92% of those who voted in a referendum in Alsace favor the independence of the region from France. Meanwhile, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted against seceding from the United States.
In other news, police in Canada removed a couple from a train when they refused to pull their masks up in between sips of their drinks.
To see the headlines and the articles, click “Continue reading” below.
Thanks to Dean, DV, Fjordman, JAS, 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.
Canadians Cutting Back Spending as Inflation Keeps Skyrocketing: Poll
A huge majority of Canadians are looking for ways to reduce spending as their worries about inflation increase, according to a new poll.
The results of a survey published by Leger last week suggest that 81% of Canadians believe inflation is a very or somewhat serious problem for their household. The survey goes on to say that the rising cost of groceries and gas is being felt the most.
According to the poll, the majority of Canadians think the cost of living will continue to go up. It also showed that 86% of respondents say they believe inflation will increase, while 84% expect gas prices to rise.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ghana: Record Rate Hike to Curb Rising Inflation
ACCRA, March 21 (Xinhua) — Ghana’s central bank on Monday announced a tightening of its monetary policy stance with a record hike in the policy rate to slow down inflation.
At a press briefing, Bank of Ghana Governor Ernest Addison announced an increase in the benchmark policy rate by 250 basis points to 17 percent to tame ballooning commodity prices on the local market and curb the rising inflation.
He said the policy rate hike, the highest over the past 20 years, would arrest the rising inflation rate, which surged to 15.7 percent in February.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
U.N. Chief Guterres Says Endure High Gas Prices for the Good of the Planet
The pain of soaring gas prices must be endured because any wider embrace of fossil fuels as an alternative is “madness” and threatens global climate targets, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned Monday.
If countries “become so consumed by the immediate fossil fuel supply gap that they neglect or knee-cap policies to cut fossil fuel use” a climate disaster is the guaranteed outcome, Guterres said in a pre-recorded address to the Economist Sustainability Summit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Bloomberg News elicited a massive backlash over the weekend for offering ‘tips’ to Americans who might struggle with the rising cost of living which included letting their pets die and eating lentils instead of meat.
The piece, titled “Inflation Stings Most If You Earn Less Than $300K. Here’s How to Deal,” was penned by Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economics at the New School for Social Research, a private university in New York.
Ghilarducci proved she is completely out of touch with the reality of life for everyday Americans, writing “I expect those most affected will adjust to inflation in the classic way by shifting away from relatively expensive items toward close substitutes.”
She continued, “Here are some ideas on how to reconfigure consumption and lessen the blow. But again, adjustment is hard for people without savings or choices.”
The professor then outlined how people should take public transportation instead of driving, eat meat subsitutes like lentils and vegetables, avoid buying items in bulk, and avoid medical expenses for pets.
Right, so let pets die? In short yes.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Biden Says Russian Government is Preparing Widespread Cyberattacks Against United States
President Joe Biden on Monday warned that the Russian government is preparing to conduct widespread cyberattacks against the United States.
While Biden did not substantiate his claim, Biden stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin was planning to disrupt American infrastructure in response to his administration’s crippling sanctions of the Russian economy over the conflict in Ukraine.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Billionaire-owned news outlet Bloomberg says Americans should cope with soaring inflation by eating lentils instead of meat and saving on vets bills by letting their pets die.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
DC Trucker Convoy Protests Expected to Continue Through Week
Expect more delays this week on highways around the D.C. region as the trucker convoy protest is expected to continue.
There were major backups along I-395 in the District Saturday as the People’s Convoy made its way through the nation’s capital.
Authorities closed off several exits in the area due to the convoys guiding traffic southward away from the city.
Meanwhile, police have extended civil disturbance units due to the trucker convoys until March 28th.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Donald Trump Announces Win in Stormy Daniels Case, Says She Owes Him Nearly $300,000
Former President Donald Trump on Monday announced the court ruled in his favor in Stormy Daniels’ libel lawsuit against him and she will have to pay him nearly $300,000 as a result.
Trump announced the win on Twitter through his spokeswoman Liz Harrington.
“The 9th Circuit just issued a final ruling in the Stephanie Clifford (aka Stormy Daniels) frivolous lawsuit case against me brought by her disgraced lawyer, Michael Avenatti, upholding the lower court ruling that she owes me nearly $300,000 in attorney fees, costs, and sanctions (not including appeal costs),” Trump wrote.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Dr. Carol Swain ‘Concerned’ About Biden SCOTUS Nominee’s Views on Critical Race Theory
Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Dr. Carol Swain joined “Fox & Friends First” to discuss Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Dr. Swain expressed concern with Judge Jackson’s position on critical race theory and questioned whether the judge believes America is a systemically racist country.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Faith Leaders Respond Following Deadly Amherst County Shooting
AMHERST COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) — Monday, community members were cleaning up following a deadly Amherst County shooting from Saturday — a shooting that’s still clear to those who heard it.
“It wasn’t anything out of control and then all of a sudden, I just heard… pow, pow, pow, pow, pow,” said Donald Tyree.
Tyree was home early Saturday morning as the shooting rocked his neighborhood along Old Wright Shop Road.
Police got the call the 300 block of the road early Saturday morning, when 21-year-old T’khira Browley died as several others were admitted to a hospital.
