrace Freedom, Remove Mask Mandates on Flights
» Conservatives Beware: Germany’s Left-Wing Interior Minister Has 10-Point Plan to Fight ‘Right-Wing Extremism’
» Denmark: Save the Children: Russian Kids Being Bullied and Abused Over Their Nationality
» Fewer Americans Traveling to Europe as War Sees Tourism Numbers Plummet
» Germany: Reading Ability of Children Far Lower Than in Pre-COVID Times — Study
» Green Germany Weighs Reopening Coal Power Plants Amid Energy Crisis
» Italy Expected to Abolish All Coronavirus Health Pass Measures by End of May
» Novak Djokovic Expected to Compete in French Open Under Loosened Vaccine Rules
» Polish PiS Leader Calls for NATO Peacekeepers in Ukraine, But Germany Says That Crosses a ‘Red Line’
» Slovakia’s Former Vice-Rector of the Military Academy Passed Sensitive NATO Information to the Russian Secret Services
» ‘There Are 1,514 Lawless Neighborhoods on French Territory,’ Claims Ex-Intelligence Service Chief
» Tony Blair: Promising Not to Have a Nuclear World War With Russia is a “Strange Tactic”
» Ukraine War Dominates Hungarian Election Campaign as the Left Pushes for War
» Zelensky With Czech, Polish and Slovenia Leaders in Kyiv: ‘With Such Friends, We Truly Will Succeed and Win’
 
Russia
» Firefox Removes Yandex Search, Will Auto-Switch Affected Users to Google
» Latest Developments
» Melitopol Mayor Freed After Kidnapping by Russian Forces
» Pope Francis to Consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
» Ukrainian TV Host Calls for Genocide of Russian Children
» US Will Send 800 Stingers, 9,000 Anti-Tank Missiles, Drones to Ukraine
» War in Ukraine: Fourth Russian General Killed — Zelensky
 
Far East
» Hong Kong Tells British Activist Group to Shut Down Their Website
» Japan Rattled by Powerful Earthquake, Triggering Tsunami Warnings
 
Australia — Pacific
» Australian Media Tries to Hide Massive Heart Attack Vaccine Damage
» WWIII: Biden Sending Thousands of Marines to Australia in Anticipation of Conflict With China
 
Immigration
» Resident Refugee Reveals Gov’t-Funded Toronto Hotel is Infested With Bugs
» Three Million Migrants Have Now Fled Ukraine — With the Majority Going to Poland. That Could Have Major Repercussions
» Up to 100 Migrants Are Picked Up in the English Channel a Day After More Than 400 People Packed Into 12 Small Boats, Arrived in the UK and Took Total for the Year to 2,600
» What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
 
Culture Wars
» NCAA Swimmer’s Mother Says Female Athletes Are ‘Frightened’ To Speak Out Against Biological Male Lia Thomas
» Video Thread: The Most Sinister Globalist You’ve Never Heard of
 

Canadian Press News Alert: Annual Inflation Rate Rose to 5.7% in February

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says the annual inflation rate climbed to 5.7 per cent in February, its highest level since August 1991 and the second straight month over 5 per cent.

The rise in the consumer price index compared with a year-over-year gain of 5.1 per cent in January.

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

Fed Makes Modest Interest-Rate Hike, First in Three Years, Plans for Half-Dozen More in 2022

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter percentage point on Wednesday and signaled that six more rate hikes are coming this year.

Leaders of the central bank also acknowledged that the inflation rate will remain high through the end of the year, hitting, according to the bank’s preferred metric, 4.3%.

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

Inflation Nation: UK Sees Largest Decline in Wages Since 2014

Wages in Britain have seen the sharpest decline in real terms since 2014 as the impact of inflation grips the nation, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed on Tuesday.

According to the UK government’s official statistician, wages — excluding bonuses — rose by 3.8 per cent in the three months leading up to January, yet the gains were entirely wiped out by rising inflation.

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

Justinflation: Poilievre Rips Into Trudeau as Inflation Soars

Conservative leadership candidate and shadow minister Pierre Poilievre has a lot to say about the skyrocketing inflation in Canada, placing the blame squarely on what he considers to be the Trudeau administration’s economic mistakes.

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

“Pathetic Tyrant”: Romney Was the Only Republican to Vote Against Ending Transport Mask Mandate

The Senate backed Rand Paul’s efforts to scrap mask mandates on public transport by voting Tuesday 57-40 in favour of ending the restrictions on planes and trains. The only Republican to vote against ending the mandate was Mitt Romney.

Eight Democrats — Kelly (AZ), Hassan (NH), Sinema (AZ), Manchin (WV), Bennet (CO), Cortez Masto (NV), Rosen (NV), and Tester (MT) — sided with the majority of Republicans on the issue, and the resolution will now head to the House. However, the vote failed to reach the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a surefire Biden veto.

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

Biden Announces Additional $800 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine

President Joe Biden outlined Wednesday how the United State will spend $800 million in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine and vowed to “do more in the days and weeks ahead” as Russia wages war on the embattled country.