It happened just off the doorsteps of United Temple of Praise, where Sharon and David Strange have preached for three years. They say they want to support others through this time.
“We gonna stay right here because I think we need to be right here. We need to show some support and love,” said Sharon Strange.
“I know a lot of people are sad about it and I just pray to God that this would be the last incident that happens,” said David Strange.
People who spoke to WDBJ7 Monday agree shootings aren’t common around this spot. Although all the details aren’t clear, they say a party was going on before shots were fired…
| — Hat tip: DV | [Return to headlines] |
Federal Court Blocks DC Law Allowing Minors to Consent to Vaccination
Minors aged 11 and up in the nation’s capital are temporarily no longer eligible to receive vaccines without parental knowledge or consent after a federal court for the District of Columbia granted a preliminary injunction against Washington, D.C.’s Minor Consent for Vaccination Act (MCA) on March 18 following a lawsuit by the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN).
“Healthcare providers recommend against vaccinations if individuals reacted poorly to past immunizations. A VIS [Vaccine Information Statement] describes the risks of certain vaccines and explains when they are contraindicated… By removing the parent from the vaccine decision, the MCA undercuts a key purpose of the VIS and a safety check before the vaccination,” Trump-appointed judge Trevor McFadden wrote in the ruling.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Josh Hawley has brought to light cases in which Biden’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson did not adhere to federal sentencing guidelines for those convicted of child pornography. When he brought the cases up last week, he was slammed for doing so, and fact-checkers leapt into the fray to say that he was incorrect in his assessment, because there was a judicial consensus that the penalties for child pornographers were too harsh.
Hawley noted that the sheer number of child sex abuse images continues to rise exponentially, and he does not agree that the sentencing guidelines are too harsh. In fact, the prevalence of child sex abuse images, in Hawley’s view, is not a reason to lessen the guidelines at all.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New Copyright Bill Appears to Push for Internet Upload Filters
You might have thought there is something fundamentally wrong and overarching with the (infamous) DMCA, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and in dire need of comprehensive reform? Well, two US senators think what it needs is to be implemented much more vigorously.
A bipartisan legislative proposal is now emerging in the US to further shore up the country’s efforts to protect copyright and go after those designated as infringers.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York’s Yonkers Police Slam YouTube for Censorship After Site Removes Anti-Asian Attack Video
A New York police department called out YouTube on Monday for removing a video that showed a violent attack on an Asian American woman, and suggested that the company improperly censored them in doing so.
Yonkers Police Department tweeted a screenshot of a message with YouTube letterhead on Monday related to surveillance footage of the March 11th hate crime attack involving an alleged career criminal. The video was later taken down, and was replaced with the message: “This video has been removed for violating YouTube’s Terms of Service.”
The contents of the message indicate Yonkers Police appealed the video’s removal, but was denied.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NH Secession From United States Rejected. Seabrook Rep. is One of 13 Who Supported it.
CONCORD — The New Hampshire House overwhelmingly rejected a proposal Thursday that called for the state to secede from the United States.
State Rep. Max Abramson of Seabrook is one of the 13 Republicans lawmakers statewide who voted to support the secession bill moving forward. Four more Rockingham County Republican state representatives joined Abramson in supporting secession: Alan Bershstein of Nottingham, Dustin Dodge of Raymond, Dennis Green of Hampstead and Josh Yokela of Fremont. It was also supported by one Strafford County Republican: Rep. Glenn Bailey of Milton.
Under the secession proposal, voters would have been asked to amend the state constitution to add that New Hampshire “peaceably declares independence from the United States and immediately proceeds as a sovereign nation. All other references to the United States in this constitution, state statutes and regulations are nullified.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams said filming the police from a close distance “is not acceptable, and won’t be tolerated.”
At an event at the New York City Police Academy, where he announced the reintroduction of the anti-gun unit, Adams was asked about his stance on civilians who want to “document what’s going on.”
The topic has been the subject of many First Amendment lawsuits in various states, the argument being that documenting police is a constitutional right that the police can’t suppress. This argument has been supported by multiple courts.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
NYC World Wide Rally for Freedom
On Saturday March 19, 2022, a diverse group of protesters assembled in Times Square at the World Wide Rally for Freedom to push back against infringements on their human rights, advocating for the end of international COVID-19 restriction policies.
Protesters marched from Times Square to Union Square, chanting warnings to passersby about medical freedom, the politicization of science and medicine, Big Tech and their digital passports, and the mainstream media’s fear rhetoric, used to manipulate the masses — picking up some agreeing stragglers (and a middle finger or two) along the way.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Curtis Edgleston, 22, who was out on parole for robbery, is accused of robbing, shooting and almost killing the head of a non-profit organization that purports to help keep parolees out of jail.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Signs Critical Race Theory Bill Into Law
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — Universities and colleges under the control of the South Dakota Board of Regents will no longer be able to require students to attend orientations and training that are based on what Governor Kristi Noem defines as Critical Race Theory.
HB 1012 was signed into law on Monday along with several other education bills. The bill was initially meant to ban divisive concepts from being taught in the classroom and no state money could be used for actions that would be prohibited by the passage of the bill. But the bill that was signed into law was heavily amended to only apply to orientation and training from colleges and universities.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Two Trans People Found Guilty in Brutal Murder of Colorado Springs COVID Nurse
Vinn “Elise” Heath, a biological man who identifies as a woman and whose legal name is Cohen Heath, was found guilty of murder in court on Friday in the brutal slaying of Colorado Springs mother and nurse Bridget Kenner in April of 2020.
According to police, Heath partnered with a biological woman who identifies as a man, Emma Kenner, Kenner’s child who goes by Kenny, in the grisly murder. The two were romantically involved and were found to have stabbed 44-year-old Kenner to death in her home. She was found deceased on April 28, 2020.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Virginian-Pilot Reporter Among Those Killed in Granby Street Shooting in Downtown Norfolk
Saturday would have been Sierra Jenkins’ turn to cover the breaking news shift for The Virginian-Pilot.
When an editor learned early Saturday that several people had been shot in downtown Norfolk, he called Jenkins repeatedly to ask her to cover it. But she couldn’t be reached.
The 25-year-old reporter was one of two people killed when gunfire erupted outside a popular Granby Street nightspot.
Jenkins had been at Chicho’s Pizza Backstage with her best friend, according to her family. The restaurant and bar was closing when an argument started outside and Jenkins, who covered education for The Pilot and Daily Press, was caught in the line of fire as she left. She was later pronounced dead at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital…
| — Hat tip: Dean | [Return to headlines] |
Watch: Trump Slams Biden’s Foreign Policy, Saying May be ‘Destroying the World’
On Sunday, Donald Trump gave an exclusive phone interview to Fox Business’s Stuart Varney, telling viewers in no uncertain terms that the Biden administration “may ultimately be responsible for destroying the world.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Breaking: Liberals, NDP Strike Tentative Deal to Keep Canada Under Trudeau Rule Until 2025
Jagmeet Singh’s NDP and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have struck a tentative deal to keep Canada under left-wing rule until 2025, CBC’s Vassy Kepelos is reporting.
The deal “would see the NDP support the Liberal government to keep it in power until 2025 in exchange for movement on key NDP priorities,” CBC reports.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Canadians Withdrew Millions of Dollars From Banks After Trudeau Ordered Accounts Frozen
Canadian bank executives have disclosed that millions of dollars were indeed withdrawn from credit unions shortly after the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau authorized the freezing of bank accounts linked to the trucker Freedom Convoy.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Martha Durdin, CEO of the Canadian Credit Union Association, told the House of Commons finance committee in early March that “in the early days, there was some degree of panic among some Canadians that their accounts may be frozen.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Conservative Leader Says Canadian Support of No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine Not ‘Off the Table’
Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen said in an interview with CTV News that she believes that Canada and other NATO countries should consider Ukraine’s request to implement a no-fly zone over its skies.
“I don’t think NATO should take anything off the table at this point. And I certainly don’t think NATO should be announcing what they will or will not do to Putin. I just don’t think that’s the best strategy,” Bergen told CTV.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Couple Allegedly Kicked Off Via Rail Train for Not Masking Between Sips
An Ontario couple was thrown off a Via Rail train for allegedly not pulling up their mask between sips of a drink. The engaged couple was two hours away from their destination before being kicked off the train.
According to a source familiar with the riders, when the couple refused to mask between mouthfuls of a beverage, Belleville police allegedly arrived to remove the couple from the train.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds Took to the Legislature Plaza in Edmonton as Part of the World Wide Rally for Freedom
Although the City of Edmonton, with the exception of a honking ban that no one seems to acknowledge, has taken a lighter touch, protesters at the weekly legislature protest were still worried that Calgary-style arrests and police crackdowns could come to the capital city.
The City of Calgary received a last-minute ex-parte order to try to euthanize the weekly anti-COVID mandate protest that has taken place every Saturday peacefully for almost two years. The order prevents honking and making noise, gathering on sidewalks and anything that may disrupt the use of public parks by others.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
It’s Never Selfish ‘To Fight for Your Freedoms’: Toronto World Wide Freedom Rally
On Saturday, March 19, there was yet another World Wide Freedom Rally. The World Wide Rally’s were born out of the continued miscarriage of civil liberties and democratic process by governments globally during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The worldwide events typically garner more attendance than the usual Saturday protests that happen across various cities and towns nationwide. Covering the rally from Queen’s Park in Toronto, I talked to a few of the speakers and some attendees before they set off to march through the streets. There were several hundred protesters despite the cold, rainy weather.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Majority of Cryptocurrency Donations to Freedom Convoy Evaded Seizure by Authorities
The vast majority of cryptocurrency donations to the Canadian truckers’ Freedom Convoy protest have evaded seizure by authorities, despite cabinet— and court-ordered freezes and financial blacklisting rendered initially under the federal Emergencies Act.
As previously reported by Rebel News, more than 200 bank accounts were frozen by cabinet order under the Emergencies Act totalling over $8 million as of late February. The Department of Finance stated that donations as small as $20 could be cause for a bank to freeze a customer’s account if the contribution was made after February 15, the date the protest was declared illegal.
Despite concerted efforts by government and banks to freeze all convoy-associated assets, approximately 70% of the known $1 million worth of cryptocurrency donations have evaded seizure and appear to have reached their intended destinations.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Most Students Mask Up as Mandate Drops on First Day After March Break
Many students in Ottawa decided to keep their masks on as they returned to school after March Break.
The province dropped its mask mandates in schools on Monday, making it now a choice to cover up.