Earlier in the week, Biden signed Tuesday a $1.5 trillion government spending package that included the funding to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia.

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

‘Bipartisan Free Speech Panel’ Disrupted by Over 100 Yale Law School Students

Late last week, a panel pertaining to free speech issues and civil liberties was disrupted by more than 100 Yale Law School students, who at one point caused police to have to escort the panelists out of the building.

A panel was held at the school on March 10, hosted by the Yale Federalist Society, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

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

Breaking: Trump Says ‘NATO Was Poor and Now it is Rich’ Because He ‘Acted Strongly’

Former President Donald Trump released a statement on Wednesday, in which he criticized “fake news” media outlets who criticized him for “tearing down NATO” during his time in office.

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

Daily Wire Marks Two-Year Anniversary of ‘15 Days to Slow the Spread’ With Release of Docuseries Exploring Fauci’s Failures

As the nation observers the two-year anniversary of “15 days to slow the spread,” marking the beginning of widespread lockdowns and pandemic policies across the country, The Daily Wire has released a docuseries looking back at the failures of NIAID director Dr. Anthony Fauci during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

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

Disney Employees Busted in Child Trafficking Sting Just Days After Corporation Opposed Anti-Grooming Law

The Sheriff of Polk County held a press conference on Wednesday talking about the culmination of a massive sting operation which lead to 108 arrests being made, including four Disney employees.

This announcement comes after on March 9, just days ago, the CEO of Disney loudly and publicly opposed Florida’s new “anti-grooming” law, which, according to polls, is supported by over 60 percent of Americans.

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

Former Google CEO Tells Big Tech to Get Involved With National Defense

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows that tech companies should support national security, according to former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

“The war is going to help solidify the tech companies’ understanding of why national security is important,” said Schmidt, in an interview on CNBC on Monday.

“If you believed, falsely, that 10 years ago, that war had been eliminated, that conflict was eliminated, we didn’t need militaries and so forth to protect us, then you would say, ‘Let’s not work with the government, let’s not focus on this stuff.’ And I think we’ve unfortunately and horrifically put that argument to bed. We need a strong national security in our country, and the tech industry needs to support it.”

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

In Address to Congress, Zelenskyy Urges US Leaders to ‘Do More, ‘ Invokes 9/11, Pearl Harbor

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday morning made an urgent, desperate plea to the U.S. to “do more” to help his country defend against Russia’s deadly invasion, reminding Americans of the horrors of the 9/11 and Pearl Harbor attacks.

“We need you to do more,” Zelenskyy said in a video address to Congress. “I call on you right now.”

The foreign leader spoke from Kyiv, which remains under relentless Russian missile attack as the invasion reaches the three-week mark.

“Just remember,” Zelenskyy said about the tragic September 11, 2001, and the Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, attacks on U.S. soil roughly 81 years ago.

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

Jussie Smollett to be Released From Jail on Bond

Jussie Smollett will be released from the Cook County jail on orders from court as the actor appeals his conviction of lying to Chicago police about a homophobic and racist attack.

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

Justice Department Says China Targeting Dissidents in U.S., Including Congressional Candidate

The Justice Department on Wednesday announced charges against five individuals working with the People’s Republic of China’s secret police for allegedly spying on congressional candidate and other U.S. residents critical of the Chinese Communist Party.

Three separate cases were filed in the Eastern District of New York in connection with the allegations and the agency’s larger campaign against so-called transnational repression, according to the department’s press release.

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

Live: Gas Line Explosion in Livingston County Leaves Crater; Portion of US 23 Closed

LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) — Emergency crews are responding to reports of a major gas line explosion in Livingston County.

The incident occurred on White Lake Road near US-23, south of Fenton a little before 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to the Livingston County Michigan Emergency Management on Twitter, debris on the roadway has led to a closure of a 2.5-mile portion of US 23 in both directions between White Lake and Center Road…

           — Hat tip: Dean [Return to headlines]
 

Members of the ‘People’s Convoy’ Given Capitol Tour by GOP Senator

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) gave a tour of the Capitol to truckers from the “People’s Convoy,” his office confirmed to The Hill, noting it was compliant with the Senate sergeant-at-arms policies.

Politico first reported that the Kansas Republican had provided a Capitol tour to the group, which has been protesting workplace vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 protocols and was influenced by the Canadian trucker convoy movement.

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

Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion Reported in Livingston Co.

A gas explosion has closed all lanes of U.S.-23 and Old U.S.-23 in Livingston County, Michigan State Police said.

They said the explosion happened just north of Center Road in northern Tyrone Township, about 20 miles south of Flint.

Officials said the explosion scattered debris in the area.

Livingston County’s Emergency Management agency said residents in the area should shelter in place, close windows and shut ventilation systems until the leak is repaired.

           — Hat tip: LP [Return to headlines]
 

Philadelphia Woman Pleads Guilty in Connection to Setting Fire to Police Vehicles During George Floyd Protests

A Philadelphia woman has pleaded guilty in connection to setting fire to two police vehicles during the civil unrest in the city almost two years ago.

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal wore a green prison jumpsuit inside the federal courthouse Wednesday as she admitted to her role in the torching.

She’s been incarcerated since June 2020 and was arrested less than a month after the incident.

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

Physical Music Sales Just Increased for the First Time Since 1996

In the “brave new world” scenario speculated on by the World Economic Forum (WEF), people could soon enough — by 2030 — “own nothing and be happy.”

Well, perhaps not so fast, because the issue of ownership and questions around it — over anything from computer games, to health choices — are getting ever more relevant, rather than fading into obscurity.

One indicator that may or may not fit into that is the curious fact that CDs are making something of a comeback after it seemed they were virtually dead and buried with the music and movie industry shifting resolutely to streaming, and the consumers embracing that shift.

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

Preprint Server Accused of Censorship for Removing “Inflammatory” Scientific Papers

Cornell University’s arXiv, an open-access archive and free distribution service for scientific material, is embroiled in a controversy that has little if anything to do with science, but instead with “moderation” standards.

It started with the use of what the arXiv administrators have labeled as “inflammatory content and unprofessional language.”

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

Project Veritas Releases Video of FBI Raid on Journalist’s Home

Project Veritas released footage on Tuesday of an FBI raid on the home of a Veritas journalist that occurred in November 2021. This raid was after Project Veritas had obtained a diary allegedly belonging to Joe and Jill Biden’s daughter Ashley, which Veritas turned over to law enforcement and did not publish.

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

Social Platform Minds and Daryl Davis Explain New Anti-Censorship Project

On the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Minds.com co-founder Bill Ottman and activist Daryl Davis unveiled their new #ChangeMinds deradicalization initiative. The goal of the project is to push back against de-platforming and to provide a space for people who have been radicalized by extremist groups to share their experiences and thoughts, with the ultimate hope of changing their views.

Davis is best known for his work engaging with members of the Ku Klux Klan, many of whom he has convinced to abandon their beliefs. Ottman believes that initiatives like #ChangeMinds are essential in combating extremism online and preventing people from being radicalized in the first place.

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

Vimeo Bans “Fake News” That Creates “A Serious Risk of Material Harm”

Video sharing platform Vimeo has updated its terms of service to ban “fake news, deepfakes, propaganda, or unproven or debunked conspiracy theories” that create “a serious risk of material harm to a person, group, or the general public.”

Vimeo’s previous terms banned “conspiracy-related content where the underlying conspiracy theory makes claims that…a real-world tragedy did not occur” but didn’t reference fake news, deepfakes, propaganda, or unproven or debunked conspiracy theories.

These new terms also ban “false claims that a violent crime or catastrophe has occurred.”

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

Watch: Hockey Fans Loudly Boo When NY Gov. Hochul Introduced

Hockey fans attending a New York Rangers game in Madison Square Garden Tuesday greeted Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul with jeers and boos.

Footage taken from inside the stadium captured the audience’s backlash as Hochul’s picture was displayed on a jumbotron, with an announcer introducing her as the state’s “first female governor.”

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

Watch: Biden Calls Putin ‘A War Criminal’ Amid Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

President Joe Biden told reporters Wednesday he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin is “a war criminal,” as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine.

Initially, Biden responded, “No,” when Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich asked if he considers Putin as such, but he later circled back to the reporter and said: “Did you ask me whether I would call… Oh, I, I think he is a war criminal.”

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

Who is Assamad Nash, The Man Accused of Killing Christina Yuna Lee?

NEW YORK — Prosecutors say the man accused in the brutal murder of a woman in her Manhattan apartment has an extensive criminal record and was on supervised release for several other crimes.

Assamad Nash, 25, was arraigned on Monday night for the murder of 35-year-old Christina Yuna Lee in her Lower East Side apartment.

Police say that Nash had followed Lee into her building and then up to her 6th-floor apartment early on Sunday morning. When she opened the door he forced his way in and repeatedly stabbed her.

Neighbors called 911 when they heard screams.

The NYPD arrived but said they were unable to get inside the apartment. They heard Lee calling for help from inside the apartment but then went quiet.

They said that Nash then tried to imitate a voice of a woman and said they didn’t need police. He then allegedly tried to get out through the fire escape but saw an officer on the roof above him and went back inside. Officers say they saw him holding a yellow object in his hand when he had tried that escape route.

Police were eventually able to get into the apartment.

Prosecutors say Nash was found hiding under the bed with a yellow-handled knife hidden behind the dresser. He was taken into custody and was evaluated at Bellevue Hospital. He had a stab wound to his torso and cuts on his hands and shoulders, according to prosecutors.

On Monday, Nash was arraigned on murder and burglary charges. In court, a prosecutor said Nash stabbed Lee more than 40 times. She was found naked from the waist up.

           — Hat tip: DV [Return to headlines]
 

YouTube Flags Tulsi Gabbard’s Criticism of “Military Industrial Complex” As “Inappropriate, “ “Offensive”

An interview for Fox News’ “Ingraham Angle,” featuring former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, was censored for being potentially “offensive” and “inappropriate” to some audiences.