Jessica Fullerton is a mother of two and says her family is feeling a little nervous to go back to the classroom.
[Comment: Facepalm.]
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
N.S. Top Doc Calls Protest Outside Home ‘Concerning’ as Province Lifts Most COVID-19 Measures
Nova Scotia has officially ended its state of emergency — two years after it was declared — and lifted most COVID-19 restrictions.
During an interview with Global News Morning on Monday, Dr. Robert Strang, the chief medical officer of health for the province, called it “an important transition.”
“We’re at a point where because of the hard work of all Nova Scotians and the strong layer of protection we have from from vaccine mostly — and for some people with recent infection — we are well protected against severe disease right now, so we can lift these restrictions,” he said.
“But by no means (does that mean) that the pandemic is over. We still have a lot of virus around.”
A small protest gathered outside Strang’s home Sunday evening, which was live-streamed on social media by the group. Homemade signs had messages including “Unmask Our Children” and “Strangled.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ontario Introducing Law to Prevent Future Border Blockades
The Ford government is set to introduce a bill that would allow people’s driver’s licences and vehicle registration to be revoked for participating in blockades the province deems illegal.
“Ontario is a strong, reliable trading partner, and we are signalling to the world that we continue to be open for business,” said Ontario premier Doug Ford in a press release on Monday. “We will do everything in our power to protect our workers, job creators and international trade relationships from any future attempts to block our borders.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Ottawa Police Admit Freedom Convoy Unconnected to Arson Attempt
The Ottawa Police Service has cleared the Freedom Convoy of involvement in a highly-publicized arson attempt in an apartment building while protests were still ongoing throughout the city.
According to a Mar. 21 press release, one 21-year-old man named Connor Russell McDonald was charged for his involvement.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Senator Gripes About Protests Against Chinese Communism, Trudeau
A Trudeau-appointed senator who complained about the noise of freedom demonstrations this weekend in Toronto appeared to consider protests opposing Chinese communism just as unacceptable as protests demanding freedom and opposing Trudeau.
Senator Donna Dasko tweeted on Mar. 19 as freedom convoy protests against the erosion of freedoms under COVID-19 mandates were taking place in the city’s downtown.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Truck Impounded, Driver Fined $600 Amid Victoria Convoy Protest
Victoria police impounded at least one vehicle over the weekend amid protests opposed to COVID-19 mandates outside the B.C. legislature.
Police have established “controlled access points” in the city’s James Bay neighbourhood in an effort to prevent trucks and other large vehicles from blockading streets and creating excess noise around the legislature grounds.
The checkpoints remained in place Monday, restricting access to local vehicles and people with legitimate business in the neighbourhood, such as going to the park or the library.
Over the weekend, police say about 150 vehicles were turned away from the area, with most protesters parking in legal spots before returning to the area on foot.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
University of Ottawa Plans Panel on Journalists Getting ‘Mean Tweets’
Media personalities will be participating in a live podcast to discuss their experiences with online harassment and “mean tweets” as experienced by journalists.
“Join us for a conversation with Rosemary Barton, Fatima Syed and Mark Blackburn to discuss online harassment, discrediting journalism, and what incivility means for our democratic systems,” the event’s description reads.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Why Dropping Mandates Didn’t Stop People Protesting in B.C.
British Columbia’s decision to stop forcing people to wear masks, and to soon end the divisive vaccine passport, didn’t stop the nearly 2,000 pro-freedom protesting from gathering at Vancouver’s Jack Poole Plaza this past Saturday.
On one side of the plaza, the seventh Worldwide Freedom Rally, hosted by organizers Alicia Johnson and Danielle Pistilli, set up a demonstration planned weeks before, with speeches, live music and a motivational message.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Alsatians Mulling Independence From France
German as well as French mainstream media has ignored the issue completely. France may be facing a major change regarding German-speaking Alsatians. In a large-scale referendum held in recent weeks, the overwhelming majority of Alsatians voted in favor of leaving the current French administrative region Grand Est and for an independent region of Alsace.
The initiator of the poll, Frédéric Bierry, announced the result last month: Some 92,4 percent of Alsatians voted for an independent Alsace in the almost two-month survey. “This February 21st is historic,” Bierry commented. There is already talk of an “Alsace exit” in France.
Although the result of the survey is not binding on anyone, it does send a clear signal to Paris, even if less than ten percent of Alsatians (around 168 000 citizens) actually took part.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Singer Jaromir Nohavica said that the cancellation of his concert had much in common with the cancellation of cultural events during the communist era in Czechoslovakia.
“Born in communism, I will die in communism,” Nohavica replied on his website to the event’s cancellation.
Nohavica’s concert was cancelled due to receiving a medal from Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past. However, Nohavica publicly spoke out against the war in Ukraine. On Mar. 2, he broadcasted a live concert from his apartment in which he explicitly condemned the war, sang in both Ukrainian and Russian, and claimed that he did not stand with Putin. Nevertheless, his concert was still canceled.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
British Politician ‘Assassinated’ by ‘Radicalised Islamist Terrorist’, Court Hears
(AP) — British lawmaker Sir David Amess was “assassinated” while meeting constituents last year by a “fanatical, radicalised Islamist terrorist,” a court heard Monday as the accused killer went on trial.
Veteran Conservative MP Sir David was stabbed to death at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea in southeast England in October.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland’s biggest oil refiner PKN Orlen has assisted with the safe delivery of a batch of Starlink internet terminals to Ukraine, it has emerged.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov confirmed receipt of the Starlink stations — a SpaceX initiative which facilitates continuous internet coverage in disconnected areas — on Friday, and thanked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the Polish government and PKN Orlen for coming to Ukraine’s aid.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Germany Admits Radical Islam, Not Mental Issues, Likely Motivated Mass Stabbing by Syrian
Despite initially ruling out terrorism, officials have now said that radical Islam, not mental health issues, was the likely motivation for a Syrian knifeman’s stabbing spree on a German train.
There are “serious indications” that a migrant man who went on a knife rampage in Germany back in November was inspired by radical Islam, the local prosecutor’s office has reportedly said.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Great Reset Delayed: Belgium Delays Killing Nuclear Over ‘Chaotic Geopolitical Environment’
Belgium has delayed killing off its use of nuclear power generation over what it called a “chaotic geopolitical environment”.
Nuclear power is to continue powering Belgian homes and businesses for years to come after the country announced that it will be delaying its phase-out of the energy source by at least a decade.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Hundreds of Polish and Ukrainian Activists Block Truck Deliveries to Belarus
Hundreds of Poles and Ukrainians living in Poland conducted blockades over the weekend, preventing the transportation of supplies from traveling into Belarus and consequently Russia.
Protesters gathered in the town of Kukuryki in the Lublin region of Poland, intent on stopping trucks from crossing the border and delivering goods which could be used by Russian authorities to support their military aims.
Activists held banners which read “No trade in blood” and “Stop trading with the aggressors” as they waved Ukrainian flags. The Euromaidan Press reported on Sunday that up to 950 trucks were tailing back 45 kilometers from the protest.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Insurers Say Germany’s Forced Vax Regime Plan ‘Impossible’ to Implement
Germany’s current plans to implement a compulsory vaccination regime is utterly unworkable, according to organisations who would be put in charge of enforcing it.
Despite forced vaccination still being very much on the cards politically in Germany, a number of companies which would be forced to take responsibility for its enforcement have claimed that the current plans put in place by the government are utterly unworkable.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Netherlands Will Provide Weapons to Protect Polish Airspace — Dutch PM
The Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has pledged that his country will provide weapons to protect the air space of Poland and other Nato allies.
Rutte met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki in Warsaw, on Monday.
Following the meeting, Rutte told a joint press conference with Morawiecki that Poland, as Ukraine’s neighbour, “has a special role to play.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Poland Wants EU to Grant Candidate Member Status to Ukraine Says PM
Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, has said that, even though he is aware that Poland’s proposal is not supported by all EU states, he will try to convince EU leaders to give EU candidate member status to Ukraine.
“Poland believes that Ukraine should be given hope,” Morawiecki said after a meeting with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte in Warsaw on Monday.
“Poland wants Ukraine to be quickly granted EU member candidate status,” he repeated, adding that he would make this appeal during the forthcoming EU summit.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
RT and Sputnik Still Accessible on Some Networks in Czechia Despite EU Ban
Despite Russian state media outlets Sputnik and Russia Today were banned across the EU almost three weeks ago, it is often possible to connect to the websites of both media without problems. The European institutions lack direct blocking tools, so they rely on internet service providers, but some of them are hesitant to intervene.
At the beginning of the invasion, the CZ.NIC association decided to block domains of eight websites labeled as “disinformation sites” in an unprecedented move. However, these were only websites under the .cz domain. It was followed by an EU decision to ban Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik in all member states. Their influential language versions, including the Czech Sputnik, are paid directly from the Kremlin.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Study: Death Toll From COVID in the U.K. ‘Overestimated’
Britain’s official COVID-19 death toll may have overestimated the number of people who died from the disease due to the way deaths were recorded at the height of the pandemic — among other issues.
A new Lancet study published last Thursday suggests that the Britains death rate dropped significantly below global rankings following the introduction of a new measurement. Officially, recorded deaths from the coronavirus “represent only a partial count of the total death toll” when excess mortalities are factored in.
The study, titled “Estimating excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic analysis of COVID-19-related mortality, 2020-21“ is an analytical model that health experts are calling “the most comprehensive assessment of excess mortality due to COVID-19 to date.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Former Czech President Vaclav Klaus has insisted he would “have to be brought to the gallows” before he opted to return his Pushkin Medal awarded to him 15 years ago by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Klaus made the remarks during an interview with the Lidové noviny newspaper amid the strong criticism aimed at Czech singer Jaromir Nohavica for rejecting suggestions that she should return the medal due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Klaus received the medal in 2007 from Russian Ambassador Alexei Fedotov at Prague Castle. At the time, the Kremlin said that Klaus received the decoration for “bringing nations closer together and preserving their cultural heritage.”
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
…Animal Rebellion hold doorstep demo at non-profit Marine Stewardship Council over ‘false’ claims in Seaspiracy
Vegan vandals have hurled red paint on the headquarters of a sustainable fishing firm in the latest eco attack to rock the UK.
The thugs coated the Marine Stewardship Council building in Snow Hill, central London, in dye as they claimed the company needs to ‘fund a just transition from fishing to sustainable plant-based agriculture’.