In the interview, Ingraham asked Gabbard, “Congresswoman, why are we talking about no-fly zones instead of the fact that for the first time we have President Zelensky stepping back from his earlier NATO wishes and even demands?”

Gabbard expressed her frustration with the fact that allegedly no one was discussing a statement Ukraine’s President Zelensky made, about being “…open to the fact of saying, ‘Hey, yeah, maybe we’ll set this NATO membership thing aside,’ and he’s willing to talk with Putin directly to negotiate.”

Gabbard suggested that the West was interfering with attempts to settle the conflict because, “it’s good for the military industrial complex” and it allowed Western leaders to “have this proxy war with Russia, something that Hillary Clinton laid out just recently.”

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

Canada’s COVID Policies Have Been ‘Inconsistent, Ineffective, And Damaging, ‘ Legal Group Argues

On the two-year anniversary of the first Covid lockdowns in Canada, the Justice Centre has released a new, detailed report: “Two weeks to flatten the curve, two years to flatten our freedoms.”

Starting on March 15, 2020, Canada’s provincial governments announced or immediately imposed school closures and other lockdown measures for a two-week period, in order to “flatten the curve,” suggesting it was necessary to “protect” the health care system. Two weeks have turned into two years as federal, provincial and municipal governments have violated the Charter freedoms of Canadians to move, travel, associate, assemble, worship, express themselves, and exercise control over their own bodies.

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

Candice Bergen Says Canada Needs to Do More to Secure Ukraine’s Airspace

Conservative MP Candice Bergen is urging parliament to do more to protect Ukraine’s airspace.

As Putin’s invasion of Ukraine continues, the global community has come together to condemn Russian attacks, some of which have hit civilian areas.

Following a string of aerial attacks over the past week, many have highlighted the need to strengthen the nation’s airspace.

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

CRTC Bans Russian Channels RT and RT France From Canadian Airwaves

Canada’s telecommunications regulator announced Wednesday that it has banned Russia’s English-language network RT from being broadcast from the air.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said it was removing RT and RT France from its list of approved broadcasters, effectively making it illegal for broadcasters in Canada to carry the channel.

The regulator’s move to ban RT from Canadian airwaves follows a review earlier in March, which suggested that the government was inclined to censor the channel.

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

Jason Kenney vs. The Pawlowski Family — Who’s Right?

Over the weekend, Jason Kenney held a press conference revolving around an increased investment in religious infrastructure. This comes as a response to the vandalism and arson attacks we saw targeting over 50 churches across Canada through the past year. This investment may be a good thing for the church buildings themselves, but what about the religious freedoms practiced within these facilities?

As seen in Alberta, Pastor James Coates, Pastor Tim Stephens, and Pastor Artur Pawlowski, have all had to spend time behind bars for breaching public health orders, such as hosting church services. Many see these public health orders as violating Charter rights of freedom of religion, expression, association and assembly.

We asked Alberta Premier Jason Kenney about his thoughts on the matter, especially surrounding around Pastor Artur Pawlowski, who is currently being held behind bars at the Calgary Remand Centre, for over a month now.

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

Levy: Ottawa-Carleton School Board Fails to Extend Mask Mandate by One Vote

One more woke Ontario school board has narrowly defeated attempts by some of its progressivist trustees to extend mask mandates beyond the government’s own deadline.

After two hours of debate Monday night, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) trustees voted not to extend masking rules to April 8, which is two weeks later than the province’s own Mar. 21 deadline.

The vote was 6-6. Tie votes are considered a defeat.

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

Petition: Save Pastor Artur Pawlowski

Pastor Artur Pawlowski is being persecuted by the City of Calgary.

It’s hard to believe this is Canada.

But if we know anything about Pastor Art, he’s not scared of the government and he’s not backing down. He’s willing to stand up and fight for his church, your church, my church, and for anybody who just wants to be left alone by the province during the pandemic.

If you want to stop the government persecution of Pastor Art, then please sign the petition on this page.

You can donate to Pastor Art’s legal fund here.

To follow along with Pastor Artur’s legal proceedings, click here.

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

Quebec Gov’t Seeks to Maintain Health Emergency Powers Until End of 2022

After two years of governance by decree, Quebec Premier François Legault’s government is proposing a way out of the ongoing state of health emergency in the province, a status it has renewed 103 times since the arrival of COVID-19 in March 2020.

Bill 28, “An Act to terminate the public health emergency”, was tabled on Wednesday and provides for the extension of the emergency powers granted to the government until December 31, 2022. However, the Legault government will have the ability to terminate the additional powers by amending or repealing certain orders and decrees to allow for a gradual relief of the measures.

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

Strict Testing Policies That Killed Niagara Tourism Never Saw Economic Impact Assessment

The Liberal government never bothered to do an economic assessment of their PCR testing requirement for vaccinated travellers on one of Canada’s largest tourist attractions.