The group, made up of two young men and a woman from Animal Rebellion, smirked as they posed for pictures outside the wreaked office block.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
Zemmour Supporters Attacked, Doused With Gasoline as French Presidential Race Heats Up
Six activists supporting populist presidential candidate Eric Zemmour were doused with gasoline in the latest attack of the hotly contested French presidential election.
Following a spate of leftist attacks against Reconquête! (Reconquest!) candidate Eric Zemmour, six supporters were drenched in gasoline while draping a banner on a bridge for the populist firebrand in Linas, Esssone in Northern France.
| — Hat tip: Reader from Chicago | [Return to headlines] |
With War Raging in Ukraine Hungary and Serbia Seek to Maintain Peaceful Alliance
Hungary and Serbia will remain friends even in these difficult times of war, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in the Serbian town of Novi Sad (Újvidék in Hungarian) after meeting Serbian President Alexandar Vucic.
“Whatever difficulties may come, we will keep the Serb-Hungarian friendship, we will keep the peace,” Orban said.
At the ceremonial handover of the Belgrade-Novi Sad section of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, at the Novi Sad railway station, the prime minister said, “Here, the war going on in the minds and hearts of all of us on the eastern borders of Hungary.”
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Valiant, virtuous defender of democracy Zelensky has banned opposition parties and imposed a martial law takeover of the media.
“It’s OK when we do it!”
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Foreign Volunteers Blamed for Missile Strike That Killed 35 at Ukrainian Training Facility
British volunteers have been blamed for a missile strike that killed 35 people at a Ukrainian training facility because their phone signals gave away the base’s location.
Whoops.
“Between 12 to 14 British phone numbers starting with the +44 national dialling code were visible to surveillance equipment a short time before the Russian missile strike on the Yavoriv training facility in western Ukraine on the 13th of March,” reports Breitbart.
“Mercenaries who were contracted by the Wagner Group, a military company linked to Moscow, may have been operating nearby at the time of the strike, according to reports, and specialists fear they would have been able to pick up, locate, and target a concentrated group of British mobile phone signals and pass the information to Russian forces.”
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In Ukraine: The Ukrainian government rebuffed a Russian demand to surrender the embattled port city of Mariupol that came as Moscow appears to be shifting its battle plan to compel Kyiv to accept Moscow’s claims to Ukraine’s southern and eastern territory.
The World Health Organization said the fighting is taking an ever greater toll on Ukraine’s healthcare system. The agency said Monday that it had registered 14 deaths and 36 injuries in attacks on the healthcare system tied to the fighting that began Feb. 24.
Russia claimed to have seized a Ukrainian military command headquarters and taken 61 Ukrainian prisoners of war, and reported a cruise-missile attack on an alleged training center for foreign and Ukrainian fighters in the Rivne region of western Ukraine, which it says killed more than 80 Ukrainian and foreign fighters.
The two sides exchanged accusations for damage at a chemical plant in the city of Sumy in eastern Ukraine on Monday morning where an ammonia gas leak was detected.
In Russia: Investors sold Russian local-currency government bonds as trading reopened Monday after being shut the past three weeks. The country’s largest airport, Sheremetyevo International, furloughed a portion of its staff because of a decline in demand. Russia’s foreign ministry on Monday warned that relations between Moscow and Washington were “on the verge of a rupture.”
In Europe: Support for a European Union-wide ban on the purchase of Russian oil is growing inside the bloc, representing a significant shift in the continent’s stance.
In Washington: President Biden will travel to Brussels for a series of meetings with U.S. allies on the Ukraine war and the West’s response. Mr. Biden is expected to head to Warsaw on Friday. The U.S. is sending some of the Soviet-made air defense equipment it secretly acquired decades ago to bolster the Ukrainian military, U.S. officials said.
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Pics: ‘No Surrender’ — Ukraine Forces Refuse Offer of Safe Passage Out of Mariupol
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials defiantly rejected a Russian demand that their forces in Mariupol lay down arms and raise white flags Monday in exchange for safe passage out of the besieged strategic port city.
Even as Russia intensified its attempt to bombard Mariupol into surrender, its offensive in other parts of Ukraine has floundered. Western governments and analysts see the broader conflict grinding into a war of attrition, with Russia continuing to barrage cities.
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A U.S. space industry conference has dropped the first man in space Yuri Gagarin’s name from its title because he was Russian, prompting another Russian Cosmonaut to warn that history is being rewritten.
RT News reports that Colorado-based The Space Foundation, comprised of aerospace industry executives, renamed a fundraising party dropping the title “Yuri’s Night,” reasoning that “in light of current world events,” it would now be titled “A Celebration of Space: Discover What’s Next.”
The report notes that the page containing the justification for dropping Gagarin’s name was then later completely deleted as if it had never existed.
Russian Cosmonaut Andrey Borisenko has taken exception to the development, warning “A fight with history has started.”
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Russia’s Local-Currency Bond Market Reopens After Three Weeks
Investors sold Russian local-currency government bonds as trading reopened Monday after being shut the past three weeks.
Russia is starting to thaw trading freezes enacted after its invasion of Ukraine prompted Western sanctions targeting its central bank’s foreign-currency reserves and the access of some of its banks to the Swift financial network. Closing markets forestalled an expected firesale of Russian assets, investors say.