The news of the lack of study on local businesses came by way of an order paper question posed by the Conservative MP for Niagara, Tony Baldinelli, who wanted to know the economic impact of the Liberals’ strict PCR testing policy on the Niagara tourism industry.

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

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Embrace Freedom, Remove Mask Mandates on Flights

British Airways has become the world’s first major airline to remove mask mandates onboard the aircraft for passengers from Wednesday, in a move shortly followed by Virgin Atlantic.

Britain’s second-largest airline firm announced on Tuesday that they will no longer require passengers to wear masks on board their planes and will instead allow people to “make a personal choice” on the matter.

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

Conservatives Beware: Germany’s Left-Wing Interior Minister Has 10-Point Plan to Fight ‘Right-Wing Extremism’

From the moment she entered office, Germany’s Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said she was going to make “right-wing extremism” her biggest priority. Now, she says she is taking action with a ten-point plan, which features a raft of measures ranging from gun confiscation to firing civil service workers.

“We take action against right-wing extremism, and that is a high priority for me. Our democracy is vigilant and defensive,” Faeser stated when presenting the catalog of measures on Tuesday.

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

Denmark: Save the Children: Russian Kids Being Bullied and Abused Over Their Nationality

Human Rights Organization Save the Children reports that Russian children in Danish schools are being bullied and abused because of their nationality.

After being approached by multiple parents complaining about their kids facing harassment merely for being Russian, Save the Children has embarked on an effort to approach schools and institutions in a bid to raise awareness about the issue.

“We can see that it is a big problem. They are afraid of being dropped off at school in the morning and claim to have a stomach ache,” senior adviser at Save the Children Jon Kristian Lange told Danish broadcaster TV2.

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

Fewer Americans Traveling to Europe as War Sees Tourism Numbers Plummet

Many Central and Eastern European countries have experienced a significant drop in foreign tourist reservations since the first week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, travel experts have revealed.

ForwardKeys, a company which uses travel intelligence tools to establish travel industry trends, reported a drop in tourist interest in Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Slovenia by as much as 50 percent since the last week of February.

Other major European countries have also experienced decreases in interest of between 10 and 30 percent.

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

Germany: Reading Ability of Children Far Lower Than in Pre-COVID Times — Study

The reading ability of fourth-graders in Germany has dramatically dropped since pre-pandemic times, a study has found.

A study by researchers from TU Dortmund has found that German children in the fourth grade of primary school are far less capable of reading than their predecessors who passed through the grade pre-pandemic.

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

Green Germany Weighs Reopening Coal Power Plants Amid Energy Crisis

Germany is considering reopening some of its decommissioned coal power plants in the hopes of getting a handle on its ongoing energy crisis.

The reopening of shuttered plants is seen as an option as the country struggles to ween itself off of its addiction to Russian fossil fuels.

While authorities have already rejected plans of delaying the decommissioning of the remainder of its nuclear power stations, a new plan involving either delaying the shut down of coal fire plants that are still in operation, or the re-opening of plants that have previously been terminated, is now on the cards.

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

Italy Expected to Abolish All Coronavirus Health Pass Measures by End of May

As Italy prepares to end its Wuhan coronavirus state of emergency at the end of the month, Undersecretary of Health Andrea Costa stated the government aims to end all health pass measures by the end of May.

On March 31st the Italian government will allow the state of emergency, which has been in place since January 2020, to expire and the following day will begin to lift some coronavirus restrictions.

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

Novak Djokovic Expected to Compete in French Open Under Loosened Vaccine Rules

Tennis star Novak Djokovic should be free to compete at the upcoming French Open despite being unvaccinated, as long as vaccine passports remain lifted in France.

This was confirmed by tournament director Amélie Mauresmo during press conference at the Roland-Garros tennis court Wednesday.

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

Polish PiS Leader Calls for NATO Peacekeepers in Ukraine, But Germany Says That Crosses a ‘Red Line’

NATO should send a peacekeeping mission into Ukraine, said Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the head of the ruling Polish Law and Justice (PiS) party and deputy prime minister, during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in the middle of the Ukraine war.

“I think that it is necessary to have a peace mission — NATO, possibly some wider international structure — but a mission that will be able to defend itself, which will operate on Ukrainian territory,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski said during the conference, which was broadcast on Polish television.

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

Slovakia’s Former Vice-Rector of the Military Academy Passed Sensitive NATO Information to the Russian Secret Services

Two individuals who had been detained by Slovakia authorities on Tuesday under suspicion of espionage are being prosecuted for allegedly passing sensitive information to the Russian secret services for financial gain.

The former vice-rector of the military academy in Liptovský Mikulas and the correspondent of the Hlavné spravy server are being prosecuted and could face up to 13 years in prison if found guilty.

Both men have pleaded guilty to being spies for the Kremlin, according to Police President Štefan Hamran and the head of the Prosecutor’s Office Daniel Lipsic, in what is the first case of its kind in the modern history of Slovakia.