Russian central bank Gov. Elvira Nabiullina said last week that the Moscow Exchange would reopen gradually but provided no details beyond the bond buying. Russia’s stock market remains closed. Ms. Nabiullina, recently nominated for a third term, said the central bank would purchase Russian government bonds Monday to prevent excessive volatility and ensure smooth trading.
A Russian local-currency bond maturing in March 2033 fell to 67.9% of its face value, also known as par, from about 87% ahead of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to FactSet. Russia’s central bank doubled interest rates at the outset of the war to 20%. When interest rates rise, the value of existing bonds, which pay a lower rate of interest, drop in value.
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‘The Russians Were Hunting Us Down’ — AP Journalists Describe Escape From Mariupol
MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — The Russians were hunting us down. They had a list of names, including ours, and they were closing in.
We had been documenting the siege of the Ukrainian city by Russian troops for more than two weeks and were the only international journalists left in the city. We were reporting inside the hospital when gunmen began stalking the corridors. Surgeons gave us white scrubs to wear as camouflage.
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Ukraine’s Military Medical Service Head Orders All Wounded Russian Soldiers Castrated
The head of Ukraine’s military medical service has given the order to castrate wounded Russian soldiers, declaring they are “cockroaches, not people.”
Gennady Druzenko, a lawyer, Maidan activist, veteran of the war in Donbass and current head of the ‘Mobile Hospital’ project, made the dehumanizing announcement on Ukraine 24.
He has also been described as a “medical angel” by US mainstream media.
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What Happened to People Who Volunteered to Fight for Ukraine?
Many ‘foreign volunteers’ with zero military training are traveling to Ukraine hopped up on the promise of social media dopamine and being able to express their support for ‘the current thing’.
But some of them are fleeing for their lives or coming home in body bags.
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Zelensky Purges All Opposition Parties and Seizes Control of All Media Outlets
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that his government plans to ban 11 opposition parties and seize control of all media outlets, just days after US Congress approved a massive $13.6 billion package for Ukraine in order to save democracy.
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China Makes a New Big Push to Digitize Everything
The “digitization of everything” has served China and the very core of its policies very well thus far, so it would come as no surprise that the country is pressing on to expand this trend as far as it can go.
The appeal of digitization is not only in its obvious advantages of simplifying and streamlining the life of citizens: more and more countries, many likely looking up to China, are also using the trend of making what used to be physical into digital to simply easily centralize it in one place, make it easily accessible to the authorities at all times.
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Australia is Working on Laws to Censor Internet “Misinformation”
The Australian government plans to introduce legislation this year to fight “misinformation” and “disinformation” online.
The new legislation was announced by Hon. Paul Fletcher, the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities, and the Arts, while releasing a report by the country’s media watchdog the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on the current state of disinformation and quality of news.
“ACMA’s report highlights that disinformation and misinformation are significant and ongoing issues,” Minister Fletcher said.
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Sydney News: Man Suspends Himself From Pole in South Sydney Protest
A man has suspended himself from a pole as part of a larger protest causing major traffic delays this morning at Port Botany, in Sydney’s south.
Police were called to the unauthorised demonstration at Bumborah Point Road near Friendship Road intersection just before 6:30am.
The man was arrested and put into the back of a police van at about 8am, before being taken to Maroubra Police Station, where he is assisting police with their inquiries.
Traffic is still heavy in the area and police warned motorists to expect delays.
Climate action protest group Blockade Australia have claimed responsibility for the demonstration, live streaming the chaos from their Facebook page.
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Telegram is Unbanned in Brazil After Agreeing to Censor
On Friday, Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the banning of Telegram because of its failure to comply with Brazil’s laws and for allowing the spread of “fake news.”
On Sunday, he revoked the suspension, saying that the company had complied with censorship requests to ban accounts.
After the suspension, Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov apologized for his company’s “negligence” in complying with court orders.
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African, Arab Migrants Terrorizing Female Ukrainian Refugees at Hostel in Sweden
Female refugees from Ukraine currently staying in a hostel in Sweden are being terrorized by male migrants from the Middle East and Africa, according to reports.
Thousands of people have arrived in Sweden from Ukraine in recent weeks, most of whom are women and children.
Some have been offered temporary accommodation at a hostel in Örebro City Vandrarhem, a hostel in the city of Örebro.
However, a feeling of relief has been quickly replaced by one of fear for some arrivals who say they would prefer a return to Ukraine.
Men of African and Middle Eastern descent have been showing up at the hostel and attempting to gain entry, guests and workers say.
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An Influx of Ukrainians Refugees Could Halt Wage Growth, Warns Czech PM Adviser
An influx of Ukrainian refugees into the Czech labor market will aid the country’s economy, but it could also compress wages, Štepan Krecek, the adviser to Prime Minister Petr Fiala has told Czech news outlet Echo24.
For several years, employment offices have been offering more places than registered jobseekers across Czechia. There are current 360,000 job vacancies with just 260,000 applicants. Sectors such as gastronomy, healthcare, industry, logistics, and IT have been most affected, however, the current conflict in Ukraine has the opportunity to rectify this with many skilled workers returning home.
So far, an estimated 270,000 people have come to Czechia, with more refugees expected to arrive in the longer term.
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Around 100 migrants were brought into Dover today as the numbers rescued or intercepted by UK authorities after making the perilous Channel crossing topped more than 3,000 so far this year.
Three migrants were rescued by the RNLI from a rubber dinghy as groups of men and women were picked up by Border Force and taken to Dover Marina, Kent.
The three young men ditched the engine of a tiny mustard yellow dingy vessel to be helped from the 21-mile Dover Strait.
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More Than 50,000 Ukraine Refugees Arriving Daily in Polish Border Towns
Up to 50,000 refugees have been arriving each day in the Polish town of Przemysl near the border with Ukraine, with hundreds more arriving at other frontier crossing points. Warsaw has thus far spent €1.6 billion to manage the influx of people escaping the Russian invasion.
Hundreds of refugees — mainly women, children and the elderly — are also arriving every day at Medyka, another Polish town on the border. Upon arrival they are faced with two choices: Go to a warehouse transformed into an emergency shelter, or continue to the neighbouring town of Przemysl, where they can embark for other destinations.
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Number of Refugees Fleeing Ukraine Approaches 3.5 Million
Almost 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, according to the United Nations refugee agency, which estimates that more than 10 million people have been forced from their homes by the war.
Most of the refugees are women and children and have arrived in Poland; some half a million have gone to Romania, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. Governments, local administrations and citizens in neighboring countries have offered support to help them find places to live and work. A law in Ukraine prevents fighting-age men from leaving the country.
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Over 2.1 Mln Refugees Enter Poland Since War in Ukraine Started
Since February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine, 2,114,000 people have crossed the Polish-Ukrainian border into Poland, the Border Guard (SG) tweeted on Monday morning.
The SG wrote on Twitter that on Sunday Border Guard officers carried out 33,800 border checks on people entering Poland from Ukraine.
The Border Guard also said that the number of arrivals by 7:00 a.m. on Monday reached 5,700 people.
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Poland: Belarus Continues Hybrid Attack, Security Head Says
Belarus is continuing its hybrid attacks on Poland by sending Middle Eastern migrants to try and cross the Polish border, the director of the national security department tweeted on Monday.
“Stones, attacks on the Polish borderline, constant instability in the border area — (Belarusian President Aleksander — PAP) Lukashenko’s hybrid operation is continuing,” wrote Stanislaw Zaryn
He also accused the Belarusian security services of “acting in line with Russia’s aggressive, anti-Nato policy.”
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‘We Are Afraid’ — Ukrainian Refugee Women Fear for Safety in Multicultural Sweden
A number of Ukrainian refugee women taken in by multicultural Sweden still fear for their safety, after at least two separate groups of men tried to gain access to their living quarters.
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Babylon Bee Defiant After Twitter Locks Account Over Tweet Naming Rachel Levine ‘Man of the Year’
The Christian satire site The Babylon Bee is refusing to back down after Twitter locked its account over a tweet naming U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine the satire site’s “Man of the Year” for 2022.
“I just received this notice that we’ve been locked out of our account for ‘hateful conduct,’“ Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon wrote on Twitter, sharing a screenshot of the social media platform’s notice that the Bee’s account had been suspended.
“Hi The Babylon Bee, Your account, @TheBabylonBee has been locked for violating the Twitter Rules,” the message reads.
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A professor from SUNY-Cortland, a college in New York, has been reported to the university’s “bias response team,” for reportedly suggesting in the classroom that race and gender relations in the United States have improved since the 1930s.
According to The College Fix, when the professor in question began teaching in January of this year, he told his class that he would not focus on bashing the United States for its past sins, emphasizing a need to recognize the present realities of the country’s social and racial relations contextually.
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Watch: ESPN Broadcasters Interrrupt NCAA Basketball Coverage to Protest Florida Anti-Grooming Bill
In protest of Florida’s HB1557 legislation, ESPN broadcasters interrupted their regular half-time commentary on a woman’s NCAA basketball game on Friday to voice their opinions on the bill.
The announcers, Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck, mentioned their support for the “LGBTQIA+ teammates at Disney” in their opposition to the bill, which was passed on March 8.
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Zelensky: NATO was only pretending to let us join
Published 21 March 2022 at 14.44 in Fria Tider
EXCERPT.
The crisis in Ukraine began when NATO refused to give Russia a guarantee that Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO. But now Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj says NATO never seriously intended to accept his country as a member.
– ‘I asked them personally: say directly that we will accept you in NATO in one or two or five years, just say it directly and clearly, or just say no,’ Zelenskyj said in an interview with CNN.
He continues:
– And the answer was very clear: You will not be a NATO member, but publicly the doors will remain open.
So what Volodymyr Zelensky seems to be saying is that NATO wanted him to pretend outwardly that Ukraine would be allowed to join NATO, even though this would never be a reality.
The Ukrainian President has said on several occasions recently that he has basically given up hope of joining the US-led military alliance.
Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Russia had made security demands of NATO, one of the main ones being that Ukraine should not be allowed to join NATO. However, the military alliance refused to meet Russia’s demands.
Alsace: the article has it right. This is not a secession Alsacians want from France but just be independant from a huger administrative structure Grand Est with all that implies in a centralistically structured state like France.
And the Alsacians enjoy being french, even the german speaking ones. They often switch to french language when they wish not to be understood. Doesn‘t help in my case.