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

‘There Are 1,514 Lawless Neighborhoods on French Territory,’ Claims Ex-Intelligence Service Chief

“It is therefore almost 6 percent of the French population who live outside the law and outside the cultural and political practices of the national community,” Alain Chouet revealed.

           — Hat tip: Fjordman [Return to headlines]
 

Tony Blair: Promising Not to Have a Nuclear World War With Russia is a “Strange Tactic”

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared this week that the West ruling out a full scale war with Russia, which would almost certainly be nuclear, is a “strange tactic”.

Blair, who presided over the abysmal invasion of Iraq in 2003 on false pretext of weapons of mass destruction, claims that Vladimir Putin is using NATO’s “desire not to provoke escalation” as a “bargaining chip against us”.

In a post to his globalist think tank’s website, Blair writes “Maybe that is our position and maybe that is the right position, but continually signalling it, and removing doubt in his mind, is a strange tactic.”

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

Ukraine War Dominates Hungarian Election Campaign as the Left Pushes for War

With just under three weeks until the election date, the Hungarian campaign has become dominated by the war in Ukraine, with both political sides accusing the other of being on the wrong side of history.

Currently, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party is pushing for Hungary to choose the peaceful path and stay out of the conflict, while the left is pushing for Hungary to enter the war and choose sides.

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

Zelensky With Czech, Polish and Slovenia Leaders in Kyiv: ‘With Such Friends, We Truly Will Succeed and Win’

The visit of the leaders of Poland, Czechia and Slovenia to Kyiv in the midst of war has been heralded as a sign of courage and solidarity, and which has prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to say that Ukraine can only win with such allies.

“I am convinced that with such friends, with such countries, neighbors and partners, we truly will succeed and win,” said Zelensky said after his meeting with Central European politicians in Kiev.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy PM and Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa visited Kyiv on Tuesday and took part in a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

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

Firefox Removes Yandex Search, Will Auto-Switch Affected Users to Google

Mozilla has pushed a new release of its Firefox browser with one notable change; it will no longer have Yandex, the Russian search engine, and Mail.ru as options.

“Yandex and Mail.ru have been removed as optional search providers in the drop-down search menu in Firefox,” Mozilla said.

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

Latest Developments

In Washington: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a virtual speech to the U.S. Congress, renewing his appeal for a no-fly zone and adding that, absent such a move—which the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has ruled out—more weapons should be provided. He also called for further sanctions on Russia and urged international businesses to exit the country.

Mr. Zelensky asked Congress to remember the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, when Americans were targeted from the sky. When he paused to play a video depicting the impact of Russia’s bombardment—including scenes of dead children, pools of blood and mass graves—audible gasps and sighs could be heard throughout the room.

President Biden said the U.S. will send an additional $800 million in security assistance to Ukraine.

In Ukraine: Ukraine said it has launched a counteroffensive against Russian forces encroaching on its capital, Kyiv, and other key cities, seeking to reverse the momentum of a war that is entering its fourth week.

Cease-Fire Talks: Talks resumed. The main area of progress between the two sides concerns addressing mutual security concerns, a Ukrainian official said. Ukraine, ready to recognize that membership in NATO is unlikely anytime soon, is considering dropping that in exchange for binding security guarantees from its Western partners and Russia, the official said.

There is little room for compromise on Russia’s demands that Kyiv recognize the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Moscow and the self-proclaimed independence of the Russian-backed statelets in Donetsk and Luhansk.

“I don’t see a breakthrough—at this stage both sides believe they can win the war,” the official said.

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

Melitopol Mayor Freed After Kidnapping by Russian Forces

Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov, who was abducted by Russian forces last week, has been freed, Ukrainian diplomat Olexander Scherba confirmed via Twitter on Wednesday.

Driving the news: The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried Fedorov’s kidnapping as a war crime and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his capture could signal “a new stage of terror” in the war.

Days after Fedorov, a second Ukrainian mayor, Yevhen Matveyev, from the southern city of Dniprorudne, was also kidnapped.

What they’re saying: “Ukraine conducted a ‘special operation’ and rescued Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov from captivity in the occupied Luhansk! Melitopol is Ukraine!” Scherba tweeted.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Zelensky’s office, confirmed on Telegram that “Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov is already safe!” Tymoshenko then posted a video of Zelensky speaking by phone with Fedorov.

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

Pope Francis to Consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

ROME — The Vatican announced Tuesday that Pope Francis will consecrate the nations of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25.

The consecration ceremony will take place at 5:00pm on Friday afternoon in Saint Peter’s Basilica, according to a Vatican communiqué from the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni.

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

Ukrainian TV Host Calls for Genocide of Russian Children

Ukrainian TV host Fahruddin Sharafmal took to the airwaves to demand the genocide of Russian children, quoting top Nazi Adolf Eichmann as he called for “killing children.”

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

US Will Send 800 Stingers, 9,000 Anti-Tank Missiles, Drones to Ukraine

The US will send a massive arsenal to Ukraine in the next few weeks, President Joe Biden announced Wednesday, March 16, including Stinger missiles and battlefield drones.

Included in an $800 million assistance package are 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 2,000 Javelin and 6,000 AT-4 anti-tank missiles, 1,000 light anti-armor weapons, 100 small “tactical” drones, 5,000 rifles, and 20 million rounds. The package also includes 25,000 sets of body armor and helmets — enough to outfit about 10% of the entire Ukrainian armed forces’ claimed pre-invasion strength.

Though most of the promised arms were fairly typical battlefield weapons, inclusion of small drones would be a high-tech addition. “[Including drones] demonstrates our commitment to sending our most cutting-edge systems,” Biden said. “We’re going to give Ukraine the arms to fight and defend themselves through all the difficult days ahead.”

The US previously sent over 600 Stingers, 2,600 Javelins, five Mi-17 helicopters, three patrol boats, four counter-artillery and drone tracking radars, 200 grenade launchers, and ammunition.

On top of the large US package, CNN reported that Slovakia will soon send S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, a system roughly akin to the US Army’s Patriot missile system. Unlike the shoulder-launched Stinger missile, which is effective against helicopters and low-flying attack aircraft at a short distance, the S-300 is a large, high-altitude missile system that rides on its own tank-line launcher and is designed to strike high-flying, supersonic modern fighters and bombers from as far off as 30 miles.

A senior defense official said Wednesday that the current Russian forces in Ukraine represent about 75% of the nation’s battalion tactical groups, the core land maneuver units of the Russian army.

The announcement of the arms shipment came as Russian forces reached the end of the third week of their invasion of Ukraine, with little to show for it in terms of captured cities or strategic advantages. In both the north and south of the country, Russian forces appear to be digging in outside major cities for a prolonged series of sieges. Shelling of civilian areas has now become widespread in major Ukrainian cities.

The Wall Street Journal reported that a major push toward the seaside city of Odesa had been set back in the village of Voznesensk, where locals turned back a Russian armor brigade with defensive positions, US Javelin missiles, and small arms. The Journal reported that villagers destroyed 30 of 43 Russian armored vehicles and killed at least 100 soldiers.

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

War in Ukraine: Fourth Russian General Killed — Zelensky

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says another Russian general has been killed during fighting.

He didn’t name the officer, but an adviser to Ukraine’s interior ministry said Maj Gen Oleg Mityaev had been killed by the far-right Azov Battalion.

Gen Mityaev was killed near Mariupol, Ukrainian media said.

He is the fourth general reportedly killed, leading some to ask why such senior members of the Russian military are so close to the front line.

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

Hong Kong Tells British Activist Group to Shut Down Their Website

Hong Kong’s government has ordered the UK-based Hong Kong Watch to shut down its website for “endangering national security.” The move comes after the government blocked the website within the territory.

Hong Kong’s internet is not as heavily censored as China’s, meaning residents of the island can still access websites that are critical of China. However, Beijing imposed a so-called “national security law” in mid-2020 that allows the government to quash dissent and criticism.

Established in 2017 by Benedict Rogers, Hong Kong Watch monitors the human rights situation in Hong Kong.

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

Japan Rattled by Powerful Earthquake, Triggering Tsunami Warnings

A powerful, 7.3-magnitude earthquake on Wednesday struck Japan near Namie.

Namie is a small town in Fukushima Prefecture. The event triggered a one-meter-high tsunami warning for coasts in the area and a message from the Japan Meteorological Agency advising residents to keep away from the coastline.

More than 2 million households were left without electricity — including in Tokyo, according to local officials.

There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.

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

Australian Media Tries to Hide Massive Heart Attack Vaccine Damage

News 9 Australia tries to blame the massive heart attacks and death happening in young people on a genetic defect.

Keep watching and you will learn what is actually happening.

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

WWIII: Biden Sending Thousands of Marines to Australia in Anticipation of Conflict With China

The Pentagon is to deploy over two thousand troops to Australia by September to join an established rotational force of 200 in anticipation of a conflict with China, according to reports.

The Daily Mail notes that “The contingent is part of an ongoing US initiative in the Indo-Pacific region to prepare for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan in coming years.”

The report notes that 1000 marines have already arrived in the country.

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

Resident Refugee Reveals Gov’t-Funded Toronto Hotel is Infested With Bugs

Astute viewers of this space might recall our reports over the last few years regarding the Radisson* Toronto East hotel (*the property has since been “de-flagged” by Radisson headquarters in Minnesota — but that’s a story for another day).

In any event, our last visit to the hotel was in February 2019. It was a short visit indeed, given that hotel employee/aspiring goon, David Strong, assaulted two Rebel News employees and tried to vandalize our equipment.

We successfully sued the hotel for this unprovoked attack in small claims court.

But as we shot our “victory video” on a city street near the hotel, we encountered a resident of the property, Noura Kreimlie, originally from Lebanon.

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

Three Million Migrants Have Now Fled Ukraine — With the Majority Going to Poland. That Could Have Major Repercussions

In less than three weeks, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent 3 million people fleeing their homes to neighboring countries — with still millions more displaced domestically — in what has quickly become Europe’s worst migrant crisis since World War II.

While the majority have been compassionately welcomed by host countries rejecting President Vladimir Putin’s indiscriminate attack, the sudden influx of people is having a profound impact on the European landscape — with potentially significant consequences.

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

Up to 100 Migrants Are Picked Up in the English Channel a Day After More Than 400 People Packed Into 12 Small Boats, Arrived in the UK and Took Total for the Year to 2,600

At least 100 migrants have been picked up in the Channel, a day after more than 400 men, women and children packed into 12 dinghies in France and sailed to Britain.

More than 900 men, women and children were intercepted in small boats crossing the Channel on Tuesday to seek asylum, in what is thought to be the largest number of migrants attempting to reach Britain in a single day so far this year.

UK Border Force authorities brought 405 people to shore at Dungeness, Kent in 12 dinghies yesterday, while the French stopped another 538 people in 11 small boats. Among those to arrive were several children, including a baby.

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

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Many of the ‘Ukrainian refugees’ turning up in western countries look a bit different than you might expect.

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

NCAA Swimmer’s Mother Says Female Athletes Are ‘Frightened’ To Speak Out Against Biological Male Lia Thomas

An Ivy League swimmer’s mother recently spoke out in regards to University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who is a biological male, and why female athlete have been too “frightened” to raise concerns about their competitor.

The mother told the Independent Women’s Forum that the league’s schools urged their female swimmers to not speak to the press regarding Thomas.

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

Video Thread: The Most Sinister Globalist You’ve Never Heard of

Historian and author Yuval Harari, a top advisor to Klaus Schwab’s World Economic Forum, is being called out online as one of the key players in the globalist Great Reset agenda.

When it comes to high-tech surveillance and the integration of the human body with computers, AI and other futuristic technology, Harari isn’t shy about where he thinks we’re headed.

Readers don’t need to take our word for it as Harari often openly states his nightmarish vision for the future.

The clips posted below are just a sample of Harari’s public comments, mostly courtesy of the Thrivetime Show posting to Banned.video.

“We humans should get used to the idea that we are no longer mysterious souls. We are now hackable animals,” he infamously told the World Economic Forum in 2020.

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

4 thoughts on “Gates of Vienna News Feed 3/16/2022

  1. A report by @investigate_eu shows EU member states arm exports to Russia in the years 2015-2020.

    Of the ten countries that exported weapons, Germany and France dominate, followed by Italy and Austria. member states exported weapons to Russia after the 2014 embargo
    Despite the ongoing embargo, ten member states exported € 346 million worth of military equipment to Russia in the years 2015-2020
    Germany on the top of the list..
    Now i/m fighting against Muscovite Mongols Orks , equipped with German bastards, weapons ..So much about German ” guilt feelings”..
    You ” useful idiots” from the West , swallow and pushed that German narration because suit your interest ..but you know well what’s behind..
    Russia has been committing countless atrocities in Chechnya and Syria, among others. They invaded parts of Ukraine, occupied Crimea…

    …and the wonderful governments in France, Germany and Italy saw this as an opportunity to sell Putin more weapons.
    Sanctions were placed on Russia after Crimea annexation

    France & Germany sold hundreds of millions in military weapons after that time

    You (EU) is funding the day-to-day running of Russia’s war

    EU is responsible for Ukrainian children dying!!

    It’s on you, own it!!!Russia invades Ukraine “for historical reasons”.
    Israel refuses to help Ukraine “for historical reasons”.
    Germany says it will not give weapons to Ukraine “for historical reasons”.
    https://www.investigate-europe.eu/en/2022/eu-states-exported-weapons-to-russia/

    • German Foreign Minister said that her country does not have enough surplus defensive weapons to satisfy Ukraine’s needs.

      Translation:
      We need to keep our weapons if Russia decides to finish what she started in 1945,but was prevented by the West – denazification of Germany.
      There we are..2022

  2. And Germany does the exact opposite thing.
    VAX Forever! Masks Forever!
    Having reserved enough vax to vax everybody in Germany till 2029 at least three times a year!

    I hate war, but would please anybody (yes, Putin or Orban, I am looking at you!) invade Germany and send Lauterbach to Siberia.

  3. Russia repeats earlier experience by Mussolini’s Italy, Hitler’s Germany or Franco’s Spain: a syndrom of a wounded empire …
    The wounded empire thinks that it lost its territories and past “grandeur”, considers this as abnormality and tries to regain them at any price. They have obsession with the past, with this “great again” thinking..usually it is too weak to do that, its neurotic admiration of the past is a testimony of its incapacity to face the future. By jumping into the past it loses its remaining strength and is doomed to lose the war it itself started ..Ukraine is a key symptom of Russia’s wounded empire: the most valuable part of the imperial body, which, instead of keeping the imperial heritage, constantly threatens the empire with its anti-tyrannical spirit. Russia’s failure in war with Ukraine will lead to empire’s collapse..as Germany..

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